
Mika Suansing is chairperson of House appropriations committee
Nueva Ecija Rep. Michaela Suansing was elected the chairperson of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations on Tuesday night.
Suansing's election happened after the House, in a plenary session, adopted the motion put forward by House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, the son of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The President, in his State of the Nation Address on Monday, said that he would veto items in the General Appropriations Act in 2026 if they are found inconsistent with the National Expenditure Program submitted by the executive branch.
Suansing, 33, earned her Master's Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University as a full scholar in 2021, and also served as the senior vice chairperson of the House Committee on Ways and Means during the 19th Congress.
Other House members elected as chairpersons of influential House committees include:
Davao de Oro Rep. Maria Carmen Zamora - House Committee on Accounts
Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores - House Committee on Dangerous Drugs
Manila Rep. Joel Chua - House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability
Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, Jr. - House Committee on Human Rights
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Lordan Suan - House Committee on Public Information
Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano - House Committee on Public Order and Safety
Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo - the House Committee on Ways and Means
–NB, 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
Carpio: SC may still reverse decision on Sara Duterte's impeachment
Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Wednesday that there is still a possibility that the high court will reverse its decision declaring the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte as unconstitutional. Carpio said this, hinging on the plan of the House of Representatives to file a motion for reconsideration on the SC decision as the lower chamber argued that the ruling was based on incorrect findings that contradict official records. 'Theoretically, pwede [it's possible]. I mean, there's no rule or law, constitutional provision that say that they [cannot] correct themselves,' Carpio said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum when asked of the possibility of the decision getting reversed even as the SC justices voted unanimously on it. According to the former SC associate justice, there had been many instances in the past when the high court 'completely reversed itself.' Meanwhile, Christian Monsod, one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, said that the SC may 'correct itself on some parts' of their decision. 'It's not yet final, it's only executory but not yet final because the House still has motion for reconsideration. So I would think that the Senate should hold in abeyance any action because it's not yet final,' Carpio explained. 'Normally, you act when it's already final. Because it's not yet final, there's still a chance it could be reversed or changed because there's a motion for reconsideration,' he added. Carpio, however, emphasized that if the decision becomes final, the ruling must be followed because the Supreme Court is the final arbiter 'whether it's correct or not.' Voting 13-0, the Supreme Court earlier declared the articles of impeachment against Duterte as unconstitutional, saying that it was barred by the one-year rule under Article XI Section 3 paragraph 5 of the Constitution. The high court also found that the articles violated Duterte's right to due process. The SC decision is immediately executory but a motion for reconsideration may be filed. The high court also emphasized that it is not absolving Duterte from any of the charges against her, but any subsequent impeachment complaint may only be filed starting February 6, 2026. House of Representatives spokesperson Princess Abante said the lower chamber is preparing to file a motion for reconsideration of the SC decision, noting that upon studying, the House found that the bases for it were alarming. 'Ang Kamara, matapos ang masusing pag-aaral, ay maghahain ng motion for reconsideration dahil ang desisyon na nagsasabing ang Articles of Impeachment na ipinadala sa Senado ay barred or unconstitutional ay nakaangkla sa mga factual premises o findings na mali at salungat sa opisyal na record ng Kamara,' Abante said. (The House, after thorough study, will file a motion for reconsideration because the decision declaring that the Articles of Impeachment transmitted to the Senate are barred or unconstitutional is based on factual premises or findings that are incorrect and contrary to the official records of the House.) Meanwhile, Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero announced Tuesday that the Senate will discuss the SC decision on August 6, 2025, 'in order to afford ample and sufficient time to the members to study the 97-page Supreme Court decision, excluding the concurring and separate opinions filed by five or six additional magistrates of the Supreme Court.'—AOL, GMA Integrated News


GMA Network
9 hours ago
- GMA Network
DPWH admits lack of monitoring on 'inserted' flood control projects
The Department of Public Works and Highways admitted Wednesday that it has no monitoring system in place for some flood control projects—specifically those inserted by lawmakers into the national budget without undergoing technical vetting. DPWH Secretary Manuel 'Manny' Bonoan said the agency is seeing some of the projects for the first time only after they appear in the final version of the General Appropriations Act (GAA). 'That will be the first time we will be seeing ang mga projects na ito kapag nailagay na po sa General Appropriations Act,' Bonoan said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview. (That's the first time we see these projects—when they're already in the final national budget.) 'Wala po [monitoring] because we are not part of the bicameral conference committee,' he added. (There's no monitoring, because we're not part of the bicameral committee.) Despite this, the DPWH is still expected to implement these projects—often with delays, due to the lack of prior validation, feasibility studies, or engineering assessments. 'Kami na rin po mag-iimplement (we will be the ones to implement) pero it will take some time to do assessments and validations,' Bonoan said. From 2023 to 2025, the DPWH received around P980.25 billion in funding for flood control—an average of P326.75 billion per year, based on data from GMA Integrated News Research. During his fourth State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the DPWH to submit a full list of all completed and ongoing flood control projects. The directive aims to identify delays, assess performance, and flag any possible ghost projects. 'I have ordered a comprehensive audit of all the projects that have been completed or are being implemented right now,' Bonoan said. The department will also submit each project's current status, including those still under construction and those that remain inactive. Insertions bypass DPWH checks The DPWH clarified that only projects included in the executive's National Expenditure Program (NEP) go through its regular validation process. Many flood control projects, however, are inserted into the national budget by lawmakers during bicameral deliberations—without DPWH involvement. 'Yung mga new items na hindi dumaan sa amin initially sa pagba-validate,' Bonoan said. (Those new items didn't go through us for initial validation.) He added the last-minute insertions often cause delays, especially when they involve right-of-way issues or affect existing communities. The lack of preparation and reduced funding for engineering work further slow down implementation. 'Ang mga budget po namin (Our budget) for project preparations and engineering activities have been drastically deleted,' he said. Last December, Marcos vetoed P16.72 billion worth of DPWH flood control items in the 2025 national budget. He emphasized that only projects included in the NEP will be supported moving forward. This aligns with long-standing concerns from watchdog groups and auditors, who flagged delays in several high-profile, foreign-assisted flood mitigation efforts in recent years—including projects in Metro Manila, Cavite, and Cagayan de Oro. While the DPWH uses a project monitoring application to track officially vetted projects, Bonoan acknowledged that the same level of oversight does not exist for inserted items. —AOL, GMA Integrated News


GMA Network
a day ago
- GMA Network
Mika Suansing is chairperson of House appropriations committee
Suansing, 33, earned her Master's Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University as a full scholar in 2021, and also served as the senior vice chairperson of the House Committee on Ways and Means during the 19th Congress. Nueva Ecija Rep. Michaela Suansing was elected the chairperson of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations on Tuesday night. Suansing's election happened after the House, in a plenary session, adopted the motion put forward by House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, the son of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The President, in his State of the Nation Address on Monday, said that he would veto items in the General Appropriations Act in 2026 if they are found inconsistent with the National Expenditure Program submitted by the executive branch. Suansing, 33, earned her Master's Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University as a full scholar in 2021, and also served as the senior vice chairperson of the House Committee on Ways and Means during the 19th Congress. Other House members elected as chairpersons of influential House committees include: Davao de Oro Rep. Maria Carmen Zamora - House Committee on Accounts Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores - House Committee on Dangerous Drugs Manila Rep. Joel Chua - House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, Jr. - House Committee on Human Rights Cagayan de Oro Rep. Lordan Suan - House Committee on Public Information Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano - House Committee on Public Order and Safety Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo - the House Committee on Ways and Means –NB, GMA Integrated News