Palace appeals to Congress to focus on legislation

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang called on lawmakers yesterday to pass at least three important bills before Congress adjourns for a month-long break next week.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said based on their status in both the House and the Senate, the bills could be passed within the short period left before the sine die adjournment of Congress on June 5.

Foremost among these bills is the proposed extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) with reforms.

At the Senate, the bill is in the period of amendment while at the House of Representatives it is in the period of interpellation.

President Arroyo certified the bill as urgent and has pushed for its passage on several occasions as her commitment to the country’s farmers.

The bill would extend the CARP by another five years and would empower the farmer beneficiaries by making them agri-businessmen.

“Secretary Lagonera is quite optimistic that the CARP extension could be passed before adjournment,” Ermita said, referring to his deputy Joaquin Lagonera who serves as head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office.

The Palace is also hoping to see the passage of the third amendment of the Salary Standardization Law, which would provide the country’s public servants with higher wages.

In the Senate, the bill is in the stage of interpellation while in the House, it has been approved on third reading.

Ermita also cited the anti-torture bill, which has passed second reading in the Senate and third reading in the House.

He said that the bill is very close to his heart as the chairman of the Presidential Human Rights Committee.

The United Nations has also prodded the Philippine government to pass the measure as a signatory to the Convention Against Torture.

“This is important because this is one of the reasons why I went to Geneva for one week and faced the committee against torture. I told them that this is among the bills that the Palace has certified as urgent,” he said.

The fate of the bills would depend a lot on how the Senate manages its time, considering that it is now embroiled in a dispute among its members over the issue of an ethics committee probe initiated against Sen. Manuel Villar Jr.

The issue has divided the Senate and has resulted in personal attacks between senators, even disrupting its sessions.

Aside from the internal squabbles, the Senate also continues to conduct probes into various issues that also take up a lot of its time, including the sex video scandal involving an actress and a doctor.

Ermita admitted that the Palace could not get involved in the decisions of the Senate and its members.

“That’s their call. The people know what they are doing so that’s their responsibility to the people,” he added.