
Marcos arrives at Batasang Pambansa for SONA 2025
The chopper carrying the President landed at the complex at 3:30 p.m.
Authorities have not monitored any threats amid the Chief Executive's SONA.
The Philippine National Police is on full alert status, as around 23,000 personnel have been deployed to secure this year's SONA, including 16,000 from the police organization and 6,000 from other agencies. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
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GMA Network
7 hours ago
- GMA Network
Palace on increase in Marcos rating: Public sees his work
Malacañang on Friday welcomed the boost in the trust and performance ratings of President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. for the 2nd Quarter of 2025. Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said the public is seeing that the President is working for the country. ''Unang-una, malamang po nakikita na po ng taumbayan kung ano po talaga ang ginagawang trabaho ng Pangulo. At nakakatuwa at nakikita na po nila kung gaano po kasipag ang Pangulo para sa taumbayan at para sa bayan,'' Castro said. However, she clarified that Marcos is not after the figures or ratings. ''Ngunit sasabihin po natin muli ang Pangulo po ay hindi maaapektuhan ng anumang numero. Pero siyempre po ito ay ikinagagalak, at kung tumataas man po ang approval at trust rating Pangulo ay nakakatuwa po ito dahil nakikita na nagtatrabaho. Mas mahirap po kasi na bumababa ang rating pero nagtatrabaho; pero mas mabigat iyong hindi nagtatrabaho pero tumataas ang rating,'' she added. Based on the Tugon ng Masa survey conducted from July 12 to 17, OCTA Research said Marcos received a 64% trust rating, a four-percentage-point increase from his previous one. His performance rating also got a three-point increase, climbing up to 62% within the survey's margin of error. OCTA also said Marcos reversed the downward trend in ratings that he experienced since the 4th Quarter of 2024 and received the highest trust and performance ratings among the top officials surveyed for this quarter. —LDF, GMA Integrated News


GMA Network
9 hours ago
- GMA Network
Palace says Congress' power of purse should not be abused
''Hindi po dapat abusuhin iyong sinasabing power of the purse at maraming magkaroon... kung mayroon mang insertions at hindi mapapakinabangan na tunay," Castro said. Congress's power of the purse should not be abused, Malacañang said on Friday, adding that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. didn't want congressional insertions that will not benefit the public included in the proposed general appropriations law. Palace Press Officer Usec. Atty. Claire Castro made the remark when asked to react to President Francis "Chiz" Escudero, who stated that the executive branch's National Expenditure Program was subject to changes during the budget process in Congress. ''Hindi po dapat abusuhin iyong sinasabing power of the purse at maraming magkaroon... kung mayroon mang insertions at hindi mapapakinabangan na tunay," Castro said. "Iyan lamang po ang gusto ng Pangulo, kaya gusto niya maging malinis at budget at hangga't maaari iyong bicam conference with regard to the conference dito sa budget, 2026 budget ay bukas sa publiko,'' she added. (The power of the purse should be abused. The President doesn't want insertions that will not benefit the people. The President wants a transparent budget, and as much as possible, the bicameral committee conference on the budget should be open to the public.) Castro said the President and the Cabinet secretaries were involved in the exhaustive preparation of the NEP. "At kung numan po ang nabuo dito, ibig sabihin po, iyan po ang dapat na paglalaanan ng pondo,'' Castro said. (Whatever was mentioned here should be allotted funds.) The NEP or the President's budget is submitted to the Senate and the House of Representatives at the start of the appropriations process. It is the basis of Congress's budget hearings to craft the General Appropriations Act, or the national budget for the following year. Marcos, in his State of the Nation Address (SONA 2025) on Monday, said he would return a general appropriations bill that was not in line with the NEP. Escudero said the NEP was not set in stone. 'Ang panukalang budget ay nanggagaling hindi lamang sa executive pero pati sa Kongreso. Hindi naman porket binalangkas ng executive lahat 'yun ay tama na. Hindi naman porket binalangkas ng executive lahat 'yun ay hindi na pwedeng baguhin at tila nakaukit na sa bato,' Escudero said. (The proposed budget comes not only from the executive but also from Congress. Just because it was the executive that outlined everything, all of those are already right and cannot be changed.) 'Ang marapat na dapat baguhin, dapat baguhin dahil 'yung mga kalihim mismo ng Pangulo ay humihiling sa Kongreso ng dagdag o pagbabago sa kani-kanilang budget," he added. "So siguro kung may ganyang uri ng kautusan ang Pangulo dapat pagsabihan din niya ang kanyang mga kalihim na kapag may sinumite ng budget ang DBM para sa kanilang departamento, 'wag na silang humirit pa dahil bago sila makahirit ang pagkukunan ay ibang departamento rin,' Escudero said. (What should be changed, must be changed because the President's cabinet secretaries themselves are asking Congress for an increase or change in their respective budgets. So maybe the President should also tell his secretaries that when the DBM submits a budget for their department, they should stop asking for an increase because the source for that increase will be obtained from the budget of another agency.) Escudero has denied claims that there are billions of pesos worth of insertions in the 2025 national budget. He said the reports were part of a 'demolition job' in connection with his earlier bid to retain his Senate presidency post. Marcos, in his SONA, said that the government would operate under a reenacted budget in 2026 as he warned that he would veto a proposed budget bill that would not be in harmony with his administration's programs and priorities. –NB, GMA Integrated News


GMA Network
9 hours ago
- GMA Network
Banning online gambling must be studied thoroughly, says Palace
Malacañang on Friday said banning online gambling should be studied thoroughly, including its possible impacts to the country. During a press conference, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said this matter should be studied carefully as this may affect even the licensed ones. She was reacting to the question about President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. skipping online gambling during his fourth State of the Nation Address. ''So, dapat ito aralin mabuti ano ba ang dapat gawin dahil kapag nga tinanggal natin talaga agad-agad ang online gambling at maapektuhan naman iyong ibang mga lisensiyado, makakaapekto ba ito sa tulong sa bayan, sa tulong sa mga estudyante, sa tulong sa mga Pilipino? So, hindi po puwedeng magpadalus-dalos ang Pangulo dito. Dapat aralin po dahil sa totoo lamang po ang mga revenue po na ibinibigay ng lisensiyado na online gambling ay nakakapagbigay talaga ng tulong sa mamamayan,'' Castro said. (This should be studied carefully because if we remove this, those licensed ones will be affected and we have to determine if this will affect the assistance to the nation, to students, and to all Filipinos. So, the President cannot just decide on this. This should be studied as the revenues from licensed online gambling operations are helping the citizens.) ''So, dapat pong aralin at hindi po dapat na ora-orada at mag-uutos agad na tanggalin agad iyan, dapat inaaral po iyan. Iyang ganiyan po kasi, ang gusto ng Pangulo ay inaaral bago magpadalus-dalos sa aksiyon,'' she added. (This should be studied and it's not right to just prohibit this, this should be studied.) The Senate is set to hold an investigation regarding online gambling in the country, as announced by Senator Erwin Tulfo, chairman of the Senate games and amusement committee. Several other lawmakers have also called either for the total ban or strict regulation of online gambling, citing its negative impact on Filipinos who got addicted to it. PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro Tengco earlier noted that the gaming industry regulator recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ad Standards Council (ASC) to strengthen the monitoring of gambling-related advertisements across all platforms. It also recently ordered the takedown of all gambling ads in public spaces and primetime TV by August 15 this year. — BAP, GMA Integrated News