Category: Auto Guid

Local law enforcers are tracking down five of the 18 accused individuals in an alleged flood control anomaly in Mindoro after the police serving arrest warrants failed to find them at their known addresses.

They are all implicated in a substandard P289.5-million road dike project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, together with former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, founder of Sunwest Corp., the company that bagged the public works contract.

The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) on Sunday reported that despite visiting all registered addresses of four of the accused, its operatives failed to serve the warrants because “none of the subjects were present during the attempts.”

The four are Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region IV-B construction division chief Dominic Gregorio Serrano, bids and awards committee accountant IV Lerma Dotado Cayco, material engineer Timojen Adiong Sacar, and Sunwest board member Anthony Ngo.

A fifth accused, former DPWH Region IV-B assistant regional director and now DPWH Bureau of Maintenance director Gene Ryan Alurin Altea, was also missing after Albay police failed to serve an arrest warrant on him last Saturday.

Whereabouts unknown

The warrants were issued on Nov. 21 by three divisions of the Sandiganbayan, where the Office of the Ombudsman filed on Nov. 18 two counts of graft and one count of malversation through falsification regarding the Mindoro project.

According to the QCPD, its officers attempted to serve a warrant to Ngo on the evening of Nov. 21, but the caretaker at his listed residence stated that “the accused no longer resides at the address, and his whereabouts could not be determined.”

The following day, in a follow-up operation, police checked for Ngo at the Rolling Hills Subdivision, where his family said “they have had no communication with him since the issuance of the warrant and requested that further inquiries be directed through their legal counsel.”

On the same day, the police also visited the residences of Cayco, Sacar and Serrano.

Cayco’s relatives at a condominium in South Triangle told operatives that Cayco was “on leave and not at the premises,” the QCPD reported.

Meanwhile, security personnel at the two residences of Sacar confirmed that “he could not be located,” and his Pinyahan residence had already been vacant since August.

Serrano was also not found by police, and his neighbors claimed he was last seen “approximately two weeks before the issuance of the warrant.”

The QCPD vowed to intensify its follow-up operations, “including sustained district-wide manhunt efforts,” together with national agencies such as the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime-International Police, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Meanwhile, the Daraga, Albay police went to Altea’s residence at around 3:56 p.m. on Saturday but he was nowhere to be found.

According to the Daraga police, his family said “they have no knowledge about his current whereabouts.”

Departures

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Sunday said it has ordered all immigration officers nationwide to be on heightened alert following the issuance of arrest warrants on Co and 17 others.

According to a statement by BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, all individuals covered by the warrants have since been encoded into its centralized “derogatory database” to ensure that front-line officers can immediately flag, verify and respond should any of them attempt to depart from or enter the Philippines.

“Once intercepted, our officers are under strict instruction to promptly coordinate with the Philippine National Police for the proper and lawful execution of the warrants,” Viado said.

Meanwhile, Viado said that based on BI travel records, four of the individuals on the list are currently abroad.

Co departed for Singapore on Aug. 6; DPWH officer in charge/planning and design division chief Montrexis Tamayo left for Qatar on Nov. 15; Sunwest president and chair Aderma Angelie Alcazar traveled to Australia on Oct. 2; while Sunwest treasurer Cesar Buenaventura departed for the United Arab Emirates on the same day.

Viado said the BI remains fully aligned with law enforcement agencies to ensure that the warrants are executed once these individuals present themselves at the country’s ports.

Last Friday, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Co and the other accused have until Monday, Nov. 24, to surrender to law enforcement agencies. INQ

Even Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson was approached by some retired military officers to be part of a “civilian-military junta” that will replace President Marcos amid the flood control corruption scandal, but the senator said on Sunday that he rebuffed them.

“There were those inciting and want a civil-military junta. Some retired military officers have reached out to me, I won’t mention names, I was ignoring them,’’ said Lacson, who has an ongoing inquiry into allegations linking lawmakers, public works officials and private contractors to anomalous flood control projects as chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee.

“Some even offered that I be part of the ‘junta,’ of the ‘council.’ But I did not entertain them,” he added in an interview over dzBB.

Lacson said he could not entirely blame the retired officers for floating the idea of a junta “perhaps in their passion to change the system because they saw how systemic corruption has become.”

