DECISION 2013: KARLO ALEXEI NOGRALES

Target ni Nograles:  Re-election sa Kongreso

Nina Fred Nasiad, Leifbilly Begas

WALANG pagdadalawang-isip sa kanyang naging desisyon si Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles na tumakbong muli sa pagka-kongresista sa darating na 2013 elections.

At naniniwala si Nograles, anak ni dating House Speaker Prospero Nograles, na ang mga nagawa niya para sa syudad ng Davao sa una pa lamang niyang pag-upo noong 2010 ang siyang kanyang magiging sandigan para maitawid ang reelection bid sa darating na halalan sa Mayo

.
Tiwala rin ang nakababatang Nograles na nararamdaman at nakikita ng kanyang mga kadistrito ang mga programang kanyang isinulong nitong nalipas na halos tatlong taon.

“Being the one in active service, tayo ang nakikita ng taumbayan na aktibong nagtatrabaho at sumeserbisyo,” ani Nograles nang kapanayamin ng Inquirer Bandera kamakailan sa Davao.

Si Nograles ay kasalukuyang assistant majority leader sa Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso. Bukod rito, siya rin ay vice chair ng House committee on human rights at miyembro ng mga komite sa health, good government, dangerous drugs, electoral reforms and suffrage, transportation, public order and safety, at revision of laws.

Scholarships, education: top priority
Sinabi ni Nograles na bagama’t marami siyang tungkulin sa Kamara, hindi naman niya anya napababayaan ang kanyang mga constituents.

“I am presently serving as congressman in my district, and we have been actively ensuring that services of government are felt by the people through the implementation of various programs, such as scholarships, medical assistance, livelihood and infrastructure projects, among others,” dagdag pa ni Nograles na isang graduate ng Ateneo de Manila University.

[Kung noong 2001 ang tanggapan ng kanyang ama ay mayroong 31 scholars, ngayon, ang nakababatang Nograles ay may mahigit na 7,000 scholars kasama na ang mga pinag-aaral sa University of the Philippines, University of South Eastern Philippines at ibang pribadong kolehiyo at kumukuha ng vocational courses sa Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).

Chief of staff, congressman
“Hindi maiwasan na ma-compare ako sa father ko. In a way it adds pressure for me pero I don’t look at it that way. I take it as a challenge for me to be able to continue helping and serving the people.”

Hindi naging mahirap kay Nograles na gampanan ang responsibilidad ng isang kongresista dahil nagsilbi siyang chief of staff ng kanyang ama mula 2007 hanggang sa nagtapos ang termino nito noong 2010.

“We have also been active in the halls of Congress, deliberating on and passing bills into laws of national and local importance, using our skills as a lawyer to ensure proper legal procedures are followed and important legal issues are raised.

As a representative, I have exerted my utmost efforts to bring the concerns of our people to the attention of government and labored to bring government’s response back to the people.”

Next target: Livelihood, job generation
Kung muling mananalo, sinabi ni Nograles na nakalinya ang kanyang programa ang pagpaparami ng trabaho para sa kanyang mga kababayan.

“Sa second term, I would focus more on job generation and livelihood programs.

Kasi in my first term, we’ve been able to focus on education and health pero yung livelihood program natin, it’s there pero hindi namin masyadong napahinog, three years lang kasi ang term kaya we decided to focus first on education and health.

“Isusunod naman natin ngayon ang mga kabuhayan projects at infrastructure.

Hopefully maka-set up din kami ng parang employment service at mga mini jobs fair sa barangay.

We also encourage our scholars to give back to the community tulad ng literacy programs natin kung saan ang mga scholars ay magtuturo ng reading at writing skills sa mga bata.”

Bagamat may maituturing din na lakas ang kanyang magiging kalaban sa halalan, naniniwala si Nograles na ang naipakita niyang paglilingkod sa kanyang constituents ang muling magdadala sa kanya sa Kongreso sa susunod na taon.

(Editor:  Nais naming kayong marinig.  May reaksyon, opinyon o komento ba kayo sa artikulong ito? I-text ang inyong pangalan, edad, lugar, at mensahe sa 09178052374.)

Samu’t saring opinyon  ni Rep. Karlo Nograles

BAGITONG maituturing sa larangan ng politika si Karlo Nograles ngunit bilang isang kongresista ay gamay na gamay na niya ang kalakaran sa Kongreso at ang kanyang responsibilidad sa kanyang distrito.

At bakit naman hindi, panahon pa lang ng kanyang amang  si dating Speaker Prospero “Boy”  Nograles ay tumutulong na siya sa mga gawain sa Kongreso.

