Quezon City Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas has posted a record of filing more than 50 bills that passed on third and final reading in the House of Representatives which were subsequently referred to the Senate.
A staunch believer that “development greatly depends on the quality of the people,” Vargas sponsored proposed laws anchored on human resource development.
“Only by holistically looking at the population can one legislate better for the people. Anytime between the working ages of 15 to 64, we can all be contributors to development, there just must be guiding policies in place that will allow citizens to do so,” Vargas said.
Among Vargas’ measures ratified by the lower chamber was House Bill 1680, also dubbed The National Apprenticeship Program geared towards addressing the long-standing job-skill mismatch in the labor market.
He was also among the policymakers who pushed for HB 7370, or the Creation of a Tripartite Council to Address Unemployment, Underemployment, and the Job-Skills Mismatch in the Country.
Vargas, a deputy majority leader, said that human resources, particularly the youth are essential aspects of development. This he said is one of the main reasons he proposed HB 0673 Philippine Entrepreneurs Academy—for the capacity building of the youth who wish to pursue short-term technical-vocational non-degree courses for the purposes of continuing or starting up their own businesses.
The neophyte lawmaker added that policymakers should also have eyes on existing assets of the labor force such as freelance professionals who have accelerated the most during the pandemic.
Recognizing this, in the first quarter of his term as a first-time congressman, Vargas filed for HB 04557 Freelancers Protection Act for the welfare of freelancers as professionals.
“As a legislator, I hope for every Novaleno, and every Filipino, to be active participants in the socio-economic development instead of being dependents. I wish for every citizen to feel that the government is ready to support them to pursue their aspirations not only on an individual level but also on a national scale,” Vargas, the younger brother of former congressman and now Quezon City Councilor Alfred Vargas, said. He said he draws most of his inspiration in legislation from his older brother who has been his mentor in public service since day one.