Marcos pushing for passage of 28 bills

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos is seeking the passage of at least 28 measures aimed at sustaining economic growth, addressing poverty, ensuring food security and maintaining peace and order and the ratification of four conventions on the safe use of nuclear energy.

The bills and nuclear-related agreements were listed in the technical report for Marcos’ third State of the Nation Address (SONA), which provided a detailed discussion of the government’s programs on the economy, food and water security, social development, environment, national security, peace and prosperity and good governance.

To achieve its goal of advancing economic transformation and growth, the Marcos administration is calling for the passage of the proposed Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy or the CREATE MORE Act, the fourth package of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, the bill imposing excise tax on single-use plastics, the motor vehicle users’ tax, value added tax on digital services and the rationalization of the mining fiscal regime.

“We are strengthening our efforts to improve the collection of revenues by ensuring ease of paying taxes, accelerating digitalization programs, improving non-tax revenue collections and pushing for the privatization of government assets that will lead to operational efficiency and higher investment returns,” Marcos said in the report.

The President listed eight measures that seek to benefit the agriculture and water sectors, namely the proposed National Land Use Act, Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law, amendments to the Cooperative Code, amendments to the Fisheries Code, the proposed Blue Economy Act, the bill on farm-to-market road development acceleration and the bill creating the Department of Water Resources.

To boost efforts to protect the environment, ensure a sustainable energy future and make the Philippines climate-resilient, Marcos called on Congress to ensure the immediate passage of the proposed amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or EPIRA, waste-to-energy bill, nuclear energy bill and Philippine