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The Lapu-Lapu City government has earmarked an initial P700 million for the construction of a new City Hall complex, Mayor Ma. Cynthia King-Chan announced following her State of the City Address (SOCA).

In an interview, King-Chan said the amount will serve as the initial funding for the project, which is envisioned to house government offices in one location and improve the delivery of public services.

The mayor said the city is now laying the foundation for the future Lapu-Lapu City Hall Complex, which she described as a modern, smart, resilient, and sustainable center of government.

She said the project aims to consolidate government services in one complex, improve accessibility for residents, and provide a more suitable workplace for city employees and public servants.

‘Hopefully, makahinay na ta. By the end of the year, ma-final na nato ang framework,’ King-Chan said.

During the mayor’s SOCA on July 22, the city government presented an artist’s rendition of the proposed City Hall complex.

‘That was not the final design, but more or less ingon ana na,’ she said.

King-Chan said the proposed complex will be built in front of the existing City Hall in Barangay Pusok.

However, she clarified that the city has yet to complete the project’s master plan.

‘The master plan is not only for the city hall building itself but also includes the surrounding area,’ she said.

According to the mayor, the initial P700 million allocation comes from the city government’s own funds.

‘Actually, naa na ta ron, makaingon kog P700 million. Naa na ang siyudad ana for the city hall,’ she said.

King-Chan explained that the city began setting aside funds for the project last year by allocating P200 million annually. This brought the city’s allocation to P400 million for 2025 and 2026.

She added that the city has also generated another P300 million, bringing the total amount currently set aside for the project to P700 million.

The mayor said the city also plans to allocate another P200 million for the project in 2027.

King-Chan said the city government prefers to finance the project using its own funds rather than taking out a loan.

However, she disclosed that both the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) have offered financing for the project.

‘Nag sige og pangulitaw ang Land Bank ug DBP, tag-P2 billion ilang gipa-loan, but kung pwede dili lang ta mag-loan,’ she said.

The mayor said the P700 million is only the initial allocation, noting that the total cost of the City Hall complex is estimated at around P1 billion.

She added that the city envisions the complex as a green and resilient government building, with solar panels installed on its roof. The proposed design also includes a retention pond to help manage stormwater runoff and improve flood mitigation within the area.

The government has allotted P235 million in financial assistance for sugarcane farmers displaced by the red-striped soft scale insect infestation as well as to curb the spread of RSSI in the Visayas.

The assistance will be coursed through the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

At a meeting with local chief executives in Talisay, Negros Occidental on Friday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said a major portion of the response strategy involves cash relief through the DSWD.

Of the amount, P200 million will be distributed to at least 12,400 sugarcane farmers, who will receive P10,000 each, Laurel said.

The rest will be downloaded directly to municipal and city mayors in Negros Occidental for spraying operations in affected farms.

Tiu Laurel said P25 million would be used for the lease and operation of drones that will be tapped for aerial spraying, and P10 million for the procurement of chemical pesticides and other treatments.

As of July 17, the pest attack has affected 30,591 hectares of sugarcane fields in the Visayas.

The figure represents 33.48 percent of the 277,080 hectares of sugarcane plantations across the region.

Negros Island Region recorded the largest RSSI-infested farms with 28,464.75 hectares followed by Western Visayas with 1,523, Eastern Visayas with 592.5 and Central Visayas with 10.30 hectares, according to the Sugar Regulatory Administration.

Since organic biocontrol agents are currently limited, Laurel said the first wave of the spraying operation would utilize approved systemic chemical agents.

Ground spraying operations will involve a combination of manual backpack sprayers, roadside spray tank vehicles and specialized drones, which will be brought to Negros from Isabela province.

Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante, chairman of the Association of Chief Executives in Negros, said the group adopted a unified protocol in addressing the RSSI infestation by applying chemical treatment on farms, which extent of damage are classified under Level 2 or 3.

Biological control agents will be used in farms that are not severely damaged or those classified under Level 1.

To break the cycle of annual RSSI attacks, the DA said it would scale up its biological control capabilities.

When an immigrant is accused of committing a crime in the United States, the matter often extends beyond a single criminal proceeding. The case may begin in the ordinary manner, with an arrest, formal charges, bail determinations, plea negotiations, trial, or sentencing. However, for non-citizens, the consequences may also include immigration enforcement. A criminal conviction can affect lawful status, eligibility for immigration benefits, detention decisions and, in some cases, the ability to remain in the country.

