Sotto, key Senate leaders keep their posts

IN contrast to the long-drawn drama that characterized the choice of House Speaker, the 24-man Senate quickly picked its leader as the 18th Congress opened on Monday (July 22) hours before the President’s State of the Nation Address (Sona).

Sen. Vicente C. Sotto III was elected Senate President anew after he was nominated for the post by Sen. Ralph Recto, who also kept his post as Senate President Pro Tempore. Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Minority Leader Franklin Drilon also kept their posts.

Twenty-two of the 24 senators were present as the 18th Senate opened. The absentees were Sen. Leila de Lima, who is detained on various charges; and Sen. Manny Pacquiao, who was prevented by doctors from taking a flight back to Manila so soon after a bruising fight with Keith Thurman in Las Vegas.

In a brief interview, Sotto listed three bills on top of their priority list including the proposed Anti-Terrorism law, and bills updating the Public Service Act and the Foreign  Investment Act.

At the same time Sotto, acknowledged “the trust and confidence of our countrymen that were given to the 17th Congress and the Senate, and so we would like to continue that legacy.”

The Senate leader listed amendments to update the Human Security Act “which will eventually [be] called the Anti-Terrorism Act, and then the amendments also to to the Public Service Act and the Foreign Investment Act.”

“Those are some of the bills that I know were left from the 17th Congress that we wanted to prioritize, but for lack of time,” he added.

Asked about the senators’ expectations when President Duterte delivers his State of the Nation address, the Senate leader replied: “We expect him to ask Congress to pass some of the bills that were not taken up during the last Congress, and that he will seek the support of Congress again so that programs, particularly the ‘Build,Build,Build’ program, will continue and that the other programs will be supported.”

Sotto, however, was unsure if the death penalty will be listed as a priority bill. “I really can’t tell. Perhaps, it is a priority to debate on it. I would rather say that instead of saying that it is a priority measure, [because] it is one issue that is very divisive.”

Nonetheless, he indicated that senators are also keen to tackle the bill. “So we’d like to, perhaps, start debate on it. I filed a bill on that, particularly high-level drug trafficking, but we have two new senators who have filed a bill encompassing all heinous crimes, so I hope it will be a healthy debate.”

Sotto, however, could not say for sure it will be promptly frontloaded as soon as Congress convenes session, saying it will depend on the committee chairmen who have yet to be nominated and confirmed by the Senate.

In the same interview, Sotto indicated that the bill would have a “better chance” of getting passed by the lawmakers, saying:  “You are asking for my personal opinion; I am not speaking for the Senate in this case. If it will be confined to high-level drug trafficking, it stands a better chance of passage.”

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/07/23/sotto-key-senate-leaders-keep-their-posts/