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House to open bicam to public Senate minority bloc backs more transparency to end corruption
By Maricel Cruz, Charles Dantes, Darwin G. Amojelar and Ram Superable
T
HE House of Representatives said it will open to civil society observers and watchdogs the traditionally closed bicameral conference committee – a historic reform that would usher in a new era of transparency and
HOUSE AGENDA.
Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez outlines the legislative priorities in his address at the opening session yesterday of the House of Representatives. Ver Noveno
public accountability in government budgeting. “We will seek to open the bicameral budget conference to civil society observers — a historic first. Because transparency is not just a value; it is a weapon against corruption. This reform will not only earn public trust but will also strengthen inclusive and participatory g ove r n a n c e ,” Next page
PH MAY LOSE P6B TO US ZERO TARIFF
GRAFT RAPS VS. EX-OWWA CHIEF
BUSINESS / B1
NEWS / A3
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 165 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2025
Solons to prioritize social protection measures By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives will center its legislative work on the urgent needs of ordinary Filipinos in the 20th Congress, with a focus on
food, employment, education, and public health. “We will build an economy not just for the top one percent, but for the struggling 99 percent — an economy where ordinary people don’t just sur-
vive, they succeed,” Speaker Martin Romualdez said in a speech during the resumption of session Tuesday. “Congress should not be the home of the privileged, but the pillar of the Next page
DPWH readies list of flood control projects; DepDev draws up protocols By Vito Barcelo THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is ready to submit a list of all flood control projects completed in the past three years under the Marcos administration amid the Presi-
dent’s call to weed out ghost projects. DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan made the remarks in an interview following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s. call in his state of the nation address (SONA) to audit all flood Next page
ROADMAP FOR PH. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the launch and ceremonial turnover of the World Bank Group Philippines Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Fiscal Years 2026–2031 at Kalayaan Hall, Malacañan Palace, July 29, 2025. During the event, President Marcos receives the CPF Docs from Div. Dir. Zafer Mustafaoğlu of the World Bank. The CPF serves as a strategic roadmap for the World Bank Group’s engagement in the Philippines, focusing on investments in health, education, job creation, digitization, and resilience. Joining the president onstage are (left to right) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan and Dandan Chen, Operations Manager, World Bank. PPA POOL
DOH explains zero-billing coverage, where it can be availed By Ram Superable THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday confirmed that the government’s newly announced zero-balance billing policy will initially be imple-
mented only in hospitals directly under its management. This announcement comes after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared in his State of the Nation Address that patients in DOH hospitals
will no longer have to pay for services under basic accommodations. DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Francis Domingo also clarified that guarantee letters from politicians should no longer be necessary, referencing a Su-
preme Court ruling that prohibits postenactment interference in the disbursement of approved government budgets. “Once the national budget is approved and being implemented, there should Next page
Senate vote to continue or junk VP impeach trial set for Aug. 6 By Ram Superable THE Senate is scheduled to deliberate on the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling that declared the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Du-
terte as unconstitutional on August 6, 2025, Senate President Francis Escudero said Tuesday. During the plenary session, Escudero said the date was agreed upon dur-
DOJ chief bares new witness on ‘sabungeros’case By Pot Chavez and Vince Lopez THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday revealed that a new civilian witness has surfaced in the case of the missing sabungeros (cockfighting enthusiasts), expected to support the testimony of Alyas “Totoy”—identified as Julie “Dondon” Patidongan. In a chance interview with reporters, Justice Secretary Jesus
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Pag-IBIG special rate for expanded 4PH program UNRELENTING. Members of militant groups led by Bagong Alyansang
Makabayan (BAYAN) and other youth, labor, women’s organizations, march from the Film Center to the Senate building, to press for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. They called on the lawmakers to allow the presentation of evidence in the impeachment complaint. Angie de Silva
PAG-IBIG Fund announced yesterday that it is offering a special subsidized interest rate of 3 percent per annum for the first five years of housing loans under the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa
Pilipino (Expanded 4PH) Program. The special rate is available to eligible members from the lowest income segments up to the seventh income level, as well as all overseas Filipino
workers, for the purchase of socialized housing units — which now include house-and-lot units, condominium units, and Pag-IBIG Acquired Assets. Next page