Chief peoples’ representative

No thanks to “big media” all we ever hear about Speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez is his threat to expel or punish coalition members of Congress who won’t support the death penalty. Very little mention or information ever gets out on how Speaker Alvarez has quietly been playing the role of Chief Peoples’ Representative, holding heart to heart talks with Cabinet members, bureau directors and assistant secretaries with the goal of addressing problems and irritants that the public have complained about for decades.

Instead of joining committee hearings where Alvarez tends to get confrontational with peddlers of excuses like the time he joined the hearing for the Emergency Powers for the DOTr, the Speaker has recently shifted gears and been dealing directly with front line agencies and their bosses such as the LTO, the NBI and soon the Philippines Statistics Authority. In his meeting with the Director of the National Bureau of Investigation, Alvarez placed questions why the NBI Clearance could only be used for the “purpose applied” for and not as a multi-purpose document for travel abroad, employment, government applications and promotions as well as for applying for gun license.

The specific purpose or limitation results in applicants having to re-apply so many times in the year, wasting or losing productive time at work or school, and multiple expenses for the same piece of paper. This has long been a complaint, but past leaders of the NBI and the DOJ never listened and never considered peoples’ sentiments and suggestions. Curiously, it now takes the Speaker of the House to get the NBI’s attention to introduce the change. I don’t know if Speaker Alvarez also asked for the shelf life or validity of the NBI Clearance to be extended, because the six-month validity has long been criticized by many government employees who find their clearance lapsing to uselessness because Malacañang takes more than six months (more like 18 to 24 months) to process applications and promotions!

I learned from a young lawyer that another issue raised in the meeting was why the NBI quickly gets notice via IT or slow mail when a case is filed. But once the case is settled or dismissed, the NBI never gets notice or advise in order to delete or reclassify the status of the case. It might be worth the Speakers time to check on whether the NBI has a prescriptive period or shelf life on “Information” filed in court especially those that fall under petty acts or misdemeanor cases. Does the NBI have a team and a process that regularly cleans or deletes case files or submitted information that are beyond prescriptive periods. Delete the junk.

A few weeks ago, Speaker Alvarez reportedly called LTO Chief Assec Galvante and raised a number of the common complaints made by vehicle owners and drivers particularly the “missing new car plates.” “No Stickers” available in certain region and more. Both guys obviously realize that the LTO still needs to provide new car plates and the only way to do so is to find funding through Congress and call for a new bidding which I heard Assec Galvante has been working very hard to achieve. My informant even told me that the LTO boss has sourced and secured a 1 billion peso committed funding for the much needed vehicle plates.

Being a Vintage Car enthusiast and Off Road driving fanatic, Speaker Alvarez also inquired on the status of the administrative order on registration of Undocumented Vintage Vehicles. I guess Speaker Alvarez was unaware at the time that two AOs have already been submitted at the LTO; the first one done without public consultation and violating taxpayers rights was signed and circulated through paid advertising. But when motorists and vintage enthusiast threaten to take Jun Abaya to court and media, the first AO was withdrawn with humiliation.

A revised draft, done in consultation and with inputs and agreements with various presidents and heads of car clubs was later written and the final draft agreed upon at the LTO Bulwagan Romeo F. Edu was submitted to Jun Abaya for signature. But the latter reportedly left the document on the table for DOTr Secretary Tugade to deal with.

That piece of hard work would have been, and can still be a major achievement of the LTO, continues to remain in limbo. Unlike budget requirements that only Congress can decide and provide, the Vintage Vehicle Registration rule does not require legislation. Registering cars is a mandate, the job, and the responsibility of the LTO. Why such a thing required the signature of a clueless Cabinet secretary continues to puzzle me. The head of the LTO should be the final author for what is under his command and responsibility.

Moving on, I also learned that Bebot Alvarez has placed the many problems concerning birth certificates on the table for discussion. Not many realize the nightmares involved in acquiring a birth certificate alone. Time and again, I have seen and heard of the “Poorest of the poor” being required to travel back to their province of birth in order to get the document. Then and only then do some of them find out that some idiot mindlessly or carelessly entered the wrong name or wrong gender, or wrong year! Next they have to get a lawyer or go to court to ask for a correction! Being the poorest of the poor, what do you think they’ll do, they either pay to fake it of simply walk away from jobs and opportunities cursed by decades of failures and mistakes in data recording.

I have gone through the very problems cited with the NBI, the LTO and the PSA. There is no politics here, simply someone being the chief peoples’ representative. Thank you Mr. Speaker.

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