Senate vows to approve 2008 budget before yearend

Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. said the Senate will try its best to pass the proposed P1.23-trillion budget by yearend to ensure that the government’s basic services and programs will be duly funded in 2008.

Villar said he is wary of a re-enacted budget because the delivery of basic services would be hampered.

“Now that the session resumed, we are going to tackle all important bills, especially the budget.  The deliberations on the 2008 budget are doing well at the Senate Finance Committee and I believe we can pass it before the year ends,” Villar said.

Upon the resumption of regular session yesterday, Congress still has up to Dec. 21 to tackle pertinent pieces of legislation for this year. Villar said the Senate will continue to tackle the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) and the Australian-Philippines Status of Visiting Forces Agreement.

Upon the Senate’s resumption, at least eight bills were passed on third reading.

These include the measures creating legal framework on the presentation of suspects under the custody of law enforcement agencies to the media; an Act providing for good conduct time allowances to detention prisoners and those serving sentence by virtue of final judgment, appropriating funds therefore and for other purposes; an Act to provide for quality affordable medicines (Cheaper Medicines bill); Act providing for additional benefits and protection to househelpers; and the Act to promote entrepreneurship by strengthening development and assistance programs to micro, small and medium-scale enterprises, amending for the purpose Republic Act 6977.

The Senate also passed on third and final reading the Act providing for stiffer penalties for the crime of theft and robbery of portable telecommunication devices; Act to promote environmental awareness through environmental education, strengthening for this purpose section 53 of Presidential Decree No. 1152, otherwise known as the Philippine Environment Code and for other purposes; and the Act expanding the promotion of breastfeeding, amending for the purpose Republic Act 7600.

Amid a lightning rally staged by the environment group Greenpeace yesterday morning outside the Senate to call for the urgent passage of SB No. 1698 or the Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2007, Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan stressed the upper chamber’s resolve to pass the landmark environmental measure, among other relevant legislation in the area of justice, health and education as session for the 14th Congress resumed.