Bukidnon 2nd District Representative Jonathan Keith Flores disclosed that nine of his bills have been referred to various committees.
Among the bills are HB 4765 on the unauthorized practice of law, HB 4768 on early voting, HB 4835 giving the Commission on Human Rights a charter based upon the CHR provisions in the 1987 Constitution.
“We continue to work for the people.”
“The forward movement of our nine recent bills assure our constituents in Bukidnon and all Filipinos that we in Congress remain focused on our primary duty to legislate. We continue to work for the people,” Flores said.
“HB 4765 seeks to address the lack of a comprehensive statutory framework penalizing unauthorized law practice. This bill is necessary because there are still many unqualified people out there misrepresenting themselves as lawyers, preparing legal documents, and giving legal advice for compensation,” the lawyer-legislator added.
The lawmaker also said HB 4768 on early voting requires the Commission on Elections to keep a record of registered voters who are senior citizens, persons with disabilities, human resources for health, and lawyers.
“The bill gives Comelec the mandate to design the early voting system, so these specific voter sectors can vote early in national and local elections.”
“The bill gives Comelec the mandate to design the early voting system, so these specific voter sectors can vote early in national and local elections,” he pointed out.
Flores said HB 4835 is anchored on and springs from the 1987 Constitution and uses basically the same legislative approach used to enact the Judiciary Fiscal Autonomy Act (RA 12233) and the Ombudsman Act of 1989.
“HB 4835 implements the ‘as may be provided by law’ mandate stated in Article XIII, Section 18, subparagraph 11,” he explained.
Flores also noted that Section 19 of the same Article XIII states: “The Congress may provide for other cases of violations of human rights that should fall within the authority of the Commission, taking into account its recommendations.”
“HB 4865 fills in gaps or subject matter the Constitution was silent on or are not addressed because of events that happened after the Constitution was approved in 1987,” he said.
“Among these gaps are about how the CHR Chairperson and Commissioners are selected, elaboration of CHR duties and functions, and the application of international human rights statutes and principles, including the Paris Principles,” Flores added.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Paris Principles on December 20, 1993.
