SB: 15th Congress instrumental in restoring investors’ confidence

MANILA, Philippines - The 15th Congress was instrumental in restoring investors’ confidence, reducing poverty, and achieving growth for the country in the past three years, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday.

Speaking to his peers in the House of Representatives at the adjournment of Congress on Wednesday night, Belmonte said the House “held on to our legislative priorities, and helped to enact a total of 219 laws, to date.”

“Now the Philippines is back on the map. It cannot be said enough: the sick man of Asia is now a rising economic tiger,” he said.

“Here I must tell you that I believe the 15th Congress is very much a part of these positive developments happening in our country today,” he said.

Congress adjourned for the campaign break and will resume session on June 5.

It will then adjourn sine die to give way to the start of the 16th Congress on July 22.

Belmonte said: “We will be remembered as the House that passed the most number of historic and game-changing laws with less histrionics.”

“We substituted discipline for drama and the result is a rich harvest of laws that will improve the lot of our people and our country.”

“From reproductive health to sin taxes to human rights compensation, long given up for dead for fear that they will disturb the status quo, these bills now end up as banner legislation for change.”

Belmonte said the country showed a steady improvement on various governance and competitiveness indicators of Transparency International, the World Bank, and the World Economic Forum, and could be upgraded to investment grade this year.

The 15th Congress holds the singular distinction of enacting the national budget on time in the last three years so government agencies were already assured of fresh appropriations without resorting to a temporary budget re-enactment, he added.

By putting the fiscal house in order, the House was able to provide funds for social protection programs such as the conditional cash transfer program, supplemental feeding for day care children, the self-employment assistance program, and social pensions for indigent senior citizens, among others, Belmonte said.

After lengthy deliberations on the health and moral issues of cigarette and alcohol consumption, as well as the implication of tax increase to tobacco farmers, the House initiated the filing and subsequent approval by the entire Congress of sin tax reforms.

Belmonte said the House also enacted the GOCC Governance Act of 2011, the Act Further Strengthening the Anti-Money Laundering Law, and the Data Privacy Act.

“We await the President’s signature on the Act Rationalizing the Taxes on International Air Carriers which will further boost our tourism efforts,” he said.

To enable the marginalized and vulnerable sectors of society to benefit from economic growth, the House enacted the law Rationalizing the Nightwork Prohibition on Women Workers, the Act Decriminalizing Vagrancy, the Foster Care Act for Abandoned and Neglected Children and Children With Special Needs, the Act Establishing the People’s Survival Fund, and the Kasambahay Law or the Domestic Workers Act, Belmonte said.

The House also helped enact the Human Rights Victims Compensation Act and the Reproductive Health Law.

Belmonte said the public appeared to have appreciated the House’s achievements based on the chamber’s rising approval ratings.

“We passed many other laws that will change our people’s lives for the better, secure our children’s right to a brighter future, and put our economy on stronger footing,” he said.

“We were able to achieve this because we worked under the canopy of ‘big tent’ politics in a chamber cavernous enough to accommodate divergent views.”