Category: PingBills

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Lacson Reiterates Need for Stricter Penalties vs Espionage Amid Recent Espionage Activities

Recent foreign espionage activities targeting the Philippines’ state secrets underscore the need for stricter penalties, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson emphasized on Thursday.

Lacson said that while he has filed a bill to address the issue as early as last July, the proposed measure is still languishing at the committee level.

“It was one of the first bills I filed in the 20th Congress, to update our anti-espionage law. Our current law is a Commonwealth Act dating back to 1941, whose penalties are too light. So I say we need to strengthen the law to address modern-day threats,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino in an interview on DZRH radio.

“Our world has changed, and spying is detrimental to our national security,” he added.

In Filipino: Lacson: Kailangan ng Mas Mahigpit na Parusa vs Pag-Eespiya Kasunod ng Kamakailang Espionage Activities

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Lacson Pushes Coffee Industry Growth for Local and Export Markets Amid Brazil Expansion Plans

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson on Friday renewed his call to strengthen the Philippine coffee industry not only to meet local demand but also to compete in export markets – after Brazil bared plans to expand its coffee market share in the Philippines.

Lacson said some areas in the Visayas and Mindanao can be developed as coffee plantation areas, although the Department of Agriculture (DA) needs to be empowered and supported through legislation to do this.

“Coffee is a regular part of a typical Filipino breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon meetings. Let’s develop our coffee industry not only for local consumption but to export. Hence, I filed Senate Bill 1556, establishing a Philippine national coffee industry development program,” he said on X.

In Filipino: Lacson, Isinusulong ang Pagpapalago ng Industriya ng Kape para sa Local at Export Markets, sa Gitna ng Expansion Plans ng Brazil

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Lacson Files Estate Tax Amnesty Bill to Unlock Idle Assets, Boost Revenues

A bill filed by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson seeks to grant an amnesty on unpaid estate taxes covering the estates of individuals who died on or before Dec. 31, 2025, with outstanding or accrued tax liabilities as of that date.

Senate Bill 1889 aims to broaden the tax base and accelerate revenue collection, while minimizing prolonged litigation over tax liabilities. It also seeks to facilitate the reintegration of idle or previously immobilized assets to the formal economy.

“The proposed bill… seeks to enact a broader and more pragmatic Estate Tax Amnesty framework. It authorizes a one-time opportunity for estates of decedents who died on or before a specified date to settle outstanding estate tax liabilities at a uniform rate of six percent, subject to simplified documentary and procedural requirements,” he said in the proposed “Estate Tax Amnesty Act of 2026.”

In Filipino: Senate Bill ni Lacson, Hangad Ma-Unlock ang Idle Assets at Mapataas ang Kita ng Pamahalaan

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Lacson Bill Establishes Coffee Industry Development Program

Coffee is life for many Filipinos, but for our local growers, it’s a daily fight for survival against imports and limited support from the Philippine government.

In this light, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson filed Senate Bill 1556, establishing a Philippine national coffee industry development program.

Lacson’s bill also creates the Philippine Coffee Board and provides comprehensive support mechanisms for the coffee sector.

“This measure seeks to establish a national framework that will accelerate the development of the coffee industry, create a National Coffee Board, strengthen every link of the value chain, improve the country’s competitiveness, and reduce our heavy reliance on imported coffee,” Lacson said in his bill, titled the “Philippine National Coffee Industry Development Act of 2025.”

In Filipino: Panukalang Batas ni Lacson, Nagtatatag ng Programa para sa Pagpapaunlad ng Industriya ng Kape

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Lacson Bill Arms AMLC to Counter Evolving Corruption Schemes

The complex financial crimes exposed in the investigation into the corruption behind anomalous flood control projects have prompted Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson to file a bill further strengthening the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

Senate Bill 1557, which Lacson filed on Wednesday, gives the AMLC additional powers while widening the scope of covered persons and updating the list of predicate offenses to money laundering.

“Recent corruption issues have highlighted the complexities of financial crimes. Updating the AMLA to meet the requirements of the times would also prevent us from being placed in the FATF Greylist again,” Lacson said in his bill, noting that the Philippines will be subjected to the FATF’s fifth round of global mutual evaluations in 2027.

In Filipino: Panukalang Batas ni Lacson, Dadagdagan ang Ngipin ng AMLC vs Korapsyon

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