Month: December 2021

         CIBAC Representative and House Deputy Speaker Bro Eddie Villanueva lauds the decision of the Supreme Court to deny the legalization of same sex marriage in the country, says that it should set the tenor among policymakers not to attempt any alteration on the existing set-up of man-woman only marriage.

          In its 113-page decision, the High Tribunal  denied with finality any motion for reconsideration of petitions requesting to legalize same sex marriage in the Philippines because “no substantial arguments were presented to warrant the reversal” of the previous decision upholding the constitutionality of Family Code provisions which confine marriage to just between man and a woman.

          “The Family Code was crafted to mirror the historical, traditional and religious values of Filipinos on marriage. Marriage, as an inviolable social institution in Filipino life, has always been conceived between a man and a woman. Hence, to nullify such law which bears our values on marriage is tantamount to denying our identity as a people and betraying our deep-held morals. It is not only against God, it is also against ourselves as a people,” said Citizens’ Battle against Corruption (CIBAC) Representative Bro. Eddie Villanueva.

          Articles 1 and 2 of the Family Code limited marriages between man and woman while Articles 46 (4) and 55 (6) mention lesbianism or homosexuality as grounds for annulment and legal separation.

          Associate Justice Marvic Leonen in his ponencia said that invalidating the Family Code provisions on who can marry may disturb a barrage of gender-specific laws in many Philippine statutes, such as taxation, family relations, labor, and even penal laws.

          “The litany of provisions that we have just recounted are not even the entirety of laws relating to marriage. Petitioner would have this Court impliedly amend all such laws, through a mere declaration of unconstitutionality of only 2 articles in a single statute,” said the ponencia.

          “The Supreme Court decision is a welcome development to us. It reaffirms our belief that we are in the right path when we stand to defend that marriage is just and must be confined between man and woman. It is not only the divine will of God, it is also the standing spirit and will of the laws of our land,” adds the CIBAC solon.

          “Though the High Court noted that the issue might be better resolved in Congress than in court, the decision must echo a warning to all policymakers that to alter the current order where marriage is just between man and woman is not only legally troublesome but absolutely unnecessary and just a waste of time. The confusion, disorder and disarray that migh be created by altering the man-woman order on marriage will far outweigh any iota of advancement, if there’s any, promised by those wishing to change it,” ends Deputy Speaker Villanueva.

          It can be recalled that Deputy Speaker Villanueva, with CIBAC’s second Representative Domeng Rivera, opposed last year the SOGIE bill which is considered by many as the initial stage of introducing same sex marriage in the country.

The House of Representatives on Monday dedicated almost 3 hours of session to discuss and revisit the relevance of the Holy Bible in running the government. The session revolves around the privilege speech of CIBAC Party-List Representative and Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva, in connection with the celebration of National Bible Day, who spoke on the indispensability of the Bible in crafting and aligning government policies with the Biblical principles in order to achieve real progress in the country.

“Let us observe the National Bible Day with relevance and significance, not only with lip service and ceremonial rhetoric,” exclaims Deputy Speaker Villanueva. “Today, may I admonish you all to take a look at the Holy Bible not only as a religious book but as a government manual – the indispensability of which cannot be overlooked in steering this country towards progress and development, and possibly greatness,” added the CIBAC lawmaker. The privilege hour, a time dedicated for privilege speeches, was extended twice to accomodate interpellations and inquiries from various Members of the House including Minority Leader Benny Abante, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Rep. Edcel Lagman, Rep. Lito Atienza and Rep. Jun Datol. “There can be a separation of church and state, but there can be no separation of state and God,” says Cagayan De Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez stressing the importance of integrating Bible in every aspect of government affairs. “The Bible contains a life-changing message of freeedom and connects one to history’s most important figure, Jesus of Nazareth,” says Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman thanking CIBAC Rep. Villanueva on allowing him to raise questions pertaining to the Bible. “Sabi nila, iklian mo ang iyong interpellations. Sa palagay ko ay hindi ko magagawa yun sapagkat paminsan-minsan lang natin makausap si Bro. Eddie, haba-habaan na natin, sa dami ng dapat nating pag-usapan sa hapag na ito. I reiterate, I am taking advantage of the message because I agree with it 101%, sa mga sinabi nyo na para bagang maituturing nating dalisay na hangin na dumadaan sa Kongreso,” says Rep. Lito Atienza referring on the answers by Deputy Speaker Villanueva on the questions of several lawmakers. On his part, Senior Citizens Party-List Rep. Jun Datol said that he will relay the Bible’s life-changing message of God’s love and hope to millions of senior citizens when he goes around the country so that they will have strength and hope even in the “pre-departure” phase of their lives. “Ang Bibliya ang dapat maging standard ng bansa at ng bayan sa lahat ng moral issues. Ang mga bansang yumaman at pinagpala, ang pasimula niyan ay sapagkat kanilang ni-recognize ang Bibliya sa kanilang bayan. While every Filipino is guaranteed this freedom of religion, we are one in recognizing God as the Supreme Authority to direct and govern the destiny of men and nation,” exclaims House Minority Leader Bienvenido Abante. Monday’s session has been the lengthiest hours of session dedicated by Congress, so far, in celebrating National Bible Day and probing it in connection with government affairs. Proclamation No. 124 declares the entire month of January as the National Bible Month while Republic Act 11163 designates the last Monday of January as the National Bible Day.

