#Rep. LRay Villafuerte

[zaijan95]

House approves RBH No. 6 to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution

With an overwhelming 301 affirmative votes, the House of Representatives on Monday, March 6, 2023, approved on third and final reading Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6, calling for a Constitutional Convention to propose amendments to or revision of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.RBH No. 6 is principally authored by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe,…

[kyle-lagdameo]

Bruh...what?

GUESS THAT FALLACY:

1

“Ang Dolomites ay nourishment to aid plant growth sabi ng DENR while ang “Yellowmites” naman ay proven kanser sa Pilipinas.”

2

*makes valid point* “Eh di ikaw na matalino”

3

“Di mo ba nakikita na mas mayaman tayo ng panahon ni Marcos? Isang piso, isang dolyar! Di ka kasi nag-aaral. God bless nalang.”

4

Jesus probably doesn’t have knees because the Bible doesn’t mention anything about him having knees.

5

LRay Villafuerte: It is clear as day that Congressman Teves has launched this chicanery on the basis of mere hearsay as part of the sinister ploy hatched by the Velasco camp, in cahoots with former Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez,to wreck Speaker Cayetano’s commitment to fast-track the approval of the 2021 GAA. Albee Benitez: You accuse Cong. Teves of making accusations based on hearsay but what you are doing is worse. Totally baseless and a figment of your overactive and defensive imagination. If you have nothing to hide, explain to the Filipino people why the national government has to shoulder the construction of your Provincial Capitol that costs more than P420M?

[phgq]

House panel to probe rising food prices Feb. 2

#PHnews: House panel to probe rising food prices Feb. 2

MANILA – The House Committee on Agriculture and Food on Friday said it is set to conduct a hearing on rising food prices such as meat and vegetables next Tuesday (February 2).

Committee chair Mark Enverga said the hearing would be conducted upon the instructions of Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

Enverga said the committee would be tasked to assess current data on the current supply and demand of all agricultural goods and to find a solution to the current predicament of both suppliers and consumers.

Taguig City Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano led the filing of a resolution asking the House of Representatives to lead efforts to control the soaring prices of basic goods.

House Resolution 1515 stressed that the House must investigate this issue to determine what actions the government has taken to address the matter and what other policies and programs must be pursued to sustainably feed the country’s growing population in the new normal.

Among the price hikes highlighted in the resolution are chili, a kilo of which now costs between PHP600 and PHP800, and pork belly (liempo), the price of which has risen to around PHP400 in major public markets in the National Capital Region.

Cayetano said the increase in prices of basic goods is “being felt deeply by millions of Filipinos who were rendered jobless, poor, and hungry by the pandemic and made homeless by recent typhoons and natural disasters.”

“With a third of Filipino households reporting hunger and a quarter of businesses wiped out last year, the upward trend in the prices of our basic goods is another tragedy in the making,” he said.

For January 2021, the prices of most meats and vegetables have spiked by up to 66 percent, the Department of Agriculture’s price watch has reported.

The increasing prices of food products have already pushed the country’s inflation rate to 3.5 percent last December, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas linked recent price hikes to increasing prices of oil and agricultural goods.

Co-authoring the resolution were Taguig Rep. Lani Cayetano, Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte, Jr., Batangas 2nd District Rep. Raneo Abu, Laguna 1st District Rep. Dan Fernandez, Bulacan 1st District Rep. Jose Antonio “Kuya” Sy-Alvarado, and ANAKALUSUGAN Partylist Rep. Michael Defensor. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "House panel to probe rising food prices Feb. 2." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1128987 (accessed January 30, 2021 at 02:28AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "House panel to probe rising food prices Feb. 2." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1128987 (archived).

[trendingph]

Villafuerte asks Benitez, Teves: Explain suspected links to e-gambling Rep. Luis “LRay” Villafuerte Jr. (File photo JUAN ESCANDOR JR. / Inquirer Southern Luzon) MANILA, Philippines — The word-war between allies of Hous... https://trendingph.net/villafuerte-asks-benitez-teves-explain-suspected-links-to-e-gambling/?feed_id=100694&_unique_id=5f64831bc0b9c #asks #benitez #egambling #explain #links #philippinenews #philippinesnews #suspected #teves #trendingph #villafuerte

[visayanbizpost]

PH's potential as a sports tourism hub underscored - Manila Bulletin

Business Mirror PH's potential as a sports tourism hub underscored Manila Bulletin Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte advised the Department of Tourism (DOT) to focus on the country's extreme sports and eco-tourism destinations in its plan to set up a database of Philippine tourist… Full Story at http://dlvr.it/NgFLmc Reblogged by Visayan Business Post - Local News for the Global Visayan

[pacificast]

Solon urges scheme vs usury

CAMARINES Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte yesterday appealed to local government executives to take prompt steps to bring informal lenders to the economic mainstream as a way to stop usury and broaden the access of micro-borrowers and small entrepreneurs to easy and cheap credit. Villafuerte, who was a three-term governor of… http://dlvr.it/NXsxS3 | #PacificastNewsfeed

[phgq]

PRRD understands if Cayetano would stay as Speaker ‘til December

#PHnews: PRRD understands if Cayetano would stay as Speaker ‘til December

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte "understands" if House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano would stay until December to prevent delays in the passage of the proposed 2021 budget, Malacañang said Wednesday.

Despite the term-sharing deal between Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said it would make sense for the former to stay if it would guarantee that the budget gets passed before the year ends.

“The President also in that same occasion told me na naiintindihan niya kung kinakailangang hanggang Disyembre siguro ‘no dahil nga doon sa issue ng budget (that he understands if he would need to be there until December because of the issue on the budget),” he said in an interview over CNN Philippines’ The Source.

Roque expressed hope that the House leadership row would not derail the proposed budget which contains the PHP2.5-trillion stimulus package needed to respond to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“Well, kung magkagulo naman po sana ay (Well, in case of infighting, I hope it’s) after the budget,” he said.

According to Roque, the timely passage of the budget is “non-negotiable”.

“Now more than ever, the President is not willing to negotiate on the fact that the budget should be passed on time by December,” he said.

Under the term-sharing deal brokered by Duterte, Cayetano would serve as the House Speaker for the first 15 months, or until October 2020 while Velasco would take over and assume the position for the remaining 21 months or until the 18th Congress ends in 2022.

Roque said Duterte would leave it to members of the House of Representatives to decide on whether to keep Cayetano or replace him with Velasco.

“He (Duterte) is not dictating on members of Congress and he knows that by now, after a year and a half, the members of the House would be in a better position to choose whoever they want to,” he said.

Roque pointed out that while the “gentleman’s agreement” binds Duterte’s two allies, it might not be the same for members of the House.

“The President recognized that whereas the agreement is valid on the two congressmen, Speaker Cayetano and Congressman Velasco, it does not necessarily bind the 300 or so members of Congress,” he said.

Deputy Speaker and Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte, on Tuesday, said the supermajority of congressmen wants Cayetano to continue instead of letting Velasco take over.

Villafuerte believes that Velasco will not be able to put up a good fight against Cayetano since he was "never really active in Congress".

Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez said Cayetano should just continue as leader of the House throughout the 18th Congress.

He said that if the term-sharing pact pushes through, it would be difficult for the new Speaker to properly lead the House since it will be the filing of certificates of candidacy in 2021. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "PRRD understands if Cayetano would stay as Speaker ‘til December." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116415 (accessed September 24, 2020 at 02:57AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "PRRD understands if Cayetano would stay as Speaker ‘til December." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116415 (archived).

[phgq]

Declaring House posts vacant won't lead to smooth transition

#PHnews: Declaring House posts vacant won't lead to smooth transition

MANILA – Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro on Tuesday said the alleged move to declare leadership posts in the House of Representatives vacant would not lead into a successful transition, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Castro made the remark amid an ongoing House leadership row that was allegedly caused by the disagreements among congressmen over inequitable budget allocations for their respective districts under the proposed PHP4.5-trillion national budget for 2021.

"This [smooth transition] will never happen if they attempt to remove all the chairmen and deputy speakers in order to replace them with their own people," Castro said in a privilege speech.

Castro noted that Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco's camp has been readying its lineup for key positions in anticipation of possible change in leadership next month under the term-sharing deal brokered by President Rodrigo Duterte between Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and the Marinduque lawmaker.

“Ayon sa kanilang mapanlinlang na pahayag, mayroon na silang taga-pamahala na papalit sa mga kasamahan natin na ilang buwang naghihirap at patuloy na naghihirap para sa bayan. Kayo ba ang tinatawag na mga masusuwerte? Paano kayo naging handa kung hindi man lamang [kayo] kahit minsan nakipag-ugnayan or nagtangakang makipag-ugnayan sa kasalukuyang liderato upang mapag-usapan ang kanilang ipinagmamalaking kahandaan (According to their misleading statements, they have leaders ready our colleagues who worked for months for our nation. Are you lucky? How can you say you are ready when in fact you never coordinated with the current leadership to discuss your readiness),” Castro said.

