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Politics

LOWER COST OF ELECTRICITY, IMPROVE QUALITY OF EDUCATION – GATCHALIAN

The priority bills filed by Senator Win Gatchalian for the 18th Congress reflect his legislative agenda: lower the cost of electricity in the country and improve the quality of education. “We wanted to have a well-rounded legislative agenda in this Congress that focuses on our advocacies: increase the spending power of our consumers by lowering […]

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Politics

SENATE TO PROBE PHILHEALTH SCAMS – ANGARA

Funds allocated for Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act must be checked to make sure that these are being spent properly before its full implementation, said Senator Sonny Angara, who also noted with dismay the various scams hounding the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). As one of the authors of the […]

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Politics

ANGARA TO HONASAN: FAST-TRACK FREE INTERNET IN SUCs

Senator Sonny Angara is urging newly-appointed Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Gringo Honasan to fast-track the setting up of free internet access in the country’s state universities and colleges (SUC), a program which has been plagued by delays. Out of the country’s 112 SUCs, only 17 have been installed free Wi-Fi hotspots […]

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Politics

HEARING ON IRR OF MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY ACT POSSIBLE – GATCHALIAN

Senator Win Gatchalian said oversight over the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11202 or the Mobile Number Portability Act (MNPA) can be conducted to ensure the IRR conforms with the spirit of the law. “The NTC Memorandum Circular provides for too many grounds for an application for mobile number porting to […]

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Politics

SENATORS CAN FILE BILLS, RESOLUTIONS EVEN BEFORE JULY 22 SESSION – SENATE SECRETARY

While Congress will not bang the gavel until it convenes on July 22, the filing of pet bills for the First Regular Session of the 18th Congress has started Monday, July 1. In the past, staff members of senators start to line up on the eve of the first day of filing of bills and […]

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Politics

NTC DRAFTS CONSUMER-FRIENDLY IRR – GATCHALIAN

Senator Win Gatchalian lauded the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for drafting a “consumer-friendly” implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the Mobile Number Portability Act (MNPA). Gatchalian particularly noted that the IRR of the new law, which allows mobile phone users to retain their numbers for life even when they switch service providers, has specified the […]

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DOLE IMPOSES P950K PENALTIES ON COMPANIES FOR WORK SAFETY VIOLATIONS – VILLANUEVA

Some P950,000 in penalties were slapped by the labor department on erring companies in the first five months of the year for failing to meet the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS) law, according to Senator Joel Villanueva. Citing data from the Bureau of Working Conditions, some 22,774 establishments nationwide were inspected […]

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Politics

TRANSFORM PHILHEALTH INTO A PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE CORPORATION – ANGARA

Senator Sonny Angara has called on government to make sure that all those involved in the “ghost” dialysis scandal hounding the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) will not go unpunished. “We need some punitive measures–we need to punish those who are guilty–as well as preventive measures para hindi na maulit,” Angara said. “We need some […]

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Politics

RIZAL IS ONE OF THE FIRST OFWs – LEGARDA

On the commemoration of the 158th birth anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal, Senator Loren Legarda honored the Philippine national hero, who she said was one of the first overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and a cultural advocate. Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, together with Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Philippine Ambassador […]

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EMULATE RIZAL’S EXEMPLARY TRAITS – VILLAR

Senator Cynthia Villar is urging local government leaders to emulate the exemplary traits of Dr. Jose Rizal, who she said is an inspiration for all Filipinos especially among the youth. “Mapalad kayo dahil hindi na ninyo kailangan lumayo pa mula dito sa Calamba para humanap ng ehemplo na pwede ninyo tularan –walang iba kung hindi […]