Jojo C

'WAG MO GAMITIN GALING MO SA PANINIRA' Palace Press Officer Claire Castro has called out former Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno over her criticism of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s El Niño preparedness advice, questioning whether her remarks are linked to her planned 2028 Senate bid. Castro warned against using allegedly incomplete or misleading information for political gain, insisting that the President's advice to collect rainwater was part of broader government preparations.

‘REPLACING THE VICE PRESIDENT WILL NOT SOLVE THE COUNTRY’S MOST URGENT CRISES’ Atty. Salvador Paolo Panelo, Jr., spokesperson for Vice President Sara Duterte, released a statement to address talks on the possible replacement of Duterte if she is convicted and removed from office. “Discussions on possible replacements for the Vice President are not only premature, they are a distraction from the serious issues hounding the impeachment… These issues raise grave doubts as to whether a conviction by the Senate Impeachment Court, and any consequent attempt to install a replacement, would rest on any solid legal and moral foundation,” he wrote on Thursday. He also emphasized that removing Duterte from her post would not solve the country’s problems. “The impeachment has only made clear how this administration and its allies prioritize political maneuvering over the issues that matter most to ordinary Filipinos: putting food on the table, keeping the economy afloat, and securing the nation’s future,” he added. (Facebook/Salvador Paolo Panelo, Jr.)

KUNG IGNORANTE PALA KAMI, PWES SAGUTIN N'YO NA LANG ITO. TOTAL, MATATALINO KAYO. Sa mga miyembro ng Kongreso, ito ang mga tanong mula sa mga red flags na inilabas ng People's Budget Coalition at BetterGov.PH tungkol sa proposed 2027 national budget: 1. ₱199 BILLION SA BUDGET CHANGES. Bakit lumobo ang House reallocations mula sa unang inanunsyong ₱116 billion tungong halos ₱199 billion? Sino ang nagpanukala ng mga karagdagang pagbabago, at nasaan ang kumpletong dokumentasyon? 2. ₱190 BILLION SA HALOS 7,000 BAGONG PROYEKTO. Bakit walang publicly available supporting attachments ang libo-libong House-added infrastructure projects? Paano napatunayang kailangan, feasible, at properly costed ang mga ito? 3. MGA KALSADA SA DAGAT? Bakit may farm-to-market roads na ang coordinates ay lumilitaw sa Celebes Sea at Philippine Rise, at mga gusaling lumilitaw sa Algeria at Nigeria? Kung clerical errors lang, nasaan ang validated locations at corrected project documents? 4. ₱72 BILLION SA DAGDAG NA INFRASTRUCTURE. Bakit nadagdagan ng ₱42.7 billion ang multipurpose buildings at ₱29.2 billion ang access roads? Ano ang pamantayan sa pagpili at sino ang nagpanukala ng mga ito? 5. BILYON-BILYONG BAWAS SA HEALTHCARE. Bakit binawasan ng ₱4.9 billion ang immunization at family health commodities at ₱4.5 billion ang Health Facilities Enhancement Program, habang dinagdagan ng ₱24 billion ang MAIFIP? Bakit mas pinapalakas ang medical assistance kaysa sa pag-iwas sa sakit at pagpapahusay ng mga ospital? 6. AYUDA O POLITICAL PATRONAGE? Bakit tinaasan ang MAIFIP mula ₱24.2 billion tungong ₱48.2 billion at dinagdagan ng ₱24.8 billion ang AICS? Anong safeguards ang magtitiyak na hindi nakadepende sa political referrals ang pagtanggap ng tulong? 7. BAWAS SA TRANSPORTASYON AT DISASTER PREPAREDNESS. Bakit may malaking reductions sa Metro Manila Subway, North-South Commuter Railway, calamity funding, at flood management? Ano ang epekto nito sa commuters, project timelines, at disaster preparedness? 8. MULA ₱414 MILLION TUNGONG ₱4.8 BILLION? Bakit ganoon kalaki ang itinaas ng allocation sa Ilocos Norte 1st District Engineering Office? Ano ang objective criteria sa pamamahagi ng infrastructure funds sa bawat distrito? 9. ₱112 BILLION SA UNPROGRAMMED APPROPRIATIONS. Anong legal at transparency safeguards ang inilagay matapos ang mga naging constitutional issues sa nakaraang national budgets? Mga kongresista, hindi namin sinasabing lahat ng red flags ay korapsyon. Pero hindi rin kailangang may criminal conviction muna bago magkaroon ng karapatan ang taumbayang magtanong. At huwag ninyong sabihing taga-review lang ang Kongreso. Sa Article VI ng Konstitusyon, may kapangyarihan kayong amyendahan at ipasa ang appropriations bill, alinsunod sa constitutional limits. Hindi kayo simpleng tagabasa ng budget na ipinasa ng Executive. Pagod na ang mga Pilipinong magbayad ng buwis habang naghihintay ng disenteng ospital, paaralan, kalsada, at serbisyong pampubliko. Hindi namin kailangan ng panibagong lecture tungkol sa budget process. Kailangan namin ng dokumento, paliwanag, at pananagutan. Kung mali ang findings ng People's Budget Coalition at BetterGovPH, ilabas ang ebidensiya at itama ang mga ito. Hindi ignorance ang paghingi ng resibo. At hindi kailangang maging eksperto sa public finance para maging karapat-dapat sa tapat na gobyerno. Pera namin iyan. Karapatan naming magtanong. Trabaho ninyong sumagot.

The house of representatives just called us 'ignorant'. You just made the angry nerds, angrier. We are not ignorant. We are fully aware of what you're doing ✊🏼. We have receipts!

Here is list of ALL the insertions that Abet Garcia is looking for. May leaderboard ito with the names and faces of the most ganid in the HOR. Explore and share: budget.bettergov.ph/hgab/202… Sama-sama tayong magbantay sa national budget!

MAAWA NAMAN KAYO! Yesterday’s budget hearing left me torn between despair and hope. Engaging with diverse advocacy groups, both young and old, united as guardrails for public funds was truly inspiring. As a steadfast budget vanguard myself, it has further strengthened my resolve.

LIKE UNCLE, LIKE NEPHEW?! SANDRO MARCOS' DISTRICT TOPS ₱4.38-B BUDGET INSERTIONS LIST — WATCHDOG The congressional district of House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, nephew of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, topped the list of districts with the largest House-added infrastructure projects in the proposed 2027 national budget, according to the People's Budget Coalition. The budget watchdog flagged ₱4.38 billion worth of additions for Ilocos Norte's 1st District, while raising concerns over nearly ₱190 billion in House-inserted projects allegedly lacking published supporting documents. The coalition warned that such insertions could expose government agencies to corruption risks and called for greater transparency in the budget process. 🎥 Senate of the Philippines

I was in the Committee of Finance public hearing with CSOs today. Sen. @iampinglacson did invite CSOs to join the Bicam. They will likely invite the same CSOs they invited today, so will be there hopefully as a volunteer of the People’s Budget Coalition.

PADILLA CRITICIZES PH STANCE ON CHINA, US Senator Robin Padilla criticized what he described as a contradiction in the Philippines’ approach to foreign powers, accusing some officials of being willing to confront China while remaining “slaves” to a distant foreign power. In a social media post, Padilla contrasted the Philippines’ position toward China with its relationship with the United States, using the distance between the two countries to underscore his point. His remarks come amid continuing debates over the Philippines’ security alliances, sovereignty, and approach to tensions with China.