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Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday criticized the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for failing to proactively evaluate the social costs of its investments, particularly in online gambling, before committing funds.

This developed after Hontiveros, during a Senate panel hearing, asked the GSIS if it included the social costs of online gambling in calculating risks before investing P1 billion in the online gambling platform DigiPlus.

GSIS President Jose Arnulfo ‘Wick’ Veloso, for his part, responded that the agency considered DigiPlus to be a legal and listed corporation under the Philippine Stock Exchange.

‘We can see that this qualifies under the three points of our management: profitability, safety, and liquidity. So we saw that it meets the requirements, and that’s why we invested,’ Veloso explained.

Hontiveros then asked Veloso if the GSIS was ‘completely agnostic’ to the documented social costs of online gambling.

But Veloso maintained that the GSIS bases its investment decisions primarily on financial factors unless the Congress or a law specifically mandates otherwise.

Further stressed if this meant the GSIS did not, in fact, consider social costs as one of the qualifications before investing, Veloso responded:

‘The social costs you’re referring to are something we also want to learn how to integrate into our analysis of these kinds of businesses,’ said Veloso. ‘.That is why, Your Honor, we would like to seek the wise guidance of this committee and your chamber. Because we are merely following, and if this is the will of the people, then let us amend the law so that we may be properly guided,’ he added.

Senator Mark Villar, who chaired the hearing, acknowledged the concerns, but pointed out that while externalities like social costs are ‘not easily quantifiable,’ they should still be considered in government investments.

‘Perhaps when we talk about government money, we should be more diligent with learning about these externalities that are associated with these investments, be it in whatever sectors,’ said Villar.

‘It’s not easily quantifiable, but I hope this is something we can discuss in this committee and maybe make a part of the GSIS’ decision-making process,’ he added.

Hontiveros then pointed out that public health professionals could easily quantify the social costs, if need be.

She also pointed out that the social costs of online gambling have been documented well before the GSIS made the investment.

‘Our society and certain sectors of it-including the GOCCs-already recognize this, even in the case of online gambling. And yet, with all due respect, it seems too easy to simply say, ‘Let Congress first tell us what to do.’ You should be able to factor this in more quickly, because in truth, you can act much faster than we can,’ she said.

The senator then asked if GSIS would support the crafting of a legislation that would require government financial institutions to factor in social impacts before investing, to which Veloso answered in the affirmative.

Yet Hontiveros expressed disappointment that the GSIS was unwilling to take a more proactive stance.

‘You don’t have to wait until a new committee report or a new law is approved to take action,’ she said, noting that the pension fund made its P1-billion DigiPlus investment without congressional instruction.

‘You could very well be more proactive, and in fact show a good practice . guiding us in showing how our GOCCs can, over time, become increasingly selective in placing funds, especially when these involve the contributions of our public sector unions.,’ she added.

Hontiveros then said that she wishes they could have gone farther in this direction.

‘But if that is all the GSIS can say to the public, then I won’t be the only one disappointed,’ she said. /cb

It is one thing for lawmakers and contractors to gorge on public infrastructure funds, but another matter entirely for the state’s top auditors, sworn to protect taxpayer money from such vultures, to take part in the feast.

Of the many names mentioned during the blockbuster Senate inquiry on public works corruption that has sparked a political firestorm and enraged a nation, that of Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Mario G. Lipana stands out as a literal anomaly. The reason is obvious: His alleged entanglement in the flood control scandal belies his commission’s long-standing reputation as the people’s last bastion against plunder.

Now, the public must confront a discomfiting question: Who audits the auditor?

Conflict of interest, it is often said, is corruption in waiting. In Lipana’s case, the conflict of interest is clear as day, and any benefit of the doubt seems to be of no use to him in the face of the bare facts. His wife, Marilou Laurio Lipana, heads Olympus Mining and Builders Group Philippines Corp., a company that has reportedly secured at least nine ongoing contracts with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Bulacan worth P326.6 million, on top of previously completed projects amounting to P178.5 million.

Impeachable offense

These contracts sat at the center of the Senate blue ribbon committee’s hearings, where former DPWH district engineer Henry Alcantara testified that Lipana requested a list of flood control projects in 2022, leading to alleged budget insertions of P1.4 billion spread across three years.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan described such conduct, if proven, as an impeachable offense. ‘A COA commissioner who is peddling flood control projects in your district of Bulacan. Is that right? Because you are being audited by COA, right? How can there be a truthful audit if a project is being asked from you?’ he asked Alcantara.

