House OKs 12 LEDAC bills

The House of Representatives passed several bills on third and final reading this week, including the 12 priority measures of President Marcos listed by the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), before going on Christmas break.

- By DELON PORCALLA and JOSE RODEL CLAPANO

Topping the LEDAC list was the measure that aims to institutionalize the controversial Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations.

AICS has been described by budget watchdogs as one of the soft pork barrel aid programs designed into the 2026 national budget, for use at the discretion of lawmakers and other politicians.

Budget watchdogs want ayuda programs to be depoliticized, like the conditional cash transfer Pantawid Pam-ilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Lawmakers voted 270-8 with two abstentions during plenary deliberations stamping their approval to House Bill 6636, an act institutionalizing AICS under the DSWD.

HB 6636 sets clear criteria for eligibility, streamlines coordination between agencies and local government units (LGUs), and establishes safeguards such as grievance mechanisms and centralized databases to prevent duplication or abuse.

LEDAC-certified measures also include the National Reintegration Bill, which seeks to make it easier for overseas Filipino workers to return to the country economically and socially, and the National Center for Geriatric Health bill, which seeks better medical care for the elderly.