HOUSE Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Monday expressed his gratitude to the men and women of the House of Representatives, including its members and workers, for keeping the legislative mill running despite the limitations and challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“On a personal note, I would like to take this chance to thank each of you – Deputy Speakers, the Majority Leader, the Minority Leader, all the hardworking Committees, and its Members, our Representatives, House officials, the Secretariat, and our congressional staff – for your service to the country,” Velasco said in his speech at the opening of the third and last regular session of the 18th Congress.
“This pandemic continues to be the greatest challenge to governments all over the world, and despite all the sacrifices and risks to your own personal health and safety, we have kept, and will keep, the legislative mill running,” the House chief added.
Velasco also gave special thanks to the hardworking chairpersons and members of standing and special committees in the legislative chamber, whom he described as the “House’s true workhorses.”
He said the passion for legislative work and commitment to public service of these committee chairs and members “serve as an inspiration from which we all must draw collective strength in this last stretch of the 18th Congress.”
“Mga kasama, napakarami na nating nagawa, at mas marami pa tayong magagawa kung patuloy na magsasama-sama tayo. Hindi po natin maaabot ang lahat nang ito kung wala ang tulong ninyo.
(My dear colleagues, we have accomplished so much, and we can accomplish so much more if we are united. We would not have achieved all these without your help)
The Speaker added: “Truly, it is an honor to be your peer at this crucial time in our nation’s history when the mettle of leadership is tested by the fire of crisis and urgency. Maraming, maraming salamat po sa inyong sipag at walang sawang suporta.” (Thank you very much for your diligence and tireless support)
With the collective efforts of House members and employees, much-needed emergency pandemic response measures were passed during Velasco’s leadership despite certain political challenges.
These pandemic response measures include Bayanihan 3, a third economic stimulus measure that aims to directly provide assistance to Filipinos and Resolution of Both Houses Number 2, seeking to empower the present and future Congresses with authority to relax economic restrictions in the Constitution to create new jobs, and boost sources of gross domestic product.
For the second regular session, the House approved 501 bills on third reading, 131 resolutions and reached a total of 803 approved measures, 72 of which were enacted into laws.
It also passed 20 out of 30 measures in the Common Legislative Agenda of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council or LEDAC, consisting mostly of the legislative priorities of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
Five out of these 20 measures were enacted into law, while the rest were transmitted to the Senate for its corresponding action.