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The Department of Agriculture-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DA-DRRM) Operations Center reported that Typhoon Paolo (international name Matmo) caused more than P162 million in agricultural damage across Cagayan Valley.

‘The DA Regional Field Office in Cagayan Valley reported damage and losses in rice, corn, high-value crops, and livestock and poultry amounting to P162.73 million, affecting 3,890 farmers,’ the agency’s Bulletin No. 4 said on Wednesday.

These losses cover a total production volume of 9,039 metric tons (MT) across 5,181 hectares of affected agricultural areas.

The high-value crops sector incurred the biggest damage, with 1,710 MT in production losses of vegetables and bananas amounting to P85.16 million.

Rice followed with 6,246 MT in production losses valued at P66.16 million, most of which were in reproductive and maturity stages.

The corn sector recorded 1,082 MT in losses worth P11.18 million, while livestock and poultry sustained P220,000 in losses for 72 heads of cattle.

Field validation is ongoing.

Aside from Paolo, the agency earlier reported PHP9.96 million in fisheries losses due to the magnitude 6.9 Cebu earthquake and P2.51 billion in damage from the combined effects of the southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Mirasol, Nando, and Opong, affecting over 85,000 farmers and fishers.

The DA said available interventions include P766.42 million worth of agricultural inputs for rice, corn, and high-value crops; zero-interest loans of up to P25,000 per farmer payable in three years; and P237 million in insurance payouts through the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC); mobilization of Kadiwa Centers to sell rice under the P20 per kilogram program; and issuance of rice stocks from the National Food Authority (NFA), among others. (PNA)/coa

The over P12 billion set aside for the Department of Education (DepEd) school-based feeding program will still be the highest-ever allocation, despite P50 million being removed from it for 2026, House of Representatives lawmakers said on Wednesday.

During the hearing of the Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee (BARSc), appropriations chairperson and Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Mikaela Suansing informed members of the panel that the proposed P1.88 billion increment to the school-based feeding program has been changed to P1.83 billion.

The P50 million cut, Suansing said, would go to the Palarong Pambansa – which means that the proposed allocation will still be under the DepEd budget.

‘For the school-based feeding program, you can see that there’s a little bit of a reduction, but only because we needed to carve out – upon the request of DepEd – we needed to carve out an additional amount for the Palarong Pambansa,’ Suansing said.

‘Because if we will not give additional funding for Palarong Pambansa, what will happen is that delegates from Luzon will travel by sea. And as said by Secretary Angara, that kind of has a problem in terms of the equity because students are already tired by the time that they get to the venue for Palarong Pambansa,’ she explained.

FPJ Panday Bayanihan party-list Rep. Brian Poe, meanwhile, said the school-based feeding program is still enough to address the needs of Filipino students.

‘I just want to clarify also for our fellow Filipinos online who are watching – that the school-based feeding program amendment is still the largest school-based feeding program amendment we’ve had at P1.8 billion increase, in recent Congresses,’ Poe said.

‘And the change was only P50 million, which was reallocated still within DepEd,’ he added.

Suansing, for her part, thanked Poe for the clarification, noting that the current allocation for the school-based feeding program is the largest ever.

‘So for the school-based feeding program, there is already an allocation of P11 billion within DepEd, and again, with the additional P1.83 billion that we’re adding, that is the highest-ever budget for the school-based feeding program, ever in history,’ she repeated.

‘So definitely, we did not take out anything from education. We just reallocated this to be able to fund the P50 million, so in general, the realignments increased,’ she added.

Other education amendments

Suansing also said that there are other amendments to the education budget, including the increase of the proposed budget under the Basic Education Facilities (BEF), from P22.5 billion to P35 billion.

The BEF includes allocation for the construction, completion, and rehabilitation of classrooms, and the provision of furniture.

‘We have found the fiscal space to add more to the basic education facilities program, towards the new construction, completion, and rehabilitation of classrooms,’ Suasing said.

‘So, if before what the BARSc approved is P22.5 billion, we are able to find the space to increase that to P35 billion. So that’s an additional P13 billion towards the creation of classrooms,’ the lawmaker said.

‘So just to clarify, that’s in addition to what’s already there in the NEP for the BEF. So there is currently P28 billion in the NEP (National Expenditures Program) for BEF. So if we add the P35 billion, that will be P63 billion in total for classrooms,’ she noted.

Last September 23, during the BARSc’s first hearing, the panel proposed to transfer P37.3 billion of the P255.5 billion budget cut suffered by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to the education sector.

