High Court clears ex-PRA execs in Macapagal case

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court has cleared former board members of the Public Estates Authority (now the Philippine Reclamation Authority) and its private contractor of graft charges filed against them in connection with the alleged P532-million overpriced construction of the President Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard (PDMB) in the cities of Pasay and Parañaque.

In the same resolution, the anti-graft court granted the motion to dismiss filed by the Coconut Producers Federation Inc. (COCOFED), Coconut Investment Co. (CIC), and Cocofed Marketing Corp. (COCOMARK) on May 16, 2023, due to “inordinate delay in court proceedings.”

“In view of the foregoing, as the plaintiff (Presidential Commission on

* Department of Agriculture (and attached corporations) and Department of Agrarian Reform – P181.4 billion

* Department of Justice – P57.8 billion

*Department of Labor and Employment and Department of Migrant Workers – P40.5 billion President Marcos also set aside a P1 billion budget for the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Program to provide aid to around 12,000 Marawi siege victims.

A total of P20 billion has been allocated for the compensation and allowances of COVID-19 healthcare workers that would be used for health emergency allowances and compensation packages.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman submitted the 2024 National Expenditure Plan to Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, who promised that the House would act swiftly to scrutinize, deliberate, and approve the 2024 budget. The 2024 NEP, equivalent to 21.7 percent of GDP, is 9.5 percent higher than the P5.268 trillion 2023 budget.

Anchored on the theme, “Agenda for Prosperity: Securing a Future-Proof and Sustainable Economy,” the proposed national budget is ed based on the 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda and will continue to support the goals of the Philippine Development Plan 20232028, Pangandaman said.

Significant budgetary support will be provided for social infrastructure development, which includes school buildings with P40.59 billion; hospitals and health centers with P15.31 billion; as well as water and power supply systems with a combined allocation of P9.01 billion.

A total of P543.45 billion has been earmarked for climate change mitiga-

West Valley Fault,” Loyzaga said. Local seismology experts have been warning the country for the longest time of a possible major earthquake or the “Big One” along the West Valley Fault that could cause massive damages and casualties in Metro Manila.

Loyzaga said the rising sea level and various geological changes should be monitored when it comes to the said reclamation projects.

“There is what we call the Manila Trench that is located in Manila Bay. That is the geological event we are looking at in terms of the generation of a potential tsunami,” she said.

She said the DENR is also assessing the cumulative impact of the reclamation projects.

Manila and other parts of the country. Despite the billions of pesos the government has been spending on flood control programs, widespread flooding still occurs with every downpour, he said.

Revilla said he would summon DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairperson Romando Artes and question them about the effectiveness of their flood control programs.

In a TV report, officials of Bulacan said most of the province would continue to be flooded for the next few days as the waters from nearby provinces were still running down toward their lower-lying areas before reaching their rivers, plus the effect of the high tide in general.

Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando pre - tion and adaptation. This is equivalent to 9.4 percent of the total proposed budget, exceeding the country’s commitment of 8 percent share under the Philippine Development Plan.

Good Government) did not raise any new argument to convince this court that its ruling is erroneous or contrary to the law or evidence, its motion for reconsideration must be denied for lack of merit,” the court said in the resolution written by Associate Justice Arthur Malabaguio; and concurred by division chairman Oscar Herrera, Jr. and Associate Justice Edgardo Caldona.

The bulk of climate change expenditures will be allocated for water-sufficiency projects worth P294.46 billion to benefit communities all over the country.

The Philippine Space Agency will be provided with P1.7 billion to better monitor the country’s land and marine resources, as well as terrestrial ecosystems, to ensure both agricultural productivity and environmental integrity. Of this allocation, P1.2 billion will be used for the Multispectral Unit for Land Assessment (MULA) Satellite Development’s secondyear funding requirement.

The government will continue to provide financial assistance for Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) amounting to P80.6 billion, which includes the Annual Block Grant of P70.5 billion, and P1 billion for the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Program.

Pangandaman said, “Every peso of the P5.768 trillion 2024 national budget was optimized so we can remain on track with our Agenda for Prosperity.”

