Lacson Favors Creation of Negros Island Region If It Improves People's Lot

Lacson Favors Creation of Negros Island Region If It Improves People's Lot

November 14, 2021 (BACOLOD CITY) - Sen. Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson favors the creation of a Negros Island Region, especially if it will improve the lot of the residents in the provinces there.

"Kung ma-improve ang lot ng buhay dito (If it will improve the lot of the people here), why not? I'm always for the development of local government entities," Lacson, the Partido Reporma standard bearer, said in an interview on RMN Bacolod (DYHB).

"Whatever it takes to uplift the lives of our people in Negros or anywhere else, why not?" he added.

The NIR was implemented from 2015 to 2017. It aims to unite Negros Occidental, which is in Western Visayas; and Negros Oriental, which is in Central Visayas.

Lacson also noted that if the people in Negros Island are in favor of the NIR, there is no reason the government should not allow it.

"We should follow the will of the people, especially if the measure concerned has been studied thoroughly," he said after being informed by anchor Serge Santillan that the people are overwhelmingly for it.

Lacson and Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, who is running for Vice President under the Nationalist People's Coalition, received a warm welcome from residents upon their arrival here. With them were Partido Reporma senatorial bets Minguita Padilla and Monsour del Rosario.

*********

Read More

Eleazar to run for senator in Eleksyon 2022 —Lacson

 Eleazar to run for senator in Eleksyon 2022 —Lacson

Newly retired former Philippine National Police chief Guillermo Eleazar will run for senator in Eleksyon 2022 under Partido Reporma, presidential aspirant and incumbent Senator Panfilo Lacson said.

 

"Yes, I confirm that he will run under Partido Reporma to substitute for Paolo Capino who has announced his intention to withdraw from the senatorial race yesterday," Lacson said in a message sent to reporters.

GMA News Online contacted Eleazar for comment but has yet to receive a reply as of posting time.

Media practitioner Paolo Capino, who was part of the senatorial slate of Lacson and vice presidential aspirant and Senate President Vicente Sotto III, on Friday announced his withdrawal from the Eleksyon 2022 senatorial race. 

In a series of tweets, Capino said his chances of winning in next year's elections are "slim to none."

"I am officially announcing my withdrawal from the Senate race. The last survey which included my name in it, means my chances of winning are slim to none," Capino said.

"I recognize the need to further introduce myself and my advocacies," he added.

The Commission on Elections said it has designated a receiving area at the lobby of the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila for Eleksyon 2022 aspirants applying for substitution and withdrawals until November 15.

*********

Read More

PING LACSON-ANG SUSUNOD NG PANGULO

 PING LACSON-ANG SUSUNOD NG PANGULO

(Please Watch and Share)

👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

Read More

Lacson Pushes Masteral Courses for Community Planners to Empower LGUs

Lacson Pushes Masteral Courses for Community Planners to Empower LGUs

November 12, 2021 - Sen. Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson on Thursday pushed for masteral courses for community planners in the country's 1,488 municipalities so they can maximize the increased revenues from the implementation of the Supreme Court's Mandanas-Garcia ruling starting next year.

Lacson said this could be a "worthwhile investment" where local government units sign a memorandum of agreement with the Development Academy of the Philippines to develop the skills of the community planners.

"Maybe the 1,488 municipalities can benefit from that. If the Local Development Academy has no wherewithal to provide masteral courses, maybe we can sign a MOA with the DAP so we can develop the skills of our community planners to enroll in their degrees and go back to the municipalities under a contract to serve for a certain number of years," he said at the Senate's deliberation of the 2022 budget of the Department of Interior and Local Government.

"That’s what we did in the Yolanda corridor. They are back and continue to do their duties there. Just food for thought that it can be done. That’s a worthwhile investment," he added.

He said the community planners need to develop their absorptive capacity so LGUs can fully use the added resources from the Mandanas-Garcia ruling - whose implementation starts in 2022 and is to be completed in 2024 - to implement their local development projects.

