A Social Weather Stations survey has revealed that 66 percent of Filipinos support the Vice President’s impeachment trial in the Senate
WITH Martin Romualdez at the helm, the House of Representatives under the 19th Congress from July 2022 to July 2025 racked up a remarkable record he described as marked by “decisive action, unwavering unity, and transformative legislation.”
Indeed, he emphasized the House prioritized “laws with courage, heart, and meaning” aligned with President Marcos Jr.’s Bagong Pilipinas agenda and the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028.
The House leader pointed out the legislative output of the 19th Congress can be aptly considered “strategic shifts” rather than mere statutes, with the passage of various bills reflecting a strong commitment to economic recovery, inclusive development, and national security.
The House actually passed 40 out of 64 total priority bills under the legislative agenda of the Marcos Jr. administration. These consisted of 1,368 bills, including 166 Republic Acts (73 national, 93 local laws).
Among the key bills passed by the House were the Public-Private Partnership Code of the Philippines; the CREATE MORE Act, which enhances tax incentives for businesses; Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Act; Rationalization of the Mining Fiscal Regime Act; and Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act. The reforms embodied in these laws are aimed at accelerating inclusive and sustained economic growth in the years ahead.
To promote investment and business development, lawmakers also passed several bills to liberalize the lease of private lands by foreign investors; reform Philippine capital markets; and amend the Foreign Investors’ Long-Term Lease Act.
To strengthen education and develop the skills and capabilities of the Filipino workforce, the House passed the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program Act; Enterprise-Based Education and Training Framework Act; Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act; and The Tatak Pinoy Act which promotes Filipino-made products and innovations.
To protect the environment, lawmakers passed the bill imposing excise taxes on single-use plastics as well as the Waste-to-Energy Bill and the Department of Water Resources Act, among others.
To assert national sovereignty and strengthen maritime security, Congress also approved the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act.
Apart from passing important bills, the 19th Congress also conducted hearings in aid of legislation through the Quad Committee composed of four panels on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts.
The Quad Committee held 15 marathon hearings between August 2024 and June 2025 to investigate alleged abuses tied to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, and related transnational crimes.
As a result of the Quad Committee hearings, legislators drafted five major bills.
The Anti-Extrajudicial Killing Act (HB 10986) criminalizes state-sponsored killings and mandates independent investigations.
The Anti-Offshore Gaming Operations Act (HB 10987) bans POGOs and penalizes enablers of illegal gaming hubs, while the Civil Forfeiture Act (HB 11043) strengthens asset seizure from individuals linked to organized crime.
The Fraudulent Birth Certificate Cancellation Law (HB 11117) targets identity falsification used by foreign nationals in criminal enterprises, while the Espionage Law of 2024 (HB 10998), defines and penalizes acts of foreign espionage and infiltration.
All these reflect the commitment of the 19th Congress to the rule of law and the accountability of public officials.
Yet another significant achievement of the 19th Congress was the House action on Feb. 5, 2025 to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte with support from 215 lawmakers, surpassing the Constitutional one-third threshold.
The impeachment complaint cited seven articles, including: culpable violation of the constitution; betrayal of public trust bribery and corruption; malversation of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds; alleged assassination plot against President Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez; involvement in extrajudicial killings; destabilization and obstruction of congressional investigations.
The Senate impeachment trial is expected to begin shortly after the formal opening of the 20th Congress on July 28.
This will be another milestone in our contemporary political history as it would underscore our adherence to honesty and integrity in the public service as well as commitment to justice and the rule of law as essential components of our democratic system.
A Social Weather Stations survey has in fact revealed that 66 percent of Filipinos support the Vice President’s impeachment trial in the Senate.
For Speaker Romualdez, the trial is all about “upholding the Constitution” and emphasizing transparency and accountability as hallmarks of good governance in this country. (Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)
