Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero wants the Senate to focus on crafting laws that alleviate the daily burdens of Filipinos, guided by his vision, “Hayahay ang Buhay, Bayang Matiwasay.”
Escudero said that while the upper chamber will continue to pass business-friendly bills like the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) and tax cuts for the stock market, it will also ensure that laws benefiting the poor are passed concurrently with these initiatives.
“I have noticed that we have been passing a genre of laws that ease the burden on big business, pati ease of unloading bad loans of banks, may batas tayo diyan,” Escudero pointed out.
“It is time to reframe our work and pivot it to laws that make life easier for our people,” Escudero added, setting a clear directive for the Senate’s legislative agenda.
Escudero posed critical questions to emphasize his point: “Why only ease of doing business? Why not ease of finishing school, ease of finding work, or ease of getting healthcare when one is sick?”
Escudero made these statements following his first Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting as Senate President last Tuesday, where he met with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Speaker Martin Romualdez, Cabinet officials, and other leaders from the Senate and the House of Representatives.
According to Escudero, there is a need for legislation that addresses essential aspects of everyday life, ensuring all Filipinos have access to education, employment, and healthcare.
These new legislative priorities, he said, would focus on creating tangible benefits for the Filipino people.
“‘Yan ang mga pagtutuunan ng pansin ng Senado. Para ang resulta ay Hayahay na Buhay, Bayang Matiwasay,” he declared.
Meanwhile, Escudero reaffirmed the Senate’s commitment to passing critical legislation while maintaining rigorous scrutiny.
He assured that each measure listed in LEDAC’s Common Legislative Agenda would be thoroughly reviewed and moved forward to the President’s desk for signature.
“Let me assure you that each one of these bills in the common agenda will see the light of day on the Senate floor, so those passed can be sent to the President’s desk for his signature,” Escudero said.
Escudero stressed that the Senate will never sacrifice scrutiny for speed. “For the Senate, the phrase ‘deliberative body’ is not a slogan routinely spoken but a style of work religiously observed,” he said.
He detailed the Senate’s comprehensive process in handling proposed laws, which includes trimming lengthy provisions, reducing projected costs, testing for constitutionality, and addressing stakeholders’ concerns.
This process ensures that proposed laws are ready for implementation and can withstand any potential vetoes, he explained.
“Through this rigorous process, the Senate ensures that proposed laws are implementation-ready and veto-proof, especially on bills that have budgetary impacts, fiscal repercussions, and economic implications,” he said.
He cited the CREATE Law as an example of how legislative haste can lead to missed opportunities, underscoring the importance of thorough review.
Escudero pledged that the Senate would act diligently on LEDAC priority bills while also embracing innovation. “But with industry comes innovation. Expect the Senate to make amendments,” he noted.
He emphasized the Senate’s responsibility to not only process bills from other branches but also to initiate measures and generate solutions.
“We will also invoke our right, nay our duty, to initiate measures, because the people expect us not to be mere processors of bills originating from the outside, but incubators of ideas and solutions,” Escudero said.
