Transcript
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Quezon City, Metro Manila FIFTEENTH CONGRESS First Regular SessionHouse Resolution No. 975 Introduced by Kabataan Party-List Rep. Raymond V. Palatino A RESOLUTIONDIRECTING THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION TOCONDUCT AN INQUIRY, IN AID OF LEGISLATION, ON THE STATUS OFIMPLEMENTATION OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1827, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS“ AN ACT TO REGULATE LOBBYING IN THE CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES AND IN THE COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS ”WHEREAS, Article 2, Section 28 of the Constitution states: “Article 2. Subject toreasonable conditions prescribed by law, the State adopts and implements a policy fulldisclosure of all its transactions involving public interest”; WHEREAS, Republic Act. No. 1827, otherwise known as “An Act to RegulateLobbying in the Congress of the Philippines and in the Commission on Appointments” wasapproved on June 22, 1957 “to prohibit corrupt or undesirable methods of lobbying, topromote a high standard of ethics in the practice of lobbying, to prevent harassing unfair andunethical lobbying practices, and to provide for the licensing of lobbyists and the suspensionor revocation of such licenses”; WHEREAS, the practice of lobbying, which is defined by R.A. 1827 as the“practice of promoting or opposing the introduction or passage of legislation before either House of the Congress of the Philippines or any of its committess, or promoting or opposingthe confirmation of any pending appointment before the Commission on Appointments or any of its committees,” has been marred by controversies, usually involving hugecorporations and powerful political figures who actively and unethically lobby through theadvacement or determent of legislative measures and political appointments in order toadvance their economic and political interests;WHEREAS, pay-offs and other under-the-table deals have come to be associated 1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526 with the practice of lobbying, with some individuals and groups using their vast political andeconomic power in exchange for the passage or determent of a legislative measures that areusually anti-people and anti-poor; WHEREAS, all lobbying activities should be made more public in order for thepeople to discern whether both houses of Congress or the Commission on Appointmentsgenuinely uphold their interests and welfare in the passage of legislative measures or in theappointment of government officials. There should always be transparency and honesty indealings of and between members of Congress and lobbyists and/or lobbying groups; WHEREAS, the government should provide stiffer penalties for erring individualsand groups who use the practice of lobbying to advance their selfish political and economicinterests at the expense of the vast majority of marginalized Filipinos who remaineconomically and politically disenfranchised;WHEREAS, the Filipino people, especially the marginalized and disenfranchisedhave a constitutional right to lobby their legislators or the government to pass/approve or deter certain proposed laws and appointments; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED ,that the House Committee on People's Participation conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation,on the status of implementation Republic Act. No. 1827, otherwise known as “An Act toRegulate Lobbying in the Congress of the Philippines and in the Commission onAppointments.” Adopted,Rep. RAYMOND V. PALATINOKabataan Party-List 27282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354
