A TOTAL of 55 bills were passed into law during the second regular session of the 18th Congress, data from the Senate released on Monday showed, while seven measures are awaiting the President’s approval.  Among those pending at President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s table is the bill giving him authority to defer the scheduled increases in the contribution rate of the Social Security System (SSS) for up to a year during a declared national emergency or state of calamity. The measures that were signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte include laws to address the pandemic and the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE) that cuts corporate income tax rates.  Also passed into law were Republic Act 11521, which strengthens the Anti-Money Laundering Law, and RA 11506 that granted San Miguel Aerocity, Inc. a franchise to construct and maintain a domestic and international airport in Bulakan, Bulacan. Meanwhile, 67 bills are pending for second reading approval in the Senate, including the three economic bills easing foreign restrictions on businesses that were certified by the President as urgent. Congress is currently on session break and will resume on May 17 for the second regular session, which will adjourn on June 5. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

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