Senate chaos stalls priority bills

By Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel and Erika Mae P. Sinaking, Reporter

SEVERAL of the 52 priority measures identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) have stalled in the Senate, after three weeks of turmoil in the chamber disrupted the government’s legislative agenda.

Analysts said this could be remedied through the conduct of a special session, which will also allow President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to project a more coordinated government ahead of his State of the Nation Address (SONA), though the move also carries political risks if mishandled.

In the latest Statistical Report on Bills and Resolutions Filed and Acted Upon by the Senate, only 10 out of the 21 LEDAC priority measures have progressed in the Chamber, with six pending on second reading, three pending before the House of Representatives (HoR), and one measure, the Resetting the First Regular Elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region In Muslim Mindanao, enacted. 

Aside from the 21 priority measures, the LEDAC has also listed 31 remaining common legislative agenda, as of Feb. 10, including amendments to the Biofuels Act, General Tax Amnesty, Digital Payments Act, Blue Economy Act, and Excise Tax on Single-Use Plastics which the Senate has yet to approve.

The six LEDAC priority measures pending second reading in the Senate are the Expanded Anti-OSAEC And Anti-CSAEM Act, Party-List Reform Act, Independent People’s Commission Act, Banking Reform for Integrity, Good Governance, Honesty, And Transparency Act, People’s Freedom Of Information Act, and the Anti-Political Dynasty Act. 

The HoR on Wednesday passed on third and final reading their version of the anti-dynasty bill.

University of the East political science professor Eric Daniel C. de Torres attributed the delays in the passage of the measures on the Senate’s end to the chaos that transpired since May 11, marked by two leadership changes, a shootout, and arrest of a lawmaker.

He noted the new majority bloc, led by Senate President Pro Tempore and Acting Senate President Sherwin T. Gatchalian, could have taken up measures on June 3 before adjourning the session sine die.

“They have a quorum, as they perceive it [they] are the ‘new majority’ but why is it [that] they did not act on the work at hand instead [of] declaring adjourned sine die?” Mr. de Torres said via Messenger chat.

Since the session resumption in May, the Senate passed two LEDAC-listed bills such as the Philippine Geriatric Center Act and Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, alongside the Basic Education Voucher Program Act, all pending deliberation before the bicameral conference committee.

According to the Senate’s report, 11 priority measures have yet to be acted upon by the chamber, namely the Amendments to the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act, Amendments to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program Act, Amendments to the Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act, amendments to the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act, Waste-to-Energy Bill / Waste Treatment Technology Act, Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act — Energy Regulatory Commission Strengthening Bill, Amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law / Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment Act, Department of Water Resources Bill, Estate Tax Amnesty, Travel Tax Abolition, and Anti-Fake News and Disinformation Act.

SPECIAL SESSION
Before requesting the president to call for a special session, Mr. de Torres said the chamber must also first settle the leadership dispute and determine the LEDAC measures to be taken up.

Mr. Marcos’ openness to calling a special session of Congress could provide an opportunity to revive stalled legislative priorities, Carl Marc L. Ramota, a professor at the University of the Philippines Manila’s Department of Social Sciences, said.

“Calling a special session could help address legislative paralysis and save whatever is left of the President’s legislative agenda, including pushing for the passage of crucial economic relief bills,” he told BusinessWorld via a Facebook chat.

The Palace last week said Mr. Marcos is inclined to convene a special session should there be a formal request and sufficient justification.

Admin-backed Mr. Gatchalian said they are discussing the possibility of conducting a special session to tackle pending bills stalled by the Senate power struggle.

Analysts said the leadership row has contributed to disruptions in quorum and slowed down regular legislative activity, hindering the passage of urgent measures such as oil price relief initiatives, supplemental budget items, and the confirmation of pending military promotions.

Mr. Ramota said a successful special session could redirect public attention away from criticisms of government inaction but warned that the move could backfire if political divisions in Congress become more visible.

“If rival factions boycott the session, disrupt the quorum, or turn it into a political spectacle, as it already is, the administration will appear weak and lack control,” he said.

Mr. Ramota added that while the President has the authority to limit a special session to specific agenda items, failure to take decisive action could reinforce perceptions that the administration is entering a “lame-duck” phase despite having several years remaining in office.

Under the law, the President may call Congress to a special session at any time, allowing the Senate and House of Representatives to convene during recess or adjournment.

The mechanism is intended to address urgent national concerns, expedite priority legislation, or resolve critical bottlenecks in the lawmaking process.

Hansley A. Juliano, a political science lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University, said energy security issues would likely provide the strongest and least divisive justification for a special session.

He said that a clearly defined and urgent agenda would be essential to avoid perceptions of arbitrariness and to ensure that the exercise translates into meaningful legislative output.

“Just announce what the agenda is; a definite announcement should make it look more serious and decisive,” he said. “Calling these before SONA would emphasize need for reestablishing a more coordinated (Executive-Legislative) front to convince the public they are working.”

“Unfortunately, it does not look like they are still, especially since we have not been able to discipline the Duterte bloc senators,” he added.

The administration may view a special session as an opportunity to shape the political narrative ahead of the President’s annual state address, according to Voltaire Bohol, president of the August Twenty-One Movement.

“Trying to frame the special session to suit their narrative could be something they are planning especially since every time SONA comes, the Marcos admin have a hard time trying to report any positive thing they did in the last year or so,” he said via a Viber chat.

He said that public frustration over economic conditions and the government’s handling of the fuel situation could factor into perceptions of the move.

On the role of Congress, Mr. Bohol said a legislative initiative to convene a special session would carry greater political credibility than one perceived as purely executive-driven, as it would signal stronger internal consensus among lawmakers seeking to break the impasse.