CONGRESS has committed to pass by June this year 10 priority measures of the administration that are essential to the realization of the government’s national development agenda, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said yesterday.
The PCO, in a news release, said Congress committed yesterday, during the first Executive Committee Meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) in Malacañang, to adopt or pass 10 measures on or before June 2 or the sine die adjournment for the first regular session of the 19th Congress year.
The priority bills adopted for passage by June 2 include the amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law/Public-Private Partnership (PPP) bill; the Medical Reserve Corps; the Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control; the creation of the Virology Institute of the Philippines; the Mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and National Service Training Program (NSTP); the Condonation of Unpaid Amortization and Interests of Loans of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs); the Internet Transactions Act/E-Commerce Law; Maharlika bill; , Attrition law,/AFP Fixed Term; and the Salt Industry Development Bill.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin presided over the LEDAC meeting held at the Premier Guest House in Malacañang and was attended by members of the Senate led by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, members of the House led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, and members of the Cabinet led by Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.
Other attendees were Special Assistant to the President Secretary Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga, Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Juan Victor Llamas; Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza, and Finance Assistant Secretary Valery Brio.
Also present were Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Sen. Sonny Angara, Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto, Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Minority Leaders Sandro Marcos, Marcelino Libanan, and Stella Luz Quimbo.
During the meeting, Zubiri committed to push and defend the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on the Senate floor.
Zubiri, who was part of the President’s delegation in Japan, said RCEP was the “talk of the town” during the Philippine delegation’s meetings with government and business leaders in Tokyo.
The Philippine Senate has been deliberating on RCEP with hearings currently at the sub-committee level.
