Day: July 15, 2024

NEW CLARK CITY: The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is now implementing 74 of the 185 Infrastructure Flagship Projects (IFPs) of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Undersecretary for Planning and Public-Private Partnership Services Maria Catalina Cabral said. Speaking at the recent Presidential Communications Office’s “Build Better More” Infrastructure Forum to showcase the progress of legacy projects and achievements in IFPs, Cabral presented the DPWH’s infrastructure accomplishments, future plans, and initiatives in ‘reshaping the country’s infrastructure landscape toward sustainable development.’ She said the DPWH’s projects include extensive road networks, bridges, flood control measures, and urban development

MANILA: AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee on Monday called for the passage of a measure seeking to establish a nationwide potable water supply system throughout the country in three years to address the need of millions of Filipinos, especially in rural areas. In pushing for House Bill (HB) 10531 or the ‘Rural Potable Water Supply Act’, Lee cited data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) which showed that at least 40 million Filipinos lack access to clean and safe water supply. ‘Nakakabahala ang datos ng DENR. Access to potable water is a basic human right, kaya napakalaking

TACLOBAN CITY: The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has deployed at least 3,668 personnel to conduct the 2024 Census of Population (PopCen) and Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) in 4,390 villages in Eastern Visayas. PSA Eastern Visayas Regional Director Wilma Perante said enumerators will interview each family for 45 minutes to one hour to gather vital information and update the inventory of the country’s population, as well as the list of beneficiaries of social protection initiatives. Of the 3,668 field personnel tasked with carrying out two major surveys, 2,961 are enumerators, 537 are team supervisors, and 170 are area supervisors. ‘To optimize

MANILA: Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairperson George Erwin Garcia said Monday the documents handed over to him by former Caloocan representative Edgar Erice which supposedly contain a list of foreign bank accounts linked to a poll body official are dubious. In an interview, Garcia said the documents from Erice which purportedly came from the Bahamas have “similar fonts” and appeared to be from a single person. ‘Binago lang mga account numbers umano ng mga bangko. Kung talagang galing sa iba’t ibang bangko dapat magkakaiba, dapat may logo pa nga (The account numbers were just changed. If it really came from

MANILA: The Department of Finance (DOF) on Monday said utilizing unused government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) funds for public programs is a more prudent fiscal option than borrowing more or imposing new taxes. The DOF made the statement after health reform advocates earlier questioned DOF’s Memorandum Circular No. 003-2024, directing the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to remit PHP89.9 billion of unused government subsidies to the national treasury. They claimed that the move violates the Universal Health Care Law. The DOF, however, said using idle funds of government corporations for projects in health, social services and infrastructure does not affect