What pushed Senator JV Ejercito continue serving the Filipinos

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Former Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito seek a Senate position in the 2022 elections.

(Here's  a quick and exclusive interview with the bloggers last Sunday, simple and straight question and answer)

What Pushed Senator JV Ejercito to continue serving the Filipinos?

Ejercito, who is eyeing a comeback at the Senate, to continue the "Unfinished business’, wants to focus on 3 important things when winning again as a Senator. These are the following:

*Universal Healthcare

*Human Settlement or Housing

*Infrastructure Development

His re-run is the promise of a better life for the people and this is the proof of some resolutions and bills that he has served until they are enacted.

* Universal Healthcare

Ejercito said he will continue his fight to provide the Filipinos a better healthcare system, strengthening the implementation of Universal Healthcare Law (UHC), which he authored.

Ejercito expressed hope he could "pick up where he left off" while working at the Senate. He said

"Sayang, especially with this pandemic, I feel that it is my obligation and my duty all the more to push the Universal Healthcare Law, which I sponsored and authored while I was still at the Senate,"

Senator JV Ejercito filed Senate Bill No. 1458, also known as the "Universal Healthcare for All Filipinos Act" which has been approved just recently into law, signed by the President.

"Ito'y aking passion, obligasyon na maisakatuparan ang isang tunay na healthcare system na ang bawat Pilipino ay makikinabang at hindi na mahihirapan without the financial burden."

"Now more than ever, the UHC (Universal Health Care), which is still a work in progress, has to be prioritized and implemented properly."

* Human Settlement or Housing

Senator JV Ejercito also filed Senate Bill No. 1578 or the "Creation of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development".

Ejercito said the government, for the last 30 years, has no rational and systematic way of addressing the nation’s housing needs.

“We continue to be challenged with problems of overcrowding, restrictions in unlocking land for human settlements, increasing number of homeless people and multiplying families living in slums, riverbanks and danger zones."

What we need is one housing department with one board working towards one direction, creating the roadmap for housing and urban development, leading its implementation, setting the general direction for everyone and able to follow through each and every project with clear functions, policies, budget and financing.”

The lawmaker said the creation of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development would combine the administrative functions of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and the planning and regulatory functions of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB).

The department would be responsible for all housing and urban concerns, including planning, policy-making, regulations, program coordination, and performance monitoring.

*Infrastructure Development

Ejercito also vowed to prioritize creating a Philippine Comprehensive Infrastructure Master Plan should he get elected again in the Senate.

This master plan, according to Ejercito, will serve as a blueprint for major infrastructure projects in the country that would be in operation for decades.

“Regardless kung sino ang uupong Pangulo, ito ay magiging master plan ng ating bansa for major infrastructure projects. Maaaring tumagal ito ng ilang dekada, ” he said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRvmMPMkB98

Ejercito noted that when he was in the Senate, he was one of the most vocal advocates of major transportation infrastructure projects, like the Philippine National Railways South Long Haul in Southern Luzon and the Mindanao Railway System.

Ejercito also said the nation needs major transportation projects like, railway system for economic growth by spreading the development to the countryside.

Ejercito, (with the tag as The Good One)  believes that the aspirations he started will not remain just a dream if he is given another chance to serve our nation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcZu1PPVcFU&t=58s

Antique Rep. Loren Legarda leads Manila Bulletin-Tangere’s February senatorial survey

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Three-term Senator, Deputy Speaker, Antique Rep. Loren Legarda topped the latest Manila Bulletin-Tangere senatorial preference survey for the May 2022 elections.

Conducted from Feb. 25 to 27, 2022, with 2,400 respondents, the survey results showed Legarda with 51.92 percent of the voter preference.

Ranking 2nd and 3rd were former Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar (46.04 percent) and Broadcaster Raffy Tulfo (46 percent).

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian (45.58 percent), Sorsogon Gov. Francis Escudero (41.71 percent), Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri (37.79 percent), and Senator Joel Villanueva (34.67 percent) ranked 4th to 7th.

Completing the top 12 were Senator Risa Hontiveros (30.13 percent), actor Robin Padilla (28.63 percent), Taguig-Pateros 1st District Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano (27.54 percent), former Senator Jinggoy Estrada (22.04 percent), and former Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque (20.83 percent).

The survey results showed former Vice President Jejomar Binay (20.79 percent) at 13th place.

At 14th to 16th places were former Senator JV Ejercito (20.29 percent), Senator Richard Gordon (18.83 percent), and former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista (18.08 percent).

The Manila Bulletin-Tangere survey was conducted among 2,400 mobile application users—552 in Northern and Central Luzon, 552 in Mindanao, 528 in Southern Luzon and Bicol, 480 in the Visayas, and 288 in the National Capital Region.

