Multimedia

Sponsorship Speech: Free Higher Education for All Act

SENATE BILL NO. 1304 UNDER COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 28

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A FULL TUITION FEE SUBSIDY FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN STATE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES (SUCs), AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREOF

OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “FREE HIGHER EDUCATION FOR ALL ACT”

 

Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” A. Aquino IV
17th Congress, Senate of the Philippines
Sponsorship Speech, January 24, 2016

 

 

Good afternoon, Mr. President and esteemed colleagues! Mga kaibigan at mga kababayan, magandang hapon sa ating lahat.

Today, I am privileged to address you to sponsor a measure that can help make the dream and promise of a college degree a reality for a number of Filipinos and their families.

This measure has received tremendous support from our colleagues, from the public and especially our youth, the students.

I stand before you to sponsor Senate Bill No. 1304, entitled “An Act Providing for a Full Tuition Fee Subsidy for Students Enrolled in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Appropriating Funds Thereof”, otherwise known as the “Free Higher Education For All Act”, which seeks to subsidize tuition fees in all our SUCs.

 Mr. President, simply put, kapag naisabatas na po ang batas na ito, magiging libre na ang tuition fee sa ating SUCs!

Ang batas po na ito ay para sa mga kabataang Pilipino na nagsusumikap upang makapagpatapos ng kanilang kolehiyo, at para na rin po sa kanilang mga magulang na nagtatrabaho upang mabayaran ang gastos sa pag-aaral.

 Mr. President, let’s imagine the lives of four students ready and eager to earn a college degree in a state university and college. Let’s imagine the lives of Liza, Kathy, Norman, and Trisha. All four of them have graduated from Grade 12 and now have the opportunity to study in an SUC!

 Perhaps Liza dreams of graduating and earning a degree so she can work as a manager in a 5-star hotel all the way in Singapore! Kathy is hopeful that becoming an engineer will provide her with higher pay so she can contribute to her family’s monthly expenses. Norman is determined to graduate so he can find a challenging and profitable job in media to help put his sister through elementary school. And Trisha is studying hard so she can become a public school teacher and help shape the next generation of Filipinos.

Mr. President, the key to all four of these dreams is to graduate from a college or university. But sadly, Mr. President and honored colleagues, most likely only one out of the four will earn a degree. And the number one reason for students dropping out of a Higher Education Institution? That number one reason, Mr. President, is Financial Issues or Poverty.

Ipagpalagay na po natin na kay Liza, Kathy, Norman, at Trisha, si Kathy po ang nakapag-graduate. Masaya po tayo para sa kaniya at kaniyang pamilya! Congratulations, Kathy. At tuluy-tuloy ang pagtatrabaho natin para makakuha ng magandang trabaho si Kathy!

Ngunit paano naman ang pangarap ni Liza na makapagtrabaho sa isang 5-star hotel sa ibang bansa? Paano po si Norman na magtrabaho sa media at tulungan ang kaniyang kapatid sa elementarya? Paano po matutulungan si Trisha na gustong  maging guro at gusto pong magsilbi sa bayan?

What happens to the other 3? What happens to the rest of the youth who cannot finish because of a lack of finances?

Mr. President, esteemed colleagues, we now have an opportunity to unlock the door to a brighter future for more Filipinos. Let’s make higher education more accessible to our struggling students!

Currently, there are 1,645,566 students in our State Universities and Colleges and the Annual Weighted Average Tuition in SUCs is 9,407 (Philippine) pesos per year. That gives us a cost of about 16 billion pesos every year to make tuition fees free across our SUCs.

This measure covers only tuition fees, which refers to the cost of instruction and training of our students.

 This is about 30 percent of the cost of expenses of our students.

Mr. President, I believe it’s high time we invest boldly on education, especially now that we have the means and resources to make this happen! 

It’s a fair price to pay to embolden and empower more Filipinos like Liza, Kathy, Norman and Trisha to achieve their dreams – for themselves, for their families, and for their country.

