resolutions by bam aquino

Sen. Bam to DBM: Recognize urgency of releasing ASAP wage hike

Sen. Bam Aquino urged the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) not to leave government workers and public school teachers behind after it granted the fourth tranche of salary hike for employees of government owned- and controlled corporations (GOCCs) and local government units (LGUs).

“Nagpapasalamat kami at parang unti-unti ay gumagawa na ng aksiyon ang DBM para ma-release na ang last tranche ng salary increase,” said Sen. Bam, referring to Budget Sec. Ben Diokno’s order to allowing the implementation of the salary adjustments for personnel of LGUs and GOCCs.

“Pero nalulungkot din kami dahil kawawa naman ang mga public school teachers at kawani ng gobyerno dahil bigo pa rin silang makuha ang nakatakdang umento,” added Sen. Bam.

 Sen. Bam said the DBM should not take the welfare of government workers and public school teachers for granted as they are also burdened by the high prices of food and other goods as well.

“Hindi sila dapat ma-etsa pwera sa dagdag-sweldo dahil matindi rin ang pangangailangan nila sa taas ng presyo ng mga bilihin ngayon,” said Sen. Bam, hoping that the DBM will soon release the final part of the salary increase under the Salary Standardization Law (SSL).

 Sen. Bam reiterated his call to the DBM to utilize the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF) for the fourth and final part of the salary hike for government workers under the Salary Standardization Law (SSL).

“Ilang beses na nating sinabi na maaaring gamitin ng DBM ang MPBF para sa umento sa sahod ng ating mga manggagawa sa gobyerno. Ano ba ang pumipigil sa kanila para gawin ito?” Sen. Bam said.

 Sen. Bam recently submitted Resolution No. 982 expressing the sense of the Senate that the DBM should utilize the MPBF for the fourth instalment of the salary increase for government workers.

 Fellow members of the opposition, including Minority Floor Leader Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, Antonio Trillanes, Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros, supported Sen. Bam’s view and signed the resolution.

 In his Resolution, Sen. Bam insisted that the DBM is authorized to release and pay the salaries immediately, without the need for further approval from Congress.

Sen. Bam: AI a threat to Philippine jobs

Is the government ready to address possible negative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on jobs in the country?

Sen. Bam Aquino has submitted 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.

“We want to know how developments in Artificial Intelligence will affect jobs in the country and what government plans are to address possible negative impact on current and future employment for Filipinos,” said Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology.

According to Sen. Bam, reports on the impact of artificial intelligence have noted an increased presence and capacity 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 employment in peril,” said Sen. Bam.

 The International Labor Organization (ILO) also released a working paper in July 2016, claiming that 49 percent of all employment in the Philippines faces a high risk of automation in the next couple of decades.

“This early, we should be preparing for any eventuality that may occur when automation goes into full swing,” Sen. Bam said.

In his resolution, Sen. Bam noted that Artificial intelligence is one of the emerging technologies emphasized in the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, with the government engaging in more collaborative research and development activities and invest in infrastructure buildup.

 The Department of Science and Technology is tasked to develop an AI Program in thePhilippines, particularly to optimize mass production and effective operations in the country’s manufacturing sector.

 

Bam to lead probe on sex, drugs and trolls education in schools

The Senate Committee on Education will look into how public schools educate students about reproductive health, responsible use of social media and the dangers of illegal drugs.
 
Education committee chairman Sen. Bam Aquino will conduct a hearing together with the Committees on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs and Health and Demography on Tuesday (Oct. 18).
 
Sen. Bam has filed three separate resolutions calling for an investigation into drug prevention and education in schools, reproductive health education and responsible use of social media in schools — Senate Resolution Nos. 168, 169 and 173, respectively.
 
“These three issues are crucial to today’s students as they face the problems of illegal drugs, teenage pregnancies, and cyber-bullying and misinformation in social media,” said Sen. Bam.
 
In Senate Resolution No. 173, Sen. Bam wants to be enlightened on how schools are educating and developing students regarding the responsible social media use.
 
“Our schools can play a critical role in guiding students to become productive digital citizens and to communicate respectfully online,” said Sen. Bam.
 
The move is aimed at guiding and developing students on responsible and proper social media use, considering the prevalence of misinformation and use of abusive language in social media, especially by so-called “paid trolls”.
 
With the alarming rise in number of teen pregnancies in the country, Sen. Bam filed a resolution calling for an inquiry on the status of the implementation of reproductive health education in schools.
 
Senate Resolution No. 169 seeks to clarify the status of the implementation of reproductive health education in schools amid the alarming rise in number of teen pregnancies in the country.
 
Based on 2011 to 2014 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, teenage pregnancy in the country is on the rise, with one in every ten women of child-bearing age is a teenager and 24 babies are born every hour from teenage mothers.
 
In Senate Resolution No. 168, Sen. Bam aims to determine the status of drug education and prevention programs in schools and alternative learning systems (ALS) to help keep the youth away from the drug menace.
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