Alagang Angara

Senator Sonny Angara said the country should begin to experience better internet connectivity even in remote and inaccessible areas once the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) completes the first phase of its National Broadband Program (NBP).

Under the P4.5 trillion General Appropriations Bill that was ratified last Wednesday by Congress, Angara noted that the DICT’s budget for the NBP was doubled from the proposed P902.194 million in the National Expenditure Program to P1.9 billion.

Apart from ensuring the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Sonny Angara said today the P4.5 trillion national budget for 2021 also provides funding for several new laws that have far-reaching impacts on the lives of Filipinos.

Angara, the chairman of the Committee on Finance that went over the budget measure, said the first priority for the 2021 national budget was clearly COVID response and Congress made sure there will be sufficient funding to cover for items such as the purchase of vaccines, testing, contact tracing and treatment.

In order for the economy to rebound from its dismal growth in 2020, Senator Sonny Angara said the efforts to strengthen the country’s health responses should continue as a first step.

The economy contracted by 11.5% in the third quarter of this year based on the latest data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Household consumption remained down, contracting by 9.3% in the third quarter, with the biggest declines coming from recreation and culture, restaurants and hotels and transportation.

Senator Sonny Angara is pushing for the establishment of hospitals within state universities and colleges (SUC) as a way to help fortify the country’s health system.

When the country experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases in the country, the entire nation was confronted with the reality that there were not enough hospital beds to cater to the patients and that more doctors and other medical personnel are needed to treat them.

Now that students have to deal distance and blended learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Sonny Angara said today that public libraries and barangay reading centers should be utilized to assist them in coping with the new challenges in education.

Because face-to-face learning is discouraged as part of the precautionary measures in place to prevent the spread of the virus, students and teachers alike were forced to adjust to the blended and distance learning methods, which have been in most part, difficult for everyone concerned.

We thank the House of Representatives and Speaker Lord Allan Velasco for making good on their commitment to send the 2021 General Appropriations Bill to the Senate by October 28. This gives us time to go over the amendments made to the NEP as we start drafting the committee report on the budget measure. We also thank our vice chairpersons and members of the Senate for submitting inputs on what should be in the committee report. We await the submissions of our Finance Committee vice chairpersons who are in the process of completing their respective reports.

Senator Sonny Angara has endorsed the proposed entry of Angelo Kouame to Gilas Pilipinas with the filing of a bill calling for the grant of Philippine citizenship to the standout from the Ivory Coast.

Angara, who is chairman of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), filed Senate Bill 1892 last Thursday as part of the country’s ongoing efforts to build up its national team in time for the 2023 World Cup.

Senate Bill 1892 is a counterpart of House Bill 5951 filed by SBP vice chairman, Antipolo City Rep. Robbie Puno.

In recognition of the indispensable role of prosecutors in the country’s criminal justice system, Senator Sonny Angara is pushing for the grant of survivorship benefits to the members of the National Prosecution Service (NPS).

A lawyer himself, Angara took note of how retired prosecutors have no survivorship benefits unlike their counterparts in the Office of the Ombudsman or the judiciary even though the nature of their work is the same.

The President's report to the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee and the Commission on Audit (COA) on the implementation of R.A. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One (Bayanihan 2).

• 2nd Report - November 3, 2020

• 1st Report - October 5, 2020

Senator Sonny Angara issued an appeal to the banks and mobile payment systems to suspend the collection of fees for digital transactions while the country is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several banks and mobile money services will resume their collection of fees today in spite of an appeal by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for them to extend their waiver for PESONet and InstaPay transactions.