Former House speaker Martin Romualdez denies that he is behind the recantations of former bodyguards who previously implicated him in the flood control corruption scandal.

He says the Ombudsman’s accusation “shows how extremely prejudiced he is against me.”

“The recantations prove what I had been saying all along that the accusations against me are false and trumped up,” Romualdez says.

The Ombudsman has been preparing a case against the President’s cousin, partly based on the testimonies of the former security aides of former congressman Zaldy Co. @here

Senator Loren Legarda confirms filing a medical leave with the Senate from August 3 to 5, 2026. 

“I ask the public not to draw unwarranted conclusions from my travel or link it to the recent false and baseless allegations, which undeservedly besmirch a reputation that I have built over decades of public service,” Legarda says in a statement on Friday, August 7. @here

Department of Budget and Management Acting Secretary Kim Robert De Leon formally submitted the proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 National Expenditure Program to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Malacañang on Monday, August 10. @here

Why is the 2027 budget so critical? Think of the ayudas, soft and hard pork that politicians could use ahead of the 2028 elections. It’s also the budget for Marcos’ last full year in office. Here’s how much budget the Marcos government wants @here: https://www.rappler.com/philippines/marcos-jr-administration-proposed-budget-2027/

These are the top 10 agencies with the biggest budget based on the 2027 National Expenditure Program. @here

How much is DPWH seeking for flood control projects in 2027?

The Department of Public Works and Highways is seeking P107.4 billion for flood control projects under its proposed budget for 2027, acting Budget Secretary Kim De Leon said on Tuesday, August 11. This is 16% of the agency's total proposed budget of P664 billion. @here

Hi @here! I’m Jelo Mantaring, education reporter. Interested to follow how lawmakers will react with the proposed 2027 budget for the education sector.

The Philippines is aiming again to meet the recommended education spending benchmark of 4% to 6% of GDP.

Under the 2027 National Expenditure Program, the DepEd seeks P976 billion. That’s just 2.94% of GDP.

Acting Budget Secretary Kim Robert de Leon said total education spending would be 3.96% if proposed funding for higher education (which includes CHED and state universities and colleges), TESDA, and science education institutes will be added to the list.

De Leon said they are waiting the figures of Bangsamoro region’s education spending for 2027, which could push up the total proposed allocation to 4% of GDP.

The People’s Budget Coalition previously flagged that education spending under the 2026 NEP did not meet the 4% benchmark.

The group said including BARMM’s education budget and the Special Education Fund of LGUs in the computation was misleading. The government should not also include agencies with education components, even if they are not directly related to education.

During the 2026 budget process, the DepEd asked for over P926 billion under the 2026 NEP, before it got a huge bump to P1 trillion under the 2026 General Appropriations Act.

The whole education sector received an allocation of P1.34 trillion under the 2026 GAA, according to the Marcos administration.

Of course, the increase was made possible after funding for flood control projects for 2026 was slashed and realigned to different sectors.

So will the Philippines truly meet the 4% of GDP benchmark for education spending in 2027? Let’s see.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expresses condolences to the government and people of Colombia over the deaths and devastation caused by a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake.

Senator Migz Zubiri on Wednesday, August 12, refuted allegations by former Department of Public Works and Highways secretary Manuel Bonoan that he was in talks with Zubiri, then Senate president, about the allegedly allocated P24 billion in DPWH funds for the senators’ leadership fund.

“For the record, as Senate President, I never requested, held, or handled any list of project requests from senators. I refused to handle any such list. Walang pong dumaan na proposed budget amendments sa ating tanggapan. Alam ng mga senador yan. Lahat ng request ay coursed through the Senate Committee on Finance, na siyang tagapangasiwa ng budget process sa Senado,” Zubiri said.

Bonoan made the allegation while testifying before the Sandiganbayan Third Division on Wednesday.