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Gov. Pamela Baricuatro’s proposed P10 to P11 billion budget for 2026 has raised eyebrows, especially since it slashes more than half of this year’s P25-billion allocation. Critics may view the move as a retreat from ambition, but the governor argues it is simply living within Cebu’s means. Provincial revenues average only P10 billion annually, yet past administrations approved ‘bloated’ budgets that looked impressive on paper but strained the province’s finances.

The cut is undeniably huge-around 56 to 60 percent. It breaks from a pattern of ever-increasing budgets under former Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, during which annual appropriations ballooned from P18 billion in 2022 to P23 billion in 2024. Baricuatro calls this trend ‘wishful thinking,’ and instead pushes for realism: balancing spending with actual income.

What does this mean for Cebuanos? Large-scale infrastructure projects may slow down, but hospitals, schools, and nutrition programs stand to gain more. With P1.3 billion earmarked for health-care upgrades and significant funds for disaster readiness and malnutrition reduction, the shift reflects a bet on people rather than prestige. Paying off debts also signals fiscal responsibility-a step toward restoring investor confidence.

Of course, a leaner budget carries risks. Can essential services truly keep up with Cebu’s growing population? And will trimmed infrastructure dampen economic momentum? The answers will depend on how effectively the funds are spent and whether revenues grow in the coming years.

Baricuatro’s proposal is not just about numbers-it’s about trust. Instead of presenting an impressive but unrealistic budget, her administration is offering Cebu a reality check. The challenge now is whether less spending can truly deliver more for the people. The question is: are we ready to trade big promises for sustainable progress?

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to visit on Thursday, the victims of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck waters northeast of Cebu province, Presidential Communications Secretary Dave Gomez said on Wednesday.

In an ambush interview on the sidelines of the House of Representatives’ plenary debates on the proposed 2026 national budget, Gomez was asked if Marcos would visit areas affected by the strong quake on Tuesday night.

In response, Gomez said cabinet officials went ahead to Cebu because Marcos visited victims of Typhoon Opong earlier.

‘Yes, the cabinet secretaries just went ahead of him to ground zero because this morning, the President visited the victims of the typhoon that hit Masbate.’ ‘But it’s highly likely, almost sure, that tomorrow, first thing tomorrow, the President will go to ground zero,’ he added.

According to Gomez, different government agencies like the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have been moving to assist victims of the earthquake.

‘Well, first of all our President sends his sympathies, condolences to those whose relatives died after the strong earthquake in Cebu early this morning, actually the President immediately directed the entire cabinet, especially the frontline cabinet secretaries, to visit Cebu, or send their personnel to Cebu so that they can conduct damage assessment and determine the needs of the people there,’ he said.

‘Our cabinet secretaries quickly responded and they have their own recommendations and directives that our President acted upon, first of all of course is for OCD and our Bureau of Fire Protection to visit the area and help in conducting rescue and relief operations, our PNP is also there to ensure the peace and order situation,’ he added.

Gomez said health workers from the Department of Health were also sent to the affected areas, while both the Department of Energy and the Department of Trade and Industry have enforced a price freeze on fuel and electricity and on food and basic products, respectively, to avoid price manipulation.

Late Tuesday night, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck waters northeast of Bogo, Cebu, damaging heritage churches and other structures, and knocking out power in parts of the central Philippines.

In Bogo, at least 27 people have been confirmed dead according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

As of posting time, the OCD said the death toll may be as high as at least 60 individuals. Initially, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) measured the quake at magnitude 6.7 before upgrading it to a 6.9. The movement was tectonic in nature, and was recorded at a shallow depth of five kilometers below the ground.

Phivolcs then warned of a possible ‘minor sea-level disturbance’ and urged residents of Leyte, Cebu and Biliran to stay away from the coast. The warning was eventually lifted.

Earlier, House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III said the House leadership is also discussing with district representatives how assistance can be provided for residents in quake-stricken areas.

A tech-billionaire who eventually became a government envoy, Maynard Ngu is now in the middle of a scandal regarding irregularities in flood control and other infrastructure projects.

Ngu, a businessman, has been linked to the issue last week, Sept. 25, with former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo alleging that he is the ‘bagman’ of Sen. Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, who was ousted as Senate President on Sept. 8.

As Bernardo pointed out in his testimony and affidavit, Ngu had asked him to submit a list of projects, which are to be funded through insertions in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Bernardo also testified under oath at the Senate blue ribbon committee that he personally met with Escudero twice at Cork, a high end wine bar in BGC.

