Senate boo-boo: Angara files bill that's already a law

Senator Edgardo Angara has filed a bill seeking to curb corruption in government offices by addressing bureaucratic red tape in the country. His aim was laudable, but the problem is, a similar bill, filed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, was passed into law three years ago. This was confirmed Monday by Lacson’s chief legislative officer, Cesar Salazar, in a statement. “As early as June 2, 2007, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9485, or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, into law. Senator Lacson was the author and sponsor of that measure, being the acting chair of the Senate civil service and government reorganization committee at the time," Salazar’s statement read. He said the government started implementing the law last year. Interviewed by reporters, Angara seemed unaware of the passage of such law. “Baka yung batas ko rin yun (Maybe I authored that also)," he said. He, however, said it doesn’t matter if there is already a similar legislation passed three years ago. “Kung meron na, wag na (If my proposal has already been passed into law, the Senate can just dismiss it)," he said. Angara, a veteran lawmaker, also expressed doubt that the law was effective. “Imbis na gumaganda, bakit sumasama kung meron na talaga (Instead of making the situation better, why is it getting worse even if there is already a law)?" Angara was the author of Ombudsman Law and the Government Procurement Reform Act. RA 9485 provides a five-day deadline for the completion of simple transactions, and a 10-day deadline for the completion of complex transactions that require background checks. It likewise penalizes heads of departments or offices who allow such transactions to lapse. The law also limits the number of document signatories to five, in contrast to past transactions that would have required more than 20 signatures. According to Senate Legislative Bills and Index Service Department (LBIS) director Antoinette Pelaez-Aristoza, some senators probably failed to verify whether their proposals have already been enacted into law. Senator Pia Cayetano has earlier stated that the Senate’s “antiquated" way of filing bills has paved the way for plagiarism and unnecessary competition among senators. Based on LBIS figures, a total of 2,355 bills and 67 resolutions have been filed by the senators of the 15th Congress. The Senate standing committees are expected to hear the bills. If the bill is passed up to the third reading, it is referred to the House of Representatives for concurrence. If the House approves the bill, its reconciled version is submitted to Malacañang for the President’s signature. - KBK, GMANews.TV