News Rundown: September 18 to 22, 2017

As we near the end of an eventful week in September, we give you a dose of news you may have missed amidst all the chatter about Martial Law. We’ve got a bill approved and budget restorations for three agencies at the Lower House, and a possible rise in jeepney fares.

House approves Anti-Discrimination bill on final reading

IMAGE QC Pride March on Facebook

The Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression (SOGIE) Equality Act was passed by the Lower House during its third and final reading with a vote of 198-0-0 last Wednesday, September 20. The SOGIE Equality Act sets fines for discriminatory acts based on SOGIE, including but not limited to denial of access to public services, using SOGIE as a criterion for hiring or dismissal of workers, and refusing admission or expelling students based on SOGIE.

Budgets restored for CHR, NCIP, ERC

IMAGES CHR on Facebook, somelogo.blogspot.com, and Wikimedia Commons

After reducing their budgets to a mere Php 1,000 in 2018, the Lower House has restored the budgets of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). This comes after the heads of the CHR, NCIP, and ERC met and came to an agreement with House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez last Wednesday, September 20.

Jeepney groups want basic fare raised to Php 10

PRIMER FILE PHOTO

Five transport groups filed a petition last Tuesday, September 19, asking the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for a Php 2 increase to the minimum jeepney fare after the board approved a Php 1 hike last February. They cited the near-Php 3 increase in the price of diesel fuel and the depreciation of the Philippine Peso, which has increased prices for imported spare parts, as reasons for the latest fare hike.

Sources: CNN Philippines, Rappler, Inquirer.net