Latest news with #SherwinGatchalian
GMA Network
4 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Senate approves anti-POGO bill on final reading
Senate Bill 2868, also known as the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, received 23 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and zero abstentions. The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) in the country. Senate Bill 2868, also known as the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, received 23 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and zero abstentions. It was authored by Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Bong Go, Raffy Tulfo, Pia Cayetano, Grace Poe, and Risa Hontiveros. The bill declared offshore gaming operations in the Philippines as unlawful. It was approved on second reading last June 4. Under the bill, violators may face imprisonment of not less than six years to up to 12 years and be fined at least P300,000. The bill also states that if the violator is a public official or employee, the maximum penalty will be imposed. In 2024, authorities discovered some POGO hubs engaging in human trafficking and physical and sexual abuse. This includes POGO hubs in Bambam, Tarlac, and Porac, Pampanga. This led to the arrest of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, also identified as Guo Hua Ping, for alleged involvement in the illegal activities of a POGO hub in her town. –NB, GMA Integrated News
The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Holding Sara Duterte trial isn't a choice, it's our constitutional duty, says senator
MANILA: Sen Sherwin Gatchalian (pic) reminded his colleagues in the Senate on Friday (June 6) that proceeding with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is not a matter of choice, but a constitutional mandate of the Senate. 'This is no longer our decision. It's not up to us whether to proceed or not — this is our constitutional duty,' he said in an interview over DZMM. It has been four months since the House of Representatives transmitted the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte to the Senate on Feb 5. Once transmitted to the upper chamber, Gatchalian said the Senate has no other choice but to proceed with the impeachment proceedings. 'This is very clear in our Constitution that once the Articles of Impeachment are transmitted to the Senate, we no longer have a choice but to proceed with the impeachment court,' Gatchalian pointed out. 'In fact, the word 'forthwith' is even written there. It's no longer our decision; it's our duty to carry it out,' the senator repeated. He made the remark when asked about the draft resolution initiated by Sen. Ronaldo 'Bato' Dela Rosa, seeking to declare the 'de facto dismissal' of the impeachment case against the vice president. The resolution cited the 'inability' of the Senate to immediately act on it when the Constitution explicitly provides that the 'trial shall forthwith proceed' after the Articles of Impeachment were transmitted to the upper chamber. Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero originally set the presentation of the Articles of Impeachment by the House of Representatives panel of prosecutors for June 2 but later moved it to June 11, the last day of session before the 19th Congress adjourns sine die on June 13. The Senate can only convene as an impeachment court after the reading of charges against the vice president. 'In my opinion, our senators should remember that this is no longer a personal decision or an individual choice. As senators, this is now our constitutional duty,' Gatchalian said. 'When we were sworn in as senators, we also swore an oath to uphold our Constitution — and it clearly states that once the Articles of Impeachment are transmitted to us, we are duty-bound to proceed,' the senator specified. Once the impeachment court is convened, Gatchalian said the trial will continue until a decision is reached. Although he acknowledged that the trial could not be finished within month or before the 19th Congress ends on June 30, the senator believes the Senate impeachment court can cross over to the next Congress. 'This will definitely carry over into the 20th Congress, and I see it as part of the Senate's mandate to continue the impeachment court hearings, as the Senate is a continuing body,' he pointed out. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
GMA Network
19-05-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Gatchalian to block bill lowering excise taxes on tobacco, vapor products
