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In a candid social media post, former Deputy Minister for Works and Housing, Eugene Boakye Antwi, shared an honest and introspective analysis of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeat in the 2024 general elections. Drawing on internal party reflections and events leading up to the elections, Antwi pinpointed key factors that contributed to the party’s loss and the vital lessons it must learn moving forward. “We lost this General Election in the last quarter of 2022,” Antwi began, acknowledging a critical turning point in the party’s trajectory. He attributed the loss to the party’s decision to retain Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta despite mounting pressure from within the NPP to remove him due to his handling of the country’s economic challenges. Antwi explained that the party’s refusal to heed the concerns of 90 Members of Parliament, who had urged President Akufo-Addo to replace Ofori-Atta, ultimately alienated the very constituents who had supported them in previous elections. “Keeping Ken Ofori-Atta at post till February 2024 meant that we were not listening to the very people who voted for us and therefore didn’t deserve their vote in 2024,” he stated, acknowledging the disconnect between the party’s leadership and the electorate. The NPP’s failure to address the economic difficulties faced by the country, coupled with growing dissatisfaction with Ofori-Atta’s leadership, emerged as significant factors in the party’s defeat. Antwi lamented the consequences of the party’s inaction, stating, “They have therefore PUNISHED us severely and taught the NPP a bitter lesson,” underscoring the political missteps that contributed to the electoral setback. He also pointed to voter apathy as a major factor, noting that nearly a third of registered voters—around 6 million people—did not participate in the election. “Almost a third of Registered Voters did not visit their Polling Stations to vote due to APATHY,” Antwi observed. This lack of voter engagement reflected growing disillusionment with the political process, and played a crucial role in the NPP’s defeat. Antwi’s candid reflections serve as a sobering reminder of the importance of listening to the electorate, addressing their concerns, and taking decisive action when necessary. The former deputy minister’s assessment highlights the need for the NPP to reassess its approach, learn from its mistakes, and rebuild trust with the people in future elections.

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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Workers pushing for an end to smoking in Atlantic City casinos say the main employee union has been won over by tobacco companies seeking allies in the fight against smoking restrictions. An official of a union involved in the anti-smoking push on Monday called for the head of the Atlantic City casino workers' union, Donna DeCaprio, to resign for failing to protect her members from the dangers of secondhand smoke. DeCaprio is president of Local 54 of the Unite Here union, which opposes a smoking ban on the grounds that so much business would be lost by smokers taking their money elsewhere that it could cause one or more casinos to shut down, costing thousands of workers their jobs. “She should be ashamed of herself,” said Ray Jensen, assistant director of United Auto Workers Region 9, which represents dealers at three Atlantic City casinos and is part of a lawsuit seeking to have the courts force an end to smoking in the gambling halls. “She should hand in her union card.” DeCaprio said her union supports the health and safety of its members, adding improvements to the workplace environment need to be made. “A balance needs to be reached that will both protect worker health and preserve good jobs,” she said. “We are protecting our members against multiple casino closures and job losses. The UAW is eager to sacrifice the entire casino industry and put 25,000 good jobs with benefits at risk.” DeCaprio said between 50% and 72% of all in-person casino revenue in Atlantic City comes from smoking sections, which occupy only 25% of the casino floor. She said her union “and the vast majority of the labor movement” support a proposal that would improve ventilation in casinos and prevent any employee from being assigned to work in a smoking section against their will. Whether to ban smoking is one of the most controversial issues not only in Atlantic City casinos but in other states where workers have expressed concern about secondhand smoke. They are waging similar campaigns in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Kansas and Virginia. Workers have been pushing for four years to end an exemption in New Jersey’s clean air law that allows smoking inside the nine casinos. They say they or their co-workers are becoming ill with cancer, heart disease and other conditions related to exposure to second-hand smoke. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, has said he will sign a bill to end casino smoking if it reaches his desk. The casinos, joined by Local 54, oppose that effort, saying it will cost Atlantic City thousands of jobs and lead to decreased tax revenue for state programs for senior citizens and the disabled. On Monday, the workers group that calls itself CEASE (Casino Employees Against Smoking’s Effects) filed an appeal of a court ruling in August that allowed smoking to continue in the nine casinos. The Casino Association of New Jersey declined to comment Monday. Attorney Nancy Erika Smith said as far back as 1993, tobacco companies targeted labor unions in the hospitality industry as potential allies to work against smoking bans in the restaurant and hospitality industries. That effort included the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, a precursor of the Unite Here union. “HERE and the related AFL-CIO affiliates are critical allies which should be cultivated as supporters of the effort to prevent smoking bans,” a public relations firm wrote in a memo to Philip Morris Companies that was made public during several states' litigation against tobacco companies. The memo said having HERE “as an ally in this effort would be a very powerful voice.” As far back as 2001, HERE was part of a 12-member coalition including labor unions advocating for improved indoor ventilation instead of government-imposed smoking bans, according to another document cited in Monday's appeal. The anti-smoking campaigners cite a 2022 report by Las Vegas-based C3 Gaming, a consulting firm, showing that casinos that went smoke-free "appear to be performing better than their counterparts that continue to allow smoking.” Follow Wayne Parry on X at www.twitter.com/WayneParryACDr. Mahamudu Bawumia Expresses Gratitude to 2024 NPP Manifesto Sub-Committee