At the first meeting with Escudero, Bernardo said the senator told him in Filipino: ‘I know the goings on in your department, tell your boss (the DPWH chief) to give me projects. (Alam ko ang kalakaran sa departmento mo sabihin mo kay sec na magbaba sa akin).’

The second meeting, also in Cork, with Escudero, Bernardo testified, came after the delivery of the supposed kickback from the projects that were inserted in the GAA. ‘Thank you,’ Bernardo quoted Escudero as telling him while shaking his hands.

The former official of the Department of Public Works and Highways said he had given Ngu the list and asked how they would proceed, revealing that they eventually agreed on a 20 percent kickback.

Bernardo stated that after the inclusion of the projects in the GAA, he delivered 20 percent of an estimated P800 million, or about P160 million, to Ngu, claiming that it was meant for Escudero.

Escudero denied the allegation.

‘I vehemently deny the malicious allegations and innuendos made by former DPWH Usec. Roberto Bernardo in today’s Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. By his own admission, he never had any contact with me directly regarding this matter – and I will prove that he is lying about my alleged involvement,’ he said.

Escudero did not mention Bernardo’s testimony about meeting him in person in Cork.

Ngu had donated P30 million to Escudero’s campaign in 2022, becoming the second government contractor who made a donation for Escudero.

Based on the investigation conducted by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Ngu is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Cosmic Technologies Inc., a contractor of the Department of Education.

This, even when campaign donations from ‘natural and juridical persons who hold contracts or subcontracts to supply the government [.] with goods or services or to perform construction or other works’ are prohibited by law.

As the CEO of the company behind the local cellphone brand Cherry Mobile, Ngu likewise donated cellphones worth P1 million to the campaign of Sen. Robin Padilla in 2022, the PCIJ said in a report published on Sept. 18.

RELATED STORY: The Discaya bombshell: Real reckoning or political cover-up?

He is also a co-owner of Cork Wine Bar and Shop, where Escudero and his wife, actress Heart Evangelista celebrated their marriage renewal last year.

Based on the account of Bernardo, it was at the bar where he met with Escudero in 2023, as instructed by Ngu.

‘I met with the latter (Escudero) in a private room at the said establishment. While we were drinking wine, he told me: ‘Alam ko naman ang galawan niyo diyan sa DPWH. Okay naman ako. Sabihin mo kay Sec (Manuel Bonoan) magbaba sa akin,’ he said.

Another meeting in Cork came where Escudero said ‘thank you,’ according to Bernarfo’s testimony.

It was in the same year when Ngu was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as special envoy to China for trade, investment and tourism.

Ngu, on Monday, Sept. 29, resigned from his post as independent director at Altus Property Ventures Inc.

Maynilad Water Services Inc. has cut the maximum offer price for its initial public offering (IPO) to P15 per share from P20 per share after locking in cornerstone investors.

This values the prospective equity deal at P34.33 billion at the most, down from P45.8 billion previously.

It follows the commitment of International Finance Corp. and Asian Development Bank to invest up to $245 million in the concessionaire’s IPO. Maynilad president Ramoncito Fernandez confirmed there were other cornerstone investors, although he stayed mum on the details.

Offer period

Maynilad will announce its final offer price on Oct. 20.

The offer period will run from Oct. 23 to Oct. 29. The shares will be listed on the main board of the Philippine Stock Exchange on or before Nov. 7 under the ticker ‘MYNLD.’

This is the second time that Maynilad has adjusted its IPO timetable, citing the need to give investors more time to assess the company’s business model in order for them to make ‘informed investment decisions.’

The West Zone concessionaire is required to offer to the public at least 30 percent of its outstanding capital stock on or before January 2027 as part of its agreement with the government. /dda

After my recent lectures in Canberra and Sydney, some remarked in jest, that I would be at a loss because Jose Rizal did not visit Australia. Rizal is not the end-all of my research, and I find Filipiniana everywhere. At the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, dedicated to casualties from World War I to more recent wars where Australians acted as peacekeeping forces, I found, etched in stone in one of the cloisters, the name ‘Philippines.’ Aussies died in the Philippines in World War II. In a Salvation Army store in Sydney, in search of a lost Amorsolo, I found a 1950s doll in Filipiniana attire. A female figure in a floral terno made me presume that it originally came as a pair, but the man in the barong tagalog was missing.

