Author: INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Sunday revealed that he has rejected offers to be part of a “civil-military junta” that would purportedly replace the government of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.

“There were those inciting and wanting a civil military-junta,” he said in an interview with radio dzBB.

“Some retired military officers have reached out to me, I won’t mention names, I was ignoring them. Some even offered that I be part of the ‘junta’, of the ‘council’. But I did not entertain them.”

“There are so many people with active imaginations. During times of crisis like this, we cannot blame them for thinking up extra-legal and unconstitutional ways, perhaps in their passion to change the system because they saw how systemic corruption has become. That’s where they are coming from,” he added.

Illegal change, violence unwanted

Lacson also rejected proposals such as a so-called “transition council” and a supposed military-backed “reset,” saying they are all unconstitutional.

“Dream on,” he said when asked to comment on those making such proposals.

He also said that public outrage over the corruption behind anomalous flood control projects must continue, but not at the expense of the 1987 Constitution.

“I hope such a military-backed intervention would not happen because nothing good can come of it,” he added.

In rejecting unconstitutional changes of leadership, Lacson pointed out that under the 1987 Constitution, the line of succession ends with the House Speaker.

He said this was why he filed his “Designated Survivor bill,” which extends the line of succession to include the most senior Senate and House members, to prevent disruption of government operations in the event of a disaster or “exceptional circumstances” that leave the president and his constitutional successors dead or disabled.

Lacson also noted that the Catholic Church leadership is not in favor of violence, citing a recent talk he attended with Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David. /mcm

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MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Sunday said it is investigating an alleged data breach in its systems.

This came after Scamwatch Pilipinas co-founder Art Samaniego Jr. warned of a possible large-scale government data breach, specifically targeting the DILG.

In a Facebook post, Samaniego wrote that he received information that around 400 gigabytes of data were allegedly exfiltrated in the DILG breach.

The DILG said it is already verifying the claim, with its technical teams and government cybersecurity units “undertaking the appropriate investigative steps.”

“Initial checks show our core services remain stable. We have activated containment and security protocols to protect our data while the investigation continues,” the DILG said in a statement.

“For now, we ask the public not to rely on unverified posts,” it added. /mcm

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Sixteen years after the world’s deadliest single-day attack on journalists, media practitioners are set to gather on Monday, Nov. 24, to demand continued vigilance and justice for the victims of the Maguindanao massacre.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) – Cagayan de Oro Chapter, in partnership with the Cagayan de Oro Press Club (COPC), will lead a candlelighting ceremony at 4 p.m. at the Press Freedom Monument on the Misamis Oriental Provincial Capitol grounds.

The activity honors the 58 individuals, including 32 media workers, brutally killed in Maguindanao on Nov. 23, 2009 — a tragedy that NUJP-CdO chairperson Franck Dick Rosete called a “stark reminder” of the dangers journalists face in the country.

Beyond remembrance, local media leaders are urging the community to view press freedom as a non-negotiable necessity.

“We must insist — loudly, persistently — that freedom of expression is not a luxury but a foundation. Press freedom is not negotiable but essential,” the COPC statement reads in part.

COPC President Froilan Gallardo challenged the local press to “turn grief into action and turn remembrance into resolve,” stressing the need for legal safeguards to protect independent media and institutions that hold power accountable.

Engaging the next generation

Organizers will also host a discussion with young reporters and campus journalists at 2 p.m., prior to the candlelighting ceremony.

Rosete said the session aims to revisit the facts of the massacre and educate emerging journalists on the importance of defending media rights amid continuing challenges in the landscape.

To amplify the call for full justice for the victims, organizers opened the commemoration activities to media practitioners, students, and concerned citizens. /mcm

HANOI — The death toll from major flooding in Vietnam has risen to 90, with 12 people still missing, the environment ministry said Sunday, after days of heavy rain and landslides.

Relentless rain has lashed south-central Vietnam since late October and popular holiday destinations have been hit by several rounds of flooding.

Whole sections of coastal Nha Trang city were inundated last week, while deadly landslides struck highland passes around the Da Lat tourist hub.

In the hard-hit mountainous province of Dak Lak, 61-year-old farmer Mach Van Si said the floodwaters left him and his wife stranded on their sheet-metal rooftop for two nights.

“Our neighborhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud,” he told AFP on Sunday.

By the time they climbed a ladder to their roof, Si said he was no longer scared.

“I just thought we were going to die because there was no way out,” he said.

Vietnam flood death toll

More than 60 deaths recorded since November 16 were in Dak Lak, where tens of thousands of homes were inundated, the environment ministry said in a statement.

Four communes in Dak Lak were still flooded on Sunday, the ministry said.