Mr. President, we need to take a look at our proposed measure as one, albeit, important reform that we wish to pass to address the perennial issue of access to quality education.

 Our proposed measure can be coupled with other policies already found in our laws, like the Iskolar ng Bayan Act, streamlining the StuFAP or Student Financial Assistance Program (StuFAP) found in UNIFAST in the UNIFAST Law, and scholarships lodged in CHED, DOST, DND, among other agencies. Together, they can improve access to higher education and empower more Filipinos with a promise of a college diploma!

 Together with policies already passed, laws already passed, programs already being implemented, our measure can complete the picture and support our students and our SUCs further.

 Isa lang po ito sa mga inaalay naming reporma sa hanay ng edukasyon. Marami pa po tayong kailangang i-trabaho at gawin upang tunay na umasenso ang buhay ng bawat estudyante at buhay ng bawat pamilyang Pilipino. Marami pa po tayong kailangan gawin, at tuluy-tuloy lang po ang pagtatrabaho ng ating kumite!

 Pero makakasigurado po tayo na ang batas na ito ay isang napakahalagang reporma sa pangarap at pangakong iyan.

 Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, let’s give our countrymen, not just hope, but tangible support in achieving their dreams.

 Together, if we pass SBN 1304, the Free Higher Education for All Act, we’re investing in the future of our promising young Filipinos!

 Maraming salamat Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, thank you for your support.

TRANSCRIPT: Bam on Leni Robredo, Negosyo Centers

Transcript of Interview in General Santos City, 11 January 2016

 

Q: Unang una po sa lahat Sen. Bam, kumusta po kayo? Ano po ang mahalagang bagay sa pagpunta ninyo dito sa Socsargen ang tinitingnan ninyo?

 

Sen. Bam: Opo. Nagbabalik po tayo dito sa General Santos. Kagabi po tayo ang guest speaker sa Hinugyaw Festival ng Koronadal, ito po ang panghuling gabi nila. Nagkaroon po ng napakasayang street dancing, at tayo po ang special guest po doon, at natutuwa po kami at nakabalik kami sa Koronadal gaya po sa General Santos. 

 

Parang dalawang taon na bago tayo makabalik and we’re happy to be back. Kitang kita po napakaraming pagbabago po dito. Napakaraming mga bagong building, mga bagong highway.  Napakalawak at nagulat din ako. Just happy to be back dito sa napakagandang Socsargen. 

 

Ngayon po na pasimula na po ang session namin sa Senado, magsisimula na po next week.  Mayroon pa po kaming tatlong linggo para itulak ang mahahalagang batas na nakabinbin pa. 

 

In the past 2 ½ years, nakaka 8 laws na din po tayo. Ang una po nating batas ay ang Go Negosyo Law, nagbubuo po ito ng mga negosyo sa iba’t ibang lugar. 

 

Dito po sa General Santos, sa DTI building, mayroon po tayong Negosyo Center dito. Ito po ang negosyo center na may pinakamaraming na-train na maliliit na negosyante.  Over 5,000 po dito po sa General Santos kaya po natutuwa naman po kami. 

 

Nasa Koronadal po kami kagabi mayroon na din pong bagong negosyo center po doon. Iyon po ang laman ng Go Negosyo Law po natin.

 

Q: So marami pong nagkabenepisyo na po? 

 

Sen. Bam: Well sa Koronadal 3 weeks old pa lang siya. December 31 po siya itinayo, pero ang dito po sa GenSan May pa last year. I think over 5,000-6,000 na ang natutulungan. 

 

In the Philipines mayroon na tayong 130 na Negosyo Centers and this is because of the Go Negosyo Law natin. 

 

This year 2016, magkakaroon pa tayo ng dagdag pa. Ang total po by the end of this year 2016, magiging 300 Negosyo Centers na tumutulong po sa mga maliliit nating negosyante. 

