Duterte's 21 legislative proposals prioritized by House lawmakers

House lawmakers have pledged to prioritize President Duterte's legislative proposals from his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), including 21 bills for the remaining two years of his term.

While the country is still struggling to fight the coronavirus pandemic, only 5 of these priority bills were specifically designed to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

These COVID-19 response measures include the proposed Bayanihan to Recover As One Act and a bill providing incentives to financial institutions to sell their non-performing assets affected by the pandemic.

The President also wants to establish a Medical Reserve Corps and create a National Disease Prevention and Management Authority to prepare for future outbreaks.

Additionally, Duterte seeks to protect online consumers and sellers as the e-commerce industry has boomed during lockdowns.

Other priority bills are a mix of proposals and laws Duterte has long been asking Congress to approve, such as the CREATE bill and the Coconut Farmers Trust Fund bill.