INQToday: Marcos denies ‘blank’ GAA items, says Duterte ‘lying’
Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:
Marcos on allegations of Duterte about GAA ‘blank’ items: ‘He’s lying’
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stood firm that former President Rodrigo Duterte was lying on his allegations that there were discrepancies in the national budget for 2025.
In an ambush interview in Taguig City on Monday, Marcos was asked for a comment on Duterte’s allegations that some sections of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) were supposedly left blank to allow the administration to fill in amounts later, like a blank check, to facilitate theft.
PCG: As ‘monster’ sails away, another China ship nears Zambales coast
China’s “monster” ship moved away from Zambales coast, while another vessel approached the area, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
In a statement on Sunday night, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said the agency’s BRP Gabriela Silang (MRRV-8371) “observed the relief and assumption of two Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels.”
Enrile tags INC rally as ‘political pressure’
After questioning the “logic implicit” in the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) peace rally in a Jan. 13 post, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile again took to Facebook to say that the gathering was “more like a political pressure” to stop an independent and separate government body from doing its constitutional duty.
In a post on Sunday to address the “so many people, especially members of the INC [who] were so riled and angry at me,” the 100-year-old Enrile stressed that he was not against the religious sect, and everyone, “religious or not,” was free to gather peacefully and ask the government to address their grievances.
Fuel price hike: Diesel up P2.70/L, gasoline P1.65/L starting Jan 21
Motorists must brace for a big-time oil price hike this week, as oil companies will impose an up to P2.70 increase per liter.
In separate advisories, Caltex, CleanFuel, and Shell Pilipinas said the per-liter price of diesel would soar by P2.70.
