Bam Aquino

NEGOSYO, NOW NA!: Pag-asa ng mga balikbayan

Mga kanegosyo, bukas na ang Negosyo Center sa Minalin sa lalawigan ng Pampanga.

Matatagpuan sa mismong munisipyo ng Minalin, ang Negosyo Center ay naitatag sa kabutihang loob ni Mayor Edgardo Flores and DTI Region 3 Director Judith Angeles.

Isa ang munisipali­dad ng Minalin sa may pinakamalaking potensiyal sa pagnenegosyo sa Pampanga. Kilala ito sa mga palaisdaan ngunit napakaraming posibleng negosyo na maaaring simulan sa lugar.

Sa tulong ng Negosyo Center, inaasahan ko na lalo pang magiging ­aktibo ang pagnenegosyo sa Minalin at sa mga kalapit nitong bayan gaya ng Sto. Tomas, Apalit at ­Macabebe.

Maliban sa Minalin, mayroon din tayong Negosyo Centers sa San Fernando, San Simon at sa Angeles City na handang magsilbi sa mga Cabalen nating MSMEs.

Ngayong 2017, asa­han pa ang mas mara­ming Negosyo Centers, hindi lang sa ­Pampanga, kundi sa iba’t ibang ­bahagi ng bansa.

Layunin ng Republic Act No. 10644 o ang Go Negosyo Act na maglagay ng Negosyo Center sa bawat munisipalidad, siyudad at lalawigan sa buong bansa.

Ang Go Negosyo Act ang kauna-unahang batas ko bilang senador noong 16th Congress.

***

Nasa Region 3 na rin lang ang ating pinag-uusapan, mula naman sa Negosyo Center sa ­Balanga, Bataan ang tampok nating kuwento ng tagumpay.

 

Pagkatapos ng ilang taong pananatili sa Estados Unidos, nagpasya ang mag-inang Jo­celyn Roman Domingo at ­Crizel na bumalik sa Pilipinas noong 2015 at magtayo ng negosyo sa kanilang lalawigan sa Bataan.

Eksakto namang kabubukas lang ng Negosyo Center sa Balanga, Bataan, na siyang kauna-unahan sa Central Luzon, kaya may nahingian ng tulong ang mag-ina

Sa kanilang pakiki­pag-usap sa mga tauhan ng Negosyo Center, nabanggit ni Aling Jocelyn na nais niyang magtayo ng restaurant sa kanyang bayan sa Pilar.

Agad siyang isina­ilalim ng business counselor sa isang ­one-on-one business ­consultancy at tinulungan sa pagpapa­rehistro ng pangalan ng kanyang planong negosyo.

Dito na nagsimula ang White Coco Restaurant.

Habang ­pinoproseso pa ang business ­permit, pinag-aralan naman ng mag-ina kung anong pag­kaing Pilipino ang kanilang itatampok sa restaurant.

Maliban pa rito, suma­ilalim din ang mag-ina sa dalawang seminar – ang Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) at World Class Customer Service Experience (WOW) kung saan nakakuha sila ng mahalagang kaalaman na magagamit sa restaurant.

Ilang buwan matapos lumapit sa Negosyo ­Center, nagkaroon ng soft opening ang restaurant ng mag-ina, na makikita sa Poblacion, Pilar, Bataan.

Habang nasa soft opening pa ang restaurant, kinuha ng mag-ina ang pulso ng mga customer sa mga putahe na kanilang inihain, gaya ng kare-kare, bulalo, pinakbet at spring chicken.

Sa huling pakikipag-ugnayan ni Aling Jocelyn sa mga katuwang natin sa Negosyo Center-Bataan, maayos na ang takbo at maganda na ang kita ng White Coco Restaurant.

***

Ang mga seminar at training ay mahalaga sa paglago ng isang negosyante.

Dito, makakakuha ka ng tamang gabay at payo na iyong magagamit sa maayos na pagpapa­takbo ng negosyo, kaalaman sa mga sistema at tamang diskarte sa tuwing may mararanasang problema.

Kaya mga kanego­syante, ugaliing ­dumalo sa mga seminar na inia­alok ng Negosyo Center.

