Bam Aquino

Sen. Bam: Stop enabling smugglers and inconveniencing OFWs

Sen. Bam Aquino chided the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for making it easy for big-time smugglers to bring in contrabands into the country while burdening overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with strict requirements in the entry of Balikbayan boxes.

 “Habang pinapahirapan ang mga OFWs na magpadala ng gamit sa kanilang mahal sa buhay, labas-masok naman ang kontrabando sa Super Green Lane (SGL),” said Sen. Bam, referring to the P6.4 billion shabu shipment what was allowed to pass through the Super Green Lanes (SGL).

 To help prevent port congestion, Super Green Lanes were put in place to allow fast tracking of shipments based on the discretion of the BOC.

 “Ito ba ang direksiyon ng BOC para maresolba ang problema sa smuggling? Pahirapan ang mga OFWs at palagpasin ang mga big time smugglers?” asked Sen. Bam, adding that the intention of SGL to facilitate transaction with exporters and importers was put in a bad light due to this incident.

“Ilan pa kayang kontrabando at droga ang nakakalusot sa mga Super Green Lanes natin?” questioned Sen. Bam.

 Sen. Bam further criticized the BOC’s new rules on how overseas Filipino can send home a balikbayan box, including the pasting on the box a detailed list of contents and putting the receipts of items purchased inside.

“They leave the country to provide for their family and they keep our economy afloat. The government should allow them their privileges. They do not deserve the additional hassles and harassment,” said Sen. Bam.

 Sen. Bam was the co-author of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act of 2016, which allows OFWs to send up to three P150,000-worth of tax and duty free balikbayan boxes in a year, given that goods are not in commercial quantities nor intended for barter, sale or for hire.

 The senator also pushed for the increase in the value of de minimis from P10 to P10,000 through his Senate Bill No. 2373.

 

Sen. Bam to look into AI threat to jobs for Filipinos

Sen. Bam Aquino is set to conduct a hearing into the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) to jobs in the country.
 
“Every job created for Filipinos is important. We have to guard against trends that will take jobs away from our countrymen,” said Sen. Bam, who will conduct the probe on Tuesday (August 1) as chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology. 
 
“Gusto nating malaman kung ano ang epekto ng artificial intelligence sa employment, lalo na sa ating business process outsourcing (BPO) o call center sector,” added Sen. Bam.
 
Sen. Bam filed Senate Resolution No. 344, to conduct an inquiry on the government’s plan and initiatives to maximize the benefits of developments in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
 
The senator expressed alarm over the growing presence of Chatbots and the emergence of systems capable of referring questions to human operators and learning from their responses.
 
“These systems use artificial intelligence and are capable of performing the tasks of human employees, putting their livelihood at risk, especially in the call center industry,” said Sen. Bam.
 
In 2016, the International Labor Organization (ILO) reported that 49 percent of all employment in the Philippines faces a high risk of automation in the next couple of decades.
 
Based on research conducted by International Data Corporation (IDC), around $47 billion will be spent on AI-related applications globally by 2020, especially in banking, healthcare and retail sectors.
 
According to Jubert Daniel Alberto of IDC Philippines, the rise of AI will definitely affect the BPO industry that currently employs around 1.2 million Filipinos.

Sen. Bam wishes TNC Pro, Execration ‘good luck’ in The International DOTA 2 Championships

Sen. Bam Aquino joined the training of the Filipino DOTA team TNC Pro before it travels to Seattle, Washington Sunday to participate in The International DOTA 2 Championships, the biggest esports event in the world.

“It’s not every day that you get to play with the best in the world so it was a big honor that I was allowed to join their practice before they travel to Seattle tomorrow (Sunday),” said Sen. Bam, who joined TNC Pro’s practice session when he visited the group’s DOTA Gaming House.

After placing in the eighth among 18 teams in last year’s edition of the tournament, Sen. Bam believes that the team can do even better this year. The members of TNC Pro are Theeban “1437” Siva, Carlo “Kuku” Palad, Sam “Samh” Hidalgo, Marco Polo Luis “Raven” Fausto and Timothy John “Tims” Randrup.

