Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will make sure the P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 will be free of any anomalies, Palace press officer Claire Castro said on Monday.

Castro stressed in a briefing that the president would veto any questionable allocations in next year’s budget.

‘As we have said, the President truly wants the budget to be correct and allocated to the right programs for the future and the benefit of the people,’ she said.

‘We can be assured, with all these things happening, that the people can expect the 2026 budget to be in order and that the President will not allow anomalous projects,’ Castro added.

‘The president,’ she said, ‘already said before that if there are any mistakes or anomalies again in the 2026 budget, he will veto them.’

‘Humongous’ insertions

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson revealed on Sunday that ‘almost all’ of the 24 senators in the 19th Congress had inserted at least P100 billion worth of items in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Lacson noted that the roster of congressmen who made similar insertions was equally lengthy.

The chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee described the individual insertions by his colleagues as ‘humongous.’

‘I have never seen such amounts. Before the Priority Development Assistance Fund was declared unconstitutional in 2013, pork amounted to hundreds of millions. Now it’s at least P100 billion total for senators alone,’ said Lacson.

The insertions were made when the spending bill reached either the ‘small committee’ after it hurdled the second reading or during the bicameral conference committee when members of the House of Representatives and Senate reconciled the provisions of the third reading version of their respective bills.

These amendments, discussed not in open plenary but made in closed-door meetings by only a handful of lawmakers, were then parked under big-ticket projects of agencies, including the flood mitigation program of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

‘No detailed knowledge’

But according to Castro, Mr. Marcos is opposed to such practices and did not know the extent of the amendments made.

‘When the 2025 budget was being crafted, the president definitely did not have detailed knowledge of what insertions certain senators had made,’ Castro said.

‘But now, because the president has truly seen and taken notice of what happened to the funds for flood control projects, he would make sure that these insertions would not happen again,’ she added.

Directing her remarks to legislators, Castro said, ‘As shown by the public’s anger – something that the president also feels – we can see that they should have already learned to fulfill their mandate of being true public servants.’

Zero allocation

The Department of Budget and Management submitted to Congress in August the 2026 National Expenditure Program amounting to P6.793 trillion. It was 7.4 percent higher than the enacted 2025 budget of P6.326 trillion and equivalent to 22 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

For the 2025 GAA, Marcos vetoed P26.065 billion worth of DPWH projects related to flood mitigation and control for being ‘inconsistent’ with the government’s infrastructure program.

He has ordered zero budget to be allocated to locally funded flood control projects under the 2026 proposed budget of the DPWH.

The move created a fiscal space of P255.5 billion, which will be realigned to other agencies to fund the government’s social programs.

‘Here comes the rain again,’ to quote The Eurythmics. Falling on my head like a memory, the memory-still very fresh-is of staggering amounts of money stolen by contractors and congressmen, even senators, in the form of kickbacks, suitcases full of kickbacks, for flood control projects that never once saw the light of day.

Along with rising water levels, school closures, and lost working days, sudden downpours summon with alarming frequency the ghosts that we have so desperately and ineffectively failed to banish from our cursed existence: the ghosts of corruptions past, present, and future.

Sudden downpours summon with alarming frequency the ghosts that we have so desperately and ineffectively failed to banish from our cursed existence: the ghosts of corruptions past, present, and future.

These ghosts live not just in luxury penthouse apartments and sprawling mansions in gated villlages, basement garages lined with top-of-the-line European cars, or row upon row of Birkin bags. They cling to every substandard bridge that’s collapsed, every potholed road that leads to nowhere, and every floodgate whose construction was approved and funded but never built.

And they taunt us from their social media accounts, thanks to their clueless nepo babies who fancy themselves influencers as they flaunt their ostentatious (and often tasteless) lifestyles-filched from our taxes.

Money, money, money

A recent report issued by the United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese named the companies are aiding and abetting an ‘economy of genocide,’ fully complicit in Israel’s ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people of Gaza. The list includes tech giants such as Alphabet, Microsoft, and Palantir, as well as industry titans like Lockheed Martin, Caterpillar, and even Hyundai, to name a few.

When asked why Israel’s genocide continues, she replied, ‘because it is lucrative for many.’

When asked why Israel’s genocide continues, she replied, ‘because it is lucrative for many.’

