SAMMY JULIAN
FOR two months, beginning on March 14 until May, Congress was out of session, the House and Senate were empty, and the members were all gone for a vacation.
Congressional recess is typically a time for members of Congress to take a break from the daily mayhem: making laws for our nation. They get a break to catch up with friends and family in their district. Legislative business stops, and the regular media frenzy slows to a more normal pace.
In that span of time, there seems to be a general consensus among the majority of voters that our elected officials arenât doing a whole lot during recess.
But thatâs not the case for Iloilo 2nd District Rep. Arcadio Gorriceta. The congressman and his staff are to be applauded for working while the rest of our nationâs lawmakers are relaxing.
Thatâs because Gorriceta treats congressional recess as a âdistrict work period,â not a vacation by anyoneâs definition. It is simply the best time for him to connect with his constituents.
His schedule may get a bit hectic during that time, but itâs worth it, the former Pavia, Iloilo mayor stressed. In the first place, he points out, itâs what he was elected to do.
Anytime he can get away from Manila and get back to his district in Iloilo, he does it without any hesitation.
Clearly, he is excited to use every opportunity to get firsthand knowledge of the problems his constituents are facing back home and how he can translate that into smart legislation.
This is because Gorriceta is a different breed of representative â and thatâs a good thing. A really good thing. Currently in his first term in office, he has slowly made a name for himself as a true hardworking member of Congress, who is always open to debate and discussion. He is undoubtedly a welcome breath of fresh (and ethical) air.
Gorriceta may not be a great orator, neither the kind of leader that you expect to inspire massive changes in the system.
But he is a darned hardworking and intelligent congressman whose positions fairly represent the majority of the citizens of Iloiloâs 2nd congressional district.
That may not sound sexy. But itâs what representative democracy is all about./PN