***

Upang malaman ang pinakamalapit na Negosyo Center sa inyong lugar, magtungo sa http://www. bamaquino.com/gonegosyoact/negosyo-center-tracker/.

BIDA KA!: Drug-free ang GK communities

Mga bida, pito sa sampung ­Pilipino ang tutol sa muling pagbalik ng Martial Law para labanan ang kriminalidad sa bansa

Ito ang napag-alaman gina­wang survey ng Pulse Asia mula Dec. 4 hanggang 11 sa harap ng paulit-ulit na pagbanggit ni Pangulong Duterte ukol sa Martial Law sa mga nakalipas na speech.

Sa nasabing survey, 74 por­siyento ng 1,200 lumahok sa ­survey ang tutol sa Martial Law, 14 por­siyento ang pabor habang 14 porsiyento naman ang nagsabing maaari silang pumayag o tumutol.

Ngayong nagsalita na ang mga Pilipino, panahon na ­siguro upang itigil ng Pangulo ang anumang pahapyaw tungkol sa Martial Law dahil hindi ito ang tugon sa mga problemang kinakaharap ng bansa.

Kamakailan, nagsalita ang Pangulo sa isang panayam na hindi siya magdedeklara ng Martial Law ngunit ilang araw ang nakalipas, nagpahapyaw ang Pangulo na dapat tanggalin ang congressional approval sa Saligang Batas sa deklarasyon ng Batas Militar.

Noong Sabado lang, nagpahiwatig din ang Pangulo na walang makapipigil sa kanyang magdeklara ng Martial Law upang labanan ang iligal na droga sa bansa.

***

Sa survey na ito, ipinarinig ng mga Pilipino ang pagbasura sa isang uri ng liderato na masyadong nakakiling sa karahasan o pabor sa martial rule.

Bakit pa tayo babalik at gagamit ng lumang solusyon na alam nating pumalpak, nakasama at lalo pang nakapagpa­lugmok sa bayan sa kahirapan.

Dapat nang wakasan ang paulit-ulit na pagbanggit sa ­Martial Law tuwing may problema na parang ito lang ang susi para maresolba ang isyu.

 

Ipinakikita lang ng survey na naghahanap ang taumbayan ng mga bagong solusyon mula sa pamahalaan para resolbahin ang problema sa droga at terorismo.

***

Isa sa mga pagbabagong dapat tingnan ng pamahalaan at gawing modelo sa laban kontra droga ay ang mga komunidad ng Gawad Kalinga (GK) sa buong bansa.

Kamakailan, nakasama ko ang mga taong nasa likod ng Gawad Kalinga at tumindig ang mga balahibo ko nang ­malaman ko na siyamnapung porsiyento o 1,800 ng halos 2,000 ­komunidad ng GK sa buong Pilipinas ay drug free.

Ayon sa aking mga nakausap, mahalaga ang pagkakaroon ng pananagutan ng komunidad sa kanilang mga nasasak­lawan. Palaging nagpupulong, nag-uusap at kumikilos ang mga lider kasama ang kani-kanilang mga kapitbahay.

Para sa kanila, napakahalaga ng komunidad kaya hindi sila tumigitil upang ito’y maprotektahan laban sa pagpasok ng ­iligal na droga.

Kung kaya itong ipatupad ng GK sa kanilang mga komunidad sa kabila ng limitadong pondo at kakayahan, siguro ay kaya ito ng pamahalaan sa tulong ng napakalaking budget at maraming mga tauhan.

Walang karahasan. Walang dugong dumadanak. Walang shortcut. Mga bida, ganito ang solusyon na hinahanap ng ­taumbayan mula sa pamahalaan.

Bam eyes quick repair, rehab of schools destroyed by typhoon

A senator has filed two resolutions seeking to determine the status of relief and rehabilitation of schools destroyed by Typhoon Nina in Regions IV-A, IV-B and V and post-disaster recovery in the Lawin-ravaged Cagayan province.

 In Senate Resolution No. 266, Sen. Bam Aquino said 1,046 schools sustained infrastructure damage, 1,548 totally destroyed classrooms and 3,797 partially major damaged classrooms in Regions IV-A, IV-B and V.

