Press Release
March 3, 2009

Zubiri gives full support to action against pre-need scam; Senate to approve supplemental budget on poll automation on Second Reading

On pre-need scam:

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri has called on the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and other government agencies concernedf to come up with a plan of action that will safeguard plan holders.

Zubiri gave his 100 percent support to the crusade to clean up the pre-need industry and to come up with mechanism that will defend the plan holders from "scrupulous and abusive" practice of pre-need companies. He issued this support to the Senate committee on trade and commerce hearing chaired by Sen. Mar Roxas on Monday.

"This is a very controversial issue that has affected tens of thousands of plan holders," he said adding that even a "senator, congressman, mayor or just a hard-working individual trying to make ends meet," could be a victim of irregularities in the pre-need industry.

He revealed that even his own brother was a victim of pre-need scam. "He made investments in the pre-need industry that folded up and he lost his investments."

"I hope the government agencies can come up with a safeguard measure, [or] plan of action so this won't happen again. Because it adds to the burden of the housewife, the Filipino citizens trying to make ends meet especially in this time of financial crisis," the Majority Leader said.

On poll automation supplemental budget:

Senator Angara will present the committee report this afternoon. Hopefully, we will be able to approve on second reading the P11.3 billion automation budget of the Commission on Election for the 2010 polls as a certified measure this afternoon. And therefore forego the three-day constitutional requirement.

This supplemental budget is a priority measure in the Senate agenda before the break and hopefully the House of Representatives will agree to our version, so there will be no need of a bicameral conference and we can ratify the measure by Wednesday.

The Senate's position is full automation and no hybrid system. The approval of this measure will be the legislative department's gift to the Filipino people in terms of the conduct of honest, orderly, peaceful and credible elections in 2010.

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