No “bill-vetoing spree”

Malacañang on Wednesday denied that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has gone on a “bill-vetoing spree” after the Chief Executive vetoed five measures in his first month in office.

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said Marcos exercised his power to veto these five bills as part of the legislative process.

One of the bills vetoed by Marcos on July 27 was House Bill No. 10554, a bill expanding the franchise area of the Davao Light and Power Co. in Davao del Norte “due to its susceptibility to infringe on the franchise coverage area of the North Davao Electric Cooperative.”

On his first day in office on July 1, Marcos vetoed a bill that sought to establish a special economic zone in San Miguel Corp.’s Bulacan Airport City, noting its “substantial fiscal risks.”

The President vetoed two bills on July 29 – a bill proposing tax exemptions to the honoraria, allowances, and other benefits given to election workers because it “runs counter to the objective of the government’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program” and a bill creating the Philippine Transportation Safety Board (PTSB) because its proposed creation “is likely to create functional duplication, confusion as to authority, ineffectiveness, and deficiency in the performance of the responsibilities” as they are already being carried out by different agencies.

The President also vetoed two bills on July 29 – a bill proposing tax exemptions to the honoraria, allowances, and other benefits given to election workers because it “runs counter to the objective of the government’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program” and a bill creating the Philippine Transportation Safety Board (PTSB) because its proposed creation “is likely to create functional duplication, confusion as to authority, ineffectiveness, and deficiency in the performance of the responsibilities” as they are already being carried out by different agencies.