MANILA -- Despite a leadership change and the usual string of political intrigues and controversial investigations, 2018 has proven to be the “most productive” year for the Senate.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the chamber approved 245 measures during the whole year-- many of which are of national significance.
Of this number, 95 were signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte, while 85 are just waiting for his approval.
The most significant measure that was passed by the Senate this year was the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BOL) which President Duterte signed on July 27, 2018.
The result of decades-long peace negotiations between the government and rebel groups in Mindanao, particularly the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the BOL is expected to finally put an end to armed conflict in Mindanao.
Other notable measures passed by the Senate and enacted into law this year included the Filipino Sign Language Act, the Philippine Identification System Act, the National Payment Systems Act, Personal Property Security Act, the Philippine Criminology Profession Act, the Retirement Benefit System in the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act, among others.
Meanwhile, among the priority measures awaiting President Duterte’s signature include the bills on the Coco Levy Fund, Universal Health Care, the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines, the Amendments to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas charter, Expanded Maternity Leave, Tax Amnesty, the Creation of the Department of Human Settlements, HIV-AIDS Prevention, amendments to the Fair Election Act, the and Rice Tariffication.
So far, 19 measures approved by the Senate are still pending at the bicameral conference committee while 46 others have yet to reach the bicam.
“Pagchineck mo from the previous year’s up to now, perhaps even as early as 1987, ito na ang pinaka-most prolific na Senate this year. In 2018, pinaka-marami ito, sa dami ng mga bills na naging batas at saka mahahalagang batas na naka-pending (If you check from the previous years and up to now, perhaps even as early as 1987, this 2018 will be the most prolific Senate, in terms of most number of bills enacted into law as well as most number of important measures pending into law)," Sotto said.
Sotto credited the Senate’s accomplishments not only to his leadership but also to that of his predecessor, former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, as well as to all the senators.
“This is credited to the entire Senate because that includes the leadership from Senator Pimentel, to myself,” he said.
Peaceful leadership change
Pimentel, who is the president of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) party, relinquished the Senate leadership before the Second Regular Session adjourned to “focus on preparing the ruling party for its participation nationwide in the 2019 mid-term elections."
Pimentel himself nominated Sotto, who was then the Senate Majority Leader, to be his successor.
"This is a peaceful and willing transfer of power in the Senate," he said.
Sotto took his oath as the country's 29th Senate President, and the second to lead the chamber in the 17th Congress on July 23 ahead of President Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA).
His first act as Senate President was to lead in the ratification of the bicam report on the BOL.
The peaceful leadership transition at the Senate was in contrast to the leadership row at the House of Representatives.
Former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo unseated Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez as the new House Speaker just minutes after President Duterte arrived of the House of Representatives for his SONA.
The ouster move prevented the House from ratifying the BOL on the same day, and deprived Duterte the opportunity of signing the landmark measure on the day of his SONA.
House ‘squabbles’ delay Senate approval of 2019 budget
The House leadership row also contributed to the sole black eye in what was a banner year for the Senate.
The chamber adjourned for 2018 without approving the proposed PHP3.757 trillion national budget for next year due to “lack of material time.”
Following the leadership change, the House of Representatives fell behind schedule in approving the 2019 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
Budget deliberations in the committee level were stalled after congressmen rejected the cash-based national budget, proposing instead a "hybrid" budgeting system that combines the traditional obligation-based system and the new system that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had been pushing for.
After long delays, the House passed the GAB on final reading last November 20 and transmitted it to the Senate the following day.
The Senate received the copy of the GAB only on November 26.
Nonetheless, the Senate started plenary deliberations on the budget on December 4 under a tight schedule worked out by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri.
Under the schedule, the Senate will start plenary deliberations at 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. and continue every session day until December 13 where the GAB will be passed on third and final reading.
The aim was for the bicameral conference committee to reconcile the conflicting provisions of the Senate and the House and ratify the budget before the yearend through a special session.
The joint session called for the extension of martial law in Mindanao last December 13, however, ended all hopes of passing the budget on time.
At that point, Sotto said that the Senate would not have enough time to finish the budget “even if we are called to a special session.”
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon was more succinct.
“The consensus in the Senate, both Majority and Minority, is not to rush the budget. The delay is the fault of the House,” Drilon said.
The Senate will resume deliberating the budget on January 14. As it stands, the 2019 budget is still in the period of interpellation.
The delay meant that the government would have to operate under a reenacted allocation in early next year.
With the impending election ban by February 2019, the senators are eyeing a special provision in the budget that would exempt some government projects from the election rules to ensure that the administration's "Build, Build, Build" program would not be affected.
An independent Senate
The year 2018 also saw the Senate maintaining its “independence” as an institution.
Despite being composed mostly of administration allies, Sotto pointed out that the current Senate always maintained its stand on pending legislations submitted to the chamber.
“If it’s good for the people, if it’s good for the country, we support. If it’s not, we do not,” Sotto said.
Case in point is the second package of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) program, one of the priority legislations being pushed by the Executive.
“TRAIN 2, very good example dahil kung yung House naipasa na nila kaagad, sa amin hindi pa naghe-hearing. Maraming instances na hindi kami basta-basta sumusunod sa Executive. We have our own rules and our own interpretation of things (TRAIN 2 is a very good example, because while the House had immediately passed their version, we have yet to hear the measure. There are many instances that we do not just follow the Executive. We have our own rules and our own interpretation of things),” Sotto said.
The Senate is also taking its time on the bill on federalism, another priority measure being pushed by President Duterte.
Nevertheless, Sotto stressed that President Duterte has not exerted pressure on the Senate, not even during the term of Pimentel.
“The President has not officially used his influence or power to tell Congress or the Senate what to do and what not to do. He has never done it,” he said.
“Kahit minsan, hindi pa ako tinawagan at kahit minsan hindi pa rin niya tinawagan si Pimentel about any legislation, even membership or chairmanship of any committee (He hadn’t called me, not even once, not even with Pimentel, about any legislation, even membership or chairmanship of any committee),” Sotto said.
But even then, Sotto said he expects the Senate to always maintain its independence, even when the composition of the Senate changes in the 18th Congress.
“The Senate has always been independent minded. Most of the members of the Senate are independent minded. Kahit na ikaw ay kapartido ng (Even if you are party mates of the) Executive department, usually the Senate acts independently,” he said.
“That is what most of the senators would like with their leadership, with their leaders. Gusto nila, pino-proteksyunan ang kung ano ang mabuti para sa bansa o sa taong bayan, at kung ano ang mabuti para sa Senado (They want to protect what is good for the country, for the people and the Senate), so I expect the same thing, even with the new composition of the Senate in 2019,” Sotto said. (PNA)
