Category: Business Mirror

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A BUSINESS leader has warned of potential diversion of investments away from the Philippines if ‘nothing solid’ comes out of the probe into the flood-control mess.

Ferdinand Ferrer, chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Committee for Science and Technology, told reporters on the sidelines of the 51st Philippine Business Conference and Expo on Tuesday that there is currently no diversion or loss of business due to the flood control mess in the country.

However, Ferrer pointed out: ‘Will there be in the future? I believe there could be if we do not act, if there’s nothing solid. If this one prolongs all the discussion, prolongs for months and months, I think not only semiconductor [will be affected] but also other investments.’

Explaining the pulse of investors amid the ongoing corruption mess in the country, the business leader said investors are on a ‘wait-and-see’ mode, asking the question: ‘Is this everywhere?’

While these investors are not ‘holding off,’ Ferrer revealed that they are monitoring the situation in the country.

‘Because the investments that are supposed to come in now have already come. By the yearend, we have very few that’s coming in but we’re looking at the first half, the Q1, Q2 next year,’ added Ferrer.

The business leader pointed out that investors are ‘cautious,’ describing the flood control anomaly as a ‘big scandal.’

Ferrer also revealed that some Philippine business leaders even received phone calls from investors asking how deep and widespread the corruption in the country is.

Moving forward, the PCCI official said the Philippines needs to show the world that despite ‘falling flat on our face,’ the country is ‘solid,’ meaning the government and private sector will roll out corrective actions and implement reforms that will address corruption issues.

‘We need to act fast for our own sake as a country,’ Ferrer emphasized.

During PCCI’s business conference, the major business group offered its help to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which it urged to use the private sector as its ‘eyes and ears’ on both government and private projects.

‘We want to help the government, you heard Secretary Dizon, there are 20,000 projects,’ Ferrer said.

The High-Rise Development Group of Vista Land successfully staged ‘Student Living Redefined,’ a condominium fair that highlighted its portfolio of vertical communities near educational institutions. The event brought together homebuyers, investors, and business partners to explore value-focused opportunities in the student housing market.

Redefining student living

Keynote speaker Andro ‘Andoy’ Beltran, Vice President and Head of Business Development and Market Education at FirstMetroSec, offered a renewed perspective on real estate sales. He stressed that ‘real estate sales is no longer about convincing, but about aligning products and services with the requirements and preferences of the market.’

In the case of university condominiums, this position is evident, as sustained demand from homebuyers reinforces their position as strategic and sustainable investments. He also underscored the long-term value of vertical communities in premium educational clusters, such as Taft and Katipunan Avenues, offering parents peace of mind and income potential, students comfort, convenience, and a sense of community, and investors steady rental demand and cash flow.

John Belacha, Officer-in-Charge of Vista Residences, presented Vista Land’s growing portfolio of university condominiums in Metro Manila, highlighting the company’s commitment to enhancing the aspirational lifestyles of the academic community. At the center of the showcase were Kinsan Heights, Kizuna Heights, Plumeria Heights, and Hawthorne Heights, translating to both high-quality student living and secure investments. Attendees also learned about Livwell, the official leasing partner of Vista Land, and its programs that sustain the profitability of university condominiums.

Creating connected communities for students

The event concluded with the reminder that redefining student living is not about constructing residences; it is about creating environments that nurture learning and long-term value. The Student Living Redefined served as a showcase of vertical communities while also providing a platform for the evolving needs and preferences of students.

Vertical residences for the Filipinos of today

With a keen knowledge of Filipinos’ hopes, aspirations, and preferences, Vista Land is building vertical communities that not only shape the skyline but also provide the amenities and services that uphold Filipino sensibilities. Strategically located within central business districts, transportation networks, and educational clusters in Metro Manila and key cities, the company envisions creating beautiful condominiums where Filipinos can truly be at home. The vertical communities also offer investment opportunities, as real estate often appreciates or is leased to generate passive income.

