GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay The month of September is considered as the start of the Christmas season in our country, but there seems to be little reason for many of us to be cheerful as we used to be before the pandemic. Whatever remains of our holiday spirit is being...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay A ranking government official was quoted in media as defending the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to relax quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila despite alarming increases in the number of daily COVID-19 cases. He said it was...
A multi-sectoral group hit the Department of Health (DOH) for "deficiencies" in P67-billion coronavirus disease (COVID-19) funds, saying it's a "clear disregard" for people's health and wellbeing. (ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN) The DOH has been under public scrutiny recently after the Commission on...
Despite the Commission on Audit’s (COA) clarification that it is “premature” to conclude that the P67 billion worth of “deficiencies” it found in the Department of Health’s (DOH) handling of pandemic funds is linked to corruption, Vice President Leni Robredo has flagged the unspent 2020...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay The unprecedented performance of our athletes at the just-concluded Tokyo Olympic Games has given us a much-needed respite from the non-stop barrage of depressing news. We emerged from the Games with one historic gold courtesy of weightlifter...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay We are only halfway through 2021, but this year may yet be our annus horribilis , a horrible year of death and decay, of a spiralling descent into a prolonged period of uncertainty for millions of Filipinos. This week, Metro Manila and other...
The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) backed President Duterte in renewing his call to Congress to pass the E-Governance Act that would aim to help the public transact with the government during the coronavirus pandemic. Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) Director-General Jeremiah Belgica (Photo from...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay We are finding out quite belatedly that the first case of the Delta variant was recorded as early as April, but confirmed only last week by the Department of Health (DOH). Since April, the variant has spread to other parts of the country. The...
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has vowed to “constantly develop and re-engineer” its current mechanisms in providing social protection services to Filipinos, especially the vulnerable and poor sectors. (Photo from DSWD) DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito D. Bautista made...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay Messaging has never been this administration’s strongest point. This has been evident since day one of the government-enforced lockdown, when unclear and conflicting directives from senior officials only added to the fear, confusion, and...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay Since last year, government has stubbornly refused all appeals to provide another round of cash aid or “ayuda” on the grounds that it did not have the money. Then we learn that government failed to utilize P18 billion in funds already...
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is calling for entries to this year’s Digital Governance Awards (DGA). Photo from DICT's Facebook page The DGA is an annual search for best practices in local government units in utilizing information and communications technology...
