*n'-.
ECOnO
House leadership counts l8
measures passed on third reading
THE HOUSE majorityleader said
the chamber has passed l8 mea-
sures on third reading since the
start of the 18 Congress, includ-
ing the 2o2o Budget, key ta+ bills,
and amendments to the Foreign
Investment Act of 199I.
Representativd Ferdinand
Matin G. Romualdez of Leyte's
first district described the cham-
ber's performance positively,
adding that it promptly disposed
of some key moasures left un-
passed by the lTrh Congress.,
Ilouse rules permit expe-
dited approval Jor measures that
achieved third-reading approval
in the previous sitting ofCongress,
He listed the measures that
this Congress approved on third
reading as:
.House Bill No. 4228 or the
2O2O national budget
. House BillNo.1026 imposing
additional excise taxes on alcohol,
tobacco, and vape products
.
House Bill No. 3oo or the
amendments to the Foreign In-
vestment Act of l99I
; House Bill No. 304 or the Pas- modernization program; the new
sive Income and Financial Inter- :,Salary Standardization Law; the
mediary Taxation Act (PIFITA)
. House Bill No. 4157 or the . Iining the disposal of tlle coconut
Corporate Incoine Tax and In-
centive Rationalizatio! Act
(CITIRA), which was formerly
knorrn as the TRABAHO bill
Iha,rixr*$s\lbrld
He said that in the first 20 ses-
si6n dhys of tJle 18'h Congress the
House of Representatives pro-
cessed 22o measures.
House Majority Leader and
Lelte 1"1 district on Monday said
the chahber werq able to deliver
some of Presideirt Rodrigb R.
Dutertet legislative ageEda since
the Congress opened last July"2z,
The tax legislation was amohg
the priority measu.es identified
by President Rodrigo B. Duterte
in his state df the NatioiAddress
to open the Congressional ses-
sion, he later also certified the
budget as urgent.
In his fourth State of the Na-
tion Addrsss, Mi. Duterte calldd
for tlle passage of other measures
including those authorizing the
postponement of the barangay
and Sangguniang Kabataan elec-
tions; the Magna Carta for Ba-
rangays; the National Land Use
Bill; the creation of departments
for Overseas Filipino Workers,
disaster"resilience, and water
resources; the fire protdction
niw v6rsion of t}le measure out-
levy,fuads; and the mandatory
implemFntation of Reserve Of-
ficers' Training Corps program in
senior high school.
"lMe also iminediatelypassed on
third and fina1 reading bills under
the Comprehensive Tax Rdform
Program (CTRP) to help tlle gov-
emment achieve the Acredit rating
goal of tlle Duterte administration.
We are a notch away fTom 'A ter-
. dtorj' after a vote of confidence by.
Standard & Poor's (S&P), upgrad-
ingthe countr5/s credit ratingftiiia
tsBB to 'BBB+' witl a stable out-
look because of robust economic
$owth," Mr. Romualdez said,
Meanwhile, 38 bills vrere
approved oSseSnd reading.
including one authorizing the
postponement of the 'barangay
and Sangguniang Kabataan
elections from May 11, 2020 to
Dec.5,2022.
Rep. Jose Ma Clemente S. Sal-
ceda, the chairman of ihe ways
and means committee from Al-
bays second district, has said that
the committee ]vill also "try" to
approve within t}Ie year measures
dealing with the Real Property
Valuation and Assessment sys-
tem, amendments to the Public
Servicg Act amendment, a mea-
sure raising t}le Motor Vehicle
Road User's Tax, as well as the
proposals to create the new gov-
ellrment departments.
Congress vrill resume session
ox Nov 4.
- Vince Angelo C'
Ferreras pAe 2/,t7