Congress resumes sessions
Eyes passage of pro-people priority measures in nine days
Both houses of Congress resume their sessions today in a bid to approve several pro-people measures in nine
days before the 17th Congress formally adjourns sessions on June 7.
Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III said the priority measures they want to finish include proposed amendments to the Human Security Act.
“Unless some important bill escapes me, what I know is that one of the important bills that we have to approve is the anti-terrorism
act,” Sotto said.
Sotto is referring to Senate Bill No. 2204, the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2019, which seeks to amend Republic Act No. 9372, the Human Security Act, by redefining the acts of terrorism that are punishable by law.
It was Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, chair of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, who sponsored the bill.
The Senate will also try to finish deliberations on the bill amending the Public Services Act, Senate Bill No. 1754.
The bill primarily seeks to amend Commonwealth Act No. 146 in order to address the confusion in the definition of a public utility and public services.
Sotto said passage of the measure into law would provide Filipino consumers more choices, better and lower prices on utility services. The bill is currently pending on second reading.
“You have seen the problems that we have encountered not only with telcos (telecommunication), with the airlines, most especially water. All these fall under the category of the Public Services Act,” Sotto said.
“The amendments to the Public Services Act would address the issues on water, air, transportation, and power,” the Senate leader stressed.
Sotto also expressed hope that the Medical Scholarship Act, which he authored, would be given equal priority in the last three weeks before the Senate adjourns.
The measure is currently pending in the Senate committee on health and demography, chaired by Sen. Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito.
The bill seeks to address both issues of scarcity and misdistribution of physicians in the country through the granting of scholarships to deserving medical students provided that they would serve the country for five years.
“Napaka-kaunti ng doktor sa Pilipinas na nagpupunta sa mga barrio. Ang dahilan, mahal (We only have few doctors in the country that would go to far-flung villages),” Sotto noted.
“Yan ang isa sa mga dahilan, so if ang pagdudoktor sa Pilipinas ay gagawin nating libre, both private and public medical schools, dadami ang duktor (That is one of the reasons, that’s why if we offer scholarships, both in private and public medical schools, we will have more doctors)," Sotto said.
Other priority measures the Senate is expected to tackle include the Budget Reform Act, Rightsizing the National Government Act, amendments to the Salary Standardization Law (SSL), the Reformation of Children in Conflict with the Law, which are all pending second reading.
Also pending on second reading is the measure seeking to grant President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers to address the country's transportation woes, such as the proposed National Transport Act and the Traffic and Congestion Crisis Act.
Other priority measures of the Senate include the proposed Mindanao Railways Authority, the Unified Uniform Personnel Retirement Benefits and Pension Reform Act, and the Value for Money Procurement Act.
Pro-people bills
The House leadership committed yesterday to make the remaining ninesession days count by passing more pro-people bills.
House Majority Leader and reelected Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro said all pending measures will all be treated as "a priority."
"As may be warranted by the presence of a quorum, all pending bills for approval, either local or of national significance is a priority," he said in an interview.
After more than three-months of respite to pave way for the midterm polls, the 17th Congress buckles down to work anew, and will adjourn sine die on June 5.
“We are committed to approve more pending measures for as long we can muster a quorum,” Castro said.
At least nine measures are set to be approved on third and final reading by the Lower Chamber.
These are House Bill (HB) 8909, “An Act Strengthening Drug Prevention And Control, Amending For The Purpose Republic Act No. 9165, The "Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act Of 2002"; HB 9025, “An Act Creating The Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Sovereign Fund”; HB 9061, “An Act Encouraging Corporate Social Responsibility, Providing Incentives Thereof”; House Resolution 1855, “Resolution Expressing The Sense Of The House Of Representatives On The Need To Convene The National Security Council In Order That A National Policy On The West Philippine Sea May Be Formulated And Defined”; HB 9051, “An Act Reorganizing The Cooperative Development Authority”; HB 9023, “An Act Strengthening The Polytechnic University Of The Philippines By Declaring It As The National Polytechnic University , And Appropriating Funds Therefor"; HB 9042, “An Act Establishing The Scope And Procedure For Philippine Ship Registry, Recognition And Enforcement Of Maritime Claims, And Limitation Of Liability" ; HB 8960, “An Act Providing For A Single Classification Society Or A Consortium Of Single Classification Societies For Certain Vessels”; and HB 6138, “An Act Granting Travel Tax Exemption To Dependents Of Married Or Solo Parent Overseas Filipino Workers."
The House of Representatives is awaiting the Senate's action on eight measures, including the Security of Tenure Act; Trabaho Bill or TRAIN 2; mining, alcohol and tobacco taxes; and revision of the Constitution.
Also included in the list of measures already approved by the Lower Chamber and transmitted to Senate for action are HB No. 8858, a measure amending The Juvenile Justice And Welfare Act Of 2005”; HB No. 8837, an act “Creating The National Commission Of Senior Citizens, and HB No. 8961, “An Act Mandating The Institutionalization, Development, Training, Organization And Administration Of Basic Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) In Grades 11 And 12 In Public And Private Educational Institutions.
Leyte first district Rep. Yedda Marie Kittilstvedt Romualdez appealed anew to the Senate to pass the bill creating the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR).
“I hope that our good senators will include the approval of the proposed Department of Disaster Resilience in their agenda,” she said.
House Assistant Majority Leader Bernadette Herrera-Dy also urged the Senate to act on the House-approved bills.
"If the Senate is able to approve some of those bills, the House would swiftly act on them so they can be sent to Malacanang at the soonest," she said.
House Assistant Majority Leader Michael Romero has urged President to sign into law the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and Magna Carta for the Poor bills.
“Working with our colleagues in the House and the Senate, we placed our mark in these three significant pieces of legislation, especially the two antipoverty measures wherein we pushed for systems, processes, standards, and funding meant to make government implement its social programs better than ever before,” he said.
Lawmakers will convene on July 22, 2019, for the start of the 18th Congress.