Villar sees passage of more laws with him at Senate helm

Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. expressed confidence yesterday that under his leadership, more laws would be passed in the last few months of the 13th Congress.

In a radio interview, Villar said that a number of important bills are already in the pipeline for approval, one of them the anti-terrorism law.

The measure is already in the period of amendments or the last stage before its passage.

Villar said he was very satisfied with the performance of the Senate, particularly in the last few months.

"I am happy with our performance. We passed several bills," he said.

The Senate, under Villar, has passed the law mandating the use of biofuels in automobiles, the compensation of human rights victims under the martial law regime, repeal of the 70 percent cap on value added tax inputs, the supplemental budget and the election automation law.

He pointed out that the various committees in the Senate have come out with their respective committee reports on both national and local laws.

"I believe that more bills would be approved in the next session," Villar said.

Apart from the anti-terrorism measure, other bills that are already in the pipeline are the 2007 national budget, the proposed law amending the Intellectual Property Code aimed at bringing down prices of medicine and a bill strengthening the Public Attorneys’ Office. Villar also vowed to treat local bills with equal importance as the national bills.

Under his leadership, Villar said the Senate would try to be amicable and keep the peace with the House of Representatives. The two chambers have been at loggerheads for some time, with congressmen criticizing the senators for their low output in legislation. — Marvin Sy