Manila Bulletin
Philippines
National
'Hinog sa pilit': Imee admits she deliberately skipped voting on MIF bill
Philippines
National
'Hinog sa pilit': Imee admits she deliberately skipped voting on MIF bill
'Hinog sa pilit': Imee admits she deliberately skipped voting on MIF bill
Published Jun 23, 2023 02:33 am
Senator Maria Imelda "Imee" Marcos has admitted that she abstained in the voting on the controversial Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) bill because it was "hinog sa pilit (deliberately ripened)."
Sen. Imee Marcos (Senate PRIB Photo)
“At tiyak alam din ng aking kapatid yan kaya ang sabi ko sa kanya parang nagaalangan ako at hindi ako bumoto (It is a cinch that my brother - President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. - knows it and I told him that I have doubts on the bill and that is why I did not cast my vote,’’ she said. The MIF bill was passed by the Senate days before the Senate and the House of Representatives adjourned sine die last June 2. “Alam naman ninyo na hindi ako nakilahok sa Maharlika Bill dahil tulad ng maraming Pilipino, marami akong pangamba dyan (Like many Filipinos, I did not join in the MIF bill deliberations because I have doubts),” Sen. Marcos told Senate reporters. Marcos explained that she studied the bill and she raised questions but did not appear at the Senate session during the voting. “Kasi sa tingin ko masyadong hinog sa pilit at marami akong hindi naintindihan at maraming higit pa duda at pangamba (I sensed that the bill was deliberately ripened and I have many issues that i don’t understand and I have doubts),” she said. The House of Representatives adopted the Senate version of the MIF bill. Both legislative chambers ratified the bicameral conference committee report before they adjourned. The MIF bill was sponsored on the Senate floor by Senator Mark A. Villar, chairman of the Senate banks committee. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri signed the corrected ratified MIF bill last Wednesday in Washington D.C. Corrected were two provisions on Sections 50 and 51 that had separate penalties of 10 years and 20 years on violations of the measure. The Secretariat merged them into one and adopted the 10-year penalty on prescription of crimes and offenses because records showed that the senators’ intent was 10 years. Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, however, maintained that no Senate rules were violated when corrections were made in the final copy of the measure. “When there are questions, go back to the transcript. They corrected it according to the transcript. In democracy, you respect other people’s way,” Legarda told Senate reporters in an interview. “We always say subject to style…As long as conceptually, the substance is not changed,” she added. Legarda said she is also confident that the final copy of the measure will withstand scrutiny regarding its constitutionality. "We refer to the transcript of records and we ensure that the bill that would be enacted into law would be faithful to the discussions on the floor," she said. "I believe it would be resolved and was resolved according to what was discussed on the floor," Legarda reiterated. "And whether there would be an issue in the Supreme Court, it’s not for me to say. As you would see, we were very careful and we did not include the social welfare agencies, not just in the initial issue on capitalization but also they are not going to the investment funds in Maharlika because there are more than enough who wish to invest funds in Maharlika," she emphasized. The corrected bill will be transmitted to House Speaker Martin Romualdez for signature after which it will be sent to President Marcos for approval or veto. The Senate minority bloc led by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III is furious over what he labeled as tampering of the bill creating the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) and warned that it raises serious questions about the constitutionality of the bill. “Today (Thursday, June 22) marks a sad day for the 108th Senate, which has stood strong for over a century as the guardian of our Constitution and the rule of law,” Pimentel said. “The Constitution, the cornerstone of our nation, is no longer being read and followed. Our rules have been rendered meaningless and worthless,” he said.
Sen. Imee Marcos (Senate PRIB Photo)
“At tiyak alam din ng aking kapatid yan kaya ang sabi ko sa kanya parang nagaalangan ako at hindi ako bumoto (It is a cinch that my brother - President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. - knows it and I told him that I have doubts on the bill and that is why I did not cast my vote,’’ she said. The MIF bill was passed by the Senate days before the Senate and the House of Representatives adjourned sine die last June 2. “Alam naman ninyo na hindi ako nakilahok sa Maharlika Bill dahil tulad ng maraming Pilipino, marami akong pangamba dyan (Like many Filipinos, I did not join in the MIF bill deliberations because I have doubts),” Sen. Marcos told Senate reporters. Marcos explained that she studied the bill and she raised questions but did not appear at the Senate session during the voting. “Kasi sa tingin ko masyadong hinog sa pilit at marami akong hindi naintindihan at maraming higit pa duda at pangamba (I sensed that the bill was deliberately ripened and I have many issues that i don’t understand and I have doubts),” she said. The House of Representatives adopted the Senate version of the MIF bill. Both legislative chambers ratified the bicameral conference committee report before they adjourned. The MIF bill was sponsored on the Senate floor by Senator Mark A. Villar, chairman of the Senate banks committee. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri signed the corrected ratified MIF bill last Wednesday in Washington D.C. Corrected were two provisions on Sections 50 and 51 that had separate penalties of 10 years and 20 years on violations of the measure. The Secretariat merged them into one and adopted the 10-year penalty on prescription of crimes and offenses because records showed that the senators’ intent was 10 years. Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, however, maintained that no Senate rules were violated when corrections were made in the final copy of the measure. “When there are questions, go back to the transcript. They corrected it according to the transcript. In democracy, you respect other people’s way,” Legarda told Senate reporters in an interview. “We always say subject to style…As long as conceptually, the substance is not changed,” she added. Legarda said she is also confident that the final copy of the measure will withstand scrutiny regarding its constitutionality. "We refer to the transcript of records and we ensure that the bill that would be enacted into law would be faithful to the discussions on the floor," she said. "I believe it would be resolved and was resolved according to what was discussed on the floor," Legarda reiterated. "And whether there would be an issue in the Supreme Court, it’s not for me to say. As you would see, we were very careful and we did not include the social welfare agencies, not just in the initial issue on capitalization but also they are not going to the investment funds in Maharlika because there are more than enough who wish to invest funds in Maharlika," she emphasized. The corrected bill will be transmitted to House Speaker Martin Romualdez for signature after which it will be sent to President Marcos for approval or veto. The Senate minority bloc led by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III is furious over what he labeled as tampering of the bill creating the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) and warned that it raises serious questions about the constitutionality of the bill. “Today (Thursday, June 22) marks a sad day for the 108th Senate, which has stood strong for over a century as the guardian of our Constitution and the rule of law,” Pimentel said. “The Constitution, the cornerstone of our nation, is no longer being read and followed. Our rules have been rendered meaningless and worthless,” he said.