Senate awaits Palace push on water department

Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri. (Photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Saturday said the Senate was not keen on working on the passage of a law creating the Department of Water without a push from Malacañang to make it one of the priority measures of the administration.

Zubiri said Congress has to get the assurance that its efforts will not be in vain with a possible presidential veto as the executive department has already shown reluctance over the creation of more agencies and fatten the burgeoning bureaucracy.

“With the concern of the [Department of Budget and Management (DBM)] about rightsizing the bureaucracy, and since we all know that if it’s the DBM and the Department of Finance that makes a position, the chances of creating the DWM becomes bleak, and it will just be a waste of our work in Congress if the President just vetoes it,” he said.

“If we have an assurance from the President that it will be supported then definitely we have to approve it 100 percent,” Zubiri added.

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—MELVIN GASCON