House OKs 8 bills on final reading

MANILA, Philippines — A total of eight bills were approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives last Monday, led by the measure that will institutionalize online transactions in government, which is a priority of President Marcos.

House Bill 7327, or the proposed act institutionalizing the transition of the government to e-governance in the digital age and creating for the purpose the Philippine Infostructure Management Corp., received a resounding 304 votes in plenary, with only four negative votes.

“The bill would make it easier for people to transact with and avail themselves of services from the government through digital platforms. It would make the delivery of services more effective, efficient, and transparent,” Speaker Martin Romualdez, who authored the bill, said.

HB 7327 seeks to promote the use of the internet, information and communications technology, and emerging technologies in all government transactions for the purpose of expediting bureaucratic processes that have been marred with red tape for decades.

Other measures that breezed through the plenary were HB 7292, which provides a mechanism of value-added tax (VAT) refund for outbound tourists, and HB 7311, which introduces amendments to the Official Development Assistance (ODA) law.

HB 7311 aims to expand the ODA law, which may now include private and not just government funds, while HB 7292 will make tourists eligible for refund of VAT 60 days from the purchase date and which costs at least P3,000.

The ODA bill sets the standards for the contracting of loans and grants with bilateral and multilateral partners. This will expand the country’s ODA portfolio, which is critical to fiscal stability and funding long-term and big-ticket infrastructures.

HB 7292 authorizes the secretary of the Department of Finance to adjust the P3,000 threshold, taking into account administration costs, in processing refunds, consumer price index and other market conditions, upon the recommendation of the DOF and BIR chiefs.

HBs 7325, or the Magna Carta for Filipino seafarers; HB 7241, or the institutionalization of online registration for eligible voters; and HB 7354, which will provide evacuation centers in every city across the country also hurdled the House plenary.

So did HB 7208, which declares Jan. 22 of every year a special working holiday in the entire country to be known as National Farmer’s Day, and HB 7209, which declares the fourth Thursday of November every year as National Thanksgiving Day.

“By codifying relevant seafarers’ rights and duties, the proposed law shall seek to ensure better working conditions, meaningful qualifications, and other measures that will improve their situation at work,” Kabayan party-list Rep. Ron Salo said of HB 7325.

“At the core of this proposed landmark legislation is the protection of the rights and the promotion of the welfare of our seafarers,” he added, as he noted that this bill addresses prevailing issues and concerns pertaining to Filipino seafarers and the Philippine maritime industry.

Evacuation centers in all LGUs

With an average of 20 typhoons visiting the Philippines annually, not to mention volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and other calamities, House lawmakers deemed it necessary to mandate the establishment of evacuation centers in all cities and municipalities.

Voting 307-1, the lower chamber approved on third and final reading HB 7354, which proposes to set up evacuation centers in each locality to serve as “immediate and temporary accommodation” for people who have been displaced by calamities and disasters.

The measure is the consolidated bill of at least 29 House bills filed by lawmakers to ensure the safety of those displaced from their homes because of emergency events.

Its authors include the Speaker and Tingog party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre.

Under the bill, the evacuation centers may be used by victims of typhoons, floods, fire and outbreak of illnesses that present imminent danger to life and property.

It tasks the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and local executives of provinces, cities and municipalities to identify areas to be given the highest priority in the establishment of new evacuation centers.

The bill also provides that existing structures that can meet the minimum requirements or can be upgraded to effectively serve as evacuation centers may be designated as such, according to the needs of the local government unit (LGU) concerned.

An LGU included in the priority list shall also be allowed to improve schools or existing structures used as evacuation centers by making these compliant with the minimum requirements such as location and structural capacity.

HB 7354 also provides that the initial amount necessary for the construction and maintenance of multi-purpose gyms will be charged against the budget provided for this purpose under the Department of Public Works and Highways.

One of the consolidated measures, HB 3498, authored by Quezon City Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas, underscored the need for LGUs to designate their evacuation centers to soften the impact of calamities in the community.

HB 3498 stated that currently, public schools’ facilities are the ones being used as makeshift evacuation centers, thus, resulting in class suspension and displacement of students.

“However, schools are but makeshift evacuation sites and are not well-equipped with necessary facilities for such emergency occurrences and situations,” the bill said. – Sheila Crisostomo