SESSION NO. 51 Wednesday, January 31, 2018; SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND REGULAR SESSION

1. CIAL
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
Pasay City
Journal
SESSIO N NO. 51
W ednesday, January 31, 2018
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND REGULAR SESSION

2. SESSION NO. 51
Wednesday, January 31,2018
CALL TO ORDER
At 3:30 p.m., the Senate President, Hon. Aquilino
“Koko” Pimentel III, called the session to order.
PRAYER
Sen. Gregorio B. Honasan led the prayer, to wit:
Ania namin,
Sa harap ng mga banta sa kapaya-
paan at kaayusan, kalayaan, katotoha-
nan, at ang buhay ng anting mga kaba-
taan, gabayan po Ninyo kami upang mag-
kaisa at manatiling tapat sa aming sinum-
paang tungkulin na pangalagaan ang kara-
patan at kapakanan ng ma/namayan.
Tulungan po Ninyo kami upang
maging mapagmahal sa Inyo, sa Inang
Bayan, at sa kapwa.
Bigyan po Ninyo kami ng kalooban
at tatag ng paninindigan upang patuloy
na mapalaganap ang pag-unawa,
pagpapatawad, at pagtutulungan upang
maibsan ang kahirapan tungo sa
pambansang kaunlaran.
Siya nawa.
ROLL CALL
Upon direction of the Senate President, the
Secretary of the Senate, Atty. Lutgardo B. Barbo,
called the roll, to which the following senators
responded:
Angara, S.
Binay, M. L. N. S.
Drilon, F. M.
Ejercito, J. V. G.
Gatchalian, W.
Gordon, R. J.
Honasan, G. B.
Hontiveros, R.
Lacson, P. M.
Pacquiao, E. M. D.
Pangilinan, F. N.
Pimentel III, A. K.
Poe, G.
Recto, R. G.
Sotto III, V. C.
Villanueva, J.
Villar, C. A.
Zubiri, J. M. F.
With 18 senators present, the Chair declared the
presence of a quorum.
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3. 1404 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31,2018
Senator Escudero arrived after the roll call.
Senator Trillanes was on official mission abroad.
Senator De Lima was unable to attend the
session as she was under detention.
Senators Aquino and Legarda were absent.
APPROVAL OF THE JOURNAL
Upon motion of Senator Sotto, there being no
objection, the Body dispensed with the reading of the
Journal of Session No. 50 (January 30, 2018) and
considered it approved.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
OF THE PRESENCE OF GUESTS
At this Juncture, Senator Sotto acknowledged the
presence in the gallery of the following guests:
• Mr. Nathan Lapanko, finance manager from
Enga, Papua New Guinea;
• Senior high school students and faculty of De
La Salle Dasmarinas headed by Mr. Joseph
Mirvin Dadap; and
• Officials of the Philippine Sports Commission
headed by Chairman Willian “Butch” Ramirez,
Director Marc Velasco and Ms. Merly Ibay.
Senate President Pimentel welcomed the guests
to the Senate.
REFERENCE OF BUSINESS
Introduced by Senator Risa Hontiveros
To the Committee on Ways and Means
Senate Bill No. 1672, entitled
AN ACT CREATING THE METRO
BATAAN DEVELOPMENT AUTHO­
RITY, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND
FUNCTIONS, PROVIDING FUNDS
THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
Introduced by Senator Zubiri
To the Committees on Government Corpora­
tions and Public Enterprises; Economic Affairs;
and Finance
RESOLUTION
Proposed Senate Resolution No. 597, entitled
A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE
APPROPRIATE SENATE COMMIT­
TEES TO CONDUCT AN ASSESS­
MENT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF THE UNCONDITIONAL CASH
TRANSFER UNDER THE TAX
REFORM FOR ACCELERATION
AND INCLUSION LAW (TRAIN)
Introduced by Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam”
Aquino IV
To the Committees on Ways and Means; and
Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development
The Secretary of the Senate read the following
matters and the Chair made the corresponding
referrals:
BILLS ON FIRST READING
Senate Bill No. 1671, entitled
AN ACT AMENDING SECTIONS 106,
107, 108, 109, AND 112 OF REPUBLIC
ACT NO. 8424, OTHERWISE KNOWN
AS THE “TAX REFORM ACT OF
1997,” AS AMENDED, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
COMMUNICATIONS
Letters from the Office of the President of the
Philippines, transmitting to the Senate two (2)
original copies of the following Republic Acts
and Joint Resolution, which were signed by
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte:
Republic Act No. 10967, entitled
AN ACT CREATING A BARANGAY TO
BE KNOWN AS BARANGAY PUDO
IN 'I'HE MUNICIPALITY OF NATONIN,
MOUNTAIN PROVINCE; y.

4. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31,2018 1405
Republic Act No. 10968, entitled
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE
PHILIPPINE QUALIFICATIONS
FRAMEWORK (PQF), ESTABLISH­
ING THE PQF-NATIONAL COORDI­
NATING COUNCIL (NCC) AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR;
and
Joint Resolution No. 01, entitled
JOINT RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING
THE INCREASE IN BASE PAY OF
MILITARY AND UNIFORMED
PERSONNEL IN THE GOVERNMENT,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
To the Archives
ADDITIONAL REFERENCE OF BUSINESS
RESOLUTION
Proposed Senate Resolution No. 598, entitled
RESOLUTION EXPRESSING THE SENSE
OF THE SENATE TO SUPPORT
PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE’S
POLICY TO PERMANENTLY BAN
OPEN PIT MINING IN THE
PHILIPPINES
Introduced by Senator
"Koko'Timentel III
To the Committee on Rules
Aquilino
SPEC1.L ORDER
Upon motion of Senator Sotto, there being no
objection, the Body approved the transfer of
Committee Report No. 214 on Senate Bill No. 1515
from the Calendar for Ordinary Business to the
Calendar for Special Orders.
COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 214
ON SENATE BILL NO. 1515
Upon motion of Senator Sotto, there being no
objection, the Body considered, on Second Reading,
Senate Bill No. 1515 (Committee Report No. 214),
entitled
AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE PHILIP­
PINE SPORTS COMMISSION, AMEND­
ING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC
ACT NO. 6847, OTHERWISE KNOWN
AS THE PHILIPPINE SPORTS
COMMISSION ACT.
Pursuant to Section 67, Rule XXIII of the Rules
of the Senate, with the permission of the Body, upon
motion of Senator Sotto, only the title of the bill was
read without prejudice to the insertion of its full text
into the Record of the Senate.
The Chair recognized Senator Pacquiao for the
sponsorship.
SPONSORSHIP SPEECH
OF SENATOR PACQUIAO
Senator Pacquiao, on behalf of the Committee
on Sports, submitted for plenary consideration Senate
Bill No. 1515, entitled “An Act Strengthening the
Philippine Sports Commission, Amending for the
purpose Republic Act No. 6847, Otherwise known
as the Philippine Sports Commission Act,“ under
Committee Report No. 214 which was submitted
jointly with the Committee on Ways and Means and
the Committee on Finance.
Thefull text of Senator Pacquiao's sponsorship
speech follows:
It has been more than 25 years since the
counuy formally recognized sports as an integral
part of the citizens’ physical and mental fitness.
It was on January 24, 1990, when the government
made the move to recognize the developments in
the international sporting arena. President
Corazon Aquino signed into law Republic Act
No. 6847 which gave birth to the Philippine
Sports Commission.
Through the years, the Philippine Sports
Commission has established various programs
and events that harnessed the potential of
amateur athletes such as Elma Muros, Onyok
Velasco, Roel Velasco, Lydia de Vega, Mona
Soliman, Paeng Nepomuceno, Eugene Torre, to
name a few.
Through the Philippine Sports Commission,
the country was able to develop an elite sports
program by providing basic training
requirements and training venue for our home­
grown athletes. But the time has come to revisit
this outdated law.