 

Q: Sen. Bam, ang balita po namin kayo po ang campaign manager ng LP, at lalong lalo na po kay vice presidential candidate na si Cong. Leni. 

 

Sen. Bam: Opo ako po. Well nag volunteer po ako at naatasan din na maging campaign manager ni Cong. Leni Robredo at natutuwa naman po ako na maging kasama sa kanyang balak na pagtakbo na VP ng ating bansa. 

 

Tingin po namin siya po yung pinaka mainam at pinakamaayos at pinaka-deserving na maging VP po ng ating bansa. 

 

Q: Kasi dito sa GenSan hindi pa masyadong kilala si Cong. Leni Robredo. Anong klaseng congressman po siya or ano po ang background niya? 

 

Sen. Bam: Actually sa totoo po si Cong. Leni, siya po ang pinakabagong national face na lumabas, October lang po siya nagdeklara. 

 

Alam ko din po ang kanyang asawa na si Jesse Robredo malapit po sa mga mayors and governors dito sa Mindanao, in fact sa Koronadal po may Jesse Robredo Avenue na nakapangalan sa kanya. 

 

But more than that, siya po ay isang tao na matagal nang nagtrabaho sa komunidad. Matagal na nagtrabaho kasama ang mahihirap sa ating bansa. Naging isang abugado sa Public Attorney’s Office, libre pong pagbibigay ng mga pagdedepensa sa mga kababayan nating nasasakdal na walang pera.

 

Sumama po siya sa Saligan, again nagbibigay po ng tulong, tulong ligal na libre sa mga magsasaka, mangingisda, katutubo.  Iyon din po ang klase ng kanyang liderato. 

 

Doon po talaga sa mga tao, sa mga komunidad, wala pong pag-aatubiling tumulong sa mga nangangailangan sa ating bayan. 

 

Q: Ano po ang mga plataporma po ni Cong. Leni?

 

Sen. Bam: Well hindi po lalayo sa kanyang karanasan na pgtulong sa ating mga kababayan. Una po riyan ang economic empowerment po sa mga kababaihan. Siya lang po ang babaeng tumatakbo na VP, so naka-focus po ang economic empowerment pagdating po sa mga kababaihan at pagtulong po na magkaroon ng trabaho at negosyo.

 

Iyong pangalawa po riyan ay ang paglaban po sa gutom.  Kasi ang hunger lalo na sa rural country side natin ay napakatindi pa rin.  So ang paglaban po riyan gamit ang ating kultura at gamit po ang tulong sa ating mga kababayan na nasa kanayunan. 

 

Ang pangatlo po pagsisigurado na ang ating kanayunan ay umunlad. Kasi po sa Metro Manila sa totoo lang napaka-congested na.  Napansin ko rin dito may traffic na rin po. 

 

Kita naman po natin na malakas ang traffic dahil ang ating development ang naka-concentrate sa mga siyudad.  Dapat po ang mga kanayunan natin ay mayroon ding development para po ang mga kababayan natin, hindi na kailangan pumunta pa sa mga siyudad. O di kaya ay mahanap nila ang mga kanilang hinahanap doon sa kanilang nilalagyan. 

 

Ang Naga po in the 19 years na panunungkulan po ni Sec. Jesse, nag-transform po ang Naga, mula sa isang 6th class municipality, naging isang siyudad. 

 

Nakita po roon na hindi na kailangan pumunta ng Maynila upang makakuha pa ng oportunidad. Doon mismo sa Naga, nagawan na nila ng paraan para umunlad ang kanayunan, naging very successful, naging progressive.  

 

At ang mga tao po roon, doon na nila nakita ang kanilang kasaganahan. 

 

That’s another thing na binibigyan po niya ng pansin. Ang mga pagtulong po sa mga provinces natin, cities, municipalities na wala sa Metro Manila na magkaroon ng sapat na tulong upang sila mismo umunlad din. 

