Senators find it unnecessary to grant the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s (PhilHealth) request for additional subsidy under their proposed budget for next year when it has yet to provide sufficient financial relief to patients. Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, principal sponsor and...
OF TREES AND FOREST Eighty-nine years ago, on Nov. 15, 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was inaugurated. This political arrangement, provided for under the Philippine Independence Act of 1934, otherwise known as the Tydings-McDuffie Act, is a 10-year transitional government in...
Senator Joel Villanueva underscored the need to ensure that sufficient funding is allocated for the implementation of enacted laws. Villanueva, Senior Vice Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, pointed out that a 2023 Department of Budget and Management (DBM) report revealed that over 200...
Senator Imee Marcos laid out three areas to focus on with the imminent return of President-elect Donald Trump, considering the substantial shifts in U.S. policies, particularly those that could impact immigration, defense, and geopolitical interests. “Let’s not wait for the hammer to...
Multiple reports of violators on the EDSA busway seemed to prompt Senator Raffy Tulfo to ask the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) the question: "Where are your big bikes for catching violators?" He brought this up during the plenary budget deliberations led by Senate Committee on...
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III has called on President Marcos to consider the proposal for the Philippines to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC). Pimentel made this appeal before members of the diplomatic community during a foreign policy address at the Department of...
Senators are upbeat that the signing into law of the country’s first maritime zones and archipelagic sea laws will give more teeth to the legal and territorial claim of the Philippines over the West Philippine Sea (WPS). “The two laws will further strengthen our sovereignty and sovereign...
Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla has filed a bill seeking to provide Indigenous Peoples (IPs) a bigger share of revenues generated from natural resources within the territories of indigenous cultural communities. Padilla, who chairs the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs,...
The Department of Education (DepEd) announced on Friday, Nov. 8, that it has successfully defended its budget in the Senate following deliberations at the plenary level. (Photo courtesy of DepEd) In a statement, DepEd confirmed the Senate’s approval of its P793.740-billion budget for next...
Senators hailed on Thursday, November 7, the signing into law of Republic Act (RA) No. 12063, the Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) Framework Act, which is considered a significant milestone in the country's effort to address the perennial problem of job-skills mismatch. (Screenshot...
The bill seeking the full development of the Philippines’ natural gas industry was approved by the Senate on second reading on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Sen. Pia S. Cayetano stands firm to promote indigenous gas as she continues to defend Senate Bill No. 2793 or the Philippine Natural Gas Industry...
Senator Raffy Tulfo confirmed on Wednesday, Nov. 6, that a senator's relative was the passenger of the sports utility vehicle (SUV) bearing plate number “7” that was caught using the EDSA busway and tried to run over a Department of Transportation (DOTr) enforcer. In a press conference, Tulfo,...
