| 17th Congress of the Philippines | |||||
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| Overview | |||||
| Term | July 25, 2016 – June 4, 2019 | ||||
| President | Rodrigo Duterte | ||||
| Vice President | Leni Robredo | ||||
| Senate | |||||
| Members | 24 | ||||
| President |
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| President pro tempore |
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| Majority leader |
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| Minority leader |
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| House of Representatives | |||||
| Members | 297 | ||||
| Speaker |
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| Deputy Speakers |
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| Majority leader |
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| Minority leader | Danilo Suarez | ||||
The17th Congress of the Philippines (Filipino:Ikalabimpitong Kongreso ng Pilipinas), composed of thePhilippine Senate andHouse of Representatives, met from July 25, 2016, until June 4, 2019, during the first three years ofRodrigo Duterte's presidency. The convening of the 17thCongress followed the2016 general elections, which replaced half of the Senate membership and the entire membership of the House of Representatives.
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Both chambers of Congress are divided into parties and blocs. While members are elected via parties, blocs are the basis for committee memberships. Only members of the majority and minority blocs are accorded committee memberships. This is how blocs are determined:
In the speakership election, several members abstained from voting. They, along with the members who voted for the losing candidate voted on who would be the minority leader.
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24 senators |
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| House of Representatives |
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297 representatives |
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The following are the terms of the senators of this Congress, according to the date of election:
| Committee | Senate | House of Representatives | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Party | Minority leader | Party | Chairman | Party | District | Minority leader | Party | District | |||||
| Commission on Appointments | Tito Sotto* | NPC | Francis Pangilinan | Liberal | Ronaldo Zamora | PDP–Laban | San Juan | Julieta Cortuna | A TEACHER | Party-list | ||||
| Senate Electoral Tribunal | Grace Poe | Independent | Antonio Trillanes | Nacionalista | N/a | |||||||||
| House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal | N/a | Jorge Almonte | PDP–Laban | Misamis Oriental–1st | Abigail Faye Ferriol-Pascual | KALINGA | Party-list | |||||||
| Judicial and Bar Council | Dick Gordon | Independent | N/a | Reynaldo Umali | Liberal | Oriental Mindoro–2nd | N/a | |||||||
*OriginallyKoko Pimentel (PDP–Laban) from July 25, 2016, to May 21, 2018.
*more popularly known as theBlue Ribbon Committee.
| Committee | Party | Chair | Party | Minority leader | Number of members | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounts | Nacionalista | Eileen Ermita-Buhain | Nacionalista | Richard Eusebio | 105 | ||
| Agrarian Reform | Liberal | Rene Relampagos | Butil | Cecilia Leonila Chavez | 40 | ||
| Agriculture and Food | ANAC-IP | Jose Panganiban Jr. | Butil | Cecilia Leonila Chavez | 65 | ||
| Appropriations | NUP | Karlo Nograles | Agri | Orestes Salon | 125 | ||
| Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources | NUP | Luis Ferrer IV | Butil | Cecilia Leonila Chavez | 55 | ||
| Banks and Financial Intermediaries | Nacionalista | Ben Evardone | Agri | Orestes Salon | 45 | ||
| Basic Education and Culture | none | A TEACHER | Julieta Cortuna | 65 | |||
| Civil Service and Professional Regulation | none | Nacionalista | Richard Eusebio | 35 | |||
| Constitutional Amendments | Liberal | Roger Mercado | Aangat Tayo | Harlin Neil Abayon III | 35 | ||
| Cooperatives Development | AGAP | Rico Geron | ALONA | Anna Marie Villaraza-Suarez | 25 | ||
| Dangerous Drugs | Nacionalista | Robert "Ace" Barbers | Butil | Cecilia Leonila Chavez | 45 | ||
| Ecology | PDP–Laban | Estrelita Suansing | Liberal | Arlene B. Arcillas | 35 | ||
| Economic Affairs | NPC | Arthur Yap | Agri | Orestes Salon | 35 | ||
| Energy | PDP–Laban | Lord Allan Jay Velasco | Agri | Orestes Salon | 65 | ||
| Ethics and Privileges | Agri | Delphine Lee | none | 25 | |||
| Foreign Affairs | Liberal | Linabelle Ruth Villarica | ACTS-OFW | Aniceto Bertiz | 55 | ||
| Games and Amusements | PDP–Laban | Gustavo Tambuting | UNA | Monsour del Rosario | 65 | ||
| Good Government and Public Accountability | PDP–Laban | Johnny Pimentel | Agri | Orestes Salon | 45 | ||
| Government Enterprises and Privatization | PDP–Laban | Jesus Sacdalan | Nacionalista | Richard Eusebio | 35 | ||
| Government Reorganization | Liberal | Henedina Abad | ACTS-OFW | Aniceto Bertiz | 25 | ||
| Health | NPC | Angelina Tan | Butil | Cecilia Leonila Chavez | 65 | ||
| Higher and Technical Education | Liberal | Dulce Ann Hofer | A TEACHER | Julieta Cortuna | 65 | ||
| Housing and Urban Development | PDP–Laban | Alfredo Benitez | ACTS-OFW | Aniceto Bertiz | 55 | ||
| Human Rights | Liberal | Cherry Deloso-Montalla | A TEACHER | Julieta Cortuna | 35 | ||
| Indigenous Cultural Communities And Indigenous Peoples | Liberal | Nancy Catamco | Liberal | Arlene B. Arcillas | 25 | ||
| Information and Communications Technology | NPC | Victor Yap | A TEACHER | Julieta Cortuna | 55 | ||
| Interparliamentary Relations and Diplomacy | PDP–Laban | Rosemarie Arenas | ALONA | Anna Marie Villaraza-Suarez | 45 | ||
| Justice | PDP–Laban | Reynaldo V. Umali | Kalinga | Abigail Faye Ferriol-Pascual | 55 | ||
| Labor and Employment | NUP | Randolph Ting | ACTS-OFW | Aniceto Bertiz | 40 | ||
| Legislative Franchises | PDP–Laban | Franz Alvarez | ACTS-OFW | Aniceto Bertiz | 45 | ||
| Local Government | NPC | Pedro Acharon Jr. | Liberal | Arlene B. Arcillas | 55 | ||
| Metro Manila Development | Liberal | Winston Castelo | Nacionalista | Richard Eusebio | 30 | ||
| Mindanao Affairs | CDP | Maximo Rodriguez. Jr | ACTS-OFW | Aniceto Bertiz | 60 | ||
| Muslim Affairs | none | ACTS-OFW | Aniceto Bertiz | 20 | |||
| National Defense and Security | Aksyon | Amado Espino Jr. | UNA | Monsour del Rosario | 65 | ||
| Natural Resources | none | Agri | Orestes Salon | 65 | |||
| Overseas Workers Affairs | none | ACTS-OFW | Aniceto Bertiz | 35 | |||
| People's Participation | none | ALONA | Anna Marie Villaraza-Suarez | 25 | |||
| Population and Family Relations | UNA | Sol Aragones | Butil | Cecilia Leonila Chavez | 25 | ||
| Poverty Alleviation | none | Kalinga | Abigail Faye Ferriol-Pascual | 25 | |||
| Public Information | none | Kalinga | Abigail Faye Ferriol-Pascual | 35 | |||
| Public Order and Safety | Liberal | Romeo Acop | Nacionalista | Richard Eusebio | 55 | ||
| Public Works and Highways | PDP–Laban | Celso Lobregat | Nacionalista | Richard Eusebio | 95 | ||
