Author: user user

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families now have easier access to free medical consultations and medicine as the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) launched its ‘Alagang Owwa Botika’ program on Friday.

Owwa Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan led the launch of the pharmacy program in Pasay City, designed to provide continued care and support to OFWs and their families even after they finish their stints abroad.

Caunan said the program is part of the ‘Alagang Owwa: Yakap at Gamot’ in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and private VidaCure Pharmacy.

Under Philhealth’s Yakap (Yaman ng Kalusugan Program), beneficiaries can receive up to P20,000 worth of medicines per year from accredited pharmacies.

In the case of OFWs and their dependents, they may go directly to the Owwa head office in Pasay City or to the Gateway Mall in Quezon City. For those in the south, they may go to Festival Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa.

The free medical checkups at Owwa may be availed of every Friday with Yakap-accredited doctors.

Prescriptions issued during consultations can then be used to claim medicines at the Owwa ‘botika’ (pharmacy), also in Pasay City, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays to Fridays.

Kimberly Ondona Badong, who had just returned from Oman after developing hypertension, stressed the importance of expanding the program outside Metro Manila.

The mother of six said they live in Maguindanao and she hopes services would also be offered at Owwa regional offices.

In her speech, Caunan said the ‘Lab for All’ mobile medical and clinical laboratory truck donated by first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos would also soon be deployed to deliver free diagnostic services such as X-rays, ultrasounds and blood tests.

Caunan assured that the ‘Alagang Owwa Botika,’ which is still in the pilot stage, would soon be offered nationwide.

‘Let’s make every Friday a Yakap Day. We want our OFWs, active, retired or those who have returned for good, to feel that they remain cared for. Even when they are no longer earning abroad, they can still rely on government support for their health needs,’ she said.

Being in an underdog situation a couple of times in his career could come in handy for Javi Gomez de Liano as he now looks to play a key role in Magnolia’s quest to end its long quest for a PBA championship.

Gomez de Liano was one of the major additions to the Hotshots roster, bringing with him not only his experience playing overseas but also the hope that he can carry the form he did during the Terrafirma Dyip’s unlikely run to the 2024 Philippine Cup playoffs.

‘I hope I reciprocate what I did at Terrafirma and hopefully help this team, Magnolia, win the championship,’ Gomez de Liano said ahead of the Hotshots’ season-opening match against sibling rival Barangay Ginebra on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Long been considered title favorites, Magnolia is actually on a long drought, with its last taste of glory being the 2018 Governors’ Cup.

So it somehow replicates Gomez de Liano’s time with the tailend of University of the Philippines’ dark ages in the UAAP and the aforementioned Cinderella run of Terrafirma.

‘[The Terrafirma situation] wasn’t a new situation for me because back in 2016 when I was part of the UP team that no one likes to play, being the underdog and not the crowd favorites,’ Gomez de Liano said.

‘I brought that same mindset to Terrafirma. We were always counted out, but we had [Coach Johnedel Cardel], Juami [Tiongson], Stephen [Holt] and the rest of the players who all wanted to prove to ourselves that we shouldn’t be counted out. ‘True enough, we made the playoffs that year, and we had a lot of upsets against the big teams so I’m very proud of that. I learned a lot from that season. Actually, that’s the greatest season for me,’ added Gomez de Liano, who also described that lineup as the ‘greatest Terrafirma team of all.’

The 27-year-old was acquired from Terrafirma, who owned his rights, in August and signed a three-year contract with Magnolia, putting stability to a career that had stops in Japan and South Korea. His time in the B.League and Korean Basketball League may also benefit the Hotshots in many ways. ‘I feel like I could become a vet to the young ones, but at the same time keeping that rookie mindset in terms of learning from the veterans and try to pick up something new from them,’ he said.

Defending champion Mapua continued its fine start in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament following a 90-87 victory over Arellano at San Juan Arena on Saturday.

The Cardinals followed up their season-opening 90-89 win in double overtime win over Lyceum.

After struggling against the Pirates, Clint Escamis returned to form with 29 points to go along with three rebounds, three assists and three steals to overwhelm the Chiefs.

‘I really wanted to bounce back from that game,’ Escamis said, who only had eight points before fouling out in the fourth quarter against Lyceum.

‘I know my teammates got my back but I know I still needed to perform today, lead and facilitate for the team to serve as a good example.’

Helping Escamis on offense for the Cardinals were Cyrus Cuenco, Cyril Gonzales and Cyrus Nitura, who scored 14, 12 and 10 points respectively.

