Press Release
January 2, 2007

Villar outlines Senate priorities for the New Year
Senate will continue to churn out measures that matter most to people

Bouyed by its record performance in the year 2006, Senate President Manny Villar, said the Senate will remain focused on churning out measures that directly address the peoples concerns such as food security, education, health care and peace and order.

The Senate worked doubly hard to address vital national concerns through policy making and legislation. Ngayong 2007, mga panukalang batas na malapit sa sikmura ng ating mga kababayan ang patuloy na tututukan ng Senado, Villar said.

He said the Senates priority would be on legislation in the areas of education, health, and housing, agriculture, the plight of overseas Filipino workers, the environment, cheap energy, investments, electoral reforms and fight against global terrorism.

Villar took pride in the Senates performance last year, with 45 bills passed on the third and final reading. Of these, 19 are of national application and 26 of local importance.

Villar said the senators affirmative response and our bias for enhancing the basic services needed by our people were clearly expressed in the General Appropriations Act of 2007, which we passed on Dec. 4, Villar said.

Villar said that true to its commitment, the Senate prioritized funding for education, with P126 billion given to the Department of Education. The allotment includes funds for the hiring of additional teachers and building of more classrooms to address the expected back log this year.

Some P250 million were allotted for a credible school-based nutrition feeding program to enhance our schoolchildrens growth and development. Another P142.5 million was set aside to cover scholarships and a few infrastructure needs of the University of the Philippines.

Villar said the budget for health was also increased by around P890 million to augment funds needed by regional and specialty hospitals, including the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

The agriculture budget for post harvest facilities was increased to P2.6 billion to make this sector more efficient and competitive.

Villar also stressed that the Senate has not been remiss in its duty to help ease the plight of our people suffering from a disastrous oil spill in Western Visayas and the eruption of Mt. Mayon in Bicol, including overseas Filipinos affected by the war in Lebanon in the Middle East.

We have passed a measure, now Republic Act 9359, establishing a standby fund of P850 million for the clean up of the Guimaras oil spill, for the relief operations for victims of Mt. Mayon, and for the emergency repatriation , evacuation & relief of overseas Filipino workers and other Filipino nationals, Villar said.

He said at least six Senate initiatives are now awaiting President Arroyos signature for their enactment. These are Senate bills 1862 prescribing a fixed term for the office of the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces; SB 1286 creating the rank of First Chief Master Sergeant and First Master Chief Petty Officer ranks in the enlisted ranks of the Armed Forces; SB 1967 amending RA 6948 to redefine the term Veterans; SB 2226 mandating the use of biofuels in the transport sector; SB 2231 amending the Automated Election System; and SB 2522 defining handline fishing and providing for regulations on the use of handline fishing boats. The Senate also passed House Bill 5500 or the proposed cityhood of Navotas, which is likewise now awaiting the Presidents signature.

Also pending in the bicameral conference committees are the long-awaited Human Rights Compensation Act, embodied in SB 1745 and the General Appropriations Act of 2007 under HB 5794, as well as the twin tax measures under SB 2259 and SB 2260 respectively declaring one-time amnesty on certain tax and duty liabilities for business enterprises within the ecozones and freeports, and amending the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992.

Villar said that for this year, the Senate will press on with the approval of the Anti-Terrorism Bill to address the threat of global terrorism; the proposed mandatory basic immunization services against hepatitis-B for infants; the Tourism Re-engineering Bill; amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or EPIRA; the proposed Anti-Rabies law; amending the Patent laws and promoting breastfeeding.

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