Other Issues

Bam seeks to stop ‘Endo’

In a move to strengthen the rights of workers and promote security of tenure, a senator filed a measure that seeks to end the unjust “Endo” (end contract) practice in the country.

 On Thursday, Sen. Bam Aquino filed the End Endo Act, amending Sections 106 to 109 of the Presidential Decree No. 442 or the Labor Code of the Philippines.

 It will put a stop to fixed term employment or hiring of workers based on a limited and fixed period without regularization so more Filipinos are assured of job security and steady compensation.

 Employers are also limited from contracting or subcontracting more than 20 percent of their total workforce.

 The End Endo Act will further professionalize the service contracting industry by prohibiting labor-only contracting and establishing industry standards.

 It will also guarantee contracted workers of reasonable compensation even in between assignments through a Transition Support Program.

 “If approved, tapos na ang nakasanayang 50 o 100 percent ng workforce ay contracted o subcontracted,” said Sen. Bam.

 In addition, the measure requires the mandatory posting of bond that will serve as a safeguard for the employee’s claims in case of violation by the contractor or subcontractor.

Bam: Love for country and public service will unite Duterte, Robredo

Despite their political differences, Sen. Bam Aquino is convinced that President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo will eventually work together for the sake of the Filipino people.

“Everyone has a hangover from the campaign. Very soon, the burden of governance will sober everyone up,” said Sen. Bam after attending the oath-taking ceremony of Robredo in Quezon City.

 “Kapag kaharap mo na ang mga problema sa education, poverty, employment – really serious issues – that’s the time the divisions we saw during the elections should start to fade away. You get to realize that if you really want this country to move forward, you need to work with everyone,” he added.

Sen. Bam is hoping that when the burden of governance sets in, the issue of political partisanship will be put on the back burner and focus will shift on moving the country forward. 

 “The important thing is how to move the country forward and not on where we came from and who we supported in the last elections,” Sen. Bam said.

Sen. Bam said it is better to start concentrating on what’s important, and that is “fulfilling our mandate and fulfilling all of the promises to the people”.

Sen. Bam Aquino was Vice President Leni Robredo’s campaign manager and is expected to head the Senate Committee on Education in the 17th Congress of the Philippines.

 

Bam congratulates Filipino Dota 2 team for making it to ‘The International’

Congratulations to TNC for making it to the prestigious “The International’ Dota 2 Championships in Seattle, Washington.

 As the first Filipino team to qualify to the final stage of the four-leg event after five years, may you bring honor to the country as you battle top Dota squads from around the world

Best of luck to Marco “Raven” Fausto, Carlo “Kuku” Palad, Samson “Sam_H” Hidalgo, Nino “eyyou” Barcelon and Jimmy “DeMoN” Ho.

 Ipakita niyo ang husay na naglagay sa mga Pilipino sa hanay ng pinakamagagaling na eSports athletes sa mundo!

Bam: Gina will fight for our environment

A lawmaker welcomed the appointment of Regina “Gina” Lopez as secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), saying she will do a good job owing to her background as a staunch environment advocate.

“She will do a good job because she has been fighting for the environment for decades,” said Sen. Bam Aquino, a member of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.

Aquino believes that Lopez’s decades-long advocacy will be an important asset to the Duterte’s administration drive to protect the environment.

“Akma si Gina sa posisyon dahil alam niya ang ugat ng mga problema at marami siyang solusyon na maaaring ipanukala at ipatupad para sa proteksiyon ng ating kalikasan,” the senator said.

 A strong advocate of children and education and protection of the environment, Lopez is the chairperson of the ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Inc., the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, and vice chairperson of the ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation.

Lopez also launched Bantay Kalikasan, which seeks to promote environmental protection and education and eco-tourism.

Sen. Bam is pushing for the development of the bamboo industry as means to protect the environment, saying it will help rehabilitate degraded watersheds, sequester carbon dioxide, assist in mitigation of climate change and provide livelihood to communities at the same time.

 

Bam on the Abu Sayyaf problem

Malaking perhuwisyo na ang idinulot ng paghahasik ng lagim ng Abu Sayyaf sa ating bansa. 

Naapektuhan na nito ang ating imahe na nagdulot ng malaking epekto sa turismo, ekonomiya at maging sa pamumuhay sa ilang bahagi ng Mindanao.

Panahon na upang gawin ang lahat ng nararapat na aksiyon upang mapulbos na ang bandidong grupo sa lalong madaling panahon.

Suportado natin ang anumang hakbang na gagawin ng kasalukuyang pamahalaan at ng papasok na administrasyon ni President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, basta’t ito’y naaayon sa batas.

Subalit sa pagkilos na ito, dapat unahing bantayan ang kapakanan ng sibilyan na posibleng maipit sa labanan. 

 

Bam: PH ‘next big thing’ in eSports, Video Game Development

Bam Aquino at the Manila MajorSen. Bam Aquino, an avid supporter of the local eSports industry, believes the hosting of the Manila Major can help the Philippines boost its image as next eSports and video game development hotbed in the world.

 “I think this is just the beginning. The whole world is getting to see that the Philippines is a player in the eSports scene,” Aquino said in an interview at the Manila Major event held at the Mall of Asia Arena.

 The third event of Valve’s Dota Major Championships, the Manila Major features 16 international teams battling it out for a total pot of $3 million and spots in The International 2016, which will be held in Seattle, Washington in July.

  “There are only four of these events every year and we get to host it. I’m hoping that this will be a yearly event, leading up to the biggest competition in the United States. Hopefully, this will be a permanent stop,” said Sen. Bam.

