MANILA, Philippines — The priority measures enumerated by President Marcos during his inaugural State of the Nation Address (SONA) were tackled yesterday during the first meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) under his administration.
Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) officer-in-charge Cheloy Garafil confirmed that all the priority bills listed in an earlier statement about the meeting were discussed by the council, which is composed of key executive officials and congressional leaders.
Among the priority measures mentioned in the statement were the bill on the National Government Rightsizing Program, budget modernization bill, proposed Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery law and the unified system of separation, retirement and pension.
Economic measures that were tackled during the meeting included the proposed E-Governance Act, National Land Use Act, the third tax package or the valuation reform bill, proposed Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act and the Internet Transaction Act or E-Commerce law.
Bills related to national security discussed were the proposed National Defense Act, mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and National Service Training Program, the measure seeking to establish a medical reserve corps and bills seeking to create the National Disease Prevention Management Authority, Virology Science and Technology Institute and Department of Water Resources.
Also included in the LEDAC agenda were the enactment of an enabling law for the natural gas industry, amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer law and possible amendments to the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act.
The proposed P5.268-trillion national budget for 2023 was not mentioned in the OPS’s statement, but Marcos has certified it as urgent.
If the President certifies a bill as urgent, it may be approved by Congress on second and third reading on the same day.
Success
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri yesterday called the first LEDAC a success as Congress committed to pass at least six priority measures.
Zubiri presented a total of 26 priority bills, 20 of which were priority measures mentioned by Marcos in the SONA last July 25.
“It’s very timely that we had our first LEDAC right before the budget season. That is going to take up most of our time in the plenary once we resume session, and we needed this LEDAC to identify the bills we must make room for alongside the budget,” Zubiri said.
He added that the conference was “proof of statesmanship and multi-partisanship at work, where Senate can engage the other branch while upholding its independence and initiative on policies that serve the national interest and people’s welfare.”
Marcos and leaders of Congress have had a productive meeting where both branches reaffirmed their commitments to a common legislative agenda, according to Zubiri.
“We have pledged passage of bills that will accelerate our pandemic recovery, insulate our hardworking families from the inflationary fallout from global disruptions, and anchor our regions and sectors on stronger fundamentals to build resiliency and secure our future,” the senator said.
Zubiri gave assurance that the Marcos administration “can expect the same level of working relationship and coordination between our respective chambers’ leadership in passing priority legislation.”
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said Marcos expressed support for his Senate Bill 129 or the proposed Trabaho Para Sa Lahat ng Pilipino Act.
The bill expands the National Employment Recovery Strategy into a long-term National Employment Action Plan to create decent jobs for all Filipinos, improve the employability and competencies of the workforce, and provide support for businesses to ensure the security of employment. – Paolo Romero