By Billy Begas
House Assistant Minority Leader and Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Robert Nazal said the entire government needs to act with urgency to fulfill the reforms and promises made by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his fifth State of the Nation Address.
Nazal said the reforms mentioned by Marcos in his SONA “have the potential to bring meaningful relief to Filipino families.”
“However, with only two years remaining in this administration, urgency is no longer optional. The Filipino people deserve to see these commitments translated into concrete action,” he said.
Nazal said one way to fast-track the passage of the needed measures is for Marcos to certify as urgent the priority legislative measures he announced in his SONA.
These include the measures that would increase the tax exemption threshold for employees to P350,000 annually, and lowering personal income tax rates for other members of the workforce, and the tax relief measures for micro, small and medium enterprises.
Marcos also urged Congress to prohibit system loss charges on electricity consumers.
“We have been pushing for the reform of the Electric Power Industry Act (EPIRA) to address the unnecessary burden the power distribution firms are placing on its customers by passing on the costs they incur in their business, even when these are clearly beyond the control of the consumers,” Nazal said.
Nazal said the same reforms are needed in the water sector because, just like electricity, water is an essential public service.
“Consumers should not be made to shoulder avoidable system losses, operational inefficiencies, or wastage that properly belong to utility providers. Public utilities exist to serve the people—not to pass on the cost of inefficiency to consumers,” the solon said.
Nazal also supported the proposed amendments to the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act to accelerate waste-to-energy projects; accelerating the use of alternative energy sources such as nuclear power to ensure long-term energy security for the country; expanding crop insurance and other forms of support for farmers; and tax amnesty measures.
“Certifying these measures as urgent will demonstrate the administration’s commitment to delivering meaningful reforms while there is still sufficient time to make a real difference in the lives of the Filipino people,” the solon said.
Meanwhile, BH party-list chairperson and spokesperson Bernadette Herrera called on the President to immediately implement several programs that would only require executive action.
These include the expanded PhilHealth package for children with developmental disabilities; faster access to developmental assessments, therapies, and interventions for children with special needs; immediate action to reduce unnecessary delays in the delivery of healthcare services; and other administrative measures that can already reduce the financial burden on Filipino families while legislative reforms are pending.
Herrera also stressed that the administration “must ensure that the fight against corruption is consistent, impartial, transparent, and never selective, with accountability applying equally to everyone regardless of political affiliation, position, or influence.”
She said government procurement and infrastructure projects should be subject to greater public disclosure and real-time monitoring through digital technologies, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and other innovations to enhance transparency, minimize discretion, and strengthen public accountability.
“We must ensure that savings generated through prudent fiscal management and anti-corruption efforts are redirected toward essential public services such as healthcare, education, agriculture, and social protection,” Herrera said.
“A government that is transparent, accountable, and fair strengthens public trust and ensures that every peso collected from taxpayers is used solely for the benefit of the Filipino people,” she added.
