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Releases from 2024 budget hit P5.93 trillion

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said on Thursday that releases from the 2024 budget hit P5.93 trillion at the end of October, exceeding programmed allocations by P164.08 billion.

In its Status of Allotment Releases report posted on Thursday, the DBM said the releases as of October were 2.84% higher than the P5.768-trillion programmed budget for 2024.

The release rate a year earlier had been 95.8% .

As of the end of October, government departments received P3.44 trillion, while P436.65 billion was released for Special Purpose Funds.

Automatic appropriations released totaled P1.66 trillion, including P70.46 billion for government agencies’ retirement and life insurance premiums, P871.38 billion for the National Tax Allotment, and P70.51 billion for the Block Grant.

The unprogrammed appropriations include the Department of Agriculture’s P17.63 billion, the Department of Public Works and Highways’ P7.42 billion, the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s  (DSWD) P11.89 billion, and the National Economic and Development Authority’s P3.63 billion.

Some P40.57 billion in unprogrammed appropriations went to strengthening assistance for government infrastructure and social programs. Support to foreign-assisted projects amounted to P123.79 billion.

Meanwhile, calamity funds amounting to P20.34 billion were also released as of Oct. 30, according to the DBM.

Among government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs), P450 million was allocated to the National Irrigation Authority, P49.94 million to the National Housing Authority, and P20.2 million to the Local Water Utilities Administration.

In a separate statement, DBM had approved the release of P875 million to replenish the Quick Response Fund  of the social welfare department.

As of Oct. 31, the DSWD’s available QRF balance had dipped below the 50% replenishment threshold to 31.87%.

“The requested replenishment is particularly intended for the procurement of various Family Food Packs and Non-Food Items for the stockpiling of relief resources in DSWD warehouses and the implementation of Cash for Work for the families affected by Typhoon Julian in Region I,” the DBM said. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante

CHED: PHL students ‘globally competitive’

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THE Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said on Thursday that Filipino students are globally competitive, judging from the number of students placed in international institutions.

“We have students who are scholars in other countries and have been engaging with global institutions, so they are globally competitive,” Mabel A. Gutierrez of CHED’s International Affairs Service (IAS), told BusinessWorld.

Fostering World-Class Philippine Universities, a CHED project, promotes the internationalization of higher education institutions (HEIs) and raise their global competitiveness.

The commission aims to “increase the reputation of Philippine Universities by engaging them in international benchmarking activities and assessment by reputable international brands.”

According to Ms. Gutierrez, CHED also conducts mentoring sessions for HEIs to encourage such universities to engage with global ranking organizations.

“Those universities included in world rankings are being tapped as resource speakers to share with other HEIs what they have done and their journey to world rankings,” she said.

The CHED aims to create a roadmap to boost the performance of universities in international rankings.

“There should be a yearly increase in ranked universities,” Ms. Gutierrez said.

In the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia University rankings for 2025, 25 out of 900 universities in Asia were from the Philippines, highlighting the country’s visibility and competitiveness. — Almira Louise S. Martinez

Gov’t won’t block ICC if Duterte wants to be probed for drug war — Marcos

FORMER PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. DUTERTE — PHILIPPINE STAR/JESSE BUSTOS

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday said his government would not block the International Criminal Court (ICC) if former leader Rodrigo R. Duterte wants to be investigated for alleged crimes against humanity in his deadly war on drugs.

The Philippines will not cooperate with the ICC but it has obligations with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), he told reporters. “If that’s the wish of (Duterte), we will not block ICC. We will not just cooperate. But if he agrees to be investigated, it is up to him.”

His remarks follow a marathon congressional hearing on Wednesday during which Mr. Duterte, president from 2016-2022, refused to apologize for his role in the bloodshed and urged the ICC to start its investigation.

Mr. Duterte remained defiant during Wednesday’s hearing as he defended his drug crackdown, which was a key plank of his election campaign, during which he had promised thousands of drug pushers and criminals would be killed.

