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Will we now see a decisive shift in public sentiment that will finally lead to much wider involvement and sustained effort in fighting the evil of corruption in this country? Recently, I wrote, half-cynically, about how Filipinos seem to have a ‘flavor-of-the-month’ mentality in dealing with national issues, especially in matters of bad politics and governance. I was almost betting that the massive corruption scandal involving spurious flood control projects would be out of people’s minds in a matter of weeks or months-and life would go on in its usual course, including for the offenders themselves.

That cynicism is not unfounded, having seen the same corrupt public officials for decades, from the highest levels down to the lowest bureaucrats, still strutting about in positions of power, influence, and (ir)responsibility, still in control of people’s destinies. Some of them now even brazenly and hypocritically declare that they will act to curb and punish the very misdeeds they have been committing all this time. We have degenerated into a society where we cannot even tell who or what to believe anymore.

This is not a recent phenomenon. Years ago, I wrote about how the Philippines in 2014 embarrassingly stood out worldwide with the lowest level of trust, measured as the percentage of people agreeing with the statement ‘most people can be trusted’ (see ‘Trust and social cohesion,’ 1/21/20). This was from the World Values Survey (WVS), a global network of social scientists studying changing values and their impact on social and political life. The survey found that only three in every 100 Filipinos surveyed agreed with the statement. Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, and Ghana were the only other countries with trust levels of no more than 5 percent. The 2022 WVS results show Filipinos as still among the least trustful of others (slightly improved to 5.3 percent), in the undistinguished company of Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nicaragua, and a few others.

WVS has consistently shown that the level of trust in a country correlates closely with the cultural, social, and economic dimensions of human well-being. In particular, it has a strong correlation with the level of economic activity and average income (GDP per capita). More intensive research has revealed a causal relationship beyond mere statistical correlation, i.e., that trust indeed drives economic growth and leads to economic prosperity. Conversely, low levels of trust lead to economic stagnation and low incomes, a state the Philippines has been trapped in, together with the above-named countries stuck with us in the lower left corner of the WVS trust-income graph.

Thus, unless and until we Filipinos somehow manage to regain trust in our government and in one another, it would appear impossible to fulfill our dreams to uplift our nation’s economic and sociocultural well-being. Closely tied to the trust we urgently must regain, is hope that we as a people, can triumph over the evil that has been weighing our country down. But mustering that hope is extremely hard when we see how deep and pervasive evil has become in our society. Many see it rooted in our failures in education that have transcended more than a generation, and with our current dismal performance in global educational assessments, even the hope that our salvation lies in the next generation is slipping away. But fixing our schools, teachers, and textbooks will not be enough. It requires fixing our farms, so high food costs won’t deprive so many children of crucial nutrition, especially in their early years when brain development is most critical, and when severe malnutrition and stunting inflict lifelong damage to their cognitive and learning abilities. It thus requires that large budgets meant to help our farmers raise productivity do not go the same way as the massive leakages in public works funds now being exposed in full view (even as such agriculture budget leakages, in fact, had already had their turn as ‘flavor of the month’ before). And we go full circle in the vicious cycle of corruption and poverty our country is trapped in.

What hope do we have, then? Fellow Inquirer columnist Randy David points to the 2028 elections as our chance to install leaders who can help restore trust and inspire hope. Amid loose talk about an extraconstitutional replacement of the government, he insists that we can ‘clean the house without breaking the republic’ (see ‘Cleaning house without breaking the republic,’ 10/12/25). His eminent brother, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, similarly preaches that we need not ‘burn the house down to get rid of the rats.’ But both argue that the hope for lasting change lies in all of us, and it begins with renouncing, in our own daily lives, the same wrong ethical and moral choices that led today’s celebrated public villains to commit the grievous sins that everyone now wants them punished for. Only then can we attain and deserve righteous leaders who will redeem our nation’s future.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), through the DOJ Action Center (DOJAC), brought its Katarungan Caravan to Capiz last October 11, 2025 (Saturday), continuing its mission to make justice and essential government services more accessible to Filipinos across the country.

The caravan, held in the Municipality of Panay, provided residents with free legal aid, consultations, and documentary services in partnership with various national agencies, including the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Land Registration Authority (LRA), Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), and Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

DOJ Undersecretary Atty. Margarita Gutierrez, head of the DOJAC Katarungan Caravan, said the program aims to bring government services closer to communities, especially those far from major city centers.

