THE House of Representatives yesterday opened the Third Regular Session of the 19th Congress, vowing to remain focused on passing its legislative agenda amid the upcoming political season in relation to the 2025 national and local elections.
“We are committed to maintaining legislative momentum despite the approaching national elections in 2025,” Speaker Martin Romualdez said in an interview.
“Our priority is to ensure that critical bills are passed and that the legislative process continues to serve the people’s needs effectively. We will navigate the political landscape with a focus on stability and progress,” Romualdez also said.
With 262 members in attendance, lawmakers opened the session at 10:00 a.m. and adjourned at 11:08 a.m. after adopting resolutions informing the Senate and President Marcos Jr. that the House was ready to exercise its functions and hold a joint session with the upper chamber to hear the Chief Executive’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) at 4 p.m. yesterday.
The first order of business was the consideration and adoption of House Resolution (HR) No. 1799 which informs the Senate that a quorum was present at the House and that it has entered upon the exercise of its functions.
This was followed by the adoption of HR No. 1800, informing the President that the House is ready to discharge its function as Congress’ lower chamber.
House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) No. 27, which provided for the Senate and the House to hold a joint session to hear the message of the President in his SONA, was also adopted.
The House briefly suspended sessions to transmit to the Senate copies of the resolutions it just adopted and waited for its counterpart to adopt similar resolutions of its own.
After the Senate passed its resolutions, the House proceeded to consider and adopt Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) No. 19, which created a joint committee of both chambers to notify the President that the 19th Congress has convened for the Third Regular Session and was ready to hear his SONA in joint session.
The chamber then suspended the session to give way for the notification committee to inform the President of Congress’ readiness to receive the President and hear the SONA.
After hearing the report of the notification committee, the House suspended sessions to prepare for the SONA>
PRIORITY BILLS
Romualdez reiterated that the House’s top priority is the passage of the proposed national budget for 2025, followed by the three remaining bills identified as priorities by the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac).
The House has already approved 25 out of the 28 LEDAC priority measures.
The three remaining bills are the proposed amendments to the Foreign Investors’ Long-Term Lease Act, proposed amendments to the Agrarian Reform Law, and the proposed amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).
The Speaker said the House will also prioritize the new measures identified by the President in his third SONA “to ensure their swift passage.”
“We will work diligently to review, deliberate, and enact these proposed laws, recognizing their importance in advancing the President’s legislative agenda and addressing the critical needs of our nation. Our commitment is to continue delivering timely and effective legislation that benefits all Filipinos,” he said.
Romualdez, who is a first cousin of the President, said he expects “a strong collaborative relationship with the new Senate leadership under Senate President Chiz Escudero.”
“This partnership is crucial for the smooth passage of pending legislation. We are confident that our cooperative efforts will lead to the successful enactment of key legislative measures,” he said.
PERFECT SCORE
Romualdez gave the President a perfect score on his performance since his last SONA last year.
“I would grade the President’s performance at a solid 10 out of 10. Over the past year, he has demonstrated strong leadership and made significant strides in delivering on his promises from the last SONA,” he said.
“While there is always room for improvement, his dedication and achievements thus far are truly noteworthy,” he added.
