Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri called on the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) to employ a public “shame campaign” against local governments and national agencies accused of rampant red tape. Zubiri made the appeal as Senate finance chair Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian defended the...
Senator Robin Padilla presented on Tuesday, Nov. 25, an unverified audio recording allegedly made to sound like a conversation between a certain Presidential Communications Office (PCO) official and an unidentified individual linked to troll farms, which he said surfaced online and required the...
Recognizing that the increase brings the country closer to global standards in education spending and reflects a clear commitment to long-term human capital development, an industry-led advocacy group on Tuesday, November 25, expressed strong support for the proposed allocation for the education...
The Senate on Monday, November 24 night rallied behind the Department of Education (DepEd) and its leadership under Secretary Sonny Angara, approving the agency’s proposed P1.044-trillion budget for 2026. The said amount is considered the largest in the country’s history, as senators commit...
The Department of Education (DepEd) is poised to accelerate major education reforms in 2026 after the Senate approved a significantly higher budget for the agency, signaling strong support for DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara and the Marcos administration’s push to improve learning outcomes...
Senator Rodante Marcoleta raised questions over whether the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) dozen major interventions—amounting to P212.5 billion under the Senate version of the 2026 national budget—are reaching their intended beneficiaries and meaningfully reducing...
Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso apologized to Manileños over the lack of Christmas decors, particularly Christmas lanterns (parol) adorned across the streets in Manila on Monday, Nov. 24, as he explained he had to prioritize the allocation of funds for social aid and the payment of...
Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay has signed the city 's budget for next year worth P21 billion, reinforcing the city’s commitment to delivering efficient, people-centered, and future-ready programs for all residents. Several local government officials were also present during the event...
Spending on hard infrastructure fell by almost a third in the third quarter, simultaneously missing the government’s target to ramp up disbursements for the period, as public spending faced tighter scrutiny in the aftermath of the flood-control scandal. Data from the Department of Budget and...
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson underscored on Saturday, Nov. 22, that the Senate will not allow the reenactment next year of the 2025 national budget--the same budget that had earlier been described as corrupt to the core. Lacson says this is why the Senate is adopting measures...
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan has proposed the inclusion of transparency and accountability mechanisms in the irrigation projects implemented by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in a bid to prevent the repeat of anomalous flood control projects. The senator, who heads the...
Senator Loren Legarda has called for full transparency on the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation 's (PhilHealth) funding during the deliberations on the proposed 2026 national budget, stressing that mandated subsidies must be properly allocated and released. In her interpellation on the...
