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JM Ibarra had no clear plan or idea of what he would do after his stint in ‘Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Gen 11.’ For all he knew, he would just return to his hometown in Quezon province and continue living a normal life. But at the urging of his screen partner, ‘PBB’ season’s winner, Fyang Smith, and those around him, he decided to explore showbiz and give acting a shot. Who knows, he may well discover a talent yet untapped.

Much to his surprise, after taking a crash course on the Meisner acting technique last year, Ibarra immediately fell in love with the craft. It was challenging-‘magulo sa utak, masakit sa damdamin’-but nonetheless fulfilling and eye-opening.

‘I enjoy stepping into a different world through my characters, and leaving JM behind for a while. It makes me realize that the world is so much bigger and doesn’t just revolve around my own outlook’

‘I enjoy stepping into a different world through my characters, and leaving JM behind for a while,’ he says at a recent press conference. ‘It makes me realize that the world is so much bigger and doesn’t just revolve around my own outlook.’

First film lead role

From reality television to fan meetings and online content, Ibarra is now embarking on full-fledged acting projects. These include the fantasy romance digital series ‘Ghosting,’ opposite Smith, and his first movie lead role in ‘Child No. 82: Anak ni Boy Kana,’ which is an entry to the ongoing Cinemalaya Film Festival-a surprise, he admits, since he didn’t expect to be doing indie films this early in his career.

JM Ibarra stars in ‘Child No. 82: Anak ni Boy Kana’ | Photo from JM Ibarra/Facebook

‘It’s nerve-wracking seeing my face on the screen, reading the script, and hearing ‘3, 2, 1. action!” the 25-year-old shares. ‘Pressure!’

Directed by Tim Rone Villanueva, ‘Child No. 82’ is a fantasy dramedy that explores themes of social issues and family identity. The film follows Max (Ibarra), a 16-year-old high school student rumored to be the 82nd illegitimate child of the recently deceased Maximo ‘Boy Kana’ Maniego Jr. (Vhong Navarro)-the biggest action star in Philippine cinema.

‘It’s nerve-wracking seeing my face on the screen, reading the script, and hearing ‘3, 2, 1. action!” the 25-year-old shares. ‘Pressure!’

With his pregnant teenage girlfriend and their baby’s future on the line, Max embarks on an adventure to prove he is Boy Kana’s son and secure an inheritance. But first, he must reach Boy Kana’s casket before the public viewing ends at midnight. However, hundreds of fans and not a few villains stand in his way.

A timely concept

The premise effectively makes his character a nepo baby-a concept that feels especially relevant today.

‘It’s a social issue, so marami talagang makaka-relate dito na Pilipino,’ Ibarra says of the film. ‘It touches on a very current issue, because Max, the character I portray, is the illegitimate child of a famous figure. So technically, he’s an unacknowledged nepo baby.’

JM Ibarra | Photo from JM Ibarra/Facebook

In his desperate quest for identity and inheritance, Max inevitably faces a daunting choice: Will the glittery promise of his father’s celebrity status blind him, or will he find the clarity he needs in the complicated legacy of the man who was ‘Boy Kana’?

‘Mabubulag ba siya sa luxury? O malinawan ba siya sa katotohanang sasambulat sa kanya habang nilalakbay niya ang pagkakakilanlan ng ama niya?’ Ibarra says.

‘Now that I’m earning my own money, you start to understand better what people are fighting for,’ Ibarra relates. ‘Where do our taxes really go?’

Amid the ongoing flood control corruption scandals and the public outrage over the lavish lifestyles of ‘nepo babies,’ Ibarra couldn’t help but reflect on the issue. Truth be told, the subject of taxes rarely crossed his mind, and it never really occurred to him that buying the things he enjoyed already meant he was actively contributing to the government.

‘Now that I’m earning my own money, you start to understand better what people are fighting for,’ Ibarra relates. ‘Where do our taxes really go?’

Lessons from the veterans

Ibarra admits that he’s still not fully confident in his acting skills. But thanks to his more seasoned co-stars-Navarro, one of his favorite actors growing up, and Rochelle Pangilinan, who plays Max’s mother-Ibarra has grown more confident in his role and more comfortable on set.

JM Ibarra with co-star Rochelle Pangilinan | Contributed photo

‘More than technique, I also learned about socializing. Since I’m shy and reserved, they made an effort to approach and encourage me on set,’ Ibarra shares. ‘They guided me from start to finish, so I was really touched by their kindness.’

