Federalism, rice tariffication among Duterte’s legislative agenda — Palace
BILLS on federalism, and rice tariffication were among President Rodrigo Duterte’s top legislative agenda for the third regular session of the 17th Congress, Malacañang said on Thursday.
In a press conference, Palace spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte intended to present the legislative agenda of his administration before delivering his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.
“Definitely federalism will be there. There’s rice tariffication, which is also an administration bill, which has not seen the light day,” Roque told reporters.
But Roque said he has yet to get hold of the list of the priority bills of the Duterte administration.
“We will give you a primer before the SONA itself, on the list of the legislative agenda to be submitted by the executive to Congress,” he said.
Duterte, during the campaign, had vowed to pursue a change in the form of government to federalism.
Roque said Duterte was expected to push for Charter change to pave the way for the federalism during his SONA.
He said the President intended to endorse the revised federal constitution drafted by the consultative commission as a priority measure to the two houses of Congress.
“Anyway, the SONA will be there. So the SONA will be the proper venue for him to lay out his legislative priority and I’m sure it will include Charter Change,” Roque said.
The President refused to head the transition commission that would oversee the shift to a federal government based on the draft constitution submitted by the committee.
Duterte instead offered to step down early to allow the election of a transition leader, saying he was tired to assume such a role.
Meanwhile, the government expects the rice tariffication to be passed into law by the second half of the year, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said.
Under the measure, the prescribed import volume will be removed and imports can eventually be opened to private traders.
“We expect the tariffication of rice to be in effect later this year – maybe second half of this year, because it’s an urgent legislative measure. That means [the]President wants it passed soon,” Pernia said in an interview.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), which is headed by Pernia, had cited the urgency to fast-track amendments to the Agricultural Tariffication Act. CATHERINE VALENTE
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