The logic is inescapable: who would trust a watchdog that accepts a bone from the same intruders it’s supposed to keep out?

The Office of the Ombudsman, pressed during plenary debates by ACT Teachers party list Rep. Antonio Tinio, confirmed that a fact-finding investigation was underway on the allegations against Lipana. But as Tinio correctly observed, delicadeza alone should have compelled the COA commissioner to resign as soon as his vested interests came to light.

Instead, Lipana has been conveniently absent from work, reportedly undergoing medical treatment in Singapore. Meanwhile, neither he nor his family has offered a word of excuse, while the public examines the damning paper trail of contracts in their name.

Twin temptations

The 1987 Constitution states that no member of a constitutional commission shall be ‘financially interested, directly or indirectly,’ in any government contract, a provision so designed to insulate these bodies from the twin temptations of patronage and power.

Lipana, an appointee of former President Rodrigo Duterte and a career auditor who should have known better, violated not just the letter but the spirit of that safeguard the moment his wife’s company began bagging projects from an agency COA is mandated to scrutinize.

His profile on the COA website describes Lipana in glowing terms as ‘a career official who rose from the ranks’ and who ‘has acquired more than 38 years of experience and expertise as Auditor of both local and international audits covering financial and compliance audit.’

How tragic for a technocrat with such credentials to have lacked, at best, the common sense not to risk his career in exchange for familial benefits, or at worst, the moral compass to reject corruption outright.

The larger tragedy, however, is the fallout on COA itself. For decades, the commission has been the country’s most reliable check on corruption, exposing irregularities across administrations and earning a name for itself as a bulwark of transparency.

Public’s faith

Lipana’s case erodes that trust, because state auditors who cannot meet the standard they demand of others forfeit the moral authority that gives meaning to their fiscal independence. Even granting him the presumption of innocence, the appearance of impropriety is overwhelming. By remaining in office, Lipana undermines the credibility of the entire audit system.

Therefore, COA’s next step is clear. For this body to retain the public’s faith, its leadership must enforce the principle it expects of other agencies: accountability begins at home.

This scandal is but a glimpse into how deep corruption runs in the bureaucracy, seeping into the very walls built to keep it out. For the sake of the institution he has served for nearly four decades, Lipana should audit himself and step down. And when all is said and done, COA must perform, as other agencies are doing, lifestyle checks and a long overdue internal cleansing of its ranks, from the top down, for this constitutional office to preserve its honor as the nation’s conscience.

A lawmaker has asked the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to stop its P450-million subscription to a company providing weather forecasts and other scientific models, so that it can save funds and use these to repair irrigation facilities.

At the House of Representatives’ plenary debates on Monday regarding NIA’s proposed 2026 budget, APEC party-list Rep. Sergio Dagooc asked the agency about the P450-million project mentioned during the committee on appropriations hearing.

In response, budget sponsor and Isabela 4th District Rep. Joseph Tan said that the allocation was for a contract with Tomorrow.io, a United States (US)-based company which according to its website, makes use of ‘advanced AI (artificial intelligence), proprietary satellite technology, and actionable data to transform how the world builds resilience to weather-related threats.’

‘Mr. Speaker, the P450 (million) that we are talking about, this will be used to conduct feasibility studies, detailed engineering, and the risk (assessment) management – in particular with hydrological modeling, dam reservoir design, reservoir design validation, climate resilient planning and project execution,’ Tan said in a mix of English and Filipino.

‘It can do rainfall forecasts of up to 14 days ahead, and with a 20-year historical data set, Mr. Speaker,’ he added.

Dagooc’s issue with the allocation is that the P450 million is just a year’s worth of subscribing with Tomorrow.io – when there may be local agencies like the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) that can possibly do the same predictions and models for a lesser cost, or maybe even for free.

‘Is that an annual subscription or a one-time subscription only?’ Dagooc asked.

‘Mr. Speaker, this is an annual, annual subscription,’ Tan replied.

