Dy: House to focus on affordable rice, stronger UHC, more transparency

Speaker Faustino Dy III — Photo from Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III/Facebook MANILA, Philippines — For the second regular session of the 20th Congress, the House of Representatives will focus on measures that will lower rice prices, strengthen the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act, and ensure greater transparency, Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III said on Monday. During the resumption of the session, Dy said that the House will continue working for bills that would directly respond to the needs of the people, particularly the proposed Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act, the UHC amendments, the proposed Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act, and the proposed Cybersecurity Act. “For our Second Regular Session, we will continue working to push for reforms that would directly respond to the daily problems of our people,” Dy said. Article continues after this advertisement READ: Sona 2026: Marcos urged to restore trust in flood control probe “Our priority is the passage of the [RICE] Act so that we can bring down the prices of rice and strengthen support to our farmers; amendments to the [UHC] Act so that health services will be of high quality and accessible; the CADENA Act to ensure that details on fund use will be open and transparent; and the Cybersecurity Act which aims to protect every Filipino from the threats of the Digital Space,” he added. According to Dy, the House has to prove that the people can lean on them during challenging times — and one way of proving this is by working towards a better future for Filipinos. “While our country faces different challenges, we need to continue helping the people achieve their goal of a better tomorrow. It is in challenging times like this that our people need their representatives, more than ever, to house and shelter their most important dreams,” Dy said. “Let us prove to our people that we are a Congress that fulfills our duties. With the session opening, you can hold on to our resolve that we will continue to work hard, listen more intently, and serve with accountability,” he added. Article continues after this advertisement But aside from legislature, Dy also said that progress can be attained while preserving Filipino core values, noting that the country must never lose sight it. “However, more importantly, for our country to really move forward, we must never lose sight of what has always been our greatest strength: our Filipino core values,” Dy said. Article continues after this advertisement “This is our strength, our true wealth that we have to take care of and be proud of. The biggest danger is if we allow our trait of taking care of each other to be lost. When we stop caring for our fellow Filipino,” he added. Dy presided over the resumption of session, which started at 10 a.m. During the session, the House adopted House Resolution (HR) No. 1207, informing the Senate that the House has entered the exercise of its functions, and HR No. 1208 informing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the chamber is ready to hear his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona). The House and the Senate will convene for a joint session at 4 p.m. to hear Marcos’ report, which comes a year after his controversial Sona speech in which he called out people who allegedly benefited from flood-control projects. Earlier, church leaders called on Marcos to deliver truth and accountability in his Sona regarding the flood control corruption scandal. In a statement, church leaders group ONE VOICE recalled Marcos’ revelation of the scandal during last year’s Sona, when he rebuked those who received “kickbacks” from the corruption. The church leaders also emphasized that the government must conduct an independent investigation and prosecute every individual involved in the flood control anomalies, including “those who have the power to prevent such corruption.” According to Palace press officer and Undersecretary Claire Castro, Marcos’ fifth Sona will last one hour and 20 minutes. READ: Marcos’ 5th Sona to last 1 hour, 20 mins – Palace Castro did not provide further details about the key topics to be discussed, but Marcos said last week that the public should wait for the next chapter of the government’s fight against corruption. /das Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful.