Gordon dismayed by veto of bill strengthening OSG

Sen. Richard Gordon (File photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Richard Gordon expressed dismay after President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed a bill aiming to expand the powers of Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).

“I worked hard on that,” Gordon, principal author of the measure, said in Filipino during an interview aired over AM radio station DWIZ on Saturday.

According to Gordon, the OSG itself drafted the bill, which would, among other things, raise the salaries and benefits of its members.

“Then it’s just vetoed. I had known, I would have just worked at the Red Cross, where I could have accomplished more,” Gordon, who is chairman of Philippine Red Cross (PRC), added.

In a veto message dated March 7, the President he vetoed the measure because “granting benefits beyond the current compensation framework for other government offices may prove to be too onerous to the government.”

READ: Duterte vetoes bill expanding powers of SolGen’s office

But, Gordon denied this would be the case, saying he was able to consult the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Finance (DOF) while crafting the measure.

“When the bill was drafted, we asked them if it would be OK with them,” he said.

Did the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) advise him about the veto message?

“No, no. That’s what I feel bad,” Gordon said.

Under the enrolled Senate Bill No. 1823 and House Bill No. 7376, the OSG would take over the functions of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), which is mandated to recover the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses.

The bill also seeks to allow the OSG to hire more lawyers and their increase benefits. /atm