In a privilege speech today in connection with the celebration of National Bible Day, CIBAC Representative House Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva specifically cites the issues of extrajudicial killings, corruption and teenage pregnancies as among the off-shoot problems brought by government disregard of Biblical prescriptions, thus renewing calls on policymakers to align policies with Biblical principles in order to achieve real progress.

“Let us observe the National Bible Day with relevance and significance, not only with lip service and ceremonial rhetoric. We are experiencing a lot of social, political and economic problems because we deviated from upholding Biblical principles in the crafting and execution of our policies. Today, I admonish everyone to start looking at the Bible not only as a religious piece but also as a government manual – the indispensability of which cannot be overlooked in steering this country towards progress and, possibly, greatness,” says the CIBAC solon.

The CIBAC lawmaker takes a hit on the rampant killings in connection with the government’s war against illegal drugs. He says that the Bible condemns murder and injustices and warns it will open doors of judgment for the country if not rectified.

“No human life is more important than the other. Except for cases provided by law, taking of human life is punishable. The Bible cannot be any clearer. Matthew 5:21 says ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment,’” says Villanueva.

“To remain silent is to be an accomplice to the abuses of men in power and scalawags in uniform who taint the good intention of the President to eliminate illegal drugs in our society. Worst of all, it means allowing these evil men to invite judgments not only for their lives but to all of us as a nation. So, once and for all, let us put to rest doubts about our justice system, our inability to persecute bad eggs in all drug enforcement institutions, and maintain the respect of the community of nations,” furthers the CIBAC solon.

Data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) says that there were 5,552 death tolls from 2016 to 2019 in the crackdown against drugs – though international human rights organizations’ count is much higher.

Deputy Speaker Villanueva also lamented in his speech the state of corruption in the country as the Philippines ranked 113th out 180 countries in the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index, a drop of 14 notches from its 2018 level.

“The statement ‘moderate your greed’ seems to be gaining ground as a silent norm in the government. But this is against the law of God! The Bible does not only say ‘moderate your greed,’ it explicitly tells us in Colossians 3:5-6 to eliminate greed or covetousness, for the people practicing such will surely invite the wrath of God,” explains the Deputy Speaker.

“What is unfortunate is that curses do not only fall to the corrupt people, but also to the innocent ones. We can see this in the around 22 million Filipinos who live below the poverty threshold (or below 10,481 pesos for a family of 5) as per 2018 Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data. This is a confirmation of what is written in the Bible: ‘When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked bears rule, the people mourn (Proverbs 29:2),’” adds the CIBAC solon.

The CIBAC lawmaker stresses that it is very important to pass anti-corruption measures, like the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, that will put on check the monopoly and discretion of power among decision makers and will uphold transparency and accountability particularly in implementing government contracts.

The CIBAC solon also brought to the fore the looming threats of the increasing number of teenage pregnancies in the country, which some top policymakers have already described as a national emergency.

 “For example, we all labor to address the alarming situation of teenage pregnancies in all ways we can, yes, but this would not have happened in the first place if we put it our foremost policy to teach and promote among our youth the importance of sexual purity. Call me conservative if you must, but the Bible says: Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral (Hebrews 13:4),” says Deputy Speaker Villanueva on the issue.

According to the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM), an average of 530 teenagers get pregnant daily – equivalent to around 200,000 babies each year. The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) estimates that 24 billion to 47 billion pesos in earnings annually are lost due to early pregnancy.

