IT is not likely that Jocelyn 'Joc-Joc' Bolante will be arrested by government agents when he finally arrives in the country anytime this week after being deported from the U.S. (Some reports expect his arrival tomorrow at around 11 p.m. aboard a...

FIRST, it was bandied about to be a "cash advance" to serve as contingency fund for the trip of recently retired police comptroller Eliseo dela Paz and seven other senior Philippine National Police (PNP) officials to St. Petersburg, Russia to attend the...

PREPARATIONS for the 2010 elections and the up-and-coming economic crisis have given civil society and other cause-oriented groups more reason to keep a tight watch over the 2009 budget process to ensure judicious spending of the people’s money. The...

WHILE senators are still bitterly locking horns whether or not to conduct an investigation on the issue of "double appropriations" in the 2008 national budget, former budget secretary Emilia Boncodin would like to give those involved in the recent...

COULD this just be a "false controversy"? This question was raised by an economist and erstwhile consultant to a former chairman of the House of Representatives' appropriations committee in light of the recent exposé by Senator Panfilo Lacson on cases...

THE Supreme Court ruled last September 4 to reaffirm its March 25 decision upholding the claim of executive privilege by former socioeconomic planning secretary Romulo Neri over the three questions asked of him by senators investigating the national...

FORMER socioeconomic planning secretary Romulo Neri scored a legal victory when the Supreme Court said the Senate could not compel him to answer three questions that it found to be covered by executive privilege. But transparency advocates say the public...