“It is the administration’s fervent hope that this budget will continue to lay the groundwork for future-proofing the economy and making the country’s growth inclusive and sustainable, not just for the Filipinos of today, but also for the future generations,” she added.

Romualdez assured President Marcos and the nation that the House of Representatives would approve the proposed P5.768-trillion 2024 national budget before the October congressional break.

The US Embassy said they are concerned that the projects have ties to the China Communications Construction Co. (CCCC) “which has been added to the US Department of Commerce’s Entity List for its role in helping the Chinese military construct and militarize artificial islands in the South China Sea.” US Embassy spokesperson Kanishka Gangopadhyay said the company “has also been cited by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for engaging in fraudulent business practices.” viously said he was talking to his neighboring provincial leaders to push through with mega-dike projects that would be funded by the private sector.

“We continue to support high-quality, sustainable, and transparent investments to benefit the Filipino people and will continue to engage with the appropriate authorities on this matter,” the US official said.

Also, Sta. Fe village in San Marcelino, Zambales continued to be cut off from the rest of the town for the fourth straight day after the swollen Santo Tomas River broke the dike protecting it.

Cayetano flagged the unfinished flood control dams of the DPWH.

He said it has been 12 years since the unfinished flood control dams were revealed in a Senate hearing, but apparently – with the continuous flooding in Bulacan and surrounding areas – nothing has been done to fully address it.

“It was discovered during the hearing that there were still unfinished flood control projects of the government.

And this was more than 10 years ago and after that, I thought everything was

In a 69-page decision penned by Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez, the SC’s Second Division reversed and set aside the September 16, 2015 ruling of the Sandiganbayan which sentenced the petitioners to a maximum of eight years in prison.

The Sandiganbayan decision found the petitioners Cristina AmpostaMortel, Theron Victor Lacson, Leo Padilla, Manuel Berifia, Jr., Jaime Millan, Bernardo Viray, Raphael Pocholo Zorilla, Daniel Dayan, Frisco Francisco San Juan, Elpidio Damaso, Carmelita Chan, and contractor Jesusito Legaspi guilty of violating the provisions of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The High Court, in reversing the ruling, even lauded the timely completion of the project, saying this has benefitted the government with “the increase in value of the land surrounding the area, as well as the public who continue to reap the benefits of having alternate routes that would let them avoid traffic congestion.”

In acquitting the former PEA board members and Legaspi, the SC noted the findings of the Commission on Audit that there was no overpricing in the implementation of the said project.

“Considering that the COA, the constitutionally bound auditor of government funds, declared that no overpricing occurred, such findings should be given considerable weight,” the SC said.

Supply...

From A1 fixed,” he said.

“Our rice supply is more than enough for our needs for the next few months,” Sebastian said at a Laging Handa briefing.

“We are at the peak of planting, we expect that this month there will be harvests, and in September there will be many harvests. We have a sufficient supply of rice,” he added.

The country also has a buffer stock good for 39 days, nearly five times the minimum 9 days required by law, Agriculture Undersecretary Mercedita Sombilla said in another press conference in Malacañang.

“The DA has already prepositioned ways by which we could increase production. The biggest rice production will still come sometime end of September or October,” she said.

But Sebastian explained that the buffer stock of rice of the National Food Authority (NFA), is different from the stocks of rice for the whole country.

He said the government used to get its rice supply from the NFA, but now the agency maintains only a small stock for emergencies.

“The private sector is now allowed to import rice,” he said.

At the same time, Sebastian urged farmers who were affected by Typhoon Egay to seek assistance from the DA, as they are ready to supply them with seedlings.

He also urged them to maximize food production during this period by growing vegetables.

Cayetano said he will scrutinize the DPWH’s proposed budget for 2024 to make sure its budget – the second highest among all government agencies – is allocated to the right infrastructure projects.

He said to be able to mitigate flooding effectively, the DPWH must take a more comprehensive approach, pointing out that 25 percent of the department’s budget this year was put into flood control instead of being used for the building of new roads.

Calling the Senate’s attention to the perennial flooding in his home province of Bulacan, Villanueva urged fellow senators to inquire about the plans and programs of the government regarding the country’s urban drainage system and flood protection for Metro Manila and other vulnerable areas.