Other Issues

Bam on Kim Wong

Kim Wong returning 4.6 million dollars is only the first step.

In the previous hearing, we know that he received much more than that. In fact, I am hoping that all institutions that  received the illegally acquired funds will return it at the soonest possible time.

We should insist that the other junket operators, casinos and other institutions return the money that coursed through them, in good faith, and because it is the right thing to do.

Of course, these actions will not absolve any party as the investigation by the authorities is ongoing and the the true picture of what happened is still unclear to the public.

Bam: Increased Benefits for Public School Teachers During Elections Nears Law

Election service benefits will soon increase for public school teachers once the Election Service Reform Act (ESRA) principally authored by Sen. Bam Aquino is signed into law.

In last week’s bicameral conference committee, the House has adopted the Senate version of the measure, which will now be transmitted to Malacanang for President Aquino’s signature.

The measure makes election service optional for public school teachers and increases honoraria for board of election inspector (BEI) and their support staff that will take effect in this year’s elections.

Sen. Bam said compensation for BEI chairman will be increased to P6,000 from P3,000 while BEI members will receive P5,000 from P3,000.

From P3,000, Department of Education (DepEd) supervisor/official will earn P4,000 while support staff will receive P2,000 from P1,500.

The teachers and all persons who rendered election service would also be entitled to a travel allowance of P1,000 each.

Sen. Bam said any person who causes the delay in the payment due to the BEI members beyond the prescribed period of 15 days from the election date will be liable for an election offense.

The measure also gives five days of service credit instead of three to all government officials and employees serving as members of the electoral boards, DepEd supervisor/official and support staff.

The ESRA also seeks to increase the death benefits from P200,000 to P500,000 and the medical assistance in such amount as may be “sufficient to cover for medical and hospitalization expenses until recovery” of injuries sustained while in the performance of election duties.

In case of lack of personnel, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) may appoint any registered voter to the BEI in the following order of preference: private school teachers, national government employees (DepEd non-teaching personnel), other national government officials and employees holding regular or permanent positions, excluding uniformed personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

 Members of Comelec-accredited citizen’s arms and other civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations can also do election duties in lieu of public school teachers who opt not to participate in the electoral process.

Statement of Bam Aquino on the Rappler Article about the Balay Banning

While I admit that some members of the LP were surprised by my SET vote, nais kong idiin na ginalang naman nila ang naging desisyon natin at walang sinuman sa partido ang sumubok na impluwensiyahan ako sa kaso.
 
Ngayon, abala tayo sa pagtiyak na mananalo sina Mar Roxas, Leni Robredo at ang buong LP Senate slate sa 2016 elections.
 
Ang mga balita-balitang mga ganito ay mga tangka lamang na ilihis ang ating atensiyon. Tuloy-tuloy tayo sa pagpapanalo para kay Mar, Leni, at ang ating LP Senate slate!

Bam on his decision on Grace Poe’s SET case

(From Status Update program)

Pag-usapan na rin po natin ang malaking balita kahapon at ito ang SET decision tungkol kay Sen. Grace Poe.

Marami ho ang nagtatanong kung bakit ako bumoto na huwag siyang i-disqualify.

Ang legal question na nasa harap ng SET kahapon ay kung iyong mga na-abandona o tinatawag na foundlings ay natural-born o hindi. 

Iyon lang talaga ang subject ng aming decision. Hindi kasama ang residency. Tungkol lang po sa foundling. Ang foundling ba ay natural born o ang foundling ba ay naturalized.

Ang ilan sa amin na nag-decide na ang foundling ay natural born, ang basehan po niyan ay dahil sa international law. Nakalagay po doon at sumasang-ayon tayo sa mga batas na iyan na ang isang bata na nahanap sa isang bansa ay mayroong presumption o mayroong pag-i-intindi na siya ay mula sa bansang iyon.

Kung ginawa po nating naturalized ang mga foundling, iyong mga karapatan at pribilehiyo na maaring maibigay sa mga foundling bilang natural born citizen ay mawawala at isa ay maituturing na naturalized citizen. 

Magiging problema po iyan sa paghahanap ng ibang propesyon, sa pagiging doctor, nurse at kung siyempre ay kung gusto nilang manungkulan sa gobyerno, magiging problema rin po iyan.

Ang desisyong ito, hindi po si Sen. Poe ang iniisip natin. Ang iniisip natin ay kung ano ang magiging implikasyon sa libu-libong bata na naabandona sa ating bansa, at ito ang naging basehan ng ilan sa amin sa SET.

Ang expectation kasi, sa pulitika, dapat pulitikal lahat ang desisyon mo. Pero paminsan-minsan naman po, kailangan nating mag-isip gamit ang prinsipyo, gamit ang konsensiya at gamit ang tiwala  na ibinigay ng taumbayan.

Ang pagiging daang matuwid ng aming partido, hindi po ito slogan lang. Ito po’y totoo, ito po’y nasa puso naming lahat at kung nasa daang matuwid ka, talagang kailangan iyong prinsipyo mo at konsensiya ang gagamitin mo. 

