Alagang Angara

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

The technical glitch of the country’s air traffic system that led to the disruption of all flights at the start of the year should prompt the implementation of long-term solutions, including the strengthening of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Senator Sonny Angara said today.

The Libreng Sakay program that has benefitted commuters since the start of the pandemic over two years ago will continue in 2023.

Senator Sonny Angara clarified that a substantial amount was included by Congress under the 2023 General Appropriations Act to ensure the continuous implementation of the program.

Congress worked hard to ensure that the P5.268 trillion national budget for 2023 is signed within the year. While there were disagreements on some issues during the bicameral conference committee meetings, both panels found common ground in the need to ensure that assistance is given to those who require it the most and to keep the momentum going in the country’s move towards economic recovery.