Aquino may meet House leaders before yearend

MANILA, Philippines - A meeting between President Aquino and leaders of the House of Representatives before the end of the year is in the works to fine-tune priority bills and finalize the scheduling of their approval by Congress, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday.

Belmonte said he personally spoke with Aquino earlier this week on the matter and they agreed to coordinate efforts to pass urgent bills, particularly anti-corruption and pro-growth measures. Congress is scheduled to go on a break next week and will resume session in January.

“That (meeting) continues to be the plan and we reaffirmed it there (with the President), we had a chat and we will go ahead and do it. At least before we reconvene again, we (Malacañang and House) are clear on what we all want to do and we would know also the reaction from the President (on the legislative priorities),” Belmonte told reporters.

The House leader earlier said the chamber already has a list of bills in final stage of approval on the floor.

On Tuesday, the House approved on second and third reading at least 11 bills, including the proposed amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA).

House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II noted that “many events” have somehow distracted lawmakers from their task of deliberating on anti-corruption and socio-economic bills, including the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill.

He said the approval of amendments to the AMLA, the Maritime Zone Bill, and the Insurance Code were among the priority bills drawn up by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) several weeks back.

The proposed Anti-Trust Act aims to promote competitiveness and fair play in business. Approved on second reading, the proposed amendments to the Insurance Code aims to strengthen the insurance industry, accelerate its growth and development, and ensure fair and equitable treatment of consumers, Gonzales said.

He said failure to approve the AMLA amendments and the anti-terrorist financing bill on time would have serious repercussions on the country’s international standing in fighting illegal financial transactions.

Gonzales said it has been Belmonte’s thrust to closely coordinate legislative work with the Senate and the Palace to help speed up passage of important bills.

Other urgent bills in the pipeline are the Anti-Cybercrime Bill, Lowering the Age of Criminal Responsibility of Minors, Institutionalizing Kindergarten Education, Filipino Volunteerism Act, Revitalizing the Coconut Industry Act, the Student Loan Bill, and Sustainable Forest Management Bill, he said.

He said RH Bill and the Freedom of Information Bill remain in the list of priorities of the administration.