By Mario Casayuran and Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, delivering his year-end accomplishment report at the Senate regular session last Wednesday night, said the bills authored and backed by Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go now become part of the achievements of the 18th Congress.
In his speech, Sotto cited two Go bills passed by the 18th Congress and enacted into law by President Rodrigo Duterte, namely the postponement of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections and the Malasakit Center Act of 2019.
Both measures are important items on the legislative agenda promised by Go during the 2019 election campaign period. They were filed in July, right after Go assumed office.
Seeking to complement the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, Republic Act (RA) No. 11463, known as the Malasakit Center Act of 2019, provides for the establishment of Malasakit Centers in 73 hospitals all over the country run by the Department of Health (DOH), and in the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila.
“With the Malasakit Center Act in place to complement the Universal Health Care Law, we are a step closer towards making quality health care more accessible and affordable for all Filipinos, especially the indigent and poor patients in need of medical assistance from the government,” Go said.
The center consolidates the medical and financial assistance that patients may apply for from four government agencies — DOH, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
Meanwhile, RA 11462 moves the next barangay and SK elections from the second Monday of May 2020 to December 5, 2022, and then on the first Monday of December 2025 and every three years thereafter.
The law extends the term of the current barangay and SK officials from two years to four and a half years.
Explaining his reason for backing the measure in past interviews, Go said that village officials should be given enough time to implement their programs.
Sotto also cited three bills already approved by the Senate on third and final reading. These are the bill increasing the excise tax on alcohol, heated tobacco and vapor products; the Go-backed Separate Facilities for Heinous Crimes Act; and the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) 5 which Go also co-authored.
Lauding neophyte senators, including Go, for their “fresh and dynamic ideas,” Sotto ended his speech by saying that he is optimistic about the coming year.
“We had a great start, which can be attributed to the efforts of all the senators. This is just the beginning of our commitment to the people we serve. We are looking forward to a more fruitful 2020 as we intend to perform better for our beloved Filipino families,” Sotto said.
As part of his legislative agenda aimed at helping the Duterte administration achieve positive genuine change felt by all Filipinos, Go has already filed 21 Senate resolutions and authored thirty bills in his first six months as senator, two of which have already been signed into law; and four committee reports he sponsored or co-sponsored in the Senate plenary.
Senate goes on holiday break
Meanwhile, the 24-member Senate goes on a month-long Christmas break beginning Thursday, resuming on Jan. 20, 2020.
Before adjourning past 7 p.m. Wednesday, the Senate ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed sin tax bill seeking higher excise taxes on alcoholic beverages and the imposition of excise tax on heated tobacco products and vapor cigarettes.
Senators also moved to enroll for President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature the proposed Salary Standardization Law that will modify and increase the basic salaries of civilian government employees, including public school teachers. The adjusted salary rates are expected to take effect starting January.
For Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, however, the timely passage of the P4.1-trillion proposed 2020 national budget topped the list of the Senate’s accomplishments in the first five months of the first regular session of the 18th Congress.
The Upper Chamber ratified and adopted the final version of the proposed General Appropriations Act last week.
“The budget is the most important law of the land. By approving it well ahead of the Christmas break, we will be spared the difficulties arising from a re-enacted budget as had happened earlier this year. The re-enacted budget delayed projects and, worse, delayed salaries of national and LGU (local government unit) employees for the first quarter of 2019,” Zubiri said in a statement.
Passed on third and final reading were Senate Bill No. 1122, proposing the declaration of a National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims; Senate Bill No. 643, seeking the grant of night shift differential pay to government workers; Senate Bill No. 1077, proposing the creation of the National Transportation Safety Board Act; Senate Bill No. 1155, seeking to extend the validity of the License to Own, Permit to Carry, and Registration of Firearms; and Senate Bill No. 1055, pushing the establishment of a separate facilities for heinous crime convicts.