On his part, CIBAC 2nd nominee Representative Domeng Rivera said that we must revisit and revive the meaning of the Constitution Preamble which states that the Sovereign Filipino People implores the aid of God Almighty in building a just and humane society.

“To implore means to earnestly request. This means that even our Constitution recognizes the necessity of God’s providence in order for our nation-building efforts to succeed. However, we cannot get God’s blessings if we will not abide, both in our personal and collective lives, with His orders contained in the Bible. So, it’s very imperative that we always consult the Bible with regards to our policies so that we may be able to reap the rewards of obeying it,” says CIBAC Rep. Rivera.

After the privilege speech, the CIBAC solons gave each Member of the House a Bible as a token in celebration of the National Bible Day. 

With 203 affirmative votes, the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 6228 or Barangay Skilled Workers Registry Act which mandates all barangays to create a registry of skilled workers. “We thank our fellow lawmakers in passing this measure that will support the skilled labor force of our country. Through this bill, we can help alleviate the gap of unemployment in the country by providing access to valuable information of skilled workers to possible consumers thereby facilitating easy access and communication to these skilled laborers,” says Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva who is one of the authors of the bill. Under the measure, every barangay shall create and make a public registry that will serve as a database for all skilled workers who voluntarily register and are willing to make their services available in the locality. It shall be readily available to provide information to the different household and/or non-household consumers within a barangay who may be in need of services of skilled workers. The barangay local government shall make the registry available to the public by posting a copy at its bulletin board or at a readily visible place within the barangay hall. It may also be accessed by the public online should the barangay have its own website. “This measure is a step towards promoting and protecting the employment of our skilled laborers by making them just one call away from any prospective customers,” says CIBAC 2nd nominee Rep. Domingo Rivera. The bill is principally sponsored by Rep. Roman Romulo, Chairperson of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture which passed the bill.

In celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day, CIBAC Party-List Representatives Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva and Domeng Rivera renew calls on Congress to prioritize the passage of House Bill 577 which seeks to define and penalize the crime of marital infidelity.

House Bill 577 rectifies the unfair and unequal distinction between erring male and female spouses under the Articles 333 and 334 of the Revised Penal Code. Under the present framework, married man will be charged of concubinage if he commits sexual intercourse with a woman not his spouse under specific, scandalous and hard-to-prove conditions. On the other hand, a married woman who had sexual affair with a man not her spouse will be charge of adultery, without the necessity of proving the same elements required that of concubinage. There is also a disparity on the punishment which reflects a bias in favor of male spouses. Concubinage is penalized only by 2-4 years of imprisonment while while adultery is sanctioned with 4-6 years imprisonment.

The bill seeks to abolish this gender bias in the existing legal framework by repealing the crimes of adultery and concubinage and just defining the crime of marital infidelity which applicable to both male and female spouses. Under the measure, marital Infidelity is committed by any married person committed sexual infidelity with another person who is not his/her legitimate spouse, even if the marriage be subsequently declared void, and is also committed by the person whom he/she has sexual intercourse with, knowing the guilty spouse to be married. It also provides for equal penalty of 2-4 years imprisonment, whether the guilty party is a male or female. 

In addition, Muslims and members of indigenous peoples communities who actively and continuously practice since time immemorial customs and traditions allowing multiple spouses shall be held liable for marital infidelity if they engage in sexual intercourse with any person other than the official spouses recognized by their respective faiths and traditions.

 “The present laws on marital infidelity reflects a bias in favor of the male spouse, both in terms eligibility for prosecution and degree of punishment. Such unequal treatment creates a loophole that is often abused by male spouses and works to the disadvantage and detriment of female spouses. This double standard of morality shall be scrapped. One’s sex should never be an excuse for committing acts that desecrate the family as an institution,” says Deputy Speaker Villanueva.

“The laxity in the anti-infidelity provisions of the Revised Penal Code promotes and provides opportunity for male spouses to commit sexual infidelity against their female spouses because the erring husbands know it will be hard for them to be charged. It is high time to strengthen our laws so that it will deter acts of unfaithfulness by either spouse. We must ensure that our legal framework works to the strengthening, protection and preservation of Filipino families,” adds the CIBAC lawmaker.

On his part, Rep. Rivera says that this piece of legislation is pro-women and will work to their benefit and advantage because most of the times, it is the woman who suffers from psychological distress and social stigma brought by the unfaithfulness of their male spouses. 

Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party List Representative and House Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva calls on the government to include in its COVID-19 recovery plan the expansion of existing of prison facilities, or better yet, the construction of new ones in order to address the awful congestion in the country’s jails.

The CIBAC lawmaker says this following the reported confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections in Quezon City and Cebu City jails last week, due to overcrowding in the said facilities where social distancing is hard, if not impossible, to be implemented.  

“CIBAC hopes that the government will include in its COVID-19 recovery plan or in its FY 2021 National Expenditure Program, at the very least, a sizeable budgetary allocation that will significantly improve the conditions of our jails. Especially that a “new normal” conduct of living  which includes social distancing and strict adherence to proper hygiene is expected to be observed at all facets of communal living, uncrowding our prison facilities is a  must to make sure our jails will not be hotbeds or epicenter of infections in its communities and that our persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) will be protected from contracting COVID-19 or any communicable disease for that matter,” adds the CIBAC lawmaker.

“The problem of our terribly crammed full jails is an overdue assignment on the part of the government. As of 2019, penal facilities under either the Bureau of Corrections (BUCor) or the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has an average congestion rate of not less than 300%.  With or without the COVID-19 health emergency situation but more so now that we are in the midst of a pandemic where social distancing is key to survival, this problem deserves no less than the serious attention and funding plan of the government,” says Deputy Speaker Villanueva.

Latest accessed data from the BuCor show that the seven (7) penal farm under it has an average congestion rate of 314%, meaning a prison houses inmates three-times its capacity. Among the most jampacked are the New Bilibid Prison with 353% congestion rate, Mindanao Correctional Institute for Women (CIW-Mindanao) and Davao Prison and Penal Farm which has congestion rates of 467% and 388%, respectively. The BuCor-supervised prisons are for those sentenced to serve 3-year imprisonment or more.

On the other hand, BJMP Director Allan Iral says that as of December 2019, the 467 municipal, city and district jails under its supervision nationwide has an average congestion rate of 438%. BJMP-supervised jails house inmates sentenced to less than 3-year imprisonment or those awaiting decision from municipal/city courts.

“Though they are offenders of laws and must be penalized according to our justice system, life for our PDLs is not yet over and there is always the ever-present opportunity for change of life. Yes, they are deprived of liberty but they must not be denied of dignity and right to health, sanitation and humane environment. We must obey God’s admonition in giving respect to the dignity of human life. As long as they are alive, there is always a ray of hope for them to be recrafted as productive members of our society again,” explains the CIBAC solon. 

Irked by allowing the resumption of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) amidst COVID-19 crisis, Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party List Representative and House Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva says that “if the government wants additional cash for its pandemic response efforts, it should just make POGOs pay its tax delinquencies and other billions of obligations to public coffers, period.” 

The CIBAC lawmaker issues the remarks after the government say that before allowing to resume 30% of its operations, POGO companies must first settle the payment of taxes and guarantee fees to the government alongside with mass testing for their employees and strict adherence to social distancing.

“Why not just make them pay their due, why allow them continue their business when it will clearly put at risk the entire efforts of the government to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus? The entire country is enduring lockdown and other more essential industries are mamdated to stop just to arrest this pandemic, then here we are, we will allow an industry which barely benefitted us to resume business and make profits again, – it’s just an incoherent policy,” says Deputy Speaker Villanueva.

The government claims that POGOs can contribute as high as P600 million a month to beef up funds for government efforts in fighting COVID-19. However, a Senate-led hearing on POGOs early this year revealed that a number of these companies are yet to settle with government tax obligations amounting to almost 50 billion.

“If these POGO companies have stubbornly refused to pay taxes in the past, there’s no assurance that it will do it now so why endanger the lives of Filipinos by allowing their offices and junket casinos be possible hotbeds of infections. It’s just baffling why the government seems making itself “obliged” to help this gambling industry operate amidst this crisis?” ends the CIBAC solon. 

Lawmakers of the Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party List Party-List today files a House Resolution which urges the House of Representatives to pass a resolution expressing the opposition of the Lower Chamber to the decision of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), as approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), to allow Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) to resume operations amidst the current COVID-19 state of national health emergency and calls for the immediate rescinding of the decision.

CIBAC Party-List Representatives Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva and Domeng Rivera, authors of the said measure, said that a resolution by the House of Representatives calling for the withdrawal of the decision allowing POGOs to resume operations will embody the collective sense of the elected representatives of the people on the issue and must give a weighty hint to the concerned agencies of the will and sentiment of the Filipino people.

