NEARLY 700 HOUSE MEASURES FILED ON DAY 1 OF 20TH CONGRESS

INCOMING representatives of the 20th Congress hit the ground running and filed a total of 683 measures at the House of Representatives on the first day of filing of legislative proposals on Monday.

A total of 666 House bills were filed, together with 16 resolutions and one joint resolution.

Leading the way was Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who filed the first five measures that were recorded as House Bills (HBs) 1 to 5. HB 1 or the proposed “Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act,” seeks to restore the National Food Authority’s (NFA) regulatory powers to lower rice prices and protect farmers, in support of President Marcos Jr.’s push to ensure affordable food and strengthen local agriculture. 

The other bills he filed sought to to exempt Overseas Filipino Workers’ (OFWs) from paying premium contributions to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), create the Philippine Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) as the lead agency in developing and implementing disease prevention and control initiatives, update on the private school educational assistance and creation of Eastern Visayas Development Authority.

Tingog Party-list Reps. Andrew Julian Romualdez and Jude Acidre were listed as co-authors of the five bills. Neophyte Valenzuela City Rep. Gerald Cloyd Alexis Galang filed seven bills, including House Bill 154, or the proposed “Magna Carta for Senior Citizens,” HB 155 or the proposed “Social Pension of Senior Citizens Act” and HB 156, which seeks to amend the qualifications under Republic Act 11768 or the “Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015.”

Returning Parañaque City Rep. Eric Olivarez also filed 10 measures on the first day, including HB 144 establishing the Philippine CDC similar to Speaker Romualdez’s proposal, HB 148 exempting senior citizens from paying parking fees in commercial establishments and government buildings, and HB 150 exempting persons with disabilities and senior citizens from paying travel tax.

20^TH CONGRESS TO PRIORITIZE ECONOMIC MEASURES TOWARD UMIS STATUS

Romualdez vowed to push for inclusion in the legislative agenda of the House of Representatives measures to reinforce the national goal of achieving upper-middle income (UMIC) status for our country by late 2025 or 2026.

Romualdez, Speaker of the recently concluded 19th Congress, shared Finance Secretary Ralph Recto’s optimism that the country could reach UMIC status by the end of this year or in 2026, based on data from the World Bank and the country’s economic performance.

“I will espouse legislative priorities that would help sustain this momentum,” he said.

“Our goal is to create a policy environment that supports job creation, raises incomes, and ensures that economic gains are felt across all sectors of society.” To achieve this end, he said the 20th Congress, should focus on measures that “promote inclusive growth, improve public services, and support investments in infrastructure, digitalization, and human capital development.”

It is also crucial, Romualdez said, for legislative priorities to include measures that strengthen food security, increase access to affordable health care and education, and expand infrastructure development through the Build Better More (BBM) program.

“In support of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision for a Bagong Pilipinas, I and our allies in the House would work to ensure every law we pass brings us closer to an economy that works for all Filipinos,” said Rep. Romualdez, president of Lakas-CMD — the biggest political bloc in the House comprising about a third of the chamber.

According to the World Bank’s latest classification, the Philippines remains in the lower-middle income (LMIC) category, with a gross national income (GNI) per capita of USD4,470 in 2024. This figure surpassed the lower end of the government’s 2023-2028 target and brought the country closer to the UMIC threshold of USD4,496.

The Marcos administration has also projected in its 2024 Philippine Development Report that the country could attain upper middle-income status by 2025 or 2026, “driven by strong economic performance and sound fiscal policies.”

Romualdez added that the House should work closely with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to ensure that the 2026 national budget — set at P6.793 trillion — will serve as a key tool to accelerate progress toward the Marcos administration’s medium-term development goals.