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Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon urged the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to look into the personalities linked to the anomalous flood-control projects during the Senate and House investigations, following the resignation of Senator Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson as chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee.

‘The departure of Senator Lacson from the Blue Ribbon Committee should now compel the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to conduct a broad, unrelenting and open sweep of all individuals named in both Senate and House hearings, to determine with precision their respective liabilities, and to recommend the filing of appropriate charges,’ Ridon said in a statement on Sunday. According to Ridon, Lacson’s leadership in the said committee ‘yielded the most consequential testimonies and evidence’ compared to all the subsequent hearings on the alleged flood-control anomalies, particularly from the affidavits of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials.

He cited that the testimonies of ex-DPWH District Engineer Henry Alcantara, ex-DPWH Undersecretary Robert Bernardo, and ex-DPWH Assistant District Engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza all revealed before the Senate that contractors, DPWH officials, legislators and executive officials are involved in the controversy.

‘Senator Lacson’s Blue Ribbon Committee hearings exposed not only members of Congress as principal participants in the capture of the national budget at every stage of the budget process but also the involvement of executive officials, particularly in the capture of unprogrammed appropriations, which fall solely within the authority of the executive branch,’ Ridon declared. Apart from his wishes that the ICI would call on all the individuals named during the hearings, he also asked for the committee to publicize its investigation.

‘ICI should open its proceedings to the public, establish rules on when proceedings may be held in executive session,’ Ridon told the Inquirer.

Ridon also wished Lacson well, adding that he is sure the senator ‘will continue to pursue his advocacies for good governance and accountability in whatever capacity he chooses in the future.’

Lacson stepped down as the chair of the blue ribbon committee on Sunday following criticisms from his fellow Senators that the probe into the anomalous flood-control projects was not being handled properly. /mr

For a second time, Annabelle McDonnell is representing the Philippines in the international arena, as she receives her official sash bearing her country’s name for The Miss Globe 2025 pageant.

At the ‘sashing ceremony held in Albania on Oct. 4 (Oct. 5 in Manila), the delegates received their official sashes from reigning queen Diana Moreno.

McDonnell, who had previously competed in the inaugural Miss Charm pageant in 2023, has earned the right to compete in The Miss Globe 2025 pageant after winning in the recent Binibining Pilipinas competition.

Her first International pageant was a surprise appointment that came after she finished as first runner-up in the 2022 Miss Universe Philippines pageant.

McDonnell took over the Miss Charm Philippines title after Ashley Subijano Montenegro abdicated the throne to seek another national title. She finished second overall in the international pageant.

The Bb. Pilipinas queen appeared at The Miss Globe’s sashing ceremony in a white Renee Salud gown, with a matching cape that draped over her arms.

‘Some snaps from last night [stars emoji]. did you know we’re going on a road trip outside of Tirana for this year’s edition of [The Miss Globe]?’ McDonnell said when she posted her photos on social media.

She hopes to win the title four years after Maureen Montagne brought home the crown in 2021. Ann Colis was the first Bb. Pilipinas beauty to win in the international pageant’s current iteration. She received the crown in 2015.

The Miss Globe 2025 finale show will be held in Tirana, Albania, on Oct. 15 (Oct. 16 in Manila). Montagne will be one of the hosts of the ceremonies. /ra

The long and winding 50th season of the PBA tips off Sunday with the opening of the centerpiece Philippine Cup at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

And there will be a lot of burning questions that will seek answers. Except maybe one. June Mar Fajardo is expected to take home a ninth MVP trophy, an incredible and unprecedented number considering that no one else has won more than four-and that the well-liked San Miguel Beer center didn’t set out on this path in the first place.

‘Who would have thought?’ Fajardo said in Filipino. ‘I was never a huge basketball fan [when I was younger], but here I am possibly winning another MVP.’

Everything else about the season will be answered as the games proceed. Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia, who will square off at 7:30 p.m. following the Leo Awards and the traditional opening ceremonies, will try to shed light on some of those mysteries that will hover over the golden season set to run until December 2026 with the usual three-conference format.

Ginebra’s Tim Cone and Magnolia rookie coach LA Tenorio are looking to end their respective teams’ title droughts, among the subplots going into the longest season that the league has ever had.

Winning a championship right away seems to be the least of Tenorio’s concerns.

‘The team is learning and I’m also learning,’ Tenorio told the Inquirer recently. ‘I still have a lot of things that I need to know and I think the comfortability [as a head coach] will come in if I know my players are ready and well-prepared. And that’s my job.’ The Gin Kings and Hotshots are two of the biggest threats to the Philippine Cup reign of their other sister team, San Miguel, who are hell-bent on extending their dominance in the PBA’s centerpiece event.

