In line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign to eradicate corruption in the government before his term expires, the House of Representatives have submitted a list of priority bills to the House Speaker for deliberations before the year ends.
Majority Leader Martin Romualdez said that they have identified five bills and submitted them to Speaker Lord Allan Velasco for his consideration as priority.
“Prioritizing the passage of these proposed laws can help boost President Rodrigo Duterte’s renewed efforts to curb graft and corruption in the government. We hope that we can gear towards the passage of these bills before this year ends, or early next year,” said Romualdez.
Sorsogon Rep. Evelina Escudero filed in August House Bill 7230, which seeks to augment the financial resources of the Office of the Ombudsman by giving it a 30 percent share in any property forfeited in favor of the state under Republic Act No. 139, otherwise known as the Forfeiture Law.
Also included are HB 581 and 6003 which require the inclusion of anti-corruption and governance education in the basic education and higher education curriculum, filed by CIBAC party-list Reps. Eduardo Villanueva and Domingo Rivera, respectively.
HB 579 is also endorsed, a legislation that seeks to create the National Independent Commission Against Corruption as an attached agency of the Office of the Ombudsman. It will implement and coordinate policies for prevention, control, and elimination of graft and corrupt practices in all levels of the government.
Meanwhile, Cavite Rep. Francis Abaya’s HB 967 seeks to provide protection and benefits to persons who would report corrupt officials and serve as witnesses for their prosecution.
All measures have been pending at the committee level in the lower chamber.
Through Duterte’s executive order to the Department of Justice, an inter-agency task force investigating corruption at the Philippine Health Insurance Corp was expanded to probe the entire government until his term ends in 2022.
