MANILA, Philippines – The Senate and the House of Representatives have both convened its third and final regular session on Monday, July 22 hours before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) at the Batasang Pambansa.
All 23 senators were present during the opening of the third regular session presided over by Senate President Chiz Escudero.
Angara, whose post is now vacant, has already assumed helm of the education department following the resignation of Vice President Sara Duterte.
In his address, Escudero said the Senate will prioritize measures that seek to improve the lives of Filipinos.
“This applies as well whether we need to legislate in the first place, for the Senate does not only propose new laws; it also disposes, with needless or obsolete ones,” he said.
Escudero said included in these priority legislations, as agreed upon in the recent Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council chaired by the President, are the following:
- Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira);
- Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy bill;
- Amendments to the Foreign Investors’ Long-Term Lease Act;
- Reforms to Philippine Capital Markets;
- Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act;
- Amendments to the Right-of-Way Act;
- Excise Tax on Single-Use Plastics;
- Rationalization of the Mining Fiscal Regime;
- Creation of the Department of Water Resources;
- Amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law
Meanwhile at the House of Representatives, Speaker Martin Romualdez presided over the session attended by 262 lawmakers.
The House resumed session with several important bills set by the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac).
Last June 25, Romualdez mentioned that the lower chamber shall act on three remaining Ledac bills that have yet to pass the third reading.
Among those were:
- Proposed amendments to the Foreign Investors’ Long-Term Lease Act (no bill has been filed)
- Proposed amendments to the Agrarian Reform Law (for committee deliberations)
- Proposed amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) (under technical working group/ committee deliberations)
The 2024 national budget is also a priority, said Romualdez.