Also approved by the Senate was House Bill No. 5437 extending the availability of the 2019 appropriations for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and capital outlays.
https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/12/19/sotto-cites-go-for-his-malasakit-center-as-senate-fast-tracks-passage-of-bills-before-holiday-break/
Friday, December 20, 2019
Senate adjourns session for 1-month break, cites bills tackled
THE Senate adjourned its session Wednesday, December 18, to go on a one-month legislative break during the holidays. Regular sessions will resume on January 20, 2020, Monday.
Topping the list of the Senate’s accomplishments in the first four months of the First Regular Session in the 18th Congress, is the passing of the P4.1-trillion 2020 General Appropriations Act, which it ratified and adopted last week.
“We opened the First Regular Session of the 18th Congress with a new batch of senators raring and eager to buckle down to work, and I am happy to note that we were able to file a record number of bills and resolutions, foremost of which is the P4.1-trillion 2020 budget,” Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said.
“The budget is the most important law of the land. By approving it well ahead of the Christmas break, we will be spared from the difficulties arising from a reenacted budget as had happened earlier this year.
“The reenacted budget delayed projects and, worse, delayed salaries of national and LGU employees for the first quarter of 2019,” he added.
From the start of the 18th Congress last July 22 until December 17 of this year, the senators had filed a total of 1,241 bills and 281 resolutions.
The Senate successfully passed Republic Act 11462, the first law passed by the 18th Congress, principally sponsored by Sen. Imee Marcos. It postponed the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections formerly scheduled for next year and moved these to December 5, 2022, for which the government would have allocated P5.77 billion, according to the Commission on Elections.
This was followed by the Malasakit Center Act (RA 11463), principally sponsored by Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, that will establish Malasakit Centers in all government-owned hospitals—of which 54 have been established, the most recent was in
Antipolo, Rizal.
The Senate passed the following on Third and Final Reading: the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims Act (SB 1122); the Night Shift Differential Pay (SB 643); the National Transportation Safety Board Act (SB 1077); an Act Fixing the Validity Period of the License to Own, Permit to Carry and Registration of Firearms (SB 1155); the Salary Standardization Law 5 (SB 1219); and Establishment of Separate Facilities for Prisoners Convicted of Heinous Crimes (SB 1055); Amending the National Internal Revenue Code by Increasing the Excise Tax on Alcohol, Heated Tobacco and Vapor Products and for other purposes (SB 1074); among others. Also approved by the Senate was House Bill 5437 extending the availability of the 2019 appropriations for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and capital outlays (CO).
It also adopted 35 resolutions, noteworthy of which is Senate Resolution 22 that expressed the sense of the Senate opposing liberalization of the sugar industry in order to protect the livelihood of millions of sugar workers and agrarian reform beneficiaries; SR 18 recognizing the 70th anniversary of the Philippines and Republic of Korea relations;
SR 8, reconstituting the special committee on Marawi City Rehabilitation.
“We went head-on against negative issues by steadfastly tackling serious issues afflicting the country’s jails, the illegal drugs problems, rising HIV cases and the decline in incomes of rice farmers and hog raisers due to calamities, diseases and import liberalization. However, the first four months also saw the Senate positively united in support of the stellar performance of our athletes with resolutions filed to honor athletes in windsurfing, arnis, weightlifting, wushu, among others, during the recently concluded Southeast Asian Games hosted by the Philippines. Indeed, it was a productive six months of 2019,” concluded Zubiri.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/12/20/senate-adjourns-session-for-1-month-break-cites-bills-tackled/
Topping the list of the Senate’s accomplishments in the first four months of the First Regular Session in the 18th Congress, is the passing of the P4.1-trillion 2020 General Appropriations Act, which it ratified and adopted last week.
“We opened the First Regular Session of the 18th Congress with a new batch of senators raring and eager to buckle down to work, and I am happy to note that we were able to file a record number of bills and resolutions, foremost of which is the P4.1-trillion 2020 budget,” Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said.
“The budget is the most important law of the land. By approving it well ahead of the Christmas break, we will be spared from the difficulties arising from a reenacted budget as had happened earlier this year.
