Here’s what the 19th Congress aims to accomplish in its last session
Metro Manila, Philippines – The Senate and House of Representatives will open the third and last regular session of the 19th Congress on July 22.
This marks the last year in office of lawmakers who have completed their terms – unless they are eligible for reelection, or opt for a comeback after three years.
With candidacies for the 2025 midterm elections set to be filed in October, reelectionists are expected to get their hands full with political activities, making the next few months crucial for lawmaking.
To date, only five out of the 17 bills President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pushed in his 2023 State of the Nation Address have been signed into law. These are the Tatak Pinoy Act which seeks to enhance the global competitiveness of Filipino products, the Ease of Paying Taxes Law, and the automatic income classification of local government units. The amendment to the procurement law and the measure against financial scamming were also signed into law recently.
The House of Representatives takes pride in passing all of the president’s priority measures, while the Senate has repeatedly emphasized that the chamber engages in lengthy debates to ensure that bills are well-crafted.
Here’s a quick look at the president’s legislative priorities:
There’s an even longer wishlist: the Common Legislative Agenda determined by the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), which contains measures the two branches of government agreed to prioritize.
Since the 19th Congress opened in July 2022, 17 out of 64 bills in the LEDAC have been signed into law.
Of the 47 pending measures, the LEDAC identified its top 10 priorities:
+ Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act
+ Department of Water Resource Management Act
+ Amendment to the Right-of-Way Act
+ Excise Tax on Single-Use Plastics
+ Rationalization of the Mining Fiscal Regime
+ Amendment to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA)
+ Amendment to the Foreign Investors’ Long-Term Lease Act
+ Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Act
+ Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act
+ Amendment to the Rice Tariffication Law
The House is committed to passing all remaining LEDAC bills and any additional measures from the State of the Nation Address on July 22, Speaker Martin Romualdez said.
"The House is ready to take swift and decisive action to ensure these legislative priorities are met, paving the way for sustained development and progress under the administration of President Bongbong Marcos," said Romualdez, who is a cousin of the president.
Meanwhile, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who assumed the leadership position after the ouster of Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri in May, expressed optimism following his first-ever LEDAC meeting.
“Maganda ang naging usapan sa pagitan ng Kamara at Senado, gayundin ang Ehekutibo kaugnay sa mga mahahalaga at makabuluhang batas na kailangang tutukan sa natitirang 73 araw ng sesyon ng Kamara at Senado,” Escudero said.
“Buo ang pag-asa at paniniwala ko na kaya naming magawa ito,” he added.
[Translation: The conversation between the House and the Senate, as well as with the Executive concerning important and significant laws that need attention in the remaining 73 session days of the House and Senate, was productive. I have full hope and belief that we can accomplish this.]
Escudero specifically identified six LEDAC priorities set for plenary debates and approval on final reading in the Senate: the proposed Blue Economy Act, Enterprise-Based Education and Training Framework Act, amendment to the Universal Health Care Act, establishment of the Department of Water Resources, Open Access in Data Transmission Act, and the CREATE MORE Act.