The Chiefs began their season with a close defeat but not without the efforts of Basti Valencia and Renzo Ablera, who scored 13 and 12.

Net satisfaction in President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos (PBBM) turned slightly positive in June, from being slightly negative, for the first time in his term, the previous April-see ‘Second Quarter 2025 Social Weather Survey: Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s net satisfaction rating rises to +10 in June 2025 from -10 in April 2025’ (www.sws.org.ph, 9/30/25), which has all the numbers cited here.

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll asking for public satisfaction with an official uses the phrase ‘nasisiyahan sa paggawa ng kanyang tungkulin’ (satisfied with the performance in her or his function), with answer-choices of very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied. The net score is the sum of the favorable, minus the sum of the unfavorable, answers.

Net +10 is the lower end of the 20-point band that SWS calls ‘moderate,’ and -10 is the upper end of the 20-point band called ‘poor.’ Any single-digit score is ‘neutral,’ whether positive or negative, since it’s statistically similar to zero. Thus, PBBM got one ‘poor’ grade on his scoresheet before the middle of his term, and recovered from it quickly.

The history of satisfaction ratings. For comparison, the lowest net satisfaction score of former President Corazon Aquino was +7, in November 1990 and April 1992. Former President Fidel Ramos had a +1 in October 1995 and a +2 in December 1995. Former President Joseph Estrada had a +5 in December 1999 and March 2000, and a +9 in December 2000. Those three presidents never scored negatively in the SWS surveys. (In the case of former President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., I recall a net satisfaction score of +15 in 1985, by an SWS-precursor. I know nothing for any earlier president.)

Our singularly unpopular president was Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who had her first negative score in November 2003, at -3. Her next negative score was a -6 in October 2004; it was never positive again, up to June 2010. Her net satisfaction quarterly averages in each year were: -25 in 2005, -16 in 2006, -9 in 2007, -33 in 2008, -35 in 2009, and -7 in 2010. The SWS term is ‘bad’ for scores of -30 to -49; it is ‘very bad’ for -50 to -69, which happened to her twice, the worst being a -53 in March 2010.

On the other hand, the lowest net satisfaction score of Benigno Aquino III was +11 (March 2015), while the lowest score of Rodrigo Duterte was +48 (September 2017). It is noteworthy that Duterte was personally very popular, while at the same time his (a) deadly and indiscriminate ‘war on drugs’ and (b) friendly attitude towards China were very unpopular.

The average net satisfaction scores for the aggregate of SWS surveys under the past presidents are: Corazon Aquino +35, Ramos +38, Estrada +33, Arroyo -7, Aquino III +45, and Duterte +62. The running average for Marcos Jr. is a ‘good’ +32, as of June 2025.

‘Trust ratings’ are different. An SWS trust rating uses the word pagtitiwala (trust), and pertains to an individual simply as a person, not as a functionary responsible for doing something for the Filipino people. A trust rating, rather than a satisfaction rating, is appropriate for checking the popularity of foreign officials, the Pope, businessmen, entertainment personalities, and the like.

But SWS does obtain trust ratings of politicians, from time to time, upon request. For instance, in the media release, ‘SWS confirms the June 2025 survey items sponsored by the Stratbase Group on public trust in the Philippines’ top officials’ (www.sws.org.ph, 7/15/25) one can find the following:

This shows that public trust in PBBM as a person also rebounded from May to June, like his net satisfaction score. However, it appears that public trust in him (as well as in his cousin Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez) is not as adequate as trust in Vice President Sara Duterte and Sen. Francis Escudero. I wonder if this is worrisome to some politicians.

Erring engineers and other professionals at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) may face the permanent revocation of their professional licenses if they are found to have been involved in anomalous infrastructure projects at the public works department.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said an agreement he signed with the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Chair Charito Zamora on Friday morning would make the arrangement.

According to Dizon, the agreement was in line with President Marcos’ directive to ensure the ‘legitimate, quality and beneficial’ projects being implemented by the DPWH nationwide.

Dizon pointed out that 20 engineers and a certified public accountant (CPA) were tagged as involved in the construction of faulty flood control projects, especially in Bulacan and were included in the complaint he filed at the Office of the Ombudsman last month.

These 20 engineers were the first set of professionals whose licenses were being sought to be revoked by the PRC under the newly signed MOA.

Among the 20 whom Dizon described as the ‘superstars,’ whose licenses are up for revocation, were Henry Alcantara, Brice Ericson Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza and Paul Duya, who were all earlier dismissed from the DPWH.

