SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri yesterday said both houses of Congress will push for the inclusion of several proposed measures in the list of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority bills when the Second Regular Session of the 19th Congress opens on July 24.
Zubiri said that he, along with Senate president pro tempore Loren Legarda and Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, met with House Speaker Martin Romualdez and House majority leader Mannix Dalipe at the Manila Golf Club in Makati City on Monday afternoon for a pre-LEDAC meeting and to discuss proposed measures which they will recommend for inclusion in the LEDAC priority list.
The LEDAC meeting is scheduled today.
Zubiri said among the proposed measures that lawmakers want include in the list are the Philippine Defense Industry Development Act/Self-Reliant Defense Posture Act, amendments to the AFP Modernization Law, Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Act, and the Blue Economy Act.
“These are just some of the bills to be proposed as priority measures,” Zubiri said.
He said they also agreed to pass measures which have already been included in the list of LEDAC priority bills during the First Regular session, among them the National Disease Prevention Management Authority (Center for Disease Control) Act, Mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps Act, Internet Transactions Act, amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer Law/Public-Private Partnership Act, Revitalizing the Salt Industry Act, Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers Act, Local Government Unit Income Classification Act, Ease of Paying Taxes Act, and the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System (PENCAS) Act.
During the first regular session, Zubiri said the Senate passed “essential pieces of legislation,” including the controversial Maharlika Investment Fund bill (Senate Bill No. 2020), One Town, One Product Philippines Act (SBN 2021), the Shared Service Facilities Project for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act (SBN 2035), the No Permit, No Exam Act (SBN 1359), the Student Loan Payment Moratorium during Disasters and Emergencies Act (SBN 1864), and the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act (SBN 1604).
The upper chamber also passed the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act (SBN 1964), the Walkable and Bikeable Communities Act (SBN 1290), and the Regional Specialty Centers Act (SBN 2212), among others.
Three bills which the Senate has passed were already signed into law by the President, and these are the SIM Registration Act, the law postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, and the AFP Fixed Term law.
Records show that senators have collectively filed more than 2,200 proposed measures, and 630 resolutions during the First Regular Session of the 19th Congress.
Zubiri said the Senate passed 31 landmark bills, 22 of which are waiting to be signed by President Marcos Jr. and have adopted 70 resolutions.
