Senate bill vs enforced disappearance approved

The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill penalizing perpetrators of enforced or involuntary disappearances before adjourning early due to the inclement weather.

Fifteen senators approved on third and final reading Senate Bill 2817 shortly before Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile approved Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III’s motion to terminate the session early in view of the heavy rains.

“We should let the employees go home because they might get marooned,” Enrile said.

The bill, authored by Sen. Francis Escudero, imposes a jail term of 20 to 40 years on perpetrators of disappearances, which are currently classified under kidnapping, murder or illegal detention.

It also affords a detained person the right to immediately inform their families, relatives or lawyers about their whereabouts, and prohibits the issuance by authorities of “order of battles” for members of rebel groups.

During Tuesday’s brief session, the Senate also elected Sen. Antonio Trillanes as a member of the Senate Electoral Tribunal.

Meanwhile, Sen. Joker Arroyo praised President Aquino’s promise that Congress would enact the human rights compensation bill and that he would submit the 2012 National Expenditures Program to Congress early.

Arroyo observed that a compensation bill for rights victims was enacted by the 13th Congress during the Arroyo administration, but the House of Representatives failed to act on it.

“The compensation for those who suffered and were victimized during the martial law years is long overdue—25 years. Many of them are now dead, others are enfeebled,” he said in a statement, referring to close to 10,000 persons who disappeared, were tortured or executed during the Marcos regime.

With Mr. Aquino’s pronouncement in Monday’s State of the Nation Address, the bill has become an administration measure, and its “passage is assured,” the senator said.

“The 25-year wait will be over,” Arroyo said.

The compensation fund, kept at the National Treasury, has grown to P11.5 billion, he said in an interview.

Arroyo also welcomed the President’s scheduled submission of the proposed budget to Congress Tuesday.

“With its submission today, Congress has no reason not to enact it before the year ends, thus avoiding a reenacted budget for the operation of the government,” he said.

“The ball is now in Congress’ court to act on it judiciously and expeditiously,” he added.