Yesterday was the second day of oral arguments on the consolidated cases regarding the transfer of PhilHealth’s funds to the Treaury and the Unnprogrammed Appropriations where Bev Ho and I serve as amici curiae at the Supreme Court.

Yesterday, I served as amicus curiae alongside Sonny Africa, Dr. Beverly Ho, Dr. Orville Solon and former DOF Secretary Margarito Teves in the consolidated petitions on the transfer of PhilHealth’s funds to the Treasury. The oral arguments will continue on 25 Feb 2025. youtube.com/live/MYsNT8J...

Hello, media colleagues. I am no longer connected with iLEAD and do not work full time for any institution. I do not wish to misrepresent myself. I have been doing PH budget analyses independently since I stepped down as iLEAD's Executive Director last year. Salamat po!

Home for the New Year

Maligayang Pasko sa ating lahat!

One last interview with Korina Sanchez on Bilyonaryo News Channel before Noche Buena. Ang sinabi ko lang naman ay walang intensyon ang Presidente na i-overhaul ang budget ayon sa panawagan ng maraming sektor. Hindi sapat ang direct veto para ibalik ang mga budget cuts.

ICYMI: Yesterday on ANC Headstart, I spoke to Katrina Domingo about the excesses of the Bicam in prioritizing “pork”over what the whole country needs. Full interview here: youtu.be/9nhP47ezU94?...

What kind of national budget is this? At least Php214.8B was slashed from major departments like DA, DepEd, DOH, DOLE, DSWD, DOTr, and CHED. At least Php97.6B was slashed from the national gov't subsidies to GOCCs Php40.5B was slashed from Special Purpose Funds.

Ineffeciency as a justification for budget cuts has become so pervasive in budget decision-making. If they keep arguing this, the government is essentially saying that agencies should only be given funds based on their currect capacities.

Slashing the subsidies of Philheath to zero is tantamount to slashing the funding for indirect members of PhilHealth under the National Health Insurance Program. Is the Bicam passing on the responsibility of subsidizing indirect members to PhilHealth's direct contributors?

Yaay! This is my longest meditation streak! I challenged myself to meditate everyday even when I am busy and I did it!💃🏻

Picked up Olga Tokarczuk again. It’s nice to be able to read fiction again.

It's not really about whether you personally like, want or need to drive. It’s about not being DEPENDENT on driving all the time, for everything you do. And it’s about the fact that in cities, if everyone has to move by car, no one moves much at all. Pic via @brooklynspoke.bsky.social

Which streaming platform is worth subscribing to again? HBO, Prime, or Apple TV+? Haven’t tried Disney+. Should I?

I am not a fan of the one-pot pasta cooking method. The pasta cooks unevenly and the sauce loses its richness because you have to keep adding water to cook the pasta. I feel like I wasted my ingredients😏

It's fun to diss Duterte trolls on X😂

"As of end-September, the deficit-to-GDP ratio stood at 5.14%, well below the 5.6% target for 2024." ⬆️ That's not necessarily a good thing. Lower than target deficit-to-GDP only means government spending was slow and lower than target as well. www.bworldonline.com/top-stories/...

I paused my NY Times subscription. I don't wanna see anymore disappointing news about US politics for now. It takes me back to Dutertismo whenever I come across daily headlines about Trump and his choice of questionable cabinet members. Juskolord.

It’s been a crazy busy two months of conducting workshops, writing papers, doing assessments - all public finance-related, but I have been unable to monitor the Senate budget plenary hearings. It’s largely bec I’ve been out of think tanking work. End of an era for me😆

Here's my latest Rappler article about the recent public lecture of my friend, @znsuzara.bsky.social. She says there's been an “erosion of fiscal discipline” under Marcos Jr., and “the budget has become a political instrument rather than a tool for development.” www.rappler.com/voices/thoug...

Currently scoring and drafting the analysis for my sections of the Ph Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Assessment. It’s taking me back to that time in DBM when my boss and I had to ensure every single Memo for the President was backed by solid bases in the Constitution and the GAA😆

Flower power for the busy week ahead💃🏻

Keep safe Philippines. We’re being continuously battered by strong typhoons. I hope local governments prepared well.

Never imagined I would be invited to deliver a JVO Memorial Lecture in Ateneo. It is truly an honor. In my head, it is a platform reserved for upstanding leaders who have already made their marks in their respective fields. [translation: Para ito sa mga higit na nakatatanda😆]

Done with my final report on higher education budgets. What a relief! But only for a few hours. Tomorrow is another day!😆