Bills by Bam Aquino

Universal Access to Quality Higher Education Act

In the Philippines, 2 out of 5 high school graduates do not pursue tertiary education, hindered by the high tuition fees in addition to miscellaneous expenses in cured while studying. After spending many years working hard to make ends meet in order to put their children through school to obtain a high school diploma, it is often a disappointment to students who face the choice between working to help their family sacrificing the education of other siblings so that one may be sent to college.

In line with the mandate of our Constitution, the State must uphold the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels. This bill seeks to make tertiary education in all State Universities and Colleges free of tuition for its students and fully subsidized by government.

Tertiary education is a valuable key that can help Filipino families break out of the poverty cycle, as families headed by tertiary degree holders earn, on average, two times as much as families who do not have postsecondary education.

However, higher education is often only available to middle-income families who can afford the high tuition fees and extra costs. As a result, these families continue to reap the benefits of obtaining a postsecondary education while poor families continue struggling to reach beyond their current economic situation.

In a nation with glaring income and educational inequality, the provision of tuition-free college education will be one great leap toward developing our fragile benefit the most and will be empowered both economically and socially to be able to fully participate in our democratic nation.

A college education is not only a qualification that results in higher paying jobs, but it is most importantly a means for the development of knowledge, innovation and social change in a nation. Supporting the growth of higher education in the Philippines will serve to heighten the quality of our workforce so that we may partake more meaningfully in the global production of knowledge.

 

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Bam eyes mandatory Philhealth coverage for PWDs

Persons with disabilities (PWDs) will be granted mandatory Philhealth coverage once the measure filed by Sen. Bam Aquino is enacted into law.
 
“This is a straightforward measure to support our disadvantaged countrymen — our persons with disabilities,” Sen. Bam said, referring to Senate Bill No.  356 or the Mandatory PhilHealth for PWDs Act.
 
“First and foremost, social services should be provided to those with the least in society. Health services should be provided to those who need it the most,” he added.
 
By providing mandatory Philhealth coverage to PWDs, Sen. Bam said the Philippines will move closer to fulfilling all the needs of underprivileged Filipinos.
 
The measure will amend Republic Act 7277 or the “Magna Carta for Persons with Disability”, to add PWDs under the mandatory Philhealth coverage.
 
In the 16th Congress, Sen. Bam tirelessly worked for the welfare of PWDs, with the passage of Republic Act 10754 that exempts PWDs from paying the value added tax (VAT).
 
The law also gives tax incentives to persons with PWD dependents tax incentives, up to fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity.

Senate Bill No. 169: Small Business Tax Reform Act

The key to achieving prosperity for impoverished Filipino families is a strong micro, small and medium enterprise sector. A strong MSME sector also, in turn, strengthens a country’s economy and guards against foreign financial crises.

Currently, MSMEs already account for roughly 32-35% of the country’s GDP. Sadly, despite the growth in number of small enterprises in the Philippines, few are able to sustain their operation and create long-term success.

For this reason, our office has pushed for a number of policies to improve the support system for this vital sector and we will continue to do so until our country’s business environment is ripe for local entrepreneurs to succeed.

This particular legislation deals with the tricky subject of taxation.

According to a joint study by PwC and the World Bank, Paying Taxes 2016, the Philippines is on the 126th spot out of 189 economies in Ease of Paying Taxes.

This must change, which is why we are asserting the Small Business Tax Reform Act as a measure to simplify tax procedures and unburden our small businesses of the complex tax process.

Proposed measures include a simpler bookkeeping, a special lane and assistance desk for small businesses, exemption from tax audit, annual filing of returns, and payment in installment.

This bill also proposes the lowering of the income tax rate for small businesses and an exemption from VAT, among other methods of stimulating growth in small businesses as opposed to hindering it.

Let’s streamline our tax system and boost the chances of our local enterprises to succeed and, in turn, generate prosperity and livelihood for more and more Filipinos.

 

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Senate Bill No. 174: End ENDO Act

Over the past decade, the Philippines has been experiencing GDP gains and exponential economic growth. However, the unemployment and underemployment rates remain high.

