Senators are optimistic that the signing into law of the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act or Republic Act No. 12076 would soon put an end to the usual practice of local government units (LGUs) to use schools as temporary shelters during calamities or disasters and other kind of public emergencies. ...
The passage into law of the bill seeking the creation of the Kutawato Province would greatly help advance the government’s goal of achieving long-lasting peace in Mindanao, Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said. At the hearing of the Senate Committee on Local Government on Senate Bill...
Senators have lauded the Senate leadership for moving to restore the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) P50-billion original proposal for the AFP Modernization Program. Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said he is glad the Senate decided to restore the P10-billion that was slashed...
The Sandiganbayan has upheld the acquittal of Senate President Pro Temporare Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada on direct and indirect bribery charges in connection with his P183.7 million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) from 2004 to 2014. In an eight-page resolution dated Nov. 27 and...
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...