Author: Cibac Admin 2

Inaprubahan na ng House Committee on Human Rights nitong Martes ang panukalang magbibigay proteksyon sa malayang pamamahayag ng relihiyon at pananampalataya.

Maaalalang ang Magna Carta on Religious Freedom Act ay naipasa na ng Mababang Kapulungan sa third and final reading sa nakaraang 18th Congress.

Ayon sa pangunahing may akda nito na si CIBAC Representative Bro. Eddie Villanueva, sa ilalim ng panukalang ito ay mas mahihikayat ang mga Pilipino na mas paunlarin at palakasin ang espirituwal na aspeto ng kanilang buhay sa pamamagitan ng pagprotekta sa karapatang magsagawa ng mga kasanayang pang-espirituwal nang hindi inaalala ang anumang pag-uusig, pagbabanta, o pagparusa.

Dagdag pa ni Rep. Villanueva na isinusulong din nito pagpapalaganap ng anumang paniniwala o relihiyon. Aniya, “This measure also aims to promote a free market of religious ideas in the country where no religion is suppressed or quelled over the other. By leveling the playing field for the propagation of different religions, Filipinos are afforded the full spectrum of varying faiths and the freedom to choose to which they will subscribe.”

Alinsunod sa panukala, ang mga probisyon ay mapapailalim din sa makatuwirang limitasyon. Ang malayang pamamahayag ng relihiyon ay maaaring tanggihan kung ito ay magreresulta sa anumang klase ng karahasan o panganib sa kaligtasan at kaayusan ng publiko.

Matapos ang pagpasa ng komite, dadaan ang panukala sa debate at botohan sa plenaryo ng Kamara bago maipasa ng Senado.

The House Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, headed by its Chairperson CIBAC Party-List Representative Bro. Eddie Villanueva, approves on Tuesday a bill promoting in government the culture of procuring “green” or environment-friendly goods and services in order to lead the country’s direction toward sustainable development.

House Bill 1272 – or the Green Public Procurement Bill, authored by Representatives LRay Villfuerte, Migz Villafuerte, Hori Horibata and Nicolas Enciso VIII – aims to institutionalize in government procurement the concept of sustainable development or green procuring wherein the government meet its needs by purchasing goods and services that benefit not only the organization but the entire society and economy as well while minimizing or causing no hazard or damage to the environment.

The bill will be consolidated with House Bill 5747 or the Sustainable Procurement Bill authored by Rep. Villanueva and with other similar bills before it will be reported to the plenary for deliberation.

“Sa gitna po ng mga naranasan nating bagyo, pagbaha, sakuna, kalamidad at kahirapan sa nakalipas na mga linggo o buwan, kailangan nating maging seryoso sa pagta-trabaho at pagpupunyagi upang makamit ang mga sustainable development goals na ito lalo na sa pangangalaga sa ating kapaligiran at paglaban sa kahirapan,” says Chairman Villanueva in a speech during the meeting.

“That is why for this Representation, equally urgent and crucial with our fight against corruption in the government is our quest for sustainable development – a kind of progress that does not destroy our natural resources and does not compromise the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. If we want to save lives, we need to be sustainable,” adds the CIBAC solon.

Under the measure, the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) is mandated to establish a system of developing “green” criteria and including the same in the project requirements of procuring entities. The bill also directs the verification of goods or items being procured by government if the same comply with the green criteria established by the GPPB.

The bill envisions the government to be an environmentally-responsible consumer and a lead player in promoting sustainable development in the country. It also aims to stimulate the market and economic players to gear the trend towards producing ecologically-friendlier goods and services.

CIBAC Rep. Bro. Eddie prays over VP Sara Duterte
during the Annual Leaders’ Summit of JIL Church Worldwide held in Quezon City attended by around 1000 pastors and leaders from all over the world.

“It is a command of God to pray for those who are in the authority. When you do the command of God, you will please the heart of God, and that will be a key for our nation to be blessed,” says Rep. Villanueva.

On her part, Vice President Sara Duterte said, “Personally, I found it comforting that the people of God has been praying for the nation. Your prayers have truly changed lives, one people at a time. I hope that as we pray for healing, victory, and deliverance, we will also be blessed with the gift of unity as we walk in this post-pandemic world. We have nothing but prayers but prayers are everything. Thank you for your support especially for Bro. Eddie and all the JIL pastors.”

The JIL Church founded by Bishop Bro. Eddie Villanueva will celebrate its 44th-year anniversary on October 29.

Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party-list Representative Bro. Eddie Villanueva took his oath of office Wednesday afternoon before Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.

CIBAC Rep. Villanueva was accompanied by his son, reelected Senator Joel ‘Tesdaman’ Villanueva, Bocaue, Bulacan Vice Mayor-elect Sherwin Tugna, and Bishop Leo Alconga and Reverend Domeng Rivera who are leaders of country’s large Christian coalitions Philippine for Jesus Movement (PJM) and Ministerial Association of the Philippines (MAP), respectively.

“CIBAC is deeply grateful to have received fresh mandate from the Filipino people. We take this with grave seriousness because the voice of the people is also the voice of God that needs to resound most loudly in the halls of Congress. CIBAC pledges to be an objective fiscalizer of the government this coming term. We will ensure that this government serves no less than the welfare and interest of the people and pursues no other than the divine purposes of God for this nation,” said the CIBAC solon who is elected for his 2nd term as a lawmaker.

Corruption watchdog Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) gave the Philippines a low score of 33 out of 100 (in a scale of 1 representing the least corrupt and 100 as the most corrupt) indicating “serious corruption problems” in the country.

