Other Issues

Bam: Clear policy essential to country’s economic development

A senator urged the government to lay down a clear foreign policy direction, saying it is essential to the economy and the country’s development as a nation.

 Sen. Bam Aquino has filed Senate Resolution No. 158, urging the government to clarify the country’s stand on different foreign policy issues amid varying statements by President Duterte and other administration officials.

 ​​“Given recent statements coming from the President and senior government officials, there is a need to clarify government’s position and engagements with its neighbors and allies,” Sen. Bam emphasized.

 ​​“This is to assure the Filipino public and international community that we are pursuing a clear and coherent foreign policy that is most beneficial to the country,” he added.

 Sen. Bam saw the need for clarification after contrasting claims by several government officials on different foreign policy issues​, such as our joint maritime patrols and ​​the stationed American troops in Mindanao.​

 ​“I hope we can clear up these conflicting statements soon so that our strategies to protect our territory and develop our economy are aligned with the administration,” Sen. Bam stressed.

 As provided in Article 2, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution, Sen. Bam said a clear strategic foreign policy is integral to the country’s development.

 ​“Our relations with members of the international community have bearing on our ability to protect our territory and environment, develop our economy, and promote the welfare and well-being of our citizens,” Sen. Bam stressed.

 

Bam: LGUs open to fast tracking permits for cell sites, IT infrastructure

Are you amenable to fast tracking permits for Internet infrastructure?

 Senator Bam Aquino threw this challenge to local government units (LGUs), which are being blamed for the slow and tedious issuing of permits to build the cell sites needed to improve internet quality in the country.

 “If we include provisions on fast tracking cell site construction, how would the LGUs feel about that?” Sen. Bam asked during the Senate hearing on proposal to grant President Duterte emergency powers to solve the worsening traffic problem in the country.

“If in the emergency powers bill, in an Executive Order, or in the Free Wi-Fi Bill, nakalagay doon na within one month, the cities must choose specific areas for cell site applications, would you be amenable?” Sen. Bam asked Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, Calamba City Mayor Justin Marc Chipeco and representatives from Manila and Pasay.

“Opo. In fact, we also want that dahil iyan ang hinihingi ng mga kababayan namin, magiging expeditious din ang mga proyekto at the same time, iyong access the communication mabilis din,” said Mayor Bautista.

 However, Bautista said they can only fast track the process for government-owned properties and not on private properties, such as subdivisions, which must go through the regular process of permit approval.

 “We fully support that proposal. Kaya po iyon,” said Manila City administrator Atty. Ericson Alcovendaz.

 “We support that initiative. Information Technology (IT) has a significant footprint on the solution [to traffic]. If we can make less people go out on the streets and work from home, so much the better,” stressed Pasay City administrator Dennis Acorda.

Chipeco, for his part, supports the proposal as he sees the need to improve Internet speed because it is a necessity, more than a luxury. 

In an earlier hearing conducted by Sen. Bam as chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and telecommunication companies complained about difficulty in acquiring permits from LGUS for their infrastructure development efforts.

Joint statement on Sen. De Lima’s removal as Committee on Justice chairperson

JOINT STATEMENT

Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon, Senator Francis Pangilinan, Senator Bam Aquino, and Senator Risa Hontiveros

 

We are deeply saddened by the events that transpired yesterday. Elementary courtesy dictates that we as members of the majority bloc of the Senate should have been consulted. The concerns of our colleagues could have been addressed if there was an opportunity for a dialogue.

No consultation or dialogue took place.

We recognize that the removal of Senator Leila De Lima as chair of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights as a political reality.

 Having said that, our alliance with the majority has always been based on the reforms that we believe will propel our nation to greater economic, political and social heights. We will continue to pursue these agenda.

As long as we believe that these reforms can be achieved, we will remain with the majority.

Coming from the events that transpired yesterday, we must remain vigilant and continue to assert the independence of the Senate.

Bam asks AMLC to investigate flow of drug money in PH

As part of the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs, Sen. Bam Aquino called on the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to assign financial investigators to investigate the flow of drug money within the country.

