President Rodrigo Duterte has asked the 18th Congress to pass 12 bills before his term expires in June 2022.

In his final State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 26, Duterte identified the following priority measures:

1. The passing of a unified system of separation, retirement, and pension for uniformed personnel
2. Free legal assistance for police and soldiers
3. Foreign Investments Act
4. Public Service Act
5. Retail and Trade Liberalization Act
6. Creation of a department for overseas Filipinos
7. E-governance act
8. Creation of the Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention
9. Creation of the Virology Institute of the Philippines
10. Creation of a department of disaster resilience
11. Law mandating evacuation centers in provinces, cities, and municipalities mandatory
12. Bureau of Fire Protection modernization

Lawmakers would have to work double time to deliver Duterte’s priorities within the next 11 months, as senators, as well as, district and party-list representatives will be preoccupied with their campaigns for the 2022 national elections starting February 8.

The 18th Congress has yet to pass 17 priority bills of the President from his previous SONA in 2020. Duterte has had the biggest majority in both the House and the Senate, but the least number of pet bills passed compared to past presidents. – Rappler.com