Escudero, Romualdez hold 1st meet on LEDAC agenda
President Marcos called on Congress to prioritize the passage of inclusive and people-focused legislation before the end of the year to drive national progress as Senate President Francis Escudero and Speaker Martin Romualdez held their first official leadership meeting yesterday.
“To our fellow workers in both houses of Congress, I implore that before the year ends, laws which are more inclusive, responsive, and people-centered be passed,” Mr. Marcos said during the ceremonial signing of the Negros Island Region Act (NIR) and Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act (RPVARA) at Malacañang.
The President underscored the importance of passing the 17 priority bills certified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) to enhance the living conditions of Filipinos.
He cited pending key legislative measures such as the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Act, Philippine Maritime Zones Act, Anti-Financial Accounts Scamming Act, Amendments to Government Procurement Reform Act, Value-Added Tax on Digital Services, Blue Economy Act, Waste-to-Energy Bill, and the Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
Other proposed measures for Congress’ consideration include the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program Act, Apprenticeship Act, E-Government/E-Governance Act, Department of Water Resources, Open Access in Data Transmission, and the Amendments to Universal Healthcare Act.
During the meeting at the Aguado Residence inside the Palace compound, Escudero and Romualdez committed to work for the passage of important measures to effectively address the challenges facing the nation.
“This meeting symbolizes a renewed and reinvigorated partnership between the House of Representatives and the Senate under the leadership of Senate President Escudero,” Romualdez said.
The meeting served as a preliminary to the full Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting on June 25, he said.
“Together, we are committed to working hand-in-hand to pass key legislation that will significantly benefit the Filipino people,” Romualdez said.
“With Senate President Escudero’s dynamic leadership, I am confident that we can expedite the legislative process, ensuring that the benefits reach our people without delay,” he added.
Romualdez noted that a key focus of the meeting was the measure introducing amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law, which was identified as a top priority.
“Amending the Rice Tariffication Law is a crucial step towards ensuring food security and economic stability for our farmers. We are committed to making quality rice affordable for all Filipinos while boosting the livelihoods of our local farmers,” he said.
The meeting also reviewed the progress of existing priority legislation and identified next steps to ensure timely approvals.
Among those who joined the meeting were Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Deputy Speaker David Suarez, House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Zaldy Co, Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) Sec. Mark Llandro Mendoza, Undersecretary Adrian Carlos A. Bersamin of the Office of the Executive Secretary, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, Deputy Secretary General Jennifer Baquiran, Deputy Secretary General Robert David Amorin, Head Executive Assistant Director V Atty. Muel Romero, Senate Sec. Renato Bantug, Deputy Secretary lawyer Mavic Garcia, and lawyer Roland Tan, Escudero’s chief of staff.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Marcos urges Congress to pass more people-centered laws”