Beyond acting, he also learned that while talent is important, it’s not the be-all, end-all of the entertainment industry. Attitude is just as important-a reality Navarro reminded him of. ‘You have to be good at taking care of relationships. You have to be respectful to everyone-the director, co-stars, the staff, ‘ he says. ‘That’s something I won’t forget.’

‘You have to be good at taking care of relationships. You have to be respectful to everyone-the director, co-stars, the staff, ‘ he says. ‘That’s something I won’t forget’

From Pangilinan, Ibarra realized that new coworkers bring new opportunities to learn. ‘The more jobs I take on, the more people I meet-and I can learn from all of them if I stay open,’ he says. ‘Now, every time I start a new project, I try to be like a sponge, soaking it all in.’

And soak it in, he will, as he continues to expand his career beyond the love team. While Ibarra enjoys working with Smith-and fans are hoping that they do more projects together-he points out that growth wouldn’t be possible if they box themselves in.

‘We’re happy, and our friendship grows every time we work,’ Ibarra says. ‘But we also want to explore as much as we can. That’s part of our vision as actors.’

Soldiers of the 63rd Infantry Battalion (IB) of the Philippine Army turned over a wounded Philippine hawk-eagle to environment officials on Thursday, after it was found in the upland village of Benowangan, Borongan City in Eastern Samar.

The raptor was discovered by a farmer in his farmland, who immediately sought the assistance of troops from the battalion’s Alpha Company stationed in the area, the 63rd IB said in a statement.

The soldiers then coordinated with the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) in Borongan City to facilitate the eagle’s medical treatment and rehabilitation.

The 63rd IB expressed gratitude to the concerned resident for his vigilance and quick action, saying the incident highlights the importance of cooperation between citizens and government institutions in protecting endangered species.

Shared responsibility

The Philippine hawk-eagle is now under the care of Cenro. However, no information was released on how the bird sustained its injuries.

Military officials noted that the turnover also underscores a shared responsibility to safeguard the environment and preserve the country’s natural heritage.

The Philippine hawk-eagle (Nisaetus philippensis), locally known as ‘banog,’ is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Native to tropical moist lowland forests, its population has been declining due to deforestation, hunting and illegal trapping.

Like the Philippine eagle, the hawk-eagle plays a crucial role as a top predator in forest ecosystems, helping maintain ecological balance by controlling prey populations.

Conservation groups stress that protecting these raptors is essential to sustaining the biodiversity of the country’s forests

Anti-drug operatives recovered 905 packs of ‘high-purity’ crystal meth (shabu) valued at P6.8 billion during a raid on a private property in Labrador, Pangasinan on Friday night, October 3.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Isagani Nerez told reporters that the packs had already been loaded into two vehicles, apparently bound for Metro Manila, when these were seized by PDEA agents.

‘If one pack weighs a kilo, then the total is more than one ton,’ Nerez said in an interview uploaded on social media by the Philippine News Agency.

He noted that the supply of shabu in Metro Manila has been dwindling because of its soaring price.

Authorities did not find anyone inside the property, which was being used as a warehouse but contained no illegal drug laboratory Labrador Mayor Noel Uson said the property was purchased only two months ago, but he had no information about the buyer or the previous owner.

The raid was carried out under a search warrant issued by Judge Vincent Lamug of Regional Trial Court Branch 70 in Burgos town. Nerez credited Police Regional Office Ilocos Region director Brig. Gen. Dindo Reyes and Pangasinan Provincial Police director Col. Arbel Mercullo with securing the warrant.

According to Nerez, the raid was linked to a buy-bust operation conducted Thursday along the highway in Labrador, where authorities seized 125 packs of shabu hidden inside a van.

Two high-value targets were arrested in that operation: alias ‘Monkey,’ 40, a Chinese national residing in Paliparan 3, Cavite City; and alias ‘Gardo,’ 54, of Mampang, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur.

Nerez also disclosed that the 1.4 tons of shabu worth P10 billion intercepted in Zambales last June were bound for Pangasinan, suggesting that the suspects had a local contact in the province.

That same month, billions of pesos worth of shabu were also recovered floating off the coastal towns of western Pangasinan. /das

House members on Friday threatened to slash the proposed P902.8-million budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) after Vice President Sara Duterte skipped, for the second year in a row, the plenary deliberations on the matter.

Adding to the acrimony was a letter Duterte wrote to the House appropriations committee saying she would attend the budget hearings on two conditions.

First is for President Marcos to also personally defend the proposed P27.3-billion budget for the Office of the President.

Second is for the House committee on good government to confirm that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had already lifted its lookout bulletin orders on her staff. The committee was the same body that looked last year into Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds.