Castro also questioned the leadership skills of Velasco once he takes over the helm of the lower chamber.

“The agreement between the Speaker and Cong. Velasco is between them. How can we trust Cong. Velasco to hold up his end of the deal, [to] not just be the new Speaker but to actually act like one? And that is the more important question,” Castro said. “Instead of being the leader he said he was, Cong. Velasco showed his true self. He did not work, he did not contribute, [and] he did not defend this House. He did not lead, so why would he expect us to follow him?”

Castro highlighted that Congress has never received such a "high trust and approval rating from the people than when Speaker Cayetano was at the helm".

In an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel, Deputy Speaker LRay Villafuerte said the supermajority of congressmen wants Cayetano to continue instead of letting Velasco take over.

Villafuerte believes that Velasco will not be able to put up a good fight against Cayetano since he was "never really active in Congress."

Under the term-sharing deal brokered by Duterte, Cayetano would serve as the House Speaker for the first 15 months or until October 2020, while Velasco would take over and assume the position for the remaining 21 months or until the 18th Congress ends in 2022.

In a virtual Palace briefing on Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte wanted his two allies, Cayetano and Velasco, to take turns in holding the highest position at the House of Representatives.

However, Roque said even if Duterte wanted the term-sharing agreement to be honored, he could not do anything if the “supermajority” of the lawmakers wants Cayetano to stay as House Speaker.

Roque said the fate of the next House Speaker will depend on the decision of the individual members of the House of Representatives. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Declaring House posts vacant won't lead to smooth transition." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116281 (accessed September 23, 2020 at 03:42AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Declaring House posts vacant won't lead to smooth transition." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116281 (archived).

[phgq]

Duterte still hopeful Cayetano honors term-sharing deal

#PHnews: Duterte still hopeful Cayetano honors term-sharing deal

MANILA – Malacañang on Tuesday said President Rodrigo Duterte is still hopeful that House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano would honor his term-sharing deal with Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.

In a virtual Palace briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte wanted his two allies to take turns in holding the highest position at the House of Representatives.

However, Roque said even if Duterte wanted the term-sharing agreement to be honored, he could not do anything if the “supermajority” of the lawmakers wants Cayetano to stay as House Speaker.

“He’s hoping na tutupad sa usapan ang partido pero kung wala pong number si Congressman Lord Allan eh wala po siyang magagawa (He’s hoping they would honor their term-sharing deal but if Congressman Lord Allan doesn’t have the numbers, he can’t do anything),” Roque said.

Roque said the fate of the next House Speaker will depend on the decision of the individual members of the House of Representatives.

“Ang sabi po niya, to quote talaga is: ‘Kung walang numero si Lord Allan, wala siyang magagawa (What he said, to quote is: ‘If Lord Allan doesn’t have the numbers, he can’t do anything)’,” he reiterated.

In an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel on Tuesday, Deputy Speaker and Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte said the supermajority of congressmen wants Cayetano to continue instead of letting Velasco take over.

Villafuerte believes that Velasco will not be able to put up a good fight against Cayetano since he was "never really active in Congress."

“I haven’t seen or heard Congressman Lord be active in any major issue. We don’t see him in Congress. It was really his choice not to be the presumptive speaker. The congressmen now are saying we’d rather let Speaker Alan to continue because he’s active, he performs, he’s qualified, these are the general sentiments of congressmen,” Villafuerte said.

Under the term-sharing deal brokered by Duterte, Cayetano would serve as the House Speaker for the first 15 months, or until October 2020 while Velasco would take over and assume the position for the remaining 21 months or until 18th Congress ends in 2022.

Earlier, Roque said Duterte wants the PHP4.5-trillion proposed budget for 2021 passed before the end of the year amid squabbles among members of the House of Representatives over budget allocations for infrastructure.

“Let’s just say, because the 2021 budget is also our biggest stimulus package, not negotiable po kay Presidente, kinakailangan maipasa po iyang budget on time (it’s not negotiable for the President, the budget has to be passed on time),” he said. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Duterte still hopeful Cayetano honors term-sharing deal." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116215 (accessed September 22, 2020 at 11:01PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Duterte still hopeful Cayetano honors term-sharing deal." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116215 (archived).

