The plenary hall of the Batasang Pambansa. (Screenshot from RTVM Youtube Live(
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives delivered on its promise to pass most of the priority measures enumerated by President Rodrigo Duterte in his final State of the Nation Address (SONA), Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, who represents the 1st District of Leyte, said on Wednesday.
In his final SONA on July 26, Duterte asked Congress to pass his 12 priority bills before the expiration of his term in June 2022.
“Under Speaker [Lord Allan] Velasco’s leadership, we stayed true to our mandate and successfully passed most of the administration’s priority measures, as spelled out by President Rodrigo Duterte in his [SONA]. Of the twelve bills mentioned, only two are pending in the House and are expected to be prioritized once we resume sessions,” Romualdez said.
Romualdez was referring to the bills on Unified Military and Uniformed Services Personnel Separation, Retirement, and Pension Act to manage the escalating pension costs of military and uniformed personnel (MUP) and free legal assistance to the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police facing charges arising from the performance of their official duty.
Duterte pushed for the passage of the bill on the MUP, which is up for second reading approval in the House of Representatives, and the one on free legal assistance for police and military personnel, which is under committee deliberation in the lower chamber.
Meanwhile, Romualdez said the House had already transmitted to the Senate the following Sona-priority bills:
- HB No. 00300 on the Foreign Investments Act
- HB No. 00078, on the Public Service Act
- HB No. 05832, Creating the Department of Filipinos Overseas and Foreign Employment
- HB No. 06927, on the E-Governance Act
- HB No. 05989, Creating the Department of Disaster Resilience
- HB No, 08990, Establishing Evacuation Centers in Every City and Municipality
Romualdez said the Retail and Trade Liberalization Act (HB No. 00059) and the modernization of the Bureau of Fire Protection (HB No. 07406) were currently under the deliberation of the bicameral conference committee.
“The House also passed on third and final reading last Wednesday (July 28), the bills that would create the Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HB09560), and the Virology Institute of the Philippines (HB09559),” Romualdez said.
“Rest assured that we will work tirelessly to pass the remaining vital bills in the House once we return from the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine). In the meantime, let us cooperate with the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) and authorities in ensuring that our lockdown would be worthy by getting vaccinated, observing strict health protocols, staying home, and taking care of one another,” he added
Metro Manila and its four adjacent provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal — collectively known as the National Capital Region Plus — will be under enhanced community quarantine from Aug. 6 to 20 due to the rise in case of the more-transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant.