Rep. Cheryl P. Deloso-Montalla, Chairman of the House Committee on Revision of
Laws hails the ratification today by the House of Representatives of the bicameral
conference committee report on the disagreeing provisions of Senate Bill No. 2332 and
House Bill No. 7836 on increasing the age in determining statutory rape.
“In the report, we determined that the age of statutory rape be set to under 16
years of age in view of the global standard on statutory rape age,” Rep. Deloso-Montalla
explained. “We also aligned with this bill the age of consent in other crimes under the
criminal code and other anti-child abuse and exploitation laws like the R.A. No. 7610,”
she added.
The Representative of the 2nd District of Zambales also said that the Committee “…
also provided a “close-in relationship” or “sweetheart clause” to recognize the legitimate
relationship between 2 teenagers… that is in consonance with the age of criminal liability
under RA 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and
Discrimination Act and the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act or RA No. 9344, as amended by
RA No. 10630. Most importantly, rape and other acts of sexual exploitation, under this
bill is now applicable to a man, woman, or child.”
“The enactment of this bill is long overdue as the data scream loudly and clearly
speak that the crime of rape remains rampant in the country. What we know are the
reported cases but the true statistics may be higher considering that there are a lot of
unreported and unaccounted cases of rape and other forms of sexual abuse and
exploitation that is happening,” Rep. Deloso-Montalla further said.
“Now that we have ratified the Bi-Cam report on the anti-stat rape bill, it is now a
step closer to becoming a law! We will always endure ascertaining that our children are
given optimum protection under our laws and within the bounds of the democratic society
that we have,” she averred.
Initially, 9 bills were referred to the Committee on Revision of Laws relating to the
amendments to Anti-Rape Law with specific provisions on increasing the age of consent
on statutory rape. There were similar bills that were referred to the Committee on Welfare
of Children Chaired by Rep. Yedda K. Romualdez. The 2 committees jointly heard and
deliberated exhaustively on the proposed measures and came up with a substitute bill –
HB 7836 or An Act Providing for Stronger Protection Against Rape and Sexual Exploitation
and Abuse, Including Increasing the Age for Determining the Commission of Statutory
Rape.
The bill was approved on Third Reading by the House of Representatives on
December 1, 2020

Hindi lang ang buhay ng mga tao ang nagbago makaraang tumama ang COVID-19 na pandemya sa buong mundo noong nakaraang taon. Maraming namatay, nawalan ng negosyo at dahil walang negosyo, marami din ang nawalan ng trabaho. Marami din ang natigil sa pag-aaral at pagtuturo dahil nagsara ang mga paaralan.

Gayunpaman, nakasira man sa maraming aspeto ng buhay ang sakit na ito, mayroon din namang kung tawagin ni Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray na nagsilbing “silver lining” sa kabila ng mga masaklap na mga pangyayari. Napilitan mag-isip ang marami kung paano mabubuhay, ang mga negosyante nag-isip din dahil marami sa kanila sa negosyo din umaasa ng ikabubuhay ng kanilang pamilya.

Mabuti at marami ang nag “adapt” sa takbo ng sitwasyon, naging “innovative.” Dahil bawal lumabas, marami ang sumabak sa “e-commerce” kung saan ang negosyo ay lahat online. Marami man sa mga batikang negosyante at yung mga nagsisimula pa lamang ay natutong gawin ang negosyo online. Medyo mahirap sa umpisa ngunit noong lumaon ay nakasanayan din. At marami sa kanila naging matagumpay. Kaakibat ng “convenience” ng online business ay hindi pa din mawawala dapat ang sipag at tiyaga.

Iyong mga nawalan ng trabaho, sumabak naman sa online delivery. May mga online delivery platforms, partikular pagdating sa pagdeliver ng pagkain at iba pang bagay, ang nakapagbigay trabaho sa mga unemployed. Basta may motorsiklo o kahit bisikleta man, pwede na sa online delivery. Maraming nagtiyaga kahit mahirap kaya marami din ang nakinabang at kumita ng maayos para sa ikabubuhay ng pamilya.

