Author: user user

Finally, a respite from traffic-causing road reblocking – tearing up sections of a damaged concrete pavement, repairing the base layer, and then pouring a fresh concrete surface layer.

Way back in January 2009, the World Bank had debarred seven contractors, three of them Philippine firms and four Chinese, plus one person from bidding for WB-funded road projects.

This was after the multilateral lender established collusive bid-rigging for contracts under phase one of the Philippine National Roads Improvement Program, which was partly funded with a $150-million loan from the World Bank.

The debarments were for periods ranging from four to eight years, but one Philippine firm, Manila-based E.C. de Luna Construction Corp. and its owner Eduardo C. de Luna were permanently debarred. Today the company is still operating in the country, and is still building roads.

For a long time, the World Bank had considered corruption a political problem. It began directly linking corruption to underdevelopment – and a major hindrance to its work – only in the late 1990s, beginning with a speech in 1996 by then WB president James Wolfensohn who described corruption as a ‘cancer.’

Among the WB’s early findings in its studies was that road projects were favorite sources of corruption in the developing world. The quality of the road network, the Bank noted, is often an indicator of the level of corruption in a country.

We can see this in our looted Philippines. For as long as I can remember, I have wondered why our roads are a patchwork quilt of disjointed construction and repair work.

It’s not unusual to see patches of concrete pavement laid side-by-side with asphalt along a five-kilometer road stretch. Potholes and cracks on concrete are also repaired with asphalt, and vice versa.

In several areas, roads are built without curbs. An honest retired city civil engineer told me that this makes the pavement less durable. Asphalt, he said, is also laid at the wrong temperature and with insufficient thickness for the expected vehicular volume.

‘Built to last’ is a favorite product marketing pitch. In the case of Philippine roads, I’ve long suspected that they are designed or repaired deliberately to be short-lived, so that they can melt in the rain and be repaired over and over again. For every repair project, a kickback.

Worse, even when roads still look perfectly fine, they are torn up and repaired, sometimes badly, probably so they will need further touch-ups. I don’t know if it’s just my malicious imagination, but the unnecessary reblockings seem to increase before school opening. Maybe the thieves need tuition for their kids studying in expensive schools overseas.

The road projects also seem to peak during our long Christmas season. Because of public anger over the holiday traffic gridlocks, road diggings were curbed in recent years: no repairs during the peak of the season. But even then, there were always exemptions: big-ticket flagship projects, emergency repairs, and drainage or sidewalk improvements. Of course, many of the projects were classified under the exempted categories, ensuring that the season remained joyful for the thieves.

Apart from the endless patchwork repairs, each project typically displays a billboard with the name and image of the lawmaker taking credit for it. In the flood control scandal, such epal billboards can identify the lawmakers who inserted the projects for funding in the national budget. But the practice appears to have been stopped for major infrastructure projects in Metro Manila, although it continues in many other parts of the country.

Across the country, many roads – including those classified as farm-to-market – have been constructed merely to benefit the resorts, farms, businesses and other properties of the congressional endorsers.

A common practice is for a lawmaker’s family to buy up undeveloped land, and then endorse for public funding and approval road projects that pass through the property. Naturally, the value of the property shoots up once the road is opened.

According to anti-corruption crusaders, it has becoming increasingly common for lawmakers or their families to own not only the companies that bag the contracts for such projects but also those that supply the requirements.

Mayors have lamented that they are not consulted in projects implemented in their jurisdictions by the national government. They say that often, the projects are not in sync with development plans of the local government units. It’s typical in our government: the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.

Lawmakers get to earmark their pet projects for funding under the National Expenditure Program. Any reform arising from the flood control scandal should draw a clearer line between the legislative power of the purse and executive power.

The Supreme Court had prohibited the allocation of lump sums to lawmakers and allowing them to earmark pet projects for funding with those allocations after the enactment of the national budget.

But the magicians in Congress quickly devised ways of going around the SC prohibition, through unprogrammed appropriations as well as confidential and intelligence funds.

Despite the uproar over the congressional budget insertions, the House of Representatives passed last Monday the 2026 budget bill with P243.2 billion in unprogrammed appropriations intact. Can they ever wean themselves from their pork-laden diet? Even Malacañang can’t live without its own pork.

Road reblocking, which gives the public endless grief, is among the favorite pork barrel projects, providing opportunities for kickbacks.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has indefinitely suspended all reblocking activities, pending a review of whether the projects are necessary.

The review should have been done ages ago, but it’s better late than never. And there must be punishment for the thieves.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) reported that its tax collections have declined, attributing the slowdown to the lingering issues surrounding the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) infrastructure projects.