Aside from them, the list also included the project engineers and even the cashier, whom Dizon said the DPWH determined as a CPA.

‘The evidence we presented [for the revocation] are the cases that we have filed and the COA (Commission on Audit) fraud audit reports, as well as the internal audit service of the DPWH,’ Dizon told reporters at a press conference after the MOA signing.

‘Again, this is just the beginning. We have more to file with the ICI (Independent Commission for Infrastructure) and all of those will also be turned over for the filing with the PRC based on our memorandum of agreement,’ he pointed out.

Cases piling up

Zamora, for her part, explained the PRC’s rules on the revocation of professional licenses, wherein the respondent will be given a period of 15 days to file a reply to the complaint, followed by a position paper, which has to be submitted within another 15 days.

But this time, she assured that their rules have been amended to expedite the process of revoking one’s professional license.

‘And this is really a heavy case to deal with, because the Filipino people are seeking accountability and with the criminal charges filed against them, this is a lot heavier,’ Zamora said.

The controversial construction firm Sunwest Inc., linked to former Ako Bicol party list Rep. Elizaldy Co was among contractors facing bid-rigging complaints. DPWH officials and employees are also among those facing charges with Sunwest Inc.

This was on top of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure’s move, asking the Office of the Ombudsman to recommend filing of graft complaints against Co and 17 others, including DPWH officials and Sunwest, over an allegedly substandard flood control project in Oriental Mindoro worth P289.5 million.

Also, the DPWH, named in another complaint, Wawao Builders, IM Construction Corp., SYMS Construction Trading, St. Timothy Construction Corp. and officials and employees of the DPWH in connection with flood control projects unearthed during congressional hearings.

Rufa Mae Quinto said that while she has yet to process the death benefits of her late husband Trevor Magallanes, she knows that they’re just there as her husband worked hard for them and wrote about them in his journal.

Quinto revealed this to select members of the press during the grand opening of a food and beverage ingredients store where she served as a celebrity guest on Friday, Oct 3, in Quezon City.

‘Wala pa kasi, una, hindi pa ako nakakabalik sa America [.] Yung benefit naman yan, forever na benefit na yan. Kaya, pag uwi ko doon, ‘yun ‘yung aasikasuhin ko. Para sa amin ‘yon na mag-ina, pinaghirapan ng asawa ko ‘yon. Lahat ‘yon ginawa niya. May journal siya. Sinabi niya na ‘yun ang gusto niya,’ she shared.

(I haven’t received anything because I haven’t been back to America [.] Those benefits are forever. So, when I get home, that [processing] is what I’ll take care of. It’s for us, mother and daughter; my husband worked hard for it. He did all that. He had a journal. He said that’s what he wanted.)

The comedian is occupied with work at the moment as she recently joined season 4 of ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar,’ alongside appearances for brand endorsements.

Quinto said that keeping herself busy is one of her coping mechanisms after her husband’s death, yet she admitted that she still weeps from time to time.

‘Nalilibang ako, pero minsan, after three days na busy, ganon pa rin; umiiyak pa rin ako. Never na siguro mawawala ‘yon, ‘yung never ka iiyak, pero magpapause kapag busy ako. I think, pinaka masakit mawalan ng asawa, may anak pa kami. Dalawa kaming nakakamiss sa kaniya,’ expressed the comedian.

(I have fun, but sometimes after three days of being busy, I still cry. It will probably never go away, the one where you never cry, but it would pause when I’m busy. I think the most painful thing is losing a husband; we have a child. We both miss him.)

The ‘Booba’ star expressed her gratitude to the people who are there for her and her daughter Athena, whom she shared is dealing with a trauma of her own due to her father’s loss.

‘I just have to be there beside her (Athena). ‘Yung pinakamagagawa ko lang, siyempre, ayusin ko ‘yung sarili ko. Then, ipakita ko sa kaniya yung mga bagay na maganda (The best I can do, of course, is fix myself. Then, I can show her the good things),’ she said.

Quinto previously revealed that Magallanes died in July of natural causes, and no foul play was reported in the autopsy for his sudden death.

Magallanes was a financial analyst and a police officer for the San Francisco Police Department in the U.S. He also worked in the U.S. Air Force before his death. /ra

The passing of Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament Speaker Pangalian Balindong is a ‘tremendous loss’ for the people of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), according to a top presidential aide.

Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo described Balindong as a ‘pillar of the Bangsamoro government’ whose contributions are ‘deeply etched in the history of the region.’

