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The local government of Zamboanga City had placed its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on high alert following continuous rains since Tuesday.

According to a statement from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), its personnel have been on standby to respond to cases of emergencies, especially in flood-prone communities.

It noted that the water level at the Pasonanca diversionary weir is at 74.68 meters, which is already ‘critical above normal’ as of 5 a.m. on Wednesday.

‘The public is advised to take precautionary measures as the city continues to experience inclement weather,’ the CDRRMO added.

On Wednesday, the city government declared a suspension of classess in all levels in private and public schools to protect the safety and the welfare of students and school personnel amid the bad weather.

The CDRRMO cited an advisory from the state weather bureau that Zamboanga City ‘will continue to experience light to moderate to at times heavy rains due to the intertropical convergence zone.’

The public alert has been raised since Tuesday, prompting Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees (BDRRMCs) to continuously monitor the situation in their area of responsibility

Debt or ‘utang’ is not just a financial tool anymore. It is the lifeline that keeps many Filipino families afloat. With consumer spending making up about 70 percent of the economy, every peso that is spent keeps the economy moving.

When households keep buying, businesses do well but when they cut back, growth slows down. The tougher reality is that a lot of this spending is sustained by utang, drawn from savings, credit cards or loans simply to keep everyday life moving.

Behavioral finance explains that this behavior is rooted in a concept called present bias, which is the tendency to put more weight on immediate rewards than on future costs.

In the late 1990s, psychologists David Laibson of Harvard University and Ted O’Donoghue of Cornell University published an influential study that revealed how people often choose short-term satisfaction, such as spending or borrowing today, even when it leads to bigger problems later.

This bias explains why households continue to spend, even when incomes fall short, interest rates rise or debt levels grow. The pleasure of maintaining a lifestyle today feels more tangible than the burden of repaying loans tomorrow.

Extension of income

Combined with easy access to credit cards, installment plans and digital lending apps, present bias makes utang feel less like a burden and more like a convenient extension of income.

Recent data on the marginal propensity to consume (MPC) highlight this behavior. Before the pandemic, Filipino households typically spent 58.6 percent of their income in the first quarter, then pulled back midyear, before a sharp surge to nearly 70 percent during the Christmas season. Spending followed a familiar rhythm: spend, save, then splurge at year-end.

Since 2022, however, the pattern has changed dramatically. The first quarter spending rate has dropped to 54.4 percent, while the second and third quarters turned negative at -16 percent and -141.2 percent, respectively.

This means households are not only cutting back but also financing spending by dipping into savings or accumulating debt. Even the usual year-end rebound is weaker, with spending in the fourth quarter at just 61 percent, below prepandemic highs.

A negative MPC is a red flag. It signals that many households are keeping up their spending not with income, but with credit. This is present bias at work. Rather than cutting back, families choose to borrow so they can maintain the same lifestyle, even if it means pushing the real cost further into the future.

When incomes stagnate.

There is only so much households can borrow to keep spending at the same pace. Families stretch themselves to maintain their lifestyles, even when incomes stagnate and inflation eats into budgets. When borrowing fills the gap, the economy may still look steady but once the financial pressure builds, momentum may eventually weaken.

This slowdown is already showing in the data. In the first quarter of 2024, household spending grew by 8.3 percent compared to 2023, but in the first quarter of 2025 the pace slowed to 7.7 percent.

The second quarter tells the same story. Spending grew by 8.9 percent in 2024, but slipped to 6.8 percent in 2025. Taken together, total household spending in the first half of 2025 grew by 7.2 percent, down from 8.6 percent in the same period of 2024. The trend is clear. Growth is losing steam, and with much of consumption propped up by debt, the risks of a sharper slowdown ahead are rising.

Why does borrowing feel so normal? Because it has become part of everyday life. Taking on debt is seen as a practical choice. Credit cards, ‘buy now, pay later’ apps and installment plans make it easy, while social pressures make it hard to say no.

Present bias then blinds households to the consequences. A family that borrows P20,000 at 3-percent monthly interest may end up repaying almost P30,000 in a year. That money could have gone into savings or investments, but instead it locks them into repayment cycles.

