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Politics

MORE FUNDS FOR PGH, EAMC IN 2021 BUDGET – ANGARA

To ensure that indigent patients would be able to avail of free medical services for the entire year, the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) was provided with an additional P1.54 billion in its budget under the P4.5 trillion General Appropriations Act for 2021, Senator Sonny Angara said. As chair of the Committee on Finance, Angara pushed […]

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Politics

GOV’T FEEDING PROGRAM GETS FRESH FUNDING – POE

Senator Grace Poe said poor children will continue to be served with free, nutritious meals under the government’s feeding programs with fresh funding from the 2021 budget. “As we all await the COVID-19 vaccine, let’s continue to give our children doses of healthy food as their safety net against the virus and other illnesses,” Poe […]

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Government

CARAGA FORMS BALIK PROBINSYA COMMITTEE – NOGRALES

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles led the gathering last Friday of the Caraga Special Committee on the “Balik Probinsiya, Bagong Pag-asa” program together with members of the Regional Development Council, stressing that “now is the time to realize the full potential of our provinces as economic centers and alternatives to established urban economic hubs.”Nograles chairs the […]

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Politics

GATCHALIAN: ENSURE HEALTHY BABIES, MOMS AMID COVID

While the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) expects the uptick of lockdown babies to peak in the first half of 2021, Senator Win Gatchalian reiterated the urgency of providing health and nutrition interventions for vulnerable infants and mothers, especially those in far-flung and poverty-stricken areas. Gatchalian explained that these interventions and programs are provided […]

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Politics

BUILD LNG SECTOR TO REPLACE MALAMPAYA – GATCHALIAN

Senator Win Gatchalian has set in motion the Senate deliberations on a measure that will further develop the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, providing for a replacement of the Malampaya deepwater gas-to-power project even before its supply runs out and avert possible rotational brownouts beginning 2022. Gatchalian said that Senate Bill No. 1819 was introduced […]

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Politics

DEFER SSS CONTRIBUTION HIKE – VILLANUEVA

Senator Joel Villanueva filed a bill seeking to defer the implementation of the Social Security System (SSS) one-percent hike on the members’ monthly contribution in January, citing the economic hardships already faced by both workers and employers because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee said he filed the bill recently […]

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Politics

GORDON TO HTAC: ALLOW SALIVA TEST FOR COVID-19

Senator Dick Gordon, chair and CEO of the Philippine Red Cross, eyes reducing the cost of COVID-19 testing using an alternative system – the saliva test, which is faster and 99.9% reliable. Gordon said they are hoping that the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) would soon make a recommendation to the Department of Health in […]

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Politics

AVERT LOOMING LEARNING LOSSES – GATCHALIAN

While the dry-runs on limited face-to-face classes in low-risk areas would have addressed some challenges that hound distance learning, Senator Win Gatchalian said the government’s rescinding of its green light is a precautionary measure against a new variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that is now spreading across the world. The Chairman of the Senate […]

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Politics

GO: DOFIL WILL STRENGTHEN OFW PROTECTION

Expressing his gratitude over the successful repatriation of Malik Darimbang, an overseas Filipino worker who was stuck in Saudi Arabia for six years due to a legal battle, Senator Bong Go met with Darimbang and renewed his push for the passage of his priority bill creating the Department of Overseas Filipinos (DOFil). “Masaya ako na […]

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Politics

PROBE MOTHER, SON MURDERS IN TARLAC – VILLANUEVA

The senseless killing of a woman and her son by a police officer highlights the prevailing culture of impunity among law enforcement agencies that should never be allowed to persist, senators said. Senator Joel Villanueva announced he and several lawmakers have sought a public inquiry into the spate of unresolved, unlawful killings of citizens, including […]