MANILA, Philippines — Bills amending old laws, as well as those pushing for artificial intelligence (AI) regulation and more, are being prioritized for the 20th Congress, according to the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) on Wednesday, October 1.
The Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), a joint effort between Congressional leaders and the President to align priority laws, has unveiled 44 bills it wishes to prioritize.
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This was the first LEDAC meeting with newly installed leaders Senate President Tito Sotto and House Speaker Bojie Dy. The DEPDev initially proposed 33 measures from executive agencies, to which Congress added 11 more bills.
Two of these measures were proposed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., namely the Amendments to the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act and the Amendments to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act.
“We aim to sustain the strong momentum we established during the 19th Congress. With continued collaboration between the Senate and the House of Representatives, we are confident in our ability to push forward a legislative agenda that delivers meaningful change and a brighter future for all Filipinos,” DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.
The DEPDev listed the 44 LEDAC bills as follows:
- Amendments to the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act
- Amendments to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act
- Department of Water Resources (DWR) Bill
- Waste-to-Energy Bill
- EPIRA Amendments: Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Strengthening Bill
- National Land Use Act
- Excise Tax on Single-Use Plastics
- Blue Economy Act
- Amendments to the Bank Deposits Secrecy Law
- Progressive Budgeting for Better and Modernized Governance Act
- Right to Information Act
- Amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Act
- Philippine Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Act
- Amendments to the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act
- National Center for Geriatric Health
- Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Act
- Amendments to the Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act
- Amendments to the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act
- Amendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act
- Amendments to the Teachers Professionalization Act
- Amendments to the Local Government Code
- General Tax Amnesty
- Extension of Estate Tax Amnesty
- Amendments to the Fisheries Code
- Amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law
- Amendments to the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Law
- Amendments to the Biofuels Act
- Cybersecurity Act
- Amendments to the National Building Code
- Amendments to the Magna Carta for MSMEs
- National Reintegration Bill
- Reprogramming of Seal of Good Local Governance
- Digital Payments Act
- Masterplan for Infrastructure and National Development
- Classroom-Building Acceleration Program Act
- Requiring Civil Servants to Waive Bank Secrecy
- Law on Online Gambling
- Disaster Risk Financing Insurance
- Strengthening the Bases Conversion and Development Authority
- Presidential Merit Scholarship Program
- Disqualifying Relatives of Officials (4th degree) in Government Contracts
- Fair Use of Social Media, AI and Internet Technology in Elections
- Modernizing the Bureau of Immigration
- Magna Carta for Barangays
Several bills on the LEDAC list appear to address recent corruption scandals involving government officials.
The flood control kickback scheme in the Department of Public Works and Highways exposed several weaknesses in government mechanisms against corruption and money laundering. Several lawmakers have been implicated in the Bulacan flood control mess, while several government contractors have been accused of executing ghost control projects.