Senate to pass more priority bills

MANILA, Philippines — With one week left before sine die adjournment of the first regular session of the 19th Congress, the Senate is expecting to give its third-reading approval on more priority bills of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

Apart from the Maharlika Investment Fund Act, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said eight more priority measures are under LEDAC, which serves as a consultative and advisory body to the President, chair of the National Economic and Development Authority board, on certain programs and policies essential to the realization of goals of the national economy.

Congress is set to go on break on Friday, but last session day is on Wednesday.

Zubiri enumerated proposed measures already in advanced stage at the Senate, with the following bills pending second reading approval: Ease of Paying Taxes Act; Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers Act; Act Institutionalizing the Automatic Income Classification of Provinces, Cities and Municipalities; New Philippine Passport Act; amendments to the Public-Private Partnership Act; Internet Transactions Act; Mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps Act, and the Center for Disease Control Act.

“The Senate will continue to prioritize the quality of our measures over the speed of our performance or the quantity of our output, but we do expect to be able to devote more time to our plenary duties, now that most of our major Commission on Appointments (CA) work has already been dealt with,” he said.

He added that CA duties of the 13 senators, which consumed much of their morning schedules, made it a challenge for them to work out Senate schedules.

“But we are nevertheless proud of what we have been able to accomplish without sacrificing the quality of our bills, and we are ready to get right back to work in the second regular session,” the Senate president said.

Priority bills that have been certified urgent by Malacañang are the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, Regional Specialty Centers Act and Maharlika Investment Fund Act. Alongside these priority bills, the Estate Tax Amnesty Act is also set to be approved on third reading.

Once these bills are adopted by the House of Representatives or approved in the bicameral conference, they will be sent to Malacañang for the President’s signature together with the measure on the condonation of unpaid amortization and interests of loans of agrarian reform beneficiaries. — Delon Porcalla