'THE OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT IS SPENDING THEIR BUDGET AS EFFICIENT [AND] AS WISELY AS POSSIBLE'

NEWS UPDATE: According to Senate President Win Gatchalian, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) seemed to be using their P785-M proposed budget for FY 2027 "as efficiently [and] as wisely as possible."

This came after Gatchalian pointed out an 11-percent dip in the OVP's budget, from this year's P889-M to next year's P785-M, alongside a reported primary budget use of socioeconomic programs.

"I'm sure kay Vice President, marami ring lumalapit [at] humihingi ng tulong. Itong socioeconomic program will be a tool for her to help her, or our, constituents, para mabigyan naman ng relief 'yung ating mga constituent," said Gatchalian.

So many subs. Which one do I post to, so as to warn of an (alleged) child predator fleeing Australia before he can be interviewed and arriving in Nagcarlan, Laguna staying with a mother and her child.

A suspected ‘predator’ is seeking to flee, or may have already done so, to The Philippines. He has ingratiated himself into the life of a solo mother there. The same tactic that led to the sexual abuse of a minor and ultimately caused the last victim to end their life.

The relevant government departments have already been advised however is there a platform/sub/FB group that deals with this.

To the Mods. If this breaches the rules feel free to delete it.

Although a child’s life may depend on it.

May libreng sakay promo ang GCash sa MRT-3 from October 20-23! 🚆 Share ko lang para sa mga commuters na gustong makatipid sa pamasahe, lalo na sa mga araw-araw sumasakay ng MRT papasok sa trabaho, school, o pauwi ng bahay. Sulit din ito para sa mga gustong mabawasan ang daily transportation expenses kahit ilang araw lang. 💚

Sa mga araw-araw bumibiyahe, malaking tulong din ang ganitong promo para makatipid kahit papaano. Baka may mga hindi pa nakakaalam, kaya share ko na rin dito. 😊

Coincidentally, today din ang GCash IPO! 📈 Interesting timing para sa GCash, with the IPO launching on the same day na nagsisimula ang libreng sakay promo nila sa MRT-3.

The Tokyo and Bangkok food scene tend to have a really good reputation among foreigners. You’ll see locals happily eating their local food in high end restaurants. Meanwhile, Filipinos in Manila tend to dislike eating their own cuisine in restaurants and preferring to eat them at home or in carenderia. We associate high end food with foreign cuisines. The question is why?

So I asked some Thai and Japanese friends about what they eat outside and what they eat at home. They all said that restaurant food tend to be special. No one eats sushi, ramen or pad thai at home because they are hard to prepare. Compare that to Filipino restaurants that all seem to serve sinigang and sisig, something everyone and their mother can cook at home.

Then there is the preparation. Home cooked ramen is incredibly difficult to pull off. You’d likely have worse ramen at home compared to a restaurant. Meanwhile, tinola and sinigang at home tend to be better than most restaurants. It all boils down to how lazy these restaurants are with the preparation. No one seems to bother to use authentic ingredients, they just use the same sinigang mix and chicken cubes people are accustomed to then ask us to pay a restaurant premium.

An authentic Lechon is something we can only buy outside but everyone seems to like to sell lechon kawali instead, something that can be easily cooked at home.

This is also why there is a huge variety in quality. Because every house has a different recipe and has access to different ingredients. My mom for one, likes to really use chicken bones in preparing the chicken broth for a tinola, and we also sometime use real sampalok for a legit sinigang.

So why do foreigners like to say our food is bad? It’s the same reason why we eat foreign food outside instead of local, because restaurants skimp on preparation and demand huge premiums. And those who actually care, often serve foreign food, or are small “hidden gem” businesses that don’t serve a lot of people.

It’s like judging Chinese food based on Chowking, or Japanese food based on Tokyo Tokyo.

There will be no art, no literature, no science. There will be no distinction between beauty and ugliness. There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. - George Orwell, 1984

Magandang gabi!

Post your tips on events and activities happening in November.

Be as detailed as you wish by providing context on activities and events you want people to know of.

Please include links on web sources as much as possible and feel free to comment on events if you are going or post-event on your reactions to it!

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A Filipino motovlogger known for featuring luxury motorcycles and supercars owes Brazil about ₱20 million in personal income tax. Federal records show the debt was penalized at the rate Brazilian law reserves for fraud, evasion or collusion.

Ebenezer Mariano Dimalanta, the content creator behind RevMatch Motovlog, owes R$1,665,465.14 in personal income tax, according to the Brazilian National Treasury Attorney's Office (PGFN).

Dimalanta was featured on Philippine Motoring Show Manibela, which introduced him as "Diskarteam's team leader, RevMatch Motovlog Ebenezer Dimalanta" in a clip showing him on a top-of-the-line adventure motorcycle.
He is one of four people in the Brazilian circle of Members Church of God International (MCGI) founder Eli Soriano whose tax records show large personal income-tax debts. The others are his brother, Eliezer Mariano Dimalanta, and MCGI Minister Rodel and his wife Melanie Mangiliman.

Dimalanta's settlement record, filed in Santa Catarina in June 2024, shows a consolidated debt of R$1,389,820.93 (about ₱16.7 million). Of that amount, R$382,672.78 was the tax itself and R$574,491.62 was the penalty.

Church association head

The Mangilimans each owe R$605,965.47, about ₱7.3 million, in personal income tax to the Brazilian government.

Mangiliman has been registered since August 2015 as president of Membros da Igreja de Deus Internacional, MCGI's Brazilian association, headquartered in Soriano's former enclave of Jurerê, Florianópolis.

In February 2025, Santa Catarina prosecutors opened a criminal procedure, naming the association and Mangiliman as parties.

Sources:

Procuradoria-Geral da Fazenda Nacional, open-data list of debtors (Q2 2026) and Painel dos Parcelamentos/SISPAR (September 2026). https://www.gov.br/pgfn/pt-br/assuntos/divida-ativa-da-uniao/transparencia-fiscal-1/bem-vindo-ao-painel-dos-parcelamentos

Conselho Administrativo de Recursos Fiscais, Acórdão nos. 2201-007.654 (Villamin, October 8, 2020) and 2201-008.577 (Soriano, March 10, 2021). https://carf.fazenda.gov.br/sincon/public/pages/ConsultarJurisprudencia/listaJurisprudencia.jsf?idAcordao=8517438

Lei nº 9.430/1996, art. 44, as amended by Lei nº 14.689/2023 (penalty rates). https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l9430.htm; https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2023-2026/2023/lei/l14689.htm

Receita Federal, CNPJ registry entry 09.262.943/0001-67, Membros da Igreja de Deus Internacional. https://brasilapi.com.br/api/cnpj/v1/09262943000167

Ministério Público do Estado de Santa Catarina, Diário Oficial Eletrônico, no. 3829, February 25, 2025.

Rosalia Rosal, "Cash Mules, Tax Evasion, and Fictitious Insurance: Financing Wish Bus and UNTV," SSRN, 2026. https://ssrn.com/abstract=7457519

There will be no art, no literature, no science. There will be no distinction between beauty and ugliness. There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. - George Orwell, 1984

Happy Tuesday!!

Sources:

• The Philippine Star — Pressreader
• Philippine Daily Inquirer — Pressreader
• Manila Bulletin — Pressreader
• BusinessWorld — Pressreader
• BusinessMirror — Pressreader
• Malaya Business Insight — Website
• Manila Standard — Pressreader
• Daily Tribune — Pressreader
• The Manila Times — Pressreader

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