‘I’m not sure if it can be attributed to the flood control issues. But there was definitely a slower collection because of the issue, because of the DPWH,’ BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. told reporters.

Data from the Bureau of the Treasury showed that BIR’s revenue increased by 11.4 percent to P2.14 trillion from January to August. The revenue target for the agency this year was adjusted slightly to P3.22 trillion from P3.23 trillion.

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto confirmed that the BIR’s collections have declined, cautioning that the continued downturn in revenues could serve as an early warning of slower economic growth.

‘There’s a slight reduction, but again, the most important thing is we will hit our revenue target this year. The BIR and the Bureau of Customs will miss their target a bit, like I said, it will be taken up by the non-tax revenue, ergo we will meet our target,’ he said.

Official data from the Bureau of the Treasury showed that BIR’s revenue increased by five percent for August alone to P250.1 billion from P238.1 billion in the same month last year.

With the statements from Lumagui and Recto, it is expected that BIR collections would decline in September. The BIR collected P174.7 billion in September 2024.

During his fourth State of the Nation Address on July 28, President Marcos ordered an audit of flood control projects under his administration, as he denounced the corruption that caused people to suffer from recurring flash floods during heavy rains.

An initial review found that 15 contractors bagged P100 billion worth or 20 percent of all flood control projects in the past three years.

Citing the preliminary report of the DPWH, Marcos said P545 billion in public funds went to flood control projects nationwide since July 2022.

Lumagui earlier told The STAR that the agency has yet to collect billions of pesos in taxes from online businesses operating across various digital platforms.

The BIR circular was issued ordering electronic marketplace operators to impose a one-percent withholding tax on their sellers and merchants to ensure proper tax compliance in online transactions.

The tax measure serves as a creditable expanded withholding tax, to be collected by online platforms where digital sellers conduct their business transactions.

‘Since tax herein involved being withheld is income tax, the burden of the tax is really upon the seller although the mode of payment of the tax is through withholding by the buyer, or by the e-market place operator or digital financial service provided, in case the payment for the sale of goods or services were made therein,’ the memorandum read.

It further states that the tax withheld is considered a part of the consideration agreed upon between the seller and buyer, resulting in a net take to the seller of only the difference between the agreed-upon consideration or selling price and the tax withheld.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte’s possible inclusion in Pharmally-related cases pending before the Sandiganbayan is being eyed by the Office of the Ombudsman.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla’s predecessor, Samuel Martires, found no probable cause to indict Duterte for graft in connection with the Pharmally procurement scandal.

Remulla on Monday ordered the withdrawal of the complaints for reevaluation.

Asked whether Duterte could be included in the cases to be refiled before the Sandiganbayan, Remulla said, ‘It depends on the facts and evidence. If there is allegation that he has committed violations, then we will look into it.’

Records show that 14 Pharmally cases are pending at various divisions of the anti-graft court.

Eight of these complaints were filed only on Oct. 10 and raffled off to the Sixth Division. Three were filed on Sept. 29 and assigned to the First Division. Another three were refiled in July from the Malolos Regional Trial Court and are now pending before the Fifth Division.

Of these cases, only one is up for trial following the arraignment of former officials of the Procurement Service- Department of Budget and Management and Pharmally executives.

The charges stemmed from the allegedly anomalous procurement of personal protective equipment, test kits and face masks from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. during the COVID pandemic.

The government has expanded the deployment of mobile soil testing laboratories across the country to help local farmers improve crop yields and cut production costs through better soil management.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said its Bureau of Soils and Water Management has now established these mobile soil testing units across all 17 regional field offices as part of efforts to make scientific analysis of soil quality more accessible to farmers.

‘The DA is offering these services free of charge to farmers growing rice, corn, high-value crops, vegetables and root crops,’ DA officer-in-charge and Undersecretary Roger Navarro said.

‘This is a valuable tool to help boost yields while minimizing the impact on soil health,’ he added.

The agriculture official said the program aims to guide farmers in choosing the right seeds, fertilizers and other inputs suited to their land conditions.

He urged farmers to use the mobile labs to make informed decisions that could help them boost production and reduce expenses.

Each mobile laboratory, valued at around P42 million, can perform advanced analysis of up to 44 parameters, including soil chemical and physical properties as well as microbiological and water composition.

The units are part of the National Soil Health Program, which aims to strengthen data-driven decision-making in agriculture.

Navarro said the expansion supports President Marcos’ directive to modernize Philippine agriculture and increase the use of science-based technologies in farming.