‘Through the DOJ Action Center, we continue to fulfill our mission of making justice more accessible-lalo na sa mga kababayan natin sa mga probinsya. Aside from legal assistance, we also held a lecture on the Safe Spaces Act to promote respect and gender sensitivity in our communities,’ Gutierrez said.

The Safe Spaces Act lecture was led by Assistant State Prosecutor Atty. Joan Carla Guevarra, DOJAC Program Director, who emphasized the importance of creating safe and inclusive environments for all, particularly women and vulnerable sectors.

‘Through these lectures, we aim to empower communities to know their rights and to help create safe and respectful spaces for everyone,’ Guevarra said.

The successful caravan was made possible through the collaboration of Capiz 1st District Representative Howard Guintu, FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-list Representative Brian Poe Llamanzares, Panay Mayor Jonathan Besa, and OIC Regional Prosecutor Louie Doligosa, together with the participating national agencies.

In a Facebook post, the Municipality of Panay expressed pride in hosting the event:

‘This is a proud moment for the Municipality of Panay as we host the first-ever DOJ Katarungan Caravan in the province of Capiz. The program brought hope and opportunity to our people by making legal and government services more accessible, especially to those who often have to travel far just to process documents or seek assistance. This is true public service in action.’

The local government noted that the Katarungan Caravan drew residents from various towns in the 1st District of Capiz, many of whom availed of services they would normally need to travel to Roxas City or Iloilo for.

The activity was praised as a meaningful collaboration between national agencies and the local government, serving as a tangible example of ‘justice in action’ and accessible governance for all.

‘Every caravan we hold is proof that justice can be brought directly to the people-especially those in areas where legal and government services are hardest to reach. When we work together with local governments and partner agencies, we bring not only services but also hope. This is what real public service looks like,’ Gutierrez said.

There will be mixed fuel price adjustments starting Tuesday, Oct. 14, with only the price of gasoline going up.

In an advisory on Monday, Jetti Petroleum and Seaoil said that they would hike the price of gasoline per liter by 30 centavos.

‘Gasoline remained supported due to an uptick in domestic demand from China and India, and healthy spot demand from Indonesia,’ Jetti Petroleum president Leo Bellas said earlier.

Total net increases

Kerosene, on the other hand, will be cheaper by 20 centavos a liter while the price of diesel will remain unchanged for the week.

Data from the Department of Energy said that as of Oct. 7, the total net increases for gasoline, diesel and kerosene already stand at P14.90, P17.85 and P5.65 per liter, respectively.

Last week, local fuel retailers also implemented increases, with the prices of diesel and kerosene going up for the seventh straight week by 80 centavos and 20 centavos per liter, respectively.

Gasoline prices, on the other hand, went up by 20 centavos a liter.

Industry sources attributed the hikes in prices last week to the market’s fears of supply shortfalls, especially amid Russia’s partial diesel export ban.

A ‘king’s gambit,’ former Sen. Franklin Drilon called it.

In chess, it is about conceding an early advantage to protect a more valuable piece. In the Senate, it meant sacrificing Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s chairmanship of the prized blue ribbon committee to preserve the fragile hold of his close ally, Sen. Vicente Sotto III, on the Senate presidency, under the threat of insurrection by loyalists of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

But what may have been a tactical retreat for the Senate leaders became a strategic defeat for the chamber itself, a short-lived advantage that turned a proud committee into a mere pawn in an ugly game of partisanship. On top of that, it risks derailing the momentum of the committee’s deepening investigation of public works corruption that, under Lacson’s leadership, was finally making some headway, albeit in a direction that didn’t please his peers.

What a shame that the Senate’s most powerful committee has been muzzled by its own members for the simple reason that it was doing its job. But also not surprising, for the reorganization merely demonstrates the Senate’s fraught relationship with transparency.

Instrument of oversight

For a long time, the Senate blue ribbon committee, formally known as the committee on accountability of public officers and investigations, has served as the chamber’s most potent instrument of oversight. It is empowered to investigate ‘any matter of public interest,’ particularly those involving wrongdoing by government officials. Its inquiries, often televised and headline-grabbing, have exposed corruption scandals, from the pork barrel scam to overpriced pandemic supplies, keeping public servants on their toes.

That record of vigilance, however, rests on the chair’s independence and the chamber’s willingness to let the committee fulfill its mandate unhampered by external influence. Unfortunately, those standards are rewritten when the panel dares to train its guns on the Senate’s own kind, who operate under the delusion that they are above scrutiny.