Lacson is a champion of empowering the LGUs through his Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE), where resources are downloaded to the LGUs for implementing local development projects, as the LGUs are in the best position to know the needs and priorities of their constituents.

Recalling his experience as Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery in coordinating efforts to help those affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), Lacson said the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided P150,000 per scholar who were enrolled them in the DAP.

The scholars took up the course of Master in Public Management, Major in Local Governance and Development.

"And they graduated, 161 of them from 171 cities and municipalities devastated by Yolanda. They are now performing very well making use of their masteral degrees," he said.

*********

Read More

Lacson Paves Way for a More Participative Budget Process

Lacson Paves Way for a More Participative Budget Process

November 12, 2021 - With a boost from Sen. Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson, civil society groups managed to help scrutinize and make the P5.024-trillion proposed budget for 2022 more responsive to people's needs.

Social Watch Philippines and the Alternative Budget Initiative wrote Lacson on Nov. 10, thanking him for endorsing their participation in the Senate Finance Committee hearings on the budget.

"We hope that you will continue to support our inclusive budget proposals that focus on the needs of the country’s most marginalized sectors, especially since they are the ones that were most affected by the pandemic, by sponsoring before the plenary deliberations and incorporating into the good Senator’s budgetary amendments to the FY 2022 General Appropriations Bill," co-convenors Rene Raya, Ma. VIctoria Raquiza and Jessica Cantos said in a letter to Lacson.

They also commended Lacson for all his efforts in serving the country, as well as for believing in what Social Watch Philippines-Alternative Budget Initiative stands for.

Earlier, Lacson endorsed the SWP-ABI's participation in the committee hearings of the Senate finance committee chaired by Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, on the budget bill.

Lacson also supported their "Budget Serye sa Senado" discussion on the budget, where he delivered the message that the pandemic underscores the need for an inclusive national budget.

In 2019, Lacson filed Senate Bill 24, the “People’s Participation in the National Budget Process Act of 2019,” that provides privileges and incentives for accredited groups that take part in the budgeting process.

This aims to keep greedy parties from inserting “pork” and other inappropriate items into the national budget - as well as institutionalize the collaboration of legislature and civil society “to achieve a people-oriented budget as well as establish transparency and accountability in the budget process.”

*********

Read More

Lacson Questions 'Harassment' of Supporters Wearing Face Masks in Manila

Lacson Questions 'Harassment' of Supporters Wearing Face Masks in Manila

November 12, 2021 - Sen. Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson questioned on Thursday the seeming harassment of his and Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III's supporters by policemen in the City of Manila.

Lacson cited information that Manila Police District personnel told tricycle drivers and residents wearing Lacson-Sotto face masks to take them off or reverse them.

"Bakit pinapatanggal sa Manila ang face masks? The members of the Manila Police District are harassing tricycle drivers and people wearing giveaway face masks. May mali ba roon (Why are members of the Manila Police District having residents remove our giveaway face masks? They are harassing tricycle drivers and people wearing these masks. What's wrong with that)?" he said.

"I know the directive did not come from Crame. Walang directive. Bakit sa Manila lang (I know the directive did not come from Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame. Why is it being done in Manila only)?" he added.

Lacson - who headed the PNP from 1999 to 2001 - is running for President under Partido Reporma while Sotto is running for Vice President under the Nationalist People's Coalition.

For his part, Sotto said they will give copies of news reports of the harassment to the PNP Chief and DILG Secretary.

Senate finance committee chairman Juan Edgardo Angara added the PNP "will check on that."

"Sariling katawan ng tao yan. When you put up streamers on private property it’s not a violation. What more if a person is wearing a face mask? (What people do with their bodies is their right. When you put up streamers on your private property, that's not a violation. What more if a person is wearing a face mask)?" Lacson said.

