Latest news with #Pilipino
GMA Network
11 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Amendments to 4Ps law will let beneficiaries stay more than 7 years — DSWD
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said that amendments to the 4Ps program would allow beneficiaries to stay in the program as long as they needed to. During the Post-SONA discussion on Tuesday, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian shared that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s call to amend the 4Ps law would allow those in the program to stay longer than seven years. Gatchalian noted this as a welcome development, as two million Filipinos were about to exit the program in 2026 for reaching the maximum number of years in the program. 'Itong programa na ito namumuhunan tayo sa taong bayan, namumuhunan tayo sa Pilipino. This is an investment in human capital. Kumbaga hindi pa tapos yung ating pamumuhunan, kailangan siguraduhin natin na hindi masayang 'yung investment natin,' he said. (This program invests in the public and Filipinos. This is an investment on human capital. Our investments are not yet over, so we need to ensure that what we have poured in would not be wasted.) Gatchalian noted that the length of a beneficiary's stay in the program should depend on their state and quality of life, and if they would be able to support themselves after graduating from the program. 'Tinignan ng Pangulo yung kapakanan nila at yung estado nila sa buhay rather than yung pipilitin natin na alis sila sa programa, masasayang ang pamumuhunan natin sa kanila at masasayang yung programa sa whole,' he shared. (The President is considering their welfare and state of life rather than forcing them to leave the program, and it would be a waste of our investment on them and the program as a whole.) 'Kailan tignan natin yung estado ng pamilya: Kaya na ba talaga nilang tumayo sa kanilang sariling paa? Yung mga anak ba nila, nakatapos na?' he added. (We need to look at the state of the family: Can they now stand on their own? Have their kids been able to finish their studies?) The DSWD Secretary shared that 1.4 million Filipinos have already graduated from the 4Ps program since it began in 2022. — RF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
a day ago
- Business
- GMA Network
Romualdez vows 'no backroom haggling' in budget
Speaker Martin Romualdez vowed to heed President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.'s call for a budget overhaul to ensure that flood control projects will be corruption-free. 'The President's message was clear: make the government work better for the people. As Speaker, I am committed to making sure the budget reflects that – every centavo must go where it's needed most,' Romualdez said. "The House leadership is prepared to act decisively on long-needed structural changes to the national budget process, and that these reforms must prioritize accountability, eliminate inefficiencies and ensure that spending directly addresses the needs of Filipino families," he added. Romualdez then reiterated his call for opening the bicameral conference committee discussions, wherein the Senate and House versions of the national budget are reconciled, to the public to prevent money business. 'No backroom haggling. The people have every right to know how their money is being spent. If we want trust, we have to earn it, starting with an open bicam,' he stressed. 'We need to put food on the table, ensure no family is crushed by hospital bills, and create jobs that restore dignity and hope. The House will do its job with focus and compassion. Because at the end of the day, that budget isn't about institutions. It's about lives,' Speaker Romualdez added. In his fourth State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned government personnel who steal public funds, such as those for flood control projects, that they will be dealt with under the law. ''Sa mga nakikipagsabwatan upang kunin ang pondo ng bayan at nakawin ang kinabukasan ng ating mga mamamayan, mahiya naman kayo sa inyong kapwa Pilipino,'' Marcos said. ''Mahiya naman kayo sa mga kabahayan nating naanod o nalubog sa pagbaha. Mahiya naman kayo lalo na sa mga anak natin na magmamana ng utang nung ibinulsa niyo ang pera,'' he added. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
a day ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
SONA 2025 protesters slam hurdles to VP Sara Duterte impeachment