 

Alam ninyo po, si PNoy kasama ko rin, hindi naman po kami pipili ng hindi makakatulong sa ating bansa. Kami po napaka-excited po namin sa kampanyang ito. 

 

Naniniwala po kami na siya ang the best and most deserving po na makakuha ng tulong sa ating susunod na eleksyon. I’m very excited to work with Cong. Leni Robredo and Sec. Roxas as well. 

 

Q: May mensahe po ba kayo sa GenSan at sa Mindanao?

 

Sen Bam: Ako naman po hindi naman ako tatakbo. Campaign Manager. 

 

Kasi ang palaging batikos sa amin ang mga tumatakbo pumupunta lamang sila pag eleksyon. Ako po hindi po ako tumatakbo pero nandito po ako. 

 

Unang una, para masigurado ang mga programang tinutulak namin ang totoo. Ang Negosyo Center po, iyan ang laman ng aking unang batas, iyong Go Negosyo Law. 

 

Sinisigurado po natin na bawat lugar functioning hindi lang po magandang building, kaya po dito sa GenSan, sa DTI siya nakabase.

 

Sana po puntahan ninyo po kung kailangan ninyo ng trainings, paghahanap ng pondo, mga bilihin sa mga merkado.  Pumunta po kayo para ma-avail ninyo po ang services sa negoso centers natin. 

 

Kung hindi po maganda ang experiences ninyo, pakisabi po sa Facebook page kasi mino-monitor po natin. Kung maganda po ang experiences ninyo, sabihin niyo rin po sa amin para mabigyan naman natin ng complement yung mga centers po natin. 

 

Dito po sa Socsargen, nakita po natin na very active ang pagnenegosyo. Ang maliliit na negosyo kailangan natin tulungan upang maging stable, sustainable, at maging mas malaking negosyo. 

 

Iyon naman po ang naging pangako natin 2 ½ years ago at itutuloy po natin yan. So ako po, I just hope na makakabalik po ako ulit at sana sa pagbalik natin mas makita pa natin ang kaularan especially po sa mga small business owners natin. 

 

In the next election sana po piliin natin ang tutulong talaga sa ating mga kababayan especially po nasa ibaba, nasa labas, at nasa laylayan ng lipunan, iyong mga nangangailangan sana po piliin natin mabuti ang ating leader. 

 

Iyong puso po nila nasa mahihirap sa ating bansa. Salamat po.

Sen. Bam’s Sponsorship Speech on the No Shortchanging Act

Senate Bill No. 265 under Committee Report No. 265

An Act Requiring Business Establishments to Give Exact Change to Consumers

 Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” A. Aquino IV
16th Congress, Senate of the Philippines

Sponsorship Speech, October 6, 2015

 

Good afternoon, Mr. President and my distinguished colleagues.  Mga kaibigan, mga kababayan, magandang hapon sa ating lahat!

I am pleased to address you today in support of consumer protection and the continued professionalization of our micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as I sponsor Senate Bill No. 265, under Committee Report No. 265, entitled An Act Requiring Business Establishments to Give Exact Change to Consumers.

Mr. President and esteemed colleagues, as our economy continues to rise and a mounting number of Filipinos have more purchasing power, weaving decency, integrity, and professionalism into our social fabric becomes increasingly important.

This measure promotes such a culture among our Filipino entrepreneurs by prohibiting the giving of insufficient or no change.

This measure will also require that price tags reflect the exact price, including taxes, and that signs are posted to remind customers to make sure they aren’t shortchanged.

First-time violators shall be fined 500 pesos. The second offense will warrant a three-month suspension of the establishment’s license to operate along with a fine of 15,000 pesos. And a third violation results in the revocation of the establishment’s license to operate and a fine of 25,000 pesos.

In the advent of the ASEAN Integration and our rise to economic power, let us show the world that all Filipinos – from established corporations, medium enterprises and down to our sari-sari stores – can engage in business professionally, honestly, and justly.

