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Senator Risa Hontiveros called on the Department of Health (DOH) to ensure that the new administrative order it is drafting on medical assistance would not only eliminate patronage politics as mandated by a provision in the 2026 budget, but also clearly lay down the process and requirements in receiving financial aid. Hontiveros, who chairs the […]
Senator Win Gatchalian has filed a bill seeking to establish a 30-year infrastructure masterplan to ensure maximum return on investment and to prevent the insertion of redundant or low-impact projects into the budget. Aside from preventing budget insertions, Senate Bill 1652, or the proposed Masterplan for Infrastructure and National Development (MIND) Act, seeks to ensure […]
Senator Kiko Pangilinan is confident that the bicameral conference committee to deliberate the 2026 national budget will be transparent and open to public scrutiny. In Joint Senate Resolution No. 1–filed at the start of the 20th Congress and a day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. revealed massive corruption in flood control projects during his State […]
Let the people who know best about what they need decide on what projects should be implemented in their respective areas. In the forthcoming 2026 General Appropriations Act and beyond, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said this should be the guiding principle in proposing infrastructure projects, and their inclusion in the national budget, and in the […]
Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III on Wednesday expressed full support for holding bicameral conference committee meetings on the proposed ₱6.793-trillion 2026 national budget in public and through livestreaming to promote accountability and transparency in the budget process. “‘Yan din naman ang gusto namin ever since noong tayo ay na-elect bilang Speaker. ‘Yan ang ating commitment […]
Senator Ping Lacson scored an early win in his efforts to ensure transparency in the budget process, after he set two demands to which Senate finance committee chairman Win Gatchalian agreed. Following a “solution-finding discussion”, Lacson said Gatchalian agreed to name the proponents of the amendments on the floor, to put it on record. “We agreed […]
The Department of Health (DOH), as supervising agency of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) assured that health benefits of the national health insurance agency will continue with or without subsidy from the forthcoming General Appropriations Act. All of its inpatient, outpatient, and special benefit packages continue to be available. Since August 2024, the PhilHealth […]
Senate President Chiz Escudero expects to see intense scrutiny on the flood control programs of the government when the Senate begins its plenary debates on the proposed P6.352 trillion national budget. With so many parts of the country devastated by the onslaught of Tropical Storm Kristine, Escudero is certain the flood control budget will be […]
Senator Grace Poe underscored the need for a separate funding for animal welfare in the 2025 national budget to ensure the protection and humane treatment of animals. “We will look at the fiscal space and see how much can be appropriated. But that item in the budget for animal welfare has to be very specific,” […]
Cong. Wilbert “Manoy” T. Lee said he will push for a bigger budget for agriculture once deliberations begin for the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) at the House of Representatives. “Kahapon sa DBCC (Development Budget Coordination Committee) briefing, natalakay itong pagkaltas sa pondo ng agrikultura. Nakahanda po tayong amyendahan ang budget para dito para madagdagan […]