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The government is partnering with internet analyst Ookla to improve monitoring of connectivity speed and response time to outages as part of efforts to narrow the digital gap in the Philippines.

In a joint statement with Ookla, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said they are enhancing transparency in the publication of data on internet speeds.

DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said ‘transparency is the new sexy,’ perhaps in reference to the public demand for truth over the alleged anomalies in flood control projects.

In response, Aguda said the DICT is stepping up measures for consumers to learn more about the quality of their internet connection at home and on mobile. Ookla gives the agency access to the Downdetector dashboard to find out about service outages in real time.

Aguda said the DICT would maximize this access to quickly report disruptions to the responsible provider.

The partnership also supports the DICT’s Oplan Bantay Signal, which is a platform that enables users to check their internet speed in real time.

Likewise, the tie-up mandates Ookla to submit quarterly reports on network performance of telco providers so the DICT can identify which areas are lagging and where improvements are needed.

‘With this strategic alliance (with Ookla), we reaffirm DICT’s dedication to a Philippines where connectivity is transparent, reliable and always improving,’ he added.

The DICT, through Oplan Bantay Signal, operates a dashboard where consumers can find which provider is turning in the quickest download speeds. The platform also monitors the availability, consistency and reliability of Dito, GOMO, Globe, Smart, Sun, TM and TNT.

Today, October 18, 2025, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) returns to its birthplace, Cebu, where it was founded in 2007.

NUPL is a ‘nationwide voluntary association of human rights lawyers as well as lawyers from mainstream bar groups or traditional legal practice who have expressed interest in human rights lawyering and advocacy in various degrees and capacities.’

I was still a Law student back then when around 89 lawyers from across the country, together with paralegals and fellow Law students, first assembled in Cebu in September 15-16, 2007 amid the increasingly repressive atmosphere under the then-unpopular Arroyo administration.

NUPL thus says in reference to its founding congress in Cebu: ‘The genesis of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) emerged from the urgent need for a structured response to the grave human rights violations during Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration.’ These abuses, including extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and political harassment, along with the then impending passage of the Human Security Act of 2007, showed the urgent need for organized legal action and advocacy.

By 2016, during its 4th Congress in Legazpi City, Albay, NUPL had grown to more than 20 chapters nationwide. As of 2023, it has 258 member-lawyers in chapters throughout the country, making the NUPL the largest lawyers’ organization in the Philippines in terms of membership. If Law student members and paralegals are included, the number grows even larger.

For its 7th National Congress, the NUPL returns to Cebu with the theme: ‘Seven Congresses Strong: Advancing Peoples’ Lawyering in the Struggle for Rights, Justice, and Accountability.’ That the congress was first held in Cebu and has now returned for its seventh is a testament to Cebu’s enduring role in the defense of human rights, both historical and contemporary.

But as a member of the NUPL, I can say that it is more than just human rights lawyering. In the words of Boehringer (Athens Journal of Social Sciences, 2015), ‘progressive lawyers have formed organizations for the specificpractice of law in the interests of the people.’ So what exactly is peoples’ lawyering, and how is it distinguished from ordinary legal aid to the marginalized?

In the Philippine context, says NUPL chairman Edre Olalia in a 2013 presentation culled from the late NUPL founding chairman Romeo T. Capulong’s ‘Lawyering for the Oppressed and the Exploited Poor: Selected Speeches on People’s Lawyering in the Philippine Context’, ‘peoples’ lawyer’ means lawyering for the overwhelming majority of our people composed of peasants, workers, urban poor, small fisherfolk, indigenous people, women, youth, and migrant workers.

While traditional legal aid also serves the poor and marginalized, the key difference lies in the perspective of the peoples’ lawyer. A peoples’ lawyer helps the poor not just because they cannot afford legal fees, but because he or she understands that their poverty and the injustices they suffer come from an unjust system that must be changed. Thus, beyond providing competent legal services, a people’s lawyer is also deeply committed to social change as part of his or her work.

Says the late Atty. Capulong: ‘Unlike the typical pro bono lawyer, the people’s lawyers do not limit themselves to the generally accepted interpretation and use of the law to uphold and protect their clients’ interest. They know that in an elite-dominated society, the law is merely the expression of elite interests. Instead, they take a critical view of the law and what the law should be from the perspective of the disenfranchised or marginalized client.

