Tacloban youths get financial aid from Tingog

By Maricel V. Cruz

In partnership with the Marcos administration, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Tingog party-list Reps.

Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre have facilitated the release of P10 million in financial assistance to 2,000 youth beneficiaries in Tacloban City.

The distribution of P5,000 financial aid to each beneficiary was held as

Sen. Padilla admits he owns several firearms

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Robinhood Padilla has strongly denied a viral video purportedly showing he was buying guns, and insisted that he merely brought his collection of guns for cleaning purposes.

Padilla, who was imprisoned at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) for three years for illegal possession of firearms, admitted that he owned the guns shown on the video.

Padilla said he posted the video on Facebook Live to remind everyone to be a responsible gun owner. He also said anybody wanting to own a gun should buy it from a gun store or shop authorized to sell guns. He said the firearms should also be registered and the holder should secure a permit to carry.

Moreover, while the mandatory ROTC bill is yet to become a law, he noted that one should have a knowledge on guns and combat. The senator said he believes it is better to have a gun rather than have none when one needs it.

According to Padilla, he owns more than 10 high-powered rifles.

According to the senator, he is an authorized gun collector who underwent trainings in using firearms.

Tacloban celebrates its fiesta on Friday. In a statement, the Office of the Speaker and Tingog expressed hopes that the financial assistance will benefit the students when the new school year opens. Rep. Yedda Romualdez, chairperson of the House Committee on Accounts, said Tingog would continue to deliver directly, or indirectly through government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), services to the people of Eastern Visayas, along with the Leyteños and Samareños in other parts of the country. “That is our commitment and we will remain true to it,” she said.

The aid was sourced from Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) Program of the DSWD under Sec. Rex Gatchalian.

Tulfo filed Joint Resolution No. 2 raising the subsistence allowance of all officers and enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and all commissioned and non-commissioned personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from P150 to P250 a day.

During the Senate budget hearing for the Department of National Defense (DND) in September 2022, Tulfo noted that the soldiers’ meager subsistence allowance of P150 per day, which they had to stretch to buy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He said such amount is not even enough to buy a decent hamburger. According to him, the P150 daily allowance could hardly support the subsistence of the family of soldiers and police personnel.

He cited the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data stating that the monthly cost of living should be at Php44,000 per month to recoup a decent living. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Solon: Gov’t earmarks

P53b for tuition in ‘23

THE national government spends P53 billion this year for the tuition of underprivileged students “placed” in private high schools either because of the lack of public schools in their communities, or because existing public schools are already overcrowded.

Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo, a member of the House appropriations committee, said the P53 billion is broken down into: P39.3 billion for the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHSVP); P12.5 billion for the Junior High School Educational Service Contracting Program (JHSESC); and P1.4 billion for the Joint Delivery Voucher Program (JDVP). The tuition subsidy programs all form part of the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE), according to Rillo.

“The P53 billion is nearly double the P28 billion budget for GASTPE in 2022,” Rillo said. Maricel Cruz

Bataan gov’t gives cash aid to board reviewers

THE Bataan provincial government has extended financial assistance to nearly 600 board reviewers covered by its scholarship program.

Vice Governor Cris Garcia led the distribution of financial aid to 590 board reviewers under the Iskolar ng Bataan program of the provincial government at the capitol on Thursday.

Each beneficiary received P5,000 cash.

“Hindi dapat matapos sa makapasa lamang kayo sa board o bar, maging layunin nyo rin kung paano kayo makakapagcontribute sa pagbuti ng ating lipunan”, Garcia told the beneficiaries.

The vice governor has expressed hopes that the program of the provincial government will inspire board reviewers to work harder and achieve more.

Board Member Jomar Gaza, chairman of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Education, joined the vice governor in the distrubution of allowance. Butch Gunio