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For many years, in various fora and seminars on local legislation, I have consistently emphasized a crucial principle for effective governance: the importance of robust consultation and coordination between the national government and local government units. This principle is particularly pertinent when national government programs, projects, activities, and services are implemented within an LGU’s jurisdiction, especially when these initiatives require substantial funding that local governments cannot afford on their own.

Such nationally funded projects, though well-intentioned, often fall short when local perspectives are not genuinely integrated into their design and execution. Their scale demands collaboration, recognizing that the beneficiaries and implementers are at the local level.

Beyond mere resource allocation, the goal must always be effective and equitable development that truly resonates with the needs and priorities of the communities it seeks to serve. This is where consultation and coordination transform from optional niceties into foundational pillars of good governance.

Republic Act No. 7160, also known as the Local Government Code of 1991, our nation’s blueprint for local autonomy, explicitly underpins this necessity. Section 2(c) of the Code unequivocally outlines the state’s policy of requiring regular consultations with LGUs, nongovernment organizations, and people’s organizations before the initiation of any national project within their respective jurisdictions.

This provision is not, as some might perceive, a mere bureaucratic formality or an inconvenient procedural step. Instead, it stands as a cornerstone of effective and equitable development, ensuring that projects are not imposed from above but are instead informed by the realities and aspirations of the communities they are meant to uplift.

Further reinforcing this collaborative ethos, Section 25(b) of the Code also emphasizes the crucial need for coordination in project implementation. This subsequent stage ensures that once a project is approved, its execution aligns seamlessly with local needs and priorities, preventing disjointed efforts and maximizing impact.

Consultation and coordination are distinct yet complementary principles. Coordination refers to the systematic synchronization of efforts, activities, and resources among different individuals, departments, or organizations to achieve a common objective efficiently and effectively. It involves aligning timelines, responsibilities, and actions to ensure smooth operation, prevent duplication of efforts, resolve potential conflicts, and ensure that all parts of a complex project work together cohesively towards a shared goal.

When consultation and coordination are diligently applied, they create a powerful synergy. Consultation sets the foundation by ensuring projects are thoughtfully designed and locally relevant from inception. Coordination then ensures these well-designed projects are implemented harmoniously, efficiently, and adaptively on the ground.

When genuine consultation and robust coordination are institutionalized, they create an invaluable sense of ownership for both the national government and the local government unit. This shared ownership fosters greater commitment, accountability, and sustained support, leading to better project outcomes, enhanced sustainability, and a more responsive governance framework that truly empowers local communities.

It is imperative that we move beyond mere lip service and genuinely embrace these principles. By prioritizing consultation and coordination, we can ensure that national development initiatives are not only well funded but also deeply rooted in local realities, leading to more responsive, effective, and sustainable progress across our nation.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) conducted an ocular inspection of the newly completed detention facility in the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas, Quezon City, designated for individuals who may be indicted in connection with the anomalous flood.

ICI Chair Andres Reyes, DILG Sec. Jonvic Remulla and ICI Commissioner Babes Singson led the inspection this Friday afternoon.

According to Remulla, the facility has 108 cells, with each room able to accommodate up to 10 individuals.

The ICI is currently investigating the alleged multi-billion corruption in flood control anomalies across the country.

Former President Benigno Aquino III’s famous quote and campaign slogan – that there will be no poor Filipinos if corruption is eradicated – is more important than ever as a moral compass for the Liberal Party (LP).

LP President Erin Tañada on Friday recalled the former chief executive’s slogan at a fellowship with a theme ‘Kung Walang Korap, Walang Mahirap’ (if there’s no corrupt, no one is poor) – which is an ode to Aquino’s anti-corruption maxim.

Tañada said the corruption scandals that have rocked the country only signal the need for liberals to show that the LP is ready for nation-building and the pursuit of transparency.

‘Every volunteer, every organizer, every young Liberal who takes the oath today joins a tradition that has defended democracy through the darkest of times [.],’ he said.

‘Let our voices reach communities tired of deceit and disillusionment. Let them see that the Liberal Party stands ready once more, united and prepared for the hard work of nation-building,’ he told the members.

”Kung Walang Korap, Walang Mahirap’ remains our compass. It points us toward integrity, transparency and genuine service. It reminds us that the path to progress begins with honesty and ends with dignity,’ he added.

According to Tañada, the fellowship, which coincides with the oath-taking of over 200 new LP members, is a chance to ‘renew’ the discipline that Aquino’s words and vision for governance instilled.

‘Fourteen years ago, President Noynoy Aquino spoke words that carried the promise of a different kind of politics: ‘Kung walang korap, walang mahirap.’ Those words shaped a generation,’ he said.

