|
CONGRESS
leaders on Monday agreed to focus on 10 priority bills
before they go on Christmas break next week, admittedly
on a “best-effort” basis because of the time constraint.
Sen. Edgardo Angara said after the
Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac)
meeting that among the top priority bills are those on
the proposed 2007 budget, cheaper medicine, amendments
to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, the Civil
Aviation Authority, the agricultural competitiveness
enhancement fund, and the political amnesty bill.
The other priority measures agreed upon
include amendments to the University of the Philippines
charter, Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA)
bill, Credit Information System Act, and the Magna Carta
for Small and Medium Enterprises.
“There are many pet bills and there are
many critical and strategically important bills, but we
have to limit ourselves to what is possible. There are
only six working days left,” said Sen. Miriam Defensor
Santiago.
She said the top priority bills are
those that are near passage—meaning, can realistically
be passed in both Houses before the congressional break.
Lawmakers as well as Palace officials
were, however, not too encouraged on the passage of the
amnesty bill, which they believed could not be in place
before the congressional break because of the short time
available to discuss a lot of its details.
Angara
and chief peace adviser Jesus Dureza said the amnesty
bill, which is expected to draw 6,000 applicants, would
be pursued on a “best effort” basis.
Angara
added the amnesty proclamation would have to be
accompanied by implementing rules and regulations to
ensure that all its features must be clarified,
including the definition of a political offense, the
amnesty coverage, and the funding for the rebel
returnees’ social integration.
“Passing
it in January is still good,” he said, adding the
measure is expected to be concurred with by the House
“not later than January.”
There
remain, however, some concerns of some senators. In
response, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said the
Executive understands these concerns about the amnesty
bill, especially since it cannot be amended once the
proclamation is issued.
Dureza
said they are also aware of the concerns and the Office
of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process is
preparing an amnesty IRR that would address lawmakers’
concerns.
He said
the social integration component of the amnesty program
is estimated to cost at least P500 million, but this
amount may change, depending on how many applicants
qualify for amnesty.
Trillanes would be excluded as an amnesty candidate.
Santiago said, “We reached a consensus that it will not
apply to Trillanes because, in my view, he was not
ideologically motivated. His ideology is simply reform
and change the people. That’s not an ideology.”
She said
that in the IRR being drafted the amnesty proclamation
would apply only to members of the CPP-NPA-NDF, would
not extinguish common crimes of qualified applicants,
and would not release the latter from any civil damages
arising from such cases.
Santiago
also said that the ratification of the Japan-Philippines
Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa) was not included
on the top priority list because there are still two
hearings requested by some senators.
She said
the Senate would like to resolve all possible legal
kinks of the Jpepa so that it would not be questioned at
the Supreme Court. |