‘Barest minimum’

Palawan Rep. Jose Alvarez, a member of the appropriations committee said the panel decided not to reply to Duterte’s letter, while other lawmakers scoffed at her demands.

‘Enough is enough, enough of her brattiness,’ Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima said.

‘If she can afford to show up in the Senate and applaud the former Senate President in his privilege speech, which is definitely not part of her mandate as the Vice President, why can’t she spare a few moments of her time attending the official function as Vice President to defend the budget of her office?’ De Lima said.

She was referring to the speech delivered by Sen. Francis Escudero on Oct 1, which railed against former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice said Duterte was already being unreasonable, warning that the House would further reduce her budget ‘at the proper time.’

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio also served notice that the OVP budget might be brought down ‘to its barest minimum.’

‘Such a waste’

It was actually the Department of Budget and Management that raised the proposed OVP budget to P902.8 million, after the OVP submitted a lower request of P733 million, that same amount it got last year.

Tinio also drew attention to Duterte’s recent trips abroad. ‘She keeps saying that she spent for these trips out of her own pocket, but she herself admitted that because she is the Vice President, it is the Filipino people paying for the travel expenses of her staff and security detail,’ he said.

Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, vice chair of the appropriations panel, said it was ‘such a waste that [Duterte] didn]t go because she could have at least defended and explained to the plenary why she needed that increase.’

Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon told reporters ‘The Vice President is not in a position to make demands [which show] . her lack of respect for the budget process.’

On Thursday night, the House voted in plenary to terminate deliberations on the OVP budget. This means any changes must now be made during the period of amendments, which starts next week up to Oct. 13.

Since she broke her ties with Marcos beginning with her resignation as education secretary in June last year, Duterte’s proposed budget for her office became drastically reduced by the appropriations committee then headed by Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co.

In a better time, such as the start of the Marcos administration, she could propose a much higher budget-like the P2.3 billion which Co approved in 2022.

But last year, the Vice President was left with her current budget of P733 million after Co-who would soon be embroiled in the corruption scandal over flood control projects-slashed the OVP’s budget by more than P1 billion. He even reminded Duterte’s staff that funds allotted to her office were ‘the people’s money.’

There is a certain choke hold only balikbayan boxes have on me-a grip that starts the moment Mama calls and says, ‘Anak, may pinadala ako.’

From that very second, I’m caught in this strange, sweet kind of waiting. Days begin to move more slowly. Weeks stretch so long they almost feel cruel. Every knock on the gate makes my chest tighten-my mind racing with a single question: Could it be here already?

Waiting for a balikbayan box is its own kind of ritual. It is not just about expecting something new, but about anticipating something that traveled oceans with my mother’s hands behind every choice inside. The thrill lies not in the size of the box or on the brand of the items she sends, but in the knowledge that somewhere, far away, she walked into a store, picked something up, and thought, ‘This is for my anak.’

When the day finally comes and the box arrives, it’s impossible to play it cool. There it stands by the door-heavy, corners bruised from the long journey, sealed with enough tape to survive a storm. My name sits in one corner, written in her careful yet hurried handwriting, the kind that suggests she was thinking about a hundred other things while making sure it was legible.

I cut the tape open. And before I even see what’s inside, it hits me.

The smell.

That distinct balikbayan box smell-the one I could recognize anywhere. It’s a mix of fabric softener, cardboard, and something else I can never quite name. It’s the scent of her home mixing with mine, of two worlds colliding inside a cardboard frame. That smell clings to the clothes, seeps into the pillows, and wraps itself around every zipper, button, and fold. And for children like me, whose parents work abroad, it’s more than a smell. It is a presence. It is the closest thing to a hug from Mama I can get.

Inside, there are always the essentials. Shirts that still carry their store creases. Shoes so pristine-I hesitate to wear them. Sometimes there’s a kettle, shiny and untouched, replacing the one that’s been sputtering in our kitchen for years. There are pillows-soft, plump, inviting-as if she thought about how I sleep at night. There are bags that feel like she personally tucked in every zipper, double-checking if it was good enough for me.

But every item tells a bigger story. Each piece of clothing is a shift she worked past exhaustion. Each appliance is a meal she skipped so she could save a little more. Each pillow is a night she went to bed thinking about home, about me. People outside this life might just see things-pasalubong (gifts)-but I see sacrifices folded neatly in plastic wrap.

I have grown up hearing what it’s like to be an overseas Filipino worker. I know the words: homesickness, culture shock, and loneliness. I’ve heard Mama talk about the cold mornings, the long hours, the language she had to twist her tongue to speak. But hearing those stories is nothing compared to living in the space her absence leaves. You learn that there’s a different kind of quiet in a house where a parent is missing-not silence exactly, but a hum of longing that lingers in every corner.

