Peace, economy high on Congress agenda

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate and the House of Representatives would open the third and last session of the 16th Congress today with a commitment to work on a raft of measures aimed at attaining peace and economic prosperity, and uplifting the life of every Filipino, Senate President Franklin Drilon said yesterday.

According to Drilon, this was the agreement reached during his meeting with Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. last Thursday.

“To help strengthen the country’s economic fundamentals and invite more private participation in infrastructure development, we would work on the proposed Public-Private Partnership Act and the amendments to the Acquisition of Right-of-Way Act to speed up the process for government infrastructure projects,” Drilon said.

He said the two chambers will also push the passage into law of the Customs and Tariff Modernization Act and the Tax Incentives Monitoring and Transparency Act in a bid  to enhance trade and commerce and further transform the country into a more lucrative venue for foreign investments.

At the same time, the Senate would also focus on key reforms on the delivery of public services - such as the bill establishing a Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to develop ICT systems and enhance communication services, and the PAGASA Modernization Act, which would provide the national weather bureau with state of the art equipment and facilities, Drilon said.  

He added that both houses of Congress are committed to enact into law more pro-education bills, like the proposed Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) Act, which would pave the way for wider scholarships and student loans for college students. Both chambers are expected to ratify the reconciled version of the UniFAST bill later this week.

The Senate leader also assured the public of the timely passage of the national budget: “We would pass the 2016 General Appropriations Act on schedule as we have done consistently under this administration, to ensure the continuous flow of funds for vital government programs and projects.”

Drilon added that the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which seeks to put an end to the decades-long conflict in Mindanao and replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with a new administrative structure, remains a priority measure and that the Senate would “exert every effort to ensure that the BBL will be consistent with the Constitution.”

The Senate president identified the 16 other measures, which are part of the Senate’s legislative agenda. These include the amendments to the Revised Penal Code, the Magna Carta of the Poor, the National Identification System Act, the Prepaid SIM Card Registration Act, and the No Call and No Text Registration Act.