"There are many positive changes in the House marked by the swift passage of priority bills of the administration."
How did the House of Representatives perform its lawmaking function since the 18th Congress opened in the second semester of last year?
No doubt, the economy will benefit in no small measure from the raft of bills it passed in such a short period of time.
In September, the House approved the Corporate Income Tax and Incentive Rationalization Act (CITIRA or Package 2 of the administration’s comprehensive tax reform program), which seeks to reduce the corporate income tax from 30 percent to 20 percent over time to make the Philippines more attractive to investors. This would also rationalize fiscal incentives to ensure that they benefit the economy and the Filipino people, and not just the businesses granted tax perks.
Then there's the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA or Package 4), which aims to make the taxation system in the financial sector simpler and fairer.
In the same month, the House also approved amendments to the Foreign Investments Act which would boost the entry of more investments from overseas to fund vital projects.
There's more. The Tobacco Tax Reform Bill, which is now Republic Act 11346 or the Tobacco Tax Reform Act, imposes higher taxes on cigarettes. Another bill that imposes higher taxes on alcohol products and e-cigarettes now awaits the President’s signature. The two measures will provide the additional funding needed to properly implement the Universal Health Care program that will benefit mostly low-income families. Raising excise taxes on sin products such as tobacco and e-cigarettes, as well as alcohol, will also discourage smoking and binge drinking, especially among the youth.
State workers have ample reason to rejoice with the onset of the new year as the new Salary Standardization Law will raise their monthly pay.
But that's not all that the House has achieved since the second half of last year.
The proposed 2020 national budget was passed in record time. The House Appropriations Committee chairman, Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, considers the timely approval of the 2020 General Appropriations Bill that is “pork-free and without any parked funds” as “among the most notable achievements of the House during Cayetano’s first six months as Speaker.”
At least six Deputy Speakers vouch for Cayetano's leadership. For Deputy Speaker and Surigao del Sur 1st District Rep. Prospero Pichay, “The House was productive under Speaker Cayetano not because of the quantity but because of the quality of the bills passed.”
Another Mindanao lawmaker, Misamis Occidental 2nd District Rep. Henry Oaminal said he is confident that Mindanao will not be left out and will continue to be developed not only through “the big-ticket railway projects under the President’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ (BBB) program but also through projects specific to communities that badly need infrastructure the most.”
For Cebu 3rd District Rep. Pablo John Garcia, the Speaker has made the House a better legislative chamber, instilling discipline among its members not by fear but by leading by example.
Sorsogon 1st District Rep. Evelina Escudero said that under the current House leadership, the bill creating a Department of Disaster Resilience, another priority measure of President Duterte, was passed swiftly by the House committees on government reorganization and disaster management. She expects the House to approve the bill this year.
Ilocos Sur Rep. Deogracias Victor Savellano said “we had witnessed how Cayetano would work long hours, even on weekends, to get the job of the House done and done well."
Antipolo 1st District Rep. Roberto Puno said the image of the House as a responsible and reliable legislative body has been restored. “If we want to sustain this momentum of accomplishments that has earned the House the respect of the public, then we can all agree that keeping Alan as Speaker is the best way to do it,” Puno said.
Proof positive that Cayetano has been doing well in his new job is his excellent showing in the latest Pulse Asia survey covering 1,200 respondents across the country. His trust rating improved from an already respectable 62 percent in September by 14 percentage points to 76 percent in December. He also garnered an 80 percent performance rating, a historic high for a House leader and a remarkable improvement of 16 percentage points from his September rating of 64 percent.
The positive changes in the House marked by the swift passage of priority bills of the administration may have been mainly responsible for Cayetano's high ratings, but it was also partly the result of the success of the 30th Southeast Asian Games, which was organized by the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) that he chaired.
If Congress has been on fire in the last six months, the public can expect it to glow even more white-hot in the coming months as the House appears more than ready to accelerate reforms and help the national government's drive to attain the goal of a safe, secure and comfortable life for all Filipinos.