[trendingph]

Villafuerte told: Explain why gov’t has to shoulder P420-M CamSur capitol construction MANILA, Philippines — Deputy Speaker and Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte should explain to the Filipino people why the national government has ... https://trendingph.net/villafuerte-told-explain-why-govt-has-to-shoulder-p420-m-camsur-capitol-construction/?feed_id=100436&_unique_id=5f645d25c91c7 #camsur #capitol #construction #explain #govt #p420m #philippinenews #philippinesnews #shoulder #told #trendingph #villafuerte

[tagapagbalita]

‘P10 billion not realignment of tourism aid’

Deputy Speaker for finance and Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte reassured stakeholders of the tourism industry of the support of Congress but clarified that the P10-billion allocation is only an initial stimulus outlay and not a realignment of their budget as industry leaders claimed. (PhilStar) from philstar.com - RSS Headlines https://ift.tt/3kE743R via IFTTT

[phgq]

Repatriation of OFWs faced with different factors: DOLE

#PHnews: Repatriation of OFWs faced with different factors: DOLE

MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) admitted that the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are faced with different factors.

DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the sending Filipinos home from the host countries, is not that easy since there are other equally important factors that need to be followed.

“In repatriating our OFWs, we also have to consider the lockdowns imposed by countries where they are working,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

He said the “lock-ins” and “lock-outs” in infected nations are still major stumbling blocks in the process even if the Philippines opens its doors to migrant workers amid its own restrictions to stop the spread of the deadly virus.

Another factor to be considered, he said are the legal impediments tied to the exit visas, loans, and cases of OFWs who want to go home.

“It really gets frustrating when foreign employers refuse to give the exit visas of our OFWs to stop them from returning to the Philippines. There are many employers like that abroad,” he said.

“Repatriation of OFWs also becomes difficult to achieve when they still have loans to settle and complaints to face,” Bello added.

He said bigger funding will not bring home displaced migrant workers in the absence of other equally important factors.

Bello together with other officials attended a hybrid public hearing of the House Public Accounts Committee chaired by Rep. Mike Defensor on Friday regarding the challenges experienced by OFWs affected by the pandemic.

House Deputy Speaker and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray “LRay” Villafuerte pushed for more funds to boost government efforts to bring home the trouble migrant workers.

Bello added that the best solution to the problem of OFWs is still the tightly coordinated efforts of all concerned government agencies and the private sector. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Repatriation of OFWs faced with different factors: DOLE." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1107241 (accessed June 27, 2020 at 10:33PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Repatriation of OFWs faced with different factors: DOLE." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1107241 (archived).

[phgq]

20 lawmakers to go on self-quarantine after Covid-19 exposure

#PHnews: 20 lawmakers to go on self-quarantine after Covid-19 exposure

MANILA – Lawmakers who attended the special session at the House of Representatives are now going into self-quarantine as a precaution after ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, Minority Leader Benny Abante, and Deputy Speaker LRay Villafuerte were among the 21 lawmakers physically present, while the remaining 279 House members participated via teleconferencing during last Monday’s special session,

“Following protocols, all the members and employees who attended the special session will go on self-quarantine,” House secretary-general Jose Luis Montales said on Thursday.

Yap noted that he attended a meeting in Malacañang (March 21) and a special session at the House of Representatives (March 23) while waiting for the test results to come in. He received the positive test result on Wednesday (March 25).

The other lawmakers who attended the special session were Zamboanga Sibugay Rep. Wilter "Sharky" Palma, Quezon City Rep. Precious Castelo, Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay, Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Romeo Jalosjos Jr., Manila Rep. Manny Lopez, Isabela Rep. Tonypet Albano, Bulacan Rep. Jonathan Sy-Alvarado, Cavite Rep. Abraham Tolentino, Cavite Rep. Francis Gerald Abaya, and Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor.

Also present were Deputy Speakers Raneo Abu, Robbie Puno, and Dong Gonzales.

Romualdez said he would undergo self-quarantine despite not having any symptoms nor close contact with Yap during the special session.

“The most responsible thing for me to do at this moment is to undergo self-quarantine. To put on record, I have not developed any symptom of the coronavirus disease,” Romualdez said.

“I'm in the pink of health and well enough to continue performing my duties as House Majority Leader and will activate my work-from-home system,” he added.

