MANILA, Philippines – Legislation that would reform the country’s military and uniformed personnel pension and make Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and National Service Training Program (NSTP) mandatory are among the priority measures Malacañang and congressional leaders agreed on during the second Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) on Wednesday, July 5. 

LEDAC is a “consultative and advisory body” to the President on “certain programs and policies essential to the realization of the goals of the national economy.” It is headed by the President and counts as members economic managers, and ranking House and Senate officials. 

The goal is to pass these proposals, or the common legislative agenda (CLA), before 2023 ends or when the 19th Congress adjourns session for the Christmas and New Year break. 

According to a release from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), these measures include: 

1. Amendments of the BOT Law/PPP bill
2. National Disease Prevention Management Authority
3. Internet Transactions Act/E-Commerce Law
4. Health Emergency Auxiliary Reinforcement Team (Heart) Act, formerly Medical Reserve Corps
5. Virology Institute of the Philippines
6. Mandatory ROTC and NSTP
7. Revitalizing the Salt Industry
8. Valuation Reform
9. E-Government/E-Governance 
10. Ease of Paying Taxes
11. National Government Rightsizing Program
12. Unified System of Separation/Retirement and Pension of MUPs
13. LGU Income Classification
14. Waste-to-Energy bill
15. New Philippine Passport Act
16. Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers
17. National Employment Action Plan
18. Amendments to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act
19. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas-endorsed Bank Deposit Secrecy
20. Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA) bills.

Eighteen of these bills had been identified a priority legislation when LEDAC convened in October 2022. Back then, LEDAC pinpointed 42 priority measure for passage by Congress. 

Of the original 42, three had been signed into law – the postponement of Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, An Act Requiring the Registration of Subscriber Identity Module, and amendments to the AFP fixed term law. 

The postponement of Barangay and SK elections has since been deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Five bills are pending in Congress. – Rappler.com