BUSINESS GROUPS yesterday called on Congress to act fast on priority bills to avoid being sidetracked by preparations for the 2013 midterm elections.
“We are aware that 2013 elections will affect the legislative process,” Hubert D’Aboville, president of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said during the meeting of the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) and Philippine business groups with the House leadership.
The groups have proposed at least 30 priority measures to the House.
The list is organized into eight categories according to the Seven Big Winner sectors and General Business Environment. It was arrived at by a group of five Philippine business groups and the seven JFC members and has been recommended to the president, the Senate president and the House speaker.
Of these, only eight have been approved on third reading by the lower chamber. These include the following: Data Privacy Act; Rationalization of Fiscal Incentives; Customs Modernization and Tariffs Act; Direct Remittance to local government units of their 40% share in the internal revenue allotment; Prohibiting mining in certain provinces; Protection of consumers from scheming manufacturers of defective cars; Plastic bag regulation act; and Amendments to the Intellectual property rights act.
“We are optimistic that many of our bills will be approved. We understand the process of legislation is slow and deliberate,” John D. Forbes, legislative committee head of the American Chamber of Commerce, said on the sidelines of the event.
He added that the first half of 2012 is a “critical year” for the passage of priority measures as lawmakers will be busy preparing for the elections as early as November next year.
Mr. D’Aboville also lauded Congress leaders for pushing for amending economic provisions in the Constitution, but said support of President Benigno S.C. Aquino III, who earlier said charter change is not a priority, is crucial.
“We support the opening up of the economy,” he said.
For his part, House Speaker Feliciano R. Belmonte (4th district, Quezon City) said his chamber will pass as many bills as they can.
“We will continue to work together.”
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By: Noemi M. Gonzales
Source: Business World, Nov. 22, 2011
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