Kaya naman nang siya ay naupo bilang representative ng 1st District ng Davao City ay niyakap niya ang pagsubok na mapantayan o di kaya’y mahigitan pa ang nagawa ng kanyang ama.

Nakapanayam ni Inquirer Bandera sports editor Frederick Nasiad si Nograles at narito ang saloobin ng kongresista hinggil sa mga napapanahong isyu.

How can you describe your first term as Congressman of the 1st District of Davao City?

Well, it was a very meaningful experience.

We were able to do things very quickly.

We hit the ground running because I had a lot of quote-unquote practice when I was chief of staff of my father.

Nakikita ko noon kung ano ang ginagawa niya as congressman, yung pag-identify ng mga projects, yung pag-implement ng mga programs.

The transistion for me was not difficult dahil naka-hands-on na tayo e.

Sa legislative work naman hindi rin tayo nahirapan kasi, aside from lawyer tayo, as chief of staff of my father before, we also had a hand in drafting legislation, yung mga committee hearings and all of that.
What do you think your biggest accomplishment for your district in your first term as Congressman?
Number one, yung scholarship program, the Olpan Kaalam.

That was a very big challenge e. We have so many scholars during the time of my father.

Lumaki yung prgram na yun dahil nga naging Speaker of the House ang father ko.

So when I became congressman, mataas ang expectation sa akin.

But the fact na na-meet natin or sabi ng iba na na-exceed pa, that is already a big accomplishment for me.

Marami kasing skeptics na nagsasabing ‘yan, hindi nya kayang gawin.’

Maraming eyes syempre ang nakatingin sa iyo.

When my father first became a congressman in 2001, we only have 31 scholars.

Now, we have more than 7,000 scholars. Mixed na yan.

Meron sa University of the Philippines, University of Southeastern Philippines, mga private colleges at may mga under Tesda.

Hindi maiwan na ma-compare ako sa father ko. In a way it adds pressure for me pero I don’t look at it that way. I take it as a challenge for me to be able to continue helping and serving the people.

If you are given the chance to serve for a second term, what would be your priority projects?
Sa second term, would focus more on job generation and livelihood programs.

Kasi in my first term, we’ve been able to focus on education and health pero yung livelihood program natin, it’s there pero hindi namin masyadong napahinog, three years lang kasi ang term kaya we decided to focus first on education and health.

Isusunod naman natin ngayon ang mga kabuhayan projects at infrastructure.

Hopefully maka-set up din kami ng parang employment service at mga mini jobs fair sa barangay.

We also encourage our scholars to give back to the community tulad ng literacy programs natin kung saan ang mga scholars ay magtuturo ng reading at writing skills sa mga bata.

What is your stand on mining?
No to mining kami dito sa Davao City.

If you look at the city now, there are other businesses na puwede nating suportahan like the BPO industry, trade, buy and sell and information technology.

So, I think it is here that we should focus.

We’d like to think that Davao City is the center for education in Mindanao.

We really don’t need mining.

How about logging?
Bawal din yan sa Davao City. Total log ban dito. Marami nga ang nagtatanong ‘how can we regain our forests?’ Simple lang yan.

Sabi nga nga mga experts, ‘just stop logging’.

I we stop logging, hindi na natin kailangang magtanim pa ng mga kahoy, nature will take care of its own. If we implement total log ban, if we give nature a rest, it will heal itself.

Ano naman ang masasabi mo tungkol sa political dynasty lalo na’t you belong to a family of  political leaders in Davao?

Well, for me naman kasi, we really have to let the people decide.

Let’s just look at the senatorial race, sabi nila pare-pareho lang ang mga tumatakbo.

But if you look at it closely, actually hindi e.

Look, 84 ang nag-file ng certificates of candidacy for senator.

Of the 84, 52 were declared nuisance candidates, so ilan na lang ang natira? 32 na lang.

Yung  32 pare-pareho ang mga pangalan.

So in order for us to have a true democracy, anybody should be able to run and let the people decide.

How else can we know kung may chance talagang manalo ang ibang tao kung ang pinapayagan nating tumakbo ay pare-pareho lang? Let the people decide.

Number two, hindi naman automatic e na komo natapos na ni Mr. Politician ang term niya tapos pinatakbo niya asawa niya, hindi naman automatic na mananalo ‘yan e.

It’s still the people who will decide. Hindi rin komo pinatakbo yung anak sigurado nang mananalo.

Marami ding mga anak na natatalo sa election.

In other words, the voters know how to pick.

Let them have the chance to select kung sino ang gusto nila.

Kung ayaw ng tao sa iyo, hindi ka mananalo.

It’s really not your fault you have the same surname.

