Sotto takes a coffee break at Kapihan sa Manila Bay with Marichu Villanueva

October 29, 2020 02:21 PM

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto drops by Kapihan sa Manila Bay to give the public an overview of the Senate's activities until the end of the year. From the 2021 national budget to DPWH's alleged anomalies, Tito Sen shares a quick glimpse into his hectic agenda.

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto joins his friend, “Ichu” in Kapihan sa Manila Bay with Marichu Villanueva. 

Sotto began by thanking the public for his high approval and trust rate in the recent Pulse Asia survey where he ranked second, following President Duterte. He added that he enjoys getting feedback from the Filipino people, whether it be negative or positive. 

House passes the 2021 GAB to the Senate a day early 

The House of Representatives finally passed the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) to the Senate yesterday (October 27), a day earlier than Sotto’s suggested deadline. 

“Yesterday, I was so glad because we received it one day ahead of our agreement of October 28,” Sotto said, referring to his request to House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco for the GAB to be passed by October 28. 

The national budget is often transmitted to the Senate within the first week of October, Sotto said; however, due to the weeks-long speakership row between Alan Peter Cayetano and Velasco, along with other unresolved amendments during their second reading, the House’s passage of the GAB was delayed. 

Senate runs on a tight schedule to pass 2021 budget

When Senate resumes on November 9, Sotto expects the Senate’s subcommittees to have enough time to assess and submit their respective reports to the main Finance Committee. He added that since most of them tend to work overtime, he expects the measure to be sponsored on the floor by November 10. 

November 11 to 17 will be the period of interpellations for the Senate body. This also means Sotto and the other lawmakers will be working long hours—most likely until 1 a.m., he estimated. This is to ensure that by November 24, they will begin the period of amendments and approval on the second and third reading. 

On December 8, the Senate President hopes the bicameral report is approved. Afterward, he said printing will take a week, and then the enrolled bill will be signed by congressional leaders. 

The President is expected to sign the bill before Christmas—or by the end of the year, at the latest. 

“We're keeping our fingers crossed that barring unforeseen circumstances, we'll be able to keep to these schedules that I mentioned,” said the Senate President. 

Sotto apprehensive on the bill’s bicam 

“Nangyari kasi in the past, na pagdating sa bicam, di kami nagkakasundo sa House—yung kanilang amendments at ang aming amendments,” Sotto said. 

(It happened before, where during the bicam, the Senate’s and House’s amendments didn’t concur.)

There will only be complications if they see amendments that “stick out like a sore thumb”, said Sotto. 

He recalled the time Senator Panfilo Lacson blocked an appropriation of P8.3B for the Department of Public Works and Highways’s (DPWH) projects intended in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) back in 2016. 

“Madaming eagle eyes sa amin eh, nangunguna na si Senator Ping,” said Sotto. 

He ensured that the Senate will scrutinize the budget before passage, which means analyzing if there are any “pork barrel” or other doubtful appropriations. 

Despite his apprehensions, the senator said he is confident the bill will be passed on time. 

Doktor Para sa Bayan bill passed third reading

When the Senate discovered the P8.3-B lump sum for ARMM, no one wanted to claim it, Sotto said. 

When the Senate took it away from the budget, they had to place it somewhere else. Sotto said that was what funded the free tertiary education for State Universities and Colleges in the Philippines. 

Originally, Sotto intended to allocate the funds for the Doktor Para sa Bayan bill. The senator believes there are far too many lawyers in the country, yet it sorely lacks doctors. 

Currently, the bicameral conference committee report of the Doktor Para sa Bayan bill has already been approved by Houses and just awaiting the signature of Congressional leaders.

On the leadership of Velasco 

The Senate tries to be cooperative, said Sotto. 

He said that their relationship with the previous speaker, Cayetano, was already good, and now with Velasco, he does not see any problems. 

Sotto also added that he finds it easy to talk to Velasco since the two have known each other for a long time. 

The Senate President was very pleased with Velasco when he promised the House will “do its best” to pass the GAB before the end of October—which they had achieved a day early. 

PhilHealth’s probe continues 

The Senate already furnished the Department of Justice (DOJ of its approved committee report to aid the latter’s investigation on PhilHealth, Sotto said. 

He added that the House’s report concurs with the findings of the Senate. 

“Mas mabigat ang dating niyan sa Ombudsman, sa DOJ, sa mga korte… because it’s a Senate Report.” 

(That’s more substantial in the eyes of the Ombudsman, the DOJ, in courts… because it’s a Senate Report)

Despite the Senate’s recommendation, the President still vouched for DOH Secretary Francisco Duque in his public address last Monday. 

As far as the Senate report is concerned, said Sotto, there was negligence. He noted that there was a violation of Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code which states that even if there is no proof that a public officer exhibited corrupt behavior if their job mandates them to handle public funds, they are still liable for the crime of malversation in their office. There are violations not only in PhilHealth but also in DOH, Sotto added. 

The senator agreed that there will be more suspensions to come as the PhilHealth investigation progresses. 

“It’s about time our government officials shape up. We already gave the President a new law which I principally authored with four other senators… authorizing the President to expedite the processing of permits. Isa sa pinanggagalingan ng corruption yan (That’s one of the sources of corruption).” 

Only 1 permit needed to construct cell towers

There are 100 million people in the Philippines, and yet there are only 17,000 cell sites, and the providers still have to share them, said Sotto.

In Bayanihan 2, it’s stated that the construction of cell towers will now only need one permit from the city hall. “Basta may lote na pumayag, (As long as there’s an available lot)” Sotto added. 

Although it is not written in Bayanihan, Sotto said it is implied that the measure could continue on even after the pandemic since they can easily come up with a law that extends its validity. 

“We will not soft-pedal on DPWH”—Sotto 

The subcommittees are already working on it, Sotto said, pertaining to their scrutiny into the billions worth of lump sum funds for DPWH in their 2021 budget. 

“We will not soft-pedal on DPWH,” he added. 

Once the GAB arrives, the subcommittees can compare it with the existing National Expenditure Program (NEP), said Sotto. According to him, this will make their analysis easier. 

He assured the public that once the budget is approved by the Senate, there will be no more lump-sum funds, and if there were, they would have already allocated it somewhere more appropriate. 

Bills passed by the 18th Congress

Since June 2019, the 18th Congress had passed 12 bills into law. There are hundreds of other local bills they were able to approve and ratify said Sotto, however, the twelve are of national importance. These include the Salary Standardization Law, excise tax on alcoholic products, amendments to the Act Lengthening the School Calendar, and GMRC and Values Education Act, among others. 

He also noted there are many committee reports that had passed the third readings and are pending in the House—one of them being the night shift differential pay, said Sotto. 

As for local bills, Congress approved bills that upgraded hospitals, granted franchises, and other miscellaneous measures. Some of these include the San Miguel franchise for the Bulacan airport, and a bill transferring the capital and seat government of the Province of Rizal to the City of Antipolo, just to name a few.

Sotto strongly pushed for a law that provides a separate facility for inmates who had committed heinous crimes – a bill that has already been approved by the Senate but still pending in the House. He said it is his solution if the death penalty does not push through in the Philippines. 

The Senator also hopes their amendments for the penalty for perjury get approved. From four months to two years, the Senate proposed longer jail time from six years to ten years for those who lie under oath.