A huge chunk of the changes was for DepEd’s Basic Education Facilities (BEF), as the BARSc’s current proposal will place P22.5 billion for the construction of new classrooms, and the provision of school equipment.

The proposed amendments will be just an addition to what has been allocated under the NEP.

Suansing said the P63 billion would allow the government to build around 25,000 classrooms for 2026.

‘So with the new proposal for the BEF amounting to P63 billion, we will now be able to create more or less this, because it’s spread across construction, completion, rehabilitation, and fixtures. We’ll roughly be able to build 25,000 classrooms in 2026,’ she said.

‘In addition to that, in addition to the NEP amount, we are also proposing to add P414 million towards the computerization program of DepEd, and an additional P50 million towards the procurement of textbooks and learning materials,’ she added.

Several proposed amendments to the budget have been geared at enhancing allocations to the education sector, in accordance with the 2026 NEP’s theme.

Last September 26, Suansing also announced that there will be a special provision in the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) ensuring that the P12.3 billion deficit brought by the implementation of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA) will be addressed.

According to Suansing, the provision will compel the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to release P7.8 billion for the UAQTEA deficits, while the remaining P4.4 billion will be appropriated by the House as part of its GAB.

Suansing also told state universities and colleges that the funding of the UAQTEA deficit will come on top of programs that the House committee on appropriations has allocated to CHEd programs like the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) and the Tulong Dunong Program.

The BARSc also previously hiked allocation for TES and the Tulong Dunong Program, leading to an additional P6.6 billion and P2.6 billion. /apl

News about the recent September 2025 Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (LEPT) centered on a security breach at one of the test centers in Mindanao. A contracted Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) examination watcher was caught taking photos of the examination questions and sending them to a review center. He later admitted that this was not the first time he had done it, having done the same during the March 2025 LEPT for a payment of P10,000. That incident showed a vulnerability in the teaching licensing process, which could undermine its integrity.

The LEPT is the sole national gatekeeper for teacher quality, administered by the PRC. Over 1,500 teacher education institutions churn out thousands of graduates per year, and the task of identifying the most qualified to join the teaching workforce has been the mandate of the Professional Regulatory Board for Professional Teachers. By law, the PRBPT should have five members; however, currently, only three PRBPT members have been appointed, and two seats remain vacant. While these three board members are recognized experts in their respective fields within teacher education, they do not represent the full range of specializations under teacher education.

The Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994 mentions only elementary education and secondary education as programs covered by the LEPT. In 2017, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) released the policies for straight teacher education programs, namely early childhood, special needs, physical, culture and arts, technology and livelihood, and technical-vocational teacher education, but the law has not been amended.

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EdCom II) opined that this misalignment of the LEPT with test takers’ specializations contributed to the education crisis. It took eight years and the PRC-CHEd Joint Memorandum Circular on the LEPT to allow the development of specialized subtests for these new programs. This positive development further emphasizes the need to expand the current PRBPT composition to adequately represent all these specializations.

A security breach is every high-stakes assessment’s worst nightmare. To prevent the risk of test item exposure and given the tight LEPT development schedule, the PRBPT has chosen not to pilot the test items to be included in the LEPT. Skipping this crucial step in test development could yield outcomes as bad as an examination leakage or a security breach. Test takers who have access to leaked questions gain an unfair advantage over others, while unpiloted test items may unwittingly contain unintended biases against particular groups-whether based on ethnicity, language, or gender.

Hypothetically, the effects of not piloting test items could be worse than a security breach. A security breach may compromise results for a limited number of test takers for a short period, particularly if compromised test items are not reused. However, the absence of piloting embedded in the LEPT test development process risks the inclusion of flawed or biased test items in every test administration, potentially compromising LEPT integrity and putting a large number of test takers into disadvantage over time.

If the LEPT is indeed the gatekeeper of teacher quality and teacher quality is one of the answers to fix the education crisis, then greater care should be exercised in developing and administering the LEPT. The LEPT’s validity will be enhanced when test developers and item writers have expertise in the assigned test domains. The remaining seats in the PRBPT should be filled to include experts from various specializations.

To address the legitimate issue of test security versus test piloting, alternative ways of piloting tests can be conducted, such as piloting the test using a smaller group and performing item-by-item pilots instead of piloting complete test forms. A review of test administration procedures, including recruitment of LEPT watchers and other personnel, will prevent LEPT security breaches. Adherence to sound principles of test development and test administration principles will fortify the integrity of the LEPT as a trusted and credible measure of teacher quality.

