Lacson flags military fund in DPWH budget. Inquirer Newsletter October 12, 2020

No images? Click here   HUGE FIND Roughly the size of a worker ant, this subspecies of microsnail has been found among limestone boulders at Masungi Georeserve in Baras, Rizal province. PHOTO COURTESY OF MASUNGI GEORESERVE FOUNDATION     News Drilon: Duterte may call new special session Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Sunday said President Duterte might again call a special session of Congress on Nov. 9-13 to let the Senate start plenary deliberations on the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021, a week ahead of their original schedule. —STORY BY MARLON RAMOS INQ Read more: http://philippinedailyinquirerplus.pressreader.com/@AD14433610/csb_GWQ-jH1NQGRNMQov9m3g-O9tly5dPK19uXTl4SLG-AJk5SaEqKuxJmOzdTkLy2Uu   Board Talk Betting big on women More exposure to a large business network, programs aimed at specifically improving female leadership, and intensive mentoring by seasoned tech entrepreneurs. Now on its upgraded version, the Startup Pinay program by QBO (pronounced “kubo,” the traditional Filipino hut) Innovation Hub will be aggressively growing its community of female-led tech startups through funding, mentorship and exposure. —STORY BY INQ Annelle Tayao-Juego Read more: http://philippinedailyinquirerplus.pressreader.com/@AD14433610/csb_GWQ-jH1NQGRNMQov9m3g-MtNfI_sdwRK0ddTn3dfhNz2ms01UvNLpCmL5c5Zz2RI   Regions Fish growers ask gov’t: ‘Reconsider’ import plan Fish growers in Taal Lake in Batangas province have opposed the government’s plan to import fish, saying this could only stall the industry’s recovery from damage wrought by Taal Volcano’s eruption and the low market demand due to the new coronavirus pandemic. —STORY BY Maricar Cinco Read more: http://philippinedailyinquirerplus.pressreader.com/@AD14433610/csb_GWQ-jH1NQGRNMQov9m3g-Ay6_Z7RK9OUg3zSWFiW2bcNAE3UaYT1LrzhW_NSzTtm   Newsletter / Join us Has this been forwarded by a friend? Subscribe now to the Philippine Daily Inquirer Newsletter and get your latest news and important updates on COVID-19 and the enhanced community quarantine. Subscribe   Get here     Banner story Lacson flags military fund in DPWH budget By Marlon Ramos Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Sunday flagged for being “quite irregular” the inclusion of P8.2 billion for various military infrastructure programs in the proposed budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for 2021.Lacson, who had earlier uncovered hundreds of billions of pesos in questionable entries in next year’s national spending measure, said he would ask for an explanation for the budget items during the hearing in the Senate on the proposed budgets of the Department of National Defense (DND) and the DPWH this week. “[These are] combination[s] of all infrastructure [projects] like improvement of camps, roads, buildings, etc.,” he told the Inquirer in a Viber message. Asked if placing funds for the military’s construction projects in the DPWH budget was unusual, he replied: “[It’s] not unusual, although [it’s] quite irregular for [having] the same item under two agencies simply because of the confusion it creates.” Lacson said similar incidents had happened before where public funds earmarked for new schoolbuildings were placed in the budgets of the DPWH and the Department of Education. “I had questioned it because it’s confusing only to be told, although off the record, that allocations for schoolbuilding repairs and construction were insertions made by some legislators, both congressmen and some senators,” Lacson said. “I can only venture an explanation: It’s contractor-driven,” he added, hinting that the lawmakers may have received kickbacks from the private contractors of the projects. According to Lacson, the budget for the military infrastructure projects was included in the P396 billion worth of projects that were lodged as lump-sum appropriations in the DPWH central office. —WITH A REPORT FROM JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE INQ Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net   Editorial Reviving mining In need of funds to cover mounting expenses to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the Duterte administration is looking at privatizing some of its mining assets. Aside from raising revenues, the government hopes to revive the mining sector and, in the process, generate jobs especially in the countryside where unemployment has worsened.  Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net     Copyright © 2020 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 2353, Makati Central Post Office, 1263 Makati City, Philippines.   Share    Tweet    Share    Forward  Preferences  |  Unsubscribe