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Politics

ESCUDERO TO GOV’T EXECS: BARE CONFIDENTIAL FUNDS

Government officials asking for confidential and intelligence funds in their spending plan under the 2024 national budget should be held with greater accountability to ensure that public funds are spent judiciously and efficiently, according to Senator Chiz Escudero. At the recent hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance that tackled next year’s proposed budget, Escudero […]

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ESCUDERO WANTS P255-B FLOOD CONTROL BUDGET SLASHED

“Flooding” the 2024 national budget with flood control projects – worth one-quarter of trillion pesos – could lead to “watered down development that drowns out more urgent social spending,” Senator Chiz Escudero said. The amount proposed for 2024 – P255 billion – “looms large by any yardstick,” Escudero said. “It is too big for tubig,” the […]

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ESCUDERO TO GRILL PSA, BSP ON P1.6B NAT’L ID FUND

Malacañang is asking for P1.6 billion in the 2024 national budget to “accelerate the issuance of the National Identification Cards” but Senator Chiz Escudero said he will ask “at what speed will it be done and will it be fast enough to overtake the backlog”. The proposed funding is lodged in the proposed P8.8 billion […]

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TESDA URGED: TRAIN REHABILITATED DRUG USERS

Senator Chiz Escudero wants to ensure that the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will have training and livelihood programs solely for former drug dependents who have undergone rehabilitation. Presiding over a meeting of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education this morning, Escudero was surprised to learn that TESDA does not […]

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ESCUDERO MOURNS PASSING OF EX-SENATOR BIAZON

Senator Chiz Escudero mourned the passing of former Senator Rodolfo Biazon as he lauded the decorated military general for serving the Philippines “impeccably” all throughout his more than five decades in government service. Escudero likewise extended his prayers and condolences to the Biazon family through Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon, who announced the death of […]

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SENATE BILL VS ‘NO PERMIT, NO EXAM’ POLICY PUSHED

Senator Chiz Escudero’s proposals calling for the prohibition of the “no permit, no exam” policy in educational institutions and the moratorium on student loan payment during disasters have been approved on second reading, a step that is expected to bring relief to thousands of students particularly those facing financial difficulties. Senators gave their nod to […]

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BARE COVID-19 VAX EXPENSE AUDIT – ESCUDERO

COVID-19 vaccines expire, but the duty to tell the public how much they cost does not, Senator Chiz Escudero said in pressing the government anew to lift the “veil of secrecy” on all pandemic-era vaccine purchases. “Millions of vaccine shots have unfortunately expired. But what does not go stale is the responsibility to disclose the […]

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NO RED TAPE IN DISASTER RESPONSE – ESCUDERO

Senator Chiz Escudero is pushing for the creation of a new government agency, if not a new department, to ensure the timely, efficient, and red tape-free distribution of relief and funds during disasters and calamities. Escudero made the statement amid fresh calls from various sectors to put up a department for disaster response following the […]

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LOWER RETIREMENT AGE OF TEACHERS TO 60 — ESCUDERO

In support of the government’s plan to reorganize and streamline the bureaucracy, Senator Chiz Escudero has refiled a bill that seeks to lower the compulsory retirement age of employees of the Department of Education (DepEd) from 65 years old to 60 years old. Enrolled as Senate Bill (SB) No. 58, Escudero said that the proposed […]

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ESCUDERO: LIST FUNDING SOURCES FOR GOV’T PROJECTS

Senator Chiz Escudero said the country’s economic managers should flesh out the details of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “very compelling vision” of how he wants to navigate the nation in the next six years, particularly the sources of funds to implement his initiatives. “The President has presented a very compelling vision of which the country […]