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Japanese-Australian singer-songwriter Joji has released his new single ‘Pixelated Kisses,’ marking his return to the music scene after a three-year hiatus.

‘Pixelated Kisses,’ which was released on music platforms on Tuesday, Oct. 14, puts the spotlight on Joji’s ‘quintessential pared-down vocals’ with a trap-infused beat. The track is written, produced, and recorded by the singer-songwriter.

‘Joji’s quintessential pared-down vocals and an indelible hook unite with a gritty trap beat for a masterclass on the art of simplicity. The resulting product is haunting, moody, and indelible, representing the core of his artistry and what makes it so special,’ a release said.

The song marks Joji’s comeback to the music scene since his 2022 studio album ‘Smithereens.’ He also released the albums ‘Ballads 1 (2018)’ and ‘Nectar (2020).’ Aside from his albums, he last embarked on the ‘Oblivion’ and ‘Pandemonium’ tours, and made appearances at the Coachella and Lollapalooza music festivals.

Born George Kusunoki Miller, Joji was known as an internet personality before establishing himself as a singer-songwriter and record producer. /edv

Savi Davison was a little off offensively and did a lot of damage on the other side of the net to help PLDT to a 25-22, 25-20, 25-23 sweep of Capital1 that kicked off the High Speed Hitters’ title quest in the PVL Reinforced Conference at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Monday.

Davison had seven blocks to highlight her 22 points, making sure that PLDT got its bid for a third straight championship off on the right foot before showering praise on Capital1 rookie Bella Belen.

‘At the beginning of the set, I felt like I was a little off my mark,’ Davison told the Inquirer. ‘So I made it a point to myself during one of the timeouts just to make sure that my eyes were going to the right place and my body was in the right place.’

‘Just paying that extra little attention to where my hands are over the net and stuff like that,’ she said of her seven kill blocks.

She then threw accolades at Belen, the No. 1 overall pick.

‘She has a lot of energy. She’s a very smart player,’ Davison said of the former National U ace in the UAAP. ‘She will keep going at it. Nothing really seems to bring her down, so that’s really good. I think she’ll just get better with time, so I’m excited to see where the PVL takes her.’

The game against PLDT was Belen’s ‘real’ pro debut, where she finished with 13 points and nine digs.

Belen had 20 points last week in a game against Choco Mucho, a 33-31, 26-24, 25-23 loss that was ordered replayed because both teams played without imports.

Russian Anastasiia Bavykina debuted for PLDT with 15 points, scattering 10 kills, three blocks, and two aces. Kianna Dy was also instrumental with 10 points. Kim Fajardo had 17 excellent sets, while Kath Arado made 14 digs.

The High Speed Hitters, who swept the PVL on Tour and Invitational, extended their winning streak to 14 games with the Pool A conquest of Capital1 and Belen.

And Davison remains hungry for more.

‘I think it’s a whole new group of competition, so it’s kind of new, right? The excitement is there,’ she said. ‘It’s new teams all over because of the imports and stuff like that, so it’s not so much the same as like an All-Filipino Conference or the Invitational or the PVL on Tour.

‘So it brings that kind of like motivation, like this is a whole new realm of things that we can do and accomplish.’

Sasha Bytsenko led the Solar Spikers with 20 points and 12 excellent receptions in a losing cause. INQ

The Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) on Tuesday said it is now studying its next moves against former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, who did not show up despite being summoned to attend one of the commission’s hearings.

‘We will think about that, and it is something that we will have to study,’ ICI executive director Brian Hosaka said in Filipino in a chance interview.

Co was supposed to attend the hearing after a subpoena was issued by the ICI-together with an invite for former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

The former lawmaker was summoned to testify under oath regarding his ‘personal knowledge ever since [he] joined the Committee on Appropriations, of the National Budget insertions and [his] involvement in DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) flood control projects.’

Only Romualdez, however, showed up at Tuesday’s hearings.

Co has been facing scrutiny after he was accused of accepting kickbacks from government infrastructure deals.

