House pushes credible Phl defensive posture

Speaker Martin Romualdez said Sunday that the House of Representatives would resume session today with all but four of 57 priority legislation of the Marcos administration already passed.

Romualdez said that one of the remaining four is now close to being passed by the House on the third and final reading to improve the Philippines’ defensive security posture in the region.

“We have accomplished our mission as lawmakers by acting promptly on the legislative agenda of President Marcos, which is focused on sustaining economic growth, helping the poor and vulnerable sectors, creating jobs and income opportunities, and, in general, making life better for every Filipino,” Romualdez said.

Close to passage is the Philippine Self-Reliant Defense Posture Program Act, institutionalizing a self-reliant defense posture program that would prioritize the country’s national defense capabilities development, including the formation of a competent domestic defense industry.

Romualdez stressed the Philippines should come up with a credible security program and industry so it won’t be dependent on foreign allies and suppliers for its defense requirements.

The Philippines has been asserting its sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea amid provocative and dangerous naval and air actions by China to bolster its territorial claim in the South China Sea, overlapping with the WPS. Last week, Manila and Beijing figured in a heated exchange of words after Marcos congratulated Lai Ching-te on his election as Taiwan President.

A China foreign affairs spokesperson warned Marcos he was “playing with fire,” earning a riposte from Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. that Beijing was engaged in “gutter-level” talk.

The skirmishes between the Philippines and China have involved the latter’s use of water cannons, laser lights, and dangerous maneuvers that have already resulted in ships colliding.

The Philippines had sought to hold joint patrols in the WPS with the United States, Australia, and Japan.

The Legislative-Executive Development Council or LEDAC identified the 57 measures Romualdez referred to as priority pieces of legislation that the government needs to bolster public service.

Meanwhile, the three other LEDAC bills awaiting House action include amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, Budget Modernization Bill, and National Defense Act. They are already in the last stage of approval.

LEDAC bills, which were only 19 during Marcos’ first SoNA, have ballooned to 57.

Of the total, 53 were passed by the House ahead of the projected timeframe. LEDAC-endorsed bills align with the Marcos government’s Agenda for Prosperity or socio-economic policy.

The House of Representatives, the majority of whom are allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has pledged that the administration’s endorsed measures will always come first.

The lower chamber has been very vocal in supporting Mr. Marcos’ projects, especially his legislative agenda. It produced and passed bills aligned with its Agenda for Prosperity that aligned with its promotion.

Romualdez said the House is already geared up to sit with their counterparts in the Senate in a bicameral conference concerning the bills already passed by the House but still pending in the Senate.