Villar pushes pro-poor bills

Neophyte Senator Camille Villar on Tuesday filed a series of priority bills in the Senate focusing on health care access, workers’ protections, as well as mother-and-child welfare as she officially began her first term in office.

Among her top legislative proposals is the establishment of a Cancer Medicine and Treatment Assistance Fund aimed at supporting indigent and underprivileged Filipinos undergoing treatment for cancer.

Villar noted the financial burden such illnesses place on families, saying, “It is very hard if one finds out he or she is sick, especially when one needs chemo or dialysis.”

“The treatments can take a toll on the family’s overall well-being and financial standing. So, it is very important that the government extends these services, particularly for our underprivileged kababayan,” she added.

Villar is also pushing a bill that would require all national, regional, and provincial government hospitals to operate dedicated dialysis units, with treatment provided free of charge to qualified indigent patients.

For the labor sector, Villar has filed several measures to benefit workers, especially overseas Filipino workers, including a law to protect the remittances of OFWs. Other measures include enhancing worker protection and skills development in response to job disruptions caused by artificial intelligence and digital technologies, and a bill granting discounted or waived fees for indigent job seekers securing government-issued pre-employment documents.

As part of her advocacy for maternal and child health, Villar also introduced the Mother Protection Act, which seeks to safeguard the health of Filipino mothers during childbirth; a bill ensuring early detection and timely intervention services for children with special needs; and legislation that would protect children using the internet.

In addition, Villar filed a bill providing free freight services for the transport of relief goods to calamity-stricken areas, and another proposing a “One Town, One Tourist Attraction” program aimed at boosting tourism and local economic development.

Villar, one of the younger members of the Senate and a mother herself, said her legislative agenda reflects her commitment to uplifting the vulnerable sectors of society.