“I have nothing to hide. What I did, I did it for my country and for the young people. No excuses. No apologies. If I go to hell, so be it,” the 79-year-old Mr. Duterte said during the hours-long hearing, which was also attended by families of drug war victims.

“I am already old, I might die soon. You might miss the pleasure of seeing me standing before the court hearing the judgment whatever it is,” he said.

All testimony provided by Mr. Duterte would be assessed to see their legal consequences, Mr. Marcos said.

Mr. Duterte unilaterally withdrew Philippine membership in the ICC in 2019 after the court said it had started a preliminary examination into thousands of killings in his anti-narcotics campaign.

He questioned its authority to conduct an investigation, and insisted during Wednesday’s hearing it no longer has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.

Mr. Marcos, who ran in tandem with Mr. Duterte’s daughter in the 2022 elections, said the government was monitoring developments because responsibility for the extrajudicial killings had not been established. “And we had the mothers of some of the victims that were there, and up to now, they have not seen the justice for the murders of their children.”

Under Mr. Duterte, police said they killed 6,200 suspected dealers who had resisted arrest during anti-drug raids. But human rights groups say as many as 30,000 died, with thousands of users and peddlers gunned down in mysterious circumstances by unknown assailants.

Among those who died were at least 122 children, according to a report by the World Organisation Against Torture and Children’s Legal Rights and Development Center in 2020.

Authorities at the time said those were vigilante killings and drug gangs eliminating rivals. Human rights groups and some victims have accused police of systematic cover-ups and executions, which they deny.

Mr. Marcos said it is the Justice department’s job to continue examining statements, testimonies and pieces of evidence, and file charges if needed.

The ICC investigation covers crimes committed in Davao City from November 2011 to June 2016 when Mr. Duterte was its mayor, as well as cases during his presidency up until March 16, 2019, the day before the Philippines withdrew from the ICC.

“The President needs to overcome the perception that he’s not doing enough for victims of extrajudicial killings,” Michael Henry L. Yusingco, a lawyer and a fellow at the Ateneo Policy Center, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

“And it’s not helping him at all if he’s simply content to allow Congress to outperform him in this regard. He can use the full force of the government to prosecute the perpetrators. For the moment, it just seems he’s not willing to do this,” he added.

Mr. Yusingco said if the government is serious about giving justice to the victims, “then he has to do more than just letting the Justice department form a task force.”

Mr. Marcos had said the ICC does not have jurisdiction over the Philippines given its working justice system.

The Marcos government should now work with the ICC and have Mr. Duterte investigated and tried for alleged crimes against humanity, Karapatan Secretary-General Cristina E. Palabay said in a statement. “It is the next logical step in the face of all the admissions Mr. Duterte made under oath… Mr. Duterte and his henchmen cannot be tried in Philippine courts where they can exert influence and pressure and frustrate the ends of justice.”

“There is no reason for President Marcos to continue feeling bound by Duterte’s self-serving decision to withdraw from the ICC,” she added. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio with Reuters

Philippines, Korea vow to deepen maritime ties

FILE PHOTO of BRP Sierra Madre taken March 29, 2014. — REUTERS

PHILIPPINE and South Korean envoys have vowed to pursue deeper maritime ties and come up with plans against illegal and unregulated fishing and push marine environment protection and maritime security, according to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

In a statement on Thursday, the DFA said Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Ma. Theresa-de Vega and other Philippine officials met with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Director General Kim Dong-Bae on Nov. 11 in Incheon to discuss port infrastructure cooperation and other maritime issues.

“The Philippines and South Korea affirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability and security in the region, including in the South China Sea,” it said. “The Philippines called for the exercise of self-restraint and pursuing peaceful means to manage differences.”

Both sides also agreed to hold next year’s maritime dialogue next year in Manila.

“Both countries reaffirmed their dedication to a future-oriented strategic partnership that will enhance maritime security, promote sustainable economic growth and protect the marine environment for present and future generations,” the DFA said.

