Polls postponement, budget extension up

Romualdez said the chamber will focus on passing other economic bills like the Real Property Valuation and Assessment system, amendments to the Public Service Act and a measure raising the Motor Vehicle Road User’s Tax, to cite some.

Romualdez: Key measures are up for House approval.

The House of Representatives is geared towards the approval of two measures when regular session resumes on Monday, House Majority Floor Leader Martin Romualdez said yesterday.

The House leader disclosed the scheduled passing of the bill aimed at postponing the 2020 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, and the joint resolution extending the life of the 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to 31 December 2020 on third and final reading.

“We aim to hit the ground running on the first day of work. Time to roll up our sleeves once again and work double time on vital legislative measures,” Romualdez said.

Last 30 September, the Senate approved the measure postponing the May 2020 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on third and final reading.

Under the Senate version, the poll date will be moved from the second Monday of May 2020 to 5 December 2022.

After this, the next synchronized local polls will be conducted on the first Monday of December 2025 and every three years after.

The House of Representatives adopted the other version of the bill shepherded by Senate President Vicente Sotto and passed the measure on second reading last 2 October.

On 25 September, the House also approved on second reading a resolution extending the availability of the maintenance and capital outlay of the 2019 national budget until the end of 2020.

The Senate has also filed a similar resolution on 27 September, but it is still pending in the committee level.

The House leader also announced that the House will fast-track the approval of the bill seeking to authorize the use of the rice subsidy under the 2019 national budget for the purchase of palay from farmers affected by the Rice Tariffication Law.

After the passage of the said measure, the chamber will focus on passing other economic bills like the Real Property Valuation and Assessment system, amendments to the Public Service Act and a measure raising the Motor Vehicle Road User’s Tax, to cite some.

“The tax legislation that we passed under the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) will help the government achieve the A credit rating goal of the Duterte administration. We are a notch away from ‘A’ territory after a vote of confidence by Standard & Poor’s (S&P), upgrading the country’s credit rating from ‘BBB’ to ‘BBB+’ with a stable outlook because of robust economic growth,” Romualdez explained.