 “Thousands were affected due to the change in the schedule of classes caused by the devastation of the typhoon,” said Sen. Bam, adding that the disruption in classes will last for six months as estimated by the Department of Education (DepEd).

 In addition, 63,232 units of school furniture, 386,689 learning resources and computers in 384 schools were destroyed by the typhoon, which wreaked havoc on Christmas Day.

  “Preparedness and long-term solutions are needed to mitigate the effects of typhoons and natural hazards to students and learners,” said Sen. Bam, who also backed the DepEd’s call for the restoration of the P650-million Quick Response Fund (QRF).

 According to Sen. Bam, some of the solutions include the early allotment of funds for cleanup and temporary learning services, buffer stock of furniture and computers and their prepositioning in disaster-prone areas.

Sen. Bam also submitted Senate Resolution No. 267 to ensure proper coordination between the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), concerned local government units and private sector in the delivery of humanitarian aid to typhoon victims in Cagayan.

“This will lead to the recovery and the restoration of the livelihood, welfare and well-being of the affected families, particularly the children and the youth,” said Sen. Bam.

According to reports, typhoon Lawin destroyed P8.5 billion worth of agricultural products and infrastructure in Cagayan and left 15 people dead in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Cagayan Valley.

 Typhoon Lawin also displaced a total of 143,531 people or 28,710 families in Ilocos Region,Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Bam: CHED ‘out of touch’ on claim SUC students are ‘moneyed, non-poor’

Senator Bam Aquino described as “out of touch” the Commission on Higher Education’s claim that students in state colleges and universities (SUCs) are mostly moneyed and non-poor.

 “Three out of four ng estudyante sa SUC ay nagda-drop-out dahil kulang ang kanilang pambayad. Paano sila naging mayaman,” said Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Education in the 17th Congress.

 Sen. Bam’s reaction came after CHED chairperson Patricia Licuanan said in a television interview that “only moneyed and non-poor students will enjoy the P8.3-billion budget for free tuition fee in SUCs”.

 While he admitted that the country’s “poorest of the poor” are not in college, Sen. Bam said many of the students in SUCs still come from families of minimum-wage earners.

 “Hindi masasabing sila ang poorest of the poor, pero kailangan pa rin nila ng tulong pinansiyal para makatapos ng kolehiyo,” said Sen. Bam.

As chairman of the Committee on Education, Sen. Bam said the institutionalization of free tuition in SUCs will keep students in schools and lead to more college graduates.

 “We want more people to get a degree. Sana sa tulong ng repormang ito, dumami pa ang college graduates sa Pilipinas na makatutulong sa kanilang pamilya sa malapit na hinaharap,” Sen. Bam said in a television interview.

Aquino filed Senate Bill No. 177 or the Free Higher Education for All Act giving free tuition fee to all students in SUCs.

 Aside from Sen. Bam’s bill, several senators have filed similar measures to institutionalize free college education in SUCs beyond the allocation of P8.3 billion in the 2017 budget.

“We’re very positive about it, we’re very hopeful about this bill, and we’re getting a lot of cross-party support. We hope to pass it as soon as possible,” said Sen. Bam.

Aside from free tuition fees in SUCs, Sen. Bam has also filed other education-related bills in the 17th Congress.

 Among them is the Senate Bill No. 1278 or Trabaho Centers in Schools Act, which recently hurdled the committee level and will be discussed in plenary this year.

Sen. Bam also wants to give out of school youth (OSY) in the country access to education through his Senate Bill No. 171 or the Abot Alam Bill, which seeks to institutionalize alternative learning system (ALS).

Bam: Improve SSS collection efficiency, not increase in premium

Instead of increasing premium of members, the Social Security System (SSS) should improve its collection efficiency in order to deliver the P1,000 raise in pension without affecting the agency’s financial viability.

“The collection efficiency right now is about 40 percent and that needs to go higher,” Sen. Bam Aquino said during a television interview.

“What we want to see is, can we provide this P1,000 increase in pension and do the measures to increase efficiency upang mahabol ang kabawasan sa pondo sa SSS,” he added.

