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Although with different lead actors-the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. then, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. now-the scenarios and sequence of events are almost the same.

In 1983, former Sen. Ninoy Aquino was assassinated. There was a flood of people in the streets who joined and watched his funeral march. Marcos Sr. created the Fernando Commission and later, the Agrava Commission, to investigate Aquino’s assassination. But some principal suspects were either spared from the investigation or ultimately acquitted by the Sandiganbayan, like Gen. Fabian Ver, businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., and other publicly known cronies. While protests were ongoing, there were lavish parties in Malacañang. There was a snap election. People were disgruntled with the results of both the investigation and the snap election. There were talks of a coup d’état. There was people power. And the rest is history.

Today, there is massive corruption in government infrastructure under the DPWH, and most likely in other government agencies, too, where billions of people’s money is involved. There is real flooding all over the country. President Marcos Jr. created an Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to investigate anomalies and corruption in government infrastructure projects, particularly in flood control. The Senate and House of Representatives are also conducting their own investigations. But the public is sensing that there are once again sacred cows who are sparingly touched by all investigations, particularly former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and other implicated senators. While the streets are flooded, there is a series of concerts at Goldenberg.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano suggested a snap election. People are getting angry and starting protest marches and rallies again, the biggest one, last Sept. 21, which was the anniversary of the declaration of martial law. If the results of all investigations, particularly of the ICI, are unacceptable to the people, this can lead to bigger protests and rallies similar to the 1986 People Power Revolution. And what could be next?

We are always told that those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat the same mistakes and consequently suffer the same results.

Mr. Marcos Jr., during the 108th birth anniversary of his father, mentioned that his ‘every act must be motivated by a true commitment to service and driven by true love of every single Filipino and a love for the Republic of the Philippines.’ He wants to be ‘on the right side of history.’

Filipinos join him in this wish and hope that God and providence will help him change the course of history. The impending events, if history repeats itself, and what comes thereafter, might even be worse than what the Philippines had after the first people power.

The majority of Filipinos obviously never learned from history, as they keep on voting for the same corrupt national and local officials. Our political history also keeps on repeating itself, as we get more entangled in the web of corruption, which has become more systemic and systematic.

Contractor couple Pacifico ‘Curlee’ and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya arrived at the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) building for the commission’s hearing on Wednesday, October 15.

Curlee, who is currently under the Senate’s custody, first entered the office at around 12:50 p.m.

Meanwhile, Sarah-apparently avoiding the media-used the backdoor to enter the commission’s office at around 1 p.m.

The ICI earlier said in a Viber message to reporters that its hearing was scheduled at 1 p.m.

This would be the third time the Discayas will be resource persons at the ICI hearing. They appeared before the commission on September 30 and October 7. /cb

Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto has issued a stern warning to barangay officials in the city engaged in corrupt practices.

‘Enough is enough!’ Sotto said in his seventh State of the City Address on Monday.

The mayor slammed, in particular, village leaders who he said were bragging that they had a financier or supposed protector in the Commission on Audit (COA).

‘Don’t tell me that you’re close to COA Commissioner Lipana,’ he said, referring to Mario Lipana, whose name has been linked to alleged anomalies in flood control projects.

Lipana, who has served as COA commissioner since 2022, is under fire for an alleged conflict of interest. Congressional hearings have revealed that his wife, Marilou Laurio Lipana, is an active contractor whose firm got nearly P200 million worth of flood control projects from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The Office of the Ombudsman has confirmed that it is investigating Lipana.

Lipana has been on official leave since Aug. 1, and has extended his absence until Oct. 30, supposedly for medical treatment abroad for an undisclosed illness.

In his speech, Sotto vowed that corrupt practices in the Pasig City government will not be tolerated.

‘Do what is right’

‘We will stand up for what is right in the city of Pasig,’ he declared.

‘Since 2019, we have fought for better governance; we have focused on the city government. I must admit we have not focused much on our barangays. But now, we can take a better look at the barangay government,’ the mayor added.

‘I am not blaming everyone. but let’s not kid ourselves. Many of our barangay officials, we know what they’re up to,’ he stressed.

