President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Tuesday he will certify as urgent the proposed emergency powers measure once Congress completes its committee report, explaining that declaring urgency earlier would have little practical effect.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Marcos said the certification becomes meaningful only when a bill reaches the plenary stage.
“Actually, I will declare it as urgent once the… Because there’s no point declaring it as urgent before the committee report has been completed,” the President said.
The proposed measure is under discussion in Congress amid concerns over global oil price volatility stemming from the conflict in the Middle East and its potential impact on domestic fuel costs and the economy.
Mr. Marcos explained that under legislative rules, certifying a measure as urgent allows Congress to bypass the constitutional requirement of three separate readings on different days once the bill reaches plenary deliberations.
“When you declare a bill as urgent, the shortcuts, if we say, only begin in the plenary debates,” he said.
The President added that certification would allow lawmakers to move more quickly through the legislative process once the committee report is adopted on the floor.
Mr. Marcos also outlined the key condition the administration is seeking in the proposed emergency powers measure.
“It’s very, very simple. What we asked of the Legislature is really very simple — when the price of oil, at least this is the original version, when the price of oil has breached $80 per barrel on average for a month, then the emergency powers can be exercised,” he said.
He clarified that breaching the threshold would not automatically trigger the use of emergency powers but would authorize the President to exercise them if necessary.
“Does that mean that you will necessarily do it? But it can be exercised by the President. ‘Yun lang ang hiningi (That is what was requested),” Mr. Marcos said.
