Senate OKs concurrent resolution recalling bill on coco levy trust fund
By Roel Tibay
Published Oct 9, 2018 08:24 pm
By Hannah Torregoza
The Senate on Tuesday afternoon approved a concurrent resolution requesting the Office of the President to return the enrolled copies of the bill that would supposedly facilitate the distribution of the P105-billion coconut levy fund to coconut farmer beneficiaries, effectively bringing back the measure under the bicameral conference committee level.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 14, filed by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri was approved with 13 affirmative votes, and four negative votes. Those who cast a negative vote included Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Grace Poe and Risa Hontiveros.
But the move did not sit well with the Senate minority bloc, particularly Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon, who questioned why lawmakers are compelled to recall an enrolled bill already submitted to Malacañang and introduce further amendments in the bicameral conference committee.
Both the Senate and House of Representatives have ratified the final versions of the proposed Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Act and submitted the enrolled copies of the measure to Malacañang for the President’s approval.
But on Monday night, the Chief Executive called for an executive meeting supposedly to “avoid a possible veto” of the landmark bill after some Cabinet officials expressed their reservation on the measure.
Present during the meeting included Zubiri, Senators Cynthia Villar, Senate Agriculture Committee chairman; Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Francis Escudero, Sherwin Gatchalian, Richard Gordon, and Loren Legarda, the Senate finance committee chair.
Drilon said that while he concedes to the power of the chamber to recall bills, he cannot accept that lawmakers “overlooked” certain provisions of the bill that is why it is recalling the measure.
The minority chief pointed out that the certification contained in the enrolled coopy of the bill indubitably indicates that he process was completed in approving the bill into law, except for the signature of the President.
“The process in Congress was completed. It passed through first reading, second reading, debated in the Chamber, approved by the Chamber, went through bicam report…”
“In all the bills that we passed, the president of the chamber and the House leader, that this process was followed and it complied with the Constitution, so why are we reconsidering this bill?” Drilon pointed out during the plenary session.
Zubiri, who filed the bill, however, tossed to the Senate committee on agriculture panel chief the burden of explaining why there is a need to amend some provisions of the measure.
Duterte’s economic managers are said to have opposed the bill due its lack of a “sunset” provision on the P10-billion fund to the proposed Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
Zubiri, in an interview, earlier blamed the competence of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) over his failure to communicate the Palace’s reservations on the measure.
However, Drilon rejected this saying it is not a good precedent to blame the PLLO after lawmakers have exhausted all efforts at providing a clearer policy in the distribution of the coconut levy fund to farmer beneficiaries.
According to Drilon, the President should first veto the measure before returning it to Congress for reconsideration.
But Villar stood up to apologize over the “mistakes” they made as she justified the need to consider the Duterte administration’s proposed amendments to the bill.
“Mr. President, we are only humans, we admit we make mistakes, were’ telling you we are having second thoughts, that is why we are entitled to have second thoughts and we are not that good, we can make mistakes, we are not perfect.
“I think we are all enthusiastic to pass the bill that we want to pass it fast, and we didn’t realize in the end that we have overlooked some things that we should have considered provisions,” Villar pointed out.
Poe, in explaining her no vote against the concurrent resolution, said she still wants all farmer beneficiaries to be able to receive the support they needed to be able to get the money that rightfully belongs to them.
“I’d like to manifest that the reason why I voted no is as follows: during my campaign, one of the things that I promised our constituents was for the farmers to not only benefit from the coco levy fund but should also have the biggest say on how they will be able to benefit from this and have control of this. This was a promise I made to them and I would like to stand firm on keeping that,” Poe said.
“Now, with regard to the open-ended policy on the funding for coconut farmers, I believe that—yes it will be an additional expense for the government—but the Philippines is also probably the third largest coconut exporter in the world and I think that with the proper management, the money there will be money well-spent, dahil ang tatanda na rin talaga ng ating mga coconut trees sa bansa na kailangan ding palitan at kasama dito ang pagre-rehabilitate niyan, sa aking pagkakaintindi,” she stressed.
Poe said she is confident that since this resolution was passed, it will go back and certain amendments would be made.
“At the end of the day, I will still vote for it if the choice is between them not getting any control of the fund that rightfully belongs to them. I will, in the end, of course, support that they benefit from that money that really belongs to them,” Poe said.
“Ito po’y pera nila at talagang dapat mapunta sa kanila, pero sana sila rin ang may pinakamalaking desisyon kung paano ito gagastusin para sa kanila,” she emphasized.
Pangilinan, also said that as the principal sponsor of the measure, he fears that such move of recalling measure would be a bad precedent in the future.
