Duterte OKs 3 laws, including Magna Carta of the Poor

May 27, 2019

President Rodrigo Duterte has signed three bills into law, including the Magna Carta of the Poor.

Duterte inked Republic Act No. 11291, otherwise known as the Magna Carta of the Poor on April 12; RA No. 11321 or the Sagip Saka Act on April 17; and RA No. 11262, or amendment to The Tourism Act of 2009 on April 10.

The Palace only released to the public copies of the three signed bills on Monday.

The Magna Carta of the Poor, principally authored by detained opposition Senator Leila de Lima, aims to adopt an area-based, sectoral, and focused intervention to poverty alleviation where every poor Filipino must be empowered to meet the minimum basic needs through the partnership of the government and the basic sector.

To attain the goal, the law underscored the need to invest in ant-poverty programs; and provide to the poor full access to government services.

The government also needs to collaborate with the non-government organizations, the people's organizations, and other development partners for the effective delivery and implementation of a wide range of anti-poverty programs and basic services.

Poor refers to individuals or families whose income falls below the poverty threshold as defined by the National Economic and Development Authority and/or who cannot afford in a sustained manner to provide their minimum basic needs of food, health, education, housing or other essential amenities of life.

The funding for the poverty alleviation programs and projects implemented under this law shall be sourced from the existing appropriations as authorized under the General Appropriations Act of different departments and agencies implementing the programs, such as the conditional cash transfer program, special program for employment of students, alternative learning system, and others.

The Sagip Saka aims to achieve sustainable modern agriculture and food security by helping the agricultural and fishing communities to reach their full potential, increasing farmers' and fishermen's incomes, and bridging gaps through public-private partnerships.

Under the law, there is a establishment of the "Farmers and Fisherfolk Enterprise Development Program," which shall be integrated and be made consistent with the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Plan and the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Plan.

The Department of Agriculture shall be the implementing agency of the program with the help of other agencies.

The amendment to The Tourism Act of 2009 aims to recognize the strategic economic importance of tourism, the necessity that investments within the Tourism Economic Zones be properly coordinated with environmental, cultural and developmental imperatives, and the fundamental differences between the export manufacturing and tourism industries.

The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority shall have sole and exclusive jurisdiction to grant the incentives under this law.

The new Act also said that TIEZA may coordinate with the Board of Investments and other government agencies or entities responsible for the grant and administration of incentives to assist in the development of a rationalized national investment incentive policy.

All the three laws shall take effect 15 days after their respective publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. Celerina Monte/DMS