The House of Representatives is resuming session today with the ratification of the P4.506-trillion national budget for 2021 and approval of a number of must-pass bills high on its agenda.
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said the 301-member legislative chamber is ready to buckle down to work with strict physical distancing and health protocols in place amid the continuing threat of COVID-19.
“We need to hit the ground running and make full use of this year’s remaining sessions to tackle and pass the priority measures, especially those that have been certified urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte,” he said.
House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez said the workload would be heavy.
“We go back to work Monday with a full plate of priority bills scheduled for plenary and committee deliberation. Speaker Lord Allan Velasco wants to place in the front burner all economic and anti-poverty measures so we can approve the President’s priority measures before the onset of the election season next year,” he said.
Congress only has four weeks left in session before it adjourns on Dec. 19 for a month-long Christmas break.
“We are working with our House leaders in finding ways to fast-track priority measures that will ensure a more efficient and responsive government during these trying times,” Velasco said.
“We are confident that our colleagues in the legislature share a common goal as we all report for work on Monday,” he added.
Velasco said making sure the President will be able to sign the 2021 general appropriations bill into law before the year ends remains the top priority of the House.
“We are looking forward to the bicameral conference on the 2021 GAB and hopefully, we will be able to ratify the bicam report before Congress adjourns for the holidays,” he said.
The speaker said the record-high budget is the government’s “single-most powerful tool” to fight COVID-19 and help the economy and the people recover from the devastating impact of the pandemic.
Also high on the House agenda is the approval of the bill strengthening Republic Act 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), the proposed Internet Transactions Act, and the proposed Magna Carta of Barangay Workers.
President Duterte earlier certified as urgent House Bill 6174 seeking to amend AMLA, saying the amendments are necessary for the country to “comply with legal standards for anti-money laundering and countering terrorism financing, as established by relevant international bodies.”
Velasco underscored the urgent need to pass the bill to avoid an adverse finding against the country, which could lead to a higher cost of doing financial transactions for overseas Filipino workers and local businesses.
The measure is now up for second reading approval after it was approved by the House committee on banks and financial intermediaries last month.
Velasco said the swift passage of the proposed Internet Transactions Act was necessary to protect consumers, especially with the increase in online transactions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The measure was approved by the House committee on trade and industry during the recess.
Other priority measures identified by Velasco are the proposed Coconut Levy Fund; National Land Use Act; Rightsizing the National Government Act; Right to Adequate Food, Anti-Ethnic, Racial and Religious Discrimination Act; and On-Site, In-City, Near City Local Government Resettlement Program.
He also vowed to ensure the immediate passage of economic bills that will “jumpstart the economy and help the country rise above the devastating effects of the pandemic.”
“All these economic measures would go hand in hand with bills that will address systemic corruption in government,” Velasco said. “Both are equally important in helping the country get back on track, especially in the last two years of the Duterte administration.”
The House leadership and secretariat have put in place health and safety measures to protect lawmakers, employees and guests inside the Batasan Complex in Quezon City amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
House Secretary General Jocelia Bighani Sipin said all members and employees reporting for work on Monday are required to undergo the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for COVID-19.
Velasco took the lead by having himself tested at the House RT-PCR testing facility last week.