Alagang Angara

Senator Sonny Angara said today there is a need to pay more attention to the situation of out of school youth (OSY), particularly at this time when their numbers are growing due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education.

As chairman of the Committee on Youth, Angara noted that the increase in the number of OSY is a serious issue that could lead to bigger problems later on if left unchecked.

Based on data from the Department of Education (DepEd), close to four million students were not able to enroll for the current school year.

Senator Sonny Angara reiterated his call for more businesses to go online or digital in order to remain competitive under the new normal and to provide a much needed boost to the economy.

To bolster the country’s efforts in developing and implementing e-government services, Senator Sonny Angara said that local government units (LGUs) should take the lead in digital transformation for the public sector.

Angara noted how the shift to digital or online services has accelerated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and “government cannot afford to be left behind.”

Senator Sonny Angara views with concern the unilateral abrogation by the Department of National Defense (DND) of the 1989 agreement between the DND and the University of the Philippines (UP). 

As a proud product of UP himself, Angara notes how the State University has long been a bastion of academic freedom—where individuals are free to express diverse opinions and beliefs without fear of persecution.

To ensure that indigent patients would be able to avail of free medical services for the entire year, the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) was provided with an additional P1.54 billion in its budget under the P4.5 trillion General Appropriations Act for 2021, Senator Sonny Angara said today.

In order to provide quality medical care to more children, particularly those from families who cannot afford it, the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) was provided with more funds under the 2021 General Appropriations Act, Senator Sonny Angara said today.

Cognizant of the special needs of children who require medical attention, Angara has long been supportive of the operation of PCMC, a specialized hospital under the auspices of the Department of Health (DOH)

All of Congress saw the urgency of approving the 2021 national budget on time. We went through two reenacted budgets—one that lasted for four months in 2019 and the other for a few days in 2020. There is too much at stake in the 2021 budget. The economy is set to bounce back after a historic slump this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and any delay in the passage of the budget would be akin to throwing a monkey wrench in the recovery process.

2020 was one of the most challenging and difficult times in our history. The COVID-19 pandemic was totally unexpected and changed all of our lives. No one was spared. Then the storms came, in succession, battering several parts of Luzon and leaving our already struggling kababayans down on their knees. Rarely have our people been through so much hardship and suffering in such a short period of time.

Workers affected by the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to receive assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) next year as a result of the interventions made by Congress in the 2021 national budget.


Senator Sonny Angara, the Chairman of the Committee on Finance, said the members of Congress were all in agreement that the workers affected by the pandemic should continue to receive some form of assistance from the government in 2021 because many of them are still without jobs.