DUTERTE CERTIFIES 2021 BUDGET AS URGENT AS HOUSE SPEAKERSHIP FEUD RAGES

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte is seeking the speedy passage of the 2021

national budget that includes funds for the coronavirus pandemic response,

Malacañang said Friday, as lawmakers tussled for the top post of the House

of Representatives.

Duterte, in a proclamation, certified the P4.5-trillion proposed national

budget bill as urgent, said his spokesman Harry Roque.

Bills certified as urgent are exempt from a rule requiring lawmakers to

study the measure for at least 3 days before voting on it.

Duterte, in the same proclamation, called for a special Congress session

from Oct. 13 to 16 "to resume the congressional deliberations on the

proposed 2021 national budget and to avoid any further delays on its prompt

passage," Roque said in a statement.

LAGMAN: BUDGET DELIBERATIONS NEED LONGER TIME, DUTERTE SHOULD EXTEND CALL

FOR SPECIAL SESSION

MANILA— President Rodrigo Duterte should extend the period of the special

session he called Congress to hold to ensure timely passage of the

P4.5-trillion 2021 national budget, Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman

said Saturday.

In a statement, Lagman said the President should "amend his call" and add

four more days to his request for Congress to hold a special session from

October 13 to 16.

Duterte had on Friday certified as urgent the 2021 General Appropriations

Bill, House Bill No. 7727, as he sought to make sure next year's budget,

which has provisions to address the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, is passed

on time amid a House Speakership tussle between allied lawmakers.

"Although the four-day special session of the Congress from October 13 to

16, 2020 called by President Rodrigo Duterte is welcome as it is needed to

resume consideration of the national budget, the short period may not be

sufficient to assure the approval on second and third readings of the 2021

General Appropriations Bill (HB No. 7727)," Lagman said.

He said the special session should be extended to the week after— from

October 19 to 22— so that lawmakers' individual amendments may be tackled by

plenary.

"More time is required so that the bill for approval on second reading

already includes the committee and individual amendments which should be

proposed and approved in Plenary session.

"The long tradition of a “small committee” effecting the amendments after

the approval of the budget bill on second reading should be abandoned in

order to assure transparency in the proceedings which is not achieved by the

furtive conclave of the small panel," Lagman said.

On Friday, Duterte issued a proclamation certifying the spending bill as

urgent just a day after he called on feuding members of the House to fix a

leadership wrangling that imperiled passage of the national budget.

The President and several senators warned of the possible delayed approval

of the 2021 budget after House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano abruptly

suspended session.

Cayetano moved to pass the national budget on second reading on Tuesday,

terminating crucial deliberations on the spending bill days before he was

supposed to hand over House leadership to Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan

Velasco.

The two lawmakers had agreed on a term-sharing deal brokered by the

President, in which Cayetano was supposed to serve until this month,

followed by Velasco for 21 months.

'Nadenggoy tayong dalawa': Velasco says Duterte felt fooled by Cayetano move

to stay

But the Speaker sought to stay at the House helm until at least December,

citing the need to focus on passing the budget.

His move to suspend session until the middle of November, however, drew

concerns and criticism from senators, who said this could further delay

approval of the spending plan as it would set back the date of the

transmittal of the measure from the House to the Senate.

Cayetano earlier said that the abrupt session suspension in the House would

only delay the transmission of the budget bill to the Senate by "one day,"

but senators disputed this, saying the printing of the spending bill alone

would take at least 3 days.

The delayed passage of the 2021 budget may lead to a reenacted 2020 spending

plan, which has no allocations to address the continuing COVID-19 crisis.

DUTERTE CALLS SPECIAL SESSION ON OCTOBER 13-16

Budget bill certified as urgent

MANILA — President Duterte has called for a special session of Congress from

Oct. 13 to 16 next week to get lawmakers to approve on time the 2021

national budget, which he also certified as urgent last night.

Through Proclamation No. 1027, Duterte ordered a special session of Congress

“to resume the congressional deliberations on the proposed 2021 national

budget and to avoid any further delays on the prompt passage thereof in

accordance with the Constitution and applicable laws.”

