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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) are urging countries across Eastern Africa to strengthen preparedness and surveillance measures as heavy rainfall and flooding associated with El Niño increase the risk of Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreaks.

RVF is an acute viral disease that affects livestock, including sheep, goats, cattle, buffaloes and camels, and can also infect humans. The virus is transmitted mainly by mosquitoes, while the movement of infected animals can contribute to its geographical spread. Humans can also become infected through direct contact with infected animals or animal products.

Heavy rainfall and flooding linked to El Niño, which is approaching record strength, encourage the spread of RVF by expanding mosquito breeding sites and potentially disrupting veterinary services. Current El Niño conditions are comparable to those observed in 1997-98, when one of the largest recorded RVF epidemics and epizootics affected Eastern Africa.

The countries currently assessed as facing the highest risk are Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Risk is also increasing in Burundi and Rwanda, while lower but growing risks exist in the Comoros, northern Madagascar, the Department of Mayotte, south-western Saudi Arabia and western Yemen.

In their latest alert, FAO and IGAD are calling on affected countries to strengthen risk-based surveillance, pre-position vaccines and essential supplies, and enhance coordination across sectors and borders through a One Health approach.

The alert is delivered through the world’s largest Global early warning and prevention system for animal health (FAO-EMPRES). For more than 30 years, through continuous disease monitoring, risk assessment, forecasting and timely risk communication, EMPRES has helped Members anticipate animal disease threats and take appropriate prevention and preparedness measures.

Above-average rainfall and flooding are expected across most of Eastern Africa. The heaviest rainfall is forecast for southern Ethiopia, Kenya, and central and southern Somalia, where there is a greater than 90 percent probability of receiving more than 400 mm of rainfall.

Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania are also expected to experience wetter-than-normal conditions. The western Indian Ocean islands and parts of the Arabian Peninsula, particularly western Saudi Arabia, face increased flood risk. Drier-than-normal conditions are expected in southern Sudan and across Southern Africa. Warmer than average temperatures are forecast for much of the Greater Horn of Africa.

Based on the October 2026 forecast of the FAO RVF Early Warning Decision Support Tool (RVF DST), conditions suitable for RVF transmission are expected to increase across much of Eastern Africa between October 2026 and January 2027.

Following a long period of rainfall deficits, rainfall has picked up in recent weeks in parts of southern Sudan, western South Sudan, eastern Ethiopia, southern Somalia and coastal Kenya, with heavy rains and a rising flood risk in Ethiopia and Somalia.

According to the RVF DST, Tanzania currently has the largest area classified as suitable for RVF transmission, followed by Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and southern Sudan. New suitable areas have also emerged in southern Somalia, Rwanda and Burundi. With heavy rains forecast for the rest of the season, suitable areas are expected to expand further, including in Uganda.

These conditions are likely to create ideal mosquito breeding habitats. Combined with livestock movements, they could increase the risk of outbreaks and make surveillance and response more challenging.

MALLS and gasoline stations may soon open their doors as designated rest stops for delivery riders under a new initiative by the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) to protect platform-based workers from extreme heat.

Under the proposed arrangement, riders will gain access to shaded areas, shelter, and basic amenities while waiting for bookings or taking breaks during their shifts.

The plan expands on Dole’s existing heat-protection guidelines outlined in Labor Advisory 20, which mandates that employers provide drinking water, rest areas, and cooling facilities scaled to local heat-index levels. Under that advisory, extreme heat conditions require employers to adjust work schedules, shorten outdoors exposure, or suspend and relocate activities if thermal risks cannot be adequately controlled.

However, because delivery riders work on the road rather than in conventional offices or factories, their access to rest facilities relies heavily on voluntary partnerships with external commercial establishments.

To formalize these measures, Labor Secretary Francis N. Tolentino met with mall operators, fuel retailers, and digital platform companies to discuss opening commercial welfare facilities to riders between deliveries.

‘To give you a proper perspective, the reason why we are having this shared dialogue is because of a previous meeting,’ Tolentino explained during the consultation, noting that platform companies had specifically requested the inclusion of mall operators and fuel retailers to get their perspective on the proposed framework.

‘This is a weather disturbance not of our own making, but we hope to prepare you and the employees as well and the general public,’ Tolentino added.