‘Thank you for the candid answer. Mr. Speaker, for the record, this representation believes this amount is too huge, when we have other government agencies – Pagasa, et cetera, if we’re talking about forecasts. Imagine, we find it hard to fund our irrigation projects, but we will spend P450 million just to detect where and when the rains would fall,’ Dagooc fired back.

Dagooc said he would have no problem if the allocation was for a one-time payment that would provide the NIA multi-year access to Tomorrow.io’s services.

‘Maybe if this is a one-time subscription (payment) only (we would agree), I hope that the committee on appropriations will look into that because the funds we are allocating for different government agencies are small figures, but we will place almost half a billion yearly just for that subscription,’ Dagooc said.

‘So that is for the record Mr. Speaker, we will look at the contents of that software, what it has done, and if these can also be done by government agencies like Pagasa et cetera, and if there are allocations out of the P450 (million) that can be used by NIA to repair irrigation canal and other irrigation-related activities or projects,’ he added.

According to a post on Tomorrow.io’s website dated June 3, 2025, the company – described as a ‘global weather intelligence leader, headquartered in the United States, and a technology provider of U.S. agencies’ – partnered with the NIA to ‘help farmers adapt to volatile and challenging climate conditions and boost productivity using Artificial Intelligence in the Philippines.’

‘Tomorrow.io is a global leader in weather-based satellite technology In collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DA), the partnership aims to transform how weather forecasting supports farming by leveraging Tomorrow.io’s AI-driven models and proprietary network of low-orbit satellites,’ the post on the company’s website said.

‘These satellites enable micro-weather forecasting at the plot level, allowing them to deliver precise and timely agronomy advice, such as when to apply pesticides or delay irrigation based on incoming rainfall. This joint effort comes at a critical time, with the southwest monsoon (habagat) already starting to affect various parts of the country, signaling the arrival of the rainy season,’ it added.

Tomorrow.io said that they are the only provider of a space-based satellite technology that would allow governments to predict weather systems using patterns and advanced monitoring.

‘As a geographically complex archipelago, the Philippines faces unique weather forecasting challenges that traditional ground-based solutions cannot solve alone. With hundreds of islands, mountainous terrain, and remote regions, coverage gaps are inevitable,’ it said.

‘Tomorrow.io’s proprietary space-based satellite constellation is purpose-built to overcome these limitations, delivering real-time, high-resolution weather intelligence across the entire country, including the most remote and underserved areas. Tomorrow.io’s, the only global provider of such a space technology, ensures truly national coverage, enabling faster, more accurate early warnings and decision-making during severe weather events,’ it added.

However, NIA is slated to get a lower budget in 2026. Under the 2026 National Expenditures Program (NEP), NIA would get P45.06 billion – lower than the P69.36 billion in 2025, and the P77.75 billion in 2024.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Tuesday said they need to know the address of former Marine Orly Regala Guteza so that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) can serve him a subpoena.

Guteza is the former security aide of Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co. He was introduced before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee last week by Senator Rodante Marcoleta.

Marcoleta said former Quezon City Third District Rep. Michael Defensor introduced him to Guteza.

In his affidavit, Guteza tagged former House Speaker Martin Romualdez in the flood control controversy, saying he delivered several suitcases containing ‘trash,’ their code for cash, to the houses of both Co and Romualdez.

Remulla said the last time he talked with Guteza was in the Senate, where the secretary was able to get a copy of the former Marine’s affidavit, a part of which stated that he wanted to enter the government’s Witness Protection Program (WPP).

The appointment was scheduled for Guteza to be at the Department of Justice (DOJ) last Friday for an interview, but he failed to appear.

‘But here’s the thing: I talked with him to come here for that purpose. We’re going to ask for his address so we will have the NBI serve a subpoena, just to make everything crystal clear, right?’ Remulla asked.

However, since then, Remulla had no more communication with the ex-Marine.

‘Nothing,’ Remulla said when asked if he heard of Guteza again after the latter was a no-show at their supposed meeting last Friday.

‘We have no contact.So we are just hoping he is okay and that he can shed light on his affidavit,’ the secretary said.

Remulla said the people who presented Guteza in the Senate should stand by his testimony. ‘They shouldn’t let him go. Also, they should be responsible for him because a witness like that-it’s scary if they don’t bring him out again,’ he said. /apl

Nearly 1,000 Bulacan State University (BulSU) students staged their ‘Kick Back Kontra Korap’ protest on Tuesday (Sept 30), marching through government sites in this city despite heavy rain.

