Senate to pass 20 priority bills

(UPDATE) SENATE President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Sunday said the senators were set to pass 20 priority bills of national importance by December.

The Senate is ready to work on priority legislative and executive measures as it opens the second regular session of the 19th Congress today, July 24.

SEN. Juan Miguel ‘Migz’ Zubiri

“We need to hit the ground running. We made a commitment that, on the part of the Senate, we will pass 20 priority bills by December 2023,” Zubiri said in a statement.

Apart from the priority bills, Zubiri said the Senate will push for an increase in the wages of workers through a legislated nationwide wage hike.

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The Senate also aims to pass the proposed Public-Private Partnership Act, which will amend Republic Act (RA) 6957, or the “Build-Operate-Transfer” Law; the creation of a National Disease Prevention Management Authority; the proposed Internet Transactions Act; the establishment of the Medical Reserve Corps and the Virology Institute of the Philippines; the reinstatement of the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Program; and the bill revitalizing the Philippines’ salt industry.

The senators are also “set to work on the approval of measures aimed at improving and streamlining government transactions and services,” Zubiri said.

These are the proposed Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act; the proposed E-Governance and E-Government Act; the Ease of Paying Taxes Act; the National Government Rightsizing Act; the Automatic Income Classification of Local Government Units; and the bills providing for a Unified System for Separation, Retirement and Pension of Military and Uniformed Services; and a New Philippine Passport Law.

The Senate also sees the passage of the proposed Waste-to-Energy Act, the Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers, the proposed “Trabaho Para Sa Bayan” Act, the Anti-Financial Scamming Act, and proposed amendments to the Bank Secrecy Law.

The following measures are scheduled for third and final reading: the Philippine Defense Industry Development Act, the Cybersecurity Act, and amendments to the procurement provisions of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Act.

Zubiri said the Senate continues to uphold the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea.

A Senate resolution will be adopted to support calls for the government to bring China’s incursions in Philippine waters before the United Nations General Assembly.

After the plenary session in the morning, the senators will proceed to the House of Representatives for a joint session of Congress to witness the second State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

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