The 19th Congress, in unprecedented collaboration with the Marcos Administration, has successfully passed 40 priority bills under the Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). This remarkable achievement marks the highest number of priority measures passed since the 10th Congress during the Ramos Administration, signaling a new era of legislative productivity and inter-branch synergy.
Before adjourning sine die on June 11, 2025, the Senate and House of Representatives ratified the reconciled versions of seven crucial priority bills under the CLA. These include the Government Optimization Act; Liberalizing the Lease of Private Lands by Foreign Investors; E-Governance Act; Konektadong Pinoy Act; Virology Institute of the Philippines; Accelerated and Reformed Right-of-Way (ARROW) Act; and the Enhanced Fiscal Regime for Large-Scale Metallic Mining Act. Once signed into law by the President, these seven will bring the total number of enacted CLA measures to 40.
The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) emphasized that this significant legislative output is a direct result of strengthened cooperation between the executive and legislative branches throughout the 19th Congress.
“This achievement would not have been possible without the heightened synergy between the Senate and the House of Representatives,” stated Economy, Planning, and Development Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan. “We extend our sincere gratitude to Senate Presidents Francis Escudero and Juan Miguel Zubiri, and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, for their unwavering commitment to advancing our country’s legislative agenda for a brighter future for all Filipinos.”
Among the 33 measures already enacted are landmark economic and tax reforms, including the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Code of the Philippines, the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act, the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act, the Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Act, the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, and the Tatak Pinoy Act.
Furthermore, critical social development measures, particularly in education such as the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program Act and the Enterprise-Based Education and Training Framework Act, along with initiatives to boost agricultural productivity like the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, and the Amendments to the Agricultural Tariffication Act, have also been signed into law.
Looking ahead, Secretary Balisacan, who also serves as the country’s chief economist and head of the LEDAC Secretariat, expressed optimism. “As we look ahead to the 20th Congress, we are hopeful for continued momentum in advancing our legislative agenda. In particular, DEPDev fully supports the passage of the Department of Water Resources Bill and the proposed National Land Use Act, as part of our thrust to complete the groundwork for more efficient governance and sustainable development in the years ahead.”
Since 1992, DEPDev (formerly the National Economic and Development Authority or NEDA) has served as the principal secretariat to the LEDAC, which acts as the President’s consultative and advisory body on programs and policies crucial to realizing national economic goals.
