Marcos SONA promise, 19th Congress items in legislative agenda

Manila, Philippines – Two populist measures promised by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. during his recent state of the nation address and some unfinished business from the 19th Congress top the economic team’s legislative proposal for this year and next.

The Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), which is led by the president and his economic minister Arsenio Balisacan, wrapped up meetings on Sept. 30 with a list of 44 priority measures for the 20th Congress.

The final wish-list was a longer version of the 33 bills shortlisted by the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), formerly NEDA, led by Balisacan. The additions came from Congress.

“These were evaluated based on their alignment with the President’s priorities as outlined in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) and the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, as well as their developmental impact, urgency, and readiness for legislation,” the department said in a press release issued on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

The wish-list counted proposals that seek rewriting of old laws – two of them were promised by Marcos during his SONA: more funds for farmers to allow them to plant 100 million coconut trees, and the wider coverage of beneficiaries of cash aid program the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act.

Nine other bills were a carry-over from the previous Congress, including the controversial Amendments to the Bank Deposits Secrecy Law. Unfinished business from the 19th Congress are the Department of Water Resources, waste-to-energy, electric power industry reform law amendments, Energy Regulation Commission strengthening, National Land Use, excise tax on single-use plastic, blue economy, progressive budgeting for better and modernized governance, and amendments to the Fisheries Code.

A number of new measures seek to tighten regulations governing artificial intelligence and social media use, casinos and curb money laundering.

Here’s the full LEDAC list for the 20th Congress:

1. Amendments to the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act

2. Amendments to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act

3. Department of Water Resources Bill

4. Waste-to-Energy Bill

5. EPIRA Amendments: Energy Regulatory Commission Strengthening Bill

6. National Land Use Act

7. Excise Tax on Single-Use Plastics

8. Blue Economy Act

9. Amendments to the Bank Deposits Secrecy Law

10. Progressive Budgeting for Better and Modernized Governance Act

11. Right to Information Act

12. Amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Act

13. Philippine Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Act

14. Amendments to the Universal Health Care Act

15. National Center for Geriatric Health

16. Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations Act

17. Amendments to the Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act

18. Amendments to the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act

19. Amendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act

20. Amendments to the Teachers Professionalization Act

21. Amendments to the Local Government Code

22. General Tax Amnesty

23. Extension of Estate Tax Amnesty

24. Amendments to the Fisheries Code

25. Amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law

26. Amendments to the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Law

27. Amendments to the Biofuels Act

28. Cybersecurity Act

29. Amendments to the National Building Code

30. Amendments to the Magna Carta for MSMEs

31. National Reintegration Bill

32. Reprogramming of Seal of Good Local Governance

33. Digital Payments Act

34. Masterplan for Infrastructure and National Development

35. Classroom-Building Acceleration Program Act

36. Requiring Civil Servants to Waive Bank Secrecy

37. Law on Online Gambling

38. Disaster Risk Financing Insurance

39. Strengthening the Bases Conversion and Development Authority

40. Presidential Merit Scholarship Program

41. Disqualifying Relatives of Officials (4th degree) in Government Contracts

42. Fair Use of Social Media, AI and Internet Technology in Elections

43. Modernizing the Bureau of Immigration

44. Magna Carta for Barangays