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Politics

GIVE COVID-HIT FARMERS, FISHERS CASH AID – DE LIMA

Senator Leila de Lima has filed a measure seeking to provide direct cash assistance to small-scale farmers and municipal fisherfolk whose livelihoods have been most severely impacted by the prolonged lockdowns and the economic recession brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. De Lima, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development filed […]

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Politics

BICAM APPROVES LIFELINE RATE EXTENSION UNTIL 2051

The Lifeline Rate Extension Bill which seeks to extend the implementation of lifeline rate subsidy for another 30 years gets a nod from the Bicam Conference Committee held on Tuesday, March 16. As principal authors of HB 8145, Power Bloc Representatives Presley De Jesus of PHILRECA Party-List and Assistant Minority Leader Sergio Dagooc of APEC […]

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Politics

SURVEILLANCE TESTS KEEP JOBS ALIVE – VILLANUEVA

Senator Joel Villanueva stressed the crucial role that surveillance testing plays in keeping millions of jobs alive amid another surge in cases of COVID-19. Villanueva said regular random testing in workplaces could detect sources of coronavirus and stem its transmission and risks of workers bringing the virus home. The chair of the Senate labor committee […]

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Politics

KOUAME IS AN ASSET TO PH BASKETBALL – ANGARA

Senator Sonny Angara sees the addition of Ange Kouame to the Gilas Pilipinas national basketball team as a boost to the Philippines’ chances in qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. Angara, the chairman of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), is the principal author of Senate Bill 1892 granting Philippine citizenship to Kouame through naturalization, which […]

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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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LEGAZPI CITY MAYOR ROSAL GETS COVID-19 VACCINE

To boost public confidence on the vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal led vaccinees in getting jabs during the city’s recent vaccine rollout at the Legazpi City Convention Center. “Kaya tayo nagpa-vaccine para sumunod na mga tao at kailangan na for the safety of the city in opening the economy […]

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Politics

FIGHT AGRI SMUGGLING WITH STRONGER CUSTOMS LAW

A partylist lawmaker pushed for the passage of a measure seeking to amend the Customs Modernization and Tariffication Act (CMTA) to help avert agricultural smuggling and improve trade facilitation.  AAMBIS-OWA Partylist Representative Sharon Garin said amendments to the CMTA are necessary to further improve the country’s international standing, wherein its institutional arrangement and cooperation rating […]

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Politics

SENATE RATIFIES LABOR EDUCATION BILL – VILLANUEVA

The Senate ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the labor education bill, a measure that seeks to improve education and awareness on labor laws, according to Senator Joel Villanueva. Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, described the development as a “golden opportunity” for both employers and workers to achieve harmony in the workplace […]

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Politics

PH CITIZENSHIPS FOR MARAÑON, KOUAME GET SENATE OK

Senators gave their thumbs up allowing basketball player Kakou Ange Franck Williams Kouame from the Ivory Coast, and football player Bienvenido Morejon Marañon from Spain to represent the Philippines in international matches. In a unanimous vote of all 23 senators present, the Senate approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 8631 under Committee […]

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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 […]