Therese Bustos, Louie Cagasan, and Marlene Ferido are researchers from the Assessment, Curriculum, and Technology Research Program of the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies. They are authors of a study on the licensure exam for teachers, in support of the work of EdCom II.

All imports and Filipino-foreign players are cleared to play in the PVL Reinforced Conference after the Philippine National Volleyball Federation signed the international Transfer Certificates on early Wednesday.

A day after the PVL called out the PNVF for refusing to endorse the ITCs, Control Committee chairman Sherwin Malonzo told the Inquirer that all documents were ‘100 percent active and signed’ as of 6:30 a.m.

Petro Gazz can now field Filipino-Americans Brooke Van Sickle and MJ Phillips, as well as returning import Lindsey Vander Weide, in its campaign opener against Galeries, which will parade Montenegrin Jelena Cvijovic, on Thursday at Dasmariñas Arena.

Nxled’s Paola Martinez and Farm Fresh’s Helene Rousseaux are also cleared to suit up for the second game at 6:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, the PVL was forced to bench all foreign reinforcements despite the timely submission of complete requirements-including clearances from players, their federations, and clubs-after the PNVF withheld its endorsement.

ZUS Coffee, which played without Anna DeBeer, turned to a balanced attack led by Riza Nogales to pull off a come-from-behind 24-26, 25-23, 17-25, 26-24, 15-7 win over Akari sans Annie Mitchem.

In the second game, Marlee Smith of Choco Mucho and Oleksandra Bytsenko of Capital1 no longer joined the warm-up. Flying Titans Filipino-American rookie Tia Andaya also decided to sit out, not wanting to risk her transfer of federation and avoid getting sanctions from the FIVB.

Choco Mucho spoiled Bella Belen’s 20-point PVL debut after sweeping Choco Mucho, 33-31, 26-24, 25-23, behind the inspiring comebacks of Kat Tolentino and Maddie Madayag.

On Tuesday, the Inquirer reached out to the PNVF through president Ramon ‘Tats’ Suzara but received no reply. A source said the federation chief was under the weather, which Suzara later confirmed in a message: ‘I’m in the hospital.’

Some senators are appealing to Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson to reconsider his decision to resign as chair of the powerful blue ribbon committee.

But Lacson, who resigned on Sunday, is firm about his decision.

‘When I say no, it’s no. When I say yes, it’s yes. Final answer,’ Lacson said when sought for comment.

Five candidates

Senate President Vicente Sotto III also said: ‘He really doesn’t want to [change it]. Maybe he’d be more effective as a critic. Maybe it becomes a blessing in disguise.’

Sotto has named five of his colleagues, whom he said are possible candidates to replace Lacson. They are Sens. JV Ejercito, Raffy Tulfo, Francis Pangilinan, Pia Cayetano and Risa Hontiveros.

The Senate leader again noted that it is ‘not a requirement’ that the committee chair be a lawyer, though this may be to his or her advantage.

‘For me, whoever is recommended by Senator Lacson would have a very strong edge over anybody else,’ Sotto said in a TV interview.

Ejercito, however, said while he is thankful about being considered for the position, he believes ‘there are others who are more capable of holding this important committee.’

He said he still hoped Lacson would reconsider his decision.

Tulfo said he was flattered that he was among those considered for the post.

‘However, if offered to me, I will humbly decline for the simple reason that I don’t want to lose focus on my three committee chairmanships that are my main advocacies-labor, migrant workers, and public services,’ he said.

‘Principal actors’

In his resignation letter addressed to Sotto on Monday, Lacson noted the ‘disappointment’ that a number of his colleagues have expressed over the ‘direction’ of the committee probing the flood control projects scandal.

‘In the course of the current investigation, which has implicated some senators in the flood control mess, a number of our colleagues have expressed disappointment [over] the ‘direction’ of the blue ribbon committee, which this representation chairs,’ Lacson said.

‘Furthermore, some senators publicly and secretly pursue the narrative that I am zeroing in on several of my colleagues while purportedly protecting those members of the lower house perceived to be the principal actors in the budget anomalies related to the substandard and ghost flood control projects,’ he added.

‘Straightforward’ investigator

‘Nothing could be further from the truth. This narrative is categorically false,’ Lacson stressed.

