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This dialogue entitled Strengthening the Legislative Body: A Dialogue for Newly Elected Members of the House of Representatives was organized by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Ateneo School of Government.

Sabine Weiss shared her experience as Member of the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany as well as German government oversight and budget control. This lawyer, who founded a private-sector development assistance project in Pangasinan Province in 1992, is no stranger to the Philippines, legislation nor to local governance. The eager group easily related to Ms Weiss, who was a former Mayor of Dinslaken, due to some participants undergoing a similar transition from local governance to legislative work.

The 11 congresswomen and 14 congressmen engaged former Chief Justice Reynato Puno as he discussed the power of legislative investigation of Congress. He stressed the power and importance that the lower house has in imposing transparency.

Other speakers were: Congressman Rufus Rodriguez; Partylist Congressman Walden Bello; Prof. Dr. Jörg Menzel, Senior Consultant for Legislative and Parliamentary Procedures, who talked about his experiences in Germany as well as his experience with Cambodian legislators; as well as former Senator Aquilino Pimentel, Jr..

Participants were: Representative Mercedes Alvarez, Representative Teodoro Baguilat, Jr., Representative Jorge John Banal, Representative Nancy Catamco, Representative Aurora Cerilles, Representative Maria Georgina de Venecia, Representative Rachel del Mar, Representative Fatima Dimaporo, Representative Imelda Dimaporo, Representative Ruben Ecleo, Representative Rogelio Espina, Representative Ben Evardone, Representative Antonio Ferrer, Representative Seth Jalosjos, Representative Romeo Jalosjos, Jr., Representative Carlo Lopez, Representative Karlo Nograles, Representative Elmer Panotes, Representative Lani Revilla, Representative Jesus Sacdalan, Representative Nur-Ana Sahidulla, Representative Lord Allan Jay Velasco, Representative Linabelle Ruth Villarica, Representative Jonathan Yambao, and Representative Susan Yap.