The Senate said it is prepared to act on the proposed Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) measures once Malacañang submits the bills.
In a Facebook Live broadcast, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano responded to reports that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was concerned that the passage of UPLIFT-related measures had been stalled after the Senate did not hold plenary sessions on Monday and Tuesday.
Cayetano said the Senate had already informed Malacañang at least twice that it was ready to take up the measures “anytime,” provided that the proposed bills were already prepared.
“I’d like to confirm that at least twice, we informed Malacañang that if their bills are ready, we are ready anytime,” he said.
He noted that a Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting was supposed to be held weeks ago but did not push through.
According to him, the head of LEDAC had contacted him to ask whether the meeting would proceed, and he replied that the Senate was available anytime.
“Sila po ang hindi nagtuloy,” he said.
Cayetano also said there was another conversation in which the Palace side supposedly indicated that the bills they intended to release were not yet ready.
He added that even if the proposed UPLIFT measures had already been prepared, they would still have to pass through the committee process before reaching plenary deliberations.
The Senate President said the situation appeared to show that incorrect information had reached the President regarding the status of the proposed measures.
“So, this is just a confirmation that information reaching Malacañang and the President was wrong,” remarked.
The UPLIFT package is expected to cover proposed relief measures on livelihoods, industry, food, and transport.