BY EDITH B. COLMO
BACOLOD City – Delivering privilege speeches in Congress is not a measure of a congressman’s performance. Or so said Rep. Evelio “Bing” Leonardia.
Mayor Monico Puentevella has criticized Leonardia recently. The people of Bacolod are yet to hear the congressman’s voice in Congress, he stressed.
But for Leonardia, privilege speeches are only for those fond of showing off.
He said a congressman’s main task is to legislate, and for his part, he had filed 43 bills in 31 work weeks in Congress.
That’s 1.4 bills filed per week, Leonardia said.
Leonardia also said he was the first local executive to deliver a State of the City Address (SOCA) when he was the city mayor beginning 1995.
He said this is his way of being transparent and accountable to the people.
Now as congressman, he delivered his State of the District Address (SODA) last week.
Few of the bills he authored were House Bills 4709 and 4710 which amends certain provisions of the Family Code of the Philippines and the Civil Code, respectively, to finally settle and clear the terms as to who should have control over the bodies of deceased spouses, particularly in love triangle cases.
The present existing jurisprudence is not very clear for it only assigns the legal spouse the right to make the funeral arrangements.
“This is why we continue to hear of litigation over the bodies of dead husbands and wives,” Leonardia said.
On July 10, Leonardia said he was able to deliver projects to the city despite the abolition of the pork barrel.
He also belied criticisms that he was not performing as a legislator should.
“I delivered to my district P892,843,735 worth of public works and infrastructure projects,” said Leonardia./PN
