SB wants approval of pending bills

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives will prioritize the passage of pending bills that narrowly missed approval in the last Congress due to lack of time, a leader of the chamber said yesterday. 

Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento, secretary-general of the Liberal Party (LP), said Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. issued the directive during the caucus of LP lawmakers in Quezon City. 

“Since all of the committees have been completed and I think over 5,000 bills and resolutions have been filed already (since the 16th Congress opened in July), the Speaker said the committees should work quickly and prioritize those that were almost approved in the 15th Congress,” he said. 

There are 58 regular committees and 11 special committees, each headed by a chairperson, usually a senior House member belonging to the majority bloc. 

Sarmiento said there are scores of bills approved on third and final reading in the House or in the Senate or both, many of which has reached the bicameral conference committee stage but did not reach final approval due to lack of time. 

House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said the chamber’s rules allow for the fast-tracking of the approval of pending measures.  Among the measures that are going to the front burners are the anti-trust bill, the proposed land valuation reform act, the immigration reform bill, rationalization of fiscal incentives, and amendments to the charter of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. 

Belmonte earlier said the House would prioritize the passage of socio-economic bills that would attract more investments and improve the lives of the poor, as well as anti-corruption measures.