By the same token, one could say that an economy of corruption persists in the Philippines because it is lucrative for many. So lucrative for contractors in particular that many of them were emboldened to run for office and today sit as elected members of Congress. One could thus conclude that being an elected representative of the people and holding office is extremely lucrative for many, despite official monthly salaries not exceeding P334,059 for a senator, congressman or department secretary, while a department undersecretary earns P226,319, max.

These are decent salaries in a country where the median monthly salary is P44,979.62, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). However, they won’t necessarily cover the mortgage payments on that unit in Aurelia, much less an afternoon’s shopping spree at Chanel in Paris. Ditto a business class ticket to New York.

Yet corruption apparently pays, if the ongoing Senate investigative hearings are anything to go by. And funds these lavish lifestyles. It’s an ecosystem entrenched in hierarchy, too, it seems, where everybody has their price for looking the other way and getting things done. Or in the case of ghost projects, not done.

Ten percent for the departmental employee who issues the necessary permits, fifteen percent for the next higher-up and so on, each one taking their cut of the project, with an astonishing thirty percent (if not more) for the congressman or senator, bundled into suitcases and hand-delivered to their homes by trusted bagmen.

No Lalamove for this sort of delivery. For a project that’s worth billions, that’s easily a van-load of suitcases. Or, to use the clever little code name given to these money drops: basura. As in, ‘Take the trash to Congressman So-and-So’ (who’s another piece of trash, by the way).

Selling your soul

The levels of meta here are just beyond. They’ve rubbished our own hard-earned contributions to the country’s coffers; they’ve rubbished the trust given to them by virtue of being elected into public office; they’ve certainly rubbished all those so-called Filipino and Christian values of honesty, hard work, and integrity. They’ve rubbished themselves. And they’ve rubbished the country’s reputation.

This is what really irks me. That deep down, they have such little regard for the country they profess to love, and zero respect for the people they are supposed to serve, that they can’t even do a proper job of building what they were contracted to do.

Take your ten percent. Yes, you-engineer, contractor, undersecretary, congressman, senator. Hell, take your twenty, even your thirty percent. I don’t really care. But build the goddamn flood control barriers to the requisite standards of quality, safety, and durability. Present something decent to show for the billions you stole apart from the fourteen houses in Forbes Park.

Build the goddamn flood control barriers to the requisite standards of quality, safety, and durability. Present something decent to show for the billions you stole apart from the fourteen houses in Forbes Park.

Have a modicum of shame, if not for your countrymen who are literally drowning in fetid flood waters every time it rains, then for the foreign direct investments you keep trying to woo to our shores. Is it any surprise that investors choose Vietnam, Thailand, or Indonesia over the Philippines when corruption is so rampant, the infrastructure so inferior, and the cost of doing business so high? In an economy of corruption, basura begets basura.

We now know the price for your willingness to compromise your own morals in pursuit of wealth, power, and, it would seem, immunity from prosecution. Apparently, it runs to billions. But what is the price for you to grow a conscience?

The great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, writing with acute eloquence over fifty years ago about his own people’s exile and occupation, penned these lines:

‘I don’t know who sold our homeland

But I saw who paid the price.’

How profoundly tragic it is that we Filipinos know exactly who sold our homeland. And that we will still be paying the price for generations to come.

Rabin Angeles and Angela Muji have been confirmed as the lead stars of the Philippine adaptation of ‘The Werewolf Boy,’ based on the 2012 Korean film of the same name starring Song Joong-ki.

Angeles and Muji were announced as the lead stars of the upcoming film during the finale media con of their recently concluded show ‘Seducing Drake Palma’ on Monday, Sept. 29.

‘The news is out! Rabin Angeles and Angela Muji in ‘A WEREWOLF BOY!’ Now in production. Coming Soon Exclusively In Cinemas,’ the post read. A teaser of the upcoming film also showed Muji peering closer at Angeles, who somehow followed the stature of a dog.

Further details on possible changes to the storyline and premiere date are yet to be revealed.

In its original storyline, ‘A Werewolf Boy’ centers on Kim Sun-yi (Park Bo-young) who moved to the countryside with her mother and sister when she was a young adult. She then meets the handsome but feral Chul-soo (Song Joong-ki), whom she eventually tames and develops feelings for.

The onscreen partnership between Angeles and Muji gained traction after they worked together in ‘Seducing Drake Palma,’ a series adaptation of the hit Wattpad novel of the same name. It tells the story of Alys (Muji) attempting to catch the attention of her good looking but unapproachable classmate Drake Palma (Angeles). /edv

Pure Energy Holdings Corp. (PEHC), backed by businessman Dexter Tiu, and Quadwater Corp. are set to secure a majority stake in listed Coal Asia Holdings for P220.9 million.

In a disclosure on Monday, Coal Asia said five of its stockholders signed a share purchase agreement with PEHC, Pure Water Corp. (Pure) and Quadwater. This is for the sale and purchase of 28.67 billion common shares of the company.

That translates to 71.68 percent of the group’s total issued and outstanding capital stock.

Breaking down, PEHC will get 12.48 percent with the acquisition of 4.99 billion shares.

Both Pure and Quadwater, meanwhile, will secure 29.60 percent each. The three firms are acquiring a total of about 23.68 billion shares in Coal Asia. They expect to close the deal before the year ends.

Coal Asia did not disclose details on the allocation of the proceeds from the transaction.

‘The transaction provides the buyers with the opportunity to acquire a significant interest in the company,’ said PEHC president Eric Peter Roxas. He is also one of the selling shareholders.

‘It also facilitates the reallocation of shareholdings among the parties in a manner that supports their respective investment objectives,’ Roxas added.

Common directors

Pure is a subsidiary of PEHC. The two companies and Coal Asia have interlocking directors, namely Tiu, Roxas, and Gertim Chuahiong.

Quadwater, on the other hand, is not affiliated with either PEHC or Pure. However, Pure and Quadwater have interests in Tubig Pilipinas Group Inc.

PEHC has a presence in the renewable energy space through Repower Energy Development Corp. (REDC). It has mini-hydropower projects clustered in Laguna, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Bukidnon and other provinces under development. These have a combined capacity of 124 megawatts.

PEHC also leads NexGen Energy Corp., a listed clean power producer, focused on the solar and wind business.

Earlier this year, the company said its four wind projects worth P300 billion secured a ‘green lane’ status, allowing the firm to avoid bureaucratic bottlenecks. INQ

The provincial government of Camarines Sur, in partnership with Google’s Gemini, has officially launched the Artificial Intelligence Academy on Monday, the first of its kind in the province.

Powered by Google’s Gemini as its main platform, the AI Academy has welcomed its first batch of over 300 participants from various sectors, including government employees, educators, and youth leaders.

They are now equipped with foundational knowledge in artificial intelligence, aimed at improving communication skills, teaching methods, and digital literacy.

Gov. Luis Raymund ‘LRay’ Villafuerte Jr. called the initiative a ‘big break’ for Camarines Sur and a step toward preparing the province for a tech-driven future.

‘It’s an honor to partner with one of the biggest technology companies in the world-Google Philippines. Through Google’s Gemini Academy, we are equipping every CamSur resident with new knowledge and skills in AI. Under my leadership, our province will be AI-ready and highly skilled from classrooms to communities,’ Villafuerte told the Inquirer.

He also shared that each municipality in the province will soon host its own training sessions. These sessions aim to make AI tools more accessible and practical by providing apps and software that simplify day-to-day tasks.

Gilbert Sadsad, director of the Department of Education in Bicol, expressed full support for the program, noting its positive potential across multiple sectors.

Of the 357 participants, the majority came from the provincial government, academe, information offices, and other multi-sectoral groups.

Rosean Presado, an instructor from a community college, said joining the training was a great opportunity.

‘Many of my questions about AI were answered. This experience will definitely have a positive impact not just on me, but also on my students,’ she said.

Myko Garcia, a local radio reporter in CamSur, shared the same sentiment.

‘I’m thankful to be part of the training. I’ve gained new knowledge that has helped improve my communication skills, especially in pronunciation and grammar,’ he said.

The AI Academy is seen as a pioneering initiative in the region, aiming to democratize access to artificial intelligence tools and training at the grassroots level./coa

Leading global smart devices provider HONOR Philippines has officially announced the availability of the new HONOR 400 in Smart Stores nationwide and via the Smart Online Shop, bundled with Smart Signature Plan Plus 1499.Following the successful launch of the HONOR 400 last June 17, the excitement and demand from the public showed no signs of slowing down. In fact, the AI-powered HONOR 400 sold out within just four days after its availability was announced. Today, HONOR proudly brings the much-anticipated HONOR 400 to Smart, one of the country’s leading telecommunications service providers.

