The House of Representatives' Committee on Appropriations began on Thursday, August 26, its deliberation on the P5.024-trillion proposed national budget for 2022. House of Representatives The committee's budget hearings kicked off with a briefing from the Development Budget Coordination Committee...
Despite the national government mandating its use in all establishments in the Philippines and by local government units since last year, the StaySafe application made "almost no impact" on the country's contact tracing efforts. A mall goer scans a QR code before entry into the establishment. The...
A tragic comedy. This is how former senator Mar Roxas described the government’s handling of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis as he hit back when President Duterte himself accused him of corruption while defending Health Secretary Francisco Duque III from allegations of mishandling more...
Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III and former Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service (DBM-PS) head Christopher Lloyd Lao on Wednesday, August 25, maintained that the transfer of some P42 billion of pandemic response funds flagged by state auditors was above...
Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday, August 25, pushed for "free mass testing" for COVID-19 using the billions of funds still not unutilized by agencies. Senate President Vicente Sotto III bangs the gavel signifying the start of the plenary session on November 24, 2020.(Henzberg...
Concerned that his agency will again be called out by the Commission on Audit (COA), Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday, August 25, insisted the need for a law that would authorize the grant of special risk allowances (SRA) to health care workers who are not catering to COVID-19...
The Philippines could have P4.7 billion worth of additional COVID-19 vaccines in its supply had the Department of Health (DOH) spent the amount it borrowed from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). COVID-19 vaccines (Keith Bacongco/MANILA BULLETIN File Photo) At the resumption of...
Should he run for president, Senator Richard Gordon said he would choose a "public health person" to be his vice president. Senator Richard Gordon (Henzberg Austria/Senate PRIB) "I'm looking for a public health person. We have to get out of COVID. And I will need somebody other than my secretary of...
"It appears that we did not improve at all." Senate President Vicente Sotto III could not help but make the statement as the Philippines recorded its highest daily coronavirus infection tally on Monday, August 23. Senate President Vicente 'Tito' Sotto III At the Senate's plenary session Monday,...
Metro Manila mayors did not expect that the recent surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases "would be this huge" that they have to request for additional isolation facilities from the national government, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos said Monday, Aug....
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Sunday, August 22 appealed to fellow lawmakers to maintain objectivity as they seek the truth about the government’s COVID-19 response, saying they should not pass judgment too early without knowing all the facts. Go, who chairs the Senate health committee...
The executive department's proposal for a P240-billion budget for coronavirus response next year might have to go through the needle hole as senators doubt its ability to fully spend it. Senator Juan Edgardo 'Sonny' Angara (Henzberg Austria/Senate PRIB) Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, chairman...
