Senator Win Gatchalian called on Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) officials to address the issue on energy poverty in the region as data from the National Electrification Administration (NEA) showed that as of December 2020, there are still 106,491 households or 29.99% that remain without electricity as only 248,551 households are being served out of the total 355,042.

Senator Win Gatchalian said reports of Petron Corporation’s refinery resuming operation in Bataan by midyear sends a positive signal to the oil and gas industry as it will ensure the continuous employment of at least 3,000 workers and contribute to supply stability which may result in lower fuel prices in the country.

As families continue to struggle with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Win Gatchalian bats for institutionalizing the Parent Effectiveness Service (PES) program to help parents meet the learning needs of their children and provide them with socio-emotional support.

Though the Bureau of Customs has repeatedly donated seized gadgets to the Department of Education (DepEd) to support distance learning, Senator Win Gatchalian said the education department should also ensure a more efficient implementation of its own computerization program.

Senator Win Gatchalian is urging the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 and the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to move teachers up in the priority list for the COVID-19 vaccination program, adding that he supports a similar call from at least 33 education, business and medical groups who signed a position paper calling on the government to move teachers from B1 to the A4 priority list.

Senator Win Gatchalian renewed his call for the immediate implementation of the Mobile Number Portability Act (MNPA) ahead of Congress’ grant of franchises to new players in the telecommunications industry.

Following the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) report that deaths related to suicide are up by 25.7 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, Senator Win Gatchalian seeks the continued provision of psychosocial support to the country’s K to 12 learners.

Senator Win Gatchalian underscored the need to simplify the procedures and reduce the transaction costs to encourage Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to seek government loans to restart their businesses which in turn will help shore up the economy.

Even though the pilot tests of localized and limited face-to-face classes have yet to start, Senator Win Gatchalian said the Department of Education (DepEd) should lose no time in putting up the much needed infrastructure for the safe reopening of schools.