“These gentlemen play with a lot of skill and talent, and they also play with a lot of Pinoy pride,” said Sen. Bam, who also wished Team Execration, the other Filipino team in the tournament, the best of luck.

Sen. Bam provided help in the travel of TNC Pro, the winner in the Southeast Asian qualifying event while Execration placed third behind Fnatic.

The two Filipino squads will battle it out against the best of Europe (Team Secret, HellRaisers and Team Empire), China (iG Vitality, LGD.Forever Young and LGD Gaming), North America (Cloud9 and Digital Chaos), South America (Infamous) and direct invites OG, Virtus.Pro, Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid, Invictus Gaming and Newbee. The tournament offers a total purse of $22,810,242.

Sen. Bam is a supporter of Filipino esports athletes and game development in the Philippines for its huge potential in bringing honor to the country and creating jobs and livelihood for Filipinos.

The senator helped establish Philippine esports Association (PeSPA) to strengthen the foundation of esports in the country, look after the welfare of cyber athletes and stakeholders and promote esports in the country.

Sen. Bam: Senate’s duty to ensure that Tax Reform Package does not raise prices of goods

Sen. Bam Aquino expressed support behind the Senate leadership’s plan to convene as a committee of the whole to discuss the tax reform package being pushed by the Duterte administration.

“There are a number of concerns that need to be addressed with the current version of the tax reform package,” said Sen. Bam, vice chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, ““I will support the move of our Senate leadership.”

The senator said that the committee of the whole can give senators a venue to raise these concerns.

Earlier, President Duterte asked Senate to pass the government’s tax reform package in its entirety during his State of the Nation Address (SONA).

However, Sen. Bam said the Senate owes it to the people to go over the measure with a ‘fine-toothed comb” to determine the impact of each provision to prices of commodities, jobs and other economic issues.

“Ang pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin ay seryosong bagay at nararapat lang na gawin ng Senado ang aming tungkulin bilang kinatawan ng taumbayan na suriin ang mga panukalang ito,” said Sen. Bam.

“Interesado ako sa mga probisyon na posibleng makapagtaas sa presyo ng bilihin tulad ng bigas. We don’t want our people to suffer from higher prices of commodities,” he added.

Sen. Bam also promised to scrutinize provisions that will affect employment of Filipinos, such as business process outsourcing or call centers, and the competitiveness of industries and the agriculture sector such as the sugar industry.

“Some farmers groups have already raised concerns on excise tax on sugar and sweetened beverages because it will affect their livelihood,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam also wants to determine the economic impact of each provision of the tax reform package and not just the projected amount of tax that will be collected from it.

As part of his efforts to reduce personal income tax rate, Sen. Bam has filed Senate Bill No. 697 that seeks to revise the current income tax bracket set by the National Internal Revenue Code, which was passed in 1997.

The measure seeks to amend Section 24 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended, by adjusting the levels of net taxable income and simplifying the nominal tax rates for the purposes of computing the individual income tax.

Sen. Bam is also pushing to lower taxes for small business through Senate Bill No. 169 or the Small Business Tax Reform Act.

Reinstatement of scalawags points to favoritism in DOJ, PNP

The return of Supt. Marvin Marcos and his men to service sends a bad signal to the public that anyone can get away with any wrongdoing, including murder, as long as they have close ties with high officials of the country, according to Sen. Bam Aquino.

“What signal does this send? Kapag gumawa ka ng mali, as long as okay ka sa taas, ibabalik ka sa puwesto. That’s the signal being sent to the public,” said Sen. Bam during the hearing of the Committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs on the downgrading of the murder case against Marcos and his men and their subsequent return to service.

According to Sen. Bam, the downgrading of the case against Marcos and company by Department of Justice (DOJ) Undersecretary Reynante Orceo came as a shock.

“The NBI report, the PNP-IAS report, the Senate report, the analysis of the medico-legal, and the original DOJ Panel Report – all point to murder. Bakit binaba to homicide? Bakit may reinstatement?” Sen. Bam asked DOJ Usec. Orceo and PNP Chief Ronald Dela Rosa.

