Thank you, Executive Secretary, Chief Luc Bersamin.

[Please be seated.]

Senate President Chiz Escudero and the other members of the Senate who have joined us here today; House Speaker Martin Romualdez and members of the House. Once again in full force. [laughter] The House is gaining a reputation for travelling in very large packs; the members of the Cabinet that are here present; local government officials, especially those from the new Negros Region; fellow workers in government; other distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

I’m happy to be here in your company today because we confirm our collective earnestness in driving the nation forward.

Today, we sign into law two bills — the Negros Island Region Act or the NIR Act and the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act. This move us closer to attaining the vision of a resilient and a progressive and newer Philippines.

First, we have the NIR Act — the law establishing the Negros Island Region. This will not only unify the provinces of Negros Occidental, including the City of Bacolod, Negros Oriental, and now, Siquijor.

This union is long overdue and makes very practical sense, especially in the Negros Island, where people are located on one island but are governed under separate administrative regions.

So, for decades now, Negrenses have endured the rigors of sea travel, unnecessary expenses, bureaucratic red tape, [and] inefficiency that this arrangement has brought, especially when there is a need to urgently access government services from regional centers on other islands.

Equally glaring is the uneven growth and disparity of funding between the two provinces, which share many of the same natural resources and industries, such as sugar, tourism, [and] renewable energy.

Today, thanks to the work of our legislators, the new Negros Island Region will be a bulwark of greater growth as well as a conduit for more effective and efficient delivery of essential services in the region.

We envision as well the NIR as one of the centers of development in the Visayas, further accelerating socio-economic development for the millions of Negrenses and providing strategic convergence regarding resources, investments, and economic planning.

Indeed, in unity, there is always strength. And that is what we are building, and I trust that the people of the newly established Negros Island Region will work together to complement each other’s strengths to build a more united and flourishing Negrense community.

And this is something that the national government will have to play a very large part in and we pledge that assistance so that we can bring this new region up to speed as quickly as possible.

Another law that we are signing today is one that will change our real estate landscape, the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act. It is one of our priority legislations and is included in the Common Legislative Agenda.

The law is in line with our 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda, wherein we put primacy on the pursuit of bureaucratic efficiency that is driven by transparency, digitalization, and the practice of innovative work processes in the civil service.

So, this new law is borne out of the necessity and the realization that there is a need to enhance the country’s tax collection system so we can generate revenues, generate jobs, [and] investments all over the country.

No longer will we rely on the outdated valuation system.

We now have instead the new and improved RPVARA. And I’m sure we will find a shorter way to pronounce that. A law that streamlines and enhances the real property valuation and assessment system through a uniform real property appraisal that is compliant with international standards.

It also adopts the prevailing market value as the single real property valuation base for the assessment of real property tax.

Furthermore, the law complements our efforts to modernize the services [in] our LGUs through the creation of a Real Property Information System — a comprehensive digitalized real property tax administration.

With these systems in place, another crucial pillar of efficient tax collection is responsible taxpayers. Thus, at the heart of this new law, we have adopted a strategy that will instill and encourage long-term and consistent tax compliance by providing a two-year amnesty on interests and penalties for taxpayers with unpaid real property tax.

At this point, I would like to convey my gratitude to our colleagues in the House of Representatives and in the Senate for passing these two very important, very useful laws which I predict will be very productive.

These show that you are not only supportive of this [Administration’s] endeavors but also are two [forward-looking] [and] proactive institutions.

And I call on all government agencies to efficiently and effectively implement the newly enacted laws to its fullest extent so our people may reap its benefits at the soonest possible time.

To our fellow workers in both the houses of Congress, I implore that before the year ends: That laws which are more inclusive, responsive, and people-centered to be passed. And we are deep in discussion about that.

Our people are eagerly awaiting the passage of the 17 priority bills certified by LEDAC — which we will be discussing very, very soon — which if passed and enacted, will steer our national development and improve the conditions of our fellow countrymen.

So, let’s continue to collaborate and work closely on these matters.

With the vision of the new Philippines and the cooperation of every Bagong Pilipino, I’m confident [that] we will achieve inclusive growth, a resilient society, and a globally competitive economy.

Mabuhay ang Bagong Pilipinas! Mabuhay kayong lahat. Maraming salamat po at magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat. [applause]

— END —