IF corruption were an Olympic sport, some nations might have more gold than their central banks. Rather than keeping score, it is more useful to understand the game: how corruption mutates, survives, and adapts-especially across Africa and Asia, where the disease is shared but the symptoms differ.

On the surface, corruption thrives where institutions are weak, accountability is thin, and political survival depends on patronage. In Sub-Saharan Africa, Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index gives an average score of 33 out of 100; and 90 percent of countries in the region scored below 50. Asia-Pacific fares somewhat better at 44, only a point above the global average of 43-an improvement in arithmetic but not in consequences.

Africa’s story often reads as grand theft. Corruption there is not merely bureaucratic friction; it is the ‘ayuda’, health care, and infrastructure budgets being treated as private accounts. Misallocated funds do not simply pad wallets; they collapse hospitals, keep children out of school, and allow roads to vanish in the rainy season. In too many places the state functions less as a public service and more as an ATM for extracting wealth.

The irony is stark: the richer the government, the poorer the development outcomes can be, because public spending becomes a way to capture rather than to distribute public value.

Asia’s corruption wears a fancier suit of clothes. It can be systemic but operationally ‘efficient’: petty bribes and insider deals sometimes grease bureaucratic gears enough to keep growth moving. In countries with strong centralized capacities, corruption may coexist with rapid economic expansion. In others, graft functions as an informal toll that companies and citizens learn to budget for. That does not make it harmless. These hidden costs distort incentives, reward connections over competence, and erode the social trust on which innovation depends. Managed corruption may sustain short-term growth, but it mortgages future fairness and resilience.

The Philippines sits somewhere in the middle of this moral Venn diagram. In Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 the Philippines scored 33 and ranked 114th out of 180 countries. That places the country closer to the Sub-Saharan average than to the better performers in Asia-Pacific. Singapore scored 84, Malaysia 50, China 43, and Indonesia 37. That positioning translates into real costs: higher perceived risk for foreign investors, unpredictable enforcement, and a routine premium for ‘speed’ that discourages honest newcomers and raises project costs. For citizens it shows up as delayed and substandard infrastructure, underperforming health programs, and disaster preparedness that remains inadequate for an archipelago exposed to frequent extreme weather.

Flood control has become a particularly visible flashpoint. Allegations of padded contracts, technical specifications ignored, and ghost projects have stirred public anger precisely because citizens can see what is not being built. Recent national polling and surveys show overwhelming public perception that corruption is widespread and that ‘official’ collusion on infrastructure projects is a dangerous problem. These perceptions have driven protests and intensified demands for accountability.

Across both continents a few jurisdictions demonstrate that cleaner governance is attainable. Reform and enforcement can make a positive difference. In the Philippines, digital procurement tools, disclosure platforms, and expanded access to information signal constructive measures, but policy instruments require consistent enforcement to produce durable change.

What does reform demand? Independent judiciaries, transparent procurement, empowered auditors, and credible whistleblower protections are critical. More important is political will. Patronage is the oxygen of many political machines; cutting it off will feel disruptive to those who benefit. That is precisely why leadership matters. Government is about making decisions that are inconvenient for the powerful but necessary for the many.

Corruption, whether in Lagos or Manila, is less a moral failing than a problem of incentive design. Africa shows what happens when graft hollows out state capacity. Asia shows how ‘manageable’ corruption can still corrode long-term trust. The Philippines stands at a crossroads between the two paths. It can accept a steady, corrosive convenience or choose the slower, harder route that builds institutions and accountability.

In the end, accountability is not born of outrage alone; it is built by citizens who keep score, demand proof, and refuse the comfort of silence. Laws are necessary but not sufficient. Corruption does not fear statutes; it fears light. Light exposes, but it does not always deter. Corrupt systems often adapt, finding new shadows. But corruption does not just fear exposure; it fears consequences. Until those hit hard and consistently, the game will keep being played and you will always be the loser.

The most trusted news outlet remains to be GMA-7 with a steady 45 percent trust rating, followed by ABS-CBN Online with 40 percent, based on the PAHAYAG 2025 Third Quarter (PQ3-2025) survey.

