The House of Representatives on Monday approved several measures as the 18th Congress is set to adjourn sine die on June 6.
Among the measures approved was the proposed Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, amendments to the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Act of 1995 (Republic Act 8042), and the proposed No Contact Traffic Apprehension Act.
The House led by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin G. Romualdez also adopted a resolution congratulating a Filipino restaurant in the United States for receiving a Michelin star.
House Resolution 2573, with Velasco as one of the principal authors, recognized Kasama, a restaurant based in Chicago, Illinois for “representation of how both traditional and modern elements of Filipino cuisine, through its ingredients, flavors, and cooking techniques can be harmonized to create dishes which are representative of Filipino culture and heritage.”
In the resolution, it noted The Michelin Guide tagged Kasama as one that “reflects their training, experience, and heritage for an experience that is ambitious, clever, and distinct.”
On April 7, 2022, Kasama became the first Filipino-themed restaurant to win a Michelin star, an award given by the Michelin Guide recognizing culinary excellence considering the quality of ingredients, the harmony of flavors, the mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed in their cuisine, and the consistency of the entire menu.
Filipino chef Timothy Flores and his wife Genie Kwon opened the restaurant in 2020 in the East Ukraine Village in Chicago highlighting contemporary cuisine.
Meanwhile, voting 186-0, the House approved on the third and final reading House Bill 1081 which establishes the archipelagic sea lanes (ASLs) in the Philippine archipelagic waters.
The bill once enacted hopes to prevent arbitrary international passage in the Philippine archipelago.
Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez, the bill’s author, said the bill is consistent with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to which the Philippines is a signatory.
The lower chamber also passed on final reading House Bill 10802 which expands the coverage of compulsory insurance for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
The bill, approved by a 180-6-0 vote, proposes to expand the coverage of compulsory insurance for agency-hired OFWs to include rehires, direct hires, and government hires.
It would also include temporary partial disablement in the list of benefits to be enjoyed by the OFWs.
Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said the insurance coverage includes death, permanent disability, repatriation cost, subsistence allowance when involved in a case in the receiving country, money claims, compassionate visit by a family member or a requested individual when
hospitalized for at least seven consecutive days, medical evacuation, and medical repatriation.
HB 10811, approved by 180-6-0, calls for the use of the appropriate technology to enhance road discipline and road safety.
The bill provides that should a vehicle be found to have violated traffic rules and regulations, its plate number or conduction sticker, “as may be recognizable through the surveillance equipment, shall be tagged to immediately alert all concerned traffic authorities and agencies in order to identify the registered owner and determine its driver.”
“The license of the person liable for the traffic violation, after the lapse of the period to contest or settle the fine or penalty, will be suspended or revoked depending on the gravity of the offense,” the bill stated.
“The measure also aims to curtail graft and corruption and abuse of authority by traffic enforcers employing physical or face-to-face apprehensions,” the authors said.