BOOSTED by his high satisfaction rating from the latest Pulse Asia survey, Speaker Martin Romualdez vowed to work even harder to pass pending bills seeking to advance the eight-point socioeconomic agenda of President Marcos Jr.
“It is heartening to know that a majority of our people appreciate our earnest effort to pass measures to create jobs and business opportunities, provide assistance to the poor, and build a better future for all Filipinos,” Romualdez said.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Speaker Martin Romualdez both obtained an approval rating of 51 percent and disapproval ratings of 10 percent and 12 percent, respectively.
Romualdez said the SWS survey result is a “testament to the hard work and dedication of our legislators in serving the Filipino people during these challenging times.”
“As House leader, I am deeply honored, humbled, and grateful to Filipino people for their trust and confidence in the House of Representatives,” he said, thanking his colleagues for their “solid support and cooperation.”
When the House adjourned for its Holy Week break last March 23, Romualdez reported that the House has approved on third and final reading 23 of 31 bills identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) as priority measures of the Marcos administration, while the remaining eight measures are in advanced states of deliberation.
Two of these measures have been signed into law, namely, the SIM Registration Act and the measure postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to October this year.
The 20 other LEDAC-endorsed bills approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives are the following: Magna Carta of Seafarers, E-Governance Act / E-Government Act, Negros Island Region, Virology Institute of the Philippines, Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act, National Disease Prevention Management Authority or Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Medical Reserve Corps, Philippine Passport Act; Internet Transaction Act / E-Commerce Law, Waste-to-Energy Bill, Free Legal Assistance for Police and Soldiers, Apprenticeship Act, Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law, Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, Valuation Reform, Eastern Visayas Development Authority, Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone, Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery, National Citizens Service Training Program, and Rightsizing the National Government.
Before the Lenten Break, the House was able to ratify the bicameral conference committee report on the AFP Fixed Term bill and the Agrarian Reform Debts Condonation.
Aside from the 31 measures in the LEDAC list, Speaker Romualdez said the House has identified 21 measures that they wanted to be given priority, where 10 are intended for LEDAC endorsement. Four of these — the Maharlika Investment Fund bill, Ease of Paying Taxes Act, LGU Income Classification, and Amendment to Universal Health Care Act – have been approved on third and final reading.
The House priority list also includes the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6, calling for a constitutional convention to amend “restrictive” economic provisions of the Charter to enable the country to attract more foreign investments, and its implementing measure, HB No. 7352.