*********

Read More

LACSON SUPPORTS BIR, BOC PROBE ON COVID SUPPLIERS

LACSON SUPPORTS BIR, BOC PROBE ON COVID SUPPLIERS

 

Read More

On the BIR Probe of 45 Suppliers that Bagged Contracts from PS-DBM

On the BIR Probe of 45 Suppliers that Bagged Contracts from PS-DBM

November 11, 2021 - Whatever comes out of the subsequent criminal and administrative investigations being undertaken by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the prosecutors, one thing is clear: Contrary to the President's earlier assertions, Senate inquiries definitely serve the purpose of making those abusing public funds accountable and liable for their misdeeds - not to mention the laws that may be crafted thereafter.

Both the BIR and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) should pursue their mandate under existing laws to run after all the shenanigans and their co-conspirators in government.

That said, it remains to be seen how the Executive Department will act on the findings of the investigation.

*********

Read More

A PRAYER CAMPAIGN FOR AN ELECTION MIRACLE

A PRAYER CAMPAIGN FOR AN ELECTION MIRACLE

Spread the word. Post this once a week until election day.

LORD JESUS, WE SURRENDER THE DESTINY OF THIS ONLY CATHOLIC NATION IN ASIA TO YOUR MOST HOLY WILL. AMEN.

 

Read More

iPingTV: EP1: Disiplinang Lacson

iPingTV: EP1: Disiplinang Lacson

(Please Watch and Share)

👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

Read More

Lacson: Time to Devolve Procurement, Project Implementation Functions to LGUs

Lacson: Time to Devolve Procurement, Project Implementation Functions to LGUs

November 10, 2021 - To prevent corruption and underutilization of the national budget, it is high time that the government devolve its procurement of supplies and implementation of projects to the local government units, Sen. Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson said Wednesday.

Lacson said national agencies have shown bad procurement decisions, including the transfer of P42 billion to the Department of Budget and Management's Procurement Service - which in turn allowed shady firms such as Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. to bag multibillion-peso contracts despite lack of qualifications.

"Why don’t we devolve the procurement of medicines, drugs and other items? It's about time. Time and again we have witnessed bad procurement by the DOH and other line agencies," he said at the Senate deliberation on the P5.024-trillion budget for 2022.

Lacson, who champions the empowerment of LGUs as they are in the best position to determine their constituents' needs and priorities, noted the Commission on Audit had flagged the DOH's "deficient" procurement of near-expiry drugs worth P95 million.

"We're now again putting in at least P30 billion under the House version of the budget bill to purchase drugs, medicines, medical and dental supplies. I've nothing against procurement of drugs and medicines but if we're wasting money for the procurement of nearly expired or expiring drugs, what's the sense of spending a lot of money?" he said.

He also noted that devolving the procurement of LGUs is better as shown in the purchase of ambulances with basic life support equipment.

While the DOH procured 841 ambulances at P2.5 million each, the LGUs managed to procure ambulances with similar specifications at P1.5 million each.

"Mas mahal ang procurement ng national, there are 841 units (The procurement by the national agency was much more expensive, and it bought 841 units)," Lacson said.

Meanwhile, Lacson said it is also time that the government unload from the national agencies the burden of involving themselves in the construction of smaller projects and just give it to the LGUs.

He noted that in deliberations of past budgets, the recommendations of the LGUs as contained in their local development plans were mostly disregarded by as much as 80 percent.

At the time, then Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado issued a circular that without formal endorsement from the Regional Development Councils, the DBM will not release funds to the agencies involved.

"Why not unburden the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation and other agencies so they can focus on big-ticket projects instead of involving themselves in smaller projects?" Lacson asked.

It was disclosed during the hearing that of the 119 flagship infrastructure projects of the Duterte administration, only 14 have been completed while four more are due for completion before June 2022.

Lacson added devolving such functions would also be in line with the Supreme Court's Mandanas-Garcia ruling granting more internal revenue allotments to the local governments. "If we don’t start now, I don’t think we can comply with the Mandanas ruling," he said.

*********

Read More