House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Monday vowed to look into the problems of the agriculture sector to help millions of Filipino farmers and fishermen.
He told his colleagues at the start of the Second Regular Session of the 19th Congress that the chamber would also prioritize the approval of the remaining nine urgent measures identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).
Romualdez stressed Congress is focused on approving the 20 LEDAC bills.
According to Romualdez “it is equally imperative to address the issues confronting our agricultural sector in the soonest possible time.”
Earlier, Romualdez handed over to Speaker Kim Jin-Pyo (left, inset) of the National Assembly of South Korea a copy of House Resolution No. 93 expressing the country’s strong support and solidarity with the Republic of Korea in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement.
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“We shall safeguard our farmers’ interests, ensure equitable market conditions, and foster sustainable farming methods to ensure our nation’s food security,” he added.
Over the weekend, the House leader promised to closely monitor the implementation of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, under which P5.7 billion in debt incurred by 610,000 farmers and other agrarian reform beneficiaries are to be written off.
He said the House would also “upgrade and modernize” by strengthening Public-Private Partnership program.
Romualdez also reassured foreign investors that the House would continue to pursue investor-friendly measures.
“We will actively engage in discussions and cooperate with the global business community to create an international business environment in our country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Romualdez enumerated the 20 measures: (1) amendments to the BOT Law or Public-Private Partnership bill; (2) National Disease Prevention Management Authority; (3) Internet Transactions Act or E-Commerce Law; (4) Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team Act, formerly Medical Reserve Corps; (5) Virology Institute of the Philippines; (6) Mandatory ROTC and National Service Training Program; (7) Revitalizing the Salt Industry; (8) Valuation Reform; (9) e-Government and e-Governance; (10) Ease of Paying Taxes Equally; (11) National Government
Rightsizing Program; (12) Unified System of Separation/Retirement and Pension of Military and Other Uniformed Personnel; (13) LGU Income Classification; (14) Waste-to-Energy Bill; (15) New Philippine Passport Act; (16) Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers; (17) National Employment Action Plan; (18) Amendments to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act; (19) Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas-endorsed Bank Deposit Secrecy; and (20) Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act.
Eleven of these measures had already been approved on final reading at the House.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte has appealed to legislators to consider the enactment of 50 bills meant to prop up President Marcos’ “Agenda for Peace and Prosperity.”
Villafuerte expressed optimism that his peers in both the House of Representatives and the Senate will pass to pass the remaining nine bills from the expanded list of 44 priority measures that President Marcos had drawn up with the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).
Villafuerte also urged senators alone to act on at least 47 other bills, comprising the 30 other priority measures along with 17 more bills that the House had already passed on third and final reading during the first regular session of the 19th Congress.