INQToday: China warns PH not to ‘stir up trouble’ over Scarborough; OVP asked for P250M CF in 2022

Here’s a quick summary of today’s top stories:

China warns PH not to ’cause trouble’ over Scarborough Shoal

China warns the Philippines not to “cause trouble” after the Philippine Coast Guard removed China’s floating barrier in Scarborough Shoal.

The office of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. approved P125 million of the P250 million Confidential Fund (CF) requested by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in 2022, ACT-CIS Party List Representative Erwin Tulfo said on Tuesday.

During the plenary debates on the proposed 2024 budget for the Office of the President (OP), ACT teacher representative France Castro questioned Tulfo on the procedures followed in releasing OVPs CF.

Plenary debates on the 2024 budget proposed by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) have been moved to Wednesday, the majority bloc of the House of Representatives confirmed.

During a break in deliberations on House Bill No. 8980 or the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) on Tuesday afternoon asked ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro why the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) – both led by Vice President Sara Duterte – have not yet been addressed on the floor.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) received only P10 million annually in intelligence funding over the past decade, its West Philippine Sea spokesman Jay Tarriela announced on Tuesday.

Tarriela said PCG received P10 million in intelligence funds every year from 2013 to 2023.

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said on Tuesday that he was growing tired of repeatedly filing diplomatic protests against China, prompting him to ask the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) if there was any other action the Philippines could take to to tackle this. the maritime issue.

“We are tired of diplomatic protests. Parang walang nangyayari and hindi naaaksyunan. (Are there) other modes and other approaches that make this possible?” dela Rosa asked.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. system. (PhilHealth) is expected to return to normal operations within two days after it was hacked last week.

PhilHealth Financial Policy Sector Senior Vice President Israel Francis Pargas said they have been operating manually since the summer system breakdown.

The government will struggle to determine the country’s actual rice supply due to ongoing smuggling, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday.

Marcos, who is also the country’s agriculture secretary, said the government has been trying to improve the agricultural sector, from the production process to retail. However, the government remains baffled as to how and why rice prices remain high.