More than 80,000 hectares of rice and other crops across Dak Lak and four other provinces were damaged in the last week, with over 3.2 million livestock or poultry dead or washed away by floodwaters.

Authorities have used helicopters to airdrop aid to communities cut off by flooding and landslides, with the government deploying tens of thousands of personnel to deliver clothing, water-purification tablets, instant noodles and other supplies to affected areas, state outlet Tuoi Tre News said.

Severe flooding in southern coastal Khanh Hoa province washed away two suspension bridges last week, leaving many households isolated, the outlet said, citing officials.

Several locations on national highways remained blocked on Sunday due to flooding or landslides, according to the environment ministry, and some railway sections were still suspended.

Economic losses

More than 129,000 customers remained without electricity, after more than a million were without power last week.

The environment ministry on Sunday estimated economic losses of $343 million across five provinces due to the floods.

Natural disasters have left 279 people dead or missing in Vietnam and caused more than $2 billion in damage between January and October, according to the national statistics office.

The Southeast Asian nation is prone to heavy rain between June and September, but scientists have identified a pattern of human-driven climate change making extreme weather more frequent and destructive. 

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BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – The Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) here has established dedicated adult and pediatric wards for leptospirosis patients amid the rise in cases of the infectious disease.

In a public advisory issued Saturday, the CLMMRH said it is “experiencing a rise in leptospirosis referrals, including moderate to severe cases, particularly from south Negros Occidental.”

“To ensure timely and appropriate care, the hospital is prioritizing severe leptospirosis cases and setting up dedicated adult and pediatric leptospirosis wards,” it added.

READ: Leptospirosis: What Cebu residents need to know post-Tino

Data show that, CLMMRH, the apex hospital of the Department of Health (DOH) in Negros Island Region, has eight leptospirosis admissions as of Sunday, much higher compared to the usual zero to two cases in a month.

The record does not include the localities the patients come from, although the increase in the hospital’s leptospirosis admissions was reported after the devastating flashfloods that affected several cities and municipalities in central and southern Negros during Typhoon Tino on Nov. 4.

Leptospirosis, an infection caused by the leptospira spirochetes bacteria, is contracted from exposure to water or soil contaminated by the urine of infected animals, especially rats, through cuts, wounds, abrasions or any break in the skin.

Local health authorities encourage anyone to take leptospirosis prophylaxis as soon as possible following exposure, wading or contact with possibly contaminated water, ground or food, or consult immediately the nearest health center or private physician for prescription.

The CLMMRH advised referring facilities to coordinate with its operations center and observe proper patient coordination and transfer protocols.

“As the apex hospital of the Negros Island Region, CLMMRH remains committed to serving the people by providing compassionate, high-quality care, especially during surge situations,” the hospital management said.

“We request the continued understanding and cooperation of referring facilities and the public as we manage bed capacity and ensure timely care for all affected patients.”

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MANILA, Philippines — The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) said it believes that the court’s issuance of arrest warrants against former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and several others in relation to infrastructure anomalies is a step toward attaining justice for the people.

In a statement on Saturday, ICI executive director Brian Keith Hosaka said the Sandiganbayan’s move was “very important in the trial of the accused in the flood control scandal.”

“This marks the start of court proceedings to finally deliver justice to the public,” Hosaka said in Filipino.

READ: Zaldy Co last seen in Japan as PH gov’t continues international manhunt

“This can also be the legal basis for the return of those involved to the country so they can face the court,” he added, speaking Filipino.

On Friday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that the Sandiganbayan had issued arrest warrants against Co and 17 others in connection with the criminal cases filed by the Office of the Ombudsman against them on Tuesday.

The charges — two counts of graft and one count of malversation through falsification — stem from an alleged anomalous P289.5-million road dike project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

The Ombudsman’s filing of cases followed the recommendation of the ICI, which is mandated to investigate infrastructure projects across the country over the last 10 years.

Flood control projects

Meanwhile, Senator Bam Aquino has called on Co to return to the Philippines and reveal everything that he knows about the anomalous flood control projects and the controversial budget insertions.

Co recently posted a three-part revelation naming Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez as the allege recipients of kickbacks from the P100-billion insertions in the 2025 budget.

Aquino said that all those involved in anomalous flood control projects must be held accountable and the government’s stolen money should be recovered.

Moreover, Aquino is pushing for the passage of his Senate Bill No. 1506 or the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act to ensure transparency in the use of public funds.

Under Senate Bill No. 1506, also known as the Blockchain the Budget Act, all government agencies will be mandated to upload and maintain budget-related documents—including contracts, project costs, bills of materials, and procurement details—in a Digital Budget Platform, making the process transparent and accessible to the public.

Government officials, who fail to publicly disclose budget-related documents or deliberately upload false information, will face administrative and criminal penalties under the CADENA Act.

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