Both Co and Romualdez are also accused of masterminding the irregular insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

Co’s current whereabouts remain unclear but the former lawmaker previously claimed that he has sought medical treatment in the US for an undisclosed condition.

Due to these allegations and his refusal to return back to the country, the Department of Justice has already requested the International Criminal Police Organization to issue a blue notice against Co. /gsg

Despite the months-long delay, the 2025 edition of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival ended on a successful note, earning ?13.4 million in box office sales throughout its weeklong run.

Cinemalaya’s box office sales were announced by festival director Chris Millado during his speech at the awards ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 12.

The box office sales of the 2025 film festival were a steep jump from last year’s ?5.8 million, which, according to Millado, was ‘more than a hundred percent increase.’

‘Senyales ito ng patunay na paglawak ng tinatawag nating footprint ng Cinemalaya sa labas ng CCP. At kung patuloy ang trend na ito, lalampasan natin ang ating revenue noong pre-pandemic sa [mga] susunod na taon,’ he said.

‘Patuloy ito na sa karampot na budget, sa matinding pagpupunyagi, patuloy na maikwento ng filmmakers ang kwento ng buhay, kamatayan, kinasadlakan, para matunghayan natin ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino,’ he continued.

(This is proof that Cinemalaya’s footprint goes beyond the walls of CCP. If this trend continues, we might surpass the revenues we had pre-pandemic in the years to come. It is proof that even with a meager budget, hard work, and filmmakers’ determination to tell stories of life, death, and hardships, in order to tell the story of every Filipino.)

Topping the box office in screening venues in Shangri-La, Ayala Malls, and Gateway Cineplex is the queer film ‘Open Endings,’ which stars Janella Salvador, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Klea Pineda, and Leanne Mamonong.

During the ceremony, Cinemalaya chairman Carlos Siguion-Reyna also announced the 10 full-length finalists for next year’s festival, set to be held in August 2026.

These include ‘a.ni.mal,’ ‘2 Valid IDs,’ ‘Dangeom,’ ‘Ganggang,’ ‘Kamay ni Bathala,’ ‘Mag-iina,’ ‘May Buntot ang mga Yan,’ ‘Status Rejected,’ ‘Tayo Lang Ang Nakakaalam,’ and ‘Tirik.’ /edv

Amid a series of strong earthquakes that jolted various parts of the country, the Department of Health (DOH) has identified DOH-run hospitals in four sections of Metro Manila that will lead in emergency response in case of a major earthquake like the ‘Big One.’

In a press conference on Tuesday, the DOH and representatives from some of its hospitals presented their emergency response and contingency plans in case a major earthquake strikes.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) earlier warned that the ‘Big One,’ or a magnitude 7.2 earthquake along the West Valley Fault, could kill more than 33,000 people and cause 168,000 buildings to collapse.

The DOH, citing figures from the National Harmonized Contingency Plan, noted that the death toll from a major earthquake might reach over 52,000 across Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon).

It added that this could also result in 679,000 injuries, and over 5.3 million Filipinos displaced.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said that he will be going around the DOH-run hospitals to make sure that they are ready for calamities like this.

‘We have to be the last facility standing,’ he added.

Health Promotion Bureau Director Tina Marasigan added that this is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. that all DOH hospitals must continue operations once calamities like the ‘Big One’ hits.

Below is the list of DOH hospitals in the four different sections of Metro Manila:

North

Dr. Jose Rodriguez Memorial Hospital

San Lorenzo Ruiz Women’s Hospital

Valenzuela Medical Center

East Avenue Medical Center

National Children’s Hospital

Philippine Orthopedic Center

Quirino Memorial Medical Center

Lung Center of the Philippines

National Kidney and Transplant Institute

Philippine Heart Center

Philippine Children’s Medical Center

East

Amang Rodriguez Medical Center

Rizal Medical Center

West

Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital

National Center for Mental Health

San Lazaro Hospital

Tondo Medical Center

Dr. Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center

South

Research Institute for Tropical Medicine

Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center

DOH’s plan of action

The DOH said that it ‘will continue to lead and support the response and recovery initiatives in the affected areas’ by providing the following assistance:

Establishing and sustaining medical clinics in tent cities

Prioritizing the replenishment of medical supplies and medicines

Ensuring proper and intact line of communication and power systems

Ensuring sufficient supply for surge capacity such as beds and tents

Focusing on welfare of healthcare workers

Ramping up information dissemination and coordination with relevant stakeholders and affected communities

Improving system for common and control for all levels

Close coordination with other government agencies

The government may collect at least P10 billion worth of insurance claims from flood control projects bagged by contractor couple Pacifico ‘Curlee’ and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya in the last three years alone.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, gave this estimate on Tuesday after learning from the Insurance Commission (IC) that 30 percent of the value of a project is covered by insurance.

‘Regarding the issue of flood control, we are now addressing this because we see two main problems. First, the ghost projects, and the substandard projects,’ IC Commissioner Reynaldo Regalado said speaking in Filipino during a budget hearing in the Senate.

‘We can still recover about 30 percent of the ghost projects.’ he said in Filipino.

When Gatchalian asked how much the government could recover from the reported ‘ghost’ flood control projects, Regalado could not give an estimate yet, saying the assessment is still ongoing.

The IC chief added they have yet to see the ‘actual situation per insurance and per project,’ which he said is ‘very exhaustive.’

Gatchalian later inquired if the bond companies have ‘sufficient capital.’

‘Because of the scale-we’re talking about Discaya-I think his contract was around P30 billion? So just imagine, if we’re talking of one-third, that’s P10 billion that the government could potentially recover,’ he pointed out.

He was apparently referring to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism’s report that from 2022 to 2025, companies and joint ventures of the Discaya couple cornered 421 projects totaling P31,035,712,926.70.

But Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon later revealed that the companies owned by the couple had actually secured almost ?78 billion worth of projects since 2016.

Regalado assured the public that the government is taking steps to recover the 30 percent insurance claims from these graft-tainted infrastructure projects, citing the two agreements that the IC and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are set to sign on Wednesday.

‘We would be signing a memorandum of agreement and a data sharing agreement with the DPWH to ensure that we have the same data and somehow the issue of restitution, at least on the 30 percent, can be covered by insurance,’ he said.

‘The next day, we would be having a meeting on how we can have a whole-of-government approach and restitution because it has to be clearly addressed-our public is waiting on how we’re supposed to be doing that,’ Regalado added.

At present, the IC estimated about ?4.9 billion worth of assets frozen in connection with the anomalous flood control works. /jpv

Alex Eala got swept by qualifier Tereza Valentova of Czechia, 6-1, 6-2, in the Round of 32 of the Japan Women’s Open on Tuesday in Osaka.

Valentova, the current World No. 78, dominated the Filipino tennis ace in an hour and 29 minutes.

The 18-year-old Czech was coming off the qualifying round, beating Alina Charaeva and Greet Minnen before upsetting Eala, who is currently in a career-high ranking of World No. 54.

Eala was coming off an early exit in the Wuhan Open qualifiers last October 4, falling to Japanese Moyuka Uchijima, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

The 20-year-old netter will return to China for the Guangzhou Open next week.

Eala made the semifinal and quarterfinal of the Jingshan and Suzhou Open in China, respectively.

Over the past decade, corruption has siphoned off an estimated ?8.8 trillion from the Philippine economy-an amount that exceeds the entire 2026 national budget

This hemorrhage has not only drained public coffers but has also directly fueled the country’s ballooning debt, projected to reach ?19.143 trillion by the end of 2025, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 63%

Instead of financing transformative infrastructure, universal healthcare, or climate resilience, borrowed funds have been used to plug budget gaps created by graft, vote-buying, and elite capture. The result is a fiscal system distorted by corruption and sustained by debt dependency.

Table 1 Estimated Annual Corruption Losses (2016-2025)

(The figures are extrapolated from national audit reports, Senate disclosures, and civil society estimates, including the flood control scandal, overpriced infrastructure, ghost projects, and misallocated confidential fundsInquirer.net+2)

The consequences are stark and deeply structural. The Department of Education faces a 165,000-classroom deficit, which may take three decades to resolve at current funding levels

Over 80,000 teachers remain unhired, leaving millions of students underserved and learning outcomes stagnant.