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5. 1406 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31,2018
Let us face it, we have not been performing
well in recent international sporting tournaments.
We have a deep fountain of talents among our
hardworking athletes. We are not even lacking in
skills. Our heart for sports is as big as any
superstar player we have ever seen.
It took 20 years for the Philippines to win a
medal in the Olympics courtesy of Hidilyn Diaz
after Mansueto "'Onyok" Velasco won a silver
medal at the 1996 Olympics.
So what went wrong?
One reason is budget allocation. Kulelat
tayo sa budget. Another reason is the poor
sports facilities in our country. They are
dilapidated and outdated.
Without the proper support from the
national government and without the necessary
training program, pure talent can only achieve so
much.
It is high time we amended our existing law
to better address the needs of our brave athletes.
We need to strengthen the role of the PSC as an
institution governing our national sports
program.
This proposed legislation aims to strengthen
the Philippine Sports Commission so that it can
be more responsive to the growing needs of
Philippine sports.
This would give PSC a more defined
function in the field of grassroots development,
sports science, sports medicine, sports services
and research.
One of the salient points we wish to
institutionalize is giving priority to our amateur
athletes - our homegrown talents — the way we
do for elite athletes. This ensures that every
athlete with potential shall be given equal
opportunity to showcase their talent and
represent our country.
The role of the Philippine Sports
Commission as a whole must be strengthened
through partnerships with different stakeholders
such as the Department of Education,
Commission on Higher Education, local
government units, among others.
Legislating this will finally institutionalize
the partnerships because the status quo is only
dependent on executive orders or memorandum
that may be revoked anytime at the will of the
issuing authority.
Yes, our goal is to bring home that highly
elusive gold medal in the Olympics. Yes, it is our
aim to cement our flag in the podium for every
international sporting tournament. Ultimately,
our goal is to promote excellence among our
people.
Mens Sana in corpore sano. Strong mind,
strong body.
It is time to act on this legislation. With the
need to promote updated sports policies and
comprehensive sports development programs, I
humbly request the immediate approval of this
measure.
Together, let us start growing global
champions.
SUSPENSION OF SESSION
Upon motion of Senator Sotto, the session was
suspended.
It was 3:42 p.m.
RESUMPTION OF SESSION
At 3:52 p.m., the session was resumed.
SUSPENSION OF CONSIDERATION
OF SENATE BILL NO. 1515
Upon motion of Senator Sotto, there being no
objection, the Body suspended consideration of
the bill.
COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 190
ON SENATE BILL NO. 1623
{Continuation)
Upon motion of Senator Sotto, there being no
objection, the Body resumed consideration, on Second
Reading, of Senate Bill No. 1623 (Committee Report
No. 190), entitled
AN ACT REDUCING THE CAP OF
RECOVERABLE SYSTEM LOSS
RATE AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Senator Sotto stated that the parliamentary status
was the period of individual amendments.
Thereupon, the Chair recognized Senator
Gatchalian, sponsor of the measure, and Senator
Hontiveros for her individual amendment.
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6. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2018 1407
ll()M I KUOS AMENDMENT
On page 1, line 5, before the word “ensure,” as
proposed by Senator Hontiveros and accepted by the
Sponsor, there being no objection, the Body approved
the insertion of the phrase PROTECT AND
ENHANCE THE RIGHT OF ALL THE PEOPLE
TO HUMAN DIGNITY AND REDUCE SOCIAL,
ECONOMIC, AND POLITICAL INEQUALITY
BY EQUITABLY DIFFUSfNG WEALTH AND
POLITICAL POWER FOR THE COMMON
GOOD. THUS, THE STATE SHALL.
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS
OF SENATOR GATCHALIAN
Senator Gatchalian proposed several amendments
on page 4, line 35 of the bill. Senate President
Pimentel, however, suggested that Senator Gatchalian
state in one motion all of the amendments to the
sentence.