 For their part, the NBI represented by Director Dante Gierran and the DOJ panel of prosecutors represented by Sr. Asst. State Prosecutor Lilian Doris Alejo, reaffirmed their conclusions in their reports, that the Espinosa slay was clearly premeditated and that murder charges should be filed against suspected members of the PNP.

 “We were shocked on the news of the downgrade, pero mas shocking iyong reinstatement,” added the senator, who also questioned the PNP chief on why he did not put Marcos and other police personnel involved on floating status or in the office instead of bringing them back to the field.

“Thanks to the downgrade to homicide, these murder suspects are out on bail and are back on the field.  Why are we risking the credibility of the police force for these individuals?” questioned Sen. Bam.

 

Sen. Bam: We owe it to the people to scrutinize proposed tax reform package

Sen. Bam Aquino assured the public that the Senate will put the tax reform package being pushed by the Duterte administration under the microscope, saying lawmakers owe it to the people. 
 
“Pagdating sa tax reform package, mukhang mahaba-haba pa ang mangyayaring debate tungkol dito,” said Sen. Bam, vice chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means. 
 
“We owe it to the Filipino people na kilatisin iyon kasi at the end of the day, tataas ang presyo ng bilihin dahil sa panukalang ito,” stressed Sen. Bam, adding that the Senate cannot accede to the President request to pass the tax reform package in total. 
 
In an earlier interview, Sen. Bam warned that the government’s plan of imposing excise tax on liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline and diesel under its tax reform package will lead to higher prices of commodities. 
 
“The excise tax on LPG, gasoline and diesel will raise prices eventually. It might be inflationary because everything is transported. This will affect the pockets of our countrymen,” said Sen. Bam. 
 
However, Sen. Bam said he supports the move to reduce personal income tax rate, saying it was part of his advocacy when he became a senator. “Hindi naman tama na iyong CEO at kanyang secretary ay parehong kinakaltasan ng 32 percent na income tax,” said Sen. Bam. 
 
In the 17th Congress, Sen. Bam has filed Senate Bill No. 697 that seeks to revise the current income tax bracket set by the National Internal Revenue Code, which was passed in 1997. 
 
The measure seeks to amend Section 24 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended, by adjusting the levels of net taxable income and simplifying the nominal tax rates for the purposes of computing the individual income tax.

Sen. Bam’s reaction on President Duterte’s 2nd SONA

Nasaan ang libreng kolehiyo?

 Inasahan ko ang pahayag ng libreng edukasyon sa ating State Universities at Colleges (SUCs), lalo pirma na lang ng Presidente ang kailangan at batas na ito.

 Nakakapanghinayang na hindi ito binanggit.

 We must prioritize education and rise above politics to give more Filipinos access to a college degree.

 Isabatas na ang panukalang ito sa madaling panahon!

In just one year, Sen. Bam works for passage of free college education, internet in public places

Just one year into the 17th Congress, Sen. Bam Aquino worked for the passage of two important measures that are just waiting for President Duterte’s signature to become a law.

The measure providing free education in state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) was passed unanimously by the Senate during Sen. Bam’s short stint as chairman of the Committee on Education.

Sen. Bam also spearheaded the passage of the measure providing Filipinos free internet access in public places as chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology.

 “Kapag naisabatas, napakalaki ang maitutulong ng panukalang ito upang mabigyan ang mas maraming Pilipino ng pagkakataong makatapos ng kolehiyo,” said Sen. Bam, referring to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which he principally sponsored and co-authored.

As principal sponsor, Sen. Bam defended the measure in plenary debates and interpellation. He also stood as co-chairman of the Senate delegation to the bicameral conference committee, together with new Committee on Education chairman Sen. Francis Escudero. Other members of the Senate panel are Sens. Sherwin Gatchalian and Ralph Recto.

If approved, it will institutionalize free tuition and other fees in SUCs and LUCs all over the country, giving underprivileged students a chance to earn a college degree.

It will also streamline and strengthen all Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAP), making it available to students who want to pursue higher education in private institutions, as well as subsidizing other expenses of SUC students.

