By Filane Mikee Cervantes
MANILA – The House of Representatives has fulfilled its commitment to pass all 19 priority measures of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) three months ahead of the June 2024 target.
Speaker Martin Romualdez reported this to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday during the full LEDAC meeting in Malacañang.
“Mr. President, we have done our homework, and all the 19 measures re-prioritized for target by June 2024 have been approved on the third and final reading by the House of Representatives,” Romualdez said.
Among the 19 LEDAC priority bills targeted for passage in June include the following: Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System; creating the Negros Island Region; Philippine Maritime Zones bill; proposed amendments to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act; bill on self-reliant defense posture program; Valuation Reform Bill; Waste-to-Energy Bill; Instituting a National Citizens Service Training (NCST) Program; E-Governance bill; and Anti-Financial Accounts Scamming bill.
Also approved are the priority bills developing the country’s natural gas industry, imposing value-added tax on digital services, providing open access in data transmission, reforming the pension system for military and uniformed personnel (MUP), pushing for a sustainable blue economy, amending the Government Procurement Reform Act, creating the Department of Water Resources and Services, establishing the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, and enhancing country’s tax incentives through the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy Act (CREATE MORE) bill.
Romualdez said the House is working hard towards realizing the common legislative agenda of the executive and legislative branches.
“This clearly shows that this present House of the People is a proactive chamber that caters and listens to the needs of the people passing needed legislation attuned to the Philippine Development Plan and the 8-point Socio-Economic Agenda under the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) of His Excellency PBBM,” he said.
Romualdez also reported that the House has passed all but three of the total 59 LEDAC priority measures.
He said some of the priority measures that the President has signed into law include Internet Transactions Act, Public-Private Partnership Act, Ease of Paying Taxes, New Philippine Passport Act, New Agrarian Reform Emancipation Act, Maharlika Investment Fund Act, Regional Specialty Centers Act, and Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, among others.
Romualdez reiterated his continued support for the President in making life better for Filipinos.
“Truly, this is a testament to the zeal and commitment of the members of the House of Representatives in passing our common legislative agenda,” he said. (PNA)