That’s why the balikbayan box is more than just a box. It’s a bridge. It’s a piece of her that manages to cross the miles and the seas between us. It’s proof that even when she’s far away, she is still present in the ways that matter most. And when the box is emptied, I never see it as disposable. Sometimes I keep it in my room, stacking old toys or school projects inside. Other times, it becomes a makeshift table, standing steady in a corner. But to me, it has never been just cardboard-it’s a chapter of my life that I can touch.

Years from now, when the tape has yellowed and the sides have softened, it might look like nothing special to anyone else. Just another used box. But I’ll remember the excitement it carried into our home, the scent that made me stop and close my eyes, the way it turned an ordinary day into something worth holding on to.

I will remember how it taught me that love can travel across oceans and still arrive whole. I will remember that it was never really about the shirts, the shoes, nor the kettles-it was about the hands that packed them, the heart that chose them, and the miles they crossed to get to me.

The balikbayan box is not just a container of goods. It is a container of stories, of sacrifices, of a mother’s love stretched thin but never broken. And every time I open one, my smile will always reach the heavens-because in that moment, even just for a while, Mama is home.

The box that kept me close to her, even when she was oceans away.

Severe Tropical Storm Paolo (international name: Matmo) has exited the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), the state weather bureau reported on Saturday, October 4.

At 2 a.m., the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) issued an erratum on their Facebook page, clarifying that Paolo was still inside PAR at that time. The storm officially exited based on the 5 a.m. bulletin.

According to Pagasa, Paolo’s location was estimated at 295 kilometers west of Sinait, Ilocos Sur. It packed maximum sustained winds of 110 km per hour near the center and gusts of up to 135 kph. Its present movement was west-northwest at 20 kph.

Despite Paolo’s exit, Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 remains hoisted over the following areas:

The western portion of Abra (Danglas, Bangued, Langiden, San Quintin, Pidigan, San Isidro, Pilar, Villaviciosa, Peñarrubia, Manabo, Luba, Tayum, La Paz, Lagayan, Tubo, Bucay, Dolores, San Juan, Lagangilang)

The western portion of Benguet (Bakun, Kibungan, Kapangan, Sablan, Tuba, Mankayan, Tublay, La Trinidad, Baguio City)

The southern portion of Ilocos Norte (Nueva Era, Banna, Badoc, Pinili, City of Batac, Paoay, Marcos, Currimao)

Ilocos Sur

La Union

The western and central portions of Pangasinan (Bolinao, Bani, Agno, Burgos, Dasol, Mabini, Infanta, Bugallon, Labrador, Sual, City of Alaminos, Lingayen, Aguilar, Mangatarem, Urbiztondo, San Carlos City, Binmaley, Dagupan City, Calasiao, Basista, Bayambang, San Fabian, San Jacinto, Mangaldan, Mapandan, Santa Barbara, Malasiqui, Alcala, Bautista, Santo Tomas, Villasis, City of Urdaneta, Manaoag, Laoac, Pozorrubio, Sison)

The northern portion of Zambales (Iba, Candelaria, Palauig, Santa Cruz, Masinloc)

Pagasa said the signal is expected to be lowered once the strong winds subside and the storm’s outer rainbands move away from the area.

‘Most likely this afternoon, the effects of severe tropical storm Paolo will no longer be felt in any part of the country,’ explained Pagasa weather specialist Grace Castañeda during the press briefing.

She added that wind signals will probably be lifted in the early noon or before midday.

Storm surges reaching 1 to 2 meters are possible in low-lying or exposed coastal areas of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan and Zambales.

Sea conditions remain moderate to rough, with waves reaching up to 4 meters along the seaboards of Cagayan, the Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union.

New LPA

Meanwhile, a low-pressure area (LPA) outside PAR has a medium chance of developing into a tropical depression, according to Pagasa. At 3 a.m., it was spotted at 2,320 km east of extreme Northern Luzon.

Castañeda said that the LPA could develop into a tropical depression on Sunday, October 5. But there is also a possibility that it will develop within the next 24 hours.

‘However, if the conditions or environment for the LPA become more favorable, we do not rule out the possibility that it could develop into a tropical depression within the day,’ reported Castañeda. /das

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has secured its fourth freeze order in a widening probe into substandard and anomalous flood control projects, immobilizing over P4 billion worth of assets, including a ‘luxury compound in an upscale district’ and a fleet of high-end cars.

The Court of Appeals (CA) on Friday granted the AMLC’s request to freeze 57 bank accounts, 10 real properties and nine vehicles of individuals linked to corruption in government-funded flood protection projects.

