Ni NOEL ABUEL
Kasabay ng pag-adjourn ng sesyon para sa Holy Week recess, ipinagmalaki ni Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez na nagtagumpay ang Kamara na aprubahan sa ikatlo at huling pagbasa ang 23 sa 31 panukalang batas na tinukoy ng Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) bilang priority measures ng administrasyong Marcos.
Ang 31 LEDAC priority measures, na tinawag na Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) ng Malacañang, Senado at ng Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso, ay inilabas mula sa dose-dosenang mga panukalang batas na inihain sa Kongreso upang higit pang pasiglahin ang mga aktibidad sa ekonomiya, lumikha ng mga oportunidad sa trabaho, bawasan ang kahirapan, at magbigay ng mas mahusay na serbisyo sa pangangalagang pangkalusugan para sa mga Pilipino.
Sinabi ni Speaker Romualdez sa 23 panukalang inaprubahan ng Kamara, dalawa ang nilagdaan bilang batas ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. habang ang natitirang walong panukalang batas sa listahan ng prayoridad ng LEDAC ay nasa mga unahang yugto na ng deliberasyon.
“We have done our share in passing important pieces of legislation that will help the country recover from the crippling impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and external shocks that adversely affect the economy and the nation,” aniya.
“That was our commitment during the series of meetings at LEDAC. That is our continuing commitment to the Filipino people,” dagdag pa ng lider ng Kamara.
Bukod sa tinukoy ng LEDAC bilang priority measures, ang mga inaprubahang panukala ay kabilang din sa mga binanggit ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. sa kanyang unang State of the Nation Address (SONA) noong Hulyo ng nakaraang taon.
“We have responded positively to the President’s call for legislation that would hasten the country’s recovery from the pandemic, sustain our economic growth, and implement his Agenda for Prosperity,” sabi pa ni Romualdez.
Ang dalawang panukalang batas na nilagdaan ng Pangulo bilang batas ay ang mobile phone SIM (subscriber information module) Registration Act, na ipinapatupad na ngayon, at ang panukalang nagpapaliban sa barangay at Sangguniang Kabataan elections sa Oktubre ngayong taon.
Habang ang 20 iba pang LEDAC-endorsed bills na ipinasa sa huli at ikatlong pagbasa ng Kamara ay ang 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, at Rightsizing the National Government.
Ang isa pa sa LEDAC bill, ang Agrarian Reform Debts Condonation ay kasalukuyang nasa bicameral conference committee approval.
Ang walong iba pang LEDAC bills na naka-pending sa Kamara ay ang Regional Specialty Hospitals, Enabling Law for the Natural Gas Industry, National Land Use Act; Department of Water Resources and Services and Creation of Water Regulatory Commission, Electric Power Industry Reform Act, Budget Modernization, National Defense Act at ang Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension for Uniformed Personnel.
“We are working double time to pass the remaining eight LEDAC measures and our own priority bills. We are confident of approving them on third and final reading before the sine die break,” pagtitiyak ni Speaker Romualdez.
Maliban sa 31 LEDAC bills, sinabi ni Romualdez na ang mga chairman at miyembro ng komite ng Kamara ay natukoy ang 21 mga hakbang na nais nilang bigyan ng prayoridad.
Sa 21 kabilang dito ang 10 para sa LEDAC endorsement, kung saan apat sa mga ito ay ang Maharlika Investment Fund bill, Ease of Paying Taxes Act, LGU Income Classification, at amendments sa Universal Health Care Act.
“Two of our more promising initiatives is the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) proposal and the efforts to amend the economic provisions of our existing Constitution through a Constitutional Convention. These measures, we at the House of Representatives believe, will help create a more vibrant economy not only for the Philippines but also for the countries in the Asia-Pacific Region, by reducing, if not, totally eliminating economic barriers to investments. Indeed, there are so much more to look forward to,” paliwanag pa ni Romualdez.
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