News: Bicam committee keeps slashed budget for VP Sara

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Bicam committee keeps slashed budget for VP Sara

December 12, 2024

FORMER POGO ISLAND Local officials of Kawit, Cavite, inspect the now-closed Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub in Island Cove, one of the biggest to be set up during the Duterte administration. Inquirer photos taken on Wednesday indicate a self-contained community for its mostly Chinese workers. The complex officially shut down on Nov. 30, a month before the government deadline. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Bicam committee keeps slashed budget of P733M for VP Sara

No go, no way: In the end, the bicameral conference committee backed the House move to trim VP Sara Duterte's office budget next year by P1.3B, on the heels of the congressional probe into her alleged misuse of confidential funds in 2023.

Still on Sara: Saying she has lost trust in the entire government, the VP declared she is considering hiring a private security agency for her personal protection — which could mean some 440 bodyguards, the numbers assigned to her previously.

LGU officials should report any suspicious POGO-like activities in their localities, the DILG said, to prevent the possible resurgence of such operations following the total ban on POGOs starting next year as ordered by the President.

The Filipino voice reigns supreme in The Voice USA, with Sofronio Vasquez becoming the first singer from the Philippines – and Asia – to bag the top prize in the popular US singing competition on NBC, now in its 26th season.

In the interest of justice, Harry Roque must be found, urges today's editorial. His "continued absence jeopardizes the nation's call for accountability from those who had conspired with mostly Chinese nationals to enable Pogos to thrive, even through criminal means."

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BUSINESS

PSE entry so hard for 400 firms

Long processes and loose enforcement of governance policies are preventing around 400 private enterprises from braving the local stock market, with the Philippines lagging behind its Southeast Asian peers in capital market development.

By Meg J. Adonis

REGIONS

Suspected China Coast Guard ship leaves Zambales uninspected

The PCG station in this province failed to inspect a dredging vessel that residents claimed was a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel, with body number 21543. Commander Euphraim Jayson Diciano, head of the PCG Zambales station, said the only vessel present in the area when they arrived there was MV An Da Kang 3689, a dredger operated by China Harbour Engineering Co.

By Joanna Rose Aglibot

WORLD

S. Korea police raid Yoon office

SEOUL—South Korean police raided the office of President Yoon Suk-yeol, a presidential security official said on Wednesday, in a widening investigation into the embattled leader's failed attempt to impose martial law.

By Reuters

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FOOD

20 items worth the space on your 'noche buena' table

Cereal Prawns by Ley's Kitchen (@leys_kitchen) — Their crabs in Coco Curry and Crab Laksa, among others, are indulgent but for this season, Angel Ley offers another equally delicious crowd favorite. Her Cereal Prawns are fragrant and buttery that the use of bare hands, with the occasional finger lick, is necessary.

By Niño Angelo Comsti

INQUIRER PLUS-EXCLUSIVE

Indonesia's new coal phaseout goal sets 'daunting task'

JAKARTA — Meeting Indonesia's pledge to phase out coal power in just 15 years and reach net-zero emissions by mid-century is a "daunting task" that will require immediate and ambitious action, experts warn. New President Prabowo Subianto offered a surprise commitment at last month's G20 summit to close hundreds of coal and fossil-fuel power plants by 2040.

By AFP

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