Lagdameo pointed out that the Speaker’s commitment to peace and the welfare of the Bangsamoro people should guide current and future regional leaders. ‘Speaker Balindong’s efforts and legacy must not only be honored but also carried forward by those in leadership. His vision for peace, reform, and development in the Bangsamoro should continue to inspire governance in Barmm,’ Lagdameo said in a statement.

He added that the reforms and initiatives championed by the late Speaker in the Bangsamoro Parliament are foundational to the region’s current peace and progress.

Balindong, who died on October 2 at age 85, left behind a long legacy of public service. He represented Lanao del Sur in Congress, first from 1995 to 1998, and then from 2007 to 2016, and served as a member of the BTA Parliament from 2019 until his death.

He was also a prominent advocate for the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the landmark legislation that established the Barmm.

The United Nations (UN) marks 80 years of its founding in a state of uncertainty with its credibility increasingly in question.

The UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) high-level week was dominated by Palestine and the war in Gaza. This brought into sharp focus the UN’s failure to live up to its core mission and primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. True, it is the big powers who are to blame for the UN’s paralysis in stopping the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. But UN inaction and lack of activist diplomacy on issues of war and peace have left its reputation damaged.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly warned that trust in global institutions is at a breaking point with ailing multilateral organizations in need of urgent reform. The loss of faith in multilateralism, he has said, is because people see ‘broken promises, unmet commitments, double standards, and vast inequalities’.

Although multilateralism has been under stress for, well, over a decade, United States President Donald Trump’s conduct has accelerated this trend and magnified the pressure. US disengagement from the UN is reflected in its exit from the World Health Organization, Unesco, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, and decision to stop funding and withdraw from the Human Rights Council. Trump’s unilateralist actions have also shown contempt for the principles of the UN Charter.

Other big states and regional powers have also played their part by acting in defiance of international law and violating the UN Charter. In a recent essay in The Economist coauthored with Helen Clark, former UNSG Ban Ki-moon wrote: ‘The UN is slipping into dysfunction as some of its traditional champions, notably the United States, retreat from multilateral cooperation, cut funding, and disregard the rule of law when it suits them.’

The contrast could not have been sharper during UNGA’s high-level week. Kicking off the debate, Guterres said the world needed the UN’s ‘unique legitimacy’ and convening power.

Just before he spoke, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said multilateralism is at a new crossroads and lamented the UN’s weakening authority while calling on it to revive its role as a ‘promoter of equality, peace, sustainable development, diversity, and tolerance’.

In fact, the common refrain in speeches at the debate was the UN’s ineffectiveness at a time when it is needed most to deal with multiple challenges.

Beyond these speeches, the widespread view across the world is that the UN has become increasingly irrelevant as it acts as a bystander in wars and crises. If the UN is seen as failing to deliver on its core goal of maintaining international peace and security, the rest of what it does (some of it quite well; say, on the development pillar of its mandate and humanitarian initiatives) fades into insignificance.

That is the Security Council’s responsibility but deadlock and rivalry between the big powers-its five veto-wielding permanent members-prevents the Council from acting. Nothing illustrates this better than the two main wars of the moment in Gaza and Ukraine.

The US has been the obstacle in ending the war Israel imposed on Gaza, exercising the veto six times in the past two years to scotch ceasefire resolutions. This marks a continuity in Washington’s policy which over decades has seen it use the veto 51 times to shield Israel. On Ukraine, Russia has used the veto several times on resolutions against its 2022 invasion. This has left the Security Council completely logjammed.

In any case, what is consequential to the UN’s effectiveness and credibility is reform of the Security Council. What lies at the heart of UN dysfunction is the council’s paralysis. As usual, calls for its reform were heard from world leaders during UNGA. Negotiations have been going on in the UNGA for over 20 years but with little progress except agreement on expanding the Council.

The principal disagreement is between countries that aspire for permanent seats for themselves and others who oppose more permanent members and, instead, propose enlarging the Council by adding more elected, nonpermanent members. This has put the G4-Germany, Japan, India, and Brazil-at odds with the Uniting for Consensus countries led by Italy and including Pakistan.

Even if the impasse is overcome, reform is a complicated process that requires amendment of the UN Charter. This involves the UNGA adopting a resolution by a two-thirds majority, which then has to be ratified by at least two-thirds of the UN membership as well as the P5. This makes reform a remote possibility. It will be up to the UNGA to mount pressure on the big powers to allow the council to function. Unfortunately, the prospect of that too is not bright. The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network