House scrambles to pass bills on last session day

MANILA, Philippines – Members of the House of Representatives rushed to approve priority bills on the last two session days of the 15th Congress, which officially ended Thursday, June 6. 

The House and the Senate ratified on Thursday the bicameral conference committee report on House Bill 6860 and Senate Bill 7400 which expands the government’s science and technology scholarship program. 

The bill, now one step away from becoming a law, makes high school students with high grades in science and mathematics eligible for scholarships even if they do not belong to the top 5% of the graduating class. 

On Wednesday, both chambers of Congress also ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed amendments to the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.

Lawmakers hold bicam meetings to settle conflicting provisions of a bill. Once the versions are reconciled, the final bill is immediately transmitted to Malacañang.  

On the last two days of session, House adopted the Senate versions of the following bills: 

• The Animal Welfare Act, which imposes steeper penalties  for animal cruelty, maltreatment and neglect
• A bill reorganizing the Philippine Statistical System, which places the National Statistics Office (NSO), National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB), Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) and Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) under an umbrella organization to be known as the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
• Food Safety Act of 2012, which establishes a comprehensive benchmark for food safety in each stage of the food preparation process
• Toy and Game Safety Labelling Act of 2012, which requires toy manufacturers to display warning labels on the packaging of toys containing hazardous materials 
• Meanwhile, House concurred with the Senate amendments on the following bills: 
• Amendments to the price control bill to include bottled water and instant noodles in the list of basic items considered as prime commodities 
• Anti-Bullying Act of 2012, which requires schools to enforce anti-bullying policies

Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr said Wednesday the Senate and the House of Representatives had agreed to finish all pending business by Wednesday midnight. The House of Representatives even held their “graduation ceremonies” on Wednesday to mark the end of the 15th Congress. 

“We initially agreed to finish everything by midnight. Just in the course of ceremonies we had, they asked if we could have another session tomorow. We agreed,” Belmonte said. 

On Thursday, session at the House was postponed at certain intervals as solons waited for the Senate to approve bills before these could be transmitted to the House. Bills need ratification or approval on 3rd reading from both chambers of Congress before it can be sent to Malacañang. Only a veto from the President can stop a bill from becoming a law once it passes Congress. – Rappler.com