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Politics

LOCAL GOV’T UNITS CAN TAP SEF IN BAYANIHAN 2 – GATCHALIAN

To help local government units roll out their localized version of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP), Senator Win Gatchalian introduced a provision in the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act that authorizes the use of a portion of the Special Education Fund (SEF). Under Section 4 (jjj) of Bayanihan […]

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IMPLEMENT FULL E-GOV’T SERVICES BY 2022 – GATCHALIAN

Senator Win Gatchalian has filed a bill that aims to provide full, integrated E-Government (eGov) services to the public by the end of 2022. Under Senate Bill No. 1793 or the ‘Full Digital Transformation Act of 2020,’ all government agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), instrumentalities, and local government units (LGUs) are mandated to adopt […]

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ERC PENALTY ON MERALCO A WARNING ON OTHER ERRING DISTRIBUTION UTILITIES – GATCHALIAN

While Senator Win Gatchalian commended the swift action taken by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) against the Manila Electric Company (Meralco), he warns other distribution utilities (DUs) that may have committed similar lapses such as failure to properly inform their subscribers about the charges. The ERC recently issued a decision ordering Meralco to pay P19M […]

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TAP ALS PROGRAM FOR 4M UNENROLLED LEARNERS – GATCHALIAN

Senator Win Gatchalian is seeking to strengthen the Alternative Learning System (ALS) as part of the education sector’s recovery efforts from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, especially in reaching out to more than four million learners who did not enroll this coming school year and give them a second chance. Though the economic downturn and […]

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UNIFY POLICY ON USE OF FACE SHIELDS TO AVOID PUBLIC CONFUSION – GATCHALIAN

Senator Win Gatchalian is urging the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to have a clear, unified policy on the use of face shields to avoid public confusion. Citing different policies by local government units (LGUs) on the use of face shields, Gatchalian said there needs to be a uniform […]

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INCREASE HOSPITAL CAPACITY TO AVOID HEALTHCARE SYSTEM OVERLOAD – GATCHALIAN

Senator Win Gatchalian urged hospitals to continuously expand their patient capacity for COVID-19 cases that could overload the country’s healthcare system. Gatchalian cited the latest data from the Department of Health (DOH) showing that the number of COVID-19 ward beds in the National Capital Region (NCR), or for those mild cases, asymptomatic, and suspected ones, […]

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LOANS, SUBSIDIES IN BAYANIHAN 2 TO AID SCHOOLS TRANSITION TO DISTANCE LEARNING – GATCHALIAN

Senator Win Gatchalian lauded the provisions in the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2) that will help schools foster continuity of learning through loans and other subsidies while ensuring job security of teachers and other school personnel amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the ratified bicameral conference committee report on the Bayanihan 2, academic […]

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LGUs SHOULD HAVE OWN EVACUATION CENTERS – GATCHALIAN

While the Department of Education (DepEd) has allowed the use of 17,910 classrooms in the National Capital Region (NCR) as isolation and quarantine facilities, Senator Win Gatchalian said that a permanent evacuation center in every city and municipality should be part of the country’s efforts to ‘build back better’ from the COVID-19 pandemic. Though Republic […]

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Politics

GIVE PSYCHOSOCIAL, MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT TO STUDENTS, LEARNERS BEFORE SCHOOL REOPENS — GATCHALIAN

Senator Win Gatchalian urged the government to ensure that learners and teachers are given psychosocial and mental health support while educators scramble to carry out logistical challenges and many learners experience feelings of anxiety as they await classes to begin amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Gatchalian’s “Education in the Better Normal” bill seeks to […]

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STREAMLINE CELL SITE APPLICATION PROCESS – GATCHALIAN

Senator Win Gatchalian expressed support for the Bicameral Conference Committee’s adopted version to streamline the process of application for telecommunication companies to build more cell towers. Gatchalian said trimming down permit requirements to only one, which is the building permit, will expedite the existing procedure to improve the country’s digital infrastructure. “There’s a sense of […]