Sen. Imee Marcos claimed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is on a “veto spree” of proposed laws due to “misunderstanding between the legislature and Malacañang.” This needs context.
STATEMENT
Following the president’s veto of the Bulacan Special Economic Zone bill on July 1, his older sister said she had been suggesting that a meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) be held, but this did not happen.
She added:
“Nagkaroon tuloy ng veto spree sa iba pang panukala dulot ng ‘di pagkakaunawaan ng lehislatura at Malacañang.”
(As a result, there has been a veto spree on other bills because of misunderstanding between the legislative and Malacañang.)
Sources: Frontline Tonight, Umano’y ‘veto spree’ ni Pres. Marcos Jr., pinuna ni Sen. Imee Marcos, Aug. 4, 2022; GMA News Saksi, Sen. Imee Marcos, tinawag na veto spree ang pag-veto ng pangulo sa ilang panukalang batas, Aug. 4, 2022; DWIZNewsCenter Twitter account, Sen Imee Marcos: Noon pa ako nagpapatawag ng LEDAC Meeting nang ma-veto ang Bulacan Ecozone, pero walang nangyaring pulong. Nagkaroon tuloy ng veto spree sa iba pang panukala dulot ng di pagkakaunawaan ng lehislatura at Malacañang., Aug. 3, 2022
FACT
Data obtained by VERA Files Fact Check from the House of Representatives show that the president had indeed vetoed the most number of bills in his first 30 days in office compared to his predecessors, Benigno Aquino III and Rodrigo Duterte.
| President | Number of bills vetoed in the first 30 days in office | Numbers of bills lapsed into law in the first 30 days in office |
| Benigno Aquino III | 0 | 2 |
| Rodrigo Duterte | 2 | 53 |
| Ferdinand Marcos Jr. | 5 | 33 |
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles rejected the senator’s statement, saying that the chief executive is just “harmonizing laws with the current system.”
Data from the House of Representatives listed the five vetoed bills as:
| Bill | Bill name | Vetoed on |
| House Bill 7575 | An Act Establishing the Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport Province of Bulacan and Appropriating Funds Therefore | July 1, 2022 |
| House Bill 9088/Senate Bill 2490 | An Act Strengthening the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) Further Professionalizing its Organization, Upgrading the Position Classification, Compensation, and Benefits of its Officials and Employees, and Appropriating Funds Therefore | July 22, 2022 |
| House Bill 10554 | An Act Expanding the Franchise Area of Davao Light and Power Company, Inc., Amending for the Purpose Republic Act No. 11515 | July 27, 2022 |
| House Bill 9030/Senate Bill 1077 | An Act Establishing the Philippine Transportation Safety Board, Defining its Powers and Functions, and Appropriating Funds Therefore | July 29, 2022 |
| House Bill 9652/Senate Bill 2520 | An Act Exempting from Income Taxation the Honoraria, Allowances, and other Financial Benefits of Persons Rendering Service during Elections, Amending for the Purpose Section 32 (B)(7) of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997 | July 29, 2022 |
Among the three past presidents, the Duterte administration had the most number of bills that lapsed into law with 53, followed by Marcos Jr. with 33, during their first month in office, based on the data provided by the House.
Senate President Miguel Zubiri announced on Aug. 2 that “several hundred bills” lapsed into law, while Cruz-Angeles said on Aug. 3 there were 41.
Asked about why there are different tallies of bills that lapsed into law, the Legislative Library Management Service of the House said in an email to VERA Files Fact Check that its database is “based on bills filed by the House of Representatives and may not contain Senate Bills without House Bill counterparts, if any.”
“As far as our data is concerned, we gave you all that was received, processed, and made available in our LEGIS database at the time we received your request,” it added.
At the time of posting, the Senate has yet to provide VERA Files Fact Check with its requested record on bills that lapsed into law for the first 30 days of office of presidents Aquino, Duterte, and Marcos Jr.
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Sources
Sen. Imee Marcos claims President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is on a ‘veto spree’ of bills
- Frontline Tonight, Umano’y ‘veto spree’ ni Pres. Marcos Jr., pinuna ni Sen. Imee Marcos, Aug. 4, 2022
- GMA News Saksi, Sen. Imee Marcos, tinawag na veto spree ang pag-veto ng pangulo sa ilang panukalang batas, Aug. 4, 2022
- DWIZNewsCenter Twitter account, Sen Imee Marcos: Noon pa ako nagpapatawag ng LEDAC Meeting nang ma-veto ang Bulacan Ecozone, pero walang nangyaring pulong. Nagkaroon tuloy ng veto spree sa iba pang panukala dulot ng di pagkakaunawaan ng lehislatura at Malacañang., Aug. 3, 2022
Senate of the Philippines, Senate Session No. 5, Aug. 2, 2022
ABS-CBN News, Palace denies alleged Marcos veto spree, Aug. 3, 2022
RTVMalacañang, Press Briefing of Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles, Aug. 3, 2022
People’s Television Network Twitter account, TINGNAN: Listahan ng mga panukalanang nag-lapse into law at vetoed bills, inilabas ng Malacañang., Aug. 3, 2022
House of Representatives, Personal communication (email), Aug. 11, 2022
(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)
