House pats own back as it approves 13 bills before Lenten break

MANILA, Philippines—Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Thursday said that they have approved 13 bills before they adjourned for the Lenten break on Wednesday.

He commended lawmakers for this “feat,” explaining that it was a job well done since legislative tasks continued despite their involvement in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The two functions were described by Belmonte as a “dual burden which the constitution imposes upon it—that of enacting laws for the greater good and of enforcing public accountability among a select group of government officers removable only by impeachment.”

He added that they were “able to go on Lenten break confident that despite all the attention given to the impeachment case across town, the primary function of lawmaking did not take a back seat.”

The following Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority measures were passed on third reading Wednesday:

• House Bill 5715 – Providing for the Protection, Security and Benefits of Whistleblowers;
• HB 5860 – Providing for the Delineation of the Specific Forest Limits of the Public Domain; and
• HB 5932 – Penalizing the Unauthorized Stealing of Government Risk Reduction and Preparedness Equipment.

The following House priority bills were likewise approved on final reading:

• HB 98 – Defining And Penalizing Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance;
• HB 5460 – Providing Incentives for the Manufacture, Assembly, Conversion and Importation of Electric, Hybrid and other Alternative Fuel Vehicles;
• HB 5854 – Amending Republic Act No. 8239, Otherwise Known as The Philippine Passport Act of 1996;
• HB 5870 – Authorizing the Land Management Bureau to Conduct a Survey of Cadastral Lots in the Entire Country;
• HB 5567 – Designating Cooperatives Officer in the Local Government Unit Amending the Local Government Code Of 1991;
• HB 5751 – Mandatory Testing of Pregnant Women Before Undergoing Cosmetic Surgery;
• HB 5851 – Regulating the Practice of Metallurgical Engineering;
• HB 5868 – Upholding the Constitutional Right of the People to Information on Matters of Public Concern on Food Included in the List Of Basic Necessities or Prime Commodities to Guarantee the Right of the People to Affordable Food and Adequate Food Supply;
• HB 834 – Honoring and Granting Additional Benefits and Privileges to Filipino Centenarians, Declaring the 25th of September as National Respect for Centenarians Day; and
• HB 5990 – Providing Compensation to Victims of Human Rights Violations During the Marcos Regime.

Meanwhile, the following bills were approved on second reading:

• HB 6022 – Rationalizing the Taxes on International Air Carriers Operating in the Philippines;
• HB6023 – Prevention of Pollution from Ships Act of 2012
• HB 5928 – An Act Institutionalizing a Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Care System, Providing for the Establishment, Supervision and Regulation of the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Profession, and for Other Purposes;
• HB 2040 – An Act Granting Exemptions from Securing Permission from the Publisher or Copyright Owner of Printed Materials to Reproduce the Same in a Specialized Format for the Exclusive Use of the Blind or Visually Impaired Individuals Amending for this Purpose Section 185 Of Republic Act No. 8293, otherwise Known as the “Intellectual PropertyCode of the Philippines,” and for Other Purpose;
• HB 5996 – An Act Providing for the Retention by the Protected Area Management Board of Seventy-Five Percent (75%) of the Revenues Accruing to the Integrated Protected Areas Fund (IPAF), Amending for the Purpose Section 16 of Republic Act No. 7586m otherwise Known as the ‘National Integrated Protected Areas System Act Of 1992’;
• HB 6044 – An Act Instituting Reforms in Real Property Valuation and Assessment in the Philippines, Reorganizing the Bureau of Local Government Finance, and Appropriating Funds Therefor;
• HB 6048 – An Act Providing for the Universal Health Care Services to All Filipinos, Further Amending for the Purpose Republic Act No. 7875, otherwise Known as the “National Health Insurance Act Of 1995’, as Amended; and
• HB 6050 – An Act Establishing Rural Farm Schools as Alternative Delivery Mode of Secondary Education and Appropriating Funds Therefor.

The House of Representatives has also adopted four House Resolutions, namely:

• HR 1699 – Resolution Expressing the Sense of the House of Representatives Commending Efforts and Calling for More Initiatives Towards the Conservation of the Critically Endangered Cebu Flowerpecker;
• HR 2272 – Resolution Urging President Benigno S. Aquino III to Designate a Flood Czar, Create a Task Force of Concerned Agencies and Hold a Flood Summit Towards the Formulation of a Holistic, Comprehensive and Coordinated Approach to Flood Control and Dam Management and Disaster Risk Mitigation and Rehabilitation Management;
• HR 2093– Resolution Organizing the Philippine-Belarus Parliamentarians’ Friendship Association; and

HR 2094 – Organizing the Philippine-Russian Federation Parliamentarians’ Friendship Association.