Romualdez boasts House's advanced accomplishments in Escudero’s first LEDAC 


At a glance

  • Speaker Martin Romualdez highlighted on Tuesday, June 25 the advanced accomplishments of the House of Representatives during the Legislative-Executive Development Council (LEDAC) meeting in Malacañang.


IMG-2eb8562dcb2058983d9c560834187f29-V.jpgHouse Speaker Martin Romualdez (center) attends the Tuesday's LEDAC. To his right is Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero. (Speaker's office)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaker Martin Romualdez highlighted on Tuesday, June 25 the advanced accomplishments of the House of Representatives during the Legislative-Executive Development Council (LEDAC) meeting in Malacañang. 

“The House of the People has done its homework. Our accomplishments reflect our proactive stance in catering to the needs of the people by passing these much-needed legislation that are attuned to the Philippine Development Plan and the 8-point socio-economic agenda under the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework of the President,” Romualdez said. 

He said the House has approved on third and final reading last March, or three months ahead of schedule, all of the 20 priority LEDAC measures targeted for passage by the end of June 2024. 

Joining Romualdez in the meeting that was presided by President Marcos was Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero. This was Escudero’s first time to attend the LEDAC meeting as Senate chief. 

Tuesday's meeting--which sought to ensure cohesion between the executive and legislative in terms of target legislation--was held roughly a month before Marcos' third State of the Nation Address (SONA). 

Incidentally, the current 19th Congress is down to its final year, or the third regular session. This will commence on SONA day, July 22. 

Romualdez informed the LEDAC of the status of the 20 bills. Three, he said, have been enacted into law while three were undergoing enrollment process. 

Meanwile, four bills are under deliberation by bicameral conference committees (bicam), while the 10 other measures have been approved on third and final reading by the House. These approvals took place as early as September 2023. Four were approved last March, before the sine die adjournment of the second regular session. 

“We will await the version of the Senate for possible adoption by the House as an amendment to the House bill, or for bicameral conference committee meeting,” Romualdez said. 

A House listing showed that the three latest LEDAC bills President Marcos had signed into law were the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System Act, Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act, and the Negros Island Region Act. 

The two ratified bicam reports were those on proposed amendments to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act and the Government Procurement Reform Act. 

Changes approved by the 24-member Senate in the House version of the Anti-Financial Accounts Scamming Act were adopted by the House. 

The four measures undergoing bicam deliberation are the Philippine Defense Industry Development Act/Self-Reliant Defense Posture Act, Philippine Maritime Zones Act, Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program Act, and VAT (value added tax) on Digital Transactions Act. 

IMG-40ae095c7a6fb794962f8bbc28a255a7-V.jpg

From left to right: House Speaker Martin Romualdez, President Marcos, Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero (Speaker's office)

 

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The 10 other LEDAC priority bills the House has approved on third and final reading are the Waste Treatment Technology Act, Instituting a National Citizens Service Training Program, E-Governance Act, Open Access in Data Transmission Act, Military and Uniformed Personnel Pension Reform Bill; 

Blue Economy Act, Department of Water Resources / National Water Resources Act, Enhancing Philippine Tax Incentive / CREATE MORE, Enterprise-Based Education and Training Program Act, and proposed amendments to the Universal Health Care Act. 

The House report showed that of the 20 LEDAC priority measures that the 300-plus strong chamber had approved on third and final reading, 10, or half, have yet to gain final approval from the Senate. 

Of the 10, six are “for approval on second reading", while the remaining four are “under TWG (technical working group)/committee deliberation".