‘Unlike the traditional practitioner who pleads the client’s cause during adversarial proceedings with the cold neutrality of a skilled legal technician, the people’s lawyers fight with passion and dedication to the legal as well as the social cause of the client, pleading such cause in and outside the courtroom or legal fora, in dialogue and negotiations, in networking and building alliances, in street rallies, in media, in legislative inquiries and hearings, and in symposia and conferences.’

At the 2007 NUPL Founding Congress in Cebu, then Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno delivered these resounding words: ‘By calling yourselves the ‘people’s lawyer,’ you have made a remarkable choice. You decided not to remain in the sidelines. Where human rights are assaulted, you have chosen to sacrifice the comfort of the fence to the dangers of the battlefield. But only those who choose to fight on the battlefield live beyond irrelevance.’

For most of the game, Magnolia couldn’t shake off hard-fighting Titan Ultra, which repeatedly climbed out of double-digit holes.

But come the payoff canto, veterans Mark Barroca and Ian Sangalang made sure the Hotshots would finally land the KO blow.

With the two veterans sparking a 13-0 salvo to start the fourth, the troops of LA Tenorio secured a 127-119 win over the Giant Risers to take the lead in the PBA Philippine Cup at 2-0 last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Barroca and Sangalang, embracing their new roles coming off the bench, combined for 10 in that telling run that enabled the Hotshots to seize a 105-88 upperhand, which they later stretched to 119-98.

Sangalang finished with 21 while Barroca shot 16 with seven assists in backing up Zav Lucero, who dished out a 23-point, 17-rebound, four-assist performance in the follow-up to their 80-73 victory over Ginebra on opening night.

‘Vets are vets. Whether they get five, 10, 15 minutes, I know they will deliver,’ said Tenorio.

Later, Meralco unleashed a 33-14 closing barrage to defeat Ginebra, 89-75. The Bolts improved to 2-2 off a 0-2 start while sending the Gin Kings to 1-2.

The low end of the government’s growth target for the year remains within reach despite expectations of a slowdown in government spending amid the flood control controversy, according to the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev).

‘The low end of the range is still very much achievable,’ DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told reporters on the sidelines of the European-Philippine Business Dialogue.

For this year, the government is aiming for a 5.5 to 6.5 percent gross domestic product growth.

In the first semester, the economy posted an average growth of 5.4 percent.

Revelations of alleged irregularities in flood control projects have prompted the government to put many projects on hold.

With infrastructure spending expected to slow down, Balisacan said the economic team is set to meet next week to discuss the way forward.

While there may be a bit of a slowdown in the third quarter economic performance due to typhoons that disrupted economic activities, Balisacan is hopeful that it will not be lower than the 5.5 percent growth posted in the second quarter.

He told The STAR earlier that third quarter growth is expected to be at the same pace or slightly better than the second quarter, citing low inflation, labor market improvements as well as higher exports.

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto also said that growth in the third quarter could slow down amid greater scrutiny in government spending.

Balisacan said the flood control scandal is expected to impact both investment and consumer sentiment.

He also expects uncertainties in the external environment, particularly from tariffs imposed by the United States, to affect investment growth.

‘But we believe that the setbacks are very temporary,’ Balisacan said, noting that the flood control scandal gives the country an opportunity to address issues affecting the economy’s medium and long-term prospects.

‘As a result of this, we can put our house into better order. We can put reforms. We can get these institutional processes to address these issues. So we establish a better foundation for long-term growth,’ he said.

According to Balisacan, the six to seven percent annual growth target set for next year until 2028 remains doable.

Despite uncertainties mainly due to the US tariffs, he said the outlook is a little better now.

‘So we hope that there will be greater clarity and less uncertainty in the coming years,’ Balisacan said.

Reymon Jaraula delivered a final-round masterpiece – a new course record nine-under 63 – for a dominant nine-stroke victory in the ICTSI Del Monte Championship at Del Monte Golf Club yesterday.

Jaraula birdied the first two holes and never looked back en route to a 23-under 265 – one of the lowest in Philippine Golf Tour history.

The exclamation point came on the par-5 18th, where Jaraula capped his record-setting, bogey-free round with an eagle, cementing both the victory and his place in Del Monte lore. His 63 shattered the previous course record of 64, held by Clyde Mondilla since 2023 – the same year Mondilla edged Jaraula by one for the crown.

