Author: Iris Gonzales

With the House of Marcos teetering like a house of cards, the grapevine buzz about a military-backed caretaker government keeps getting louder.

This is how proponents imagine it would happen – that is, if they actually get what they want: President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte will both resign, and a caretaker government will hold the reins until the 2028 presidential elections.

While waiting for the elections, this OIC government will push for key changes in the Constitution and pass some measures they deem are crucial in the fight against corruption and for the Philippines to reach its full potential on the world stage.

These measures include the Anti-Political Dynasty Law, legislation that would prohibit members of the same family from holding public office simultaneously, especially within the same locality or immediately after one another.

While the 1987 Constitution mandates the prohibition of political dynasties, a specific law to implement this has never prospered in Congress. We all know why.

Another measure they are pushing for is to reform or abolish altogether the party-list system in the House of Representatives, which has become a backdoor entry for traditional politicians and their family members – or just about anyone who wants to get a slice of the budget – instead of providing genuine representation to marginalized sectors.

Another measure is to have a new unicameral body of representatives of the people. I don’t know how this will go, but past proposals include abolishing the Senate and the present House of Representatives.

One way to do this, according to lawyer Josephus Jimenez, writing for The Freeman in February 2024, is to keep representations to people who actually studied law, “not actors, not wives of professional trapos, not comedians and not retired generals.”

He also said: “Actors, comedians, TV hosts can run for mayor, governor, even president or vice president. But they should not be allowed to run to become legislators if they do not even know the principles of check and balance, separation of powers, power of judicial review, executive privilege, parliamentary procedures and parliamentary immunity. No one should be named chairman of constitutional amendments who is an actor and an ex-convict. The people should be respected and only qualified men should be allowed to make laws.

“If we reduce the number of non-performing and highly troublesome legislators to only 100, we shall reduce the budget for Congress by one third, and that means more tons of rice to feed our poor people, more houses for the homeless, more schools for the children and better health services for the exploding population. Congress should not be too burdensome to the people.”

There’s also the view among the proponents, or those helping them draft a legislative agenda, that there should be an effective law to govern SALN filings. Simply mandating our government officials to file their respective SALNs is toothless without an actual law that would look into the statements, go through the details and actually go after the official if there are discrepancies.

There are many more proposals and reforms that the caretaker government wants to achieve.

But admittedly, it’s a bold move.

The biggest puzzle – and the most difficult obstacle – I see is how to convince both BBM and VP Sara to step down, especially VP Sara.

BBM, too, is acting like he is doing everything he believes would appease the Filipino people’s anger over this grand looting of flood control funds.

On Friday, the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure recommended the filing of plunder and graft charges against former House speaker Martin Romualdez and former lawmaker Zaldy Co before the Office of the Ombudsman.

It’s a big step against the perceived masterminds of the scandal, but we’ll have to wait and see what actually happens.

With these actions, BBM is hoping to quell public anger.

Against this backdrop, I don’t think he would step down, not even with his political capital and popularity depleted, and despite that perception that his boat is sinking.

The second question is who would be in charge of the caretaker government.

The name of the indefatigable tycoon Ramon S. Ang or RSA, who heads San Miguel Corp. as chairman and CEO, is floating in business circles, as reported by Politiko.

But RSA doused cold water on such talks.

“I am not entering politics,” Ang said in a Facebook post on Nov. 20.

This is a reiteration of his stance even as various quarters are pushing him to run for president in the 2028 elections.

RSA’s fellow Forbes-listed billionaire, close to both him and BBM, and who belongs to one of the country’s richest clans, is the one who wants RSA to head a caretaker government, a source told me.

This is a testament to the restlessness of the country’s tycoons over the growing political instability in the country.

But they don’t want to call for BBM’s resignation alone because it would automatically mean a Sara Duterte presidency.

Thus, the idea is for the top two officials of the land to resign.

It could be an ideal situation, a reset that we badly need, but how to get from there, if it actually happens, to the next chapter is the big question.

What would stop a caretaker government from being corrupted as well?

Remember that cautionary tale – whoever goes out to kill the ogre becomes the ogre himself.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on X @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.

