MANILA -- Over 600 bills approved by the House of Representatives remain pending in the Senate, according to Speaker Martin Romualdez.

"[The] 663 house bills have been approved by the House of Representatives and are now awaiting action by our Senate counterparts," the Speaker said in his adjournment speech.

Romualdez reported that since the start of the Nineteenth Congress, the chamber has filed 9,763 house bills; 1,576 resolutions; and one petition, or a total of 11,340 measures.

The House chief reported that of these filed measures, 34 have been enacted into law, 8 have been transmitted for presidential action, 7 bicameral conference committee reports have been ratified, and 11 local bills have been passed by the Senate without amendments.

Romualdez also said that the House has concurred to the amendments made by the Senate on 6 other local House bills while 5 are pending before their respective bicameral conference committees.

Romualdez also reported that the House has worked more session days in the 19th Congress compared to the preceding Congress.

"Of the 121 session days this 19th Congress, which is 64% higher than the number of session days in the same period during the 18th Congress, we have processed an average of 28 legislative measures per session day. We have also approved on third reading 46% more house bills and adopted 49% percent more resolutions compared to the first 18 months of the 18th Congress," Romualdez said.

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Meanwhile, Romualdez said the House will tackle all proposals for charter change after its Yuletide break.

The House chief also maintained that they will focus on rewriting the constitution's provisions limiting foreign investments in the country.

"Next year, after our yuletide break, we will focus our attention on studying and reviewing proposals that deal with restrictions blocking the entry of foreign capital and investments in the Philippines. These include deliberation on all proposed measures related to constitutional change. This Congress will champion the cause of revisiting our present constitution. A cause that is key to unlocking the vast potential of our Philippine economy," Romualdez added.

"Gagawin nating lahat para buksan ang ating ekonomiya sa puhunan. Pag-aaralan natin ang lahat ng paraan kung paano makikinabang ang ordinaryong tao sa pag-amyenda ng konstitusyon," Romualdez said.

The Speaker's pronouncements put other proposals for changes to the political provisions of the constitution that are also pending on the table.

These are: House Bill 441 Prescribing the Order of Presidential Succession, Resolution of Both Houses #1 Convening a Constituent Assembly rewriting term limits for all officials except Senators, Resolution of Both Houses #3 Proposing Amendments to the 1987 Constitution Section 9 Article 8 on the judiciary, and Resolution of Both Houses #5 Proposing amendments to certain provisions of the 1987 constitution concerning change in the manner of electing the president and vice-president.

Resolution of Both Houses #2 and Resolution of Both Houses #4 both propose amendments to certain restrictive economic provisions of the charter.

Last March, the House approved Resolution of Both Houses 6 calling a constitutional convention to empower Congress to regulate foreign investments in the country and House Bill 7352, which is its implementing bill but both have languished in the Senate. RBH6 covers House Joint Resolution 12 and Petition 001 which call for a Constitutional Convention. House Bill 7352 cover House Bills 4926, 6698,6805, and 6920 which all call for a Constitutional Convention.

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