Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III led the House of Representatives' contingent Tuesday, Sept. 30 in the first Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting of the 20th Congress, wherein he highlighted an "early accomplishment" of the lower chamber.

Tuesday was also Dy's first time attending the LEDAC meeting in Malacañang as House Speaker--a position he assumed only last Sept. 17.

Accompanying Dy was other ranking congressmen, including Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos.

During the meeting, Dy reaffirmed the House’s commitment to work hand in hand with President Marcos, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, and other government leaders to accelerate the passage of vital measures.

“We meet today in a spirit of collaborative governance to align our legislative agenda with the Administration’s Philippine Development Plan and its 8-point Socioeconomic Agenda,” Dy said.

He explained that the House legislative agenda for the 20th Congress was anchored on economic growth, stronger social protection, and governance reforms. Central to this agenda are laws that will secure affordable food, generate sustainable jobs, expand digital connectivity and raise the quality of public services for all Filipinos.

The Speaker reported that out of the 33 measures identified by the Executive, 32 have already been filed in the House of Representatives.

He said this early accomplishment “sets a positive tone for our productive collaboration with all branches of government".

Dy then presented eight new measures for possible inclusion in the LEDAC priority list, among them a Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Framework to ensure swift and transparent calamity response, and a bill to strengthen the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) by extending its corporate life and opening select lands for development.

The House is also pushing a Presidential Merit Scholarship Program to reward outstanding graduates from low- and middle-income families, and a bill disqualifying relatives of officials up to the fourth degree from government contracts to strengthen integrity in public service.

To safeguard democracy, the chamber seeks to regulate digital campaigning through a Fair Use of Social Media, Artifitical Intelligence (AI), and Internet Technology in Elections. It also proposes to modernize the Bureau of Immigration by professionalizing its ranks, adding visa categories, and upgrading border security.

The proposed Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act, on the other hand, aims to stabilize prices and empower the National Food Authority, while the Magna Carta for Barangays will institutionalize long-overdue benefits and ensure resources for local officials and communities.

“With the President’s leadership and the collective will of this Council, we are confident that we can achieve these legislative goals,” said Dy.

“Tumutugon ang Kamara de Representante sa panawagan ng taumbayan sa pamamagitan ng paglikha ng mga batas na may direktang epekto sa kanilang buhay (The House of Representatives is responding to the people's call by crafting laws that have a direct impact on their lives)," the Speaker further said.