‘We’re excited to make the HONOR 400 available through Smart’s Signature Plan Plus 1499. With unbeatable perks, free accessories, and ViLTE support for clearer connections, this offering gives Filipinos the best value to upgrade their mobile lifestyle,’ said Stephen Cheng, Vice President of HONOR Philippines.

The HONOR 400 offers a sleek design, AI-powered performance, and seamless 5G connectivity-now made more accessible with Smart’s best-in-value Signature Plan Plus. Smart customers can choose from its three dynamic colorways: Desert Gold, Tidal Blue, or Midnight Black. Every purchase of HONOR 400 with Smart Signature Plan Plus 1499 comes with a FREE JISULIFE Handheld Pro 1S, making it an even smarter deal. Freebies will be available until September 30, 2025, only.

Smart Signature Plan Plus 1499 Inclusions:

40 GB Data for 6 Months and/ 120 GB Data for 6 Months

Unlimited 5G Data for 12 months

Unlimited AllNet Calls and Texts

Unlimited Landline Calls (excluding special numbers)

Free Netflix Mobile Plan or ?149 off on existing plan

Access to Postpaid Perks

Extra 20 GB FREE data for 6 months

The HONOR 400 is available at a total device cost of ?19,700 only, with the added convenience of 0% downpayment when purchased using all major credit cards in the country.This makes owning the latest HONOR smartphone more accessible than ever, giving Filipinos flexible payment options while enjoying premium technology and exclusive Smart Signature Plan Plus perks.HONOR 400: Smarter Connections with Smart ViLTE

Now available with Smart, the HONOR 400 takes everyday communication to the next level with Smart’s Video-over-LTE (ViLTE) feature, exclusive for Smart Postpaid subscribers. With this, Smart users can enjoy:

High-definition video calls with sharper clarity and more reliable connections compared to traditional voice calls

Seamless and stable end-to-end connections, ensuring uninterrupted conversations

No need for third-party apps-simply enable Smart VoLTE and use HONOR’s default Phone app

To maximize this feature, ViLTE calls are supported only between two Smart users, with at least one being a Smart Postpaid subscriber. The device must also be updated to version 9.0.0.165.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson said on Monday that members of the House of Representatives also made their own amendments or insertions in the 2025 national budget, with the total exceeding by ‘much, much more’ those made by the Senate.

Lacson earlier bared that ‘almost all senators’ under the 19th Congress inserted at least P100 billion worth of items in last year’s General Appropriations Act (GAA), mostly in favor of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), for infrastructure projects, including flood control.

Citing information he accessed, the chief of the Senate blue ribbon committee said the list of the House members who made insertions in the DPWH’s favor in last year’s GAA was several pages long, with the names in alphabetical order. ‘It was like a roll call,’ Lacson said in an interview on radio dzBB.

When asked if the amount was larger than the insertions made by senators, Lacson replied: ‘Much, much more.’

He explained that the DPWH received such massive insertions because many lawmakers were likely in collusion with the department’s corrupt officials to get their share of huge kickbacks from projects-even if it meant giving the DPWH a bigger budget than the education sector, which was in violation of the 1987 Constitution.

Pattern of corruption

‘The system of corruption has been in place, with lawmakers dealing with the district engineer and former [Public Works] Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo. That’s the pattern. You see the DPWH getting a bigger budget than the education sector because everyone involved got greedier and greedier, and stuffed the DPWH’s budget. That is unacceptable,’ he said.

Lacson added that while it is good that a huge part of the insertions were held and tagged ‘for later release,’ this may still affect the economy because properly vetted projects may not get the funding they need.

According to him, budget insertions by themselves are not illegal nor evil, as they are part of the mandate of lawmakers in shaping the national budget.

‘But this mandate has been abused by lawmakers,’ Lacson said.

‘Introducing insertions are not illegal. It is our mandate as lawmakers to review the National Expenditure Program and introduce amendments. The problem is that many lawmakers abused this mandate,’ he added. ‘I hope that in 2026, we will practice self-restraint. The people are angry, so we must reform the way we pass the budget.’

Lacson said the Senate must lead the way in ensuring transparency in budget deliberations, especially during the period of individual amendments in plenary.

Part of regular process

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, meanwhile, defended the individual or institutional amendments or insertions done during Senate deliberations on the national budget, saying these were part of the regular process.

