Based on the opening remarks of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte made at the second regular session of the 15th Congress held on July 25, 2011, we have compiled this list of the Senate and House legislative priorities and how the Arangkada recommendations stack up against these. We have also included a comparison of the Senate President’s and House Speaker’s views on reforming the Constitutional provision on foreign equity.
HOUSE
1. 12 Year Basic Education Curriculum Act
2. AFP Modernization Act
3. Anti-Money Laundering Act Amendments *
4. BOT Act Amendments *
5. Competition and Anti-Trust Act *
6. Conditional Cash Transfer Act
7. Cybercrime Prevention Act *
8. Fiscal Responsibility Act *
9. Freedom of Information Act
10. EPIRA Act Amendments
11. Government Procurement Reform Act Amendments*
12. Hazardous & Radioactive Waste Management Act
13. Mandatory Universal Healthcare Coverage
of Every Filipino Act
14. National Defense Act
15. National Land Use Act *
16. Philippine Maritime Zones Act
17. Pocket Open Skies Act
18. Rationalization of Fiscal Incentives Act*
19. Real Property Valuation Reform Act
20. Reproductive Health Act*
21. Restructuring Taxes on Alcohol, Cigarette and Tobacco
22. Tariff and Customs Code Amendments*
23. The Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act
24. VAT (Review existing exemptions)
25. Water Resources Act *
26. Witness Protection Act
27. Whistleblowers Act*
SENATE
1. Competition and Anti-Trust Act *
2. National Land Use Policy Act*
3. People’s Survival Fund Act
4. Rationalization of Fiscal Incentives Act *
5. Reproductive Health Act *
* Legislation proposed in Arangkada Philippines
Reforming the Constitutional Provision on Foreign Equity
House:
“We must also seriously consider the relaxation of the restrictive ownership provisions of our present Constitution which have thus far limited our growth potential. Reviewing the present restrictions on ownership in land, public utilities and corporate capitalization has become an imperative in a world economy where capital and investment have become very mobile. As representatives of our people, we are entrusted with the immense responsibility of proposing amendments to the constitution through an extraordinary vote of three-fourths of our members.
In the fulfillment of this obligation, we must be attuned to the nuances of the present globalized and highly competitive world economy and carefully strike a balance between the ends of nationalization and the creation of opportunity and jobs for a great majority of our people.”
Senate:
“Perhaps, now is the time to explore the possibility of introducing amendments to the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution. This very important issue must be debated on openly and intelligently as we try to help infuse the economy with sufficient stimuli that will spur growth in our industries and businesses and create more jobs for our people.
Congressional action on this proposition may not come soon enough but now is the appropriate time to lay it down on the table. As elected officials, we should be bold enough to finally discuss the need to initiate this.”
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Click here to download this in PDF.
To read Senator Enrile’s entire speech, click here. For Speaker Belmonte’s speech, click here.
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