‘They reminded us that clean governance is not a dream but a discipline, a daily struggle that demands honesty, courage and love of country,’ he added.

LP has seen several setbacks since Aquino III stepped down from office in June 2016.

While former Vice President Leni Robredo, along with several other members of the LP senatorial slate won in the 2016 national elections, the party suffered a mass exodus after most officials jumped to PDP-Laban, the party of Aquino’s successor, former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Then in 2019, none of the eight senatorial candidates from the Otso Diretso slate – a coalition where LP is part of after fielding four of the eight bets – made it to the Magic 12.

LP suffered another crushing defeat in 2022 as Robredo and former Senator Francis Pangilinan’s tandem lost in the presidential and vice presidential race, with only three senatorial candidates of the slate winning.

However, there are bright spots for LP after 2022: Aquino’s cousin, Senator Bam Aquino, ranked second during the senatorial race for the 2025 midterm polls, while LP chairperson and Senator Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan got the fifth slot – despite both not ranking high in pre-election surveys.

Aquino’s former Justice secretary Leila de Lima also won in the recent elections, getting a seat as Mamamayang Liberal party-list’s representative.

Akbayan party-list, considered an LP ally, also won three seats in the party-list race, paving the way for Robredo ally and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno to enter the 20th Congress.

Calls for greater transparency and the publication of SALNs came after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in late August 2025 gave the directive to do a lifestyle check – starting with officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) who are currently on the hot seat due to the issue of anomalous flood control projects.

Palace press officer and Undersecretary Claire Castro said Marcos’ directive covers the entire executive department, beginning with the DPWH, the agency that implements and oversees the multibillion-peso projects he wanted investigated for alleged irregularities. But Malacañang also asked other agencies, particularly the Office of the Ombudsman, the Commission on Audit, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Bureau of Customs, as well as local government units, to conduct parallel checks.

ZUS Coffee and Farm Fresh have been making waves in the PVL Reinforced Conference so far.

The Thunderbelles stunned the Creamline Cool Smashers on Thursday with a 25-27, 25-17, 25-20, 25-22 conquest behind Anna DeBeer’s 37 points for a 3-0 lead in Pool B.

On Tuesday, the Foxies extended their best franchise start and remained as the lone unbeaten squad in Pool A after Eli Rousseaux dropped 36 to beat Capital1, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22.

ZUS Coffee coach Jerry Yee, who also had a coaching stint with Farm Fresh, doesn’t seem surprised by the performance of the two rising clubs after investing on recruitment that included signing prolific reinforcements in DeBeer and Rousseaux. DeBeer and Rousseaux have merged as the tournament’s Best Scorers with 92 and 91 points, respectively. ‘We have to [win]. Because the management gives us great support, so we need to give back. They provide everything we need, so there’s no excuse not to step up,’ said Yee, whose squad was coming off breakthrough playoff appearances in the All-Filipino and PVL on Tour.

Yee sees DeBeer as a perfect fit for ZUS with locals led by rookie AC Miner, setter Clo Mondoñedo, Thea Gagate, Riza Nogales, veterans Jov Gonzaga, Fiola Ceballos, and Alyssa Eroa.

‘It’s Anna. We’re lucky to have someone we can really rely on. Having a teammate like her builds our confidence, and it helps everyone play better. Everybody’s stepping up, especially Anna,’ he said.

Farm Fresh, meanwhile, appears to have found the right man at the helm in Italian Alessandro Lodi after several coaching changes.

Lodi continued to bring out the best in three-time Best Opposite Spiker Trisha Tubu and tapped rookie but seasoned setter Alohi Robins-Hardy while adding another reliable scorer in Ces Molina to create a potent offensive combo with Rousseaux.

‘[The growth is] tremendous. That was the plan and the project to work really for five months. As we talked about during the summer, it was for many people kind of learning the game from scratch, making a lot of changes. And that was the process that was needed in order to try to become contenders at the higher level,’ said Lodi.

‘It was not easy. We went through ups and downs because, of course, these processes take time and one day you do well and the next day it looks like you never played volleyball before. But the players always understood that. They bought in right away. That’s one thing.’

Investigate the timeline of events that led to retired Ombudsman Samuel Martires’ ‘secret’ 2019 reversal of the dismissal order against Sen. Joel Villanueva, a lawmaker urged Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday.

In a statement, House infra committee chair and Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said the ‘most important question’ regarding the reversal was when Villanueva appealed for the reversal of former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales’ 2016 order dismissing him from public office.

The senator allegedly misused his pork barrel funds when he was a representative of an anti-corruption party list group in the House.

In June 2008, then CIBAC party-list Rep. Villanueva requested the release of P10 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for what was later deemed a non-existent project.

Ridon cited records and reporting that suggested inconsistencies in the handling of Villanueva’s appeal.

He urged Remulla to ‘look deeper into these timelines, in order to finally settle the questions surrounding Senator Villanueva’s Ombudsman case.’

For one, Ridon said, there were news reports in 2016 quoting Villanueva as saying he had already filed his motion for reconsideration (MR) in November 2016, and had left the enforcement request to the discretion of the then Senate President Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel.

The Dec. 5, 2016 Senate Journal likewise recorded Villanueva’s filing of the MR within the ten-day period prescribed under Ombudsman rules.

Then Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales also acknowledged the MR’s existence in a Dec. 14, 2016 report, saying: ‘They said they are waiting for the resolution of the motion for reconsideration. So, we’ll cross the bridge when we get to it.’

‘However, the supposed Motion for Reconsideration was never resolved by Ombudsman Morales within the prescribed five-day period from its submission,’ Ridon noted. ‘If the MR was indeed filed in November 2016, it should have been resolved by December 2016.’

Ridon pointed out that Morales had until her retirement on July 26, 2018 – one year and eight months later – to act on the motion.

‘Had Ombudsman Morales resolved it within that extended timeframe, Ombudsman Martires would not have had the opportunity to act on it much later, on July 31, 2019,’ he said.

‘On the other hand, if the MR was filed out of time, then Ombudsman Martires had absolutely no discretion to entertain or resolve it in 2019, as the dismissal would have already been final and executory as early as 2016,’ Ridon explained.

Villanueva is accused of benefiting from flood control projects, particularly from the Bulacan first district engineering office – allegations that first surfaced during the now-suspended House infra-committee hearings last September.

This prompted Carpio-Morales to comment in an ANC interview that the Philippines was the ‘laughing stock’ of other countries because it could not even enforce its own laws, referring to her now-scuttled dismissal order against Villanueva. Remulla on Thursday said he would write a letter to Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto to try to enforce Morales’ order but he was surprised to learn that Martires, a Duterte appointee, had already reversed it.

A total of 31,298 police officers will be deployed nationwide between Oct. 29 and Nov. 3 as part of the Philippine National Police’s security and safety plan for this year’s observance of ‘Undas,’ or All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

Philippine National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said in a press briefing at Camp Crame on Thursday that police officers would be assigned to cemeteries and major transport terminals.

They will be reinforced by 11,707 personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Philippine Coast Guard, along with nearly 30,000 ‘force multipliers,’ including barangay security personnel, radio groups, and volunteers.

‘This nationwide effort is part of our commitment to guarantee a peaceful, orderly, and safe Undas for all Filipinos,’ PNP acting chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a separate statement.

Millions of Filipinos are expected to travel home to their home provinces and visit the graves of their departed loved ones on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2.

Ready to assist

In line with this, the PNP has also set up 5,169 Police Assistance Desks across 5,065 cemeteries and memorial parks to assist visitors and respond to emergencies.

Checkpoints near cemeteries are being reviewed for practicality and manpower efficiency, while 24-hour patrols in residential and commercial areas will continue to deter burglars, Tuaño said.

According to him, while the PNP has not received any specific security threats for Undas 2025, it continues to conduct intelligence monitoring and coordinate with local government units.

‘We encourage everyone to keep an eye on their belongings and immediately report any suspicious activity,’ Tuaño said. ‘For assistance, the public may contact the unified 911 hotline, which accepts all emergency and nonemergency calls.’

He added that cemetery rules will be enforced nationwide, including restrictions on bringing liquor, bladed weapons, and gambling paraphernalia inside memorial parks.

Jose Rizal University lost one of its key cogs Justin Lozano late in the fourth quarter of its game against defending champion Mapua in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament on Friday.

Lozano was rushed to the hospital after a bad fall but the Heavy Bombers used his absence as extra motivation to eke out an emotional win over the Cardinals.

UPDATE: JRU coach Nani Epondulan says Justin Lozano is already awake and conscious after their 66-63 win over Mapua. #NCAASeason101 | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/GvseqTdTFM

– INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) October 24, 2025

‘Earlier, while we were singing our hymn, they told us that he’s already awake while he was in the ambulance. He’s with our medical team,’ said JRU coach Nani Epondulan, whose squad improved to 4-4 in Group B.

‘Losing him earlier made me teary-eyed because when I saw him, it’s like I was the one who got hurt so I told them to get the win for Justin,’ he added. ‘I told them to get this game and win for Justin because he was with us from the very start of the season.’

Lozano hit his head on the floor after chasing down Mapua guard Cyrus Nitura on a fastbreak attempt at the 2:08 mark of the final frame. He had 13 points, three rebounds and two steals before being stretchered off the floor.