The first relevant framework is the criminal justice system. In that setting, immigrants, regardless of their immigration status, are entitled to important constitutional protections. They may be presumed innocent, informed of the charges against them, permitted to confront evidence, and provided counsel when incarceration is possible and they cannot afford an attorney. Nevertheless, a significant difficulty arises when defendants do not understand that a plea agreement or conviction may carry immigration consequences separate from the criminal sentence itself.

The second framework is immigration law. Although removal proceedings are civil rather than criminal, their consequences can be severe. Following an arrest or conviction, federal immigration authorities may initiate proceedings to determine whether a non-citizen is removable from the United States. Some individuals are transferred from local custody to immigration detention, while others receive a notice to appear before an immigration judge. At that stage, the court considers both removability and possible forms of relief, including asylum, cancellation of removal, or adjustment of status.

Due process is therefore essential. The Constitution protects persons within the United States, not only citizens, and non-citizens are entitled to fair procedures. In practice, however, the protection is uneven. Unlike criminal defendants, immigrants in deportation proceedings generally do not receive government-appointed counsel if they cannot pay for representation. This distinction is especially important because immigration law is highly technical. A conviction may be evaluated under complex categories such as crimes involving moral turpitude, controlled-substance offenses, or aggravated felonies, even when the state-law offense appears less serious.

Public discussion should also avoid broad assumptions that equate immigration with criminality. Available research has often found that immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than native-born residents. This does not diminish the harm suffered by victims, nor does it suggest that criminal conduct should be excused. Rather, it indicates that law and policy should be guided by evidence, proportionality, and individual assessment. A fair system can impose accountability while also considering rehabilitation, family ties, military service, community contributions, and the risk a person may face if removed.

The most difficult cases occur where criminal punishment and immigration status intersect. A citizen who completes a sentence generally resumes life in the community, subject to the lasting consequences of a criminal record. A non-citizen who completes the same sentence may then face detention, family separation, and deportation to a country with which they may have limited connection. Supporters of strict enforcement argue that continued residence should depend on compliance with the law. Critics contend that automatic removal can operate as an additional punishment without adequate consideration of the individual circumstances.

The central issue is not whether criminal acts should have consequences; they should. The more difficult question is whether the United States can administer those consequences with fairness, accuracy, and proportionality. For immigrants navigating the criminal and immigration systems, the outcome often depends on access to competent counsel, informed decision-making, clear legal standards, and institutions capable of recognizing both public safety and human dignity.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to announce today the result of the plebiscite that would ratify or reject a Parañaque ordinance that changes the territorial boundaries of the city’s five coastal barangays.

Voters of Barangays Baclaran, Tambo, Don Galo, La Huerta and San Dionisio were asked to approve City Ordinance 2023-19, passed in July 2023, changing the boundaries of the localities using the straight-line policy.

In the straight-line policy, boundaries are dictated using easily distinguishable divisions, such as roads and property lines.

The five barangays have jurisdiction over reclaimed areas along Manila Bay, where several economic parks are located, including Aseana City, Entertainment City and Asiaworld.

The coastal barangays have been in a border dispute for over 20 years.

The city council sought the changes to provide a ‘comprehensive, wise, just and fair distribution of resources, in the interest of public service and the general welfare of the inhabitants of the city as a whole.’

‘Some might think that this is not a contested plebiscite. This is highly contested because there are people who oppose… the desire to divide the place of Aseana, which is the question in the ballot,’ Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said yesterday.

The five barangays comprise a voting population of 79,300, according to Comelec.

Parañaque passed a similar ordinance in 2003 but was declared by the Supreme Court null and void in 2016 because no plebiscite was held.

A total of 681 individuals were apprehended in 271 operations conducted by the Cebu Police Provincial Office across the province on July 24 as part of its intensified implementation of the Safer Cities Initiative.

Of the total apprehended, 432 violators were fined while 249 individuals were warned and released. Authorities also collected a total of ?164,550 in fines.

Police records showed that traffic ordinance violations accounted for the highest number of apprehensions with 432 cases.

Other common violations included drinking in public places with 126 cases, curfew violations involving minors with 69 cases, smoking in public places with 35 cases, roaming shirtless in public with 17 cases, and two cases involving the use of karaoke beyond the prescribed hours.

The CPPO said the sustained implementation of the Safer Cities Initiative forms part of its continuing anti-criminality campaign, which seeks to address public order concerns through the consistent enforcement of local ordinances across the province.

Police Regional Office-Central Visayas Director Police Brigadier General Arnold Evangelista Abad commended CPPO personnel for their continued efforts in carrying out the campaign.

