SENATE President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero said the proposal on the rightsizing of the national government will be prioritized by the Senate to ensure its passage before the 19th Congress adjourns its session in June.
On Tuesday, Escudero, author and sponsor of Senate Bill No. 890 or the Rightsizing National Government Act, led a consultative meeting to tackle the measure in order to hear the inputs of agencies that will be covered by the proposal, as well as harmonize the different versions being taken up by the chamber.
According to Escudero, the meeting which lasted for five hours, was meant to speed up the process when interpellation begins next week in the Senate.
“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.
One particular concern being raised on the rightsizing bill is the possible downsizing of the bureaucracy, which Escudero described as a misconception.
“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,” the Senate chief said.
“The objective of rightsizing for me is not about saving money. It’s being able to deliver services to the people more efficiently,” he added.
Next Monday a substitute bill will be submitted to include all the changes and issues that need to be addressed, Escudero said.
“We have more or less three weeks left before we go on break for the elections, so we need to work fast if we want to have this measure approved this 19th Congress,” Escudero said.
Congress resumes its sessions on January 13 and will go on break from February 8 to June 1 for the campaign period of the May 2025 midterm elections.
Sessions resume on June 2 and will go on until June 13 when the 19th Congress adjourns sine die.
A priority measure of the administration, the rightsizing bill is intended to minimize redundancies, eliminate functions that are teeming with duplications, and simplify rules, regulations and processes.
Exempted from the rightsizing program are the legislature, judiciary, constitutional commissions, the Office of the Ombudsman, local government units, and military and uniformed personnel, as well as teaching-related positions of the education sector.
“While they are not covered by the rightsizing program, they are enjoined to rightsize their respective offices in order to improve the overall efficiency in their operations,” Escudero said.
The House of Representatives approved its rightsizing bill in March of 2023 so once the Senate passes its own version of the measure, the two chambers can immediately hold bicameral conference committee meetings to thresh out the conflicting provisions of their respective bills.
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