PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday asked Congress to pass his administration’s priority legislative measures, along with laws that are “more inclusive, responsive, and people-centered,” before the year ends.
He said Filipinos are awaiting the passage of the 17 priority bills endorsed by Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), which he said “will steer our national development and improve the conditions of our fellow countrymen.”
Two of the priority bills were signed into law yesterday — Negros Island Region Act (NIR) or Republic Act 12000 and the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act (RPVARA) or RA 12001.
Speaker Martin Romualdez and Senate President Francis Escudero met in Malacañang yesterday and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two houses of Congress in passing the Marcos Jr. administration’s legislative agenda.
Romualdez said the key focus of the meeting was the House-approved bill seeking amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law, identified as a top priority, which, he said, the Senate leadership is open to supporting.
“Amending the Rice Tariffication Law is a crucial step towards ensuring food security and economic stability for our farmers,” Romualdez said. “We are committed to making quality rice affordable for all Filipinos while boosting the livelihoods of our local farmers.”
Escudero said the passage of the priority measures topped discussions in his meeting with Romualdez, Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza, head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, and other officials of executive ang legislative branches.
He also said the next LEDAC meeting is tentatively scheduled on June 25.
He said the “target” is that no proposed measure should be vetoed by the President.
He said there were no discussions on Charter change.
Romualdez said the meeting yesterday serves as a preliminary to the full LEDAC meeting on June 25.
Romualdez also said he and Escudero discussed the legislative calendar for the Third Regular Session of the 19th Congress. “With Senate President Escudero’s dynamic leadership, I am confident that we can expedite the legislative process, ensuring that the benefits reach our people without delay.”
Romualdez said he and Escudero also reviewed the progress of pending priority legislation, identifying next steps to ensure timely approvals.
“The focus remains on the 20 LEDAC priority measures targeted for approval by June 2024, with significant advancements already made, including 10 measures approved by both houses, one enacted into law, and several others in various stages of the legislative process,” he said.
The 17 remaining priority bills are Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Act, Philippine Maritime Zones Act, Anti-Financial Accounts Scamming Act, Amendments to the Government Procurement Reform Act, Value-Added Tax on Digital Services, Blue Economy Act, Waste-to-Energy Bill, and the Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program Act, Apprenticeship Act, E-Government/E-Governance Act, Department of Water Resources, Open Access in Data Transmission, Amendments to the Universal Healthcare Act, Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy Act, and Unified System of Separation, Retirement, and Pension of Military and Uniformed Personnel. — With Wendell Vigilia and Raymond Africa
