Hontiveros Lauds 2017 Budget with Historic Debt Audit Provision, Health Reforms

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"A historic first in the history of the Philippine budget system."

This is how Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros described the passage of the 2017 national government budget that contains a special provision mandating Congress to conduct a comprehensive audit of the country's debt.

The said provision tasked the Congressional Oversight Committee on Overseas Development Assistance to conduct a debt audit to determine the legitimacy of a list of loan agreements challenged as illegitimate. The said debt audit will be conducted in the 2017 fiscal year.

Hontiveros, who introduced the said general provision, said that the process of a debt audit is an important policy tool to unburden the Filipino people from paying onerous and illegitimate debts and beef up funding for social service spending.

"This is truly a historic first. With this provision, we commit to diligently scrutinize the country’s debts if they are indeed in accordance with the principles on promoting responsible sovereign lending and borrowing by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and repudiate the illegitimate part of our overall debt," Hontiveros said.

"I would like to commend the Senate Finance Committee chaired by Senator Loren Legarda, my fellow senators, the Executive branch and the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) for supporting the inclusion of this provision in our national budget," Hontiveros added.

Japan-Made BRP Malabrigo Vessel Commissioned to PCG

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Another Japanese-made Multi-Role Response Vessel (MRRV) has been commissioned to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The BRP Malabrigo, named after a lighthouse in Batangas, was commissioned in a ceremony at the PCG Headquarters earlier today, granting the vessel an authority to belong to a service and authorize her to perform the mandated mission of the agency. It is the second of 10 MRRVs built and delivered from Japan as part of the Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project.

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Maritime Felipe Judan led the commissioning ceremony and thanked Japan for its continued support in helping improve the country’s transportation system. He also expressed his gratitude to the men and women of the PCG who have shown unwavering dedication to the service.

“Officials and members of the Philippine Coast Guard have the heart to serve, but need equipment and support,” he said.

MRT 3 Rolls Out New Elevators

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In time for last-minute Christmas shopping and party-hopping, the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT 3) has installed brand new elevators in most stations for the convenience of train passengers.

Twenty-seven out of the 32 elevators will be operational and will be ready to accommodate train passengers starting tomorrow, December 23. Five other elevators are on-going replacement.

MRT-3 General Manager Deo Manalo said the new elevators would ease the commute of passengers during the Holidays. Senior citizens, pregnant women, and persons with disability will be given priority.

“The elevators would relieve passengers from carrying heavy bags especially this Christmas,” said Manalo

Department of Transportation Secretary Art Tugade will lead the inspection of elevators, to be accompanied by representatives from commuter advocacy and PWD groups.

The installation of new elevators is part of the efforts of the DOTr – MRT3 to improve over-all station experience and provide convenience to commuters. This development is also seen to reduce queues in stations especially during peak hours.

The elevators were ordered last year with the target completion set on January 2017. Further, repair and rehabilitation of escalators are ongoing and expected to be completed on February 2017.