INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives can approve 10 of the 17 proposed measures that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. mentioned in his State of the Nation Address (Sona) before the year ends, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said in a statement on Tuesday.
Romualdez said that the House would work on the bills as these would help make the country a more conducive place for businesses that could create more jobs for Filipinos.
“I am extremely confident that the House of Representatives would again rise up to the occasion and accept the challenge from our President: to pass the 17 priority measures needed to sustain our economic recovery and improve the living condition of our people,” Romualdez said.
“With the passage of all the proposed measures sought by the President, we hope that we in the House of Representatives can help strengthen the economy, revitalize businesses, and widen the scope of services provided to Filipinos,” he added in Filipino.
According to Romualdez, seven of those bills have already been approved on the third reading by the House:
- Single-Use Plastic Bags Tax Act (House Bill No. 4102)
- An Act Imposing Value-Added Tax on Digital Transactions (House Bill No. 4122)
- An Act Mandating the Establishment of Fisherfolk Resettlement Areas by the Department of Agriculture, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Local Government Units (House Bill No. 6716)
- Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (House Bill No. 7393)
- Automatic Income Classification Act for Local Government Units (House Bill No. 7006)
- Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act (House Bill No. 8203)
- Ease of Paying Taxes Act (House Bill No. 4125)
Meanwhile, Romualdez said the House could pass the following four measures before the House goes on a break in October:
- Anti-Agricultural Smuggling
- Amendments to the Cooperative Code
- Tatak Pinoy
- Blue Economy
The following six other bills may be approved by December or before the year ends:
- Motor Vehicle User’s Charge
- Military and Uniformed Personnel (MUP) Pension
- Revised Procurement Law
- New Government Auditing Code
- Rationalization of Mining Fiscal Regime
- National Water Act
Romualdez said the House would also aim to pass the proposed 2024 national budget before the session break in October so that lawmakers would have more time to scrutinize it.
“Of course, the most important bill that we need to discuss and approve the soonest time possible is the 2024 General Appropriations Bill based on the National Expenditure Program prepared by the Executive Department,” Romualdez said.
“The national budget that we will pass will ensure that the taxes paid by our fellow Filipinos, along with other revenue sources collected, will go back to the people through programs, projects, and services,” he added.
The House resumed its session on Monday, just before Marcos delivered his second Sona.
It appears that the legislative body would be in for a lot of work as it looks to approve three bills that were considered priority measures by the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac), namely:
- Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension of MUPs
- National Employment Action Plan
- Amendments to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act
Romualdez assured the public over the weekend that the House would remain committed to passing the Ledac-approved priority bills.