Category: Business Mirror

THE health maintenance organization (HMO) industry remained profitable in the first half of 2026, as total revenues grew by a fifth on higher membership fee collections.

Latest data from the Insurance Commission (IC) showed that the HMO sector’s first-half net income grew by 42.29 percent to P2.093 billion from P1.471 billion in the same period a year ago.

The increase came after revenues rose by 19.99 percent year-on-year to P56.432 billion from P45.561 billion.

Membership fees, which accounted for P54.818 billion of industry revenues, jumped by 19.71 percent from P45.792 billion a year earlier.

Meanwhile, HMOs paid P41.227 billion in benefits and claims during the six-month period, also up by 13.62 percent from P36.285 billion a year earlier.

Total expenses likewise increased by 19.27 percent to P54.338 billion from P45.561 billion in the same period last year.

‘This reflects an increased utilization of health care services and the HMOs’ continued commitment to providing benefits to their members,’ the IC said.

IC data showed that all other key indicators improved in the first half compared to a year ago.

Total assets of the industry grew by 18.75 percent year-on-year to P99.640 billion from P83.910 billion.

HMOs’ invested assets, which comprised 27.26 percent of the industry’s total assets, likewise expanded by 49.02 percent to P27.165 billion in the first half from P18.229 billion a year earlier.

Total liabilities of the industry also climbed by 15.77 percent year-on-year to P83.646 billion from P72.249 billion.

The IC said the industry’s performance demonstrated its financial resilience and capacity to meet its obligations.

‘[The Commission] remains committed to supporting its continued development to better respond to the increasing demand for healthcare services,’ it added.

THE economy may have recovered from the pandemic but jobs have yet to catch up, with unemployment returning to post-pandemic levels in July as the labor market failed to transform fast enough, economists said.

On Tuesday, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported 3.14 million jobless Filipinos in July, pushing the unemployment rate to 6 percent. This is the highest unemployment rate since June 2022, when the economy was still recovering from Covid-19.

The latest reading also brought the January-to-July unemployment rate to 5.2 percent, significantly higher than the 4.1 percent recorded in the same period last year.

The increase came even as employment grew, as more Filipinos entered the labor market than the economy could absorb. Employment rose by 3.16 million year-on-year to 49.21 million, but the labor force expanded by 3.71 million to 52.36 million.

De La Salle University economist Marites M. Tiongco said this gap reflects a deeper weakness in the post-pandemic recovery: the economy has restored jobs, but has not transformed its job base enough to absorb the growing labor force.

‘We restored jobs faster than we transformed jobs. The Philippines has not generated enough sustained expansion in manufacturing, modern agriculture, construction, logistics, digital industries and other sectors capable of producing large numbers of higher-productivity, better-paying jobs,’ Tiongco told the BusinessMirror.

PSA data showed that 62.8 percent of employed Filipinos were in services in July, compared with 19.7 percent in agriculture and just 17.5 percent in industry.

Tiongco said the lack of transformation in the job market mirrors the broader path of the economy since the 2022 reopening, which remained heavily reliant on consumption and services instead of stronger investment and productivity-enhancing industries.

That weakness has become more visible this year as economic growth slowed to 2.8 percent in the first quarter and 2.3 percent in the second quarter.

Household consumption and investment remained the biggest drags on growth, with consumption growth slowing to 2.8 percent in the second quarter from 3 percent in the first, while gross capital formation contracted by 9.2 percent, worsening from a 3.1-percent decline in the previous quarter.

University of Asia and the Pacific economist Marco C. Agonia echoed Tiongco’s assessment, saying the post-pandemic recovery has failed to develop more durable and diversified sources of growth.

‘The economy has not grown large nor deep enough to accommodate the growing pool of young workers joining the job market. Add recent macro headwinds dampening economic performance, and the macro picture goes from steady to sputtering,’ Agonia told this newspaper.

