‘House crafted laws that improved lives’

MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Martin Romualdez on Wednesday said the House of Representatives “worked hard and made change real,” crafting and passing legislation that improved people’s lives.

“We chose purpose over politics. Service over self. And action over excuses,” Romualdez told his colleagues in remarks before adjourning the final session of the 19th Congress.

He reported that from July 2022 to June 10, House members filed 11,557 bills and 2,393 resolutions, passed 1,565 measures, enacted 287 national and local laws and processed an average of 29 measures per day in 188 session days.

He enumerated the following accomplishments, which he said showed that “aspirations became laws:”

“We secured our sovereignty through the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, and the Self-Reliant Defense Posture program. We protected our farmers through the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act and revived forgotten industries through the Salt Industry Development Act,” Romualdez said.

“We unlocked investments with the Maharlika Investment Fund Act, the Ease of Paying Taxes Act and the CREATE MORE Act. We brought education and employment within reach through the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program Act, Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program Act and the Enterprise-Based Education and Training Framework Act,” he added.

“We adapted to a digital future with the Internet Transactions Act and the VAT on Digital Services law. We laid the groundwork for the sustainable expansion of our energy supply through the Philippine Natural Gas Industry Development act and Amendments to the EPIRA law,” he further said.

Romualdez attributed the success of the House in crafting laws “to the strong partnership between the executive and legislative branches.”

He added that out of 64 bills in the Common Legislative Agenda, the House approved 63 and enacted 33 into law, and passed 27 out of 28 Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council priority measures “on time and on target.”

Romualdez noted that in its June 2025 Economic Update, the World Bank ranked the Philippines as the second-fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia, posting a solid 5.6 percent GDP growth in 2024, with strong projections through 2027. Only Vietnam ranks higher in the region.