OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar In 2021, we opened the first letter writing cafe in the Philippines fittingly named Dear Joe. The idea behind Dear Joe is simple, romantic, and quaint, possibly old fashioned. The coffee shop is the perfect setting to do something that has...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar Last Sunday, Sept. 4, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. left the country to embark on his first ever state visit as the Philippines’ chief diplomat. Or, as he mentioned in his departure speech “mangangapitbahay muna para sa ating bansa at...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has submitted to Congress his first full budget for the fiscal year 2023. The total budget proposed by the new administration is ₱5.268 trillion and was...
Lawmakers have agreed to review the implementation of the K+12 program, considering, among other reasons, the disconnect between employers and new graduates when the latter start looking for jobs. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, said he will meet...
Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez refuses to give up on his twin pro-environment measures, which have always hit a snag once they are elevated to the Senate. Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Facebook) “We will not tire of filing and refiling these bills because...
The Senate suspended regular work on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 23 because of inclement weather brought by tropical storm “Florita’’. Senate regular session will resume on Aug. 30 but regular work shall resume on Thursday, Aug. 25, said lawyer Renato Bantug Jr., Senate secretary, based on the...
One of the leaders of the sugar producers groups said Tuesday they "were made to believe" that there was a need to import sugar as reportedly instructed by acting Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. During the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing,...
Amid pressure from senators to disclose the persons who supposedly influenced him to sign the unauthorized order on the importation of 300,000 metric tons (MTs) of sugar, former Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian said Tuesday, Aug. 23 that nobody was behind his move...
The Department of Trade and Industry has identified three priority legislative measures for immediate passage by Congress to support economic growth. These priority bills are the Senate confirmation on the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Omnibus Micro Small...
Trade and Industry Secretary Afredo E. Pascual said he would shift real focus of his agency towards industrialization stressing that manufacturing is the only way to be sustainable and become an inclusive economy. At the briefing by the DTI for the Senate committee on trade, commerce and...
The budget season official starts on Monday, Aug. 22 at the House of Representatives as the 311-strong chamber is set to receive the proposed P5.268-trillion national budget for the year 2023. Speaker Martin Romualdez (Speaker's office) The proposed national budget from the executive branch, dubbed...
Several witnesses or resource speakers want to appear physically before the joint public hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 23, of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and the Senate Agriculture Committee on the sugar importation mess to clear their names, Senator Francis ‘’Tol’’ Tolentino, Blue Ribbon...
