OCT 12, 2015

NR # 3985

House now has its own Legislative Institute to train solons on lawmaking
Incoming new members of the House of Representatives next year need not
undergo trainings and workshops on legislation and legislative work somewhere else
because Congress now has its own Institute for Legislation and Legislative Governance,
or simply Legislative Institute, to train and orient them on lawmaking and legislative
governance, among others.
The establishment of the Legislative Institute was made possible through House
Resolution 212, which lawmakers adopted on June 10, 2015.
The resolution, principally authored by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. and coauthored by Majority Floor Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II, Minority
Floor Leader and San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora and representatives of major political
parties in Congress establishes the Legislative Institute as an institutional continuing
education program to further develop the capabilities of legislators and the House of
Representatives Secretariat to strategically manage legislation, the legislative process, and
legislative governance.
The Legislative Institute will principally serve as a continuing training and
education program for members of the House and their staff, the officials and staff of the
House Secretariat, including applicants for positions therein and such other persons and
entities who may have need of knowledge and skills on legislation and the management of
systems, processes and resources relating to legislation and legislative governance, said
the Speaker.
The Speaker further said the Legislative Institute will also develop, provide for and
implement training courses, inclusive of conducting seminars, workshops and other
educative projects and learning activities to impart, enhance and expand skills knowledge
and more related capabilities on legislation, legislative systems and procedures.
The Legislative Institute will also manage and administer legislative support
services, including the harnessing of information and communication technology in
legislation, and the undertaking of such activities relating to the generation of resources in
support of the conduct of these activities.
This is a dream come true for us because now we have our own Legislative
Institute to educate more and train House members, especially the newly-elected ones, on
everything about legislation and the legislative process. Even our legislative support
service staff will be included in the knowledge and skills enhancement programs said the
Speaker.

The Speaker said the Legislative Institute will harness the experts of professionals
in disciplines impacting on the conduct of legislation, legislation management and
legislative support services inclusive of the expertise and institutional knowledge of
former members and legislators who have had extensive experiences and exposure in the
field of actual legislation and the dynamics thereof.
House Resolution 212 named the House Secretary-General as the program Manager
of the Legislative Institute and tasks the official to supervise and coordinate the
formulation and implementation of training and education activities, modules and other
related initiatives.
House Secretary General Marilyn Barua-Yap said the establishment of the
Legislative Institute is a historic development in Congress this year, and a landmark
achievement of the 16th Congress under the leadership of Speaker Belmonte.
Barua-Yap said it is about time Congress, the primary lawmaking branch of the
government, has its own training institute just like the other branches and agencies of the
government.
The Judiciary has a Judicial Academy. The Executive has its Development
Academy of the Philippines while the local government units (LGUs) have their Local
Government Academy. The Legislative, the branch of the government primarily making
laws, which stabilize our policy structure and strengthen our government, deserves to have
its own institution that will enhance knowledge acquisition about the legislative
Congress, said Barua-Yap.
Barua-Yap said the Legislative Institute has three centers one of which is the Center
for Legislation, which provides legislators knowledge acquisition and skills enhancement
on legislation and legislative work through trainings and workshops. For 2016, the Center
for Legislation will be offering various executive courses, among them: Legislation;
Parliamentary Rules and Procedures; Legislative Bill Drafting; Principles, Practices and
Imperatives of the Power of Legislative Oversight; Dynamics and Politics of the Budget
Process; Legislative Ethics and Accountability; and Legislative Staff Management.
The other two centers of the Legislative Institute are the Center for Legislative
Governance, which aims to enhance the knowledge of the legislative support service
workers to enhance professionalism especially in the legislature, and the Center for
Legislative Governance, which produces printed and electronic knowledge resources on
legislation and legislative governance.
The Center for Legislative Governance publishes the following: Philippine
Legislative Governance Journal; Compendium of Laws and Executive Issuance; In the
Name of the People, an annual publication of privilege and bill sponsorship speeches of
lawmakers; Legislative Information Resource Files; and Course Manual. (30) rbb