House to focus on 2024 budget, priority bills as sessions resume
THE HOUSE of Representatives will focus on ratifying the 2024 national budget and passing priority measures as Congress resumes its regular sessions on Monday, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said.
“The House is fully dedicated to the task at hand, ensuring that the national budget is ratified and enacted on time to guarantee the continuity of essential services, support economic growth, and promote the well-being of our citizens,” Mr. Romualdez said in a statement.
House Bill No. 8980, which contains the Marcos administration’s P5.768-trillion spending plan for next year, was turned over to the Senate last Saturday.
Budget realignments made by congressmen since its approval on Sept. 27 include the P1.23 billion for intelligence and security agencies amid tensions in the South China Sea, as well as the P193.29 billion for health, agriculture, and social services.
The Senate has begun deliberations on its version of the 2024 budget and is expected to pass the measure within the month. Both chambers will have to reconcile conflicting provisions on their respective budget bills in a bicameral conference committee before this is submitted Malacañang for the President’s signature.
The House also seeks to pass 11 priority bills by December, said Mr. Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
“Our primary focus continues to be the legislative agenda outlined by President Marcos, and we are fully committed to working diligently to pass these vital bills for the betterment of our nation,” he said.
Ten priority measures under the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) include the creation of a Water Resources department, the Tatak Pinoy bill, and the proposed Blue Economy act, which have been approved by their respective committees and are up for plenary debates.
The House is yet to pass amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), the Government Procurement Reform Act, and the Cooperative Code, which are all being fine-tuned in its own technical working groups.
Committee deliberations are ongoing for other priority bills like the Budget Modernization, National Defense Act, the New Government Auditing Code, and the Philippine Defense Industry Development Act.
The only non-LEDAC bill mentioned in the President’s State of the Nation (SONA) for target approval is the proposed Motor Vehicle User’s Charge, which hurdled the House ways and means committee in July.
Congress will hold its regular sessions until Dec. 15 in time for the Christmas break. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
