MARINO party-List Rep. Sandro Gonzalez vows to push maritime bills

Gonzalez vows to push maritime bills
Yashika F. Torib June 1, 2022 https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/06/01/business/maritime/gonzalez-vows-t...

MARINO party-List Rep. Sandro Gonzalez pledged to lobby maritime House bills on the first day of the 19th Congress.

"Rest assured that on day one, when the 19th Congress starts, most of the House Bills that you want to be pushed, I will push it on the first day," Gonzalez said during the planning session with the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) last May 27.

"We are always excited and enthusiastic to work with Marina because the only reason Marino party-list is here is to support the seafaring industry," he added.

The party won a seat in the House of Representatives with 530,382 votes in the May 2022 national elections.

It is the only party-list representing the maritime industry that won a seat in Congress.

Gonzalez was welcomed by Marina, headed by its administrator, retired Navy admiral Robert Empedrad.

"We would like to strengthen the maritime industry development, and we cannot do that without the help of our partner in Congress, Marino party-list Representative Sandro Gonzalez," Empedrad said.

During the meeting, Marina Planning and Policy Service (PPS) Director Luisito de los Santos presented the plans and projects of the agency including the 10-Year Maritime Industry Development Plan (MIDP) and a proposal for an organizational expansion, and aired its call for support for the recently-inaugurated Marina Training Institute (MarTI) and for the 2023 budget of Marina as well as the proposed maritime-related House bills.