FIRING LINE: Today’s not a holiday; ask JPE

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By Robert B. Roque, Jr.

The Commission on Audit (COA) has just called out the Department of Education (DepEd) for having finished only 23 percent of the needed repairs of classrooms throughout the country in 2021 in spite of having P9.49 billion in hand for the purpose.

This is other than COA’s peeves over DepEd deficiencies in spending its P4.52-billion distance learning fund or the P2.4 billion it squandered on outdated laptops.

Now, guess who’s asking Congress for an P848-billion budget next year?

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Tired of “political butterflies”? Well, former president-now-House Senior Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is not taking that sitting down.

She’s recently filed House Bill No. 488 (Political Party Act), which penalizes all these political turncoats like the ones who left her in the most unpopular end-days of her presidency. But it also seems she’s in a different company these days or she just might be like a lost little girl.

I tried not to laugh, but it sounded like a funny elven tale coming from her. While at it, why not refile the anti-dynasty bill? Para bang kumuha ka ng bato at ipinukpok mo sa sarili mong ulo?

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The Manila Bulletin reported last Wednesday that Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who previously led the Duterte administration’s war on drugs as PNP chief, said he is one with ​the victims and families of the bloody campaign.

 Short pause… then, long pause.

 Pendong-Peace!

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Last Thursday, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles took the uncanny position to fact-check what has been circulating on social media as a supposed presidential proclamation declaring Aug. 9, 2022 as a special holiday in honor of the passing away of former president Fidel V. Ramos.

 It’s “fake news,” she said.

 C’mon, guys… even Juan Ponce Enrile is working today!

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Following President Marcos’s appointment of his former election lawyer, George Erwin Garcia, as chairman of the Commission on Elections –

 Garcia: “I was completely surprised.”

Me: I wasn’t

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Some of my readers saw it brutally funny that I blasted former solicitor general Jose Calida’s appointment to the COA on his birthday.

Well, I did apologize for the brutality of that.

Besides, it wasn’t even half as funny as a netizen’s comment that the former SolGen who pocketed four times his basic salary as allowances is now COA Chief and saying it’s “like asking Dracula to guard the blood bank.”

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SHORT BURSTS. For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View. Read current and past issues of this column at http://www.thephilbiznews.com

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