 This practice of giving consumers what they are due, down to the last centavo, breeds a culture of precision and fairness that should permeate through all Filipino businesses.

Naniniwala tayo na madadala at mapakikinabangan ng mga negosyanteng Pilipino ang kasanayang ito kapag lumaki at lumago ang kanilang negosyo.

 Inaasahan ko po ang inyong suporta sa pagpasa ng patakarang ito.

 

 Maraming salamat!

 

 

 

Sen. Bam’s Sponsorship Speech on the Amendments to the Corporation Code

Senate Bill No. 2945 under Committee Report No. 247

An Act Amending Section 144 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 68 otherwise known as the Corporation Code of the Philippines

Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” A. Aquino IV
16th Congress, Senate of the Philippines
Sponsorship Speech, September 9, 2015

 

 

Good afternoon, Mr. President and my distinguished colleagues.  Mga kaibigan, mga kababayan, magandang hapon sa ating lahat!

I am honored to address you today in support of improving and developing the country’s business regulatory practices for the benefit of our local entrepreneurs, as I sponsor Senate Bill No. 2945, under Committee Report No. 247, entitled An Act Amending Section 144 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 68 otherwise known as the Corporation Code of the Philippines.

As the spotlight continues to shine on the country thanks to our robust economic growth, we are challenged to push policies that make investing and doing business in the Philippines easier, more efficient, and more fun.

Kagalang-galang na Pangulo, naipasa na natin ang Go Negosyo Act na siyang pagmumulan ng tulong at tukod para sa maliliit na negosyong Pilipino sa kanilang paglalakbay tungo sa pag-unlad.

Naipasa na rin po natin ang Philippine Competition Act na magbibigay ng pagkakataon sa mga bagong negosyante na makilahok at makipagsabayan sa mas malalaki at mas matatatag na kompanya sa merkado.

Ngayon, may panibagong pagkakataon na suportahan at padaliin ang paglaganap ng mga negosyo sa ating bansa.

Mr. President and esteemed colleagues, the next step in promoting entrepreneurship and supporting the growth of our local businesses is to rethink and reform the Corporation Code of the Philippines, which was enacted in 1980.

For 35 years, we have gathered lessons and insights in order to improve and streamline the country’s Corporation Code for the benefit of both businesses and government agencies.

To strengthen our efforts to catch up to global best practices for the business sector and improve the ease of doing business in the country, we must now make improvements and amendments to the decades-old Corporation Code of the Philippines.

These amendments include the creation of a one-person corporation, allowing for perpetual corporate existence, and stringent measures to ensure corporations are not used for graft and corruption practices – changes that benefit both implementing government agencies and entrepreneurs alike.

 

One-Person Corporation

At present, the law requires a minimum of five persons in order to incorporate, while entrepreneurs that choose to build a business on their own are left with one option – a sole proprietorship.

However, in a sole proprietorship, personal assets are considered property of the business entity allowing authorities to seize personal assets should the business go asunder.

In an attempt to protect their personal assets, individuals have learned to engage “dummy incorporators”, rendering the policy ineffectual; and thus, encouraging businesses to circumvent the law.

Sa panukalang ito, bibigyan natin ang mga negosyanteng Pilipino ng pagkakataong makapagpatayo ng mga one-person corporation bilang alternatibo sa sole proprietorship.

We aim to give the government less cause for speculation and no need for investigation while encouraging more individuals to invest in their business ideas.

 

Perpetual Corporate Existence

Mr. President, as we encourage a mindset of entrepreneurship among Filipinos, we also want to encourage them to think long-term, be in it for the long haul and embrace enterprise development as a life and career choice.

But currently, our Corporation Code limits a corporate term to a maximum of only fifty years.

