House eyes online translations of bills

MANILA, Philippines - In what it claimed to be a bid to encourage wider public discussions on pending bills, the House of Representatives plans to post online translations of bills nearing approval. Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr. said the initiative, which will take place in 2009, would have the bills translated into seven dialects. "Next year, I expect even wider public discussions over legislative matters as we have embarked on translating laws, including bills approved on third reading, into seven different dialects. These translations will be made available online by the first quarter of 2009," he said in an article on the House of Representatives Web site (www.congress.gov.ph). However, he did not specify the seven dialects. Earlier, Nograles gave the House a pat on the back for its "reforms" and "high legislative performance" since he took over last February. He said such a performance turned the House into "truly our people's refuge and sanctuary in their quest for a better life." "The support and active engagement of our members to our five-point agenda allowed us to accomplish so much in improving legislative performance, enhancing public participation in legislation, facilitating effective public access to information on the House of Representatives, ensuring legislative accountability and securing efficiency of legislative support services," he said. Nograles, a Palace ally, was catapulted to the Speakership after Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr. was ousted. De Venecia claimed he was ousted because his son Jose III linked Malacañang to a $329.48-million national broadband network deal mess. Nograles claimed that in just 10 months, the House had an "unprecedented harvest of legislative accomplishments, processing a total of 1,342 measures, enacted 14 new laws, approved 920 measures on third reading and another 14 on 2nd reading and adopted 380 resolutions." - GMANews.TV