GMA vetoes 4 Estrada bills

President Arroyo has vetoed four Congress-approved pieces of legislation, including a pet bill of her deposed predecessor seeking to reward high-performing revenue collectors.

A total of 131 bills passed by Congress, both of national and local scope, were added to the country’s statutes after they were signed into law or were allowed to lapse into law by Mrs. Arroyo.

Gabriel Claudio, the President’s liaison to the legislature, reported to her yesterday that the new laws consisted of 20 legislative measures of national application, 16 converting municipalities into component cities, 24 granting legislative franchises and 71 other laws of local significance.

The 20 new national laws, Claudio said, were on environmental protection, economic development, political stability, and social welfare and development.

"In the exercise of her constitutional prerogative, the President vetoed four proposed laws," Claudio disclosed.

These four bills were the Lateral Attrition of Personnel of Revenue Generating Agencies, the Upgrading of the Court of Tax Appeals, and two franchise applications.

Claudio told The STAR Mrs. Arroyo decided to veto the lateral attrition bill based on recommendations of officials and employees of the Bureau of Customs as endorsed to Malacañang by Finance Secretary Alberto Romulo.

The lateral attrition bill, which was pushed by ousted President Joseph Estrada, sought to reward personnel of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs who exceed their revenue collection target either through promotion or cash incentives.

On the downside, the same bill also provided for penalties and punishment for under-performers or perceived laggards through re-assignment, demotion, or even dismissal.

On the veto of the appeals court upgrade measure, Claudio said this bill seeking to expand the appellate court’s powers and prerogatives did not have the concurrence of the Supreme Court.

He also said Mrs. Arroyo vetoed the two franchise bills based on recommendations of the Department of Transportation and Communications. He did not specify what exactly these franchises were.

Claudio likewise reported to the President the other priority measures and legislative proposals of the Arroyo administration which are pending or in advanced stages at the legislative mill will hopefully be passed by the 11th Congress in its four-day special session next week before it adjourns sine die.

The President called for the special session May 28 to 31 to pass into law the Omnibus Power Sector Reform Bill or the Electric Industry Act as well the P10.9 billion supplemental budget for this year.

But cause-oriented and militant groups have threatened a fourth version of people power if the power bill is passed in special session. They said the bill, which calls for the privatization of the National Power Corp., will very likely pass on Napocor’s debts to consumers.

The supplemental budget was on the other hand crafted after last year’s budget was automatically carried over into the present fiscal year because the proposed budget remained enacted in the wake of the political upheavals earlier this year.

"Despite the laudable efforts of the new leadership in pushing for the approval of as many bills during the final stretch of the 11th Congress, 11 out of the 16 items in the common (legislative) agenda remain pending in various stages of legislation," Claudio said.

Also pending at the bicameral committee which needed only the ratification of both chambers of Congress, he added, is the Protection for Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits.

Claudio expressed optimism the bills in Congress will easily pass muster now that Mrs. Arroyo has improved her relations with lawmakers with the reactivation of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

The LEDAC threshes out the common legislative agenda of the two branches of government.

The President will deliver her first State of the Nation Address on July 23 with the convening of the 12th Congress, as she enters her seventh month in office.