The House of Representatives is scheduled to approve on third and final reading this week two more bills tagged as priority measures by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).
“We are doing our part in supporting the President’s socio-economic development agenda by passing these urgent proposed pieces of legislation that would sustain our economic growth and create more job and income opportunities for our people,” Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said on Sunday.
“We are inching toward accomplishing our goal of approving all of these priorities measures, thanks to the hard and tireless work of our colleagues,” he added.
The two bills set to be passed on final reading are the proposed Philippine Salt Industry Development Act and the Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act.
The bills’ approval would bring to 33 the total number of LEDAC priority measures approved by the House.
There are 42 bills in the LEDAC list.
Three other LEDAC priority bills — Natural Gas Industry Enabling Law, National Employment Action Plan, and Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System Bill — are set for second-reading approval before adjourning sine die.
Romualdez said the draft Philippine Salt Industry Development Act seeks to revive the dying salt industry in the country, which imports a large part of the commodity.
“We have to help the industry and the thousands of Filipinos and their families who depend on it for their livelihood. Our country is surrounded by seas. We can produce a lot of salt for our consumption and even for export,” he said.
He said that the government must assist salt farmers with training, technology, and funding to increase their produce and help them market their produce.
The Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act seeks to update the 83-year-old immigration law, Commonwealth Act No. 613 or the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.
“The bill aims to modernize and streamline our immigration system to encourage international tourism and foreign investments that would boost the economy,” Romualdez said.
At the same time, it would refresh the country’s immigration law to cover recent challenges in immigration and migration and cross-border crimes, including smuggling, illegal recruitment, and human trafficking, he said.
The bill also seeks to update the compensation of immigration personnel.