How can one say no to an interview with the iconic heartthrob of Philippine show business? Surely not even a non-showbiz journalist like me – so today, just for today, I take a break from my commentaries on the economy, and share my lovely chat with the man they call Papa P.

It was a meet-greet-and-chat sort of day with the enduring Piolo Pascual as I sat down with him one afternoon at the ABS-CBN headquarters to talk about his latest movie, Meet, Greet & Bye by Star Cinema.

The movie opened yesterday, Nov. 12, and as I write this, I have not seen the film – although Piolo said I shouldn’t miss it. And perhaps, neither should you.

Why? The family drama, he says, is timely and a good reminder for you and me of what truly matters most – our loved ones.

And that’s what we really talked about, more than the movie itself.

I asked what his advice would be to young people who are now navigating life in the age of isolation and social media – truly, a distracted, if not cataclysmic, age.

For Piolo, who has spent decades under the spotlight and whose light continues to shine and endure, the message is simple yet urgent: reconnect – with your family, with real life, with what truly matters.

“Time is of the essence,” he says.

“You’ll never know when you’ll have to face a trial in the family. So never waste a moment.”

Piolo, who lost his father at the young age of 16, said there is no way of knowing when our loved ones will die.

“We have to give love and affection while we still can because we’ll never know when the other person is going to go,” Piolo says.

Meet, Greet & Bye reunites Piolo with Maricel Soriano in a story about family, the ties that bind and the inevitable conflicts that come and go.

Piolo plays Tupe, the eldest son who returns home after years abroad – something that Piolo himself experienced while living in the United States. “It’s very relatable,” he says.

“This kind of family, the conflicts – it happens in real life.”

Family over fame

Against this backdrop, Piolo stresses the importance of family.

He reminds us to treasure the time with loved ones, especially in an age that is increasingly distracted by screens, noise and the need for external validation.

“Never waste a moment. You seize the day and make sure that you’re able to communicate your appreciation. Whatever you’re feeling toward another person in your family that has to be addressed. Don’t delay. You’ll definitely appreciate life even better after watching the film – especially your family.”

For him, the family remains not just the heart of Filipino culture, but our lifeline amid life’s fleeting pace.

When asked what keeps him grounded despite his enduring fame, Piolo doesn’t hesitate.

“My family,” he says.

The youngest of six children, Piolo says his family continues to treat him as they always have – chores, errands and all.

“They never made me feel as if I’m a star. They keep me real,” he says.

A changing world

He acknowledges that the entertainment landscape has changed drastically with the rise of streaming and social media, but he takes it as a challenge.

My teenage daughter, who joined me in the chat, asked him: What do you think young girls like me can learn from the movie?

“Appreciate your elders and know the value of family because they’re your lifeline. They will support you whether things are good or bad. Bottom line is, they’ll be there for you whether you like it or not. Just know that they are your allies – they’re not there to cause you harm but to defend you, support you and just be there for you,” Piolo says.

The fights, he says, are all part of growing up.

“But always know that everyone in your family means well.”

Sky’s the limit

Piolo’s counsel cuts through the clutter: value connection over clicks, substance over spectacle and family over fame.

For an actor who has witnessed the shifts of both industry and generation, Piolo Pascual’s enduring relevance may well come from this very clarity – that beyond the roles and reels, life’s truest measure lies in love, humility and the courage to keep learning.

For my final question, I asked Piolo the reason for his staying power.

With his trademark charming smile, he says it’s all about humility and the willingness to never stop learning.

“Learn from it and never stop being a student. Because at the end of the day, that’s what will take you to places you’ve never been. Know that God wants what’s best for you, and as long as you tap into your potential, the sky’s the limit.”

In a distracted age where attention flits from screen to screen, Piolo Pascual’s words serve as a gentle reminder: pause, reconnect and cherish what truly matters.

Beyond the roles and the fame, it is in love, humility and the courage to keep learning that we find our enduring relevance – and perhaps, our truest selves.

And that, in a nutshell, is what I learned from an afternoon well spent with the iconic Papa P.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on
X @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB

The devastation unfolding now in the aftermath of the two typhoons that just ripped through the country one after the other puts the spotlight on corruption, no doubt.

