The Senate will do away with the mandatory use of health masks at the opening day of the Second Regular Session of the 19th Congress on Monday, July 24.
Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri (Senate PRIB Photo)
Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri announced this during a DWIZ radio interview on Saturday, July 15, where he said he has done away with Covid-19 health protocols.
"Sabi ko nga lang we just do precautionary checks kung mayroong may ubo, sipon (We will just practice precautionary checks, if have coughs or colds…) Kung mayroong hindi magandang pakiramdam, dapat mag-self isolate na lang po at hindi na pumunta sa SONA (If one does not feel well, he or she has to self-isolate and not go to the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA on July 24),’’ he said.
At the opening session at the Senate in the morning of July 24, Zubiri said the Senate would not ask for RT-PCR and antigen tests.
"Pero doon yata sa House I think magpapakita pa rin yata ng vaccination card. Yun na lamang po ang hinihingi nila (But at the House of Representatives, one has to show his vaccination card. That is what they would ask for),’’ he pointed out.
The Covid-19 pandemic hit the country in early 2020 leading to the restriction of the movement of Senate personnel.
Zubiri emphasized that there would be no new rules "but it will be business as usual, we need to hit the ground running."
The Senate chief stressed that they need to pass many priority measures that the President is expecting to be passed by both Chambers.
"Marami pa po tayong hindi naipapasa, kailangan talaga magdouble time (We were not able to pass many bills and that is why we have to work double time)," he said.
He recalled that Senate and House leaders attended the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) and discussed the possible passage of about 20 bills.
Some of these bills pending at the Senate are the proposed amendment of the Build, Operate Transfer (BOT) law, the Public Private Partnership (PPP) law, National Disease Prevention Management Authority, Internet Transaction or E-Commerce Law, Medical Reserve Corps, Virology Institute of the Philippines, Mandatory ROTC (Reserved Officers Training Corps, revitalizing the Salt Industry, E-Governance Act, Valuation Reform and Ease of Paying Taxes.
He also said the Right Sizing Program is nearing approval while the Unified System of Retirement Pension or MUP is the most contentious.
"Medyo madugo dahil ayaw nating magalit ang military at police personnel sa atin na makakaltasan sila ng malaki (The MUP will be bloody because we don’t want the military and the police personnel whose pensions are proposed to be reduced)," he said.
‘’So naghahanap po tayo ng win- win solution para sa kanila (So we are looking for a win-win solution for them),’’ he pointed out.
"Pwede naman natin hindi pansinin ngayon, but the next administration sasakit ang ulo nila (We can delay implementing the proposed plans but it would be the next administration’s headache). Parang we have to act now, stop the bleeding before we reach the point na ang laki ng binabayaran natin (But we have to act now to stop the bleeding before we reach the point where our payment would balloon further),’’ he explained.
"It’s gonna be hundreds of billions of pesos. Baka ang mangyari niyan mas mataas na ang binabayaran natin sa pension, as bigger than the modernization budget ng AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) parang ganun ang mangyayari (What will happen is that the MUP pension would be bigger than the cost of the AFP Modernization program),’’ he added.
"And our dear (Defense) Secretary Gilbert Teodoro he is doing his best para makipagdayalogo sa ating mga sundalo (to dialogue with the soldiers) And same with the DILG (Department Interior and Local Government) kay Secretary Benhur (Abalos), he is also making dialogues with the PNP (Philippine National Police),’’ he added.