President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. enumerated 19 priority bills during his State of the Nation Address on July 25. Here's the list:
1. National Government Rightsizing Program (NGRP)
A reform mechanism that seeks to enhance the government’s institutional capacity to perform its mandate and to provide better services, while ensuring optimal and efficient use of resources.
Compared to previous government reorganization efforts, the NGRP will entail a comprehensive strategic review of the functions, operations, organization, systems and processes of the different agencies, and massive and transformational initiatives in agencies concerned, such as mergers, consolidation, splitting, transfer, and even the abolition of some offices. The rightsizing efforts will also involve the conduct of a comprehensive strategic review of functions, programs and projects that will cut across various agencies.
2. Budget Modernization Bill
This seeks to institutionalize the Cash-based Budgeting System (CBS) under Executive Order No. 91, Series 2019 to strengthen fiscal discipline in the allocation and use of budget resources by ensuring that every peso budgeted by the government would lead to the actual delivery of programs and projects. The full implementation of the CBS is timely and vital as the government executes response and recovery plans post- pandemic.
3. Tax Package 3: Valuation Reform Bill
This bill provides for the :
(a) establishment of real property values and valuation standards across the country and (b) the development of Real Property Information System that provides for the database of all real property transactions and declarations in the country
4. Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA)
This seeks to reform the taxation of capital income and financial services by redesigning the financial sector taxation into simpler, fairer, more efficient and a revenue neutral tax system. It also represents to adopt a regionally competitive tax system.
5. E-Government Act
Which provides for the establishment of the E-Government Master Plan which shall cover all e-government services and processes.
6. Internet Transaction Act or E-Commerce Law
Which aims to establish an effective regulation of commercial activities through the internet or electronic means to ensure that consumer rights and data privacy are protected, innovation is encouraged, fair advertising practices and competition are promoted, online transactions are secured, intellectual property rights are protected, and product standards and safety are observed.
7. Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery (GUIDE)
This seeks to provide financial assistance to distressed enterprises critical to economic recovery through programs and initiatives to be implemented by the Land Bank of the Philippines, the Development Bank of the Philippines and the Philippine Guarantee Corporation for purposes of addressing liquidity or solvency problems of MSMEs and strategically important industries, to encourage their continued operations and maintain employment. [applause]
8. The Establishment of a Medical Reserve Corps
Establishes a Medical Reserve Corp (MRC) under the Health and Emergency Management Bureau (HEMB) of the DOH. The MRC shall be composed of licensed physicians, medical students who have completed their four (4) years of medical course, graduates of medicine, registered nurses, and licensed allied health professionals.
9. National Disease Prevention Management Authority
This bill seeks to create the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), attached to the DOH. [applause]
10. Creation of the Virology Institute of the Philippines
This will create the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines (VIP) as an attached agency of the DOST. All offices and units under the DOST with functions related to virology shall now be transferred to the Virology Institute of the Philippines.
11. Department of Water Resources
This seeks to create the Department of Water Resources and adopts the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) as the strategic framework for national water management, policymaking and planning.
12. Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension
This grants a monthly disability pension, in lieu of disability benefits provided under existing laws, for military and uniformed personnel (MUPs) retired by reasons of disability. [applause]
13. E-Governance Act
It promotes the use of internet, intranet and other ICT to provide opportunities for citizens.
14. National Land Use Act
This will provide for a rational and holistic management and development of our country’s land and water resources; hold owners accountable for making these lands productive and sustainable; strengthen the LGU to manage ecological balance within its jurisdiction. It also provides for Land Use and Physical Planning/Framework as a mechanism in determining policies and principles to implement this legislative measure.
15. National Defense Act
This seeks to amend the antiquated National Defense Act of 1935 to provide for a change in the military structure of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that is more responsive to current and future non-conventional security threats to the country’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty. [applause]
16. Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and National Service Training Program (NSTP)
This seeks to reinstitute the ROTC program as a mandatory component of senior high school programs (Grades 11 and 12) in all public and private tertiary-level educational institutions. The aim is to motivate, train, organize and mobilize the students for national defense preparedness, including disaster preparedness and capacity building for risk-related situations. [applause]
17. Enactment of an Enabling Law for the Natural Gas Industry
This seeks to foster the development of the Midstream Natural Gas Industry in a bid to strengthen Philippine energy security by diversifying the country’s primary sources of energy and promoting the role of natural gas as a complementary fuel to variable renewable energy. [applause]
18. Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or EPIRA (Rep. Act No. 9136) [applause]
This aims to improve the implementation of the law’s provisions and enhance its effectiveness to address high cost of electricity, alleged market collusion, and insufficient power supply.
The bill seeks to restructure the Energy Regulation Commission (ERC) to foster accountability and improve the commission’s government system that would ensure consumer protection and in enhancing the competitive operation of the electricity market.
19. Amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law
This seeks to improve the implementation of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Program and to be able to direct the desired outputs and outcomes in line with the strategic development targets of the country. Specifically, the amendments seek to:
Address the ambiguities in the existing law;
Address the bottlenecks and challenges affecting the implementation of the PPP Program; and,
Foster a more competitive and enabling environment for PPPs.