There are almost a million new jobseekers that enter the labor force each year and, sadly, employment opportunities are simply not enough to absorb them. Worse, with many skilled and experienced employees agreeing to entry-level jobs just to have a steady source of income, first-time jobseekers with limited or low-level skills are left with no job opportunities.

 This is where contractors and subcontractors help job seekers in skills-building, particularly in developing occupational skills that match industry demand. Contractors and subcontractors also help employees in upgrading existing skills, learning new skills and opening up more opportunities for them.

 On the other end, contractors and subcontractors also help employers and companies expand their businesses with minimal costs and freedom to focus on their core business. Consequently, when these businesses expand, more jobs are created.

 Seeing the impact of this flexibility, the government and contractors/subcontractors must work together to establish a framework, filling the gaps in current industry practices and protecting both employers and employees.

 

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Bam eyes to ‘reduce requirements & processing time’ in gov’t agencies

A senator has filed a measure that aims to reduce regulatory requirements that burden the public and businesses.
 
“Lengthy, complicated and overlapping regulations from various government agencies result in costly and time consuming processes that have inconvenienced far too many Filipinos for too long,” said Sen. Bam Aquino as he filed Senate Bill No. 348 or the Government Efficiency Office (GEO) Act of 2016.
 
 “Obtaining government I.D.s, paying taxes, requesting for necessary permits and other dealings with government leaves citizens frustrated, often pushing them to find extrajudicial avenues to fulfill requirements,” he added.
 
In case of businessmen, Sen. Bam pointed out that obtaining each necessary permit involves up to 30 steps aside from 47 tax payments to make each year, which consume an average of 193 business hours.
 
“These bureaucratic inefficiencies can lead to the failure of a fledgling business. It is no wonder the Philippines ranks 103rd out 189 countries in the Doing Business rankings by the World Bank,” the senator stressed.
 
To do away with regulatory barriers that hamper the nation’s growth and oppress Filipinos, the Government Efficiency Office Act seeks the creation of a special arm under the Office of the President that will be tasked to ensure efficiency in the existing and proposed regulations across government agencies.
 
This measure seeks to create a National Policy on the Development and Implementation of Regulations (NPDIR) to set policy­making principles and guidelines to be followed by all government agencies.
 
Under the measure, a Government Efficiency Office is mandated to implement the NPDIR. It will be tasked to review existing regulations and recommend their repeal, amendment or consolidation to relieve the public of the heavy burden of compliance.
 
With a streamlined regulatory procedure, Sen. Bam said individuals will be encouraged to comply with the law and make the market more accessible for businesses and MSMEs.
 
If enacted into law, Sen. Bam believes the Government Efficiency Office Act will contribute to President Rodrigo Duterte’s commitment to spare the public from hassles and delays in government transactions.

Senate Bill No. 357: Zero Food Waste

Around one third of the food produced globally, equivalent to 1.3 billion tons or worth US$1 trillion (around P46 trillion), is wasted annually according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). There are both economic and environmental costs to this wastage. The forests and biodiversity cleared to create farmlands, along with the soils, energy, water, fertilizer, and labor utilized to produce food that is never eaten are also put to waste. A total of 28% of the global agricultural region is used to produce food that will eventually go to waste, according to the World Resources Institute. Furthermore, most of the greenhouse gas emissions are generated by food disposed of in landfills. With around 1 in 4 calories yielded remaining unconsumed, and a population of around 870 million without equitable access to food resources daily, this absurd disjuncture deems moral implications to this profound amount of discarded food.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines food loss as the decrease in the amount or nutritional quality of food that was intended for human consumption. FAO says that more than 40% of food loss in developing countries such as the Philippines happens before consumption—during production, postharvest, and processing.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) reports that rice losses reach around 15% in the postharvest stage. In addition, an estimated 296,869 metric tons of rice, equivalent to P7.3 billion, is wasted in the country according to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PRRI). The discarded amount could have fed more than 2 million Filipinos.

