PASAY CITY -- Finance Sec. Benjamin Diokno attends the Committee on Local Government's organizational meeting Tuesday, August 16, 2022. Diokno briefed the Senate panel on the department's legislative agenda aimed at ensuring the fiscal sustainability of local government units (LGUs). The department's proposed measures include real property valuation and assessment reform (RPVAR), which aims to increase government revenues without raising tax rates; as well as bills amending the 1991 Local Government Code on local finance. Meanwhile, Diokno assured senators that the national government is fully prepared to address the challenges brought about by the lingering COVID-19 pandemic and inflation due to increasing world oil prices and the unpredictable global political economy. (VFDomingo/Senate PRIB)