Neri Colmenares

EFFECTIVE

EMPOWERING

ETHICAL

Educationi
Engineering, University of
Occidental Recoletos (1977)
Bachelors in Economics, San
Beda College (1992)
Engineering, West Negros
College
Bachelors of Law, UP College of
Law (1996)
Ph.D, University of Melbourne
(2002)
Work Experienceii
Congressman (2010-present)
Consultant, Office of Rep. Satur
Ocampo (2004-2006)
Attorney, National Amnesty
Commission (1998-1999)
Legal Officer, National Amnesty
Commission (1997-1998)
Private Secretary, National
Amnesty Commission (19961997)
Laws Principally Authorediii
In the 15th and 16th Congress,
he principally authored 114
bills, of which 3 became law or
were substituted or
consolidated with bills that
became law. These laws are:
RA10639 providing free mobile
alerts in times of disaster
HB03549, which would have
increased the ceiling for
Christmas bonus and other
benefits from taxation and was
substituted by RA10653 (which
increased the ceiling for the
total exclusion from gross
income of 13th month pay and
other benefits to P70,000)
HB03046, which defined and
penalized the crime of enforced

Pro-Poor Programs
President of the
National Union of
Peoples Lawyers,
which describes
itself as a
nationwide
voluntary
association of
human rights
lawyers in the
Philippines,
committed to the
defense,
protection, and
promotion of
human rights,
especially of the
poor and the
oppressed iv
Used DAP to build
farm-to-market
roads in
Pampanga, a
multi-purpose hall
in Aurora,
classroom
buildings in Iloilo,
gave subsidies to
LGUs, public
health care
institutions (PGH,
National Kidney
Transplant
Institute, Lung
Center of the
Philippines)v

Actions to Improve Ethics

Opposed DAP despite
having received
funds for his projects,
claiming he did not
realize the funding
came from DAP and
immediately
withdrew
endorsements of all
projects schedules
that he suspected
were funded through
DAP
Challenged the
administration to
release list of
lawmakers who
received DAP, and
investigate use of
funds.vi

or involuntary disappearance
and was consolidated into
RA10353, which did the same.

i Hon. Colmenares, Neri J. Republic of the Philippines House of Representatives 16 th

Congress, Accessed January 26, 2016. http://www.congress.gov.ph/members/search.php?
id=colmenares-n
ii Ibid
iii House Bills and Resolutions. Republic of the Philippines House of Representatives 16 th
Congress. Accessed January 25, 2016. http://www.congress.gov.ph/download/?d=billstext

iv National Union of Peoples Lawyers Officers. National Union of Peoples Lawyers.

Accessed January 26, 2016. http://nupl.net/wpcontent/uploads/2012/06/NUPL_BROCHURE_small.pdf
v Colmenares: Ill Support Impeachment Raps vs. PNoy, Even If I Received DAP. GMA
News, July 13, 2014.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/370051/news/nation/colmenares-i-ll-supportimpeach-raps-vs-pnoy-even-if-i-received-dap
vi Ibid