Certified urgent: Bangsamoro, FOI, whistle-blowers act

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino is urging Congress to immediately pass the national budget for 2015, the supplemental budget for programs and projects affected by the Supreme Court ruling declaring parts of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) unconstitutional, the Freedom of Information Bill and 27 others that Malacañang submitted as its priority measures.

The priority list included the six measures endorsed by the President in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) before the joint session of Congress last Monday, including the P2.606-trillion national budget for 2015, supplemental budget for 2014 to fund programs and projects under the DAP, Uniformed Personnel Pension Reform Bill, Bangsamoro Basic Law, extended filing of notice of coverage under Land Reform Program and the joint resolution that will clarify the budgetary items listed in the DAP.

Economy

For economic development and trade, the bills include the Rationalization of Fiscal Incentives, amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, amendments to the Law on Right-of-way of government infrastructure projects, amendments to the Cabotage Law, amendments to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) charter, removal of investment restrictions in specific laws cited in the Foreign Investment Negative List, Rationalization of the Mining Fiscal Regime and the Competition Law.

Security

To ensure national security, public order and safety, the President also called for the swift passage of the Whistle-Blowers Protection Act, Amendment to the Human Security Act, revision of the criminal code and delineation of the Philippine maritime zone/archipelagic sealanes.

Others

Other proposed measures are the Act Instituting Reforms in Land Administration, National Land Use Act, Delineation of Specific Forest Limits of Public Domain, Water Sector Reform Act, Civil Service Code Reform, Magna Carta of the Poor, Act Protecting Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, Amendments to the Anti-Enforced Disappearance Law, Strategic Trade Management Act, Amendments to the Ombudsman Law and the bill converting Bantayan Island into alienable and disposable land.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. transmitted the President’s priority measures to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.