Aquino signs child immunization, poverty alleviation laws

President Benigno Aquino III. AP

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III signed four bills into law on Tuesday, including one that would provide for basic immunization for infants and children and the extension of so-called lifeline rates for electricity consumed by poor families.

The others are the measures allowing the employment of female night workers and the one extending the existence of the joint congressional power commission.

“I signed the Mandatory Infants and Children Health Immunization Act, which requires that all children under five years old be given basic immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases,” Aquino said in a speech.

“Specifically, this bill provides for all infants to be given the birth dose of the Hepatitis-B vaccine within 24 hours of birth,” he added.

Aquino thanked Cavite Representative Joseph Abaya and Tarlac Representative Susan Yap and Senators Francis Escudero and Pia Cayetano for authoring the bill, which is now Republic Act No. 10152.

“I also signed a bill to extend the lifeline rate for electricity, which lessens the burden of electricity bills on low-income families,” the President said.

“The extension of this measure will allow the less fortunate among us to put more of their resources into feeding themselves or into saving enough to pay hospital or medicine bills,” he added.

The extension, now Republic Act No. 10150, was authored by, among others, Batanes Rep. Henedina Abad and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.

“Fulfilling the promise of eliminating poverty cannot be done in one stroke and these two measures, however seemingly minor they are, will certainly affect the lives of our people,” the President said.