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MANILA, Philippines – House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco hopes Congress can ratify the proposed P4.5 trillion national budget for 2021 before he goes on vacation so that President Rodrigo Duterte can sign it before end of the year.
Ensuring that this remains a “top priority” for the House, he said in a statement released Sunday before the House resumes after a month-long pause in Congress.
“We look forward to the bicameral conference on GAB 2021 and hopefully we will be able to ratify the bicam report before Congress adjourns for the holidays,” Velasco said.
The bicameral committee is where the House and Senate reconciled the disagreeing provisions of the budget bill. The Chamber already approved it in the third and final reading on October 16 and transmitted it to the Senate for plenary deliberations.
Velasco underscored the importance of the 2021 budget, calling it the government’s “most powerful tool” to fight COVID-19, revive the economy and help people recover from the impact of the pandemic.
COVID-19 protocols
Velasco said the resumption would adhere to strict health and physical distancing protocols in place during the continuing threat of COVID-19.
According to the Secretary General of the House of Representatives, Jocelia Bighani Sipin, all members and employees who report to work Monday at Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City must undergo the real-time polymerase chain reaction test (RT- PCR) for COVID-19.
Velasco already took the test at the House facilities last week.
Initial tests began on November 11, but were suspended due to Typhoon Ulysses. Testing will resume on Monday.
Visitors will also need to undergo COVID-19 antigen testing before being able to access the offices within the complex.
Priority measures
“We need to start working and make the most of the remaining sessions this year to address and approve the priority measures, especially those that have been certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte,” Velasco said.
Congress has only four weeks left in session before it adjusts Dec. 19 for a month-long Christmas break, he said.
“We are working with the leaders of our Chamber to find ways to accelerate priority measures that will ensure a more efficient and responsive government during these difficult times,” he added.
“We are confident that our colleagues in the legislature share a common goal as we all report to work on Monday,” he also said.
Also high on the House’s agenda is the approval of the bill that strengthens the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), the proposed Internet Transactions Act and the proposed Barangay Workers Magna Carta, according to Velasco. .
It noted that Duterte had previously certified House Bill No. 6174 that seeks to amend AMLA as urgent, saying the amendments are necessary for the country to “meet legal standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, according to what is established by the relevant international organizations. “
Additionally, Velasco underscored the urgent need to pass the bill to avoid adverse findings against the country, which could lead to higher cost of financial transactions for Filipino Overseas Workers (OFW) and the local business sector.
The bill is now in second reading after the House Committee on Banks and Financial Intermediaries approved it in October.
Velasco, meanwhile, said speedy passage of the proposed Internet Transactions Act was necessary to protect consumers, especially with the rise in online transactions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The measure was approved by the House of Representatives Committee on Commerce and Industry during the recess, he added.
Velasco identified other priority measures, namely the proposed Coconut Collection Fund; National Law of Land Use; Recognition of the National Government Law; Law on the Right to Adequate Food, Anti-ethnic, Racial and Religious Discrimination; and Local government resettlement program in place, in the city and near the city.
Velasco also pledged to ensure the immediate approval of economic laws in an attempt to “revive the economy and help the country overcome the devastating effects of the pandemic.”
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