Senate surviving

The Philippine Senate started last Oct.15 a month-long observance of its 90th founding anniversary. The 23 Senators are obviously in no mood to celebrate this important occasion because their institution is under threat of extinction. Being the other half of the 13th Congress, it is certainly no lucky number for the Senators when their colleagues from the House of Representatives are among those leading the Charter change (Cha-cha) that would, among other things, push for its abolition.

Despite facing the dire possibility of being abolished if ever Cha-cha succeeds, the Senate is surviving creditably well. In the mean time, the solons are fighting tooth and nail to thwart any Executive action that tends to weaken the independence of the Senate as a co-equal branch of government.

Senate president Manny Villar assumed the leadership of the Upper Chamber during inauspicious times when he was elected during the joint opening of the third and last regular sessions of Congress on July 24. Villar happens to be also the president of the Nacionalista Party (NP), one of the two oldest political parties in the Philippines. The other is the Liberal Party (LP). Currently rocked by intra-party squabble, LP is headed by Villar’s immediate predecessor, ex-Senate president Franklin Drilon.

Three months since he took over the leadership at the Senate, Villar chalked up the approval of 13 national and local bills. This included the passage into law of the supplemental budget for 2006 that was quietly signed by President Arroyo last Tuesday at Malacanang Palace without any ceremonies. The signing rituals were done away with, because Villar and several other Senators and Congressmen were mostly out of the country ostensibly on official missions during their three-week recess. Sessions resume on Nov. 6.

Villar displayed his brand of leadership that finally got back the Senate to its legislative order of business. The latest to breeze through the Senate before Congress adjourned for their Halloween break were the Bio-fuel Act of 2006 (SB 2226); the Automated Elections System (SB 2331); the compensation of human rights victims during Martial Law (SB 1745); and, amending section 10 (b) of the Internal Revenue Code that removed 70 percent cap on input Value Added Tax.

The Senate also approved seven other measures of local application, including the creation of the new province of Dinagat island in Surigao. Five of these local bills were transmitted to the Senate by the House since last year and languished for so long. The local bills which finally got the Senate nod during Villar’s watch were the charter of the province of Zamboanga Sibugay; two legislative districts in the province of Sultan Kudarat; amendment to the cityhood charter of Sipalay; cityhood of Meycauayan, Bulacan; Radio Maria Foundation, Inc.; and, granting citizenship to Charles William Mosser.

These local bills are certainly not landmark laws, but their passage into law meant a lot for the local folks concerned. Being a three-term Congressman himself who once represented the lone district of Las Piñas City and a House Speaker during the 12th Congress, Villar recognizes the validity of these local concerns. In fact, he is the father of Las Piñas Cityhood. His wife, Rep. Cynthia Villar is now continuing what he started in their district that is now turning Las Piñas into a boom city. The approval of these local bills came even as priority attention was also given to national bills under the common legislative agenda with the Palace and the House.

According to Villar, several other important bills are pending deliberations on the floor – either they are in the period of amendments or set for second reading. These include the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2005 (It’s now 2006!); the One-time Tax Amnesty; the Pre-Need Code of 2005 (Again, it’s now 2006!); the expansion of the Public Attorneys Office (PAO); the charter amendment of the University of the Philippines; the Credit Information System Act; the New Central Bank Act; Lending Company Regulation Act 2005 (And we complain about the slow wheels of justice!); proposed Guidelines for sandwiched holidays; reorganization of the Department of Tourism (DOT); amending the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992; the cityhood of Navotas; and, a proposal to have an additional congressional district for Marikina City.

Based on the Senate’s Legislative Department, they have received a total of 128 committee reports on filed bills during the 13th Congress. Exactly 47 of these committee reports were submitted since Villar assumed the Senate presidency. This means that bills with committee reports are ready for deliberation.

But on top of these bills in various stages in the legislative mills, Villar earlier gave reassurances the Senate will give priority in particular to the proposed P1.3 trillion national budget for 2007 as soon as they resume session. "We hope to pass the bulk of these measures before Congress goes into a month-long Christmas break on Dec. 23," Villar promised. He must mean business.

This early, Villar is confident the Senate is well on track in its timetable to pass the proposed P1.136 trillion national budget so that the government will finally operate under a Congress-approved General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2007. Villar once chaired the Senate finance committee, which is the counterpart of the House committee on appropriations in charge of steering the annual budget. It is now Drilon who chairs the Senate finance committee under their "gentlemen’s agreement" of term-sharing of the Senate leadership.

Villar said he does not anticipate any hitch that would likely derail the passage of the proposed 2007 GAA with the way the Senate is rushing the public hearing of the respective budget allocations of the various government agencies.

Being a businessman himself in the past, the Senate president is making full use of his management skills to steer the so-called "23 independent Republics" speeding into full gears the legislative mills at the Senate. Villar, who has been known for being "cool as a cucumber" is also making good in his job as peacemaker, especially during moments of hot debates and arguments at the Senate floor. But generally, he has been finding cooperation from his peers with his "ST," or sipag at tiyaga (industry and perseverance) campaign motto when he first ran and won during the May 2001 elections. He is among the re-electionist Senators who would stop Cha-cha dead in its tracks. The question is, can they really stop it?

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