Senate eyes passing rightsizing bill before 19th Congress adjourns

The Senate of the Philippines is eyeing the passage of a measure proposing the rightsizing of the national government before the 19th Congress adjourns its session in June.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said the chamber will prioritize passing Senate Bill 890 (SB 890) or the Rightsizing National Government Act.

Escudero, who authored and sponsored SB 890, said the chamber is aiming to speed up the process of interpellation on the measure when the plenary session begins next week.

“We want to address most, if not all, of the possible concerns that could be raised on the rightsizing bill during the period of interpellations,” he said.

“Once we get all the submissions from the relevant agencies, we will incorporate these in the substitute bill and use these as the basis for our forthcoming debates next week,” he added.

One particular concern being raised on the rightsizing bill is the possible downsizing of the bureaucracy, which Escudero described as a misconception.

“Rightsizing is about streamlining the bureaucracy. It also means the possible creation of new positions, new offices, upgrading and upscaling personnel to help them fill much-needed positions and put them on the path toward career advancement,” he pointed out.

For Escudero, the objective of rightsizing is “about saving money” but being “able to deliver services to the people more efficiently.”

He said a substitute bill would be submitted on January 3, which would include all the changes and issues that need to be addressed.

“We have more or less three weeks left before we go on break for the elections, so we need to work fast if we want to have this measure approved in the 19th Congress,” Escudero said.

The Senate is set to resume its regular session on January 13 and will go on break from February 8 to June 1 for the campaign period of the May 2025 midterm elections.

Sessions will then resume on June 2 and will continue until June 13, when the 19th Congress adjourns sine die.

Escudero noted the rightsizing bill, a priority measure of the Marcos administration, is intended to minimize redundancies, eliminate functions that are teeming with duplications, and simplify rules, regulations, and processes.

Exempted from the rightsizing program are the legislature, judiciary, constitutional commissions, the Office of the Ombudsman, local government units, military and uniformed personnel, and teaching-related positions in the education sector.

“While they are not covered by the rightsizing program, they are enjoined to rightsize their respective offices in order to improve the overall efficiency in their operations,” Escudero explained.

The House of Representatives approved its rightsizing bill in March of 2023.

Once the Senate passes its version of the measure, the bicameral conference committee meetings will immediately follow “to thresh out the conflicting provisions of their respective bills.”