Ateneo de Manila University economist Leonardo A. Lanzona Jr. also pointed to a weakness in the country’s investment-led job creation, saying investment incentives have not generated enough employment relative to the size of capital being invested.

He said incentives programs under the Board of Investments, Philippine Economic Zone Authority, and Strategic Investment Priority Plan have tended to favor the scale of investments over their job-generating capacity-resulting in fewer jobs being created for every peso invested.

‘That gap compounds yearly: degree-holders’ share of the jobless rose from 26.9 percent (2020) to 35.6 percent now, Lanzona told the BusinessMirror.

Job concentration

Beyond the weak transformation of the job market, economists flagged the concentration of economic activity in Metro Manila as another constraint on job creation.

PSA data showed that among regions, Metro Manila posted the highest unemployment rate at 8.8 percent or 560,000 jobless individuals. This is a significant jump from the 5.2 percent in April 2026 and 4.7 percent in July 2025.

Agonia said the spike shows the limits of relying on one region to absorb the country’s growing pool of workers, as Metro Manila’s physical constraints and slower economic growth could eventually make it harder to generate enough jobs for new entrants.

‘This highlights the need for developing new growth corridors and regional economies to spread out hiring activity,’ he said.

Tiongco agreed, saying the country needs to diversify growth beyond Metro Manila, with emerging regional cities developed as stronger centers for manufacturing, logistics, agribusiness, digital services and professional employment.

She said it would be difficult to continue relying on Metro Manila to absorb a large share of the country’s growing labor force.

‘This requires infrastructure, reliable electricity, industrial estates, housing, public transport, skills formation and investment incentives to operate as a coordinated regional-development strategy,’ she added.

Temporary relief?

With these structural weaknesses weighing on the labor market, economists had mixed views on whether employment can meaningfully recover in the coming months, even as the holiday season typically brings more hiring.

Lanzona said any improvement from holiday hiring would likely be temporary because the pressure on the labor market is structural rather than seasonal.

He said new groups of young Filipinos will continue entering the workforce each year regardless of the holiday cycle, keeping pressure on job creation.

‘Any holiday bump would be temporary…and only sustained labor-intensive investment would narrow the gap,’ he added.

Tiongco also noted that the usual seasonal boost could also be weaker this year as slower economic growth may discourage firms from making permanent hires, high borrowing costs could weigh on construction and investment, and renewed Middle East tensions could raise fuel costs and weaken household spending and business activity.

‘A more convincing recovery would require simultaneous improvements in manufacturing employment, construction, private investment, average hours worked, real wages and permanent wage-and-salary employment,’ she added.

Agonia, for his part, said seasonal hiring could still provide some support to employment figures, but a more meaningful recovery would depend on greater stability from both domestic and external shocks.

Easier business, more quality jobs

Meanwhile, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev) said the country needs to improve its ease of doing business to attract more investment and generate quality jobs.

‘More Filipinos are participating in the labor market, which means that we need to intensify efforts to attract investments, especially those that create quality jobs. The key is to continuously improve the ease of doing business in the country,’ DepDev Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said.

He said the government needs to help workers and businesses adapt to changing economic, technological and climate-related conditions by supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises, attracting investment in high-growth industries, and expanding skills training and pathways to formal employment.

This includes scaling up platforms such as AI-enabled eTrabaho and the Tesda Skills Passport, strengthening links from social assistance to jobs and training, helping MSMEs adopt new technologies, and advancing reforms under the National Education and Workforce Development Plan 2026-2035.

From Gourdo’s, the collaboration of three innovative brands provides a holistic sleep wellness line that covers various bedding concerns.

For many Filipinos, particularly those living and working in the metro, hours lost to traffic mean arriving home exhausted after a long day at work, with little time left to unwind or rest. More often than not, sleep does not follow.

A study by the Philippine Society of Sleep Medicine Inc. (PSSMI) in March 2025 stated that the Philippines ranks number one in Southeast Asia and fourth globally as the ‘most sleep-deprived’ nation.

