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Gathering of champions
The stars descended on the Okada Grand Ballroom last Sunday as former world boxing champions gathered to celebrate the launch of the 1st Pacquiao-Elorde Awards Night with WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman as guest of honor and speaker......»»
Guv still hopes for PBBM s nod of NIR despite bishop s opposition
Guv still hopes for PBBM s nod of NIR despite bishop s opposition.....»»
Romualdez designated Palawan 1st district caretaker
Speaker Martin Romualdez now has five legislative districts under his care......»»
Flagship Ayala companies on tight budget this year
The Ayala Group is slashing its capital expenditures for the second year in a row, as its flagship property and telco segments cut their respective budgets to maximize existing assets......»»
The Financial Reset through Budget Adjustments
As 2024 approaches, it’s not just another year; it’s an opportunity to fortify savings and inch closer to financial freedom. Let’s collectively prioritize our financial well-being by taking the crucial step of adjusting our budgets for a secure future. In our fast-paced lives, a well-crafted budget is a steadfast companion, guiding us through unpredictable financial […].....»»
President Marcos on 2024 budget: Secret fund issue already settled
As he prepares to sign the P5.768-trillion budget program tomorrow, President Marcos yesterday declared as a “settled issue” the controversy over the aborted inclusion of P650-million confidential funds in the 2024 budgets of the Office of Vice President Sara Duterte and the education department which she heads......»»
No last-minute secret fund insertions in budget – Congress
There was no last-minute move by Congress to restore the P650-million confidential funds in the budgets for next year for the office of Vice President Sara Duterte and the Department of Education, which she also heads......»»
Dutertes’ anger at secret fund scrutiny, queries opens crack in ‘UniTeam’
MANILA, Philippines—With the decision of the House of Representatives to strip Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte of P650 million in confidential funds, her father, Rodrigo Duterte, seemed to have no choice but to come to her defense. The former president said Sara was planning to use some of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) confidential funds for the revival of the controversial Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). ALSO READ: ‘Know who your true friends are’ – VP Sara Duterte He told SMNI, a radio station owned by Duterte pal Apollo Quiboloy, that Sara will insist in making ROTC compulsory. But based on government documents, confidential funds are only for confidential expenses related to surveillance activities in civilian government offices that are intended to support their mandate or operations. The elder Duterte later said he prodded his daughter to instead say that her confidential funds—P500 million for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and P150 million for DepEd—would be used against “communists in Congress.” He even went on threatening one of the fiercest critics of confidential and intelligence funds in the government, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro of the progressive Makabayan bloc in the House. The elder Duterte’s thirst for secret funds, which was removed from his daughter’s OVP and DepEd budgets by a “small committee”, also led him to attack the institution that had backed him throughout his six-year presidency. The House is the “most corrupt institution,” he alleged. But House Secretary General Reginald Velasco immediately countered the former president, saying that the institution is constantly subjected to checks and balances, even by the COA, which was once criticized by the elder Duterte, too. The row became evident, even online, with his propagandists echoing his words. Some even said the House, even the Senate, has billions of pesos worth of funds for extraordinary expenses and that Sara is being singled out. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s secret funds should be removed, too, some said. The constant Duterte Velasco pointed out that Rodrigo’s expletives were offensive and that a lot of the members of the House considered the remarks of the former leader as a serious attack, saying that the institution has been unwavering in its dedication to serve Filipinos. The elder Duterte’s latest outburst is consistent with his usual way of expressing anger. Remember how he outrightly stated, even without presenting evidence, that once a person is addicted to.....»»
