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Another allegedly anomalous government deal, this time involving body-worn cameras amounting to nearly P1 million each, surfaced at a Senate hearing on Thursday.

As the Senate subcommittee on finance tackled the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of Transportation, Sen. Raffy Tulfo confronted the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) regarding its procurement of 191 body-worn cameras in 2020, amounting to a total of P168 million.

‘Let me give you a clue – one unit costs ?879,000. That’s for a single body-worn camera,’ Tulfo said when PPA General Manager Jay Santiago asked for time to check their records.

According to Tulfo, he has documents showing that the body-worn cameras were purchased by the PPA from Boston Home Incorporated, a company with only a paid-up capital of P10 million, based on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s records. Upon checking the address of Boston, Tulfo said they found out that it was only holding office in an apartment.

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Santiago initially explained that these body-worn cameras were ‘integrated ‘into their regular surveillance system, being used by their port police.

But Tulfo was not satisfied with Santiago’s explanation.

‘Okay, integrated camera and all, but to cost P879,000? Come on,’ the senator said.

Tulso also revealed that the same company was previously flagged down by the Commission on Audit after it sold defective equipment to the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).

‘If only you had checked and visited this office, you would have seen that it’s just an apartment, why would we buy hundreds of millions worth of cameras from them? And if you had just done a background check, you would have found out that they had sold defective equipment to the EMB,’ he said in Filipino.

But Santiago defended the agency’s purchase of the body-worn cameras, saying it was in accordance with Republic Act No. 9184 known as the ‘Government Procurement Reform Act.’

‘And just like with other procurements of the Ports Authority, Your Honor – whether for infrastructure, goods, or equipment – we do not make advance payments,’ the PPA head said.

‘Sir, what we’re talking about here is extreme overpricing – this is immoral and highly scandalous,’ Tulfo answered.

Santiago further explained that these were not ordinary cameras as they also come with servers.

Still, Tulfo said the nearly P1 million cost per unit was more expensive than the P135,000 body-worn camera bought by the Philippine National Police.

‘Go to Shopee – it’s ?6,000, all in. But this one costs ?1 million?’ the senator later said and prodded DOTr acting chief Giovanni Lopez to investigate ‘this anomaly.’

‘Secretary, the transaction involving Boston Home is very anomalous. Please investigate – heads must roll,’ Tulfo said.

Lopez, for his part, gave his commitment that he would look into it.

In a statement later released to the media, Santiago clarified that the project, which was undertaken in two phases, amounted to a total of P337 million. Phase 1 of the project, costing P168.8 million, was awarded in 2020 while the second phase, awarded in 2021, was valued at P168.68 million.

The ?168.68 million deal, according to Santiago, was for 164 cameras, which he said was below the ?170 million approved budget for the project.

The contract, he said, also covered not just the cameras but ‘the entire surveillance and evidence-management ecosystem for deployment across 22 Port Management Offices nationwide.’

Regarding the issue of the supplier’s paid-up capital and use of an apartment, the PPA chief noted that it ‘fully satisfied all eligibility requirements during post-qualification.’

Pertinent documents from the Government Procurement Policy Board likewise confirmed that it was not blacklisted by any government entity during the time of procurement in 2020, according to Santiago.

‘At the time of post-qualification, there were no adverse records or blacklisting orders against Boston Home, Inc. The company met all statutory and documentary requirements,’ he stressed.

‘PPA reaffirms that the 2020 Body-Worn Camera (Phase I and II) project followed an open and competitive bidding process, not negotiated procurement,’ Santiago further said.

Also during the hearing, Tulfo asked the PPA about its supposed purchase of six mobile X-ray machines.

Santiago, however, said the transaction did not push through because he was not satisfied after personally inspecting the equipment.

There was not a dry eye at the Dolphy Theater as soon as Piolo Pascual, Maricel Soriano, Belle Mariano, and Juan Karlos Labajo saw the trailer of their film ‘Meet, Greet and Bye’ for the first time.

After all, the upcoming film deals with a heavy topic of sickness and the possibility of death in the family. It follows the the Facundo siblings, namely Tupe (Pascual), Brad (Joshua Garcia), Geri (Mariano), and Leo (Labajo) who are grappling with the their mother Baby’s (Soriano) recurring cancer, and their struggle in dealing with her impending death.

‘Pasensya na, napaka-emotional namin sa pelikula. It was really hard to do because I don’t wanna say personally, but it really hits home, especially for Filipino families,’ Pascual said moments after the film’s trailer was revealed to the public for the first time in a media con, that left even the screen veteran Soriano teary-eyed.

