Manila Bulletin
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PBBM will do a patriotic act if he vetoes Maharlika bill, Pimentel says
Philippines
National
PBBM will do a patriotic act if he vetoes Maharlika bill, Pimentel says
PBBM will do a patriotic act if he vetoes Maharlika bill, Pimentel says
Published Jun 25, 2023 07:32 am
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will do a patriotic act if he vetoes the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) Act, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said on Sunday, June 25.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III (Senate PRIB Photo)
Pimentel pointed this out as he cautioned the Chief Executive anew from signing the MIF bill which he warned could be potentially questioned before the Supreme Court for unconstitutionality. “You know it would be a good patriotic act of the President if he vetoes this,” Pimentel said in a Radio DZBB interview. “It will improve his political capital; his goodwill will improve, because it means he is objective in his decision,” he said. Since Congress failed to grant the President the version of the measure that he wanted, the minority leader said Marcos can veto it and return it to Congress so that lawmakers can polish the final version of the proposed Act. “In his point of view, he wants this measure. But he can veto it because Congress did not give him what he wanted,” he explained. “And for us who are against it, we can now find the time to involve the public in the discussion on Maharlika,” Pimentel said. “Because one of our complaints or our grounds for rejecting it is because we believe this bill was rushed,” he added. “By vetoing it, he (President) will be giving us more time (to study the measure). And since there would be more time, let’s involve the people here. Let’s bring it to Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao for the people to weigh in. This would be a plus point for him, if he vetoes it,” the Senate minority chief insisted. The two-manned Senate minority bloc, led by Pimentel and Sen. Risa Hontiveros have been insisting that the Maharlika bill is ill-conceived, ill-timed and needs time to be discussed by the whole Filipino people. Pimentel also pointed out that the final version of the measure has been tampered with, as there are specific provisions in the bill that were altered without plenary authority. Earlier, questions were raised over the conflicting Sections 50 and 51 of the bill, which set the prescription period for crimes at 10 years and 20 years. However, Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. told reporters the matter was already addressed in the printed copy of the bill. Bantug said the 10-year prescription period was retained and the two sections were merged.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III (Senate PRIB Photo)
Pimentel pointed this out as he cautioned the Chief Executive anew from signing the MIF bill which he warned could be potentially questioned before the Supreme Court for unconstitutionality. “You know it would be a good patriotic act of the President if he vetoes this,” Pimentel said in a Radio DZBB interview. “It will improve his political capital; his goodwill will improve, because it means he is objective in his decision,” he said. Since Congress failed to grant the President the version of the measure that he wanted, the minority leader said Marcos can veto it and return it to Congress so that lawmakers can polish the final version of the proposed Act. “In his point of view, he wants this measure. But he can veto it because Congress did not give him what he wanted,” he explained. “And for us who are against it, we can now find the time to involve the public in the discussion on Maharlika,” Pimentel said. “Because one of our complaints or our grounds for rejecting it is because we believe this bill was rushed,” he added. “By vetoing it, he (President) will be giving us more time (to study the measure). And since there would be more time, let’s involve the people here. Let’s bring it to Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao for the people to weigh in. This would be a plus point for him, if he vetoes it,” the Senate minority chief insisted. The two-manned Senate minority bloc, led by Pimentel and Sen. Risa Hontiveros have been insisting that the Maharlika bill is ill-conceived, ill-timed and needs time to be discussed by the whole Filipino people. Pimentel also pointed out that the final version of the measure has been tampered with, as there are specific provisions in the bill that were altered without plenary authority. Earlier, questions were raised over the conflicting Sections 50 and 51 of the bill, which set the prescription period for crimes at 10 years and 20 years. However, Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. told reporters the matter was already addressed in the printed copy of the bill. Bantug said the 10-year prescription period was retained and the two sections were merged.