Break the bad cycle

Breaking free from the psychology of utang takes both awareness and discipline. Families need to recognize that spending habits are not just cultural but also behavioral.

One way to break the cycle is to reframe the question. Instead of asking, ‘Can I afford the monthly payment?’ ask, ‘What will this really cost me a year from now?’ That small shift can turn the focus from short-term comfort to long-term impact.

Debt can keep the economy afloat for a while, but over time it leaves households and businesses weaker. Real resilience comes when families move away from utang-driven spending and focus instead on saving and sustainable consumption.

In the end, stability doesn’t come from borrowing just to look secure, but from building financial strength that lasts. INQ

Malacañang on Wednesday said there is no need to abolish the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s appointment of a new Ombudsman.

The remarks came after questions were raised about the possibility of dissolving the recently formed super body and letting the Office of the Ombudsman handle investigations into anomalous flood-control projects.

‘The Ombudsman, after all, is not focused solely on flood control projects; there are many other cases that also require the Ombudsman’s attention. So, we don’t see this as a reason to abolish or end the work of the ICI, because the ICI is specifically focused on investigating irregularities in flood control projects and other infrastructure,’ Castro explained speaking in Filipino.

‘The work and investigations of the Ombudsman and the DOJ will proceed much faster if they already have complete documents provided by the ICI,’ she also said.

The Office of the Ombudsman is the institution empowered to investigate illegal, unjust, or improper acts and omissions of public officials.

According to Castro, the ICI is necessary because it focuses on gathering and investigating documents so that when everything is submitted and recommended for filing, the process becomes more efficient.

‘And once the review is completed and it is found that a case should indeed be filed, the DOJ and the Ombudsman will be able to file it much faster,’ she also said in Filipino.

Meanwhile, the Palace official maintained that the ICI does not need to report or provide updates to Marcos regarding its findings since it is an independent body.

The ICI is composed of Chairperson Justice Andres Reyes Jr. and members Rogelio ‘Babes’ Singson and Rossana Fajardo.

Brian Hosaka serves as executive director of the ICI.

Former Philippine National Police chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. was also named as special adviser and investigator for the commission, replacing Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who had served only as a special adviser but not as an investigator.

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) championed the true spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie as it concluded its Sports Fest with a festive closing ceremony held at the Gatorade Sports Center.

PCSO General Manager Melquiades Robles, Sports Committee Chairperson Atty. Isidro Martin Reyes, Jr., and other members of the organizing committee led the closing of the event.

In his address, GM Robles extended his heartfelt congratulations to all employees who took part in the various sporting events, with special recognition given to those who excelled and emerged victorious in their respective categories. More than just celebrating competition, he emphasized the deeper value of the games: unity, discipline, and fair play.

Robles also highlighted a memorable line that captured the true essence of PCSO’s Sports Fest: ‘Ang kalaban ay hindi kaaway, siya ay kalaro,’ a reminder that sportsmanship should prevail above rivalry.

Adding thrill to the festivities, the Sports Fest was capped off by a nail-biting basketball showdown where the Executive Sector edged the Security Force by a solitary point, 73-72. That victory proved decisive, contributing to the Executive Sector’s overall triumph as the 2025 PCSO Sports Fest Champions.

Complete Team Events Results:

Basketball – Champion: Executive | 1st Runner-Up: Security | 2nd Runner-Up: Administrative

Volleyball – Champion: Administrative | 1st Runner-Up: Executive | 2nd Runner-Up: Gaming

Badminton – Champion: Branch Operations | 1st Runner-Up: Executive | 2nd Runner-Up: Administrative

Billiards – Champion: MSS | 1st Runner-Up: Gaming | 2nd Runner-Up: BOS

Chess – Champion: MSS | 1st Runner-Up: Executive | 2nd Runner-Up: Charity

Darts – Champion: Charity | 1st Runner-Up: Executive | 2nd Runner-Up: Gaming

Table Tennis – Champion: Charity | 1st Runner-Up: Executive | 2nd Runner-Up: Gaming

The closing ceremony not only marked the end of weeks of competition but also served as a testament to PCSO’s commitment to promoting wellness, teamwork, and camaraderie among its employees.

