Belmonte calls for passage of RH bill as Congress reopens

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. called for the passage of "anti-poverty bills," among them the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, as Congress opened its second regular session on Monday, ahead of President Benigno Aquino III’s delivery of his State of the Nation Address (SONA). “As legislators, we must continue to craft laws that will enable government to address poverty and hunger, and create opportunities for our countrymen to escape its curse," Belmonte said in his opening speech. He said the passage of anti-poverty bills, such as House Bill 4244 or the consolidated RH bill being debated at the lower chamber, “will develop our human capital, a vital ingredient in our fight against poverty." He also urged the 261 House members present in the plenary to “institutionalize" the Aquino administration’s conditional cash transfer program and the 12-year basic education program being pushed by the Department of Education. Belmonte also told his colleagues to pass key economic measures such as the Fiscal Responsibility Act , the amendment of the Tariff and Customs Code and the reform of the Land Valuation System. “We must drastically improve tax administration and plug leakages in our tax system if we are to increase revenue and adequately finance needed services and infrastructures, while staying true to our promise against the imposition of new taxes," he said. The House and the Senate will hold a joint session at 3:00 p.m. Monday to hear Aquino’s second SONA, where he is expected to focus on his anti-corruption drive’s accomplishments, as well as outline his plans for social transformation. Article VII, Section 23 of the 1987 Constitution requires the President to address the Congress at the opening of its regular session. - VVP, GMA News