Forging unity is essential in lawmaking, representing

By VINCE BORNEO
for the National Unity Party . 

EXISTING political realities in the Philippines dictate that the three main tasks of legislators in the Philippines are: (1) making, amending or revising laws; (2) exercising the congressional power of oversight on the other branches of government(executive and judiciary); and (3) determining and ensuring that the funding for various government programs and services reach the constituencies that they represent in Congress.

These realities have only pushed industrious members of the House of Representatives of the current 17th Congress to creatively use the best of their political skills to carry out their mandate.

For Misamis Oriental (2nd District) Congresswoman Juliette Uy, it was a worthy challenge when she got elected in 2013. The Supreme Court had voided the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and ruled that lawmakers did not have any post-enactment role in the execution of projects, programs and services of government.

Congresswoman Uy buckled down to work. She joined major House committees, including the Committee on Appropriations that primarily tackles the national budget and the funding of all national laws and agencies in the country. She also made it a point to file and co-author bills of local and national significance to further improve the policy climate in the fields of education, business, governance and social services, among many concerns.

In true form to the motto that UnitY is the road to progress, Congwoman Uy allied with her fellow lawmakers from different parties, political and ideological situations to push her own legislative agenda forward.

How has the first and only lady legislator from Misamis Oriental fared so far? Congwoman Juliette Uy has principally authored 120 and co-authored another 126 House Bills and Resolutions for a total of 246 in the current 17th Congress.

Of those measures, 19 have already been enacted into law. Among these measures are the Ease of Doing Business Law (RA 11032), the Non-Expiry of Gift Checks Law (RA 10962) the General Appropriations Acts of 2017 2017 (RA 10924) and 2018 (RA 10964), the law declaring December 8 a special national non-working holiday for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (RA 10966) and the non-working local holiday laws of Villanueva (RA 11115), El Salvador City (RA 11129), Claveria (RA 11133), Alubijid (RA 11141), Jasaan (11142), and Opol (11143) all in Misamis Oriental.

For a second-term lawmaker who translates her business acumen in accomplishing her duties as representative of Misamis Oriental’s second district, Congwoman Juliette Uy has already etched her name among the foremost leaders produced by the people of Misamis Oriental.

(Vince Borneo currently works in Congress as legislative staff.)