Romualdez also asked his staff who accompanied him at the special session to take the same precautions, noting that self-quarantine helps prevent potential infection, which is a more “prudent way” of helping the government defeat Covid-19.

“Let’s continue to work for the common good of everyone by praying for the nation’s healing and world’s complete recovery from Covid-19. In these challenging times, our common goal is to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Together, we shall recover from this pandemic,” Romualdez said.

Abante has also decided to undergo self-quarantine after attending the special session on the proposal granting President Rodrigo Duterte special powers to address the Covid-19 crisis.

“While I had no personal contact with Rep. Yap and I currently feel healthy and have not developed any of the symptoms associated with Covid-19, as a precaution I will be going into self-quarantine together with members of my family to avoid potentially infecting others,” Abante said.

Abante said he has directed his staff to track down those he came into contact this week to help the Department of Health trace other potential carriers of the virus.

“While I have been consistently practicing social distancing protocols, particularly in my Church, I believe that prudence and good sense dictate that we identify all those I was in contact with so that they can be advised to take the necessary precautions,” Abante added.

Yap has apologized to the people he came into contact with these past few days.

“Humihingi ako ng patawad at pag-unawa mula sa mga taong nakasalamuha ko (I am asking for forgiveness and understanding from the people I have encountered recently) I was paranoid dahil may kaunting ubo akong naramdaman (because I had a mild cough) but I felt it was normal for me,” Yap said. (PNA)

  ***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "20 lawmakers to go on self-quarantine after Covid-19 exposure." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1097882 (accessed March 27, 2020 at 12:54AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "20 lawmakers to go on self-quarantine after Covid-19 exposure." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1097882 (archived).

[phgq]

Congress tackles Covid-19 emergency measures in special session

#PHnews: Congress tackles Covid-19 emergency measures in special session

MANILA – The House of Representatives on Monday convened in a special session to tackle a measure declaring a national emergency and granting President Rodrigo Duterte additional powers to address the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

It is the first time in the chamber’s history to hold a “virtual” session to strictly observe social distancing measures amid the imposition of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.

The session was presided over by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.

“We reach today having to pass important legislation to address the national health emergency,” Cayetano said.

Around 20 House members were allowed to physically attend the special session, while the other 279 members participated online via teleconferencing. Cayetano declared the presence of a quorum with 299 lawmakers deemed present.

Among the lawmakers physically present were House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, Zamboanga Sibugay Rep. Wilter "Sharky" Palma, Quezon City Rep. Precious Castelo, Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo, Minority Leader Benny Abante, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay, Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Romeo Jalosjos Jr., Manila Rep. Manny Lopez, Isabela Rep. Tonypet Albano, Bulacan Rep. Jonathan Sy-Alvarado, Cavite Rep. Abraham Tolentino, Cavite Rep. Francis Gerald Abaya, Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor, and ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Go Yap.

Also present were Deputy Speakers Raneo Abu, LRay Villafuerte, Robbie Puno, and Dong Gonzales.

Lawmakers are expected to cast their votes through text messaging and other online means to grant Duterte’s request to grant him more powers to combat the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) amid the rising number of cases in the country.

“Pursuant to the powers vested in me under Section 15, Article VI of the Constitution, I, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, President of the Philippines, do hereby call the Congress of the Philippines to a special session on March 23, 2020, or as soon as practicable to authorize the President to exercise powers necessary to carry out urgent measures to meet the current national emergency related to the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19),” Duterte stated in Proclamation 933 he signed on March 21, calling the Congress to a special session.

In the proclamation, Duterte also asked the lawmakers to provide him “ample latitude to utilize appropriate funds to strengthen government response against the threat” of Covid-19, and “to continue providing basic services to the people, in addition to the urgent and critical measures implemented pursuant to Proclamation Nos. 922 and 9292, series of 2020, declaring a state of public health emergency and a statement of calamity throughout the Philippines.”

In his letter addressed to Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Duterte sought for the immediate enactment of a proposed “Bayanihan Act of 2020” which seeks to declare the existence of a national emergency arising from the Covid-19 situation.

The bill seeks to adopt a unified national policy to address the public health emergency situation by minimizing the further spread of Covid-19; mobilizing assistance in the provision of basic necessities to affected individuals; providing healthcare such as medical tests and treatments; and undertaking a program for recovery and rehabilitation, including a social amelioration program and provision of safety nets to all affected sectors.

