PR/via Eunice Samonte – PTV News
Returning Senator Pia S. Cayetano has filed her first 10 bills in the Senate with the aim of fulfilling her campaign promise to champion legislation that will help achieve the country’s development goals.
Her proposed measures, Cayetano stressed, are anchored on the government’s Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations (UN) Member-States, including the Philippines, in 2015.
The PDP 2017-2022 is the first medium-term plan launched by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) under the Duterte administration, leading to a vision known as “AmBisyon Natin 2040,” where Filipino families are seen to enjoy a “strongly rooted, comfortable, and secure life” in 25 years.
The SDGs, meanwhile, are a collection of 17 global goals set by the UN General Assembly, with strategies geared towards improving health and education, reducing inequality, spurring economic growth, and addressing climate change.
In line with these goals, Cayetano filed her first batch of bills in the Senate and plans to file more measures in the coming weeks to address challenges hindering sustainable and inclusive growth for the country.
Furthermore, she vowed to continue focusing on her long-time advocacies as a legislator, including education, health, women and family welfare, and sustainable communities.
Among Cayetano’s priority measures are:
1. Alternative Child Care Code of the Philippines
2. Educational Roadmap Act
3. Priority Health Infrastructure Act (Build, Build, Build for Health)
4. Priority Infrastructure for Public Higher Education Institutions Act (Build, Build, Build for Education)
5. Sustainable Cities and Communities Act
6. Sustainable Transportation Act
7. Act Recognizing the Foreign Decree of Termination of Marriage
8. Amendments to the Family Code of the Philippines (to ensure the equality of men and women under the laws of marriage and family relations)
9. Inclusive Education for Children and Youth with Special Needs Act
10. Act Providing for Additional Support and Compensation for Educators in Basic Education (Teachers salary increase)
“We already have a set of goals that we envision for future generations of Filipinos. What we need is a comprehensive action plan to ensure that our goals will be met,” Cayetano said.
“For my part, I will continue what I started since my first term as a legislator and push for more laws to empower Filipinos through education, proper healthcare services, children and family welfare policies, and sustainable development,” the senator concluded.