‘Vested interests’

Even so, the senator told proponents of unconstitutional proposals such as the setting up of “transition council” and a military-backed “reset” to “dream on.”

Malacañang welcomed Lacson’s rejection of the plan to replace the President with a junta or a transition council, and agreed that this violates the Constitution.

“The people behind this so-called ‘transition council’ have only one goal—to remove Pres. Marcos, Jr. not for the country, not for the Filipinos, but for their own vested interests,” Palace press officer Claire Castro told the Inquirer.

Earlier this month, Malacañang said the government’s intelligence agencies were verifying reports if the Duterte family, among others, was behind retired military officials’ call for a withdrawal of support for the Commander in Chief.

Since it broke in September, the corruption scandal has set off a series of mass protests involving the Catholic clergy, university students and members of a religious sect, and fueled talk of destabilization against the government.

In a news forum on Oct. 3, Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. confirmed that some retired officers and active younger officers reached out to him during the Sept. 21 anticorruption protests calling for the military to intervene.

Active military officers rejected their calls, which included mounting a “coup d’etat in order to come up with a reset of the Philippine society, or a withdrawal of support for the Commander in Chief, Brawner said.

‘Rise above noise’

In Baguio City, Brawner advised cadets of the Philippine Military Academy to “rise above the noise” during the recognition rites of the academy’s 333 new freshmen cadets of Class Madasilak of 2029 on Saturday.

“Do not allow yourself to be misled by shallow commentary or to be provoked by divisive commentary,” Brawner said in a speech.

Instead, cadets must “think critically, speak with restraint, act with prudence—and above all, seek the truth,” the AFP chief said. —With reports from Dexter Cabalza and Vincent Cabreza INQ

While Filipinos were glued to developments in the massive flood-control scandal, two senators are drawing the public’s attention to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), an agency that has long been tagged for corruption.

If the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has flood control projects that its personnel use to steal taxpayer money, Sen. Erwin Tulfo says the BIR has the Letters of Authority (LOA) that its unscrupulous employees employ to do the same.

During the Senate plenary deliberations on the proposed 2026 national budget last week, Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito also sounded the alarm over the “weaponization” of LOAs, warning that their use as a tool for corruption is scaring off investors and undermining confidence in the country’s tax system.

Ejercito detailed some disturbing cases he has heard, including the issuance of LOAs covering taxable years already settled and fully paid; LOAs that lump multiple taxable years, and a tax assessment of P100 million reduced to P75 million after a “settlement,” with instructions to “fix the receipt.”

Tulfo, for his part, noted that he has many friends in the business community who complained to him about the scheme. “They’re even going after the small ones … single-proprietorship businesses—they target them and issue a LOA,” Tulfo lamented.

Tax-audit power

“Of course, they don’t want the hassle, so they’d rather just settle. Because even if they’ve paid everything completely and have receipts for all of it, some BIR inspectors—the examiners—will keep looking for faults. Sometimes they even backtrack five to six years. Where are they supposed to find those documents?” he said in Filipino.

This abuse of the LOAs is not a recent development. Just like the corruption in DPWH projects, this appalling BIR scheme has been going on for decades as well. Commissioners of the tax agency come and go, but the individuals below them who use this tax-audit power to force companies and other entrepreneurs to cough up money remain.

The excessive use of LOAs by BIR personnel has raised serious concerns among domestic and foreign investors, according to Ejercito, citing his discussions with the European Union ambassador and the American and European chambers of commerce. Ejercito added that the Philippines’ already low ranking in foreign direct investment attractiveness is further affected by these practices, which create “deterrents” for investors who seek stability and fairness in tax enforcement.

Second most corrupt agency

Newly appointed BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza, who was plucked out of the Department of Finance where he is serving as undersecretary to replace Romeo Lumagui Jr., has stated his urgent and nonnegotiable priority is to maximize revenues and close the gap between actual collections and the revenue target. He also plans to sustain and expand efforts to advance digitalization and streamline processes to make taxation more client-focused and transparent.

However, we believe Mendoza’s mission should include addressing immediately the problem on LOAs. As Tulfo noted during the Senate budget deliberations, Mendoza really needs to do something about his own subordinates who are using those LOAs to make money. “If you’re going to take action [about LOA abuse], you need to reform that agency. Because right now, it seems like it’s the second most corrupt agency after the [DPWH]—that’s the BIR.” Ejercito likewise urged Mendoza to move swiftly to “clean house” and install safeguards to prevent LOA misuse.