But it’s not just the theft of funds meant for flood control projects that’s the culprit.

There’s also massive and grand corruption at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Unfortunately, because the nation’s attention is glued to the flood infrastructure mess, the scale of corruption among unscrupulous DENR executives has gone unnoticed.

But several industry sources reveal jaw-dropping and heart-wrenching anomalies committed mostly by executives in various local DENR offices who only want to enrich themselves without thinking of the consequences of their actions.

One such incident made it to the news just recently – a DENR official in Calabarzon, specifically the OIC of the DENR Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in Calaca, Batangas, was caught in the act receiving marked money from a complainant who alleged the officer was extorting millions in exchange for the issuance of a certificate that would declare a piece of land as alienable and disposable (A&D).

Land grabbing, rapid urban development

This is a legal loophole of sorts that opens public land for titling and use. And the fact that just about any local DENR official can decide on this is as dangerous as it can possibly be. 

Worse, the danger is to the environment and the larger community.

The problem stems from unchecked classifications of A&Ds, which are public lands that are capable of being disposed of to qualified beneficiaries under applicable laws.

An A&D certificate, therefore, is one powerful piece of paper that could spell the difference between a safe environment and an ecological disaster.

The DENR’s regional and local officials are the ones who issue these certificates after determining which parcels may be classified as A&D – giving them a sort of god-like role over our land.

As the case involving the DENR Calaca official showed, what can happen is that these certificates may easily be issued at the right price, regardless of the implications.

This means that anyone with enough resources can take over swaths of land and develop it into whatever they choose – even if it may be harmful to the environment.

In the wrong hands, such documents have resulted in massive land grabbing and rapid urban development, the consequences of which we are seeing now.

Perhaps this is the reason why many catchment areas, floodplains and mountainsides have been developed aggressively by just about anyone.

In Cebu, many of the residential communities washed away by the flash floods were built near rivers.

Mountainside, riverside developments

Public scrutiny has also turned to civil engineer and actor Slater Young’s real estate development – Monterrazas de Cebu, built on the mountainside of Barangay Guadalupe in Cebu City.

The DENR said it has launched a review of Young’s project to see if it complies with its environmental compliance certificate and other existing regulations.

Such a review should have been done before the whole project even started.

Watershed syndicates

I earlier wrote about watershed syndicates at the DENR as concrete proof that corruption exists in the department and that it poses real danger to the environment and to our people.

For instance, the Marikina and Kaliwa watersheds, protected areas, are plagued by syndicates that destroy the natural wealth of the country.

Proclamation 1636, signed by Ferdinand Marcos Sr. on April 18, 1977, declared “as a national park, wildlife sanctuary and game preserve a certain parcel of land of the public domain embraced and situated in the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Quezon, Island of Luzon.”

And yet some of these areas have been developed into housing projects, private resorts and the like, as if the developers have rights over the public lands of the Republic of the Philippines.

By the way, these occupants are not homeless. On the contrary, some of them are powerful families and businesses.

The reason? Some of these occupants managed to secure title-like patents over the land with the help of PENROs or the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Offices of the DENR.

The PENROs, apparently, issue free patents – which give them rights over the property – to those who can afford them, instead of protecting these national parks. 

Strangely, there are also three large-scale quarrying Mineral Production Sharing Agreements signed in 1998 and 1999, as I wrote in a previous column.

These quarrying projects, straddling parts of the Masungi Georeserve, occupy an aggregate area of 1,344 hectares.

As I earlier noted, if these continue, the day will come when mountains are leveled to the ground, destroying the geological heritage, water reservoirs and the area’s biodiversity.

The Sierra Madre mountain range is the longest in the country, spanning 540 kilometers from Cagayan in the north to Quezon in the southeastern portion of Luzon.

And as Uwan ripped through the country, citizens are calling for the protection of the mountain range, which is said to have weakened the impact of typhoons that have made landfall in Luzon.

In short, we must protect what protects us, and to do this, we must rid the DENR of corruption. 

Now, before it’s too late.

It is raining hard as I write this, and strong winds howl like restless ghosts. Mother Nature’s wrath reminds us of what happens when we keep on destroying what protects us.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on X
@eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.