Factory output rose in August-the first month under higher US tariffs-suggesting that expectations of firmer demand ahead of the holiday season helped sustain domestic activity and offset persistent global trade headwinds.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the volume of production index, which tracks manufacturing output, had increased by 1.4 percent year-on-year, reversing a 1.8-percent contraction in July.

The rebound was driven mainly by food manufacturing, which expanded 20.2 percent from 11.4 percent a month earlier. Basic metals also provided support, narrowing their annual decline to 9.6 percent from 26.8 percent in July.

Production of machinery and equipment likewise strengthened, rising 6.7 percent year-on-year after a 3.1-percent drop in the previous month, pointing to a broader improvement across key industrial segments.

This, in turn, lifted the average capacity utilization rate in the manufacturing sector slightly to 77.3 percent in August from 77.2 percent in July.

‘As the holidays draw near, the orders for various seasonal items have begun to pile up,’ Leonardo Lanzona, an economist at Ateneo de Manila University, said. ‘Production of this magnitude is expected for the rest of the Christmas season.’

‘Modest recovery’

John Paolo Rivera, a senior research fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), said the August data reflected a ‘modest recovery’ in industries such as food manufacturing and possibly export-aligned electronics, which tend to show resilience even amid external shocks.

‘This uptick came despite higher US tariffs, suggesting some delayed impact or offsetting domestic demand. It may also signal inventory restocking or catch-up from July’s contraction,’ Rivera added.

But the outlook looked bleak based on advance estimates by SandP Global.

SandP reported that the country’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)-another barometer of manufacturing health-fell to 49.9 in September from 50.8 in August. Any reading below 50 indicates a decline in activity.

It was only the third time in more than four years that the index had slipped into contraction, a downturn SandP described as ‘highly unusual’ given the sector’s steady momentum since the pandemic.

In contrast.

The weakness contrasted sharply with the broader region, where the Asean PMI rose to 51.6-a 14-month high. Only the Philippines and Malaysia, whose index eased to 49.8, recorded deteriorating conditions.

Companies surveyed by SandP mentioned a fall in client numbers and a modest drop in production from the suspension of rice imports.

‘Outlook remains cautious. Persistent global trade uncertainty, especially with tariffs and geopolitical risks plus local cost pressures (fuel, logistics, input costs), could temper further expansion,’ PIDS’s Rivera said.

‘Sustained growth will depend on stronger domestic demand, easing inflation and policy support for manufacturing competitiveness,’ he added. INQ

Baguio Bishop Rafael Cruz rallied at least 6,000 Catholics here to a prayer march on Tuesday in a bold stand against corruption-an event that brought parts of the summer capital to a standstill during the morning rush.

Nuns, priests, lay devotees, activists, and students from nearly every school in the city-including the largest, Catholic-run Saint Louis University (SLU)-marched from the Baguio Convention Center to the Baguio Cathedral, triggering heavy congestion downtown and along Legarda Road and Marcos Highway.

Workers and passengers were forced to walk to the city center amid the gridlock. Priests lent a hand, managing traffic flow as best they could. Some students, stranded by gridlock, joked that they had no choice but to join the rally. Others muttered in frustration as they jogged to reach their workplaces.

But many motorists responded with supportive blasts of their horns-a gesture of solidarity with the Church’s crusade against corruption in government, which has drawn national attention after President Marcos questioned how a few contractors scored multibillion-peso flood control contracts.

By 9 a.m., SLU students were still making their way to the cathedral-nearly an hour after the march began-underscoring how many heeded Cruz’s call. Protesters carried handwritten signs on bond paper: ‘Integrity is doing right even when no one is watching.’

Other signs read, ‘cuff the corrupt.’ Some participants wore protest shirts previously worn on September 21, the nationwide anticorruption rally and commemoration of the declaration of martial law in 1972. One shirt had the message, ‘Stop flooding us with corruption.’

