THE HOUSE of Representatives will pass on final reading measures aimed at strengthening the immigration bureau and reviving the salt industry before Congress adjourns this week, the chamber’s leader said.
“We are doing our part in supporting the President’s socio-economic development agenda by passing these urgent proposed pieces of legislation that would sustain our economic growth and create more job and income opportunities for our people,” House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said in a statement on Sunday.
House Bill (HB) No. 8278 seeks to create the Philippine Salt Industry Development Roadmap (PSIDR), a five-year development plan that will indicate necessary programs to increase salt production and make the Philippines a net exporter of salt.
The PSIDR will also promote private and public investments in the salt industry.
“We have to help the industry and the thousands of Filipinos and their families who depend on it for their livelihood. Our country is surrounded by seas. We can produce a lot of salt for our consumption and even for export,” Mr. Romualdez said.
The proposed Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act (HB 8203) aims to ensure that the admission or exclusion of foreign nationals adhere to obligations and standards set by international law. It also aims to create specific offices under the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and clarify their specific functions.
These two measures would bring the number of House-approved bills to 33 out of 42 priority measures in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), Mr. Romualdez said.
The lower chamber is also set to pass three bills on second reading this week, namely: an enabling law for the natural gas industry, National Employment Action Plan, and the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System Bill.
Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri said on Saturday that the Senate will approve four more bills on third and final reading this week.
Out of these, three are LEDAC-priority measures, including the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act and the establishment of regional specialty hospitals.
The controversial Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) bill is also under LEDAC, which was certified urgent by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. last week.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” D. Pimentel III said on Saturday that the minority bloc will “do everything” to prevent the approval of the MIF bill.
Alongside the LEDAC bills, a measure seeking to extend the estate tax amnesty to June 2025 is also scheduled for third reading approval this week.
Mr. Zubiri added that eight bills will be approved on second reading —the Ease of Paying Taxes Act, a magna carta for Filipino sailors, the Philippine Passport Law, and institutionalizing the automatic income classification of provinces, cities, and municipalities.
The Internet Transactions Act, amendments to the Public-Private Partnership Act, the proposed mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, and the creation of a Center for Disease Prevention and Control will also be passed second reading this week, according to Mr. Zubiri.
“The Senate will continue to prioritize the quality of our measures over the speed of our performance or the quantity of our output, but we do expect to be able to devote more time to our plenary duties, now that most of our major Commission on Appointments work has already been dealt with,” Mr. Zubiri said. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz