House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe. (File photo)
MANILA – Congress will try to pass the measures seeking the postponement of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) and the registration of all postpaid and prepaid mobile phone subscriber identity module (SIM) cards on third and final reading by Oct. 1, according to House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe on Friday.
Dalipe said this was the agreement reached among leaders of the House of Representatives and Senate during the Common Legislative Agenda coordination meeting held Thursday night at the Manila Golf and Country Club in Makati.
“We initially met last night to discuss our common legislative agenda. The House and Senate leaderships are eyeing the postponement of barangay and SK elections and passage of SIM card registration bill before our adjournment this September. This is to ensure that the entire Congress is moving forward in the same direction,” Dalipe said.
The House version proposes the postponement of the BSKE scheduled on Dec. 5, 2022 to Dec. 4, 2023.
Meanwhile, the SIM card registration bill, that aims to lessen scams and criminal activities, hurdled the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology last Monday.
Dalipe also said the House will pass by Oct. 1 the proposed PHP5.268-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2023 before Congress adjourns.
Dalipe said top House leaders reiterated their commitment to fully support the administration’s legislative agenda that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. enumerated during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) by acting on these measures "with dispatch."
“Our main priority is economic recovery, with agriculture as the key driver for growth and employment," Dalipe said. “We will push for the passage of more reform-oriented measures to improve good governance and uplift the lives of Filipinos. We are here to serve the people.”
He revealed that House leaders initially agreed to prioritize the passage of measures on the Medical Reserve Corps, Virology Institute of the Philippines, the creation of a United States-type Center for Disease Control (CDC) medical facility, the condonation for agrarian reform beneficiaries, amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, mandatory Reserve Officer' Training Corps (ROTC), Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers, apprenticeship, and benefits for barangay health workers as part of their common legislative agenda.
According to Dalipe, House and Senate leaders will meet again to finalize the list of their common priority legislations while awaiting the convening of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council to set the direction and other requests of the executive branch in terms of legislation. (PNA)