‘It is unfortunate that the issue on ghost projects and failed flood control projects affect and generalized all amendments as illegal or improper,’ Sotto said in a statement on Monday.

He explained that some of the insertions made by lawmakers in the 2025 national budget were for additional classrooms, farm-to-market roads, and bridges that he said would benefit the public, especially those in far-flung provinces.

‘Some of [these] were never funded and were tagged ‘for later release’ (FLR),’ the Senate chief stressed.

Asked then if the insertions by the senators were not improper nor illegal and that only a few may be questionable, Sotto replied: ‘That’s right. Not all of them. They’re usually individual amendments.’

‘Rest assured that for the 2026 budget, the Senate will institute changes for greater transparency, people’s participation and accountability,’ he said.

Sen. JV Ejercito, who was part of the 19th Congress, also defended the amendments in the 2025 budget, saying that introducing changes after the budget hearings was part of the job of lawmakers ‘to support and further improve programs and projects.’ ‘Not all amendments are bad especially those which help agencies and departments,’ Ejercito said.

More than 3.5 million people were affected by the combined effects of typhoons Opong, Nandong, Mirasol and the enhanced southwest monsoon or habagat, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

In the report, NDRRMC stated that the number of affected individuals is over 3.5 million or a total of more than 936,000 families.

The death toll was recorded at 27, with four confirmed, and the rest are pending validation.

33 people were reportedly injured, with 19 still for confirmation, while 16 remained missing, also subject to validation.

53 cities and municipalities from the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Bicol region, Western Visayas and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were declared under the state of calamity.

Damage to infrastructure and agriculture

The cost of damage to infrastructure amounted to more than P979 million.

The destructions happened in Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol region, Western and Central Visayas.

The tally includes 272 damaged infrastructure.

NDRRMC also reported 294 road sections were ruined, 50 of which are still impassable, and 59 damaged bridges, with 14 still not passable.

Records further show that over 21,000 houses were damaged in the affected regions, including Negros Islands Region, Zamboanga Peninsula and BARMM.

Meanwhile, the agricultural damage is pegged at over P1 billion. The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry have already imposed a price freeze on all basic agricultural commodities in Masbate, one of the provinces that bore the brunt of Opong’s onslaught. /apl

The local stock barometer broke the 6,000 barrier on Monday while the peso slipped further into the 58 level against the US dollar as alleged corruption in government flood control projects unsettled investors.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) slipped to a six-month low of 5,997.60, down by 0.49 percent, extending its losing streak to the sixth consecutive session.

This is its lowest closing value since April 7, when global markets were reacting to US President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs.

Likewise, the broader All Shares Index lost 0.23 percent, or 8.46 points, to close at 3,636.34. A total of 1.37 billion shares worth P4.72 billion changed hands, stock exchange data showed.

Investor confidence further dampened as they priced in the impact of corruption in anomalous flood control projects, said Japhet Tantiangco, research head at Philstocks Financial Inc.

Tantiangco pointed out that traders were considering the country’s economic growth prospects, ‘including inefficient public spending.’

‘Clouding the outlook’

Jonathan Ravelas, senior adviser at Reyes Tacandong and Co., said growth was ‘slowing, confidence is shaky, and corruption is clouding the outlook’ for the PSEi.

‘The fundamentals are there, but we’re not firing on all cylinders,’ Ravelas said.

Foreigners were net sellers, with outflows totaling P405.93 million. ­

‘The steep discount to our peers reflects doubt. If growth downgrades continue, the index could deteriorate further towards the 5,500 levels. The 5,800 support might not hold,’ Ravelas said.

Minutes after the market had closed, Sec. Francis Escudero delivered a privilege speech, during which he accused Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez of orchestrating a ‘zarzuela’ to redirect attention from Congressmen supposedly behind the anomalous flood control projects.

He likewise accused the former House Speaker of pushing for the ‘unconstitutional’ impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The services subsector saw the steepest loss as index heavyweight International Container Terminal Services Inc. lost 2.63 percent to close at P481 each.

BDO Unibank Inc. was the most actively traded stock as it shed 2.6 percent to P135 each. Others were RL Commercial REIT Inc., down 0.13 percent to P7.55; Bloomberry Resorts Corp., up 2.93 percent to P4.22; Philex Mining Corp., up 5.64 percent to P8.24; and Apex Mining Co. Inc., up 9.7 percent to P10.52 each.

