Senate

Aside from the mandatory SIM card registration, Senate Bill 2395 also mandates social media account providers to require users to register their real names and phone numbers before the creation of their social media accounts.

During the hybrid Senate hearing on Monday, Dec. 13, senators rejected the proposed amendment of Sen. Pia Cayetano to Senate Bill No. 2239 or the Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Act, which will change the proposed minimum allowable age -- from 18 to 21 years old -- for the purchase, sale and use of vaporized nicotine products.

Sen. Franklin Drilon expressed his concern that the National Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) has a higher budget of P30 billion compared to the DOST’s 2022 budget of P23.793 billion.

The bill defines and penalizes online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) as a separate crime from those punished under current laws.

The franchise of Dito Telecommunity Corp got the approval of 17 senators, with Senators Risa Hontiveros and Francis Pangilinan voting against it and Sen. Panfilo Lacson abstaining.

The Senate committee on public services headed by Sen. Grace Poe will scrutinize the policy of telecommunications companies imposing expiry dates on call, text, and data cards and forfeiting load credits.

Once the project gets the go-signal, the modernization efforts are scheduled to take at least eight to 16 weeks.

At the last Senate hearing, Sen. Grace Poe questioned Dito Telecommunity for rolling out services mainly in the NCR instead of barangays in unserved and underserved areas.

The Senate adopted on Monday, May 4, a resolution allowing teleconferencing during plenary sessions and committee hearings, removing any question on the legality of the outcome of the meetings.

With the Senate set to resume session on May 4, Sen. Franklin M. Drilon said the Constitution and the Rules of the Senate do not prohibit the convening and holding of sessions through electronic means.