Aside from the eSports industry, Sen. Bam said the Philippines is now a favorite destination for video game developers, creating employment for more Filipinos. 

Manila Major 2016

 “We’ve been helping the game development industry set up shop here in the Philippines. Big publisher is setting up a studio here in partnership with one of the biggest schools,” said Sen. Bam.

 “So many things are happening, especially with the number of jobs being created because of events like this (Manila Major) and because of the movements in the game development world,” he added.

 Sen. Bam also lauded the organizers, led by the Philippine eSports Organization (PEO), PGL and Valve, for the successful staging of the world-class event in the country.

 “This is just a start. A lot of people here worked really hard to put this up. It took years to put it up. The first time we spoke, it was just a dream, now it’s here,” said Sen. Bam, whose initiative led to the formation of PeSPA to strengthen the foundation of eSports in the country.

 Recently, the country hosted the ESL One Dota Tournament, which was held for the first time in Southeast Asia.

 

Bam: Huwag mong sabihing may dayaan kung wala kang ebidensiya!

“Huwag mong sabihing may dayaan kung wala kang ebidensiya!”

Sen. Bam Aquino made his pronouncement during his interpellation of Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during Monday’s Senate session.

“Kung kayo na po mismo ang nagsabi na hindi po natin alam kung ano ang nangyari, hindi po ba premature na sabihin na may pandarayang nangyari,” Sen. Bam questioned Marcos during interpellation.

“Wala pa akong sinasabi na may nangyaring pandaraya sa server,” replied Marcos, who earlier claimed that his lead was depleted after Smartmatic applied the cosmetic change on the transparency server.

Aquino also challenged Marcos to back up his accusation with the proper data and the proper numbers to justify his call for the opening up of the server for scrutiny.

 

Sen. Bam thanks Bangladesh for patience, assures $81M will be returned

Sen. Bam Aquino thanked Bangladesh for its patience and assured that the Philippine government will leave no stone unturned to ensure the $81 million stolen from its central bank is returned as soon as possible.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Ambassador, for being so patient in our hearings,” Sen. Bam told Bangladeshi ambassador John Gomes during the Senate blue ribbon committee’s last hearing on the hacking incident.

 Despite the adjournment of the hearing, Aquino said the process of returning the stolen money to Bangladesh will continue.

“We won’t stop until the money stolen from the Bangladeshi people is returned, up to the last centavo,” said Sen. Bam.

During the hearing, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) confirmed that the $81 million was stolen by unidentified hackers from the Central Bank of Bangladesh.

Of the $81 million, the AMLC said $15 million was returned by junket operator Kim Wong, $21 million allegedly went to casinos, $28 million is subject to Supreme Court’s decision on the petition for review and $17 million still at large.

 The AMLC said a court order is needed to forfeit the $15 million in its safekeeping while the Bangladesh government can file a third-party claim to prove that the money belongs to them.

The process, according to the AMLC, will take about three to five months.

Bam lauds staging of ESL One in PH

Sen. Bam Aquino, an avid supporter of the eSports industry, lauds the staging of the ESL One Dota Tournament in the country, saying this is a chance to show cyber athletes from around the world that eSports is more fun in the Philippines.

The ESL One will be held for the first time in Southeast Asia with the first-ever premium Dota 2 tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena from April 23 to 24.

 The event will feature top teams from around the world as they battle for a lion’s share of the $250,000 top purse and the honor of becoming ESL One champion.

 Sen. Bam is expected to grace the event’s kickoff on Saturday (April 23).

Sen. Bam said the event will put the country as the next mecca for eSports and will bring fresh employment and business opportunities for Filipinos.

“ESL coming to the Philippines, will bring business opportunities and prestige to the country,” said Sen. Bam.

The office of Sen. Bam has been extending assistance to the local eSports community as support for the growth of the community and development of the e-industry in the country.

“We’ve been greatly impressed working with our eSports community and our Filipino cyber athletes, not only with their success in global competitions, but also in their dedication to professionalize our local eGaming industry,” said Sen. Bam. 

Through Sen. Bam’s initiative, the Philippine eSports Association (PeSPA) was formed to strengthen the foundation of eSports in the country.

Bam: Barangay Captains Can Now Administer Oath to Next PH President

Sen. Bam Aquino’s measure empowering barangay captains to administer the oath of office to the country’s next president has been signed into law by President Aquino.
 
The Chief Executive has signed Republic Act No. 10755 last March 29, 2016, which will give barangay chairmen power to administer oath of office of any government official, including the President of the Philippines.
 
“By empowering the Punong Barangay to administer oaths is an affirmation and recognition of its critical role in our society,” said Aquino, co-author of the measure.
 
Aside from carrying out government programs and projects in the barangay level, the Punong Barangay also serves as the leader and a source of legitimacy by its constituents,” the senator added.
 
The new law will amend Chapter 1, Section 41 of Executive Order 292 to include barangay captains among officers who have general authority to administer oath.
 
Barangay captains will join other officials who have the authority to administer oath to any government official, among them the President, Vice President, Members and Secretaries of Both Houses of Congress and Members of the Judiciary.
 
Under EO 292, officials who have the power to administer oath are Members of the judiciary, department secretaries, governors, vice governors, city mayors, municipal mayors, bureau directors, regional directors, clerks of court; registrars of deeds and other civilian officers in the government whose appointments are vested in the President and are subject to confirmation by the Commission on Appointments.
 
Other constitutional officers, public attorney’s office (PAO) and notaries public are also empowered to administer oath.
 
This is Aquino’s 10th law in less than three years as senator. Recently, Sen. Bam’s measure giving value-added tax exemption to persons with disabilities has been signed into law.
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