PNoy Cabinet now discussing priority bills for LEDAC

President Benigno Aquino III is now discussing with his Cabinet the 23 chosen bills that will be presented to the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) next week and for Congress to stamp as priority measures. As of this posting, the Cabinet meeting is in full swing at the Palace. Included in the agenda were the Freedom of Information bill, Reproductive Health bill, sin taxes and the measures the President mentioned in his second State of the Nation Address last month. “We are tackling all of that this afternoon. We are discussing it in the full Cabinet meeting," Aquino told reporters Friday. Among the bills approved by Congress last session were the GOCC Governance, ARMM Synchronization, Lifeline Electricity Rates Extension, Joint Congressional Power Commission Extension, Children and Infants’ Mandatory Immunization, and Women Night Workers. The LEDAC will convene next Aug. 16. In another interview with reporters, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said the 23 bills up for discussions do not include other measures earlier tagged as priority by the administration. “Hindi na kasama ‘yun dahil nasabi nang priority ‘yun, so dadagdagan namin," he said. However, Ochoa said the number of priority measures that will actually go to Congress is less than 23. “I think we will be forced to cut it down pa, ‘yun ang discussion ngayon. So I cannot say which one, dahil depende sa discussion," he said. “Ang talagang consideration dyan is how Congress can really react to the number of bills kasi di ba merong [sariling list] ang Congress. So we have to reconcile and that will happen sa [August] 16," Ochoa said. — VS, GMA News