Oreta: Blame Palace for ‘dead laws’

Businessmen should blame Malacañang and not Congress for the big numbers of unimplemented law for lack of funds, opposition Sen. Tessie Aquino-Oreta said yesterday.

Oreta was reacting to a proposal by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) that Congress should stop passing new economic laws as a big number of reform measures have yet to be implemented due to budgetary constraints.

"They are barking up the wrong tree. They should train their guns on Malacañang and not on the legislature!" she said.

Oreta defended the legislature, saying the bicameral body has not been remiss in its job of lawmaking.

"While Congress has been doing its job, the executive branch has yet to complement the efforts of the legislature by guaranteeing funds for laws that should have been implemented as early as nine years ago," she said.

She had previously identified more than 30 laws passed by both legislative chambers since 1991 that have been hobbled by lack of funds. Several of these laws, she said, aim to promote the welfare of farmers and veterans, expand assistance to students and teachers, and create more jobs.

She noted that even the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 remains unacted upon by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for lack of funds. The law was passed to urgently address the worsening pollution and garbage problem in the country.

Oreta cited figures from the Department of Budget and Management showing that funding deficiencies for 33 laws passed from 1991 to the present amounted to P419.5 billion. — Efren Danao