VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 22:21:47 11/19/12 Mon
Author: IMRD
Subject: Nov 20, 2012 news

http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/7112-rh-bill-taken-up-sin-tax-in-limbo

RH bill taken up; sin tax in limbo
• Written by Angie M. Rosales
• Tuesday, 20 November 2012 00:00
• font size decrease font size increase font size
• Print
• 1 comment
Rate this item
•
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
(2 votes)
Senators yesterday found themselves engaged in debates on the controversial reproductive health (RH) again instead of the anticipated approval of the sin tax bill
The sin tax measure, which Sen. Franklin Drilon said was certain to be passed yesterday but which did not push through, is seen to provide the government’s coffers with some P40 billion to P45 billion incremental revenues from higher excise taxes.
Senate members were virtually lured into resuming deliberations on the RH bill by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile as he took up the challenge posed by one of the sponsors of the measure, Sen. Pia Cayetano, to present his amendments on the measure which he initially refused to do last Tuesday.
Enrile was prompted by what he claimed on the floor were baseless accusations hurled at him by Cayetano and her co-sponsor, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, after he had turned down the call to introduce his pending amendments as he was not ready at that time.
“Indeed, I was not ready at that time,” Enrile said when he took the floor on a matter of personal privilege.
“Much has been said about the desire of the sponsors of the RH bill for the Senate to dispose the final voting on the proposed measure with alacrity. Much has been said also about the alleged effort of those of us who are perceived to be opposed to the present version of the RH bill to thwart the final voting on it. This despite my acceding to the sponsors’ request for me not to proceed with any further interpellation after she once again accused me of delaying the deliberations of the bill.
“No one in this chamber should be unduly rushed into accepting hook, line and sinker every data or assumption presented to us. We should not impute at all ill motives against those who are opposed to your personal position and issues such as this one which has far reaching implications on the future of this country and her people.
“It seems that my honest statement was received with skepticism, or worse, (alleging that I am) holding the bill hostage. I was perceived as delaying the final disposition of the measure by the Senate.
“To put an end to all, all these baseless accusations especially coming from two of my lady colleagues, I’m ready to present my amendments if this chamber will allow me; allow the RH bill to be taken first before any pending measure in this house of the Senate,” he said.
Cayetano, while she was earlier quoted announcing before Senate reporters last Thursday that she will insist for a continuation of the period of amendments on the bill when they resume plenary sessions yesterday, was apparently taken aback by the move taken by the upper chamber leader.
Based on her explanation on the floor, Cayetano decided at the last-minute, to defer to the wishes of another colleague, Senator Drilon, who is sponsoring the bill increasing the rates of sin taxes on alcoholic drinks and tobacco products, as the measure is due for second and third reading, based on the latter’s timetable.
“I would like to propose an amendment to the motion (of Enrile). As a sponsor, I’m always ready to take up the bill. However, I have also given my commitment to the sponsor of the sin tax that I will patiently support and allow the sin tax bill to be taken up first thing in the day. So what I propose, because my understanding was, we will take it to the its conclusion today hopefully, that we take this up after,” Cayetano said, adding that she’s more than happy to accommodate not only Enrile but also Sen. Ralph Recto who likewise has pending amendments to the bill.
The two senators, Cayetano previously claimed, were the only ones left among those who had lined up for interpellations.
But Enrile would not hear of her excuses or even allow Cayetano to amend his motion, to which by Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III had objected as well.
“So I ask for a vote. I delivered a personal privilege speech, I asked the floor and I was granted the floor, I made a motion and it was accepted, seconded...there was an objection, I’m entitled to a vote on my motion,” he said.
“I must confess that it has taken me some time to study once again the RH bill because unfortunately for me, I have an impaired vision and I had to enlarge the font of the RH bill in order for me to go over it and prepare my amendments and I have quite a number of amendments. And I’m ready to take the floor this aftrnoon to present the amendments if the plenary session of the Senate will allow me to do it,” Enrile explained.
Sotto’s opposition to Enrile’s call was due to the fact that the matter concerning RH bill is not included in their agenda for the day, as they’re supposed to take up the sin tax bill.
“I have to put it on record that I object on the grounds that in the House of Representatives, they are practically finished with the budget and the sin tax bill, they can take up the RH bill but they’re not taking it up.
“In the Senate, we have an agenda, we have the sin tax bill, we have the budget to be taken up and we want to discuss the RH bill. But that again, I leave it to the body, just for the record, I’m sorry Mr. Senate president, I disagree,” Sotto said.
Drilon entered the picture as he pleaded to colleagues to put aside the bill and instead proceed with the sin tax bill to expedite the process as it will enable him to sponsor Monday the proposed P2.006-trillion national budget for 2013.
“I would plead to everyone to give us the opportunity to vote on the sin tax. If at the end of the day, we have a version which is unacceptable to the committee, I will accept the vote and say that this is now the version approved by the Senate. We just want to put this aside so that when we debate on the budget starting tomorrow. We know how much will go to the unfunded portion of the budget as that is the budget provides under the portion of an unfunded program, a P13.5 billion for the Philhealth program. That’s all we are requesting,” Drilon said.
“I would like to make it of record that I have no intention to delay the discussion on the sin tax bill. But I assure you that it will not take me more than 20 minutes to present my amendments. There are 17 amendments that I will present and it’s up to the sponsors if they will accept or not but if they will not accept my amendment, I will ask for a division of the house. It will not take long and I would suggest that we sacrifice a little bit and we’ll hold the session until midnight tonight,” Enrile responded.
At least 11 senators sided with Enrile and only three voted against his call.
The supposed 20-minute discussion extended to nearly three hours with the last hour and a half eaten up by Recto, who proceeded in debating with Cayetano after Enrile moved to continue with the debates with Cayetano on another date.
Recto, for his part, duplicated Enrile’s moves even as he had already furnished Cayetano a copy of his proposed amendments to the bill last Thursday as he previously promised.
“I did also promise the distinguished lady last week that I will take this up today, if that will be part of the agenda, amendments to the RH bill. In fact I already submitted my amendments to the distinguished lady last Thursday if I’m not mistaken, an advance copy which is rarely done in the Senate, just to show that I am prepared to take up any bill, whether it’s the RH or the sin tax bill,” he said.
The senators were called to a halt by Drilon as he appealed anew for a suspension of consideration of the bill and take up the sin tax measure instead.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]
[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.