Photo Release

Villanueva opposes third reading bills passage: Sen. Joel Villanueva opposes the passage on third and final reading the bills that will create nine district engineering offices and two national high schools, citing the rules on compliance with technical requirements. During Wednesday’s plenary session, May 22, 2024, Villanueva said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. vetoed previous bills passed on third reading by the Senate due to failure to comply with functional criteria and technical requirements such as road length, land area, and population, among others. “I agree with the veto message of the President when it mentioned that these measures did not comply with the functional criteria and technical requirements. I feel bad that I vote for it and I didn't get the chance to check whether or not they (bills) complied and that is why in the members caucus last time, we made mention that we will comply this time and make sure that these local bills that we're going to tackle and put on third reading have actually complied with the requirements,” Villanueva explained. “I am here to make sure that my vote will matter and I will do my best in ensuring that I know everything and the information is available,” he added. (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)