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Politics

We Need More Women in the Police and in the Military – ANGARA

Senator Sonny Angara has called on the government to intensify programs that promote the participation and equitable representation of women particularly in the policy-making processes in government as well as in the military and police force. Angara, during his days in the Lower House, was one of the authors of the Magna Carta of Women […]

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Politics

Doubling the Number of Days for Maternity Leave Will Provide Optimal Environment for Neonatal and Maternal Health – PIMENTEL

The Senate yesterday approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to grant an additional 60 days of maternity leave to expectant mothers. Senate Bill No. 1305, or the “Expanded Maternity Leave Law of 2017” was approved with 22 affirmative votes, zero negative vote, and zero abstention. The bill was authored and sponsored by […]

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Politics

Local Health-related Professions Need to be Developed Amid ASEAN Integration – PIMENTEL

With 20 affirmative votes, the Senate yesterday approved on third and final reading a bill which seeks to regulate and professionalize speech language pathology in the country. Senate Bill No. 462, or the Speech Language Pathology Act of 2016, was authored and sponsored by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, chair of the Senate Committee on Civil […]

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Government

Duterte Gives Green Light for Paris Agreement on Climate Change

President Rodrigo Duterte has finally signed the landmark Paris Agreement on Climate Change. This pact is the first-ever legally-binding global deal on climate change signed by almost all countries in the world. It was inked IN December 2015 by almost 200 nations who are parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Duterte […]

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Government

Government to Build Mindanao Railway System From Davao to Zamboanga

Major infrastructure projects in Mindanao have been few and far between. While there may have been some here and some there, nothing in the scale, extent and magnitude of a P130 billion project has ever been seen, heard or felt, at least in recent memory. This predicament will soon change with the proposed 2,000-kilometer Mindanao railway […]

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Politics

Protect Integrity, Dignity of the Senate as an Institution -GORDON

Senator Richard Gordon called for greater emphasis on protecting the dignity and integrity of institutions, such as the Senate, as it serves as the vanguard of democracy and a bastion of knowledge and information in which committees investigate issues in aid of legislation. This comes in light of retired SPO3 Arturo Lascanas’ retraction of his […]

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Politics

Senate Initiates Long-Overdue Review of Local Government Code to Further Strengthen LGUs -ANGARA

The Senate committee on local government, chaired by Senator Sonny Angara, has called for a consultative meeting last week among key stakeholders and experts to conduct a comprehensive review of the Local Government Code. “More than 26 years have passed since Congress enacted the Code. Its review is long-overdue. It is now imperative to institute […]

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Politics

Elderly, PWDs to Take Part in Local Absentee Voting – ALVAREZ

Aware of the difficulties senior citizens and persons with disabilities have to face during elections, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez wants to ease their woes by allowing them to vote under the local absentee voting system. Absentee voting is meant to increase participation by citizens who are in situations, which prevent them to vote, like government officials […]

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Politics

Manage Forests for Present and Future Filipinos – LEGARDA

Senator Loren Legarda said that sustainability of the country’s forests is ensuring that both present and future generations would benefit from our natural resources. Legarda, a staunch environmentalist and Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, said that the government should develop and adopt a sustainable forest management strategy based on rational allocation of […]

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Politics

Higher Pay for BIR Employees – ANGARA

Senator Sonny Angara has expressed his support for higher pay for employees and officials of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and has filed a bill exempting the country’s largest tax-collection agency from the coverage of the Salary Standardization Law (SSL). “Better pay would allow the agency to hire the best and reward the honest […]