(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Monday, 11 November 2024) At 3:00 AM today, the center of Typhoon "NIKA" {TORAJI} was estimated based on all available data at 120 km East Southeast of Casiguran, Aurora (15.9°N, 123.2°E) with maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h and gustiness of up to 150 km/h. It is moving West Northwestward at 20 km/h. TROPICAL CYCLONE OUTSIDE PAR AS OF 3:00 AM TODAY SEVERE TROPICAL STORM YINXING (2422) (FORMERLY "MARCE") LOCATION: 880 KM WEST OF NORTHERN LUZON (18.5°N, 112.2°E) MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS: 110 KM/H NEAR THE CENTER GUSTINESS: UP TO 135 KM/H MOVEMENT: SOUTHWESTWARD AT 15 KM/H TROPICAL STORM MAN-YI (2424) LOCATION: 3,555 KM EAST OF CENTRAL LUZON (15.2°N, 154.8°E) MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS: 85 KM/H NEAR THE CENTER GUSTINESS: UP TO 105 KM/H MOVEMENT: EASTWARD SLOWLY TROPICAL DEPRESSION LOCATION: 1,685 KM EAST OF EASTERN VISAYAS (11.4°N, 141.2°E) MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS: 45 KM/H NEAR THE CENTER GUSTINESS: UP TO 55 KM/H MOVEMENT: WEST NORTHWESTWARD AT 35 KM/H 𝗙𝗒π—₯π—˜π—–π—”π—¦π—§ π—ͺπ—˜π—”π—§π—›π—˜π—₯ π—–π—’π—‘π——π—œπ—§π—œπ—’π—‘: Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to Localized Thunderstorms. Possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.


Friday, 15 December 2023

House of Representatives approves new procurement act 

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Mina F. Pangandaman expressed her gratitude to the House of Representatives for the swift approval of House Bill No. 9648 or the proposed New Government Procurement Reform Act which aims to improve and modernize the government procurement system in the country.

The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading the procurement reform bill, which seeks to amend the decades-old Republic Act No. 9184, on 12 December 2023.

Two decades since its enactment, we now live in a world with tremendous technological growth that has changed and continues to change the way consumers, businesses, and industries work. Indeed, we need to address gaps concerning the procurement system,” Secretary Pangandaman said.

Our utmost gratitude to the House of Representatives, under the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, for this development. This only goes to show that the goal of our President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., to improve and modernize the government procurement system across the country is truly turning into reality to promote transparency, accountability and good governance," the budget secretary added.

House Bill No. 9648 proposed to further improve the government procurement system by providing additional measures that will shorten the present bureaucratic intricacies of the system through digitalization. It is also one of the priority measures included in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) common legislative agenda of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Together with the Procurement Service – Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) and the Government Procurement Policy Board - Technical Support Office (GPPB-TSO), amendments were introduced to make government procurement more transparent, competitive, streamlined, sustainable, and inclusive.

Notable among the proposed amendments was the adoption of an electronic procurement system that would promote greater transparency, accountability, operational efficiency, and value for money through the modernization of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS).

This served as an electronic or e-marketplace which will expand to both common-use and non-common-use supplies, thereby, promoting transparency, efficiency, and improved public service delivery.

Following the approval of the House of Representatives, the proposed bill will then be submitted to the Senate. (DBM/PIa-Caraga)