THE Senate and the House of Representatives convened on Monday, July 22, 2024, for the opening of the third regular session of the 19th Congress ahead of the third State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
All the 23 senators were present during the opening of the third regular session, which was presided over by Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero.
There were originally 24 senators but Marcos appointed one of them, Juan Edgardo Angara, as the secretary of the Department of Education, following the resignation of Vice President Sara Duterte from the Cabinet.
In his speech, Escudero said the Senate will set aside items that merely dissipate the energy of the lawmakers in the upper chamber and divide the public.
“For this same reason, pending bills on charter change will be placed in the back burner and will follow the ordinary and regular process of legislation if at all and instead bills which can affect the same result but without the needless political noise and bickering will be prioritized, this will allow us to focus our energy on measures which the people truly need,” he said.
The Senate President said the upper chamber will prioritize legislation that will make the lives of people easier, will help the country move faster in achieving its goals and aspirations, and will make the people’s burden lighter.
“This applies as well whether we need to legislate in the first place, for the Senate does not only propose new laws; it also disposes, with needless or obsolete ones,” he added.
In a statement, Escudero said among their priority legislation, as agreed upon during the recent Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council chaired by Marcos, are amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira); Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (Create More) bill; Amendments to the Foreign Investors' Long-Term Lease Act; Reforms to Philippine Capital Markets; Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act; Amendments to the Right-of-Way Act; Excise Tax on Single-Use Plastics; Rationalization of the Mining Fiscal Regime; the creation of the Department of Water Resources; and Amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law.
Escudero noted that the Senate is a chamber of sobriety and prudence where they temper the passions of public opinion and proceed in a rational and deliberate manner without immediately embracing populism that may ultimately harm the people.
“The Senate focuses on quality rather than quantity. We legislate only if those existing are no longer sufficient or if no other solution suffices. This is not a factory that mass produces laws for the sake of showing them on a scoreboard yet do not in any way improve our people’s lives,” he said.
“The Senate puts the interest of our people over those of political parties or personal ambitions, ika nga bayan muna bago ang sarili,” he added.
Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, Speaker Martin Romualdez touted the approval of all the 17 priority legislations that was identified by Marcos during his second Sona in 2023.
Five of these priority measures have been enacted into law, namely, the Local Government Unit Income Classification (RA 11964), the Ease of Paying Taxes Act (RA 11976), and the Tatak Pinoy Law (RA 11981).
He also noted the two other important measures, the New Government Procurement Reform Act and the Anti-Financial Accounts Scamming Act, which were signed into law by Marcos on Saturday, July 20.
“We have done our homework. We address concerns on food security, climate change, social protection, tourism, public health and public order and safety among others,” said Romualdez.
“Our accomplishments reflect our pro-active stance in catering to the needs of the people by passing these much-needed legislation that are attuned to the Philippine development plan and the eight-point socio-economic agenda under the medium-term fiscal framework of the president,” he added.
Romualdez said the lower chamber will ride on the momentum of its significant achievements, which is toward building a Philippines where every citizen can live with dignity, opportunity, and hope.
He reiterated the chamber’s dedication to creating a Philippines where dreams can be achieved, and where every Filipino feels valued and supported.
The sessions in both houses was suspended until 4 p.m.
The senators will proceed to the House of Representatives in Quezon City for a joint session with the members of the lower chamber where they will listen as Marcos delivers his Sona.
Earlier, the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council identified the following priority bills for passage by June 2025:
* Reforms to Philippine Capital Markets
* Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act
* Amendments to the Right-of-Way Act
* Excise Tax on Single-Use Plastics
* Rationalization of the Mining Fiscal Regime
* Department of Water Resources
* Amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law
* Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act
* Amendments to the Government Procurement Reform Act
* Anti-Financial Accounts Scamming Act
* Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Act
* Philippine Maritime Zones Act
* Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act
* VAT on Digital Services
* New Government Auditing Code
* Blue Economy Act
* Enterprise-Based Education and Training Framework Act
* Amendments to the Universal Health Care Act
* Open Access in Data Transmission Act
* Waste-to-Energy Bill
* Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC)
* Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension of Military and Uniformed Personnel
* E-Government Act / E-Governance Act
* Amendments to the Agrarian Reform Law
* Philippine Immigration Act
(TPM/SunStar Philippines)