Tag: Camille A. Aguinaldo

LEADERS of the Senate and of the House of Representatives failed to mend their differences over the ratified P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 during a meeting with President Rodrigo R. Duterte in Malacañang on Tuesday evening.

A PALACE official said the government is drafting an executive order (EO) to address the water crisis by rationalizing inefficient water management practices which had been flagged by economic planners, as continued shortages in parts of the capital entered their second week, forcing the authorities to prioritize critical users like hospitals.

CONGRESS LEADERS were scheduled to meet last night with President Rodrigo R. Duterte to discuss the impasse between the Senate and the House of Representatives on the proposed P3.757 trillion national budget for 2019.

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS should be able to speak freely on the actions of government without fear of reprisal, United States (US) Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Samuel D. Brownback said on Tuesday amid President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s continued verbal attack on the Catholic Church.

MALACAÑANG on Monday said President Rodrigo R. Duterte was ready to veto questionable provisions in the P3.757-trillion national budget for this year, even as it hoped both chambers of Congress would resolve their differences soon.

SENATE PRESIDENT Vicente C. Sotto III on Monday said the Senate will not pass any measure legalizing medical marijuana following President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s turnaround on this matter.

SENATORS are open to a law that institutionalizes the government’s intensified infrastructure development program to ensure continuity of flagship projects after President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s term ends in mid-2022.

PHILIPPINE Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Evan P. Garcia has sought to have “corrected” the number of drug-related killings in the Philippines cited by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet in her speech on the Philippines’ drug war at the 40^th UN Human Rights Council session.

LEGISLATORS on Thursday approved in a bicameral session a bill, which seeks to use the government’s share in the Malampaya Natural Gas Project to pay off the obligations of the National Power Corp. (Napocor).

UNITED NATIONS (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet flagged the Philippine government’s campaign against illegal drugs on Wednesday, saying that its policies “should not be considered a model by any country.”

A SENATE committee reviewing the implementation of the K to 12 curriculum has called for measures to improve the basic education system and to better match school training with the skills in demand from industry.

THE PHILIPPINES and Vietnam convened on Tuesday its ninth Joint Bilateral Cooperation Mechanism, which led to both countries adopting a new five-year plan of action on a broad range of areas.

THE delayed 2019 budget remained untransmitted to the President well into the third month of the year, amid claims of last-minute revisions to the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) approved by Congress, though a key legislator said the legislation will be forwarded to the Palace by March 10.

THE SENATE COMMITTEE on economic affairs on Tuesday opened its inquiry into the official development assistance (ODA) funding under the Build, Build, Build program, with participants claiming that the ODA financing may have slowed the completion of flagship infrastructure projects.

THE Congressional Oversight Committee on Biofuels is set to conduct a hearing on the proposal of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to increase the coconut content in biodiesel to 5% from the present 2%, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said on Monday.

A DEBATE among the senatorial candidates on the watch of the Commission on Elections is unlikely, officials of the poll body said Monday.

THE Senate committee on economic affairs will open its inquiry on Tuesday into the status of infrastructure projects under the government’s Build, Build, Build program.

THE SENATE has passed on third and final reading the bill extending for another 25 years the broadcasting franchise of Delta Broadcasting System, Inc., which is owned by El Shaddai leader Brother Mike Z. Velarde.

THE United States will support the Philippines in any armed attack against its forces in the South China Sea since the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between the two countries covers the disputed waters, US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said on Friday, while raising the importance of human rights as well.

SENATOR Panfilo M. Lacson on Friday claimed that the delay in the transmittal of the P3.757 trillion national budget for 2019 to Malacañang was due to individual projects still being submitted by congressmen to the House of Representatives leadership even after Congress has ratified the measure.

CHINA ON Thursday denied warning Malacañang of retaliation over the latter’s policies on Chinese illegals as earlier articulated by Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo.

