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The Senate is considering cutting some P2 billion from its proposed 2027 budget in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) to set an example of fiscal discipline for the House of Representatives, particularly in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down certain provisions of the 2024 and 2025 budgets as unconstitutional, Senator Ping Lacson […]
A bill seeking to institutionalize the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Program in a bid to strengthen the country’s bamboo industry and create livelihood opportunities has been approved on third and final reading before the Senate. With 16 affirmative votes, no negative vote, and no abstention, Senate Bill No. 2495, or the proposed “Kawayan Act,” was […]
Senator-Judge Alan Peter Cayetano urged the Senate leadership to reconsider the schedule of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial and prioritize deliberations on the national budget, warning that rushing the trial and pushing the plenary budget deliberations to the end of November can worsen the country’s economic challenges. “Given the Super El Niño, given the […]
Senator Bong Go welcomed the Senate’s approval on third and final reading of a measure establishing a comprehensive, integrated and sustainable reintegration program for overseas Filipino workers, saying government support for OFWs should continue even after they return home. The Senate recently approved Senate Bill No. 2423, or the proposed Bagong Balikbayang Manggagawa Act. Go […]
The Senate passed on final reading Senate Bill No. 2424, or the “Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces (SMART KIDS) Act”, which seeks to restrict minors or those below 18 years old from using high-risk digital services like Meta Platforms, Roblox, and Gorebox. The Senate voted 16 – 1, without […]
The Senate has approved four major housing-related measures aimed at expanding access to affordable housing, providing relief to calamity survivors, and updating the decades-old condominium law crafted by the Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement chaired by Senator Chiz Escudero. Chief among the legislative package was the ratification of the bicameral conference committee report […]
Senator Kiko Pangilinan is set to conduct a committee hearing into the attempted smuggling of around P700 million worth of rice from Vietnam, saying the incident raises serious concerns over the continued lack of convictions of big-time smugglers and how this apparent impunity allows large-scale smuggling operations to persist. As chair of the Senate Committee […]
Senator Bong Go voted in favor of the passage of Senate Bill No. 1431, or the proposed “Revised Cooperative Code of the Philippines,” which was approved by the Senate on third and final reading through a 19-0-0 vote. Go is a co-author and co-sponsor of the measure, which seeks to amend the Cooperative Code of […]
The Senate recently passed on Second Reading a bill offering incentives to private developers to build affordable rental units for poor and low‑income families. Sponsored by Senator Chiz Escudero, Senate Bill No. 2507 gives life to the Constitution’s mandate to government and the private sector to work together in addressing the country’s housing needs. “The […]
Senator Kiko Pangilinan led a Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights hearing on a measure seeking to strengthen the Office of the Ombudsman by granting it its own anti-corruption law enforcement arm. Senate Bill No. 2394, filed on August 12 by Senator Panfilo Lacson, proposed creating an Ombudsman Marshall Service with the power to […]