The House as catalyst of change

SPEAKER Martin Romualdez is on the right track in focusing his time and energy—and that of the House of Representatives—on what’s needed at this time, which is to push forward the priority legislative agenda of the Marcos administration. Romualdez should not be distracted by toxic politics of division and discord. The only correct path at this point is the politics of unity and consensus. Here, Romualdez should demonstrate high statesmanship and be able to reconcile conflicting interests with as much finesse as he can muster. The House cannot afford to be divided into political factions each with its own agenda. We can understand our lawmakers will have to do what is necessary to consolidate their political forces at the barangay level and help their political allies win in the forthcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections or BSKE.

Then there will be members of Congress who will run for reelection in 2025 and likewise have to devote time to building up their electoral machineries and to form alliances and coalitions at the district level to ensure victory in the 2025 polls.

Apart from these, the 2028 national election offers yet another opportunity for politicians to aspire for higher office, including the Senate, the vice presidency and of course, the highest elective post, which is the presidency.

But, as we said, this is not the right time for Congress to be kept busy by political maneuvering and backroom wheeling-anddealing when there is a real need to focus on legislation that will usher in sweeping reforms in Philippine society, particularly in the post-COVID 19 period.

There’s much work to be done.

The job of Congress is to pass laws of both local and national application that will benefit the country as a whole.

Speaker Romualdez has reported that as of last month, the Lower Chamber of Congress has passed 31 of 42 the priority bills identified by the Marcos Jr. administration.

“We are proud of our collective accomplishment — 31 out of 42 and counting. We have achieved a significant part of our goal in less than a year of session,” he pointed out.

The approved bills by Congress under the Romualdez leadership show the institution has been hard at work on important measures.

House Bill 8078 will give flesh to the President’s Building Better More program. It is all-encompassing program covering not only infrastructure such as roads, bridges and expressways, but also energy, water resources, information and communication technology, agri-fisheries, food logistics, and socially oriented structures such as school buildings and other educational facilities.

Another significant piece of legislation is the National Land Use Act (HB 8162), which seeks to optimize the proper use of land.

Other measures approved by the House are the E-Governance/E-Government bill, the creation of the Negros Island region, the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act, as well as measures creating the Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the Medical Reserve Corps and the Virology Institute of the Philippines.

The House also passed measures that

The approved bills by Congress under the Romualdez leadership show the institution has been hard at work on important measures with Senate concurrence would become the Philippine Passport Act, the Internet transactions/E-Commerce Law, the Wasteto-Energy Act, the Apprenticeship Act, amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, and a law providing for free legal assistance for police and soldiers.

Also approved were bills outlining the rights of seafarers and barangay health workers, as well as those creating the Eastern Visayas Development Authority and the Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone.

The House also passed the Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery bill, the real property valuation reform bill, the measure proposing to set up the National Citizens Service Training Program, and the national rightsizing program bill.

Priority measures awaiting secondreading approval are the proposed National Employment Action Plan, an enabling law for the natural gas industry, and the

SMC and government infra projects

One of the private entities actively involved in the government infrastructure program through the PPP is San Miguel Corporation led by its visionary President and CEO Ramon S. Ang.

In February this year, SMC signed a joint venture agreement and toll concession agreement with the provincial government of Cavite to undertake the Cavite-Batangas Expressway (CBEX) Project. The CBEX Project involves the financing, construction, operation and maintenance of a 27.06–kilometer toll road.

The road will traverse through the municipalities of Silang, Amadeo, City of Tagatay, Indang, Mendez and Alfonso in Cavite, and Nasugbu, Batangas. The project cost is P27 billion. It will be implemented at no cost to the Cavite Provincial Government with a concession period of 35 years.

Cavite is one of the most progressive provinces in the country.

It is site of several industrial export processing zones.

Batangas also has a vibrant economy. Aside from industrial parks, it hosts an international seaport of entry, one of the largest in the country.

The two provinces are also favorite destinations of both local and foreign tourists.