‘It’s something that we have to face inevitably, ang sakit sa puso. When we were doing the film, pinipigilan kami ni Direk [Cathy Garcia-Sampana] kasi bawal kaming umiyak. We were full of emotions [while filming], but we couldn’t show it as much,’ he continued.

And the waterworks continued when Mariano, Labajo, and Pascual were asked about how they would react when faced with the death of a parent.

‘Five minutes,’ Mariano jokingly said in response while wiping tears off her face. ‘I honestly don’t know how I’ll take it. Me as Belle, and not as Geri. Grabe, ang strong, strong ng characters namin kasi just to go through that and face it, I don’t know how I’ll face it. Only time will tell if I’m in that situation. Siguro, I’ll do my best to be strong not only for me, but also for my mama.’

Labajo and Pascual, who both lost their parents at an early age, said no one will be prepared for the heartbreak that comes with losing someone.

‘I’ve been in that situation. I was 12. And I did not know what to do. And it’s okay. It’s okay to not know what to do,’ the ‘Ere’ hitmaker said. ‘There’s no right or wrong answer. We all go through these situations differently. We grieve differently. But at the very end of it, just remember that you’re never alone.’

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Pascual looked back on how he was unable to process the death of his dad, even as he was trying to rein in his emotions.

‘When I lost my Dad, I was 16. I couldn’t process it back then. But now that facing this kind of situation, it’s hard because you’re never prepared for it. But you have to show up not just for yourself but also for your loved ones, especially your mom. No one is prepared for that. Kailangan mong magpakita ng kalakasan kahit masakit (You have to show that you’re strong even if it hurts). It’s hard,’ he said.

Also part of the lead cast is Joshua Garcia, who was unable to join the media con, as it coincided with his personal vacation in celebration of his 28th birthday.

Joining Pascual, Soriano, Garcia, Mariano, and Labajo are Kaila Estrada, Kaori Oinuma, KD Estrada, Matet de Leon, Kit Thompson, and Robbie Jackson. It is set to hit theaters on November 12. /edv

San Miguel Beer’s Don Trollano will be honored as Mr. Quality Minutes when the PBA Press Corps holds its 31st Annual Awards Night on October 13 at Novotel Manila.

The 33-year-old guard averaged 9.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists off the bench in Season 49, helping the Beermen regain the Philippine Cup championship. He becomes the sixth San Miguel player to receive the award, which is equivalent to the league’s Sixth Man of the Year honor. Previous Beermen recipients include Bong Alvarez, the late Boybits Victoria, Chris Calaguio, Terrence Romeo, and Jericho Cruz.

‘This is the result of so many hours of hard work and consistency,’ Trollano said in an earlier interview after San Miguel’s title run.

Also to be recognized during the gala are members of the All-Rookie Team, led by Rookie of the Year RJ Abarrientos of Barangay Ginebra.

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Joining him are fellow rookie standouts Sedrick Barefield (Blackwater), Caelan Tiongson (Rain or Shine), Kai Ballungay (Phoenix), and the pair of Jordan Heading (TNT/Converge) and Justine Baltazar (Converge).

Heading and Baltazar fell short of the 70-percent games-played requirement but were included for their impact on their respective teams.

Baltazar, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, averaged 12.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists for the FiberXers, who nearly reached the semifinals of both the Commissioner’s and Governors’ Cups.

Heading, part of the 2020 rookie class, averaged 15.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.2 rebounds while splitting time with Converge and TNT. He was also a Best Player of the Conference contender and reached his first PBA Finals with the Tropang Giga in the Philippine Cup.

Earlier, Arvin Tolentino (Scoring Champion) and Calvin Oftana (Order of Merit) were also announced as awardees by the Press Corps.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro on Thursday maintained that she played no role in Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong’s resignation as special adviser to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

Her statement came after Magalong said he quit the commission following Castro’s remarks that he had been appointed only as a special adviser and not as a lead investigator ‘or in any other investigative capacity During a briefing, Castro emphasized that she had no role in Magalong’s decision to resign, saying that it was entirely his choice.

‘This will be my last time addressing these issues. First of all, I cannot control his feelings; he resigned voluntarily, and no one forced him to do so. If that was his decision, I also cannot control how he makes his decisions,’ she said in Filipino.

She also clarified her statement from a September 26 briefing, in which she noted that Magalong was a special adviser to the ICI and not an investigator. ‘My pronouncement on September 26 that Mayor Magalong’s role would first be reviewed by the legal team, came from President [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.],’ Castro said in Filipino.