The rally began at the BulSU campus, passed the Bulacan Capitol and Malolos City Hall, but was cut short before reaching the office of First District Rep. Danilo Domingo.

Students urged Gov. Daniel Fernando and Mayor Christian Natividad to support calls for justice for flood victims, citing ‘ghost’ flood-control projects allegedly involving corrupt officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Last Saturday, nearly 1,000 residents, mostly young professionals and students, held a parallel protest in Paombong dubbed ‘Tindig Paombong.’ Convenor Alfredo Punzal demanded that Domingo personally explain the alleged P5 billion corruption in flood-control projects, saying his Facebook denial was not enough.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee earlier heard testimony from former DPWH officials linking Domingo and other Bulacan lawmakers to questionable projects. His district, which includes Malolos, Paombong, Hagonoy, Bulakan, Obando, and Calumpit, received nearly P9.5 billion in flood-control funds from 2022 to 2025.

Domingo has denied any involvement, insisting he neither participated in project implementation nor benefited from it.

Protest leaders, however, vowed to sustain their campaign, saying corruption worsens flooding and deprives communities of basic services.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson explained that his earlier statement that almost all senators in the 19th Congress made at least P100 billion worth of insertions in the 2025 budget was not meant to put his colleagues or the entire Senate on the spot.

Lacson on Tuesday disclosed that at a caucus on Monday, some of his peers expressed concerns that his remarks about budget insertions could affect the whole institution.

‘I can actually feel and understand completely the sentiments expressed by my colleagues, at least the members of the majority bloc during our majority caucus yesterday, so I explained to them that the mention of ‘almost all senators’ was not intended to put them or the whole Senate on the spot, nor did I have the intention of calling them out particularly,’ he said.

‘The overarching reason for my disclosure or revelation was to point out that we must accept the fact that we are all in crisis owing to the recent anomalies involving the substandard and even ghost flood control projects unearthed in the course of the Blue Ribbon Committee hearings and other similar investigations,’ the senator added.

As chairman of the blue ribbon committee, Lacson is leading its probe into anomalous flood control projects.

Several lawmakers, including Sens. Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, and now resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, have been accused of receiving kickbacks from either substandard or non-existent flood control works.

They all denied the allegations.

Lacson expressed hopes his fellow senators would take his recent remarks about budget insertions as a wake-up call.

The clear and overarching message, he said, is to avoid or at least minimize the mangling of the national budget bill especially if it means taking away funds from vetted projects – particularly foreign-assisted ones – in favor of pet projects.

‘This is not about individual senators or congressmen. This is about all of us – a reminder that we must be transparent in doing our jobs because the people are watching us,’ he said in Filipino when interviewed over Net25.

Lacson also reiterated that ‘insertion per se is not illegal.’

‘An insertion – that’s also called an amendment-an amendment is part of our constitutional mandate, because we hold the power of the purse,’ he explained.

He said they would be remiss in their constitutional duty if they would not review or introduce amendments to the National Expenditure Program or the President’s budget.

An alleged member of the Islamist militant Dawlah Islamiya Group was killed during a drug buy-bust operation in Barangay Sapakan, Rajah Buayan town of Maguindanao del Sur, around 4 p.m. on Monday.

Captain Joel Lebrilla, chief of police for Rajah Buayan, said the suspect, Moner Usman, a resident of Darampua village in nearby Sultan Sa Barongis town, was a suspected member of the Daulah Islamiyah Hassan Group and had pending warrants of arrest.

According to Lebrilla, personnel from the Rajah Buayan police, the Special Action Force (SAF), and other units of the Provincial Police Office (PPO) of Maguindanao del Sur were about to conduct the operation when the suspect sensed he was transacting with police officers, prompting him to fight.

He was fatally shot during the exchange of gunfire, while one member of the SAF sustained injuries.

Authorities recovered a firearm, ammunition, and a sachet of illegal drugs.

Usman had six standing warrants of arrest-two counts of murder, one count of carnapping, and three counts of frustrated murder.

He was also tagged as the most wanted person by the Isulan municipal police station and one of the top three most wanted persons by the Sultan Kudarat provincial police office.

