Metro Manila, Philippines – The House of Representatives will hold joint hearings after the Holy Week to discuss ‘properly targeted’ solutions on the escalating impact of the Middle East crisis, Speaker Bojie Dy said on Monday, March 30.
“We are holding these joint hearings to make sure that the initiatives of the legislative branch are coordinated with the executive and are properly targeted and forward-looking. Ang kailangan natin ngayon ay malinaw na plano, hindi lang para sa ngayon, kundi para sa mga susunod na buwan at taon,” he said in a press statement.
[Translation: “We are holding these joint hearings to make sure that the initiatives of the legislative branch are coordinated with the executive and are properly targeted and forward-looking…What we need now is a clear plan—not just for the present, but for the coming months and years.]
Dy has authorized 10 committees to conduct joint hearings, covering energy, food security, labor, transportation, and economic management. The panels are:
- Committee on Energy
- Committee on Agriculture
- Committee on Aquaculture and Fisheries
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Committee on Ways and Means
- Committee on Labor and Employment
- Committee on Transportation
- Committee on Information and Communications Technology
- Committee on Economic Affairs
- Committee on Social Services
He said the hearings do not intend to “point fingers,” but rather to align legislative measures and executive actions.
“We want to hear directly from our economic managers and frontline agencies so we have the information we need to come [up] with measures that can help our people cope with the impact of the Middle East conflict,” he said.
Among the bills the House pushed in response to the Middle East crisis was a measure granting the president emergency powers to reduce or suspend fuel excise taxes, which was signed into law last week.
The Congress is on session break until May 4.