This comes amid growing tensions between the Philippines and China over disputed areas of the South China Sea, including Scarborough Shoal, one of Asia’s most contested features.

The DFA on Wednesday summoned Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian to deliver the Philippines’ protest over China’s drawing of baselines around the shoal on Nov. 10.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China’s claims had no legal basis, a ruling Beijing rejects.

The meeting was the third maritime dialogue between Seoul and Manila where the parties discussed the transfer of decommissioned Korean ships to the Philippines.

Last month, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and vowed to pursue deeper cooperation between their coast guards.

Both leaders agreed to uphold an international rules-based order, including on safety of navigation in the South China Sea, with Seoul vowing to take part in the modernization program of the Philippine military.

The US and Philippine coast guards earlier this month held a technical workshop on maritime law in Bataan that also had participants from maritime law enforcement agencies from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Philippine Coast Guard has borne the brunt of Chinese intrusions into the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. 

The Philippines and China have repeatedly clashed in the waterway, accusing each other of aggressive behavior involving their ships and of damaging the marine environment.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III is set to visit the Philippines next week and to meet with his Philippine counterpart to explore deeper security ties to ensure peace in the Indo-Pacific region.

Last year, the Philippines gave the US access to four more military bases under their 2015 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo “Gibo” C. Teodoro, Jr. on Tuesday said China is putting greater pressure on the Philippines to cede its sovereign rights in the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, Mr. Marcos said his government remained firm about the enforcement of two laws that affirmed the country’s rights over its maritime zones and exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea despite Chinese objections.

“Of course, we do not agree with their definition of sovereign territory,” he told reporters. “So our situation has not changed. We have the same position.”

Days after the signing of the Philippine Maritime Zones bill and Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes bill last week, China released geographic coordinates around Scarborough Shoal, which it has effectively controlled since 2012.  China said the move was a “natural step” in its maritime management.

Scarborough has been a source of tension in the South China Sea, with Chinese coast guard vessels backed by maritime militia ships firing water cannons at Philippine vessels and preventing Filipino fishermen’s access to the shoal.

A 2016 arbitral ruling that voided China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea said the shoal is a traditional fishing ground for Filipino, Chinese and Vietnamese fishermen. — John Victor D. Ordoñez and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

DepEd eyes more complex questions in science exams

PHILIPPINE STAR/ WALTER BOLLOZOS

By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter

THE Department of Education (DepEd) will use more complex, real-world type of questions in its practice tests to address persistent weaknesses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

“Science is our greatest weakness and next year, we’ll be doing science exams in March,” Education Secretary Juan Edgardo M. Angara told a news briefing in Makati City on Thursday. “Every week, we [will] have practice exams… We’re trying to graduate from very simple questions to more complex real-world type of questions which simulate real-world problems.”

“We emphasize analysis, critical thinking and our interdisciplinary scope, meaning like a real-world problem, meaning not just math, not just science, not just reading comprehension,” the former senator said.

He added that DepEd had learned from the dismal results of the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which found Filipino students at the tail-end of the list in math, reading and science.

The last installment of the PISA study published on Wednesday showed that Filipino students aged 15 had one of the highest levels of math anxiety, which could hinder opportunities for lifelong learning.

Experts said the growing mathematics anxiety among Filipino students threatens the country’s manufacturing ambitions, which will rely heavily on engineers.

The education chief admitted that a number of Filipino graduates have difficulty finding a job especially given a skill mismatch.

“We’re still struggling with the contents of the curriculum and trying to simplify it and make it more responsive to the needs of industries,” Mr. Angara said. “We’re aiming for greater mastery also.”

At the “Day of the Future” initiative of the Embassy of Switzerland in the Philippines, Holcim Philippines Chief Sustainability Officer Samuel O. Manlosa, Jr. said the academic curriculum should foster early specialization.

