Quezon Third District Representative Reynante Arrogancia
MANILA — Following the third and final reading approval of House Bill 1171, also known as the OTOP Philippines Act, by the House of Representatives, Quezon Third District Representative Reynante Arrogancia emphasized the provision in the OTOP bill concerning funding. The provision grants local government units (LGUs) the freedom to allocate additional budgets to OTOP offices in their respective towns.
Arrogancia, one of the authors and proponents of the OTOP bill in the House of Representatives, stated that it would be up to the LGUs to determine the extent of their OTOP budgets, which would be in addition to the annual budget provided by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as approved by Congress. Previously, the OTOP program relied solely on the DTI’s budget.
According to Arrogancia, the passage of this dedicated law for OTOP would result in a separate allocation for OTOP within the DTI’s budget. Previously, the funding for OTOP was mixed with allocations for other DTI programs, such as those for micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs).
Arrogancia further expressed his commitment to persuading mayors in his district to consult with residents and businesses in their towns to select the products that each town would promote.
Other DTI programs, such as shared service facilities (SSFs) and Negosyo Centers, will not be neglected, assured Arrogancia.
Centenarians Act
Meanwhile, Arrogancia pointed out that the Centenarians Act would be strengthened by focusing on data management and gathering detailed information about senior citizens in each town.
Arrogancia, as a filing author, contributed to one of the proposed amendments included in the recently passed bill by the House of Representatives.
Due to the different versions of the amendments to the Centenarians Act between the House of Representatives and the Senate, the upcoming bicameral conference committee meetings will be crucial, according to Arrogancia.
“Just last March 22, the Senate approved its committee report on its version of the amendments to the Centenarians Act. The Senate adopted a different approach, different cash gift values, and introduced provisions unlike those in HB 7535. However, notable provisions in the Senate version include annual inflation adjustment and an Elderly Data Management System,” explained Congressman Arrogancia. (ai/mtvn)