Before I left Manila, I went over the online catalog of the National Library of Australia (NLA). I looked up the papers of the pioneering prehistorian of the Philippines, H. Otley Beyer, who gave generations of Filipinos the now-outdated ‘Waves of Migration Theory.’ Beyer dated the Banaue Rice Terraces at over 2,000 years old, later corrected by Dr. Stephen Acabado, whose research gives an approximate date of about four centuries, or within the early Spanish period. Even though outdated, Beyer remains of interest to me because of the mountain of research he collected. He left 195 volumes of typescripts (mostly term papers of his UP students), mainly ethnographies from various parts of the Philippines, which provide a window into life in the early 20th century, and the changes brought into Philippine society by the American occupation. I have read and written columns using these papers on the balut industry in Pateros and the shoe industry in Marikina.

Acquired by the Australian National University in 1972, the collection also contains maps, photographs, and various publications now rare. While the Beyer ethnographic series is available in microfilm from the National Library of the Philippines and the UP Main Library, there is no substitute for actually handling the original materials. This is a personal sacrifice on my part, not just for time and effort, but because I am allergic to book dust. Can you imagine a historian allergic to the very source of his livelihood?

On my first day in the library, I asked to consult the microfilm, but the librarian suggested it was better and faster for me to consult the original documents. The boxes I requested took longer than usual to be retrieved from storage, and when the librarians checked on the online database, they gasped, ‘This is a rather large collection.’ I told them a lot of the material had been lost during the war, and during the various times the collection was moved from one place to another. Part of Beyer’s collection of prehistoric stone implements and tektites was dispersed, and I saw some in antique stores in the 1980s. I had to return the next day to see the boxes.

While waiting for my Beyer material to be retrieved from storage, I searched the online catalog and looked up the papers of Alexander Dalrymple, who was in Manila during the British occupation from 1762 to 1764. From his letters, there was nothing on Manila or the Philippines, so I requested the auction catalog of Dalrymple’s ‘extensive and valuable library of books.’ These were sold piece by piece in London from May 29, 1809, in a sale that ran for almost a month. On the first day alone, manuscript dictionaries of Tagalog and Kapampangan were sold. Two copies of the printed 1732 edition of the Augustinian Diego de Bergaño’s ‘Bocabulario de Pampango en Romace’ were sold on the first and second days of the auction. On the fifth day, a ‘Vocabulario de la Lengua Bisaia’ from 1637 went on the block. The NLA had three copies of the auction catalog, and I made the mistake of asking for the copy with penciled notes that turned out to be incomplete.

I hope to return another time to request the complete set because on the 27th day of the auction, ‘Unpublished Manuscripts’ were sold. One section of these was devoted to items ‘Brought from Manilla’ or rather part of the British pillage of Manila. From this list alone, I would want to see: ‘Various Letters,’ the ‘Bucabula Rio (sic) Visaya,’ a dictionary of Visaya; the ‘Iventarium Generale Libros Conventio Manilensis Philippinarum,’ or the inventory of San Agustin Church in Intramuros; the ‘Libro de Gouverno,’ or papers on the term of Hurtado (de Corcuera), governor general of the Philippines from 1635 to 1644; ‘Vocabulario Tagalo Español,’ a dictionary compiled by a certain ‘Hortez’ in 1726; ‘Papeles de Taagolos (sic)’ or Papers on Tagalogs in three volumes; and 20 bundles simply marked ‘Varios,’ or various papers. Finally, a bundle of various manuscripts that are described as, ‘from Manilla, very curious.’

These materials have been lying in plain sight, scattered in libraries throughout the world. Many have been located, digitized, and made available on the 1762 Archive website. Old materials that will provide new histories from younger historians.

It may look like a huge win, but coach Yuri Escueta thinks San Beda’s first victory in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament wasn’t a statement.

Escueta downplayed the victory even though it came at the expense of last season’s runner-up, College of St. Benilde, 96-85.

‘I have to give it to my players but this is still a long season,’ he said after their opener on Wednesday.

‘One win doesn’t bring you to the playoffs, one loss doesn’t end your season but this is a welcoming win for us. A very important win for our team’s confidence.’

The Red Lions began their young season with a 1-0 record thanks to Bryan Sajonia, who finished with 16 points and three steals.

Helping Sajonia on offense were Agjanti Miller, Jimuel Reyes and Yukien Andrada, who finished with 16, 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Justine Sanchez paced St. Benilde with a game-high 24 points. Reigning MVP Allen Liwag finished with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort.

Escueta’s point about the grind ahead was underscored by San Beda’s next matchup: a rivalry clash against Letran on Sunday at San Juan Arena.

Mayor Greg Gasataya has suspended in-person classes at all levels in both public and private schools, as well as work in government offices in Bacolod City today, October 1, following a massive earthquake that rocked the Visayas Tuesday night.

Several other town and city mayors in Negros Occidental issued similar orders to allow for structural safety assessments of school and government buildings.

The magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 21 kilometers northeast of Bogo City, Cebu, at 9:59 p.m. on Tuesday, September 30, and was felt across Bacolod City and Negros Occidental at varying intensities.

Gasataya said the suspension of classes and government work was based on the recommendation of the Bacolod Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. The earthquake was felt at Intensity 5 in the city.

Schools are encouraged to shift to synchronous and alternative modes of online learning, he added.

Work in government offices is suspended, except for offices providing basic, vital, and health services, as well as those performing preparedness and response functions.

Private establishments and offices are strongly encouraged to conduct a Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis to safeguard their employees, he said.

The earthquake also triggered blackouts in some parts of Bacolod City Tuesday night. Negros Electric and Power Corp. reported that the Bacolod-Reclamation 69KV Transmission Line tripped, resulting in power interruptions.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported that the earthquake was felt at intensities ranging from I to VI across various parts of Negros Occidental:

Intensity VI: Murcia and Manapla

Intensity V: Bacolod City, Calatrava, Himamaylan City, Hinigaran, Moises Padilla, San Carlos, Toboso, and Talisay City

Intensity IV: Bago City, Cadiz City, Cauayan, Ilog, Kabankalan City, La Castellana, Pontevedra, and parts of Binalbagan

Intensity III: Parts of Binalbagan

Intensity I: Hinoba-an and Sipalay City

Towns and cities that suspended both classes and government work include Binalbagan and Isabela.

Others that suspended classes only were Bago City, Escalante City, Sagay City, Toboso, EB Magalona, Kabankalan City, Victorias City, and Isabela./mcm

Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon has instructed building officials and municipal engineers of areas affected by the Cebu earthquake to conduct assessment on buildings under their jurisdiction.

Dizon issued this memorandum on Wednesday as he personally visited Bogo City in Cebu, the epicenter of the earthquake, to assess the situation, especially for roads and establishments that were damaged. ‘The president said that we should start with the most immediate needs of relief, clearing of roads, and make sure everything is okay, then we will just move from there,’ Dizon said in an interview.

The building officials and their respective offices are ordered to ‘immediately conduct rapid assessment, inspection, verification, and structural evaluation on all affected buildings/structures within their respective jurisdiction, in coordination with stakeholders and government agencies, to assess the extent of the damage to buildings and structures.’

With this, Dizon instructed the submission of a detailed report on the findings within 15 days.

The building officers and municipal engineers are also directed to ‘coordinate with the relevant government agencies and provide any necessary assistance in accordance with their mandate, including expediting the permitting process and releasing the corresponding permits for the necessary works to rectify the damage to the affected buildings/structures.’ The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology initially measured the earthquake’s magnitude at 6.7 before upgrading it to 6.9. The earthquake occurred at 9:59 p.m. with its epicenter located 21 kilometers northeast of Bogo City in Cebu.

According to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), at least 69 individuals reportedly died from the strong earthquake as authorities intensified its rescue operations.

OCD Assistant Secretary Rafael Alejandro IV said that 30 fatalities came from Bogo City, followed by 22 in San Remigio town; 10 in Medellin town; five in Tagogon town; and one each in the municipalities of Sogod and Tabuelan. Meanwhile, 147 individuals were injured, with 117 coming from Bogo, followed by San Francisco town with 14, Tabuelan and Catmon with five each, and four in Daanbantayan.

Factory activity in the Philippines slipped into contraction in September, underscoring a rare postpandemic setback for the country’s manufacturers.

The Purchasing Managers’ Index, a widely tracked gauge of manufacturing health, fell to 49.9 last month from 50.8 in August, SandP Global said on Wednesday.

A reading below 50 signals a decline in activity.

The drop was ‘highly unusual’ in the sector’s post-pandemic trajectory, SandP noted, citing a renewed-though modest-fall in new orders.

Sales slipped for the first time in half a year, as firms pointed to weaker demand and fewer customers. /dda

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) adopted blockchain technology in its budget release system, marking one of the first large-scale government implementations of its kind in Asia.

In partnership with BayaniChain and ExakIT Services, the DBM this quarter launched a platform that logs Special Allotment Release Orders and Notices of Cash Allocation on the Polygon blockchain.

The portal, accessible at blockchain.dbm.gov.ph, makes entries tamper-proof while allowing the public to verify how funds are authorized and released, BayaniChain said in a statement. The system is designed to bolster transparency, security, and public trust in fiscal management, it added.

BayaniChain CEO Paul Soliman said the project highlights how blockchain and artificial intelligence can ‘help institutions safeguard critical processes and deliver lasting value to their stakeholders.’ /dda