“All the recipes for the government to shut down these gambling businesses are already glaring before our eyes. They are gambling entities prohibited during the quarantine period, they are not “essential” industries, they owe the government hefty billions of unpaid taxes, they are not business process outsourcing (BPO) companies and majority of their employees are not Filipinos. If we allow them to operate, a lot of our policymakers have already expressed doubts if these POGOs will pay the necessary taxes expected of them to augment the resources of the government for its crisis response measures because if these companies have stubbornly refused to pay obligations in the past, there’s no assurance or mechanisms set in place, so far, that will ensure payment of taxes now. It’s really baffling why the government deeply cares to help this gambling industry operate amidst crisis,” adds Deputy Speaker Villanueva.

“If these POGOs are willing to pay their tax delinquencies prior to resumption of operations, they should very well do so in good faith and not as a bargain to continue their gambling activities,” says CIBAC Rep. Rivera.

The resolution also states a most immediate concern would be allowing around 30,000–40,000 workers to congregate in different offices and workspaces of POGOs once they resume operations because according to PAGCOR, there are 60 licensed POGOs in the country with a total of 120,000 workers (31,600 are Filipinos while the biggest chunk are Chinese nationals). Allowing a third of these workers adds to the risk of raising the number of infections as they have been known to live in cramped housing quarters based on past news reports.

It also stipulates that even the mandatory rapid testing for all POGO workers prior to being allowed to work would only add up to the additional burden of testing persons not considered to be “essential” workers in the fight against COVID-19 and will use a large quantity of testing kits that should be given to more vulnerable and priority Filipinos

Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party List Representative Domeng Rivera expresses sorrow over the results of the voting by the House Committee on Legislative Franchises on whether to grant or not ABS-CBN another franchise to continue broadcast operations.

“CIBAC Party-List is one of the principal co-authors of the measures seeking to grant ABS-CBN legislative franchise for another 25 years. To see the vote results denying ABS-CBN another chance to serve our people, be a steady source of vital information and news to Filipinos here and abroad, and provide our kababayan with entertainment, joy and inspiration they need is really saddening and heartbreaking. It is hard to imagine that we will wake up in the days to come and not see nor hear anymore the TV and radio programs that for decades have become part of ourselves and of the Filipino culture,” expresses the CIBAC lawmaker.

CIBAC also echoes worries and concern over the welfare of around 11,000 families who will be in limbo and whose breadwinners will be rendered jobless especially during this COVID-19 pandemic after the franchise bill reaches a dead end at the Lower Chamber.

“The massive unemployment created by this denial of ABS-CBN bid for a new franchise and the uncertainties it will bring to thousands of families are serious blows to our already contracting and grappling economy. The government must make sure and act with urgency that it will take concrete steps to catch and aid those who will be displaced by this development,” ends the CIBAC solon.

Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party List Representatives Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva and Domeng Rivera welcome and commend on Monday the signing of Republic Act 11480 which allows the government to set the date of the opening of classes in all basic education schools in case of a state of calamity or emergency like this COVIC-19 pandemic.

“RA 11480 is a much-needed law in the middle of this pandemic because it gives the government free hand in determining when is the right time to open classes taking into account the safety and readiness of all the stakeholders in the resumption of classes. This will put to rest the apprehension of parents that their children might skip schooling this year considering the reports that our learning institutions and students alike are not fully ready to undergo blended learning as well as the high risk of contracting the virus when students go out of their homes,” says Deputy Speaker Villanueva.

“Aside from its relevance in our current situation, RA 11480 also has bearing and applicability in future cases of state of emergency, calamity or similar occurrences that would require delaying the start of the school year,” adds the CIBAC lawmaker.

RA 11480 amends Republic Act 7797 which mandates that opening of classes must be between the first Monday of July but not later than the last day of August. Through the new law, the President, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Education, is empowered to defer the opening of classes even beyond the last day of August particularly in the state of calamity or emergency. In addition, the law also covers all basic education including foreign and international schools.

CIBAC Party-List is one of the principal authors of the law at the House of Representatives. It filed House Bill 6661 which is one of the principal bills consolidated to be transmitted to the President.

“We thank the President for signing this legislation into law. By such, DepEd is not anymore beholden and bound-by-law to start classes until the end of August but is now at liberty to come up with the most efficient course of action based on progressive assessment and evaluation of our situation,” says CIBAC lawmaker Domeng Rivera.