Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Sunday reaffirmed the House of Representatives’ commitment to addressing the pressing concerns of job creation and food security, as highlighted by a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
“The survey confirms our legislative direction—a direction we have been proactively pursuing in the past months and years,” he said.
The SWS survey, commissioned by the Stratbase Group and conducted from April 11 to 14, showed that 93% of Filipinos would vote for candidates advocating increased job opportunities and the development of agriculture to ensure food security.
Romualdez, president of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, said that over the past two years, Congress has shepherded a suite of laws that collectively strengthen the country’s job engine.
Republic Act 11962, or the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, created the National Employment Master Plan that aligns curricula, skills training, and apprenticeship with real industry demand.
To attract large-scale investments, RA 11966, or the Public-Private Partnership Code of 2023, was passed to unify all scattered PPP rules and streamline approvals, giving big infrastructure projects a stable legal runway.
Digital economy jobs gained momentum with the passage of RA 11967, or the Internet Transactions Act, which set up an E-Commerce Bureau to protect online buyers and sellers and professionalize Philippine e-commerce.
For hometown entrepreneurs, RA 11960, or the One Town, One Product Philippines Act, institutionalized targeted design, finance, and marketing support so micro, small, and medium enterprises can scale up and hire locally.
“All these laws, if put together, create a whole ecosystem to open many opportunities for a decent job,” Romualdez stressed.
On the food security front, the House paired long-range reforms with immediate relief.
RA 11953, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, condoned ₱57.56 billion in land amortization arrears for 610,054 agrarian-reform beneficiaries cultivating 1.17 million hectares, freeing farmers’ cash flow for seed, fertilizer, and machinery that lift yields.
To modernize the rice sector, RA 12078, signed in December 2024, extended the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund to 2031 and tripled the annual allocation to ₱30 billion for mechanization, certified seed, irrigation, and soil health programs.
“Through the condonation law and strengthened Rice Fund, we have not only given the farmers hope but more capital. Should they have more harvest and at cheaper cost, we all benefit at the market,” the Speaker said.
To address food affordability, Romualdez said the House supported the executive-led P20 Rice Program to keep the staple within reach of low-income families while logistics for the nationwide rollout are being finalized.
“The House of Representatives is fully committed to sustaining and expanding the recently launched P20 Rice Program nationwide. This initiative directly addresses the need for affordable food for every Filipino family, especially the most vulnerable. Through the government’s subsidy, strategic procurement, distribution reform, and partnerships with local producers, we will work to make this program a permanent and reliable pillar of our food security efforts that will go beyond political cycles,” he said.
“Our efforts are in lockstep with the Alyansa ng Bagong Pilipinas candidates’ platforms—public servants committed to continuity, reform, and responsive governance. Their platform to prioritize livelihoods, support farmers and fishers, and protect the welfare of workers, both here and abroad, reflects the same values driving our legislative work,” he added.
In the coming 20th Congress, the House leadership shall focus on passing pending measures to further strengthen the job market and secure the foundation for agricultural modernization and food supply resilience, including bills to enhance support for micro, small, and medium enterprises, promote agrarian innovation, and improve workers’ rights and welfare.
“This survey is a validation of the path we are already forging—one that leads to decent work, affordable food, and an economy that truly serves all,” Speaker Romualdez concluded. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to legislative actions that uplift the lives of every Filipino,” he emphasized.
