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THE
administration legislative agenda for this year agreed
to by the Palace and Congress leaders is long on
economic, peace and order, and direct public benefits,
such as the affordable medicine bill, and amendments in
the Epira law and—the further good news—makes no mention
at all of Charter change and emergency powers for the
President.
The
Common Legislative Agenda forged in the first meeting of
the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac)
for the 14th Congress is composed of 28 priority bills
on economic and educational reform and peace and order,
including the amendment to the Electric Power Industry
Reform Act, the ratification of the Japan-Philippines
Economic Partnership Agreement, and the proposed 2008
budget.
Senate
President Manuel Villar and Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, who
were at the conference, confirmed that Charter change
and presidential emergency powers to address possible
crises in water and power—proposals that met stiff
opposition in and out of Congress—were not brought up.
The
other priority bills in the common legislative agenda
include the creation of the Civil Aviation Authority,
the 2008 budget bill, the Simplified Net Income Taxation
System, rationalization of fiscal incentives, the
establishment of the Credit Information System, and a
Personal Equity and Retirement Account;
The
National Tourism Policy, the bill on the National
Strategy to Conserve Resources and Help Arrest Climate
Change, including increased support for renewable energy
development, Land Use Act, Anti-Trust, Agriculture
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, and promotion of
information-technology entrepreneurial ventures.
Priority
bills on education reform and social equity include the
cheaper medicines bill, long-term care for senior
citizens, poll watchdog fund, stiffer penalties for
election violence, farmland as loan collateral,
amendment of the University of the Philippines charter,
reversal of the devolution of district hospitals, and a
review of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, the
Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Act and the
Agri-Agra Law.
On peace
and order and the rule of law, the priority bills are on
strengthening the Witness Protection Program, creating
special courts for the speedy administration of justice,
providing stiffer penalties for political killings, and
the harshest penalties for rogues in uniform.
Press
Secretary Ignacio Bunye said there was “general
agreement” to ratify the Jpepa “as soon as possible.” He
reported that the case for ratification was presented by
Trade Secretary Peter Favila and Undersecretary Thomas
Aquino, and took up most of the meeting because the
senators proposed safety nets and a “communications
strategy” to help ordinary people understand the impact
and implications of the bilateral trade pact.
Favila
said after the Ledac meeting he told the senators about
the urgency of ratifying the agreement. “I said to the
senators, this is in my humble opinion: We have to show
the international community that we can engage them in
bilateral, multilateral and regional FTAs. At the rate
the WTO talks are going, we are now seeing the
proliferation of bilaterals and I said it would be
extremely difficult for the Philippines to engage other
countries if in our first FTA, we could not get it off
the ground.”
He added
that “practically all the senators were supportive of
our call to have it ratified” and it’s just a matter of
helping them “convince Juan de la Cruz” about the
benefits of the Jpepa benefits.
To
satisfy their concerns about the possible entry of
Japanese toxic waste in the country through Jpepa, the
President ordered the Department of Justice to render an
opinion categorically stating that this would not happen
and that the Jpepa implementation will be subservient to
Philippine laws.
Majority
Leader Francisco Pangilinan said the Senate leadership
will calendar ratification within the week or, at the
latest, next week.
Sen. Mar
Roxas, who also attended the Palace powwow, described it
as productive. “The committees have now been organized
in the Senate and we expect to hasten deliberations on
these measures,” adding he was optimistic “there will be
productive legislative action in the coming months.”
The
President has set Ledac meetings for every first Tuesday
of every quarter, or on November 6 this year, and on
February 5 and May 6 next year, for the nearer dates.
Other
congressional leaders who attended include Senators
Rodolfo Biazon, Gregorio Honasan, Richard Gordon, and
Miguel Zubiri; and from the House, Speaker Jose de
Venecia, Reps. Prospero Nograles (Davao), Ma. Amelita
Villarosa (Mindoro Occidental), Juan Miguel Arroyo (Pampanga),
Jaime Lopez (Manila),
Ezequiel Javier (Antique), Antonio Alvarez (Palawan),
and Arnulfo Fuentebella (Camarines Sur);
Representatives Eduardo Gullas (Cebu), Abraham Kahlil
Mitra (Palawan), Herminia Ramiro (Misamis Occidental),
Teodoro Locsin Jr. (Makati City), Monico Puentevella (Bacolod),
Raul del Mar (Cebu), Rodolfo Antonino (Nueva Ecija),
Roilo Golez (Paranaque), and Ronaldo Zamora (San Juan).
Local
governments were represented by Misamis Occidental
governor Loreto Ocampo, president of the League of
Provinces of the Philippines. |
