House adopts the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the framework of legislative measures to be crafted and enacted in the Eighteenth Congress

As part of the country’s commitment towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the House of Representatives adopted House Resolution No. 565, entitled “Resolution adopting the Sustainable Development Goals as the framework of legislative measures to be crafted and enacted in the Eighteenth Congress.” The Resolution fortifies the commitment of the legislative branch to create measures that will ensure that policies, plans, and programs of the government employ the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a common framework.

The resolution emphasized that “national legislation and support from all sectors are needed to achieve the targets and indicators of the SDGs, as the common framework of government offices and institutions in formulating, adopting, and implementing their programs and projects.”

The resolution also highlighted the critical roles of key decision-makers in SDG implementation including the consistent monitoring of the Philippines’ performance to ensure that the country is on track in achieving the SDGs by year 2030 and aligning the roadmap of legislation and programs, including the 2017-2022 Philippine Development Plan, within the sustainable development framework for the benefit of present and future generations.

In order to facilitate this, the HOR shall be undertaking the conduct of committee hearings to keep them abreast on the status of the implementation on the SDGs. This will be done by dedicating at least one congressional hearing on SDGs every regular session of the 18th Congress; prioritizing and enacting laws that will support the attainment of the SDGs based on the recommendations of PSA and NEDA, and incentivizing, through performance-based bonuses and other benefits, the formulation, adoption, and implementation of SDGs as a component in the monitoring and evaluation of the housekeeping of various government instrumentalities.

The resolution further states that, “as a critical institution in the attainment of the country’s future, it is incumbent upon the House of Representatives to ensure that adequate policies, strategies, and actions consistent with the principles of sustainable development are adopted and implemented.”

The Resolution was adopted by the House of Representatives on December 16, 2019.

Republic Act No. 11467 entitled “An Act Amending Sections 109, 141, 142, 143, 144, 147, 152, 263, 263-A, 265, and 288-A, and adding a New Section 290-A to Republic Act No. 8424, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the National International Revenue Code of 1997, and for Other Purposes” also earmarks 20% of collections from excise tax for activities related to achieving the global goals.