Sotto: Senate preserved separation of powers in 17th Congress

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate in the 17th Congress was able to pass over 400 laws while preserving its independence and ferreting out acts of corruption in the bureaucracy, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Tuesday.

Sotto delivered a report on the accomplishments of the chamber before the 17th Congress finally adjourns on Friday, saying the successes were part of his promise when he accepted the post “to continue in helping the passage of laws that will be beneficial to the country and to every Filipino.”

“Let us remain cooperative but independent, balanced, transparent and sincere. And may Divine Providence continue to guide the Senate and this nation as a whole and in each of our personal capacities to take its place as a proud member of the family of nations dedicated to peace, freedom and the pursuit of happiness,” Sotto said.

Some 464 Senate bills have been enacted into law in the last three years, including the Bangsamoro Organic Law, National Identification System, Universal Health Care Law, Mental Health Act, Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (Free College Education Law), Mandatory PhilHealth Coverage for PWDs, Corporation Code of the Philippines, Telecommuting Law, Magna Carta of the Poor and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Programs Act.

Sotto said the Senate was able to preserve its independence and enforce the constitutional mandate of separation of powers while cooperating with the executive branch despite occasional rifts.

Among these instances was when the chamber blocked attempts to arrest outgoing Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV after prosecutors revived the coup d’etat and rebellion cases against him.

Sotto cited the budget impasse with the House, where the latter finally yielded and Malacañang sustained the Senate’s position.

The chamber, he said, also exercised in full its oversight functions in holding in depth inquiries and exposing anomalies like in the case of the smuggling of tons of shabu, the irregularities involving the Department of Health’s barangay health stations projects and the recent water crisis in Metro Manila.

Sotto said the public apparently recognized the senators’ hard work as shown by the latest Social Weather Stations survey that recorded a 72-percent satisfaction rating, the highest since 2012.

‘Women win big’

Sen. Risa Hontiveros said public health and women’s rights “won big” in the 17th Congress with the passage of long-awaited laws such as the Expanded Maternity Leave Law and the Safe Spaces Act, among others. 

Other new landmark laws which Hontiveros supported include the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act (Republic Act 11148), the Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act (RA 11166) and the Speech Language Pathology Act (RA 11249). 

According to Hontiveros, who also chairs the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality, the law imposes strict penalties for acts of harassment such as catcalling, indecent gestures and stalking to prevent cases of gender-based abuse and harassment, which usually occur in public places.

She said the chamber also passed the Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict Act (RA 11188), which aims to better promote the rights of children and prevent their use and recruitment in armed conflict. 

Meanwhile, Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo touted the accomplishments of the House under her one-year leadership.

Addressing her colleagues before Congress adjourned its session on Tuesday night, she said the House passed all of the priority legislative measures enumerated by President Duterte in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July last year.

“The Secretariat happily informs us that from July 23rd of last year, 250 of our bills have been passed into law. These 250 new laws were among the 880 measures we approved, which in turn were among the almost 2,500 measures we processed. All these translate to our having processed 45 measures a day – a testament to the tough work ethic of the members of the House,” she said.

Arroyo assumed the speakership on the day of Duterte’s third SONA, when Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez was ousted as speaker.

Arroyo said since taking over from Alvarez, her “principal objective” was to push for the President’s legislative agenda.

She then proceeded to enumerate Duterte’s priority bills the House approved in record time.

These include the Bangsamoro organic law, security of tenure bill, coconut farmers’ trust fund bill, the proposed law creating a department of disaster management, expanded health care bill, mining tax bill and several other tax reform proposals.

Before adjournment, the House adopted the Senate version of the bill increasing the excise tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products.

The House later passed a resolution thanking and commending Arroyo for her “remarkable, efficient and effective leadership.”

The former president is finishing her third and last term as representative of Pampanga’s second district on June 30. She is retiring from politics and plans to write her memoirs. 

Hailed

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) hailed the House’s passage of the Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) Protection bill or House Bill No. 9199.

“We welcome with jubilation and gratitude this positive development. It reflects the commitment of our legislators to human rights as they accord legal protection to those championing it,” Jacqueline de Guia, CHR spokesperson, said in a statement yesterday.

De Guia said the bill is important in view of the current “sociopolitical climate” which she said has been hostile toward HRDs. 

She expressed hope the bill would be given importance, even urgency, at the Senate. – With Jess Diaz, Delon Porcalla, Rainier Allan Ronda