SENATE RESUMES SESSION

 The Senate resumes its sessions on Tuesday, November 3, after a month-long legislative break to finish up priority legislation still pending in the 16th Congress.

Senate President Franklin  M. Drilon said the passage of the 2016 national budget and the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law will be on top of the Senate’s agenda when they return tomorrow.  

Drilon said that the Senate is set to start soon their deliberations on the proposed P3.002 trillion national budget for 2016, noting that the House of Representatives have already passed their version of the 2016 General Appropriations Act on third reading last October 9, and have already transmitted it to the Senate.

 Drilon vowed that as they have consistently done so in the last five years, “the Senate will pass the 2016 budget on schedule for the unimpeded and timely delivery ofgovernment services next year.”

  He also said that they will resume working on the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which is currently pending on second reading at the Senate floor: “We will continue to work hard on it so hopefully, it will hurdle the Senate before the year ends.”            

Drilon pointed out that the Senate has made a priority and will strive to pass the proposed act increasing the monthly pension under the Social Security System (SSS), a measure which he is personally supporting.

The Senate leader will also continue to push the passage of other priority measures, like the Customs and Tariff Modernization Act, the Public-Private Partnership Act, and the amendments to the charter of the -Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC)./MP