June 13, 2024 - President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. urged members of both houses of Congress on Thursday to pass laws that are more inclusive, responsive, and people-centered before the end of the year. The call was made in an effort to drive national development and improve the lives of Filipinos.
During the ceremonial signing of the Negros Island Region Act (NIR) and Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act (RPVARA) in Malacañang, President Marcos said, “To our fellow workers in both the houses of Congress, I implore that before the year ends, laws which are more inclusive, responsive, and people-centered be passed. We are deep in discussion about that.”
The President emphasized that the public is eagerly awaiting the passage of the 17 priority bills certified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). “These bills, if passed and enacted, will steer our national development and improve the conditions of our fellow countrymen. So, let’s continue to collaborate and work closely on these matters,” he pointed out.
President Marcos expressed gratitude to legislators for passing the NIR Act and RPVARA, which support the administration’s endeavors. He also called on all government agencies to efficiently and effectively implement the newly enacted laws to their fullest extent so that the people may reap their benefits as soon as possible.
The NIR Act unifies the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, including their cities, municipalities, and barangays, into one region. This is aimed at promoting administrative decentralization, strengthening local autonomy, and accelerating economic, cultural, and social development.
On the other hand, the RPVARA aims to streamline, unify, and enhance the real property valuation and assessment system.
During the fourth full meeting of the LEDAC last March 19, the body agreed to prioritize the passage of 20 bills by the end of June 2024. Notably, three of these, including the NIR Act and RPVARA, have been enacted, while the remaining 17 are yet to be passed into law.
The priority bills to be enacted include the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Act, Philippine Maritime Zones Act, Anti-Financial Accounts Scamming Act, Amendments to the Government Procurement Reform Act, Value-Added Tax on Digital Services, Blue Economy Act, Waste-to-Energy Bill, and the Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
Other proposals are the Unified System of Separation, Retirement, and Pension of Military and Uniformed Personnel, Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program Act, Apprenticeship Act, E-Government/E-Governance Act, Department of Water Resources, Open Access in Data Transmission, Amendments to the Universal Healthcare Act, Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy Act.