One measure is to set up a hotline for complaints against the abuse of LOAs similar to the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website launched by President Marcos to receive exclusively the public’s complaints against DPWH corruption.

Smuggling and illicit trade

It should be separate from the BIR’s existing online eComplaint system which handles all types of problems the people experience in dealing with the BIR. The hotline must be dedicated solely for tax-audit issues and be handled directly by Mendoza’s office.

The business community believes Mendoza, who was appointed by the President last Nov. 13, is well equipped to address this problem. As undersecretary at the DOF, he had been supervising both the BIR and the Bureau of Customs. A key part of his role was leading the campaign that sought to curb smuggling and illicit trade through digitalization. The initiative helped the DOF exceed its revenue target in 2024, reaching a 27-year high of P4.42 trillion.

In his message to the BIR employees upon assuming the post, Mendoza reminded the men and women of the BIR to conduct their duties with integrity and transparency in order to foster trust and compliance in the tax system. “When people walk into our offices and experience clarity, courtesy, and consistency, their trust in us grows. And when trust grows, compliance follows naturally. This is how we change the narrative, not through slogans, but through service.” Addressing the LOA problem now will go a long way in achieving this goal.

Since retiring from the bench, I have witnessed how tech wonderfully reshapes the pursuit of knowledge and justice. Recently, at a seminar on “Decision Intelligence and Supercreativity Leading in the Age of AI” sponsored by PLDT and other MVP companies, I heard that AI chatbots dive far beyond the simple search engines I knew. They converse, synthesize, and delve deeply.

OUT OF CURIOSITY, I posed a whimsical query from one of the two guest speakers, the beautiful Cassie Kozyrkov, who encouraged the audience to ask ANY silly question: “Will you marry me?” Her response was an instant “Yes” to the guffaws of the audience. I privately repeated the same question to a chatbot. The answer was a courteous yet firm “I can’t.” As a virtual assistant, it forms no romantic ties but is ever ready to chat at any time.

The freedom to ask is real. With artificial intelligence, there is no such thing as a stupid question. It may not give us all the answers, but it is not designed to humiliate anyone. It allows us to ask without judgment, no death stare, no rebuke, no awkwardness. This readiness to reply to any inquiry represents something genuinely new in how we access knowledge.

Yet does the question itself matter? Consider the marriage proposal. Normally, such questions take months or years of building trust and sensibility. Asking risks one’s credibility. AI cannot be a romantic partner (for now), so my question was admittedly futile. But as an assistant, it can offer guidance on how to build good relationships, including love relationships.

The liberty to ask, however, raises broader questions about how we guide AI’s integration into society. Today, I ponder two: How does AI reshape what matters to us? And what does AI governance mean for leaders?

AI CHANNELS OUR NATURALLY CURIOUS MINDS. Historically, seeking knowledge was limited by access and the social fear of judgment. The internet lowered these barriers, and AI has removed them almost entirely. Unlike humans, AI tirelessly answers queries on anything, including the essentials, even relationships.

Amid this convenience, we must ask: Does constant digital connectivity add more value than it takes away? As Cal Newport argues in ”Digital Minimalism,” we must adopt intentionality; ask which tools add real value, cut low-value noise, and optimize for meaning. It is not about banning tech but curating it wisely.

Here lies the essential tension: The freedom to ask drives curiosity; unchecked, it risks shallow engagement. AI translation offers immediate utility for tourists navigating foreign streets, yet it should not ignore the cognitive benefits and cultural empathy that come from actually learning a language.

AI GOVERNANCE IS AKIN TO MUSEUM CURATION. I previously highlighted the role of leaders as choice architects: they design cultures that subtly influence people’s behaviors. As a business adage reminds us, “culture eats strategy for breakfast,” thereby stressing that even the smartest strategies fail without a supportive culture, and both depend on leaders who ask the right questions and know what truly matters.

In AI’s fast-evolving landscape, clear governance and sound judgment are essential. Envision it as museum curation: curators are not overwhelmed by countless artifacts. Instead, they optimize space with creativity and precision, designing exhibits that align with institutional goals while prioritizing visitor experience. They ask: Which pieces tell our story?

