Employees of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) can expect their salaries and benefits to remain intact and untouched even if the government allows the reimbursement of thousands of offloaded passengers. Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero made this assurance even with the inclusion of a provision in the...
With the House of Representatives (HOR) intending to revive talks on Charter change or "Cha-cha" in 2024, senators on Wednesday, Dec. 13, weighed in on the matter with specific concerns on how it will be executed. Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva raised two points on possible talks about...
Voting 22-0, the Senate on Monday, December 11 approved on third and final reading the bill that would waive the entrance examination fees in private higher educational institutions (HEIs) for disadvantaged graduates or graduating students who show academic potential. The Senate...
Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero has expressed his strong support for the Marcos administration’s plan to reopen formal peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF). Escudero, in a radio interview on Saturday, said...
The Senate on Wednesday, Dec. 6 ratified the reconciled version of the proposed “No Permit, No Exam Prohibition Act” that seeks to prevent public or private educational institutions from imposing any policy to prevent students with outstanding financial or property obligations from taking...
Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Sunday, December 3 said he is confident that the bicameral conference committee tackling the proposed 2024 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) will accede to the provision inserted by the Senate that would allow Filipino passengers to reimburse their...
In the event President Marcos decides to allow the Philippines to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC), Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said the Senate may issue a resolution or a concurrence to support or validate his decision. Escudero pointed this out amid the...
Senators have called on the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to strengthen their efforts in protecting young viewers from indecent content. Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano noted that the MTRCB’s role in protecting young viewers from lewd and unsuitable contents...
Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said on Tuesday, November 7 that the funding for the new facilities at the Ayungin Shoal and Kalayaan island—the country’s frontline posts in the West Philippine Sea—is already a done deal in the Senate. Escudero, who first broached the idea of...
More senators lauded President Marcos' move to appoint a full-time Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary in Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano stated that Laure's appointment was a timely one since it was made ahead of the budget hearings in the Senate. This...
Senator Chiz Escudero has expressed his support for the partial payment to the state universities and colleges (SUCs), since the government, while looking at ways to reimburse, cannot pay in full the demand of the SUCs due to budgetary constraints. Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero presides over the...
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Noel Pabalate) Senators on Wednesday, Oct. 18, welcomed President Marcos' move to suspend the implementation of the controversial Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF). Seeking further study of the law, Marcos issued the suspension through a...