MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Martin Romualdez on Tuesday vowed to pass the remaining 12 Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council’s (LEDAC) Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) measures for job creation, sustainable health system, and economic recovery and growth in 2023.
Romualdez was referring to the 12 priority measures under the CLA of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.:
- The Enactment of an Enabling Law for the Natural Gas Industry
- Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA)
- The Unified System of Separation, Retirement, and Pension
- The E-Governance Act and E-Government Act
- The National Land Use Act
- The National Defense Act
- The National Government Rightsizing Program
- The Budget Modernization Bill
- The Department of Water Resources
- Establishing the Negros Island Region
- Magna Carta Filipino Seafarers
- The Establishment of Regional Specialty Hospitals
He also noted that the House of Representatives had already passed “pro-people measures” such as the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF), the P5.268-trillion national budget for 2023, and 20 other priority bills of the Marcos administration, 19 of which were also listed under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council’s (LEDAC) Common Legislative Agenda (CLA).
“We approved the 19 bills under LEDAC’s CLA because we are in agreement with the Chief Executive that these measures will directly alleviate poverty, trigger economic progress, and harness competencies in government for the delivery of no less than the highest degree of service to the Filipino people,” said Romualdez.
“We are set to deliberate and approve the rest of the priority measures when we resume next year,” he added
Romualdez then reiterated Congress’ lower chamber’s “unwavering commitment to support the Agenda for Prosperity of President Marcos.”
“In the first five months of the 19th Congress, the House has approved a total of 19 of the priority legislations of our President. The rest are in advanced stages of consideration,” Romualdez said.
According to Romualdez, the passage of the national budget gave the Marcos administration the resources to “sustain our economic expansion momentum and keep the country on the high-growth path.”
The controversial Maharlika Investment Fund, on the other hand, would serve as “an effective vehicle” to sustain high-impact programs that would generate jobs and economic activity in the country — which he said could shield the economy from “headwinds that external factors may bear upon us.”
House processed 1,150 bills, measures since July 25, 2022
Meanwhile, in the same statement, citing a report from House Majority Leader and Zamboanga City 2nd District Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe, Romualdez said the lower chamber has processed a total of 1,150 bills and resolutions from July 25 to December 15, 2022.
A total of 7,402 measures were filed in the House of Representatives — 6,716 were bills, 685 were resolutions, and 263 were committee reports.
Approved bills on the third and final reading total 173, 21 measures are on the second reading, while 43 resolutions have been adopted.
Meanwhile, while the House of Representatives is on congressional break, all standing and special committees have been authorized to hold hearings to “continue with our mandate of producing vital pieces of legislation.”
The 19 bills under LEDAC’s CLA that have been passed by the House of Representatives consist of the following:
- Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act or PIFITA (The fourth package under the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program or CTRP)
- Virology Institute of the Philippines
- Agrarian Reform Debts Condonation
- Philippine Passport Act
- Waste-to-Energy Bill
- National Disease Prevention Management Authority or Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- Medical Reserve Corps (HEART)
- Internet Transaction Act / E-Commerce Law
- Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone
- Eastern Visayas Development Authority (EVDA)
- Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery (GUIDE) bill
- Free Legal Assistance for Police and Soldiers
- Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Act
- Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers
- Valuation Reform Bill
- Apprenticeship Act
- National Citizens Service Training Program (NCSTP).
- Republic Act (RA) No. 11934 or An Act Requiring Registration of Subscriber Identification Module (SIM)
- RA 11935 or An Act Postponing the December 2022 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections to October 2023.
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