No bills expected to be passed in remaining days of 14th Congress

MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers open session this morning for the last remaining days of the third regular session of the 14th Congress but no more bills are expected to be passed.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said committee hearings and debates at the session might no longer be possible because they would have to focus more on the canvassing of votes as the National Board of Canvassers for the presidential and vice presidential candidates.

“The senators who want to go for grandstanding may do so; it’s up to them. But if they do (conduct hearings), they would still have to make a report and who would approve it?” Enrile asked.

He said it would be better for the senators to wait for the next administration before acting on the pending bills.

The legislative session adjourns sine die on Wednesday and the first regular session of the 15th Congress would open on July 25 during the State of the Nation Address of the new president.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. also expressed doubts that the Senate could still tackle and approve any legislative measure today.

Pimentel said the plan to approve supposedly 10 non-controversial legislative measures during the plenary session, as contained in a list of agenda prepared by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, was contrary to Enrile’s earlier statement that no pending bills would be taken up by the chamber when it reconvened after the May l0 elections for the canvassing.

As enumerated in a notice for the session issued by the majority leader, the Senate will supposedly approve on third reading five Senate proposals and five House proposals mostly on the creation of schools and roads.

Pimentel said Zubiri had been requested by his friends from the House of Representatives to have certain pending bills approved by the Senate.

“The problem is the moment you accede to any request for the approval of certain bills or resolutions, even if they are non-controversial, this could trigger similar requests from other lawmakers for the approval of other measures,” he said.

“But we may not have the time to act on pending bills since we are pressed for time to canvass the votes and proclaim the new president and vice president before June 30,” he added.

Pimentel said he initially discussed this matter with Sen. Joker Arroyo who told him he was not in favor of putting the pending bills on the agenda for today’s session.

He said the report on the national broadband network deal between the government and the Chinese firm ZTE Corp. has been overtaken by the Ombudsman’s move to elevate to the Sandiganbayan its decision to file graft charges against former Commission on Elections chairman and former National Economic and Development Authority director general Romulo Neri, now the president of the Social Security System.

Pimentel said it would be better to have the session closed to avoid any delay in the canvassing.

He added that those “graduating” from the Senate should also do away from farewell speeches because it would a “waste of time.”