The Senate and the House of Representatives in a bicameral conference meeting successfully resolved the disagreeing provisions of the upper and lower house versions of the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers.
Headed by Senator Raffy Tulfo, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, the Senate panel also includes Senate Majority Floor Leader Joel Villanueva, Senator Chiz Escudero, Senator Risa Hontiveros, and Senator Imee Marcos.
On the other hand, the house panel was led by the House Chairperson on Migrant Workers Kabayan Partylist Representative Ron Salo. He was joined by OFW Partylist Representative Marissa Magsino, MARINO Partylist Representative Sandro Gonzalez, Zamboanga 1st District Representative Khymer Adan Olaso, and Pangasinan 6th District Representative Marlyn Primicias-Agabas.
The bicameral conference committee met to come up with the common bill to be presented to both houses for final reading and vote.
The bicameral conference committee met to reconcile the provisions of the two versions and to come up with the common bill to be presented to both houses for final reading and vote.
Prior to the said meeting, the Senate and House panels and their staff already reached out to each other to thresh out the issues so that the process could be smooth sailing.
Thus, during the bicameral conference committee meeting, Escudero simply moved that the Committee Chairs of each house be authorized to draft the bicameral report resolving the disagreeing provisions as discussed and agreed upon by the members.
“I thank everyone for your effort to ensure the swift passage of the bill.”
Tulfo, principal sponsor and one of the authors of the senate bill, thanked everyone for their effort to ensure the swift passage of the bill and congratulated everyone as they are one step closer to passing the bill that will institutionalize the rights that will protect seafarers.