Legarda is the first national candidate to file COC at 8 am, seeks re-election as Senator

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Three-term Senator, now Deputy Speaker , Loren Legarda filed her candidacy as Senator at the Sofitel Tent in Pasay City early morning on October 1.

Legarda currently serves as member of the House of Representatives, representing the Lone District of the Province of Antique. Prior to her election to the current position in May 2019, she was a three-term Senator and chaired the Committees on Finance, Foreign Relations, economic affairs, environment and Climate Change, among others. She has authored numerous laws currently being used during the pandemic, and, as Finance Chair for four years, ensured the funding of vital government programs aimed at improving the lives of Filipinos and making such programs more accessible to the people.

“Our pandemic recovery should respond to the health needs of our people and on our economic recovery and should be attuned to the climate pathway as we are also dealing with the climate crisis. With my 20 years of experience as Senator and my stint as Representative of the Lone District of Antique, I am confident that I can do much more to help solve the twin crisis, for the welfare of the Filipino people,” Legarda said

Legarda, who previously topped the Senate race twice, in 1998 and 2007, explained that she will be campaigning for the future generations and will continue to push for the advocacies she has always espoused for decades now.

“More jobs and livelihood, quality education, efficient healthcare system, stronger environmental protection and cultural preservation – these are what I have always championed since I was first elected Senator in 1998 and these are what I will continue to prioritize, given a fresh start in the Senate in 2022. I would like to continue what I have started and do much more – provide for the needs of all Filipinos, bring the government programs closer to them especially to the marginalized and vulnerable, and ensure an inclusive, equitable, resilient and sustainable growth and recovery for all,” Legarda concluded.

Excluded TWG members urge Congress and Senate to intervene

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Amid the recent announcement of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to extend the test run for motorcycle taxis for another six months and include new motorcycle taxi companies supposedly as per the recommendation of the previously convened technical working group (TWG), original members of the TWG who were not included in the decision-making process for this sought the intervention of Congress and Senate to exclude the new players from participating in the extension.

Certain members of the TWG constituted in December of 2018 were taken by surprise with the recent news from the DOTr stating that the TWG already decided to extend the motorcycle taxi test run and include six new motorcycle taxi players.

The excluded TWG member has also called on Congress and the Senate, from which the original directives to conduct a technical working group assessment last year came, to look carefully into the matter.

In a press briefing, Toix Cerna, spokesperson of the commuters’ group Komyut, revealed, “Since August, we have been seeking for the TWG to be convened to discuss the initial data, and experience of Angkas, but to no avail.” Cerna added, “Our task was also to monitor and assess the results of the pilot so that we are informed of what to recommend for the legislative measures pending in Congress.”

Raymond Gascon of Move Metro Manila said in a separate statement, “In principle we agree with the need for the motorcycle taxi safety protocols to be extended to and applied to other motorcycle taxi service providers. Competition is good and should be a welcome development. We are just concerned with the process through which this decision was made without us having been call into a meeting at all.”

Move Metro Manila is a group of policy advocates organizing policy discussions on mobility.

In turn, Atty. Ariel Inton of the Lawyers for Commuter Safety and Protection (LCSP), also a member of the TWG, revealed, “Since the start of the pilot run, I have never been invited to meetings and discussions and now I heard that they have decided on something critical, which is not only irregular but rather suspicious and unacceptable.”

Inton added, “And it seems this exclusion from the recent decision-making process also involves many other critical members of the TWG and we are just wondering why this was the case.”

The LCSP earlier filed a petition for injunction with application for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and/or Writ of Preliminary Injunction against five motorcycle taxi companies: We Move Things Philippines Inc. (Joyride), Habal Rides Corp., I-Sabay, Sampa-Dala Corp., and Trans-Serve Corp. The petition stated that their operations are unauthorized and may cause grave and substantial damage to the public.

“Our objective in the LCSP is to ensure the safety and protection of the riding public,” Inton, a former Land Transportation Franchise and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) member, said. “And we are worried that the new motorcycle players who will join the test run may just endanger the lives of commuters because they do not have the same stringent safety standards as what the riding public has been accustomed to in the initial test run,” he added.

“We in the LCSP call on the DOTr to ensure that the welfare of the riding public is given priority by ensuring that the new players the agency is considering to include in the announced test run extension undergo a thorough review and assessment much like what the TWG did back then for Angkas,” Inton stressed.

“We have requested an immediate restraining order to prevent grave and irreparable damage to the riding public in general, and to the pilot program in particular,” stressed Atty. Raymond Fortun of LCSP declared. “Moreover, any accident during this critical period will also sabotage the pilot program,” he added. 

