Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Friday said the House of Representatives will continue to do its mandate to craft meaningful laws that will uplift the life of every Filipino.
In his New Year message, Velasco said that the 18th Congress has enacted more than 130 laws, including the National Covid-19 Vaccination Program Act and the 2022 General Appropriations Act recently signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte.
“As we close 2021, we are filled with gratitude for the continued blessings our country has been receiving, and we offer our heartfelt prayers to those who have suffered, whether from illnesses or calamities such as Typhoon Odette. Rest assured that all the Members of the House of Representatives are doing their part in helping out our affected kababayans,” he said.
He urged everyone to stay vigilant and build upon the momentum so that 2022 can bring about changes “that will lead us further towards recovery, resilience, and prosperity”.
“We have come a long way since last year when we felt seemingly hopeless against the wave of Covid-19 infections. With more and more people getting vaccinated, the number of cases has now dropped to a manageable level, allowing our economy to open up and enabling us to enjoy relaxed social and economic restrictions,” he said.
He also expressed hope for a clean, peaceful, and orderly May 2022 elections, as he warned against all acts of violence related to the upcoming polls.
“The culture of violence that has characterized the country’s electoral process must come to an end. Everyone must be reminded that violence is not a legitimate or desirable means of engagement in the political sphere. It is the contest over issues and the exercise of one’s civil duty and expression of choice through the ballot that matter,” he said.
Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, for his part, hoped that the new year would offer a better life for every Filipino family.
“The year 2021 may be unkind to some of us who lost family members due to the global health emergency caused by Covid-19. Our fellow countrymen in the Visayas and Mindanao have yet to fully recover from the devastation brought by Typhoon Odette. But I have reasons to believe that a brighter future awaits all of us in the year 2022,” Romualdez said.
Source: Philippines News Agency
