Senator Grace Poe defended her proposed Senate Bill 2094, which seeks to amend Commonwealth Act 146 or better known as the Public Service Act.
The first part of the lawmakers’ interpellation focused on Poe’s desire to limit the employment of foreign workers to a public utility company in the country to 25-percent and limit foreign ownership to 40-percent.
“This is a safeguard in the same way that we have in our trade liberalization. We have to have certain safety measures. We have to make sure that when a foreign company sets up here (invests) that they prioritized our local workers especially if those local workers have the skill to provide the service that they need,” said Poe.
Among the public utilities that Poe referred to in his proposal are power distribution, transmission, and water and distribution sewerage services sectors.
On the other hand, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon believes that the big question here is whether the Department of Labor and Employment is doing well in monitoring the provisions of the law to ensure that Filipinos are not deprived of employment rather than amending the provisions of the bill.
Senate deliberates proposed amendments to Public Service Act
“To me, it’s a question of enforcement rather than putting all kinds of rules because it is so difficult to amend the law,” explained Drilon.
Drilon added that there are existing laws that just need to be implemented correctly.
There were still bills lined up for discussion by the senate, but it decided to end the session at 9:21 pm to resume at 3 pm Wednesday.
The Public Service Act is “an act to recognize the public service commission, prescribe its powers and duties, define and regulate public services, provide and fix the rates and quota of expenses to be paid by the same for other purposes.”
The Public Service Act aims to provide for the organization and administration of the public service of the Republic, the regulation of the conditions of employment, terms of office, discipline, retirement, and discharge of members of the public service, and matters connected therewith.
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