 The senator said the planned 1.5-percent increase in contribution in May will be an additional burden and less take home pay for ordinary Filipino workers.

 Earlier, Sen. Bam called on the SSS to consult employers and employees organizations first before fully implementing the increase in premium.

 “Siguro kailangan din nating tingnan ang mga numero. Sana ang SSS, makinig sa konsultasyon sa employers at employees organizations dahil medyo nagulat din ako na mayroon ganong palang pagtaas ng premium na parang hindi napag-uusapan noon,” Sen. Bam said in a previous interview.

NEGOSYO, NOW NA!: Patok na brand sa UP

Mga kanegosyo, nakapagbukas ang Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) ng ­tatlong Negosyo Center sa lalawigan ng Batangas noong 2015.

Matatagpuan ang mga ito sa mga siyudad ng Batangas, Lipa at Ta­nauan.

Noong 2016, ­tatlo pang Negosyo Center ang nadagdag sa munisipalidad ng Bauan, Rosario at Nasugbu sa tulong na rin ng kani-kanilang local government units (LGUs).

Ngayong taon, ­plano ng DTI-Batangas na mag­tayo ng dagdag pang Negosyo Center sa ibang mga ­munisipalidad upang mapalawak ang pagtulong sa micro, small at medium enterprises sa lugar.

Food processing ang karaniwang negosyong makikita sa Batangas, kabilang dito ang kapeng barako, tapang baka, tableya, alak, kakanin, banana chips at pastillas.

Sa dagdag na Negosyo Center sa lalawigan, mas marami pang mali­liit na negosyo ang matutulungang umasenso.

Layunin ng ­Republic Act No. 10644 o ang Go Negosyo Act na mag­lagay ng Negosyo Center sa bawat munisipa­lidad, siyudad at lalawigan sa buong bansa. Ito ang kauna-unahan kong ­batas bilang senador noong 16th Congress.

***

Ayon sa DTI, umuusbong na sa maraming bahagi ng Region 4B – na kinabibilangan ng Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Rizal at Quezon — ang mga negosyong may kinalaman sa kasuotan at iba pang pang-araw-araw na gamit, gaya ng T-shirt, jacket, sombrero at ­payong.

Isa rito ang ­Upbeat Merchandise, ang kauna-unahang distributor at retailer na pinayagang gamitin ang opisyal na logo ng University of the Philippines (UP) sa mga ibinebenta nitong produkto.

 

Pag-aari ni Jan ­Excel Cabling, sinimulan niya ang negosyo noong 2011 dala ang layunin na maging pangunahing brand pagdating sa mga produktong may kina­laman sa UP sa lahat ng mga sangay ng pambansang unibersidad.

Sa una, mabagal ang naging takbo ng negosyo ni Jan dahil na rin sa limi­tadong merkado.

Nakakuha ng mala­king break si Jan nang magbukas noong 2015 ang Negosyo Center sa Los Baños dahil isa siya sa pinayagang mag-display ng mga produkto sa loob ng tanggapan nito.

Sa tulong ng Negosyo Center, napalapit sa komunidad ng Los Baños ang kanyang mga produkto. Resulta, umakyat ang order para rito at lumakas ang kanyang benta.

Pumatok din ang kanyang mga produkto sa mga estudyante ng UP Los Baños at mga empleyado ng gobyerno at pribadong kumpanya sa iba’t ibang lalawigan.

Sa kasalukuyan, mayroon nang branch ang Upbeat Merchandise sa UP Diliman at nagsimula na ring mag-isip si Jan ng ibang produkto maliban sa T-shirt at jacket.

Mayroon na ring student distributors si Jan mula sa iba’t ibang campus ng UP, maliban sa UPLB at UP Diliman.

Para kay Jan, mahalaga na magkaroon ng orihinal na konsepto o ideya ang isang negosyo para magtagumpay at ito ang patuloy na sinusunod ng Upbeat Merchandise.

***

Upang malaman ang pinakamalapit na Negosyo Center sa ­inyong lugar, magtungo sa https://www.bamaquino.com/gonegosyoact/negosyo-center-tracker/.

