SPEAKER Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III has directed a series of joint committee hearings to consolidate government action and craft a comprehensive legislative response to the escalating Middle East crisis, with a focus on immediate relief, economic stability, and long-term resilience.
Dy announced on Monday that the hearings will bring together key executive agencies and House leaders to align on the aid and legislative package needed to address the crisis in the short, medium, and long term.
“We are holding these joint hearings to make sure that the initiatives of the legislative branch are coordinated with the Executive and are properly targeted and forward-looking. Ang kailangan natin ngayon ay malinaw na plano—hindi lang para sa ngayon, kundi para sa mga susunod na buwan at taon,” the Speaker said.
The hearings, to be conducted during the session break after Holy Week, will be led by a cluster of committees covering critical sectors affected by the crisis, including energy, food security, labor, transportation, and economic management.
Dy explained that “the objective of these hearings is to work with our partners in the Executive to identify solutions, not point fingers.”
“We want to hear directly from our economic managers and frontline agencies so we have the information we need to come up with measures that can help our people cope with the impact of the Middle East conflict.”
The joint hearings will involve the following committees: Energy (Rep. Jose Alvarez), Agriculture (Rep. Wlfrido “Mark” Enverga), Aquaculture and Fisheries (Rep. Tsuyohoshi Anthony “Hori” Horibata), Foreign Affairs (Deputy Speaker Maria Rachel Arenas), Ways and Means (Rep. Miro Quimbo), Labor and Employment (Rep. Ramon Jolo Revilla III), Transportation (Rep. Franz Pumaren), Information and Communications Technology (Rep. Miguel Luis Villafuerte), Economic Affairs (Rep. Antonio Legarda Jr.), and Social Services (Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario).
Dy emphasized that the House will use the findings from these hearings to support both executive action and legislative measures that will mitigate the impact of global disruptions on Filipino families.
“Hindi natin kontrolado ang nangyayari sa labas ng bansa, pero kontrolado natin kung paano tayo tutugon sa mga hamong ito. Ang mahalaga, handa tayo, mabilis tayo, at sama-sama tayo sa paghahanap ng solusyon.”
