8/11/2019 Regaining the People's Trust

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REGAINING THE PEOPLES TRUST

By Rep. Francisco Ashley L. Acedillo

(This article was written on October 23, 2013 and released to the media, in reaction to the

September 14-27, 2013 nationwide survey conducted by Pulse Asia.)

I consider the current trust ratings of the country's major government institutions and highest

officials, most notably those of the House of Representatives and that of the Speaker, as

TRANSIENT. Meaning, they are temporary and can therefore be further improved. But with some

issues left unaddressed, we may see these trust ratings further slide down.

For now, these numbers have been dragged down by the raging issue on the misuse of government

funds under the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scheme. Although addressing this

issue may temporarily improve the trust rating of the House and the Speaker, these are not what we

may call BEDROCK foundations.

I must hasten to add, though, that Speaker Sonny Belmonte's dismal personal trust ratings are

rather unfair to the man - and to my mind, undeserved.

The issue really is TRUST, or more pointedly, the LACK OF TRUST on the House of

Representatives as an institution. So the question that begs is, what is/are the SOURCE(S) OF

DISTRUST of the House of Representatives? Answering this question, I believe, is not only

important for a neophyte like me, but more important for those who currently lead the House now:

both would want to have the institution seen with more respect in the eyes of our people.

The issues that the House need to address are the following:

(1) The perception of widespread misuse of public funds through the pork barrel system previouslyavailed of both by Senators and Congressmen;

(2) The view that the House, more than the Senate, is the domain of political dynasties;

(3) The oft-observed problem of absenteeism (although of late, in my own personal observation of

the House's first four months in session, quorom has not been a problem);

(4) The misdeeds of several individual congressmen;

(5) Mediocrity - rather than excellence - exhibited by many a Representative in the performance of

their official duties (be it in the plenary, during committee hearings, and in other avenues).

All this preoccupation with trust ratings must not only be a superficial attempt at sensing the people's

pulse, but more profoundly, a deeper and more introspective look into what remain as hurdles for the

lower House to truly become a more TRUSTED - and therefore, more EFFECTIVE - nationalinstitution. TRUST, I believe, is the single biggest virtue that the House and all its members must

restore to itself - if it is to be an effective vehicle of national development, social justice, and peace.

The House, after all, should truly be the "House of the People, for the People, and by the People"

(with apologies to Abraham Lincoln).