In fairness to my partymates, wala namang sumubok na impluwensiyahan ang aking desisyon.

Ibig sabihin nito, sa SET, hindi po madi-disqualify si Sen. Poe sa pagiging senador. Pero ang kanyang Comelec case, tuluy-tuloy pa rin.

In fact, you can expect na in the next couple of weeks, magde-decide na rin po ang Comelec kung siya’y madi-disqualify sa pagtakbo bilang presidente.

Bam Files Measure to Eradicate ‘Tanim-Bala’ Scam

Amid the “Tanim Bala” controversy in the country’s main airport, a senator wants to decriminalize the acquisition, possession and carriage of three bullets or less in the country

Sen. Bam Aquino will file Iwas Tanim Bala Bill after several outbound passengers have been apprehended at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after they were victimized by the “Tanim-Bala” scam.

Among those arrested were a 65-year-old woman on her way to Singapore to watch her nephew play soccer, a 56-year-old domestic helper bound for Hong Kong and an 18-year-old choir member on her way to South Korean for a competition.

 “Activities that jeopardize the safety and security of the public are clearly unacceptable. We must build a secure, orderly, and just nation for our tourists, foreign and local investors, and most importantly, our own citizens,” said Sen. Bam.

“Clearly, a scam that is unsupported of our efforts to raise government service standards for the Filipino people should be stopped immediately. As investigations have been ordered, it is also imperative to look at policy proposals and interventions that fully address the issue,” the senator added.

Aside from eliminating the “Tanim-Bala” scam, Sen. Bam also said that the measure also aims to make security efforts more efficient and to enable security stakeholders to focus on real and grave threats.

“Let us continue refining our policies into those that will truly serve our people, especially the common Filipino, and effectively continue the fight to eradicate lawlessness in the country,” said Sen. Bam.

Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, vice presidential bet of the Liberal Party, has filed the counterpart measure in the House of Representatives. 

Bam: Fight Twisting of Truth About Martial Law

Senator Bam Aquino urged Filipinos to continue retelling the stories of Martial Law, saying “the sacrifices, atrocities and heroism during the darkest years in our country’s history should not be forgotten and must be imparted to today’s generation”.

“Hindi dapat ibaon sa limot ang madilim na bahagi ng ating kasaysayan kung saan maraming buhay ang nasakripisyo at maraming karapatan ang niyurakan,” said Sen. Bam as the country commemorated the 43rd anniversary of Martial Law yesterday (Monday).

 During the Martial Law years from 1972 to 1981, thousands of people opposed to the Marcos government were either killed, tortured or went missing.

 Aside from that, Sen. Bam said the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) estimated that the country’s coffers lost around $10 billion during Marcos’ reign.

Sen. Bam expressed concern as there are efforts to distort the truth, especially in social media and on the Internet, to make it appear that the Philippines had its best years during the Marcos administration.

“For those who remember Martial Law, it is our responsibility to impart the truth to the next generation to create awareness among our youth on what really happened during that time,” said Sen. Bam, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youth.

The senator also called on the youth to not be easily swayed and misled by stories being disseminated online, saying they must examine their veracity and truthfulness.

“Maging masinop sa pagsisinsin ng mga lumalabas sa Internet, halukayin ang mga kuwento at huwag basta maniwala,” Sen. Bam stressed.

Sen. Bam’s uncle, Ninoy Aquino, was among those arrested, imprisoned and tortured during the Martial Law. Ninoy was tagged as Prisoner No. 1 as he was arrested moments after Martial Law was declared.

Bam: Boost Employment, Enterprise Opportunities in Countryside

With the significant increase in population every half a decade, a senator stressed the need to employment and enterprise opportunities outside Metro Manila.

“We need to build more mega cities such as Cebu, CDO, and Davao for other regions to flourish and provide growth to Filipinos elsewhere aside from Metro Manila,” said Sen. Bam Aquino, chairman of the Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.

Aquino made the pronouncement after the country’s population hit 101.8 million or 10 percent higher than the 92.3 million in 2010.

“Currently, Metro Manila is tackling problems of heavy traffic, water shortages and others because its capacity is being maximized. Thus there is a need of better urban planning here and in other regions,” Sen. Bam said. 

“Developing other urban centers would be a win-win situation for us as we anticipate continued economic and rapid population growth,” the senator added.

According to Sen. Bam, the continued growth in population will affect the government’s capacity to provide quality basic services to the public.

“If we will provide employment and enterprise opportunities in the countryside, Filipinos who relocated to Metro Manila will be encouraged to return to their hometowns and earn a decent living,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam added that the passage of the Go Negosyo Act and the Youth Entrepreneurship Act, have aimed to provide more Filipinos chances in finding employment and livelihood in their hometowns.

Approved by President Aquino last August 27, 2015, the Youth Entrepreneurship Act or Republic Act No. 10679, will help strengthen the government’s push to address the growing number of unemployed young people in the country.

