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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.

From Mexico City to Manila, the United Kingdom to the United States, Taylor Swift fans hooted, sobbed happy tears and danced their way through the pop star’s latest album release, ‘The Life of a Showgirl.’

Swift’s 12th studio offering dropped Friday, and her Swifties were more than ready for it. Many were dripping in the color orange to usher in her latest era at gatherings around the world. Some closed their eyes to take in the fresh dozen tracks amid the chaotic crowds around them.

José María Bastida, a writer, rocked an orange sequin tuxedo jacket at a watch party in a Mexico City restaurant serving Swift-themed cocktails, including a tequila heavy ‘Ophelia’s Juice’ and a liquored up ‘Showgirl Slushy.’

‘I feel like it’s super experimental,’ he said of the album, ‘because it’s supposed to bring a lot of new stuff and we haven’t seen that more sexy side of Taylor Swift.’

Fans snatch up ‘Showgirl’ in all its variants

In Los Angeles, the fervent lined up at midnight at a Target to snap up the new music on vinyl and CD. Maria-Elena Garcia rented a hotel room and drove in from Santa Barbara. ‘I like a lot of her values and like we have a lot similar values. For example, cats,’ she said.

In theaters, Swift is schooling AMC on how to treat her fans. The theater chain has granted special permission for moviegoers to sing and dance their way through screenings of ‘The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,’ in select theaters for the weekend only. The film is screening around the world. Added bonus: No trailers beforehand.

Fiona Cela, 11, in London woke up at 4:30 a.m. to listen to the album. She then headed out with her mother to the studios of Global’s Capital radio, hoping for a glimpse of Swift as she gave an interview there. On her agenda after that: school.

‘Taylor as a person is just super kind and loving,’ she said, her wrists stacked with Swift-themed friendship bracelets. ‘Her music is so inspiring.’

Swifties celebrate at a special pub

At the Black Dog pub in London, thought to be the location for Swift’s song ‘Black Dog’ from her last album, vacationing American Natalie Richmond, 43, showed up to mark the occasion. Her two Swiftie daughters woke her up extra early to listen to the album.

‘We actually lived in Nashville early on so we’ve been following her ever since she began,’ Richmond said. ‘She’s relatable. She’s the person that everybody wants to be friends with. We all listen to her music and think I’d love to go out and hang out with her.’

Longtime Swiftie Helen Brabant-Bleakley showed up at the Black Dog to mark her 30th birthday, wearing a teal sash with gold lettering that read: ‘The Life of a Birthday Girl.’

‘My good friend Taylor Swift gave me the best present ever by dropping a new album,’ she said, noting she’s already picked a couple of favorite cuts from the album: ‘Father Figure’ and ‘Elizabeth Taylor.’

Drag queens lip-sync Swift as hundreds cheer

A Manila mall went full Swift with a drag show, games, raffles and performers. Hundreds of screaming fans dressed in showgirl gear braved rain to celebrate at an outdoor amphitheater.

Among them was Cyril Aviguetero, 18. With a red showgirl head piece complementing his outfit, he was most excited about Track 7, ‘Actually Romantic.’ Asked why, he mused: ‘I’m not sure, but I’m also trying to find what’s actually romantic in my life,’ he said.

Other Swift events were held around the Philippines.

Kansas City’s Union Station was lit up in orange and teal in celebration. Musician Chloe Rose entertained Swift fans with four hours of covers at a spot there ahead of the release as the crowd made friendship bracelets and sipped on themed cocktails.

Number balloons for ’12’ floated around as Rose sang and played guitar and keyboards. Fan Tara Pickarell showed up but chose solitude to later take in the new work. ‘I have to be in my own space to listen to it. I need my own little bubble.’

Pickarell is happy the album is pop heavy.

‘I do like her slower songs, but I’m excited to get back to like 1989 ‘Reputation’ vibes,’ she said.

Showgirl pop-up draws lines for photos with props

In New York, hundreds of fans lined up to walk through a three-day Spotify pop-up offering five showgirl-themed rooms. They took photos with feathery boas and other props.

‘I feel like there’s so few moments like this where you actually get to connect with other fans,’ said Ali Meehan. ‘Like we all kind of listen in our rooms, alone in our houses.’

This time around, Swift includes abundant nods to fiancé Travis Kelce amid the glitz, glamour and Las Vegas lechery of it all. This Swift isn’t waiting in the wings, and she’s definitely not holed up alone.

‘This is so different from the last album, but in a really good way,’ said Hannah Zuckerbraun, a fan in a Swift T-shirt among Target-goers in Los Angeles. ‘Like, it’s a lot happier sounding. I feel like it’s perfect and upbeat.’

Electricity has slowly returned in Masbate province a week after it was battered by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Opong’ (international name: Bualoi).

A report from the Office of Civil Defense in Bicol (OCD 5) said that as of Saturday, October 4, power was restored to 85 percent of Masbate City, the provincial capital, but many areas in the province still have no electricity.

OCD Bicol Director Claudio Yucot said in a Viber message to the Inquirer that power restoration efforts were in full swing.

‘The Department of Energy’s Task Force Kapatid, with 30 teams, is on the ground to reinstall or erect 1,178 electric posts toppled by Opong,’ he said.

He said thousands of evacuees still staying in temporary shelters were also being assisted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which is providing food packs.

In a radio interview over DZRH, Governor Richard Kho said on Saturday the province’s most urgent needs are potable water and electricity, but these are now being addressed with help from various government agencies.

‘We can’t say the exact date when power will be (fully) restored, but rest assured, all efforts are being exerted to speed up the process,’ Kho said.

Yucot added that all major roads in Masbate have been cleared of debris and are now passable to all vehicles.

The province, which has a population of 908,920 (2020 census) spread in one city and 20 municipalities, was hit hard by ‘Opong,’ which made two landfalls in the province early on September 26, hours after its first landfall in Policarpio, Eastern Samar at 11:30 p.m. on September 25.

Classes in all levels remained suspended in the province since as many as 600 classrooms were destroyed by the storm, affecting some 30,000 learners, the Department of Education in Bicol region earlier said.

Local authorities were still determining the total cost of damage to properties, agriculture and government facilities and infrastructure