Naapektuhan din ang sektor ng edukasyon dahil natigil ang “face-to-face” classes. Mabuti na lang din at nauso ang “online classes” para sa mga may internet at kung wala man, ginawan ng paraan ng Department of Education (DepEd) na matuloy ang pag-aaral sa pamamagitan ng “blended learning” o paggamit ng “modules” kung sakaling walang internet sa bahay. Maraming naging pagsubok, pero hindi nagpadaig ang mga Pilipino sa hamon, guro man or mag-aaral, kaya tuloy ang pag-aaral. At kamakailan ay nagsimula na din ang “limited face-to-face classes” sa kung tawagin ay “low-risk areas” o yaong kakaunti ang kaso ng Covid-19.

Madami pang mga naging pagbabago sa buhay ng tao bunsod ng pandemya. Mabuti din at napilitan ang mga Pilipino na maging malikhain. Dati-rati, ang pagsabak sa “online” gamit ang “digital technology” ay hindi gaanong pinapansin at lahat ay puro “manual” na pamamaraan pa din. Mabuti at namulat ang mata ng karamihan sa mga pakinabang gamit ang internet, ang pagnenegosyo o pag-aaral online. Dahil sa pandemya, napabilis ang “adoption” o ang pagyakap ng tao sa digital technology at kung paano nito mapapagaan ang buhay.

Subalit sabi nga ng isang superhero, “with great power comes great responsibility.” May kapangyarihan na ang tao gamit ang “digital technology” subalit may kaakibat itong mga responsibilidad. Dapat ang mga aktibidad online ay naaayon din sa batas. Sa pagbugso ng paggamit ng internet at digital technology, napapanahon na pagukulan ng pansin ang mas masidhing paggamit nito at may kaakibat na mga batas na magbibigay proteksiyon sa mga gumagamit nito para sa kabuhayan at iba pang aktibidad, at karampatang parusa din para naman sa mga aabuso nito.

Isa sa mga layunin ng “CLICK” o ang “Computer Literacy, Innovation, Connectivity and Knowledge” ay ang mabigyang-proteksiyon ang maraming sektor sa lipunan, yaong mga nagne-negosyo online, mga guro at mag-aaral para sa online classes, at pati na din ang mga konsyumer na bumibili online. Sa pamamagitan ng batas, maisusulong na ang abot-kayang internet para sa lahat kahit saan man lugar nakatira, lalo na sa may gustong pumasok sa “e-commerce,” makipag-“network” sa iba pang negosyante na may karanasan na dito, o yung may gustong mag-aral online at kahit sa mga empleyado na nais ipagpatuloy ang “work from home setup.”

Marami pang dapat pag-usapan tungkol sa mga gawain “online,” lalo na sa aspeto ng “online privacy” at
“data security.” Subalit sa pamamagitan ng mga panukalang batas, unti-unti ay maisasaayos lahat ng ito upang mas lalong mapabilis at maging “convenient” ang buhay, at magamit ng tao ang digital technology at gawin itong kapaki-pakinabang sa mamamayang Pilipino, ngayon at sa mga susunod pang mga henerasyon.

Para malaman ang iba pang detalye tungkol sa CLICK, sundan lamang sila sa kanilang social media pages.

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Youtube: CLICK Partylist

LinkedIn: Partylist CLICK

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson plans to solve the country’s serious poverty problem by providing more people the opportunity to get an education.

            In his latest video, the presidential aspirant, who has battled government corruption throughout his career in public service, points out that many young people are forced to drop out of school because of the need to help their families and because being in school is proving to be a heavy financial burden. Thus, they remain mired in poverty because without a good education their prospects are limited so they often have to settle for jobs that do not pay much.

He will launch an innovative Edukasyon Plus program if elected President that will provide free education and institute a government internship program. Each family will receive a P5,000 monthly allowance during their family members’ internship. Lacson believes that this arrangement will allow students to focus on their studies as they will not be under pressure to help their families.

“Even if education is free, young people cannot finish their studies because they have to help their families. If this vicious cycle continues, when will they be able to lift themselves from a life of poverty?” he says.

Studies show that among member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines have the highest school dropout rate.

Lacson is convinced that education is the only way to give people the chance of a better future and to improve the lives of Filipinos, many, if not most, of whom still live below the poverty line. People remain mired in poverty, unable to get better-paying jobs, for lack of education, he stresses.

