Latest news with #SpecialAllotmentReleaseOrder
GMA Network
01-07-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
DBM releases P3.627B for continuous gov't rural electrification program
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Tuesday announced it has approved the release of P3.627 billion for the continuous implementation of the government's rural electrification initiative. In a statement, the DBM said Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman approved the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) for the 2025 Strategized Rural Electrification and Operational Reliability for Electric Cooperatives (ECs) to the National Electrification Administration (NEA). "We have released more than P3.627 billion to cover the continuous implementation of NEA's Rural Electrification Program. Of this amount to cover the energization of 1,752 sitios and five barangays under the 2025 subsidy," said Pangandaman. Broken down, of the P3.627-billion released funds, P3.439 billion will be used to cover the energization of 1,752 sitios under the subsidy for Fiscal Year 2025 for the Sitio Electrification Program under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA). Another P68.839 million will be allotted for the rehabilitation of five barangays that were previously served by off-grid solutions but deemed unsustainable, through the Barangay Line Enhancement Program. The DBM, moreover, said a total of P120 million will be utilized to procure and distribute 4,000 units of Solar Photovoltaic Mainstreaming to provide electricity to communities without access to reliable power sources. The Budget Department said that, from 2017 to 2024, the NEA has already energized a total of 9,645 sitios, leaving a balance of 9,622 unenergized targeted sitios to be funded by the national budget until 2028. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
Filipino Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Filipino Times
Arnell Ignacio defends P1.4-B OWWA land deal: ‘Legacy project' for OFWs, not anomalous
Former OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio defended the agency's P1.4-billion land acquisition project, saying talks about the deal started as early as 2018 when he was still deputy administrator. Ignacio said the proposal had been brought up in the Senate, where he appealed for flexibility in using the agency's funds. He also claimed they coordinated with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), which provided legal guidance on modifying fund usage. 'All requirements were followed, and the project passed the necessary processes, including the issuance of a Special Allotment Release Order,' he said during a press conference in Quezon City. He added that the OWWA board was informed, and a technical working group reviewed the project under then-Chairman Secretary Hans Cacdac. Ignacio denied any irregularities in the transaction, asserting compliance with Republic Act 10752 and saying the deal should not be called 'anomalous.' 'This is a legacy project for OFWs,' Ignacio said, referring to the 6,499-square-meter property near NAIA Terminal 1. The site, he said, is intended for a halfway house for returning OFWs. He added that Landbank conducted the valuation and CAAP issued the necessary permits. Responding to corruption allegations, Ignacio insisted he did not earn anything from the transaction. 'To the OFWs I have been serving, I did not betray you. I did this out of love and did not profit from it,' he said. Earlier, Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said Ignacio was removed for proceeding with the land purchase without the board's approval. Malacañang said investigations are ongoing, but initial findings showed that the OWWA trust fund was not used for the property purchase.