Tolentino instructed participating commercial establishments to submit their formal position papers by November 3, ahead of Dole;s planned release of the advisory next week. The effort reflects Dole’s broader push to extend comprehensive occupational safety and heat-protection measures to gig economy workers who spend prolonged hours outdoors.

THE Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines Inc. (JCCIPI) has expressed concern over Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2026-01 of the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), particularly a provision that requires existing operators to turn over assets upon contract expiration.

In a letter sent to the DOE last week, the business group said Japanese businesses want to expand their investments in the Philippines, but they require a predictable investment environment across all sectors.

‘This raises questions regarding the legal basis for the requirement, its consistency with existing contractual arrangements, and its implications for private asset ownership and investor confidence.

JCCIPI believes that clarification of these provisions would help ensure that the implementation of the JAO supports the government’s resource-development objectives while maintaining a predictable environment for existing and prospective investors,’ it said.

It pointed out that the financial recovery, amortization, or depreciation of an asset does not automatically transfer its legal ownership to the government. Forcing operators to surrender privately owned assets threatens their financial standing and reduces their asset value.

‘The scope and legal basis of the turnover requirement therefore require clarification, particularly where assets were acquired using private capital and remain privately owned,’ it said. ‘JCCIPI is concerned that unclear requirements could discourage qualified operators from participating in future auctions and affect the decisions of prospective investors considering the Philippine mining industry.’

It recommended that the DOE and the DENR clarify and ensure fairness regarding asset ownership and bidding procedures.

‘JCCIPI respectfully requests that the DOE and DENR:

1. Clarify the scope and legal basis of Section 6.10, particularly whether existing operators participating in contract renewal or re-award proceedings are subject to these asset turnover mandates.

2. Clarify the legal basis for asset transfers, including whether the recovery, amortization, or depreciation of an asset’s cost may be used as a basis for transferring ownership to the government.

3. Ensure fair and consistent bidding procedures, with clear rules that apply equally to qualified participants and respect applicable laws and existing contractual rights.’

The DOE, for its part, said it will restart the bidding process this month. ‘Bidders will be given at least one month to prepare documents, with evaluation scheduled around November or December,’ Garin said.

Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) currently holds coal operating contract (COC) No. 5, which is among the coal blocks on Semirara Island that will be auctioned by the DOE. The COC is valid until July 14, 2027.

The previous bidding for coal mining areas has been canceled to implement a new bidding process under updated rules, following the conclusion of the second public consultation. The DOE said this was meant to reassess the parameters of awarding coal operating contracts so that the next round can be conducted under this new set of rules.

The coal bid round covered three pre-determined areas in Antique, Cagayan, and Isabela, offered for development and production coal operating contracts (DP COCs) under the Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program (PCEP). It was met with heavy resistance stemming from legal, technical, financial concerns.

Garin clarified that the rules are uniform for all participants and are not targeting or excluding any specific company. ‘Anyone who qualifies under the established rules will be considered because it’s the same rules for everyone. Everyone is given a chance,’ she said.

Padel Pilipinas juniors won two division titles at the Play Padel Greenfield Open 2026 recently in Mandaluyong City.

Gio Manito, 19, and partner Jack Cruz won the Men’s Gold division after huge come-from-behind victories.

Manito and Cruz stunned defending champions Antoine Boutain and Juan Thomas De Carranza, 0-6, 6-1, 6-4, in the semifinals before rallying past French-Spanish pair Amaury Brucker and Enrique Marchán, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, for the title.

Manito, a member of Padel Pilipinas’ grassroots program in Talisay City, Cebu, was among the first athletes introduced to the sport through the initiative.

In the Men’s Bronze division, 16-year-old Abdulracman Pangcoga and 18-year-old Hanie Omar beat Carlo Principe and Firas Abdulriham, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4), in the final.

Thirteen-year-old Lailah Al-Mosa and 12-year-old Althea Panarigan completed the medal haul with a third-place finish in the Women’s Bronze division.

The results highlight the progress of Padel Pilipinas’ grassroots program, which has held nationwide clinics since 2023 to introduce the sport to more communities.

In August 2025, the federation partnered with the Talisay City government to open Cebu’s first padel courts and the country’s first public padel courts. It also recently held a three-day grassroots and coaches’ training program at Ormoc City’s public courts, home to the Philippines’s second public padel club.

