HOUSE bills that seek to protect the country’s future—its children and the natural environment they will inherit—have been elevated to priority status by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), as House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III welcomed the inclusion of measures seeking stronger child online safety and Sierra Madre conservation among the priority bills in the LEDAC Common Legislative Agenda (CLA).
The measures were among the additional priority bills approved during the fifth LEDAC meeting presided over by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., following proposals presented by the Speaker on behalf of the House of Representatives.
“These proposals are intended to complement existing priority legislation to respond to the evolving needs of our people and advancing the nation’s long-term development goals,” said Dy in his presentation to the LEDAC on Thursday.
Among the newly adopted priorities is House Bill No. 9965, or the Children’s Social Media Safety Act, principally authored by Dy, Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand “Dinand” Hernandez, and House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos.
The bill seeks to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework governing children’s access to social media through age verification, stronger parental controls, enhanced platform accountability, and digital safety standards.
“Today, our children are growing up in a digital world that exposes them to cyberbullying, online exploitation, harmful content, addictive platform design, and algorithm-driven manipulation,” lamented Dy at the LEDAC meeting.
“The law we propose seeks to establish clear safety standards, strengthen parental controls, improve platform accountability, and promote responsible digital citizenship while protecting the best interests of every Filipino child.”
Also included in the updated LEDAC agenda is the proposed Sierra Madre Conservation and Development Act.
The measure seeks to establish a unified governance framework for the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, adopt a 25-year development plan, strengthen science-based environmental management, and promote sustainable livelihoods for communities that depend on the country’s longest mountain range.
According to the Speaker from Isabela, “the Sierra Madre is not only a bastion of biodiversity but also a vital natural defense against typhoons, a cornerstone of water security, and an indispensable ally in combating climate change.”
“By adopting a unified governance approach and a long-term development strategy, we aim to safeguard this national treasure while fostering sustainable livelihoods for the communities that rely upon it.”
The two bills have been included in the CLA priority list for passage by June 2027, and are among the seven measures added to the CLA. The seven new measures added are as follows:
Promoting Growth, Revenue, and Equity towards Socio-Economic Sustainability (ProGRESS) Package
Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Act
Agricultural Cooperatives Development Act
Children’s Social Media Safety Act
Sierra Madre Conservation and Development Authority Act
Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act (RPVARA) Amendments
Amendments to the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA)
This brings to 60 the total number of LEDAC CLA bills. Of the 60, the House has already passed 27 measures on third reading.