“The reenacted budget delayed projects and, worse, delayed salaries of national and LGU employees for the first quarter of 2019,” he added.
From the start of the 18th Congress last July 22 until December 17 of this year, the senators had filed a total of 1,241 bills and 281 resolutions.
The Senate successfully passed Republic Act 11462, the first law passed by the 18th Congress, principally sponsored by Sen. Imee Marcos. It postponed the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections formerly scheduled for next year and moved these to December 5, 2022, for which the government would have allocated P5.77 billion, according to the Commission on Elections.
This was followed by the Malasakit Center Act (RA 11463), principally sponsored by Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, that will establish Malasakit Centers in all government-owned hospitals—of which 54 have been established, the most recent was in
Antipolo, Rizal.
The Senate passed the following on Third and Final Reading: the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims Act (SB 1122); the Night Shift Differential Pay (SB 643); the National Transportation Safety Board Act (SB 1077); an Act Fixing the Validity Period of the License to Own, Permit to Carry and Registration of Firearms (SB 1155); the Salary Standardization Law 5 (SB 1219); and Establishment of Separate Facilities for Prisoners Convicted of Heinous Crimes (SB 1055); Amending the National Internal Revenue Code by Increasing the Excise Tax on Alcohol, Heated Tobacco and Vapor Products and for other purposes (SB 1074); among others. Also approved by the Senate was House Bill 5437 extending the availability of the 2019 appropriations for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and capital outlays (CO).
It also adopted 35 resolutions, noteworthy of which is Senate Resolution 22 that expressed the sense of the Senate opposing liberalization of the sugar industry in order to protect the livelihood of millions of sugar workers and agrarian reform beneficiaries; SR 18 recognizing the 70th anniversary of the Philippines and Republic of Korea relations;
SR 8, reconstituting the special committee on Marawi City Rehabilitation.
“We went head-on against negative issues by steadfastly tackling serious issues afflicting the country’s jails, the illegal drugs problems, rising HIV cases and the decline in incomes of rice farmers and hog raisers due to calamities, diseases and import liberalization. However, the first four months also saw the Senate positively united in support of the stellar performance of our athletes with resolutions filed to honor athletes in windsurfing, arnis, weightlifting, wushu, among others, during the recently concluded Southeast Asian Games hosted by the Philippines. Indeed, it was a productive six months of 2019,” concluded Zubiri.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/12/20/senate-adjourns-session-for-1-month-break-cites-bills-tackled/
‘2020 budget signing likely to happen in early January’
PRESIDENT Duterte will not be able to sign the P4.1-trillion national budget for 2020 before the year ends, given the time constraints as it has to undergo the required review by the Office of the President and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Acting Budget Secretary Wendel E. Avisado said in an interview on Thursday that the 2020 budget is now scheduled to be signed by the President by the first week of January.
He said there will also a ceremonial signing of the 2020 General Appropriations Act in Malacañang.
“Given [the] time constraints, [because of the] holiday…so probably [it will be] first of January. But that’s okay. The new year has just started, and there won’t be so many activities that time,” Avisado told the BusinessMirror, in a mix of English and Filipino, on the sidelines of the public launch of the Philippine Open Government Partnership National Action Plan 2019-2021.
The President earlier expected to sign the budget before year-end.
Asked if the pushback in schedule of the signing of the 2020 national budget had something to do with the alleged last-minute insertions as claimed earlier by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Avisado said: “Hindi naman po [Not really]. It’s really the process that has to be undertaken [where a review is to be done].”
The budget chief also refused to comment on the alleged insertions as they have yet to get hold of a copy of the enrolled bill.
“Hindi ko pa po masasabing insertion kasi wala naman po ako doon. At hindi ko naman alam kung ano ’yung proseso [I can’t say it’s an insertion because I wasn’t there, and I don’t know what process they took]. But we’re saying that we’ll be able know that once we get hold of the enrolled bill [because then we can compare the] NEP [National Expenditure Program] as submitted versus the enrolled bill.”
