By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz A PROPOSED sovereign wealth fund that Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. pitched to world and business leaders in Davos, Switzerland this month risks getting voided by the courts for “sequestering” dividends from state companies, a congressman said on Tuesday. The so-called Maharlika Investment Fund bill, which the House of […]
Tag: bill
Inclusion of reps for OFWs, education sector recommended for bill on employment recovery plan
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS proposed the inclusion of representatives from overseas Filipino workers (OFW) groups and the education sector in a planned interagency body for the country’s employment recovery plan following the coronavirus pandemic. Migrant Workers Secretary Susan V. Ople, in an economic affairs hearing at the Senate on Tuesday, said Senate Bill 129 should include representation […]
Maharlika fund billed as means of addressing power, food security
By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said on Sunday that the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) bill will help address rising electricity and fuel prices. “Filipinos cannot wait. We have to bring down the cost of electricity, the cost of power, the cost of oil,” Mr. Romualdez told Manila-based reporters at Zurich, […]
Foreign chambers press for Senate action on Open Access in Data Transmission measure
THE members of the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) have called on the Senate to act on an open-access bill for data transmission, saying it would improve internet service quality. In a joint statement on Thursday, the JFC said the Senate should begin deliberations on the proposed Open Access in Data Transmission Act when it resumes […]
Bill mandates setting up an evacuation center in each town, city
A SENATOR has filed a bill that seeks to establish an evacuation center in every city and municipality in the Philippines. Senator Rafael “Raffy” T. Tulfo filed Senate Bill 1652 to mandate local governments to set up a facility that is adequately equipped to accommodate displaced residents during disaster and emergency situations. “When disaster and […]
Another bill filed on scholarship for law students
ANOTHER BILL providing scholarships for aspiring lawyers has been filed at the Senate, seeking to increase the legal manpower in government offices. “There is definitely a need for more public defenders in the country as we only have 2,500 Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) lawyers and each lawyer handles 5,300 cases per year,” Senate Majority Leader […]
Opposition senator questions Marcos’ planned Davos pitch of still non-existent wealth fund
THE SENATE minority leader has called President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s plan to do a “soft launch” overseas of a still unapproved wealth fund a “ploy” to force the bill’s passage in the upper chamber. “It is more than a marketing strategy, it’s a move to tie the hands of Congress, particularly the Senate, […]
Solons file bill on airline passengers’ rights; CAAP takes full blame on Jan. 1 airport hassle
A GROUP of lawmakers filed a bill on the rights of airline passengers which, if passed into law, will replace what they called the “ineffective” 2012 order containing the country’s Air Passenger Bill of Rights and Carrier Obligations. “We need a law that would truly protect airline passengers and also serve as a deterrent to […]
Measure creating LGU business permit officer position hurdles House panel
THE House committee on local government has approved a bill that proposes to create the position of business permit licensing officer, its chairman said. “By institutionalizing the position of the business permit and licensing officer (BPLO), we are also creating efficiency in local government in the delivery of frontline services, like the issuance of business […]
Romualdez: Congress efforts enabled Diokno’s rosy outlook
SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said the positive economic outlook issued by Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno was enabled in part by the efforts of Congress. Of the nine factors Mr. Diokno cited in his positive outlook, four were the “direct result” of work done by Congress — the early approval of the 2023 national […]
Maharlika bill FoI safeguards seen as inadequate
THE Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) bill is suffering from a lack of public consultation, with transparency safeguards like the obligation to respond to Freedom of Information (FoI) requests deemed insufficient for achieving transparency, a non-government organization said. David Michael M. San Juan, convener of the Professionals for a Progressive Economy, added that public consultations on […]
Senate bill granting 13th month pay to all government workers filed
A SENATOR has filed a bill that will grant 13th month pay to all government employees, including those under the contract-of-service scheme or job order arrangement. “Their work is as heavy as the work of the regulars,” Senator Ramon B. Revilla, Jr., who chairs the Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation, […]
Agriculture industry lobbies for ‘mandatory’ Maharlika allocation
THE AGRICULTURE industry said it is hoping to capture as much as 30% of the proposed sovereign wealth fund’s investable capital, saying that the wealth fund will draw away funding from the farm sector. Danilo V. Fausto, president of the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, Inc. (PCAFI), told reporters Friday, “We demand a mandatory […]
House approves Maharlika Fund bill
THE HOUSE of Representatives approved on third and final reading the bill creating the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF), just over two weeks after it was filed by Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez. At Thursday’s session, 279 lawmakers voted in favor of the MIF bill, while six voted against. The six lawmakers who opposed the measure […]
GUIDE bill wins third-reading approval from House
THE House of Representatives, sitting in plenary session, passed on third reading the GUIDE bill, which would require government financial institutions to aid small businesses and others deemed “strategic” as a form of pandemic relief. The chamber approved the bill with a vote of 282 legislators, with no votes against and no abstentions. The proposed […]
Substitute bill tasks SBCorp. with offering competitive alternative to moneylenders
THE House committee on micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) development approved a substitute bill positioning the Small Business Corp. (SBCorp.) as a possible alternative to usurers typically resorted to by small businesses. The unnumbered substitute bill authorizes SBCorp. to directly lend to MSMEs 40% of its Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso Fund, and the […]
House approves substitute bill on mandatory military training
THE HOUSE committee on appropriations approved on Tuesday a substitute bill instituting the National Citizens Service Training Program (NCSTP) for public and private tertiary education students. The NCSTP shall be “mandatory for all students in undergraduate degree programs in all public and private higher education institutions and technical-vocational education and training programs or courses,” according […]
House committee clears reform bill for real property valuation by LGUs
THE House committee on ways and means approved a substitute bill seeking to reform the real property valuation system to allow local government units (LGUs) to better sustain themselves via property taxes, with the bill calling for uniform valuation standards and an electronic database of all real property transactions. The still-unnumbered substitute bill replaces legislation […]
Senate bill seeks to further strengthen consumer rights
A SENATOR has filed a bill that seeks to shut down establishments that sell, make, produce or import substandard and hazardous products to protect consumers. “This bill aims to further strengthen consumer rights in the country and promote fair trade standards for the entire economy,” Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, who filed Senate Bill 942, said […]
Senate bill to require 13th month pay for non-permanent gov’t workers
A BILL requiring a 13th month pay for contractual and job order workers in government agencies has been filed at the Senate. “In light of the persistent rise in the inflation rate, which led to an extraordinary increase in prices of food, fuel, and other commodities, Filipino workers, including contractual and job order personnel of […]