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Business Inslght
Tuesday, )une 25,2019/

17 bills certified as urgent

-11,_of
by Rody passed by 17th Congress
BYJO MO TE AVOR Chief Executive to be enacted and six were signed into law; and
into la.* 6ve in 2019 witl just one passed
ELE\€N of 17 iesislarive bills Recotds from the presidential
that had been certifi"ed as urgent but still waiting for Duterti's sig-
I-egsJarive Liaison Of6ce (PLLO) naflfe.
by President Duterrc
-... o^"rr.d
by the 17th Congress, witb ivo of
showed thar one bill was cerdEed The PLLO said thar as ot June
as urgent in 2016 and passed and
them - the security of tenure bill signed into law io the'same vear,
7, 2019, the passed urqent ii s
and the tobacco excise rax bill _ that were signed into law include
four in 201? and all were oa'ssei
still awaiting the srgnature of the and signed into law: s*.r, ir, 201 g See BILLS } Page 85

BILLS ening the workers' right to security

the 2017budget; dre posrponemenr
of rhe 2017 Barangay and Sang-
gurunang Kabataan Elections; the
Tax Reform for Acceleration and
Inclusion (IRAIlrl) law; the 2018
budget; and the Joint Resolution
increasing the Baie Pay of Militarr
and Uniformed Personnel-
Also passed and signed into law
were the Banpamoro Organic Law
chat was srgned
onJuly 21, ZOB; ttte
Rice Tarifficadon Act signed on
February 14. 2019; rhe Universal
Health Care for Filipinos signed
on February 20,201,9; and, the
2019 budget that was signed last
April
15, 2019.
Also signed were the law stength-
of renure dlat w?s passed by dre Sen_
ate on May 27 rhis year and adopted
by the House of fupresentativei on
May 28; and nising of the excise ax
on tobacco products that was ap-
proved on second and third readins
by r}le Senate last June 4 and adoptj
by the House.
Both measures, which have 30
days before they lapse into law,
are still awaiting the Prcsident,s
signature to become a lanz
The odrcr measutes certified as ut-
gent by Du rene drat are still pending
in Congress indude the Senior High
School Reserve Offcers Trainins
Corps (ROTQ Aft. Amendmen;
to Public Service Acq Amendmetrs
to the Foreign Investrnents Act of
1991, and the Ambndmeqs to the
Reail Ttade Uberalization Act that
were all certified as urg€nt lasc lLute
3 or a day before the t7A Cotrir..,
adjoumed.
The PLLO said the ROTC Act
was approved on third readinq at
che House Iast May 29, 2019 while
it remains pending on second
reading in the Senale; while the
Amendments to the Public Service
Act had been approved on third
reading last September 8, 2017 in
the House and remain Dendins on
second reading in rha S.n",.. " billion supplemental budget for
The proposed amendments to
the Foreign Investment Act are
pending on second reading at
the Senate and were
"pproo.Jon
third readiog onJanuary this year
in the House; vrhile the amend-
ments to the Retail Trade Lib-
eralizarion Act had been passed
on third reading in the House
but are still pending in the tmde,
commerce and enrepreneurship
committee of the Senate.
PLLO recotds shovr that other
urgent measures still pending in
Congress are the Budget Reform
tlut rtas cerrified as urgent in 2018
and l:ad alteady been Eassed by rhe
House but is s rill pending on second
reading in *re Senate; and the P 1 . I 61
those affected in the Dengw-r<ia Vac,
cine controversy r}latwas certified as
urgenr in 2018 but is s till ' pending (at
the) Bicameral Conference Commir-
tee as of October 10,2018."

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