The Beermen and Fajardo will have a lot of help in CJ Perez and Jericho Cruz while rookie Chris Miller, who is 34, may show up as a potential steal the way he’s played in tune-up games.

The Beermen foiled the Grand Slam bid of TNT, which is eager to go back to its winning ways with a healthy roster and some new additions that included pesky guard Jio Jalalon, who joined the Tropang Giga as an unrestricted free agent on Saturday.

There’s plenty of talk that Converge may spoil the SMC-MVP party following the arrival of rookie Juan Gomez de Liaño, while its fellow independent team Rain or Shine may do so if it can get over the hump of four successive semifinal exits with free agent pickup Stanley Pringle.

Meralco aims for a repeat of its 2024 Philippine Cup title run, NLEX seems hungry to rebound from a near semis appearance, while Blackwater may sneak into the playoffs with the selection of rookie guard Dalph Panopio.

Titan Ultra, the new kids on the block, look to go through some growing pains even as a young Phoenix squad hopes to get some wins under rookie coach Willy Wilson.

Another rookie coach, Ronald Tubid, tries to defy low expectations of a ragtag Terrafirma team while it awaits the arrival of No. 1 overall pick Geo Chiu later in the conference, at the earliest.

Beauty queens and the stars of the Premier Volleyball League were among the muses for the opening of the PBA’s 50th season on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Ahtisa Manalo, who will represent the country in this year’s Miss Universe, served as muse of Magnolia during the traditional ‘palabas’ that drew some famous names from the entertainment industry. Last year’s Miss Universe bet Chelsea Manalo represented Meralco while actress Sue Ramirez was back for the same duty, this time for crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra.

Ramirez previously was the muse of TNT in the 2022 opener at the same venue.

PVL On Tour and Invitational champion PLDT had Mika Reyes, Jessy de Leon, Majoy Baron, Savi Davidson and Kianna Dy on hand for PBA, even as Chery Tiggo standout Pauline Gaston was the muse of Phoenix. Other participants were Miss Universe Philippines contestants Chelsea Fernandez for Blackwater and Eloisa Jaud for Terrafirma, reigning Miss International Philippines Myrna Esguerra and Mutya ng Kapampangan 2023 Salma Emam for Converge.

NLEX had beauty queen and actress Pearl Gonzales, Rain or Shine tapped content creator Pattie Paraiso and defending Philippine Cup titleholder San Miguel Beer was joined by Caroline Eyer.

Among the artists who entertained the crowd were Randy Santiago, Jett Pangan, Mitoy and Mike Hanopol while Jamie Lim and Almira Teng hosted the ceremonial rites.

Lim, daughter of the late great Samboy Lim, was San Miguel’s muse in last year’s opening ceremonies.

The magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Bogo City, Cebu, a few days ago reminds us of the fragility of human-made structures when tested by nature’s force. Age-old churches, modern malls-everything can collapse in seconds. We are taught, again and again, that while disasters may be natural in origin, their consequences are largely shaped by the society in which we live.

That same truth applies to our politics. The earthquake is an apt metaphor for the destructive reckoning triggered by the exposé of massive corruption in flood control projects. Reputations hastily built on tainted money and instant power crumble quickly. And the collapse rarely stops with the principal actors. It spreads, dragging with it institutions, public figures, and communities once thought unbreakable.

In the age of unvetted social media and AI-fabricated images, there is almost no limit to who or what can be tarnished. We saw this in Obando, Bulacan, where a parish council, fearful of being stigmatized, hurriedly returned a pickup truck donated by former district engineer Henry Alcantara once it became clear that the patron is at the center of the nation’s biggest plunder of public works funds. A truck is easy to give back. But what if it was an entire church built with funds from donors now facing corruption charges? How does one return a whole building?

The pursuit of legitimacy takes many forms. The other day I saw a digital card purporting to document the 25th-wedding-anniversary renewal of vows of former congressman Zaldy Co and his wife at the Vatican. The inclusion of a photo showing Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle with the couple seemed designed to smear the Cardinal and cast doubt on the Church’s moral authority by linking him to a lavish celebration. Guests were supposedly flown in from Manila and billeted at an expensive hotel, all paid for by the now disgraced Co. I found no report of this event in mainstream outlets or credible databases, so the post may well be fake. But, fake or real, such posts can target anyone of Tagle’s stature, especially since he is based in Rome and known to welcome kababayans seeking his blessing.

