LEGAL BASIS, HISTORY, AND INSTITUTIONAL SET-UP
C. AQUINO ADMINISTRATION (1986-1992)
The Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) was created under the Office of the President during the term of President Corazon C. Aquino by virtue of Memorandum Order No. 128 dated 11 November 1987 with the following functions:
- Promote Presidential initiatives and act as a conduit between the Office of the President and the individual members of Congress, non-governmental organizations, and other cooperative interest groups supportive of the President;
- Act as Presidential link to other interested groups supportive of the President in order to build support behind the President’s programs;
- Manage the President’s day-to-day relations with the Senators and Representatives;
- Act as Presidential adviser on legislative affairs;
- Monitor to the President the progress of Administration bills; and
- Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the President.
Memorandum No. 128 was amended later on through Memorandum Order No. 142 dated 17 December 1987 in order to accurately state therein the effectivity date of the formal establishment of the PLLO which should be on 01 July 1987.
Relatedly, on 27 April 1988, Cabinet Secretary Jose P. De Jesus issued Cabinet Resolution No. 16, recognizing the need for harmonious relationships among the three branches of government for the smooth implementation of government priorities. The Resolution provided that a full-time department legislative liaison officer shall be appointed, upon determination of the need by the department secretary concerned, to attend to the needs of the Members of Congress. Said legislative liaison officer shall be someone who should have sufficient authority within the department and has direct access to the Secretary. He may have the rank of Assistant Secretary or as the Secretary may decide.
On 05 November 1991, then Executive Secretary Franklin M. Drilon issued Memorandum Order No. 405 entitled: Delineating the Functions and Responsibilities of the Assistant Executive Secretary for Legislation. The said issuance clearly delineated the functions of the Assistant Executive Secretary for Legislation including those functions vis-à-vis the PLLO, to wit:
- Review and submit its recommendations on any proposed bill submitted by any Department, office or agency to the Office of the President for certification as to the necessity of its immediate enactment pursuant to subsection (2), Section 26, Article VI of the Constitution;
- Review and submit its recommendations on any proposed bill submitted or referred to the Office of the President for endorsement or transmittal to Congress as an administration bill;
- Keep a registry of all bills certified or transmitted in accordance with the two (2) preceding provisions;
- Review and submit its recommendations on any bill passed by Congress forwarded to the President for approval; Provided, That, in this case, the Office of the Assistant Executive Secretary shall submit to the Executive Secretary its recommendations at least ten (10) days before the bill shall lapse into law;
- Draft the veto message of the President for transmittal to the House where the bill or the provisions of the bill vetoed originated;
- Keep a registry of and prepare briefs on all bills passed by Congress and signed into law by the President;
- Keep a registry of all vetoed bills and of laws with vetoed provisions/items;
- Compile all laws and incorporate therein all latest amendments or revisions;
- Prepare the statement on the position of the Executive Branch on any pending bill whenever assigned to do so;
- Coordinate closely with the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office in ensuring that certifications, transmittals, position statements and recommendations from the Office of the President reach Congress and the individual members thereof;
- Inform the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office of all –
(1) Bills certified for immediate enactment pending with Congress;
(2) Administration bills pending with Congress;
(3) Vetoed bills and laws with vetoed provisions/items; and
(4) Bills signed into laws by the President; and - Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the President, the Executive Secretary or the Deputy Executive Secretaries
RAMOS ADMINISTRATION (1992-1998)
Under the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos, several pronouncements were issued that further strengthened the existence of PLLO and propelled a departure from the traditional mould of a government entity.
In particular, during the first plenary conference of the President with the newly elected Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, attended by Members of the Cabinet held at Malacañang, Manila on 22 July 1992, the President formally announced that: The PLLO is the agency under the Office of the President that will liaise with Congress on all matters impinging on executive-legislative relations.
Subsequently, at the regular Cabinet Meeting on 28 July 1992, the President gave one of the most significant statements that guided the PLLO: The PLLO is the agency under the Office of the President tasked to officially orchestrate the formulation and shepherding of the Executive-Legislative Agenda and all other concerns of the Executive Department having to do with the Legislature.
The above statement was made official in an accompanying Memorandum Order No. 24 dated 4 August 1992 signed by Acting Executive Secretary Peter D. Garrucho, Jr. that effectively affirmed the stewardship role of the PLLO over the Legislative Liaison System (LLS). The Memorandum Order specifically required all Department Secretaries to designate their respective Department Legislative Liaison Officer (DLLO) to the Congress, who shall have at least the rank of Assistant Secretary considering that there is an imperative need to closely monitor the progress of administration/certified bills to ensure their passage.
