Hontiveros Sees Health and Gender Equality Bills at the Forefront of 2017 Legislative Agenda

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday vowed to prioritize the passage of several health and gender equality bills in 2017, saying that she and her fellow senators will build on the gains they made last year in the promotion of progressive laws.

Hontiveros, who serves as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, sees longer maternity leave for women this year. She filed Senate Bill No. 215 or the Extended Maternity Leave Act which seeks to extend the maternity leaves of working women from the current 60 days to 120 days and150 days for solo mothers.

President Rodrigo Duterte recently threw his support for a longer maternity leave. Duterte said that mothers should have a longer rest period to give them more time to breastfeed their babies."I agree that you need a longer period of rest for maternity leave. Gusto ko nga isang taon eh (I even want it to last for a year)," he said.

Hontiveros said that her committee is already in the process of preparing its committee report on the different versions of the bill.

Hontiveros also vowed to push Senate Bill No. 935 or the Anti-Discrimination Bill which she filed to penalize discrimination against sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in schools and workplaces, and offer equal protection to members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

The said bill already made its way to the plenary and is ready for second reading. LGBT advocates said that Hontiveros' proposed measure is the first anti-discrimination bill to reach the Senate plenary.

As part of her campaign promise, Hontiveros seeks to stop the practice of hospitals asking for advance payment before admitting patients in emergency situation. Hontiveros, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Health, filed Senate Bill No. 216 or the Amendments to the Anti-Hospital Deposit Act that seek heavier penalties on hospitals that continue to violate the law while providing tax incentives to those that will admit indigent or poor patients in cases of emergency.

"We will conduct another hearing on this issue, submit the bill to the technical working group and release a committee report as soon as possible," Hontiveros said.

"The Anti-hospital deposit bill is part of my priority legislative bills this new year. We cannot allow the lives and health well-being of our people to be sacrificed any longer in the name of profit," Hontiveros added.

PETA Marks 50th Anniversary and Announces Line Up This 2017

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The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) recently invited members of the media to a preview of their upcoming shows scheduled for 2017 which is also their grand 50th anniversary.

Several shows are lined-up and since PETA is trying to live up to its name of presenting educational shows, it is not surprising to still find some offerings intended for children which also aims to keep the Filipino culture intact. Though they are starting their year with a revived musical comedy offering showcasing members of the third sex via the Caredivas this February,  come April they will be starting to commemorate their 5oth Anniversary with a series of "going back to their origins" presentations with a concert called Rites at the Fort featuring performances by renowned theater and music giants singing new renditions of PETA's musical gems and original compositions through the decades.

At the media presentation, it was evident that PETA as a whole is somehow politically aligned to a certain perspective when their lead executives expressed their sentiments against the happenings within the current administration or government. But they emphasized to still maintain mutual respect among each other when it comes to political beliefs and affiliations. This will be surely evident when they conduct their year-round A Game of Trolls show, a timely and educational production about Martial Law meant for students and Millennials.

PETA Workshop Express, an annual workshop for kids, teens, and adults will go the extra mile as it travels to different regions across the country to conduct satellite classes in key cities. 

PETA will also gather its local and international partners to a festival of ideas and best practices in the field of Advocacy Theater, of which it is a pioneer, with its Festival of Windows offering

This will be followed on November by Living Voices which is a retrospect of the most significant plays originally mounted at the Rajah Sulayman Theater, with live testimonies shared by PETA legends, and will wrap up in December with a Grand Alumni Homecoming to celebrate those who dedicated their lives to PETA, considered as one of the most original and exceptionally relevant cultural phenomena in Philippine cultural history.

Team Suzuki Pilipinas Victory on the Race

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Team Suzuki Pilipinas concluded the season of the 2016 Suzuki Asian Challenge (SAC) with a sweet victory as they grabbed wins on every round of SAC 2016. Their outstanding performance and racing ability even resulted  to many firsts in Philippine Motorsports. Truly, they were able to conquer that challenge of this season.

A victory party was also held at the F1 Hotel in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig to recognize the three valiant riders, April King Mascardo, Eane Jay Sobretodo, and Mario Borbon Jr, who made all of these victories possible and also to thank the many media partners of Suzuki Motorcycle Philippines.

Leading the event are the Suzuki Motorcycle Philippines executives namely Hiroshi Suzuki, Norminio Mojica, Jun Bulot and Monch Bontogon.

Below are their achievements in every round of the Suzuki Asian Challenge:

Round 1: Johor Circuit, Malaysia
April King Mascardo - 2nd Place, Race 2

Round 2: Chang International Circuit, Burram Thailand
Eane Jay Sobretodo - 3rd Place, Race 1

Round 3: Suzuki International Circuit, Japan
Eane Jaye Sobretodo - 1st Place, Race 1 (First Filipino Top Podium win in ARRC)
Mario Borbon Jr. - 2nd Place, Race 1 (First 1-2 Finish in an International racing event)
April King Mascardo - First Filipino Pole sitter in an international racing event

Round 4: Sentul Indonesia Circuit, Indonesia
April King Mascardo - 3rd Place, Race 2

Round 5: Chang International Circuit, Buriram Thailand
Mario Borbon - 1st Place, Race 2 (Firs Filipino Top Podium Finisher at Chang International Circuit)

The overall standing of Team Suzuki Pilipinas at SAC 2016 is:

April King Mascardo - 5th Place
Eane Jay Sobretodo - 6th Place
Mario Borbon - 7th Place

The 2017 Suzuki Asian Challenge will surely be another exciting year for the team. For more updates about the team and the SAC, please follow Suzuki Motorcycle Philippines' and SAC Facebook fan pages.

https://www.Facebook.com/SusukiMotorcylesPhilippines

https://www.Facebook.com/SuzukiAsianChallenge