Solons assure Duterte of support for SONA 2020 priority proposals

Lawmakers from the House of Representatives on Monday assured President Rodrigo Duterte that they would prioritize the proposals and measures he enumerated during his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), all of which were responsive to the concerns of various sectors amid the COVID-19 pandemic

In a statement following the SONA, House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez expressed the chamber's readiness to approve the measures being pushed by the President, including the proposed Bayanihan to Recover As One Act.

"We, here in the House of Representatives, are ready to face the challenges spelled out by our President in his SONA. As partners in nation building, we commit ourselves to the realization of the state’s concrete plans and the passage of the priority legislative measures provided by the President," he said.

"I pray that all Filipinos will heed the clarion call of the President for every able-bodied citizen to join the people's war against COVID-19. There are no spectators in this fight. We need to link arms, and win as one, if we are to survive as a nation," he added.

For his part, House Ways and Means panel chair Joey Salceda thanked the President for boosting legislative initiatives during his SONA, particularly the measures strengthening the country's economy.

"We in the economic team of the House of Representatives take the President’s requests for the quick passage of a second stimulus package and of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE), as unambiguous directions for where we should go,” said Salceda, principal author of the bills.

"Rest assured that, as the main author of both of these measures, I will continue to work with my colleagues to get these measures enacted as soon as possible, by this week if my colleagues and the Senate agree," he added.

House Committee on Agriculture chair Mark Enverga, meanwhile, commended the President for including agricultural development in his development and governance agenda.

In particular, he said he was elated to know that the passage of the P66 billion agriculture stimulus package was among the President's priorities.

"The President deserves to be recognized for his thoughts that along with his 'Build, Build, Build' program, we must also focus on 'Plant, Plant, Plant,' in agriculture," Enverga said.

"Indeed, with improved infrastructure, we have to ensure our agri growth thru production and marketing," he added.

Enverga also backed the President's call for Congress to pass the Coconut Farmers Trust Fund bill anew.

"In the committee on agriculture, we are about to approve the substitute bill on Coco Levy Trust Fund, outlining the management and utilization of the levy assets as a trust fund for the benefit of the coco farmers and industry," he said.

"We assure the President that all his thoughts and guidance will be reflected in the house bill all for the welfare of the coconut farmers," he added.

Bagong Henerasyon party-list Representative Bernadette Herrera, for her part, supported the President's calls to improve the country's Internet connectivity and protect micro, small and medium enterprises.

"Sabi na mismo ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte:  No face-to-face school hangga’t wala pang anti-COVID-19 vaccine na nakakarating sa Pilipinas kaya dapat pagtutuunan ang pagsasaayos ng Internet signal sa buong bansa," she said.

"I ask our mayors and governors to match the commitment of President Duterte with their own local resolve to help micro, small, and medium enterprises, especially those leasing business spaces and those applying for new and renewal licenses and permits," she added.

ACT-CIS party-list Representative Jocelyn Tulfo, meanwhile, called for an investigation into the issues hounding the distribution of Bayanihan funds after Duterte admitted that the implementation of the Social Amelioration Program was not perfect.

"Congress must know whether or not the Bayanihan Act aid went to the intended beneficiaries and find ways to prosecute those who corruptly gamed the system for financial gain," she said.

"We express the hope that the Executive Branch will allow the DSWD Secretary and other Cabinet officials to testify before Congress in order to explain the numerous amounts of reported anomalies. We must make sure there are no cover-ups and do not hide behind executive privilege," she added.

Iligan City Representative Frederick Siao, meanwhile, assured the President that the Committee on Civil Service and Professional Regulation, which he chairs, will work on an amendment to fix the deficiencies of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Law.

"The PRC and the professional boards should be able to distill to the essential elements the necessities for professional updating," he said.

"But during these pandemic times, suspending the CPD seminars and updating training is justified to relieve our professionals of this heavy regulatory burden. I believe the suspension of CPD training should be three to five years. Then after the suspension, new and lightweight CPD updating programs must be in place," he added. — DVM, GMA News