Pangasinan proposes P5.7-B budget
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — The provincial government has proposed a P5.7-billion 2024 budget, higher than this year’s P5.3 billion. The proposed budget is set to be approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan next week and according to Vice Governor Mark Lambino, around 70 percent of the proposed allocation will be for programs and activities of the provincial government, maintenance and other operating expenses, mandatory payments of loans, and other taxes while the balance will be for Personal Services. He said budget hearings started on Tuesday. “After the presentation of the budgets by the different departments, this will be presented at the plenary by the sponsor, board member Vici Ventanilla, chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, for approval,” Lambino said The post Pangasinan proposes P5.7-B budget appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Dela Rosa: FPRRD not nosy on VP Sara’s political issues
Former President Rodrigo Duterte is not prying on political issues concerning his daughter, Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, said Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa. “Hindi naman nakikialam si Pangulong Duterte, ‘no, pagdating sa gano’ng mga bagay. Hindi kami nakapag-usap tungkol diyan. Hindi siya nakikialam (President Duterte is not nosy when it comes to such thing. We have not talked about that. He is not interfering),” Dela Rosa said in a radio interview Sunday night. Earlier this week, some members of the House of Representatives eyeing realigning the confidential and intelligence funds of some civilian agencies, including the Department of Education and Office of the Vice President, to augment budgets of the intelligence and security forces tasked to resolve the increasing tensions in the West Philippine Sea. Dela Rosa emphasized that the former President respects the separation of the powers between the executive and legislative bodies. “The power of the purse solely belongs to the Congress. He never intervened even when he was the President, he respects the separation of powers of the executive and legislative branches of government,” he said. “On a personal note, wala siyang ginawang tawag, wala siyang ginawang pagbanggit at wala kaming ginawang pag-uusap patungkol diyan (On a personal note, he did not make any calls, he did not mention it and we did not talk about that matter,” he added. Dela Rosa was asked if the Senate would do the same plan to realign the civilian intelligence and confidential funds. He replied: “I can’t speak for and on behalf of my colleagues ‘no? The Senate is composed of 24 republics. May kanya-kanyang desisyon ‘yan, baka mamaya magkakamali ako sa aking forecast kasi pwedeng magbago, pwedeng magbago ‘yung isip ng isang senador pagdating sa botohan (They have their own decisions, maybe later I could make mistake in my forecast because it could change, a senator could always change his mind when voting time comes).” Dela Rosa said the chamber’s decision will always come out from the plenary session's result. “Hindi talaga ako makapagbigay sa’yo ng fearless forecast. Wala akong nakikita pa na magiging desisyon collectively ng ating Senado. So hintayin na lang natin (I couldn’t give you a fearless forecast right now. I still couldn’t see the collective decision in the Senate. So let’s just wait),” he stressed. As an ally to Dutertes, Dela Rosa sees the questioning of the OVP and DepEd’s CIF serves as “clear politicking” by the opposition. “So that’s... klarong pamumulitika ‘yan. Hindi naman lumabas ‘yang issue na ‘yan noon noong ang Vice President ay miyembro ng oposisyon (That’s a clear politicking. It does not came when the previous vice president was a member of the opposition). They were mum about that tackling of confidential and intelligence fund,” he said. Dela Rosa pointed out that the issue came with the opposition’s “aggressiveness” to downplay the possibility of Sara’s running as president in the next national elections. “Most likely pulitilka. May halong pulitika at ‘yun nga, meron din namang katuturan ‘yung mga sinasabi nila pero ‘yun nga, makikita mo ‘yung aggressiveness ay masasabi mo talaga may pamumulitika,” he said. The OVP has been in the limelight after the Commission on Audit reported that it has spent the P125 million CIF in just 11 days. Dela Rosa defended Sara noting that the COA’s report was only an observation and did not explicitly state that the OVP used its CIF in corruption. “Hindi naman sinabi ng COA na ‘yan ay corruption. That was an observation of COA na naubos (that it was exhausted) within that period of time. So is there a violation?" Dela Rosa said. Dela Rosa challenged Sara’s “detractors” to come out with evidence over the allegation that OVP and DepEd, under the vice president’s leadership, had utilized their CIF into graft and corruption. “Maghanap sila ng ebidensya na ito’y ibinulsa para siguruhin natin na ‘yung mga taong kurap ay hindi dapat manatili sa gobyerno. Pero kung ito’y ginamit sa tamang paraan (Find evidence that it was pocketed to make sure that corrupt individuals won’t last in the government. But if it is used appropriately), then my God, that’s Government Appropriations Act,” he said. The post Dela Rosa: FPRRD not nosy on VP Sara’s political issues appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Budgetary leverage
