House approves 112 ‘pro-people’ bills on third reading

MANILA – The House of Representatives, under the leadership of Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, has approved on final reading over a hundred vital measures that are responsive to the needs of the Filipino people especially amid the coronavirus pandemic, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez said on Monday.

Romualdez said the chamber approved a total of 628 measures, 112 of these are national bills approved on third and final reading, while 58 local and national bills were signed into law.

He said among the relevant laws that were enacted under Velasco’s term include Republic Act 11534 or the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentive for Enterprises (CREATE) Act; RA 11509, which establishes a medical scholarship and return service program for deserving students; and RA 11525, which expedited the procurement and administration process of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines.

Other notable laws are RA 11523, which ensures the country’s financial industry resiliency amid the pandemic; RA 11548, which granted the President to defer the increases in contributions of the Social Security System for the duration of the state of calamity; RA 11521, which further strengthened our Anti-Money Laundering Law; and RA 11510, which institutionalizes the alternative learning system in basic education.

During the second regular session of the 18th Congress, the House approved on third and final reading the remaining priority bills certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte; namely the proposed Medical Reserve Corps Act, and the three economic bills that seek to relax foreign investments in a bid to aid the country’s economic recovery.

“The House leadership also pushed to recognize the important role of front-liners, healthcare workers, and workers in general who risk their health and lives to serve the country during this pandemic,” Romualdez said.

Among the relevant bills that were approved on third reading are House Bill (HB) 7647 or An Act Declaring April 7 of Every Year as Barangay Health Workers Day; HB 8259 or An Act Providing Income Tax Relief to Medical Front-liners For Taxable Year 2020; and HB 7036 which seeks to strengthen the security of tenure of workers in the private sector.

He also highlighted the passage on final reading of Resolution of Both Houses No. 2 proposing amendments to certain economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, and House Bill 5777 seeking to tax persons engaged in Philippine offshore gaming operations, both of which aimed at helping our economy.

Throughout the 18th Congress (July 22, 2019, to June 2, 2021), 11,472 measures have been filed in the House and 1,098 of these were approved.

In total, 3,916 measures were processed in 84 session days or an average of 47 measures processed per session.