MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Wednesday night said the House of Representatives passed laws that improved the lives of Filipinos, emphasizing that these achievements were made possible through strong executive-legislative cooperation.

“We chose purpose over politics. Service over self. And action over excuses,” Romualdez said in his speech before adjourning the final session of the 19th Congress.

From July 2022 to June 10, 2025, House members filed 11,557 bills and 2,393 resolutions, passed 1,565 measures, enacted 287 national and local laws, and processed an average of 29 measures per session day across 188 session days.

“But let me be clear: this is not about volume. This is about value,” Romualdez said. “These laws mattered. These laws made lives better.”

He cited several legislative accomplishments, including measures that:

• Secured national sovereignty through the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, and the Self-Reliant Defense Posture program;
• Protected farmers through the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act and revived industries via the Salt Industry Development Act;
• Promoted investment through the Maharlika Investment Fund Act, Ease of Paying Taxes Act, and CREATE MORE Act;
• Expanded access to education and employment through the ARAL Program Act, ETEEAP Program Act, and EBET Framework Act;
• Prepared the country for a digital future through the Internet Transactions Act and VAT on Digital Services law;
• Supported energy sustainability through the Philippine Natural Gas Industry Development Act and amendments to the EPIRA law.

“These are not mere statutes. They are strategic shifts,” Romualdez said. “We did not legislate for headlines. We legislated for history.”

He said all legislative actions were aligned with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Bagong Pilipinas governance agenda and the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028.

Romualdez credited the House’s legislative productivity to its partnership with the executive branch, noting that of the 64 bills in the Common Legislative Agenda, 63 were approved by the House and 33 were enacted into law. The House also passed 27 out of 28 LEDAC priority measures.

“This unity was never about surrendering independence. It was about aligning our purpose with the priorities of the Filipino people,” he said. “From food security to digital transformation, from social protection to economic resilience—this Congress became a legislative engine that powered Bagong Pilipinas.”