MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / July 26, 2013) – A Filipino migrants’ rights group has questioned the chairmanship of Akbayan lawmaker Walden Bello, an ally of President Benigno Aquino, of the Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs or COWA, the House of Representatives.
“Why still assigned the chairmanship of COWA to a non-OFW sectoral representative? An OFW family sectoral group had won and in fact got two seats to represent the OFWs and their dependents in the House,” asked John Leonard Monterona, Migrante sectoral party vice chairman and the group’s international coordinator in the Middle East and North Africa.
He said the majority coalition in the House of Representatives under Speaker Feliciano Belmonte has almost completed filling in committee chairmanships and members. The 16th Congress has 58 regular standing committees and 11 special committees.
Monterona said Bello also chaired the COWA in the 15th Congress. He said as a matter of courtesy to the sector that hugely contributing to keep the Philippine economy afloat due to billion dollar remittances sent yearly, Belmonte’s group should have assigned the COWA to OFW (Overseas Filipino Workers) Family Rep. Roy Seneres, Sr.
Monterona noted that it is the first time that an OFW party list group had won in the party list elections since 1998 when the party list system of representation had been institutionalized into the political system. The OFW Family party list group won two seats in the May elections.
“Many OFWs believed, which aside from Migrante that undoubtedly could well represent the OFWs in Congress, but unfortunately failed to get the required votes to secure a seat in Congress, former labor attaché-turned-ambassador and now Congressman Roy Seneres, Sr. could well articulate OFWs issues and concerns without resorting to political gimmicks.”
“That’s a major setback of the so-called tyranny of the majority. Committee chairmanship is assigned on the basis of political affiliation and maneuvering rather than genuine representation, experience, and capability of the elected representatives of the people,” Monterona said.
He said Akbayan leaders are also occupying cabinet and other government positions.
“I have suggested to Rep. Roy Seneres, Sr. to initiate to file a house resolution institutionalizing the automatic designation of an OFW party list group representatives who got the highest number of votes to chair the COWA,” Monterona said. “It’s high time to end the ‘tyranny of the majority’ in so far as committee assignment is concerned.”
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