Pierre Bourdieu’s sociology helps us see why reputations founded primarily on money are so brittle. Unlike old wealth, which has had time to distance itself from its sometimes questionable origins, new fortunes rush to buy legitimacy. The usual route is predictable: run for office or bankroll campaigns; join elite clubs and gated enclaves; show up at high-profile weddings; send children to exclusive schools; bankroll cultural events. Over time, these investments in economic, social, and cultural capital may yield what Bourdieu calls ‘symbolic capital’-the good name, honor, and legitimacy conferred by society’s gatekeepers: the Church, the state, universities, and award-giving bodies.

But symbolic capital is perception-based. It evaporates once the public sees the money behind it is dirty. Respectability borrowed from bishops, award-giving foundations, or universities (that dispense honorary degrees in exchange for buildings or endowments) vanishes overnight when their complicity is exposed. That is why corruption scandals, especially in highly unequal societies like ours, are so destabilizing. They strip away the aura of legitimacy, laying bare the inequalities and collusions that sustain the entire rotten system.

The flood control scandal has not only sparked outrage at the plunder itself. It has unleashed a broader questioning of political power and wealth. On social media, images proliferate that mock and expose the pretensions of the powerful. What is striking is that this anger comes from all sides-not just the left. That makes its subversive power unprecedented.

This reckoning could unravel more than the corruption of government. It could expose the complicity of the banks that laundered the money, the media that muted criticism, the churches that blessed dubious donations, and the courts that looked the other way. A comprehensive crisis of institutional credibility is unfolding in front of us, even before we can clearly formulate the alternative.

Such a crisis can easily spiral into recriminations and mistrust. But it may also spawn an ethical counterculture durable enough to sustain a new social movement-one that demands an overhaul of our political and economic systems, and transforms the way we produce and distribute wealth, the way we educate the young, and the way we care for our communities and the natural environment.

Earthquakes leave behind ruins but they also open space for rebuilding. The question is whether this powerful quake in our political life will leave us trapped in the rubble of our discontent, or give us the courage and determination to build anew.

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck off Bogo City in Cebu on Sunday morning, according to the state seismology bureau.

In its earthquake bulletin, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that the epicenter of the earthquake was located 14 kilometers east of Bogo City in Cebu.

The Phivolcs added that the earthquake was tectonic in origin and had a depth of 10 kilometers. It also said that Reported Intensity II was recorded in Daanbantayan, Cebu while Instrumental Intensity I was measured in Villaba, Leyte, Abuyog, and Carigara in Leyte. The agency also noted that the earthquake was an aftershock of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit the city last September 30. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Sunday reported 71 deaths from the strong quake.

Meanwhile, the agency said that no damage to property and aftershocks were expected from the magnitude 4.4 earthquake.

Tuesday Vargas expressed her dismay after she was accused of allegedly ignoring requests for photos during a Hong Kong trip, reiterating that the claim was ‘made up’ to make her look bad.

Vargas took to her Facebook page on Saturday, Oct. 4, to voice out her concerns about an unnamed netizen who accused her of being a ‘total b****’ on Reddit, after the actress-comedian allegedly ignored photo requests at Hong Kong Disneyland.

‘Bakit po may mga ganitong tao sa mundo? Lahat po ng nag ask nicely sa akin ay pinagbigyan ko po magpa picture. Nakaka lungkot po na may ganitong mapag gawa ng kwento (Why do these kinds of people exist? I entertain photo requests from people who ask me nicely. It makes me sad to see that people would make up such stories),’ she said, claiming that the netizen made up stories about her.

Vargas also clarified that if ever she passed up someone’s photo request, it might have been due to factors beyond her control. ‘Kung nalampasan ko po kayo, napaka daming tao at napaka init po noong araw na yon.’

‘Wala akong maalala na nang irap ako at nag taray sa kahit sinong MAAYOS akong nilapitan at nagpa picture,’ she continued. ‘Please lang po, huwag naman po tayong ganyan. Nakaka sakit po kayo ng damdamin.’

(If I passed you by, there were a lot of people, and it was very hot at the time. I don’t remember rolling my eyes at someone and becoming mean to them, no matter how many times people would approach me for photos. Please don’t be like this. It hurts my feelings.)

In separate posts, Vargas shared screenshots of comments from netizens defending her, saying the ordeal has been ‘overwhelming.’ She also hoped to find the person behind the false claims that were made against her.

‘Kung maayos na nag sabi, lumalapit nang naka ngiti at hindi demanding o entitled, bakit naman hindi pag bibigyan magpa picture? Sana alam ko kung sino ka na naninira sa akin para pwede tayong mag harap at nang masabi ko sa iyo na kahit kelan ay hindi ako madamot sa oras ko at sa mga taga hanga ko. Kung talagang matapang ka ay sana sinabi mo sa akin doon mismo ang saloobin mo at di ka naka tago sa Reddit,’ she said.

