Changing the words in MIF bill ‘behind closed doors’ is ‘tampering’ — Pimentel

by BeatRice Pinlac Inquirer.net

mANILA — Changing the words in the maharlika Investment fund (mIf) bill “behind closed doors” is tantamount to “tampering” with the proposed measure, senate minority Leader Koko Pimentel said on thursday, June 29.

this is the description given by senate minority Leader Koko Pimentel to the act performed by senate secretary renato Bantug Jr. Pimentel on thursday rebutted the assertion of senate President Juan miguel Zubiri. Zubiri had said there was “no sinister move to tamper with the measure.” s enate s ecretary r enato Bantug Jr. earlier said the double provisions on the prescriptive period of crimes and offenses were addressed by merging sections 50 and 51.

Pimentel, however, does not agree with him.

“What they did with maharlika is not usual. It is tampering. they changed the wording, amounting to changing the substance. Behind closed doors,” Pimentel said in a message to INQUIrer.net. “they changed the wording, amounting to changing the substance. Behind closed doors,” he stressed.

In doing so, Bantug had noted, the 20-year prescriptive period of section 51 was dropped and 10 years of section 50 was retained.

No bicam was held

Pimentel, a former s enate president, pointed out that in the legislative journey of maharlika bill, Congress skipped an important step when it failed to conduct a bicameral conference committee. he specified this was “the last opportunity to amend the differing versions of the house and the senate.” the senator said reconciling the senate and house versions of a bill is done “with participation and agreement” of representatives from both chambers. t he bicameral conference committee, then, submits its signed report to have it separately ratified in s enate and h ouse during plenary, Pimentel stated. t here was, therefore, no opportunity, no chance, no avenue to make any change in the senate version approved on third and final reading,” he observed. the minority lawmaker urged his colleagues: “We should give importance to the word ‘final.’ Compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges.”

Pimentel questioned Zubiri’s argument when the latter cited examples of bills that had previously been corrected after they were ratified by Congress.

“In senate President Zubiri’s examples, there were bicams held. hence, there were amendments, because that’s the purpose of the bicam – to ‘harmonize’ differing versions,” the minority leader explained.

“With maharlika, there was no bicam. there was, therefore, no opportunity, no chance, no avenue to make any change in the senate version approved on third and final reading,” he said.

After the maharlika bill was approved by senate in the wee hours of may 31, members of both chambers of Congress, including Zubiri and Pimentel, met at the manila Golf and Country Club for what was deemed as a “prebicameral meeting.” the maharlika bill seeks the creation of a wealth fund that government can supposedly use for investments. t he measure was certified urgent by President ferdinand “Bongbong” marcos Jr. m arcos said he would immediately sign the bill into law once it reaches the Palace. marcos, who had claimed the investment fund was his idea, said he would immediately sign the bill into law once it reaches the Palace. n

During the last senate session before Congress adjourned sine die, Zubiri said the meeting turned out to merely be a “lunch break.” the senate President said this because the house had already decided to adopt the reconstructed m aharlika bill of the upper chamber.

Gun culture

In Cebu last week, police armed with a court warrant raided the home of the barangay captain of Baclayan in Boljoon town, and arrested Elderson Han Baldezamo Mabalatan on gun charges. The police reported confiscating from the village chief two .45-caliber pistols and a hand grenade.

earlier on march 20, another village chairman who is president of the local association of barangay captains, Angelito de mesa of Barangay masaya in Bay, Laguna, was arrested following a police search of his home. the raiders reported seizing an m16 rifle equipped with a silencer and telescope, a 9mm machine pistol, ammunition and magazines for the guns.

the country has tough laws against illegal gun possession, with stiff penalties as provided under republic Act 10591, the Comprehensive firearms and Ammunition regulation Act passed in 2013. Yet loose firearms continue to proliferate, promoting deadly violence that has marred politics and elections.

In this part of Asia, the Philippines has the second highest intentional homicide rate, ranking only behind myanmar. Apart from thousands of drug suspects killed in the previous administration, the country has a long string of murders targeting activists, journalists and legal professionals. every electoral exercise in this country is marked by lethal violence, with candidates seeing murder

Babe’s Eye View

BaBe roMualDez

“BY preserving the Philippines’ diplomatic relationship with China, while strengthening ties with the United states and regional allies, marcos Jr. is performing a delicate balancing act.” this was how tokyo University of foreign studies lecturer Jenny Balboa described the foreign policy of President ferdinand marcos Jr. in her article titled, marcos Jr.’s delicate balancing act between China and the United states” published last April at the east Asia forum, an Australia-based international policy forum centered on the Asia Pacific region.

Being virtually at the center of the intensive competition between the United states and China, we obviously have to deal with both nations even as we also need to thresh out individual issues with them. however, there have been developments that indicate the willingness of both nations to continue to restart the conversation with each other, as seen in the recent visit of U.s state secretary Antony Blinken to Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who described the meeting as “very good,” saying that both sides “made progress and reached agreements on some specific issues.”

As President Xi himself acknowledged, the world needs the relationship between the two

Human Face

As we face the issue of whether or not the Philippines should accept some 50,000 refugees from Afghanistan that the United states government would be processing before they can become U.s. residents, one cannot help recalling the times our country became a halfway house, a foster home, so to speak, for those fleeing their homelands to seek friendly shores, if not the land oozing with milk and honey of their dreams. the Philippines was never their country of choice as a final destination, and that sort of hurts the Pinoy ego. Well, but had they stayed, they would have contributed to this country’s population explosion. (No offense meant.) Nonetheless, refugees fleeing their respective countries as the ultimate tool for eliminating political rivals. the massacre of Negros oriental governor roel Degamo and nine others at his home has been linked to his family’s feud with the rival teves clan. Deadly violence is employed even in races for the smallest unit of government, the barangay.

With the elections for the barangay and sangguniang Kabataan set this october, the Philippine National Police says it is monitoring at least 49 active and potential private armed groups across the country. Whether the PNP can actually crack down on those groups is another story. many private armies are maintained by influential politicians who are themselves keepers of large arsenals.

If a barangay captain can have an unlicensed grenade in his possession, think of what higher ranking officials are keeping. the alleged mastermind in Degamo’s murder, Negros oriental 3rd District rep. Arnolfo teves Jr., his two sons and his brother, Bayawan town mayor Pryde henry teves face charges over a cache of guns and explosives found in his property. Arnolfo teves said the weapons were planted by the raiders. the easy availability of all sorts of guns and even grenades plus the weakness of the criminal justice system have created a culture of violence