By Junex Doronio

MANILA — With Senator Robinhood Padilla set to be named as party president of feisty former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) which was rocked by the recent resignations of Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia and Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan, re-electionist Senators Lito Lapid and Pia Cayetano are expected to join the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas for the 2025 senatorial race.

Reliable sources told Maharlika NuMedia that the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas will be a “formidable political alliance” since it is composed of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez’s Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) and former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III’s Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

Sotto III, former Senators Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and Manny Pacquiao will likely join the pro-PBBM political alliance, the same sources said.

Pacquiao has confirmed he will be running again for senator but Lacson neither confirmed nor denied the possibility.

It was also learned that Makati Mayor Abby Binay, who recently joined the NPC is also said to be eyeing a Senate seat as her sister Sen. Nancy Binay will run for mayor in Makati.

(el Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

EXPRESSING SURPRISE WHY SO MUCH FUSS over confidential and intelligence funds (CIF), Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has described it as “ironic” when seemingly there’s nary a whimper on personal data of thousands of Filipinos being exposed due to recent hacking incidents targeting government websites.

On Tuesday, October 17, Cayetano expressed his disbelief at “too much focus” on CIF issues after leading the probe of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology into the ransomware attack that targeted PhilHealth, and the other hacking incidents on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the House of Representatives website.

He added that the Senate website was also a target of a spike in hacking attempts.

“Napakalaking irony that the biggest issue now is people want to know (kung) saan ginagamit ang confidential funds. On the other hand, things that need to be confidential, like your health records, are now being hacked and exposed to the public,” he noted.

The controversy of CIF as another source of corruption was triggered when administration ally Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo surprisingly exposed that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) spent P125 million of its CIF in just 11 days in 2022.

Bowing to the public sentiment, congressmen crossed party lines and stripped Vice President Sara Duterte of her proposed P650 million CIF for 2024 for the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) which she heads as concurrent Secretary.

The funds were then realigned to the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), National Security Council (NSC), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

“It is essential to understand that this decision was made for the benefit of the nation and not as a personal affront to any individual, including VP Duterte,” declared the leaders representing the supermajority coalition, which supports the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez. (ai/mnm)

MANILA — For Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, helping address ‘spiritual poverty’ together with church leaders and life coaches through the Kaagapay Sa Pag-unlad (KSP) is as important as addressing other forms of poverty.

He said this as an encouragement to the 40 life coaches and church leaders who are actively involved in KSP, a program that he relaunched in 2020 to give better life for Taguigeños.

“Without church leaders, without the work of God, without seeking His kingdom and His righteousness, mawawala talaga tayo sa programang ito… kung anti-poverty program lang po ito na pareho sa mundo, kung pera lang ang pag uusapan, and if poverty is just lack of resources, [ma coconsider na ] spiritually poor din tayo,” Kuya Alan said in a lunch meeting with the core group in Bonifacio Global City on Wednesday, June 28.

“None of us are saying na fair ang mundong ito. Ang totoo ay unfair ang mundong ito until we can really learn to seek His kingdom and righteousness, until we can establish God’s principle in our homes, barangays, streets and cities,” he added.

Since KSP was originally started in 2010 as an anti-poverty program and relaunched in 2020 with its new name, Kuya Alan urged the group to rethink new ways to address various forms of poverty in KSP’s program.

“Ang success ng anti-poverty is wala nang poverty sa buhay nila. So in the next few days and weeks, together let’s define what poverty is. [Ito ba ay] kung wala kang knowledge, understanding, and wisdom sa word of GOD, may poverty ka. O wala kang makain, makuhang trabaho, etc.” he said.

“Kasi ‘yung iba sumobra ng simple, sumobra na pagiging humble. “Yung iba, makauwi lang sa pamilya, makabayad lang ng renta at kuryente, tingin nila wala nang poverty. Pero kapag kilala po nila ang Diyos natin at ang gusto Niya na i-prosper tayo, makikita nila na poverty pa rin iyon. Kasi kung hindi natin ma-fufulfill ang purpose sa buhay natin, poverty ‘yun kasi ninakaw sa atin ng demonyo ‘yun, kasi may plano ang Diyos,” he explained.

More than spiritual and physical poverty, Kuya Alan added that KSP also needs to address the lack of understanding, knowledge, and wisdom in the city.

“Ano yung common na denominator na nakikita natin sa poverty? Obviously ‘yung lack of opportunity – whether it be single parent kaya hirap, may sakit, o talagang nalugi sa negosyo. The other is kakulangan ng kaalaman. This is why the search for understanding, knowledge and wisdom is essential to what the group is doing,” he said.

Kuya Alan also stressed the role of KSP as church and city leaders to be watchful against sinful ‘corporate sins’ such as gambling, drugs abuse, and other forms of vices, to propagate in the city.

“Kapag ipinagdadasal mo, “Lord patawarin mo ang Taguig” pero kapag tumingin ka sa kaliwa mo ay panay sugalan; sa kanan, panay bar na may naghuhubad at mga motel, at kapag tumingin ka dito, walang pwedeng magtayo ng negosyo na wala kang 20% [cut], paano naman hindi i-judge ni Lord yun?” he said.

“It is our responsibility as city leaders and church leaders na corporately walang masabi ang Panginoon sa atin. Kaya kasama dito, kapag may nakikita na tayong hindi maganda ang nangyayari, magsumbong na tayo. Gumalaw na tayo. Kapag may isang sugalan o motel pa lang magtatayo diyan, huwag nating sabihing isa lang iyan. Dadami iyan. Magiging problema iyan later on,” he added.

To encourage the group before ending his message, Kuya Alan urged them to expect upgrades in the way they do things.

“Three years na ito itong KSP, pero since 2010 ang ating anti-poverty program. Thirteen years na rin ito. We also have to judge ourselves, kung after 13 years, walkman pa rin ang gamit natin, [hindi iPhone]. Mag upgrade rin po tayo sa ating mga ginagawa. It’s a challenge for all of us,” he said.