MANILA, Philippines — Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to not certify the Senate’s version of the Maharlika Investment Fund bill as urgent.
Marcos Jr. earlier certified House Bill No. 6608, the lower chamber’s version of the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund, as urgent.
“The certification of urgency gives the impression that it is urgent and we need to act on it immediately, if not rush it,” Pimentel told INQside Look on Thursday.
“So, I appeal to the Office of the President to withdraw the certification of the urgency of the Maharlika Investment Fund bill,” he added.
However, the House of Representatives approved the controversial measure in December last year.
Asked if he is instead calling on Marcos to not certify as urgent Senate Bill No. 1670, the upper chamber’s version of the Maharlika Investment Fund bill, Pimentel affirmed.
“Yes that would be the practical effect of my request. Not to certify the senate bill as urgent because it is not urgent,” he told INQUIRER.net in a text message.
The minority leader pointed out that Marcos did not mention the Maharlika fund during his campaign, State of the Nation Address, medium-term fiscal framework, nor in the legislative-executive priorities.
“So, question is: saan galing ito and all of a sudden certified pa?” he asked.
(So, the question is: where did this come from and all of a sudden it was even certified as urgent?)
Pimentel likewise thinks that Senate Bill No. 1670 and House Bill No. 6608, will not be green-lighted in the upper chamber.
“If I know my colleagues here in the Senate — at kilala ko naman talaga sila [and I really know them] — the present version will not pass this present Senate,” he said.
“I will make the bold claim that as far as the present version of the Maharlika fund bill is concerned, we are not in the minority. We are this group in the Senate finding that version insufficient, incomplete, confused, completely lacking in details and safeguards. That I think is the majority position in the Senate right now,” the senator went on.
