By: Hannah L. Torregoza
The Senate is committed to support President Duterte’s legislative agenda and other unanticipated priority measures to be submitted by his administration.
Senate President Koko Pimentel said these would be part of the priority legislation of the Senate as it resumed its legislative work for the second regular session of the 17th Congress yesterday.
These include the tax reform package of the Duterte administration and the proposal to revise the 1987 Constitution.
“As far as I am concerned, the following are my priorities, and I have seen the priorities of other senators, plus of course, the unanticipated priority bills of the Duterte administration: The tax reform package,” Pimentel told reporters in an interview before the opening of the Senate session.
“Of course, I will push that we study the revision of the Constitution, hindi lang iyan for federalism purposes but even for the economic provisions,” he added.
And based on the clamor of the people, Pimentel vowed to pursue the establishment of a national ID system. “They (the people) want the strengthening of our anti-terrorism laws,” he said.
However, Senate leaders said they do not see the proposed measure reinstating the death penalty being prioritized. “I don’t see that in the radars really,” Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said.
Pimentel, however, said that since the bill was submitted by the House of the Representatives, the Senate owe it “as a gesture of friendship” to tackle the measure.
“As Senate President, this bill was submitted by the House, so I think we owe it as a gesture of friendship to the House, that since they passed it this, so it means that they also want us to discuss it,” Pimentel said.
“Hanggang doon na lang, I will assure the House that we will discuss the death penalty bill,” the Senate leader added.
“It’s not a priority bill, (but) it is in the regular course of business,” he added.