Hindi mo naman kasalanan that you were born with that surname e.

Pero kasalanan kung gagamitin mo yung powers mo to give undue advantage doon sa supposedly successor niya.

Will you support the move for a charter change?
At this point kasi, the Filipino people are still allergic to charter change. Kung allergic pa ang mga tao, wag nating pilitin.

Hindi pa tayo prepared for that. May natural resistance e. But I believe that there is no perfect constitution.

There are things that we need to correct but at this point in time, not yet.

We still have a very young democracy kasi and we just had how many elections since the 1987 constitution, so we have to give it some time.

But if we have a chance to amend the Constitution, ano ang una mong babaguhin?

There is that ongoing debate whether or not we should have a presidential form or a parliamentary form of government.

There are advantages sa presidential form and there are advantages sa parliamentary form of government.

Ang sa akin lang kasi under the presidential form of government, ang napansin ko since the 1987 Constitution is upon the assumption of the new president back to zero tayo.

And you can see sa economic indicators ng bansa, going towards the midterm ng presidente, pataas nang pataas ang ekonomiya.

Pagkatapos ng midterm going into the end of the term of the president, bumababa ang ekonomiya natin.

Always ganyan. Because walang business confidence ang mga investors.

There’s always that fear na pag bago ang presidente, bago rin ang mga tao, bago rin ang mga patakaran.

Everything changes. Parang there’s no continuity.

And that’s the reason why I am leaning towards the parliamentary form of government.

What’s your position on the controversial RH Bill?
Anti-RH Bill. Because I don’t think there is a need to legislate.

Ang biro ko nga diyan sa RH Bill ganito: Right now, government is doing its program on this.

Meron nang nakalaan diyan, meron nang funding na ginagamit ang Department of Health, ng Popcom, and they’re doing that without legislation. In other words, kaya mo palang gawin yan na walang RH Bill.

So, when the RH Bill becomes a law, ano ang magiging diperensiya? Alam mo kung ano ang diperensiya?

Magkakaroon ng penal provision.

The RH Bill imposes that those who violate the RH Law will be imprisoned for six months and/or fined up to P60,000.

Meaning to say, without the RH becoming a law, people can do whatever they want.

With an RH Law, meron nang, sa Bisaya pa, “naa nay pagpugos.” Meron nang coercion dahil may penal provision. Right now, matakot ka.

That’s the only thing na nakita ko na magiging use nitong RH Bill na ito.

Kahit na yung sinasabi nilang “The New RH Bill” andyan pa rin yung penal provision.

How about Divorce in the  Philippines?
No. Simple lang yan e.

We already have the laws on legal separation, annulment of marriage and nullity of marriage.

So, in other words, there are three remedies if you are in a bad relationship or bad marriage.

So ang question ko sa proponent, “What makes divorce different from these three remedies?”

You know what’s the difference? Ganito lang ka-simple.

Those who file for legal separation will now be entitled to re-marry.

Yun lang ang effect ng divorce law in the Philippines.

Kasi right now, kung mag-file ako ng legal separation, pag na-grant ng court, legally separated na tayo but you cannot re-marry and I cannot re-marry.

Because it is in our Constitution that we shoud protect the sanctity of marriage and the family.

Unless you file for psychological incapacity. In that case inu-nullify ang marriage mo and you can re-marry.

Sa expenses naman, the same lang din.

With divorce, you will still have to go to the same routine as legal separation and annulment.

So the same lang ang gagastusin.

Same sex marriage?
I oppose. I still believe that marriage is between a man and a woman.

I believe that the essence of marriage is for a man and a woman to come together, make a family and procreate.

Kasama rin sa aspect ng marriage ang procreation.

Are you in favor of legalizing illegal gambling?
We don’t have jueteng here.

What we have here is the ‘last-two.’ And I don’t think we should legalize it kasi, alam mo, it won’t cure anything e.

You legalize that tapos magkakaroon na naman ng ibang form of illegal gambling, di ba?

Anti-epal bill?
OK ako jan sa anti-epal bill.

In government-funded projects, hindi dapat nakalagay yung mga mukha ng mga politicians as if na ang perang ginamit sa project na iyon ay galing sa kanilang bulsa.

Your thoughts on the framework agreement?
I will support that. Although dapat yung agreement should be within the boundaries of the Constitution.

Ano naman ang masasabi mo sa estado ng Philippine sports ngayon?
I believe that the government should not take sports for granted.

Maraming magbe-benefit sa isang tunay sa sports program ng gobyerno laung-lalo na ang youth.

Sports has to be supported by the government.

How much is your net worth and how many cars do you own?
SALN? P8 million. And I only have one car, a van.