Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III attended the first full meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) for the 20th Congress held at Malacañan Palace, presided over by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., together with House Speaker Faustino ‘Bodjie’ Dy III and other officials.
The meeting tackled the alignment of priority bills of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Executive branch, alongside the adoption of the Common Legislative Agenda presented by Secretary Arsenio Balicasan, PhD of the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDEV) and Head of the LEDAC Secretariat.
Discussions focused on improving healthcare and education, promoting inclusive agriculture and livelihood, strengthening the energy sector, and pursuing governance, digital, and financial reforms to spur economic growth and deliver efficient public service.
‘These priorities reflect our collective effort to ensure that policies are both responsive to the immediate needs of the people and consistent with our long-term development goals,’ Sotto said.
Other members of the Senate who were present included Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri and Senator Sherwin Gatchalian.
The LEDAC serves as the highest consultative and advisory body to the President on socio-economic development, strengthening coordination between the Executive and Legislative branches of government.
The specific bill ni SP included in the Common Legislative Agenda is the Freedom of Information Bill.
This bill provides for full public disclosure of all government records involving public interest, and upholds the constitutional right of people to information on matters of public concern.