Duterte signed the order a day after he expressed his frustration over the

budget and leadership impasse at the House of Representatives.

Velasco stressed that Duterte’s call for special session was a marching

order to Cayetano to reopen Congress to its members.

“The attendance of all lawmakers will enable them to meaningfully

participate in the entire budget process and preparation, just like what the

President wants, and not just a small committee of hand-picked friends,” he

added.

Certified as urgent, the General Appropriations Bill may be passed by

Congress on second and third readings on the same day, foregoing the

required three-day window between the two votes.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the Chief Executive decided to

call for a special session to make sure the P4.5-trillion budget is enacted

on time, so as not to compromise government funding for COVID-19 response.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Duterte’s call for a special session

was really directed at the House of Representatives, as Congress is not

adjourning session but only suspending it.

“Technically, it’s the same thing. We are really set to have sessions till

(October) 16 anyway,” Sotto said.

“So the order of the President puts emphasis on his call for the House of

Representatives to approve the budget on third reading and give the Senate

time to study, review and pass the GAA (General Appropriations Act),” he

said.

DUTERTE TELLS LORD: WE WERE BOTH FOOLED

MANILA — President Duterte was disappointed and felt deceived by Speaker

Alan Peter Cayetano’s reneging on a “gentleman’s agreement” for a

term-sharing deal in the House of Representatives, which has threatened the

timely passage of the P4.5-trillion budget for 2021, Marinduque Rep. Lord

Allan Velasco said yesterday.

Velasco said that during a meeting at Malacañang early this week, Duterte

did not hide his disappointment with Cayetano’s actions.

“I saw the anger in the President. He told me, ‘Lord, it’s not just you who

was humiliated here; both of us.’ Actually, the President used the words,

‘Lord, the two of us were fooled’,” Velasco said.

He said Cayetano’s presidential ambition and his determination to cling to

the Speaker’s post should explain his antics at the House of

Representatives, like declaring the suspension of session until Nov.16.

“He (Cayetano) is fighting for personal interest and ambition. Can you

imagine he would muddle the entire budget process... Why? Out of fear.

Speaker Cayetano is doing everything to be able to achieve his personal

ambition and interest to become president in 2022,” Velasco said in an

interview with “Headstart” on ANC.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AS NATIONAL ID PILOTS ON OCT. 12

MANILA — It’s all systems go for the Philippine national ID system on Monday

when the flagship program begins knocking on household doors in a bid to get

9 million Filipinos registered by yearend.

The target only represents less than a tenth of the 108 million Filipinos

the system aims to enroll by end-2022. On Friday, officials from the

Philippine Statistics Authority led the launching of the Philippine

Identification System that targets to provide a single and all-purpose ID

for government and business transactions.

Mandated under Republic Act 11055 enacted in 2018, the national ID program

aims to replace over 46 different government IDs such as that from pension

funds and provide convenience to the transacting public. Over time, the

Department of Information and Communications Technology foresees the ID as a

tool to open bank accounts and to digitally transact as a cashless payment

system.

For the government, the ID, and the information it holds, can cut

bureaucratic red tape encountered on programs like cash transfers where the

goal is to make it easier to track and distribute aid to beneficiaries.

For this year, the government is targeting to register “9 million

individuals composed of at least 5 million low-income household heads and

the rest of adult members,” Assistant Secretary Rosalinda Bautista of PSA

said.

The process will involve 2 stages of preregistration and registration

proper, which will both follow health protocols like social distancing

currently in practice to prevent the spread of coronavirus. For this year,

the first stage will be held from October 12 to December 30, while the

second stage will run from November 12 to December 30.

PREPARE FOR PALAWAN PLEBISCITE, COMELEC TOLD

MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has been asked to prepare for

the holding of a plebiscite to ratify a law dividing Palawan into three

provinces.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the

Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases or IATF approved the health

protocols for the plebiscite during its meeting on Thursday.

Palawan will be divided into Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental and Palawan

del Sur under Republic Act 11259, which President Duterte signed in April

2019.

The plebiscite, which was supposed to be held in the second Monday of May,

was reset to the first quarter of next year due to the coronavirus disease

2019 pandemic.

Roque said the protocols include voting for two days, with five voters in a

room at any particular time.

The IATF said registered voters aged 18 to 21 and 60 and above, those with

comorbidity and other health risks as well as pregnant women are exempted

from mobility restrictions during the plebiscite.

Roque said the poll body should come up with mechanisms to ensure that

COVID-19 patients can also exercise their right to vote.

CA JUSTICE ROSARIO APPOINTED TO SC

MANILA — The 15-member Supreme Court is now complete with the appointment of

Court of Appeals Associate Justice Ricardo Rosario to the Supreme Court

(SC), replacing Jose Reyes Jr. who retired last month.

SC spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka told reporters they have yet to receive a

copy of the appointment papers as of yesterday afternoon, although Rosario

was scheduled to take his oath at around 3 p.m. yesterday.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed that President Duterte had

named Rosario as an associate justice of the SC.

Malacañang expressed confidence in the ability of Rosario to bring integrity

and independence to the High Tribunal.

“As the newest member of the High Court, we are confident that Justice

Rosario would advocate judicial independence, uphold the rule of law and

continue the reforms in our court processes,” presidential spokesman Harry

Roque Jr. said yesterday.

SC EYES COMPUTERIZED BAR EXAMS

MANILA — In what would be a departure from the traditional handwritten Bar

examinations, the Supreme Court (SC) will explore the viability of

conducting computerized exams.

A two-page Bar bulletin signed by SC Associate Justice Marvic Leonen stated

that the computerized Bar examinations will be made in a “localized and

proctored setting.”

“This would do away with the traditional handwritten examinations, which

have long been deemed to affect the evaluation of answers and distorted the

playing field,” Leonen, who is the 2020/21 Bar examinations chairman, said.

“This would also facilitate the expeditious evaluation of the answers of Bar

candidates and the early release of the Bar examination results,” he added.

Leonen said that two mock Bar examinations will be held in several law

schools in the country within the next few months to determine the viability

of the new system in partnership with the Philippine Association of Law

Schools and other sectors.

He said the Office of the Bar Chairperson can make the announcement in the

first quarter of 2021 as far as the modality of the 2020/21 Bar examinations

is concerned.

The SC has deferred the Bar examinations this year to November 2021 as the

country continues to struggle with COVID-19.

THE REST

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COVID-19 CASES IN PH REACH 334,770

MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday reported 2,996 additional

COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the Philippines to

334,770.

This is the 5th straight day that newly-announced cases were below 3,000. Of

the additional cases, 1,094 were from the National Capital Region, 282 from

Cavite, 166 from Batangas, 152 from Iloilo, and 147 from Laguna.

The DOH said the daily tally does not include results from 12 laboratories

who failed to submit data on time.

With 1,045 additional recovered patients and 83 additional

coronavirus-related deaths, there are now 53,311 active cases in the

country.

The total number of recoveries is at 275,307 while the total number of

fatalities is at 6,152.

‘NOT ENOUGH DOLOMITE FOR BEACH’

MANILA — The current supply of dolomite will not be enough to complete the

beach nourishment project for Manila Bay, the Department of Environment and

Natural Resources (DENR) said yesterday.

DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said that so far, only 120 meters out of

the 500-meter stretch of the bay’s shoreline in Manila have been covered

with artificial white sand.

“We learned that there is not enough dolomite to be used as synthetic white

sand for the Manila Bay project. However, this matter should be taken care

of by the contractor together with the Department of Public Works and

Highways,” Antiporda said in a virtual press conference.

The P389-million project has received flak from the public because of its

timing during the pandemic and alleged health risks.

64 KILLED IN NORTH COTABATO SHOOTING

NORTH COTABATO — Four villagers were killed in a shooting in Pikit town

yesterday.

Sittie Abdullah, 58; Zenaida Mustapha, 36; Lagah Abdullah, 34, and Ashley

Panigas, 3, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene.

