BETTER DAYS Over a decade has passed since we first filed the bill pushing for the institutionalization of a Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers. It was way back in July of 2007 when I was on my second term as the representative of the province of Aurora when we filed the bill and since then, we have...
BETTER DAYS Sept. 24 this year marks what would have been the 89th birthday of my father, former Senate President Edgardo Angara. It has been five years since he passed away and our entire family still misses him badly. We are constantly reminded of his countless accomplishments and the impact he...
BETTER DAYS Almost all of us are aware of the myriad of problems our education system is facing. Filipino students rank among the lowest in the world when it comes to reading comprehension, math and science. There is no question that we are faced with a learning crisis that if left unchecked could...
BETTER DAYS The election period has started for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). The filing of certificates of candidacy began last Aug. 28, 2023 while the campaign period will be from Oct. 19 to 28. Election day will be on Oct. 30. According to the Commission on...
BETTER DAYS The Senate Committee on Finance, of which I am chairman, recently concluded its deliberations on Senate Bill No. 2426 or the proposed Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Act which aims to develop a strategy to encourage, support, and promote the production of more diverse, sophisticated,...
BETTER DAYS Filipinos who require specialized medical care, particularly the ones who reside in far-flung areas will soon see more facilities that will cater to them with the enactment of Republic Act 11959 or the Regional Specialty Centers Act. As one of the authors of this measure, we thank...
BETTER DAYS In a recent briefing of the Development Budget Coordination Committee on the ₱5.768 trillion national budget for 2024, our colleague and good friend Senator Nancy Binay narrated an interesting anecdote about her office’s toilet paper. Sen. Nancy noted that the quality of the toilet...
BETTER DAYS The Senate has officially started its deliberations on the proposed ₱5.768 trillion national budget for 2024 with the briefing of the Development Budget Coordination Committee on the macroeconomic assumptions and key data for the all-important measure. By rule, it is the House of...
BETTER DAYS Every year in August we observe the Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa or National Language Month. By virtue of Proklamasyon Blg. 1041, s. 1997 issued by the late former President Fidel Ramos, the nationwide observation of the Buwan ng Wika recognizes the linguistic diversity of the Philippines...
BETTER DAYS On Aug. 9, 2023 we commemorate the 29th International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. The date was chosen by the United Nations General Assembly to mark the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982. There are at least 110 indigenous cultural...
BETTER DAYS Listening to the one hour and a half second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., we looked back at what the administration has done in its first full year in office and its plans for the coming year. Emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic, the start of the...
BETTER DAYS In 2018, a Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) study entitled “Obstacles and Enablers of Internationalization of Philippine SMEs Through Participation in Global Value Chains” identified the challenges that hinder our small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from becoming...
