Legislation is the priority

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

After President Aquino identified a few pending bills that he considered  among his priorities in his State of the Nation Address, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile assured the nation that those bills would be part of the Senate’s legislative agenda for their third and last regular session.

Among the bills that PNoy explicitly batted for in his SONA were the ones that would adjust the so-called sin tax rates, tackle the proposed revenue sharing scheme in the mining industry, strengthen the Anti Money Laundering Act, and the P2-trillion national budget for next year, or the General Appropriations Bill. A vague reference to “Responsible Parenthood” in the SONA has started furious debates on whether PNoy was endorsing the Reproductive Health Bill or not. But whether they like it or not, this is an issue that our legislators cannot ignore forever and the nature of their jobs demand that sooner or later, they have to cast a vote and decide the fate of this controversial issue.

The impeachment trial took up a significant amount of time that could have been put in legislation. For the third regular session, the upcoming elections will also have a significant impact on the timetable of Congress in tackling legislation. Our legislators will have to work extra hard and have their priorities figured out if any of those priority bills are going to be passed.

Time is something we do not have much of, and the longer important pieces of legislation are left in limbo by legislators who refuse to do their jobs, the harder it is for any government to implement its programs and uplift the lives of its people. We can only hope that our Senators will do their jobs as best they can, and not waste the time and effort that has gone into the creation of those critical bills by not leaving them, along with the Filipino people, hanging once again.*