IN the past week, President Duterte has signed into law some 19 measures. Our question is, why has it taken so long for these bills to become the law of the land?
Perhaps, the one that all of us have a vested interest in is the “Mobile Number Portability Act” that allows us to keep the same cell-phone number for as long as we want. While this is not a matter of national security, it is a matter of convenience for the tens of millions of cell-phone users. Certainly, the telecom companies could have done this easily a long time ago with only some expense on their part. But it is a national issue that has long-term consequences and should be a law.
So again, why did it take so long?
Article VI of the 1987 Philippine constitution creates a bicameral legislature that vest in Congress, among other powers, “the power of investigation and inquiry in aid of legislation, the power to declare the existence of a state of war and the power of eminent domain.” While these duties are important, we thank the current Congress for taking time off from “investigation and inquiry” to actually write some important laws.
It is hard not to be a little sarcastic and cynical about the Legislative process. However, all the “television face-time” spent in public hearings and shouting matches do not seem to translate into actual law unless we are missing something, which is probably the case.
Two of the new laws are systemic in nature—meaning they improve and enhance current regulations. These are “The New Central Bank Act,” which increases the monetary authority’s paid-up capital to P200 billion from P50 billion, and the “Revised Corporation Code.” The financial strength of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is now better and it expands regulatory powers to other nonbank financial institutions, such as money service businesses, credit-granting businesses, and payment system operators critical in 2019 and beyond.
The changes in the Corporation Code should make it much easier for entrepreneurs to get into business at a higher level, and the law does more to protect minority stockholders, which is also very important.
We will withhold judgment on the creation of a Human
Settlement Department and the law on career guidance counseling for high school
because the implementation may be the key to
these issues.
Nonetheless, expanding PhilHealth coverage to all Filipinos and expanding the maternity leave law to guarantee 105 days of paid maternity leave from the current 60 days of paid leave credits are both overdue. Why did these laws take so long to come to the people? What prevented their passage in previous congressional sessions?
Thorough review and deliberations are absolutely necessary before a law is presented to the President for signature. But you have to wonder why these important laws were all able to come to life at the same time only now?