“Companies worry that… while we’re very good in certain aspects, our strength in engineering, science, and manufacturing has not been at the level where we want it to be,” he said, noting that these industries aim to attract foreign investments that require long-term commitment and human development.

Mr. Angara noted that while there are demands for professional workers, universities are not producing graduates with the needed skills.

He cited the growing demand for radiographers, adding that the supply side is struggling to keep up. Industries have also flagged the lack of hard and soft skills among Filipino graduates, Mr. Angara said.

Hard skills pertain to STEM and basic foundational skills, while soft skills refer to attitude toward work, positivity and willingness to sacrifice and work under pressure.

“These are things we will be identifying when we review [our existing curriculum]. We want to roll out a new senior high school curriculum by next year,” he added.

Competitive bidding in natural gas industry sought

A PHILIPPINE senator on Thursday pushed lawmakers to ensure a competitive bidding process and safeguards against monopolies in the energy sector as a measure developing the country’s natural gas industry gains ground in Congress.

“Competitive selection process allows consumers to get the best rates,” Senate Deputy Minority Floor Leader Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel said in a statement. “Without it, we risk paying significantly more for electricity than necessary.”

The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading Senate Bill No. 2793, the proposed Philippine Natural Gas Industry Development Act, which tasks the Department of Energy to oversee the development of the downstream natural gas industry.

The House of Representatives, which passed its version of the bill in August last year, moved to adopt the Senate’s version during Wednesday’s session.

Manila is under pressure to find other sources of indigenous energy with the imminent depletion of the Malampaya gas field.

Malampaya supplies power plants accounting for a fifth of all power generated in the Philippines. It is expected to run out of easily recoverable gas by 2027.

Natural gas emits less carbon compared to other fossil fuels, such as coal. The International Energy Agency said natural gas has a “limited role” as a transition fuel toward renewables.

The government is aiming to raise the share of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix to 35% by 2030 and to 50% by 2040. The country’s renewable energy share stood at 22%, while coal accounted for over 60%.

“Affordable electricity must remain a priority, and we cannot afford to abandon safeguards that protect consumers and ensure a fair market,” Ms. Hontiveros-Baraquel said.

Under the bill, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is tasked with keeping track of the government’s share of revenue related to the production of indigenous natural gas sold to power plants.

Downstream natural gas industry projects, as certified by the Department of Energy, will also be entitled to a value-added tax exemption on the purchase and sale of indigenous gas attributed to aggregated fuel, as authorized by the ERC.

Senators Sherwin T. Gatchalian, Aquilino L. Pimentel III, and Ms. Hontiveros-Baraquel had voted against the measure since it lacked safeguards and protections for consumers against high power costs.

In April, Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said his government is looking into exploring gas reserves in nonconflict areas within the country’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea in a bid to expand its energy and boost the country power generation capabilities.

“We must be vigilant in ensuring that our energy policies do not repeat mistakes of the past: of letting sister companies transact with each other as has happened in the choice of electricity suppliers by distribution utilities, the scope for ERC intervention in such cases,” Ms. Hontiveros-Baraquel said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Legislators deprioritize projects to free up space for ‘pork’ — expert

NSCR.COM.PH

LEGISLATORS are sending big-ticket projects to unprogrammed appropriations to free up fiscal space for “pet projects” forcing economic managers to source excess funds from government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), an expert said.

“This has been going on for the past three years and the reason for that is accommodation of pork,” Institute for Leadership, Empowerment, and Democracy Executive Director Zy-za Nadine N. Suzara said in a forum on Thursday.

“What they do is they put all the pork projects in the programmed appropriations, carve out that space from the program budgets of different agencies, put the priority projects in the unprogrammed appropriations, budget increases.”

These include transferred big-ticket projects of the Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Among these are the Metro Rail Transit Line 4, the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project, and the North-South Commuter Railway System.

She said the transfer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) excess funds was “only the tip of the iceberg.”