To remedy this, the Amendments to the Corporation Code will allow corporate perpetuity in the Philippines, encouraging corporations to develop long-term plans and generate extensive and sustainable strategies to achieve economic or, more importantly, socio-economic growth.

On the other hand, government agencies need not attend to regular renewals of corporations, eliminating unnecessary workload and taking one less opportunity away from fixers.

This is one of our efforts to promote ease of doing business with government and to truly be a partner in the growth of our business sector.

 

Good Corporate Governance

Mr. President and respected colleagues, the passage of this bill is also an important step towards realizing our country’s commitment to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). 

It will promote good corporate governance by including stricter measures to safeguard companies from being used in aid of fraud, graft, and corruption.

These measures include imposing criminal liability against corporations, more stringent requirements for directorship, and whistleblower protection.

Ang pag-amyenda ng Corporation Code ay magpapatibay ng laban kontra katiwalian, hindi lamang sa gobyerno pero pati na rin sa mga nagnenegosyo.

These are only few of the many improvements in this policy that seek to update and redesign the current Corporation Code of the Philippines to suit our ever-changing and growing local and global business world.

With so many opportunities for business and commerce in our country, there is no better time to build a successful business in the Philippines; and there is no better time than now to streamline our policies.

Mga kaibigan, sa repormang tinutulak natin ngayon, binibigyan natin ng pagkakataon ang mga negosyanteng Pilipinong magtagumpay at makamit ang kanilang mga pangarap.

Sa repormang ito, mas magiging matapat at epektibo ang ating pamahalaan upang ituloy ang pag-unlad ng bansa para sa bawa’t Pilipino! 

Inaasahan po namin ang inyong suporta sa pagpasa ng Amendments to the Corporation Code!

Magandang hapon at maraming maraming salamat!

 

 

 

Transcript: Bam on the Metro Manila Traffic

Transcript of Interview after the Hearing by the Committee on Economic Affairs

 

Q: Sir anong reaction niyo sa di pagsipot ng heads of agencies na ini-expect niyong magpapaliwanag?

 Sen. Bam: Siyempre, we were hoping na nandito sila but naintindihan natin na ito ang first day ng eksperimento sa EDSA. Palagay ko iyong next hearing natin on Sept. 14, mas magiging maganda kasi naririto sila para magpaliwanag at mayroon tayong isang linggo para makita kung iyong mga ginagwang pagbabago sa EDSA ay nagdulot ng paggaan ng trapiko.

 

Q: Anong comment niyo sa call for resignation ni Chairman Tolentino?

 Sen. Bam: It’s the right of any group na sabihin ang kanilang gusto. Maganda sa next hearing, magharap sila at puwedeng i-explain ni Chairman Tolentino kung ano ba ang plano nila for traffic.

Ngayon, nagtutulungan ang MMDA, PNP at si Secretary Almendras bilang traffic czar para ma-solve ang mga problems natin.

Currently, pinag-usapan namin ang long-term solutions pero hinahanap din ng tao ang mga short-term solutions – iyong magbibigay lunas kaagad-agad sa ating traffic problems. Hopefully, sa susunod na hearing, mapag-usapan itong ginagawang eksperimento with the Highway Patrol Group, magdulot ng ninanais nating paggaan ng trapiko.

 

Q: Do you get the logic kung 1,600 lang ang capacity ng EDSA in terms of buses but ang authorized daw ay 3,000-plus.

Sen. Bam: Sa totoo lang, medyo nagulat nga ako sa mungkahi nila na kailangang dagdagan ang dami ng bus sa EDSA. Palagay ko, mas puwedeng pag-usapan pa iyan kasi siyempre ang common understanding natin, dapat bawasan iyan.

Iyong point ni Chairman Ginez na dahil kulang nga ang mga bus, nagsisiksikan ang mga commuters natin kaya bumabagal ang trapiko, kailangan mas intindihin natin iyan.

We’ll definitely see after this week kung ang ganyang klaseng logic ay makatutulong sa ating traffic problems. 