With Edukasyon Plus, young people can avail themselves of free education and participate in a government internship program that will pay their families a monthly allowance. “They won’t have to choose anymore between education and work to help their families,” Lacson says. He believes the program will help many people leave behind lives of poverty.

“Edukasyon Plus is the real solution to the problem of poverty,” Lacson adds.

Lacson and his running mate, Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto, are running on the slogan “Aayusin ang gobierno, aayusin ang buhay mo.” (They will fix the government and put your life in order.)

For more info on Ping Lacson, follow https://www.facebook.com/PingLacsonOfficial.

            Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson is leveraging his reputation as a crime-buster and anti-corruption champion in his bid to become the next President of the Philippines.

            His video advertisement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv_HZnGnsow) highlights some of his major accomplishments as a senator and former head of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

            Lacson plans to expand on his initiatives to prevent public money from being lost through corruption as president and bring the government closer to the people. His main advocacy is to give more power to local government units that are closest to the citizens and understand the people’s needs best and are in a better position to respond to their problems more effectively.

            As highlighted in his TV ads, Lacson’s careful and detailed scrutiny of the national budget has saved the country P300 billion. He proved his strong opposition to the pork barrel that had become for legislators a major perk of their jobs, by refusing it.

            Among the accomplishments, Lacson has listed as proof of his qualification for the highest post in the country are the investigations of the P728 million fertilizer scam, the anomalous $329 million contract between the Philippines and China’s ZTE Company, and Payola or bribery in the Bureau of Customs by exposing the TARA list.

            He also brought to the public’s attention the “Hello Garci” tapes, an attempt at cheating during the 2004 elections.

            The former military officer and PNP chief exposed the chopper scam where the government paid brand-new prices for second-hand helicopters.

            Lacson’s initiatives as PNP chief earned him a trust rating of 78+ percent from the public, the highest rating ever recorded for the position.

Filinvest Land Inc. turned over to the City of Dagupan, Pangasinan 170 sacks of rice, 1650 packs of canned goods, and 4,300 packs of noodles to help around 165 families evacuated due to severe flooding caused by strong and sustained rainfall from Severe
Tropical Storm Maring (Kompasu) last week. Maring also left P 263 million worth of damage to the province.

Dagupan City Mayor Marc Brian Lim received the donation today (Oct, 23) from Filinvest. “Thank you to the Filinvest Group for this very timely donation for Dagupan. Your contribution will definitely help those gravely affected by this calamity. We all wish you the best in your endeavors,” said Mayor Lim.

In an interview, Filinvest Land Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Tristan Las Marias said, “Filinvest is committed to being an active and supportive member of any community where it operates. When we heard the news that 31 barangays were flooded and families were being evacuated in Dagupan, we knew right away that the city will need help to provide food for them for days. This is why we immediately mobilized our team to send relief and we are happy to be amongst the first from outside the City to help.”

The real estate developer said it has been Filinvest’s advocacy to help our countrymen at times of calamity as a way of giving back to the people and partner local governments.

#

About Filinvest Land, Inc. 

Filinvest Land Inc. is one of the country’s leading full-range property developers. For almost 50 years, the company
has built a diverse project portfolio spanning the archipelago including large-scale townships: Havila (306
hectares), Timberland Heights (677 hectares) and Manna East (60 hectares) in Rizal, Ciudad de Calamba (350
hectares), City di Mare in Cebu (50 hectares) and Palm Estates in Talisay City (51 hectares). FLI has since built more
than 200 residential developments across the country.

FLI owns 20% of Filinvest Alabang, developer of Filinvest City (244 hectares), a central business district in southern
Metro Manila. FLI is also developing two townships in the Clark Special Economic Zone: its industrial and logistics
park and mixed-use development at New Clark City (288 hectares) and Filinvest Mimosa+ Leisure City (201
hectares) in partnership with Filinvest Development Corporation.
For more information call (02) 850-0888 or (0917) 877-0888 or log on to http://www.filinvestland.com

To set the foundations of the country’s health emergency response and prevention system, UN Global Champion for DRR and Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda filed the country’s first-ever comprehensive health emergency mechanisms and policy framework, as House Bill No. 6096. 

Apart from institutional and policy reforms necessary to expand the country’s health emergency response mechanisms, the bill also creates a Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which will prepare the country’s mitigation of and response to communicable diseases.

