MANILA: The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved three priority measures of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
With 254 affirmative votes, three negative votes, and no abstention, the chamber approved House Bill 9663, or the proposed National Water Resources Act which would create the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the Water Regulatory Commission.
The bill is among the priority measures cited by President Marcos in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July.
Under the measure, the DWR shall be the primary agency responsible for the comprehensive and integrated identification and mapping of all water resources; and the planning, policy formulation, and management of the ownership, appropriation, utilization, exploitation, development, sustainability and protection of water resources in the country, except fisheries or aquaculture.
The proposed department shall develop institutional arrangements with public water organizations and ensure coordination with all stakeholders for all
water resource development, integration and management activities, including sanitation, flood risk, and drought risk managements.
Aside from the DWR, a Water Regulatory Commission shall also be established as an independent, quasi-judicial regulatory body with overall authority and powers that shall cover and apply to all service providers, whether private or public, providing or intending to provide water supply, including suppliers to subdivision or other service providers, sewerage, or septage treatment and disposal services.
The measure seeks to reconstitute the National Water Resources Board as the National Water Resource Allocation Board, which would serve as the approval body for using water resources, including dam construction.
A water trust fund shall be established for water development, water sanitation, and wastewater treatment and management, as well as water sustainability programs and projects.
New procurement law
Also approved on final reading was House Bill 9663, which is a new procure
ment legislation to make the government procurement process more cost-effective, transparent, competitive, streamlined, and sustainable.
During his second SONA, President Marcos said enacting a new government procurement law would strengthen the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, which is regarded as a “transformative solution amid the changing times.’
The bill – which was approved with 251 affirmative votes, three negative votes, and zero abstention – seeks to institute a streamlined and transparent procurement process through definitive periods in the process, the use of emerging technologies and innovative solutions, and open contracting practice.
Under the measure, an electronic procurement system shall be adopted, which provides for a single portal through the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System, as the primary source of information on all government procurement activities, from the planning stage up to contract implementation.
Manila 4th District Rep. Edward Maceda sa
id the bill would give high reliability on emerging technologies and innovative solutions by mandating the systems integration between and among key government agencies, as well as using platforms in the information distribution, accessibility of information, and public awareness to support digitalization and innovation.
He said the measure seeks to strengthen the strategic planning stage of the procurement by applying such strategies as fit-for-purpose policy, detailed engineering, multiyear contracting, early procurement activities, framework agreement, engagement of procuring agent, mandatory market scoping, and the use of life cycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis.
Aside from competitive procurement, other alternative modes of procurement proposed in the measure are direct contracting, limited source bidding, repeat order, and negotiation.
For sustainable procurement, HB 9663 promotes green public procurement and the inclusion of marginal sectors in the procurement.
Auditing code
A total of 2
58 lawmakers approved House Bill 9674, or the proposed Revised Government Auditing Act, which is another priority of the current administration.
The bill aims to update the 45-year-old Presidential Decree No. 1445 by aligning it with international accounting and auditing standards.
It shall enhance the independence and effectiveness of the Commission on Audit (COA) as the supreme audit institution of the country by reorganizing its structure and defining the powers and functions of the sectors within the organization.
It seeks to reorganize the COA, as well as professionalize its audit and accounting services, through competency-based capacity building and continuing education.
It would promote the utilization of emerging technologies and innovative solutions in audit approaches and processes, such as institutionalizing the use and admission of electronic collection, electronic receipts, electronic payments, and other digitized transaction audit trails.
Source: Philippines News Agency