PLLO’s stewardship role was again manifested when Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Antonio T. Carpio issued Memorandum Circular No. 25 dated 6 January 1993, Directing All Heads of Departments and Agencies Which Form Part of the Legislative Liaison System to Extend Full Support to the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office in the Conduct of its Workshop to Highlight the Legislative Thrusts of the Administration for 1993.
No less than President Ramos himself reaffirmed PLLO’s stewardship role when he signed Memorandum Circular No. 129 dated 1 August 1995, Directing All Heads of Departments and Other Concerned Agencies, Government Instrumentalities or Government-Owned-and Controlled-Corporations, to Designate their Respective Legislative Liaison Officers and Technical Assistants who shall be Required to Attend the Legislative Liaison System (LLS) Strategic Workshop-Seminar being Organized by the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO).
In addition, recognizing the PLLO’s role in the policy reform process, the Head of the PLLO was appointed as member of various policy-making bodies such as the World Trade Organization (WTO)/ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) Advisory Commission under the Office of the President by virtue of Executive Order No. 193 dated 2 August 1994; and the Social Reform Agenda (SRA) Council through Executive Order No. 228 of President Ramos dated 6 March 1995 in order to ensure immediate and continuing action on the legislative agenda of the SRA. Further, the PLLO was tapped to handle advocacy work for legislative requirements of the Multi-Sectoral Task Force on Maritime Development via Executive Order No. 428 dated 17 July 1997, and the Economic Monitoring and Mobilization Task Force under Administrative Order No. 376 created in January 1998.
Finally, the PLLO was given a crucial task of providing technical support to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), a consultative and advisory body to the President on developmental issues, upon its creation by virtue of Republic Act No. 7640 on 9 December 1992. Particularly, the PLLO services were engaged in the formulation and shepherding of the LEDAC Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) or the shared legislative priorities of the two branches of government.
ESTRADA ADMINISTRATION (1998-2001)
During the administration of President Joseph E. Estrada, among his first official acts was the issuance of Memorandum Order No. 3 dated 3 July 1998, merging the Legislative Office and the PLLO and placed the new office under the administrative and operational jurisdiction of the PLLO, headed by the Presidential Adviser on Legislative Affairs, with the rank of Secretary and assisted by two (2) Deputies, one for each Chamber of Congress, with the rank of Undersecretary. The Order was issued in order to effect simplicity, greater efficiency, effective delivery of public services and a more rational utilization of manpower and material resources and considering that the two offices have been performing substantially similar, complementary and functionally related duties and responsibilities.
However, on 22 December 2000, Executive Secretary Ronald B. Zamora issued Memorandum Order No. 130 whereby the Legislative Office was reverted as part of the Common Staff Support System in the Office of the President Proper and which henceforth shall have the functions and responsibilities provided for under Memorandum Order No. 405 dated November 5, 1991.
Given the complementary functions of the PLLO and the Legislative Office, Section 4 of said Memorandum Order No. 130 provides that, The Legislative Office and the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office shall closely coordinate with each other to provide the President and/or the Executive Secretary with maximum staff support concerning legislative matters.
ARROYO ADMINISTRATION (2001-2010)
The above functional and structural relationship was sustained under the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The growing reliance on the PLLO and recognition of its strategic significance within the whole bureaucracy was further affirmed by President Arroyo in two separate meetings of the Cabinet. On 13 March 2001, the President designated the PLLO as the Cabinet liaison to represent individual executive offices in the Commission on Elections on matters relating to the 14 May 2001 elections. On 02 July 2001, the President designated the PLLO as overall in-charge of the substantive and administrative preparations for the State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Relatedly, the Legislative Secretariat in the Office of the President was abolished by virtue of Executive Order 344 dated 9 August 2004 entitled: Creating the Office of the Political Adviser in the Office of the President, Defining its Mandate and Responsibilities, and Creating the Office of Political Coalition Affairs and the Office for Constituency Affairs. The Legislative Secretariat’s functions, duties, and responsibilities were transferred to the PLLO. Moreover, the PLLO, together with the newly created agencies – the Office of Political Coalition Affairs, and the Office for Constituency Affairs were placed under the oversight of the newly created Office of the Political Adviser. Since then, the Presidential Political Adviser along with the Head of PLLO had attended and participated in regular Cabinet meetings and Inter-Agency Task Forces and Cabinet Clusters.
On 09 March 2010, President Arroyo, through Executive Order No. 866, placed the PLLO under the supervision of the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Special Concerns.
