Over 200 bills filed in House on first day of 18th Congress

By Ben Rosario

Over 200 bills swiftly clogged the House of Representatives docket of legislative measures on the first working day of congressmen belonging to the 18th Congress.

Majority of the bills are re-filed measures that either did not pass committee approval or on second or third reading stages of approval during the 17th Congress. Others were passed on final reading but failed to get the Senate’s nod.

Cebu Rep. Raul Del Mar filed the first four bills but were officially listed in the legislative docket as House Bills (HB) Nos. 11, 12, 13 and 14.

The first 10 in the list of bills filed are reserved for the speaker, who will be elected by his colleagues when the 18th Congress officially opens on July 22.

Other early birds include Reps. Edcel Lagman (LP, Albay), Michael Romero (1Pacman Partylist), and Ruffy Biazon (PDP-Laban, Muntinlupa City).

Biazon filed at least 100 bills on the first day of the 18th Congress, majority of which were re-filed measures from the 17th Congress. A number of the bills were legislative proposals that he had co-authored with his father, former Senator Rodolfo Biazon.

Filed by Del Mar was HB 11 or the “Mega Cebu Development Authority (MCDA) Act.” It seeks to create a special body to coordinate and promote socio-economic growth and sustainable development within Metro Cebu and the Cebu province.

Del Mar’s HB 12, “Freedom of Information Act,” seeks to provide citizens access to official records, documents, and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions or decisions, and government research data used as basis for policy development.

A consolidated version of the measure hurdled third and final reading by the House and Senate during the 14th Congress and was further approved by the bicameral conference committee during that time, according to him. But the bicameral report was only ratified by the Senate as the House failed to have a quorum on the last session day of the 14th Congress.

Romero filed the Actors Occupational Safety and Health Standard Law providing for stricter measures for the prevention of accidents and other occupational hazards on the movie or television set and the imposition of stiff penalties for violations.

Romero, president of the Party-list Coalition Foundation, Inc., said he expects more than 100 of his colleagues in the House of Representatives to co-author the measure that will be known “The Eddie Garcia Law.”

On the other hand, Lagman re-filed three major legislative proposals that were passed on third and final reading during the 17th Congress but failed Senate approval due to lack of time.

These bills are: (1) the Human Rights Defenders Protection Bill, which is now HB 015; (2) the Absolute Divorce Bill (HB 100); and (3) HB 101, staying the execution pending appeal of the orders of dismissal/suspension by quasi-judicial bodies like the Office of the Ombudsman and the Civil Service Commission.

Lagman said HB 015 proposes guarantees for the protection from harassment and assault of human rights advocates and defenders.

HB 100 or the granting of absolute divorce is a sequel of the Reproductive Health Act that Lagman authored.

HB 101, whose precursor was co-authored by 153 members in the 17th Congress, seeks to stop the practice of execution pending appeal of decisions or orders of quasi-judicial bodies suspending or dismissing public officials.

Meanwhile, at least 60 neophyte district and party-list representatives on Monday attended the first day of the House of Representatives Executive Course on Legislation that will orient them on their role and functions as House Members of the 18th Congress and help them fulfill their constitutional mandate as legislators.

The attendees comprise the third and last batch of lawmakers to undergo the legislative course. Most of them either come from political families or were former local chief executives in their districts. Based on their self-introduction, the lawmakers have a common advocacy which is to help uplift the lives of the Filipino people.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/07/01/over-200-bills-filed-in-house-on-first-day-of-18th-congress/