By passing a financing bill at the last minute, the United States Congress avoided a federal government shutdown this week. However, the Biden administration’s top priorities, including defense financing for Ukraine, were left out of the final package. For countries like the Philippines, which has cozied up anew to Uncle Sam, this is cause for concern because America has practically left Ukraine high and dry without the full backing it needs to defend itself against Russia. Okay, so Biden said they “will not walk out of Ukraine.” Still, without funding, that’s just lip service. Having perfected the art of emotional suasion at one end of the pole and brinkmanship on the other, we would not be surprised if Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky would tell Biden: “Show us the money.” Sacrificing Ukraine casts doubt on America’s dependability as a coalition partner and ally, even as it stakes a claim to a long tradition of backing democracies in their fight for independence. The Philippines should take note. In the US, it’s clear that whatever the executive branch pledges, the US Congress can always override or, as made apparent again now, starve of funding. That’s the power of holding the purse string that could certainly affect America the mighty’s projection of power. From propping up South Vietnam with billions of dollars in war materiel only to leave Saigon in a huff — with choppers flying off the rooftop of the US Embassy in a hasty, humiliating retreat in 1975 — to giving substantial aid to Israel and Middle Eastern countries, the US has not stopped its posturing as the “policeman of the world.” As in Vietnam and Afghanistan, where in the latter it also abruptly pulled out its forces, thereby allowing the Taliban to retake the country in 2021, the US, for all its fire-and-brimstone statements at the start of the Ukraine-Russia war, may have turned its back on its legal and moral responsibility to aid Kyiv. As an adversarial state under madman Vladimir Putin, Russia has been destabilizing international norms, and Ukraine, by fighting back, has been sending the strong message that autocratic governments cannot make the globe their playground. By not including money for Ukraine’s defense in the 2024 spending bill, the US has lost the chance to demonstrate its dedication to the defense of democracy. But such are the vagaries of the budgeting process in the United States and, of course, the Philippines, with the latter’s form of government and jurisprudence loosely patterned after America’s. In the US, government shutdowns have happened before and will happen again when the legislature and the executive branches are unable to reach an agreement on priorities and lawmakers do not enact a budget in a timely manner. The budget can also be wielded as a political baton with which to make the executive branch more malleable. An example would be the 2013 shutdown in an attempt to defund the Affordable Care Act. Frequent disagreements on spending priorities between the two parties in the US Congress have led to stalemates, with neither side willing to pass the budget unless their demands were met. Budget delays had caused negative effects on the economy and public services. Some may argue that past shutdowns of the US federal government would show the Philippines has a more mature budgetary system in place, as a failure to pass the budget for a new fiscal year only results in a reenacted budget. But the problems associated with a reenacted budget abound. There’s the delayed implementation of new programs and projects. This, as a reenacted budget only allows for the funding of existing programs and projects. A reenacted budget also limits government flexibility to respond to changing needs. For example, if the economy experiences a downturn, the government may need to increase spending on social programs or infrastructure projects. However, this is not possible under a reenacted budget. But probably the biggest risk associated with a reenacted budget would be corruption, as it can give the executive branch more leeway or elbow room to fund projects while reallocating “savings” from projects that had been funded previously. In the shadow of budgetary bludgeoning and political brinkmanship, the recent passage of the US funding bill left Ukraine’s defense hanging by a thread, a stark reminder of the capriciousness of budgeting processes in both the United States and the Philippines, where legislative complexities often take precedence over strategic imperatives. The budget’s power to shape policy and dictate priorities, as seen in the Philippines with past reenacted budgets, illustrates the pitfalls of wielding fiscal levers as political weapons. In both nations, the budgeting process, while designed to reflect the will of the people, is susceptible to political posturing, causing disruptions and imperiling the very ideals of democracy it should be upholding. The post Budgetary leverage appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Politicians failing to grasp ‘scientific reality’ of climate: expert
Wavering ambition by governments and a growing belief that science is politically subjective are great causes for concern in a rapidly escalating climate crisis, an expert told AFP. A cascade of extreme weather events have inflicted devastation in 2023, which the European Union's climate monitor says is likely to be the hottest in human history. It underscores the urgency of slashing planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions to avert the catastrophic impacts of greater global warming. Yet several countries have drawn criticism for moves to weaken their climate policies in recent weeks, including Sweden and Britain, which has also approved a new oil project. Meanwhile in the United States, climate-sceptic presidential candidates -- notably Donald Trump -- are Republican frontrunners. For Francois Gemenne, a political scientist who contributed to the last report series of the UN's expert advisory panel, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the trends are worrying. "I am very concerned by a