‘Some senators publicly and secretly pursue the narrative that I am zeroing in on several of my colleagues while purportedly protecting those members of the Lower House perceived to be the principal actors in the budget anomalies related to the substandard and ghost flood control projects,’ Lacson said.

To make matters worse for the embattled senator, his comments about the billions quietly inserted into the national budget by almost all of the senators from the previous Congress also struck close to home, triggering consternation among those implicated.

Five candidates

Now, the loss of Lacson at the helm raises troubling questions about what lies ahead for the blue ribbon committee, in the absence of a chair with both the investigative mettle and the moral authority to confront the corrupt.

Last week, Sotto named five candidates to replace Lacson-Senators JV Ejercito, Risa Hontiveros, Pia Cayetano, Raffy Tulfo, and Kiko Pangilinan-yet all of them demurred, most of them saying Lacson was still the best man for the job. In the end, the committee’s vice chair, Sen. Erwin Tulfo, was designated as the interim head.

But is Erwin Tulfo, a former broadcaster who has been in the Senate for all of three months, the right person to take over? Recall that he once anchored a blocktimer on a state media channel that received millions of pesos in advertising money from the Department of Tourism, then helmed by his sister Wanda Tulfo Teo.

Pia Cayetano, another candidate reportedly considering the post, would likewise be a foolish choice, given that her brother, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano is the minority leader in cahoots with the very people threatening Sotto’s leadership. Lacson, by contrast, has a track record as a relentless scrutinizer of the budget and the gravitas to take on disgruntled colleagues.

A cowardly move

Among them, it’s evident who’s best equipped to handle the blue ribbon panel as it withstands tremendous pressure from contractors, officials, and House lawmakers, let alone fellow senators.

A committee led by a chair more concerned with maintaining alliances than unearthing the truth will only confirm that Senate investigations are not ‘in aid of legislation’ but politics. The Senate, already battling declining public trust, can ill afford another blow to its integrity.

The Senate majority must understand that a king’s gambit is only as good as the end it serves: To sacrifice the truth for temporary peace, to trade accountability for fake harmony, is a cowardly move for an institution that has routinely uncovered scams and censured presidents.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday vowed to impose safeguard duties on rice importation to protect the livelihood of local farmers.

Marcos said this in a sit-down dialogue after leading the inauguration of the P500-million Union Water Impounding Dam in Claveria, Cagayan.

‘We know that the lives of our farmers are not easy, and we are giving all the support that we can provide to them,’ he said.

‘We will impose safeguard duties on importation so that imports won’t ruin local prices, because the price of rice here is dictated by imported rice,’ he told farmers.

‘If imported rice is expensive, all prices go up. If imported rice is cheap, all prices go down,’ he explained.

The president also announced the government’s plan to distribute P10,000 each to farmers who suffered losses due to the decline in the buying price of palay (unhusked rice).

He further guaranteed that the National Food Authority has sufficient funds to buy wet and dry palay at higher prices-ranging from P17 to P23 for wet palay and P23 to P30 for dry palay-compared to traders’ offers of P8 to P13.

The government will also put up service canals, rice processing centers, and farm-to-market roads for easier transport of harvests, he said.

Inbound rice shipments this year have declined as of early October amid the government’s temporary import ban, according to data from the Bureau of Plant Industry.

New impounding dam in Cagayan

The Union Water Impounding Dam, located in Barangays Union and Cadcadir, was a collaboration between the National Irrigation Administration and the Department of Public Works and Highways under the convergence program called Kalsada Tungo sa Patubigan Program or ‘Katubigan.’

It’s a major infrastructure project aimed at improving flood control, irrigation, and climate resilience in the province, projected to benefit more than 1,000 farmers in seven barangays.

Designed to support over 1,050 hectares of farmland, the project features slope protection and drainage systems to minimize river siltation and slope erosion and prevent flooding in agricultural areas. /apl

The Naval Forces Southern Luzon (NAVFORSOL) deployed BRP Agta (LC-290) on Tuesday to transport another batch of relief goods and medical personnel to Masbate province as part of ongoing government efforts to assist families affected by Typhoon Opong.

‘This mission reflects our commitment to help communities in need and to work closely with our partners in delivering timely assistance,’ Commodore Salvador G. Lavapie Jr., PN, commander of NAVFORSOL, said in a statement.

