Rep. Edcel C. Lagman refilled in the 18th Congress three (3) of his major bills which were approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives during the 17thCongress but were not acted upon by the Senate because of lack of time.

These bills are: (1) the Human Rights Defenders Protection Bill, which is now House Bill No. 015; (2) the Absolute Divorce Bill (H.B. No. 100); and (3) House Bill No. 101, staying the execution pending appeal of the orders of dismissal/suspension by quasi-judicial bodies like the Office of the Ombudsman and the Civil Service Commission.

The Human Rights Defenders Bill guarantees the protection from harassment and assault of human rights advocates and defenders. It is part of a series of human rights measures authored by Lagman which include the Anti-Torture Act (R.A. No. 9745), Anti-Enforced Disappearance Act (R.A. No. 10353) and the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 (R.A. 10368).

The bill instituting absolute divorce in the Philippines is a sequel to the Reproductive Health Act of which Lagman is the principal author. Like the RH Law, the bill granting absolute divorce is a pro-woman legislation because it is the wives in irreconcilably broken marriages who need relief from their husbands’ philandering and cruelty.

House Bill No. 101, whose precursor was co-authored by no less than 153 Members in the 17thCongress, seeks to stop the practice of execution pending appeal of decisions or orders of quasi-judicial bodies suspending or dismissing public officials.

EDCEL C. LAGMAN