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An official from the Department of Justice (DOJ) admits that no assets of elected government officials linked to the flood control anomalies have been frozen.

The remark was in contradiction to an earlier statement of then-Justice chief Jesus Crispin Remulla who said that the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) had managed to secure freeze orders from the Court of Appeals against the assets of two senators and a resigned member of the House of Representatives.

At a Senate sub-panel on finance’s hearing on the proposed 2026 budget of the DOJ, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta asked the agency if they have already filed a request with the AMLC to freeze the assets of politicians supposedly linked to the flood control mess.

Addressing Marcoleta’s question, DOJ Undersecretary Jesse Hermogenes Andres said he could give the names of those whose assets have been frozen, but he explained that the orders have not touched any politicians.

‘I do not have copies of that [right now]. And if I may clarify, I think the freeze orders have not touched politicians. I mean, government officials like DPWH officials are already part of the freeze orders,’ said Andres.

Marcoleta, meanwhile, pointed out that there are circulating posts on social media insinuating that assets of some politicians have already been frozen, but Andres maintained that this is not the case.

‘Government officials, meaning DPWH officials – yes. But elected officials, I do not -,’ said Andres.

Andres’ remarks contradicted Remulla’s earlier pronouncement that AMLC, following the recommendation of the National Bureau of Investigation, has frozen the assets of Sens. Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, and resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.

Meanwhile, Andres’ disclosure irked Marcoleta, who pointed out the need to make ‘big fishes’ involved in the scandal be made accountable.

‘Hold on. Those are the ones I was talking about – just sapsap (slipmouth) and butete (blowfish). Like I always say, we should get to the bottom of this. The mastermind, the biggest fish – that’s who we should catch,’ said Marcoleta.

Andres, for his part, said the DOJ is being ‘systematic’ and ‘circumspect’ about the matter, adding that their actions would lead to freezing the assets of politicians soon. /apl

Three projects of Sunwest Inc. at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) central office in Quezon City were found ‘underutilized’ despite being completed, LTO chief Markus Lacanilao said on Tuesday.

Sunwest Inc., a construction firm linked to resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, was recently implicated in the flood control anomalies.

In a press conference, Lacanilao said the projects included two buildings and a central command center.

He added that the two buildings – an IT Training Hub and a Road Safety Interactive Center – cost P499.95 million each, while the central command center was worth P946 million.

‘The COA (Commission on Audit) report disclosed several serious observations, including but not limited to the following: improper use of the IT dormitory at low cost to its occupants, poorly-maintained dormitory rooms, idle IT hub equipment, failure to develop required annual plans and programs and prepare accomplished report in violation of Presidential Decree 1445,’ Lacanilao said.

‘COA AOM-184-2024-17, 2020-2021, highlighted the deficiency and non-compliance with the contract requirements and specification on non-utilization, under-utilization of various components in the facility, and improper computation of the contract results in an overpayment amounting to P26,910,332,’ he added.

According to Lacanilao, the contract for the projects with the construction firm was signed on February 26, 2021.

‘The contractor then was Sunwest. This building was constructed under a 2021 contract during the previous administration,’ Lacanilao said in Filipino.

‘I’m familiar with construction since it’s the line of work of my family, so I noticed a few things that need to be looked into more closely,’ he added.

The LTO chief said he has reported the findings to Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, citing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive ‘to look carefully into whether there were any irregularities,’ particularly at the LTO.

He likewise said that the findings will be turned over to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure and the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct further investigation. /mcm /gsg

Far Eastern University coach Sean Chambers remained in high spirits despite his team having little to show after the first round of eliminations in UAAP Season 88.

The Tamaraws picked up just their second win of the tournament after pouncing on shorthanded University of the East, 95-76, on Sunday. The Red Warriors, who dropped to 0-7, were without head coach Chris Gavina and key cog Wello Lingolingo due to suspensions.

‘This season has been pretty amazing,’ said Chambers, whose squad finished second to the last in the standings with a 2-5 record.

‘We have a little bit of spurts going right now so I expect us to continue to play good basketball and be better in the endgames.’

Chambers is confident FEU can make a few surprises in the second round to put itself in position for a Final Four spot.

