Abbey M.

Senators Raffy Tulfo and Pia Cayetano traded barbs during Tuesday's plenary session, August 11, over the delay in completing the membership of several Senate committees, a standoff Tulfo said was holding pending legislation "hostage."

Tulfo rose on a point of order and blamed the alleged inaction of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano for the delay in confirming the membership of minority senators to the Committee on Public Services and the Committee on Migrant Workers. 

He said he had coordinated with Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri over the past few weeks to fill the vacancies, but minority senators could not respond due to the alleged inaction of their leader.

Tulfo also took a swipe at Cayetano, who was absent from the session. "If you have time to go FB Live then maybe you have the time to confirm or give the go signal to your minority members," he said.

He added that the vacancies were delaying bills assigned to the panels, including proposed measures on the Department of Water and OFW reintegration.

With her brother absent, Pia Cayetano stood up to respond on his behalf.

 "Senator Tulfo, you could have easily asked me. You know that Alan is my brother if you wanted to get a message across," she said. She also pushed back on Tulfo's characterization of the standoff, saying, "Alam niyo naman kapatid ko si Alan, kung gusto niyo may parating. Huwag na po kayo magdrama ng mga pa hostage hostage." 

[You know my brother Alan, if you want something coursed through, there's a way. Please stop dramatizing this as a hostage situation.]

Tulfo shot back, denying he was being dramatic. "Never po ako nagdrama dito simula nung ako'y naging senador. Never ever po ako nagsinungaling," he said, adding, "Sino ang nagdadrama? Tumingin muna kayo sa salamin bago kayo magsalita." 

[I have never dramatized anything since I became a senator. I have never lied. Who's being dramatic? Look in the mirror first before you speak.]

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian later clarified that 32 Senate committees have yet to convene due to incomplete membership, and assured the chamber that he and the majority leader would coordinate with the minority bloc to complete the outstanding committee assignments.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri also clarified that Alan Peter Cayetano was absent from Tuesday's session because he was not feeling well.

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Vice President Sara Duterte is now facing a criminal case for grave threats after the Department of Justice filed the complaint before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, a development her camp says was expected but insists will not hold up in court.

The charge stems from the vice president's remarks against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, remarks that prosecutors determined met the threshold of prima facie evidence needed to move the case forward.

DOJ Spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez explained that the decision came after a thorough review of the evidence gathered during the preliminary investigation.

"So, after the preliminary investigation, ang nangyari nakita ng ating mga prosecutors is that there was prima facie evidence with a reasonable certainty of conviction to indict the Vice President for the crime of grave threats, again, by means of cyberspace," Martinez said. 

[So, after the preliminary investigation, what happened is our prosecutors saw that there was prima facie evidence with a reasonable certainty of conviction to indict the Vice President for the crime of grave threats, again, by means of cyberspace.]

For the vice president's camp, however, the filing changes nothing about their confidence in the outcome. Atty. Paul Lawrence Lim, Duterte's counsel, maintained that she remains innocent under the law and is confident the case will eventually be dismissed.

Lim went further, raising what he described as a serious legal question over the timing of the charge. He argued that as an impeachable officer, the vice president cannot be prosecuted for an offense that is also currently the subject of an ongoing impeachment case, a defense that touches on the same allegation now before the Senate impeachment court.

The DOJ, for its part, does not see the two proceedings as connected. Martinez said the criminal case in the Quezon City RTC should move forward on its own, regardless of what happens in the impeachment trial, and that the reverse holds true as well.

With both sides holding firm on their positions, the matter now rests with the Quezon City court, even as the vice president continues to face the same accusation in the impeachment proceedings at the Senate.

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The entire province of Cavite has declared a state of calamity following the severe impact of the southwest monsoon (habagat) and recent typhoons.

Several areas in Cavite were submerged in massive flooding during the height of the heavy rains.

In a post, Cavite Governor Abeng Remulla said the declaration of a state of calamity aims to strengthen the province's response to the assistance and support needed by residents affected by the severe flooding.

Aside from Cavite, the municipality of Mangaldan in Pangasinan has also declared a state of calamity due to the extent of damage brought by the habagat.

Meanwhile, the provincial government of Benguet is finalizing its plan to declare a state of calamity following the damage caused by heavy rains in recent days.

