House of Representatives (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — The two remaining priority bills of the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) will be approved by the House of Representatives before September ends, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said on Wednesday.
In a statement, Romualdez said he presented a report to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. during the Ledac meeting at Malacañang earlier, stating that the House had approved 18 of the 20 bills marked as priority by the council.
The two remaining bills are House Bill No. 8969, or the proposed Military and Uniformed Personnel Pension (MUP) System Act, and the consolidated version of the proposed Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act.
“Today, I am pleased to announce that 18 out of these 20 have already been approved by the House of Representatives on Third and Final Reading. We are on track to approve the two remaining measures before the October recess,” Romualdez said.
“In sum, the House of Representatives will meet its commitment to approve all 20 priority measures by the end of September, or three months ahead of target,” he added.
The MUP Pension System bill is awaiting approval on the third reading after the House passed it on the second reading on Tuesday.
Romualdez said that for the proposed Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act, the House Committee on Agriculture and Food approved a substitute bill earlier.
The substitute bill will then be discussed at the plenary level for a second reading by next week, according to Romualdez.
Romualdez’s office said following the House approved Ledac priority bills on the third and final reading.
- Amendment to the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT)/Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act
- National Disease Prevention Management Authority or Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- Internet Transaction Act/ E-Commerce Law
- Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team (HEART) Act
- Virology Institute of the Philippines
- Instituting a National Citizens Service Training (NCST) Program
- Valuation Reform Bill (Package 3)
- E-Governance Act/ E-Government Act
- Ease of Paying Taxes
- Waste-to-Energy Bill
- New Philippine Passport Act
- Magna Carta of Seafarers
- Rightsizing the National Government
- Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA)
- Amendment to the Bank Secrecy Law
Meanwhile, the proposed Philippine Salt Industry Development Act is currently being deliberated at the bicameral conference committee; the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (National Employment Recovery Strategy) was transmitted to Malacañang for the President’s signature, and the Automatic Income Classification Act for Local Government Units is also ready for transmittal.
Romualdez also reported that the House will exert all effort to pass the P5.768 trillion proposed 2024 national budget or the General Appropriations Bill before session ends on September 30.
“The House commits to exert all efforts to continuously deliberate on the GAB to meet its target passage on third and final reading by next week, Wednesday, September 27, 2023,” Romualdez said.
“These accomplishments are made possible, of course, through the hard work and commitment of the Members of the House, as well as the cooperation of the Executive,” he added.