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.
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.