CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE — Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)- Bulacan Provincial Office (PDEA Bulacan PO) dismantled a suspected drug den and collared four drug suspects after a buy-bust operation in Barangay Muzon on Saturday.

PDEA Bulacan Chief identified the arrested suspects as Balbino Magdayao Jr. , alias Jun, 46; Alvin Masarque, 18; Arjannel Pusing, 18, Rholan James Ellena, 18, all of Barangay South Muzon.

The four suspects yielded 7 pieces of plastic sachets containing more or less 15 grams of shabu amounting to P102,000; assorted drug paraphernalia; and the buy-bust money used during.

Recovered illegal substances will be forwarded to the PDEA RO III laboratory for quantitative and qualitative examinations.

PDEA Aurora PO and PDEA-3 Regional Special Enforcement Team (RSET) also joined the said operation.

Appropriate charges for the violation of the anti- drug law (Republic Act 9165) will be filed against them.

CAMP GEN. ALEJO SANTOS, Bulacan—A village watchman and two armed men were killed while a resident was wounded during an encounter with police operatives in Barangay Bahay Pare in this city on Saturday.

City of Meycauayan police chief, Col. Jordan Santiago identified the killed victims as Rodolfro Santiago, 63, barangay tanod of Bahay Pare and Andy Bernardo, 40 and Jerome Ballares, 30, both from Caloocan City and the wounded as Marvin James Rivera, 33, a bystander.  

The village watchman was declared dead on arrival at a hospital in the city where he was rushed.

There was no injury or casualty on the police side, the police official said. Rivera, has already been declared out of danger and was sent home from the hospital.

According to the chief of police, the two armed suspects suddenly attacked and strafed the village hall of Bahay Pare at about 8:12 pm wounding Santiago and Rivera.

Bulacan Police Director Col. Relly Arnedo said members of City of Meycauayan police immediately responded upon reports received through phone from concerned residents, but they were fired upon by the suspects. The police retaliated and killed the armed men.

Santiago told NEWS CORE on Monday that the suspects attacked the village hall in retaliation after local officials arrested their believed comrades in the illegal drug trade on January 19.

The police recovered the two .45 calibre firearms and extra magazines of the suspects.

Ornamental plant entries to the 2024 26th Halamanan Festival competition in Guiguinto Bulacan that kicked off on Thursday amaze these judges. The plants were on display at the “iLab” Guiguinto plant tissue culture laboratory in Garden City in Tabang Cloveleaf. Photo by Carmela Reyes-Estrope

Congressional spouse, Mrs. Prescila A. Cruz, wife of Fifth District Rep. Ambrosio C. Cruz Jr. pose with this very lovely multi-color grafted hybrid bougainvillea, an entry to the bougainvillea category in the 26th Halamanan Festival competition that kicked off on Thursday at Garden City in Tabang Cloverleaf.

Photo by Carmela Reyes-Estrope

Garden experts and landscape artists in Guiguinto, Bulacan, known as the “Garden Capital of the Philippines” welcome the 2024 Year of the Dragon Wood with this dragon plant as entry to figure plant competition for this year”s 26th Halamanan Festival that kicked off on Thursday at the Garden City in Tabang Cloverleaf.

The other plants, topiary designs, along with ornamental plant, on the spot dishgarden, bougainvillea and cactus and succulent including landscpae designs are among the annual categories in the competition.

Photo by Carmela Reyes-Estrope

Sa patuloy na pagpapalaganap ng programa ng lungsod ng Taguig para sa ating mga lola at lolo, personal na inabot ni Mayor Lani Cayetano, Konsehal Raul Aquino, at Konsehal Tikboy Marcelino, ang centenarian birthday cash gift na ₱100,000 sa 102-taong-gulang na si Romeo I. Cruz mula sa Brgy. Hagonoy.

Sa pamamagitan ng Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA Taguig), ang mga centenarian ng lungsod, kagaya ni Lolo Romeo, ay patuloy na makakatanggap ng P100,000 sa susunod pang mga taon hangga’t sila ay nabubuhay.

Makakatanggap ang mga seniors ng P3,000-P10,000 na birthday cash gift, depende sa kanilang age bracket sa bisa ng City Ordinance No. 25 series of 2017.

Dagdag pa rito, hatid din ng Taguig ang iba pang serbisyo para sa mga minamahal nating lola at lolo. Nariyan ang pamimigay ng libreng gamot sa mga sakit tulad ng diabetes, high blood at asthma; libreng nursing services sa kanilang tirahan; libreng wheelchairs, canes at hearing aids.

#ILoveTaguig

In addition to the 29 community-based laboratories located in each health center and 3 main laboratories, the City of Taguig, under the leadership of Mayor Lani Cayetano, is now offering 24/7 diagnostic laboratory services for emergency patients.

Located in its Super Health Center in Barangay North Signal, the laboratory is equipped with complete manpower — medical technologists, nurses, doctors, and a laboratory staff — to ensure that it can process various services such as CBC, urinalysis, HBSAg, VDRL, electrolyte panel (sodium, potassium, chloride), Dengue NSI, IgG and IgM, and fecalysis.

This 24/7 laboratory will serve emergency patients seen and evaluated in the 3 Super Health Centers located in Barangay North Signal, Ligid-Tipas, and Central Bicutan.

Patients from other health centers in the City can be accommodated only after 5 p.m., provided that it is an emergency case and with a proper referral form from the health center of origin.

All diagnostic laboratories in other health centers will remain open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to serve residents.

#ilovetaguig

MANILA–Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Mina F. Pangandaman emphasized that unprogrammed appropriations in the P5.768 trillion budget for fiscal year (FY) 2024 are constitutional amid discussions challenging its legality.

The Budget Secretary expressed that the administration welcomes any petition that would question the constitutionality of the use of unprogrammed appropriations as it demonstrates that democracy in the country is alive and at work.

“That’s democracy at work,” Sec. Mina expressed. “We respect and acknowledge the right of any individual, and/or groups to file petitions in our courts to address the issue since it is the Judiciary that has the ultimate authority to make determinations on questions of law, including the Constitution,” the Budget Secretary added.

At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay hosted by veteran journalist Marichu Villanueva, the Budget Secretary said that laws are written documents that may be subject to interpretation because of gray areas. “Baka from their [lawmakers’] end, there are still gray areas.

If there are petitions at the Supreme Court, we welcome it. At the end of the day, malalaman natin kung ano ba talaga. From our end, we think it is constitutional. It may be due to differences in opinion and interpretation,” Sec. Mina said.

The DBM has earlier issued a separate statement explaining that unprogrammed appropriations are standby funds, outside the approved government fiscal program and can be used should the government encounter unforeseen but important expenditures.

According to the Budget Secretary, the unprogrammed funds are not included in the P5.768 trillion FY 2024 National Budget by Appropriation Source, given that it refers to standby appropriations. Sec. Mina noted, “Unprogrammed appropriations are not automatically allocated, and can only be released if several funding conditions are met.”

The DBM Secretary underscored that these conditions include when the government, through the Bureau of the Treasury, is able to collect excess revenue in the total tax revenues or any of the identified non-tax revenue sources from its revenue target, or new revenue from new tax or non-tax sources, or should foreign or approved financial loans/grants proceeds are realized.

She added that should there be new or excess revenues that may trigger the availability of the unprogrammed funds, government agencies are required to submit the necessary documentary requirements before access to the standby funds is given. Such conditions ensure that spending stays within allowable limits.

MANILA–Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Mina Pangandaman, in a media interview held on Wednesday at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay with Marichu Villanueva, said that the DBM respects and upholds the fiscal autonomy granted by the Constitution to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).

“The Constitution grants fiscal autonomy to the COMELEC and declares that its approved annual appropriations shall be automatically and regularly released,” DBM Secretary Mina F. Pangandaman said.

 The statement was made by the DBM Secretary amid concerns on how the COMELEC’s P14-billion budget in the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA), which includes the additional P12 billion budget allocated by Congress during last year’s bicameral conference committee, would be used to finance the proposed Charter Change or people’s initiative.

“An additional P12 billion was allocated by Congress to the COMELEC. This is lodged under the regular operations line item of the agency. It is not for the purpose of Charter Change but may be used for various activities of the COMELEC such as the preparation of national and local elections, overseas absentee voting, continuing registration, recall, special elections, referenda, and other initiatives. It is not intended specifically or solely to fund the proposed charter change,” Secretary Mina said. “

It is the bicam committee – the Senate and the House – that added the amount (P12 billion) upon the request of COMELEC.

They have the discretion to use the said amount for a plebiscite if the government decides to pursue any change, or kung matutuloy ‘yung people’s initiative,” she continued.

It can be recalled that the DBM allocated a P2-billion budget for the COMELEC in the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP), which is P17.4 billion less than the commission’s initial proposal of P19.4 billion.

Upon the appeal made by COMELEC to restore their budget during budget hearings, the bicameral conference committee approved P14 billion— which translates to an increase of P12 billion from the initial P2 billion budget proposal of COMELEC— but is still lower than the amount originally requested by the poll body.

The balance of P5.4 billion was included in the unprogrammed funds for future funding.