Arroyo makes last push to pass PRRD’s priority bills

MANILA — With just 11 session days left before the 17th Congress adjourns sine die, House of Representatives Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is making a last ditch effort to push for the passage of the remaining priority bills that President Rodrigo Duterte mentioned in his 2018 State of the Nation Address.

In a letter dated May 21 and sent to Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Arroyo asked the Senate to act on 11 pending priority bills in the President’s priority legislative agenda.

These bills include the proposed Security of Tenure Act; the National Land Use Act; Department of Disaster Resilience Act; Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-Quality Opportunities; the Act Establishing the Fiscal Regime for the Mining Industry; the Act Amending the Excise Tax on Alcohol Products; the Act Increasing the Excise Tax Rate on Tobacco Products; the Act Instituting Reforms on Real Property Valuation and Assessment in the Philippines; and the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act of 2019.

Also included are the proposed Charter change and the bill lowering the age of criminality.

In her letter, Arroyo pointed out that these bills have already been approved by the House on third and final reading.

“As for the 11 pending bills in the President’s priority legislative agenda, we await the action of the Senate and stand ready to adopt the Senate version in the interest of speedy legislation,” she said.

In the meantime, the Speaker said that since the proposed bill on the creation of the Coconut Industry Trust Fund was vetoed by the President, the House has re-introduced a bill on the subject, which she hopes would “conform more to the policy direction of the Executive.”

She told the Senate that the substitute bill on the coco levy fund will be the House’s main priority in the remaining legislative days of the present Congress.

The former president also thanked the Senate for working hand-in-hand with the House under her Speakership, in carrying out the legislative agenda of Duterte.

“It has been an honor doing legislative work with you,” Arroyo said.