By Liza Soriano
MANILA — The Senate Committee on Finance completed on Tuesday (21 Nov 2023) its discussions on the proposed P5.768 trillion national budget for the upcoming year.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri announced the conclusion of plenary deliberations on the 2024 national budget at around 4:42 a.m. Tuesday, marking the end of two weeks of marathon sessions.
The budget deliberations commenced in the first week of the month, with notable events including the withdrawal of confidential funds from the Office of the President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
On Monday, senators decided to reallocate the P300 million confidential funds of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, stated that they will submit the proposed amendment to the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) this week. Angara anticipates that the proposal could be approved during the second and third readings on Monday (27 Nov 2023).
Approval during the second and third readings can occur on the same day if the President certifies it as urgent.
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By Liza Soriano
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Tuesday that Senate employees will be receiving “generous bonuses” in time for Christmas.
Zubiri made the announcement during last night’s Christmas decor lighting ceremonies, saying that it is the result of Senate employees’ hard work and dedication.
“‘Yung mga good news hindi ko muna ibabalita dito sa inyo, isikreto na lang natin. Kasi sasabihin na naman ng taumbayan, sana all,” Zubiri said.
“Pero gagawin natin para sa inyong lahat, at you will be getting a very generous, this year, a generous gift from your Senate, members of the Senate, and the Senate leadership. And, I hope you will all be happy,” he added.
Meanwhile, Zubiri also asked the employees to “pay it forward” by sharing it with others.
“Pay it forward. Lalo na sa mga mahihirap n’yong mga kababayan, sa inyong mga barangay, sa inyong mga villages. Share it as well with them. Because we owe it to our people, that’s why we are here in the first place, it’s them who gives us our salary,” the Senate President said.
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By Dang Samson Garcia
SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Thursday called on authorities to arrest and ensure the swift prosecution of those who took part in the initiation rites that killed a student, Ahldryn Leary Bravante.
Zubiri said all those involved in the hazing of the 25-year-old student of the Philippine College of Criminology in Manila should spend the rest of their lives behind bars.
“The full force of the law must come down on those soulless people who killed the same person they claim to be as their brother,” he fumed. “We should put an end to these acts of savagery. Let’s ensure that those who mock our system of justice would be made to account for their misdeeds.”
The senator said the latest incident of fraternity violence was appalling, as it happened barely eight months after the hazing death of John Matthew Salilig.
At least 12 fraternity members were said to be behind Bravante’s death, including four who were already in police custody.
“This senseless death of another young student due to barbaric fraternity tradition is not only enraging, but frustrating as well as it happened despite our efforts to put more teeth to the law against fraternity hazing,” Zubiri said.
The Senate chief pushed for the passage of Republic Act RA 11053, or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, after Horacio “Atio” Castillo III, then a freshman law student at the University of Santo Tomas, was beaten to death by members of Aegis Juris fraternity in 2017.
By Liza Soriano
SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri is blaming poor-performing Cabinet members over the decline of approval rating of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
In a recent survey of Pulse Asia, it showed that the approval rating of Marcos went down from 80 percent to 65 pecent.
Zubiri then urged Marcos to “crack the whip” on his Cabinet members.
“The number 1 na kinakaharap ng ating mga kababayan ay ang inflation… at pagtaas po ng presyo ng basic services. Kung ako po ang tatanungin ninyo, ang suggestion ko sa ating Pangulo, to crack the whip [on] his Cabinet. Lalo na yung mga poorly performing members of the Cabinet na imbes na tumulong ay lalong napeperwisyo ang ating Pangulo,” Zubiri said.
“If the problem is inflation, look at the agencies that’s supposed to trace and track why is there overpricing?… Bakit nagkakaroon ng hoarding? Bakit wala pang nahuhuling hoarders? Bakit wala pang pinapagalitang price manipulators on the market side?” he added.
The Senate President believes that Cabinet members who are poorly performing must be replaced.
“If they are not performing up to par with the President’s standards and where the country needs for them to be doing, I think they should be replaced, to be honest,” Zubiri said.
