Miriam son cites Congress 'achievement'

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s congressman-son appears to be the most hard-working member of the House of Representatives in terms of bills filed.

In a statement trumpeting his “achievement” yesterday, Rep. Narciso Santiago III of the party-list group Alliance for Rural Concerns said he authored the most number of bills before Congress adjourned its session for the Christmas holidays last month.

He was the principal author of 451 bills and was co-author of 124 other legislative proposals.

It was not clear, however, how many of his proposals have been acted upon by various House committees, and if any of these measures has been endorsed for enactment.

Narciso said Majority Leader Arthur Defensor, Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora and Rep. Eufrocino Codilla Sr. of Leyte have bigger numbers of bills they can claim authorship and co-authorship of.

But Defensor, who co-authored 578 bills, is principal author of only 56; while Zamora, who is co-author of 596 measures, authored only three bills, he said.

Codilla, on the other hand, is co-author of 573 bills and author of only three.   – Jess Diaz