The Supreme Court recently issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the further transfer of the P89.9-billion excess funds to the National Treasury, which petitioners claimed to be in violation of the 1987 Constitution.

The TRO was issued after P60 billion in PhilHealth funds have already been transferred to the Treasury in three tranches since May.

A fourth and final tranche worth P29.9 billion was scheduled to be transferred to the Treasury in November. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante

Usagi now a super typhoon

PAGASA.DOST.GOV.PH

TYPHOON USAGI (Local name: Ofel) has intensified into a super typhoon as it is forecast to make landfall over Cagayan or northern Isabela on Thursday afternoon, the state weather bureau announced on Thursday morning.

In an 11 a.m. weather advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that Super Typhoon Usagi now has maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center, with gusts reaching up to 230 kph.

The Super Typhoon was estimated to be located at 135 Northeast of Echague, Isabela, moving West Northwestward at a speed of 15 kph.

“Ofel is forecast to move northwestward over the Philippine Sea before making landfall along the eastern coast of Cagayan or northern Isabela this afternoon,” PAGASA reported.

The super typhoon is then projected to move over the Babuyan Channel by Thursday night, where it may make another landfall or pass close to the Babuyan Islands, PAGASA added. 

Wind Signal No. 5 has been raised in the northeastern portion of mainland Cagayan, including Santa Ana and Gonzaga, where very strong winds exceeding 185 kph are expected within the next 12 hours.

Wind Signal No. 4 is in effect in Babuyan Islands, the northern and eastern portions of mainland Cagayan (Santa Teresita, Ballesteros, Aparri, Camalaniugan, Buguey, Lal-Lo, Allacapan, Gattaran, Baggao, Peñablanca) and the northeastern portion of Isabela (Maconacon, Divilacan, Palanan).

Wind Signal No. 3 is in effect in Batanes, the rest of Cagayan, the northern, central, and southeastern portions of Isabela, the northern portion of Apayao, and the northern portion of Ilocos Norte.

Wind Signal No. 2 is raised in the western and southern portions of Isabela, the northeastern portion of Quirino, the rest of Apayao, Kalinga, the northeastern portion of Abra, the eastern portion of Mountain Province, the eastern portion of Ifugao, the rest of Ilocos Norte, and the northern portion of Aurora.

Wind Signal No. 1 is in effect for the rest of Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Abra, the northern portion of Benguet, Ilocos Sur, the northern portion of La Union, and the northern and central portions of Aurora.

PAGASA also warned of potential storm surges in low-lying or exposed coastal areas of Batanes, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Cagayan, including the Babuyan Islands, Isabela, and northern Aurora.

“There is a moderate to high risk of life-threatening storm surge with peak heights reaching 1.0 to 3.0 m in the next 48 hours,” PAGASA said. — Edg Adrian A. Eva

Restore Defense budget — senator

PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD PHOTO

CONGRESS should restore the P10-billion cut from the P50-billion budget for the Philippine military modernization program next year to beef up the country’s defenses amid tensions with China in the South China Sea, according to a Philippine senator.

Citing the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Act, Senator Joseph Victor G. Ejercito told the Senate plenary that the government must allot at least P75 billion every year.

“This investment in our national security is an investment to our future, our sovereignty, and most importantly to our men in uniform,” he said.

The proposed P6.325-trillion national budget next year, as approved by the Senate finance committee, earmarked P255.99 billion for the Department of National Defense for next year.

The Department of Budget and Management earlier slashed the P50-billion budget by P10 billion for the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization program in 2025.

“We are aiming for is, at least, to have the minimum credible defense posture for the country,” Mr. Ejercito said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

PHL among Asian countries with highest medical trend rates

REUTERS

THE PHILIPPINES, together with Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam, have reported the highest medical trend rates in Asia, according to the 2025 Health Trends report of Mercer Marsh Benefits, a global company that builds benefits strategies for workplaces.

Per the report, more than half of the markets see trend rates above 10% in 2024 and 2025. Asia leads at 13%, outpacing inflation by five times.

