We are on track in terms of the passage of the priority measures of this Administration. Out of the 20 priority bills that should be passed by the end of this year, the Senate has already passed three measures on third reading: Trabaho Para Sa Bayan Act, LGU Income Classification Act and the Philippine Salt Industry Development Act. This week, three additional bills were passed on second reading, which are the Ease of Paying Taxes Act, Internet Transactions Act and the New Philippine Passport Act. Before the Senate goes on break next week, our goal is to pass the Public-Private Partnership Act, Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers Act and the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act.
Aside from this, additional measures were added to the list of priority measures of this Administration, including the Excise Tax on Single-Use Plastics, Amendments to the Government Procurement Reform Act and Philippine Maritime Zones Act. The passage of the Philippine Maritime Zone Act is very timely as the Philippines continues to assert its rights over the West Philippine Sea.
The Senate has a huge task at hand and we thank each of our colleagues for taking an active role in ensuring that we are not only able to meet our targets, but also that all bills that passed are thoroughly studied and discussed. We are in full support of the administration’s goals especially in crafting laws to generate employment and uplift the quality of life of every Filipino.