Ang isa lang na masasabi kong maganda, the focus now of the inter-agency group ay kung paano padaliin ang buhay ng commuters natin.

Sabi nga nila, 70 percent ng bumibyahe sa EDSA occupies only 20 percent of the road at ito ang mga bus. Naka-concentrate sila di sa pagtulong sa private cars, kundi pagtulong sa mga kababayan nating sumasakay sa mga bus.

That’s something na inaabangan natin. Hopefully, iyong yellow lanes mas mabilis ang daloy and hopefully, iyong karamihan ng mga taong kailangang gamitin ang EDSA, mas madali po ang buhay dahil sa mga gawaing ginagawa ng inter-agency.  

 

Transcript of Interview after the IP Peering MOA signing

Q: How this agreement will benefit the public?

Sen. Bam: Ang public natin, accessing government websites, government to government transactions, mas bibilis dapat iyon kasi ngayong kasama na ang PLDT sa PHOpenIX, ibig sabihin niyan iyong data ng gobyerno, from the government side, or even from the public, hindi na kailangang umalis ng bansa, para makaabot sa mga government websites.

We’re hoping that this can help alleviate some of the concerns, iyong kabagalan, iyong latency, pagdating sa pag-access sa government websites. Again, hindi pa ito ang IP peering na ninanais natin but we’re one step closer now that a big player like PLDT is now part of the PHopenIX.

 

Q: For example, I’m a Filipino consumer, bibisitahin ko ang DOST website, mas mabilis na siya ngayon kumpara dati?

Sen. Bam: Dapat, once it is implemented. Noon, lalabas ka pa ng bansa. Your data goes out of the country, of course may security concerns din iyon, bago siya bumalik at makapasok sa government websites natin. Even government to government, previously, kailangan pa ring lumabas ng bansa.

This will help in terms of security, and should help in terms of quality of the service. We’re hoping this can be a good first step, simulan natin sa government websites but the goal really is lahat ng mga websites sa Pilipinas, nag-uusap-usap, nagkakaroon ng interconnectivity.

Wala pa tayo roon but the representatives of PLDT said they’ll need a few more weeks. Hopefully, within a month’s time, maayos na ang IP peering issues natin.

 

Q: Can you elaborate on security, di ba may mga incident ng hacking sa website? How would this prevent ang mga ganoong occurrence?

Sen. Bam: I think the first step is have the government websites host it sa PHopenIX kasi I think previous to a few years ago, kanya-kanyahan iyang web hosting.

So it’s important to have it web hosted by DOST and at the same time, iyong security measures nila, maaaring magamit ng government agencies na iyon.

Having if here plus connected na rin, hopefully gaganda na rin ang service ng public towards government website.

 

Q: May comment po ba kayo sa pagpasok ng Telstra sa market?

Sen. Bam: Hopefully it will help our market. Mas gaganda ang services natin, magkakaroon ng kumpetisyon, that’s important para sa kahit anong merkado.

We passed the Philippine Competition Act this year that really serves to increase competition in all of our industries. Pag mas maraming players kasi, mas maganda ang serbisyo at mas mababa ang presyo, that’s basic economics.

So with a third player coming in next year, hopefully naghahanda na rin ang current players ngayon. Kapag mas dumami ang players natin, hopefully it will provide better quality and lower cost to our consumers.

 

Q: Ang DICT, if posible po bang maisakatuparan ngayon?

Sen. Bam:  I’m one of the ones supporting the DICT. Iyong IT sa ating bansa, nagdadala ng trabaho, nagdadala ng connectiveness sa ating mga kamag-anak, nagdadala ng tulong sa maliliit na negosyo.

Having that backbone and that infrastructure is important to our competitiveness kaya panahon nang may sariling ahensiya na nakatutok dito.

Ang focus niya, paano pababain ang presyo ng Internet, paano mas magiging connected ang mga kababayan natin. 

