Latest news with #GeneralAppropriationsAct
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
GAB should be posted on House website for transparency — Gatchalian
The General Appropriations Bill (GAB) should be posted on the website of the House of Representatives to allow the public to keep track of the country's annual budget, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Sunday. Gatchalian made the remark after he was asked if he is in favor of opening the bicameral budget deliberations to the public. 'Dadagdagan ko pa yan. Kung ako, pati 'yung GAB, dapat i-post sa website. Sa ngayon, hindi 'yan kaya bulag ang taumbayan kung ano ang isinusumite ng Kamara sa Senado,' Gatchalian told Super Radyo dzBB. (I would add to that. In my opinion, I think the General Appropriations Bill should be posted on the website. Right now, it's not, which means the public is blind to what the House is submitting to the Senate.) 'Kung ako, dapat ipost yan ng House of Representatives sa website (if it were up to me, the House should post the GAB on its website),' he added. The senator added the Senate's committee report and GAB's third reading version should also be posted online. 'Para makita natin yung takbo at para nasusundan ng taong bayan kung ano yung napapalitan, ano yung nadadagdag at ano yung final version ng GAA (General Appropriations Act),' the solon said. (So that we can see the progress, and so that the public can follow the changes and the final version of the GAA.) Earlier this week, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the proposed P6.793 trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for Fiscal Year 2026. Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the DBM had to trim down requests for budget proposals that reached P10.101 trillion due to limited fiscal space and the fiscal consolidation strategy, which targets gradually reducing the national government's deficit from 5.5% of GDP in 2025 to 4.3% by 2028. — RF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
14-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
De Lima files bill to disclose confi, intel fund outlays flagged by COA
A bill lifting the secrecy on the disbursement details of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) and limiting the CIF allocation to 10% of the agency's budget, among others, has been proposed in the House of Representatives. Former Justice secretary and current ML party-list Representative Leila de Lima on Monday made the proposal under her House Bill 1845, or the CIF Utilization and Accountability Act. IN the bill, all CIF information and documents will remain confidential, but will automatically lose confidentiality and will thereafter be disclosed to the public once the Commission on Audit (COA) issues a Notice of Disallowance (ND) on a CIF disbursement. State auditors issue NDs if when the expenditure is found to be 'either irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant, or unconscionable.' The ND, however, can be appealed by the concerned agency. 'The CIF, including all the information and documents related thereto, will then be subject to inquiries and investigations, with documents and related information to be made public, without need of compulsory processes,' the bill read. In addition, de Lima's proposal states that CIF allocations for any single agency, considering the population serviced, should not exceed 10% of the total annual budget of the agency, unless otherwise explicitly authorized by law. Further, the bill limits the allocation of CIF to agencies as indicated under the General Appropriations Act and to all other agencies, departments, and units 'with mandates related to national security, peace and order, and intelligence gathering.' 'While the initial guidelines in 2015 may have been appropriate and sufficient at that time, recent developments have exposed the vulnerability of the existing design, implementation, and auditing process of confidential and intelligence funds. Particularly significant among these recent developments is the reported misuse and malversation of confidential funds amounting to P612.5 million appropriated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) Sara Duterte and the Department of Education (DepEd) of which Duterte served as Secretary,' de Lima said in her explanatory note on the measure, referring to the subject of the impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte. She then cited the findings of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability panel on its inquiry on such funds which include: confidential funds were appropriated to civilian government agencies whose mandates do not include surveillance, nor involve national security and peace and order confidential expenses were unrelated to national security and peace and order, or confidential funds appropriated for non-confidential activities and expenses liquidation reports submitted had either unreadable, incomplete, unstated, repeating,or made-up or fictitious names of payees; or liquidation reports had forgeries or no signatures at all Special Disbursement Offices (SDOs) hired were clueless on how the confidential funds were spent after turning the funds over to another unauthorized individual upon instruction from Vice President Duterte and absence of reports on accomplishments of the use of confidential funds. 'The obvious misuse and malversation of millions in taxpayer money as a result of exploiting the weak and insufficient guidelines on confidential and intelligence funds, poses a serious threat to the preservation of public trust in the government and the legitimacy of its institutions,' de Lima said. 'As such, legislative intervention is deemed necessary to ensure that CIF are strictly appropriated to justifiable activities and agencies with mandates to maintain national security and peace and order, and are properly audited with as much transparency as permitted without compromising confidential and intelligence operations,' she added. — BM, GMA Integrated News
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GMA Network
01-07-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
DA targets corn procurement as rice substitute by 2026
