While world leaders continue to debate whether there should be a suspension of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, Senator Win Gatchalian urged the government to be one step ahead – explore the possibility of the country having the capacity to produce its own vaccine.

Senator Win Gatchalian hailed the proposed establishment of the National Center for AI Research (N-CAIR) under the recently launched artificial intelligence (AI) roadmap.

As employees in a work-from-home (WFH) and hybrid work arrangement are likely to be in it for the long haul, Senator Win Gatchalian said it comes with a lot of costs that workers are now facing such as lack of logistical assistance, internet and utility expenses and their mental wellbeing.

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.