Bilang Pilipino 2025

By Rodolfo Dacleson II (April 25, 2025) – A lawmaker on Friday urged the government to file a case against a marketing company in Makati allegedly contracted by China to promote its narratives amid the tension in the West Philippine Sea. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said the Department of Justice and the National […] The post Government urged to file charges against Makati marketing firm spreading pro-China narratives appeared first on N5E.

The local candidates were ordered to answer accusations of vote buying.

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections has allowed the agriculture department to roll out its much-vaunted "P20 per kilo" rice program as long as no electoral candidates are present for its implementation. The subsidized rice program — which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself branded as a campaign promise fulfilled — has been exempted from the election spending ban under certain conditions detailed in a Comelec memorandum on Thursday, April 24. The Comelec's Omnibus Election Code prohibits the release of funds within 45 days of election day as a safeguard against the use of state resources for candidates' campaigns.  But certain government projects related to social welfare can be granted exemptions during the 45-day spending ban. Ayuda Sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) and other programs were previously exempted by the poll body. This year's spending ban was set for March 28 to May 11, or the day before election day. Less than three weeks before May 12, the Department of Agriculture announced on Tuesday that it would start selling P20-per-kilo rice in Visayas soon, without a specific start date.  A Presidential Communications Office press release said the subsidized rice would be sold in parts of Visayas first as a "testbed" for logistical coordination before being scaled up nationwide. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel requested the Comelec to exempt P5 million in disbursements for the "P20 Rice Project," according to the memorandum.  The Comelec Law Department approved the exemption provided that the program does not "influence the conduct" of the May 12 elections and does not involve the presence of elective officials and candidates.    Another condition for the exemption is for the department to submit a periodic written report of the disbursement to the Comelec's regional election director concerned.  Comelec Chairperson George Garcia also imposed additional conditions specific to the sale of the subsidized rice. According to the memorandum, Garcia required the following: For all local government units involved in the program to seek exemption from the Comelec for the subsidy rate, rice distribution  For all sales and distribution of rice to be conducted in public places  For the members of the media, civil society and interest groups to be allowed unrestricted access to the conduct of the program In a social media post on his personal Instagram account, Marcos touted the DA's program as a fulfillment of his campaign pledge of bringing rice prices down to P20 per kilo. The ambitious pledge — which helped win rural votes during the 2022 elections — had long faced criticism as market prices of the household staple had repeatedly soared under Marcos' term. The actual P20 rice project announced this week was prompted by an oversupply of rice buffer stocks and the subsequent need to free up storage space, Laurel confirmed on Wednesday.   National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said a nationwide implementation of the P20-per-kilo rice program would be sustainable if the country improves its agricultural productivity.   Farmers' groups Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and Amihan have condemned the timing of the project as "a desperate ploy to salvage crumbling public trust" amid the election period. The groups argue the sudden implementation of the long-delayed promise is "a thinly veiled electoral gimmick" aimed at boosting candidates aligned with the administration. — with reports by Dominique Flores, Jean Mangaluz

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) should release documents connected to the election contract it awarded to a South Korean company for this year’s midterm poll to spur public confidence in the electoral system, a watchdog group said on Monday. In a statement, Democracy Watch Philippines pushed the poll body to disclose all documents regarding the […]