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is targeting to purchase stocks of corn to supplement its rice supply by 2026. During an ambush interview on Tuesday, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the agency intends to purchase white corn and yellow corn to produce corn grits as rice alternatives. 'It's because it's for food… Madami pa tayong area sa Pilipinas na kumakain talaga ng corn grits. At least, subukan natin pababain ang demand ng bigas,' he said. (It's because it's for food… We have a lot of areas in the Philippines where people have corn grits as part of their diet. At least, we should try lowering the demand for rice.) Laurel shared that the budget request for the acquisition was included in the DA's General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2026. 'Hopefully, mabigyan kami ng konti at least to start the ball rolling. Maybe P500 million to P1 billion [ang starting budget],' he added. (Hopefully, we would be granted even a bit at least to start the ball rolling. [A starting budget] of maybe P500 million to P1 billion.) The DA said the procured corn will be placed in its 134 newly refurbished National Food Authority (NFA) warehouses with their P20-per-kilo rice stocks. 'Pag tumakbo na ang ating P20 na launch [para sa bigas] at tuloy tuloy yan, mababawasan na yung average stock level ng ating mga warehouses sa bigas. So, meron nang room diyan,' said Laurel. (Once our P20 launch [for rice] begins and continues, the average stock level of rice in our warehouses will lessen. So, there will now be room.) Earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited two of the aforementioned 134 warehouses in San Idelfonso, Bulacan for an inspection and to hold a dialogue with rice farmers in the province. The NFA has said that it will be opening Kadiwa Stores for the roll-out of the P20-per-kilo rice grains, and are targeting the nationwide implementation of the program by 2026. —RF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
24-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
DOE: Fuel subsidy not needed ‘for now' as crude prices drop
"Mind you, because of the lowering of the prices internationally, it might go lower also… baka hindi na kailangan ng ayuda (there might be no need for subsidy)," Garin told Palace reporters. The government's fuel subsidy program for the public transport and agriculture sectors might not be activated after the price of crude oil in the international market went down, Department of Energy officer-in-charge Sharon Garin said on Tuesday. Garin said that as of Tuesday morning, June 24, the average price of crude oil stood at about $69 per barrel after US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran was already in place. He also asked both sides not to violate it. "Mind you, because of the lowering of the prices internationally, it might go lower also… baka hindi na kailangan ng ayuda (there might be no need for subsidy)," Garin told Palace reporters. Under the 2025 General Appropriations Act, the P2.5 billion budget allocated for the public transport sector's fuel subsidy will be released once the average price of crude oil breaches the $80 per barrel threshold. Garin said Trump's announcement calmed the industry. "There's less speculation, so it went down to $69 as of this morning,' Garin said. She said that 'technically,' the fuel subsidy is not needed at this time since the price of crude oil has yet to breach $80. Still, Garin said the government was ready to 'distribute anytime.' 'All agencies are bracing for impact, even parang wala namang impact pero we're still preparing for it,' Garin said. To ease the burden on motorists, fuel retailers have agreed to implement the big-time hike in petroleum prices in two tranches. Major petroleum firms hiked the prices per liter of gasoline by P1.75, diesel by P2.60, and kerosene by P2.40, effective 6 a.m. on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. The same price hikes will be implemented at 6 a.m. on Thursday, June 26, reflecting the second tranche of adjustments. The Department of Transportation (DOTr), meanwhile, said it was looking to immediately release the fuel subsidy for operators and drivers of public utility vehicles when a sizable oil price hike takes effect in the country. The fuel subsidy will be released through the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), with guidelines now being finalized. Apart from the P2.5 billion fuel subsidy for the public transport sector, the 2025 national budget also allocated P150 million in fuel subsidy for the farm and fisheries sectors at P75 million each once the crude oil price breaches the threshold. –NB, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
18-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Marcos: Fuel subsidies to be provided in expected oil price hike
President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said that fuel subsidies would be given as oil prices are expected to rise amid the tension between Israel and Iran. In an interview with reporters, Marcos was asked how the Philippine government is bracing for the expected impact of the conflict. ''We are starting already with the assumption that the oil prices will in fact go up and I cannot see how it will not. Because the Strait of Hormuz will then be blocked if it escalates. The oil cannot come out of its sources. So the prices will certainly be affected,'' Marcos said. ''So the subsidies that we have always given, fuel subsidies, that we gave to, if you remember during the pandemic, lalong-lalong na 'yung mga napapasada, 'yung mga may hanap-buhay naman sila, binigyan nating fuel subsidies (We gave fuel subsidies to drivers during the pandemic)," he added. The president also said that the fuel subsidy will also include others who will be "severely affected." "Now we will have to do the same for those who are severely affected, stakeholders, by any instability in the price of oil. Yes, it's a serious problem,'' said Marcos. Under the existing policy, fuel subsidies for public transport drivers and farmers are automatically activated when the price of Dubai crude breaches $80 per barrel. Fuel prices The 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) provides an allocation of P2.5 billion through the Department of Transportation for fuel subsidies to drivers of public utility vehicles, taxis, ride-hailing services, and delivery platforms across the country. The President earlier tasked the Department of Energy to strictly monitor the tension in the Middle East as this is expected to affect fuel prices. The conflict between Iran and Israel began last Friday when the latter attacked Iran with air strikes. The Department of Energy-Oil Industry Management Bureau (DOE-OIMB) earlier projected pump price hikes this week, citing gains on positive US-China trade signals, the stall in nuclear negotiations between US and Iran, and the expected oil demand growth in the next two and a half decades. The DOE is already on alert and is implementing proactive and targeted measures to shield the economy and Filipino consumers against the negative effects of the escalating tensions between the two countries. DOE Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Sharon Garin said that the immediate priority is to ensure that the fuel supply remains stable and sufficient and that any local price adjustments are managed in a way that minimizes disruption to the Philippine economy. The agency also called on industry players to 'implement staggered fuel price adjustments, especially in cases of sudden and significant spikes in global oil prices, in order to cushion the impact on local consumers." As of June 16, the price of Dubai crude reached $73 per barrel, according to the DOE. Meanwhile, Marcos also said that there is no need yet for mandatory repatriation despite the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
