IKOT.PH
Senator Chiz Escudero wants the government to tap the unexpected windfall from value-added tax (VAT) collections on petroleum products for direct financial assistance to sectors affected by the rising fuel costs since the Middle East war erupted last February. According to Escudero, the surge in VAT revenues should not be treated as additional income, but […]
Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson urged the government to go beyond traditional “ayuda” and explore more targeted measures to support Filipinos affected by the fuel crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East – including a possible fuel subsidy. Lacson said the government may study approaches used by neighboring economies such as Taiwan, […]
As the prolonged conflict in the Middle East continues to strain agriculture and fishery inputs, Senator Kiko Pangilinan stressed that the ₱10-billion Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk supports only 4.18 million of the country’s 10.76 million food producers registered under the Department of Agriculture’s Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (DA-RSBSA), leaving about […]
Senator Bong Go emphasized the importance of making financial assistance more accessible following the approval on third and final reading of Senate Bill No. 155, a measure seeking to simplify documentary requirements for Filipinos applying for government financial assistance. SBN 155 aims to remove unnecessary hurdles that often prevent poor and vulnerable Filipinos from immediately […]
Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano expressed support for simplifying access to government assistance but said this should be matched with long-term programs that allow small businesses and families to become self-sufficient. Cayetano made this manifestation on Senate Bill No. 155, or the Simplified Government Aid Access Act, which seeks to streamline the distribution of […]
The Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development, chaired by Senator Erwin Tulfo, has expressed its commitment to institutionalizing accessible government aid distribution without political interference. Tulfo made the statement during a recent panel hearing on his bill to institutionalize the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) Program of the Department of […]
Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson welcomed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s veto of non-essential funds under the unprogrammed appropriations – as well as the prohibition of political involvement in the distribution of “ayuda” – in the newly signed Republic Act 12314, the national budget for 2026. Lacson noted two of the items that survived the […]
Senator Erwin Tulfo clarified that the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) prohibits the presence of any politician in the payouts of cash assistance provided by the government. Tulfo set the record straight during the bicameral conference on the bill containing the P6.793-trillion national budget for next year as some lawmakers raised objection against the […]
Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has expressed the importance of giving the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) sole discretion to distribute AKAP (Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program) and other social aid programs of the government. While he explained that he is not opposed to the distribution of aid to the poorest of […]
House of Representatives Minority Leader Nonoy Libanan is counting on the Senate to support the larger funding allocations for the government’s targeted cash aid programs for poor and low-income families in the proposed 2025 national budget. “We have very high hopes that the Senate will endorse the P114 billion allocation for the 4Ps, as well […]