Sotto to push for monthly mini-Ledac

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III would push for monthly mini Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meetings to facilitate the passage of key measures that may be considered priorities by Congress and the administration.

Confident that this would help facilitate the passage of more laws, Sotto said he already brought up the idea with Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

If the Senate and House leaders could meet once a month and discuss their respective priority bills, then approving the proposed laws would be easier as they would be on the same page, he pointed out.

Sotto added that he has asked Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri to inform the senators to submit their respective priority bills so these could be presented during the mini-LEDAC.

“Hopefully, we will be able to come up with a common priority agenda for the third regular session of the 17th Congress. The reason why this is imperative now is because we only have very few months for the 3rd Regular Session. That will be August, practically very few days in September and then October, November and half of December,” he pointed out.

He is also proposing that both chambers work until the third week of December, instead of the usual second week, as they firm up the legislative calendar for the third regular session of the 17th Congress.

The Senate leader explained that many legislators would already be busy with their respective campaigns for the May 2019 elections and that congressional work may be hampered by then.

Asked if President Duterte reached out to the Senate to push his priority bills, Sotto said he could not recall any instance since 2016 while clarifying that there is a difference between the President asking for something in public during a speaking engagement and directly asking a senator for a favor.

For the requests made by the President in public, such as during his forthcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA), Sotto said this would be treated as a presidential request that needs to be taken up by senators.

Meanwhile, senators from the minority bloc are hoping that Duterte will talk more on ways to end poverty rather than rant about drugs or push federalism on Monday.

Senators Francis Pangilinan and Paolo Benigno Aquino IV in separate statements said Duterte’s SONA should be on how to address the rising prices of consumer goods, increase the incomes of workers, and generate more jobs.

“These are the concerns our countrymen. I hope he (Duterte) listens to them and give them answers in his SONA,” Pangilinan said.

Aquino said Malacañang was claiming the coming SONA will be “coming from the heart.”

“I hope it (SONA) comes from a heart that has empathy for the poor Filipinos hit by the government’s programs,” he added as he warned that the 11-point drop in Duterte’s net approval rating is a cry for help from Filipinos, who are suffering due to the government’s tax reform program.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who has been critical of Duterte, said he expects the President “to rant and lie to the Filipino people like he always does.”

“Particularly, he would likely create a false bleak scenario for our country to justify the need for Cha-cha (Charter change) and shift to federalism as soon as possible,” he said.

For Sen. Leila de Lima, who is detained on drug-related charges, expressed no surprise over former president Benigno Aquino III’s decision to skip anew the SONA, saying it is better not to show up “than be subjected to hours of rambling and incoherence.”

 “Duterte’s SONA record definitely does not inspire those who regard the event as a sober and solemn occasion,” she said.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, Duterte’s ally, said he expects “an accurate report on the state or condition of our country” during the SONA. – With Paolo Romero