Palace wants RH, whistle-blower’s bills prioritized

MANILA, Philippines – The bills that will promote reproductive health and the protection of whistle-blowers are among 17 measures the Aquino administration wants prioritized, an official said yesterday.

“The priority legislative measures we have crafted are consistent with the President’s social contract with the Filipino people. We want to ensure that this administration succeeds in addressing this with the help of Congress,” Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said.

He said the 17 bills that President Aquino will present to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) ”are in the final stages of preparation. We are not just submitting a list of measures, but the bills themselves, which have been studied by the lead agencies involved.”

He said the bills in the shortlist, finalized last week, was selected from 180 bills.

Aquino had mentioned in his first State of the Nation Address in July 2010 that among the bills to be prioritized are the Freedom of Information bill, whistle-blowers bill, and the fiscal responsibility bill.

The shortlist to be transmitted to LEDAC does not include bills on new taxes and Charter change.

The list instead includes bills on human development, infrastructure development, economic development, sovereignty and security, and good governance.

Ochoa said the objectives of the priority bills are the following: address poverty and promote a healthy, educated, and empowered citizenry; promote productivity, generate employment and promote food sufficiency; encourage more public-private partnerships and promote a competitive policy environment; protect our sovereignty, ensure security and promote the rule of law; strengthen the capacity of the bureaucracy to govern.

Aquino will convene the LEDAC this February. “Crafting of the proposed measures took time, to accommodate inputs and studies made following consultations between the lead agencies and stakeholders,” Ochoa said.

He said “there were also proposals that were dropped from the list pending further study, while some could be implemented with existing government policies and programs.”

The Presidential Legislative Liaison Office and concerned government agencies will again review the list and consider the recommendation of Budget Secretary Florencio Abad on the bills’ impact on the national budget. –Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star)