
Dave Gomez to prioritize ‘performance audit' of PCO
''I need to conduct a fair, honest to goodness, unbiased performance audit of the office...'' Gomez said in an ambush interview with Palace reporters.
Gomez sees the performance audit as an ''urgent'' matter, noting that he already started having meetings with officials in the PCO.
Included in the audit were the guidelines for members of the media covering President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. and his policies, Gomez said.
To recall, the implementation of the guidelines was deferred amid questions raised by the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC).
Aside from communicating the programs and policies of the Marcos administration, the fifth PCO chief also vowed to continue the fight against fake news.
''Tuloy-tuloy naman, I mean fake news is doing a lot of disservice to the Filipino people. We need to correct the misinformation and just present the facts as it is to the people,'' Gomez said.
Gomez took his oath before President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. this morning. He replaced broadcast journalist Jay Ruiz, who will be a member of the Board of Directors of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office. — BM, GMA Integrated News
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GMA Network
3 hours ago
- GMA Network
Imee seeks ban on transfer of Pinoys to foreign jurisdiction sans local warrant
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GMA Network
20 hours ago
- GMA Network
PH online gambling ban pushed anew in House, Senate
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Abante then said that while online gambling generates billions of government revenues that fund social services such as classrooms and healthcare, the risk is not worth it. "No amount of government revenue can justify the human costs of this evil pastime. We cannot continue to build schools or roads with money soaked in the blood of fathers who have lost their savings, or of children who gambled away their futures," Abante said. "We should not heal our citizens with resources generated from an industry that harms our fellow Filipinos," Abante added. Several lawmakers have been split on how to deal with the proliferation of online gambling and casinos, with some pushing for restrictions while others seek an outright ban. In the upper chamber, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri also earlier filed a similar measure last July 7 as part of his 10 priority measures. 'Epidemic' For his part, Senator Raffy Tulfo said Tuesday that he will also file a bill seeking a total ban—not just merely regulation—of online gambling in the country, which he called an "epidemic." "Merong nagaganap na epidemic ngayon sa ating bansa at lumalala nang lumalala ang epidemic na ito. It's about time na lahat tayo magtulung-tulungan para magamot itong malalang epidemic," he said in a press conference. (There is an epidemic happening in our country right now and it's getting worse and worse. It's about time that we all work together to address this serious epidemic.) Ban, not regulate Tulfo said he is not for regulating online gambling despite concerns that a total ban would result in its underground operations. He said it is the job of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to address such concerns. He also said that even government officials linked in the proliferation of online gambling should be investigated. "That has to be investigated. Dapat imbestigahan—sino 'yung mga pulitiko, sino 'yung mga malalaking opisyal na involved sa online gambling, online gaming. Eh 'di sampahan ng kaso sa Ombudsman, sampahan ng kaso sa Sandiganbayan. Find out who these people are," he said. (That has to be investigated. Probes should be launched to uncover the politicians and top officials involved in online gambling and online gaming. Cases should be filed against them before the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan. Find out who these people are.) "Kahit na sabihin nating legal, dapat ang mga pulitiko ay nagsisilbi sa taumbayan. Ang pangit naman 'yung kanilang pinagsisilbihan, 'yun 'yung tinatamaan nu'ng kanilang negosyo o kanilang involvement," he added. (Even if they say that's legal, politicians should serve the people. It doesn't look good if the people they are supposed to serve are affected by their business or affiliation with online gambling.) Even accredited platforms In his bill, Tulfo said he would push for the ban of all online gaming platforms, including those accredited by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). The senator also called on PAGCOR to prohibit all forms of advertisements of online gambling, even in social media, television and radio. PAGCOR earlier announced that it has ordered gaming licensees and other industry stakeholders to dismantle all billboards and out-of-home gambling advertisements by August 15 this year. Tulfo further expressed hope that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will mention in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28 the country's worsening problem with online gambling. "Sana makarating sa Pangulo kung gaano kalala na itong problema sa online gaming. At sana 'wag siyang lokohin, meaning 'wag siyang bigyan ng wrong information. Kasi usually 'yung ating Pangulo, umaasa lang naman 'yan doon sa mga advisers niya, sa mga alter ego niya kung ano sinasabi sa kanya, 'yun ang pinapakinggan niya," he added. (I hope this bad problem in online gaming reaches the President. And I hope he doesn't get fooled by the people giving him advice.) Gov't-regulated Also on Thursday, digital finance companies association FinTech Alliance PH said it is pushing for stricter regulations and enhanced regulatory measures for licensed online gaming platforms and their users. FinTech Alliance PH includes major players in the digital finance sector such as GCash, RCBC, CIMB Bank, Cebuana Lhuillier Bank, Maya, Tonik, GoTyme Bank, GrabPay, Xendit, and Smart Communications. Over the weekend, three of the country's largest integrated resort-casino operators assured that their online gaming operations comply with laws and regulations. In a joint statement, Solaire Resort, Newport World Resorts, and Okada Manila said, "Our online gaming operations are a regulated and responsibly managed extension of our operations—designed to complement our primary offerings." Earlier, online gaming operators licensed with PAGCOR called for stronger regulation but warned against a total ban on their industry, saying that doing so may prompt Filipino users to shift to unregulated sites in the black market. They also said a ban would risk losing billions of pesos in revenue for the Philippines, instead of keeping pace with regional neighbors that are modernizing gaming regulations to attract investments and protect players. — VDV, GMA Integrated News


GMA Network
20 hours ago
- GMA Network
Palace welcomes Marcos' improved trust rating
Malacañang on Tuesday welcomed the recent SWS survey indicating an increase in the trust rating of President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the President's trust rating grew despite political noise and attempts to discredit his administration. She said the respondents of the survey had clearly seen what Marcos is doing for the country. 'Kahit na sobrang panggigiba sa kanya ng mga obstructionists na ito na walang magawa kundi manira nang manira at hindi makita ang magagandang trabaho ng Pangulo, sa ating palagay 'yung mga taong mga respondents dito na siyang naging parte ng survey na ito ay nakita nila kung ano ba ang ginagawa ng Pangulo at ng administrasyon,' Castro said. (Even though these obstructionists are so destructive to him that they can do nothing but destroy and destroy and not see the good work of the President, we think that the respondents here who were part of this survey saw what the President and the administration are doing.) She added that the public recognizes the administration's initiatives and programs that are aimed at improving the lives of Filipinos. 'Masaya na nakikita na po ng taumbayan ang ginagawa ng administrasyon,' Castro said. (I'm happy that the people are seeing what the administration is doing.) Marcos' trust rating increased by 10 percentage points from 38% in May to 48% in June, an SWS survey commissioned by Stratbase showed. According to the survey conducted among 1,200 Filipino adults, 48% expressed a great deal of trust in the President, while 30% had little trust and 21% were undecided. The respondents were asked to assess their level of trust in key government officials using the following categories: very much, somewhat much, undecided if much or little, somewhat little, and very little. The survey has a ±3% margin of error. — BAP, GMA Integrated News