Groups on Monday protested against the obstacles to the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, saying that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. was among those to blame for the delay. Several groups marched along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City to call for action from the government as Marcos delivered his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA). Former ACT Teachers party-list representative France Castro expressed disappointment over the developments in the vice president's impeachment case. 'Sino ang dapat na sisihin kung bakit nagkakaroon ng delay sa pagpapanagot sa impeachment? Si Marcos, ang liderato ng Senado. Dahil inuuna pa ang mga personal na mga posisyon, personal na mga interes laban sa hustisya. Ang Supreme Court, inuna pa ang kapakanan ni Sara Duterte,' she said. (Who should be blamed for the delay in impeachment? Marcos, the leadership of the Senate. Because personal positions, personal interests are prioritized over justice. The Supreme Court put benefiting Sara Duterte welfare before it.) 'Hindi tayo titigil hangga't hindi mapatalsik si Sara Duterte. Patalksin si Sara Duterte, i-impeach si Sara Duterte. Tayo yung magsisilbing hukom at gagamitin ang buong lansangan para gawin nating korte. So tayo ay maniningil kay Sara Duterte, [at] kay Marcos na nagpabaya,' Castro added. (We will not stop until Sara Duterte is ousted. Depose Sara Duterte, impeach Sara Duterte. We will serve as judges and use the streets as our court. So we will blame Sara Duterte, [and] Marcos for his dereliction.) Kiko Aquino Dee, one of those who filed an impeachment complaint against Duterte, called out the government's slow action on what he called the misappropriation of funds. 'Simpleng ang mga tanong namin. Tama ba ang paglustay ng pera ng DepEd sa kalagitnaan ng isang krisis sa edukasyon? Tama ba ang pagbanta ng karahasan at pagpatay sa kahit sinong mamamayang Pilipino? Imbes na sagutin ang mga tanong na ito, pinaglaruan ng kamara ang impeachment complaint mula Disyembre hanggang Pebrero,' said Dee, referring to the questions of Duterte's handling of the education department's funds when she was secretary, and to her threats against Marcos. (Our questions are simple. Was it right for the Department of Education to waste money in the middle of an education crisis? Is it right to threaten with violence and kill any Filipino citizen? Instead of answering these questions, the chamber toyed with the impeachment complaint from December to February.) 'Nagpatumpik-tumpik ang Senado mula Pebrero hanggang Hunyo at ginawang mas makitid ng Korte Suprema ang butas ng karayum na kailangan natin daanan para makapit ang hustisya ngayong Hulyo,' he added, in reference to the Supreme Court's ruling that the articles of impeachment against Duterte were unconstitutional. (The Senate chose to relax from February to June and the Supreme Court narrowed the needle we must pass through to get justice this July.) 'Hanggang ngayon naghuhugas-kamay ang Malacañang dahil ang pagpapanagot sa isang mataas ng opisyal ay hindi raw makakatulong sa iisang Pilipino. Hindi talaga nakakatulong ang impeachment sa mga makapangyarihan. Pero baka nakakalimutan nila, hindi lang sila ang mga Pilipino, Pilipino tayong lahat. Habang hindi napapanagot ang mga katiwalian at impunity, Pilipino ang ninanakawan. Pilipino ang pinapapatay,' Dee added. (Until now, Malacañang is washing its hands because it claims that holding a high official to account will not help a single Filipino. Impeachment does not really help the powerful. But maybe they forget, they are not the only Filipinos, we are all Filipinos. While corruption and impunity are not held accountable, Filipinos are the ones being robbed. Filipinos are being killed.) 'No bite' For his part, Bayan president Renato Reyes Jr. said that Marcos' SONA was 'all bark but no bite.' 'The tough talk on corruption ignored the most crucial corruption issue today: the impeachment of the Vice President and the abuse of so-called confidential funds. Mr. Marcos had nothing to say about the elephant in the room—the House impeached the Vice President, the Senate stalled the trial and the Supreme Court derailed the trial. How could the president not comment on a matter involving massive corruption, conflict among the different branches of government and the miscarriage of justice? How will we even take his anti-corruption rhetoric seriously?' he said in a statement. The SC's ruling is in relation to the consolidated petition filed by Duterte, lawyer Israelito Torreon, and others seeking to declare the Articles of Impeachment against her as null and void. Supreme Court spokesperson Camille Ting clarified that the high tribunal "is not absolving" Duterte from the charges against her, but added that "any subsequent impeachment complaint" may only be filed starting February 6, 2026. This is a day after the one-year anniversary of House of Representatives impeachment of Duterte, including its endorsement of the fourth complaint that constituted the Articles of Impeachment. The SC decision is immediately executory. However, Ting said the House of Representatives may still file a motion for reconsideration. Religious groups join action Aside from progressive groups, members of the religious sector also joined the rally as they sought accountability from the Marcos administration on various issues. Reverend Carleen Nomorosa, ordained deacon of United Methodist Church, was joined by more than 90 seminarians and pastors. 