In agriculture, corruption has crippled food security programs. Billions earmarked for farmer support have been diverted, leaving rural communities vulnerable and dependent on imports.

This erosion of food sovereignty has driven up malnutrition, with 44.1% of Filipinos facing moderate to severe food insecurity

Corruption in procurement and patronage politics has hollowed out resilience programs, forcing farmers to abandon their livelihoods and deepening rural poverty.

If the proposed ?6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 is approved, the Philippines will allocate ?1.91 trillion-nearly 28% of the entire budget-to debt servicing. This includes ?670 billion in interest payments and ?1.24 trillion in principal amortization, making debt service the single largest expenditure item

The opportunity cost is profound. With nearly a third of the budget consumed by repayments, critical investments in education, agriculture, and climate adaptation are sidelined.

These systemic failures are not isolated-they are the predictable outcomes of a governance model that tolerates graft and prioritizes elite interests over public welfare.

The past decade (2016-2025) stands as one of the most corruption-ridden periods in Philippine history, with an estimated ?8.8 trillion lost to graft, ghost projects, and elite capture-an amount that eclipses the entire 2026 national budget.

This hemorrhage has not only drained public coffers but has also fueled the country’s ballooning debt, projected to reach ?19.143 trillion by the end of 2025, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 63% (Mendoza, 2025; Malindog-Uy, 2025).

The consequences are deeply structural: a 165,000-classroom backlog, over 80,000 unfilled teaching positions, and 44.1% of Filipinos facing moderate to severe food insecurity

These are not isolated failures-they are the predictable outcomes of a governance model that tolerates corruption and prioritizes elite interests over public welfare.

Yet history offers a glimmer of hope. According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index and historical governance analyses, the least corrupt decade in recent memory was the early 1990s, particularly during the post-EDSA reform period under President Fidel V. Ramos.

During this time, the Philippines saw modest improvements in public sector transparency, civil service reform, and economic liberalization, with CPI scores improving relative to the Marcos and post-Marcos transition years. While far from perfect, this period offers a benchmark for modeling a recovery scenario.

If the Philippines were to return to the relative integrity levels of the 1990s and sustain them over a 10-year period (2026-2035), corruption losses could be reduced by at least 50%-freeing up approximately ?4.4 trillion in public funds.

Redirecting these savings toward education, agriculture, and health could close the classroom gap in under a decade, hire the full complement of teachers, and fund robust food security programs.

Simultaneously, if debt servicing were reduced by even 20% through better fiscal management and reduced leakages, the government could reallocate over ?380 billion annually toward social investments.

Under this scenario, the Philippines could begin to pay down its debt burden by 2035, while still achieving inclusive economic growth, improved learning outcomes, and reduced malnutrition.

The Transformative Power of Corruption-Free Governance

A corruption-free government is not a utopian fantasy-it is a strategic accelerator of inclusive development. If the Philippines were to achieve genuine corruption-free governance within a single administration, the impacts would be swift and profound.

Public funds currently lost to graft-estimated at ?8.8 trillion over the past decade-could be redirected toward classrooms, teacher hiring, farmer support, and climate resilience.

Budget execution would become more efficient, procurement would be transparent, and trust in institutions would rise. The result: faster GDP growth, improved human development indicators, and a more equitable society.

One compelling example is Georgia, a post-Soviet country that underwent a dramatic anti-corruption transformation between 2004 and 2012.

Under President Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia implemented sweeping reforms that dismantled entrenched patronage networks, digitized public services, and purged corrupt officials.

Within a single administration, Georgia rose from one of the most corrupt nations in Eastern Europe to a regional model of clean governance. The World Bank noted that Georgia’s control of corruption score improved from -0.8 in 2003 to +0.3 by 2012, and its GDP per capita more than doubled during that period. Public trust surged, foreign investment increased, and service delivery became dramatically more efficient.

