Lacson eyes ayuda integration under 4Ps
Lacson said this is part of his push for good governance, including the intensified scrutiny of the national budget bill.
"This early, I have instructed my prospective legislative staff to draft an amendment to Republic Act 11310, the law on the 4Ps program, to expand it and address the sectors covered by the other forms of ayuda that have become confusing and have become a political tool used by some politicians for their campaigns, both during and outside of the campaign period," Lacson said in Filipino in a radio interview on Monday.
"Expanding the 4Ps will be better because the 4Ps has a data-driven list of beneficiaries; unlike other ayuda programs that are indiscriminate and are prone to duplication like TUPAD, AKAP, AICS, and MAIP," he added.
This as he lamented how some lawmakers had got involved in the distribution of at least one ayuda program, the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), even if they are not part of the implementing agencies.
He pointed out that 4Ps and its implementation involves studies conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, and other concerned implementing agencies.
The 4Ps serves as a national poverty reduction strategy and a human capital investment program that provides conditional cash transfers to poor households for a maximum period of seven years, to improve the health, nutrition, and education of children aged 0 to 18.
Aside from the integration of government assistance, Lacson vowed to also intensify his scrutiny of the national budget, including reviewing the implementation of this year's, which he described as "one of the most corrupt national budgets" he had seen in his 18 years in the Senate.
"I will intensify my scrutiny of the budget after a three-year absence. I want to study the pattern of how the national budgets of the last three years were passed," he said.
"I will prioritize scrutinizing the national budget, which is the lifeline of our economy. Without the budget, we cannot move," he added.
The former Philippine National Police chief will also provide more support for local government units by giving them a possible one-percent rebate on their Value Added Tax (VAT) remittances to the national government.
Lacson, who was part of the administration's Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas, was proclaimed senator last Saturday at the Manila Hotel. —Anna Felicia Bajo/AOL, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
6 hours ago
- GMA Network
Group calls for good governance, transparency amid VP Sara impeachment issue
Several senator-judges vote in favor of returning the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives, after the Senate convened as an impeachment court earlier in the day, on June 10, 2025. Joseph B. Vidal/OSP An anti-corruption group on Thursday called for transparency and good governance in public service amid the issue of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment. In a press release, Democracy Watch Philippines (DemWatch) said it has convened student leaders from 16 universities and various youth-led non-government organizations in Metro Manila to promote good governance as well as to urge the youth to partake in civic engagement and political participation. 'Transparency isn't just a buzzword—it's the frontline of accountability. If we don't know what our leaders are doing, how can we hold them responsible? If public service is cloaked in secrecy, can we still call it democratic?' DemWatch convenor Lloyd Ian Zaragoza said in a press release. 'We must understand who these politicians are and what they are scared of. It's actually the voters. It's us, the people, who hold the power to elect and are empowered to hold them accountable,' he added. The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5 with more than 200 congressmen endorsing the verified complaint against her, which has been transmitted to the Senate for her impeachment trial. The Senate sitting as an impeachment court however voted last June 10 to return to the House of Representatives the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte without dismissing or terminating the case. Duterte entered a 'not guilty' plea in the verified impeachment complaint filed against her, which she called merely a 'scrap of paper.' Zaragoza, meanwhile, pointed out that the issues surrounding the impeachment case were supposedly muddled by misinformation. He cited the importance of empowering the youth as the next generation of voters to raise awareness on relevant social issues and put public pressure on leaders to serve honestly. 'You are not a silent generation. You are asking the hard questions. You are calling out injustice. You are not here to inherit a broken system—you are here to help fix it,' said Zaragoza. — BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
11 hours ago
- GMA Network
EU poll observers: Almost 50% of PH election code outdated
Poll observers from the European Union turn over their final report on the 2025 Philippine midterm national and local elections on July 2, 2025. Photo by: Comelec Nearly half of the provisions of the Omnibus Election Code, including those for campaign finance and election offenses, are already outdated, the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission reported Thursday. The EU poll observers, led by its chief Marta Temido, highlighted this in their report following the conduct of the May 12, 2025 midterm polls. "Although the election code remains the main source of electoral legislation, it is estimated that nearly half of its provisions are outdated, having been superseded by the Constitution, enacted two years after, and by numerous subsequent laws and regulations," the report read. "Specific provisions and entire sections of the electoral code that are no longer valid refer, for example, to the registration of voters and candidates, the campaign and campaign finance, voting and counting procedures, election observation and electoral offenses," the report read. Further, the poll observers' report stated that the election code has not been updated, as articles that are no longer applicable have not been repealed yet remain in place. "This [situation] is making it difficult to determine which provisions are still in force and which have been rendered inoperative by more recent legal acts," the report said. The Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines, or Batas Pambansa 881, was enacted in December 1985 during the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Fact-checking 'uncommon' The country's social media environment, the report added, is divided along political dynasties and the supporters, while the digital literacy of the Filipino population was deemed low to moderate. "While there are several fact-checking initiatives, the EU poll observers said verifying online news remains relatively uncommon among Filipinos," the report said. While articles and videos generally maintained a high level of discussion, the EU poll observers said the authenticity could not be said for comments sections and reactions. "EU EOM interlocutors noted that troll farms have become harder to detect due to their decentralised operations, unlike past tactics using identical messages and hashtags," the report pointed out. "The DICT reported several cases to Meta when coordinated naratives stemmed from a foreign source or when mass messages were identical, while TikTok removed three troll farms. Despite broad agreement on the issue's scale, some groups... were seen as both trolling and expressing authentic political views," the report read. To address these problems, the EU poll observes called for a sustainable support system for independent media and investigative journalism and fact checking. "Fact checking should be further strengthened and maintained, alongside continued expansion of media and digital literacy programmes for all strata of society," the report added. — VDV, GMA Integrated News For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.
GMA Network
11 hours ago
- GMA Network
Comelec formally proclaims Eric Yap as Benguet solon
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has formally proclaimed Eric Yap as representative of the lone district of Benguet. The Benguet Provincial Board of Canvassers (PBOC) reconvened on Wednesday to proclaim Yap as the winning congressional candidate of the lone district for the recent midterm elections after the Comelec Second Division issued a certificate of finality and entry of judgment on a disqualification petition filed against the solon. The poll body division, in its ruling, dismissed the petition after the Comelec did not receive a motion for reconsideration (MR) questioning an earlier ruling that rejected an October 2024 petition filed by certain Franklin Tino on the grounds of material misrepresentation due to questions on Yap's citizenship. No temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court (SC) was also issued during the five-day reglementary period of the decision. 'The records show that the Petitioner failed to file a motion for reconsideration and there being no restraining order issued by the Supreme Court (SC) within five days from receipt of the Resolution that would preclude the aforementioned Resolution of this Commission (Second Division) from being final and executory,' the certificate of finality reads. 'In view of the foregoing, the resolution of the Commission (Second Division) promulgated on 26 June 2025 is hereby declared immediately executory under the Comelec Rules of Procedure, and Comelec Resolution No. 11046,' it added. The Comelec division last week lifted the suspension of the proclamation of Yap following the dismissal of a disqualification petition against his candidacy. Tino, in his petition, alleged that Yap committed material misrepresentation when he filed his certificate of candidacy for Benguet representative when he is not a natural-born Filipino citizen. He also accused Yap of falsifying his birth certificate and Philippine passport. Yap has denied the accusations. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