​​“The thrust of the government now is on the drug menace. Let’s have financial investigators examine how drug money flows in the country,” Sen. Bam told officials of the AMLC during the hearing of the Committee on Banks regarding the proposed amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

​​Apart from physical enforcement, Sen. Bam said countries like the United States also conducts financial investigations on drug personalities.

​​These investigations provide tangible evidence against high profile criminals and drug lords, aiding in their conviction.

​​Sen. Bam urged AMLC officials to request for additional budget for the hiring of financial investigators for the drug war.

​​“As we enter the budget season, this is the time for AMLC to increase the number of investigators to help address the problem,” said Sen. Bam.

​​According to the AMLC, they are planning to hire additional 20 financial investigators to beef up its current pool of probers who are looking into more than 30,000 suspicious and questionable transactions.

​​Of this, the AMLC said around 30 cases have been filed in courts against those behind these illegal transactions.

Bam urges gov’t to clarify foreign policy direction

A senator wants the government to clarify the foreign policy direction that it plans to take, given the variety of statements issued by President Duterte and other administration officials.

 Sen. Bam Aquino said he will file a resolution to clarify the matter so that national interest will not be compromised.

 “Kailangan natin malaman kung ano ba talaga ang foreign policy ng administrasyon, particularly with regard to the US,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam saw this need for clarification after President Duterte reportedly said in a speech before newly appointed civil servants last September 12, that American troops must leave Mindanao.

On the contrary, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella maintained President Duterte’s statement was not official policy and that American troops will remain in Mindanao.

On September 13, President Duterte also announced that the Philippines would no longer engage in joint maritime patrols with the US in order to avoid hostilities.

But in September 15, Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay was reported to say that the joint patrols with the US will continue, “because this is our commitment to the United States.”

In addition, President Duterte reportedly mentioned that the Philippines is considering the procurement of military equipment from Russia and China.

But Abella later cleared this up when he said that the government would continue to honor its present agreements with the United States.

 “Given recent conflicting statements from the President and government representatives, there is a need to clarify government’s approach to foreign relations and ensure a clear and coherent foreign policy towards ensuring our national interest,” Sen. Bam said.

Bam on testimony of Edgar Matobato

Nakababahala ang mga rebelasyon ni Matobato.

 Nararapat na malaman natin kung totoo o hindi ang mga sinasabi niya at payagan ang Senado na gawin ang kanyang tungkulin.

 Madaling guluhin ang mga bagay-bagay kapag binabahiran ito ng pulitika.

 Bilang Senado na hindi nagpapaimpluwensya kanino man, tungkulin namin sa taumbayan na alamin ang katototahan nang walang kulay pulitika.

Bam on Davao City bombing

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Davao City bombing.

 Kasabay ng pagtugis natin sa mga nasa likod ng malagim na pagsabog,  mahalagang tutukan ang kapakanan ng mga biktima at kanilang pamilya.

 Dapat magkaroon ng agarang tulong sa pamilya ng mga namatay at tiyaking naibibigay ang pangangailangang medikal ng mga nasugatan.

 Nagkakaisa tayo sa pagpapahalaga sa buhay ng ating mga kababayan at kagustuhang umasenso ang Pilipinas.

 This act of terrorism is unacceptable.  We must bring to justice those responsible for the killing of innocent people and ensure that similar barbaric acts will not happen in the future.

Bam: Fast-track passage of coco levy bill

Sen. Bam Aquino urged fellow lawmakers to fast-track the passage of the Coco Levy Trust Fund Act so that three million farmers and their families can finally enjoy the fruits of their labor after decades of waiting.

“Marami sa atin, naghihintay na noong 16th Congress pa lang. We almost passed it, nabitin lang sa dulo,” said Sen. Bam during the hearing of the Committee on Agriculture and Food

 “Let’s pass it as fast as we can,” added Sen. Bam, author of Senate Bill No. 669 or the Coconut Farmers’ Trust Fund Act, which seeks to creation of a trust fund from the coco levy fund to develop the coconut industry and alleviate lives of coconut farmers and their families.

 In the 16th Congress, Sen. Bam filed Senate Bill No. 2467 but the Senate failed to pass it and other similar measures due to four contentious issues.

 “Marami po sa atin, naghihintay na noong 16th Congress pa lang,” said Sen. Bam.

