Press Release
January 10, 2007

VILLAR: THERES A TIME FOR EVERYTHING
The Senate will focus on pending bills when it resumes session

Senate President Manny Villar, President of the Nacionalista Party, emphasizes that when the Senate resumes its session a week from now or January 22, the priority remains the legislation of pending bills, although a number of senators including him are up for reelection.

There is a time for everythingeven the electoral process follows a timetable for the filing of candidacy and campaign period. So I really dont know why some people are in a hurry because running for candidacy is expensive. Masakit sa bulsa iyan says Villar in an interview.

Villar adds: We still have around three session weeks left in Congress and there are still a lot of pending bills that we need to urgently pass. The campaign period of 90 days, I think, gives us enough time. Maganda na iyon na oras para gumastos at huwag na natin dagdagan pa.

Half a dozen Senate initiatives are now awaiting President Arroyos signature, 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.

Also pending in the bicameral conference committees are the 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; promoting breastfeeding and the P125 wage hike increase.

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