Senate ways and means committee chairperson Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday vowed to block a measure that will reduce excise tax on cigarettes, saying such cuts will not solve the country's cigarette smuggling problem. Gatchalian made the position during Monday's committee deliberations on House Bill 11360, which lowers the excise tax for cigarettes, tobacco, heated tobacco, and vapor (e-cigarette/vape). 'What we are after in the committee is to combat and eliminate illicit trade. Illicit trade creates a lot of problems in terms of revenue collection and health outcomes. Illicit trade is the devil. And in those last three hearings, we didn't see that lowering taxes [on cigarettes] can combat illicit trade effectively," Gatchalian said. 'Habang ako ang chairman ng ways and means committee, hindi ko papayagan na maipasok iyang cigarette component in the bicameral conference committee. With all due respect to my counterparts, and I am putting this on record for our House iyan ang i-iinsist nila, mag-usap na lang tayo 20th Congress because we will not allow that,' Gatchalian added. Under the bill, the current excise tax rate of P66.15 per pack of cigarettes will be increased by 2% every even-numbered year effective on January 1, 2026 and 4% every odd-numbered year, effective January 1, 2027 until December 31, 2035. These rates, however, are lower than those provided under the 2012 Sin Tax law, which imposed an excise tax rate of P60 per pack of cigarettes by 2023, an amount that increases by 5% every year starting January 1, 2024. Instead of slashing taxes on cigarettes, Gatchalian said there is a need to pour in resources to beef up anti-smuggling teams of various government agencies. 'That is why we are open to funding the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue), and the task force on illicit the BIR, it is a good suggestion that we fund it so that we will have a full-time composite team to combat illicit trade. That is our objective,' Gatchalian added. Gatchalian said he will be amenable to House Bill 11360 provided that the measure does not include provisions on lowered taxes for cigarettes. Under current laws, the excise tax imposed on vapor products only covers those with nicotine salt/salt nicotine and conventional 'freebase' or 'classic' nicotine, with differing rates. 'The difference [of excise tax rates] on freebase and [classic] nicotine vape products is creating problems and incentivizing technical smuggling in the country. And that is what we want to stop,' Gatchalian said. 'What we want now is a unitary system for vape products,' Gatchalian added. Senator Pia Cayetano agreed with Gatchalian's position. "We should not repeat the mistakes of the Vape Law, which stripped away critical regulatory protections established under the Sin Tax Reform Act. We must not allow history to repeat itself," Cayetano said. "Reducing taxes clearly does not address the health costs of these sin products, but even adds to them. It also undermines the government's ability to fund essential health services, including the Universal Health Care program, which heavily relies on sin tax revenues," Cayetano added.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
South China Morning Post
05-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Philippines faces educational crisis with 18 million graduates ‘functionally illiterate'
A staggering 18 million high school graduates in the Philippines have been found to be 'functionally illiterate' – a revelation that lawmakers and education experts say exposes systemic failings in the country's school system that must urgently be addressed. Advertisement The figure was disclosed by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) during a Senate hearing on Wednesday. Lawmakers reviewed the results of the agency's 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey, a nationwide assessment of basic and functional literacy levels across the population conducted every five years. Last year's edition surveyed 572,910 individuals from 177,656 sample households throughout the country. 'If you look at the 2024 figure, there are 18 million students who the PSA detected are [junior and senior] high school graduates, but they are not functionally literate. Meaning they graduated from our basic education system, but they cannot read, they cannot understand and comprehend a simple story,' said Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate basic education committee. Advertisement Around 79 million people were considered to be functionally literate in the 2019 edition of the report, which defined the term as having reading, writing and numeracy skills.
South China Morning Post
05-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Philippines faces educational crisis with 18 million graduates functionally illiterate
A staggering 18 million high school graduates in the Philippines have been found to be 'functionally illiterate' – a revelation that lawmakers and education experts say exposes systemic failings in the country's school system that must urgently be addressed. Advertisement The figure was disclosed by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) during a Senate hearing on Wednesday. Lawmakers reviewed the results of the agency's 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey, a nationwide assessment of basic and functional literacy levels across the population conducted every five years. Last year's edition surveyed 572,910 individuals from 177,656 sample households throughout the country. 'If you look at the 2024 figure, there are 18 million students who the PSA detected are [junior and senior] high school graduates, but they are not functionally literate. Meaning they graduated from our basic education system, but they cannot read, they cannot understand and comprehend a simple story,' said senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate basic education committee. Advertisement Around 79 million were considered to be functionally literate in the 2019 edition of the report, which defined the term as having reading, writing and numeracy skills.