| Revision of Laws | NPC | Marlyn Primicias-Agabas | Kalinga | Abigail Faye Ferriol-Pascual | 25 | ||
| Rules | Nacionalista | Rodolfo Fariñas | Aangat Tayo | Harlin Neil Abayon III | 30 | ||
| Rural Development | PDP–Laban | Deogracias Ramos | Agri | Orestes Salon | 25 | ||
| Science and Technology | NPC | Erico Aristotle Aumentado | Butil | Cecilia Leonila Chavez | 35 | ||
| Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development | PDP–Laban | Peter Unabia | ALONA | Anna Marie Villaraza-Suarez | 25 | ||
| Social Services | Liberal | Frederick Abueg | ALONA | Anna Marie Villaraza-Suarez | 35 | ||
| Suffrage And Electoral Reforms | CIBAC | Sherwin Tugna | Kalinga | Abigail Faye Ferriol-Pascual | 35 | ||
| Tourism | PDP–Laban | Lucy Torres | A TEACHER | Julieta Cortuna | 55 | ||
| Trade and Industry | NUP | Ferjenel G. Biron | Liberal | Arlene B. Arcillas | 55 | ||
| Transportation | Liberal | Cesar Sarmiento | Nacionalista | Richard Eusebio | 85 | ||
| Veterans Affairs and Welfare | Liberal | Leopoldo Bataoil | Butil | Cecilia Leonila Chavez | 30 | ||
| Ways and Means | Liberal | Dakila Carlo Cua | Agri | Orestes Salon | 75 | ||
| Welfare of Children | NPC | Aurora Cerilles | ALONA | Anna Marie Villaraza-Suarez | 20 | ||
| Women and Gender Equality | none | Kalinga | Abigail Faye Ferriol-Pascual | 55 | |||
| Youth and Sports Development | Abono | Conrado Estrella III | PDP–Laban | Monsour del Rosario | 35 | ||
| Vacating member | Special election | Successor | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | Date | Reason | Name | Party | Date | ||
| Alan Peter Cayetano | Nacionalista | May 17, 2017 | Appointment asSecretary of Foreign Affairs[6] | None; seat to be filled in the2019 election. | ||||
| District | Vacating member | Special election | Successor | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | Date | Reason | Member | Party | Date | |||||
| Sulu–1st | Tupay Loong | NUP | June 30, 2016 | Death due toliver cancer[21] | No special elections were done, and no replacements were elected. | ||||||
| Las Piñas | Mark Villar | Nacionalista | August 1, 2016 | Appointed asSecretary of Public Works and Highways[16] | |||||||
| Basilan | Jum Jainudin Akbar | Liberal | November 11, 2016 | Death due tocardiac arrest[22] | |||||||
| Mountain Province | Maximo Dalog | Liberal | June 3, 2017 | Death due tokidney failure[17] | |||||||
| Batanes | Henedina Abad | Liberal | October 8, 2017 | Death due tocancer[10] | |||||||
| Member | Party | Date | Reason | Successor | Took office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sitti Djalia Turabin Hataman[23] | Anak Mindanao | October 2, 2017 | Resigned to return to private life | Amihilda Sangcopan | January 15, 2018[24] |
| Harry Roque | Kabayan | October 30, 2017 | Appointed asPresidential Spokesperson | Ciriaco Calalang | |
| Emmeline Aglipay-Villar | DIWA | July 11, 2018 | Appointed asJustice Undersecretary | Pepito Pico | November 14, 2018 |
| Ciriaco Calalang | Kabayan | September 23, 2018 | Death due tostroke[25] | Paul Hernandez | October 3, 2018[26] |
| Eugene De Vera | ABS Partylist | November 19, 2018 | Dropped from the rolls | Ullyses Garces | December 3, 2018 |
| Rodel Batocabe | Ako Bicol | December 22, 2018 | Died in an ambush | Ronald Ang | January 15, 2019 |
The 17th Congress passed a total of 379 bills which were signed into law by PresidentRodrigo Duterte. 120 of these laws were national in scope, while 259 were local.[27] Some of these laws include:[28]