2,743 bills, resolutions OK’d in 15th Congress – Belmonte

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has approved 2,743 bills and resolutions since the start of the 15th Congress on July 26, 2010 up to last Wednesday, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. reported yesterday.

“We rose to the call and put ourselves to task. We held on to our legislative priorities, and helped to enact a total of 221 laws,” he said.

He said the latest Congress-approved bills signed into law by President Aquino include Republic Acts 10361 (Domestic Workers Act), 10354 (Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Act) 10353 (Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act), and 10352 (2013 General Appropriations Act).

He said Aquino also signed the measure increasing taxes on alcohol and tobacco products like cigarettes and liquor (RA 10351) and the bill defining the crime of financing of terrorism (RA 10168).

He added that the House also passed the proposed law institutionalizing kindergarten education as part of basic education.

“In these laws, we prove that no one can stop a House bent on making the most of its time and mandate from passing laws whose time have come,” the Speaker stressed.

Of the total 2,743 measures approved or adopted, 1,595 were resolutions and the rest were bills. Most of the resolutions sought investigations on various issues.

The approved measures were selected from 10,017 proposed laws and resolutions filed since the start of the present Congress up to Feb. 6, when the legislature went on a four-month recess until after the May 13 elections.

Belmonte said there are still many significant measures in the legislative mill, which the 15th Congress failed to approve simply due to time constraints and which may form part of the new challenges for the incoming 16th Congress.

“Our democratic processes will always allow time for creative and valuable ideas to come to fruition, particularly those that will be most beneficial to our people. There is still the 16th Congress to look forward to work on these,” he said.