Bam to gov’t: Listen to people’s voice on martial law

Sen. Bam Aquino called on the government to seriously take notice of the recent Pulse Asia survey where 74 percent of Filipinos opposed the imposition of martial law.

 “Ang mga Pinoy, they are saying ayaw na namin ng martial law, which tells me that people are looking for new solutions,” Sen. Bam said during a television interview.

 “Hindi ito ang sagot sa lahat ng problema natin, na kapag nagkakagulo, magma-martial law tayo. People are looking for new solutions and better ways of doing things at kaming nasa gobyerno, we owe it to the people to provide these better solutions,” he added.

 Sen. Bam made the pronouncement after President Duterte declared over the weekend that no one can stop him from declaring Martial Law if the country’s drug problems worsen.

 The senator believes that President Duterte’s vacillating statements on martial law create uncertainty and fear among Filipinos.

 Just last month, Duterte declared that placing the country under martial law was far from his mind, adding that Filipino lives did not improve under military rule during the Marcos regime.

At one point, the President said he wanted to take out the provision in the Constitution about Congress and the Supreme Court weighing in on martial law.

“Sometimes when the President talks about these things differently, siyempre nakakakaba ito,” said Sen. Bam.

 “The image of this administration, with a strong and iron hand, very fierce, very harsh, it leads to thoughts of Martial Law and authoritarianism,” he added.

 The senator pointed out that the 1987 Constitution is clear when it comes to declaring martial rule, saying it can only be done during invasion or rebellion.

 When it comes to eradicating illegal drugs, Sen. Bam said the government can learn from Gawad Kalinga’s anti-drug program, which the group has been implementing in its communities for almost a decade now.

“Thanks to this anti-drug program, 90 percent or 1,800 out of its 2,000 communities are drug-free through community empowerment and accountability,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam Aquino’s Speech at the Global Mobile Game Confederation Southeast Asian Conference

January 12, 2017, Thursday

 

Magandang umaga sa ating lahat! Good morning and Happy New Year! Thank you very much for having me today!

I’d like to welcome our visitors to the Philippines. Mabuhay!

I’ve been working with the Philippine game development industry for a while.

But for many of you here that are visiting, you might be surprised that game development and eSports are thriving in our country.

The Philippines is known for other things.

Like, one, our beaches! Two, personalities like Pia Wurtzbach and Manny Pacquiao, who is now also my colleague in the Senate. Three, our BPO industry, which is now number one in Asia. Four, being the selfie capital of the world! And five, having a colorful political atmosphere.

Nowhere in the top five that I’ve mentioned are our game developers and our gamers. But our gamers have actually been successful in international competitions!

Last year, two Philippine teams qualified and competed in The International – the biggest DOTA tournament in the world – in Seattle, Washington.

Out of around 20,000 teams vying to qualify for this competition, only 18 qualified to compete and two teams are from the Philippines.

Team TnC finished at Top 8 and came home with over 23 million pesos in prize money!

We also have Filipino game developers and studios that have made their mark in the international arena.

In last year’s Tokyo Game Show, Japan’s most important video game convention, saw Seven Pinoy independent game developers.

Keybol Games, Squeeky Wheel Studio, Monstronauts, Unibox, Popsicle Games, Moocho Brain Interactive Designs, and Nico Tuason’s “Games by Nico” – who has also won an award in IGF China.

The game Flippy Bottle Extreme by Derrick Alain Mapagu also became a global hit. It beat out games like Temple Run 2 and even Pokemon Go in the U.S. and went to number on on Google Play in several European countries (United Kingdom, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Austria, Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Estonia).

Kooapps founded by Solon Chen and his friends are now known globally for their online educational games

Dreamlords Digital of Russell Tomas received an honorable mention and was one of the Best In Play awardees in the San Francisco Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2015.

And Dungeon Souls of Mike Reñevo did very well on Steam.

On the flip side, there are global companies who produce popular games with the help of local, Filipino studios and artists.

Electronic Arts works with FunGuy Studio.

Microsoft worked with Synergy 88 in the Philippines for Gears of War 4.

And Sony’s Naughty Dog worked with Secret 6 on Uncharted 4.

And, lastly, there are prominent Filipino personalities in the international game development industry that are coming home, setting up shop, and pushing local game development forward.

