Political neutrality
Can rabid Duterte defenders such as De la Rosa and another reelectionist senator, Bong Go, convincingly shed their partisanship and be impartial in deciding to either acquit or convict the vice president?
Try
Can rabid Duterte defenders such as De la Rosa and another reelectionist senator, Bong Go, convincingly shed their partisanship and be impartial in deciding to either acquit or convict the vice president?
What is troubling in this campaign is the incumbent president's negative campaigning despite the perceived better quality of his candidates compared to those backed by Duterte.
The Dutertes and their ilk have made spewing insults and threats normal in responding to questions concerning abuse of power in a blatant display of arrogance.
Doing so would be like giving lawmakers a boulder to hit their heads. Perhaps the next best thing to do is for voters to reject candidates who promote the "ayuda" mentality and use it for political advantage.
A CCTV footage showed three police operatives loading 19 pieces of luggage into a white sedan parked near the WPD lending office on Jose Abad Santos Avenue. The PDEG chief estimated the stolen volume at around 380 kg. Only two pieces of luggage with 42 kg were recovered one week after the bungled operation.
Cuts made by Congress in the annual budget in the last three years had reached P1.042 trillion, broken down into: P219 billion in the 2013 GAA, P449.5 billion in 2024 and P373 billion in 2025.
Instead of reducing poverty, these "ayuda" programs seem to institutionalize a culture of mendicancy through a system that promotes patronage politics on all levels.
What tainted the project are the face and not-so-hidden intentions of Romualdez and his allies eyeing the 2025 and 2028 elections. Romualdez has become the face of AKAP, although the lump sum was lodged with the DSWD.
The final shape of the 2025 budget will be a test of the Marcos administration's adherence to the principles of transparency and accountability and his declared policy of prudent spending. Can he pass the test?
Contrary to Romualdez's claim, Sonny Africa says the Congress-ratified spending program "doesn't really respond to the nation's social and economic needs while, unfortunately, favoring the pork of politicians and profits of the rich."