Palace bares list of priority bills
Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on Monday bared the list of priority bills that President Benigno S. Aquino III will present to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting to be held this month.
Ochoa said 12 of the 17 proposed measures had already been drafted, while the remaining proposed measures were in the final stages of drafting.
In an interview over dzMM, the Executive Secretary said among the priority legislation Malacanang will submit to the LEDAC were the promotion of fiscal discipline in government-owned or -controlled corporations, reforms in the land administration and creation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Amending the BOT Law, extending the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as well as defining maritime zones and establishing archipelagic sea-lanes in the country are also part of the legislative agenda of the Aquino Administration, he said.
According to Ochoa, the priority bills are envisioned to steer the country to human development, infrastructure development, economic development, sovereignty and security, and good governance—all of which are consistent with the 16-point agenda of the administration.
“We have clustered the priority bills under five areas of concern. Of these five key areas, human development is the primary, but we cannot discount or treat as independent one cluster from the other,” Ochoa pointed out.
At the same time, Ochoa said, the President has not changed his position on the proposed legislation for responsible parenthood.
“The President has not backtracked on this (Responsible Parenthood Bill). We are aware of the sensitivity of this issue and the President is keen on listening to all sectors concerned,” the Executive Secretary said.
He said this proposed bill was still being studied and consultations with concerned sectors and stakeholders were still ongoing and the results from which will be incorporated before coming out with a final version for consideration by Congress.
The 17 priority bills were selected from at least 180 proposed measures earlier received by the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office from various departments and the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce of the Philippines.
There were proposals that were dropped from the initial list of priority bills because these proposals needed further study. But these proposals may already be included in the next batch of priority measures to be submitted to lawmakers.
Ochoa noted that the President did not want to hold up the LEDAC meeting and the presentation of the draft bills while provisions of the other proposed legislation were being finalized. (PCOO)
Ochoa to Cimatu, other officials: Cooperate in corruption probe
Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on Monday reiterated the government’s call for members of the military, particularly former chief of staff and now special envoy to the Middle East Roy Cimatu, to cooperate with ongoing investigations into the allegations of corruption in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
According to Ochoa, the President will not prohibit “any member of the Cabinet or the bureaucracy” from participating in separate inquiries and investigations being conducted by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Reiterating President Benigno Aquino III’s commitment to stamp out corruption in government, Ochoa said the Chief Executive had even directed the Department of National Defense (DND) to conduct a formal investigation into the military corruption claims that were disclosed at the congressional hearings. The Palace has also ordered that the government extend protection to individuals who come forward to provide information with regard to allegations of corruption in the military.
“Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin is currently focused on addressing the allegations of those who have testified in Congress, and they have already formed their own panel to conduct a formal investigation,” the Executive Secretary said.
On January 28, Gazmin issued Department Order (DO) 22, creating a four-man panel to “investigate and inquire on the irregularities and corrupt practices of Maj. General Carlos F. Garcia and others.” The probe team, headed by the chief of the Office for Legal Services of the DND, Patrick M. Velez, has been given 30 days to investigate claims linking former military top brass to graft and corruption.
The panel intends to invite Angelo Reyes, Roy Cimatu and Diomedio Villanueva, former military chiefs of staff who have been accused of receiving multi-million pesos in “sendoff” gifts taken from the AFP coffers. Whistle-blowers Lt. Col. Rabusa, former state auditor Heidi Mendoza, and Lt. Col. Antonio Lim will also be invited to the probe.
The DND panel is tasked to recommend possible administrative and criminal charges, as well as disciplinary actions, against erring officers.
Ochoa said the cooperation of members of the Armed Forces was necessary to investigate and verify charges of corruption against ranking officers of the military and that they were duty-bound to report corruption in their ranks.
“We recognize that there is a military hierarchy, but our call for our soldiers to speak out on corruption is consistent with the chain of command. The President is the Commander in Chief; if a soldier knows his superiors are engaged in graft, it is his duty to report wrongdoing to the authorities, not to keep silent,” Ochoa explained.
The Executive Secretary added that the Administration would maintain its zero-tolerance policy with regard to corruption, particularly that in the military. He likewise stressed that the military continued to enjoy the respect and confidence of the President, who is aware that the alleged anomalies in the AFP were individual acts.
“The important thing is that our military as a whole should not be condemned for the alleged acts of certain individuals, for it is our soldiers who pay the price when military funds are misused. We continue to believe that the majority of our troops are truly honorable men and women who will not hesitate to put their lives on the line in the defense of their country.” (PCOO)
LEDAC to convene Feb. 28 - Lacierda
President Benigno S. Aquino III will convene the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council, the first ever under his administration, on Feb. 28, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said on Monday.
In a press conference in Malacañang this afternoon, Lacierda said the government’s 12 priority bills will be presented during the meeting.
The 12 priority bills, he said were crafted from the discussions and consultations made by the five working groups created by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa namely: human development; infrastructure development; economic development; sovereign, security and rule of law; and good governance.
Below is the list of President Aquino’s priority bills:
I. Human Development (4 Bills)
a. An Act creating the Department of Housing and Urban Development (DHUD), defining the mandates, powers and functions, providing funds therefore, and for other purposes
b. An Act rationalizing the night work prohibition on women workers, thereby amending Articles 130 and 131 of Presidential Decree # 442 as amended, otherwise known as the Labor Code of the Philippines
c. An Act enhancing the curriculum and increasing the number of years for basic education, appropriating funds therefore and for other purposes
d. An Act providing a definite targeting strategy in identifying the poor, amending republic act no. 7875, otherwise known as The National Health Insurance Act of 1995 as amended, and for other purposes
II. Infrastructure Development (1 Bill)
An Act further amending certain sections of republic act no. 6957, as amended by Republic Act No. 7718, Entitled “An Act authorizing the financing, construction, operation and maintenance of infrastructure projects by the private sector, and for other purposes,” appropriating Funds for the said purpose, and for other purposes
III. Economic Development (1 Bill)
An Act rationalizing the grant and administration of fiscal incentives for the promotion of investments and growth, and for other purposes
IV. Sovereignty, Security and Rule of Law (4 Bills)
a. An Act to establish the archipelagic sea lanes in the philippine archipelagic waters, prescribing the rights and obligations of foreign ships and aircrafts exercising the right of archipelagic sea lanes passage through the established archipelagic sea lanes and providing for the associated protective measures therein
b. An Act to define the maritime zones of the Republic of the Philippines
c. An Act to strengthen the modernization of the Armed Forces of The Philippines, extending the implementation of the modernization program of the AFP, instituting necessary reforms in the AFP, amending for the purpose certain provisions of Republic Act No. 7898, otherwise known as the AFP modernization act and for other purposes
d. An Act resetting the date of the regular elections for elective officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Synchronizing the ARMM Elections with the synchronized national and local elections 2013, amending for the purpose Republic Act No. 9333, Entitled “An Act Affixing the Date for Regular Elections for Elective Officials of the ARMM Pursuant to RA 9054” Entitled “An Act to Strengthen and Expand the Organic Act for the ARMM, amending for the purpose RA 6734, Entitled An Act Providing for an Organic Act for the ARMM, as Amended,” and for other purposes
V. Good Governance (2 Bills)
a. An Act instituting reforms in land administration
b. An Act to promote financial viability and fiscal discipline in Government-Owned or Controlled Corporations and to strengthen the role of the state in its governance and management to make them more responsive to the needs of public interest and for other purposes. (PCOO)
