The Senate on Wednesday adjourned its session to give way for the Christmas break, but Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said committee hearings in aid of legislation will continue.

During the closing session, Villanueva reminded his colleagues of Senate Resolution No. 21 which “authorizes all standing committees, oversight committees, and special committees to conduct hearings, and consultation to have continuity of pending resolutions.”

He also praised Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri for his strong leadership that led to the approval of the PHP5.268-trillion national budget for 2023 which is expected to be signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Zubiri for his part, thanked the senators and Senate employees who supported his leadership during his first six months as Senate President.

The session will resume on Jan. 23, 2023.

The last session for this year was also capped with Senator Francis Tolentino’s privilege speech on Chinese intrusion on Philippine territory, urging members of the Legislature and the country’s maritime security forces and diplomats to ensure that the country’s interests in the West Philippine Sea are protected and enhanced.

“We must discuss the issue on the South China Sea, West Philippine Sea as an urgent concern for national security,” he said as he cited the November 2022 incident when the China Coast Guard (CCG) forcefully retrieved debris from a Chinese Long March 5B rocket which fell within the Pag-asa Islands Territorial Sea.

He said the incident was a gross violation of Philippine sovereignty under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.

Tolentino also urged members of the military and diplomatic corps to continue to denounce the brazen intrusions into Philippine maritime territory and assert the country’s rights. (PNA)

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