Ping Lacson

Fellow senators defend Sen. Bam’s role in free college law

Several senators came out to defend the important role of re-electionist Sen. Bam Aquino in the passage of the free college law.

Senators Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Joel Villanueva and Franklin Drilon all stressed the importance of Sen. Bam’s hard work in passing the landmark that is being enjoyed by millions of Filipino students.

It was Sen. Lacson who first recognized Sen. Bam’s work via a tweet, saying the young senator should be given credit for the passage of the free college law as he was the one who defended it from the thorough questioning of his fellow senators.

In an interview, Sen. Lacson lauded Sen. Bam for his determination in passing the Free College Law as its principal sponsor.

“Kapag napag-uusapan ang libreng matrikula sa kolehiyo, ang unang naiisip ko, si Senador Bam Aquino. Alam kong siya ang nagtiyagang itulak ito sa Senado bilang author at principal sponsor ng Free Tuition Law,” Sen. Lacson said.

Sen. Drilon, for his part, said Sen. Bam was instrumental in making the free college law a reality to give the country’s youth a chance at a bright future.

“He’s a man who is sincerely concerned for our welfare- especially sa future ng kabataan,” said Sen. Drilon, who also recognized Sen. Bam as a dependable ally of the Filipino people in the Senate.

Sen. Villanueva also recognized Sen. Bam’s determination in pushing for the passage of the free college law.

Sa pagsusulong po ng Free Tuition Law, naging major major kasangga po natin si Senator Bam Aquino,” said Sen. Villanueva, adding that Sen. Bam deserves a second term in the Senate.

“Palaging handang magsilbi sa bayan. Iyan po si Senator Bam Aquino. Ibalik po natin siya sa Senado,” added Sen. Villanueva.

If re-elected, Sen. Bam has committed to push for the enactment of his Trabaho Center Bill, which seeks to address the problems of jobs mismatch and unemployment in the country.

The bill seeks to establish “Trabaho Centers” or Job Placement Offices (JPOs) in public high schools and state universities and colleges (SUCs) to address the skills mismatch and ensure employability of students upon graduation.

Duterte, Sen. Lacson acknowledge Sen. Bam’s role in passage of Free College Law

Re-electionist Sen. Bam Aquino thanked President Duterte and Sen. Panfilo Lacson for acknowledging his role in the passage of the landmark Free College Law even as he expressed willingness to help the government for the welfare of poor Filipinos.

“Salamat at kinilala ni Presidente ang tinrabaho natin para maisabatas ang Libreng Kolehiyo,” said Sen. Bam, who pushed for the passage of the Free College Law as principal sponsor during his time as chairman of the Committee on Education in the 17th Congress.

“Basta para sa taumbayan lalo na kung makakatulong sa mahihirap, handa tayong makipagtulungan tulad dito sa batas ng Libreng Kolehiyo,” added Sen. Bam, who also expressed gratitude to Sen. Lacson for recognizing his effort.

Sen. Bam’s reaction came after President Duterte mentioned in his speech in Koronadal City on Tuesday that the senator helped in the crafting of the landmark legislation.

“In fairness to him (Sen. Bam). Nagtulong siya in crafting the law,” Duterte said in his speech.

Duterte’s pronouncement solidified the statement of Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, who reiterated the important role that Sen. Bam played in the passage of the Free College Law during Thursday’s media interview.

“Siya naman talaga yung nag-labor diyan para maipasa. Siya talaga nagtulak so, I corrected (them),” said Lacson, referring to his tweet giving credit to Sen. Bam for the passage of the important legislation.

“Ang daming claimants na nagki-claim ng credits. So, sabi ko, to set the record straight, si Sen. Bam iyan,” said Sen. Lacson, adding that Sen. Bam was the one who defended the legislation from scrutiny of his fellow lawmakers.

Veteran lawmaker Sen. Ping Lacson endorses Sen. Bam’s re-election bid

Veteran senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has endorsed the candidacy of re-electionist Sen. Bam Aquino, saying a hard-working and productive lawmaker like him deserves a second term in the Senate.

“Kung ako ang masusunod, magandang makabalik si Senator Bam sa Senado,” said Sen. Lacson as he praised Sen. Bam’s determination to pass landmark legislations, such as the Free College Law.

Like Sen. Lacson, Sen. Bam is also an independent-minded lawmaker and is concerned primarily about helping the poor and the marginalized.

In an earlier statement, Sen. Lacson said that Sen. Bam, as principal sponsor and co-author of the free college law, persevered to make this landmark piece of legislation a reality.

After gathering dust in the legislative mill for years, Sen. Bam worked for the passage of the Free College Law as principal sponsor in the Senate during his term as chairman of the Committee on Education in the 17th Congress.

“Kapag napapag-usapan ang libreng matrikula sa kolehiyo, ang unang naiisip ko, si Senador Bam Aquino. Alam kong siya ang nagtiyagang itulak ito sa Senado bilang author at Principal Sponsor ng Free Tuition Law,” Sen. Lacson said.

As the law’s principal sponsor, Sen. Lacson said Sen. Bam had to defend the measure from the intense questioning and scrutiny of his colleagues.

“Iyong sponsor, siya iyong nagde-defend. Iyon ang mas mahirap na gawin, kasi tatayo ka doon, tatanungin ka ng mga kasamahan mo, idedepensa mo iyong bill, iyong panukalang batas na itinutulak mo,” explained Lacson.

“Iyong pagiging author, susulat mo lang iyon, ipa-file mo, pero ang magde-defend, yan ang napakahirap, kasi napakaraming  pilosopo kaming kasama doon, tatanungin ka ng kaliit-liitang detalye ng panukalang batas, o yung bill, na dinedepensa mo,” he added.

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