Alagang Angara

The local Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should take the cue from its counterparts in the United States and other countries and start studying the use of the available Covid-19 vaccines for children below 18, Sen. Sonny Angara said today.

“In so far as expanding the administration of vaccines to other age groups, we should always be ahead of the curve,” Angara said.

“Greenlighting” certain vaccines for school-age children will address the need of “the largest  population group” to be protected from the coronavirus. 

Senator Sonny Angara today urged the government and more private entities to replicate the community pantries that have been sprouting up in various areas across the country.

What was apparently started in Maginhawa in Quezon City has now been replicated in several other areas within and outside of Metro Manila with the intention of helping Filipinos who are in need of assistance in their own small way.

"Let us take good care of our healthcare workers. If we lose them, then the country's response to this pandemic will truly collapse. Talo ang lahat." - Sen. Sonny Angara

Senator Sonny Angara said today the benefits granted to frontline health workers under the Bayanihan to Recover as One (Bayanihan 2) will remain even after the law expires on June 30 this year.

"After darkness comes light, from despair springs hope. This is Lent’s timeless  lesson from the greatest teacher of  courage and compassion.

With this as our guide, let us consecrate ourselves to the mission of ending the suffering in our midst, by faith in ourselves, in God, and in science to lead us out of this darkness and pandemic.

Our Holy Week reflection on sacrifice and selflessness should have invigorated us  with the united vision and the moral resolve  to end our calvary.

With the President’s assurance it should pave the way for more acquisitions by the private sector. I’m sure Sec. Galvez will take his cue from what the President said and facilitate any proposed acquisition of vaccines by the private sector. Note that since the vaccines are only under EUA or emergency use authorization, the vaccines cannot be sold commercially yet but can be procured by companies for their employees and their families.

The Senate Committee on Youth has approved amendments to Republic Act 10742 or the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform Act of 2015 to further enhance the participation of young men and women in local governance.

Senator Sonny Angara, the chairman of the Committee on Youth, sponsored today Senate Bill 2124 which is a product of extensive consultations with the SK Federations, the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Budget and Management, the National Youth Commission, the academe, and other stakeholders.

Senator Sonny Angara sees the addition of Ange Kouame to the Gilas Pilipinas national basketball team as a boost to the Philippines’ chances in qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.


Angara, the chairman of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), is the principal author of Senate Bill 1892 granting Philippine citizenship to Kakou Ange Franck Williams Kouame through naturalization, which was approved on third and final reading today.

With more Filipinos now putting their money in banks, Senator Sonny Angara is looking to hike the deposit insurance coverage provided by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) from the present P500,000 to P1 million per depositor.

Under Senate Bill 2089 filed by Angara, further amendments to the charter of the PDIC will be introduced in order to make it more responsive to the constantly changing financial landscape in the country.

Senator Sonny Angara said today that any plan to resume face-to-face learning should be done with extreme caution since the risk of contracting COVID-19 still exists in the country.

Angara said he also wants to see children back learning in school, which he said would ease a lot of stress and pressure off both the students and their parents who have been forced to cope with blended learning due to the pandemic.

The Senate has approved on third and final reading the bill that would facilitate the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines by the government.

Senator Sonny Angara, who sponsored Senate Bill 2057 as chairman of the Committee on Finance, welcomed the speedy approval of the measure, which he said will remove the obstacles to the delivery of some of the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the country and hasten the inoculation of Filipinos across the country.

A total of 22 senators voted to approve the measure, with no negative votes and no abstentions.