The wounded police officer is now recuperating in a hospital

The local bourse extended its losing streak to the seventh consecutive session on Tuesday. Domestic politics and the weak currency continued to weigh on market sentiment, leading to more investors taking cover amid the uncertainty.

By the closing bell, the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) had lost 0.74 percent or 44.14 points to end at 5,953.46.

Likewise, the broader All Shares Index shed 0.43 percent or 15.55 points to close at 3,620.79.

A total of 1.57 billion shares worth P9.09 billion changed hands, stock exchange data showed.

The index remained in the red territory as investors remained cautious about domestic uncertainties, said Luis Limlingan, head of sales at stock brokerage house Regina Capital Development Corp.

Flood control scandal

On Monday, the Senate blue ribbon committee confirmed that resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez would be invited to the next hearing on the billion-peso flood control scandal.

This is the latest development in the corruption behind the projects. Twenty-one politicians and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways are possibly facing charges.

At the same time, Limlingan said traders were closely watching the weakening peso.

International Container Terminal Services Inc. was the most actively traded stock as it lost 1.95 percent to P471.60 each. It was followed by BDO Unibank Inc., down 1.56 percent to P132.90; Ayala Land Inc., down 3.56 percent to P24.35; RL Commercial REIT Inc., down 3.84 percent to P7.26; and SM Investments Corp., down 0.68 percent to P735 per share.

Others were Ayala Corp., down 1.95 percent to P482.80; Bank of the Philippine Islands, up 3.6 percent to P115; SM Prime Holdings Inc., down 1.32 percent to P22.45; DigiPlus Interactive Corp., up 2.23 percent to P25.25; and Manila Electric Co., down 0.19 percent to P530 each.

Losers outnumbered gainers, 129 to 79, while 45 companies closed flat, stock exchange data also showed.

Power has been restored to most areas serviced by the Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (ORMECO), with 100 percent of the province’s municipalities and Calapan City now energized, according to a report posted on ORMECO’s official social media page.

ORMECO general manager Engr. Humphrey Dolor confirmed that both the 13.8-kilovolt (kV) and 69-kV power lines are now fully operational.

As of the latest update, electricity has been restored to 342 out of 426 barangays-approximately 80.3 percent-and to 215,322 out of 265,765 households, or about 81% of the total.

‘Today, we are restoring power supply to the barangay (village) level. The restoration went smoothly and faster because of innovative ways and the support of some local government units (LGUs). We are working from 6 a.m. to midnight daily for construction works and 24 hours for line works,’ Dolor said.

Dolor also reported that damage caused by Typhoon Opong to the cooperative’s infrastructure had been estimated at P16,926,645

Philippine National Bank’s (PNB) move to let go of its Bahrain operations and dissolve two of its units would allow it to cut costs and focus on expanding its core business, according to an analyst.

Ron Acoba, chief investment strategist at Trading Edge Consultancy, told the Inquirer that PNB could still serve its Middle East market. This is mainly overseas Filipino workers sending money home through a correspondent bank.

This, he said, would be more cost effective for the banking arm of the Lucio Tan Group.

PNB on Monday said in a regulatory filing its board of directors had approved plans to shutter its PNB Bahrain Representative Office, although this is still subject to regulatory approval.

PNB currently operates across 17 countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. However, it recently noted that it was facing stiff competition from banks and nonbanks in these locations.

‘To maintain its market position in the industry, the bank offers diverse products and services, invests in technology, leverages on the synergies with the Lucio Tan Group of Companies and builds on relationships with the bank’s other key customers,’ PNB said in its annual report.

Consumer lending

At the same time, PNB’s board has decided to dissolve the bank’s consumer finance and enterprise services sectors.

‘[This] will allow [PNB] to focus on expanding its consumer lending business,’ Acoba said in a text message.

In the first semester, PNB benefited from higher demand for loans, resulting in a 22-percent surge in earnings to P12.5 billion.

Its net interest income had climbed by 7 percent to P25.8 billion.

Loans and investment securities grew by 5 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

To stand out among their competitors, PNB president and CEO Edwin Bautista earlier said they were looking to ‘unlock new revenue streams’ to boost the bank’s net income through exploring the use of technology, such as data science and artificial intelligence, in its businesses.