To underline his resolve, Sotto said administrative cases have already been filed against a number of barangay officials, while criminal cases are currently being prepared.

Sotto doubled down on the warning on his official Facebook page, posting a segment of his speech and repeating ‘Enough is enough!’ in the caption.

Igniting public outrage

The Pasig mayor had helped ignite public outrage over massive corruption in public infrastructure projects when he called out the media coverage given to the contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya, whose companies were among the Top 15 firms President Marcos had bared in August as having cornered the bulk of flood control projects.

The government has since then seized the Discayas’ fleet of high-end vehicles, revoked the licenses of nine of their firms, and filed criminal charges against the couple for alleged tax liabilities amounting to over P7.1 billion.

Sarah Discaya ran for Pasig City mayor against Sotto in the May 2025 elections but lost by a landslide.

The deepening probe into anomalous flood control projects could hurt the asset quality of Philippine banks, Fitch Ratings warned, as delays in public works could squeeze the cash flows of contractors and undermine their ability to pay loans.

Tamma Febrian, director of the financial institutions team at Fitch, said banks with higher exposure to the construction sector could face ‘the greatest risks.’

‘We see some downside risks to banking system loan volumes and overall asset quality as a result of the ongoing probe,’ Febrian told the Inquirer.

‘Slower government approvals and/or tighter loan disbursement may add friction to construction activity and weigh on certain contractors’ cash flows in the near term,’ he added.

Recall that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recently tightened the verification of completed projects and enforced stricter checks on billings and payment claims amid the deepening investigations.

Temporary slowdown

While the DPWH already lifted the suspension on bidding and procurement for local projects, the Department of Budget and Management said a ‘temporary slowdown’ in infrastructure spending was expected as the cleanup continues.

On the ground, the uncertainty has rattled builders-even those not implicated in the scandal. Some contractors had halted or scaled back operations to preserve cash, wary of mounting receivables from the DPWH and unsure when payments would resume.

The ripple effects were being felt beyond construction sites. Foreign companies in the Philippines that supply construction materials have reported softer sales, a trend they expect to persist in the coming months.

Playing it safe, several banks had reportedly put new loan releases for flood control projects on hold until the situation stabilizes.

Bad loans

Still, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli Remolona Jr., in a recent interview with One News, sought to ease concerns, saying there was ‘no sign or risk of an imminent crisis in the banking system’ for now.

Latest central bank data showed that nonperforming loans-debts overdue by at least 90 days and at risk of default-accounted for 3.50 percent of the domestic banking industry’s total loan portfolio in August, the highest level in nine months.

Fitch’s Febrian said the fallout was unlikely to spiral into a broader banking crisis.

‘For projects that have been affected, the final impact will depend on the outcome of the investigations and whether bank loan facilities are likely to become impaired because of illegitimate modifications,’ he said. INQ

Two consecutive earthquakes with magnitudes 4.5 (downgraded from 4.6) and 4.0 (downgraded from 4.3) shook Bogo City, Cebu, three minutes apart from each other, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded.

The magnitude 4.5 earthquake was recorded at 3:55 p.m., in an area 22 kilometers northeast of Bogo City, Phivolcs said.

At 3:58 p.m. a 4.0 magnitude earthquake hit another area 20 kilometers northeast of Bogo City, Phivolcs added.

Both quakes are tectonic in origin with two-kilometer depths of focus.

According to Phivolcs, both earthquakes are aftershocks of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake on September 30 in northern Cebu.

Phivolcs observed Intensity II in Tabuelan, Cebu from both quakes.

Furthermore, Phivolcs reported the following instrumental intensities from the earlier quake:

Intensity III

Villaba, Leyte

Intensity II

City of Cebu

Isabel, Leyte

Intensity I

Kawayan, Biliran

Talisay, Cebu

No damages or aftershocks are expected, Phivolcs said.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday said it has already issued the immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) requested by the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) anew against other individuals linked to anomalous infrastructure projects.

