House to pass LEDAC bills on salt industry development, immigration modernization
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) — The House of Representatives is set to pass two priority bills within the week, Speaker Martin Romualdez said Sunday.
Scheduled for final reading are the proposed Philippine Salt Industry Development Act and the Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act, deemed as priority measures by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).
“We are doing our part in supporting the President’s socio-economic development agenda by passing these urgent proposed pieces of legislation that would sustain our economic growth and create more job and income opportunities for our people,” Romualdez said in a statement.
Once the bills are approved, the House would have passed 33 out of the 42 bills on the LEDAC's list.
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According to Romualdez, the Philippine Salt Industry Development Act seeks to revitalize the country's struggling salt industry. The Philippines relies heavily on importation to provide salt for consumers.
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The bill aims to create the Philippine Salt Industry Development Council and formulate the Philippine salt industry roadmap, with the Department of Agriculture, through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, as the lead agency.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act seeks to update the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.
“The bill aims to modernize and streamline our immigration system to encourage international tourism and foreign investments that would boost the economy,” Speaker Romualdez said in his statement.
The proposed measure seeks to update the country’s immigration laws to cover recent challenges in immigration, migration and cross-border crimes, including smuggling, illegal recruitment and human trafficking. It also seeks to raise the salary grades of immigration personnel, he added.
