THE House of Representatives will push to pass the remaining half of the administration’s priority measures when Congress resumes session, with proposed reforms on healthcare, taxation, elections and financial transparency among the bills still awaiting legislative action.
“We have so far passed 26 measures, or half of our target, during the first regular session of the 20th Congress,” House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander A. Marcos III said in a statement on Sunday. “We will work on approving the rest in the course of our second regular session.”
Mr. Marcos said the chamber had completed action on 26 of the 52 priority measures endorsed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) during the first regular session, leaving another 26 measures for lawmakers to tackle.
Among the pending measures are changes to the Universal Health Care Act, the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act, the Magna Carta for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the Rice Tariffication Law and the proposed Cybersecurity Act.
“We will make sure that these proposed laws will help our President and especially our countrymen to make their lives a little more comfortable,” he said in Filipino.
Mr. Marcos said amendments to the Universal Health Care Act seek to improve the delivery of health services, while proposed changes to the coconut trust fund law and the MSME Magna Carta aim to boost support for key sectors.
He added that amendments to the Bank Secrecy law and the Anti-Money Laundering Act are intended to enhance transparency and strengthen governance.
The proposed Cybersecurity Act has already been included in the legislative calendar, while the bill barring relatives of public officials up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity from securing government contracts is awaiting a committee report, according to the House Committee on Rules.
The House has also approved on third and final reading 21 LEDAC priority measures, including the Right to Information bill, the National Land Use bill, the Department of Water Resources bill, the Digital Payments bill, the Anti-Political Dynasty bill and changes to the Bank Deposits Secrecy law.
Three priority measures remain under bicameral conference committee deliberations, while the chamber earlier enacted 26 LEDAC-backed measures, including the law resetting the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. — Pexcel John Bacon