Power of prayer

During the Mass, which coincided with the October 7 Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Bishop Cruz reflected on the power and purpose of prayer.

‘While we marched, we were praying the Holy Rosary,’ Cruz said as he cautioned against prayers caused by vindictiveness.

‘Prayer is not asking God to harm bad people-to have thieves and the greedy die or be struck with a severe illness that affects even their descendants up to the fifth generation. That is not prayer, and God will not heed such desires,’ the prelate said.

Instead, Cruz urged a prayer that seeks transformation.

‘What we pray for is that God enlightens the minds and hearts of the corrupt. so they realize what they have done and they repent,’ he added.

The bishop also issued a stark assessment of corruption’s spiritual toll: ‘They may take the very treasury of the Philippines, but they lost the most relevant aspect of their individuality, which is their souls.’

Yet Cruz stressed that repentance does not erase accountability.

‘I am not advocating that we forget their misdeeds, because the evil they have committed is so wide it has affected the whole country,’ he said.

Cruz further decried how flawed infrastructure projects-especially flood control works that were poorly built or never properly executed-had cost lives and properties.

‘People drowned in floods, were buried alive by landslides or lost property because of improperly constructed or ‘ghost’ flood control projects,’ he said.

Other church leaders in Leyte and Albay provinces also condemned widespread corruption in government infrastructure projects, particularly those meant for flood control.

The poor as victims

In a statement Monday, Fr. Chris Arthur Militante, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Palo in Leyte, affirmed their support for the pastoral letter issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), which denounced corruption in public service.

‘We are all one against corruption, and this message is not only addressed to our leaders but also to every citizen,’ Militante said in an online interview on Monday.

Militante urged the faithful to channel their anger into responsible political action: ‘Hopefully, angered by corruption, we take the selection of our leaders more seriously in the future.’

In a separate message, Bishop Joel Baylon of the Diocese of Legazpi in Albay condemned what he described as systemic and blatant corruption in flood control spending.

‘The price of corruption is paid by the poor,’ Baylon said in his pastoral letter on Sunday. ‘Flaunting wealth acquired through public funds is a betrayal of the people and a violation of Gospel values.’

The bishop urged the faithful to begin renewal through personal responsibility and by choosing leaders who are committed to stewardship and truth

A 44-year-old woman listed as a high-value individual (HVI) was arrested in a police anti-drug operation early Wednesday, with authorities seizing over P400,000 worth of suspected ‘shabu’ (crystal meth), according to the province’s top police official.

Police Col. Heryl Bruno, director of the Nueva Ecija Provincial Police Office, said the suspect – a resident of Barangay Pias, General Tinio – was caught during a buy-bust operation around 1 a.m. in Barangay San Mariano, San Antonio town.

She was apprehended after allegedly handing over a sachet of suspected shabu to an undercover operative in exchange for a P1,000 marked bill.

Upon her arrest, operatives from the San Antonio Municipal Police Station reportedly confiscated 55.75 grams of shabu, valued at approximately P379,100, from her possession. The marked money used in the transaction was also recovered, Bruno confirmed.

The suspect will face charges for violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

‘The HVI has been subjected to a weeklong series of surveillance operations, which eventually led to her arrest. We are conducting further and thorough investigations to identify and arrest other drug traders connected to her network,’ Bruno said

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is urging Congress to increase crop insurance subsidy to shield as many farmers as possible from harvest losses due to severe weather conditions or outbreaks.

The DA is seeking a crop insurance subsidy of P8 billion to provide protection to 4.2 million agricultural workers next year, of whom 2.2 million are rice farmers.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the current subsidy funding of state-run Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) was ‘simply inadequate.’

‘We need to insure more farmers at realistic levels that reflect the true cost of production, especially as climate change and market volatility continue to impact the sector,’ Tiu Laurel said in a statement on Tuesday.

The proposed budget for crop insurance is nearly double the PCIC’s proposed subsidy of P4.5 billion under the 2026 General Appropriations Act. The subsidy level has remained unchanged since 2022.