B. AQUINO ADMINISTRATION (2010-2016)
During the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III, a major reorganization of the cabinet cluster system was implemented through Executive Order No. 43 dated 13 May 2011 entitled: Pursuing our Social Contract with the Filipino People through the Reorganization of the Cabinet Clusters. The Head of the PLLO was named as Member of the cluster on Good Governance and Anti-Corruption which was mandated to promote transparency, accountability, participatory governance and strengthening of public institutions. This cluster, together with the other four cabinet clusters created under the said Executive Order, namely: Human Development and Poverty Reduction; Economic Development; Security, Justice and Peace; and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, shall serve as the primary mechanism of the Executive Branch for directing all efforts towards the realization of the Social Contract with the Filipino People and its five (5) key result areas.
On 13 September 2011, Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa, Jr. issued a Memorandum entitled: Strengthening the Legislative Liaison System. All departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the government were mandated therein to closely coordinate with the PLLO as the lead agency handling the advocacy efforts in Congress of the Executive Branch. This is in line with the instructions of the President to ensure early passage of the proposed National Budget for FY 2012, as well as to proactively shepherd legislative measures integral to the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) and the President’s priority legislative agenda.
The Memorandum further enjoined all heads of agencies to organize and strengthen their respective legislative liaison offices whereby qualified personnel shall be designated to constitute a liaison team to be headed by a responsible official of rank not lower than that of Bureau Director, preferably an Assistant Secretary.
This formal issuance was a result of the President’s engagement with members of the LLS during the PLLO-initiated Learning Workshop on the Legislative Process, Lobbying and Human Rights-Based Approach to Legislation and Policy Development held in Clark, Pampanga on 10 August 2011 where he spearheaded the send-off ceremony in Malacañang.
DUTERTE ADMINISTRATION (2016-2022)
Under the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea issued a Memorandum dated 12 September 2016 entitled Strengthening the Legislative Liaison System. The Memorandum instructed all Members of the Cabinet, Heads of Agencies, GOCCs, GFIs and other instrumentalities of government to strengthen their respective liaison units and designate a legislative liaison officer with rank not lower than Assistant Secretary.
Executive Order No. 43 (s. 2011) of President Aquino was superseded by Executive Order No. 24 dated 16 May 2017 entitled: Reorganizing the Cabinet Cluster System by Integrating Good Governance and Anti-Corruption in the Policy Frameworks of All the Clusters and Creating the Infrastructure Cluster and Participatory Governance Cluster. The Presidential Adviser on Legislative Affairs who is concurrently the Head of the PLLO was appointed as Member of the Participatory Governance Cluster. The said Order provides: The Participatory Governance Cluster shall exert all efforts to enhance citizen participation in governmental processes. In particular, the following goals shall be pursued:
- Formulate mechanisms to enable the public to properly understand, rationalize and implement national government programs and projects based on area specific realities;
- Strengthen consultation mechanisms to ensure effective implementation of national programs and projects in the local government and grassroots level; and
- Propose policies, programs and projects that would foster participatory governance and build the capacities of local government units for such purpose.
Moreover, Section 8 of E.O. No. 24 provides that: The Cabinet Clusters may invite or enjoin the participation of other heads of departments and agencies, provided that the Secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, the National Security Adviser and the Presidential Adviser on Legislative Affairs shall participate in all of meetings of the Participatory Governance, Infrastructure, Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction and Economic Development Clusters.
During the Duterte administration, the PLLO has also taken a proactive stance in promoting the move to amend the Constitution and the shift to Federalism. In a communication dated 4 April 2018, Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea designated the late Secretary Adelino B. Sitoy as observer in the proceedings of the Consultative Commission (ConComm) to review the 1987 Constitution. Under Memorandum Circular No. 52 dated 31 October 2018, Executive Secretary Medialdea designated the Head of the PLLO as Member of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Federalism and Constitutional Reform. Subsequently, Secretary Sitoy submitted his written comments and observations to the Office of the Executive Secretary. Likewise, the PLLO conducted several symposia on Federalism all over the country, engaging various stakeholders since 2017.
MARCOS ADMINISTRATION (2022 – PRESENT)
Under the current administration, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., through Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin issued Executive Order No. 11 dated 29 December 2022 entitled: Further Streamlining the Administrative Structure of the Office of the President, placing the PLLO under the control and supervision of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP).
To date, the PLLO continues to take the helm in managing the network of legislative liaison officers from various departments and agencies under the Legislative Liaison System as well as in engaging Congress and other stakeholders to a dynamic collaboration towards achieving significant policy reform initiatives of the Administration.
The PLLO also serves as a member of the LEDAC-Technical Working Group and provides technical assistance to the Council’s Executive Committee relative to the shepherding and monitoring of the LEDAC CLA.