Senate Assures Quick Passage of 10 Priority Bills Amid Hybrid Session
Senate leaders vow to ensure a speedy passage on priority measures despite their hybrid session on Monday, July 26.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III stated that the Senate will prioritize 10 priority bills, including the Foreign Investments Acts (FIA), Public Service Act (PSA), Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery (GUIDE), Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos (DMWOF) Act, Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFTA), Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines (VIP), Rural Agricultural and Fisheries Development Financing System Act (Agri-Agra), and the Real Property Valuation Reform (RPVR).
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri also noted that they will work on the following measures: Modernization of the Bureau of Fire Protection, Increasing the Statutory Rape Age Act, Military and Uniformed Personnel Insurance Fund Act, Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Act, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Extension Law, and possibly the Bayanihan to Arise As One (Bayanihan 3).
During President Duterte’s 5th State of the Nation Address in 2020, he identified 21 bills as urgent and is expected to pass before he steps down from office.
So far, only 4 of the 21 urgent bills were enacted into law since 2020. These bills are the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2), Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act, Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act, and the Coconut Levy Trust Fund Law.
The remaining bills are currently pending approval under the Senate and the House of Representatives.
As in 2020, visitors and guests will not be allowed inside the Senate premises due to strict health protocols and regulations. Additionally, family members of senators, former senators, government officials, and media personalities will not be allowed inside the gallery hall.
Only selected Senate employees will be allowed inside to assist during the session.