‘Not to talk about who’s not here but there’s been some adjustments to this season. We kind of started all over again a little bit,’ said the legendary PBA import, who led the Alaska franchise to six championships.

The Tamaraws, led by rising guard Janrey Pasaol, hope to get a streak going on Wednesday against a struggling Ateneo side at the start of the second round.

The Blue Eagles opened the season with four straight wins but have lost three in a row since.

Consumers are expected to bear costlier power bills beginning in November, as the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approved another hike to the fixed electricity rate that supports renewable energy producers.

In a media briefing on Monday, the commission said it had given the green light for a new feed-in tariff allowance (FIT-All), set at 21 centavos per kilowatt hour (kWh), higher than the nearly 12 centavos imposed earlier.

This came just months after the ERC had implemented a 3.5-centavo increase in the FIT-All rate.

The scheme is an initiative meant to provide a guaranteed tariff to emerging clean power sources, such as wind, solar and small hydro plants. This aims to encourage more investments in renewable energy as the government targets to reduce dependence on imported fuel.

Public hearings

The move came following a series of public hearings nationwide on the application filed by the National Transmission Corp. (TransCo), which is tasked to manage the FIT-All fund.

According to ERC chair and chief executive officer Francis Saturnino Juan, the decision was ‘a careful balance.’

‘It secures the growth of renewable energy that our country needs, while keeping electricity rates affordable for every Filipino household and business,’ he said.

Protecting consumers

The official explained that if TransCo fails to pay FIT-eligible plants for the power they generate, they have the right to claim interest, which can lead to further upward adjustments in rates.

‘This move reflects the ERC’s dual commitment to protecting consumer interests and advancing the Philippines’ sustainable energy future,’ Juan added.

Given the cooler weather, the ERC chief is hopeful that the weaker demand could temper the slight increase in FIT-All rates.

Meanwhile, the ERC also approved the application of the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) for the setting of the market fee covering 2025 to 2027 for the operation of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

The fee, set at P0.0071 per kWh, covers the operational, administrative and capital expenditure budgets of Iemop as the Wesm operator and the Philippine Electricity Market Corp. as its governing body. INQ

The government met its borrowing goal in Tuesday’s dual sale of Treasury bonds (T-bonds). This even as yields moved unevenly, underscoring investors’ continued caution toward longer-dated debt.

The Bureau of the Treasury raised P20 billion via reissued T-bonds, which had a remaining life of six years and 10 months.

The offering attracted P55.5 billion in total demand, exceeding the original size of the issuance by 2.8 times.

Average yield

In turn, the T-bond fetched an average rate of 5.798 percent, lower than the 5.939 percent seen in the previous auction of seven-year debt note last Sept. 2.

The average yield was also lower than the 5.811 percent quoted for the same tenor in the secondary market.

The Treasury also borrowed P15 billion via T-bonds with remaining maturity of 24 years and three months. Total tenders amounted to P18.6 billion, or 1.2 times the original offer.

But the average yield stood at 6.51 percent, costlier than 6.374 percent recorded in the last sale of 25-year T-bond last Aug. 27. It was also higher than the benchmark yield of 6.4 percent.

This year, the government plans to borrow P2.6 trillion from lenders to plug a projected budget deficit of P1.6 trillion, equivalent to 5.5 percent of gross domestic product. The drive is expected to push the debt stock to P17.36 trillion by year’s end.

Fiscal planners say they will continue to favor onshore borrowing to limit exposure to foreign exchange risks. The Marcos administration has also made clear it is seeking an upgrade to an A-level credit rating, a distinction it hopes to achieve by keeping debt metrics in check while sustaining economic growth. INQ

Estrella ‘Inday’ Barretto, the mother of Claudine Barretto, has issued a warning to Jodi Sta. Maria over her relationship with Raymart Santiago, as she accused the actor of abuse from his past marriage to her daughter, Claudine Barretto.

In a recent interview with Ogie Diaz for his YouTube channel ‘Ogie Diaz Inspires,’ Inday spoke bluntly about her fears for Sta. Maria, based on her daughter Claudine’s past marriage to Santiago.