'Nandito kami dahil naniniwala kami na dapat i-convict si Sara Duterte at dapat singilin si Marcos sa kanyang pananahimik…at sa kanyang hindi pagtugon sa mga hinaing ng taong bayan,' she told reporters. (We are here because we believe that Sara Duterte should be convicted and Marcos should be charged for his his failure to respond to the grievances of the people.) For her part, Sister Shirley Mabunga of Missionaries of Perpetual Help said that joining the protests means being in one with the plight of the masses. 'Bilang isang taong simbahan, nakikiisa kami rito para sa boses ng mga mamayan na humihingi ng katarungan at katotohan dahil sa mga nangyaring issues sa ating bansa, dahil na rin sa mga dinanas na kahirapan ng ating mga kababayan lalo ng mga nakalipas na bagyo,' she told GMA News Online. (As a church person, we are united here for the voice of the people who are asking for justice and truth because of the issues that happened in our country, also because of the hardships suffered by our countrymen especially in the past typhoons.) — BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
SONA 2025: Marcos 'willing' to operate on reenacted budget in 2026
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. made an unprecedented declaration that the government would operate under a reenacted budget in 2026, warning that he will veto a proposed budget bill that will not be in harmony with his administration's programs and priorities. 'For the 2026 national budget, I will return any proposed Generation Appropriations bill that is not fully aligned with the National Expenditure Program (NEP),' Marcos said during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA 2025) Monday. 'Further, I am willing to do this even if we end up with a reenacted budget. 'Di ko aapribubahan ang kahit na anong budget na hindi alinsunod sa plano ng gobyerno para sa sambayanang Pilipino (I will not approve a budget that is not aligned with the government's plan for the Filipinos),' the President declared. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) defines a reenacted budget as a situation where the previous year's General Appropriations Act (GAA) is extended and remains in effect for a preceding year until such time the Congress passes a budget bill into law. Early this month, Marcos approved the P6.793-trillion NEP for Fiscal Year 2026. The 2026 NEP resulted from about P10.101 trillion budget proposals which was trimmed down 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. The proposed P6.793-trillion 2026 budget was equivalent to 22.0 percent of GDP and higher by 7.4% from the fiscal year 2025 budget of P6.326 trillion. The NEP will be submitted by the President to Congress within 30 days after the opening of the regular session. The 2025 GAA had its fair share of criticisms amid claims of insertions made by legislators during the bicam for cash aid programs such as AKAP and TUPAD. The President signed the P6.326-trillion GAA for 2025 in December 2024, but vetoed P194 billion worth of line items that are not consistent with his administration's priorities. Marcos issued his threat to veto the 2026 budget bill after making a stern warning against government personnel who steal funds especially for flood control projects. The President claimed that erring government officials are making a racket out of these projects by having 'kickback, initiative, errata, SOP, for the boys.' 'Kaya sa mga nakikipag-sabwatan upang kunin ang pondo ng bayan at nakawin ang kinabukasan ng ating mga mamamayan, mahiya naman kayo sa inyong kapwa Pilipino,' Marcos said. (To those who collude to steal the country's funds and the Filipino people's future, shame on you.) The country's Chief Executive ordered an audit and performance review of flood control 'to check, and make sure, and to know how your money was spent' as he warned that heads will roll and cases will be slapped against erring personnel and contractors. 'Kailangan malaman ng taumbayan ang buong katotohanan. Kailangang may maging managot sa naging pinsala at katiwalian,' Marcos said. (The Filipino people should know the truth. Those responsible for the damage and irregularity should be held accountable.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
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GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Marcos on gov't execs stealing flood funds: Shame on you
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has served notice to government personnel who steal funds allocated for infrastructure projects, such as flood control projects, that they will be dealt with under the law. ''Sa mga nakikipagsabwatan upang kunin ang pondo ng bayan at nakawin ang kinabukasan ng ating mga mamamayan, mahiya naman kayo sa inyong kapwa Pilipino,'' Marcos said during his fouth State of the Nation Address. ''Mahiya naman kayo sa mga kabahayan nating naanod at nalubog sa pagbaha. Mahiya naman kayo sa mga anak natin na magmamana ng utang,'' Marcos added. He then tasked the Department of Public Works and Highways to submit a list of flood-control projects in the last three years.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
