House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez on Monday said the COVID-19 pandemic failed to prevent the House of Representatives from having a productive 18th Congress.
During the three-year run of the 18th Congress from July 22, 2019 to June 3, 2022, Romualdez said House members filed a total of 13,526 measures.
Of this number, Romualdez said 10,845 were bills while 2,681 were resolutions.
“I am proud to have walked these halls with all of you as we have faithfully discharged our duties to our nation and our people,” Romualdez, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) president, said following the conclusion of the 18th Congress.
In his remarks, Romualdez also cited the “tireless efforts” of his colleagues, House officials, and staff in the performance of their “mandate to serve and protect the people and restore good governance.”
A total of 1,618 measures were approved by the House of Representatives from July 2019 to June 2022 under the leaderships of former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and outgoing Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.
As of June 1, President Duterte signed into law a total of 311 measures, 119 of which were national in scope, while 192 were of local application.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
As such, a number of laws enacted were specifically crafted to address the ill-effects of the pandemic.
The most significant of these COVID-19 response laws were the Bayanihan 1 and 2, which allowed the release of billions of pesos to fight the effects of the pandemic and more importantly protect the citizenry from the disease.
“While almost everybody were forced to stay in their homes for safety during the community quarantine, House Members, officials, and employees went out of their way to report for work and perform their duties diligently,” Romualdez said.
Another 759 measures—310 national bills, 448 local bills, and one Resolution of Both Houses (RBH)—were passed on third and final reading during the 18th Congress, according to Romualdez.
Thirteen bills—eight national and local—were approved on second reading, he said.
Meanwhile, Romualdez said the filing of 1,497 committee reports showed how active the House committees were even during the pandemic when the lawmakers had to make do with virtual or digital processes instead of traditional face-to-face meetings.
“Together with President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr., we, the incoming members of the 19th Congress look forward to working in a post-pandemic setting so we may put forward our 100 percent effort in helping the country rise from the effects of COVID-19. The Marcos administration is fully aware of this humongous challenge,” Romualdez said.
“The answer, as ably demonstrated by the 18th Congress, is unity, perseverance, and compassion,” Romualdez said.