Business groups lobby for 12 bills

LOCAL and foreign business groups are intensifying their lobby for the passage of at least 12 proposed laws, as they prod legislators to make 2011 and 2012 productive years before they are caught in the election frenzy anew in 2013.

John Forbes, senior adviser of the American Chamber of Commerce, said they have set meetings with Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile to reiterate their calls for the passage of measures that will improve the investment climate in the country.

“The foreign and domestic business groups met with Speaker Belmonte last February for a dialogue on business and economic reforms to improve national competitiveness. The September 19 meeting is the second meeting this year,” Forbes told the BusinessMirror.

Peter Angelo Perfecto, executive director of the Makati Business Club, said they are hoping Congress will devote its time to deliberations on the bills that have been identified as priority measures by the business chambers and the Legislative- Executive Development Advisory Council and not on proposals like the institution of four-day workweeks that still require much studies.

The Joint Foreign Chambers originally submitted 41 priority measures to the Aquino administration. Three of them—the Financial Rehabilitation and Insolvency Act, GOCC Governance Act, and Repeal of Nightwork Prohibition for Women—have already been approved.

Of the remaining bills, the business groups named some of the most pressing measures at a press conference on Tuesday.

These are the proposed Rationalization of Fiscal Incentives Act, Data Privacy Act, Customs Modernization Act, Direct Remittance to LGUs (Local Government Units) of their 40-percent Share from National Wealth Taxes Act, Fair Competition Act, Anti-Smuggling Act, Creative Industries Act, Freedom of Information Act, amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Act, amendment to the Clean Air Act, and the creation of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Forbes said not much was expected in the first year of the new Congress since it was the time when the two chambers were organized and when the bills were filed.

He said around 10,000 bills have been filed in both houses of Congress.

But on the second and third year, Forbes said bills should be moving faster already and Congress should be very productive.

By 2013 little legislative output is expected.

The proposed Rationalization of Fiscal Incentives Act, Data Privacy Act, Customs Modernization Act and the Direct Remittance to LGUs of their 40-percent Share from National Wealth Taxes have been approved on third reading at the House already.

Martin Crisostomo of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines said the Data Privacy Act would give their clients abroad the assurance that their concern for data privacy is being protected here.
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By: Max V. de Leon
Source: Business Mirror, Sept. 6, 2011
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