News Roundup 05 September 2023
Sep 05, 2023 • 3 min Read
President’s budget passes unchecked; House panel ends deliberations in 30 minutes | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The House appropriations panel just spent around 30 minutes on the proposed 2024 budget of the Office of the President before terminating the budget deliberations out of “parliamentary courtesy.”
Similar to the budget deliberations of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), lawmakers at the lower chamber on Tuesday ended the deliberations early just after the representative of the OP — Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin — delivered their opening statement.
This time, however, Makabayan bloc lawmakers were allowed to make manifestations but not to ask pointed questions on the line items in the OP’s proposed 2024 budget as practiced in the budget briefings of other agencies.
The OP stands to get P10.7 billion for 2024. Of this allocation, at least P1.41 billion will be spent on local or foreign trips — a 58% increase from 2023.
In his manifestation, Rep. Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Partylist) said that Filipinos have a right to scrutinize how public funds are spent and stressed that the insertion of confidential funds should be discussed in budget deliberations.
Full Story at: President’s budget passes unchecked; House panel ends deliberations in 30 minutes | Philstar.com
Lawmaker sounds alarm over disappearances of youth activists under Marcos Jr. admin | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — A House lawmaker has raised alarm over a series of disappearances involving youth activists under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as he urged the government to prioritize the protection of young people working with marginalized sectors.
Rep. Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Partylist) expressed concern over the recent abduction of Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano, community organizers working with fisherfolk opposing reclamation and coastal development projects in Manila Bay.
Castro and Tamano were preparing for relief operations and consultations with communities in Bataan when they were taken by four individuals in Barangay Lati in Orion town, according to rights and environmental groups. A pair of slippers and a pairless strapped sandal were left in the area they were taken.
Castro is a community organizer of AKAP Ka Manila Bay, a network of advocates opposing dump-and-fill reclamation activities, while Tamano is a program coordinator of the Ecumenical Bishops Forum’s community and church program for Manila Bay. Both were from the Bulacan State University.
Full Story at: Lawmaker sounds alarm over disappearances of youth activists under Marcos Jr. admin | Philstar.com
Cotabato rice retailers defy price cap | INQUIRER.NET – KIDAPAWAN CITY – Rice retailers in the province of Cotabato, a major granary in Mindanao, are defying Executive Order No. 39 issued by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. mandating pa rice cap on rice starting on Tuesday.
Grains Retailer Confederation (Grecon) president Carmelito Bacus said that instead of following the order, they will negotiate with the Local Price Monitoring Team (LPMT) to give them another week to dispose of their rice stocks that were bought at higher farm gate prices to avoid incurring losses.
Bacus disclosed that rice retailers in the entire province of Cotabato agreed not to sell their regular-milled and well-milled rice based on the suggested retail price as contained in EO 39.
Full Story at: Cotabato rice retailers defy price cap | Inquirer News
Better implementation of SIM card registration law pushed | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — One of the authors of the subscriber identity module card (SIM) registration law has called for its better implementation amidst the spread of scams even after its approval.
Senator Grace Poe, who authored and sponsored the bill, said during a Senate inquiry on Tuesday that law enforcement units must exert more effort in going after scammers.
“Gumawa tayo ng batas pero mukhang nagkukulang sa implementasyon,” Poe said.
(We created a law but we seem to lack implementation.)
Poe also opened up about the possibility of scammers engaged in an inside job with telecommunication providers, thus bypassing the SIM registration regulations.
Full Story at: Better implementation of SIM card registration law pushed | Inquirer News
