Padilla shrugs off colleagues’ objection to Charter change

Sen. Robin Padilla on Monday said he remains unfazed by his colleagues lukewarm reception to his push to amend economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

“No surrender po talaga ito,” Padilla said, adding that he wants to finalize the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes’ report on

Charter change by May.

According to Padilla, he does not feel disheartened even if Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri himself said that Charter change is not their priority.

“Katunayan ang instruction po ni Senate President, tuloy-tuloy lang ako... Sa akin po ay tuloy-tuloy lang ako. Hindi ko po nakikita na parang ako pinipigi- lan niya,” he said.

The senator also turned down the idea of seeking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s support for Cha-cha.

“Hindi kaya ng prinsipyo ko. Hindi ko kaya. Kasi para sa akin sa legislation ito. Di ko kailanman matatanggap kailangan ako magbow na di sa mandato niya... Pag

In an interview, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Regional Director Alex Roldan revealed the continued implementation with funding support, for the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) and for the Support to the Barangay Development Program (SBDP).

“Sa pagkakaron ang atong E-clip nagapadayon. Nahitabo lang nga dunay kalangan tungod kay nahurot ang pondo niadtong 2022, nag request ta ug budget. (At the moment, E-CLIP will continue. It so happened that there was delay because we ran out of 2022 budget; we have requested a budget),” he said.

“So duna tay pondo nga atong Ihatag ngadto sa mga rebel returnee, mosurender sa gobyerno so wala sila’y kabalak-an moingon nga nawala na ang proyekto, nagpadayon ni siya. (We now have the funds to give to the rebel returnee who surrender to the government. So, they no longer have something to worry about that have made them said that the project is dissolved. This is continued),” he said.

Based on DILG data on E-CLIP presented during the first full council meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), there were already E-CLIP funds that were downloaded in February 2023 to DILG Field Offices for distribution.

A total of Php 2.021 Million

DILG XI further revealed that the P1,722,000 Davao de Oro request for E-CLIP funding intended to benefit 27 FRs is still pending at the Central Office as of March 2023.

There are also requests that are still subject for evaluation as of March, and are still pending at the E-CLIP Information System at the regional level. These are requests from Davao del Norte amounting to P2,415,000 for 115 FRs; P6,010,570 of Davao Oriental for firearms renumeration and other benefits of 21 FRs; and P774,000 of Davao Oriental for 10 FRs.

Meanwhile, Regional Director Roldan said that SBDP additjonal funds are due for release to cleared barangays while ongoing BDP projects are mandated to continue because funds were already downloaded to implementing LGUs.

“Kadtong mga nasugdan dili na pwede undangon, naana ang pondo niana. Dili pwede moingon sila nga nasugdan na unya undangon; tungod ang pondo nanaug na tanan ngadto sa mga LGUs. (Those that have started, should continue because these have been funded. They cannot discontinue implementing thes because the funds were already handed down to LGUs.),” he said referring to the BDP projects in 2022.

Davao Region is appro-