The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam have the highest medical trend rates at 21%, 19%, 15%, and 15%, respectively.

The report defined medical trend as the year-on-year cost increase for claims under a medical plan on a per-person basis. The rate factored in medical inflation, altered treatment mix, utilization patterns, and regulatory changes.

The insurers that were surveyed identified an increase in utilization due to a higher incidence of health conditions (81%), ongoing medical inflation (73%), and changes to more expensive or advanced treatments (73%) as the key contributing factors in the region.

Persistent medical inflation (80%), in comparison, remains the chief driving factor worldwide.

The trends shaping employer-sponsored health plans in Asia, the report also said, are cancer as a major source of claims; a lag in deploying new techniques to maintain affordable plans; and gaps in what employees value against what insurers cover.

Only 26% of insurers in Asia offer preventive screenings by default, compared to 43% globally.

Moreover, while over 40% of the workforce value more support for reproductive health, less than 5% of insurers provide it by default.   

Findings from a 2021 Small Business Trends survey by Guidant and the Small Business Trends Alliance suggested that — to make employees stay in the company — businesses should ensure that health benefits are competitive within the industry. This, the survey found, evokes a sense of security in the workplace over the larger competition.

The disparities between insurers and employees in Asia, the Mercer Marsh Benefits report said, requires ongoing dialogues with advisors and insurers so offerings remain relevant and competitive. — Patricia B. Mirasol

Free shipping of relief goods bill hurdles second reading

Workers prepare relief packs in Pasig City, Aug. 13, 2021. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on second reading a measure seeking to provide free freight services of relief goods to disaster-stricken areas, a proposal seen expediting the delivery of basic goods during times of calamity.

In a voice vote, congressmen approved House Bill (HB) No. 10924, which allows the government to partner with private logistics companies, including carriers and freight forwarders, for the quick delivery and distribution of goods to areas declared to be under a state of calamity.

“This measure aims to provide tax incentives to private and common carriers and provides for a systematic way of delivering goods,” San Jose Del Monte City Rep. Florida P. Robes said during her sponsorship speech of the measure before the House plenary.

The bill provides private logistics companies with a 100% tax deduction on gross income based on the amount of expenses incurred throughout their freight services.

Meanwhile, lawmakers also approved a bill mandating government agencies and companies to establish an employment program for senior citizens, which the bill’s authors see as promoting the employability of the elderly.

The bill would also provide a 25% tax deduction for companies that hire senior citizens.

“The bill proposes incentives for private entities that intentionally employ senior citizens, [which] would include an additional deduction from their gross income equivalent to 25%,” Party-list Rep. Rodolfo M. Ordanes, who sponsored the bill, told the House floor. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Panel approves stiffer sexual abuse penalties

BW FILE PHOTO

A House of Representatives committee on Wednesday approved a measure that will impose stiffer penalties against sexual abuse.

The House women and gender equality committee will be consolidating House Bills (HB) No. 6971, 7376, and 7537 to impose a maximum fine of P500,000 and a prison sentence of up to six years to those found guilty of sexual abuse, according to a document obtained by BusinessWorld.

“It’s indeed sad to think that in our country, it seems like pleas are not enough [to prevent abuse]. We really need fines and penalties,” Bataan Rep. Geraldine B. Roman, who heads the House women and gender equality panel, said in Filipino.

About 60% of Filipinos have experienced workplace harassment and violence, according to Party-list Rep. Jonathan Clement M. Abalos II, adding that sexual abuse is a continuing yet underreported issue in schools.

The panel accepted an amendment to the measure, which proposes that public officials found guilty of sexual abuse be fined with a maximum of P100,000 and face a six-month suspension in office, while mandating they complete a gender sensitivity and anti-harassment program.

Repeating sex offenders among public officials would face a maximum fine of P200,000, dismissal from office, and disqualification from holding any government post for a period of no less than five years. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

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