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Outstanding Congressman Award 2017

FOREWORD dictates the direction of our commerce and the way we know our lives
The role of our Representatives is to craft laws, which, in turn,
to be. If this role is not significant enough, what else could it be?

The perception of the true role of Congress, however, is marred
by public opinion against Congress. Nowadays, scrutiny in all levels of
government is activated on and offline, regardless of the headlines
bannered in our broadsheets. Then, there are the sensational
crimes and injustices, which induce the formation of committees
to investigate in aid of legislation. Legislation can never be left to a
mill that spuriously ejects amendments and laws for the country to
abide by. It requires the physical presence of our lawmakers to debate
and vote into it. In other words the duties and responsibilities of our
Representatives affect the lives of the Filipino people, right down to
the privacy of their very own homes and families. This is no easy feat!

To date, the political divide aggravates the conditions our
lawmakers have to contend with. Think political issues, economic
provisions, national security, issues that plague our freedoms, state
of foreign affairs in this global universe, to name a few.

This year’s Outstanding Congressman Award is most sensitive
as our awardees are challenged to create the premised change of
our new administration. The very positions of our Representatives are
made vulnerable due to issues concerning dynasties, oligarchies and
economic independence for the districts and the regions.

A change towards federalism will require political will, a
determination towards its implementation, if not patience. The role
and responsibility of our Representatives today is no longer just the
traditional legislative mill most have been accustomed to but an ability
that requires them to visualize a future fraught with uncertainties.
The perception of a better tomorrow is now in the hands of our
Representatives.

We congratulate the Representatives of the 17th Congress,
especially the Outstanding Congressman Awardees for 2017 who are
at the helm of our country’s economic

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