EXPLAINING monetary policy decisions is as powerful as adjusting the policy rate at a time when uncertainty is ‘so high,’ according to BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr.

In his speech at the ‘SEACEN Masterclass: Central Bank Communication,’ Remolona emphasized that ‘communicating monetary policy matters, especially today when uncertainty is so high.’

With global supply shocks, fragmentation, and other noises, people look to central banks for guidance, he explained.

‘We, central bankers, like to think that our most powerful tool is the policy rate. I believe explaining our decisions can be equally powerful,’ added the BSP governor.

While the policy rate moves money, he said the narrative behind it and where it might go ‘also shapes behavior.’

And that behavior, he said, ‘is often what we are after.’

Remolona emphasized that monetary policy ‘works best when our message is not just heard but understood.’

To illustrate the importance of forward guidance, former BSP Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo said in an earlier commentary that ‘central banking is [not only] about the current policy rate, but …also about shaping expectations of where policy is going.’

Guinigundo said if households, businesses and markets begin to believe that the central is becoming more concerned about weak growth than inflation remaining ‘substantially above target,’ expectations can become ‘less firmly anchored.’

Right signal

GUINIGUNDO released this commentary a few days after the Monetary Board (MB), the highest policy-making body of the BSP, decided to raise its policy rate by another 25 basis points on August 27.

While this was the ‘right decision,’ Guinigundo said the more important question is whether it was enough and, more importantly, whether the BSP’s message was ‘strong enough to convince markets that it remains firmly committed to bringing inflation back to target.’

When the commentary was issued in late-August, the former BSP deputy governor said the MB meeting on October 22 ‘will therefore be an important test.’

‘By then, the BSP will have more information on inflation, the peso, global oil prices, domestic demand and inflation expectations,’ Guinigundo said.

If inflation remains elevated and the real policy rate remains negative, he said simply holding the nominal rate unchanged could be interpreted by markets as a ‘further easing of the real monetary stance.’

That would be the wrong signal, Guinigundo said in August.

Fast forward to October 22, the MB delivered a larger-than-expected 50-bps hike in the key policy rate, bringing the BSP’s target reverse repurchase rate (RRP) to 5.50 percent.

Resisting temptation

THE MB based its decision after noting that the coming months could see a further acceleration of inflation, with the average headline inflation forecast for 2027, hence, revised upward to 6 percent from 5.4 percent.

‘The [MB] recognized the need for a strong monetary policy response to broadening price pressures and further upside risks to inflation,’ the BSP said in its statement on October 22.

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Such a ‘decisive response,’ the central bank emphasized, will make monetary policy ‘appropriately restrictive.’

‘This will contain second-round effects and firmly anchor inflation expectations,’ BSP noted.

The central bank said it stands ready to take further monetary policy action ‘as necessary’ to ensure the timely return of inflation to the target, in keeping with its price stability mandate.

In his August commentary, Guinigundo said the BSP should ‘resist the temptation to declare the tightening cycle effectively finished simply because growth is weak.’

‘This is not an argument for indiscriminate tightening or for ignoring growth. It is an argument for recognizing the hierarchy of responsibilities,’ added Guinigundo.

The former central bank deputy governor emphasized that the BSP’s primary mandate is price stability, adding: ‘Other authorities must deal with the structural and supply side impediments to growth.Asking monetary policy to compensate for weaknesses elsewhere risks creating the worst of both worlds: weak growth and persistent inflation.’

Air Canada’s stock price tumbled the most in more than a month after the airline slashed its full-year guidance for the second quarter in a row on higher-than-expected jet fuel prices.

The Montreal-based carrier, which is Canada’s largest, said it now anticipates adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization to land between C$2.4 billion ($1.7 billion) and C$2.7 billion for the year. In August, it expected adjusted Ebitda of as much as C$3.2 billion.

Shares were down 7.9 percent to C$20.14 at 1:40 p.m. Friday in Toronto. The airline suspended guidance in April after the outbreak of war in Iran, before reinstating it at lower levels in August. Thursday’s third-quarter earnings release cut that outlook again, citing a C$906 million year-over-year increase in fuel expenses.

