683 House Bills Filed on Day One of 20th Congress

Incoming members of the 20th Congress hit the ground running as they filed a total of 683 legislative measures at the House of Representatives on the first official day of filing yesterday.

- By JOSE RODEL CLAPANO

Records from the House showed that 666 of these were bills, while 16 were resolutions and one was a joint resolution.

Leading the legislative push was Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, who filed the first five measures that were officially recorded as House Bills 1 to 5.

Among these, House Bill 1, or the proposed "Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act," seeks to restore the regulatory powers of the National Food Authority in order to help lower rice prices and protect farmers. The measure supports President Marcos Jr.'s goal of ensuring affordable food and strengthening local agriculture.

Romualdez also filed bills seeking to exempt overseas Filipino workers from paying premium contributions to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., establish the Philippine Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, update assistance programs for private school students, and create the Eastern Visayas Development Authority (EVDA).