The DA said the wider rollout comes amid concerns over rising fertilizer prices and declining soil fertility, both of which have affected farm productivity in recent years.

It said it hopes the program will help farmers maximize yields while preserving soil quality for long-term use.

The government’s renewed push for soil testing comes as the local agriculture sector shows signs of recovery.

Behind a local parish lies a behind-the-scenes drama among its leading priests. These clashes could determine its fate: whether forgiveness will bloom or failure will bring the whole place down. Whatever the outcome, it’s all part of being human – something Teatro de San Pedro Calungsod (TSPC) masterfully portrays through its true-to-life stories on stage as a form of evangelization.

‘Tulo Ka Dagway sa Pari’ centers on the conflict between the young Fadz Elmert and the older Father Pio, while Padre Iko attempts to remain optimistic as he reaches his twilight years despite growing tensions inside the parish.

His oldest play to date, playwright and TSPC founder Msgr. Agustin Ancajas first wrote the play in 1993 as a seminary thesis based on the Enneagram of Personality – a concept that describes human personality through nine interconnected types defined by different motivations and behavior patterns.

After making revisions that included cutting nine leading characters into three, Ancajas directed the play in 2000 at the University of San Carlos-South Campus’ Rudolf Rahmann Cultural Center, with Fr. Eduardo ‘Daddy’ Villaluna as Father Pio, Fr. Isaias ‘Bobbitt’ Gerali as Fadz Elmer, and Fr. Murphy Sarsonas as Padre Iko.

The show had its restaging at the Marcelo Fernan Cebu Press Center last month, with Cornell Anthony Tudio playing the role of Fadz, Rennedy Cabaluna as Father Pio, and Florencio Villacorta as Padre Iko. They reprised their roles from the 2023 production at the same venue, which served as its 30th anniversary presentation.

Also joining them are supporting cast members Mary Ann Dumaran as the parish cook Conching, Eldryn Padigos as parish worker Pedring, Genelyn Aves as benefactress Lourdes, Alexander Sebalda as Bishop Leo, and Elbert Ydeme as mechanic Bodie.

Their recent performance coincides with the Jubilee Year, which encourages followers to go through spiritual renewal and reconciliation – the underlying themes of the story.

‘The play is very internal that it reveals an insider story of what’s going on in the leadership of the church,’ Ancajas told The FREEMAN. ‘A lot of people who served for their church can relate because they are familiar with the misunderstandings and conflicts. But at the end of the day, it’s always God’s grace that leads to reconciliation and redemption for everybody.’

Through dialogue-heavy scenes and monologues, the conflict among the priests stems from their contrasting personalities and differing views on how to lead their parish, fueled by egos and generational gaps. As tensions rise, particularly between Fadz and Pio, it raises the question of whether the church can continue to serve without resentment, which in turn affects their ministry.

‘We are drawn to our own issues in life. But we never lose hope because in the end, it can be resolved through communication,’ Villacorta said. ‘It’s always God’s grace that helps us go through our situations, and we never lose hope despite our differences.’

‘In spite of those differences, there is diversity,’ added Cabaluna. ‘The love of God reveals each one of us, and at the end, we have love and forgiveness and mercy from God.’

In a review of the 2000 production for a magazine, Amor Hernando praised the play for its eloquent portrayal of complex characters and how their psyches impact their parish.

‘Neither a satire nor a morality play, this play plumbs the depths of the human psyche by presenting the struggles of three priests within the context of the Filipino church, which is still concededly traditional, not excepting Cebu,’ the critic wrote.

‘It demonstrates how the emotional and psychological struggles of the three priests could affect their ministry at definite phases in their lives. The existential vulnerability constricts the quality of service, the givenness, the agility to become the pastors people expect them to be.’

While the play may have been written decades ago, its story remains timely – especially for its target audience, who may be all too familiar with such struggles.

‘This is a play that shows the human side of priests. What’s important is that the grace of God continues to purify the priests and their service, love for the church, and nurture their relationship with the people in their parishes,’ Ancajas said. ‘Even younger people who attended said that they could relate to a story like this. What’s important at the end is that there is openness for forgiveness and reconciliation.’

Kira, err, Kara David now has her hands on ‘Death Note’, and her followers could not help but poke fun and give suggestions on how to use it.

The award-winning journalist received a surprise gift from her fellow University of the Philippines faculty member.

”Kara’ po ang pangalan ko hindi ‘Kira.’ Thanks Ronin for this cool gift. Shinigami ‘yarn?’ Kara wrote on her Facebook caption with her holding the ‘Death Note’ notebook.

Her post has generated over 217, 000 reactions, 6,000 comments and 24,000 shares.

Her followers immediately flooded her post with comments – from witty barbs to an explanation of the famous Japanese manga-turned-anime show.

‘Lista n’yo na po please,’ one user commented.

‘Ma’am Kara, List every corrupt official alphabetically, chronologically, or by the size of their kickbacks. We might need extra pages, though,’ another one wrote.

Social media pages also shared the post with their own quips.

‘May nangyayari na,’ one social media page wrote about Kara’s post.

One user, who goes by the Facebook name Jayson Hipol, explained the lore of the popular early 2000s manga.

‘When a human picks up a Death Note, they automatically enter into an agreement with the Shinigami (death god) who owns it. This agreement gives the human the power to kill anyone simply by writing the person’s name in the notebook while picturing their face,’ the user explained.

He shared that there are strict rules to follow in using Death Note. These include the cause of death must be written within 40 seconds or the person will die of a heart attack; it cannot kill someone in an impossible or unrealistic way; and once someone uses the Death Note, their soul is neither allowed in Heaven nor Hell after death.

The social media user also talked about how the human in possession of the notebook can strike another deal that gives him the ability to see the names and lifespan written on it in exchange of his remaining days of living.

‘In short, the Death Note agreement grants immense power – but at the cost of the user’s soul and humanity,’ the user wrote.

‘Death Note’ is a serialized manga published by Weekly Shonen Jump from December 2003 to 2006.

It tells the story of genius high school student Light Yagami, who comes across and comes into possession of the Death Note, which he discovers grants anyone the ability to kill a person whose name is written on its pages. Light uses it under the alias Kira to eliminate people he deemed immoral in his desire for a crime-free society.

‘Death Note’ has been adapted into various media, including a 37-episode anime in 2006 and various video games. It also has live-action adaptations via a mini-series and four films released in 2006, 2008, 2015 and 2016.

We know that a number of times Christ complained about the hypocrisy of the leading Jews of his time. He issued a number of ‘Woe to you’s’ to those who ‘tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over judgment and the charity of God.love the uppermost seats in the synagogues and salutations in the marketplace.like sepulchres that appear not and men that walk over are not aware.’ (cfr. Lk 11,2-46)

Actually, our tendency toward hypocrisy is always a proximate danger to all of us. Again, this should not be a surprise to us. It’s a plain fact of life given our wounded condition here on earth.

But we should always be guarded against it and try our best to convert it into what is ideal for us, that is, for us to be sincere and simple, acknowledging our weaknesses and mistakes but assured of God’s mercy and help as long as we do our part to fight against this danger of hypocrisy.

Of course, we have to distinguish between hypocrisy and discretion. Discretion may look like hypocrisy but it is a completely different banana. Some facts and data may be withheld not to deceive others nor to take advantage of them. It’s rather done out of charity, since certain conditions and circumstances dictate that certain truths, secrets, facts and data need not be said, at least, as of the moment.

Discretion requires great discipline. In this regard, I would like to remit what St. James in his letter said about our tongue that is so relevant to this topic. ‘The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body.For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed, but no human being can tame the tongue.With it we bless and the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men.’ (3)

We have to be most careful with our tongue which, sad to say, seems to be given free and unregulated rein in our current prevailing culture that is marked with so much gossiping and unhinged criticisms, etc.

To fight against this danger of hypocrisy, we should try our best to be brutally sincere and truthful which is a matter first of all of being with God, of having a vital relation with him, since he is the truth himself, the author and maker of reality. Without him, our effort to know the truth and to be truthful would be undermined.

With him, our pursuit for the truth will always go with charity. And given our human condition that is marked with our frailties and limitations, it will also go with prudence and discretion. We would know what to say, when, how and to whom to say, etc.

Without him, our pursuit for the truth would most likely be simply based on what is sensible and intelligible alone. In that condition, truth-seeking and truth-affirming would be at the mercy of our human frailties and limitations, not to mention our ulterior motives and our tendency to play games, if not to get into the dynamics of malice, self-interest, greed, etc. We would be left helpless against the danger of hypocrisy.

Yes, we need to promote truth always, defend, and protect it especially if it is under attack, whether openly or in a hidden, subtle way. But we have to avoid hypocrisy, and instead continue to grow as earnestly as possible in sincerity and discretion, more so now that we are in some confusing and complicated times.

The dynamic duo of JM Dela Cerna and Marielle Montellano kicked off the newest season of ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar’ with a bang as they were hailed the first weekly winners for their breathtaking impersonation of Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion.

