The House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez will continue to be a prolific in terms of its primary task of legislation for the entire 19th Congress.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said Romualdez had already set the tone during the First Regular Session with its high output of processed and approved measures.
“The measures the House approved during the First Regular Session have both quality and quantity. Quality, because the chamber passed 33 out of the 42 priority bills of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. as listed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC); and quantity, because the chamber was able to process 30 measures per session day, and this was 10 percent more than what the previous Congress did,” sai Barbers, a stalwart of the Nacionalista Party.
“The House will continue to perform at this pace for the rest of the 19th Congress. Speaker Romualdez knows that time is of the essence, that’s why he can easily tune out from all the political noise. We will follow his lead,” he added.
A total of 577 bills were passed on third and final reading during the past 10 months, which constituted the First Regular Session.
“A lot is riding on the work of government. In fact there are over 31 million Filipinos who bought into the President’s notion of a better and more comfortable life. This promise will come to fruition if the legislature and executive continues to tread a united path,” Barbers said.
Earlier, Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. urged the House of Representatives to remain committed to working on measures that would sustain the country’s economic growth.
He made the appeal in reaction to the World Bank’s decision to upgrade its economic outlook for the Philippines for this year from a range of 5.4 to 5.6 percent to a full six percent.
Romualdez himself said the House would not allow distractions in formulating policies for the benefit of the Filipino people.
“Let’s ignore any political noise that comes our way. Let’s remain focused on helping President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and our Speaker Martin Romualdez in keeping the economy on the high growth path by enhancing conditions that would attract investments and create job and income opportunities for our people,” Gonzales said.
The head of the Party-list Coalition also expressed confidence that the House under Speaker Romualdez will maintain its “remarkable synergy” with the Executive branch into the second regular session and for the rest of the 19th Congress.
“We were elected to uplift the lives of our constituents and so far, the House has followed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s Agenda for Peace and Prosperity to a tee,” said Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations.
