House turns attention to remaining vital measures
THE House of Representatives will focus the discussion on other important national and local bills when session resumes on April 29.
This is because of the 100-percent completion of the priority measures outlined in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) slated for June 2024.
Lanao del Norte Rep. Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo and Negros Occidental Rep. Franscisco “Kiko” Benitez said the chamber will buckle down to discuss other equally important measures.
“I think with the LEDAC measures finally completed we can focus on local bills because that is of the utmost importance to most of us here in the House of Representatives. Iyong mga local needs ng mga constituents namin, and secondly, we also have other tasks,” Dimaporo, Chairman of the House committee on Muslim affairs, said.
Earlier,Speaker Martin G. Romualdez earlier reported of the 100-percent House approval of LEDAC priority bills slated for June 2024 passage, which is three months ahead of schedule.
He reported to the LEDAC meeting presided by President Bongbong Marcos Jr. that the House of Representatives has fulfilled its commitment to pass all the 19 LEDAC priority measures three months ahead of the June 2024 target.
Dimaporo said that aside from local bills, other equally important pieces of legislation will now get the full attention of lawmakers in the House, such as the Second Congressional Commission on Education, or aptly known as EDCOM 2.
“One of the tasks that I have been assigned to by the Speaker is in EDCOM 2, so we will be digging deep into the problems of BARMM and the problems with education, why they have the poorest of the poor in terms of performance when it comes to education, statistics and indicators,” Dimaporo said.
Benitez, aside from those mentioned, there is still the mandate of the House in the exercise of its powers on oversight.
“Kasi sa oversight lang, kagaya ng EDCOM 2 halimbawa, marami hong lumilitaw na problema na hindi generally naka-capture in the normal year’s legislative process. So, there are many issues and many (pieces of) legislation that still need study beyond or outside the LEDAC priorities,” Benitez said.
“We have issues with local bills that still need legislation and those continue as the needs of our local constituents change and emerge over time. There are still bills of national importance that are not included in the LEDAC priority but are nonetheless important,” he added.
