THE leadership of the House of Representatives is making a last-ditch effort to push for the passage of 11 economic priority measures of the Duterte administration in the last few days of the 17th Congress.
In a letter sent to Senate President Vicente Sotto III dated May 21, Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the House is now awaiting Senate action on 11 priority measures that have been passed by the House but still pending in the upper chamber.
These 11 proposed
priority measures are topbilled by: the Security of Tenure Act; creation of the
Coconut Industry Trust Fund; National Land Use Act; Department of
Disaster Resilience Act; Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-Quality
Opportunities and the fiscal regime for the mining industry.
Also on Arroyo’s list: higher excise taxes on alcohol products; increasing the excise tax rate on tobacco products; instituting reforms in the real property valuation and assessment in the Philippines; passive income and financial intermediary taxation act of 2019 and a resolution proposing the revision of the 1987 Constitution.
Arroyo also urged the Senate to pass the proposed act expanding the scope of the reformation and rehabilitation of children in conflict with the law.
The Speaker said she is looking forward to the action to be taken by the Senate on the priority bills as these had been passed by the House on second and third reading but are pending at the Senate.
“As for the 11 pending bills in the President’s priority legislative agenda, we await the action of the Senate and stand ready to adopt the Senate version in the interest of speedy legislation,” she said.
The 17th Congress has two weeks to pass these measures as the session will end on June 5.