Malacañang said the change in Senate leadership should not hinder the passage of 21 priority bills identified under the previous leadership.
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro explained that a reorganization in the Senate does not mean the 21 priority bills previously agreed upon will be affected.
“Kung mayroon tayong priority bills na 21 at iyan ang huling napag-usapan sa LEDAC sa pamumuno pa ni Senate President Tito Sotto, wala naman dapat sigurong ipagbago,” Castro said in a Palace briefing on May 12.
“Dahil kung ito ay para sa taumbayan, hindi naman dahil sa nagbago ang liderato sa Senado ay babagalan nila ang trabaho. Hindi ito makakabuti sa taumbayan, sa Pangulo, at sa Kongreso,” she added.
During the last LEDAC meeting in February 2026, President Marcos approved 21 priority measures targeted for passage in June.
These include the Travel Tax Abolition; the Expanded Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act of 2026; the Anti-Fake News and Digital Disinformation Bill; and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Elections Bill.
Other measures are the Anti-Political Dynasty Law; the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act; the Independent People’s Commission Act; and the Party-List System Reform Act.
Additional proposals include amendments to the Bank Deposits Secrecy Law/Banking Reform for Integrity, Good Governance, Honesty, and Transparency (BRIGHT) Act; the Right to Information Act; amendments to the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act; the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act; the Masustansyang Pagkain Para Sa Batang Pilipino Act; the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) Act; the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act; and the creation of the National Center for Geriatric Health.
Also included are the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Bill/Waste Treatment Technology Act; amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Strengthening Bill; amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law/Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act; the establishment of the Department of Water Resources; and the Estate Tax Amnesty.
Castro said the next LEDAC meeting will be held on May 19.
On May 11, the Senate voted to remove Sotto as Senate President and elected Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as his replacement. (Betheena Unite)
