The government is stepping up efforts to improve the quality of products and services produced in the country in order to boost demand, not only domestically, but globally with an unprecedented increase in the budget of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in 2020.
Senator Sonny Angara has filed a bill to increase the bed capacity of the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City from the current 600 to 1,000.
A tertiary hospital under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health, the EAMC is constantly operating at overcapacity so in order to accommodate more patients in need of medical attention, Angara said there is an urgent need to increase its bed capacity.
The last time the EAMC was able to increase its bed capacity was in 1997 when Congress passed Republic Act 8345, which added 250 beds to its then 350-bed capacity.
Now that the alert level for Taal Volcano has been lowered from four to three, Senator Sonny Angara urged all the concerned government agencies to immediately conduct an assessment of the damage brought about by the eruption two weeks ago.
In order to fuel the efforts to make Philippine products and services more competitive, particularly enterprises geared towards helping the poor, over P300 million was provided under the 2020 General Appropriations Act as seed money for the establishment of an innovation fund, Senator Sonny Angara said today.
As mandated by Republic Act 11293 or the Philippine Innovation Act, an innovation fund will be established “to strengthen entrepreneurship and enterprises engaged in developing innovative solutions benefitting the poorest of the poor.”
Statement of Sen Angara on the sudden demise of Kobe Bryant
"Because he was bringing his daughter to a basketball tournament, then it can be said that Kobe died with his sneakers on, for the love of the game.
In his prime, he was a superstar waited on by a staff of hundreds. In retirement, he was happiest as coach-cheerleader of the most important ball player in his life.
To better equip the government for a world that is fast becoming more digital and interconnected, the budget of the Department of Information and Communications (DICT) was granted an increase of P6.2 billion under the 2020 General Appropriations Act, Senator Sonny Angara said today.
From the P3.7 billion in the National Expenditure Program that was submitted by Malacañang to Congress last year, the DICT’s 2020 budget was hiked to close to P10 billion in the P4.1 trillion GAA.
Senator Sonny Angara called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to utilize the funds under its budget for the assistance to workers displaced by the eruption of the Taal Volcano.
As chairman of the Committee on Finance that went over the 2020 General Appropriations Act, Angara pointed out that the DOLE has over P120 million that it can tap to provide assistance to the displaced workers, particularly those who reside in the areas within the vicinity of Taal in Cavite and Batangas.
We are praying for the safety of all the communities affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano. For the residents within the vicinity of the volcano, we urge you to take heed of the directives coming from the national government agencies, particularly the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology and the Department of Health, and your local government units. Evacuate if needed and take the necessary precautions to protect you and your families’ health.
We offer our prayers for Australia as it copes with one of the worst bushfires in the country’s history.
Our heart breaks as we witness the scope of the devastation. The impact of the fires on the Australian wildlife, the images of which have been seen by the entire world, has left us all with mental and emotional scars that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. We laud the wildlife welfare organizations for its efforts to help the injured animals and join in the appeal for donations to support the work they are doing.
Senator Sonny Angara welcomed the announcement of the Supreme Court on the creation of 50 judges-at-large posts as a significant step towards providing swift justice in the country.
Angara, the principal author of Republic Act 11459 or the Judges-at-Large Act, said the implementation of the law will help ensure that justice is served swiftly by freeing up the courts of its dockets.
