LAWMAKERS yesterday adjourned their regular sessions for the year as they go on a five-week holiday break, with the House of Representatives fulfilling its commitment to approve on third and final reading the 17 priority bills that President Marcos Jr. asked Congress to pass during his State of the Nation Address last July.
Sessions will resume on January 22, 2024.
In his speech before the House adjourned, Speaker Martin Romualdez said 17 priority bills are meant to “sustain our economic recovery and improve the living condition of our people.”
“It is with great pride and honor to report to this august chamber that we passed all of these 17 SONA priority measures seven months ahead of the President’s next SONA in July 2024,” Romualdez said.
With the timely approval of urgent legislative proposals endorsed by the President and the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), the Speaker said the House has done “our bounden duty to realize their aspirations by strengthening the economy, revitalizing businesses and broadening the scope of services provided to the majority of our citizenry.”
“This august body recognizes the urgency and significance of these measures, and I am proud to say that everyone has done his and her share in actively participating in legislative discussions, building consensus and advocating the approval of these critical measures,” he said.
On the other hand, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri thanked his colleagues and their respective staff members who “displayed utmost dedication to the institution.”
“My only wish for all of you is that you stay healthy, safe in the loving arms of your family and of course, protection from the Lord above,” Zubiri said.
“I just want to thank all of you for all the hard work and dedication. You have made the Senate very relevant in this time of need by our people,” he said, adding: “We have a record-breaking Senate performance in almost all surveys that are being commissioned.
So, job well done everyone.”
Romualdez said that among the 17 SONA bills, the Automatic Income Classification of Local Government Units Act has been signed into law (Republic Act No. 11964) by the President last October 26.
He said the measure is aimed at promoting “greater local autonomy and enable our local government units to realize their full economic potential with higher financial capability and better fiscal position.”
He said the Ease of Paying Taxes Act “is another SONA measure that is expected to drive foreign direct investments and enhance the country’s competitiveness as an investment destination.” The proposed law was approved by the bicameral conference committee last December 6 and has been sent to the President for signature.
As of last November 28, 10 out of the 17 SONA measures had been approved by the House on third and final reading, including amendments to the Fisheries Code, excise tax on single-use plastics, VAT on digital transactions, Anti-Financial Accounts Scramming Act, Philippine Immigration Act, Rationalization of Mining Fiscal Regime, Military and Uniformed Personnel Pension Reform Act, and amendments to the Anti-Agriculture Smuggling Law.
It has also approved on third and final reading six measures identified as priorities by the LEDAC. These include the Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Act, which seeks to promote the production and offering of diverse globally competitive Philippine products and services by domestic enterprises; the Blue Economy Act, which consolidates all interventions in a single framework that promotes a whole-of-nation approach to sustainably develop, manage, protect, and preserve the country’s maritime and coastal resources; creation of the Department of Water Resources and Water Regulatory Commission to unify policy-making, planning, management, and regulation of water resources; updating of the Revised Cooperative Code of the Philippines to keep it abreast with current situations in the agriculture sector; updating of the Revised Government Auditing Code to align it with international accounting and auditing standards and to utilize emerging technologies and innovative solutions in audit processes; and the proposed New Government Procurement Reform Act, which provides for cost-effective, transparent, competitive, streamlined, sustainable, active, and inclusive procurement activities of the government.
On Wednesday, the House ratified the measure revitalizing the salt industry in the country, the Tatak Pinoy Act, and the measure creating the Department of Water Resources and Water Regulatory Commission.
The Speaker also reported that the House has already passed all 20 measures prioritized by the LEDAC as of September, which is three months ahead of schedule.
Of the 20 LEDAC measures, four have already been enacted into law: The National Employment Master Plan or Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, the LGU Income Classification Act, the Internet Transactions Act, and Public-Private Partnership Code of the Philippines.
In addition, both Houses of Congress have already ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the New Philippine Passport Act and the Philippine Industry Development Act.
The Speaker said the 19th Congress was able to process 28 measures every day since sessions opened last year: “We have processed an average of 28 legislative measures per session day. We have also approved on third reading 36 percent more House Bills and adopted 49 percent more resolutions compared to the first 18 months of the 18th Congress.”
Romualdez said congressmen have filed 9,763 bills and 1,576 resolutions and one petition for a total of 11,340 measures, of which 633 bills are still pending in the Senate.
Of these bills, 34 have been enacted, eight have been transmitted to the Palace for the President’s signature, seven have been ratified in the bicameral level, while 11 local bills have been passed by the Senate without amendments.
The House has also concurred with the Senate’s amendments in six local bills, while five are still being deliberated upon in the bicameral level.
As icing on the cake, the Speaker said the House and the Senate have ratified last Monday the “most important measure that we passed this year – the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) of the National Budget for Fiscal Year 2024.”
“The House of Representatives considers it a core mission to utilize the national budget next year to address four major concerns: fight inflation, keep the price of rice and other basic food items at affordable levels, provide more jobs and livelihood, and expand social services,” he said. — With Raymond Africa
