Neophyte lawmaker breaks House tradition in securing committee chairmanship
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Thu, 01 Aug 2019 10:59:19 +0000
A neophyte lawmaker at the House of Representatives was hailed chairman of the Committee on Games and Amusement, the first panel to reach almost 40 members in the 18th Congress a week after it formally opened.
Rep. Eric Go Yap of the Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) partylist secured the chairmanship on Wednesday’s session, breaking tradition on the appointment of veteran and returning lawmakers to lead the committees in the lower chamber.
In a news briefing on Thursday, ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Niña Taduran defended Yap’s appointment, calling it “well-deserved” because of the group’s “unprecedented victory” in the midterm polls.
“It is the prerogative of the House leadership to appoint anyone. Secondly, I assume we deserve this because [we had] an unprecedented victory. We made history…it is our bragging right that we got 2.8 million votes, breaking record in the partylist system race,” Taduran said in a mix of English and Filipino.
The ACT-CIS, backed by media personality Erwin Tulfo and an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, topped the partylist race last May with Yap, Taduran, and Tulfo’s wife Jocelyn Tulfo as its first three nominees.
Taduran and Tulfo are also members of the Games and Amusement panel with vice chairs Reps. Elpidio Barzaga of Cavite, Rolando Valeriano of Manila, Joseph Bernos of Abra, Ronnie Ong of Ang Probinsyano Partylist, Jumel Espino of Pangasinan, Joy Tambunting of Parañaque, Florencio Noel of An Waray Partylist, and Rudy Caoagdan of North Cotabato.
Other members of the panel, mostly Duterte allies, are Reps. Abraham Tolentino of Cavite, Antonio Albano of Isabela, Claudine Bautista of Dumper Partylist, Way Zamora of Compostela Valley, Lorna Bautista-Bandigan of Davao Occidental, Allen Jessi Mangaoang of Kalinga, Carlo Lisandro Gonzales of Marino, Juliet Ferrer of Negros Occidental, Lorna Silverio of Bulacan, Strike Revilla of Bacoor, Horacio Suansing of Sultan Kudarat, Franz Alvarez of Palawan, Antonino Calixto of Pasay City, Sonny Lagon of Ako Bisaya Partylist, Doy Leachon of Oriental Mindoro, Rolando Uy of Cagayan de Oro, Dale Malapitan of Caloocan, Francisco Matugas of Surigao del Norte, John Marvin Nieto of Manila, Eric Olivarez of Parañaque, Ma. Theresa Collantes of Batangas, Jose Francisco Benitez of Negros Occidental, Sandra Eriguel of La Union, Jonathan Keith Flores of Bukidnon, Datu Roonie Sinsuat Sr. of Maguindanao, Juan Fidel Felipe Nograles of Rizal, Wilton Kho of Masbate, Lorenz Defensor of Iloilo, and Rudy Caesar Fariñas of Ilocos Norte.
Once formally convened, the Games and Amusement panel said that it would summon officials involved in anomalies hounding the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) as its first agenda.
Last Saturday, Malacañang aired a video message from Duterte ordering the closure and stoppage of all gaming schemes of the PCSO because of “massive corruption.”
Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said the government has been “cheated” of its rightful shares from PCSO-sanctioned lotto, Small Town Lottery, Peryahan ng Bayan and Keno, among others.
Panelo added that Duterte would identify these “big names” involved in the conspiracy soon. GLEE JALEA