DENR eyes ₧24-B budget for 2024

we will consider.”

Pascual noted that the agency is adopting real-time monitoring on the factors that may influence price adjustments, such as oil prices, wheat prices, and the prices of packaging materials, among others.

He revealed there are pending requests for increases but “we’re trying to see whether there’s a real basis for the request for adjustments in the SRP [Suggested Retail Price] bulletin.”

“S o I asked my people to check the price of oil and the price of oil a year ago when we made adjustment to the SRP and the findings are that the price of oil now is even cheaper than the price of oil a year ago,” Pascual explained, adding that he’s unsure if there’s a new round of increases that might change the view that they had earlier.

Last week, DTI-Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Undersecretary Ruth B. Castelo said that at least 13 manufacturers are seeking price hikes on basic goods such as canned sardines, instant noodles, canned meat, among others, amid rise in raw material prices.

She revealed that out of the 218 stockkeeping units (SKUs) in the SRP Bulletin, manufacturers of 43 SKUs have requested for price adjustments.

“ These products are canned sardines, condensed milk, evaporated milk, powdered milk, coffee, instant noodles, bottled water, canned meat and toilet soap,” Castelo said in a televised interview last week.

According to Castelo, the proposed price increase ranges from P0.10 to P7.27 or by 1 to 5 percent for food items, while non-food manufacturers are seeking price increase, which ranges from P1.50 to P9.75, or by 6 percent to 10 percent.

The trade official cited the reasons behind the manufacturers’ request for price increases

Cashless tollways system shifts to full blast in Sept

THE Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has ordered tollway operators to conduct a “dry-run” of contactless payments on select toll plazas for two months starting in September.

A ccording to the regulatory body, the directive was in response to the call of the House Committee on Transportation to re-implement the Contactless Program, which was first introduced at the height of the pandemic.

The dry-run is a necessary procedure to ascertain the readiness of the Tollway Concessionaires and Operators for the smooth and efficient re-implementation of the Contactless Program,” the TRB said.

In A ugust 2020, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) issued Department Order No. 2020-12, which required cashless transactions for all vehicles passing through expressways.

Initially, the measure was implemented to mitigate the transmission of Covid-19. It was also seen to lessen wait times on toll plazas by making payments more efficient.

H owever, due to numerous complaints received during the implementation of the said program way back in November 2020 brought about by various constraints and glitches in the electronic toll collection (ETC) systems, the DOTr issued an addendum dated January 29, 2021 allowing vehicles with no RFID stickers and requiring cash lanes in all toll plazas.

T his addendum remains effective as of this time.

According to the TRB, its audit team has assessed 717 out of the 852 ETC-ready toll lanes in the country. The remaining 16 percent “are currently being operated as cash lanes and will be tested once converted to ETC lanes.”

In determining the implementation of cashless transactions, the TRB considered a “readability rate [of] at least 98 percent,” and “account management [that has] almost real-time transmission of data, accurate charging of toll fees, crediting of load to the account, updating of account balance information and accurate Toll Fare Indicator information during lane passage.”

Alr eady, the regulator said “several toll plazas and toll lanes passed the 98 percent Readability Rate, while some expressways passed the parameters on Account Management.”

W ith this, the TRB has directed the two-month dry run for select toll plazas on the North Luzon, Subic-Clark Tarlac, Cavite-Laguna, Manila-Cavite, Naia,

Sen. Go pushes countryside devt in Catbalogan event

SENATOR Christopher Lawrence

“Bong” Go has initiated several key infrastructure projects in Catbalogan City, in line with his commitment to help pave the way for development and progress in the area through continued collaboration with the local government led by Gov. Sharee Ann Tan.

The senator’s support in these initiatives as vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance was highlighted by his presence during the Adlaw han Barangay 2023, a significant part of the Samar Day Celebration,

Continued from A2

Kangaroo court’

REP. Teves reacted to the House vote by on Friday, August 11.

One of these activities is the opening of the Tandaya Hall in Catbalogan City where Go participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony together with Governor Tan, Vice Governor Arnold Tan, BHW (Barangay Health Worker) Party-list Rep. Natasha Co, Catbalogan City Mayor Dexter Uy and other local officials. The inauguration was also witnessed by 24 mayors and vice mayors together with their councilors, and 951 barangay captains and their kagawads.

