Political parties in the House of Representatives vowed to support the passage of 13 remaining priority bills of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. mostly before the sine die adjournment.

Leaders of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, PDPLaban, Nacionalista Party, National Unity Party, Nationalist People’s Coalition and Partylist Coalition Foundation Inc. gave the commitment to House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, president of Lakas-CMD.

Romualdez, meantime, expressed gratitude to his colleagues for supporting his goal to have the chamber approve most if not all of the 13 remaining priority bills on third and final reading before this month’s adjournment.

“We will try to achieve that objective on a best-effort basis. The bills on deck will complement those that we have already passed and which support the Agenda for Prosperity and eight-point socio-economic roadmap of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,” Romualdez said.

Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd District Representative Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., and Representatives Johnny Pimentel of Surigao del Sur and Rida Robes of San Jose City represented PDPLaban in the party leaders’                          caucus.

NP was represented by Representatives Eleandro Jesus “Budoy” Madrona of Romblon, Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte and Janette Garin of Iloilo, while the NPC was represented by Quezon Representative Mark Enverga and Ilocos Sur Representative Kristine Meehan Singson and NUP by Antipolo City Representative Robbie Puno and Camarines Sur Representative LRay Villafuerte.

Meantime, Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co, PCFI president, spoke for his group.

Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco, BHW Partylist Representative Angelica Natasha Co, Bicol Saro Partylist Representative Brian Yamsuan also joined the meeting.

Romualdez convened the caucus shortly after presiding over the first day of session Monday after the Holy Week recess of Congress as he stressed that they have only two weeks to approve the remaining priority bills and asked his colleagues to maximize the time so that the House could pass all the urgent measures identified by Marcos in his first State of the Nation Address in July last year and later adopted by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

Earlier, Speaker Romualdez bared that President Marcos approved 11 additional bills, including the Maharlika Investment Fund as part of LEDAC, bringing to 42 from the original 31 the total number of priority administration measures.

The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill 7751, or the proposed Department of Health Specialty Centers in Hospitals Act that aims to expand healthcare services by establishing specialized care centers in hospitals under the supervision and control of the Department of Health.

This was part of the original eight remaining SONA-LEDAC priority measures the House is aiming to approve in the homestretch of the First Regular Session of the 19th Congress.