‘AYUDA’ WORK GOES ON Amid the new controversies hounding its head, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) got busy preparing relief goods for victims of the massive fire that destroyed parts of the coastal slum community of Isla Puting Bato in Manila on Nov. 24. Photo released by the OVP through its Facebook page on Wednesday. MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Vice President (OVP) would still have P600 million to fund its social services programs next year, Sen. Grace Poe said on Wednesday. The chair of the Senate finance committee who defended the P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025 maintained that Vice President Sara Duterte’s latest rant that included a threat to kill President Marcos did not affect their decision to stand by the House of Representatives’ move to reduce the OVP’s outlay by P1.3 billion. “We are looking at the mandate and the office, not the personality,” Poe said at a media briefing. “We also have to look at the competence (and) the output (of the state agency). That’s why we also look at their (budget) utilization and disbursement rate,” she added. From the original proposal of P2.03 billion, the House brought down the yearly funding of Duterte’s office to about P733 million, slightly higher than former Vice President Leni Robredo’s budget in 2022. With 18 affirmative votes and one abstention, the senators upheld the decision of their House counterparts when they approved on second and third readings House Bill No. 10800, or the proposed 2025 General Appropriations Act, on Tuesday. According to Poe, she and her colleagues made sure that the OVP would have sufficient funds for its social protection services, such as burial assistance, medical aid and “libreng sakay” (free rides) program for commuters. Photo released by the OVP through its Facebook page In fact, she said the OVP had submitted the list of these programs that were allocated a total of P600 million. However, Duterte and his subordinates did not submit any official request seeking to restore the OVP’s original spending plan. “They had the chance during the committee hearing to provide us the justification to increase their budget, but there was no formal request from the OVP,” Poe pointed out. She said they also found that some items in the OVP’s expenditure plan were just a duplication of the existing programs of other state agencies, particularly the Department of Social Welfare and Development. As to the equally controversial Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (Akap), which the House leadership had inserted in the 2025 budget proposal, Poe said the senators deemed it better to transfer the P39-billion allotment for the item to the senior citizens’ retirement pension fund, college assistance program, child care assistance and livelihood programs for farmers and fishermen. Nonetheless, Poe said Duterte may still ask lawmakers to keep her office’s spending program intact during the bicameral conference committee hearings, which will start on Thursday, by submitting a letter signifying the OVP’s request to restore its budget. But Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, one of Duterte’s loyal allies in the Senate, conceded that it was already impossible for them to bring back the cut in the OVP’s budget. As Congress finalizes the 2025 budget, various groups on Wednesday urged lawmakers to be “transparent” in its proceedings in order to avoid any unprogrammed funds that may be inserted by lawmakers as part of their “pork barrel.” “Our call is, given that there will be important discussions during the bicameral conference committee, to open these (deliberations) to the public,” said former Bayan Muna Rep. and chair of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Teddy Casiño. Casiño said at a press conference that transparency is necessary “in order to avoid what happened before” wherein special provisions were added to the budget during the committee hearing. “For example, the transfer of PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.) funds to the unprogrammed allocations,” he recalled. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . “The process needs to be open to the public in order for us to stop any attempt to bloat unprogrammed funds which congressmen and senators will use as pork barrel,” Casiño said. —with a report from Gillian Villanueva

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