(If you say things nicely, approach me while smiling without being demanding or entitled, why should I not entertain your photo requests? I wish I knew who you were so I could tell you face to face that I don’t deprive people of my time. If you’re brave enough to make these claims, tell it to me face to face and don’t hide behind your Reddit profile.

June Mar Fajardo captured a record-extending ninth Most Valuable Player award which he received in Sunday’s PBA Leo Awards at Novotel Manila in Cubao, Quezon City.

The San Miguel Beer star garnered 3,041 points compiled through statistics and votes from the media and players to beat out NLEX’s Robert Bolick and former NorthPort gunner Arvin Tolentino for the league’s most prestigious honor. June Mar Fajardo receives his record-extending ninth PBA Most Valuable Player during the Leo Awards @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/kRlwKKaVkr Bolick was second in the race with 1,914 points followed by Tolentino with 1,901.

Fajardo, Bolick and Tolentino also secured membership to the Mythical First Team alongside San Miguel’s CJ Perez and TNT’s Calvin Oftana.

Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson and Japeth Aguilar, Magnolia’s Zavier Lucero, Converge’s Justin Arana and TNT’s RR Pogoy. June Mar Fajardo and Ramon Fernandez pose for photos after the PBA Leo Awards at Novotel Manila @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/tyF7M5gHVS

– Jonas Terrado (@jonasterradoINQ) October 5, 2025

Fajardo was also included in the All-Defensive Team with Lucero, Ginebra’s Stephen Holt, NorthPort’s Joshua Munzon and TNT’s Glenn Khobuntin.

Other winners were Ginebra’s RJ Abarrientos as the Rookie of the Year, Munzon as the Most Improved Player and Rain or Shine’s Gian Mamuyac, who won the Sportsmanship Award.

Fajardo has more than doubled the MVP awards each won by Alvin Patrimonio and Ramon Fernandez, who was on hand to witness the event.

A church in Bantayan, Cebu is celebrating Mass outdoors after the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit the province last Tuesday heavily damaged a portion of the church.

In an advisory, the Parroquia de San Pedro Apostol Bantayan said this was due to the declaration of building safety experts that ‘it is not yet safe to enter the inside of the church.’

‘The schedule of our Masses will remain the same as usual. We kindly ask that, if possible, you bring your own chairs or benches and umbrellas for your comfort and protection from the sun or rain,’ the church said. The church also shared that a team of experts, composed of engineers, architects, and preservation personnel from the International Council on Monuments and Sites and University of San Carlos Conservation and Heritage Research Institute for Society and its History, have assessed the condition of the church building.

‘Their visit is a vital step in determining the extent of the damage caused by the recent earthquake and in guiding us toward the proper restoration measures. With their expertise, we hope to preserve not only the structural integrity of the church but also the heritage and faith it represents for our community,’ it added.

With this, the church reminded the public to refrain from going near the church, crossing the yellow tape, and collecting debris from the damaged portion of the building. The church said the debris ‘will be preserved and used for future restoration.’ The church also said that a team from the National Historic Commission of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts will conduct their evaluation of the church building on Sunday.

As of Saturday, 8 p.m., the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the strong earthquake generated 5,540 aftershocks, with magnitude ranging from 1.0 to 5.1. Of these, 24 were felt while 1,083 were plotted.

In its latest report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that the 71 deaths, along with 559 injuries are up for validation. Meanwhile, no individuals were reported missing.

In the twilight of the 19th century, José Rizal penned ‘Noli Me Tangere’ and ‘El Filibusterismo,’ novels that exposed the moral decay and institutional corruption of the Spanish colonial rule.

His words were razor-sharp, dissecting the cancer that infected Philippine society-greed, abuse of power and the betrayal of the Filipino spirit.

His death in 1896 became the spark that ignited a revolution, not just against Spain, but against the idea that Filipinos were powerless. More than a century later, Rizal’s diagnosis remains tragically relevant. The cancer he described has not been cured but has metastasized. Today, the Philippines faces a new reckoning, not against foreign colonizers, but against itself.

In the movie ‘Heneral Luna’ (2015) Gen. Antonio Luna tells the Cabinet, ‘Brothers, we have an enemy bigger than Americans: ourselves.’

This is an acknowledgment of the fact that Filipinos are, indeed, fighting themselves amid this floodgate scandal.

The floodgate scandal: Anatomy of a betrayal

The floodgate scandal is not merely a case of corruption; it is a revelation of systemic state capture. Billions of pesos allocated for flood control projects were siphoned off through ghost infrastructure, substandard construction and collusion among contractors, government officials and lawmakers.

