JDV’s major initiatives

At year’s end, we can assess the accomplishments of our legislators. If we’ve noticed the more than ample media mileage that has been given Speaker Joe de Venecia this year, it’s on account of the major initiatives that he has undertaken and supported in Congress and before leaders of other countries – and these are sensible initiatives that will do the country good if they are allowed to be implemented. Let’s look at some of them.

The congressman has been ardently espousing a regional alliance against terrorism. His proposal to create an anti-terrorists alliance in Southeast Asia was formalized in May when Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines signed a tri-nation alliance to combat organized terrorism. This is to be done through sharing of intelligence on terrorist networks and activities, tighter border controls to stem the flow of terrorists, weapons and funds, and joint peace-keeping actions. He had proposed the alliance after the September 11, 2002 terrorist attacks in the United States, and this was endorsed by the National security Council and presented by President Macapagal-Arroyo at the summit of ASEAN leaders in Brunei where the signing was done. Cambodia and later Thailand have acceded to the tri-nation front.

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Last August, the Speaker proposed the expansion of this alliance to include a cooperation agreement with the six members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) "to help stem the movement and operations of terrorists and extremist elements from Central Asia and South Asia to Southeast Asia and vice versa." The Shanghai six includes Russia, china, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The expansion of Southeast Asia’s anti-terrorist front is seen to make the United States-led global campaign against terrorism a "multi-lateral effort."

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The signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between China and the

Philippine government to finance and modernize the railway going south from Calamba to Albay and on to Sorsogon is the first major government program to rebuild the rail system in nearly four decades. Earlier, the South Korean government an MOU to rebuild the rail line from Manila to Calamba. The signing of the MOUs had been initiated by the Speaker who filed a bill in the House to modernize the railways.

China will also be financing the rebuilding of the North line going to Clark and on to Tarlac, Dagupan and San Fernando in La Union. The South line will stretch from Manila to Calamba to Legaspi City in Albay, and on to Matnog in Sorsogon, a completely new line blasting a trail through Bicol’s low-lying mountains. The Speaker says about 75,000 Manila squatter families living dangerously along the old PNR rail system will be relocated to housing projects.

The construction of these projects will start early next year, on a turnkey with long-term finance at minimal interest. These will be privatized after a few years with the private sector proponents absorbing the debt.

In the planning board are a new line in Mindanao, and two lines in the Visayas island of Capiz.

These projects without a doubt will make transport of people and goods easier and quicker.

Hogging the news, and rightly so, was the signing at the first Philippine Political Parties Conference held last May, of a United Declaration by 21 political parties (national and regional parties and party-list representatives), which rejected coups and destabilization and committed the parties to major social, economic and political reforms "to strengthen the democratic system and rejuvenate the political parties."

The parties unanimously endorsed Constitutional change through a Constitutional Convention and a shift to a unicameral parliamentary system and a regional Senate. This historic decision is considered as underlying the parties’ "far-reaching vision to make governance transparent and responsive."

The Conference was initiated by Speaker de Venecia who was elected its chair.

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