The report noted that this situation will only worsen if Filipinos continue to compromise quality sleep for other activities.

This is especially true in recent months, when long commutes home tend to take away hours meant for sleep.

Gourdo’s, a Filipino specialty store that sources quality homeware, kitchen accessories, and bed linens, recently launched a pop-up event at The Podium mall called ‘The Dream Oasis: Sleepcare x Healthguard,’ where it presented the latest innovations in pillows and bed sheets.

The event showcased the collaboration of three brands: homegrown Gourdo’s line Sleepcare; Healthguard, a technology from Australia; and A-Fontane, a bedding textile brand from Hong Kong.

The collaboration of these three innovative brands provides a holistic sleep wellness line that addresses various bedding concerns. Sleepcare provides precision ergonomic design and tailored contouring to relieve spinal strain caused by hunched posture and daily back, muscle, and neck fatigue. Meanwhile, Sleepcare pillows are treated with Healthguard’s advanced biocide and medical-grade anti-dust mite treatments.

Completing this sleep wellness set is A-Fontane, which brings its flagship StayClean technology-‘a self-cleaning, stain-resistant, and liquid-repellent fabric barrier that keeps bedding hygienic, fresh, and effortlessly low-maintenance.’

Pillow profiles

To match the different needs of sleepers, the Gourdo’s Sleepcare pillow collection has four distinct pillow types, each with its own specialized engineering.

The Sleepcare Memory Comfort Pillow has high-density, open-cell memory foam and an ergonomic contoured design to support the cervical curve and align the spine, thus relieving pressure points across the neck and shoulders.

The Sleepcare Memory Gel Pillow has an integrated Cool Gel membrane layer combined with a breathable bamboo cover. The gel layer absorbs and dissipates body heat away from the head and neck to regulate surface temperature, while the memory foam follows the neck’s natural curve to keep the spine straight during deep sleep.

The Sleepcare Anti-Mite Anti-Bacterial Anti-Bed Bug Pillow is Healthguard-treated and encased in a premium 300-thread-count, air-permeable fabric. The full-length body pillow opens up the hips to align the lumbar spine.

The Hotel Atelier Premium Queen Pillow is wrapped in 100 percent combed cotton and filled with high-loft microfiber similar to those found in five-star hotel bedding.

The Gourdo’s Sleepcare product line is available at Gourdo’s branches and online via Lazada and Shopee.

Investing in a good night’s sleep

With today’s demanding lifestyle, Sleepcare pillows are designed to address specific needs.

‘We recognize that nowadays there are so many issues happening, and people are more stressed. Sleep is very important, and this is why we want to promote all the bedding products we have,’ Susan San Miguel, Gourdo’s general manager, told the BusinessMirror.

The Anti-Dust Mite pillows are priced at P995, while the Hotel Atelier Pillow is priced at P1,850 for Queen Size and P1,990 for King Size.

Pricier than standard pillows sold in department stores, which range from P179 to P1,300, the medical-grade treatment in Sleepcare pillows provides long-term health benefits.

Quality pillows and other bed linens are important, San Miguel emphasized.

‘You need to invest in good bedding products. Why? Because you spend maybe 50 percent of your life sleeping. You do need to invest in a good mattress and good bedding because it will give you a good night’s sleep. And what I would always say is that if you try good sheets and good pillows, you will never go back.’

Founded in 2001, Gourdo’s is a Filipino family-owned specialty retailer offering quality home, kitchen, dining, and lifestyle products sourced from around the world. It aims to provide Filipino households with top-of-the-line products that combine elegance, comfort, quality, and functionality.

A group of agrarian reform beneficiaries in Santiago, Isabela, is exploring new ways to turn their tomatoes into additional livelihood opportunities.

The Sinili Vegetable Growers Agriculture Cooperative is now venturing into tomato jam processing. During a product development training on tomato jam processing held in Sinili, Santiago City, ARB members learned practical ways to turn their fresh tomato harvest into a value-added product.

The hands-on activity introduced participants to the basic preparation and processing of tomato jam, giving them skills they can potentially use to develop products for their families, cooperatives, and local markets.

Development Facilitator (DF) Melanio Dalit Sison assisted and guided the participants throughout the activity, providing hands-on support as they went through the different stages of tomato jam preparation and processing.

Retired Department of Education teacher Jesusa Flores served as the resource speaker and trainer. She demonstrated the step-by-step process of making tomato jam and shared practical techniques and tips with the participants.

For the ARBs, the training was an opportunity to look beyond traditional crop production and explore how their harvest can be processed into products with added value. Instead of selling tomatoes solely as fresh produce, they can explore other ways to make their harvest more useful and potentially more profitable.

The activity also forms part of the Sinili Vegetable Growers Agriculture Cooperative’s efforts to strengthen its product development initiatives and explore additional enterprise and market opportunities for its ARB members.

The training also highlights how knowledge and skills can help farmer-beneficiaries maximize the value of what they produce. Through simple food processing and product development, the ARBs gain another avenue to turn their harvest into potential sources of livelihood and income.

From the fields of Sinili to the kitchen and eventually to the market, tomato jam represents more than a new product for the cooperative. It represents the ARBs’ continuing efforts to find innovative ways to make the most of their harvest, strengthen their cooperative, and build more sustainable livelihoods for their families.

LAST Tuesday, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) held its Season 89 presscon at Novotel and stimulated the nerve endings of the ‘long-suffering,’ diehard collegiate basketball fanatics.

It’s going to be a very interesting and exciting season.

The opening ceremony on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena is bound to be a blockbuster. The ‘unkabogable’ Vice Ganda and rapper-singer-songwriter Gloc-9 will headline the show that will be remembered for a long time for its uniqueness, core messages and sparkly star appeal.

The basketball tournament itself will be intriguing and irresistible because there are no clear-cut, obvious front runners this time. Transitions and changes in all eight teams have erased old patterns. What was predictable has become unpredictable. The ‘P’ word rules, and it’s called parity.

Some conjectures persevere. The University of the Philippines (UP) and De La Salle University (DLSU) are still considered the teams to beat. But their lock on the championship is no longer automatic.

This time the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers are being touted as a team that can crash the intimate party. The Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws are expected to rampage, making these four the favorites to enter the Final Four.

But nothing’s cast in stone. Ateneo de Manila in its new era is clicking on all cylinders under Coach Louie Alas. Adamson U has lost Cedrick Manzano but will still pull off surprises, thanks to Coach Nash Racela’s wizardry. The National University Bulldogs have lost Jake Figueroa, Steve Nash Enriquez and Jolo Manansala, but Reinhard Jumamoy will step up and lead this team.

The University of the East (UE) are in ‘building,’ not ‘rebuilding’ mode, says Coach Chris Gavina. So they’re bound to surprise, even shock us. With UE legend Allan Caidic as team consultant, a new culture is surely rising in the East.

As for me, I’m super hyped about being part of the UAAP crowd again. I feel the rest of the sports world is on mute compared to a packed UAAP arena. The electricity produced by school pride can’t be found anywhere else. I love soaking in the energy that rocks me at the cellular level.

Speaking of crowds, I asked AI to characterize the different UAAP crowds per school and this is what it said:

‘When it comes to the sheer volume, noise, and psychological pressure of a live game, the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons arguably own the most avid, passionate, and intimidating crowd in the UAAP today. Defending their turf with an almost religious fervor, the UP crowd creates a uniquely overwhelming environment…The UP community completely floods venues in a sea of maroon shirts.. Their signature cheers..create a chilling, echo-chamber effect that heavily pressures opponents.

The DLSU and Ateneo crowds were described as ‘the gold standard rivalry’-‘elite, organized, and hostile in the most traditional sense.’ ‘When the Animo crowd meets the One Big Fight contingent, the atmosphere is electric. (The) intimidation factor stems from decades of pure, unadulterated sports rivalry. The drums are deafening, the school anthems are sung with extreme pride, and a winner-take-all game between these schools routinely smashes gate attendance records.’

‘When UST is winning,’ AI continued, ‘there is arguably no scarier crowd in collegiate sports. The Thomasian community is famously loyal and boasts one of the largest student populations in the country. Known as the ‘Yellow Wall,’ a packed UST crowd is fiercely vocal, bringing an intense, disruptive energy that can rattle even the most seasoned UAAP veterans.’

As for the FEU crowd, ‘it is legendary for its relentless, heavy drum cadences. The rhythm of the FEU Cheering Squad drums is uniquely deep and driving, mimicking the charging stomp of a Tamaraw.

When the crowd coordinates their standard ‘Let’s Go Tamaraws!’ shout to that booming bass line, the acoustic weight inside the stadium creates a heavily pressurized environment for opposing teams.

They also have a massive student baseline that shows out heavily during rivalry matches.’

The Adamson crowd was described as ‘incredibly united, family-oriented, and loud.. It behaves like a tight-knit family that rallies fiercely around its student-athletes. It’s a sleeping giant that explodes into total frenzy when their team goes on a run.

Because they frequently wear the tag of the ‘scrappy underdog’ out to defy the odds, their arena energy is fueled by pure emotion.’

‘NU fans bring a high-morale, tactical noise to the game. They possess one of the most mechanically synchronized pep squadrons in the league. Opposing players frequently note the intimidation value of their signature, synchronized ‘Barking’ chant, which is deafening when thousands of fans do it in unison.

When the Bulldogs are in a championship hunt, this crowd comes out in historic, record-breaking droves.’

UE’s crowd is described as ‘gritty, fiercely loyal, and loud and defined by its raw grassroots energy. UE fans have endured long rebuilding cycles, which has forged a fanbase that is incredibly resilient and vocal.

The UE crowd doesn’t rely on overly polished, heavily orchestrated stadium dynamics; their energy is pure, unfiltered vocal intensity.’ Everyone loses it when they go, ‘Bomba UE, Igma Kadima!’

September has always felt like Grandparents Month to me. With Grandparents Day celebrated in September, it is a wonderful reminder to honor the people who often love us in a way that is uniquely their own-our grandparents.

As I was reviewing and working on my personal autobiography, which I hope to someday leave to my future grandchildren, I realized how much of my childhood story was actually about my ‘grands.’

I wrote:

‘My childhood is a gift of sorts. I had many people who loved me. First is my grand aunt, Sa ko po, who sat down with me each night and each morning because my memory was as poor as an 80-year-old’s, at age 4. I had a grandfather whom I often called papa when I was young….

‘I was lucky to have relatives who always believed I could be better…I had a maternal grandmother who told me to become a lawyer and beauty queen in one lifetime. And of course, my paternal grandmother who cared for us each day-from us leaving on time for school and having a hearty breakfast each day.’

Reading my own words made me realize how many lines belonged to Angkong, Sa ko po, Amah and my Amah Inang. Perhaps it was because their love provided me with something I needed as a child. Amid family dynamics I did not always understand, these were people who made me feel safe, valued and loved.

Recently, my Amah Inang, my maternal grandmother passed away. I am deeply grateful for the relationship we shared. In my little heart, hers was the voice telling me: ‘Dream high. Be beautiful always. But remember, you are first a Mom and a Wife, so succeed, still, by respecting these dynamics.’

I remember her reminding me of this after I had my firstborn. Spending time with her always left me feeling empowered by her presence and her dreams for me.

She valued physical beauty, too. I was super boyish and constantly had bruises on my legs. From Camarines Norte, she would send pails of seawater to help lessen my scars. Meanwhile, she was always beautifully made-up and dressed, usually completed by a pretty scarf.

What impressed me most was how fiercely she protected her family, especially her grandchildren. Maybe that was why I loved spending time with her and my cousins, especially Cons and Aldrich. In my world of expected academic achievement, they were my safe refuge of another side of me-great listening ears mixed with unexpected escapades.

Amah Inang’s annual birthday parties and our holiday visits to Regina Condominium, named after her, remain happy memories. She never forgot her annual angpao for my children or our box of fruits every Christmas, even up to today.

Faith was also important to her. She supported the Church and the priests within and outside her community. During one visit when I was in my late 30s, she gave me a gold-colored Sto. Niño.

That’s why I wanted to stay in the Philippines after college because I wanted my own children to experience grandparents as part of everyday life.

I remember Papa, my father-in-law, calling Meagan every day when she was a baby. He and my very loving mother-in-law would visit, play ‘What’s your order?’ with her, and quietly sneak away because they feared Meagan would become sad seeing them leave. Then of course, there were the trips and countless mahjong sessions with my Dad.

These seemingly ordinary moments become our children’s extraordinary memories. They become their totem poles of values and love that they will look back to, especially when they face their hard moments in life.

Studies on intergenerational relationships have associated meaningful grandparent-grandchild engagement with greater happiness and resilience among older adults. More recent research also found that grandparents who were more socially and emotionally engaged with grandchildren reported less loneliness and more positive emotional experiences. The relationship can therefore be a gift going both ways.

But today’s reality is challenging. Everyone’s schedules are full. So maybe we need to become more intentional about creating moments rather than waiting for them to happen.

My simple suggestion this Grandparents Month is to prepare a ‘Grand Play Bag.’ Fill a basket or bag with portable art materials, puzzles, or simple games. During Sunday lunch or family gatherings, let a child and grandparent pick something to do together. A preschooler can color with Lola. A grade-schooler can do crafts with Lolo. Teenagers can play games with their grandparents.

Put the phones away for a while-to Talk. Laugh. Create. Listen to stories.

Play can become our family’s ‘one solution’: an activity for the child, a source of engagement for the grandparent, a break for parents, and most importantly, a bridge for meaningful conversation across generations.

Today, I am profoundly grateful for my ‘Grands,’ especially my Amah Inang. Their love became part of who I am. I am equally grateful that my children have collected their own precious memories with their grandparents.

We cannot stop our parents from growing older. But while they are here, let’s all build ‘Grand-er’ memories together today.

Wilma ‘Ate Wamz’ Gaspili, an indigenous tattoo artist from the Kankanaey-Kalanguya communities of Benguet and Ifugao, showcased traditional Cordillera tattooing at the Big London Tattoo convention, where she was the only indigenous Filipino exhibitor.

Gaspili, 48, said she was invited to the event after organizers took notice of her work through previous international appearances and a feature in the convention’s magazine last year.

‘They invited me after seeing the feedback from my work,’ she told BusinessMirror, adding that she has also participated in tattoo events in India.

While other Filipinos joined competitions during three-day London gathering that started September 4, Gaspili said she was the lone indigenous Filipino among the exhibitors.

‘Mag-isa lang ako as indigenous among exhibitors,’ she said.

Gaspili practices and promotes batok, Cordillera’s tattooing art using hand-tapping technique with thorn, bone or wood as needles and fine soot or charcoal as ink. Batok is popularized by Kalinga tattoo artist and National Living Treasure Apo Whang-Od.

‘Many people think Kalinga’s (batok) represents the whole Cordillera, but there are tattoo traditions in other parts of the region,’ she said.

Unlike many traditional practitioners, Gaspili said she did not learn the craft through apprenticeship.

‘Self-taught ako,’ she said. ‘There was no apprenticeship tradition for me.’

She considers herself part of efforts to revive traditional Benguet tattooing and introduce it to a wider audience.

Although comparisons with Whang-Od are common, Gaspili stressed that she has built her own path as an artist while honoring a shared indigenous heritage.

‘Whang-Od is a legend. I’m proud of what I represent as well,’ she said.

At the London convention, she used lemon thorns as needles. Her tattoo ink is made from ash collected from different parts of the Philippines, including Bicol, Cebu and Ilocos.

‘I collect ink from different places,’ she said, noting that clients appreciated receiving tattoos made with materials linked to their hometowns.

Among those who received her work was Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom Teodoro ‘Teddyboy’ Locsin Jr. Gaspili tattooed a tikawa, or spider design, on the diplomat’s arm.

She said Locsin was the first ambassador to visit her booth at any of her previous international conventions.

‘Nakaka-proud,’ she said.

Beyond tattoo conventions, Gaspili said she has been invited to museums and universities in the United States and was also invited to the United Nations headquarters in Vienna in 2025. She plans to continue researching indigenous tattoo traditions during her stay in London.

According to Gaspili, international audiences in Europe, Canada and Australia have shown growing interest in indigenous Filipino tattoo traditions.

‘I think many people in the Philippines still don’t know much about it,’ she said. ‘That’s why it’s important to keep sharing our culture.’

ALL three lanes in both directions of the San Simon Interchange and Tulaoc section of the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) reopened to all vehicle types at 8:50 a.m. on Tuesday, ending more than a week of flood-driven closures that had made the expressway’s Pampanga corridor a chokepoint.

With the lanes restored, the toll rebate granted to motorists on the San Fernando-Pulilan stretch was lifted at 12:01 p.m. on Wednesday, North Luzon Expressway Corp. Said in a statement.

The temporary toll exemption for provincial buses stays in force, however.

The reopening followed what the tollway operator described as ‘sustained flood mitigation and clearing work’ undertaken with its government and private sector partners.

‘These efforts helped restore all lanes in the affected sections, allowing the resumption of normal traffic operations,’ the company said.

Nlex said it is continuing flood mitigation measures at the site, including the dredging of the Tulaoc River and clearing and improvement works along the Nlex embankment, to improve water flow and help temper flooding in the area.

The rebate now being withdrawn was put in place at the direction of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) while flooding persisted. It took effect at noon on September 2 and covered both northbound and southbound passages on the San Fernando-Pulilan stretch, with credits applied to a motorist’s radio frequency identification (Rfid) account the day after the toll passage. Regular toll on the Pulilan-San Fernando route is P113 for Class 1 vehicles, P281 for Class 2 and P338 for Class 3.

The closures traced back to days of habagat, or southwest monsoon, rains that pushed the Pampanga and Tulaoc rivers over their banks, sending water onto Nlex and the parallel McArthur Highway and overwhelming the area’s ability to discharge it. Traffic backed up worst at the Tulaoc Bridge in San Simon, with the southbound queue stretching close to eight kilometers at its peak on September 1.

Earlier Public Works Secretary Vivencio Dizon laid out a three-part fix for the section: Blocking the inflows feeding the expressway and inspecting breaches along the Pampanga River, deepening the trench beside Nlex with the operator’s help to increase its holding capacity, and installing pumps to move water off the highway and out to the waterway.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has also been deploying sand-filled flood barriers sourced from Italy to replace the sandbags stacked along the section.

Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), which owns and operates Nlex, has separately committed to raise the northbound and southbound pavements at Tulaoc once the elevation of the Tulaoc Bridge is finished, a step it has framed as the permanent answer to recurring flooding on the San Simon segment.

Nlex said it will keep working with its government and private sector partners to help ensure the safety and accessibility of motorists and to support flood mitigation efforts in the area and in affected communities.

Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero has called for a broader definition of indigency to grant more Filipinos access to government services, saying current standards are too narrow and fail to capture the realities faced by many households.

In his podcast ‘Chiz Wiz! Usapang May Laman,’ Escudero noted that indigency is often equated with membership in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps, leaving out families who may not be incomepoor but are unable to absorb medical or litigation costs.

