The House of Representatives will center its legislative work on the urgent needs of ordinary Filipinos in the 20th Congress, with a focus on food, employment, education, and public health.
“We will build an economy not just for the top one percent, but for the struggling 99 percent — an economy where ordinary people don’t just survive, they succeed,” Speaker Martin Romualdez said in a speech during the resumption of session Tuesday.
“Congress should not be the home of the privileged, but the pillar of the common Filipino,” he added.
This, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address
The House would pass the Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment Act or RICE Act to ensure a stable supply of affordable rice while protecting farmers from exploitation, the Speaker said.
He said smuggling, hoarding and price manipulation must be eliminated through better law enforcement and agricultural reforms.
He also announced plans to expand irrigation and post-harvest infrastructure, alongside efforts to modernize farming to make agriculture more profitable.
Romualdez said the House would institutionalize the “Walang Gutom Program” in the 2026 national budget through monthly electronic food credits for vulnerable families.
On employment, he said legislation must generate dignified and sustainable work, particularly through support for small businesses, TESDA programs and access to capital.
The Speaker likewise committed to bridging the gap for underserved learners by passing the Last Mile Schools Act and amending the E-GASTPE Law.
He also identified peace and order as a central priority, saying that laws must guarantee not only the absence of conflict but also the presence of justice and opportunity.
He said this included support for local peace and order councils, law enforcement and national electrification while fast-tracking defense modernization and disaster resilience.
The Speaker also called for a shift toward a more responsive bureaucracy, adding that the House would pass laws to digitize services, eliminate red tape and professionalize public service.
He urged lawmakers to make this Congress a turning point, not only in lawmaking but in restoring faith in government. “Let the 20th Congress be a turning point — not just in the laws we pass, but in the lives we change,” he said.
