By Christine Fabro
The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading a total of 31 out of the 42 priority bills identified by the Marcos administration.
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Thursday, May 25, shared that the latest measures that have been passed were the 30-year National Infrastructure Program Bill and the proposed National Land Use Act.
“We are proud of our collective accomplishment – 31 out of 42 and counting. As of today, we have achieved a significant part of our goal in less than a year of session,” Romualdez said in a statement.
According to Romualdez, the measures “aim to support the President’s vision of keeping the economy on the high growth path and generating more jobs and income opportunities for our people.”
The proposed 2023-2052 National Infrastructure Program, contained in House Bill No. 8078, will be an all-encompassing program covering public works, energy, water resources, information and technology, agri-fisheries, food logistics, and socially-oriented structures such as school buildings and other educational facilities.
He added that the Program will also institutionalize the ‘Build, Better, More’ program “to support a strong economy through a resilient and reliable national infrastructure network.”
Measures that have been approved on third and final reading include the following:
- Magna Carta of Seafarers
- E-Governance Act/E-Government Act
- Negros Island Region
- Virology Institute of the Philippines
- Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act
- National Disease Prevention Management Authority or Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- Medical Reserve Corps
- Philippine Passport Act
- Internet Transaction Act/E-Commerce Law
- Waste-to-Energy Bill
- Free Legal Assistance for Police and Soldiers
- Apprenticeship Act
- Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law
- Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers
- Valuation Reform
- Eastern Visayas Development Authority
- Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone
- Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery
- National Citizens Service Training Program
- National Government Rightsizing
Romualdez noted the Maharlika Investment or Sovereign Fund bill, which the President has certified as urgent, was already passed and sent to the Senate. – gb