It grants the President the power to temporarily take over or direct the operation of any privately-owned public utility or business affected with the public interest to be used in addressing the needs of the public during the Covid-19 emergency.

These shall include hospitals and medical and health facilities, hotels and other similar establishments to house health workers or serve as quarantine areas or temporary medical facilities; public transportation to ferry health workers to hospitals; and telecommunications entities to facilitate uninterrupted communication channels between the government and the public.

It shall also allow the President to reprogram, reallocate, and realign any appropriation in the 2020 national budget to fund measures to address and respond to the Covid-19 emergency, including social amelioration for affected communities, as well as recovery and rehabilitation of affected areas. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Congress tackles Covid-19 emergency measures in special session." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1097456 (accessed March 23, 2020 at 07:22PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Congress tackles Covid-19 emergency measures in special session." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1097456 (archived).

[phgq]

Congress urged to pass P30-B supplemental budget for Taal rehab

#PHnews: Congress urged to pass P30-B supplemental budget for Taal rehab

MANILA -- President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday urged Congress to pass a PHP30-billion supplemental budget to build more evacuation centers in Southern Tagalog provinces devastated by the eruption of Taal Volcano.

Duterte made the call after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) sought for additional funding from the Congress and Office of the President to augment the nearly “depleted” calamity funds at the local level.

“Itong pangyayari na ito hindi naman ito kasali sa budgeting. Hindi naman natin akalaing puputok. So baka magkaroon tayo ng supplemental budget sa Congress (This incident is not part of the budget. Nobody expected it to erupt. So we might have a supplemental budget from Congress),” Duterte said during the ceremonial distribution of calamity assistance to families affected by the Taal eruption in Sto. Tomas City, Batangas.

“That is why it would be good if Congress can provide the money together with the --- itong tulong ninyo. May estimate na sila (work on it together. I think they have an estimate). I think it was Congressman Villafuerte who made the… It’s about PHP30 billion,” he added, referring to House Deputy Speaker for Finance and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray “LRay” Villafuerte Jr.

Duterte also called on Congress to raise the amount to PHP50 billion to allow the construction of more evacuation centers.

“Dagdagan na lang nila gawain nila 50 para magtayo ng evacuation center (They can even add, make it 50 so we can put up evacuation centers),” Duterte said.

“In the meantime that we are expecting another eruption, mas mabuti na lang na umpisahan na rin ang evacuation center (It’s better that we start building evacuation centers),” he added.

He also proposed for the construction of big evacuation centers especially in disaster-prone areas like Samar, Isabela, and Cagayan.

Duterte expressed willingness to help residents whose houses were damaged by earthquakes following the eruption of Taal Volcano.

The government, he said, asks money from the National Treasury if there are insufficient calamity funds.

With the PHP3.17-billion agriculture damage caused by Taal eruption, Duterte said the Department of Agriculture (DA) will also provide aid to farmers.

In its latest damage report, the DA said the agricultural damage and losses covered a total of 15,790 hectares and 1,923 animal heads in the Calabarzon (Region 4-A).

The department cited that the fisheries sector is the most affected with an estimated amount of PHP1.6 billion in losses for the culture of tilapia and some bangus species.

Earlier, the DA regional office in Calabarzon announced the distribution of PHP21.7 million worth of combined interventions for crops and livestock to 17 local government units including Agoncillo, San Nicolas, Talisay, Lemery, Laurel, Lipa City, San Jose, Nasugbu, Mataas na Kahoy, Balete, Cuenca, Alitagtag, Padre Garcia, Tanauan City, Malvar and Taal.

The DA encouraged farmers to avail of the Agricultural Credit and Policy Council’s (ACPC) PHP25,000 zero-interest loan payable in three years to help them getting back on their feet.

An initial PHP30 million has been allocated by the ACPC that is estimated to benefit about 1,200 affected farmers and fisherfolk. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Congress urged to pass P30-B supplemental budget for Taal rehab." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091426 (accessed January 21, 2020 at 05:56AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Congress urged to pass P30-B supplemental budget for Taal rehab." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091426 (archived).

[pacificast]

Solon offers gov’t way to climate-proof communities

IF he will have his way, Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte said he would want the Departments of Energy (DoE) and Finance (DoF) along with two more agencies to draw up rules and regulations for his proposed carbon tax on electricity consumption. Villafuerte said his proposal aims to help the… http://dlvr.it/NM5Xrd | #PacificastNewsfeed