The House of Representatives on Wednesday formally opened and concluded its first special session of the 20th Congress, acting on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Proclamation No. 1318 calling for urgent consideration of key legislative measures.
Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III presided over the plenary as lawmakers convened the special session to act on priority bills focused on education, healthcare, nutrition, social protection, and services for vulnerable communities.
“Pursuant to Proclamation No. 1318, dated June 15, 2026, by His Excellency, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., calling the Congress of the Philippines to a special session to urgently consider the passage of priority legislative measures, this special session of the House of Representatives is hereby called to order,” the House Speaker said at the opening of proceedings.
During the session, the chamber adopted House Resolution No. 1124 formally informing the Senate that the House had convened and was ready to perform its constitutional mandate. Lawmakers also approved Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 11, which created a joint congressional committee to notify Malacañang that both chambers had assembled with a quorum.
Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos noted that the House had already approved all measures identified in the President’s proclamation, prompting a motion to proceed with House Concurrent Resolution No. 15.
The resolution set the adjournment of the special session not later than midnight of June 17, 2026, and authorized congressional leaders to formally declare its closure. It also designated a committee composed of House deputy speakers to coordinate with their Senate counterparts in informing the President of the session’s completion.
According to the notification committee, President Marcos was duly informed of the House’s actions, including the approval of priority measures and the adjournment of the special session.
The legislative priorities covered amendments to education assistance laws, the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, the proposed National Center for Geriatric Health Act, reforms to crisis assistance programs, the Last Mile Schools Act for geographically isolated communities, and amendments to the nutrition program for Filipino children.
The House Speaker said the measures are designed to deliver direct social impact, particularly for students, senior citizens, low-income families, and underserved communities.
“Ang mga panukalang ito ay may direktang epekto sa buhay ng ating mga kababayan… mas maraming pamilyang Pilipino ang magkakaroon ng pagkakataong umangat at magkaroon ng mas magandang kinabukasan,” he said.
He likewise reported that the House had already approved 229 measures during the First Regular Session, including 66 national bills and 163 local measures, along with 26 priority bills under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).
Among these were major reforms such as the KALINGA Act of 2026, National Land Use Act, Right to Information Act, amendments to the 4Ps program, Water Resources reform, energy sector restructuring, waste-to-energy initiatives, digital payments reforms, child online protection, and measures addressing political dynasties and online disinformation.
The House adjourned the special session after confirming that all measures identified for urgent action had already been approved and transmitted for further legislative processing.