Palace hopes Congress would deliberate on priority legislation

(Malacanang stock photo)

MANILA — The Palace hopes Congress would have enough time to deliberate on priority legislation submitted by the Executive branch, should legislators start discussing Charter Change, an official said Friday.

“Umaasa kami na mabibigyan ng sapat na atensiyon iyong mga naisumite ng Pangulo na 26 priority bills sa Mababa at Mataas na Kapulungan,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a press briefing in Malacañang.

“Pero mahirap muna sumagot ngayon, kasi medyo hypothetical,” she quickly added.

Some quarters have expressed skepticism on the timely passage of such priority legislation as the Bangsamoro Basic Law and the Freedom of Information Bill, should legislators start tackling Charter Change.

“Alam kong medyo mataas ang level of interest ngayon, pero hindi pa naman natin alam talaga kung ano ang mga susunod na hakbang. Pero umaasa kami na, whatever happens, sana mabigyan ng sapat na atensiyon ang mga importanteng priority bills na naisumite ng Pangulo,” she said.

While there has been no request from the President to work immediately on the priority bills, Valte said Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Jr., Senate President Frank Drilon, House of Representatives Speaker Sonny Belmonte, and other members of Congress are discussing these bills.

In his State of the Nation Address last month, President Benigno S. Aquino III cited several priority bills, among them the national budget bill, the supplemental budget for 2014, the uniformed personnel pension reform bill, and a joint resolution to clarify certain definitions and concepts in the Supreme Court decision on his Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Also on the Palace list are the proposed tax incentives management law, the bill seeking to amend the build-operate-transfer law, the cabotage law, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas charter, Human Security Act, Ombudsman Act, and the Anti-Enforced Disappearance Act.

The Palace is also seeking amendments to the law facilitating the acquisition of right-of-way, site or location for government infrastructure projects.

It also wants to remove investment restrictions in specific laws cited in the Foreign Investment Negative List.