House OKs Marcos' priority measures

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved several measures identified by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as priorities as Congress convened a special session.

According to Bea Pinlac’s report in “24 Oras”, 213 congressmen were present during the special session.

House Speak Bodjie Dy, on the other hand, welcomed Senator Sherwin Gatchalian’s installation as the new Senate President.

“The House of Representatives congratulates Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on his formal election as Senate President. This development comes at an important time as both houses of Congress continue to carry out their constitutional responsibilities and act on issues that have a direct impact on the lives of Filipinos,” he said.

Marcos called for a special session to tackle several priority legislative measures. The House has already approved all the eight proposed measures mentioned by the President, including the Anti-Political Dynasty Act.

The following measures are now at bicameral level:

• National Center for Geriatric Health - which seeks to be the premier teaching, training, and research hospital specializing in geriartic care.
• Amendments to the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act (GASTPE) - the proposal will cover all private basic education institutions that receive government assistance in the form of vouchers for qualified teachers, schools, and students in all levels.
• Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Act - qualified target beneficiary shall receive financial, medical, transportation, food, material assistance, and other assistance, to include disability support services including other professional assistance available in the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
• Amendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education (UAQTEA) Act - fixes the Tertiary Education Subsidy program by automatically prioritizing college students from the poorest families enrolled in the 4Ps.

Meanwhile, the following are still pending at the Senate committee level:

• Amendments to the Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act - feeding programs will now cover undernourished students in secondary schools.
• Presidential Merit Scholarship Program - a scholarship program that will support top-performing senior high school graduates who are enrolled in CHED-identified priority programs to earn a college degree and contribute to the country's workforce.
• On the other hand, both the House and the Senate passed the Last Mile and Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged and Conflict-Affected Areas Schools Act (GIDA). The proposed measure seeks to build school infrastructures and access roads to help students in far-flung and isolated areas.
  

Further, the proposed Anti-Political Dynasty act is pending for second reading at the Senate level. But critics hit the watered-down version of the anti-political dynasty bill, which was passed on third and final reading.

“I am of the opinion and we have seen it… If we make that bill strict; constrictive, mawawala ang suporta ng (it will lose support in the) Lower House,” said House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sandro Marcos.

““It was really a matter of getting it through already, for the House to pass it, to get the conversation started. This is not the final result of what the bill would be. Hindi po ito batas (This is not yet a law),” he added.

Meanwhile, the Makabayan bloc vowed to closely monitor the Senate's version of the anti-political dynasty bill, as well as the final draft that will reach the President.

“Wala rin tayong illusion. Alam naman natin sa Senado, magkakapatid nga ang nandiyan eh. Now, ‘yung Senate kailangan bantayan natin. Anong gagawin nila? May ipapasa ba silang version? And after that, the bicam,” said ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio.

Senate

The Senate also conducted a plenary session in the afternoon to discuss other measures, according to Mark Salazar’s report in “24 Oras.”

Among the measures discussed was the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers.

Meanwhile, Senator Bam Aquino took the floor to urge the Committees on Justice and Basic Education to launch an investigation into the recent deaths of two Ateneo de Manila University student athletes.

On the other hand, Senator Erwin Tulfo announced that Congress has yet to ratify the AICS bill, noting that several of their counterparts in the House of Representatives are currently refusing to sign the measure.

“Dapat ang pagbibigay AICS o ayuda ay wala ng kasamang politiko, o siya mismo ang nagbibigay ng ayuda sa tao, na ang pondo galing sa DSWD. Sa totoo lamang po ay hindi naman po ito pera ng politiko, ito po ay pera ng taumbayan,” said Tulfo.

(Giving AICS or aid should not be tied to politics, or they personally give the aid to people, and the funds came from the DSWD. Honestly this is not the politician’s money, it came from taxpayers.)

The Commission on Appointments also confirmed the appointment of five officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officers and 85 Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officials. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA News