HOR urges Senate to pass eight priority bills, pandemic-related measures
By The News Team
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco urged the Senate to pass at least the eight priority bills that have already been approved by the House of Representatives with only a few session days left before the Congress adjourns on February 5.
According to Velasco, the eight key bills include the proposed Internet Transactions Act, Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises Act (Guide); the bills creating the Medical Reserve Corps, Philippine Virology Institute and Center for Disease Prevention and Control; hiring of mental health professionals in basic education; increasing social pension of indigent senior citizens; and strengthening data privacy protection.
Internet transactions law
First in the priority bills is the Internet Transactions Act which seeks to regulate internet transactions and services through the creation of an Electronic Commerce Bureau and promote the development of the country’s e-commerce infrastructure via an industry-led eCommerce Trustmark.
In this bill, online e-commerce platforms, such as Lazada, Shopee, and Zalora, will be held solidarily liable with their merchants for failing to prevent scams, failing to publish the details of merchants, or failing to examine goods related to food, drugs, cosmetics, among others.
Under the Internet Transactions Act, it will also be illegal to cancel orders for food or groceries that have already been paid or already in the possession of delivery services.
However, a consumer may cancel an order if the delivery of ordered food or grocery items was delayed for at least an hour from the expected time of arrival due to the fault or negligence of the delivery service.
Additionally, it is also considered illegal to unreasonably shame, demean, embarrass, or humiliate ride-hailing service partners.
No new taxes or fees were proposed in the bill.
Other key bills
The Guide Act, the Medical Reserves Corps Act, and the creation of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control were the bills identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.
The proposed charters of the Virology Institute of the Philippines Act and the Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control were due to the issues that had surfaced during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Senate versions of these bills are currently being discussed in the upper chamber through the technical working group under the committee on health and the committee on science and technology.
Moreover, Velasco mentioned that the House expected to pass four other measures on the resumption of session last January 24.
These include the proposed Rural Financial Inclusion and Literacy Act, Magna Carta for Barangay Health Workers and the National Housing Development Act, and the bill assigning health workers in every barangay across the country.
Velasco furthered that the chamber would also pass a proposal to improve and develop certain positions in the field offices of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Reasons for prioritization
Velasco urged the Senate to expedite the deliberation and approval of the priority bills for them to be passed into law before the campaign period. The national and local elections are to be held on May 9.
According to Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, the weeks left before the Congress adjourns are really risky for major contentious bills.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon added that Congress should not allow the election fever to get in the way of legislation.
Additionally, Senator Mary Grace Natividad S. Poe-Llamanzares, chair of the Public Services Committee, said the Senate has been able to pass almost all of its priority bills and all that is left to do is to ratify the bicameral versions.
Poe furthered that the Senate should act swiftly on the remaining pandemic-related measures.