MANIFESTATION OF SENATOR SOTTO
Senator Sotto requested that he and Senator
Drilon be provided with a copy of Senator
Gatchalian’s proposed amendment.
SUSPENSION OE SESSION
Upon motion of Senator Sotto, the session was
suspended.
It was 4:00 p.m.
RESUMPTION OF SESSION
At 4:36 p.m., the session was resumed.
GATCHALIAN AMENDMENTS
As proposed by Senator Gatchalian, there being
no objection, the Body approved the following
amendments, one after the other:
1. On page 4, line 35, before the word
“administrative,” insert the words THE
FOLLOWING;
2. As amended by Senate President Pimentel,
on the same page and line, after the word
“penalties,” insert a colon (:) and the
following words: A FINE OF THREE
HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS
(P300,000.00) ON THE FIRST VIOLATION,
A FINE OF FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND
PESOS (P400,000.00) ON THE SECOND
VIOLATION, AND A FINE OF FIVE HUN­
DRED THOUSAND PESOS (P500,000.00) ON
THE THIRD AND SUBSEQUENT VIOLA­
TIONS: PROVIDED. THAT ERC, AFTER
NOTICE, HEARING, AND PUBLICATION,
MAY PROVIDE FOR A NEW SCHEDULE
OF PENALTIES: PROVIDED. FURTHER,
ON THE THIRD AND SUCCEEDING VIOLA­
TIONS, A DU SHALL BE DISQUALIFIED
FROM APPLYING FOR AN INDIVIDUAL­
IZED SYSTEM LOSS CAP UNTIL IT HAS
COMPLIED WITH ALL THE DOCUMEN­
TARY REQUIREMENTS IN THIS SECTION;
3. On the same page and line, delete the phrase
starting with the word “including” until the
acronym “ERC” on line 37;
4. On the same page, line 37, insert a new
paragraph to read as:
ANY DU THAT SUBMITS FALSE
AND/OR FRAUDULENT INFORMATION
AND/OR DOCUMENT SHALL PAY ONE
MILLION PESOS (PI,000,000.00) ON THE
FIRST VIOLATION, TWO MILUON PESOS
(P2,000,000.00) ON THE SECOND
VIOLATION, AND THREE MILLION PESOS
(P3,000,000.00) ON THE THIRD VIOLATION,
AS WELL AS ERC’S AUTOMATIC
RECOMMENDATION TO THE JOINT
CONGRESSIONAL POWER COMMISSION
TO REVOKE THE DU’S FRANCHISE:
PROVIDED. THAT ERC, AFTER NOTICE,
HEARING AND PUBLICATION, MAY
PROVIDE FOR A NEW SCHEDULE OF
PENALTIES: PROVIDED. FURTHER, THAT
THIS IS WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO
ADMINISTRATIVE, CIVIL, AND CRIMINAL
LIABILITIES AGAINST INDIVIDUALS
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF
FALSE AND/OR FRAUDULENT INFORMA­
TION AND/OR DOCUMENTS.
TERMINATION OE THE PERIOD
OF INDIVIDUAL AMENDMENTS
There being no other individual amendment,
upon motion of Senator Sotto, there being no
objection, the Body closed the period of individual
amendments.
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7. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31,2018
until three o’clock in the afternoon of Monday,
February 5, 2018.
It was 4:42 p.m.
I hereby certify to the correctness of the
foregoing.
ATTY. LUTGARDO B. BARBO
Secretary’ of the Senate
Approved on February 5, 2018
1408
APPROVAL OF SENATE BILL NO. 1623
ON SECOND READING
Submitted to a vote, there being no objection,
Senate Bill No. 1623 was approved on Second
Reading.
SUSPENSION OF CONSIDERATION
OE SENATE BILL NO. 1623
Upon motion of Senator Sotto, there being no
objection, the Body suspended consideration of
the bill.
ADJOURNMENT OF SESSION
Upon motion of Senator Sotto, there being no
objection, the Chair declared the session adjourned