Four other persons, three of them children aged 13, seven and eight, were

wounded in the attack.

Capt. Mautin Panandigan, town police chief, said unidentified men strafed

the houses of the victims in Sitio Tugunan, Barangay Lagundi.

An investigation is ongoing.

SPUTNIK VS COMMANDO: 9 CONVICTS DEAD IN BILIBID RIOT

MANILA — A riot erupted at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) maximum security

compound in Muntinlupa early yesterday morning, leaving nine inmates dead

and several others injured.

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) spokesman Gabriel Chaclag said members of the

Sputnik and Commando gangs clashed at the east quadrant of the NBP maximum

security compound at about 2:30 a.m.

The fight ended at 4 a.m. An initial report from the Southern Police

District said that among the nine fatalities were seven members of Sputnik

and two inmates of the Commando gang.

Chaclag confirmed the nine casualties, but the number of injured inmates was

not immediately determined. He said BuCor is still investigating the cause

of the riot and who started the confrontation.

“Our investigation is still ongoing, which we want to be in-depth so we can

know immediately what was the root (of the riot).

But (we think the root of the incident) is deep since they waited for the

wee hours of the morning before it started,” Chaclag added.

“We talked to (the leaders of both gangs) and they promised that a similar

incident would not happen from here on, and we would take their word for

it,” he said.

Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra has ordered the BuCor

to conduct an investigation on the deadly riot.

DIVE RESORTS CAN OPERATE UNDER GCQ, MGCQ

MANILA — Diving establishments in areas under general community quarantine

and modified GCQ, such as those in Batangas, may now accept recreational

divers as guests.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the Inter-Agency Task Force for

the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has decided that beach

and dive areas identified by the Department of Tourism (DOT) may be allowed

to accept recreational divers, although these guests must also come from

areas under GCQ or of lower quarantine status.

“The DOT shall issue the necessary guidelines in coordination and

consultation with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the

Philippine National Police and the identified local government units,” the

IATF said in the Resolution 78 it adopted last Thursday.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

ABS-CBN ENTERTAINMENT HITS 30 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS ON YOUTUBE

MANILA — ABS-CBN on Thursday announced that its YouTube channel for

entertainment content has reached 30 million subscribers.

The growth is partly due to the Kapamilya network’s online push to reach its

audiences, especially after the decision of the government to have its free

TV broadcast operations stopped.

The channel was started in 2008, and served as a hub for highlights of

ABS-CBN shows and other online content. Since the shutdown, however, it also

served as one of the homes —in addition to iWant-TFC— to full teleseryes and

various promotional livestreams.

It’s also where ABS-CBN has been streaming its Kapamilya Channel

programming.

The 30 million makes the channel the most subscribed YouTube channel in the

country. It is also the most viewed with over 38.8 billion views.

This meant that ABS-CBN now has nearly 45 million subscribers across three

YouTube channels, with the other two being: ABS-CBN News (10.4 million) and

Star Cinema (3.3 million).

SPORTS

    1    2    3    4    T

5 Heat 1-3    25    35    28    23    111

1 Lakers 3-1    24    32    26    26    108

GAME 5: LAL LEADS 3-1

SCORING LEADERS

    J. Butler MIA

35 PTS, 12 REB, 11 AST

    L. James LAL

40 PTS, 13 REB, 7 AST

HEAT SURVIVE LAKERS IN GAME 5

MANILA - The Miami Heat lived to fight another day, winning Game Five of the

NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in cardiac fashion, 111-108, on

Saturday (Sunday, Manila time).

Jimmy Butler again took charge, finishing with another triple-double with 35

points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for the Heat, who still trail the series

2-3.

Miami led for most of the game until Los Angeles turned things around in the

fourth quarter and made it into a back-and-forth affair. Danny Green missed

a potential game-winning triple in the Lakers' last possession as the Heat

escaped with the win to stay alive.

LeBron James powered the Lakers with 40 points, 13 rebounds and seven

assists.

Game Six is on Monday (Manila time).

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 48.30

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it. - Margaret Thatcher