“Alam n’yo, parati ko kasing naririnig, describing the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges proceedings as “nothing but that of a kangaroo court, to use a wornout phrase.”

In a statement, Teves through Ferdinand Topacio, his lead legal counsel, said: “Today is a

‘salamatSenador Bong Go’samgaproyekto... perokamipoangdapatmagpasalamatsainyo dahilbinigyann’yokamingpagkakataonna makapagserbisyo sa inyo,”Go said.

“Kahit saang sulok kayo sa Pilipinas, pupuntahan ko kayo at magseserbisyo basta kaya ng aking katawan at panahon. Sanay ako sa trabaho. Umaga, tanghali, hapunan,kahitsapanaginip,nagtatrabaho ako,” he added.

Moreover, Go was also instrumental in the construction of the New Catbalogan City Hall, a new Sports Complex, and the Lagundi- dark day for the Rule of Law and the dawning of a new age of the tyranny of the majority, where might is right and the prevailing principle is the Law of Force rather than the Force of Law.”

Topacio added: “From the start of the on their products. Among the reasons are rising cost of raw materials such as the tamban or the fish that’s being used for canned sardines, the flour in the instant noodles which she said is also imported, the mechanically deboned meat used for canned meat, processed milk which contains ingredients such as skimmed milk, palm oil, buttermilk, and the potassium used in iodized salt.

Lik e the trade Chief, Castelo also emphasized that the DTI adopts its own mechanism in verifying price increase requests from manufacturers, taking into consideration the increase in the cost of their packaging materials, transportation costs and their acquisition cost for toll packing.

The last time DTI allowed incremental increases in the SRP of some SKUs was last February 2023 when the agency approved the price increase requests of manufacturers of bread, sardines, and luncheon meat.

Skyway, South Luzon, Muntinlupa-Cavite, Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union, and Star Expressways.

As agreed between TRB and the Toll Concessionaires and Operators, a first batch of qualified toll plazas will initially form part of the dry-run to ensure a smooth and efficient implementation. Other qualified toll plazas will gradually be included during the dry-run period,” the TRB said.

T he TRB advised motorists that the first batch of qualified toll plazas that will be included in the dry run would be posted on signages and banners at the expressways, and on the websites of TRB and the Tollway Concessionaires and Operators.

“The TRB strongly encourages tollway users to switch from cash to RFID. For those with existing RFID stickers, they are advised to have their RFID sticker checked if it needs replacement, and that they have sufficient load before they enter the expressway,” the TRB said.

Lorenz S. Marasigan

San Andres Access Road. These projects, all under construction, are poised to bring in unprecedented benefits to Samar.

The new city hall will provide a modern hub for governance, streamlining public service and administrative functions. The sports complex will offer recreational and athletic opportunities, fostering community engagement and youth development.

The Lagundi-San Andres Access Road, once completed, will significantly improve connectivity within the region, reducing travel time, boosting local trade, and enhancing the transportation of goods and services.

proceedings, it bore all the hallmarks of an inquisition: the Committee was the motu proprio Complainant, making it both the accuser and the judge; Rep. Teves was never allowed to participate in the proceedings by himself, but only through letters of his

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is proposing a total budget of P24,571,827,000 for 2024 on top of the P1.1 billion automatic appropriations for the agency under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) prepared by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

The proposed budget of the DENR for 2024 is almost the same level of budget it got this year at P24 billion.

In her budget presentation during the hearing of the committee on appropriations of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said proposed environmental financing is directed towards addressing the complex policy area composed of several subsectors, including forest, biodiversity, coastal and marine resource, minerals, lands, air, and water.

“The proposed budget incorporates a geospatial approach in identifying accounting and valuing our natural resource and the strategic planning required to de-risk development decisions,” she said.

Further, she said the proposed investment in environmental and climate resilient ecosystems supports the nexus governance needed to deliver multiple social, economic, and environmental benefits from a single action that requires decision support systems that consider cascading risk across time horizons and the need for circularity in resource management.

Of the P24.57 billion, almost half, or P11.27 billion is allotted for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), P9 billion for personnel expenses, and P3.3 billion for capital outlay.

The Office of the Secretary, which includes the Central Office, 4 staff bureaus, 16 Regional offices, 76 Provincial Environment and Natural Resource Offices (PENROs), and 146 Community Environment and Natural Resource Offices (CENROs), will have the lion’s share P18.6 billion. T he other offices are the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) which will receive P2.5 billion, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), P1.47 billion, NAMRIA, P1.6 billion, National Water Resources Board (NWRB) P210 million, and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), P94 million.

