Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Tuesday said he expects President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to sign into law the remaining bills seen to improve the lives of Filipinos before the latter ends his term on June 30.

This, after the Senate unanimously approved on third and final reading Senate Bill No. (SBN) 2423 or the Private Security Service Industry Act, repealing the 52-year-old Republic Act 5487 or the Private Security Agency Law during the resumption of the session on Monday.

“Ako naman po, kung anumang panukalang batas na makakatulong naman po sa ating mga kababayan, sa interes ng bawat Pilipino, suportado ko po yun (For me, whatever proposed bill that will help our countrymen or the interest of every Filipino, I will support it),” Go said during his visit and outreach initiative for fire victims of Barangay North Bay Boulevard South in Navotas City.

Go and Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa co-authored SBN 2423 which seeks to strengthen the regulation of the private security services industry and improve the protection of Filipino security guards.

Dela Rosa thanked his colleagues, including Go, for their contribution to the refinement of the bill that also aims to improve the protection of Filipino security guards by providing necessary training through the development of ladderized training and education, including basic security guard courses, specialized security guard courses, security officers training courses, detective training courses, and candidate protection agent courses.

“I am glad that my fellow members of the Senate were able to see what I intended to show: that the urgency of this bill is not to be found on the surface. Instead, its urgency lies in the almost unseen, seldom appreciated actions of its stakeholders — our security officers, our security guards, all of our security professionals,” he said.

Dela Rosa, the former chief of the Philippine National Police, earlier assured his colleagues that the bill will ensure that private security agencies shall be 100 percent Filipino-owned as a safeguard to Philippine national security.

Dela Rosa said the private security industry needs to be improved, and at the same time, protect the needs of Filipino security guards.

“It is my fervent hope and I believe it is also the hope of this body that through this measure, the private security services industry shall flourish even further along with the success of every individual security professional,” he said.

Section 4 of SBN 2423 ensures that private security agencies shall be 100 percent owned and controlled by Filipinos, provided that they shall not employ more than 2,000 private security professionals.

Any public security agency (PSA) or entity that operates without a valid license to operate shall suffer the penalty of fine not less than PHP1 million and not more than PHP5 million, while there will be a fine ranging from PHP50,000 to PHP100,000 for PSAs or entities that will be proven operating with an expired license or any person practicing private security profession without a valid license or expired license. (PNA)