ABELLANOSA
Last July’s showdown of leadership in the House of Representatives resulted to a change in the lower chamber’s committee chairmanships and memberships on Monday, (July 30).
Among those who were elected anew to lead a committee was Cebu City South District Representative Rodrigo ‘Bebot’ Abellanosa.
Abellanosa is now the chairperson for the House committee on natural resources, which is tasked to improve and pass new legislation concerning the country’s environment.
“To say that I was totally surprised is an exaggeration. It was unexpected, but at the same time, I was somehow looking forward to such an opportunity to play a bigger role,” Abellanosa told Cebu Daily News in a text message.
The administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo staged a comeback, with officials who had served under her winning leadership positions in the House of Representatives after her election as Speaker of the chamber.
Abellanosa was among the 184 lawmakers who signed a manifesto to replace former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez with Arroyo.
But he assured that despite the recent change in the House leadership, he will finish whatever the committee has started.
“Since we are in the middle of a term, the committee already has hundreds of pending bills and resolutions,” said Abellanosa.
“We would like to make sure that the change in leadership does not derail the progress of the deliberations on this proposed legislation,” he added.
For Cebu and Cebu City
On the other hand, the Cebuano lawmaker is eyeing to pass legislation sought to strengthen measures on protecting Cebu’s forest reserve.
“The bills being consolidated by the technical working group of the Committee on Natural Resources on the sustainable management of forest ecosystems will be very beneficial to the preservation of Cebu’s, as well as the country’s forest resources,” explained Abellanosa.
In Cebu, the 1.6-hectare of forest reserve in Barangay Nug-as in Alcoy town of the southeastern part of the island is the province’s remaining national reserve. It serves as a sanctuary for birds endemic in Cebu such as the black shamas (siloys).
Meanwhile, 23 of the 80 barangays in Cebu City are classified as protected areas, under the Central Cebu Landscape Act of 2007.
This meant that real estate developers must secure a special permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) before converting the land to commercial or residential use.