Cayetano seeks to postpone Senate session

MANILA, Philippines - Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has called for the postponement of the resumption of the Senate session on Monday so as not to disrupt the ongoing relief efforts being undertaken in typhoon-hit areas in the Visayas.

“In light of the widespread devastation caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda, I urge that the Senate postpone the opening of session and budget plenary hearings by at least a week to allow us, our employees, our department secretaries and agencies to focus on the ongoing relief, recovery and rehabilitation efforts,” Cayetano said in his letter to Senate President Franklin Drilon.

The Senate is set to resume session on Monday to tackle the proposed P2.268-trillion national budget for 2014.

“I strongly feel we should not burden our national agencies, their heads and personnel while they are working hard to help our people in the affected areas at this crucial time in the relief and recovery efforts,” Cayetano said.

The senator noted that Cabinet secretaries and officials of government agencies are required to attend the budget hearings.

Cayetano’s proposal opposed

Some senators opposed the proposal of Cayetano to delay the resumption of Senate session by another week to give way to the massive relief and rehabilitation efforts being conducted in areas affected by the typhoon.

Although the senators lamented Yolanda’s massive destruction in the Visayas, the senators underscored the need for the timely approval of the national budget for next year.

Sen. Francis Escudero, chairman of the Senate finance committee, expressed concern that the Senate will not be able to pass the 2014 budget on time if it decides not to resume on Monday as calendared by Congress.

He said Cabinet secretaries involved in relief operations in areas affected by typhoon could be excused from attending the Senate hearing.

Drilon said he has called for a caucus on Monday for the approval of the committee report on the 2014 national budget and the schedule of plenary debates.

The Senate’s decision to forgo their P4.8-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund will also be tackled during the caucus.

Sen. Vicente Sotto III also opposed the postponement of budget deliberations.

Sotto believes that only Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin should coordinate efforts in the relief and rehabilitation operations in areas affected by typhoon.

Senators Loren Legarda and Sergio Osmeña III said they would abide by the decision of the majority.

Meanwhile, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III urged pharmaceutical companies and drug stores to provide the medicine needed by typhoon victims.

Pimentel said there is a shortage of drugs in the worst hit provinces of Samar and Leyte where hospitals and municipal health centers have stopped operations.

He said that drugs like insulin and antibiotics are needed to prevent the spread of diseases.

For her part, Sen. Nancy Binay filed a resolution calling on banks and other financial institutions to grant a moratorium on loan payment to local government units, individuals and businessmen in areas hit by calamities.

‘Buy C-130s, not fighter jets’

Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III urged the Department of National Defense (DND) yesterday to buy C-130 cargo planes and helicopters instead of seaplanes and fighter jets.

He made the appeal after reading in The STAR that the DND has sent out a bid bulletin for the procurement of search and rescue seaplanes worth P2.67 billion.

Albano said the slow pace of distribution of relief goods in areas devastated by killer Typhoon Yolanda has highlighted the country’s lack of transport planes like C-130s and helicopters.

“We only have three C-130s, which have to be augmented with the same transport aircraft from the United States, Australia, Singapore, and other countries for relief operations. One of our C-130s overshot the runway in Ormoc City and is presumably under repair. Acquiring transport planes should be our priority after this disaster,” he said.

He said the other aircraft in DND’s “wish list” could wait once we have the funds for them.

“We should be preparing for natural calamities, which have become part of our lives, not for war,” he added, apparently referring to the planned procurement of fighter jets. – With Christina Mendez, Jess Diaz