Republic Act No. 10644 or the Go Negosyo Act provides for the establishment of Negosyo Centers in all provinces, cities and municipalities in the country to help the government’s push for inclusive growth.

The Negosyo Center will provide access to linkages to bigger markets for businesses, and a unified and simplified business registration process, thus helping ease of doing business and fast-track government processes in putting up a business.

As of press time, 90 Negosyo Centers have been established all over the country.

Bam Expects NTC’s MC on Mobile Broadband to be Fair for Everyone

Senator Bam Aquino expects the National Telecommunications Commission’s memorandum circular (MC) on advertised speed of mobile broadband Internet to be fair for everyone.

“With 90 percent of our Internet users connect from mobile broadband, we need to ensure that this memorandum circular will be a win-win solution for everyone,” said Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, referring to the MC that will be released in November.

“Inaasahan natin na makukuha ng taumbayan ang bilis na ibinibida sa mga patalastas at ads,” Sen. Bam, who has continued to spearhead the Senate investigation on the slow and expensive Internet connection in the country.

Earlier, the NTC released Memorandum Circular No. 07-08-2015 for fixed-line broadband internet, such as DSL, fiber, and cable.

The MC states that broadband must have data connection speed of at least 256 kilobits per second (kbps) – the standard of the International Telecommunications Union.

Based on the memorandum circular, Sen. Bam said consumers may file a complaint against a telco if it fails to deliver the promised advertised speed.

Also, Aquino said the government must put premium on improving the country’s Internet infrastructure, especially in far-flung areas to give more Filipinos access to the world wide web.

Bam: Improve Traffic before APEC, Christmas Season

Senator Bam Aquino urged the government’s task force on traffic to complete all the needed intervention to improve traffic condition before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in November and the onset of Christmas season.

“With the creation of the task force, they have started to exhaust all interventions to ease our traffic situation in the soonest possible time. Pa-isa-isang intervention para malaman nila if these are effective,” Sen. Bam said during an interview.

Among the planned intervention are staggered work hours, high-occupancy vehicle lane or car pooling, Christmas lanes and truck ban, which was re-implemented starting yesterday (Tuesday).

 The senator said the establishment of Mabuhay lanes are crucial because they will be used as alternate routes during the APEC Summit and the Christmas season.

“In the next few weeks, titingnan kung kailangan pa iyong ibang mga intervention para maihabol sa APEC at pasko,” added Aquino, who filed a resolution seeking to formulate strategies and solutions to address the worsening traffic conditions in Metro Manila.

Sen. Bam assured that the task force, headed by Secretary to the Cabinet Rene Almendras, will consult the public through hearings before implementing any move.

During the Senate hearing, Sen. Bam said the task force is now focused on moving people faster by improving the movement of high-occupancy vehicles like buses and train.

“Ang isang bus na may dalawang kotse ang haba, can fit up to sixty people. Mas sulit talaga na bigyang pansin iyong bus at tren. Iyon naman talaga ang pangangailangan,” said Sen. Bam. 

Sen. Bam also stressed that the government must put premium on improving the mass transport system to improve traffic in Metro Manila.

Bam: Losses to Heavy Traffic to Reach P6B by 2030

If not fully addressed immediately, a senator warned that economic losses due to heavy traffic in Metro Manila could balloon to P6 billion a day from the current P2.4 billion by 2030.

For this reason, Sen. Bam Aquino has filed a resolution seeking to review the existing Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development to formulate effective strategies and solutions to address the negative economic impact of the worsening traffic conditions in Metro Manila.

“Commuters as well as private vehicle owner suffer the monstrous and extremely costly traffic every day in Metro Manila,” Sen. Bam stressed in his Senate Resolution No. 1532, citing a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

The study entitled, “Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development for Metro Manila and Surrounding Areas,” was conducted in coordination with the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and other relevant agencies.

The roadmap was approved last Sept. 2, 2014 by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Board.

According to the study’s preliminary analysis, Sen. Bam said the lower-income households will be the hardest hit when congestion worsens by 2030 as they will spend no less than 20 percent of their monthly household income for transport.

“Without intervention, traffic demand will likely increase by 13 percent in 2030, and transport cost will be 2.5 percent higher,” Sen. Bam said.

According to Sen. Bam, relevant government agencies and local government units must contribute to the crafting to an effective planning strategies and traffic management systems in order to improve traffic conditions in Metro Manila.

“The MMDA cannot solve the worsening traffic condition alone. The DPWH, Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulating Board (LTFRB), and the private sector must also do their share in solving the dilemma,” said Sen. Bam.

Among the factors that contributed to the worsening traffic condition is the significant population increase in Metro Manila which now stands at 16.5 million.

“Maaantala ang ating kaunlaran kung ang araw-araw na biyahe ay ikalulugi ng ating mga mamamayan at ng buong bansa,” added Sen. Bam, a micro, small and medium enterprises’ welfare advocate.

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