The carrier sees jet fuel costing approximately C$1.72 per liter for the fourth quarter, up from a previous estimate of C$1.29 per liter.

That means airfares could be heading upward, too. ‘At this point in time, certainly we are trying to push further increases in market,’ Mark Galardo, chief commercial officer, told analysts.

Despite the tough cost backdrop, Air Canada said its third-quarter operating revenue of C$7 billion constituted a record.

‘Higher fuel costs are weighing more heavily on the profitability of Air Canada’s competitors, which ultimately will lead to more industry capacity cuts to the benefit of Air Canada,’ National Bank of Canada analyst Cameron Doerksen wrote in a note.

The carrier’s largest rival, WestJet Airlines Ltd., called for a national aviation strategy Thursday ‘to address mounting cost pressures and a growing market imbalance that is weakening Canadian aviation’s ability to absorb fuel-price shocks,’ adding the system is ‘already stretched thin by cumulative charges and regulatory burden to the brink.’

WestJet blamed the Canadian government for rescuing smaller carriers Transat A.T. Inc., Porter Airlines Inc. and Flair Airlines Ltd. in recent months. Publicly traded Transat said in September that it’s taken a total of C$400 million in federal loans due to fuel costs. That’s in addition to debts incurred during the Covid pandemic, which it already struggled to pay off.

‘Self-funding companies are left challenged to compete against fares subsidized by public financing,’ WestJet said in its statement. ‘While well-intentioned, this is now undermining the entire industry’s ability to recover the cost of fuel.’

Air Canada said by email that it ‘remains focused on managing fuel-price volatility.’

DAKAR-Height, like in most sports, is might even in swimming where the Philippines Jamesray Mishael Ajido found didn’t have when ranged against much taller opponents at the 4th Youth Olympic Games.

Ajido had practically the same skill set as every other swimmer here, but obviously not the body length.

‘It’s given, the Americans and Europeans, and even the Africans have that height advantage,’ said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino, reiterating his observation while doing the rounds at the Youth Olympic Village since arriving here last Wednesday. ‘They’re bigger.’

That disadvantage showed in Ajido’s campaign in the men’s 200 meters butterfly on Sunday, where he finished fifth against rivals who towered over him by a head or more, and whose reach is much longer.

‘He has the skills, but not the height,’ said Ramil Ilustre, who’s tasked to coach-alongside Jensen Halili of the National Academy of Sports in Capas-Ajido and Riannah Chantelle Coleman here by the Philippine Aquatics Inc.

Ajido clocked 55.16 seconds for fifth place in the 100m fly final, finishing three seconds behind gold medalist Egyptian Ali Zain and under a second behind silver medalist Serbian Aleksej Kalan and bronze medalist Slovakian Marias Kristof and fourth-placed Indian Tirthank Pegun.

All four stood a foot or more taller than Ajido.

All’s not lost though for Ajido, who will still race the 50 meters freestyle and 50 butterfly heats on Wednesday for Team Philippines supported by the Philippine Sports Commission chaired by Patrick Gregorio.

Coleman was scheduled to swim the heats of the women’s 200 breastroke Monday and also the 50 breastroke on Thursday.

Tchelzy Maayo and Hillarion Palles III and their coaches, Reyland Capellan and Japanese Kazutaka Hakamada, checked in at the YOV on Monday, five days ahead of the artistic gymnastics competition at the Dakar Expo Center in Diamniado.

Arriving here on Thursday are the cycling team composed of athlete Maritanya Krog and coaches Mark Lexer Galedo and Marita Lucas, the athletics team of Pi Durden Wangkay (Men’s 200m) and Naomi Marjorie Caesar (Women’s 800m) and coach Jonah Genilza and windsurfing’s Jade Justine Justiniane and coach German Paz.

Pitted against opponents who’re a head or more taller, Ajido clocked 55.16 seconds to better his time in the morning qualifiers by almost two seconds where he placed seventh, but it wasn’t enough for the bemedalled Asian juniors swimmer to break the podium.

Zain looked even more formidable in the final and erased his heats best time of 53.96-second performance with 53.96 and the Egyptian had enough to beat Kalan and Kristof.

A dejected Ajido-the only Southeast Asian in the final-passed the Mixed Zone protocol.

