Alagang Angara

Senator Sonny Angara lauded the Senate for its quick approval of the bill institutionalizing the Shared Service Facilities (SSF) project of the Department of Trade Industry, which he said will go a long way in supporting the growth and development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Senate Bill No. 2021, which was approved on third and final reading today with a vote of 22-0 with no abstentions, amends Republic Act No. 6977 or the Magna Carta for Small Enterprises.

Recognizing the successes of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Senator Sonny Angara is calling for the institutionalization of the program that has helped poor Filipinos when they need it the most.

In filing Senate Bill 2032, Angara noted that there are still a significant number of Filipinos living in poverty, with families belonging to the lowest income decile making a mere P9,416 a month or P113,000 annually.

In anticipation of the influx of cancer patients seeking treatment at the government health facilities, Senator Sonny Angara assured that there are funds under the national budget for this purpose.

The head of the Philippine General Hospital’s Cancer Institute, Dr. Jorge Ignacio recently noted that the state-run institution is “bracing for the worst” in the next two to three years as more cancer patients flock to them to seek treatment.

The Shared Service Facilities (SSFs) project of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has provided significant contributions to the development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) since its inception and as such should be expanded and institutionalized to benefit even more entrepreneurs, Senator Sonny Angara said today.

In his sponsorship speech for Senate Bill No. 761, which seeks to institutionalize the DTI’s SSFs program, Angara cited the many success stories that have been recorded since this was first introduced in 2013.

For their outstanding contributions to the promotion of the welfare of the youth and in nation building as a whole, the Senate today commended the winners of the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards for 2022.

Senator Sonny Angara called on the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to ensure that all the affected families in the oil spill brought about by the sinking of the MT Princess Empress off the coast of Naujan in Oriental Mindoro last February 28 will receive assistance at the soonest possible time.

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) has started its work of reviewing the country’s education system with the aim of coming up with solutions to the problems plaguing this sector.

Senator Sonny Angara, who was designated as one of the six commissioners of EDCOM 2, took part in the Commission’s first official meeting last week to kickstart the strategic planning for national education assessment.

Several measures intended to enhance the capabilities, processes and quality of goods produced by Philippine enterprises took center stage in today’s hearing by the Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.

Senator Sonny Angara was designated as the subcommittee chairman to hear the bills since these are in line with his Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) advocacy.

For today’s hearing, the following bills were taken up:

For the third straight year, the country’s 117 state universities and colleges (SUCs) received increases in their budgets to support their constantly growing requirements to provide quality public education to the country’s tertiary students.

Senator Sonny Angara, as Chairman of the Committee on Finance, said the total budget for the SUCs this year amounts to P107 billion, representing a P13.7 billion increase from the P93.3 billion originally submitted by Malacañang under the 2023 National Expenditure Program.

Some 4.1 million indigent senior citizens will each receive P12,000 in social pension this year with the full implementation of Republic Act 11916, Senator Sonny Angara said today.

As the Chairman of the Committee on Finance that went over the 2023 national budget, Angara said a total P50 billion was provided under the P5.268 trillion General Appropriations Act for the social pension for indigent seniors.