Marcos vetoes bill seeking to strengthen OGCC

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 23) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has rejected a measure seeking to strengthen the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC).

In a statement on Saturday, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz Angeles said Marcos vetoed Senate Bill 2490 and its counterpart, House Bill 9088, titled “An Act Strengthening the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) By Rationalizing and Further Professionalizing Its Organization, Upgrading Positions and Appropriating Funds Therefor.”

According to Angeles, the President cited the “excessive remuneration to be given the OGCC lawyers” as one of the reasons for the veto.

The Press Secretary said the other reasons include “the grant of supervision and control over legal departments of government corporations, the distortion of the relationship with the Secretary of Justice, and the possible violation of the One Trust Fund policy of government.”

Senate Bill 2490 or House Bill 9088 seeks to improve the legal services of government corporations to address their expanding needs.

In his veto message to the House of Representatives, Marcos said this may be achieved with the strengthening of the OGCC as the principal law office.

Moreover, he said he also took into consideration the strong opposition of the Cabinet economic managers due to the inequity in compensation and fiscal risks the bill may bring to the country.

This is the second bill Marcos has vetoed since he took office on June 30.

He earlier vetoed a measure seeking to create a special economic zone adjacent to an airport that will be built north of Metro Manila.