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Government

ILOILO GETS 5K MORE ‘YOLANDA’ HOUSES — NOGRALES

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles as Chairman of the IATF Yolanda, NHA and the LGU beneficiary distributed an additional 5,000 free housing units in Carles, Iloilo last Wednesday, March 17, 2021, as part of the Duterte administration’s commitment to fulfilling all its Yolanda housing commitments by 2022.The turnover was done virtually and was the 27th such […]

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Politics

POE TO STUDENTS: AVAIL OF LANDBANK’S GADGET LOAN

Senator Grace Poe urged students in need of electronic gadgets to avail of the loan program offered by the Landbank of the Philippines to have a better shot at online learning. “For many families, the leap to digital has become prohibitively expensive. We must enable them to obtain devices as an investment for their children’s […]

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Politics

WAIVE GOV’T FEES FOR COVID-HIT JOBSEEKERS – LAPID

Senator Lito Lapid has filed a bill which seeks to amend RA 11261 otherwise known as the “First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act” to extend the waiver of fees and charges to jobseekers who have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under Senate Bill 2090, all government agencies and instrumentalities, including Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations […]

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Politics

POLICE HEIGHT LIMIT BICAM REPORT GETS SENATE NOD

The Senate ratified the Bicameral Conference Committee Report on the proposed measure lowering the minimum height limits for applicants of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). The report, a reconciled version of Senate Bill No. 1563 authored and principally […]

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Politics

NO EXPIRY FOR PSA BIRTH CERTIFICATE – VILLANUEVA

Senator Joel Villanueva called on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to clear the air with all government agencies on the lifetime validity of birth certificates, and deal away with the unnecessary need of securing the document issued within the past six months. Villanueva said the concern weighed heavily on Filipinos, particularly jobseekers as it placed […]

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Politics

ISABELA FARMERS AVOID BANKRUPTCY WITH ‘SAGIP SAKA’

As Isabela rice farmers struggle with the twin effects of the Rice Tariffication Law and the COVID-19 pandemic, an Isabela-based cooperative avoided bankruptcy and even posted higher earnings due to the direct buying of rice by local government units (LGUs). In an online consultation with farmers in Isabela, Senator Kiko Pangilinan recognized the efforts of […]

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Politics

SENATE NAMES DAVAO CITY ‘CHOCOLATE CAPITAL’ OF PH

With a vote of 22 affirmative, 0 negative and 1 abstention, the Senate approved on third and final reading the bill declaring Davao City as the Chocolate Capital and Davao Region as the Cacao Capital of the Philippines. Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, and sponsor of Senate […]

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Politics

GATCHALIAN WANTS PROBE ON ‘SAGOT FOR SALE’ SCHEME

Senator Win Gatchalian called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to immediately investigate reports that some parents are hiring other people to answer their children’s self-learning modules under a “sagot for sale” scheme. Gatchalian also warned parents that by engaging in this practice, their children will bear the brunt since their learning and development will […]

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Politics

REVIEW PROTOCOLS ON OFW DEPLOYMENT – VILLANUEVA

Senator Joel Villanueva called for a thorough review of protocols on deployment of workers, citing data from the Department of Labor and Employment which showed that the most abused OFWs are household service workers, who are mostly, if not all are women. At the resumption of the public hearings into the proposed creation of the […]

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Politics

DON’T’ FORCE WORKERS TO GET VACCINES — VILLANUEVA

Senator Joel Villanueva warned against discriminating workers who opt out from vaccination programs implemented by their employers, saying instead of forcing workers to be inoculated, confidence building efforts should be carried out in the company, instead of threats of termination from employment. Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, reacted to reports on “no vaccination, […]