House Speaker Martin Romualdez (Speaker’s office)

The House of Representatives has passed on third and final reading all but two measures identified by the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) for passage by the end of the year. 

House Speaker Martin Romualdez presented this report during the full council meeting on Wednesday morning, Sept. 20 in Malacañang. President Marcos presided over the meeting. 

Romualdez, leader of the 311-member House, expressed confidence in having all the 20 bills approved before the end of September--three months ahead of the commitment date given during the previous LEDAC meeting held last July 5. 

"Today, I am pleased to announce that 18 out of these 20 [measures] have already been approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading. We are on track to approve the two remaining measures before the October recess,” Romualdez said. 

“In sum, the House of Representatives will meet its commitment to approve all 20 priority measures by the end of September, or three months ahead of target,” he noted. 

Already passed on third and final reading by the bigger chamber were the following: 1. Amendment to the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT)/Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act, 2. National Disease Prevention Management Authority or Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 3.Internet Transaction Act/ E-Commerce Law, 4. Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team (HEART) Act, 5. Virology Institute of the Philippines, and 6. Instituting a National Citizens Service Training (NCST) Program. 

Also given final approval by the House were the Valuation Reform Bill (Package 3), 8.E-Governance Act/ E-Government Act, 9.Ease of Paying Taxes, 10. Waste-to-Energy Bill, 11. New Philippine Passport Act, 12.Magna Carta of Seafarers, 13. Rightsizing the National Government, 14. Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA), and 15. Amendment to the Bank Secrecy Law. 

Meanwhile, the enrolled bill on Trabaho Para sa Bayan (National Employment Recovery Strategy) has already been transmitted to Malacañang for the President’s action; while another enrolled bill, the Automatic Income Classification Act for Local Government Units, is also ready for transmittal to Malacanang. 

On the other hand, the proposed Philippine Salt Industry Development Act is undergoing deliberations in the bicameral conference committee, bringing to 18 the total of measures the House has approved from the list of 20 LEDAC bills. 

As for the two remaining LEDAC measures, Romualdez said (HB) No.8969, or the Military and Uniformed Personnel Pension System Act, was approved on second reading during the plenary session Tuesday, Sept. 19. On early Wednesday, the Committee on Agriculture and Food approved a substitute bill for the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act. 

The two bills are slated for third reading passage in plenary next week. 

Romualdez also reported that the House started on Tuesday the plenary deliberations of the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024 or the General Appropriations Bill (GAB). 

“The House commits to exert all efforts to continuously deliberate on the GAB to meet its target passage on third and final reading by next week, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023,” Romualdez, Marcos top ally in the legislature, said. 

“These accomplishments are made possible, of course, through the hard work and commitment of the Members of the House, as well as the cooperation of the executive,” he added.