Early this year, the House of Representatives passed Resolution No. 2449 urging the DoTr to implement a pilot program allowing, monitoring, and regulating the operation of duly registered and organized motorcycles-for-hire as an alternative public transport utility.

The DoTr then instructed various agencies to form a Technical Working Group (TWG) composed of stakeholders and experts from the government and the private sector to discuss issues attendant to the prospect of two-wheel vehicles operating as public transport. 

The TWG was tasked to identify motorcycle types eligible to be licensed, taking into consideration factors like engine displacement, carrying capacity, operating speeds, routes, seat and helmet requirements, and training requirements for drivers, who will eventually need to obtain a public utility vehicle (PUV) registration.

Upon the recommendation of the TWG, the DoTr allowed the six-month pilot test for motorcycle taxi operations in the Philippines starting in July of this year. Since only the motorcycle ride-hailing app Angkas had been established and operating with an eight-month track record at the time, Angkas became the sole subject of the pilot program which will end in December.

"Three months to the pilot could have been a good time for the House and Senate to hear the proposed bills already, using initial results," noted Jason Salvador, Managing Director of LEADER (Legal Engagement Advocating for Development and Reform). "The pilot was just for a period of six months. After that, what will happen to the commuters?" he added.

Inton, Cerna, Gascon, and the rest of the excluded TWG members are asking for greater transparency in the TWG’s procedures and asking Congress and Senate to intervene in this regard. “Transparency in the decision-making process of the TWG is very important so that the decisions do not look suspect,” noted Gascon “It is very curious that at this crucial stage in the TWG, non-government members were completely sidelined,” he added.

Inton also asked why the DOTr is planning to extend the test run. "Why are they extending it? If they are convinced that the test run was successful, why not just direct the Congress to come up with a law to regulate this service?" Inton asked.

Villar Vows to Pursue Husband's Anti No Exam No Permit Bill

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The former congresswoman, Las Pinas Rep. Cynthia Villar on has vowed to pursue the proposed measure filed by her husband, outgoing Senator Manny Villar, which prohibits colleges and universities from preventing students to take examinations over unpaid tuition and other school fees. 

Villar, who is running for senator under the Nacionalista Party-Team PNoy, said this will among her priorities in case she wins a senate seat in the coming May elections. 

Sen. Villar belongs to the so-called “graduating senators” whose term of office ends in June 2013 filed the bill to keep higher educational institutions from implementing “no permit, no exam” policies, saying it amounts to depriving students the right to take examinations.

The bill, however, allows schools to withhold grades and clearances of students and keep them from enrolling again until they settle their accounts. Villar’s bill, however, allows schools to withhold grades and clearances of students, and keep them from enrolling again until they settle their accounts. But Villar’s bill was not passed in the Senate although it was referred to the Senate committee on education chaired by Senator Edgardo Angara. It’s counterpart bill was approved on third reading in the House of Representatives. 

The proposal seeks to allow students with dues, unpaid tuition and other school fees to take the midterm or final examination. Students should not be required to secure from school authorities a permit before being allowed to take the midterm or final examination.

The proposal also prevents schools from requiring the payment, upon enrollment, of a down payment or first installment of more than 30 percent of the total amount of the tuition and other school fees for the entire semester or duration of the course.

Villar said he ask his wife Cynthia to pursue the passage of the measure if she wins her senatorial bid this May. 

As the senator’s wife, widely-known as “Misis Hanep Buhay,” said it is lamentable this ‘unfortunate’ incident happened to a young “Iskolar ng Bayan” at UP Manila, who could be the ‘key’ to take out of poverty her parents and four younger siblings. 

“Another life was wasted due to poverty,” said Villar who has also been advocating jobs for everybody to lead a comfortable life. 

To avoid another case of Kristel Tejada, who committed suicide after she was forced to file a leave of absence (LOA) due to unpaid tuition fees, former Rep. Villar also underscored the need to revisit and review the policies of our State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to which UP Manila belongs, and the other educational institutions in the country. 

“What happened to Kristel is very regrettable especially since she was enrolled in a government-subsidized institution mandated to provide high quality education to “poor but deserving” students. Just like other SUCs, UP has a regular annual appropriations from the national government. So it is necessary to look into the need to expand the government’s study and scholarship programs in SUCs. Do we need to give them additional budget so that students like Kristel would no longer be burdened to cough up money for her tuition fees?” said she said. Kristel, considered a “Iskolar ng Bayan,” being a student of UP, a state university, killed herself as she has no money to pay her tuitions fees. It’s indeed sad and a total dismay,” she added.

She said there should also be a review of the SUCs policies for non-payment of tuition fees. 

“Perhaps, it’s about time to review these policies,” she further stated. She said Tejada’s suicide also showed the lack of access to education in the country.