MANILA, Philippines — Leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives met Thursday to craft a common legislative agenda for the remaining 20 months of the 18th Congress.
The “informal caucus” was held at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City and was attended by House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, House Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto.
Also present in the meeting were Senate Finance Committee chair Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, House Committee on Appropriations chair Eric Yap, and House Minority Leader Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Minority Leader Franklin Drilon also joined the meeting through videoconferencing.
During the meeting, the lawmakers agreed to come up with common legislative priority targets for the next five months following the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte in July.
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Among Duterte’s legislative agenda are the proposed Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises or CREATE Act, Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer or FIST Act, Rural Agricultural and Fisheries Development Financing System Act, and the bill creating the Department of Overseas Filipinos.
Velasco likewise urged the Senate to prioritize the proposed Magna Carta of Barangay Workers to support barangay frontliners, as well as the proposed Internet Transactions Act.
“The President, in his remaining years as our Chief Executive, can rely on Congress to help him fulfill his promises to our people before his term ends,” Velasco said.
“We take seriously his call to put an end to systemic corruption, and we will work together with our fellow lawmakers to come up with legislation to help our overseas Filipino workers, farmers and fisherfolk,” he added.
‘Harmonious relationship with Senate’
Meanwhile, Velasco said he is looking forward to a “very good working relationship” the House and Senate.
To recall, the lower chamber recently transmitted to the Senate the House-approved copy of the proposed P4.506-trillion 2021 General Appropriations Bill.
Velasco expressed confidence the GAB will be passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by President Duterte before the year ends to prevent a reenacted spending program that could slow economic growth and hamper the delivery of government services.
“The House and Senate leaderships were both in agreement that the national budget should be approved as soon as possible,” Velasco said.
“We have a good working relationship with the Senate, and everyone is united,” Velasco said. “We are confident that we can pass responsive laws that will help our countrymen rise above this pandemic before the year ends,” he added.