House, Palace list priorities amid flood control scandal
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Lawmakers in the 20th Congress met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other government leaders Tuesday to discuss legislative priorities, even as both houses of Congress and the executive department remain under scrutiny over the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.
The meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) at Malacañang resulted in the addition of eight new reform measures to the priority agenda.
Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III said the House has already filed 32 of the 33 measures identified by the Executive branch. He said the early filing “sets a positive tone for our productive collaboration with all branches of government.”
Among the new measures are a Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Framework, a bill extending the corporate life of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), and proposals to allow select land development.
Other bills include the creation of a Presidential Merit Scholarship Program for low- and middle-income graduates, and a measure barring relatives of government officials up to the fourth degree from receiving government contracts and programs.
Lawmakers also seek to regulate digital campaigns and the use of artificial intelligence during elections, modernize the Bureau of Immigration, and pass the Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment Act to restore regulatory powers to the National Food Authority.
The proposed Magna Carta for Barangays, long pushed by local government advocates, was also included in the agenda.
“We meet today in a spirit of collaborative governance to align our legislative agenda with the administration’s Philippine Development Plan and its 8-point Socioeconomic Agenda,” Dy said.
While Dy emphasized collaboration and reforms, public attention remains focused on the flood control scandal that has implicated contractors, engineers, and lawmakers in the alleged misuse of billions of pesos in infrastructure funds.
Critics have warned that the scandal could undermine Congress’ credibility as it seeks to push new legislation.