whole series of climbdowns we are seeing from a political or economic point of view," the Belgian told AFP. The IPCC lead author cited British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's latest policy changes and leading Republican politicians in the United States "who do not recognize the scientific reality of climate change". "What bothers me is the fact that science, for a part of the population that might be growing, is becoming a matter of belief, opinion, even ideology," said Gemenne. Current climate-related damage is happening with global temperatures at around 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and as the world lurches towards breaching the key 1.5C target agreed in Paris in 2015. Gemenne warned that climate trends may even exceed the predictions of some modelling, describing the situation as a "merciless machine". The climate chaos may prove that humanity has not yet fully grasped the "deeply structural character" of climate change, he added. "Until we reach carbon neutrality, heat records are going to be systematically broken week after week, month after month, year after year. It's possible that reality goes a little beyond the models." Fighting 'climate inertia' One of the trickiest challenges governments face is weighing the urgency of climate action and the investments needed for the green transition against short-term challenges: global inflation, an energy crisis driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and squeezed household budgets. There is a perception that fighting climate change implies giving up on luxuries taken for granted in much of the wealthier parts of the world, such as high levels of consumption, air travel or eating meat. But in the face of this "climate inertia", Gemenne believes people must be shown how climate action is in their interest. "We always describe it as a list of efforts to make, sacrifices, giving up, things we do not really feel like doing," he said. "We must show why it is in our interests and therefore how life can change for the better." The post Politicians failing to grasp ‘scientific reality’ of climate: expert appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Senate titan Dianne Feinstein dead at 90
Veteran Senator Dianne Feinstein, a titan of US political history who notched a string of legislative achievements during a trailblazing three-decade career in the Senate, has died at 90 years old, US media said Friday. Feinstein, the Senate's oldest member, was celebrated as a pioneer for women in politics and a hugely effective legislator. During a career that began in local California government, she grew to be a tough check on administrations from both parties. She had already announced her retirement this February as her health worsened and following a number of missteps that threatened her legacy. The Californian, who was widowed last year, became San Francisco's first female mayor after the fatal shooting in 1978 of Harvey Milk, the country's only openly gay politician, and mayor George Moscone by a disgruntled former colleague. Other dramatic moments including surviving an attempted bombing of her home. She was also near the scene of an infamous double murder in San Francisco. Her death is not expected to shift the tight balance of power in the Senate, with the Democratic governor of California appointing her temporary replacement. Summing up her dedication to public service, Feinstein once said that "even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives. Each of us was sent here to solve problems." "That's what I've done for the last 30 years, and that's what I plan to do for the next two years." Democrats in her home state led tributes as news of the senator's death cast a pall over proceedings in Congress, with staff placing flowers on Feinstein's desk in the Senate chamber, according to Fox News. "She was a trailblazer and dedicated her life to public service," said David Valadao, a member of California's delegation in the House of Representatives. An icon in Senate politics who took the lead on hundreds of bills, Feinstein rose to the chairmanship of the powerful intelligence committee -- another first for a woman. Her achievements include writing the 1994 assault rifle ban and producing a 6,700-page report on the CIA torture program during the US "war on terror." But it was in her home state of California where she first made her mark. As the first female Board of Supervisors president in San Francisco, Feinstein led the city through the tumult that followed the fatal shootings in 1978 of Milk. She replaced the mayor and served for 10 years as a no-nonsense pragmatist, willing to work across the aisle, balancing nine budgets in a row and being declared the nation's "Most Effective Mayor" by local government bible City and State Magazine. Latterly, the pandemic and her husband's declining health curtailed her public appearances outside of Congress and she faced growing misgivings about her declining cognitive abilities, raised by figures in her own party. The youngest member of Congress, 26-year-old Maxwell Frost, described Feinstein as a "champion for Gun Violence Prevention that broke barriers at all levels of government." "We wouldn't have had an assault weapons ban if it wasn't for Senator Feinstein and due to her tireless work, we will win it back," he posted on social media. The post Senate titan Dianne Feinstein dead at 90 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Budget season