Yulo-Loyzaga said the proposed budget of the DENR is aligned with the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.

For the forestry sector, which includes targets to increase forest cover, employment generated from resource-based enterprises, and establishment of livable communities, the proposed budget is P2.49 billion.

To recall, from 2010 to 2020, the DENR chief reported in a video presentation played during the hearing that the country’s forest cover increased by 5.65 percent, through the implementation of the National Greening Program (NGP).

Under the NGP, over 2.2 million hectares of plantation forests were established, counsel, who were never even allowed to present; the hearings, although impressed with public interest, was kept secret, like a medieval Court of the Star Chamber; and the final recommendation shows that there was never a bona fide intention to consider the evidence in favor of Mr. Teves. To make matters worse, while the Committee was overly strict in not allowing Rep. Teves to participate in the proceedings, it chose to disregard Section 2 of its own rules which provides that proceedings in the Committee shall be deferred if any matter under discussion is before a judicial, quasijudicial or administrative body, until after final judgment therein,” Topacio added.

The lawyer said the committee has refused to heed this rule even after incontrovertible proof was adduced showing that the issue of Teves’ designation as “terrorist” is still under review by the Anti-Terrorism Council and that employing more than 889,895 individuals and generating jobs of 6,142,396.

For 2024, the proposed budget is allocated for forest development, rehabilitation, maintenance, and protection for the NGP.

T he target is to develop 31,992 hectares of new forest plantation, production of 19 million seedlings, maintain and protect 95,406 hectares of NGP sites, and assessment of 42,265 hectares of graduated NGP sites. For soil conservation and water management, including river basin management, the proposed budget is P370 million.

This will be used for the preparation of 27 Integrated Watershed Management Plans and the construction of waterimpounding facilities.

For the operation of the River Basin Control Office (RBCO), the proposed budget is P68 million, which includes targets of updating and implementing 3 Integrated River Basin Management and Development Masterplan; Strengthening 15 river basin offices and river basin governance; and populating, maintain and update 3 river basin integrated information management systems.

For the natural resource management agreement/agreement and permit issuance for forest protection for 2024, the targets include the conduct of patrol over 81,048 kilometers and the hiring of 1,660 forest protection officers. The proposed budget is P952 million.

To combat illegal logging through the operationalization of 43 regional anti-illegallogging task forces, the proposed budget is P109 million.

For the biodiversity sector, to increase green spaces, expand marine protected areas, and for the effective management of inland wetlands, and caves and establishment of biodiversity-friendly enterprises, the proposed budget is P 1 billion. The targets are the conduct of 9 protected area suitability assessment, monitoring of 2,063 monuments and signages in 21 legislated Protected Areas, a survey of 29 barangays in 9 Pas for survey and registration of PA occupants, assess and classify 55 caves outside Pas and profile of 21 inland wetland.

For the DENR’s urban biodiversity program which is being implemented in 5 major cities, the targets are to monitor and protect 17 priority species, establish 4 critical habitats for threatened species in varying stages of implementation, mobilize 218 wildlife traffic monitoring units covering 36 airports and 131 seaports, and train 725 volunteers as wildlife enforcement officers. The proposed budget is P86.3 million.

The proposed budget for coastal and marine resource management is P216.6 million, the target of which includes establishing 6 marine protected area networks and strengthening the existing 17 MPA networks. It will also fund activities to monitor 90,244 has of coastal and marine habitats, and water quality in 35 MPAs in partnership with people’s organizations. Jonathan L. Mayuga his supposed continued absences are the subject of a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman.

As t o his so-called “indecent behavior,”

Topacio said the committee has chosen to ignore jurisprudence enumerating what may constitute “disorderly conduct,” under which Teves’ social media posts clearly do not fall.

“Just like the indictments from the Department of Justice, whose neutrality has been severely compromised by its secretary’s reckless disregard of the law, the action of the committee, and the validation thereof by the plenary under the iron grip of a Speaker hell-bent on destroying perceived political opponents, the outcome is hardly unexpected. Having been liberated from the procedural and legal monstrosities of both the DOJ and the HOR, we can now shift the battle to a place where, it is hoped, we will get fairness and due process,” he said.