‘Do not create intrigue by claiming someone else ordered me to say otherwise. As we said, let’s avoid baseless stories. If he knows who allegedly gave me instructions, other than the president, regarding my September 26 statement, he should reveal it-but I know he cannot, because it is untrue,’ she added.

She also called on Magalong to refrain from spreading intrigue, especially if it could affect Marcos.

‘The president is simply following the law. We cannot please everyone based on their wishes if it affects the law or the president’s pronouncement,’ she said.

‘Hopefully, this issue will end here, and there will be no repeated controversies of this nature,’ she added.

In a chance interview on Tuesday, Magalong expressed frustration over Castro’s remarks, which he said cast doubt on his role in the ICI.

‘You saw it. It felt like I had no right to investigate. That was the message from Undersecretary Claire at her press conference. I was basically told, ‘You have no right to investigate because you’re only a special adviser,” he said in Filipino.

‘If no one investigates, what happens to the cases outside? They are focused on high-profile investigations, so there really needs to be someone acting externally to ensure they are understood. That’s how we catch up with them,’ he added.

Twenty-eight students from the Sto. Tomas National High School in La Union were brought to medical facilities on Thursday morning after experiencing dizziness and anxiety during a magnitude 4.4 earthquake that struck the province. According to a report from the provincial government, five students were referred to the La Union Medical Center for further observation.

The students reportedly panicked when the school buildings began to shake during the tremor, which struck earlier in the day.

All students are now reported to be in stable condition, the report added.

Phivolcs said the earthquake’s epicenter was located 2 kilometers northeast of La Union’s Pugo town at a depth of 10 km./coa

At least 421 flood control works were found to be ‘ghost projects’ out of the 8,000 inspected nationwide, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said Thursday.

He made the remark during a press conference following a meeting with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) at its office in Taguig City.

ICI recommends to cut by half DPWH contract amounts for infra works

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) recommended Thursday that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) halve the contract threshold amounts that regional and district engineering offices should enter into in infrastructure projects.

In a letter signed by ICI Chair Andres Reyes, the fact-finding body urged DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon to lower the ceiling for letters of authority (LOA) in public works bidding to P200 million from P400 million for regional engineering offices and to P75 million from P150 million for district engineering offices.

Remulla takes oath as ombudsman

Jesus Crispin ‘Boying’ Remulla took his oath as ombudsman on Thursday.

He was sworn in by Acting Chief Justice Marvic Leonen at the Supreme Court in Manila.

CDN Digital still top regional news website – SimilarWeb

CDN (Cebu Daily News) Digital has maintained its lead as the most visited local news website in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, based on the latest data from web analytics platform SimilarWeb covering January to August 2025.

According to SimilarWeb, CDN Digital logged a total of 4.457 million visits during the eight-month period, topping other regional news outlets and lifestyle sites, including SunStar Cebu (3.489 million), The Freeman (1.338 million), and Sugbo.ph (400,510).

The Samar Provincial Hospital (SPH), a 100-bed Level 1 facility based in the provincial capital of Catbalogan City, has reached full capacity as of October 7, 2025, with 275 patients currently admitted – nearly triple its intended capacity – as the province grapples with increasing healthcare demands.

In an advisory, hospital management confirmed that all wards are fully occupied, forcing staff to place new admissions in temporary holding areas while awaiting available beds.

Doctors, nurses, medical technologists, and other health personnel continue to provide care despite limited space and resources. ‘We are ensuring that all patients receive proper attention even with the shortage of hospital beds,’ the hospital said in a statement.

The advisory also urged the public to seek early medical consultation at the hospital’s Outpatient Department (OPD) to avoid worsening conditions that could require admission.

The overcrowding at the Samar Provincial Hospital reflects the broader strain on healthcare facilities across Eastern Visayas.

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Earlier, the Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC) in Tacloban City – the region’s largest government hospital – issued a similar advisory, warning that its wards and emergency rooms were accommodating more patients than their capacity allows.

Aside from the 100-bed provincial hospital, the Samar provincial government also operates one 75-bed district hospital, two 25-bed district hospitals, and a 10-bed municipal hospital – totaling just 235 government hospital beds for the entire province.

Sen. Camille Villar, the youngest member of the 20th Congress, has filed a bill seeking stronger protection for business process outsourcing (BPO) workers.

The earthquake that hit Cebu province last week underscored the urgency of the measure, as she called out Cebu-based firms that forced employees back to work amid the disaster.

Cebu-based BPO workers decried unsafe return-to-work policies, harassment and threats of job loss for prioritizing their safety after they were required to report back to work shortly following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake.

