Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 9) — Minority Leader Koko Pimentel said the Senate should not be distracted with bills such as the creation of the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) and prioritize proposed measures for the improvement of the agricultural sector instead.
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Pimentel said tackling the bill on establishing a sovereign wealth fund will take up much of the Senate’s time, which should be used to discuss more important bills.
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“Everything to do with agriculture. ‘Yan ang buhusan namin ng oras [We should spend all our time there] because the problem is if we get distracted by this Maharlika Investment Fund, it will really eat up a lot of our time,” Pimentel told CNN Philippines’ The Final Word.
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Bills on increasing agricultural productivity, especially in relation to food and food items, should be given priority, Pimentel said.
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The senator hoped the MIF bill would not be among the priority bills but he promised a thorough scrutiny if it is deliberated upon at the Senate.
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“Unfortunately, since we will be subjecting this to very extensive questioning, we will be consuming or eating up a lot of official time of the Senate, that will be the cost,” he said.
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RELATED: Zubiri: Senate to study Maharlika fund bill with ‘fine-tooth comb’
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Senate Majority Floor Leader Joel Villanueva late in December revealed that the MIF bill would be among the Senate’s priorities in 2023, along with measures for the creation of the country’s first virology institute — the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. certified the MIF House bill as urgent on Dec. 15.
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