Palace: Jobs on top of Sona agenda

President Aquino will spell out his legislative agenda for the next three years in his State of the Nation Address (Sona) before Congress next month.

“Can I just announce the legislative agenda in the Sona?” Aquino told reporters who caught up with him as he inspected the Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental early Tuesday.

The President will deliver his Sona on July 22 at the opening of the 16th Congress on the back of reports that the economy grew by a robust 7.8 percent in the first quarter.

To address criticisms of a jobless economic growth and to foster “inclusive growth,” Aquino is expected to unveil a raft of priority measures that would stress job generation, Malacañang officials said.

The President has directed his Cabinet to prepare proposals that would address such concerns, said Manuel Mamba, chief of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO).

“His instruction to (the Cabinet) was to come up with legislation that would sustain the economic growth and, at the same time, create jobs for our people. He said the trickle-down effect was not being felt. The solution there is jobs creation,” Mamba said.

At least 50 bills prepared by Cabinet clusters and departments are along the lines of jobs creation, he said. These would have to be trimmed for presentation to the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac), Mamba said.

Meanwhile, Aquino said he was open to holding Ledac meetings, but not every quarter.

“If it’s for better coordination, so much the better. But again, I’m not sure if holding it quarterly is necessary. We’ll talk,” he said.

Besides, Aquino said, he was in close contact with the leaders of both chambers of Congress, and would know from them “if there was a need to clarify certain points.”

The Ledac, created by law during the Ramos administration, serves as a consultative and advisory body to the President on national development programs and policies.

After Aquino recently vetoed three key measures, Sen. Vicente Sotto III proposed the holding of Ledac meetings every quarter to bridge any gaps between the executive branch and Congress.

The President vetoed the proposed Centenarian Act offering incentives for the country’s estimated 7,000 centenarians, and the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons Act of 2013, which protects the rights of internal refugees. Last month, he vetoed the proposed Magna Carta of the Poor.

The first bill offers a 75-percent discount on goods and services to centenarians but does not, however, offer tax rebates for business owners. The second grants powers to the Commission on Human Rights that belong to the judiciary. The third would require a P3-trillion budget to implement.

The PLLO, which serves as Aquino’s liaison with the members of Congress, has been largely blamed for the vetoes, and Mamba has accepted part of the blame.