Marathon meetings were held this week in the Senate and the House of Representatives in line with the budget season leading to the approval of the ever-increasing P5.7-trillion budget for 2024. The yearly “budget-serye” (budget series) never fails to disappoint in bringing out issues that extract the tiniest of details in our government that are given monetary figures in the form of public funds, amounting to millions and even billions of pesos. And every year, we see how the majority gets its way, especially early in the Administration, such as where we are right now. My biggest pet peeve in these sessions is the consistent usage of incompetent sponsors for specific government offices who deserve much better. These sponsors, whose mandate is to defend their sponsored government office before the increasingly knowledgeable and wise interpolators, must be technically and legally verbose and experts in the Philippine budget process. Clearly, this is all wishful thinking since we see neophyte, inarticulate, incapable, yet extremely loyal sponsors who would do anything to prove their worth to the powers that be, even if it means being humiliated and trending on social media for the wrong reasons. Indeed, this is the time for the opposition lawmakers to shine and feast on the mental shortcomings of their counterparts. The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives finds itself in the limelight as it engages in its own “hunting season” against willing victims, may they be Cabinet secretaries or, gasp, the Office of the Vice President, whose massive confidential and intelligence funds are being questioned repeatedly anew. Lo and behold, we have a statement from the House Appropriations Committee chairman that these OVP allocations will be realigned to more deserving government agencies, i.e., the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard. However, we have yet to see the indisputable evidence to prove this happened. Nevertheless, it is a fair and conclusive presumption to say that the majority will still get its way despite the awkward and unconvincing defenses and sponsorships in favor of the government agencies. Is the budget process faulty? It appears not since the correct agencies still receive what is due them. The problem, in my humble opinion, lies in the implementation of these budgets granted to them. For instance, the alleged spending by the OVP of its confidential funds amounting to P125 million in 19 days or 11 days, whichever is true, is a problem of implementation, not allocation. What prevented the OVP from spending this amount earlier? What’s likely is that the OVP rushed the spending so they would not be accused of failure in spending public funds for the right and correct reasons. The other issue on the alleged unconstitutional transfer of funds by the Office of the President to the OVP, while the GAA of 2023 was in effect, is likewise the product of faulty, inefficient implementation of the law. It is illegal for a government office, such as the Office of the President, to casually assign a portion of its fund to the OVP because this renders the budget process faulty and even useless. If there is something that may be attributed to faulty implementation, it can be its failure to set proper safeguards that would lead to the enforcement of new ones. In fact, a Supreme Court decision on the alleged unconstitutional transfer made by the OP to the OVP is in the works. This would place the 2023 “budget-serye” on record as the landmark budget season that would define those in the coming years. For comments, email him at darren.dejesus@gmail.com. The post Budget season appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Former OTS chief lambasts cultural decay at airports
The former Office for Transportation Security chief lambasted the cultural decay in the airport security teams that allows negligent screeners to continue working there, this before he could begin an internal purge. Ma. O Ranada Aplasca, who resigned from his post over the airport screener caught on closed-circuit television swallowing $300 bills taken from an outbound Chinese national, said the problem with airport security is “more than systemic, it is cultural.” “There was the problem with ‘tanim-bala.’ Maybe the problems were not highlighted in the past because no one was caught. Based on our records, for the past several years, no one was dismissed in the OTS for violations of our disciplinary policies,” he said. Aplasca said when he was the director of the PNP Aviation Security Group, his initial task was to clear the country’s airports of the “tanim-bala” scheme, in which airport inspectors hid bullets in travelers’ luggage to extort money. “That tanim-bala was the first marching order to me by former President Duterte, and that’s where I felt his 100-percent support; that’s why, in less than one month, we were able to solve the problem,” he said. Aplasca said that before his resignation Tuesday, the OTS had initiated 68 cases against erring personnel, with at least 11 people dismissed. Found guilty Meanwhile, DoTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said the female Security Screening Officer and three other OTS screeners involved in the cash swallowing incident last 8 September were “found guilty of stealing.” Bautista said the guilty verdict was included in the investigation report handed to him by the OTS group of investigators, which included the CCTV footage that showed the lady scanner stuffing the money into her mouth at Terminal 1’s final security checkpoint at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The four SSO screeners face administrative and criminal cases. “The investigation showed that she was guilty and swallowed the money. However, what she said in an affidavit was that it was chocolates. But the investigators saw that she was guilty,” Bautista said in Filipino in an interview with the media after a Senate hearing on Tuesday. The CCTV footage showed that at around 8:20 p.m. on 8 September, a Chinese passenger, identified