MALACAÑANG ON Thursday announced that President Rodrigo R. Duterte has approved Joint Resolution No. 04 by Congress, extending until Dec. 31 this year the maintenance, availability, and release of funds intended for human rights-abuse victims during martial law.

MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will visit the Philippines on March 6 to 7 upon the invitation of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, the Department...

EIGHTEEN members of the European Parliament have called for more pressure on the Philippine government to release opposition Senator Leila M. De Lima In a letter dated Feb. 24 addressing the European Commission Vice President Federica Mogherini, the European legislators called for an official statement from the body to reinforce pressure on Philippine authorities to free the detained senator.

THE PHILIPPINE Embassy in Washington on Monday slammed an article by the Washington Post on the Philippine government’s war on drugs, saying its portrayal of the country’s capital was a “hasty generalization.”

SENATOR Sherwin T. Gatchalian wants Malacañang to declare the Proof of Parking bill as a priority measure in the 18^th Congress to address traffic congestion in EDSA.

LABOR GROUPS called President Rodrigo R. Duterte “irresponsible” for ignoring rules governing the employment of foreigners in the Philippines, particularly Chinese workers.

THE Senate approved on second reading a bill seeking to prevent obstruction or hazardous activities along power line corridors.

SENATOR Richard J. Gordon has sponsored to the plenary Senate Bill No. 2169 creating the Greater Baguio-Benguet Development Authority.

THE SENATE approved on second reading a bill creating the Davao International Airport Authority (DIAA).

THE SENATE has adopted the House version of the bill institutionalizing a Department of Agriculture (DA) program promoting partnerships between farmers, fisherfolk and the private sector.

SENATOR Joel J. Villanueva said he is proposing to remove the authority of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to issue temporary special working permits (SWPs) to foreigners.

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. maintained that the Philippines’ efforts to address terrorism have been anchored on human rights and the rule of law.

CONGRESS has ratified a measure extending the power of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) to grant incentives to tourism enterprises for another 10 years.

SENATOR Sherwin T. Gatchalian is seeking a unified mechanism from the Department of Defense (DND) and Department of Education (DepEd) to address the possible cases of hazing, abuse, and corruption with the proposed revival of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) in the education system.

SENATORS signaled caution on easing bank secrecy laws, one of the issues that led Malacañang to veto parts of Republic Act 11213 or the Tax Amnesty Law, noting that safeguards are needed to prevent the use of bank account inquiries to harass taxpayers.

A HUNGARIAN COMPANY specializing in water management systems has expressed interest in working with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to improve its capabilities in times of calamity, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.

UNITED STATES Commander of the Marine Forces Pacific (US MarForPac) Lt. Gen. Lewis A. Craparotta met with top military officials in his three-day visit to the Philippines from Feb. 16 to 18, to discuss opportunities for collaboration with the Philippine Marines Corps (PMC).

SENATOR Panfilo M. Lacson on Monday said he will support the passage of a general tax amnesty bill in the 18^th Congress, but noted that lawmakers may still be “wary” of easing bank secrecy laws, as requested by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in his veto message last Friday on this measure.

THE SENATE committees on public services and energy have recommended the approval of a “non-exclusive” franchise for Solar Para sa Bayan Corp. (SPSBC) subject to the adoption of amendments from the chamber.

WOMEN HUMAN rights defenders are being targeted in the Philippines, a United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur said in his report to the UN Human...

THE DEPARTMENT of Finance (DoF) said it will push for a new measure that will provide a general tax amnesty, after such a provision was vetoed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte when he signed into law last Friday the reprieve for estate tax liabilities and national tax delinquencies in specific circumstances.

THE Senate passed on second reading a bill strengthening the powers and functions of the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) with its proposed fiscal incentives removed.

THE Senate has adopted the House version of the bill calling for the creation of social welfare attachés in countries with high concentrations of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

THE Otso Diretso senatorial slate of the opposition Liberal Party (LP) should bank on their strengths and bailiwicks to increase their chances in the 2019 midterm elections, analysts said Sunday.