The food waste reduction hierarchy set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) shows, through an inverted triangular diagram, the most preferred to the least preferred actions that can be done with food waste. Topmost is source reduction, followed by donation to the hungry, diversion to animal feed, recovering energy, creating compost, and at the bottom is disposal of food in landfills. The provision of this bill on the National Anti-Food Waste Campaign addresses the proper information dissemination on the ways by which Filipinos can follow the food waste reduction hierarchy.

All this information point towards a conclusion that there is more than enough food in the world for everyone. And as a member-state to the United Nations and a country bound to the Sustainable Development Goals that forward human rights and social justice, it is highly essential for the Government to facilitate in redirecting surplus to those who do not have food on their plates.

By getting food-related businesses to donate their surplus food to food distribution charities thus providing food security to those without access to their next meal, this bill seeks to ultimately end the cycle of having food end up in the trash instead of stomachs.

The bill also demands the involvement of private individuals and their local governments in efficiently arriving at a segregation campaign to have household food waste readily available for recycling into fertilizer or compost.

 

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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: Free tuition in all state universities and colleges

In a bold move as chairman of the Committee on Education in the 17th Congress, Sen. Bam Aquino has filed a measure making tertiary education in all State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) free for all students.

 This is one in four bills he filed yesterday to improve access to quality education in the Philippines.

 “In line with the mandate of our Constitution, the State must uphold the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels. This bill seeks to make tertiary education in all State Universities and Colleges free of tuition for its students and fully subsidized by government,” said Sen. Bam in his Free Education in State Colleges and Universities (SUCs) Bill.

 He also filed Free Education for Children of Public School Teachers Bill to ensure that children of all public school teachers are given scholarships in all SUCs in the country.

 Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committees on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship and Youth in the 16th Congress, is expected to lead the Committee on Education when the 17th Congress opens on July 25.

 Based on data from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Sen. Bam said two out of five high school graduates, or 40 percent, do not pursue tertiary education due to high tuition fees and miscellaneous expenses.

 “Many of them face the choice between working to help their family or sacrificing the education of other siblings so that one may be sent to college,” the senator said.

 Sen. Bam believes that tertiary education is a valuable mechanism that can help Filipino families break out of the poverty cycle, as tertiary degree holders earn twice as much compared to those who do not have postsecondary education.

 By providing free college education to all, Sen. Bam believes that poor and low-income families stand to benefit the most, giving them a chance to be empowered economically and socially.

 Aside from pushing for free tertiary education, Sen. Bam also filed other measures in the 17th Congress that seek to improve the state of education in the country to world-class standards and living condition of public school teachers.

 The Abot Alam Bill seeks to effectively address the needs of Filipino youth aged 7 to 24 who are not attending school.

 It will create a comprehensive national framework designed to achieve the government’s aim to provide education for each and every Filipino, particularly out-of-school youth (OSY).

 In his Trabaho Center in Schools Bill, Sen. Bam wants to create a job placement office or Trabaho Center to assist Senior High School graduates who opt to find employment and help them find those opportunities.

 

SBN-3208: Increasing Penalties on Erring Telcos

 

For years, Filipinos have been suffering from slow and expensive internet as they struggle to communicate with loved ones living abroad, forge deals with potential business partners and clients around the world or simply get work done and sent quickly and efficiently.

 

Our collective frustrations over our country’s internet quality has been justified by studies on Internet speed and cost per country, putting the Philippines as slowest and most expensive in the region.

 

Being the fastest growing economy in the ASEAN, this is clearly unacceptable and measures to improve our Internet quality while driving down its cost must be prioritized.

 

One of the many steps we must take is to update current policies to ensure that internet providers are held accountable for their activities.

 

Thus, this measure seeks to empower the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) by increasing the penalties and fines for violations against the authority of the NTC and its released certificates, orders, decisions, resolutions, or regulations. With heavier penalties, NTC can expect greater compliance from Internet providers to standards and regulations that have been set to advance Internet quality in the Philippines.

 

When it comes to public services, we must do more than just keep up with the development of our neighbors, but exceed them. Let us band together to significantly improve our Internet services in the Philippines.

 

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this measure is earnestly sought.

 

 

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.

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