TWENTY-eight proposed bills, including the anti-age discrimination in employment bill, were passed on third and final reading at the resumption of Senate plenary session on Monday.
The Senate approved Senate Bill (SB) 29, which prohibits age discrimination in employment by prohibiting and penalizing any employer, labor contractor, and labor organization that will discriminate against any individual because of his or her age.
Also passed on final reading was House Bill (HB) 5511 seeking to establish the Mimaropa Region, which will be composed of the provinces of Mindoro Oriental, Mindoro Occidental, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan, including the cities of Calapan and Puerto Princesa.
The Senate also approved other important measures, including a bill honoring Filipino centenarians, whether residing in the country or abroad, through the grant of additional benefits and privileges; an anti-carnapping bill; and a measure creating Regional Trial Court and Municipal Trial Court in Calapan City and Baco town in Oriental Mindoro, respectively.
Bills converting Cagasat National High School-Magsaysay Annex in Cordon, Isabela into an independent school and renaming it into Cordon National High School; establishing the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines; and requiring basic education students to undergo age-appropriate basic life support training were passed.
Also approved were a bill mandating the integration of Filipino-Muslim and Indigenous Peoples' history, culture and identity in both basic and higher education; a bill, which declares Batanes province as a "responsible, community-based cultural heritage and ecotourism zone"; a measure organizing a Tourism Council in Camiguin; and a proposed anti-mail order bribe law.
It also passed HBs, which grant Veritas Media Arts Incorporated, Infinivan Incorporated, Megamanila Telecom Corporation, Metro Connections and Telecom Corporation, AMA Telecommunications Incorporated, Pilipinas Radio Waves Corporation, and Makinig Network Incorporated to operate telecommunications systems in the country.
Measures renewing for another 25 years the franchise granted to the People's Broadcasting Service, Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Kalayaan Broadcasting System, Byers Communications Incorporated, Smart Communications Incorporated, and Zoe Broadcasting Incorporated years were passed.
The Senate also passed a measure requiring closed caption broadcasting of television programs; a bill granting the First Bay Power Corporation to operate and maintain a distribution system for the conveyance of electric power to end users in Bauan Batangas; and a measure allowing the Pilipinas Asian Pearl Airways to establish domestic and international air transport services. (Sunnex)
