Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman (PNA photo) MANILA - The proposed PHP5.268 trillion national budget for 2023 will serve as a "springboard for the economy's full-speed recovery," the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Friday. Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the 2023 budget spending plan was crafted based on and in support of the Marcos administration's eight-point socioeconomic agenda. "The administration's first full-year budget shall serve as a springboard for the economy's full-speed recovery and meaningful structural reform," Pangandaman said, as the House of Representatives began its deliberations on the proposed 2023 budget. The proposed budget is anchored on the theme, "Agenda for Prosperity: Economic Transformation Towards Inclusivity and Sustainability." The 2023 budget plan, Pangandaman said, would address the immediate and pressing concerns of Filipinos in the near- and medium-term. Filipinos' purchasi
PORT SECURITY. Personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) monitor disembarking roll on-roll off (RoRo) passengers at a port in Isabela City, Basilan on Tuesday (Aug. 16, 2022). The PCG is on heightened alert and has placed more security and safety units in ports all over the country to prepare for the expected influx of students this August. (Photo courtesy of PCG) MANILA - The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has deployed more security and safety units in ports all over the country to prepare for the first day of classes and partial return of face-to-face mode of learning in August. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the PCG showcased the deployment of security personnel, K9 teams, medical officers, and an additional workforce from the PCG Auxiliary to ensure the safety and welfare of the students and other maritime passengers. The intensified security operations, it said, are part of 'OPLAN Balik Eskwela 2022,' a multi-agency effort to ensure that the country's transportation
DAVAO CITY-The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Davao Region (DSWD-11) on Monday warned the public about the proliferation of fake Facebook (FB) accounts pretending to be belonging to the agency and contain the photos of Secretary Erwin Tulfo. The bogus Facebook accounts, it said, offer scholarships with the intention of defrauding the public. The agency urged the public to verify Facebook accounts and do a fact-checking to prove their legitimacy. "We ask the public to be vigilant and be careful of fake news. This will be used for fraud and extortion," DSWD-11 said. Tulfo earlier said social media accounts mimicking the DSWD were "fraudulent." "The Cybercrime units have actively monitored these accounts," he said. Tulfo also urged the victims, especially those who lost money, to report the matter to the authorities. "Remember that all assistance from DSWD are free," he added. (PNA) }
JUPITER CABLE. Local and provincial government officials from Daet, Camarines Norte pose with executives of PLDT-Smart during the inauguration of the Jupiter Cable System landing station in the town on July 12, 2022. The cable system has been fired up since Friday (July 29, 2022) and is seen to boost the country's international data capacity and image as an investment destination. (Photo courtesy of PLDT) MANILA - The newest international cable system in the Philippines went officially online after PLDT launched the system on Friday. In a statement, PLDT said the Jupiter Cable system has been "fired up" and is seen to "immensely boost" the country's international data capacity and advance digital infrastructure. "The 14,000-km. Jupiter Cable system is the newest international gateway connecting the Philippines directly from PLDT's cable landing station in Daet, Camarines Norte to Japan and the US West Coast," it said. The cable system, it said,
MANILA - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday raised Alert Level 2 for Filipinos in Sri Lanka due to the security situation in that country but clarified that there is no evacuation plan yet. "The Department, in coordination with the office of the Philippine Honorary Consul General in Colombo, will be providing the needed assistance to Filipinos severely affected by the crisis. The Department would like to emphasize that there are no plans yet to evacuate Filipinos from Sri Lanka at this time," it said in an advisory. Based on its latest data, there are more than 500 Filipinos in Sri Lanka. Alert Level 2 is issued when there are "real threats to the life, security, and property of Filipinos arising from an internal disturbance in or external threat to the host country." Under this classification, there will be no new deployment of overseas Filipino workers to Sri Lanka, and only those with existing employment contracts are allowed to return to the cou