Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez said that he filed his first 10 priority bills on Monday, June 30, as he officially assumes office as the congressman of the Third District of Negros Occidental.
These proposed bills are focused on agriculture, education, health, innovation, and sustainability, he said.
The ten bills are:
*House Bill 308, an act creating the Department of Tertiary Education.
The proposed department will serve as the central agency responsible for the regulation, support, and coordination of all post-secondary education pathways, including universities, colleges, technical-vocational institutions, and non-traditional learning systems, Benitez said.
It will ensure unified standards, promote inclusive access, and align education programs with national workforce and development goals, he added.
*House Bill 309 is an act creating the province of Negros Occidental as the “Slow Food Hub of the Philippines”.
By legislating this recognition, the State affirms its commitment to sustainable agriculture, cultural preservation, and food sovereignty, Benitez said.
Declaring Negros Occidental as the Slow Food Hub of the Philippines provides a legal foundation for aligning national programs, investments, and policies with long-term goals on food security, environmental integrity, and inclusive rural development, he said.
*House Bill 310 is an act providing for the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers (BHWs).
The passage of this measure will not only grant due recognition to the valuable services that BHWs render, but will hopefully encourage more people to serve as BHWs in their localities, he said.
Such increase in the number of BHWs would contribute positively to the goal of government for a more effective delivery of health services and make health care accessible to all, Benitez added.
*House Bill 311 is an act providing protection and incentives to creative freelance workers.
The bill institutionalizes the enforcement and accountability mechanisms to support freelance workers through administrative, civil, and, where applicable, criminal remedies, he said.
By recognizing creative freelance work as a legitimate form of labor, this measure promotes fairness, accountability, and access to redress, while aligning labor protections with evolving forms of employment, Benitez said.
House Bill 312 is an act establishing the agriculture information system in all cities and municipalities.
This bill aims to broaden market access of small-scale farmers to increase their household income, and promote local food security, he said.
Benitez said it is also in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s priority agenda to modernize Philippine agriculture and to accelerate digital transformation of our economy and our government bureaucracy.
*House Bill 313 is an act establishing a Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Training and Assessment Center in Murcia, Negros Occidental.
A TESDA training and assessment center in Murcia will bring technical vocational education and training (TVET) programs closer to the people of Murcia, open up new opportunities for gainful employment and livelihood, and contribute to poverty alleviation, Benitez said.
*House Bill 314 is an act establishing a national policy for the development, utilization, and commercialization of Energy Storage Systems (ESS).
ESS are technologies capable of storing finite amount of energy that could be dispatched for later usage. With this primary function, ESS will play a crucial role in energy transition, Benitez said.
Apart from managing the variability of renewable energy sources, ESS have other functions that could help the country’s electric power sector, he added.
*House Bill 315 is an act providing a framework for circular economy to promote sustainable production and consumption, and national economic security.
“The need to act to avert ecological disaster has never been more urgent. We must transform our economy to help nature to recuperate so that we, and future generations too, can continue benefiting from its abundance. We need to act before it’s too late,” he said.
*House Bill 316 is an act creating an additional Regional Trial Court branch in Victorias City, Negros Occidental.
Establishing this new branch will help decongest the courts, decentralize judicial services, improve accessibility, and accelerate both professional and judicial processes across the Third District of Negros Occidental, Benitez said.
“This legislative initiative is vital to strengthening public service delivery and ensuring the constitutional right of every Filipino to a speedy, humane, and effective administration of justice,” he said.
*House Bill 317 is an act providing for the medicalization of cannabis, expanding access to medical cannabis as a means of medical treatment, expanding research into its medicinal properties, and enumerating prohibited acts and prescribing penalties.
This bill does not seek to decriminalize recreational cannabis use. It is a health-based, science-informed initiative designed to provide qualified Filipino patients with safe, lawful, and professionally supervised therapeutic option where conventional treatment has failed or remains inadequate, Benitez said.*