MANILA - The House Committee on Population and Family Relations on Thursday approved a bill seeking civil recognition of church annulment to make it accessible and not expensive for many Filipinos. TINGOG Party-list Representatives Jude Acidre and Yedda Marie Romualdez authored House Bill 1593 or the Church Nullity Act of 2022 that they filed on July 7 last year. "On behalf of Tingog Party-list, I'd like to thank the committee for its favorable action on House Bill 1593. This is a significant development that provides hope for an efficient and more affordable procedure to remedy the situation of couples trapped in an irreparable relationship," Acidre said. The bill has been endorsed to a technical working group (TWG) tasked to consolidate all eight related measures and craft a substitute bill. Acidre said if the bill becomes law, a declaration of nullity (of marriage) decreed by the Church will hold as much weight and have the same effect as a civil annulment. He added th
(PNA file photo) MANILA - A House leader on Friday urged the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Land Transport Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to reconsider the window hour scheme imposed on provincial buses or else Congress would have to subpoena these agencies to explain. In a statement, House ways and means committee chairperson Joey Salceda said the MMDA and LTFRB should drop all these "unclear restrictions" on provincial buses on EDSA, particularly the new policy allowing provincial bus operators to use their private terminals from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. only. Outside these window hours, they may only use designated terminals prescribed by the national government, such as the Araneta Bus Port, Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, Valenzuela Gateway Complex, North Luzon Express Terminal. Salceda said clear guidelines should be jointly issued by the two agencies, and stakeholder consultation and evidence-based policymaking should be used
(PNA file photo) MANILA - A House leader on Friday urged the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Land Transport Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to reconsider the window hour scheme imposed on provincial buses or else Congress would have to subpoena these agencies to explain. In a statement, House ways and means committee chairperson Joey Salceda said the MMDA and LTFRB should drop all these "unclear restrictions" on provincial buses on EDSA, particularly the new policy allowing provincial bus operators to use their private terminals from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. only. Outside these window hours, they may only use designated terminals prescribed by the national government, such as the Araneta Bus Port, Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, Valenzuela Gateway Complex, North Luzon Express Terminal. Salceda said clear guidelines should be jointly issued by the two agencies, and stakeholder consultation and evidence-based policymaking should be used to dev
Presidential candidate, Vice President Leni Robredo (File photo) MANILA - Some retired officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and former Philippine Constabulary officers have declared their support for the presidential candidacy of Vice President Leni Robredo. In a manifesto of support released on Wednesday, around 60 retired police officers said they strongly support and endorse Robredo's presidential bid, as they share her advocacies, particularly on matters pertaining to peace and order. Among the signatories are former National Security Adviser Cesar Garcia, former PNP chief Ricardo Marquez, and former Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission Executive Director Reginald Villasanta, among others. According to the manifesto, Robredo's advocacies that are significant to the country's internal security include continuing and intensifying the war against illegal drugs particularly on the drug lords, addressing the supply concern by concentrating law enforcement
(File photo) MANILA - A mere 2 percent of the Covid-19 vaccines set to expire in July were procured by the government, according to the Department of Health (DOH) and the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF). In a joint statement issued Monday night, the wasted shots were due to "supply chain inefficiencies or errors in dose administration," and are "far less than the 10 percent indicative wastage rate used by the World Health Organization in the planning and forecasting of vaccine supply needs". As of April 2, the Philippines has received 244,657,960 doses, with 142,489,795 doses already administered and 27 million expiring in three months. "The national government, local government units, and the private sector all placed orders for vaccines. Most of the doses that will expire by July 2022 were either donated by other countries or procured by local governments and the private sector. No one could guarantee for certain that manufacturers could deliver at