LEDAC measures gain ground in House

House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos on Sunday said the steady progress of key Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) measures in the House shows that priority bills are moving under the leadership of Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III.

Marcos pointed to the recent approval by the Committee on Appropriations of the proposed Presidential Merit Scholarship Program, as well as the parallel progress of the proposed National Land Use Act.

“These committee-level approvals show the House is doing the hard work early under the steady guidance of Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ G. Dy III – building consensus, refining policy and making sure the measures we bring to the floor are ready,” Marcos said, noting that the appropriations panel’s approval clears the measures for plenary deliberations.

Two LEDAC priority measures — the scholarship bill providing merit-based support for top senior high school graduates and the land use bill establishing a national framework for rational and sustainable land allocation — have both been cleared by their respective main committees and approved by the appropriations panel last week.

The scholarship measure, sponsored before the appropriations panel by Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude A. Acidre, chair of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, seeks to institutionalize the Presidential Merit Scholarship Program under the Commission on Higher Education. The bill aims to ensure that academically outstanding senior high school graduates receive support under a stable legal framework that does not depend on shifting priorities.

Meanwhile, the proposed National Land Use Act aims to streamline how the country plans and manages land resources. The measure provides a national framework and creates an oversight body to help resolve land use conflicts across agencies and levels of government. It also requires consultations from the regional level down to cities and municipalities.

Marcos said the House has maintained momentum on the broader LEDAC agenda, with eight priority bills now in advanced stages at the committee level.

“Our focus remains on bills that directly affect education, health, food security and social protection, because these are the areas where legislation turns into something families can actually feel,” Marcos said.

“Kaya we make sure that we expedite the approvals of these LEDAC measures kasi alam namin na tunay na ginhawa ang hatid ng mga panukalang ito para sa ating mga kababayan,” he added.

With two LEDAC measures already approved at the appropriations level, the panel is set to deliberate on the remaining six priority bills: the proposed modernization of the Bureau of Immigration; the creation of an Independent People’s Commission; amendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act; amendments to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act; amendments to the Magna Carta for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises; and a proposal to reset the elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The BARMM bill was included among four key measures endorsed during a recent LEDAC meeting under the Common Legislative Agenda, underscoring its significance in the administration’s reform program.

Also included in the Common Legislative Agenda are the proposed Expanded OSAEC and CSAEM Act of 2026, a bill seeking to curb fake news and digital disinformation, and Marcos’ proposal to abolish the travel tax.

Marcos noted that these developments build on earlier legislative gains, with 12 of the 52 LEDAC priority measures already approved on third and final reading.

He said the House remains focused on legislation that addresses pressing household concerns, particularly in education access, public health services, food affordability and social protection.