Senate President Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian on Monday outlined the chamber's priority measures during the Senate’s first session, with a focus on lowering the cost of living, increasing workers' take-home pay, improving energy affordability, boosting infrastructure and supporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The senator said the Senate will prioritize amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law to help stabilize rice prices, ensure sufficient supply and strengthen the National Food Authority's buffer stock while protecting farmers' incomes.

"Over the past year, the average price of regular milled rice, a staple in every Filipino household, increased by almost 20 percent," Gatchalian said.

To help workers cope with the effects of inflation, the senator asserted the chamber will also push measures that would exempt annual incomes of up to P400,000 from income tax, raise the tax-free ceiling for bonuses, and reduce taxes on overtime pay, holiday pay, night shift differential, hazard pay and service charges.

Meanwhile, Gatchalian noted that the purchasing power of Filipinos has weakened, saying that P100 in 2018 now has the equivalent value of only P74.

The Senate will also prioritize the proposed ERC Strengthening Bill to improve oversight of the power sector as electricity rates continue to rise.

Gatchalian cited data showing that residential electricity rates in Metro Manila increased from P12.20 per kilowatt-hour to as much as P14.50 per kilowatt-hour, posting the highest average electricity rate among ASEAN countries in June this year.

He added that the chamber will also seek amendments to the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act to improve transparency in fuel pricing and protect consumers from unjustified price increases amid volatility in global oil markets.

On infrastructure, Gatchalian said the Senate will push the proposed Master Plan for Infrastructure and National Development (MIND) Bill to establish a 30-year national infrastructure roadmap covering roads, airports, hospitals and energy projects.

Gatchalian also vowed to prioritize amendments to the Magna Carta for small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to expand access to financing, credit guarantees, shared services and technical support, as well as increase opportunities for small businesses to participate in government projects.

The senator reiterated that strengthening MSMEs is essential to creating jobs, noting that the sector accounts for 99.7 percent of registered businesses in the country and remains a key driver of the Philippine economy.