No Palace signal yet for special session to pass Bayanihan 2 —Sotto

The Senate leadership has not received any notice yet if President Rodrigo Duterte will call for a special session to pass a second Bayanihan Law aimed at stimulating economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Tuesday.

"The office of the committee on finance under Senator Sonny Angara has just received a proposal of their amendments to the Bayanihan 2 from the executive department. Katatanggap pa lang ngayon," Sotto said.

"The committee will review it, I'm sure Senator Angara will consult us and tell us what it's all about. That's as far as it goes for now. Wala pang sinasabi kung sila'y tatawag ng special session," he added.

Meanwhile, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the executive department sees no need to call for a special session as of the time being.

"It does not have to happen overnight. I hope it happens soon, pero sa ngayon po, wala pa po tayong request na mag-special session," Roque said.

"Mukhang kakayanin naman po na i-discuss na itong Bayanihan 2, during the regular Congress because, after all, State of the Nation is just around the corner in July," he added.

The proposed Bayanihan to Recover as One Act did not make it to the third reading in the Senate because the Palace decided not to certify it as urgent before the Congress adjourned sine die.

The version in the lower house proposes P162 billion worth of economic interventions. Aside from the said counterpart bill, the House also approved the proposed P1.3 trillion Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy (ARISE) Act. —LDF, GMA News