By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senators were disappointed by President Duterte's veto of the proposed Security of Tenure (SOT) bill.
Despite certifying it as a priority measure, Duterte vetoed the Security of Tenure bill as finally confirmed by President Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Friday. The measure was two days short of lapsing into law on July 27.
Senate president Vicente Sotto III (ALI VICOY/ MANILA BULLETIN)
"I'm crestfallen but that's how democracy works," Senate President Vicente Sotto III said.
He said he has already received the President's veto message on the bill.
Sotto, however, said that the "Congress, being dynamic, can refile and repass the bill." He said the Senate will prioritize it once it is refiled in the chamber.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said he was also saddened by Duterte's decision but questioned the Palace's earlier pronouncements on the need for the bill's approval.
"It makes no sense to me why Malacañang would declare it a priority measure then just to veto it after its approval. They put pressure pa on us on why we haven’t acted on it after the House of Representatives passed it and the Palace came out with the certification that it was a Priority measure and the Senate was sitting on it," Zubiri recalled.
"I'm totally bewildered on this new development. Does that mean that a Certification from the Palace no longer means that its is a priority? That its passage is no longer needed?" he said.
Zubiri appealed for clarification on the Palace's action, saying such "would put the other so called 'priority measures' in question."
"The Cabinet should get their act together as it would make us Legislators look stupid and embarrass the President as well as he mentions these measures during the SONA ." the Senate leader said in his statement.
Senator Joel Villanueva, sponsor of the Security of Tenure bill in Senate, said that "profit" prevailed with the President's veto of the measure.
"We are always concerned of how much of our profit will be eroded by the SOT bill. Ang hiling po sana natin sa usapin ng SOT bill ay makiisa sa mga mangaggawa na ang iniisip ay pangtustos sa kanilang pamilya at pambili ng pagkain para sa mga kumakalam na sikmura tuwing ma e-ENDO (What we hoped for in pushing the Security of Tenure bill is to help our workers who are troubled with having to sustain and feed their families). Unfortunately, profit wins again with the veto of the SOT bill," a dejected Villanueva said.
In a statement, the Senate labor committee chairman lamented how he worked for the measure which languished in the legislative mill for 20 years.
"Congress labored on this bill striving for fairness at every turn, considering every implication as we weaved words into provisions to protect workers from illegal forms of contractualization, and to ensure that businesses will not be at a disadvantage," he said.
"After a two-decade struggle of Filipino labor, the Security of Tenure bill finally reached the President’s desk on June 27, the culmination of our work spanning three years since we sponsored and shepherded this measure. Today, July 26, the struggle has ended with the veto of the President," he said.
"We are expected to rise above politics to favor the powerless, and do what is just. Most of the time, those in the corridors of power win. Unfortunately, this is one of those times," he mourned.
Despite this, Villanueva said he will refile and push for the passage of the Security of Tenure bill in the 18th Congress.
"We will persevere until we see that no worker will involuntarily lose his or her job because of contractualization," he assured.
Senate Bill No. 1826, which was adopted by the House of the Representatives, aimed to prohibit the abusive practice of labor-only contracting and but provides for the vetting of authorized job-contracting firms.
The President's veto came following reports that business groups were lobbying for the veto of the measure. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia recommended "some tweaking" in the provisions.
Panelo first announced the President's rejection of the bill on Thursday night, only to retract it later to say that Duterte is still weighing its pros and cons.
Duterte, earlier, admitted that he was in "a catch-22" situation on the Security of Tenure bill due to the contention of some stakeholders.
READ MORE: Duterte vetoes Security of Tenure bill