During a supposedly surprise inspection, recently reinstalled Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon lambasted key officials of Victory Liner Bus Inc. after discovering that the toilets in one of its bus terminals had no running water. In another inspection, while a manager was attempting to explain his side, Dizon hurled expletives, loudly interrupting the poor fellow. I understand Dizon’s frustration. The commuting public deserves better service, and government agencies must demand accountability from the entities they regulate.

However, while several facilities across the country experience similar problems, not all shortcomings are necessarily attributable to negligence or incompetence. Some may have legitimate and even excusable explanations. What I find difficult to rationalize is Dizon’s apparent penchant for publicly shaming the very entities his agency regulates, whether in his previous capacity in Public Works or now in Transportation. With television cameras rolling, his inspections often turn into public spectacles in which people are berated and humiliated. Some have described him as a disruptor. His management style, however, appears to rely heavily on a public shaming campaign, a practice that became more conspicuous in government during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

To be fair, inspections, particularly unannounced ones, are effective management tools. They keep organizations alert, prepared, and focused on the services they are supposed to deliver. At the military academy, we experienced all kinds of inspections in our barracks, day and night, to keep us on our toes. After all, once deployed in combat areas, soldiers must be ready to fight at any given moment.

In law school, surprise quizzes are a regular staple of my teaching. They ensure that students come to class prepared. I sometimes joke that they are my way of distinguishing good students from very good ones. When I was with the Bureau of Immigration, I adopted a similar approach. I visited offices and ports of entry and exit without prior notice to determine whether immigration officers were actually doing what they reported to the main office. These inspections and audits usually ended with detailed discussions of what had been observed, what needed improvement, and how deficiencies could be addressed. No expletives. No public shaming. There is a difference between demanding accountability and humiliating people. The former is an exercise of leadership; the latter can easily become an abuse of authority.

Expectedly, Bible readers will remember the occasion when Jesus Christ became angry in the temple. He drove out the money changers and those who had turned His Father’s house into a marketplace. His anger was not an uncontrolled outburst born of personal frustration. It was a response to the desecration of what was sacred. His indignation was directed at the wrongdoing and the exploitation taking place, not at the pursuit of personal revenge against those involved.

Righteous anger is not an excuse for losing self-control. It is anger directed toward correcting what is wrong and restoring what is right. It does not nurture bitterness or settle personal scores. Most importantly, righteous anger leads to godly action rather than personal gratification. Government leaders would do well to heed James 1:19-20: ‘Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.’

The process of making things better begins with understanding what works and what does not. Much of that information can be obtained from the very people who deliver the services. Leaders must learn to listen. When listening is coupled with empathy, it produces dividends. By listening patiently and humbly, without prejudgment and with the genuine intention of understanding, leaders encourage their people to become more open and transparent. They become more willing to identify problems, offer solutions, and accept responsibility. Proverbs 17:27 reminds us: ‘The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.’

Leaders like Dizon can be firm without being insulting or demeaning and decisive without abandoning restraint. They must learn to exercise anger only when it serves a righteous purpose. For those who wish to understand how to exercise righteous anger, they need not look further than Jesus Christ. His example in the temple teaches us that anger must have a proper object, a justifiable purpose, and a moral foundation.

Dizon and other government officials must be careful about their propensity to tongue-lash people during inspections. Public shaming may produce immediate compliance, as people scramble to avoid another embarrassing appearance on television. Shame can compel people to obey, but it cannot inspire them to genuinely become better. Lasting improvements come from sustained accountability and a culture that encourages people to do what is right even when no cameras are watching.

Leadership is never measured by how loudly one can berate subordinates. It is measured by how effectively one brings out the best in others while holding them accountable. After all, the objective of an inspection should be to improve public service, not to manufacture a public spectacle at someone else’s expense. Media ought to help by not sensationalizing these ‘angry inspectors.’

Siegfred has a diversified set of education and experiences which has made him a game changer and a servant leader in organizations. His professional degrees came from the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA. His corporate experiences include stints as general counsel for the country’s flag carrier, a food exporter with manufacturing plants in Davao and in Laguna, and a sports distributor company. Siegfred is a former soldier and a lawyer by profession, a teacher and inspirational speaker by passion, and a book author and a writer with a mission.

