DONE

Locsin’s appointment will diminish the role of the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Philippine ambassador to Beijing.

He’s basically there as DFA. He is still the concurrent Ambassador to UK. So it’s just additional assignment,” the law professor of the University of the Philippines added.

No rabble-rousing, but reboot

HOUSE Deputy Majority Leader Ralph Recto noted that Locsin is the kind of diplomat known for delivering eloquent insults.

But, Recto added, “he will not be there to rabble-rouse, but to press the reboot button, so that the PHChina relations will pivot toward a mutually respecting phase.”

W hile Locsin “has the command of language that makes him our best weapon in a shouting war, the situation calls for no bullhorn diplomacy, but quiet labor that brings results,” is how Recto views Locsin’s unique extra assignment. “ But if need be, he [Locsin] can stare down China’s practitioners of wolf diplomacy.

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By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas @jearcalas

THE Procurement ServiceDepartment of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) will resume entertaining new non-common use supplies and equipment (NCSE) contracts from state agencies only in 2025 as it is still improving its services.

P S-DBM Executive Director Dennis S. Santiago told lawmakers in a recent House of the Representatives hearing that the agency is implementing reforms to improve its services while focusing on its main mandate of procuring common-use supplies and equipment (CSE) for the national government.

It has been a year since the PS-DBM temporarily suspended its services of procuring NCSEs for state agencies.

I t stopped accepting new NCSE requests from state agencies. Nonetheless, it is completing NCSE procurement contracts that are still within its pipeline prior to the suspension of the services.

S antiago said PS-DBM will “venture out” again procuring NCSE after the agency is done “reviewing” and “upgrading” its technical specifications. “ For the meantime, will focus on CSE so that we will be able to keep up with our mandate to centrally supply these goods to the whole of government,” he said.

I loilo 1st District Rep. Janette

L. Garin asked Santiago if PSDBM can resume doing NCSE procurement next year.

S antiago responded that they can resume “hopefully” procuring NCSE by 2024, but disclosed that the agency’s timeline is really by 2025.

“ I am looking at 2025 so that we can prepare ourselves because there are still pending on-going procurements for other government agencies that are already being implemented plus our very own CSE. We really have to overhaul, so that we can serve the main mandate of the agency,” Santiago explained.

S antiago disclosed that as part of the PS-DBM reforms, the agency would be “selective” in the future in accepting NCSE procurement contracts. He explained that PS-DBM would only accept NSCE procurements with complete budget, technical specifications and complete plans.

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