Congress has only 9 days to act on priority bills

Malacañang is open to calling for a special session if Congress, with only nine session days left, fails to act on priority measures before they adjourn next month, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Sunday. In an interview in Radyo ng Bayan, Remonde said he expects Congress to immediately act and eventually pass several measures that they know are needed by the country. "Kung kinakailangan na mag-special session, welcomed ng Malacañang iyan (If a special session will be needed, Malacañang will welcome it)," he said, as he vowed the Executive branch's cooperation with the legislators to ensure the immediate enactment of needed laws. Congress has only nine days of session left when lawmakers return from their holiday break on January 18. By February 5, the session will be adjourned again to enable legislators who are running in the May elections to campaign. The official campaign period for the national positions will start on Feb. 9, while for local positions it will be on March 26. One of the important pending measures in the Congress is the bill on the P1.5 trillion budget for 2010. Despite being passed by Congress last year, it is still being printed and has yet to be transmitted to the Office of the President for review and signing into law. Remonde said the administration is also waiting for the Philippine Coast Guard Law now pending in the Senate, which he said is necessary in light of the recent sea tragedies in Batangas and Cavite. Other bills that Congress expects to complete and transmit to Malacañang are the Freedom on Information Act, the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities, and the Expanded Senior Citizens Act, which the Senate all ratified last year. Still pending are the National Telecommunications Commission Law that aims to protect mobile phone consumers, the Cybercrimes Law that aims to protect the public following the spread of pornographic materials in the internet and telecom industry, and the bill allowing the conduct of early elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Remonde said they are confident that some of these measures would be passed in nine days. "Kami ay kumpyansa na itong mga nalalabi pang mga araw, there will be additional priority bills that will be passed by Congress. If not all, most of them will still be passed and we will be working closely with Congress to ensure that mapa-pass itong mga priority bills na ito," he added. (We are confident that in the remaining days, there will be additional priority bills that will be passed by Congress. If not all, most of them will still be passed and we will be working closely with Congress to ensure that these priority bills will be passed.) - KBK, GMANews.TV