Newly elected members of the House in 2016 will be among the first beneficiaries of the Institute for Legislation and Legislative Governance (Legislative Institute), which will open courses  designed to train them on the basics of lawmaking,  Belmonte said.

For 2016,  the Legislative Institute  will be offering various executive courses, among them: Legislation; Parliamentary Rules and Procedures; Legislative Bill Drafting; Principles, Practices and Imperatives of the Power of Legislative Oversight; Dynamics and Politics of the Budget Process; Legislative Ethics and Accountability; and Legislative Staff Management.



"This is a dream come true for us because now we have our own Legislative Institute to educate more and train House members, especially the newly elected ones, on everything about legislation and the legislative process. Even our legislative support service staff will be included in the knowledge and skills enhancement programs," said the Speaker, the chairman emeritus of the National Unity Party (NUP).

House Secretary General Marilyn Barua-Yap, who was named program manager of the Institute,  described its establishment  as “a landmark achievement of the 16th Congress under Belmonte’s leadership.”



"The Judiciary has a Judicial Academy. The Executive has its Development Academy of the Philippines, while the local government units (LGUs) have their Local Government Academy. The Legislature, which stabilizes our policy structure and strengthens our government, deserves to have its own institution that will enhance knowledge acquisition about the Congress," Barua-Yap said.


She said the Legislative Institute will have three learning facilities: 1)  the Center for Legislation, which aims to sharpen the skills of lawmakers on legislation and legislative work through trainings and workshops; 2) the Center for Legislative Governance, which aims to enhance the knowledge of the legislative support staff; and 3) the Center for Legislative Information, which produces printed and electronic knowledge resources on legislation and legislative governance.


House Resolution 212 was adopted on June 10, 2015, paving the way for the establishment of the Legislative Institute.

Belmonte said the House will tap experts in the field of legislation to conduct lectures at the Institute.