Senate President Francis Escudero announced on Wednesday that the Senate will prioritize the Rightsizing National Government Act to ensure its passage before the 19th Congress adjourns in June. This initiative aims to streamline government operations and improve efficiency across various agencies.
“We wanted to address most, if not all, of the possible concerns that could be raised on the rightsizing bill during the period of interpellations. Once we get all the submissions from the relevant agencies, we will incorporate these in the substitute bill and use these as the bases of our forthcoming debates next week,” he said.
On Tuesday, Escudero led a consultative meeting with stakeholders to gather input from agencies affected by the proposal.
The meeting lasted five hours and focused on harmonizing the different versions of the bill currently under consideration.
“Rightsizing is about streamlining the bureaucracy. It also means the possible creation of new positions, new offices, upgrading and upscaling personnel to help them fill up much needed positions and put them on the path toward career advancement,” Escudero explained.
The Senate chief emphasized that the goal is to expedite discussions ahead of next week’s interpellation period, where senators will debate the measure in detail.
Escudero stressed that the primary objective is to enhance service delivery to the public, rather than simply reducing costs.
A substitute bill incorporating feedback from relevant agencies will be submitted on Monday.
With only three weeks remaining before the election break, Escudero highlighted the urgency of moving forward with this legislation.
Once passed by the Senate, bicameral discussions will address any discrepancies with the House of Representatives’ version.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Solons deliberate on national government rightsizing bill”
