Realizing Change

“Sabi nila hindi magagawa, ngunit kaya naman pala.”

This is what Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez emphasized when he led the opening of the House of
Representatives (HREP) Month celebration, taking the occasion to assess the milestone achievements
thus far of the House since it commenced its sessions on July 25, 2017.

The Speaker regarded the forward-moving action of the present chamber with respect to the many
people-oriented, public welfare bills that have languished in previous legislatures but were approved
with deliberate speed in the 17th Congress.

Among those he highlighted were the measure that grants free tuition to tertiary education in state
universities and colleges (HB 5633/RA 10931), the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN),
which lowers personal income tax and expands the value added tax (VAT) base (HB 5636), a bill Commented [FB-IIDS1]: Cite prop people quality of this
reinstitutes the National Health Insurance Program into the National Health Security Program, which bill
affords health insurance coverage for Filipinos with the least possible financial risk (HB 5784), and the
groundbreaking anti-discrimination measure, HB 4892, otherwise known as the Sexual Orientation and Commented [FB-IIDS2]: Be specific
Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill.

The Speaker likewise stated that for one to assess the performance of the 17th Congress HREP, he must
look into its track record. The House leadership is proud to have passed on Third Reading 210 bills in a
span of 97 session days with an average of two bills passed on Third Reading every session day. He also
noted that the House promptly passed the proposed 2017 General Appropriations bill.

OIC, Deputy Secretary General for Inter-parliamentary and Public Affairs Department (IPAD) and
concurrent head executive assistant of the Office of the Speaker, Atty. Darren M. De Jesus echoed the
sentiments of the Speaker, stating, “We are members of the efficient, hardworking, and independent
legislative branch. As the Speaker mentioned, we are no longer the lower House, but the faster and
larger House.”

Speaker Alvarez was also clear that the path to true change will have many obstacles, including critics of
the government’s reform thrusts. Nevertheless, he encouraged the HRep Secretariat by saying, “Let’s
roll up our sleeves, as I have rolled up mine, and get back to work. Pagdating sa mga pagsubok, balikan
lang natin ang ating track record. Kaya naman pala.”

The House is set to craft and debate on similarly tougher legislation in the months to come, such as the
Bangsamoro Basic Law draft as well as the draft for the proposed Federal Constitution to replace the
existing system of government – all part of the chamber’s aspiration to be One House for Change.