Through these declarations, local government units will have immediate access to their quick response funds to address the needs of affected residents.

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Manila, Philippines  – A state auditor told the impeachment court on Tuesday, August 11 that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) had listed activities funded by its confidential expenses even before the corresponding cash was withdrawn.

A witness for the prosecution panel Xylene Mae del Campo testified during direct examination that the OVP's list of confidential fund activities for 2022 included a gift-giving event in Samar, tree-planting activities in Leyte, and Christmas parties held in Manila and Quezon City, all reportedly conducted between December 13 and 19 of that year.

However, records show the OVP only encashed its 2022 confidential funds on December 20, days after some of the listed activities had already taken place, del Campo told the court.

The prosecution raised the discrepancy during Tuesday's hearing, pointing to it as part of the OVP's March 13, 2024 response to a notice of suspension the Commission on Audit (COA) had issued against the office on December 13, 2023.

Under COA rules, a notice of suspension halts disbursements that auditors find questionable, giving the concerned agency 90 days to submit supporting documents or justification. Failure to do so results in a notice of disallowance, which formally orders the agency to return the funds in question.

Senator-judge and presiding officer Chiz Escudero asked del Campo whether the OVP could have listed the activities ahead of December 20 simply to reimburse itself for expenses it had already incurred using other funds.

Del Campo said this would not be allowed under the joint circular governing confidential and intelligence funds, citing provision 6.1.2 of Joint Circular No. 2015-01, which prohibits the use of confidential funds for reimbursement.

The same circular requires agencies to submit documentation proving the success of the information-gathering or surveillance activities their confidential funds were used for.

COA has since disallowed P73 million out of the OVP's P125 million in confidential funds for 2022.

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Manila – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on August 11 submitted a proposed PHP7.2 trillion national budget for 2027 to Congress, describing it as a "prudent investment focused on the future" that will sustain economic growth while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

In his budget message to the 20th Congress, Marcos said the spending plan, up 6% from this year's PHP6.793 trillion budget, was designed to strengthen the country's ability to respond to global challenges while pursuing what he called resilient growth.

"Amid continuing global uncertainties, including geopolitical tensions, persistent inflationary pressures, and volatile energy prices, we remain steadfast in pursuing growth that is both resilient and fiscally responsible," PBBM said.

The proposed budget, equivalent to 21.7% of gross domestic product, comes as the government projects a PHP1.69 trillion deficit for 2027, or roughly 5.1 percent of GDP. It also follows first quarter GDP growth of just 2.8% this year, the slowest pace in five years, which led economic managers to lower their growth targets for 2027 and beyond.

The submission also comes against the backdrop of an ongoing flood control corruption probe that has exposed alleged collusion among executive officials, lawmakers, and contractors over infrastructure funds. DBM Secretary Kim Robert de Leon has said agency proposals underwent one of the toughest vetting processes in recent years partly in response to the scandal.

Some fiscal officials have voiced concern about what happens to the budget once it reaches Congress. Former finance secretary Benjamin Diokno, now a member of the Monetary Board, said lawmakers have in past years expanded the executive's proposed budget during deliberations, which he described as a source of corruption. 

He specifically flagged the Local Government Support Fund as a program that has functioned like pork barrel spending, and urged Marcos to use his line item veto power to keep the final budget clean.

Marcos noted that the final NEP was lower than the PHP11.69 trillion in total funding requests initially submitted by government agencies, saying he had directed agencies to focus on measurable outcomes and eliminate inefficient spending.

"Throughout the budget preparation process, I directed all agencies to focus on measurable outcomes, align their proposals with our development agenda, eliminate unnecessary or inefficient expenditures, and ensure that every peso produces meaningful and lasting value," the President said.

The President said the budget remains anchored on the Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028 and Ambisyon Natin 2040, framing it as part of broader institutional reforms rather than simply funding existing programs.

"Beyond funding government programs, this budget seeks to modernize public institutions, improve productivity, strengthen competitiveness, attract greater investments, create quality jobs, and enhance the government's ability to deliver faster, more responsive, and citizen centered public services," he said.

The proposal now heads to the House of Representatives, where Speaker Bodjie Dy III has said lawmakers will subject it to rigorous scrutiny before drafting the General Appropriations Bill. 

It is Marcos's last full budget submission before the 2028 elections.

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