(FILE) Session Hall of the House of Representatives
MANILA, Philippines — With the ratification of the P5-trillion 2022 national budget, the House of Representatives listed it as a top priority when it resumes session on Monday.
“Our commitment is to ensure that the budget bill, which is focused on getting the Philippines back on the road towards full recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, reaches President [Rodrigo] Duterte’s desk before the yearend,” House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said in a statement.
“We are glad that the Senate is on the same page as the House insofar as the national budget is concerned,” he added as the Senate earlier ruled out the possibility of a reenacted budget.
Velasco also stressed that the budget bill would be important to serve Filipinos amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lower house of Congress will be “selecting the contingent to the bicameral conference committee to help reconcile the two versions.”
“With such assurance from the Senate leadership, we do not see any major stumbling block in having a ratified and enacted 2022 national budget by December,” the speaker said.
According to Velasco, discussion on the fuel excise taxes is also on agenda amid soaring fuel prices.
“As we prepare for the wider reopening of businesses, we must ensure that our economic recovery will not be hampered by unwelcome disruptions, such as the unimpeded sharp rise in the cost of fuel,” he noted.
“Congress would like to be informed of how fuel prices have shot up so fast in a matter of weeks, so that we can possibly come up with measures that will help mitigate this emerging obstacle towards our recuperation,” he went on.
HousePass System
On the other hand, the legislative chamber will fully implement its online HousePass System on Monday.
Under the system, a health officer, assigned to each department and office, can recommend staff members who will be reporting for work each day.
The selected personnel will be assigned a quick response (QR) code after filling out a digital copy of their health declaration form.
Only authorized persons will be allowed in the House premises as the QR code will be scanned upon entry.
An antigen COVID-19 test will be conducted on members reporting for work physically at the start of every week.
“With the help of our hardworking staff in the Secretariat under the able leadership of our Secretary-General, Mark Llandro ‘Dong’ Mendoza, House members and their respective staff can continue doing legislative work through a more convenient, but by no means less stringent process,” Velasco said.
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