Sotto says Wednesday approval of overseas Pinoys bill impossible

Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday said it would be impossible for the upper chamber to tackle and approve the bill seeking to create a Department of Overseas Filipinos within the day  despite Palace certification of the measure.

"Pag-uusapan namin. January naman na 'yan. Impossible today," Sotto said in a Viber message to reporters after being asked on what senators would next.

The Senate bill seeking the creation of this new department is still pending at the committee level.

December 7's Senate hearing  was cut short after Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon moved to defer it until the bill on rightsizing the bloated government bureaucracy is tackled first.

Sotto was also among senators who wanted that rightsizing the agencies must happen before new ones are created.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives' counterpart bill was approved last March.

On Tuesday, Malacañang certified the pending bill for the creation of the Department of Overseas Filipinos in the Senate as urgent.

Congress is expected to hold its last session this Wednesday before officially taking on a break on December 19. —LBG, GMA News