‘The OIC (officer-in-charge) Secretary [Fredderick Vida] has approved the ICI’s request against them and an ILBO has already been issued,’ the DOJ told reporters in a statement.

The following 16 individuals were listed on the new ILBO request of the ICI:

Former Cong. Mary Mitzi ‘Mitch’ Cajayon-Uy

Arturo ‘Art’ Atayde

Alvin Tan

Bong Marasigan

Elmer de Leon

Ed Fuentebella

Johnny Santos

John Mary Vianney Parago

Alvin Mariano

Ryan Uy

Darryl Recio

Nestor Venturina

Benjie Tocol

District Engr. Aristotle Ramos

District Engr. Michael P. Rosaria

Engr. Angelita Garucha

It should be noted that ILBOs are different from Hold Departure Orders (HDOs); ILBOs merely allow the BI to monitor the subjects’ travel, whereas HDOs bar subjects from leaving the country-and also require issuance by a court. /cb

A magnitude 4,3 earthquake struck the waters off Balangiga, Eastern Samar on Wednesday afternoon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) announced.

The earthquake was recorded at 2:23 p.m., around 31 kilometers southwest of Balangiga, Eastern Samar, within the Leyte Gulf, the Phivolcs said.

Phivolcs also recorded the tectonic earthquake having a depth of focus of 10 kilometers.

It also reported the following instrumental intensities:

Intensity III

Dulag, Leyte

Intensity II

Abuyog, Leyte

Silago, Southern Leyte

Hinunangan, Southern Leyte

Intensity I

Burauen, Leyte

Hinundayan, Southern Leyte

No damages to infrastructure or aftershocks are expected, according to Phivolcs.

The earthquake is the fourth earthquake recorded in Eastern Visayas on Monday, based on the Phivolcs bulletin. /cb

Former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Benjamin Acorda Jr. has been named as the new executive director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), replacing Gilbert Cruz.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced Acorda’s appointment to reporters on Wednesday.

Acorda was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as PNP chief from April 2023 to March 2024.

He graduated from the Philippine Military Academy Sambisig Class of 1991 and served as director of the PNP Directorate for Intelligence before he was appointed as PNP chief.

PAOCC is responsible for implementing measures to ensure an effective and efficient anti-crime drive. It is also tasked to identify and prosecute criminal groups and their protectors in government through efficient intelligence and counterintelligence efforts. /jpv

The trust ratings of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte both declined, according to a survey from the Social Weather Stations.

Commissioned and published by think tank Stratbase on Tuesday night, the SWS survey of 1,200 adult respondents was conducted from September 24 to 30.

The survey came days after the massive and simultaneous September 21 anti-corruption protests nationwide, which were triggered by a multi-billion-peso corruption scandal involving flood control projects.

Marcos posted a trust rating of 43 percent, while 36 percent of respondents said they have ‘little trust’ in him, and 21 percent were ‘undecided.’

This trust rating was down slightly from 48 percent in June 2025.

On the other hand, Duterte’s trust rating is 53 percent, while 28 percent of respondents have ‘little trust’ in her, and 18 percent were undecided.

Her trust rating in June 2025 was at 61 percent.

Dindo Manhit, president of the Stratbase Group, said the decline of Marcos and Duterte ratings reflects ‘a shifting public mood.’

‘Filipinos are reassessing their confidence in the country’s top leaders, with both experiencing dips in trust, though the vice president’s decline is more significant,’ Manhit said in a statement.

For him, these numbers reflect a ‘maturing’ electorate and serve as a reminder that how the government delivers results matters.

‘When people see decisive, transparent action on the issues affecting their daily lives, confidence follows,’ Manhit said. ‘When they don’t, it erodes-no matter how popular the leader once was.’

‘This reflects a maturing public that evaluates leaders more on performance than personality,’ he concluded. /abc

Facing the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Tuesday, former Speaker Martin Romualdez denied allegations that he received kickbacks in exchange for infrastructure projects.

This was disclosed by ICI Executive Director Brian Hosaka following the conclusion of Romualdez’s first appearance in the ICI’s closed-door hearings.

