The leadership of the House of Representatives led by Speaker Martin G. Romualdez has completed constituting all its 65 standing committees and 15 special committees with Tuesday’s election of three chairpersons to fill the remaining vacancies, House majority leader and Zamboanga City Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe said on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the House plenary has elected Rep. Jorge Bustos of PATROL partylist group as chair of the House veteran affairs and welfare committee, Agusan del Sur Rep. Alfelito Bascug as chair of the special committee on oersons with disabilities, and Rep. Maria Carmen Zamora of Davao de Oro as chair of the special committee on strategic intelligence.
Also elected was Bustos as vice-chair of the special committee on strategic Intelligence, Pangasinan, Rep. Arthur Celeste as member of the agrarian reform committee, Mountain Province Rep. Maximo Dalog Jr. for the dangerous drugs vice chairmanship, Caloocan City Rep. Mary Mitzi Cajayon-Uy for the committee on Health, Misamis Oriental Rep. Yevgeny Vincente Emano for the committee on national defense and security, Iloilo Rep. Raul Tupas for the committee on environment, Paranaque Rep. Edwin Olivarez for public accounts and Abra Rep. Ching Bernos for the committee on ways and means.
“All of our standing committees and special committees are 100 percent filled up and ready to carry out their mandate as provided under the Constitution,” Dalipe said.
“I feel relieved that we have finally filled up the organizational gaps. Now we are ready to focus on our primary mandate which is to create legislations that can make life better for our people,” he added.
Dalipe said the full constitution of all the committees is very crucial for the expeditious passage of the Marcos administration’s priority legislative agenda and the timely approval of the P5.268 National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2023.
Dalipe said Speaker Romualdez has listed the following priority legislations which he hopes would be acted upon by all the House panels during the 19th Congress:
1. Creation of the Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone;
2. Creation of the Eastern Visayas Development Authority (EVDA);
3. Creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience;
4. Internet Transaction Act/ E-Commerce Law;
5. Waste-to-Energy Bill;
6. On-Site, In-City Near City Local Government Resettlement Program;
7. Amending the Philippine Passport Act;
8. Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed
Enterprises for Economic Recovery (GUIDE);
9. Medical Reserve Corps;
10. Mandatory establishment of evacuation centers in every city, province, and municipality throughout the country/ Permanent Evacuation Centers;
11. National Disease Prevention Management Authority or Center for Disease Control and Prevention;
12. Creation of the Virology Institute of the Philippines;
13. Open Access in Data Transmission;
14. Department of Water Resources and Services and Creation of Water Regulatory Commission;
15. Unified System of Separation, Retirement, and Pension for Uniformed Personnel;
16. Ordaining the Development of the Downstream Natural Gas Industry;
17. E-Governance Act;
18. Free Legal Assistance for Police and Soldiers;
19. Online Registration of Voters;
20. Amendments to the Government Procurement Reform Act;
21. National Defense Act;
22. Rightsizing the National Government;
23. Budget Reform Act;
24. Apprenticeship Act; and
25. SIM Card Registration Act