“My bill essentially lifts our communicable disease control and prevention units out of the depths of the DOH bureaucracy and into the more visible levels of decision-making and policymaking,” Salceda said. “Inahon ko yung communicable disease control kasi sa ngayon, nakabaon sa ilalim ng maraming agency, kaya hindi makagalaw ng maayos.”

“The hazards kasi will always be there – but they are rising and are more complex. We have always had to contend with microscopic enemies. But the risks have geometrically multiplied by our exposure: tropical climate, leading tourist destination (with 8.4 million in 2019), a leading source of overseas labor (12 million OFWs in 2019), growing status as a work destination for foreign workers (including 280,000 POGO workers).” Salceda explained.

“In a globalized world, borders are becoming more and more porous. But our mechanisms are still calibrated as if borders are only relevant as far as preventing trafficking of humans and goods are concerned. Hindi na sapat yan. Legal entry can no longer be automatically taken as safe for public health,” Salceda said.

Salceda’s bill creates the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as a separate agency under the supervision of the DOH and will be led by Executive Director with Undersecretary rank, but with broader policymaking, implementation, surveillance, disease control, and prevention powers over communicable or infectious diseases. Such diseases are rapid-onset in nature, meaning the risks compound exponentially over time without early and decisive intervention. 

The CDC would ensure that intervention is made at the earliest opportunity, having been lifted out of the depths of the bureaucracy.

The bill also creates a National Health Emergency Response Unit (NHERU) under the DEMB, which shall act as the frontline force in-ground and surveillance operations of the CDC. This shall be a well-trained unit of first-responders.

“Kung naalala niyo yung mga naka-white protective gear during the Ebola crisis, that will be the function of NHERU. Parang special forces natin for disease control and prevention,” Salceda said.

Apart from these, the bill also provides for mechanisms for the declaration of the state of a public health emergency, a coordinating council for the same, and broader quarantine powers for the CDC.

The bill also makes quarantine misdeclarations perjurious, as it requires these declarations to be made under oath.

SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET FOR DPBC

“Naturally, the bill is very broad in scope. But the basic idea is: the current approach, the way we organize ourselves to confront outbreaks will no longer suffice, will not make us safer, will not convince our people to trust public institutions.  But first things first, Congress should pass a supplemental budget to increase the budget of DPCB to P800 million, especially since it has been reduced from P263 million in 2019 to P115 million,” he added.

Salceda’s CDC bill is part of his office’s National Resilience Agenda, which includes the creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience and the Taal Commission and TERRA Fund. 

The bill also follows Salceda’s “Bill, Bill, Bill” agenda of comprehensive government reform, a commitment he made in an Aide Memoire to Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Majority Leader Martin Romualdez on January 26.

 RATIONALE OF THE CDC ACT 2020

1.     The Philippines, with its tropical location, its large population, high rates of urbanization, a highly mobile and transborder population (with an estimated 10.4 million Filipinos overseas in 2019 and 3.4 million stock of OFW at any time), as a top tourist destination (with an estimated 8.4 million tourists in 2019), with 6,272,092 nationals going abroad in 2018 (2.3 million OFWs,   2.979 million as tourists, 980,772 for other reasons) for and increased numbers of foreign workers (with about 280,000 from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations alone) is especially prone to the increasingly globalized risks of communicable diseases. Many such diseases, including those we have eradicated already in the past, are emerging and reemerging, threatening the health and safety of the public.
2.     Aside from porous borders, our lack of institutional capacity to implement comprehensive public health management programs, as well as the present orientation of border law enforcement towards smuggling of excisable products and the prevention of human trafficking and smuggling, but not towards public health protection, stymies the country’s ability to decisively address the risks of communicable disease.
3.     Presence of hazards, our increased exposure to such hazards, and the lack of existing mechanisms and capacity to address them emphasize the national imperative for a framework for effective intervention.
4.     Quick and decisive intervention will not come from the depths of the bureaucracy. There is a need for a high-level public institution imbued with the capacity, the competencies, the ecosystem, and the authority to confront these risks decisively and thus protect the public welfare and enable development to proceed amidst these rising risks

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CDC PROPOSAL (HB 6096)