PQ3 survey results conducted from September 27 to 30, 2025, comprising 1,500 respondents who are registered Filipino voters, also showed that the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s went down to 37 percent from 41 percent while DZMM (formerly DWPM Radyo 630) continues to gain traction, marking its second consecutive quarter of improvement in trust ratings (31 percent, up from 25 percent) as more listeners become aware of the station.

Despite stable trust ratings overall, several news organizations experience increases in distrust levels this quarter.

These include TV5/Interaksyon (22 percent distrust, from 17 percent), PTV4 (26 percent, from 21 percent), NET 25 (25 percent, from 20 percent), Eagle News (22 percent, from 19 percent), UNTV (22 percent, from 18 percent), Philippine STAR (20 percent, from 16 percent), Manila Times (22 percent, from 18 percent), BusinessWorld (20 percent, from 16 percent), BusinessMirror (22 percent, from 16 percent), SunStar Philippines (22 percent, from 18 percent), and Abante (29 percent, from 26 percent).

Similarly, radio news outlets register rising distrust despite steady trust levels: DZRH (19 percent, from 14 percent), DZBB (19 percent, from 15 percent), Radyo Pilipinas (20 percent, from 16 percent), and Bombo Radyo (20 percent, from 16 percent).

SMNI (33 percent distrust, from 28 percent) and Rappler (34 percent, from 32 percent) remain the most distrusted news outlets among Filipino voters this quarter.

Manila, Philippines – October 21, 2025 – In the first half of 2025, the Philippines ranked 20th globally among countries where customers were most frequently impacted by cyber activity, according to the newly released Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2025.

The report highlights a surge in financially motivated cyberattacks, with extortion and ransomware driving over half of incidents worldwide.

The sixth annual edition of the report, which analyzes trends from July 2024 to June 2025, underscores the growing sophistication of cybercriminals and nation-state actors, and the urgent need for modern, AI-powered defenses. Microsoft’s global threat intelligence team processed over 100 trillion signals daily, blocked 4.5 million new malware attempts, and screened 5 billion emails for phishing and malware-demonstrating not only the scale of today’s cyber threat landscape, but also Microsoft’s unparalleled perspective and visibility into the global cybersecurity ecosystem.

‘The Philippines’ inclusion in the top 20 most impacted countries is a wake-up call for organizations across sectors,’ said Peter Maquera, CEO, Microsoft Philippines. ‘Cybersecurity must be treated as a national priority. As digital transformation accelerates, we must ensure that every Filipino-whether in government, healthcare, education, or business-is protected by resilient, modern security solutions.’

Key Findings Relevant to the Philippines and Southeast Asia:

Rise in Identity-Based Attacks: Identity attacks surged by 32% globally, with infostealer malware increasingly used to harvest credentials. The Philippines ranked among the top 20 countries affected by Lumma Stealer, a malware-as-a-service platform disrupted by Microsoft and global law enforcement in May 2025.

Critical Services Under Threat: Hospitals, local governments, and education institutions remain prime targets due to outdated systems and limited cybersecurity budgets.

AI as a Double-Edged Sword: Threat actors are using generative AI to scale phishing and social engineering attacks, while defenders are leveraging AI to detect anomalies and automate response.

Nation-State Activity: Chinese threat actors targeted the Philippines as part of broader espionage campaigns in Southeast Asia, focusing on IT, government, and academic sectors.

Microsoft’s Call to Action

Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. Microsoft urges organizations in the Philippines to adopt phishing-resistant multifactor authentication (MFA), which can block over 99% of identity-based attacks-even when attackers have valid credentials.

Beyond technical measures, cybersecurity must be embedded into business strategy and governance. Microsoft continues to collaborate with government and industry partners to strengthen defenses, share threat intelligence, and support the protection of critical infrastructure. Through initiatives like the Secure Future Initiative, Microsoft is committed to helping Filipino organizations build resilience and stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated adversaries.

THE government is revving up its push for transparency and accountability in vehicle importations to curb smuggling and collect proper taxes.

This was after officials of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) signed a memorandum of agreement to tighten controls on imported vehicle registration.

A statement issued by the BOC last Tuesday read that the agreement prompts the two agencies to improve coordination and exchange of key documents, such as ‘Certificate of Payment,’ ‘Certificates of Registration’ and official receipts.

A joint task force will also be created to conduct enforcement operations against unlawfully imported, misdeclared, or misclassified vehicles, which are violations under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), the statement further read.

Within 30 days of signing the agreement, the BOC and LTO will then form a joint technical working group (TWG) to develop and implement the necessary rules and guidelines for the effective implementation of the agreement.

The agreement also seeks to safeguard the public by deterring fraudulent practices, curbing unfair competition and protecting government revenues vital to national development.

Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno said the agreement reflects the collaborative effort between the BOC and LTO in promoting transparency and coordinated enforcement.

‘This mutual cooperation with the LTO reinforces our shared goal of ensuring transparency, efficiency, and strict compliance with customs laws and other government regulations. By working together, we want to make sure that every vehicle import and registration process is handled with the highest standards of integrity,’ Nepomuceno was quoted in the statement as saying.

The initiative is also in line with the President’s directive for stronger and more unified action against smuggling in all its forms to ensure that government revenues are properly collected.

LTO Assistant Secretary Markus V. Lacanilao turned over to the BOC one unit of Lamborghini Urus, which was recently intercepted by LTO personnel in the Bonifacio Global City area. Lacanilao said the move would allow the BOC to evaluate the vehicle if it went through legal and customs processes.

‘This initiative highlights the BOC’s commitment under Commissioner Nepomuceno’s leadership to modernize operations, strengthen integrity, and ensure that government services remain accountable, transparent, and responsive to the public’s call for a more credible and reliable governance,’ the BOC’s statement read.

The Philippine Navy (PN) on Tuesday announced that its Western Naval Command, through its missile boat BRP Lolinato To-Ong (PG-902), successfully recovered a suspected Chinese rocket debris off the waters of Bataraza, Palawan last Oct. 19.

This follows after successful maritime operations in the West Philippine Sea.

‘After completing its patrol and drug recovery operations, BRP Lolinato To-Ong sighted a metallic debris suspected to be part of a Chinese rocket at coordinates 08°28.490’N, 117°39.805’E, approximately 12.17 nautical miles southeast of Rio Tuba, Bataraza, Palawan,’ the PN said.

In the said drug recovery operation, the PN ship recovered some PHP19.2 million worth of suspected marijuana kush off Sabina Shoal, West Philippine Sea last Oct. 18.

The crew of the BRP Lolinato To-Ong immediately conducted retrieval operations and secured the debris aboard the vessel.

‘The item was subsequently transported to Puerto Princesa City for proper documentation, assessment, and disposition in coordination with concerned authorities,’ the PN said.

It also said that the recovery of such debris underscores the importance of continued maritime surveillance in protecting Philippine waters and ensuring the safety of local communities potentially affected by foreign rocket remnants.

It can be recalled that China on Oct. 16 launched a Long March 8A rocket from its Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site as part of its efforts to deploy internet satellites into space.

‘CONCRETE actions’ on the flood control investigation are expected to unfold in the next few weeks, particularly in recovering the assets of those involved in the multibillion corruption mess, according to Public Works and Highways Secretary Vivencio ‘Vince’ Dizon.

‘In the next few weeks, mayroon na pong mga kongkretong aksyon kayong makikita. Mayroon po tayong batas ‘yung civil forfeiture law, bihira pong ginagamit ito [we will see concrete action. We have a civil forfeiture law, which is rarely used],’ Dizon said during the 51st Philippine Business Conference and Expo on Tuesday in Pasay City.

‘The President said we must use that law, because it allows for quick action. The case is not for a criminal charge, that is only a civil case. With just a lower level of evidence, we can auction off the assets of all those who stole from taxpayers,’ added the DPWH secretary, speaking mostly in Filipino.

Dizon said this after he had a chance to meet with Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) alongside 15 government agencies involved in the ‘restitution’ of the stolen flood control funds.

These agencies, he said, include the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), Land Registration authority, Land Transportation Office, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Solicitor General, Secretary of Justice, and the Bureau of Customs.

‘Ngayon ko lang nakita na nagsama-sama kaming lahat na iisa lang ang objective: Habulin at ibalik ang perang ninakaw sa ating lahat. [It’s only now that I’ve seen all our agencies united with one objective: run after and restore to the people the stolen funds],’ added Dizon.

In a statement released by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) over the weekend, 34 business groups including the Makati Business Club, Philippine Exporters Confederation, and the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines, told President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure ‘restitution’ of ill-gotten wealth and embezzled funds of the government.

The business groups called on the chief executive to address without delay the massive corruption scandal crippling flood control and infrastructure projects, which has ‘eroded public trust and is threatening the country’s national security.’

‘We have contributed to national funds thru taxes locally and nationally and have paid additional assessment of taxes. We provided many fees to enable us to do business. Yet, trillions of pesos supplied and intended to protect our communities from disasters have been squandered through ghost projects, substandard work, and inflated contracts,’ they said in their statement.

PBC resolutions

Meanwhile, the largest business group in the Philippines said it had to revise its set of recommendations for the government for this year as the flood control corruption came in the picture, now placing anti-corruption and good governance at the top of its priority list.

On the sidelines of the business conference, the chairman of PCCI’s Science and Technology, Ferdinand Ferrer, said: ‘You know the PBC resolutions, we discussed it for months. With this flood control corruption scandal, we had to revise it.’

As reflected in the paper on recommendations submitted by PCCI to the government, the Resolution on Good Governance and Anti-Corruption is placed on top of the list. This is the first time in four years that the business group highlighted in its resolutions the need to fight corruption.

The 51st Philippine Business Conference and Expo (PBC and E) Resolutions read: ‘Strongly urging the National Government to put an end to unabated, continuing, and excessive corruption in government projects and transactions by instituting strict monitoring, transparency, and accountability mechanisms across all levels of governance.’

Under this recommendation, the business group underscored the importance of ensuring that public officials and private partners involved in ‘collusion’ are investigated, prosecuted, and penalized ‘to the fullest extent of the law.’

The resolution stressed the need for stolen public funds to be recovered and ‘redirected towards programs that genuinely serve the Filipino people, especially the poor.’

The four-point action plan related to the resolution, PCCI stressed, should be done by ‘creating multisectoral oversight bodies with private sector participation to strengthen governance and integrity in public projects.’

On transparency, PCCI said the government should ‘institutionalize’ open governance systems and publish data on project implementation, procurement, and fund utilization for public access.

It should provide for ‘stricter monitoring, auditing, and reporting mechanisms in all government projects to ensure full transparency and integrity,’ PCCI underscored.

The group also prodded the government to enforce accountability and sanctions on public officials and private entities involved in corruption and collusion.

The Resolution on Digitalization and Innovation, the central theme of PCCI’s business conference this year, only came second to anti-corruption on the list of priority recommendations.

Under this proposal, PCCI urged the government to invest in, regulate, and ‘swiftly adapt’ to Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, and emerging digital technologies to enhance efficiency, transparency, and effectiveness in public service delivery, ‘while fostering innovation, data sovereignty, and global competitiveness across both public and private sectors.’

As for agriculture and energy, PCCI urged the National Government to promote smart agriculture systems and ‘resilient’ agri-value chains, and ensure a ‘balanced’ energy transition that accelerates renewable energy adoption while maintaining ‘reliability, affordability, and competitiveness’ of supply for industries and consumers.

PCCI said the government should implement a Digital Agricutlural Land Mapping Program to identify ‘optimal’ crops and provide farmers with technical assistance and seedlings.

It cited the need to develop a ‘comprehensive’ Renewable Energy Roadmap that attracts investments in solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass, and emerging technologies such as hydrogen.

PCCI also prodded the government to improve the overall business environment in the country.

