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Legarda’s Priority Bills Aimed at Advancing Inclusive, Sustainable, Resilient Dev’t

July 1, 2016

Consistent with her advocacies since her first term, Senator Loren Legarda’s priority bills for the 17th Congress are those that promote inclusive, sustainable and resilient development.

 

“My priority bills are those that espouse the advocacies that I have been known for—environmental preservation, climate change adaptation and mitigation, equitable use of our natural resources, energy efficiency, preservation of heritage and promotion of Filipino culture and arts,” said Legarda, who is on her third term as senator.

 

“I will also work on legislation on health and education, especially to capacitate those in our local communities, as well as measures that will empower micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for sustainable livelihood and make our communities socially-inclusive and responsive to the needs of different sectors of society, especially the poor and the vulnerable,” she added.

 

On June 30, 2016, Legarda filed her first 10 bills for the 17th Congress:

 

  1. Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act

This will institutionalize energy efficiency and conservation as a national way of life geared towards the efficient and judicious utilization of energy by developing and implementing energy efficiency and conservation plans and programs to secure sufficiency and stability of energy supply in the country to cushion the impact of high prices of imported fuels to local markets and protect the environment in support to the economic and social development goals of the country.

 

  1. Department of Culture

This will reorganize the existing National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) so that development of arts and culture will be among the priorities of government.

 

  1. Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act

This will strengthen conservation of protected areas in the country by giving local communities and other stakeholders the legal basis and incentive to participate in the management and protection of the areas.

 

  1. Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program Act

This will institutionalize the conditional cash transfer program, which aims to break chronic and intergenerational poverty through improvements in their education, health, nutrition, and poverty outcomes.

 

  1. National Land Use Act

It will mandate the formulation of a national policy, as well as the complementing policy of local government units, for land use to ensure proper land management and avoid placing urban areas, communities and agricultural areas in fault lines and known path of floods and typhoons.

 

  1. Final Forest Limits Act

This will demarcate and properly identify forestlands so that the national government can better plan the utilization of the natural resources of the country, and local government units would be better equipped and encouraged to initiate and implement development projects and programs with due regard to the preservation and protection of the integrity of the demarcated forestlands.

 

  1. Amendment to the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers

The bill provides for security of tenure and additional benefits to teaching and non-teaching personnel, payment of their salaries on a monthly basis regardless of semestral or summer vacations, annual salary increase or adjustment to mitigate the effects of inflation, among other measures that will protect their rights and promote their welfare.

 

  1. Department of Housing and Urban Development Act

This will take over the functions of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and the planning and regulatory functions of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB). It will cover all housing and urban development concerns, primarily focusing on the access to and affordability of housing and related basic services vital to human needs.

 

  1. Philippine Innovation Act

This will mandate government to adopt innovation as a vital component of the country’s development policies to drive inclusive development, and promote the growth and national competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises.

 

  1. Anti-Discrimination Act

This bill seeks to promote a society that values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender and sexual orientation. It prohibits and penalizes religious and racial profiling.

 

Legarda is set to file more bills and resolutions at the beginning week of the 17th Congress.