Speaker Martin Romualdez on Monday expressed the House of Representatives’ commitment to passing 20 measures before the year ends.

At the opening of the Second Regular Session of the 19th Congress, Romualdez identified the priority bills that were agreed upon during the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting earlier this month:

• Amendments to the BOT Law or Public-Private Partnership bill;
• National Disease Prevention Management Authority;
• Internet Transactions Act or E-Commerce Law;
• Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team Act, formerly Medical Reserve Corps;
• Virology Institute of the Philippines;
• Mandatory ROTC and National Service Training Program;
• Revitalizing the Salt Industry;
• Valuation Reform;
• e-Government and e-Governance;
• Ease of Paying Taxes;
• National Government Rightsizing Program;
• Unified System of Separation/Retirement and Pension of Military and Other Uniformed Personnel;
• LGU Income Classification;
• Waste-to-Energy Bill;
• New Philippine Passport Act;
• Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers;
• National Employment Action Plan;
• Amendments to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act;
• Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas-endorsed Bank Deposit Secrecy; and the
• Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act.

”Our unwavering aim is to realize them before the year ends. We stay committed to spurring economic growth, alleviating poverty, augmenting healthcare services, and fostering job opportunities for our countrymen,” Romualdez said.

“May this session stand as further testament to our capability and dedication as the people’s lawmakers. Let us labor to sustain our gains, continue to work tirelessly, and strive to realize our shared dreams for our nation. Let us retain the momentum of the 19th Congress and strive to make it one of the most productive and impactful in our history,” he added.

More than 300 House members took part in the opening session.

In the afternoon, the House and Senate will convene in joint session to hear the second State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.