The Priority

 

Senate President  Franklin M. Dilon said today that among the priority agenda in the coming weeks will be the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) and the 2016 national budget.

Drilon said a caucus of senators has agreed that the BBL report would  be filed on August 10 and sponsored on August 11, while the interpellation will start on August 17 to give the senators time to study carefully all the proposals.

"We will not set any deadline on the interpellation, so everybody will be given a chance to review the report that will be submitted," Drilon said.

The Senate leaders said the Development Budget Coordination Committee will brief the Senate finance committee on the 2016 national budget, probably by August 17.

"We are committed to pass the budget by the end of session in December. We can have the budget in place by 2016, Drilon said.

Drilon also announced that Sen. Loren Legarda has been elected as chair of the Finance Committee. 

"She is one of the best vice-chairs of the Finance Committee. She has sufficient exposure, so we can hit the ground running with Sen. Loren. She will

assume the chairmanship immediately," Drilon said. 

The Senate caucus also agreed that individual senators may suggest a pet bill they want to pass.

The Senate’s priority agenda, Drilon said, apart from the 2015 national budget and the BBL, include the Public-Private Partnership Law or the amendments to the BOT (Built-Operate-Transfer) law, the amendments to the right-of-way, the Customs and Tariff Modernization Act, the DICT, the National Identification System, the PAG-ASA Modernization, TIMTA (Tax Incentives Management and Transparency Act), the Prepaid SIM Card Registration System Act, the Land Use Act, and the amendments to the PDIC charter. 

Drilon added that any senator can make the anti-dynasty bill his or her priority.

"I might even make it my own priority. I am 100% in support of the antidynasty bill."

The lawmaker said that even if the political season has started, "it doesn’t mean we will abandon our (legislative) work." –End-