“I will devote the next three years of my life to ensuring that our children’s children will inherit a government that is significantly less corrupt and more God-fearing after this term. Through the Lord’s gracious guidance, we will push and enact legislations aimed to get the government rid of corruption and transform the Philippines into a prosperous country that models affluence as well as moral ascendancy before the eyes of the world,” the CIBAC solon said.

“In particular, CIBAC commits to push hard for the creation of the National Independent Commission Against Corruption (NICAC), the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, and the institutionalization of digital government transactions specifically to cut red tape and improve revenue generation, just to name a few,” added the Villanueva, who also sit as Deputy Speaker for Good Governance and Moral Uprightness during the 18th Congress

NICAC is modeled after Hong Kong’s tremendously successful Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), while the FOI has been a long-drawn aspiration of the Filipino people.

Since its first election in 2001, CIBAC has authored and championed various anti-corruption measures including Anti-Money Laundering Act, Government Procurement Reform Act, Anti-Red Tape Act, Government-Owned and Controlled Corporation (GOCC) Governance Law, Ease of Doing Business Law, and the Strengthening of the Office of the Ombudsman Law.

CIBAC placed 10th among 56 winning party-lists after garnering 637,044 votes in the recently concluded elections.

The Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party-list asserts the fundamental truth that public restrictions targeting a segment of the population based on their health status and personal conviction is discriminatory and flagrantly intrusive of Filipinos’ basic rights. Thus, CIBAC opposes the No Vax, No Ride scheme enforced by the Department of Transportation for being anti-poor, anti-science, and, ultimately, anti-people.

Anti-Poor

A broad-sweeping ban against the unvaccinated on the use of public utility vehicles (PUV) renders a huge swath of low-income Filipinos immobile, unable to report to work, and paralyzed from participating in economic activities that support the survival of their families amid the pandemic. The vast majority of PUV users ranges from hardworking middle-class employees to the poorest of the poor of our countrymen. They are hit the hardest by what is effectively a travel ban.

Anti-Science

The vaccinated can still carry and transmit the virus. In fact, several studies suggest that natural immunity in unvaccinated individuals who have recovered from Covid may be more robust than vaccine-induced immunity. Giving preferential and deferential treatment to the vaccinated over the unvaccinated bears poor scientific backing. No less than Republic Act 11525 or the Vaccination Program Act of 2021 states that vaccinated individuals shall not be considered immune from COVID-19 unless declared by the government based on reliable scientific evidence and consensus. Until such time when there is conclusive scientific evidence that only unvaccinated individuals can transmit the virus, a sweeping discriminatory policy against them should take the back seat and, in case it will be resorted to, it should be done at the least restrictive means.

In these difficult times, what we need are policies that will unite, not divide, the people toward a safe and healthy return to normalcy. No Vax, No Ride communicates the divisive message that the unvaccinated are somehow less deserving of basic rights freely enjoyed by the vaccinated. This is antithetical to national healing and recovery.

Conclusion

Instead of tyrannically pushing the unvaccinated to a corner, government should instead educate, promote transparency in vaccine information (both risks and benefits), reinforce safety protocols, and demonstrate trustworthiness by honoring the people’s Constitutional freedoms.

The overwhelming majority of our population want to be fully vaccinated. According to the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released this week, only a meager 8% are vaccine-hesitant[1]. In addition, latest data from the Department of Heath show that only around 60 million Filipino were given first (1^st) dose of the jab. A fatal combination of poor vaccine supply access and vaccine deployment inefficiency remains to plague government. This should be addressed first.

Ramp up vaccine roll-out and access now. Increase the vaccination rate now. Cater to the 92% who want to be fully vaccinated now.

CIBAC calls on national and local governments to do away with brash crackdowns on the unvaccinated. Divisive measures only foment chaos and stigma. Mocking the people’s God-given rights accomplishes nothing but confirm what many already suspect to be a bigger monster than Covid: the government’s towering ineptitude to defang Covid.

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[1] https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/01/21/2155418/sws-vaccine-hesitancy-among-filipinos-continues-drop

OFFICE OF DEPUTY SPEAKER BRO. EDDIE VILLANUEVA
CIBAC PARTYLIST
PRESS RELEASE
JAN 6, 2022

Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Partylist and House Deputy Speaker Rep. Bro. Eddie Villanueva lauds the enactment of a measure seeking to end child marriage in the country.

“Now that Republic Act 11596, or the Act Prohibiting the Practice of Child Marriage, is in place, we can more confidently and proudly say that the Filipino legal system protects and upholds the rights and welfare of children. After all, no less than our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal described the youth as the hope of the motherland. Ending child marriage ensures a brighter future for all Filipino children,” said Villanueva.

Villanueva and his fellow CIBAC Rep. Domeng Rivera are co-authors of the measure.

“Children who prematurely enter marriage, unprepared for its responsibilities, are more likely to have their potential and opportunities for better life thwarted. They are trapped in a cycle of poverty. Thus, anyone who forces or causes a child to be bound in an early unwarranted marriage must be punished,” Villanueva explained.

“The protection of young women against corrupting elements of society has always been a top priority for CIBAC like in the 16th Congress when CIBAC shepherded the passage of the Anti-Mail Order Spouse Law (RA 10906). Banning child marriage is another significant victory CIBAC shares with Filipino women and children,” added Villanueva, who sits as the House Deputy Speaker for Good Governance and Moral Uprightness.

“The youth are the franchise holders of the future. For them to play a vital role in nation building, they must be equipped with the right values and skills necessary for family life. Their legal protection from premature marriage is long overdue. RA 11596 is a most welcome good news to start year 2022,” said the CIBAC solon.