Bill vs. agri economic sabotage does not need IRR —Tolentino

The bill passed by the Senate which seeks to define and penalize agricultural economic sabotage does not need implementing rules and regulations (IRR), Senator Francis Tolentino said.

Speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay, Tolentino said he pushed that the bill should be self-executory as he pointed out that the IRR of the laws passed by Congress often “confuses” the intent of the measure.

“For the first time, we have a bill which contains in its final section, on the effectivity date, ‘this law shall become effective 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation, without the need for the issuance of Implementing Rules and Regulations,’” Tolentino said.

“Kalimitan ang IRR ang nagpapagulo, binabago nila iyong laman ng [batas],” he added.

(Most of the time, the IRR confuses the intent of the laws.)

Like the Revised Penal Code as well as the Civil Code of the Philippines, Tolentino said laws “do not need IRR” because this is crafted by government officials who are not elected to be lawmakers.

“I hope this (Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Bill) will become a template for all laws to be enacted by Congress,” Tolentino said.

“Kailangan ‘yung batas kumpleto na. Hindi na gagawin ng mga director, ng [undersecretary]. Legislative function is with the legislature not with [Bureau of Customs], not with the DOF (Department of Finance). Hindi naman mambabatas ‘yon. Hindi in-elect ‘yon para gumawa ng batas. Not even with the Judiciary,” he added.

(Before enactment, the bills should already be self-executory. There should be no interpretations from directors or undersecretaries of government agencies. The legislative function is with the legislature not with the BOC nor the DOF. They are not legislators. They were not elected to craft laws. That power is not even with the Judiciary.)

In the 18th Congress, Tolentino as well as then-Majority Leader and now Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri questioned the incongruence of IRR to some laws in the country.—LDF, GMA Integrated News