House targets progress on 17 priority bills before Holy Week break

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MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is aiming to move 17 priority bills under the administration’s legislative agenda closer to passage before the Holy Week break, House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander "Sandro" Marcos said.

Four measures are already lined up for third-reading approval this week, as lawmakers prepare to adjourn for the Lenten recess.

The measures form part of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) Common Legislative Agenda, a policy coordination body that brings together the executive branch and congressional leaders to identify and fast-track priority legislation. LEDAC sets the administration’s priority bills that Congress aims to pass within a given legislative period.

"We are right on track to approving LEDAC measures on time,"  Marcos, the president's son, said in a statement Sunday, March 15. "The public does not live on promises alone, they need results. And that is exactly what we are trying to deliver by moving these measures with urgency and discipline."

Bills nearing approval

Four LEDAC measures are expected to reach third-reading approval before the chamber adjourns:

• Travel Tax Abolition Act
• Digital Payments Act
• Amendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act
• Presidential Merit Scholarship Program

Meanwhile, two priority bills are already under bicameral conference committee, the stage where lawmakers reconcile differences between House and Senate versions. These include the National Center for Geriatric Health bill and a measure resetting the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Measures already approved by the House

The House has already passed 11 LEDAC priority bills on third reading, including:

• Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) to strengthen the Energy Regulatory Commission
• Waste-to-Energy or Waste Treatment Technology Act
• Amendments to the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) Act
• Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Act
• Amendments to the National Building Code
• Blue Economy Act

Other measures approved include amendments to the Teachers Professionalization Act, extension of the estate tax amnesty period, the Department of Water Resources bill, the National Reintegration bill, and proposed amendments to the Bank Deposits Secrecy Law.

Other priority bills in the pipeline

Three more LEDAC measures are currently scheduled for second-reading approval, including:

• Anti-Political Dynasty Bill
• National Land Use Act
• Amendments to the Biofuels Act

Another seven measures have cleared committee level and are awaiting review by the Appropriations or Ways and Means committees, while the remaining 25 LEDAC priority bills are still undergoing technical working group discussions or committee deliberations.

"The House of Representatives is working hard to pass the LEDAC measures because every member knows that these bills, if they become law, will help every Filipino family," Marcos said.