The senator added that the Free Internet in Public Places Act will empower Filipinos with internet access to education, information, jobs and business once enacted into law.

“We hope that this can be a step towards improving internet services in the Philippines, which, of course has become a main point for many of our countrymen,” said Sen. Bam, also the principal sponsor and co-author of the measure.

If signed into law by President Duterte, it will provide internet access in all national and local government offices, public schools, public transport terminals, public hospitals and public libraries.

 Under the measure, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will be mandated to craft a plan and a timeline for the rollout of this program.

 

Bam on voting NO to 150-day ML extension

Humindi po ako sa extension na 150 days dahil sa tingin ko po, ang nararapat na extension ay 60 days lamang.

Tatlong tanong po ang naging paggabay sa akin upang makaabot sa desisyong ito. Unang una, makakaantala ba ang paglimita sa 60 days sa operations ng AFP at sa ating mga sundalo. Clearly Mr. President, hindi naman ito makakaantala sa kanila at buo naman ang suporta natin sa AFP from the beginning.

 Hindi lang po sa moral, hindi lang po sa budget kundi pati sa mga batas na kailangang amyendahan para matulungan po sila.

 Pangalawang tanong, ano ang nais ng 500,000 internally displaced Filipinos na nasa ibang siyudad at sa mga evacuation centers. Sa aking pagkaalam, gusto na nilang bumalik sa kanilang bahay.

 Ang tingin ko po, ang rehabilitation ay mas mainam na gawin sa ilalim ng civilian authority at hindi po sa ilalim ng Martial Law.

 Pangatlo, at siguro po pinakamahalaga sa ating desisyon ngayong hapong ito. Ang 60-day limitation ba ay makatutulong sa pagtaguyod ng demokrasya sa ating bansa? Ang sagot ko po diyan oo.

Unang-una, itinataguyod ang nararapat na check and balance ng co-equal branches of government na executive and legislative branch. Pangalawa, Congress will be able to fulfil its mandate and responsibility given to it in the Constitution in shorter intervals.

Mr. President, the presence of Martial Law in our country today puts our democracy in an unusual and unstable situation. Ngayon po na mayroon tayong Martial Law, hindi po ganoon katibay ang kinatatayuan ng ating demokrasya. Kaya po, ang pagpapasyang kailangang gawin natin, tayo ba ay magpapalakas sa ating demokrasya o tayo po ba ay gagawa ng mga desisyon na posibleng makapaghina dito. Siyempre po boboto tayo sa pagpapalakas at pagpapatibay ng ating demokrasya dahil mahirap na pong masanay.

Bam: Limit ML extension

Congress must perform its duty of limiting the duration of Martial Law to ensure that checks and balances in government remain.

This was stressed by Sen. Bam Aquino during his brief manifestation during the special session to discuss the Martial Law extension being requested by President Duterte.

“I would definitely try to move for a shorter period of time,” Sen. Bam told Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

 “Nakasaad sa Konstitusyon na kapangyarihan at tungkulin ng lehislatura ang magdesisyon ukol sa pag-extend ng Martial Law. Kaya’t ang mas maikling panahon na 60 days ay hindi deadline, bagkus isang pamamaraan na kung saan nagagawa ng lehislatura ang aming tungkulin,” the senator said.

“At hindi ba nararapat lang na humingi ng pagsang-ayon ang militar sa mga sibilyan na awtoridad?” he added.

The senator reiterated the Congress’ support for the military, saying lawmakers are ready to provide soldiers the necessary equipment and legislative reforms they need to quell the terrorism in Marawi once and for all.

  “Iyong Modernization Act kailangang ipagpatuloy, baka kailangang i-amend ang Procurement Act at iba pang mga batas upang magawa niyo ang trabaho nang maayos,” said Sen. Bam, to which Sec. Lorenzana agreed to.

However, Sen. Bam stressed the need to be prudent about the Martial Law extension to completely quell terrorism in Mindanao.

 “Let us not forget that it is robust development – education, jobs, business and livelihood – that will ultimately beat terrorism,” said Sen. Bam.

The senator added that Martial Law will not help achieve economic development and rehabilitation of the affected areas.

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