00:00In other news, the proposed Department of Water is a House bill that ranks high in the House's legislative agenda for the 20th Congress.
00:07Likewise, a bill on added benefits for seniors and PWDs is sure to gain a lot of attention and support.
00:13Still, the impeachment trial of the sitting Vice President was front and center in the House's agenda earlier today.
00:19As Armella Las Moras reports.
00:23Amid the series of weather disturbances being experienced in the country,
00:27Bukidnon 2nd District Representative Jonathan Keith Flores emphasized that the establishment of a Department of Water Resources in the Philippines would significantly help the government's flood control efforts.
00:39Recently, this was one of the priority bills he filed under the 20th Congress.
00:44According to Flores, the proposal had already passed during the lower House's 19th Congress, but it did not fully progress.
00:51So he hopes the situation will be different this time around.
00:54He believes it will not only help improve water supply management, but also enhance the country's flood control efforts.
01:01There are some areas in the Philippines na kulang niyong water, and every time it rains, we just see it go through.
01:08So, ang flood control naman is if it just directs the water away from the rivers down to the ocean, sayang rin, hindi mo nagagamit.
01:17But if we create, like, from the Department of Water nga, how it could be maximized yung rainwater that we get during the typhoon season,
01:27then mas magamit pa natin it for other purposes like irrigation, hydro, and even for tourism.
01:33Meanwhile, other lawmakers have also been filing proposed bills one after another.
01:39For the benefit of senior citizens and persons with disabilities, re-elected late First District Representative Martin Romualdez
01:46and Tingog Partili's Representatives Andrew Romualdez and Jude Asidre are pushing for House Bill No. 16,
01:52which asserts that senior and PWD discounts should be applied on top of any promotional offers.
01:58Meanwhile, aside from these proposals, the issue regarding the impeachment complaint filed by the House against Vice President Sara Duterte remains a hot topic.
02:07According to Representative Flores, who's also part of the House Prosecution Panel,
02:12the trial is not optional but mandated by law, so he hopes it will finally be conducted during this.
02:17He also expects the House to comply with all the requirements set by the Senate Impeachment Court.
02:22I'm almost certain that the House will comply.
02:24If you're based on the experience of an abogado, if you have ordered the court,
02:30no matter how wrong or stupid that order is, you still usually end up complying just to satisfy the court
02:43so that at least you don't have to say the court.
02:46Mela Les Moras from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