Losers outnumbered gainers, 106 to 100, while 58 companies closed unchanged.

Bearish peso

The weakening peso added to the negative sentiment, said Luis Limlingan, head of sales at stock brokerage house Regina Capital Development Corp.

The peso closed at 58.145 against the dollar, down by half a centavo from Friday’s 58.10 finish, Bankers Association of the Philippines data showed.

The local currency briefly strengthened to 57.945 before paring gains. The dollar itself eased on worries about a potential government shutdown in the United States.

Traders said the flood control scandal continued to weigh heavily on sentiment.

‘A further deterioration of the currency above the 58.50 levels will accelerate the market’s fall. The close above the 58 levels marks [that] the market is already pricing the political noise,’ Ravelas said.

The peso ‘opened lower because of fewer dovish Fed expectations after US PCE (personal consumption expenditure) data came in as expected, but downside was still limited due to [local] corruption issues,’ one trader said. INQ

House of Representatives Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III has asked for the inclusion of eight bills into the list of priority measures, including a proposal to bar contractors related or linked to government officials from participating in bidding for projects.

Dy, in a statement on Tuesday, said he mentioned the bills during the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) meeting earlier, adding that the House is willing to work hand-in-hand with the Senate and the executive in passing these proposals.

The eight measures are the following:

proposed Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Framework to ensure swift and transparent calamity response

proposals to strengthen the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) by extending its corporate life and opening select lands for development

proposed Presidential Merit Scholarship Program to reward outstanding graduates from low- and middle-income families

proposal disqualifying relatives of officials up to the fourth degree from government contracts to strengthen integrity in public service

proposal regulating digital campaigning through a Fair Use of Social Media, AI, and Internet Technology in Elections

proposal modernizing the Bureau of Immigration by professionalizing its ranks, adding visa categories, and upgrading border security

proposed Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act to stabilize prices and empower the National Food Authority

proposed Magna Carta for Barangays will institutionalize long-overdue benefits and ensure resources for local officials and communities

‘We meet today in a spirit of collaborative governance to align our legislative agenda with the administration’s Philippine Development Plan and its 8-point Socioeconomic Agenda,’ Dy said.

‘With the President’s leadership and the collective will of this Council, we are confident that we can achieve these legislative goals,’ he added.

The bill barring contractors related to government officials came after revelations of an expansive corruption scheme in infrastructure projects, particularly flood control.

In his fourth State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. condemned government officials and firms who allegedly earned kickbacks at the expense of people suffering from heavy floods.

Eventually, the President released a list of contractors, along with flood control projects that were either faulty or non-existent.

Observers and netizens were quick to establish links between contractors and lawmakers and other politicians like former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, Senate President Francis Escudero, and former Pasig mayoral candidate Sarah Discaya.

Escudero is not related to any contractor but he admitted to receiving campaign donations from an individual who owns a company doing infrastructure projects with the government.

The Senator last August 4 filed a bill that seeks to disqualify public officials and their relatives up to fourth civil degree from entering into government contracts, saying that he believes Senate Bill No. 783 would sharpen the country’s procurement safeguards as part of the continuing efforts to fight graft and corruption.

Co meanwhile founded Sunwest Corporation – another company doing flood control projects. Co, who resigned as congressman on Monday, however insisted in the past that he has divested his interests in Sunwest.

Aside from Dy, other House leaders were present during the meeting, including Majority Leader Sandro Marcos.

The Senate contingent meanwhile, was headed by Senate President Vicente Sotto III.

According to Dy, of the 33 measures identified by the executive, 32 are bills already filed in the House. This, the speaker said, ‘sets a positive tone for our productive collaboration with all branches of government.’

Dy also said that the House legislative agenda for the 20th Congress is ‘anchored on economic growth, stronger social protection, and governance reforms,’ which means the chamber will focus on bills that would provide ‘affordable food, generate sustainable jobs, expand digital connectivity and raise the quality of public services for all Filipinos.’

Last May 29, former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez told the Ledac that the House of the 19th Congress was able to approve 27 out of the administration’s 28 priority legislation.

Among the bills that have been approved by the House and has been transmitted to the Senate for further action:

National Water Resources Act

amendments to the Right-of-Way Act

National Citizens Service Training Program Act

Military and Uniformed Personnel Pension System Act

Water Treatment Technology Act

Single-use Plastic Bags Tax Act

Revised Government Auditing Act

Immigration Modernization Act