According to Hosaka, ICI commissioners asked Romualdez about allegations against him, particularly how he allegedly had money delivered to him in exchange for infrastructure deals.

‘He was asked, and he denied [it],’ said Hosaka.

The claim was made during the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on Sept. 25, where Sen. Rodante Marcoleta presented former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co’s security consultant, Orly Guteza, as a surprise witness.

Guteza testified that he personally delivered pieces of luggage filled with money to the residences of Co and Romualdez.

The next day, then blue ribbon chair Sen. Panfilo Lacson said that a full background check was necessary on Marcoleta’s witness due to the gravity of his allegations, as well as doubts caused by information that the notarial details of Guteza’s affidavit were falsified.

‘Without the courtesy of notice even to the committee chairman, a totally surprise witness [was presented] in yesterday’s blue ribbon hearing, a complete record check and background investigation on Orly Regala Guteza is in order owing to the gravity and seriousness of his testimony yesterday,’ Lacson said in a post on X.

Lawmakers’ role

Hosaka said ICI commissioners also tried to get information from Romualdez as to how the flood control corruption scandal happened.

‘Of course, we are looking into what really happened, and him being the Speaker, the leader of the House at that time, will be able to provide us with important information,’ Hosaka said in a mix of English and Filipino.

‘As far as [Romualdez’s] role is concerned or possible liability or accountability, that is up to the commission to decide,’ he added.

Hosaka explained that the information provided by Romualdez during the hearing was ‘helpful’ as he was able to clarify his and his colleagues’ role in the national budget process.

Hosaka said the ICI will invite Romualdez back to its hearings, along with other lawmakers involved in the crafting of the national budget, to follow up on the information the Leyte lawmaker provided during Tuesday’s hearing and an affidavit he voluntarily submitted to the probe body.

‘That’s why what the commission did was invite him back so that questions could be asked regarding that affidavit-so he will return again next week,’ he said.

‘So these people will be invited soon to shed light on their participation in the budget preparation, which [is relevant] to the anomalous flood control projects,’ he noted.

Hosaka, however, declined to name the lawmakers to be invited by the ICI.

The official said the commission is also studying its next move regarding Co, who was subpoenaed but did not attend the hearing.

‘We will think about that, and it is something that we will have to study,’ said Hosaka. Co’s current whereabouts remain unclear, but the former lawmaker said last July that he was seeking medical treatment in the United States for an undisclosed condition.

Romualdez said he believes any resource person, including Co, invited by the ICI should heed its summons and return to the country.

State witness

This is Romualdez’s first time to attend a hearing of the ICI, the independent investigative body looking not only at corruption in flood control projects but also in all national government infrastructure works over the past 10 years.

Romualdez was invited by the commission to ‘discuss his familiarity and personal knowledge as Speaker of the House relative to the National Budget insertions, and as well as the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) flood control projects.’

Upon his arrival at the ICI headquarters in Taguig City, Romualdez vowed to share all that he knows.

‘I am ready to feed my personal knowledge on the budget process, and while not a member of the bicameral conference committee, I will share all information to help determine the truth and to give all the facts and information,’ he said.

‘I will be here to help in any way to speed up the resolution of the fact-finding investigation for ICI,’ he added.

Romualdez thanked the ICI for the ‘opportunity to share his side of the story’ and reiterated his commitment to support the body in its investigation.

‘It seems that right now, it’s about facts and evidence, not just political noise or speculations,’ Romualdez said partly in Filipino.

‘That’s why, the ICI commissioners were able to ask me many questions, and I was able to answer them. I feel very, very happy to share the information,’ he noted.

Romualdez said he is also willing to publicize his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN) should the ICI need it.

Asked if Romualdez could become a state witness on the cases involving the flood control mess, Malacañang deferred to the incoming secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

‘It will depend on his testimony and what information he will disclose. It will also be up to the DOJ to determine whether he can qualify as a state witness, subject to the court’s recommendation,’ Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a briefing on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has yet to appoint a justice secretary to replace Jesus Crispin Remulla, who assumed office as the new Ombudsman. – With a report from Dexter Cabalza