WITH the number of bills that have been rejected by President Duterte, the leadership of the House of Representatives will review and revise its rules to expedite the approval of vetoed bills in the 18th Congress.
With this, Senior Deputy Majority Leader Crispin Remulla said the House
Committee on Rules’ subcommittee will propose a new provision requiring only
one committee hearing to refine vetoed bills.
Remulla said this new rule is expected to fast-track the process and persuade the President to sign the measure into law.
Remulla was designated by House Majority Leader and House Committee on Rules Chairman Martin G. Romualdez to head the panel’s rewriting subcommittee.
“We are going to avoid the normal long process of legislation for any vetoed bill. An expeditious process should be observed after the refinements,” said Remulla.
In his three years in office, Duterte has already vetoed several bills due to some reservations and opposition to the unified version of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Among these vetoed bills are: the General Tax Amnesty, Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Trust Fund Act, the bill strengthening the Philippine Coconut Authority Law, bill expanding the powers of the Office of Solicitor General, bill seeking to grant survivorship benefits to the children of deceased retired members of constitutional offices and the bill banning corporal punishment.
Ironically, the most recent to be vetoed, the security of tenure (SOT) bill—also dubbed “end to Endo bill”—had been certified by the President as a priority measure.
The President, meanwhile, also vetoed P95.3 billion in budget items in 2019 General Appropriations Act.
Earlier, the House leadership said it will conduct a regular monthly meeting with counterparts in the Senate and the Executive department to assure smooth approval of the priority measures of the 18th Congress.
Moreover, Remulla said the subcommittee will also adopt the Supreme Court ruling in the election of the minority leader and going paperless by providing tablets for 300 legislators in the performance of their legislative work.
According to Remulla, an estimated P6 million or P20,000 each for an android tablet will be needed for this proposal.
“The House has been spending an estimated P9 million every year for paper. Going paperless will result in savings,” said Remulla.
Moreover, Remulla said these new rules will be approved by December, and expressed confidence they will be more responsive to the legislative process.
“The new House rules will be adopted by December this year after passing the 2020 national budget,” said Remulla. Last July 22, the House of Representatives provisionally adopted the rules of the 17th Congress.