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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Priority bills top Senate’s agenda

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The  comprehensive tax reform package being pushed by the Duterte administration and the proposed shift to a federal form of government topped the list of priority bills that the Senate are expected to tackle when it returns for the second Regular Session of the 17th Congress on Monday, July 24.

The most attractive feature of the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) is the lower tax rate for fixed income earners starting Jan. 1, 2018.

Under the measure, the government will no longer impose personal income tax of employees earning less than P250,000 annually, even as an incremental tax will be imposed on personal income over P250,000.

Thirteen (13) other bills have also been endorsed by Neda chief Ernesto Pernia as chairman of  Legislative-Executive Advisory Council to President Rodrigo Duterte as “urgent” bills in Congress.   They are as follows: 1) Unified National Identification System Act, 2) Security of Tenure Bill (End of “Endo” or Contractualization), 3) Bill on utilization of the Coconut Levy Fund, 4) National Transport Act to address transport traffic crisis, 5) Budget Reform Act, 6) National Land Use Act, 7) Bill on Rightsizing of the National Government 8) Amendments to the Anti-Cybercrime Act, 9) Amendments to the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996, 10) Amendments to the National Irrigation Administration  Charter to allow for free irrigation, 11) Amendment to Public Service Act, 12) Ease of Doing Business Act/Fast Business Permit Act, 13) and Amendments to the Government Procurement Reform Act.

Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said that the Senate is raring to go back to work and address “bigger challenges” facing the country.

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“While we may have achieved much in the 1st Regular Session, our work is not yet done,” he said.

Pimentel will lead the opening ceremonies for the 2nd Regular Session on Monday morning. After the event, the senators will proceed to the Batasang Pambansa Complex in the afternoon, and attend a joint session of Congress to hear President Rodrigo Duterte’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA). T

he Senate remains as the top government institution in the country with the highest public approval

ratings, as reported by polling firms Pulse Asia Research Inc. and Social Weather Stations (SWS) in their surveys last June.

The SWS pegged the upper chamber’s rating at a “good” +49 with 64% of respondents “satisfied” with the Senate’s performance so far, while the Pulse Asia survey said that the Senate posted “majority” approval ratings of 59%.

The Senate will resume its session two days after the joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives on the proposed extension of Martial Law in Mindanao, as requested by the president. 

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