Adding to the year's turbulence was the Senate's tug-of-war with the House of Representatives over efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution through people's initiative. This contentious push for Charter change (Cha-cha), widely criticized as an attempt to bypass the legislative process, is believed by some sectors to have triggered the leadership change in the upper chamber.
By yearend, relations between the two chambers improved as the Senate agreed to most of the House's proposals in the P6.352-trillion national budget, including the P1.3-billion cut to the allocation for the Office of the Vice President.
Both houses also thumbed up the controversial Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) after senators were given their fair share of the program. The House would get P21 billion while the Senate would get P5 billion, or a total of P26 billion.
Senate coup
Two days before the second regular session of the 19th Congress last May, Senate President Francis Escudero unseated then Senate president Juan Miguel Zubiri amid political maneuvering and investigation into leaks related to sensitive investigations, including the controversial PDEA documents implicating high-level officials, including President Marcos.
Zubiri said rumors that one of the reasons for his ouster was due to the Senate's lack of support for Cha-cha does not make sense, since his successor Escudero was very vocal against amending the Constitution.
Before 2023 ended, the House pushed for Cha-cha through people's initiative, calling for Congress to vote as one body - seen as a move to weaken the Senate's influence by merging its 24 votes with over 300 congressmen.
Esta historia es de la edición December 25, 2024 de The Philippine Star.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 25, 2024 de The Philippine Star.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
MMFF AT 50: WHAT MAKES EACH FILM WORTH WATCHING?
THAT TIME OF THE year has come when the Metro Manila Film Festival MMFF), which is having its golden edition, presents a collection of films that are in stark contrast in terms of narrative and theme. There are two or even more, however, that may belong to the same genre classification.
PIOLO GRATEFUL FOR LOVE TEAM WITH JUDAY: THAT MADE ME BECOME MAINSTREAM
In the 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) official entry “The Kingdom,” Piolo Pascual essays the role of an outcast farmer who is shunned by society but becomes an unlikely hero in the kingdom's quest for change.
COUNTDOWN TO SPLENDOR AT NEWPORT WORLD RESORTS
Newport World Resorts sets the stage for an unforgettable New Year celebration.
A TOAST TO LOCAL FLAVORS: FILIPINO FRUITS IN CRAFT COCKTAILS
A drinks menu caught my attention last Dec. 2 during chef Miko Calo’s AVEC Series at Makati Shangri-La’s Sage Bar, which ran from Nov. 18 to Dec. 9.
HOW I ALMOST MISSED ZEROBASEONE'S TIMELESS WORLD' IN MANILA
As much as I love Zerobaseone, I have to admit that the Manila leg of their concert didn’t start off well — at least for me.
Cost reduction, competitive pressure driving AI adoption in Phl
The need to reduce costs and pressure from competition are key drivers for artificial intelligence (AI) adoption among companies in the Philippines, but limited use cases and scalability challenges are obstacles to fully leveraging the technology, according to IBM.
Aboitiz, partners allot over P2 B for wind farm grid integration
Lihangin Wind Energy Corp. (LWEC), a joint venture of Aboitiz Renewables Inc., Vivant Energy Corp. and Singapore-based Vena Energy, is spending over P2 billion for the transmission connection of its massive wind farm in northern Samar.
ICTSI Receives Maiden Container in Indonesia
The International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has welcomed its first container call in East Java, showing the capability of its Indonesian project to handle different kinds of vessels.
PEZA, DOLE sign data sharing agreement to streamline visa processing
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) have signed a data sharing agreement to streamline the PEZA visa application process as part of efforts to improve ease of doing business.
Fisherfolk poverty to worsen if big fishers enter municipal waters
Non-government organizations assailed the Supreme Court's decision to uphold a Malabon Regional Trial Court ruling of allowing commercial fishers within the 15-kilometer municipal waters as it would accelerate depletion of fish stocks at the expense of small fishers.
