Categories
Politics

ESCUDERO WANTS PHILHEALTH CONTRIBUTION SLASHED

Senate President Chiz Escudero said the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) can afford to slash the mandatory contribution paid by its members due to the huge amount of unutilized funds that it has accumulated over the years. Citing figures from the Department of Finance that the reserve fund of PhilHealth has now reached close to […]

Categories
Politics

NO ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFER FEES FOR MSMES BACKED

The time to waive service fees on electronic fund transfers is long overdue, Senate President Chiz Escudero said in backing the move of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to remove such charges for personal transactions and payments to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). “I could only hope that the thresholds will be higher and […]

Categories
Politics

ESCUDERO THANKS SENATE FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE RATING

Senate President Chiz Escudero said he owes his high performance rating to the hard work of his colleagues and the entire Senate institution, “who have all contributed to delivering results to the public they serve”. Escudero said the latest Pulse Asia survey where majority of Filipinos approved of his performance as one of the four […]

Categories
Politics

SENATE PASSES 137 BILLS UNDER ESCUDERO’S WATCH

Senate President Chiz Escudero reported a “big haul of bills” passed by the chamber and vowed to erase any backlog of measures under his watch, as he marked his first 100 days in office on September 26, 2024. “It’s a scoreboard we can be truly proud of,” Escudero said, citing the 137 pieces of legislation […]

Categories
Politics

DEFENSE PACTS TO BENEFIT PH IN WPS ROW — ESCUDERO

Senate President Chiz Escudero sees the move of the Philippines to enter into security agreements with its allies as an effective deterrence to the acts of aggression of China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). On July 8, 2024, the Philippines signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Japan in a bid to strengthen bilateral […]

Categories
Politics

NEW LAW VS SMUGGLING TO BRING DOWN FOOD PRICES

Senate President Chiz Escudero said a new law meant to combat rampant smuggling, profiteering and hoarding of agricultural products will make food more affordable and accessible to many Filipinos and provide better income for local farmers. Escudero said the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, a priority measure of the administration which is scheduled to be signed […]

Categories
Politics

MAGNA CARTA FOR FILIPINO SEAFARERS NOW A LAW

After over a decade of waiting, the bill that will ensure the protection of the rights and welfare of Filipino seafarers has become a law. Senate President Chiz Escudero thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his support for Senate Bill No. 2221 and House Bill No. 7325 or the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, which […]

Categories
Politics

ESCUDERO: LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND IN PUV MODERNIZATION

Senate President Chiz Escudero advised the Department of Transportation to leave no one behind in its implementation of the Public Transport Modernization Program, particularly those who have depended on the operation of jeepneys as their source of livelihood for most of their lives. Even if there are public utility vehicle drivers and operators who did […]

Categories
Politics

PHILHEALTH TOLD: REDEFINE ‘INDIGENT’ IN COVERAGE

Senate President Chiz Escudero called on the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to rethink what it means to be indigent when it comes to the health requirements of Filipinos. Insofar as the health of people is concerned, Escudero said being indigent takes on a whole different meaning. “Any person who is sick or who has […]

Categories
Politics

BI CHIEF URGED: REIMBURSE OFFLOADED PASSENGERS

Senate President Chiz Escudero is serving notice to the incoming Immigration Commissioner to rush the reimbursement of the expenses incurred by thousands of passengers who missed their flights due to unnecessary delays brought about by the pre-departure procedures of the Bureau of Immigration (BI). “‘Ber’ months na, pero ni isang kusing wala pa ring nabayaran […]