Meanwhile, he said that there three or four people in his mind who must be relieved from their post, however, refused to name them.
“May mga ahensya diyan na sa tingin ko, tanggalin na talaga yung mga secretaries at palitan na ng mga bagong secretary na sa tingin ko may puso para sa masang Pilipino. Para sa ganun, aksyon agad. Pag umakyat agad ang presyo ng bilihin sa delata, sa mga sardinas, sa isda, sa manok, sa bigas at pagkain ng taumbayan, aksyon agad,” the lawmaker furthered.
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By Dang Samson Garcia
PAG-AARALAN ng Senado kung maaaring ilipat sa regular funding ang ilang gastusin na nasa ilalim ng confidential fund ng Department of Education para sa 2024.
Ito ang binigyang-diin ni Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri upang hindi lumobo ang hinihinging confidential fund ng ahensiya.
Partikular na tinukoy ng Senate leader ang pagpopondo sa pagtatayo ng Last Mile Schools na naglalayong mailayo ang mga estudyante sa mga komunista.
“Kung kaya natin ilagay sa regular budget nila, kung may tulong sa Last Mile Schools advocacy na mawala ang communist rebels, influence sa mga last mile school tingnan natin kung baka puwedeng ilagay ‘yan sa kanilang Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses na lang o capital outlay,” pahayag ni Zubiri sa panayam ng DWIZ.
“Kung magtatayo ng additional infrastructure like dorm type facility para hindi na kailangang bumalik at umakyat teachers dyan para mabantayan nila ang population at hindi maimpluwensiyahan that can be done through insertion in capital outlay, halimbawa lang po ‘yan,” paliwanag ni Zubiri.
“Kung pwede ilagay sa MOOE o personnel services puwede natin gawin para hindi lolobo ang CIF ng ahensiya na sa tingin namin, hindi dapat makakuha ng ganun kalaki,” giit pa ng senador.
Una nang binuo ng Senado ang Special Oversight Committee on Confidential and Intelligence Fund upang masuri ang paggastos ng pondo ng mga ahensiya ng gobyerno.
Ito ay upang matukoy kung dapat pang tanggalin, tapyasan o dagdagan ang hinihinging confidential at intelligence fund ng mga departamento ng pamahalaan.
By Dang Samson Garcia
SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri assured his leadership will not agree on scrapping the Free Tertiary Education Act following the statement of Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno that the program is unsustainable.
“I think that is the best thing that happened to the Philippines. Nung pinirmahan ito ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, umiyak po ako, honestly naging sentimental ako. Hindi ko akalain na pipirmahan ni Pangulong Duterte ‘yan kasi ang daming kumokontra sa economic team niya. Malaki raw. Bubukol sa budget ng bansa,” Zubiri said in an interview over DWIZ.
“Kung problema natin kahirapan, the best way to combat it is education,” he added.
The Senate leader agreed though, there is a need to review the guidelines being implemented to ensure that only those poor but deserving students will benefit from the program.
“Ako pabor ako diyan na lagyan ng guidelines ng CHED pagdating sa pagpili. Nakinig po ako sa interview ni CHED Chairman Popoy de Vera, yung State Universities and Colleges sa iba’t ibang parte ng bansa tulad ng Bukidnon, Batangas, ang mga estudyante dyan mahihirap at deserving na makapasok,” he explained.
“I think ang issue ay University of the Philippines. Tama po ‘yan ang dami nang mayayaman na gustong pumasok sa UP na kaya naman nila magbayad kahit gaano kalaki and I think there should be special category if they are deserving to go to UP dapat bayaran nila tuition nila,” Zubiri added.
The senator recommended to implement again UP’s Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program or STFAP, which is the bracketing of UP students according to their family’s financial status.
“Ako ay pabor na pagdating sa mayayaman na estudyante, dapat hindi sila state subsidize…We can look into that. That’s a good reform, pero possibly sa UP lang ito. Kasi sa iba like sa PUP at iba pang SUC galing talaga sa lower class at middle class yan,” the Senate leader stressed.