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Review and Outlook
Congress resumed
When Congress resumed on 11 November 2002, several important
legislative measures were still left hanging. In the Senate,
such legislative bills include Sustainable Management of Forest
Resources Act of 2001 (SB 1942), National Land Use Act (SB
1944), The Securitization Act of 2002 (SB 2095), Department
of Housing and Urban Development Act (SB 2133), amending the
Electric Power Industry Reform Act (SB 2140), Revised Public
Land Act of the Philippines (SB 2293) and the Transco franchise
bill (HB 4882). SBs 1942, 1944, 2095 and HB 4882 still have
to undergo interpellation while SBs 2133 and 2140 are still
in the period of interpellation.
Members of Bicam designated
With the absentee voting bill, the Special Asset Management
Companies (SAMC) Act of 2002 and the Dual Citizenship Bill
approved on third reading, legislators are tasked to settle
differences in the Senate and House versions in a Bicameral
Conference Committee meeting. Members of the bicameral conference
committee for consideration of the SAMC include Senators Magsaysay,
Jr., Recto, Arroyo, Legarda-Leviste, Osmeña III, Angara
and Osmeña, J. For consideration of the Absentee Voting
Bill, they designated Senators Jaworski, Pangilinan, Arroyo,
Barbers, Villar, Legarda-Leviste, Angara, Osmeña, J.,
Lacson, Aquino-Oreta and Pimentel, Jr.
The bicameral conference committee meeting for
consideration of the SAMC will be held on 18 November while
that of the absentee voting is set on 19 November.
Joint Resolution to defer Clean Air
Act filed
Congress filed joint resolutions to defer implementation of
a Clean Air Act of 1999 provision on reduction of benzene
and aromatic content in unleaded gasoline fuel. Senators Franklin
Drilon, Manuel Villar, Jr. and Loren Legarda-Leviste filed
Joint Resolution 10 on 16 October 2002. A public hearing is
set on 19 November 2002. Resource speakers include representatives
from major oil companies and environmental groups. Joint Resolution
10 authorizes the Philippine President to suspend the implementation
of a proviso of Section 26 (A) of the Clean Air Act for a
period not exceeding one year. The said proviso mandates that
by year 2003, the volume of aromatic content of unleaded gasoline
fuel must not exceed 35% while the volume of benzene must
not exceed 2%. This resolution is referred to the Senate Committees
on Environment and Natural Resources and Energy.
The resolution came about following concerns
regarding an impending oil price increase due to cost of importing
fuel and tensions between the US
and Iraqi governments during the past months. As it is, local
refineries and manufacturers do not produce unleaded gasoline
fuel with the required percentages and thus must resort to
importing fuel to comply with the proviso by the end of October
2002. If the said proviso is implemented, an expected increase
of 80 centavos to P1.50 per liter in prices of unleaded gasoline
fuel might ensue in December 2002. However, since the tensions
between Iraq and the US is expected to increase domestic oil
prices by 53 centavos to P1.25 or higher, the resulting price
of unleaded gasoline is estimated to have an increase of P1.33
to P2.75 per liter.
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