Once completed, the CBEX will improve connectivity between Metro Manila and the provinces that comprise CALABARZON: Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon and lessen road congestion.

Early this month, another proposal by SMC subsidiary San Miguel Holdings, Corp. was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) board.

The proposal involves the extension of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.

It was reported the entire evaluation and approval process for the TPLEX Extension Project was the fastest approval for a publicprivate partnership (PPP) proposal as it was submitted to the Investment Coordination Committee on March 17, 2023. lung and kidney diseases. This is a step in the right direction.

The TPLEX Extension Project is a four-lane extension highway costing P23.4 billion.

It will connect the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon and Metro Manila.

The entire project will be completed by 2028.

However, by 2026 the first segment from Rosario to Tubao, La Union is expected to be operational.

It will be implemented through PPP under the Department of Public Works and Highways.

The unsolicited proposal of SMC would be subject to a Swiss challenge.

Accoding to RSA, SMC, through its subsidiaries, has undertaken government infrastructure projects under the PPP to help improve the country’s connectivity.

These include the completed Skyway Stage 3, and the ongoing MRT 7 and the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan.

The latter will decongest the NAIA with its four parallel runways, a world class terminal and interlinked infrastructure network.

The New Manila International Airport project is the largest investment in infrastructure by a Philippine company at P740-billion. It was also procured through an unsolicited proposal. Transportation infrastructure is important to increase economic competitiveness.

While health experts have given assurance of enough health care workers to be deployed to the specialty centers, the budget of local government units and low salaries remain an issue.

The stark reality is that at the local government level, the salary grade is much lower compared to that of the national government.

Health advocates are also asking the DOH to fully implement the government’s policy on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

The Healthy Philippines Alliance (HPA) expects the new DOH leadership to tackle NCDs as part of universal health care.

The group believes even with the leadership change, the DOH has to ensure continuity and uninterrupted implementation of the multiple strategies to prevent and control NCDs and its chief risk factors, namely tobacco use, alcohol drinking, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.

In the Philippines, NCDs such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes account for 70 percent of total deaths.

In 2022, ischemic heart disease was the leading cause of death, killing 114,500 Filipinos, while cancers came in second with more than 63,300 deaths, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Is the new Secretary of Health up to the task of ensuring health of all? We really hope so.

Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System bill.

Measures proposing to create a Water Resources department, as well as amendments to the Electric Power Industry Act and the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act are currently being evaluated at committee level or by technical working groups. Priority bills signed into law included the SIM Registration Act and the measure amending the fixed terms of Armed Forces of the Philippines chiefs of staff and other senior officers.

Meanwhile, the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund bill has been approved by the Senate after the President certified it as urgent . These measures, according to Speaker Romualdez, “aim to support the President’s vision of keeping the economy on the high growth path and generating more jobs and income opportunities for our people.”

More than this, however, the legislative output of the House of Representatives in the past year not only demonstrates the competent leadership of Speaker Romualdez, but also the capability of the chamber to rise to the challenge and make it truly a catalyst of change in the country’s political, economic and social spheres.

(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

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It is an important component in the supply chain. It makes movement of goods from manufacturers to consumers easier. It links farms to markets and urban centers to rural areas.

It also facilitates the movement of people for business transactions, tourism and recreation, and stimulate the development of new growth centers.

The government recognizes the importance of infrastructure development.

According to Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan there are 194 infrastructure flagship projects of which 68 are ongoing; 25 have been approved for implementation; nine are waiting government approval; and, the remaining projects are either in the process of project preparation or pre-project preparation.

Some of the projects were started during President Duterte’s term (2016-2022) but will be completed under President Marcos, Jr. Hopefully, more players from the private sector will take up the challenge and follow RSA’s lead of helping improve our country’s connectivity through infrastructure development.

(The author, book author and publisher, is president and chief executive officer of Media Touchstone Ventures, Inc. and also the president and executive director of the Million Trees Foundation Inc., a non-government outfit advocating tree-planting and environmental protection.)