Whistleblowers like engineers Brice Ericson Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza have testified that up to 70 percent of the flood control budget vanished, amounting to over P1 trillion in losses over 15 years.

This is not just theft; it is betrayal. Communities in Bulacan, Metro Manila and Central Luzon remain vulnerable to floods, while the funds meant to protect them were funneled into luxury cars, shell companies and political war chests.

The scandal has triggered the ‘Trillion-peso March,’ with over 50,000 Filipinos marching in Metro Manila, demanding transparency, accountability and governance.

President Marcos Jr. has created an Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), but skepticism remains. Will this be another Agrava commission? Another PCGG (Philippine Commission for Good Government)? Symbolic but toothless?

Economic fallout: A nation bleeding

The economic implications are staggering.

Direct losses: The Department of Finance estimates P42.3 billion to P118.5 billion in economic losses from 2023 to 2025 alone, equivalent to 95,000 to 266,000 lost jobs.

Investor confidence: Foreign investors are pulling back. South Korea backed out of a $503-million loan, and ESG (environment, social and governance)-aligned capital is fleeing due to governance risks.

Currency depreciation: The Philippine peso has weakened past 58 to the dollar, reflecting political instability and capital flight.

Interest rates: While the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recently cut rates to 5 percent, the scandal may force a reversal if inflation spikes due to lost infrastructure and weakened investor sentiment.

Stock market decline: The Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) has dropped below the 6,000 psychological support level, with a 4-percent decline in less than a month.

The scandal has created a toxic mix of political risk, fiscal uncertainty and social unrest. It threatens the Philippines’ investment-grade rating and undermines its medium-term fiscal framework.

Forex and interest rates: Fragile stability

The peso’s depreciation is not just a technical issue; it reflects a deeper erosion of trust. Traders cite political unrest and the fear of contagion arising from US tariff uncertainty as reasons for the sell-off.

Risks toward the 60:$1 levels are highly probable in the coming months. If the BSP is forced to raise rates to defend the currency, it could choke off growth and worsen unemployment. Meanwhile, the government’s debt servicing costs are rising. With 16 percent of national revenues dedicated to interest payments, any increase in rates could derail fiscal consolidation efforts.

What is worrisome is that the trend of interest rates since 2020 has been on the rise. With upside risks to inflation medium-term bias for interest rates remains tilted to the upside.

Stock market sentiment: A crisis of confidence

The PSEi’s decline is not just about numbers-it’s about sentiment. Investors are pricing in risk, not waiting for verdicts.

The scandal has triggered persistent selling pressure, with foreign outflows and tepid trading volumes.

Property stocks have been hit hardest, reflecting fears that infrastructure spending by the government will stall. Mining and oil have shown resilience, but the broader market remains bearish.

We are in a holding pattern. Growth is slowing; confidence is shaky, and corruption is clouding the outlook.

The fundamentals are there-but we’re not firing on all cylinders.

The steep discount to our peers reflects doubt. If no real reforms are implemented that would provide transparency, accountability and governance, growth downgrades will continue.

The index could deteriorate further towards the 5,500 levels.

The current technical patterns are already pointing to a downtrend. Clearly, the charts paint that pattern precedes politics. Will the Philippines recover?

Recovery is probable-but not guaranteed.

The creation of the ICI is a step forward, but its success depends on transparency, accountability, prosecutorial power and political will. The swift filing of charges by Secretary Vince Dizon is encouraging, but systemic reform is needed to restore public trust.

The Philippines must:

Purge the corrupt networks: Dismantle collusion between lawmakers and contractors, enforce conflict-of-interest laws and prosecute not just scapegoats but kingpins.

Rebuild public trust through whistleblower protection, citizen oversight platforms and independent audits.

Restore fiscal discipline: Redirect funds to genuine climate resilient infrastructure, social programs, climate resilience and adhere to good governance.

Signal to investors that the Philippines is serious about reform, through credible governance and ESG compliance.

The revolution within

Rizal once wrote, ‘There are no tyrants where there are no slaves.’

Today, the tyrants are not foreign; they are Filipinos. And the slaves are not bound by chains, but by apathy.

The revolution that follows the floodgate scandal will not be fought with guns, but with truth, transparency, accountability, good governance and civic courage.

It will be Filipinos against Filipinos-but not in violence-in a battle for the soul of the nation.

If the Philippines can rise from this scandal, it will not just recover; it will transform the nation. But if it fails, Rizal’s cancer will continue to spread, and the dream of a just, prosperous and resilient republic will remain just that but a dream. -CONTRIBUTED