THE government has allotted P8.9 million for President Benigno Aquino III’s participation to the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 9), which will be held in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) from November 5 to 6. President Aquino and his lean delegation left Sunday afternoon for Vientiane to attend the ASEM 9, his first since assuming the [...]

MALACANANG expressed hope Saturday that Congress could soon approve the P2-trillion budget for 2013 as well as the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill to boost the economy and give the public easier access to government information. In a radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte thanked lawmakers for prioritizing the [...]

A MALACANANG official expressed confidence the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be able to resolve disagreements over the poll body’s allocation next year. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said it is a “rare event” that an office under the Executive Department fails to come to an agreement [...]

A STAUNCH critic of the Aquino administration has called for Budget Secretary Florencio Abad’s resignation, following his statement over the non-release of “pork barrel” funds of opposition lawmakers. In a recent newspaper report, Abad said it is part of politics that some opposition legislators are deprived of their priority development assistance fund (PDAF), more commonly [...]