Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — As legislators turn their attention to the election campaign, important bills are still waiting to be passed.
Among these are the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), Salary Standardization Law (SSL), Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, Anti-Dynasty bill, and the voting to override the president’s veto on the Social Security System (SSS) pension hike. Some are priority legislations of the Aquino administration.
Related: Senior citizens, group blast House for ‘preventing’ SSS veto override
Senate President Franklin Drilon said that if it wasn’t for the Mamasapano incident, Congress would have passed the BBL.
But there is still hope.
“The BBL is not the be-all and end-all of the peace process,” Drilon said. “The comprehensive agreement on peace is still there.”
Related: 9 session days left to pass Aquino admin’s priority bills before campaign
Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile says the crafters of the draft BBL mangled the constitution. He doesn’t believe the proposed law would bring peace in Mindanao. Rather, it would create a bigger problem — and even lead to civil war.
The House of Representatives suffers from constant, some say deliberate, absenteeism. It’s not moving to override the President Benigno Aquino III’s veto on the pension hike bill.
The SSL is stuck in the bicameral conference committee after members could not agree on the payments to police and military pensioners.
Drilon is suggesting that President Aquino exercise his authority to mandate salary increases for those in active service. Funding would come from a P59-billion budget in the 2016 General Appropriations Act.
Enrile is dissatisfied with the senate’s performance. He says “politics in aid of election” is the reason more local bills are passed in the chamber than those that have national impact.
“We are supposed to hold sessions at 3 p.m. What time do we get together? At 3:30 p.m. at the earliest,” Enrile recounted. “what happened yesterday? How many senators? Cayetano, Bam, Koko, the Senate president, JV, and I and Nancy… The rest were gone, why?”
So when session resumes on May 23, what are the chances these bills be tackled?
Well, not much.
Drilon says that when senators they come back from the elections, the chamber will act as the National Board of Canvassers. As to when they will finish the canvassing is still up in the air.
There will only be nine sessions left before the 16th Congress adjourns. Just getting a quorum will be an issue for both houses.
If legislators fail to pass the administration’s priority bills, these will be archived and lost forever — unless someone in the next congress takes interest and refiles them.
CNN Philippines’ Anna Estanislao contributed to this report.