‘Hindi ko in-expect na ganito ka-convincing,’ said Jaraula, who hit all 14 fairways, found 16 greens in regulation, and needed just 28 putts.

Rupert Zaragosa, who had led midway through the tournament, simply couldn’t keep up. He finished with a second straight 71 for a distant runner-up at 274, while Japan’s Atsushi Ueda carded a 68 to place third at 275 – his best career finish on the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.-organized circuit.

Russell Bautista (69) secured solo fourth at 276, while Arnold Villacencio (67), Mondilla (69), and Korean Jaehyun Jung (69) tied for fifth at 278. Tony Lascuña, who started the day in solo third, stumbled with a 73 to join Collin Wheeler (68) and Keanu Jahns (72) at joint eighth on 279.

Olympic gymnastics champion Carlos Yulo would be limited to one apparatus in this December’s Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.

‘Carlos cannot compete in all apparatus. They’re giving only one every gymnast, only one,’ said Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion.

Carrion said Yulo, a double-gold winner in last year’s Paris Olympics, can win all the six apparatuses but the curious rule change will prevent the latter from achieving such.

‘They know Carlos can win it all,’ she said.

In the last SEAG, host Cambodia limited participants in artistic gymnastics to a maximum of two events each. That denied Yulo a chance to match or even surpass his five-gold haul in Hanoi in 2022.

Yulo eventually won two golds (individual all-around and parallel bars) and the silver (rings) in the Cambodian capital.

From two, it’s now down to one.

Despite this, Carrion said they would try to win the other events.

‘Of course we want to win all of it,’ she said.

Sean Ramos made a compelling case for his readiness to compete on the international stage, firing a sensational eagle-laced five-under 65 to vault into a tie for 13th place halfway through the $1-million Macao Open at the Macau Golf and Country Club in China on Friday.

Undeterred by an up-and-down opening round of 70, Ramos bounced back with a fiery second-round performance that showcased not just his scoring ability but his resilience and short-game brilliance.

The 24-year-old Filipino, long touted as one of the most promising talents to emerge from the local circuit, stormed through the day with a string of highlights – most notably an eagle-2 on the par-4 No. 1, where he holed out.

Ramos also capitalized on two of the three par-5s on the back nine and added birdies on Nos. 2 and 4, leap-frogging from a share of 61st at the start of the round to as high as 10th on the leaderboard. A lone bogey on the par-3 seventh after a missed green slightly stalled his charge, but his 31-34 round left him at 135 – just four strokes off the clubhouse lead held by China’s Wocheng Ye, who carded a 66 for a nine-under 131.

Thai ace Sarit Suwannarut had moved to 10-under overall with two holes to play at press time.

More than just making the cut, Ramos’ second-round exploits ignited hopes of a strong weekend push from the former amateur standout now carving a path in the highly competitive Asian Tour. His performance under pressure, on a demanding par-70 layout, hinted at a maturity and poise that bodes well for his future on the international stage.

Despite struggling with his long game – hitting only seven fairways and missing six greens in regulation – Ramos put together a low round thanks to a masterful short game and pinpoint putting.

He needed just 26 putts, including five crucial scrambling pars, underlining a skill set that makes him a serious contender when his ball-striking catches up with his touch around the greens.

Ramos, who broke through on the Philippine Golf Tour last year in Cabanatuan, has long been viewed as a future star. His recent results are beginning to reflect that potential, with this latest performance serving notice that he belongs among the region’s best. With two rounds to play, a strong weekend could vault him into title contention – and firmly onto the radar of international golf watchers.

Meanwhile, Korean-American Micah Shin, a former PGT campaigner and winner of the The Country Club Invitational in 2018, continued his steady play with a second straight 67, moving into provisional joint ninth at 134.

Justin Quiban stood at three-under through 12 holes in his second round, while Miguel Tabuena withdrew after an opening 72.

Over in Tarlac, at the ADT Players Championship in Luisita, Angelo Que bounced back from a lackluster 72 with a flawless five-under 67 to surge into a tie for 16th alongside Carl Corpus, who followed up his 70 with a solid 69, for 139s.

The pair trailed joint leaders Michele Ortolani and James Leow by six strokes, as both carded matching 133s after rounds of 68 and 64, respectively.

