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Senators are eyeing a special provision under the proposed 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA) that would put an end to the practice of government agencies of transferring their funds to the Department of Budget and Management’s Procurement Service (DBM-PS) and the Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC).

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The Senate Finance subcommittee on Tuesday, Oct. 12 swiftly approved the Commission on Audit’s (COA) proposed P14.463-billion budget for 2022.

Senators favored on Monday, October 11, the inclusion of a special provision in the 2022 national budget that would prohibit the Commission on Filipino Overseas (CFO) from collecting “unauthorized” registration fees.

Senator Sonny Angara on Sunday said it is high time that the government prioritizes programs that would enable residents of Marawi City to rebuild their homes after being displaced by the five-month long armed conflict in 2017.

Senators believe that it’s time for the government’s pandemic task force to let local government units (LGUs) handle the COVID-19 and its impacts on their jurisdictions.

The Senate has adopted the resolution that seeks to honor the country’s physicians for their invaluable service and sacrifices especially amid the government’s struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic since its outbreak in March 2020.

Senators on Sunday, Sept. 26 expressed hope that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee would soon be able to locate the whereabouts of the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. official who testified and admitted to tampering the expiration of the face shields delivered to the government.

Senator Sonny Angara on Sunday said the government should suspend any unpaid obligations it has with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation following the disclosure of a witness who said substandard face shields were delivered to the Department of Health (DOH).

The Senate Finance Committee is set to present before the plenary the committee report on Senate Bill No. 2371, or the COVID-19 Benefits for Health Workers Act, that seeks to ensure the continuity of the benefits intended for public and private healthcare workers under Bayanihan 1 and 2 laws.

Senator Joel Villanueva has called for the inclusion non-medical workers in the grant of special risk allowances (SRAs) and hazard pay amid the continuing threat of the COVID-19.

Members of the upper chamber quickly gave their nod to the passage of Senate Bill No. 2407, which seeks to amend a provision of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) to clarify that the proprietary education institutions shall also be granted a lower preferential tax treatment under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act.

The Office of the President (OP) has assured senators that it will prioritize and speed up government programs and projects whose funds were identified as “for later release” (FLR), as well as the “institutional amendments” of lawmakers in this year’s national budget.

Young Filipino students who were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic should take advantage of the benefits under Republic Act No. 10917 or the Expanded Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) law and get their education back on track, Senator Sonny Angara said on Sunday.

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The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) has expressed support for Senate Bill (SB) 1764 or the proposed Use of Digital Payments Act that allows the digital collection of taxes and fees, payments, and other disbursements.

Senator Sonny Angara on Wednesday, Sept. 15 urged state economic managers to provide more flexibility in the proposed P5.024-trillion budget, saying the utilization of next year’s fund resources should be able to keep pace with developments on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senator Sonny Angara on Sunday said he is optimistic the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, which seeks to uphold the rights of Filipino seafarers would soon become a law.