Sotto proposes additional session days for Congress
May 18, 2021 10:45 AM
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III proposes to increase the number of session days for Congress.
“I will propose to have sessions on Thursdays which we had in the old Congress so we can have 12 days instead of 9."
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III announced the priority bills for Congress once its sessions resume on May 17.
He also proposed to add more session days, since they will only have less than a month to work on several measures before Congress adjourns from June 5 to July 25.
“I will propose to have sessions on Thursdays which we had in the old Congress so we can have 12 days instead of 9,” Sotto told reporters on Thursday.
The Senate, at present, only holds plenary sessions from Mondays to Wednesdays. Several of Sotto’s fellow lawmakers supposed his suggestion for extended session days.
Senator Panfilo Lacson said he “will support this move of the Senate leadership.”
Senators Sonny Angara and Grace Poe also echoed Lacson’s support.
Priority bills
According to the Senate chief, one of the priority bills from President Rodrigo Duterte is the proposed creation of the Overseas Filipinos Department (DOFil), which will effectively absorb the duties of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Commission on Filipino Overseas (CFO), the International Labor Affairs Bureau of the Department of Labor and Employment, and the National Reintegration Center for OFWs.
Aside from the latter, among the priority measures are the Public Service Act and the Retail Trade Act.
