President Ferdinand B. Marcos Jr. appointed George T. Barcelon, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) as private sector representative to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).
The President signed Barcelon’s appointment papers on November 21 which was received on Tuesday. The PCCI President was LEDAC private sector representative during the time of former President Rodrigo Dutete.
Barcelon’s colleagues were quick to extend their felicitations for his well-deserved appointment describing him as “the best person who can represent the business community and who did well in the previous administration.” He is deserving of the re-appointment for continuity and in leading the private sector in economic development.
“I am extremely honored for the trust and confidence of the President. As PCCI head, I vow to commit to work proactively and harmoniously with the government to realize its vision in providing employment to Filipinos, eradicating poverty and achieving a resilient economy,” Barcelon said.
In July this year, the joint business community represented by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), the Philippine Exporter Confederation (Philexport), Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Foundation for Economic Freedom, Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines, Management Association of the Philippines, Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Confederation, Philippine Franchise Association, Philippine Retailers Association, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines, Inc., Women’s Business Council, Makati Business Club, Philippine Plastics Industry Association and Philippine Hotel Owners Association.
The Marcos administration will prioritize 30 out of 32 total bills approved by LEDAC as its Common Legislative Agenda (CLA), 20 of which were priority measures enumerated by President Marcos in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA). These include the Valuation Reform Bill, Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA), E-Governance Act, E-Government Act, Internet Transaction Act, Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery (GUIDE) bill, Medical Reserve Corps bill, National Disease Prevention Management Authority bill, Virology Institute of the Philippines bill, Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension bill, Department of Water Resources bill, National Land Use Act, Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps(ROTC) and National Service Training Program, Budget Modernization bill, National Government Rightsizing Program, National Defense Act, Enactment of an Enabling Law for the Natural Gas Industry, Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, Amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, and the Condonation of Unpaid Amortization and Interests of Loans of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries.
