CATBALOGAN, Samar – “I am a silent worker, actually.”
Thus said
administration lawmaker Catalino “Cata” Figueroa (2nd district -
Samar) in reaction to reports that he was picked-up one of the top
achievers at the Lower House.
This information
citing him one of the “outstanding” among other 236 political
districts and 24 party-list representatives in the 13th Congress, as
reported in the national broadsheets, was verified when this writer
visited the Bills and Index Department of the lower House through
internet access.
There, it was revealed
that Figueroa ranked third among congressmen who filed numerous bills
and resolutions – all seeking both the parochial and national concerns
of the people.
Figueroa, of the Lakas
Nacionalista Party, filed 59 national bills, authored 189 local bills
and introduced 29 House Resolutions of national importance and local
significance as of April 30, 2006.
The bills of the solon
varies from compensation of the human rights victims to the
privatization of the Philippine National Railways; from increasing sin
taxes imposed on alcohol and tobacco products to providing internet
access among government agencies, government-owned and controlled
corporation; from the protection of the journalists to the creation of
circuit criminal courts to try and decide cases of heinous crimes.
On local bills, on the
other hand, his congressional staff Francis Niego explained, “These
are mostly on providing construction of roads, schools, irrigation,
multi-purpose, pavements, deep-wells, executive buildings, covered
courts and other infrastructures that would make improve his district
which Figueroa represents.”
Niego further said
that by those achievements, the solon earned numerous awards such as
Most Outstanding Alumnus given by the University of the East Alumni
Association, Most Consistent Outstanding Congressman for the Third
Time given by the Congress magazine, and one of the Most Outstanding
Congressmen Awards in the 1st regular session of the 13th Congress
bestowed by the Public Eye Magazine (PEM).
In the search for the
outstanding solon, “(their) performance at the plenary, significance
of proposed measures and bills sponsored in as far as local and
national importance is concerned, active performance during
committee-level hearings, and their responsive performance and
implementation of the congressional initiative projects in their
districts,” it was learned.
Godofredo Ramos,
publisher of the PEM, who chaired the search, said this activity aimed
to initiate their profound recognition to their worthy performance as
representatives of the Filipino people in the legislative processes in
Congress.
“(We’re doing this) as
part of our continuing commitment to pursue our fair and respectable
ethical standards in mass media,” Ramos said in his (congratulatory)
letter to Figueroa.
Ramos branded the
Samar solon, in their report, as “the unassuming statesman” explaining
that the solon is not the typical type politician who would always
want to see his name on papers, radio and television yet he quietly
performs his duty and never brags about his accomplishments.
Meantime, when asked
for his comment, Figueroa said: “If not because of the trust of my
constituents when they reelected me, this will not happen. So, I have
to repay them by this humble accomplishments of mine.”
To date, the solon
said he is bent on utilizing his campaign in improving the lives of
his people in Samar and the Filipino people in general.