 Sen. Bam suggested that lawmakers focus on four unsettled issues in the bill so that the measure will be passed at the soonest possible time.

 He pinpointed the four contentious issues to be the privatization of the 30 billion pesos, the composition of the trust fund members, where the fund should be invested, and how the budget should be spent.

 “More or less, iyong apat na iyon ang kailangan nilang pag-usapan. I personally feel this should have been passed already,” added Sen. Bam.

 Senate Bill No. 669 aims to create a Coconut Levy Trust Fund from the P75-billion Coco Levy Fund to spur the growth of the industry for the benefit of small coconut farmers and workers all over the country.

 The proposal includes the financing of programs for the increased productivity of coconut farms, capacity building of farmers, research and development of coconut-based enterprises, and implementation of poverty-alleviation programs.

 “The priority is our coconut farmers and their families. The goal is to give them sustainable livelihood by rehabilitating and revitalizing the industry,” said Sen. Bam.

 

Bam: Target funding for rehab centers achievable

With government putting utmost priority in the fight against illegal drugs, Sen. Bam Aquino said the needed fund for the establishment of additional rehabilitation centers for thousands of drug dependents must be ensured in the national budget.

 “Now that everybody wants to support the war on drugs and the rehabilitation efforts, puwede kayong umasa sa Senado para sa budget item na ito,” said Sen. Bam during the hearing of the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs

 “Dapat nating matiyak na may pondo sa rehabilitasyon ng mga nag-surrender na drug dependents,” added Sen. Bam.

 Currently, the Department of Health plans to establish four regional drug rehabilitation centers of 500 beds each, or a total of 2,000.

 According to the Department of Health (DOH), the government is also looking to put up a drug rehabilitation center in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija that can house 5,000 to 10,000 dependents.

 The government also plans to establish rehabilitation centers in military camps in Bohol and Capiz.

 During the hearing, it was discovered that less than 0.6 to 1 percent, or around 30,000 to 37,000, of 3.7 million drug dependents in the country need treatment in rehabilitation centers.

 For the remaining percentage, resource speakers mentioned that they should be provided with outpatient intervention in local communities.

 Sen. Bam brought up the effectiveness of peer counseling to address both rehabilitation and prevention in the country’s fight against illegal drugs.

 “We need more barangay-level interventions to address the rehabilitation of drug dependents,” the lawmaker added.

 “Makatutulong sa ating anti-drug drive kung hindi lang ang PNP ang mangunguna sa laban. It should be a multi-sectoral effort – may simbahan, local, may mga organizations – para lahat ay makatulong sa pag-kontra sa droga,” the lawmaker added.

 The senator also mentioned that the Sangguniang Kabataan can play a crucial part in combating the illegal drug problem among the young Filipinos.

 

Bam: Resolve underspending and inefficiency, fix gov’t procurement

Sen. Bam Aquino wants to fix the government’s procurement system to address underspending in the national budget and enable government agencies to better deliver services to the public.

  “I don’t think we will be able to spend properly, even with the best intentions, if we don’t reform the Procurement Act,” said Sen. Bam during the briefing of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) on the proposed P3.35-trillion national budget for 2017.

 “Our taxpayer’s money should be spent efficiently and Filipinos should see results. Let’s fast track our Procurement Act reforms,” the senator said.

 According to Sen. Bam, a number of Cabinet secretaries have raised their concerns over the strict Procurement Act, including Transportation Secretary Art Tugade during the initial emergency powers hearing.

 “In the emergency powers hearing, a large part of the discussion is about procurement,” the senator added.

 During the hearing of the Committee on Education, Sen. Bam said DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones mentioned that she has assigned an Assistant Secretary just to focus on the tedious procurement process.

 “Political will and good intentions are important. But if people are shackled by policies, it leads to unwillingness to spend on the development of the country,” Sen. Bam emphasized.

 For his part, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno revealed they plan to introduce several reforms to the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 or the Procurement Reform Act.

 “We might allow just one failed bid and then negotiate,” said Diokno.

 However, Sen. Bam said lawmakers are willing to make amendments to the law so the country can have an effective procurement process for the long-term.

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