‘No worker should ever have to choose between their safety and their job. The welfare of our BPO employees must always come first,’ Villar said, reiterating her call for swift passage of the measure.

Senate Bill 1401, or the BPO Workers’ Welfare and Protection Act, seeks to institutionalize comprehensive safeguards for employees in the outsourcing sector.

A key provision directs the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to establish and strictly enforce Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS) for BPO work, aligned with International Labor Organization (ILO) recommendations.

These standards must be reviewed annually and applied in all establishments, with compliance subject to regular inspections.

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Villar said these events emphasize why her measure is crucial: ‘BPO workers are at the frontline of our global service industry. Protecting their welfare means protecting the dignity of Filipino labor and ensuring shared prosperity.’

The bill also requires each company to craft its own Workplace Occupational Safety and Health (WOSH) policy, consistent with national standards but adaptable to local conditions.

Employers must review these policies annually with input from a designated Workplace Occupational Safety and Health Officer (WOSHO), enforcement officers and other authorized representatives, ensuring safeguards evolve with emerging risks and workplace realities.

Beyond workplace safety, the proposed measure prohibits the imposition of excessive company bonds and fees on employees who leave before a set period and explicitly protects them from discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability or any other status recognized under human rights standards.

Artists and youth groups here staged a series of cultural performances on Tuesday, calling for an end to what they described as the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza.

The event featured workshops on theater, placard-making, poetry, and zine creation. It culminated in a small protest rally, where participants showcased the performances and artworks produced during the workshops.

The protest marked the second anniversary of the Israel-Hamas conflict’s escalation into intense airstrikes and ground assaults, which Palestinian health authorities say have claimed around 60,000 lives.

Earlier this year, the Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association (PPFA) condemned President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for continuing trade relations with Israel despite the reported atrocities. Anna Patricia Adiaz, a representative of the newly formed group Baguio for Palestine, explained that focusing on protest art was a conscious decision aimed at broadening the movement beyond traditional mass rallies.

‘Creative dimension’ ‘In Baguio, many artists actively engage in social issues, so it made sense to add a creative dimension to our advocacy,’ she told the Inquirer.

‘Artists are there, and we’re trying to make our campaign more creative and palatable to the public, so their participation is important,’ she added in Filipino.

The program featured cultural performances, including children singing an original song created during the workshop. An exhibit displaying information on the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict was also set up.

Kabataan Partylist Rep. Gabriel Siscar, one of the event’s organizers, noted the importance of inclusivity in pro-Palestinian campaigns, especially since Baguio for Palestine had only been established a few days prior.

‘We’re trying to build connections with more groups, including artist collectives and students,’ he said in Filipino.

Siscar noted that art provides a powerful tool to amplify calls against Israeli and US aggression.

Three of the 15 contractors earlier tagged in the corrupt flood control projects in the Philippines are also involved in the allegedly anomalous farm-to-market road (FMR) projects, according to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.

In a Kapihan sa Senado forum on Thursday, Gatchalian noted a pattern in these alleged anomalies, disclosing that from 2023 to 2024, the regions with the most FMR projects were Region 5 (Bicol Region) and Region 8 (Eastern Visayas). ‘When we were looking at the contractors for 2024, we saw that three of the 10 are part of the top 15 contractors in the flood control scandal. One of these is the Hi-tone [Construction and Development Corp], which is linked to Zaldy Co’s sibling,’ said Gatchalian speaking mostly in Filipino.

‘For me, all of these are not coincidental,’ said the senator who noted that when it comes to corruption, nothing is impossible.

‘When we talk about corruption, these culprits will make ghost projects, they will make it overpriced just to bag money,’ he added in Filipino.

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Gatchalian, during the Senate’s hearing on the proposed 2026 funding of the Department of Agriculture, revealed that over P10 billion worth of FMRs programmed under the 2023 and 2024 national budgets have been ‘extremely overpriced.’

One project, for example, cost 23 times more than the standard price set by the DPWH, while others saw markups of up to 70 percent, further bloating the project cost.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., meanwhile, said the DPWH set a standard cost of P15,000 per meter for FMRs, but this could be as low as P10,000 if the ’30 percent’ markup were trimmed.

Due to the gravity of these alleged overpriced FMRs, Gatchalian himself said he would recommend to the Senate blue ribbon committee to look into the scheme as well. ‘I would recommend the blue ribbon panel to look at these FMRs because of similar contractors involved. I would recommend the ICI to look at these FMRs because it is highly overpriced. From P15,000 per meter, they will increase it to P300,000 per meter. They are shameless when it comes to overpricing,’ said Gatchalian. /jpv