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Politics

Government Workers’ Midyear Bonus Envelopes Are Fatter This Year – ANGARA

  Government workers’ midyear bonus envelopes, particularly those that are P82,000 and below, are fatter this year, according to Senator Sonny Angara. Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on ways and means, announced that the benefit of Republic Act 10653, which he authored and sponsored last year, mandating tax exemption for bonuses not over than […]

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Politics

Balanced Allocation of Law Enforcement Resources Needed – GATCHALIAN

  Senator Win Gatchalian urged the Duterte administration to maintain a balanced allocation of law enforcement resources between the government’s aggressive anti-illegal drugs campaign and other public safety priorities amid successive blasts that have rocked Manila’s densely populated Quiapo district. “These bombings serve as a tragic reminder that there are many public security issues aside […]

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Politics

Taxing Coops Anti-Poor, Will Kill Social Enterprises – BRAVO

  “Taxing cooperatives would cause the slow death of micro social enterprises and anti-poverty initiatives, especially in the countryside. The government should encourage the growth of groups that help the poor to compete against purely capitalist businesses. We should not shackle them with additional financial burdens. Please spare the coops. If government wants to generate […]

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Politics

House Moves to Create More Courts – VELOSO

  The House sub-committee on judicial reforms has conducted preliminary deliberations on several measures seeking to create more court salas in various parts of the country. Rep. Vicente Veloso (3rd District, Leyte), panel chairman, underscored the importance of the bills in addressing the shortage of court salas, which is one of the main problems of […]

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Politics

We need a Department of Housing to Address Housing Need of More Than 6 Million by 2030 – ANGARA

  The recent unauthorized occupation of shelter units constructed by the government for soldiers and policemen in Pandi, Bulacan by an urban poor group gives yet another compelling reason for the creation of a housing “super body.” This was stressed by Senator Sonny Angara as he renewed his call to fast-track the approval of a […]

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Government

Due Process Requirements Respected in Mine Closures – LUNA

  Top Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officials on Sunday belied claims made by the Chamber of Mines against DENR Secretary Gina Lopez during last week’s confirmation hearings that she did not follow due process in the cancellation of 23 mining permits last February. The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) is […]

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Politics

Smart Communications to Improve and Upgrade Its Services – EJERCITO

Senator JV Ejercito said he will get the commitment of Smart Communications to improve and upgrade its services for the next five to ten years. The senator, as Vice Chairman of the Public Services Committee, said the extension of the telcos giant’s franchise could have been easily renewed for another 25 years had it refined […]

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Politics

House Approves FOI Bill

The House committee on public information, in a move to uphold and strengthen the people’s right to information, unanimously approved this week the much-awaited Freedom of Information (FOI) bill. Rep. Antonio Tinio (Party-list, ACT Teachers), committee chairman, presented to the panel a substitute bill, which is a consolidation of 33 measures on the FOI proposal. […]