The move brought the total assets frozen in the investigation to 1,889-covering 1,620 bank accounts, 54 insurance policies, 163 vehicles, 40 properties and 12 e-wallets. The AMLC said the crackdown also netted virtual currencies and unit investment trust funds, underscoring the breadth of financial holdings tied to the alleged scheme.

‘These freezes are real actions that stop corruption,’ said Matthew David, the AMLC executive director, in a statement. ‘Every peso frozen is a peso that cannot be used to sustain corruption.’

The AMLC statement did not provide information on the ownership, location and other details involving assets covered by the freeze orders.

But the value of frozen assets, according to the AMLC, is expected to rise as the inquiry deepens.

Review of transactions

When a bank account is frozen, all activity-transfers, deposits, withdrawals and even account closures-will be suspended. Banks are then required to comb through the accounts and review past transactions to determine whether they were used for illicit activity. Their findings are sent to the AMLC.

The freeze orders also covered insurance policies because these can serve as vehicles for concealing or moving illegal funds. For now, the AMLC is prioritizing such assets because these are easier to identify, locate and freeze.

David earlier said the council might also scrutinize banks after a congressional inquiry flagged large cash transactions linked to the flood control scandal.

On Sept. 30, the AMLC signed a memorandum of agreement with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, the body created by President Marcos to investigate corruption in flood control projects, for closer coordination, data sharing and joint efforts to trace, preserve and recover assets linked to illicit activity.

The agreement also reinforced the council’s authority to investigate money laundering offenses tied to corruption, malversation, plunder, bribery and related crimes.

More legal experts and human rights groups have banded together to oppose the Senate resolution that seeks house arrest for former President Rodrigo Duterte while he faces charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Among the signatories of the joint statement released on Friday are the Philippine Coalition for the ICC, Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity (iDefend), Ateneo Human Rights Center, Center for International Law, Philippine Human Rights Information Center, Movement Against Disinformation, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, Coalition against Trafficking in Women-Asia Pacific, Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, Medical Action Group, Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance, Alyansa para sa Karapatang Pantao, IDEALS, Network against Killings in the Philippines, Free Legal Assistance Group, Union of Peoples’ Lawyers Mindanao, and Balay Rehabilitation Center.

No basis

Among the legal experts who also signed the statement were Rep. Leila de Lima, dean Jose Mari Tirol, dean Manuel Quibod, professor Cirilo Yuro, Jr.; and lawyers Roel Dapiton, Larry Firmeza, Kchyrziahshayne Dinopol, Alyanna Cortum, Alfredo Arungayan III, Nestor Moreno, Cynthia Ng, Fitz Macalalag, John Maghopoy, and Ricardo Escanlar of the University of San Agustin College of Law.

In their statement, the groups stressed that the tribunal based in The Hague, the Netherlands is ‘insulated’ from the ‘special arrangements’ that the Senate is requesting for Duterte, who is detained at the ICC facility at the Scheveningen prison.

‘Independent of political pressure, the court operates in accordance with the Rome Statute and will determine the terms of Duterte’s detention and any interim release under articles 58 (1) and 60 (2),’ they said, referring to the provisions for the issuance of summons as well as initial proceedings in the ICC.

The group stressed that the house arrest request has no basis since Duterte, as an ICC detainee, is subject to regular health monitoring and evaluation based on international standards.

‘Principled course’

‘This includes frequent and unannounced monitoring and evaluation by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which in turn follows the framework of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules),’ they said.

The groups urged the Philippine government to instead take a ‘principled course’ that vows to cooperate with international institutions, and pressed the Senate to ‘desist from political overtures that compromise the safety and dignity of victims.’

ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah told Filipino reporters on Thursday that the tribunal cannot ‘speculate’ on the outcome of Duterte’s request for temporary liberty, and that it is up to the Pre-Trial Chamber (PTC) I judges ‘to make a decision on this matter.’

For its part, Hustisya, a group made up of families and relatives of extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations, said the Senate resolution only aims to ‘shield power.’

‘It spits on the memory of the thousands of Filipinos slaughtered in Duterte’s so-called war on drugs and war against dissent, the poor dragged from their homes, the fathers executed in front of their children, the mothers and sisters who still grieve, the families who continue to search for answers,’ the group said in a statement on Thursday.

‘Instead of accountability, the Senate has chosen denial,’ it added.

For Cristina Palay, secretary general of Karapatan, the Senate resolution only proved that the upper chamber is ‘packed with Duterte lackeys and apologists.’ ‘This is a Senate bereft of integrity,’ she said.