Anti-terror, ‘Endo,’ amended PSA bills top Senate priorities

Butch Fernandez | BusinessMirror | May 20, 2019

The Senate leadership is convening an all-senators’ caucus right after lawmakers reconvene for their regular session on Monday to finalize their list of priority bills to be front-loaded for plenary approval as Congress is set to adjourn anew from June 8 to July 21, under its approved calendar of session.

This, as Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri indicated on Sunday they have yet to firm up a general agreement on early passage of the proposed anti-terror bill, the proposed Public Service Act and the awaited labor reforms embodied in the end of contract (“Endo”) bill, among other bills awaiting approval by the Senate.

“We need to get a consensus tomorrow [Monday] with our members for the priorities in these next three weeks,” Zubiri told the BusinessMirror over the weekend, referring to lawmakers’ final sessions before adjourning anew to give way to the 18th Congress.

At least one of the three priorities cited by Zubiri—the amended Public Service Act— is the subject of a last-minute lobby by the country’s leading business groups, including foreign chambers of commerce, for its potential to unlock key investments in industries (example: telecommunications) that an amended PSA may finally exclude from the definition of “utilities,” which the Constitution subjects to a 40-percent equity ownership cap for foreigners.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said senators will work for early passage of remedial legislation to update the Public Service Act embodied in a separate bill up for approval on second reading.

Sotto cited the need to fast-track passage of the amended PSA to effectively address “problems encountered not only with telcos and airlines, most especially power and water supply.”

He stressed that “all these fall under the category of the Public Service Act.” Once enacted into law, Senate Bill 1754 will update and amend Commonwealth Act 146, a law passed in 1936. Sotto said that the amending bill was crafted to also address “confusion in the definition of a public utility and public services that will result in more choices, better services and lower prices” in favor of consumers and commuters.

Anti-terror, Endo bills

According to Zubiri, the senators already held “a preliminary discussion on pushing amendments to the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act and the Endo bills.”

Sotto earlier affirmed a consensus that lawmakers are already looking to approve a number of priority measures, before Congress goes on recess anew in June.

Sotto specifically cited, for instance, Senate Bill 2204, sponsored by Sen.Panfilo Lacson, also known as the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2019. Lacson filed this to amend and update Republic Act 9372, or the Human Security Act that redefined acts of terrorism punishable by law.

Moreover, Sotto signalled that senators are also looking to advance work on other priority reform bills, including the proposed Budget Reform Act, before their next adjournment in June.

Source: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/05/20/anti-terror-endo-amended-psa-bills-top-senate-priorities/