The bicameral conference committee (bicam) is the most powerful and the weakest phase in our budgeting process. It is in the bicam where vested interests not only lurk but also come to fruition. Without benefit of deliberations, its members reduce the funding of agencies, transfer funds from one program to another, defund programs, and increase...
Tag: Congress
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5 ways Philippine dynasties are able to stay in power
(Last of two parts) The Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) law and Bangsamoro Electoral Code define and prohibit political dynasties. However, these laws only cover the SK and Bangsamoro parliamentary elections. In national and local elections, clans continue to consolidate political and economic power. Based on the electoral plans for May 2025 of district representatives belonging to...
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8 out of 10 district reps belong to dynasties
(First of two parts) Fathers and mothers passing on their government posts to sons and daughters, as if these were family heirlooms, is nothing new. But election watchdogs said it was jarring to watch political dynasties flaunt their power during the week-long filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) this October. It’s as if Oct. 1...
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Edcel Lagman sees smooth sailing of divorce bill in 19th Congress
The prime mover of the divorce bill in Congress is making a bold prediction: The predominantly Catholic Philippines will soon and finally join the rest of the world in making divorce possible for troubled married couples. “I’m confident that as the sun rises tomorrow this bill will be enacted into law,” said Albay Rep. Edcel...
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Only Supreme Court can resolve ‘Achilles’ heel’ of Charter change resolutions, legal luminaries say
Only the Supreme Court can resolve the issue of whether Congress should meet jointly and vote separately in the current contentious effort to amend the Constitution, legal luminaries said at a forum held at the University of the Philippines on March 14. “We can save much time and effort if this is resolved once and...
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Pity this nation
Ours is a country of failed institutions. Let us cite two of many—Congress and the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Congress is responsible for producing legislation to ensure that the spirit of the Philippine Constitution is upheld. Yet, 36 years after the ratification of the Constitution, there is yet no enabling law prohibiting political dynasties. The...