House Speaker Martin Romualdez (Facebook)

Expect the House of Representatives to shift its focus to the conduct of more oversight hearings this 2024. 

This, as Speaker Martin Romualdez noted that the 300-plus strong chamber has passed on third and final reading nearly all of the President Marcos' priority bills. 

“Hindi lamang tayo gumagawa ng batas. Ayon sa ating mandato, sinisigurado rin natin na naipapatupad ang mga batas na ito nang wasto at patas. Tinitiyak natin na bawat batas na ipinapasa natin ay may direktang pakinabang sa ordinaryong mamamayan,” Speaker Romualdez told his House colleagues during the resumption of sessions Monday, Jan. 22. 

(We don't just legislate laws. Based on our mandate, we also ensure that the laws we pass are implemented properly and fairly. We sure that each law we pass would bring direct benefit to the ordinary citizen.) 

Romualdez said House members President Marcos oversee and implement the programs funded in the P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024. 

“Sa mga susunod na araw at buwan, ilalarga ng administrasyon ang malalaking programa para mabigyan ng ginhawa ang ating mga mamamayan sa harap ng inflation na nagaganap ngayon sa buong mundo,” the Romualdez said, referring to the spending plan that includes almost P500 billion social amelioration program or 'ayuda' for at least 12 million poor and low-income families or an estimated 48 million Filipinos. 

(In the coming days and months, this administration will roll out massive programs aimed at providing relief to our countrymen amid the worldwide inflation.) 

The House chief said the chamber so far has "ably demonstrated our resolve to address issues that impact our fellow Filipinos by exercising our oversight functions". 

“We scrutinized government operations by conducting legislative inquiries in aid of legislation. We engaged our counterparts in the executive department in open and honest discussions, gathered reliable information and offered immediate recommendations,” he said. 

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He noted that just last week, upon his instruction, the Committees on Ways and Means and on Senior Citizens and the Special Committee on Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) looked into gaps and confusion in the implementation of laws granting discounts, benefits and other privileges to millions of senior citizens, PWDs and solo parents. 

The other recent inquiries conducted by the House include: 

1.   The investigation by the Committee on Dangerous Drugs on the entry into the country and recycling of illegal substances, and the alleged involvement of some law enforcers in the drug trade; 

2.   The Committee on Public Order and Safety's inquiries into the procurement by the Philippine National Police (PNP) of body-worn cameras and other mission-essential equipment, and the discovery of mass graves at the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP); 

3.   The Committee on Energy's probe into the massive power outage in Western Visayas that caused financial losses and hardship to businesses and households; and 

4.   The Committee on Transportation's investigation on the alleged irregularities and corruption in the implementation of the public utility vehicle modernization program.