By Sonny Angara Former President Duterte enacted into law Republic Act 11534, more widely known as the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises or CREATE Act. Certified at the time as urgent by Malacañang, the law was touted as one of the government’s critical interventions to keep the country’s economy afloat amid the pandemic. …
Better Days
Mental health — a continuing priority
By Sonny Angara Three years ago, former President Duterte signed into law Republic Act No. 11036 or the Mental Health Act, which we co-authored and helped pass along with my colleagues Senators Tito Sotto, JV Ejercito, Joel Villanueva, Risa Hontiveros, Loren Legarda, Antonio Trillanes, and Bam Aquino. This landmark legislation strengthened the country’s response to …
A learners’ crisis
By Sonny Angara Recently, news articles came out about a very disconcerting World Bank assessment on Philippine education. Specifically, the report underscored that one in every four Grade 5 students does not have the reading and mathematics skills for Grade 2 or 3, and four in every five 15-year-old students do not understand basic mathematical …
A Pensionado Program for our bright youth
By Sonny Angara Eighteen-year-old Dominic Navarro graduated with honors from the Ilocos Region campus of the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) last May. Dominic is one of several who went through the PSHS system and were offered admission at some of the world’s most prestigious universities. This is no easy task as getting in is …
Alternative energy sources
By Sonny Angara In March, Meralco cautioned that the surge in crude oil prices globally could lead to an increase in the generation charge. In fact, just this month, the distributor already announced an increase in the per kilowatt-hour (kWh) charge. Surely, this has since resulted in consumers scrambling to find ways to make do …
A fitting tribute for our seafarers
By Sonny Angara After languishing in the legislative mill for over a decade, the bill institutionalizing a Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, which we co-sponsored, has finally reached the plenary debates in the Senate. We laud Senator Joel Villanueva, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources, for his hard work and …
Continuity in our economic policy
By Sonny Angara Elections, given that they mark transitions in our society, do often trigger periods of soul-searching and reflection. They can also be very emotional affairs, not least because the prospect of new political leaders taking the helm can elicit either anticipation or anxiety. So in the weeks following the recent elections, many asked …
Women empowerment in PH
By Sonny Angara The Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF) has long been a barometer for how well a country or an economy upholds equality between men and women — particularly in terms of economic participation and opportunity; educational attainment; health and survival; and political empowerment. And from the time the …
Decongesting Philippine prisons
By Sonny Angara During the public hearing on the budgets of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its attached agencies, the Senate was updated on the alarming congestion rate of our jails and penal institutions. For one, the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), our national penitentiary, has a congestion rate of 344 percent. In exact figures, …
Providing dignity in aging
By Sonny Angara Recognizing the impact and contributions of our senior citizens to the overall growth of the country, my father — former Senate President Edgardo Angara — authored Republic Act No. 7432 or the Senior Citizens Act of 1992, which provided benefits and privileges to our elderly. This, later on, became part of my …