JdV urges Senate to act on bills fast
DAGUPAN CITY – Days after the House of Representatives restored “diplomatic relations” with the Senate, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. called on the latter to fast-track the priority bills already submitted to them.
He made the call during a media interview at this residence in Dagupan City.
De Venecia said cited in particular the anti-terrorism bill long been passed by the House.
“The whole world is awaiting Philippine approval of the anti terrorism bill because they perceive that the Philippines as a weak or soft state without anti-terrorism law,” he said.
He attributed the absence of the law as one of the reasons why foreign terrorists are able to intrude into the country’s borders and use the Philippines as their base of operations.
De Venecia said practically all the major nations in Asia, Europe and America already have own anti-terrorist legislations in place.
He told newsmen that the anti-terrorist bill, the anti-smuggling bill, the national budget, the bill giving tax exemptions to minimum wage earners and the bill on the planting of one billion trees have all been long passed by the House and need Senate approval.
At the same time, de Venecia was elated to know that the Senate committed itself to approve the budget before May 27.
He said this will allow President Gloria Arroyo to sign the new one trillion peso national budget before Congress adjourns again on June 9.
He said the House will tackle the repeal of the death penalty law early next week.
Saying that they have less than 15 day session left in their calendar, de Venecia urged Congress to move with deliberate speed as time is already running out.
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