The CPPO assured the public that it will continue implementing the Safer Cities Initiative through sustained police visibility, intensified law enforcement operations, and close coordination with local government units and community stakeholders to further strengthen peace, order, and public safety throughout Cebu Province.

The Quezon City government has advised motorists to take alternate routes due to possible heavy traffic along Commonwealth Avenue and other roads around Batasang Pambansa during the fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Marcos on Monday.

‘A zipper lane will be implemented from Elliptical Road/Philcoa to Sandiganbayan, as well as another zipper lane from Doña Carmen to IBP-Litex, to give priority to the vehicles of government officials and guests traveling to the Batasang Pambansa complex,’ the city government said in an advisory.

Two separate programs are expected to be held along the northbound lane of Commonwealth. Civil society organizations and progressive groups were allowed to hold a program near St. Peter church, while pro-administration groups will have their stage set up near Sandiganbayan.

Quezon City has suspended classes in all levels and will implement a liquor ban on Monday.

City hall said local government personnel would work with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Philippine National Police, Quezon City Police District, Presidential Security Group, Bureau of Fire Protection and other agencies to ensure peace, order and security during the SONA.

The Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) and the Pax Silica alliance are set to be the Philippines’ next big thing in terms of job and economic opportunities after the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) boom.

Rick Santos, chairman and CEO of integrated real estate services company Santos Knight Frank, called the Luzon Economic Corridor and Pax Silica ‘the most exciting initiatives to date, following the BPO era.’

‘We see it as a good opportunity to create more jobs and open up more opportunities to improve the market overall,’ Santos said.

‘The concept of LEC and Pax Silica will, indeed, position the Philippines as a serious player in the region’s AI and semiconductor supply chain, opening up next-generation opportunities, higher-paying jobs and attracting long-term institutional capital,’ he said.

Santos Knight Frank said that together, the LEC and Pax Silica mark a shift in the Philippines’ economic identity, away from an economy built on BPO, remittances and consumption.

The two frameworks are expected to reposition Luzon, which already accounts for roughly half of the country’s gross domestic product, as one of Southeast Asia’s leading hubs for advanced manufacturing, semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven infrastructure.

‘What we’re seeing now is the foundation for the next generation of Philippine economic growth, one that moves us beyond services and remittances into advanced manufacturing, technology and long-term institutional investment,’ Santos said.

He said that for real estate, particularly in the industrial sector, this represents a multi-decade opportunity.

‘The industrial sector remains a bright spot, with renewable energy, e-commerce, and digital infrastructure now joining manufacturing and logistics as key demand drivers,’ Santos said.

For his part, Presidential Communications Secretary Dave Gomez said the US-led project is expected to generate up to a million quality jobs and grow the economy by double digits.

In an interview with ‘The Spokes’ on Bilyonaryo News Channel, Gomez said Pax Silica would be one of the one of the landmark programs of the Marcos administration in the next two years.

Gomez said the US is encouraging investments in what they call trusted partners.

‘We’re very fortunate that we are one of those trusted partners in Southeast Asia,’ he said. The other country is Singapore.

‘It has the potential to grow our economy double digits. It has the potential to generate up to one million quality jobs. So imagine the impact on the economy and on ordinary citizens,’ Gomez said.

Announced in April 2024, the LEC is the first Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment corridor in the Indo-Pacific, aimed at strengthening connectivity across key Luzon growth centers.

What started as a trilateral initiative of the US, Japan and the Philippines expanded to include Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Santos Knight Frank said the LEC is now a multilateral vote of confidence in Philippine infrastructure, not just a bilateral development program.

The corridor enhances connectivity between Subic Bay, Clark, Manila and Batangas, linking Luzon’s key ports, airports and economic zones into one investment spine, it said.

Pax Silica, meanwhile, is designed to reduce dependence on vulnerable technology supply chains and strengthen cooperation among trusted partners.

The Philippines became a member of the US-led coalition in April 2026.

A 4,000-acre site in New Clark City has been proposed as the location of the first AI-native industrial acceleration hub under Pax Silica, situated within the Luzon Economic Corridor.

Santos Knight Frank said the proposed development is expected to support investment in semiconductors and advanced electronics.

It said the Pax Silica framework offers the Philippines its clearest opening in a generation to move up the value chain of global electronics manufacturing.

‘The Philippines brings distinct strengths to the table: reserves of nickel, copper, and gold – critical inputs for microchips, batteries, and advanced electronics – alongside an established base of technical talent and manufacturing infrastructure already serving the BPO and electronic sectors,’ Santos Knight Frank said.