Similarly, AI leaders must curate tools, data, and processes. Which algorithms deliver value without ethical pitfalls? What safeguards ensure privacy? How do features enhance decision-making? Just as the Louvre Museum in Paris employs AI tools, in collaboration with Google, to analyze visitor engagement and create personalized virtual tours, leaders must balance technological capability with human values.

Yet we must also acknowledge the risks. While some use AI to enhance experience, others may have deployed biased algorithms that misrepresent or misinform. Effective governance is not restriction but intentional selection and thoughtful integration. Leaders must ask: What “exhibits” in the AI ecosystem truly serve our mission and solve real problems? By curating wisely, we transform complexity into clarity.

AI grants not just the freedom to pose questions but opens myriad channels to exercise it. As a retired jurist, I see parallels to the courtroom: having access to evidence is meaningless without the wisdom to weigh it properly. Justice requires not just information but discernment about what truly matters.

What truly matters, then, is not just what we can ask, but why and how we integrate the answers into meaningful action. AI reshapes our relationship with knowledge by making it abundant; our challenge is ensuring this abundance leads to wisdom rather than distraction.

AI will definitely not marry me. Some questions still require human wisdom and sensitivity. As these innovations unfold, leaders must evolve in tandem, not just in knowledge and creativity but also in judgment.

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So how do we break the bad news? My young colleague came up to us with a near-pleading look and said, “I am a crybaby and my heart is breaking.” She was visibly trying to hold her emotions in. The most senior member of the team smoothly took over and asked the resident and the fellow to prepare the conference room so that we could meet with the family.

The main intention of any multidisciplinary gathering is always to lay down the situation in black and white and hopefully provide clarity to ongoing concerns. This is always explained at the beginning of the discussion to emphasize that the team is there to assist, and not to decide for the family. As any physician knows, the hardest part is when we come to the point where we need to express that we are at the end of the line and have exhausted all interventions medically available and humanly possible for their loved one’s condition. The huge responsibility will always lie with the primary attending, who, much like a maestro, will orchestrate the proceedings. In instances where palliation is the only option, how do we help all parties involved—doctor, patient, and family—to come to terms and be at peace with the shared decision?

In the past three weeks, I have found myself more introspective than usual. The succession of extremely critical cases is not only an ongoing learning experience from a medical aspect, but has also become an opportunity to ask myself, as part of the team, if I have effectively communicated with sufficient empathy in these intense interactions. While medical school had subjects on ethics, proper bedside manners, communication skills, and doctor-patient relationships, I don’t recall having a subject exclusively dedicated to how to be more empathetic.

You may ask, what is sufficient, and what is your yardstick to measure it? The answer, in part, will most probably lie in reflecting on the kind of relationship that your patient and their family have with you, irrespective of the length of your encounter. Relationships—other than those of a doctor and patient—that involve showing genuine empathy encourage open and honest communication and help build that needed trust and confidence.

So how do we best communicate that we empathize?

The first step would always be to employ active listening. Choose to be in an environment that is comfortable and free from distraction. Give your full attention and show that you are engaged by maintaining eye contact and allowing the speaker to finish before you respond. For the physician, after having given your explanation of the case, learn to listen instead of giving in to the urge to dominate the conversation. This is their time to ask questions, express their feelings and expectations, and provide you with their own perspectives. Avoid biases and being judgmental. Through it all, remember to always be gently transparent, while at the same time realistic about possibilities. While there are situations in which you know that survival or prognosis is poor, be very sensitive to timing and the manner of delivery. Oftentimes, it is the patient or the parents themselves who will give you soft signals that they are on the road to acceptance.

Second, learn to recognize nonverbal cues. As a young doctor starting a practice, my focus was more on sharing skills and expertise to help a patient and his family understand the situation, and immediately thereafter, I expected to be given answers. Through the years, I have come to realize that while these are vital, a larger portion of what matters is often left unsaid by the patient or the family. Acknowledging and acting on nonverbal cues are precious moments that should be seized to convey empathy. In the absence of words, more powerful than facial expressions are the eyes, which will always be a clear indicator of feelings of anxiety, panic, confusion, detachment, disbelief, and denial upon receipt of news that can be devastating. Witnessing these and becoming more attuned has always caused me to recalibrate both the depth and the tempo of conversations.

