Meet Akbayan Partylist Rep. Perci Cendaña who filed the 'Kian Bill' 'Mindful Parking Act' and more!
Akbayan Partylist Saturday, November 23, 2024
In a third world country where we can only hope for a brighter future not only for us but for the next generations to come, isn't pass time that we look for the right people who will truly and sincerely do their best to govern our country?
AKBAYAN Partylist Representative PERCI CENDAÑA narrated how he never loose hope that one day, the Philippines will finally be free from corruption, inequality, baseless killings, drug-free and more.
Just last September, Former National Youth Commission commissioner Percival Cendaña takes oath as the newest member of the House of Representatives, representing Akbayan in the lower chamber.
Cendaña took his oath before House Speaker Martin Romualdez and was accompanied by former Akbayan chair Etta Rosales. This follows COMELEC's proclamation of Akbayan as a winner in the party-list polls. He is now the youngest representative in the congress.
Rep. Perci shared how much he struggled wayback when inequality is rampant and how dodge every criticism thrown to him just because he was openly gay. His father was a carpenter and his mom was a teacher, both raised him without much pressure in life. He studied in University of the Philippines where it all started. He became president of the student council despite the discrimination of being a gay. He led the Pride March in 1996 which is still being observed up to this day.
How Rep. Peri became a public servant
This is where history begun where UP decades after openly accepted LGBTQ+ community after UP Babaylan (University of the Philippines student organization for the LGBT community). This is also according to him, a step for him in making a big progress as he steps in the congress.
Prior to being public servant, Perci was part of different NGOs in the past and was very active member of AKBAYAN through the years. He then became campaign manager of Rissa Hontiveros when she run in 2013 and 2016. After this, he was appointed by former President Benigno Aquino Jr. as the chairperson of the National Youth Commission and since then, his passion to help the youth achieve their dreams without discrimination (gender or socio-economic status) has always been prevalent.
Rep. Perci shared that even though he just recently stepped into the congress, he is fully aware of is needed to be done. He created the Anti-Endo and Contracting Law to fight for the contractualization, because the need to have a work for a longer term is badly needed in the country. How would Filipinos support their own families if they lose their precious jobs every 6 months without any benefits? The fight for poverty starts here.
He is also keen on the Reproductive Health Law since there are a lot of teen pregnancy in the past few years and this should be addressed further by giving further education on teens and addressing how we can nurture them more to focus on a preparing to become an adult before entering a challenging chapter in their lives. As a former National Youth Commission chairperson, he is very keen on tackling issues about the youth and how Akbayan can help.
The most controversial so far among all the bills he passed was the "KIAN BILL", House Bill 11004, proposes a ban on arbitrary and unlawful interference with privacy, torture, corporal punishment, and misrepresentation of information to prevent human rights violations, such as extrajudicial killings, that occurred during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
The bill was named after Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old boy who was shot by police during a drug raid in 2017. He was the one shouting, "tama na! may exam pa po ako!".
The proposed legislation seeks to revise Republic Act 9165, referred to as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which presently constitutes the legal foundation for combating illegal drug use within the nation. The interventions outlined in the bill encompass an educational initiative aimed at raising awareness among individuals affected by drug use regarding their human rights, as well as the availability of medical and social services, psychosocial support, and strategies for managing relapse.
Another online topic that has raised debates is about standing in the parking lot and saving it even though there is no car yet to be seen. Rep. Perci filed House Bill No. 11076 or the draft Mindful Parking Act, which penalizes such acts with fines and the revocation of the driver’s license.
The bill reads: “No person shall physically occupy a public parking space in a manner as to obstruct a motor vehicle from parking on the same space or to reserve the space for parking by another motor vehicle.”
Under the bill, private establishments with parking spaces must also adopt similar policies. Both the person reserving the space and the motorist eyeing the spot are to be held liable for the violation.
The first offense carries a P2,000 fine, while the second offense results in a P5,000 fine and the suspension of the driver’s license. Subsequent violations call for a fine of P10,000 and the revocation of the license. On the part of private establishments, their owners also face fines of between P10,000 and P50,000 if found remiss in enforcing the measure.
These are just some of Akbayan's priorities and aims to further establish more bills that can protect Filipinos against different forms of discrimination, fight for corruption, save our lands and seas by also fighting for illegal mining, right to care card for those couples especially the LGBTQ+ community and more.
Rep. Perci Cendaña said that he is hoping that they can continue what they started and that more Filipinos will be educated on how to vote the right people this coming election, that they may be enlightened so that the Philippines will have more chances of a brighter future.
If you want to learn more about Rep. Perci Cendaña, follow his official Facebook Page and also Akbayan Partylist Official Facebook Page.