He pointed out that under current laws, ‘indigency’ lacks a uniform definition, varying across the different government agencies that define it.

Barangays issue certificates of indigency in accordance with the Local Government Code, the Public Attorney’s Office aligns its threshold with the Philippine Statistics Authority metrics, while the 4Ps law relies on the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s targeting system to identify poor households.

‘Indigency, therefore, should also be defined by circumstance, and not just income,’ he said.

As an example, he cited cases of families burdened by serious illness such as leukemia who he said may be considered ‘cancerindigent,’ while those unable to shoulder litigation costs could be classified as ‘litigationindigent’ to reflect real situations. Even professionals, like teachers, who may earn above the minimum wage still fall into these categories when faced with extraordinary expenses.

This restrictive framework, the senator said, excludes households who may exceed income thresholds but are incapable of absorbing litigation costs or medical bills.

‘What does indigency really mean? Meaning, are you 4Ps? The problem with our law is that it just has one meaning for a indigency. But for me, there are different levels of indigency,’ Escudero said.

‘For example if you’re filing for nullity of marriage, it’s not easy to put together P200,000 to P500,000 for the costs of that, right? So, that person is litigation-indigent. If someone in your family is sick with cancer, your family is cancerindigent,’ he explained.

The veteran legislator said the present one-size-fits-all requirement should be revisited to recognize different classifications of indigency-a position supported by his podcast guest, litigation lawyer Maggie Garduque, who said that such classifications are possible under the Constitution’s equal protection clause.

VICE President Sara Z. Duterte cannot invoke her constitutional right against self-incrimination as a blanket reason to refuse taking the witness stand in her impeachment trial, House prosecutors said, arguing that the privilege must be exercised on a question-by-question basis.

The prosecution made the statement after reserving its right to present Duterte as a witness before the Senate Impeachment Court once it completes the presentation of evidence on all four Articles of Impeachment.

House prosecution spokesperson and counsel Benjamin Tolosa Jr. explained that the absolute protection against being compelled to testify generally applies to individuals facing criminal charges. However, in other proceedings, an opposing party may be called as a witness and may only invoke the right against self-incrimination when a specific question could expose them to criminal liability.

‘You cannot say, ‘I will not take the stand at all because I have the right against self-incrimination.’ It has to be on a per-question basis,’ Tolosa said.

He added that the Impeachment Court would determine whether a particular question could actually incriminate Duterte before allowing her to refuse answering.

Tolosa stressed that Duterte is not an accused in a criminal case but a respondent in an impeachment proceeding, which is a constitutional process aimed at determining whether a public official should remain in office and be disqualified from holding future public positions.

‘She’s not an accused here. She’s a respondent. This is not a criminal case. It’s an impeachment proceeding,’ Tolosa said.

Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores, a member of the prosecution panel, agreed that Duterte may invoke the protection depending on the nature of the questions asked but cannot automatically refuse to testify altogether.

Flores explained that questions involving alleged personal use of confidential funds could potentially raise self-incrimination concerns. However, factual questions, such as whether Duterte instructed a special disbursing officer to withdraw funds, may not necessarily require invoking the privilege.

The prosecution reserved the possibility of calling Duterte after completing its additional witness presentation regarding allegations involving the misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds. However, it has not yet filed a formal request asking the Impeachment Court to issue a subpoena for her appearance.

Tolosa said the reservation was made to preserve the prosecution’s ability to question Duterte regarding the confidential funds allegations and the other Articles of Impeachment.

Duterte’s defense team earlier argued that the Constitution prevents prosecutors from compelling an impeachment respondent to testify. The defense said it would oppose any attempt to subpoena her.

Tolosa acknowledged that the Senate impeachment court would ultimately decide how the constitutional protection applies to Duterte, noting that impeachment proceedings are unique and different from ordinary criminal trials.

Strength of evidence

PROSECUTORS maintained that their case against Duterte will depend on the strength of their evidence rather than the number of votes needed for conviction.