Notes on Recent Philippine Senate Investigations and Legislative Actions

Investigation on Alice Goh's Escape

Investigating Committees: Three Philippine Senate committees to investigate the alleged escape of dismissed Bambantarloc Mayor Alice Goh.
- Main Committee: Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights (Chair: Coco Pimentel)
- Tertiary Committees: 1. Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality (Chair: Risa Hontiveros) 2. Panel on Public Services (Chair: Rafi Tulfo)
Key Developments: Senator Hontiveros revealed Goh is no longer in the Philippines.
- Support for canceling Goh's passport and reaching out to Interpol.
Context: Issues tied to Pogo (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations) and regional crime concerns.
Senate President Francis Escudero's Comment: Doubts about the prosecution of Guo due to her absence; case may be archived.

Duterte's Statement: Claimed information about a plot to politically destroy her family.
House Lawmakers' Response: Denied impeachment efforts; stated auditing her secret funds is part of their duties.
Opposition to Book Project: Two lawmakers propose to remove funding for her children's book project worth 10 million pesos.

Title: "Isang Kaibigan" (One Friend).
Goal: To help develop reading habits among young learners.
Cost and Defense:
- Project cost: 10 million pesos for 200,000 copies (P50 each).
- Spokesperson argues transparency and aims for educational benefit.
Opposition's Concerns: Senator Hontiveros raising questions about using public funds; plans for budget realignment.

Call for Investigation: Congress urged to investigate how the Duterte administration accumulated 7.2 trillion pesos in debt during the pandemic.
Background: Former President Duterte ended term with over 12 trillion pesos in debt due to aggressive borrowing for pandemic measures.

MPOC Monitoring: Continuous surveillance ordered by President Marcos after a case of MPOC detected.
Health Department: The patient recovered, 41 close contacts under quarantine; health chief reassures public about the outbreak.

Current Weather: Easterlies affecting Visayas and Mindanao; isolated rain showers expected.
Tropical Storm Monitoring: Storm "Shan Shan" unlikely to directly impact the Philippines.

Anniversary: 41st anniversary of Ninoy Aquino Jr.'s assassination commemorated by family and supporters.
Controversy: President Marcos Jr. rescheduled Ninoy Aquino Day to boost local tourism, criticized by some.
Political Context: Bam Aquino comments on potential alliances in upcoming elections; stresses independence from Marcos and Duterte families.