Third, learn to contain and focus on the needed information at that very moment. Seek permission on how much a patient or the family would like to know about their health condition. As physicians, we tend to give an all-encompassing narrative and expect it to be fully absorbed in one discussion, forgetting the many factors that need to be considered.

Whoever said that time helps you understand more about yourself, people, life, and living was correct. Being fortunate to have been led to a people-oriented profession makes me appreciate the beauty of being and learning to be more human.

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A Japanese woman recently chose to marry her ChatGPT bot. After a painful breakup, 32-year-old Kano began seeking comfort from the platform. Eventually, she personalized her AI companion and named it “Lune Klaus,” describing him as the ideal partner: kind, attentive, and patient. After hundreds of back-and-forth messages, Lune Klaus “proposed.”

Although Japanese law requires marriage to be between two consenting humans, this did not stop Kano from having a ceremony attended by her loved ones. Wearing augmented-reality glasses, she exchanged rings and digital vows with a projected life-size image of her AI groom.

This scenario is part of a rapidly growing trend, with the global AI Girlfriend market expected to reach $9.5 billion by 2028. “AI-lationship” is a new term referring to the intimate attachment that a person has with their AI companion. Many treat the bots as friends they can confide in, but there is also a growing number of people like Kano whose AI-lationships involve imagined marriages, sex, and even pregnancies.

Advocates claim that AI-lationships are not intended to replace human connections but to offer supplemental emotional support. While there are, indeed, documented cases of artificial intelligence improving the well-being of people suffering from social isolation (especially among senior citizens), there are also numerous instances of how AI has fueled people’s harmful delusions.

Recent studies on young people’s AI use suggest another troubling trend. A 2025 study by Common Sense Media found that 31 percent of the surveyed teens felt their conversations with AI companions were “as satisfying or more satisfying” than talking with real friends, and that 33 percent had discussed serious issues with AI instead of real people.

Another report from the Center for Democracy and Technology found that 19 percent of US high schoolers said they or a friend had a romantic AI relationship. While there are no local studies yet, a quick Reddit search shows Filipino teenagers sharing similar experiences, including debates on whether it is considered “cheating” to have an AI companion if you already have a partner.

These numbers matter because adolescence is the stage when templates for handling future relationships are formed. Their heightened sensitivity to reward, combined with an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex, makes teenagers more vulnerable to impulsive behavior, intense attachments, and the blurred line between fantasy and reality. While the benefits of AI-lationships for adults may still be open to debate, the danger they pose to young people’s social and emotional development is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. One famous case is the death of a 14-year-old British teenager after his AI girlfriend encouraged his suicidal ideation.

My column last week (see “The collapse of dialogue (1),” 11/17/25) explored how technology has weakened our ability to have real conversations. Social media has trained us to express ourselves constantly, but often in a performative manner motivated by online engagement. At the same time, becoming accustomed to superficial connections has compromised our ability to navigate the reciprocal nature of face-to-face dialogue. AI has further deepened this shift as more people let chatbots write and reply for them, resulting in polished but hollow communication.

For relationships to deepen, they require a capacity to listen, negotiate differences, and communicate with sincerity. However, as people begin to outsource the cognitive and emotional labor needed in conversations, these relational foundations are also becoming increasingly fragile. In 2023, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy described the loneliness epidemic not as physically being alone but as a state of mind: “that results from perceived isolation or inadequate meaningful connections, where inadequate refers to the discrepancy or unmet need between an individual’s preferred and actual experience.” In other words, loneliness persists not because people lack interaction, but because they lack relationships that feel real.

The rise of nonhuman relationships reflects this crisis. It shows how deeply people want to connect, yet may not have the skills to start or sustain a genuine relationship. Always-available and always-empathetic chatbots are so appealing because they offer a type of companionship that one can fully control—free from uncertainties that come with relating to another person who carries their own complexities. For young people whose sense of self and social skills are still forming, overexposure to AI interactions risks shaping distorted expectations of intimacy.

Much of the discussion on AI ethics among young people has centered on classroom use and academic integrity. What we urgently need is a deeper examination of the regulatory frameworks and comprehensive education necessary to protect and guide young people in socially engaging with AI in more critically informed and emotionally healthier ways.

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It’s easy to call out corruption when you’re only naming the big politicians and national agencies. Everyone else is doing the same and you share in the collective rage. The right to free speech is real, the power it holds all the more empowering.

