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Friday, March 29, 2024

Speaker: House will go full blast when session resumes

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The House of Representatives will hit the road running when session resumes on Monday, Speaker Martin Romualdez said on Saturday.

Romualdez said the House leadership has always been committed to pass pro-people measures, including the controversial Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) which has undergone several revisions “to make it responsive to the needs of a growing economy.”

The Speaker also cited other measures undergoing close scrutiny and revision including those designed to ramp up the digitalization of business and the bureaucracy as enunciated by President Marcos during the recently-concluded World Economic Forum to fuel the country’s growth momentum.

“The House leadership reiterates its unwavering commitment to support the Agenda for Prosperity of President Marcos. And we have backed that commitment with tangible results,” Romualdez, referring to the House’s action to pass pieces of legislation that are expected to benefit the people.

Early this week, Romualdez expressed support for Marcos’ pronouncement on the importance of digitalization as a key driver for the long-term development and economic transformation of the Philippines to the post-pandemic global economy.

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“Establishment of the framework for digital transformation will undoubtedly help to enhance the prospect of the Philippines as an investment hub that President Marcos has successfully built up in Davos,” Romualdez said.

The Speaker was part of the Chief Executive’s official delegation to the WEF.

Among the top priorities of the House is the passage of the E-Government and E-Governance Act, “which would help accelerate our digital transformation to fuel growth momentum, Romualdez said.

Before Congress adjourned for the Christmas break on December 17, Romualdez announced that the House had fulfilled its commitment to pass the MIF bill, the P5.268-trillion national budget for 2023, and 20 other priority bills of the Marcos administration.

He said the House will work equally hard for the passage of the remaining priority bills of President Marcos, particularly those included in the Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) adopted by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

Romualdez was referring to the priority measures, aside from the E-Governance and E-Government Act included in the CLA: 1. The enactment of an enabling law for the natural gas industry, 2. Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), 3. The Unified System of Separation, Retirement, and Pension, 4. The National Land Use Act, 5. The National Defense Act, 6. The National Government Rightsizing Program, 7. The Budget Modernization Bill, 8. The Department of Water Resources, 9. Establishing the Negros Island Region, 10.Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers, and 11. The Establishment of Regional Specialty Hospitals.

“You can count on the House to work harder …to do our part in improving the lives of our people. I truly believe it is the best way to express our gratitude for the greatest gift all public officials have received—the opportunity to serve our country,” Romualdez said.

Last year, Romualdez acknowledged the swift passage of the historic P5.268-trillion 2023 national budget as one of his leadership’s major accomplishments as this year’s national budget provides the Marcos administration the resources to sustain our economic expansion momentum and keep the country on the high-growth path.

As of December last year, the House  processed a total of 1,150 bills and resolutions or an average of 28 measures per session during its 41 session days from July 25 to Dec. 15, 2022.

Based on the report of Majority Leader  Jose Dalipe to the Speaker, a total of 7,402 measures were filed in the House– 6,716 were bills, 685 were resolutions and 263 were committee reports.

Dalipe said the chamber approved 173 bills on third and final reading, passed 21 measures on second reading, and adopted 43 resolutions, including Concurrent Resolution 2, which supported the 2022-2028 Medium Term Fiscal Framework of the Marcos administration.

“We assure the Filipino people that the House of Representatives, our House of the People will work harder to pass quality legislation that will advance and uphold their interests,” Romualdez said.

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