Koko cautions vs hastened enactment of Executive-certified bills

Senator Koko Pimentel cautioned lawmakers on using presidential certifications in hastening approval of legislative measures as it may worsen the country's image.

In a Rotary Club of Manila meeting at the Manila Polo Club in Makati last Thursday, 28 September 2023, Pimentel said many legislative proposals are being pushed using certifications of urgency or priority by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Pimentel, who is with the two-member minority block in the Senate, said not a few Marcos allies in Congress appear to have used presidential certification as an excuse to skip extensive research and debates on legislative proposals following the passage of the Maharlika Investment Fund into law.

"Maharlika is a dangerous precedent in using presidential certifications. Our people and other countries might get the impression that the Philippines is always facing calamity or emergency. This is not a good image to be promoted," Pimentel warned.

The senator explained that the Constitution's intent on allowing presidential certification on legislative measures is "to address a public calamity or an emergency."

"High-ranking government officials were quoted in the news, saying Maharlika Fund's effects will be felt in four to five years. A legislative measure which starts contributing solutions to the problem in four to five years from now is not an emergency measure. It's a regular measure," Pimentel said.

As a primary requirement, Pimentel reminded lawmakers that legislative proposals must already be backed by compelling facts and sound mechanisms for implementation prior to Senate hearings.

Process as important as substance

"As with other things in life, process is just as important as substance," he stressed.

Supporters of the Maharlika Investment Fund contends that it will provide the government with copious funds for building high-impact infrastructure using capital from government financial institutions, namely Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines.

However, Pimentel said the fund's supporters have failed to show  "clear" purpose for the sovereign fund and protection against potential losses.

In his view, "the Maharlika Fund which lacks underlying assets is unjustified. As a result, I think it will result in more debts," he said.

In his speech before the Rotary Club of Manila last week, Pimentel urged the general public and the business community to share their insights on whether certain legislative proposals from government agencies should be prioritized.

"The best time to react is when bills are still in the pipeline, not after they were already passed into laws," he said.

Maharlika overtook 20 priority bills

"The enactment of the Maharlika Fund law overtook at least 20 priority legislative measures proposed by The National Economic and Development Authority to be passed this year," Pimentel added.

These priority bills include amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, the National Disease Prevention Authority Bill, the Internet Transactions Act, Medical Reserve Corps Bill, Virology Institute of the Philippines Bill, Mandatory ROTC and NSTP Bill, and Revitalizing the Salt Industry Bill.

Said law also pushed to one side the Valuation Reform Bill, E-Government Bill, Ease of Paying Taxes Bill, National Government Rightsizing Program Bill, Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension of Military and Uniformed Personnel, Local Government Units Income Classification Bill and the Waste-to-Energy Bill.