Press Release
July 3, 2019

Zubiri files bills for 18th Congress

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri filed ten bills on Monday, 1 July 2019, ahead of the opening of the 18th Congress.

Foremost among Zubiri's legislative agenda is the Basic Education Teacher's Pay Increase Act, which will raise the compensation of basic education teachers by P10,000 per month. He also filed the Philippine Immigration Act, which will create a Commission on Immigration; the National Commission on Disability Affairs Act, which will reorganize the National Council on Disability Affairs into a National Commission on Disability Affairs; the Philippine Railways Modernization Act of 2019, which will rehabilitate and extend the existing railways in Luzon; and the SIM Card Registration Act, which seeks to regulate access to SIM Cards to preserve every user's right to privacy.

Zubiri, who sponsored the Ease of Doing Business Act that was signed into law during the 17th Congress, continues to advocate for the business sector as he filed the bill on Poverty Reduction Through Social Entrepreneurship (PRESENT) and amendments to the Magna Carta for Small Enterprise. The former will establish the PRESENT Program as a flagship anti-poverty program of the government, offering incentives and benefits to social enterprises, while the latter will redefine the coverage of micro-enterprises and extend the mandatory lending provisions to micro-, small-, and medium-enterprises.

Zubiri's priorities for this Congress also include a trio of barangay-focused bills: the Support for Barangay Workers Act, the Barangay Health Workers Act, and the Potable Water Supply in Every Barangay Act.

The 18th Congress will commence on 22 July 2019, concurrent with the President's State of the Nation Address.

News Latest News Feed