The operation is a joint effort of Radyo Pilipinas Naga, Care 104.3 DWAY FM Legazpi, and Ako Bicol Party-List, in partnership with the Philippine Navy. It combines relief distribution with a medical and dental mission to support storm-hit areas in Bicol.

Lavapie said BRP Agta will carry 1,100 kilograms of rice; 200 pails each containing 15 kilograms of assorted grocery items; eight boxes of 10-liter bottled water; six boxes of 1-liter bottled water; 30 pieces of five-meter tarpaulins; 200 pieces of 4-liter drinking water; two boxes of medicines and vitamins; and 50 hygiene kits. The ship will deliver the supplies to Masbate City and Dimasalang.

‘These goods were gathered through community donation drives organized by our partner agencies and volunteers,’ he added.

The relief operation will coincide with Ako Bicol Party-List’s medical and dental mission on October 15 at the covered court in Barangay F. Magallanes, Masbate City. NAVFORSOL’s medical and dental team will participate in providing free health services to residents.

‘BRP Agta will serve as the primary vessel in transporting both the supplies and mission personnel, and the Philippine Navy will continue to stand with our stakeholders in serving the people with compassion and solidarity,’ Lavapie said./coa

Most Filipinos expressed anger and fear due to the multibillion-peso corruption scandal involving the flood control project, Octa Research’s latest survey showed.

In Octa’s Tugon ng Masa survey held from Sept. 25 to 30 and published on Tuesday, 60 percent of 1,500 adult Filipinos polled expressed anger or outrage while 30 percent felt fear and anxiety due to the recent developments.

Nine percent of respondents expressed sadness or sorrow while one percent still saw hope and optimism amid what is happening.

‘A clear majority of Filipinos express outrage and frustration over corruption in government infrastructure projects, particularly those involving flood control,’ Octa said in a statement.

Furthermore, Filipinos also expressed confidence in the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) than both the House of Representatives and the Senate combined.

Octa said 46 percent believe that ICI is the most suitable body to lead the investigation into the flood control scandal.

On the other hand, the Senate ranks second with 23 percent of respondents believing the said institution is most suitable for a corruption probe while only 13 percent believes it to be the House of Representatives.

‘Overall, these findings reveal a clear preference for independent oversight and citizen participation in corruption investigations,’ Octa noted. ‘The strong support for an external, integrity-based commission underscores the public’s skepticism toward political institutions and highlights the need for new, transparent mechanisms of accountability that can restore public confidence in the government’s anti-corruption efforts.’

It can be recalled that former Department of Public Works and Highways officials alleged that some lawmakers were asking kickback as much as 30 percent in exchange for billions of pesos worth of insertions they made in the national budget under the unprogrammed funds which escaped scrutiny until recently.

Citing lack of public trust, the House of Representatives stopped its short-lived infra-committee investigation while the Senate also suspended its blue ribbon committee probe.

Meanwhile, 83 percent of adult Filipinos also expressed agreement with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s move to expose flood control contractors, but three percent of respondents still disagreed.

Marcos’ revelation of top flood control contractors triggered the probe which led to several revelations in the congress. /jpv

Metro Manila and eight other provinces are forecast to experience thunderstorms, according to the latest advisory from the state weather bureau.

Issued at 10:35 a.m., the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said moderate to heavy rain showers accompanied by strong winds and lightning are expected over Metro Manila, Rizal, Bataan, Pampanga, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Zambales, and Nueva Ecija within the next two hours.

In particular, the towns of San Marcelino, San Felipe, San Narciso, San Antonio, Subic, Castillejos, and Olongapo in Zambales are affected, while the areas of General Tinio, Gabaldon, Bongabon, Laur, Carranglan, Pantabangan, Rizal, Gapan, and Palayan in Nueva Ecija are also covered by the advisory.

Quezon and Bulacan are experiencing similar weather conditions, which may persist within the next two hours.

Meanwhile, in another update, Pagasa reported that they are currently monitoring two low-pressure areas (LPAs).

LPA 10e remains outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and has a medium chance of developing into a tropical depression within the next 24 hours, while LPA 10f is now inside PAR but is unlikely to develop into a tropical depression within the same period. /jpv

In the wake of corruption allegations surrounding flood control projects, the Commission on Audit (COA) on Monday said it has launched internal investigations and sweeping reforms to strengthen transparency and restore public trust.

