The 12 remaining priority measures of the Marcos administration, as listed in the Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), will be passed next year.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez gave this guarantee Tuesday, Dec. 20, even as the House of Representatives had already approved on third and final reading 19 such bills in the CLA.

“You can count on the House to work harder next year to do our part in improving the lives of our people. I truly believe it is the best way to express our gratitude for the greatest gift all public officials have received---the opportunity to serve our country,” Romualdez said in a statement.

“The House leadership reiterates its unwavering commitment to support the Agenda for Prosperity of President Marcos And we have backed that commitment with tangible results. 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,” noted the Leyte 1st district congressman.

The 12 bills that the House intends to pass next year are the following: 1.) The Enactment of an Enabling Law for the Natural Gas Industry; 2.) Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA); 3.) The Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension; 4.) The E-Governance Act and E-Government Act,; 5.) The National Land Use Act; 6.) The National Defense Act; 7.) The National Government Rightsizing Program; 8.) The Budget Modernization Bill; 9.) The Act creating the Department of Water Resources; 10.) The Act Establishing the Negros Island Region; 11.) Magna Carta Filipino Seafarers; and 12.) The Establishment of Regional Specialty Hospitals.

These 12 and the previously approved 19 bills comprise the 31 total priority legislation of the Marcos administration. These were the measure mentioned by Marcos during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 25 and the bills enumerated during the LEDAC meeting that the President led last Oct. 10.

The P5.268-trillion General Appropriations Act (GAA) or national budget for 2023, which Marcos signed into law last Friday, is considered the 32nd priority bill, although the House traditionally treats the passage of the budget as its most important task of the year.

“I must also cite the record swift passage of the historic P5.268-trillion 2023 national budget that President Marcos signed just last Friday, giving his administration the resources to sustain our economic expansion momentum and keep the country on the high-growth path,” said Romualdez, chairman of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD).

Another piece of legislation that the lower chamber obviously prioritized despite not being included in the 32 measures (including the GAA) was the controversial Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF).

ALSO READ:

“We have also passed the bill creating the to serve as an effective vehicle to execute and sustain high-impact infrastructure projects, urban and rural development, agricultural support, and other programs that would generate jobs for our people and spur more economic activity in the country," Romualdez said.

"We believe it would likewise serve to shield our economy from headwinds that external factors may bear upon us," the Speaker added of the MIF Bill, of which he is a primary author.