Senator Win Gatchalian expressed alarm over the widespread debt collection harassment and deceptive collection practices of some lending companies.

Efforts to safely reopen schools for the resumption of limited face-to-face classes would be undermined if contact tracing woes are not immediately resolved, Senator Win Gatchalian flagged.

In pushing for equal access to financial services, Senator Win Gatchalian said such a move will boost the digitalization of financial transactions in the country.

Senator Win Gatchalian bats for the allocation of up to 6% of gross domestic product (GDP) for the overall budget of the education sector next year, the recommendation by the United Nations (UN) under the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), to help spur the sector’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the Department of Education (DepEd) continues to review the basic education curriculum for 2022, Senator Win Gatchalian pointed out the need to address concerns on the implementation of the “spiral progression approach” and the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) policies mandated by the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 or the K to 12 Law (Republic Act No. 10533).

In addressing the challenges of distance learning and fostering recovery for the country’s basic education sector, Senator Win Gatchalian pressed the need to bridge inequalities and ensure equitable learning for the country’s K to 12 learners.

Senator Win Gatchalian said the government should exhaust all means to provide relief to pandemic-hit small businesses and put them back on track to prevent further job losses. He is bent on pushing for the legislation of allowing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by further lowering the costs of borrowing to encourage them to continue their operations.

A new poll on distance learning woes reveals how the digital divide hounds parents and learners nationwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic. For Senator Win Gatchalian, the basic education sector’s recovery should accelerate efforts in expanding access to both internet connectivity and gadgets for learning.

Only less than half of parents or guardians think that their children in basic education are learning, says a Pulse Asia survey on educational problems encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic. For Senator Win Gatchalian, this adds urgency for the government in addressing the quality of distance learning and prioritizing education in the country’s recovery efforts.