Unfortunately, as a resident of Mindanao, that’s where the limitation lies. The memes are true. We can’t speak about our local “crocodiles” lest we die.

Niruh Kyle Antatico’s murder is a recent testament. A former employee of the Department of Agrarian Reform and the National Irrigation Administration in Region 10, he boldly spoke up on the corruption in the disbursement of subsidies for farmers. He was met with death threats and was eventually gunned down by a riding-in-tandem.

When you witness someone being that vocal in Mindanao, you can’t really expect them to be left unscathed.

Only God knows how many people like him have been killed for trying to expose the truth, or in some cases, for accidentally witnessing crimes committed by “powerful individuals.”

In the northeast region of Mindanao where I’m from, the words “gitiro” and “gipusil” are household terms. As a child, I would play outdoors and randomly hear from the big-bellied uncles in the neighborhood that someone had been shot dead, again. They peak during elections when rivalry between opposing parties takes centerstage, during which you have to be careful what you say, how you say it, where you say it, and against whom.

It effectively established the silent rule of not speaking ill of the government, which works very well in a deep-seated system of patronage politics. You can easily imagine, then, what being a UP student coming home for Christmas looked like at the dining table.

I took up journalism and was taught repeatedly that “no story is worth dying for.” It was such a bummer. I can still remember the intense disappointment I felt hearing it for the first time as an overly passionate freshman. Apparently, even in the industry of truth-telling, there are limitations.

Unknown to my professors, I pursued some stories that broke the golden rule. Being the only student-journalist in UP from my province at that time, I felt responsible to put into paper what my people back home could only talk about discreetly. It helped that I was a petite college girl who, when interviewing sources, looked like I was just doing homework, not serious investigation. This, however, came with an understanding that they will never be published. Aside from the fact that they were poorly written because of my cramming, sharing them publicly would instantly reduce my life expectancy.

I thought possessing a media ID would afford me protection, but the hat I wore only made me more vulnerable. Free speech and freedom of the press take a backseat when the rumor of prominent figures having their “own men” to dispose of you is too daunting.

Whatever occupation or status you have in life, there seems a necessary form of self-censorship if you live in Mindanao. My friends from Marawi City practice this best. It has already been eight years since the Marawi siege, and only their Allah knows everything that’s burning deep in their hearts that they want to let out if they could.

The political violence in our part of the archipelago is real and persisting. It conditioned us to tone down our voices and only speak the truth in whispers. I had to figure out how to water down my criticisms, relying on careful reposting and subtlety. Most of us resort to humor.

We have so many things we want to say online, too. We have our own set of “nepo babies” whose lifestyles we grew up seeing become more extravagant. We have the spiciest gossip, not just on corruption but also on the mistresses of politicians. Yet, we are constrained to gatekeep things geographically, only rejoicing quietly with the revelations of issues in our local contracting firms. We can’t even dare to repost the news reports. That’s how stifling it has become.

I think we are a people already accustomed to living with open secrets, with the truth already apparent but untouchable in front of us. I have seen disaster victims and vulnerable sectors choose to just endure quietly because the concept of accountability is so foreign and scary.

It is a bold thing calling out government leaders and exposing injustices one thread and hashtag at a time. But I believe it is equally bold for those of us who choose self-restraint now, in order to play the long game.

So, until it is safe, I hold my tongue, momentarily content in participating through other means. I do celebrate the lives of those who chose the instantly heroic option to risk it all now and die for the country, but in the future, when the systems finally change, I prefer to still be alive marching with the next generation on the streets.

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J-Ann Avila, 25, is a second-year law student at the University of the Philippines. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the same institution.

Asia Pacific is set to top the world in health-care inflation in 2025, hitting 12.3 percent, outpacing the global average of 10.4 percent. The Philippines is also bracing for spikes in health-care costs of over 18 percent—well above the global average.

With individuals bearing the largest share of health-care costs in the Philippines at 44.4 percent (the third highest in Southeast Asia), getting sick is becoming increasingly unaffordable.

These pressures are further compounded by a widespread shortage of health-care professionals. The Philippines alone has less than one physician per 1,000 people, compared to 2.6 in Singapore and 2.3 in Malaysia. With both costs and capacity under strain, the weight of these challenges lands on the backs of hospitals, health-care providers, insurers, and ultimately on individuals.

