Day: August 4, 2025

Manila: Senate Committee on Finance chairperson Senator Sherwin Gatchalian announced that the 2026 national budget will be crafted as an “education budget,” following the directive from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) where education was highlighted as a priority. According to Philippines News Agency, Gatchalian emphasized during the Kapihan sa Senado media forum that efforts are underway to increase the education budget to at least 4 percent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP), up from the current allocation of 3.8 to 3.9 percent. He noted that the country had previously reached this target but

Butuan city: At least 50 Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) organizations benefited from the release of a PHP26.1-million seed capital fund during a series of distribution activities from July 16 to 31, the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Caraga Region (DSWD-13) said Monday. According to Philippines News Agency, the 50 organizations were from 10 municipalities and two cities in the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Dinagat Islands, as reported by the DSWD-13. In Agusan del Norte, 13 SLP groups were awarded PHP6.9 million in total capitalization. Meanwhile, 25 SLP clusters in Agusan del Sur

Manila: The Senate is pushing for greater transparency in the 2026 budget process, describing it as the beginning of a ‘golden age of transparency and accountability,” Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Monday. Speaking at the Kapihan sa Senado media forum, the Committee on Finance chairperson emphasized that the public currently has access to only two documents online: National Expenditure Program and the signed General Appropriations Act, leaving the rest of the budget process largely hidden from public scrutiny. According to Philippines News Agency, Gatchalian stated that to fill in the gaps, the Senate would ask the Department of Budget and

Laguna: The Laguna Medical Center (LMC) earned top honors from national health agencies this year, reinforcing its role as a premier public hospital in the province. According to Philippines News Agency, the recognitions were highlighted during the first Monday flag ceremony of August, which LMC led in celebration of National Hospital Week. Danilo Lucas, Acting Provincial Information Officer of the Laguna provincial government, said LMC was recognized by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) – Calabarzon as the top government hospital in the region with the highest number of point-of-service enrollees in 2024. The award affirms the hospital’s commitment to

Las nieves: Three remote schools in Indigenous Peoples (IPs) communities in Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte have received computers and sound systems from the provincial government over the weekend. Las Nieves Mayor Karen Rosales handed over the equipment to the recipient schools on August 2, and she also met with the parents of the students and school officials. According to Philippines News Agency, most of the students and young learners from these schools are IPs from the different communities in the Bokbokon area. Las Nieves information officer Michael Mandahinog noted in an interview that Mayor Rosales personally thanked Governor Maria