VILLAR: 12 BILLS LINED UP FOR APPROVAL

Senate President Manny Villar said 12 more measures seeking to uplift the lives of the citizenry are lined up for approval in the Senate.

These measures include the 2008 General Appropriations Act, the Personal Equity Retirement Act  (PERA), the Human Rights Compensation Act, the Credit Information Bureau, the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, the University of the Philippines Charter, the World Health Day, Firemen and Police Additional Incentives Act, World War II Veterans Assistance Act, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Term of Office, and two other AFP bills.

Approved on second reading yesterday were the Human Rights Compensation Act and the PERA bill. Also ratified was the RP-Spain treaty on the treatment of detained citizens of both countries.

During the Newsmakers' Forum held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ortigas, Villar said the Senate, with four weeks left in its legislative calendar before yearend, is also prioritizing the possible calendaring of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, and the ratification of the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and Australia.

Meantime, the Senate has already passed nine bills on third reading, Villar said, "and this is an accomplishment considering that normally, during the First Regular Session, the Upper Chamber is unable to pass measures," he said.

"As I have underscored, we are multi-tasking," the Nacionalista Party president said.

The nine measures passed by the Senate are:

• Legal framework on the presentation of suspects under the custody of law enforcement agencies to the media;

• An Act providing for good conduct time allowances to detention prisoners and those serving sentence by virtue of final judgment, appropriating funds therefor and for other purposes;

• An Act to provide for quality affordable medicines (Cheaper Medicines bill);

• An act providing for additional benefits and protection to househelpers, thereby amending for the purpose articles 141, 142, 143, 148 and 151 of chapter III of PD 442, as amended, otherwise known as the Labor Code of the Philippines;

• An Act to promote entrepreneurship by strengthening development and assistance programs to micro, small and medium-scale enterprises, amending for the purpose Republic Act 6977, as amended, otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Small Enterprises and for other purposes;

• An Act providing for stiffer penalties for the crime of theft and robbery of portable telecommunication devices;

• An Act to promote environmental awareness through environmental education, strengthening for this purpose section 53 of Presidential Decree No. 1152, otherwise known as the Philippine Environment Code and for other purposes;

• An Act expanding the promotion of breastfeeding, amending for the purpose Republic Act No. 7600, otherwise known as An Act providing incentives to all government and private health institutions with rooming-in and breastfeeding practices and for other purposes; and

• strengthening the judiciary by giving additional retirement benefits to judges and justices.

Villar said the Senate also remains committed to carrying out its check-and-balance function through various investigations of alleged government irregularities like the ZTE broadband deal and the bribery scandal.