Categories
Politics

ARAL PROGRAM ACT TO ADDRESS PH LEARNING CRISIS

Senate President Chiz Escudero hailed the signing of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act as a timely and essential intervention toward addressing the learning crisis in the country. A priority measure of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, the ARAL Act will help learners who are found to be below the minimum proficiency […]

Categories
Politics

ESCUDERO TO CONSULT SENATORS ON DRUG WAR PROBE

Senate President Chiz Escudero said he will consult with fellow senators on how to proceed with the investigation into the Duterte administration’s war on drugs to ensure that the probe is fair and impartial. Varying opinions have emerged as to which committee of the Senate should handle the drug war investigation, including those from two […]

Categories
Politics

ESCUDERO JOINS SORSOGON’S KASANGGAYAHAN FESTIVAL

Sorsogon has achieved a lot as a province over the decades but it has the potential to grow even more in the years to come. Senate President Chiz Escudero said Sorsogon is no longer just a blip on the map of the Bicol peninsula, but a key contributor to the growth of the region. “Nagsimula […]

Categories
Politics

ESCUDERO: LOCAL DEFENSE INDUSTRY TO CREATE JOBS

Senate President Chiz Escudero sees the Philippines taking a major step toward an independent foreign policy with the development of the local defense industry through the revival of the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) program. Escudero said the SRDP will “have a huge impact on the economy because not only will it create new jobs but […]

Categories
Politics

ESCUDERO WANTS PHILHEALTH CONTRIBUTION SLASHED

Senate President Chiz Escudero said the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) can afford to slash the mandatory contribution paid by its members due to the huge amount of unutilized funds that it has accumulated over the years. Citing figures from the Department of Finance that the reserve fund of PhilHealth has now reached close to […]

Categories
Politics

NO ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFER FEES FOR MSMES BACKED

The time to waive service fees on electronic fund transfers is long overdue, Senate President Chiz Escudero said in backing the move of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to remove such charges for personal transactions and payments to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). “I could only hope that the thresholds will be higher and […]

Categories
Politics

ESCUDERO THANKS SENATE FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE RATING

Senate President Chiz Escudero said he owes his high performance rating to the hard work of his colleagues and the entire Senate institution, “who have all contributed to delivering results to the public they serve”. Escudero said the latest Pulse Asia survey where majority of Filipinos approved of his performance as one of the four […]

Categories
Politics

SENATE PASSES 137 BILLS UNDER ESCUDERO’S WATCH

Senate President Chiz Escudero reported a “big haul of bills” passed by the chamber and vowed to erase any backlog of measures under his watch, as he marked his first 100 days in office on September 26, 2024. “It’s a scoreboard we can be truly proud of,” Escudero said, citing the 137 pieces of legislation […]

Categories
Politics

DEFENSE PACTS TO BENEFIT PH IN WPS ROW — ESCUDERO

Senate President Chiz Escudero sees the move of the Philippines to enter into security agreements with its allies as an effective deterrence to the acts of aggression of China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). On July 8, 2024, the Philippines signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Japan in a bid to strengthen bilateral […]

Categories
Politics

NEW LAW VS SMUGGLING TO BRING DOWN FOOD PRICES

Senate President Chiz Escudero said a new law meant to combat rampant smuggling, profiteering and hoarding of agricultural products will make food more affordable and accessible to many Filipinos and provide better income for local farmers. Escudero said the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, a priority measure of the administration which is scheduled to be signed […]