Their stirring rendition of the timeless ballad ‘The Prayer’ captivated both the jury composed of Gary Valenciano, Ogie Alcasid, and Sharon Cuneta and their fellow contestants, earning them the top spot on the leaderboard.

JM and Marielle shared that their victory was the result of their teamwork, as performing as the iconic duo posed a unique challenge. ‘Sobrang saya. Medyo challenging para sa amin ni JM bilang kami ang nag-iisang duo sa season na ito,’ Marielle said.

As weekly winners, the pair took home a trophy and ?50,000. Their closest competitor was Jason Dy, whose impressive transformation as Erik Santos earned him the highest marks from the jury panel.

Meanwhile, the return of the show became a social media hit, with hashtags #YFSFisback, #YFSF1stWinner, and #YFSFKaSound securing top trending spots on X. Clips of the celebrity performers’ transformations also drew millions of views online and sparked excitement among netizens eager to see what’s next.

Audiences can look forward to more amazing transformations, world-class performances, and fun-filled moments in the coming weeks as the celebrity contestants return to the Iconator to take on new music legends in their quest for the ?1 million grand prize.

Get to see JM and Marielle as Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, Jason Dy as Sam Smith, Pepe Herrera as Steven Tyler, Akira Morishita as Harry Styles, Alexa Ilacad as Connie Francis, Dia Mate as Maymay Entrata, Jarlo Base as Jay-R, and Rufa Mae Quinto as Cyndi Lauper.

‘Your Face Sounds Familiar’ airs Saturdays, 7:15 pm on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z. Viewers can also catch it on TV5 every Saturday, at 8:15 pm, and Sundays, at 8:30 pm.

University of Santo Tomas growled to its third straight win in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament after clawing Far Eastern University, 92-80, Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Growling Tigers rose to 5-1 in the season, sharing the lead with National University, while the Tamaraws dropped to 1-5.

Kyle Paranada powered UST with 19 points, four assists and two rebounds on a near-perfect 7-of-8 shooting, while Nic Cabanero and Gelo Crisostomo had 14 markers apiece.

It was a nip-and-tuck game through the fourth quarter, as the two teams traded buckets almost the whole game.

A Jorick Bautista 3-pointer pushed FEU ahead, 73-72, but Paranada and Cabanero took turns with their deuces as the Tigers turned things up a notch and take an 80-73 lead with 5:36 left.

Mo Konateh and Janrey Pasaol made it a 80-82 deficit for FEU, as the Tamaraws tried to charge back with 4:01 remaining.

But a massive finishing 10-0 kick by UST, courtesy of Crisostomo and Collins Akowe, slammed the door shut on the Morayta-based squad.

Akowe had a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, to go with four blocks and a steal. Forthsky Padrigao chipped in 11 points, but he struggled with a 2-of-10 clip.

Pasaol filled the statsheet for the Tamaraws with 22 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while Konateh tallied 19 markers, 11 boards, four swats, three steals and two dimes for FEU.

UST will try to finish the first round strong as it takes on Adamson on Saturday, while the FEU will try to return to the winning column as it faces University of the East on Sunday. Both games will be at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck off the coast of Davao Oriental, state meteorologists have recorded 1,387 aftershocks.

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Teresito Bacolcol said that the aftershocks were caused by stones still moving around the epicenter of the magnitude 7.4 quake on October 10.

‘Ang source po ng lindol would be the Philippine Trench and as of 10 a.m. today nakapagtala po tayo ng 1,387 aftershocks kung saan out of these 1,387 aftershocks, 19 of these were felt by residents,’ Bacolcol said on the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing.

(The source of these earthquakes would be the Philippine Trench and as of 10 a.m. today, we have recorded 1,387 aftershocks whereas, out of these 1,387 aftershocks, 19 of these were felt by residents.)

The new wave of aftershocks was felt earlier on Wednesday in Nabunturan, Davao de Oro. Strong aftershocks were also recorded in Manay and Mati City in Davao Oriental in the previous days.

Aftershocks were also recorded in Surigao del Sur, Davao del Sur, Davao de Oro, South Cotabato and Sarangani.

Bacolcol said that aftershocks after strong earthquakes were very common, and reassured that aftershocks as strong as the original earthquake were unlikely.

The Phivolcs director explained the earthquake that struck Davao Oriental was not because of a fault line, but due to the Philippine Trench, which lies along the Philippine Sea plate.

Bacolcol explained that this is why areas that face the Philippine Sea also occasionally experience strong earthquakes, not just eastern Mindanao.

The earthquake in Davao killed eight people, injuring 196 others.