TWO measures in the House of Representatives that seek to strengthen online safety for children and protect the Sierra Madre Mountain Range have been included in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council’s (Ledac) priority agenda, Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III said Monday.
The Children’s Social Media Safety Act and the proposed Sierra Madre Conservation and Development Act were among seven additional measures approved for inclusion in the Ledac Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) during its fifth meeting presided over by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The child online safety bill, or House Bill 9965, principally authored by Dy, Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand “Dinand” Hernandez and House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, aims to regulate children’s access to social media through age verification, stronger parental controls, 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,” Dy said during the Ledac meeting.
The proposed Sierra Madre Conservation and Development Act, meanwhile, seeks to establish a unified governance framework for the mountain range, adopt a 25-year development plan, strengthen science-based environmental management and promote sustainable livelihoods for communities dependent on the area.
“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,” said Dy, who represents Isabela.
Both measures are targeted for passage by June 2027.
The newly added measures bring the total of Ledac CLA priorities to 60, of which 27 have been approved by the House on third and final reading.
