Vice President Sara Duterte’s allies in the Senate have accepted the inevitability they won’t be able to press for a higher budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2025 given the current circumstances. Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said the OVP’s budget for next year...
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada has urged lawmakers to ensure there is sufficient funds to address possible mass casualty events involving chemical, biological, radioactive, and nuclear incidents (CBRN) and countering operations that utilizes weapons of mass destruction....
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito called for the inclusion of key railway projects in the programmed appropriations of the 2025 proposed budget for the Department of Transportation (DOTR). Ejercito, who sponsored DOTr’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025, expressed his intention to...
Senators have urged the Senate to restore the P10-billion slashed from the Department of National Defense (DND) proposed budget for 2025, citing the funding’s crucial role in advancing the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernization program. Sen. Joseph Victor “JV”...
Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. has urged the government not to leave employees of the Optical Media Board (OMB) in limbo. During the Senate’s hearing on the proposed budget of the OMB for 2025, OMB’s primary function was put into question after Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy...
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...
Despite the issuance of a Supreme Court (SC) ruling that excluded Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the Bangsamoro Transition Authority seems reluctant to redistribute the 7 seats left by Sulu. This was expressed by lawyer Omar Yaser Sema, Deputy BTA Parliament...
Some senators are now pushing for bipartisan support on the measure that seeks to ban and criminalize the use and production of chemical weapons. Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, chairperson of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, said the enactment...
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada has filed a bill seeking to further strengthen workers' rights to form unions and protect them from any form of harassment. In filing Senate Bill No. 2735 or the proposed “Strengthening the Freedom of Association of Workers’ Act,”...
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Wednesday, October 30 reminded executives of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) that they are not operating as a private corporation that needs to yearly acquire huge savings and earn profit. As the state health insurance agency,...
Senators on Tuesday, October 29 lauded the Supreme Court for issuing a temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing the transfer of P89.9-billion funds of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to the National Treasury. Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, chairman of the Senate...
It’s only a rumor until it becomes a reality. This, according to Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, is how he dismiss reports of a rumored attempt to oust him. “If it’s a rumor it didn’t happen. If it happens then it becomes a reality. But for the meantime, it’s a...
