Tag: Public Funds

  • Albay Cancels 2025 Magayon Festival Due to Election Rules

    The provincial government of Albay has decided to cancel the 2025 Magayon Festival to comply with a Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolution. The decision was made after a meeting with various government officials, prompted by Comelec Resolution 11060, which bans the use of public funds for social services from March 28 to May 11, 45…

  • Senator Calls for Overhaul of DepEd Billing System Amid Ghost Student Scandal

    Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has demanded that the Department of Education (DepEd) revamp its billing system following the discovery of alleged ghost beneficiaries in the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS-VP). This program offers financial aid, ranging from PHP14,000 to PHP22,500, to Grade 11 students opting for private education. Public school students automatically qualify, whereas private…

  • Department of Education Investigates Alleged ‘Ghost Students’ in Private Schools

    The Department of Education (DepEd) has launched an investigation into claims of ‘ghost students’ at twelve private schools across nine divisions. Education Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized the importance of this probe, stating that the misuse of public funds allocated for the Senior High School (SHS) voucher program is a serious concern. Angara stressed that DepEd…

  • Department of Education Investigates Alleged ‘Ghost Students’ in 12 Private Schools

    The Department of Education (DepEd) has launched an investigation into claims of ‘ghost students’—students who are enrolled but do not actually exist—in 12 private schools across nine divisions. Education Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized the importance of this probe, stating that DepEd is committed to preventing the misuse of public funds allocated for the Senior High…

  • House Leader Defends 2025 Budget Integrity Against Duterte’s Claims

    In a robust defense of the 2025 national budget, Deputy Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Representative Paolo Ortega V refuted former President Rodrigo Duterte’s accusations of ‘blank appropriations’ within the budget. Ortega labeled these claims as deliberate misinformation intended to reinstate the controversial confidential funds previously allocated to Vice President Sara Duterte’s office.…

  • Budget Secretary Highlights Need for SARO for PHP783 Billion in Congressional Additions

    Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman emphasized the necessity of a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) for the disbursement of nearly PHP800 billion in programs and projects added by Congress to the 2025 national budget. Speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay, Pangandaman revealed that Congress introduced approximately 12,900 new line items, totaling PHP783 billion, with a…

  • Comelec Grants Exemption to 28 DSWD Programs from Election Spending Ban

    MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has approved the exemption of 28 Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) projects from the ban on public fund releases ahead of the May 2025 national and local elections. This decision was detailed in Comelec Memorandum No. 24-09014, following a request from DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian. The…

  • New AKAP Guidelines Expected by End of January, Enhanced Safeguards to be Implemented

    The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is set to release the updated guidelines for the Ayuda Para sa Kapos Ang Kita Program (AKAP) by the end of January. Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman announced during a media forum that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and…

  • New Guidelines for AKAP Program Expected by End of January, Enhanced Safeguards to be Implemented

    The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is set to release the updated guidelines for the Ayuda Para sa Kapos Ang Kita Program (AKAP) by the end of January. Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman announced that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and the Department of Labor…

  • Marcos Jr. Sets Conditional Implementation for AKAP in 2025 Budget

    President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has announced that the funding for the Ayuda Para sa Kapos Ang Kita Program (AKAP) in the 2025 budget will be subject to conditional implementation. This decision was made public during the signing of the 2025 General Appropriations Act at Malacañang Palace in Manila. Marcos vetoed over PHP194 billion in…