COA Chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba, testifying before the Senate finance panel, confirmed that the agency is now investigating its own auditors for possible negligence or complicity in the irregularities flagged in several Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects.

‘Fraud auditors also look into the possible negligence or complicity of our resident auditors on the ground,’ Cordoba said.

He told senators that the results of these probes are being turned over to COA’s Internal Affairs Office for possible sanctions. In some cases, findings have already led to the suspension of DPWH engineers ‘implicated in ghost or non-existent projects’ through the Office of the Ombudsman.

He cited the DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office as a key focus of the probe, where resident auditors handled 11 municipalities and three cities-an extensive coverage that may have led to oversight gaps.

‘We are looking at every layer of accountability. Those who failed to act or allowed wrongdoing to happen will be held responsible,’ Cordoba said.

He also announced that resident auditors will be periodically reshuffled to avoid overfamiliarity with the agencies they monitor. At the same time, all COA officials and personnel will be required to declare any personal or financial interests tied to their assignments to prevent conflicts of interest.

‘We recognize the limitations in manpower, but we are instituting stronger oversight systems. Our fraud auditors will conduct random checks to ensure resident auditors are doing their jobs,’ he said.

Geotagging all infra projects

Among the most significant changes: mandatory geotagging for all infrastructure projects implemented by national agencies, state corporations, and local governments.

COA Commissioner Douglas Michael Mallillin said the audit body is preparing a memorandum circular requiring the use of geotagging for all infrastructure projects, not only those under DPWH but also those implemented by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Department of Health (DOH), government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), and local government units (LGUs).

‘Alam natin na ang DPWH, NIA, DOH, and not only national agencies pati mga GOCC, pati mga LGU po ay may infrastructure projects,’ Mallillin said.

The move follows earlier COA investigations into several DPWH projects in Bulacan, where auditors discovered that some contractors had falsified geotags-using actual project photos but linking them to incorrect locations.

‘We will pursue criminal charges against anyone found tampering with geotags or falsifying documentation,’ Mallillin warned.

COA will now use satellite-based verification for greater accuracy and deploy fraud auditors to conduct surprise inspections.

On Commissioner Lipana

Cordoba also addressed senators’ questions about COA Commissioner Mario Lipana, who was previously mentioned during Senate hearings on the flood control anomalies. He explained that Lipana has been on medical leave abroad since August 1 and has extended it until October 30.

‘While COA has no disciplinary authority over an impeachable official, we are fully coordinating with the Office of the Ombudsman,’ he clarified.

Meanwhile, COA is reviewing the possibility of reviving pre-audit procedures for agencies deemed to have ‘weak internal controls.’

‘If an agency has weak internal controls, we are studying the resources required to conduct a pre-audit, especially in terms of manpower and facilities, and we will balance this with the agency’s operational speed,’ Mallillin said.

The reforms come amid mounting public concern over ghost projects, questionable payments, and billions in alleged flood control anomalies uncovered in recent months./tsb

Authorities arrested a fisherman for engaging in dynamite fishing off the coast of this town on Monday evening.

According to a report from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group, the suspect, a 43-year-old resident of Barangay Lamao in Limay, Bataan, was apprehended, while his five companions managed to escape by jumping into the sea and swimming toward the shore around 11:30 p.m.

In a phone interview on Tuesday, Col. Joel Garcia, chief of the PNP Maritime Unit in Central Luzon, said that their team had been monitoring the group since last month, following reports from local fishermen that they were allegedly using explosives to catch fish.

During a seaborne patrol operation near Capones Island on Monday night, the team spotted an unmarked blue motorized boat suspected of being involved in illegal activity.

‘When the suspects noticed our presence, they immediately fled toward the island,’ Garcia said.

He added: ‘Our personnel pursued them, resulting in the arrest of one suspect, while the others escaped to an unknown location.’

The arrested fisherman reportedly identified his companions, who are all residents of nearby Bataan province. Follow-up operations are underway, and appropriate charges are being prepared against the group.

Garcia said the suspect claimed they resorted to illegal fishing due to reduced fish catch brought by frequent storms.

Recovered from the suspect were the fishing boat, five improvised explosive devices with blasting caps, 13 bottles containing white substances believed to be ammonium nitrate, a compressor tank, a yellow-green compressor hose, and around 70 kilograms of assorted fish valued at about P3,000.

The confiscated materials and fish were turned over to authorities for proper documentation and disposal./coa