Palace defers meeting with legislators

The Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting scheduled on Tuesday — the second under the Aquino administration — has been reset to another date, Malacañang said on Monday. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the decision was in response to the request of House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte. “I just got word from the Office of the Executive Secretary that the July 12 meeting has been deferred, upon the request of Speaker Belmonte," Valte said. She said she does not know the reason behind Belmonte’s request. Valte said the LEDAC meeting may be held later July, or after President Benigno Aquino III’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25. “They are working to find a schedule na July pa din," she said. Valte said the agenda would still be an update on the common legislative agenda and the presentation of the Philippine Development Plan. Meanwhile, the controversial Responsible Parenthood/Reproductive Health bill and tax reforms may be included on the list of legislation the executive branch wants prioritized, according to presidential adviser for political affairs Ronald Llamas. “Malamang, pinag-aaralang maigi iyung RH bill… kung isasama as priority bill sa LEDAC, pero the President will decide in his own time sa gagawing LEDAC after the SONA," Llamas said in an interview after the inauguration of the Nokia Siemens Network Labs facility at the University of the Philippines (UP)-Ayala Land Technohub in Quezon City on Monday. “Pinag-uusapan [din] iyung possibility ng tax reform, pero then again ayokong pangunahan iyung Presidente dun sa ilalagay niya sa LEDAC," he added, although stressing that tax reform bills do not necessarily mean new taxes. He said the measures aim to increase collections, make collection more efficient, and put in place some safety nets for the vulnerable sectors. — KBK, GMA News