NEW Bilibid Prison (NBP) officials on Monday strongly denied reports alleging a two-week water shortage inside the national penitentiary and dismissed claims that prisoners or persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) were being forced to pay for access to clean water.

NBP Superintendent Gary Garcia addressed the allegations, explaining that while the prison’s water pumps are currently non-functional, repairs are actively underway – a situation previously disclosed by Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. during a media briefing.

To offset the reduced supply caused by the ongoing pump maintenance, Garcia emphasized that BuCor has engaged water concessionaire Maynilad to deliver clean water to the facility.

Detailed operational records show that between October 29 and November 1, 2026, Maynilad completed eight separate deliveries of 10 cubic meters each to NBP’s Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC), amounting to a total volume of 80 cubic meters. In addition, agency fire trucks carried out five supplemental water deliveries-three on October 30 and two on November 1.

The RDC incurred a daily water expense of P14,538.54 during the period, bringing the total cost for the four days of Maynilad deliveries to P58,154.16.

Garcia clarified that all expenses incurred from the emergency water supply are fully subsidized by the government, reassuring the public that no inmate is required to pay for water.

‘I held a dialogue with the PDLs yesterday, and they confirmed that the water supplied by Maynilad and the water delivered by BuCor fire trucks are free of charge because the agency is shouldering the expenses,’ Garcia said.

He denounced the extortion claims as a deliberate ‘demolition job’ designed to tarnish his reputation and sabotage ongoing reforms within the prison system. He suggested that the false reports may be a retaliatory move by certain sectors inside the compound affected by BuCor’s aggressive contraband crackdowns, locally known as ‘Galugad’ operations, inside the RDC.

Garcia assured that BuCor remains committed to restoring the main water pumps promptly while maintaining continuous delivery through Maynilad and agency fire trucks to safeguard the health and well-being of the inmates. He vowed to press ahead with internal cleansing efforts inside the country’s main penitentiary despite pushback and smear campaigns.

Nearly three in 10 Filipinos struggle every day to afford basic necessities such as food, household bills and transportation, according to the latest nationwide survey by WR Numero Research, underscoring the economic vulnerability that continues to affect many households.

The survey found that 28.8 percent of Filipinos experienced financial difficulty daily over the past three months. Another 29.8 percent said they struggled at least once or twice a week. Combined together, nearly 6 out of 10 Filipinos (or 58.6 percent) reported difficulty meeting basic household needs at least weekly.

The findings suggest that financial stress remains widespread despite signs of stabilization in some indicators.

More than eight in 10 respondents, or 83 percent, said they experienced difficulty paying for essentials at least once a month.

Only 17% said they rarely or never faced such problems, including just 4.5% who reported never struggling to cover basic expenses.

At the same time, public sentiment about the country’s direction deteriorated further.

Nearly three-fourths of Filipinos, or 73 percent, believed that the Philippines is headed in the wrong direction, compared with 68 percent in June.

In its report, WR Numero Research said the widespread pessimism ‘may form an unfavorable backdrop for incumbents.’

Only 18 percent believe the country is moving in the right direction, a sharp decline from 32 percent in the previous survey, while 10 percent remained undecided.

The results suggest that modest improvements in household finances have yet to translate into greater public optimism.

Compared with June, the share of Filipinos reporting financial difficulty every day declined from 32.2 percent to 28.8 percent, while the combined share of those experiencing hardship daily or weekly eased slightly to 58.6 percent from 61.1 percent.

The proportion who said they rarely or never struggled rose to 17 percent from 15.2 percent.

Still, the survey characterized household financial difficulties as broadly unchanged, noting that a majority of Filipinos continue to experience challenges paying for basic necessities.

The results came from the WR National Poll: Philippine Public Opinion Monitor, a quarterly nationwide survey conducted by WR Numero Research, the polling arm of WR Advisory Group.

The firm describes itself as a Manila-based research and consulting company specializing in policy and intelligence research, public opinion polling, social analytics and strategy advisory services.

According to company materials, it has provided campaign research and strategic support during the 2019 midterm elections, the 2022 presidential elections and the 2025 midterm elections.

The October survey was conducted from October 7 to 13 among 1,225 Filipino adults through face-to-face interviews and carries a national margin of error of ±2.8 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.