Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:
China warns PH not to ‘stir up trouble’ over Scarborough Shoal
China warns the Philippines not to “stir up trouble” after the Philippine Coast Guard removed China’s floating barrier in Scarborough Shoal.
VP Sara Duterte initially asked for P250M confidential funds in 2022
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s office approved P125 million of the P250 million confidential fund (CF) requested by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in 2022, ACT-CIS Party-list Representative Erwin Tulfo said on Tuesday.
During the plenary debates on the proposed budget for 2024 for the Office of the President (OP), ACT Teachers Representative France Castro questioned Tulfo on the procedures taken in releasing OVP’s CF.
OVP, DepEd budget debates rescheduled for Wednesday — House majority
Plenary debates on the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed budget for 2024 have been rescheduled for Wednesday, the House of Representatives’ Majority bloc confirmed.
During a break in the deliberations of House Bill No. 8980 or the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) on Tuesday afternoon, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro asked why the OVP and Department of Education (DepEd) — both headed by Vice President Sara Duterte — have not been tackled on the floor yet.
PCG got ‘meager’ P10 million intel fund annually for past 10 years
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) received only P10 million worth of intelligence fund every year for the past decade, its spokesperson for West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela disclosed on Tuesday.
Tarriela said PCG got P10 million in intelligence fund every year from 2013 until 2023.
Dela Rosa tells DFA: ‘We are sick and tired of diplomatic protests’
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said on Tuesday that he was getting sick and tired of repeatedly filing diplomatic protests against China, prompting him to ask the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) if there was another course of action the Philippines can take to tackle the maritime issue.
“We are sick and tired of diplomatic protests. Parang walang nangyayari at hindi naaaksyunan. [Are there any] other modes and other approaches na pwede nating gawin?” dela Rosa asked.
PhilHealth system operation may go back to normal in two days – exec
The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) system is expected to return to normal operation in two days after it was hacked last week.
PhilHealth’s finance policy sector Senior Vice President Israel Francis Pargas said they have been operating manually since the system breach.
Rice smuggling, hoarding remain big problems in PH – Bongbong Marcos
The government will struggle to determine the country’s actual rice stock due to continued smuggling, said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday.
Marcos, who is also the country’s agriculture secretary, said the government had been trying to improve the agricultural sector, from the production process down to retail. However, the government remains baffled as to how and why rice prices remain high.