Lacson earlier skipped the signing of the bicameral report on the money measure because of his concerns on the alleged last-minute insertions.
The senator claimed that there are still “lump sums” and “vaguely described” projects in the bicameral report.
The senator’s office reportedly received a USB flash drive containing a list of 1,253 budget items worth P83.219 billion that was allegedly used as the congressmen’s “source” of their “list” of 742 projects worth P16.345 billion that were inserted in the bicameral report.
Section 5 (7), Article VI of the 1987 Constitution reads: “If by the end of any fiscal year, Congress failed to pass the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for the ensuing year, the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for the preceding year shall be deemed reenacted and shall remain in force and in effect until the GAB is passed by Congress.”
This year, the government was forced to operate on a reenacted budget for months since the passage of the 2019 national budget got delayed due to a number of issues, including alleged last-minute insertions and realignments by lawmakers.
The President was only able to sign the budget on April 15 this year.
Due to the budget impasse, new and continuing infrastructure projects were not started earlier in the year when the weather conditions were better. On top of that, the government also had to comply with the election ban from March 29 until May 12.
The delay in the passage of the budget was also blamed for the slower GDP growth for the first quarter and second quarter at 5.6 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively. This is lower than the 6.6 percent and 6.2 percent recorded last year.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/12/20/2020-budget-signing-likely-to-happen-in-early-january/
Acting Budget Secretary Wendel E. Avisado said in an interview on Thursday that the 2020 budget is now scheduled to be signed by the President by the first week of January.
He said there will also a ceremonial signing of the 2020 General Appropriations Act in Malacañang.
“Given [the] time constraints, [because of the] holiday…so probably [it will be] first of January. But that’s okay. The new year has just started, and there won’t be so many activities that time,” Avisado told the BusinessMirror, in a mix of English and Filipino, on the sidelines of the public launch of the Philippine Open Government Partnership National Action Plan 2019-2021.
The President earlier expected to sign the budget before year-end.
Asked if the pushback in schedule of the signing of the 2020 national budget had something to do with the alleged last-minute insertions as claimed earlier by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Avisado said: “Hindi naman po [Not really]. It’s really the process that has to be undertaken [where a review is to be done].”
The budget chief also refused to comment on the alleged insertions as they have yet to get hold of a copy of the enrolled bill.
“Hindi ko pa po masasabing insertion kasi wala naman po ako doon. At hindi ko naman alam kung ano ’yung proseso [I can’t say it’s an insertion because I wasn’t there, and I don’t know what process they took]. But we’re saying that we’ll be able know that once we get hold of the enrolled bill [because then we can compare the] NEP [National Expenditure Program] as submitted versus the enrolled bill.”
Lacson earlier skipped the signing of the bicameral report on the money measure because of his concerns on the alleged last-minute insertions.
The senator claimed that there are still “lump sums” and “vaguely described” projects in the bicameral report.
The senator’s office reportedly received a USB flash drive containing a list of 1,253 budget items worth P83.219 billion that was allegedly used as the congressmen’s “source” of their “list” of 742 projects worth P16.345 billion that were inserted in the bicameral report.
Section 5 (7), Article VI of the 1987 Constitution reads: “If by the end of any fiscal year, Congress failed to pass the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for the ensuing year, the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for the preceding year shall be deemed reenacted and shall remain in force and in effect until the GAB is passed by Congress.”
This year, the government was forced to operate on a reenacted budget for months since the passage of the 2019 national budget got delayed due to a number of issues, including alleged last-minute insertions and realignments by lawmakers.
The President was only able to sign the budget on April 15 this year.
Due to the budget impasse, new and continuing infrastructure projects were not started earlier in the year when the weather conditions were better. On top of that, the government also had to comply with the election ban from March 29 until May 12.
The delay in the passage of the budget was also blamed for the slower GDP growth for the first quarter and second quarter at 5.6 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively. This is lower than the 6.6 percent and 6.2 percent recorded last year.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/12/20/2020-budget-signing-likely-to-happen-in-early-january/
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