A shared responsibility
AS OF THE writing of this column, the Department of Health (DOH) reported more than 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 infections, with a positivity...
More leeway for our schools
RECENTLY, the Senate ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the 2022 budget, which we sponsored as Chairman of the Committee on Finance. Soon...
Towards a more inclusive education system
THE SENATE recently ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the “Inclusive Education” Act, which aims to institutionalize a policy of inclusion and services...
Preparing for face-to-face classes
RECENTLY, face-to-face classes in 100 public schools across the country were held for the first time in almost two years. This pilot run classes...
Strengthening our COVID-19 response
IN THE PAST week, we sponsored the Senate Finance Committee’s version of the proposed national budget for 2022. Interpellations on the different agency budgets...
Helping MSMEs during the pandemic
DURING our recent hearing on the 2022 budget of the Department of Trade and Industry, Secretary Mon Lopez noted that 16 percent of micro,...
Decongesting Philippine Prisons
DURING the public hearing on the 2022 budgets of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its attached agencies, the Senate was updated on the...
A new dawn for Marawi City
THIS OCTOBER 23 marks the fourth year since Marawi City was freed from the lawless elements who sought to turn the locality into a...
Pandemic response should be the highest priority
A SEPTEMBER 2021 Bloomberg article on what the next six months of the COVID-19 pandemic will bring provides a very sobering reminder that is...
Healthcare lessons from Costa Rica
WITH the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, many can’t help but ask how some countries were able to curb the deadly disease while others struggled...