For the Philippines, replicating such a trajectory would mean not only economic growth but also social transformation.

Children would no longer be malnourished due to misallocated food budgets. Farmers would receive timely support, reducing dependence on imports. Every classroom needed could be built, and every competent teacher hired.

The national debt could be paid down without sacrificing social services, and the country could meet its SDG targets ahead of schedule. The path is difficult, but the precedent exists-and the payoff is generational.

The path forward demands institutional reform, civic vigilance, and coalition-driven accountability. Every peso recovered from corruption is a step toward a future where no Filipino child is malnourished, no classroom is overcrowded, and no farmer is left behind.

The recent increase of influenza-like illnesses in the country is ‘not[hing] new,’ with a ‘clustering of cases’ expected from September up to early January next year, according to an infectious disease expert.

‘September is the start of the influenza-like illness up to the early part of January in the Philippines. This is not new. This is expected,’ Dr. Rontgene Solante told the Inquirer in a Viber message.

He noted that respiratory viruses, such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, COVID, adenovirus, rhinovirus, and enterovirus, would circulate during this period, causing influenza-like illnesses.

According to Solante, the ‘peak’ of influenza-like illnesses last year was recorded from September to October. For this year, he said that while cases were expected to continue until January, it will mostly be a ‘clustering’ of cases and not a continued increase.

Based on data from the Department of Health’s (DOH) epidemiology bureau shared by Solante, a total of 9,649 cases of influenza-like illnesses were reported in the country from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13, which was 17 percent higher than the number of cases reported two weeks earlier, from Aug. 17 to Aug. 30.

According to the report, this increase ‘follows the usual seasonal trends.’

Weather conditions

It was also noted that the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) and Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) regions had earlier breached their epidemic thresholds, with 33,856 cases recorded in these areas.

The report added that out of the respiratory viruses, the most common pathogens were influenza A, which accounts for 1,842, or 45 percent of the cases; rhinovirus, with 552 or 14 percent; and enterovirus, with 499 cases, or 12 percent.

This increase in influenza-like illnesses was felt in private hospitals, with Dr. Jose Rene de Grano, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc., estimating that there has been a 5- to 10-percent rise in cases.

‘We expect a rise in viral infections during the third quarter, and usually it is the flu-like illnesses,’ he said in a Viber message. ‘Maybe it was enhanced by the weather conditions.’

De Grano said the increase in influenza-like illnesses had led to a rise in admissions among private hospitals, especially for pediatric patients.

Earlier on Sunday, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced that in-person classes in all public schools in the National Capital Region will be suspended due to the increasing cases of influenza-like illnesses, as well as the recent earthquakes that struck various parts of the country.

‘DepEd regional offices and schools division offices may implement preventive suspensions in order to hold structural inspections as well as other activities to ensure that schools are ready in case of a strong earthquake or other calamities,’ the agency said in a statement.

‘These steps are conducted together with initiatives to fight illnesses,’ it added.

DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo noted in another Viber message that the number of influenza-like illnesses this year remains lower than last year.

An outbreak of the African Swine Fever (ASF) has been confirmed in Silago town, Southern Leyte, affecting three barangays and prompting the local government to consider declaring a state of calamity.

Silago Mayor Lemuel Honor said the ASF outbreak has caused about P7 million in losses to the town’s swine industry.

‘We have imposed strict measures to stop the spread of ASF in our town,’ he said on Tuesday.

The first cases were detected in Barangay Laguma on Oct. 2, where 10 pigs tested positive and about 100 were culled. The virus later spread to Barangays Hingatungan and Imelda, with 21 pigs infected in Hingatungan – the town’s largest pig-raising area.

Pig and pork product movements have been banned from affected areas, with checkpoints, disinfection drives, and cleaning operations in place.

The municipal council is expected to declare a state of calamity on Thursday, Oct. 16, to access emergency funds for affected hog raisers.

ASF is a highly contagious viral disease that affects domestic and wild pigs. While harmless to humans, it is almost always fatal to infected pigs, with a mortality rate that can reach 100 percent. The disease has no cure or vaccine./coa