“It is a bad precedent because what would stop another Cabinet member to whisper to whoever and tell us here that the bill that we passed on third reading and the enrolled bill that we have forwarded to Malacañang has certain questionable provisions,” Pangilinan pointed out.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 14, filed by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri was approved with 13 affirmative votes, and four negative votes. Those who cast a negative vote included Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Grace Poe and Risa Hontiveros.
But the move did not sit well with the Senate minority bloc, particularly Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon, who questioned why lawmakers are compelled to recall an enrolled bill already submitted to Malacañang and introduce further amendments in the bicameral conference committee.
Both the Senate and House of Representatives have ratified the final versions of the proposed Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Act and submitted the enrolled copies of the measure to Malacañang for the President’s approval.
But on Monday night, the Chief Executive called for an executive meeting supposedly to “avoid a possible veto” of the landmark bill after some Cabinet officials expressed their reservation on the measure.
Present during the meeting included Zubiri, Senators Cynthia Villar, Senate Agriculture Committee chairman; Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Francis Escudero, Sherwin Gatchalian, Richard Gordon, and Loren Legarda, the Senate finance committee chair.
Drilon said that while he concedes to the power of the chamber to recall bills, he cannot accept that lawmakers “overlooked” certain provisions of the bill that is why it is recalling the measure.
The minority chief pointed out that the certification contained in the enrolled coopy of the bill indubitably indicates that he process was completed in approving the bill into law, except for the signature of the President.
“The process in Congress was completed. It passed through first reading, second reading, debated in the Chamber, approved by the Chamber, went through bicam report…”
“In all the bills that we passed, the president of the chamber and the House leader, that this process was followed and it complied with the Constitution, so why are we reconsidering this bill?” Drilon pointed out during the plenary session.
Zubiri, who filed the bill, however, tossed to the Senate committee on agriculture panel chief the burden of explaining why there is a need to amend some provisions of the measure.
Duterte’s economic managers are said to have opposed the bill due its lack of a “sunset” provision on the P10-billion fund to the proposed Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
Zubiri, in an interview, earlier blamed the competence of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) over his failure to communicate the Palace’s reservations on the measure.
However, Drilon rejected this saying it is not a good precedent to blame the PLLO after lawmakers have exhausted all efforts at providing a clearer policy in the distribution of the coconut levy fund to farmer beneficiaries.
According to Drilon, the President should first veto the measure before returning it to Congress for reconsideration.
But Villar stood up to apologize over the “mistakes” they made as she justified the need to consider the Duterte administration’s proposed amendments to the bill.
“Mr. President, we are only humans, we admit we make mistakes, were’ telling you we are having second thoughts, that is why we are entitled to have second thoughts and we are not that good, we can make mistakes, we are not perfect.
“I think we are all enthusiastic to pass the bill that we want to pass it fast, and we didn’t realize in the end that we have overlooked some things that we should have considered provisions,” Villar pointed out.
Poe, in explaining her no vote against the concurrent resolution, said she still wants all farmer beneficiaries to be able to receive the support they needed to be able to get the money that rightfully belongs to them.
“I’d like to manifest that the reason why I voted no is as follows: during my campaign, one of the things that I promised our constituents was for the farmers to not only benefit from the coco levy fund but should also have the biggest say on how they will be able to benefit from this and have control of this. This was a promise I made to them and I would like to stand firm on keeping that,” Poe said.
“Now, with regard to the open-ended policy on the funding for coconut farmers, I believe that—yes it will be an additional expense for the government—but the Philippines is also probably the third largest coconut exporter in the world and I think that with the proper management, the money there will be money well-spent, dahil ang tatanda na rin talaga ng ating mga coconut trees sa bansa na kailangan ding palitan at kasama dito ang pagre-rehabilitate niyan, sa aking pagkakaintindi,” she stressed.
Poe said she is confident that since this resolution was passed, it will go back and certain amendments would be made.
“At the end of the day, I will still vote for it if the choice is between them not getting any control of the fund that rightfully belongs to them. I will, in the end, of course, support that they benefit from that money that really belongs to them,” Poe said.
“Ito po’y pera nila at talagang dapat mapunta sa kanila, pero sana sila rin ang may pinakamalaking desisyon kung paano ito gagastusin para sa kanila,” she emphasized.
Pangilinan, also said that as the principal sponsor of the measure, he fears that such move of recalling measure would be a bad precedent in the future.
“It is a bad precedent because what would stop another Cabinet member to whisper to whoever and tell us here that the bill that we passed on third reading and the enrolled bill that we have forwarded to Malacañang has certain questionable provisions,” Pangilinan pointed out.