House processed 27 measures per day during First Regular Session of 18th Congress —exec

The House of Representatives processed an average of 27 measures per session day during the First Regular Session of the 18th Congress, up by 108% from the record they were able to set during the same period in the 17th Congress.

House Deputy Secretary General for the Legislative Operations Department David Robert Amorin offered this statistic on Wednesday in a media briefing a few days before the opening of the Second Regular Session.

According to him, the House has processed a total of 1,630 measures during 60 session days of the First Regular Session, averaging out to 27 measures per session day.

During the First Regular Session of the 17th Congress, 1,247 measures were processed in 97 session days , with an average of 13 measures per session day.

A total of five measures which President Rodrigo Duterte wanted Congress to prioritize in his previous State of the Nation Address have already been enacted into law, Amorin said.

These are the laws postponing the May 2020 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections; the Malasakit Center Law; the Salary Standardization Law of 2019 to include teachers and nurses;  the law increasing excise tax rates on alcohol, heated tobacco and vapor products; and the law creating the National Academy of Sports.

Five other SONA priority measures have also already been transmitted to the Senate, including the proposed Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act and the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act, while one, the proposed Department of Disaster Resilience Act, is currently under deliberations, Amorin said.

Meanwhile, among the priority measures of the House Defeat COVID-19 Committee (DCC), one has already been enacted into law: the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, Amorin pointed out.

Five other DDC priority bills have already been transmitted to the Senate, including the proposed Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy Act, and the COVID-19 Unemployment Reduction Economic Stimulus Act, he said.

Three measures seeking to respond to the COVID-19 crisis are currently under deliberations, including the proposed Bayanihan to Recover As One Act, he added.

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano lauded the efforts of his colleagues in the House.

"For the past year, we have worked to pursue better initiatives and bold solutions to improve delivery of basic services, respond to disasters, promote inclusive growth and help address the COVID-19 crisis,” he said in an earlier statement.

“We cannot accomplish these milestones without the strong cooperation and support from our counterparts in the Senate. Both Houses strive to pass game-changing reforms that will make the lives of Filipinos safer and more comfortable,” he added.

The Second Regular Session of the 18th Congress will open on July 27, the day President Rodrigo Duterte also delivers his fifth State of the Nation Address. — BM, GMA News