Most of our connectedness is in the urban areas, pagdating mo sa rural areas, mahina ang signal, mabagal ang Internet kaya mahalagang magkaroon ng agency na focused talaga dito.

Sen. Bam Aquino’s Speech during the IP Peering MOA Signing

 “Magandang umaga po sa ating lahat. Definitely, today is a big step towards achieving our goals of having improved Internet services in the Philippines.

Ngayon po, all of our government websites, at least majority of our government websites, are locally peered.

This means, now that PLDT is connected to the PHOpenIX, our government data, any g to g data doesn’t have to leave the Philippines and can actually just travel locally among our shores.

Can you imagine the issues on national security previous to this day and this partnership? Before, government data had to travel outside of the country and come back to our shores to be able to get back to other government websites.

Today definitely is a huge day and we would like to thank PLDT and DOST for finally working out this partnership. Definitely, we can all sleep more soundly tonight now that this partnership is done.

Malaking bagay po na ang huge player like PLDT is now connected to the PHOpenIX. It does open a lot of opportunities in the future. At the minimum, our government sites are safer and of course would be more efficient Of course, this partnership does open the doors for other partnerships down the line.

What I’ve been harping about IP peering in the Senate hearings regarding IP peering, I think, we’re one step closer to that with this MOA signing.

Hopefully there will be another great announcement before the end of the year when it comes to full IP peering in the Philippines.

Today is definitely a good step, a big step and along the way of trying to improve Internet services in the Philippines, this is one of those days that we will remember as a banner day to be able to get to the goals that we want for our country.

More and more, lumalabas talaga na ang competitiveness of our country, a large part of it, in the next five to 10 years, if not the next two to three years, will be dependent on how good our Internet infrastructure is.

We’re hoping that together, we can really build a much improved Internet infrastructure in the Philippines.

We have a long way to go definitely, but sabi nga nila, each journey begins with one step and this is definitely a good step in the right direction.”

MFI NGOs Act Approved on Third and Final Reading

 

 

SBA Photo MFI NGO 1 081015

 

SBA Photo MFI NGO 2 081015

Senator Bam Aquino poses with microfinance non-government organization (NGOs) beneficiaries who witnessed the Senate’s approval of SB No. 2752 or the Microfinance NGOs Act on third and final reading last Monday (August 10, 2015).

The measure aims to strengthen non-government organizations (NGOs) that provide micro financing to the poor who want to start their own business. Aside from loans, microfinance NGOs also provide training programs and seminars to enhance the entrepreneurial skills and financial literacy of their borrowers.

PHOTO RELEASE: Bam with Fil-Am Youth Leaders

Sen. Bam with Filipino-American Youth Leadership Program Delegates

Senator Bam Aquino discusses his priority measures and the country’s legislative system during the round table discussion with delegates of the Filipino-American Youth Leadership Program (FYLPro) at the Senate Building in Pasay City.

 

ilipino-American Youth Leadership Program Delegates

Aquino and Sen. Sonny Angara pose for posterity with FYLPro delegates, (seated, from left) Anna Marie Cruz, Jessica Caloza, Jennifer Coliflores, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Mei-An Austria, Nicole Adrienne Ponseca and (standing, from left) Honolulu, Hawaii Congressman Ty Cullen, Lakhi Mangharam Siap, Mark Jimenez, Freddy Anzures, Kevin Gabayan, Angelo Ignacio, Louella Cabalona and Anthony Guevara.

 

 

 

Daet Negosyo Center

 

 

Sen. Bam Aquino, Daet Mayor Tito Sarion (third from left, seated), DTI Region 5 Director Joy Blanco and officials of other concerned government agencies show the thumps-up sign after signing the memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the Daet Negosyo Center.

The Daet Negosyo Center, which was opened Wednesday (June 24), is the first LGU-led Negosyo Center in the country. It is housed at the municipal building of Daet.

Scroll to top