Tag: DENR

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On the Initial Expose on Corruption by Sen. Manny Pacquiao

Screengrab of Sen. Pacquiao’s virtual press conference July 3

Without details backed by documents or at least sworn statements executed by his witnesses, if any, there may not be sufficient basis for the Senate to conduct a hearing although the Blue Ribbon Committee is allowed to conduct investigation in aid of legislation even without referral.

It now behooves the Chairman to make the call on the issue at hand.

Meantime, the onus is on Sen. Pacquiao at the very least to show some specifics in support of his allegations, which by its nature are serious, not to mention sensitive.

It can better serve the purpose of the expose if relevant documents that he said he has would be submitted to the Senate President or the Blue Ribbon Committee, so we can assess what next move to take on the issues that he presented in yesterday’s virtual press conference.

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Lacson Renews Call for Transparency in Congressional Amendments to the 2021 Budget

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson renewed his call to fellow lawmakers for transparency, “particularly our amendments in the 2021 budget bill.”

Lacson stressed transparency is crucial to dispel suspicions of “compromises and personal interests in our proposed amendments.”

“If we have nothing to hide, we have to make our amendments public, as I have done in my case, so those amendments can be scrutinized by the media as well as the public. It is the mandate of Congress to make amendments to the budget bill; we cannot just adopt the National Expenditure Program in toto,” he said in an interview on DZRH radio Friday evening.

Continue reading “Lacson Renews Call for Transparency in Congressional Amendments to the 2021 Budget”

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Pondong Pang-Ayuda vs Epekto ng COVID-19, Iminungkahi ni Ping sa 2021 Budget

Isinusulong ni Senador Panfilo Lacson ang pag-amyenda sa ilang nilalaman ng P4.5 trilyon na gastusin para sa susunod na taon, upang pondohan ang mga programang tutugon sa epekto ng COVID-19.

Ayon kay Lacson, kailangang masigurado ang pondo para sa pagbangon ng mga sektor ng kalusugan at ekonomiya bunga ng pagkalugmok na inabot ng mga ito sa mahabang panahon ng pananalasa sa bansa ng nabanggit na pandemya.

“First things first. We should first address the pandemic and its effects: Health issues, development, recovery of the economy. Those are what we need to address in the 2021 budget,” paliwanag ni Lacson sa panayam sa ABS-CBN News Channel.

“I want the budget to be responsive to the sign of the times. I want it to be responsive to the budget philosophy of Reset, Rebound, Recover. These are what we need for 2021. Not the multi-purpose buildings, not the double appropriations, not the right-of-way payments that cannot be accomplished anyway,” dagdag ng mambabatas.

Related: Lacson Bares Proposed Amendments to Ensure ‘Responsive’ 2021 Budget
Continue reading “Pondong Pang-Ayuda vs Epekto ng COVID-19, Iminungkahi ni Ping sa 2021 Budget”

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Lacson Bares Proposed Amendments to Ensure ‘Responsive’ 2021 Budget

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson on Wednesday bared details of proposed amendments to the P4.5-trillion 2021 budget bill to make sure it is responsive to the sign of the times.

Lacson said these proposed amendments include augmenting the budgets to ensure health, development and economic recovery in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Also, Lacson said he is open to passing a special budget or special law like the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act to allow the President to realign funds to purchase COVID-19 vaccines.

“I want the budget to be responsive to the sign of the times. I want it to be responsive to the budget philosophy of Reset, Rebound, Recover. These are what we need for 2021. Not the multi-purpose buildings, not the double appropriations, not the right-of-way payments that cannot be accomplished anyway,” he said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.

“First things first. We should first address the pandemic and its effects: Health issues, development, recovery of the economy. Those are what we need to address in the 2021 budget,” he added.

Related: Pondong Pang-Ayuda vs Epekto ng COVID-19, Iminungkahi ni Ping sa 2021 Budget
Continue reading “Lacson Bares Proposed Amendments to Ensure ‘Responsive’ 2021 Budget”

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Ping, Nakahanap ng Pondo Para sa ‘Landmark’ Programs ng Duterte Administration

Isinulong ni Senador Panfilo Lacson na madagdagan ang pondo para sa implementasyon ng National ID, Universal Health Care at Quality Tertiary Education sa 2020, sa pamamagitan ng realignment sa ilang malalabong gastusin sa 2020 budget.

Ayon kay Lacson, kakarampot ang inilaan ng orihinal na panukalang badyet para sa tatlong maituturing na “landmark” na programa ng kasalukuyang administrasyon.

“The National ID system needs at least P5.565 billion in 2020 to cover the registration of some 14 million Filipinos and resident aliens. But the proposed 2020 budget presently allocates only P2.4 billion under the unprogrammed fund for it. This amount covers only 6.3 million Filipinos,” pagsisiwalat ng senador.

Related: Lacson Eyes Pork, Other Duplicative Projects to Fund National ID, UHC, Tertiary Education Act in 2020 Budget
Continue reading “Ping, Nakahanap ng Pondo Para sa ‘Landmark’ Programs ng Duterte Administration”