Sen. Manuel ‘Lito’ Lapid is among those hoping Lacson ‘will stay put’ as chair.

‘We respect his decision, but we know he is needed here; we know he is very straightforward when investigating. He’s a former cop, he is the ex-Philippine National Police chief,’ Lapid told reporters.

‘He’s a policeman like Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, like Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa. They will really investigate. They are experts in that field. But I will respect whatever decision Senator Lacson makes,’ he added.

Pangilinan also said he was hoping Lacson would reconsider his decision.

‘I appeal to Senator Ping to stay on as blue ribbon committee chairman, and appeal as well to our colleagues in the majority bloc to reaffirm our support for him to stay on even as we iron out our differences,’ he said.

‘While I appreciate Senator Ping’s sensitivity to the sentiments expressed by our fellow senators in the majority as a reason for his resignation, I am still hopeful that with the renewed support of the majority bloc, he will be convinced to stay on,’ Pangilinan added.

He also said now, more than ever, ‘our people are looking for stability and certainty in the state of our affairs and looking to the strength of our institutions to withstand the ongoing crisis and resolve it in favor of truth, transparency, and public accountability.’

Geneva Cruz shed tears of joy as she celebrated the engagement of her son Heaven Arespacochaga to his girlfriend Adi Escobar.

Through her Instagram page on Sunday, Oct. 5, the celebrity mom showed moments from when Heaven popped the question in an outdoor setting in California in the United States.

‘Son, I always knew you would find your other half, someone who truly understands and loves you through all of life’s ups and downs. But I wasn’t prepared for the flood of emotions I felt when you sent me the video of your engagement,’ Cruz said in the caption.

‘Thank you, anak, for trusting me with your deepest feelings and plans – from the moment you told me about meeting a wonderful girl while I was in Balesin Island a few years ago, to when you designed this beautiful ring,’ she continued.

Cruz praised Heaven for his loving nature, expressing delight over how they have kept their closeness as mother and son.

‘I believe I have done my best as your mother, as our bond has remained strong despite all the challenges we’ve faced, and I am truly grateful for that,’ she added.

Cruz then addressed Escobar and looked forward to the life the latter will share with Heaven.

‘Adi, thank you for loving my son wholeheartedly. I welcomed you into the family long ago, so that’s nothing new. However, I look forward to meeting your family and seeing you and my son Heaven, soon,’ the actress wrote. ‘I love you both, and congratulations again on the engagement.’

Heaven is Cruz’s son with her former husband, musician Paco Arespacochaga. The actress has another child, a daughter named London, with her ex-fiance, Filipino-Australian Lee Paulsen.

Mass housing developer 8990 Holdings Inc. has moved closer to exiting the Philippine bourse after concluding the tender offer of its shares.

The shares were transferred to its subsidiary on Tuesday.

In a notice, the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) said the indefinite suspension on trading of 8990’s shares was implemented at 9:02 a.m. on Tuesday. The firm had already gone below the 20-percent minimum public ownership requirement.

The tender offer of 8990 shares was conducted from Sept. 2 to Sept. 30. It involved 580.57 million common shares at P10.42 each.

The shares were transferred from the minority shareholders to subsidiary 8990 Housing Development Corp.

This paves the way for 8990’s P6-billion delisting scheduled on Oct. 29. It would be the third company to go private again this year.

Keppel Philippines Holdings Inc. went private on July 8. Philab Holdings Corp. was forced to exit on July 11.

Challenging times

Analysts said 8990, which currently develops affordable and mid-market residential projects, may have been having a hard time navigating the challenging property market. Its projects include medium-rise condominiums under the Urban Deca Homes brand and high-rise projects under Urban Deca Towers.

The exit of 8990 reflects the challenging environment in the local stock market. It has been struggling to climb and sustain its gains because of recent political developments.

PSE president and CEO Ramon Monzon earlier told the Inquirer they had reduced their capital raising target to as low as P170 billion. The goal used to be P185 billion. This was due to deferred initial public offerings, including that of casino developer Hann Holdings Inc.

At the same time, Monzon said mounting corruption allegations against high-ranking government officials allegedly involved in anomalous flood control projects had dampened investor sentiment.

Monzon is one of the top business personalities that joined the Sept. 21 protests. He said the billions of pesos lost to corruption could have been reinvested in the market.

‘Our index has gone down since all these [corruption] investigations . Can you imagine if all those amounts that disappeared were invested in the market?’ he said in an earlier interview. INQ

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.