Better Days

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

By Sonny Angara When my late father, former Senator Edgardo J. Angara, retired from public service in 2013, he said something worth remembering during these times: “Good politics is also marked by close collaboration between the branches of government.” He was talking about his time as Senate President under the Ramos Administration, where he challenged …

By Sonny Angara In preparation for the 19th Congress, my office recently convened a consultative meeting focused on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in line with our Tatak Pinoy advocacy. The roundtable discussion was headlined by former Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion and attended by officials from various government agencies, MSME mentors and …

By Sonny Angara Over the past three years, I have been advocating for a transformation among our industries — from one that produces common, low-value goods to one that churns out complex, high-value products. We dubbed this Tatak Pinoy (“Proudly Filipino”), which embodies our vision and ambition to see Philippine industries, entrepreneurs, professionals, workers, artisans, …