Amateur standout Shinichi Suzuki kept his campaign alive with a 70 for a 141 total, while Enrico Gallardo slipped with a 73 and joined amateur Perry Bucay, who also posted a one-over card, at 144. Rolando Bregente, another Filipino amateur, struggled with a 75 after opening with a 70, dropping to joint 51st at 145 – just inside the 146 cutoff.

Malacañang yesterday parried Vice President Sara Duterte’s fresh attacks against the Marcos administration, accusing her of spreading falsehoods against the government and implementing questionable projects during her stint as education secretary.

Duterte hurled several tirades at President Marcos on Wednesday, claiming that he intends to remain in power, does not work and does not give direction to state agencies.

In a text message to reporters, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said: ‘If these are just speculations, we would not get a good response on the issue. Many of our countrymen will be fooled by her falsehood.’

‘Let us learn to read real news so we won’t become a source of fake news, unless it is done deliberately to change what really happened for her own interest,’ Castro said.

In another development, the Supreme Court has ordered the government to comment on a petition seeking the issuance of a writ of kalikasan for a massive environment cleanup as the country grapples with corruption surrounding anomalous flood control projects.

A teacher was wounded after she was allegedly shot by her husband during class in a school in Tanauan, Leyte yesterday morning.

Elizabeth Mandreza was rushed to the nearest hospital by her fellow teachers after a bullet grazed her neck.

Reports said that Mandreza was conducting class at the Tanauan School of Craftmanship and Home Industries in Barangay Canramos when her husband Adan barged in and shot her.

The suspect threw the gun onto the roof of a nearby building as he fled from the crime scene.

Responding members of the Tanauan police arrested the suspect, who tried to kill himself with a fan knife, according to Capt. Carmelo Gacho, Tanauan police chief.

The incident prompted school officials to suspend classes.

Probers are eyeing jealousy as the motive for the attack.

Meanwhile, in Laguna, two people were killed while three others were wounded when an alleged shootout erupted during the serving of an arrest warrant in Calamba on Wednesday.

Romar Awid died at the scene of the incident that occurred in Barangay Cristobal while four-year-old Akhiro Sañez died while being rushed to a hospital.

The wounded victims including two police officers and a woman were taken to different hospitals for treatment of gunshot wounds.

The officers were about to handcuff Regie Abarquez when his companions including Awid drew their guns, triggering a shootout, according to Lt. Col. Dennis de Guzman, Calamba police chief.

Police said Abarquez has pending cases for frustrated murder, gunrunning and contract killing.

Filipinos see the media and civil society organizations (CSOs) as more trustworthy than government institutions in addressing the problem of corruption in flood control projects, a recent Pulse Asia survey showed.

The survey, conducted from Sept. 27 to 30, found that a majority of respondents have much trust in the media and civil society.

Fifty-one percent said they have big trust in the media, while 18 percent said they had small or no trust at all. The remaining 30 percent were undecided.

CSOs obtained a trust rating of 50 percent, with only 11 percent saying they had small or no trust in them. Forty percent cannot say if they have big or small trust in civil society to address corruption in flood projects.

Most respondents are still ambivalent toward the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) created by President Marcos, with 56 percent saying they are not sure if they have big or small trust in it.

Only 23 percent said they had big trust in the ICI, while 17 percent had small or no trust at all.

Some figures do not add up to 100 percent because there were respondents who refused answer or said they don’t know.

Marcos, other gov’t agencies

More respondents have small or no trust in Marcos in addressing the problem of corruption in flood control projects, the survey showed.

Forty-five percent said they had small or no trust in the President, compared to 32 percent who said they had big trust in him. Some 23 percent were undecided.

The ombudsman received slightly higher trust from the public, although these are still lower than those received by the media and CSOs.

Some 39 percent said they had big trust in the ombudsman, while 17 percent had little trust. Forty-three percent were ambivalent.

The survey was conducted prior to the appointment of Jesus Crispin Remulla, former justice secretary, as the next ombudsman.

For the legislature, which is also doing its own investigation, the Senate (37 percent big trust, 27 percent small or no trust) received slightly higher trust ratings than the House of Representatives (25 percent big trust, 36 percent small or no trust).

The Department of Public Works and Highways garnered the lowest trust rating among the entities included in the survey, with only seven percent saying they trust that it would be able to address issues of corruption in flood control projects. Eighty-one percent said they had small or little trust in the agency.