Stronger safety net

The agriculture chief emphasized that expanding insurance coverage is a strategic investment in the country’s food security.

He added that this would provide a stronger safety net for smallholder farmers, particularly rice producers who grapple with rising farm input costs and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.

‘When typhoons, droughts, or pest outbreaks hit, insured farmers can recover faster and get back to planting. Without it, many are left in debt or forced to abandon farming altogether,’ he added.

An attached corporation of the DA, the PCIC is mandated by law to provide insurance protection to the country’s farmers and fishers against crop losses arising from natural calamities, pests and diseases.

2.3M farmers protected

At present, only 2.3 million farmers are insured by the PCIC. Of these, 1.25 million are rice farmers.

In 2024, the state-run firm insured 4.21 million farmers and fishers across the country and provided P141.56 billion worth of insurance coverage.

Early in July, the PCIC rolled out a pioneering parametric insurance program to fast-track insurance payouts for rice farmers. The pilot test was carried out in the 2025 wet season cropping season.

Damage computation

Under the new system, once a typhoon exits the country, compensation is computed within three to five days based on the preestablished damage and indemnity factors.

The PCIC will utilize remote sensing technologies, instead of conducting field inspections, to automatically trigger payouts based on measurable conditions. INQ

This early in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament, Adamson’s tendency to falter in the clutch has surfaced more times than the Soaring Falcons would like.

That flaw showed up again on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena, where the Falcons fell short against National University, 56-54.

AJ Fransman, one of the team’s promising forwards, couldn’t hide his disappointment after another ‘what could’ve been’ moment for Adamson.

‘We’re really disappointed because we could’ve gotten it (the win). We were there until we weren’t in the end,’ Fransman told the Inquirer in Filipino. Wednesday’s defeat was far from an isolated case, something Fransman is well aware of.

‘A lot of people are saying we should’ve been 0-4, but for us, we should’ve been 4-0. We can really win, but we’re always crumbling late.’

At one point, Adamson led NU by as much as 11, 52-41, with roughly five minutes left before surrendering a 15-2 closing run.

Contrary to what some might expect, the Falcons aren’t pushing the panic button after this latest loss-they already did that after their previous game.

‘Before this game and after we lost to FEU, the coaching staff told us that we need to push the panic button,’ he said.’ ‘This isn’t the team that we built in the preseason. Now in the UAAP, I really don’t know what happened.’

Adamson dropped to 1-4 at the bottom of the standings after also suffering a 64-58 defeat to the Tamaraws on Sunday.

consisting of Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken and Justin – are set to visit Italy to perform at the 2025 iteration of the ‘Sama sa Roma’ event, scheduled on Oct. 12.

The event, announced on SB19’s social media platforms on Tuesday, Oct. 7, confirmed the group as the headline act. The event will be held at the Spazio Atlantico in Rome, Italy.

‘Europe, we’re coming for you! We’re heading to Rome this October 12 to headline SAMA SA ROMA 2025! First 1,700 to register get in for FREE. No registration, no entry. We’re excited to see you all soon. Stay tuned for more details, A’TIN,’ the post read. With the tagline ‘Celebrate the faith, embrace our culture, ignite hope,’ Sama sa Roma is an event that acts as a ‘global call for Filipinos to unite in living the Faith and loving the Filipino culture as part of the Jubilee Year celebration in Rome,’ as stated on its official website.

The announcement comes after the group confirmed that the Riyadh leg of their ‘Simula at Wakas’ world tour won’t push through due to ‘unforeseen circumstances.’

The P-pop powerhouse will nonetheless carry on with the Dubai and Doha legs, scheduled for Oct. 11 and 17, respectively.

In the same month, SB19 will mark their seventh debut anniversary with the ‘Fast Zone’ fashion show-concert at the Araneta Coliseum on Oct. 26.

The ‘DUNGKA!’ hitmakers are also set to grace the first iteration of the Filipino Music Awards at the Mall of Asia Arena on Oct. 21.