Three weeks before adjourning its session, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading several bills aimed at curbing monopolies, eliminating  unfair business practices and reenergizing the Philippine shipping industry, among other measures. 

Negros Occidental Representative Jeffrey Ferrer is pushing for the amendment of the Tax Code to ensure that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) complies with the true intent of Congress in exempting raw cane sugar from the value-added tax (VAT). 

A top official of the National Unity Party (NUP) said he believes Secretary Mar Roxas of the Department of the Interior and Local Government remains President Benigno Aquino III’s choice as the administration’s standard bearer in 2016. 

The 75-man ad hoc committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)  of the House of Representatives has reset voting on the measure to May 18 following several amendments introduced by lawmakers to either modify or strike out certain provisions in the proposed law. 

A measure instituting an integrated national identification (ID) system in the Philippines has been approved by the House of Representatives on second reading last week.