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Closing Remarks of Speaker Feliciano

Belmonte, Jr.
First Adjournment of Session
Third Regular Session
16th Congress

My dear Colleagues, good evening.


Today, we adjourn for the first time in this Third
Regular Session true to our commitment of
pursuing the reform measures leading to our
shared vision of sustained and inclusive growth.
First of all, I would like to commend everyone for
approving on Third and Final Reading, subject to
the amendments of the aforesaid, one of the
most important if not the MOST important
piece of legislation that is expected of this
Chamber in this Third Regular Session of the 16th
Congress: the proposed General Appropriations
Act or House Bill No. 6132.
With your steadfast efforts and steely resolve, we
are one step closer towards the enactment of the

General Appropriations Bill into law before the


end of the year.
Over the past five fiscal years of the 15 th and the
16th Congresses, we have managed to pass the
national budget on time. We hope that by the
practices and standards that we have set in the
15th and 16th Congresses, re-enacted budgets
would now be truly a thing of the past.
Passing the budget on time speaks of the highest
level of commitment that we have in responding
effectively and efficiently to the needs of our
people. We have deliberated comprehensively
and debated extensively. The political climate
makes it prone to grandstanding, but instead we
chose to listen.
We listened to our constituents when we
consulted them about what services and
programs they need to improve their quality of
life.
We listened to our partners from various
government agencies when they proposed and
presented the appropriate responses to these
needs.

We listened to each other when our colleagues


raised important questions and demanded that
the resources we will allocate would reach even
those at the farthest frays of our society.
True to our commitment to genuine social reform,
we have agreed to allocate the lions share of the
2016 budget to social services. This is followed by
economic services, general public services, and
debt payments. In particular, the cost to service
our debts vis--vis our total budget will go down
to only 14.0 percent in 2016 from 20.6 percent in
2010.
Indeed, our unrelenting efforts towards reform did
not go unnoticed in the eyes of our countrymen.
In the survey on comparative performance
ratings on key government institutions conducted
by Pulse Asia for the period of September, the
House of Representatives net approval rating
improved by four points compared to asimilar
survey last June.
The international community also continues to
hold the Philippines in high regard. Just last
month, Fitch Ratings upgraded the countrys
outlook to positive from stable. The latest
Global Competitiveness Report by the World
Economic Forum also showed an improvement in
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the countrys ranking to 47th in the 2015-2016


survey from 52nd in the 2014-2015 report, or an
improvement by 5 notches, and very close to the
Philippine Development Plan target of being
included in the top 30% of the most competitive
economies globally.
I am very proud to say that our steadfast and
sustained efforts to pursue reforms have
contributed to the improvement in our approval
ratings. Adding to the list of game changing
legislations that we have passed are the
Transparency
in
the
Management
and
Accounting of Tax Incentives, or TIMTA, and the
PAG-ASA Modernization measure, which will
soon be transmitted to the President for his
signature.
Let me also take cognizance of other important
legislative measures that are in the very
advanced stages in our legislative mill. We have
approved on Third Reading the following: The
Customs Modernization and Tariffs Act, the
amendments to the BSP law,the creation of the
Coco Levy Trust Fund, and the bill creating the
Department of Information and Communications
Technology. We have also ratified the bicam
report of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform
Bill.
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We have exhibited that collectively, we are


capable of setting aside our differences and look
for points of unity. This is why I am confident that
with the same diligence and determination, we
will be able to pass other priority bills that have
temporarily taken the back seat to give way to
the national budget. These bills include the PPP
bill and the Bangsamoro Basic Law, and the
amendments to the economic provisions of our
Constitution. Our landmark measures and
legislative accomplishments will be the legacy we
will leave as the 16th Congress.
At this point I would like to recognize and thank
the House leadership: the Majority Leader and the
members of the majority team, the Minority
Leader and his team and our party coalition
leaders, the Members of the House, their
respective Congressional staff, and the House
Secretariat. As we adjourn, we are reminded of all
our sacrifice and hard work to be a true House of
the Filipino People.
To my colleagues, I wish you all the best on the
path you will take in the forthcoming 2016
elections. May God bless us and guide us always
and be always with you.

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