As the name suggests, the Committee on Public Services includes in its jurisdiction major utilities which are crucial to everyday life, such as water, electricity, and telecommunications.

In order to ensure a steady supply of water to the Filipino people, Senator Grace Poe pushed for the creation of the Water Regulatory Commission for the economic regulation of water utilities. This is augmented by the following innovative bills which seek to improve the utilization of water resources: promoting the recycling of greywater; the installation of rainwater runoffs; and the protection, conservation and rehabilitation of watersheds supporting the National Irrigation System.

In granting legislative franchises, Senator Grace Poe has adopted the “genuine capability for public service approach” in scrutinizing would-be and renewing franchisees. Under the Chairmanship of Senator Grace Poe, the Senate Committee on Public Services only grants a franchise after establishing that there is a public need for such a service and that the applicant has the means to adequately provide it. Each applicant goes through a gauntlet of government regulators in their respective industries, meticulously probing into each applicant’s compliance with rules and regulations and whether or not they were able to meet their deliverables to the public.

Furthermore, the Committee on Public Services utilized its mandate to grant legislative franchises to provide much-needed “ayuda” to counter the deleterious effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicant telcos were made to commit to provide faster internet connectivity and also prioritize rolling out of infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas to bridge the digital divide in the country. Internet connectivity has never been more essential than today’s “new normal” wherein online transactions have boomed as Filipinos have retreated into the confines of their homes to avoid COVID-19. More importantly, Filipino schoolchildren and students are now adjusting to on-line learning. Senator Grace Poe even pushed for the meting out of fines and penalties to telcos that cannot deliver their respective advertised internet speed.

Another form of “ayuda” being ensured by the Public Services Committee is the vital role of broadcasting firms in cascading life-saving information and warnings to all our countrymen in times of disasters. In addition, the broadcasting sector is being tapped by our educators to allot airtime for learning programs for students and schoolchildren.

In an effort to pump prime the economy that took a huge hit from the pandemic, Senator Grace Poe’s Public Services Committee approved the franchise application of the proponent and developer of the Bulacan Airport. The proponent of said project will pour in a whopping Php 1.5 Trillion into the project, with Php 734 Billion of which will go into the construction of the airport alone. This is the biggest private investment that the country has seen thus far. 450,000 jobs are expected to be generated during the construction phase alone.

It is also expected that a million Filipinos will benefit from the undertaking in terms of potential business boom in and around the airport, which will further generate jobs and income. Hundreds of thousands of passengers will also be able to fly within and in and out of the country, thereby decongesting air and land traffic from Metro Manila as people will now have a viable alternative to going to NAIA. And the cherries on top of the cake: the Philippine government will not spend a single centavo on this project, revenue in excess of 12% rate of return will go to the coffers of the government, and the ownership and control over the Bulacan Airport will be turned over to the government after 50 years.