Bicolano lawmakers and the progressive Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives topped the list of most productive House members and party-list groups in terms of principally authored bills and resolutions during the period of June 30 to Oct. 14 in the 19th Congress, a report said.
Data culled from the House of Representatives on Monday, Oct. 17, bared that of the 311 House members, Reps. Lray Villafuerte of Camarines Sur 2nd district (332 measures filed), Tsuyoshi Horibata of Camarines Sur 1st district (321), Nicolas Enciso of Bicol Saro Party-list (316), and Miguel Villafuerte of Camarines Sur 5th district (315) comprised the top four most productive lawmakers during the period.
They are all from the Bicol region.
Rounding up the list, from top five to 10, are Reps. Gus Tambunting of Parañaque City 2nd district (299), Raoul Manuel of Kabataan Party-list (205), Arlene Brosas of Gabriela (179), Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro 2nd district (177), France Castro of ACT Teachers (176), and Patrick Michael “PM” Vargas of Quezon City 5th district (163).
Of the 60 party-list representatives, Bicol Saro filed and principally authored 316 bills and resolutions during the period.
This is followed by Kabataan, 205; Gabriela, 179; ACT Teachers, 176; 1-PACMAN (by Rep. Michael Romero), 157; Tingog (by Rep. Jude Acidre), 119; Tingog (by Rep. Yedda Romualdez), 115; Ang Probinsyano (by Rep. Alfred Delos Santos), 109; Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list (Rep. Bernadette Herrera), 73; and ACT-CIS (Rep. Jeffrey Soriano), 67.
In a statement, Kabataan Party-list applauded its productivity in the 19th Congress’ first regular session, noting how the group did not let the “worsening attacks” for being a staunch opposition leader affect its job.
With only three months or around 48 session days since the start of the 19th Congress, Kabataan is already “nearing a third of total produced measures in the past three years".
This equals to a rate of four bills or resolutions filed per day, the statement said.
“Thus far, this is the most prolific legislative record of Kabataan Party-list in recent history, especially in its first 100 days in office and if sustained,” the group added.
Aside from authoring bills to push its nine-point agenda and focusing on achieving substantial reforms in the education sector, particularly in passing the Safe School Reopening and Student Aid Bills, Kabataan vowed that it will “actively” resist plans to revive the mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and other “anti-youth policies".
“Despite non-stop red-tagging, fake news, and character assassinations, Kabataan Rep. Manuel and the entire party-list organization is eager to sustain our work in forwarding a new politics of hope and struggle,” it added.
Acidre, on the other hand, vowed to work harder because Tingog Party-list “will always be grateful for the opportunity to serve our constituents".
“Given the overwhelming mandate that was entrusted to us in the last elections, we are more committed to repay that trust by working hard in carrying out our duties whether through legislation, advocacy, services and projects,” he said on behalf of his party-list.
“While a lot has been done in the last hundred days - including the passage of SIM Registration Act which we championed in the House of Representatives - there is so much more yet to be done. So we work even harder and press on,” Acidre added.
The SIM Registration Act is the first bill passed into law by the 19th Congress and signed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.