Cushy job of Negros Occidental Rep. Julio Ledesma
By: (The Philippine Star) Updated January 16, 2010 12:00 AM
There ought to be a law. Congressmen are allocated P70 million a year as pork barrel, on top of their regular pay, allowances and benefits. The least that congressmen can give back to their employer, the Filipino taxpayer, is to work on legislation in between the many lengthy congressional breaks throughout the year.
In many government offices, there are so-called “15-30” employees: people who are seen only during payday on the 15th and 30th of every month, to collect their salary. Negros Occidental Rep. Julio Ledesma, a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, beats them all. Ledesma, said to be the third richest member of the House of Representatives, has attended sessions of the 14th Congress for only a handful of days over the past two and a half years.
Ledesma, better known as the husband of actress Assunta d’Rossi, and best remembered for the controversial kidnapping of his two children eight years ago, even wants to collect his pay. Reports said that during the recent Christmas break, Ledesma asked the House for his bonus, allowances and 13th month pay. Ledesma failed to get the money because there was no one to process his request.
Speaker Prospero Nograles reportedly told Ledesma to attend at least two of the remaining session days starting next week if he wanted to get paid. Ledesma has not been seen at the House since attending the joint opening session last July, when he listened to President Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address. Beyond utilizing his pork barrel and collecting his pay, Ledesma seems to have no idea of what he was elected to do. Reached for comment yesterday, he defended his egregious absenteeism, saying physical presence at the session hall did not mean he was not working.
If Ledesma ever worked on legislation at all, the Speaker and their colleagues were unaware of it. Ledesma’s long absence had fueled rumors that he had left the country or was seriously ill. His performance — or lack of it — should give lawmakers an idea of why the House keeps getting abysmal ratings in surveys on government agencies. House members should be reminded that being a lawmaker requires crafting laws. And lawmakers should find a way of enforcing a no-work, no-pay rule for its irresponsible members.
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reynz is one Uragon and a Filipino-American, has many years of public accounting & auditing, broadcast investments, housing tax credits and equity investments as his background. Based in the US, he maintains his personal and humor blog at reyna elena dot com. A graduate of Aquinas U, he went to GWU and Temple U in the United States.
If Rep. Ledesma happened to be a member of the administration’s party, I’m sure he wouldn’t be in this situation. Sorry na lang siya at member siya ng NPC.
Was Arroyo her ninang at their wedding? Pwes, tawagan si ninang. Bwahahaha
‘HER’ pa nasabi ko. Baka ikorek ako ni benign0. bwahaha
O ayan…sige boto pa nang mga papoging pulitiko, mga messianic chorvalu na sila daw ang magiging solusyon sa bayan nila.
LECCCHHEEE…
Attendance na nga lang, di pa magawa. Kung ako ang employer nyan, tagal ng sisante ang ungas na yan. Kabwisit kasi, naturingang mga mambabatas, mga INCOMPETENT, TARDY OR PALA-ABSENT NA EMPLEYADO NG BAYAN.
baka naman me pasugalan kaya busy. siempre babantayan mo ang tong. unawain nyo naman hahaha
Baka busy sa pagbabantay kay Assunta? Hahaha
Kapal ng mukhang humingi ng 13th month pay. Alam ba niya kung paano mag-compute ng 13th month pay? Factor ang araw na pinagtrabahuhan kaya dapat wala siyang matanggap dahil absent naman siya whole year noh!
Tagal na dapat sinisante yan. Grabe ang attendance record! Truly a role model!!!
Well, I’d like very much to know how our congress porks, er, I mean Congressmen/women spend their pork… I have a suspicion that many of those members of Congress who came from humble beginnings and then ended up rich should explain or unequivocally declare that they have not once dipped their fingers in their pork barrels to put in their personal pocket!
i don’t think they are ever accounted for properly. they will just submit receipts. now these receipts are just nothing more than a piece of paper signed by YOU KNOW WHO that such and such event/travel/meal happened at such and such date with whoever, bin laden included.
what’s worse – COA is nowhere to be found.
COA will appear after the fact and proclaim that they found this, found that – yadi yadi yadi blah blah blah. Meanwhile these tongressmen have already bought some of the priciest real estates in the land.
Bago na daw ang name ng COA ah….
COAL = Commission on Audit LATER…
Nyahahhahah….
hmm,
sino pa kaya sa mga tongressman ang pala-absent?
pag si pakyaw ba manalo ng tongressman, makaka attend kaya siya sa mga assembly?
No work no pay dapat ang drama ng mga taga-congress. Yung iba ngang Pinoy and Pinay eh todo kayod maghapon tapos kakarampot lang ang kita. Tapos silang kamot b*&%$ eh pag gawa na lang batas di pa nila magawa.
Whoa, nandyan pa pala si Jules Ledesma sa pulitika!
Last time na nakita ko yan sa TV ay nung kasal nila ni Assunta de Rossi.
if pay were the Make all and Be all of my being a representative; pls. Check w Hrep. Acctg. Why would I then choose not to be paid All emoluments due me my office AndDISTRICT STAFF SANS FANFARE FRM 7/07_12/07 INC THE 13TH MNTH PAY? And in this instance purportedly act like a petulant brat. 6whole months inc that years 13th _silence nary a whisper. Because Propriety dictated THAT GETTING MY SWORN STATEMENT BOTH IAS AND PAS COMPLIANT AND ACCURATE WASMORE IMPT THAN HALF-A YEARS PAY AND THAT YRS 13TH MO. Pay of my district off. which i underwrote. 13th month get livid. 6mo and .13th all silent. Im either a sakim sa perang walang k or a mokong walang ssaln 6mo. Shut up? Not both. The 13th mo. Brouhaha never Happened. Again It never Happened. When we resume to canvass votes The truth Shall set me free. iWILL BE BACK AT THE 15TH CONG. Finally and Fyi. I was Refused Entre on 3of4 comm.I formerly Chaired. thats for the books. greetings. JulesLED.
with ALL DUE RESPECT 13mo. I dnt even keep I gve that to wmanila staff. TheyWERE SMIRKING AT THE SOURCE OF ALL THIS till the reality ofWHO WOULD BE TARRED AND CHARBROILED DID sink in. Me im fine. ahl be bak.
JulesLED
laShEnG yATA c cOnGr3sSmAn.jEjEjeje