The business group’s recommendation on MSME Development and Ease of Doing Business pressed the Department of Finance (DOF), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and Small Business Corporation (SBCorp.) to improve access to affordable financing for MSMEs, especially for startup capital, working capital, and green enterprise investments.

PCCI also called on the government to invest in broadband networks, data centers, and common towers to expand digital connectivity nationwide, particularly in ‘underserved’ areas.

ASIDE from ghost projects, some flood-control projects are poorly situated and worsen flooding instead of solving the problem, an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.

DENR Undersecretary for Integrated Science Carlos Primo David said the DENR has identified not only ‘ghost flood control projects’ but also projects funded by the government, but did not solve the problem. Instead, they exacerbate flooding because they are poorly situated.

Speaking at the DENR’s budget hearing of the Senate subcommittee on finance led by Senator Loren Legarda on Tuesday, David said these projects are not part of the Master Plan and are not backed by a comprehensive study.

‘What we have noticed is that, okay, we do have ghost projects. We see them, much, much more than what the DPWH is reporting. Secondly, these are not the projects, kumbaga pinakamasama [that are, shall we say, the worst]. What we have are structures that are poorly situated and exacerbate the flooding. They were constructed, but they exacerbate the flooding,’ David said, drawing surprise and dismay from lawmakers.

‘Ginastosan na, nakasama pa [People spent for them, and yet they did more harm]?’ Legarda burst out.

Legarda said the DENR, through the WRMO, should assert its mandate, saying that as far as the DPWH is concerned, it is only mandated to implement infrastructure or hard engineering projects.

‘DENR must know and must approve all flood control masterplans-flood mitigation, adaptation all of that-it should be with you because it’s your mandate to conserve our forests. It’s your mandate to clean our inland waters and seas; their [DPWH’s] only mandate is providing the infrastructure. The two of you should always be talking,’ she said, partly in Filipino.

David was referring to a draft National Flood Management Master Plan being pushed by the DENR Water Resource Management Office, headed by him in a concurrent capacity.

Through the WRMO, the DENR is monitoring flood control projects of the DPWH.

He said the DENR uses satellite imagery to monitor flood control projects and through ground validation by the Water Resources Utilization Section of the DENR Regional Offices.

He explained that in 2023, the subcommittee on water resources, which handles all water projects that go through the program convergence budgeting of the Department of Budget Management when agencies submit their projects for funding, as chair, decided that the DENR should monitor these projects.

‘When the committee decided in 2023 that we should monitor this, we wanted to know if there are projects with convergence with water supply. We monitored these on the ground and from our office, we use satellite imagery,’ says David.

The draft National Flood Master Plan, which promotes Nature-Based Solutions to flooding problems, names infrastructure as one, but not the most important component.

‘This is different from the Master Plan of the DPWH that is infrastructure-heavy,’ he said.

David said the core principles of the Masterplan are anchored on Watershed Management, Stormwater Impoundment, Green-Grey Infrastructure, and Risk-Sensitive Land Use Planning.

‘If our watersheds are not intact, then pretty soon all the rain will transform into runoff. Secondly, we promote impoundment instead of diverting water to the ocean, meaning river dikes,’ said David.

He said storm or rainwater impoundment was a strategy of the Philippine government back in the 1960s. He said this is also where the LGUs come into play, by implementing rainwater harvesting under the Rainwater Harvesting Act.

Pitching calls for more water convergence projects between concerned government agencies, the DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the agency has identified 15 multipurpose dams, projects that were the subject of feasibility studies.

‘They would be ready for implementation in the 2026 budget, but it’s not part of our budget. What we want to show is that we can have convergence of all that has been mentioned. In addition, the National Irrigation Administration has 81 multipurpose projects that would involve water retention and detention, and they can be used for; potable water, irrigation, agriculture, and incidentally, even in tourism and hydropower,’ Lotilla said.

In Claveria, he shared that a multipurpose dam was inaugurated by President Marcos, and people now enjoy irrigation and tourism. The DENR, he said, is now looking at the potable water component of the project.