only as Mr. Cai, placed his shoulder bag on the inspection tray at the final security checkpoint. After trying to promote the gateway to potential foreign investors who may want to operate the NAIA, Bautista expressed frustration and dismay at the incident. He authorized the imposition of the maximum penalty on those found guilty to demonstrate the Department of Transportation’s determined push to rid the NAIA and attached agencies of scalawags. Aplasca submitted his courtesy resignation last Tuesday, 26 September, to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. through DoTr Secretary Bautista after House Speaker Martin Romualdez told him to resign or the Speaker would personally block the budgets of the DoTr and OTS. Not enough Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe said Wednesday the resignation of Aplasca would not be enough to stop the criminal activities at the country’s airports. “A resignation at the top does not clean up the ranks,” said Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services. “More than ever, the Office of Transportation Security needs steady leadership to implement much-needed reforms,” she said. “There should be zero tolerance for criminal acts and unprofessional behavior,” she added. “While a witch hunt might put a syndicate on pause, the OTS urgently needs to review and tighten its security program,” she said. She continued: “Our airports should improve the physical layout of the security screening stations and provide proactive measures to prevent further incidents.” She also noted that the challenge now is to appoint someone with “immense political will to overhaul the agency and stop these incidents once and for all.” The senator stressed that the OTS must improve its hiring system and enforce ethics training. “Employees must undergo extensive background checks,” she said. “In the long-term, we should also look into providing better compensation and benefits to these employees so they would not be enticed to do this nonsense,” she added. The post Former OTS chief lambasts cultural decay at airports appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
OVP, DepEd budget hearing reset
Vice President Sara Duterte failed to appear at the House of Representatives on Tuesday to defend the 2024 budget of her office and of the Department of Education, which she also heads. Due to a “possible conflict of schedule,” Duterte skipped the OVP’s and DepEd’s budget deliberations, prompting the House to move it to tomorrow, along with those of other agencies. Duterte is seeking P2.395 billion for the OVP and P758.6 billion for DepEd, including P500 million and P150 million in confidential funds, respectively, for 2024. The rescheduling of deliberations on the proposed OVP and DepEd budgets came a day after Duterte made headlines that revealed the OVP spent P125 million in confidential funds in 2022 in merely 11 days — not 19 — as initially claimed by some opposition lawmakers. The post OVP, DepEd budget hearing reset appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
VP Sara skips OVP, DepEd budget deliberations
Vice President Duterte failed to appear before the House of Representatives on Tuesday to defend the 2024 budget of her office and the Department of Education, which she also heads. Due to a “possible conflict of schedule”, Duterte skipped OVP’s and DepEd’s budget deliberations, prompting the House to move it on Wednesday, along with other agencies. Duterte sought P2.395 billion for OVP and P758.6 billion for DepEd, including P500 million and P150 million in confidential funds, respectively, for 2024. Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, a member of the majority, told lawmakers that Duterte will not appear in the plenary, following a question by ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. on why the OVP and DepEd budgets have not been addressed on the floor yet. “I just would like to inquire about our schedule for today, because, as written in our schedule for today, after the OP (Office of the President), there should be OVP and Department of Education. So, at this point in time, what is the estimated time that the budget deliberation for the OVP and the DepEd be deliberated today?” asked Castro, one of the opponents and critics of Duterte's confidential funds. Based on the initial schedule, deliberations in the budget of the OP would come first, followed by OVP and DepEd, which did not materialize as planned. “The OVP, as well as Secretary of the Department of Education, conveyed a message to the [House] Committee on Appropriations as well as the [House] Committee on Rules of a possible conflict of schedule,” Garin responded. “As of the moment, the deliberations on the proposed budget of OVP, as well as the DepEd, have been temporarily moved tomorrow, considering we also have other agencies in the pipeline,” she added. OVP spokesperson Reynold Munsayac confirmed to reporters that the budget hearing for the two agencies will be rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The rescheduling of deliberations in the proposed budget of OVP and DepEd came a day after Duterte made headlines that the OVP spent P125 million in confidential funds in 2022 in merely 11 days—not 19 days—as initially claimed by some opposition lawmakers. The post VP Sara skips OVP, DepEd budget deliberations appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Special Report | With budget cuts, technological state universities not so techie
Students from state universities are calling for higher budgets for science laboratories, classrooms, and equipment amid expectations of excellence. The post Special Report | With budget cuts, technological state universities not so techie appeared first on Bulatlat......»»