‘Yung dumating si Jodi, wala namang pakialam si Claudine kay Jodi Sta. Maria, that’s her lookout (When Jodi came into the picture, Claudine didn’t interfere with Jodi Sta. Maria),’ the celebrity mom said.

Inday stressed that she could only pray for Sta. Maria about the things that she has no idea about yet.

‘I’m not gonna say good luck to her, I’m just gonna pray for her. But proceed at your own risk. Kung hindi mo pa alam, bahala ka. Bahala na ang Diyos, ‘yun lang sasabihin ko (If you don’t know yet, that’s up to you. I’ll leave it to God, that’s all I’ll say),’ she said.

The 89-year-old mother went on to say that Sta. Maria might experience the same things Claudine allegedly suffered at the hands of Santiago.

‘Itong ggng to, magpapatayo pa raw ng bahay with Jodi. When Jodi stops being Jodi Sta. Maria, she loses not only Raymart, she’ll lose everything. Bahala siya, I’m speaking from experience,’ she explained.

Inday’s remarks came while recalling her daughter’s troubled marriage with Santiago, in which she alleged had incidents of physical and sexual abuse.

One of these, Inday alleged, was when Santiago dragged Claudine into the mud, gagged her, and subjected her to sexual assault.

Following the viral interview, Santiago’s legal representatives released an official statement calling Inday’s accusations ‘untruthful and slanderous.’

Santiago and Claudine were married for seven years before their marriage was annulled in 2013.

In 2020, Santiago’s relationship with Sta. Maria made headlines after photos of them together surfaced online. Months later, he confirmed that they were together.

As of this writing, Sta. Maria has not issued any response to Inday’s warnings and accusations.

Sta. Maria was previously in a relationship with Jolo Revilla, whom she broke up with in 2018. She was also married to Pampi Lacson until their split in 2011. They have a son, Thirdy. /ra

The search for the missing sabungeros (cockfighting enthusiasts) whose remains were reportedly dumped in Taal Lake resulted in the recovery of 981 bones, with 887 confirmed as human remains, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Included in the over 800 human bones are the three sets of human remains recovered at a cemetery.

The 981 bones including the 887 human remains, were the result of the search operations conducted by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) from July 10 to October 12.

PCG conducted 60 operations, of which 35 operations yielded recoveries.

The bones were inside sacks that are attached to a sack of sand that serves as sinkers.

DOJ Spokesperson Polo Martinez, however, said conclusive DNA results are needed to confirm if any of the uncovered bones were from the missing sabungeros.

Authorities have already collected 33 reference DNA samples from families of the missing sabungeros to cross-match with the recovered bones.

Asked for any update on the cross-matching of DNA samples, Martinez said: ‘none yet.’

On Tuesday, the DOJ panel of prosecutors concluded the preliminary investigation on the criminal cases filed against businessman Charlie ‘Atong’ Ang and several others for murder, kidnapping, direct bribery, and tampering of passports.

Martinez said the panel will evaluate the counter-affidavits and the evidence at hand to determine if there is enough basis to file a case in court even while waiting for the DNA results.

‘Law enforcement and the prosecution are doing their part to ensure that may ebidensya na magagamit to proceed to trial,’ he said.

Last week, Ang submitted his counter-affidavit asking that the case be remanded to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to conduct an impartial investigation. /gsg

Kathryn Bernardo appears to be the next in line to get immortalized as a wax figure at a museum in Hong Kong, based on the teaser Madame Tussauds posted on its social media pages.

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong has sparked speculation that Bernardo will soon join its lineup of celebrity wax figures after it posted a teaser on Instagram on Monday, Oct. 20, with clues fans say point to the Filipino actress.

‘Someone special is joining Madame Tussauds Hong Kong’s red carpet. Can you guess who our next Filipino wax figure is from these clues? She launched her acting journey at just 7 years old. She starred in the first Filipino film to hit over 1 billion pesos globally,’ read the caption.

While Madame Tussauds has not formally named Bernardo in the teaser, it can be recalled that the actress began her acting career as a child. She rose to fame in the 2010 remake of ‘Mara Clara’ and later became one of the Philippines’ biggest box-office stars.

