Priority bills passed by House before Yule break

MANILA, Philippines — All the priority measures outlined by President Marcos in his legislative agenda will be approved by the House of Representatives before Congress goes on a Christmas break on Dec. 15, according to Speaker Martin Romualdez.

The final version of the P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024 is expected to be released by senators and congressmen comprising the bicameral conference committee on Dec. 11, Romualdez told The STAR at the yearend gathering of the Cornell Club of the Philippines.

The Speaker, a banking lawyer by profession, is an alumnus of Cornell University in New York.

“By the end of the session, all the priority bills listed by President Marcos in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council and those he mentioned in his July 2022 SONA will be passed by the House,” Romualdez, a first cousin of the Chief Executive, vowed.

Among the LEDAC pieces of legislation that are awaiting third and final reading next week are House Bills 9674 (Revised Government Auditing Code), 9663 (Department of Water Resources), 9673 (Revised Cooperative Code) and 9648 (Government Procurement Act).

Other SONA-listed measures that may also be approved are House Bills 9647 (Motor Vehicle User’s Charge/Road User’s Tax), 8525 (Tatak Pinoy or Proudly Filipino Act) and 9662 (Blue Economy Law).

When Congress resumed session last Nov. 5 after a month-long break, the lower legislative chamber said it is focused on ratifying the 2024 national budget and passing 11 more priority bills of the President.

“We are resolute in our mission to fulfill our legislative duties and responsibilities. Our primary focus continues to be the legislative agenda outlined by President Marcos, and we are fully committed to working diligently to pass these vital bills,” Romualdez said.

The total 11 priority measures come from those listed under the LEDAC as well as those mentioned by Marcos in his second State of the Nation Address last July 25.

LEDAC and SONA bills have a combined 17 pieces of legislation, but since there have been six “common” measures each in LEDAC and SONA, these six will be integrated; plus four others that were mentioned in LEDAC list, and another one in SONA – making a total of 11.

The six LEDAC-SONA bills are the Department of Water Resources and Services and Creation of Water Regulatory Commission, Tatak-Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Act, Blue Economy Law, Government Auditing Code, Government Procurement Reform Act and Amendment of the Cooperative Code.

The four other “equally important” measures (in LEDAC list) are the Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Republic Act 9136), Budget Reforms Modernization, National Defense Act and Philippine Defense Industry Development Act.

The eleventh and last (in SONA list) is the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge/Road User’s Tax.

Senate adjourns

The Senate adjourned late Wednesday night with the ratification of four bills, including proposals giving cash incentives to senior citizens nearing their twilight years and the proposed No Permit No Exam ban.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri lauded his colleagues for their hard work in ratifying the bicameral conference committee reports that threshed out the differences between the Senate and House of Representatives versions of the bill.

The four ratified measures are the proposed No Permit, No Exam Prohibition Act, New Philippine Passport Act, Expanding the Coverage of the Centenarians Act, and the Philippine Salt Industry Development Act.

Sen. Francis Escudero, who sponsored the “No Permit No Exam” ban, said preventing a student with unpaid fees from taking an exam “is the cruelest of fines.”

Another ratified measure is the bill amending the Centenarians Act that would give P10,000 cash gift to the elderly once they reach the age of 80, 85, 90 and 95. The present law only gives centenarians with a P100,000 incentive.

The bill amending the Philippine passport law also got ratified. The proposed measure seeks to provide emergency passports to Filipinos who lost their passports while abroad and a convention travel document to a stateless person, as well penalizes forgery and improper use of passports.

The third ratified bill is the proposed Philippine Salt Industry Development Act which seeks to revitalize the industry by creating the Philippine Salt Industry Development Roadmap.

Ratification of the measures paves the way for the bill to be sent to the President for signing into law. – Marc Jayson Cayabyab