Published May 4, 2021, 2:10 PM
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Tuesday, May 4 questioned the “speedy” release of P10.6-billion out of the P19-billion controversial budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
The move comes after majority of the lawmakers called for the realignment of the NTF-ELCAC’s fund to augment the government’s coronavirus (COVID-19) response following criticisms against its red-tagging activities.
The government’s anti-insurgency task force has a total appropriation of P19-billion under the 2021 national budget of which P16.4-billion will go to the Barangay Development Program.
Under the program, over 800 barangays that have been cleared of insurgency stand to receive P20-million for development projects.
Published May 1, 2021, 8:43 AM
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Sunday, April 25, renewed his call for the government to cancel its appeasement and accommodation policy on China, which, he said, is no longer listening to the pleas of the Philippine government to abide by international law on the issue of the West Philippine Sea.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon in a hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on March 5, 2020. (Senate of the Philippines/Joseph Vidal)
Drilon noted China remains undeterred by the country’s filing of diplomatic protests and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana’s demand for them to leave the country’s sovereign territories.
(MANILA BULLETIN File photo/Keith Bacongco)
At the Senate Committee of the Whole’s hearing on the impact of the Executive Order No. 128 on the local hog industry, Drilon raised the possibility of the Senate and the Department of Finance (DOF) arriving at a compromise by adjusting the MAV but maintaining the tariff similar to what the government achieved when rice importation was subjected to tax.
The minority leader pointed out that when rice importation was tariffed, quantitative restriction was removed but tariff rates were maintained and eventually succeeded in lowering rice prices in the country by 20 percent.
He told Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III that he believes the same can be applied on pork importation.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon (MANILA BULLETIN File photo/Facebook)
The 75-year-old senator said in an interview over radio DWIZ that he registered and lined up for inoculation in San Juan City. He was administered a dose of the vaccine from British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca last April 10.
He praised San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora for the “orderly” process of vaccinations in the city.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak last year, Drilon has been attending Senate hearings and sessions via teleconference due to his age. He was also implanted with a pacemaker to help regulate his heartbeat.
Senior citizens and persons with comorbities are among the priority sectors in the government’s nationwide vaccination program, coming next to health frontliners.
Drilon seeks Parlade censure over ‘stupid’ remarks vs Senate By JOAHNA LEI CASILAO, GMA News
Published April 24, 2021 6:24pm Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Saturday said he would introduce a resolution censuring National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict spokesperson Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr. for remarks he made against senators. “Ngayon lang ako nakarinig ng isang opisyal ng Armed Forces na sinasabing istupido ang mga senador. That is very disrespectful at uncalled for,” Drilon was quoted as saying in a statement. (This is the first time I heard an official of the Armed Forces call senators stupid. That is very disrespectful and uncalled for.)