Over the years, the Filipino actress has headlined some of the country’s highest-grossing films. Most recently she starred in ‘Hello, Love, Again,’ the first Filipino movie to surpass ?1 billion in worldwide gross.

Once confirmed, Bernardo will join other Filipino personalities who already have wax figures at Madame Tussauds branches in Asia, including Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, Broadway star Lea Salonga and actress Anne Curtis.

Bernardo, who’s currently working on her TV comeback opposite James Reid, recently received her Most Influential Celebrity trophy at the 11th EdukCircle awards alongside Curtis, Alden Richards, Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes. /ra

The Energy Regulatory Commission seeks to level the playing field by implementing a ‘more realistic timeline’ for generation companies (gencos) to comply with the public offering requirement.

The commission said industry players now have ‘a longer and more practical period’ to prepare and complete their public offering required under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira).

Under Section 43(t) of Epira, gencos need to publicly offer and sell not less than 15 percent of their common shares in the stock market.

ERC chief Francis Saturnino Juan Juan said that the five-year compliance period remained the same, but the ERC decided that firms would only start counting once they meet the basic requirements for listing.

‘Because right now, if we don’t do that – if we start counting the five years from the time the Certificate of Compliance (COC) is issued – the small generation companies would end up being discriminated against. Why? Because the large companies can easily comply with the requirement just by listing with the PSE,’ he told reporters in a media briefing on Monday.

Energy security in mind

This came as Juan earlier raised the plight of other gencos that do not have big operations or financial backing to list on the Philippine Stock Exchange or tap other modes of public offering.

He also reiterated that if the government kept the rules, the country may face power supply shortages, as only about 50 percent of the generation companies can comply with the public offering requirement.

Last year, renewed calls to amend the 24-year-old Epira emerged, with President Marcos himself and former Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla backing this move.

Epira was enacted in 2001, under the term of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. /dda

Edgar Saavedra-led Megawide Construction Corp. has bagged the P1.2-billion contract to build what would be Baguio City’s version of the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in hopes of decongesting traffic in one of Luzon’s busiest tourist destinations.

In a regulatory filing on Monday, Megawide said it had received the Notice of Award from the local government, confirming that the company had been selected as the private sector proponent for the Baguio City Integrated Terminal (BCIT) project.

The award is still subject to Megawide’s compliance ‘with all the conditions of the award,’ it noted.

Transport hub

The Baguio city council first confirmed Megawide’s unsolicited proposal for the project in June.

Megawide first proposed building BCIT, which would stand along Marcos Highway, in 2019.

The intermodal transport hub is set to house all vehicles that pass through the major thoroughfare linking Baguio to other parts of Luzon.

Planned as the city’s version of PITX, once operational in 2027, BCIT is seen to accommodate up to 400 buses and 25,000 passengers daily via seven southbound routes, including La Union, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila and Cavite.

Megawide was also the private sector proponent for PITX, a major transport hub in Metro Manila that began operations in 2018.

In the first semester, PITX chipped in P217 million to the Megawide Group’s total revenues, up by 6 percent because of the steady influx of passengers in the terminal.

Occupancy

Foot traffic averaged 164,800 by end-June, while commercial occupancy remained at 98 percent.

Apart from BCIT, Megawide is also set to develop the South Luzon Integrated Terminal Exchange (SLITX) through its subsidiary, Megawide One Mobility Corp.

Under its 30-year joint venture agreement with the city government of Carmona in Cavite province, Megawide will also connect the P800-million SLITX to PITX and other in-city public terminals.

SLITX will have a capacity of 30,000 passengers daily and direct access to the South Luzon Expressway via a new toll entry and exit that will be built, Megawide said in a statement.

Megawide earlier noted the government’s continued focus on infrastructure development would be its likely profit booster this year. Most of the company’s major projects are public-private partnerships, including the Metro Manila Subway System and the Malolos-Clark Railway project.

Megawide’s net income in the January to June period was flat at P436 million, mostly because of less activity at its construction segment. Still, the company said they were on track to outpace their 2024 income growth, with the real estate business under PH1 World Developers Inc. gaining momentum.