Libya survivors angry of neglect protest
Survivors of the deadly dam bursts in Derna, eastern Libya have turned their despair to anger, staging a protest to vent their frustrations to the slow help and demand justice from negligent officials. The people want parliament to fall,” “Aguila is the enemy of God,” “The blood of martyrs is not shed in vain” and “Thieves and betrayers must hang,” hundreds of protesters shouted outside the city’s grand mosque. The protesters also demanded a United Nations office in Derna, the start of the city’s reconstruction, compensation for affected residents” and a probe into the current city council and previous budgets. Some protesters marched on a house reportedly owned by Derna’s unpopular mayor Abdulmonem al-Ghaithi and set it on fire, according to images shared on social networks and by Libyan media. Al-Masar television reported that the head of the eastern-based government, Oussama Hamad, had dissolved Derna council and ordered an investigation into it. Politicians and analysts say the chaos in Libya since the 2011 fall and killing of Moamer Kadhafi has relegated the maintenance of vital infrastructure to the background. Dam waters submerged a densely populated six-square-kilometer area of Derna, damaging 1,500 buildings of which 891 were totally razed, according to a preliminary report by the Tripoli government based on satellite images. Libya has been split between two rival governments — a United Nations-backed administration in the capital Tripoli and another in the disaster-hit east — since the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-backed uprising 12 years ago. In the face of the tragedy, rival Libyan administrations appear to have set aside their differences for now after calls to collaborate in the aid effort. On Monday, the Tripoli government said it began work on a temporary bridge over the river that cuts through Derna. WITH AFP The post Libya survivors angry of neglect protest appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Push at UN for reform to meet elusive development goals
Developing countries on Monday urged a shake-up in the global order to help the world's poorest, at a United Nations summit on ambitious anti-poverty promises that remain far off track. Hoping to show a focus on more than the war in Ukraine, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres convened the development summit on the eve of the annual General Assembly, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to take center-stage. In 2015, UN member states adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, 17 targets to transform the world by 2030 including by completely ending extreme poverty and making sure not a single of the planet's eight billion people goes hungry. Guterres called for a "global rescue plan" on the targets, as he acknowledged that only about 15 percent were on track to be met and that metrics on some were heading in reverse. "The SDGs aren't just a list of goals. They carry the hopes, dreams, rights and expectations of people everywhere," Guterres told the summit. "In our world of plenty, hunger is a shocking stain on humanity, and an epic human rights violation. "It is an indictment of every one of us that millions of people are starving in this day and age." Addressing the summit, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, "Ultimately, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals depends on the fundamental reform of global social, economic and political relations." Ambitions sidetracked In a declaration adopted by consensus Monday, UN member-states reaffirmed their commitment to the goals and to eradicating extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $2.15 a day. The nations agreed to "act with urgency" to implement the "plan of action for people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership, leaving no one behind," the declaration said. But efforts to devote money and attention to the goals have been repeatedly set back, including by the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other tumult, worsening climate catastrophes and sharp increases in the cost of living. The declaration also backed in general terms reform of international financial institutions, weeks after a G20 summit in New Delhi focused on increasing representation in the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. But Mia Mottley, prime minister of Barbados, told the summit that the issue went deeper. "The calls for international reform of the financial system really are not just about governance, but they are for us about longer money, cheaper money, and being able to use it for the purposes for which we need to reduce all of our inequalities and achieve the elements of the SDGs," she said. Poorest 'counting' on momentum French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, addressing the summit, said that Paris was increasing its development assistance despite an era of tight budgets, with special attention on climate. "We need to demonstrate an electroshock of solidarity," she said. The United States, which has pumped $43 billion in military aid into Ukraine to help defend against Russian invasion, has hoped to show it is also interested in development. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, called the declaration on Monday "historic." "This is an important step, but it must be followed by accelerated action," she said. "All member-states must continue to drive progress forward. The world's most vulnerable are counting on us, and we must leave no one behind." But one senior European diplomat warned the gap was growing between the developing and developed worlds. One goal for the summit is "making sure that that rift doesn't grow further," the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The post Push at UN for reform to meet elusive development goals appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»