Bonilla was named to his post in a cabinet reshuffle at the
end of April as Petro made changes amid the fracturing of his
congressional coalition over the health reform.
"The person changed, not the policy," Bonilla said. Bonilla
previously worked as the finance secretary for the city of
Bogota when Petro was the mayor.
The pension and health bills are the government's priorities
for now, Bonilla said, adding he thinks there remains time to
pass them before the end of the legislative session in six weeks
if the right discussions can be had in time.
"In the case of the pension reform there is more in common
to reach a consensus... it is necessary to reach accords, to
look at what is most important for the country," Bonilla said,
adding the labor reform may take longer.
"We don't want to return to the polarization of the health
reform," he added.
The pension bill would strengthen the state pensions
administrator in an effort to give benefits to more people. Some
Wall Street analysts say it could pose a risk to capital markets
and public finances.
The health reform would increase access, raise healthcare
worker wages and fight corruption by eliminating payment
intermediaries, the government says, and could cost more than
$2.6 billion each year for the next decade.
Earlier on Tuesday Colombia's autonomous fiscal rule
committee said the pension and health bills would negatively
impact the country's finances and recommended the government
make changes.
The labor reform, proposed in March, would reduce working
hours and boost overtime pay in a bit to fight poverty. Critics
say the measures could hurt job creation because it would
increase salary costs, while Petro has said it addresses the
reduction of salaries and job instability that impede national
growth.
The government's growth projection of 1.3% is under
revision, Bonilla added, and slowing economic growth is a top
challenge for the country.
He will meet this week with credit rating agency Moody's,
Bonilla said.
(Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra,
Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb, Editing by Angus MacSwan and
Aurora Ellis)
(Adds additional quotes, background on reforms)
By Nelson Bocanegra
BOGOTA, May 9 (Reuters) - The Colombian government is
willing to make compromises on labor, pension and health reform
proposals to get them through Congress, so long as the changes
are viable, new Finance Minister Ricardo Bonilla told Reuters on
Tuesday.
"What we want is an ample, serene, calm discussion where
there are alternatives and not simply to return to a game of
polarization with each of the issues," Bonilla said in an
interview.
The reforms are key policy promises of leftist President
Gustavo Petro, who took office last year.
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