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The House appropriations committee’s decision to slash the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed 2025 budget by nearly P1.3 billion—down to P733.198 million from the requested P2.037 billion—comes as a direct response to Vice President Sara Duterte’s repeated refusal to address critical questions about her office’s budget utilization.  This significant budget cut signals more than a mere funding issue; …

September 12, 2024—On September 9 and 10, the United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), handed over a mobile storage unit and mobile energy systems worth more than Php11.6 million ($208,000) to boost Cagayan province’s disaster risk reduction capacity. USAID Mission Director Ryan Washburn handed over a mobile storage unit that can store 50,000 food packs …

By Rose de la Cruz First it was Chairman Monalisa Dimalanta of the Energy Regulatory Commission that was suspended for six months by the Ombudsman for gross misconduct, abuse of authority, neglect of duty and actions against public interest. A few days later, another appointee of former President Rodrigo Duterte– Commissioner Guy Marko Romeo Fuentes is also being eyed for …

By Rose de la Cruz Of the proposed P2 billion budget for 2025 of the Office of the Vice President, only P188 million for personnel services of OVP will be retained, as suggested by Rep. Rolando Valeriano (2nd District, Manila), member of the committee on good government and accountability of the House. In a statement, Valeriano assured OVP civil servants …

By Rose de la Cruz With all his billions, tycoon Ramon S. Ang has amassed so much land that even in Boracay– where he also plans to build a road network from mainland Caticlan to Boracay which is being hotly opposed– he has lands fit for resorts that he admits he has no expertise in. For this reason, he is …

By Rose de la Cruz Vice President Sara Duterte’s snub of the ongoing Congressional hearings on her office’s proposed P2 billion budget for 2025 is a clear manifestation of her acquired distaste and snobbery of the legislative branch and the House’s dangling of its legitimate “power of the purse.” People are being treated to a war of wits in this …

By Rose de la Cruz When a suspect is arrested by the police, the usual procedure is inquest by a fiscal who decides whether or not to elevate the case in court. The arrest of fugitive pastor Apollo Carreon Quiboloy should not be any different from this procedure, otherwise this would mock our justice system. And if the court decides …

by Annalyn S. Jusay With the blueprint for a new UN Tax Convention approved last month, civil society organizations across Asia are intensifying their call to “Tax The Rich, Not The Poor” as they prepare to collect at least 1 million signatures this October in support of a campaign called the “Peoples’ Petition for Wealth Tax for Public Services & …

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) assured continuous government support and assistance to workers affected by the closure of Internet Gaming Licensees as part of the presidential ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). In a Macalañang Insider interview, DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma reported that aside from conducting job fairs, they are currently profiling the affected workers to determine …

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) hosted its  Charity Summit on Thursday, aiming to enlist other stakeholders’ support and cooperation while mapping out strategies on improving the delivery of charity services in the country. In his message, PCSO General Manager Melquiades Robles emphasized the importance of the summit even as he enumerated at least four of their stated goals. The …