Velasco: Convene LEDAC immediately to work on Duterte’s SONA requests

Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco wants the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) to convene as soon as possible to work on the requests of President Rodrigo Duterte made during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Velasco said the executive and legislative branches should arrive at a common legislative agenda for the 18th Congress at the earliest possible time.

"There must be an agreement among the Executive, the Senate, and the House of Representatives on which bills in the common legislative agenda will be prioritized so these can be enacted into laws at the soonest possible time," he said.

Composed of members of the executive and legislative branches, the LEDAC serves as an advisory body to the President on the projects and programs that the government may undertake.

Velasco said he has already filed the measures supporting the requests of the President during his SONA, including the postponement of the barangay elections from May 2020 to October 2022, institutionalizing the Reserve Officers Training Corps, and rightsizing the bureaucracy.

"As an advocate of renewable energy and energy efficiency, I am one with the President in urging the Department of Energy to fast track projects involving renewable energy sources," he added.

Velasco, who was a contender for the speakership at the House, is aiming to retain his chairmanship post in the Committee on Energy.

He is expected to take over the Speaker post in 15 months after the term of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano. — Erwin Colcol/RSJ, GMA News