SENATE Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Monday asked President Duterte to certify as urgent the new bill which will further reduce government red tape and help spur the country’s economic recovery.
Zubiri relayed the request to Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea during the budget hearing of the Office of the President and the Presidential Management Staff in the Senate on Monday.
“Maybe it could be certified because we want to pass it this week. This is what he was asking for,” Zubiri said.
Medialdea said he will act on the Zubiri’s request.
Zubiri sponsored Senate Bill 1844, an Act Authorizing the President to Expedite the Processing and Issuance of National and Local Permits, Licenses and Certifications in Times of National Emergency.
Once passed into law, it will institutionalize granting emergency powers to the President to expedite government processes during national crisis.
Last month, President Duterte urged members of the House of Representatives and the Senate for a new law that will further minimize red tape to fast-track the country’s economy to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the same hearing, the Senate Committee on Finance approved the “elevation” of the proposed 2021 budget of the Office of the President and the Presidential Management Staff to the plenary “with favorable recommendation and possible augmentation at the proper time.”
For next year, the Office of the President asked for a P8.24-billion budget, while the Presidential Management Staff requested for a P715-million budget.