13,867 measures filed, 280 laws enacted – House

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has reported what it describes as one of the “most productive” sessions, with a total of 13,867 measures filed and 280 laws enacted in the 19th Congress.

House spokesperson Princess Abante said the chamber received 11,506 House bills and 2,361 resolutions.

Of these, 347 resolutions were adopted and 1,493 measures were approved by the House – 280 of which have already been signed into law.

“I’m happy to report that the House of Representatives is now one of the most productive Congresses in history,” she said at a press conference.

The House has also approved on third and final reading 27 out of the 28 Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC)-endorsed priority bills.

Furthermore, under the broader Common Legislative Agenda (CLA), the chamber successfully passed 61 out of 64 measures, which underscores the House’s efficiency and alignment with the administration’s development goals.

However, 739 measures remain pending before the Senate for third reading approval.

“These are not ordinary bills. They are urgent reforms sought by sectors across the country. They are solutions to the most pressing challenges faced by Filipino families, workers, students, seniors and OFWs,” said Abante.

Among the stalled measures are key social welfare initiatives, such as the Universal Social Pension for All Senior Citizens and the Expanded Employment Opportunities for Seniors. Also awaiting Senate action is the Magna Carta for Informal Ambulant Vendors, which seeks to safeguard small-scale livelihoods nationwide.

In the digital services sector, measures promoting Cheaper and More Accessible Internet, especially in public schools and underserved barangays, are still in the Senate’s queue, along with the Public Telecom Refund Act and the bill enabling Digital Voting for Seniors, PWDs and frontliners.

Legislation aimed at job creation and worker protection, such as the Magna Carta for Freelancers, Mandatory Insurance for Line Workers and the Tripartite Council Against Job Mismatch, also awaits Senate approval. Proposals to expand protection against workplace discrimination are similarly pending.

Health and education reforms, including the establishment of the Philippine Center for Disease Control, mental health services in state universities and colleges and a voucher system for underprivileged but deserving students in private institutions, are likewise among the pending measures.

For OFWs and migrant workers, the House passed the OFW Remittance Protection Law, the expansion of legal aid for OFWs and the OFW Hospital Institutionalization Act – all still awaiting Senate action.

Environmental and housing-related reforms such as the National Land Use Act, Balanced Housing Reform Law, and Green Public Procurement Act are also among the 739 measures pending in the upper chamber.

Also on the Senate’s backlog are bills on local transport and disaster response, including the Magna Carta for Tricycle Drivers and Operators, the Free Freight of Relief Goods Act and the Rightsizing the Bureaucracy Act.

One of the measures the House of Representatives also recently passed is the proposed P200 daily minimum wage hike for private-sector minimum wage earners.

Providing an update on the measure, Abante said the chamber has formally transmitted the bill to the Senate and designated its representatives to the bicameral conference committee, signaling its readiness to finalize the measure.

She noted that the Senate has yet to transmit the names of its own conferees to the House.

“The House is firm in its stand that the House version will be useful for the people,” Abante said.

House Bill 11376, also known as the “Wage Hike for Minimum Wage Workers Act,” was approved on third and final reading with an overwhelming 171 votes in favor, one against and no abstentions.