1.     Creation of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as a separate agency under the control and supervision of the DOH, but with broader policymaking, implementation, surveillance, disease control and prevention powers including direct response over communicable or infectious diseases. Such diseases are rapid-onset in nature, meaning the risks compound exponentially over time without early and decisive intervention. The CDC would ensure that interventions are made at the earliest opportunity, having been lifted out of the depths of the bureaucracy.
2.     The strategic focus of the new agency is RAPID and SUDDEN ONSET HEALTH HAZARDS AND EMERGING DISEASES, principally communicable diseases.
3.     Separation of the Disease Control and Prevention Bureau of the DOH, with the CDC absorbing communicable disease units in a newly established Communicable Disease Prevention Bureau. This would solidify the delineation between communicable and non-communicable disease prevention and control in the least organizationally-disruptive manner possible.
4.     Absorption of the Epidemiology Bureau and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine into the CDC. This would strengthen the CDC’s disease control and prevention capacity.
5.     Creation of the Disease Emergency Management Bureau (DEMB) to calibrate the CDC’s response to health emergencies.
6.     Granting of broader quarantine powers to the Secretary of Health and the CDC
7.     Creation of the Health Emergency Coordination Council, which shall coordinate national government response to health emergencies, and which shall declare the existence of a state of health emergency;
8.     CDC thru the council may authorize the DOH and other responding agencies to a health emergency to access the NDRRMF or authorize specific LGUs  use calamity funds during a state of health emergency;
9.     Broad health emergency powers to the HECC and the CDC including a redefinition of the relationship between the CDC and the Bureau of Quarantine during health emergencies;
10.   A comprehensive health emergency management framework, including provisions for vaccination and treatment, isolation and quarantine, and disease surveillance;
11.   The creation of a National Health Emergency Response Unit (NHERU) under the DEMB, which shall act as the frontline force in-ground and surveillance operations of the CDC; This shall be a well-trained unit of first-responders.
12.   A comprehensive framework for tracking public health emergencies;
13.   A mandate for the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of Health to recommend beneficial agreements on exchange of health information with international organizations and with other countries.

 

In a recent meeting at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, ACTS-OFW Party List Cong. Aniceto “John” Bertiz III reiterated their groups’ commitment for the passage of the long-awaited Anti-Discrimination Bill in Congress authored by then Akbayan Rep. Etta Rosales during the 11th Congress meaning it has been pending for two decades now.

The said bill will protect the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders in the workplace and in the schools, as well as the right to set up a business or practice a profession. It will also give them the equal rights that are the birthright of each and every Filipino.

Cong. Bertiz gave this commitment to some members of the LGBT community, particularly to those who attended the solidarity event. They gave the commitment after consulting with the group and with their many members overseas, some of whom are also LGBTs.

“We have Overseas Filipino Workers who are also members of the LGBT community. We all know how hard they work to provide for their families back home. Some of the LGBTs are the breadwinners and the backbones of their families- sending their brothers and sisters in school and takes care of their parents’ medical needs. Therefore, they should be given the protection that is due them in the Bill of Rights of our Philippine Constitution,” Bertiz said.

For their part, Ladlad Chairman and Professor Danton Remoto lauded this commitment from a party list whose focus is to have the best ethical practices in the overseas recruitment industry. “I am also an Overseas Filipino Worker teaching at a British university in Malaysia. I welcome the consultation done by ACTS-OFW Party List with us regarding LGBTQ rights. Fighting for those rights will always be prime advocacy of Ladlad Party List,” he said. The professor is also running for Councilor of District 3, Quezon City.

ACTS-OFW (Alliance for Community Transformation and Service for Overseas Filipino Workers) was founded in 2010. ACTS-OFW Party List pushed for the 10-year validity of our passports and the creation of 1000 more slots daily for OFW applicants. They also worked for the exemption of OFWs from the P550 airport terminal fee among many other legislative measures to help our OFWs.

 

Velascos at SCJ Teresita De Castro party (L-R) Sherwin Catera with wife Mata Partylist Rep. Tricia Velasco-Catera, SCJ Teresita De Castro, Torrijos, Marinduque Mayor Lorna Velasco with retired Justice Presbitero Velasco(dad of Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco-not in photo)

 

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton