House passes 31 priority bills; 11 to go

MANILA, Philippines —  A total of 31 out of the 42 Malacañang-certified bills have been approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives, the latest of which are the 30-year National Infrastructure Program Bill and the proposed National Land Use Act.

“We are proud of our collective accomplishment – 31 out of 42 and counting. As of today, we have achieved a significant part of our goal in less than a year of session,” Speaker Martin Romualdez said yesterday.

Only 11 pieces of legislation listed in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) are now left for approval by the House.

All these measures, Romualdez said, “aim to support the President’s vision of keeping the economy on the high growth path and generating more jobs and income opportunities for our people.”

One such measure is the proposed 2023-2052 National Infrastructure Program, contained in House Bill 8078, which was passed at the plenary.

“It will be an all-encompassing program covering not only public works like roads, bridges and expressways, which we commonly refer to as infrastructure, but also energy, water resources, information and technology, agri-fisheries, food logistics, and socially oriented structures such as school buildings and other educational facilities,” he said.

On the other hand, the proposed National Land Use Act (HB 8162) seeks to institute a national land use policy that has been years in the making.