Walter De Torres from Microsoft is setting up a studio here.

There is Eric Pangilinan from Naughty Dog, and for those of you who actually finished Uncharted 4, he is the second or third name that comes up in the credits.

 Richie Corpus, who heads the graphical business unit of AMD,

And Chip Go of Ubisoft all supporting the Philippine game development industry.

Ubisoft has set up shop in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and even forged a partnership with a prominent university – De La Salle University – to offer a Major in Game Development.

We do see a lot of ingredients in the Philippine gaming industry. In Esports, in game development, whether it is in mobile, in outsourced work for larger companies, we do have that here in the Philippines.

And we do believe that if we strengthen academic-industry linkages and work with our schools to develop the skills and creativity of future Filipino game developers, we will be able to grow this industry more.

We have been working very hard to attract new studios to set up here and to enable existing studios to grow into even bigger successes!

My office supports the game industry not only because I am a gamer myself but because we see the tremendous potential of this industry.

In fact, many times I have said that this is where our BPO industry was ten years ago. All the ingredients are there to really make this work and really make this happen. And primary of which is the Filipinos’ combination of artistry and technical know-how that can be the foundation for the game development industry in the Philippines.

Today we are with visitors from other countries. We hope that we can learn from your collective experiences. We can learn from China, from North America, from Europe – all of the game developers here who have come to our beautiful country, the Philippines.

We hope we can learn from you, learn from your experiences and at the same time we hope that you can also learn from the stories of Filipino entrepreneurs who are here today working not only to advance their own companies, but to advance our country through this very high potential industry which we call the game development industry. 

Our office is here to support, and together, we all see that the future is bright for this industry.

Sama-sama po tayong lahat sa industriyang ito.

Maraming, maraming salamat po.

Thank you very much!

Bam: Boost MFI NGOs to beef up campaign vs loan sharks

While it aggressively pursues abusive loan sharks, the government must also strengthen the country’s microfinance institutions (MFI) to help address the financing needs of the poor, according to Sen. Bam Aquino.

“As author of the Microfinance NGOs Act, we are supportive of eradicating 5-6 in the Philippines,” said Sen. Bam, referring to Republic Act 10693, which he pushed as co-author and principal sponsor during his term as chairman of Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship in the 16th Congress.

 The senator pointed out there are better alternatives to 5-6, like MFIs NGOs that provide alternative low-interest, no-collateral financing to the poor and would-be entrepreneurs who need loan to start their own business.

 “There are better alternatives to 5-6, whether these are government programs, or led by the private sector. Mas magandang masuportahan ang mga grupo at programang ito na regulated ng goberyno na makapagbibigay rin ng pautang na hindi kasintaas ng mga 5-6 ang interes,” he added.

 Sen. Bam called on the BIR to finalize tax regulation for MFI-NGOs for the law to be fully implemented and fulfill its mandate to give the poor low-interest financing.

 Microfinance NGOs provide Filipinos access to low-interest, no collateral loans to pay for housing, medical, and educational needs as well as loans for small businesses.

 Republic Act 10693 gives incentives to microfinance NGOs to continue helping Filipinos overcome poverty not just through financing but also through financial literacy, livelihood, and entrepreneurship training.

The law also provides microfinance NGOs needed support and incentives that includes access to government programs and projects, technical assistance and exemption from taxes.

 “MFI NGOs aid our poor countrymen in times of inflation and price increases. They also provide financing and training for livelihood and small businesses so families can overcome poverty,” he said.

 In 2013, MFI NGO members of the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. (MCPI) had a gross loan portfolio of over 15.26 billion pesos catering to more than 2.7 million micro-entrepreneurs.

 At the same time, Sen. Bam called on concerned government agencies to expedite the release of the implementing rules and regulations for Republic Act 10744 or the Credit Surety Fund Act.

 Aquino, author and sponsor of the measure’s Senate version, said it will institutionalize the CSF program of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), which addresses loan requirements ranging from P200,000 to P5 million.

 

BIDA KA!: Positibo tayo ngayong 2017 By Bam Aquino

Mga bida, bago ang lahat, nais ko kayong batiin ng isang Manigong Bagong Taon. Sana’y maging maligaya, malusog at masagana tayong lahat sa susunod na labindalawang buwan.

Kung ang iba’y may New Year’s Resolution tuwing nagpapalit ng taon, tayo nama’y may listahan ng mga nais nating gawin para sa ikabubuti ng buhay ng taumbayan ngayong 2017.

Sa gitna ng mga negatibong pangyayari sa bansa at pagkalat ng paninira at mga pekeng balita sa social media, nangako ako na mas magiging positibo ang pananaw ngayong taon.

Imbis na bigyang pansin at pagbuhusan ng pagod at oras ang mga masasamang balita, mas mabuti na ituon na lang ang atensiyon sa paglilingkod sa bayan.

Ngayong 2017, magiging abala ang Senado sa pagtalakay sa mahahalagang panukala, tulad ng pagbabago sa Saligang Batas at death penalty.

Nais ng kasalukuyang administrasyon na magpasok ng amyenda sa 1987 Constitution upang mabago ang sistema ng pamahalaan mula democratic patungong pederalismo.

Tututukan din ng Senado ang pagbusisi sa panukalang ibalik ang death penalty sa bansa.

Lubhang napakabigat nito kaya mahalagang paglaanan ito ng sapat na oras upang mahimay ang mga positibo at negatibong aspeto ng dalawang nabanggit na panukala.

Bilang chairman ng Senate Committee on Education, sisikapin nating makumpleto ang mga reporma sa edukasyon na ating inilatag noong nakaraang taon.

Pag-aaralan din natin ang iba pang mahalagang panukalang may kinalaman sa agham at teknolohiya bilang chairman ng Committee on Science and Technology.

 

***

Una sa listahan ng mga prayoridad natin ay ang panukalang libreng tuition fee sa state colleges at universities (SUCs).

Ngayong taon, nakalaan na sa pambansang pondo ang P8.3 billion para sa libreng tuition fees sa SUCs.

Ngunit layunin ng mga panukalang pinag-aaralan ng ating kumite ay maisabatas na ito upang regular nang makasama sa pambansang budget taun-taon.

Tinitingnan din ng kumite kung paano matutulungan ang ating mga estudyante sa SUCs pagdating sa iba pang gastusin sa pag-aaral, tulad ng miscellaneous fees at iba pang pabigat na bayarin.

Isa pang panukala na ating tututukan ay ang Pagkaing Pinoy Para sa Batang Pinoy Act, na makakatulong tugunan ang kagutuman sa mga estudyante sa pampublikong paaralan at bigyan ng dagdag na kabuhayan ang mga magsasaka’t mangingisda.

Kapag naisabatas, magsasagawa ng epektibong feeding program para sa mga estudyante sa tinatawag na basic education at ang produktong gagamitin dito ay kukunin mula sa lokal na magsasaka at mangingisda upang mabigyan sila ng dagdag na kita.

Maliban dito, nakatakda nang pag-usapan sa plenaryo ang Senate Bill No. 1277 o ang “Free Internet Access in Public Places Act” na layong lagyan ng libreng koneksiyon sa internet ang iba’t ibang pampublikong lugar.

Kabilang dito ang lahat ng national at local government offices, public schools, public transport terminals, public hospitals at public libraries.

Bilang chairman ng Committee on Science and Technology, pina­ngunahan po natin ang pagdinig ng mga nasabing panukala at pagbalangkas sa bersiyon nito na isinumite kamakailan sa plenaryo.

Isusulong din natin ang Abot Alam Bill, na magpapatibay sa alternative learning system upang mabigyan ng pagkakataon ang out-of-school youth (OSY) sa bansa na makapag-aral.

Kahit hindi na natin hawak ang committee on trade, commerce and entrepreneurship, tuloy pa rin ang ating pagtulong sa sektor ng micro, small and medium enterprises sa pamamagitan ng pagsusulong ng Startup Bill.

Mga bida, ito’y ilan lang sa ating mga gaga­wing pagkilos bilang bahagi ng ating layuning pa­lakasin ang edukasyon at pagnenegosyo sa bansa.

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