Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said Congress is expected to approve this year the bill on free Wi-Fi access in all public places and six other key priority measures when it resumes session after the Lenten recess in May.
He said the Senate had already approved the seven priority bills on third reading and sent them to the House of Representatives for concurrence. The free public Wi-Fi bill is one of the measures already passed by the Senate.
Pimentel said both the Senate and the House had also passed the bills extending the franchise of Smart Communications and GMA Network for 25 more years.
He said poor students would also soon avail of full tuition subsidy in state universities and colleges and private higher education and technical-vocational schools as the proposed Free Higher Education Act hurdled third reading in the Senate.
Also approved on final reading, he said, were the Philippine Food Technology Act for the registration, licensure, and practice of food technology.
Every 25th day of November, he said, would soon be declared National Technical Vocational Day after the Senate passed the proposed measure on third reading and sent it to the House for concurrence.