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 Representative 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.
