As early as 2014, I have been pushing for an enhanced apprenticeship program in a fervent bid to promote skills acquisition and youth employment. I have re-filed this measure, Senate Bill No. 1083, or the proposed Apprenticeship Training Act in August last year. Youth employment has been one of the major concerns of the government.…
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I, along with some of my colleagues, have filed proposed legislation to address the fiscal hemorrhage that the current pension system for military and uniformed personnel retirees is causing our government coffers. Indeed, we are facing a ballooning pension requirement without viable funding sources. The MUP pensions are way higher than the budgetary requirement for…
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Our country has had a string of maritime accidents, the most tragic of which was the Doña Paz which claimed the lives of more than 4,000 passengers and series of oil spill incidents, the most recent is yet to be contained. We call on our concerned agencies, particularly MARINA to conduct a no-nonsense probe on…
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STATEMENT OF SENATOR JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA ON WAGE HIKE BILLS 15 March 2023 It’s been only a year since the full reopening of the country’s economy following two-year extensive COVID-19 restrictions. Despite the projected strong economic rebound, we’re still struggling in trying to return to the pre-pandemic levels. The inflation rate, as of last month,…
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STATEMENT OF SENATOR JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA ON CHINA WARNING PH OVER EDCA 13 March 2023 China’s misgivings over the designation of four new EDCA sites are inevitable because there is rising tension between the Chinese government and the US. In agreeing to expand the EDCA locations, Pres. Marcos said that he does not want this issue to…
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Hazing and other criminal acts are also prohibited in the proposed bills reviving the two-year mandatory Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. In my version of the measure, I have proposed the imposition of the maximum penalty under existing laws against hazing. Hazing is another form of bullying and therefore should never be part of…
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The latest victim of violent initiation rites by a fraternity, Adamson University student John Matthew Salilig, proves that perpetrators of this crime are unperturbed by the existence of the Anti-Hazing Law which provides for stiffer penalties covering all forms of hazing. Naniniwala ako na may sapat na ngipin ang umiiral na batas, ang RA 11053…
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Despite our country’s departure from the Rome Statute, the ICC is claiming that it retains jurisdiction with respect to alleged crimes that occurred in the Philippines while our country is still a State Party. I would like to make it clear that I did not change my mind insofar as casting my vote to concur…
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This is nothing new as there had been a similar undertaking and the most recent of which was the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement (TCA) between Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, a regional commitment focused on measures to address maritime security threats and challenges. The recent years’ changing regional security landscape exposed our country’s vulnerabilities. Any strategic…
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The United States has always been our government’s ally on matters concerning territorial disputes and EDCA aims to boost our AFP’s defense capabilities in asserting regional territorial claims. While it is seen as directed at enhancing the PH-US security alliance, which is one of the longest military alliances in the world, I trust that whatever…
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