Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 29) — The House of Representatives has approved in a span of only five months a record-high 19 priority bills of the Marcos administration along with the 2023 national budget.
The ₱5.268-trillion national budget for 2023 was signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Dec. 16. The House approved its version of the spending plan on Sept. 28 and ratified the bicameral conference committee report on Dec. 5.
Two of Marcos’ legislative priorities have also been signed into law. These are Republic Act (RA) No. 11934 or An Act Requiring Registration of Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) and RA 11935 or An Act Postponing the December 2022 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections to October 2023.
Under the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez, the president’s cousin, the House approved more than half of the 30 priority measures under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) before the final session day for 2022 on Dec. 15.
Those bills are:
– The proposed fourth package of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, otherwise known as the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act
– The creation of the Virology Institute of the Philippines
– The creation of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
– The proposed Revised National Apprenticeship Program Act
– The creation of a medical reserve corps
– The creation of the Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone
– The proposed creation of the Eastern Visayas Development Authority (EVDA)
– The proposed condonation of agrarian reform debts and exemption of estate tax payment for agricultural lands awarded under the comprehensive agrarian reform program
– The proposed law regulating internet transactions for the protection of buyers and merchants
– The proposed Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act, which seeks to promote a consistent real property valuation nationwide based on internationally accepted valuation standards and principles
– The proposed Public-Private Partnership Act, which seeks to provide an “enabling environment” for infrastructure and other development projects
– The establishment of a National Citizens Service Training Program for students in tertiary educational institutions and technical vocational schools
– The grant of free legal aid to police, soldiers and other uniformed personnel
– The proposed Waste Treatment Technology Act, which will regulate the disposal, treatment and processing of hazardous wastes
– The Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers
– The Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery bill, which seeks to provide financial aid for small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the
– The new Philippine passport law, which will provide a 50 percent discount to senior citizens and persons with disabilities on the fees for processing, issuance or replacement of a passport
Before adjourning session for Christmas break, the House also approved two measures which were not part of LEDAC’s CLA but whose enactment was certified as urgent by Marcos. These are House Bill 6608 creating the Maharlika Investment Fund and House Bill 6517, which seeks changes on the fixed tour of duty of key officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Romualdez said the bills prioritized by the House in the first five months of the 19th Congress aim to address poverty and revitalize the economy, which took a hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Several priority measures laid down by His Excellency President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. during the State of the Nation Address now see the light of day. These measures are calculated to alleviate poverty, sustain economic progress, and harness competencies in government for the delivery of no less than the highest degree of service to the Filipino people,” he said on Dec. 15.
In a statement on Thursday, Romualdez said the House will work “double time” when sessions resume on Jan. 23, 2023 to pass the remaining 12 priority measures of the Marcos administration. A check of the House’s legislative database showed the following bills are still pending at the committee level:
1. The Enactment of an Enabling Law for the Natural Gas Industry (pending with the Energy Committee)
2. Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) (pending with the Energy Committee)
3. The Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension (pending with the National Defense and Security Committee)
4. The proposed E-Governance Act and E-Government Act (pending with the Information and Communications Technology Committee)
5. The proposed National Land Use Act (pending with the Land Use Committee)
6. The proposed National Defense Act (pending with National Defense and Security Committee)
7. The National Government Rightsizing Program (pending with the Government Reorganization Committee)
8. The Budget Modernization Bill (pending with the Appropriations Committee)
9. The proposed creation of the Department of Water Resources (pending with the Government Reorganization Committee)
10. Establishing the Negros Island Region (pending with the Local Government Committee)
11. The proposed Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers (pending with Overseas Workers Affairs Committee)
12. The proposed establishment of regional specialty hospitals (pending with the Health Committee)
