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VOLUME 1, NO. 31 SUNDAY JULY 31, 2022
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles
OPS, Trixie Angeles FB page By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
PRESS Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles urged netizens to follow her official Facebook page to get updates on the daily activities of the state departments and offices under the Executive branch. “Please like and follow [my official Facebook page],” Cruz-Angeles posted on her personal Facebook account Friday. Netizens, under the “Review” section of the Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles Facebook page, lauded the Palace official for being a “great” and “reliable” source of public information. “[Cruz-Angeles is] very reliable, articulate person and always willing to teach and share her knowledge in all her expertise,” netizen Jennifer L Kondo said. Cruz-Angeles’ office, the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), also has a separate Facebook page that has 2.7 million followers to date. Updates about the activities of government departments and offices under the Executive branch are shared on the Facebook pages of Cruz-Angeles and OPS, the former Presidential Communications Operations Office. Under Executive Order (EO) 2 inked by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. June 30, the OPS is mandated to “pronounce, on behalf of the President, matters pertaining to his actions, policies, programs, official activities, and accomplishments.” EO 2 also designates the OPS to develop and implement necessary guidelines and mechanisms pertaining to the delivery and dissemination of information on policies, programs, official activities, and achievements of the President and the Executive branch. It is likewise tasked to coordinate the crafting and development of the messaging system under the Office President and the Executive branch, as well as to supervise its attached agencies and government-owned-or-controlled-corporations for purposes of further strengthening the system of information delivery to the public. The OPS’s attached agencies include the APO Production Unit, Bureau of Broadcast Services, Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation, National Printing Office, News and Information Bureau, and People’s Television Network. The OPS must likewise establish and maintain rapport with private media and other similar entities and stakeholders, according to EO 2. (PNA)
NATIONAL
The Observer. Observer.com
Agrarian reform program must continue – Pres. Marcos Jr. QUEZON CITY -- President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has vowed to continue the implementation of the agrarian reform program during his term as he delivered his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), on Monday, July 25. “Agrarian reform is not only about acquisition but also about support services and distribution,” Marcos Jr. said Marcos Jr. announced that he will issue an Executive Order (EO) to impose a one-year moratorium on the payment of land amortization and interest payments by agrarian reform beneficiaries. “A moratorium will give the farmers the ability to channel their resources in developing their farms, maximizing their capacity to produce and propel the growth of our economy,” Marcos Jr. said. He urged Congress to pass a law to amend Section 26 of Republic Act No. 6657 to free the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) from their debts where loans of ARBs with unpaid amortization and interest will be condoned. “The purpose of this law is to erase the unpaid debts of our farmers who are beneficiaries of the
Bicol farmers to benefit from loan condonation plan LEGAZPI CITY – At least 72,288 farmers in the Bicol region will benefit from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s plan to provide debt relief to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) by condoning payments on loans and providing a one-year moratorium on the payment of amortization. Gerard Buensalida, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) spokesperson, said he expects more ARBs to avail of the loan condonation. “Since our agency’s program in land distributions is continuously being conducted, we are expecting also an increase in the number of ARBs who will avail of the loan condonation,” Buensalida said. Rodrigo Realubit, DAR 5 (Bicol) director, said in a statement on Friday that the plan is expected to boost farm productivity and the agricultural output of farmers. “It’s a much welcome strategic move by the President. It will provide much-needed relief to our ARBs, as they can invest the freed funds in capital production,” Realubit said. “If the ultimate solution is provided by Congress in the form of a moratorium or a condonation, as indicated by the President, and involving billions of pesos, these funds may be used to stimulate rural agricultural dynamics in remote areas.” -- Connie Calipay
agrarian reform,” he added. Marcos Jr. also promised the ARBs who are still to receive their awarded lands under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) will no longer have to pay any amortization for their lands. He said the proposed condonation will cover a total amount of P58.125 billion that would benefit 654,000 ARBs involving a total of 1.18 million hectares of awarded lands. On Executive Order No. 75, Series of 2019, where all government agencies, agencies, bureaus, departments, and instrumentalities are required to turn over agricultural lands to qualified ARBs, Marcos Jr. said that at present, there are a total of 52,000 hectares of unused agricultural lands of the government which can be distributed in accordance with Section 14 of RA 6657 as amended. He said that priorities for dis-
tribution will be landless war veterans, landless surviving spouses or orphans of war veterans, landless retirees of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Philippine National Police. “Agricultural lands acquired under this program will be given to graduates of college degrees in agriculture who are landless,” Marcos Jr. said. He added that the country needs a new breed of farmers equipped with modern agricultural technology that is able to engage in sustained scientific farming to increase farm yields and are resilient in the face of climate change. (DAR)
‘First 100-day Roadmap on Digitalization’
DBM’s way forward
MANILA -- Following the eightpoint socioeconomic agenda of the Marcos administration, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), under the leadership of Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, shall spearhead the ‘First 100-day Roadmap on Digitalization’ which aims to enhance bureaucratic efficiency and ensure sound fiscal management. “Digitalization is our way forward. Like what President Marcos said, it is the 4th industrial revolution. We are entering an age of rapid technological advancement. And so we have to adapt,” DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said. During his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Bongbong Marcos highlighted the importance of digitalization in public service. “As the world moves into rapid digitalization, the digital divide will become more pronounced. The depth and breadth at which these technologies will be transformative in our lives is fully expected”, President Marcos expressed. The First 100-Day Roadmap will explore the capabilities of cloud infrastructure and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for real-time processing of government service, as well as blockchain technology for decentralized transparency. One of the highlights of the
DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman
roadmap is the improvement and enhancement of the existing Government Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (GIFMIS) which will significantly improve the cash management of our country’s treasury, and will allow greater financial management, improve data governance, and enhance oversight control. An integral part of the GIFMIS is the Budget and Treasury Management System (BTMS) which will be developed by the DBM, together with the Department of Finance, and the Commission on Audit. BTMS will be a centralized database to facilitate the generation of vital information on all aspects of government financial transactions. Through the platform, all transactions are mapped real-time from purchase to payment. (DBM)
Businessman Jose Acuzar named new housing czar By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appointed Filipino entrepreneur Jose “Jerry” Acuzar as the new head of the Department of Housing Settlements and Urban Deve lopment (DHSUD). The DHSUD is designated as the primary national government entity that is responsible for the management of housing, human settlement and urban development. The DHSUD is also mandated as the “sole and main planning and policy-making regulatory, program coordination, performance monitoring entity for all housing, human settlement, and urban development concerns, primarily focusing on the access to and the affordability of basic human needs.” Acuzar’s appointment came after Marcos, during his first State of the Nation Address delivered Monday, directed the DHSUD to coordinate with the Department of Social Welfare and Development to improve the implementation of the government’s Emergency Shelter Assistance Program for calamity victims. Acuzar was involved in several infrastructure projects in the country. He started as a draftsman at Tondo Foreshore Redevelopment Project in 1975 and became a contractor in the 1980s before establishing New San Jose Builders Inc. (NSJBI). NSJBI is behind the construction of several condominiums such as Victoria Towers in Quezon City and The Fort Victoria in Bonifacio Global City. Acuzar, who hails from Balanga, Bataan, owns the heritage town Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in the province’s Bagac town. (PNA)
