House Committee approves budget for Baguio Solon’s 4 bills

Four bills authored by Baguio representative Mark Go have been approved by the House Committee on Appropriations on Wednesday, November 17.

The committee approved the proposed budget for Rep. Go’s respective measures, including the Cordillera Autonomous Region bill; the proposed Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) expansion for Filipino students; the job-skills mismatch bill, and a bill granting benefits to octagenarian and nonagenarian Filipinos.

The Cordillera Autonomous Region bill (HB 5687), which Rep. Go called “a measure that’s been more than three decades in the making,” proposes to create a politically autonomous Cordillera, reflecting the hopes and aspirations of Cordillerans, as well as changes in the political, economic, and technological landscape in CAR.

Three bills of national significance also met the appropriation committee’s approval: Rep. Go, who also serves as the Higher and Technical Education Committee Chair, authored House Bill No. 8137 that seeks for the expansion of the TES under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act to include financially and academically deserving students who choose to study in private colleges and universities.

Rep. Go also authored a measure (HB 8210) seeking the creation of a Tripartite Council by the Commission on Higher Education to address the job-skills mismatch in the country. Once approved, the proposed tripartite council, composed of representatives from the government, academe and industry sector, will formulate policies and relevant programs that address the needs of the rapidly evolving labor market.

The Baguio lawmaker also authored the expansion of RA 10868 (HB 1391), which grants benefits to centenarians, to cover octagenarians and nonagenarians. The bill seeks to provide a P25,000 cash gift to senior citizens who reach the ages of 80, 85, and 90, while elders who turn 101 years old will receive 1 million pesos.

Rep. Go said that he was pleased with the development of these measures and was glad that the Committee of Appropriations understood the importance of these bills in uplifting the lives of Filipinos.

The House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriations is responsible for approving submitted funds related to government spending.