What’s often overlooked is that improving people’s health is not just the responsibility of governments. Consumer health-care businesses also have a role and a clear stake in it. By empowering people to practice self-care, we aim to complement professional health care, alleviate pressure on public systems, and improve health outcomes for all.

At its core, self-care is about enabling people to manage everyday health needs. Done right, it can ease demand on overstretched government health systems, empower individuals, and unlock enormous economic value.

Many common conditions remain untreated, not because people are unwilling to seek care, but because of a lack of access to the right information, tools, or means. Across Southeast Asia, 57 percent experience tooth sensitivity, but only 8 percent seek care. In the Philippines, 90 percent lack iron and folate, and over 75 percent are deficient in vitamins B, C, and calcium, yet less than 15 percent take supplements.

The economic case for inclusive health models. Health Inclusivity Index, a 40-market study focusing on the economic and health benefits of addressing health inclusion gaps, shows that individuals with low health literacy can face nearly three times higher healthcare costs. Further, improving health literacy by just 25 percent could generate more than $303 billion in economic returns globally, including $ 1.1 billion (P66 billion) in the Philippines.

Another example is gum disease, often dismissed as a minor oral health issue, yet strongly linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. As with many health challenges, the burden hits low-income communities the hardest due to limited access to dental care, lower health literacy, financial barriers, and higher exposure to risk factors. In the Philippines, the projected diabetes-related health-care costs linked to gum disease are projected to soar to $923 million (P55.3 billion) over the next decade. Effective gum disease management could reduce this burden and unlock an estimated $169 million (P10.1 billion) in savings, nearly half of which (46 percent) would directly benefit the lowest-income groups.

This is a compelling call to prioritize access, education, and early intervention, areas where Haleon’s brands are playing a vital role by empowering individuals with targeted nutritional, oral care, and pain relief solutions, thus improving health literacy and the adoption of preventive habits at home.

Making everyday health for all a reality. For businesses operating in the region, bringing everyday health to more people should begin with awareness, affordability, and accessibility.

Start with the product. In many Southeast Asian markets, daily wage earners face tough choices when it comes to health spending. Offering smaller, lower-cost formats of essential products can make a real difference.

Education is another lever. Public-private partnerships that deliver targeted health messaging can play a role in improving community health literacy. In the Philippines, we are working closely with public sector partners on programs that promote healthy aging and preventive care. These initiatives include free bone density screenings for seniors, educational outreach on osteoporosis prevention, and improved access to supplements, all aimed at helping individuals make more informed decisions about their health.

Digital platforms and tools are another major opportunity to scale impact when designed with real-world constraints in mind. In Indonesia, our Panadol Pain Phone initiative has brought telemedicine to remote households.

What’s clear is that no single actor can address these challenges alone. For self-care to scale, we need supportive environments that promote health literacy (which may include digital solutions that reach more people) and simplify access to products. The right environment and policies can turn intent into impact—and make inclusive self-care a reality for all.

Inclusive self-care is not philanthropy; it is an imperative for businesses and nations alike. When interventions are designed with real people in mind, the impact is both social and commercial, strengthening the communities we serve and growing our economy at the same time. And it is time for public and private forces to join together for greater impact.

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Ritesh Pandey is the general manager of Haleon South East Asia & Taiwan.

At the recent Senate hearing of the Senate committee on ways and means chaired by Sen. Pia Cayetano, she asked the resource person how the luxury cars of the Discaya couple were brought into the country without paying the proper duties.

But when the very polite and patient Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno started to explain, Cayetano kept interrupting him and making side remarks as if she were hosting a TV talk show.

That showed a lack of basic good manners and right conduct taught to us when we were in grade school.

What happened to that charming UP cum laude graduate whose claim to fame was her various sports achievements and her unwavering support for our Filipino athletes?

She used to be one of the kind and proper senators during her early terms, but now, it seems the powers of her office have turned her from a good role model for our youth into a grandstanding brat like her brother or even worse than former Sen. Cynthia Villar and Sen. Rodante Marcoleta!

Cayetano should follow the example of her colleagues like Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Sen. Bam Aquino, and Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on how to conduct a proper hearing. These real public servants always show respect to their invited resource persons, who are supposed to be the experts on the subject matter being investigated.

It’s supposed to be a hearing. The chairperson should talk less and listen more.

God created us with two ears and one mouth for that very reason.

Ed Dames,

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