Category: Philippine Star

Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro said the province has strengthened its disaster response capabilities and is now better prepared to deal with future calamities.

Baricuatro gave the assurance ahead of the first anniversary of Typhoon Tino on November 4, saying the provincial government has stepped up its preparations for disasters.

‘We are prepared,’ Baricuatro said when asked how the provincial government’s response would be different if a typhoon similar to Tino hit Cebu today.

‘Preparedness is key in terms of disaster. Hence the increase of budget for 2027 in PDRRMO,’ she added,

referring to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

Baricuatro acknowledged, however, that the provincial government could not address every possible challenge during a calamity.

‘But of course naa manay things na we can’t do everything. But as far as preparedness is concerned, we are prepared,’ she said.

The governor also said the provincial government had already provided financial assistance to local government units affected by Typhoon Tino, with Balamban remaining the only LGU that had yet to receive the assistance.

As part of the commemoration of the disaster, Baricuatro said a Mass would be held at the Capitol, along with lighting activities to remember those who died during the earthquake and the typhoon.

The province’s preparations come after PDRRMO head retired Col. Dennis Francis Pastor described the disaster office as being in a ‘bad state’ and ‘not disaster-ready’ when he assumed the post on July 1.

During an interview on July 14, Pastor said he found the office lacking in manpower and equipment, raising concerns about the province’s capacity to respond to emergencies.

‘Surprisingly, it’s in a bad state. We are not disaster-ready. It has been neglected for the past six years,’ Pastor said at the time.

Pastor said the office has since procured equipment and improved its capacity to monitor and anticipate potential disasters.

‘When we started in July 1, I said we’re not disaster-ready from that state of preparedness,’ he said.

‘But right now, we have been able to procure equipment,’ he noted.

He added that the office’s new headquarters now has a dashboard for disaster preparedness, allowing personnel to forecast typhoons up to two weeks ahead.

‘Sa ato new office, naay new dashboard for preparedness. We can forecast two weeks for typhoon, not like before,’ Pastor said.

The improved monitoring system, he said, allows the office to anticipate possible emergencies and position food supplies in warehouses before disasters strike.

‘We can anticipate, we have position of food items naa sa warehouse,’ Pastor said, adding that the province is now ‘better than before’ in terms of disaster preparedness.

The PDRRMO’s improvements are also backed by the provincial government’s proposed disaster risk reduction and management investment for 2027, which sets aside funds for preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery.

The disaster office alone has proposed P440 million for 2027 annual budget.

Under the proposal, P168 million, or 60 percent of the allocation, will go to disaster preparedness, including the acquisition of equipment for the PDRRMO, its Emergency Operations Center, and warehouses.

Another P56 million, or 20 percent, is earmarked for disaster response and early recovery, while P28 million each will be allocated for disaster prevention and mitigation, and recovery and rehabilitation.

A separate P120-million Quick Response Fund is also proposed to support emergency and disaster response, relief operations, and rehabilitation and recovery in affected areas.

The proposed investment follows Baricuatro’s directive to strengthen the preparedness of communities and local disaster risk reduction and management offices.

‘Governor Pam really invested in preparedness; that is why we follow the marching order that we should prepare our communities, our local DRRMOs in the event of untoward incidents,’ Pastor said in an earlier interview on the proposed allocation.

The provincial government has also established a permanent headquarters for the PDRRMO at a former quarantine and evacuation facility in Sitio Grotto, Barangay Apas, Cebu City.

The facility was rehabilitated at a cost of ?9 million before it was formally inaugurated on Jan. 9.

The nearly 10-hectare compound has five main buildings and houses a monitoring and command center equipped with a large smart LED wall, radio communications, and multiple internet connections, including Globe, Smart, and Starlink.

It also has life detectors, flood boats, and drones for search and rescue operations and damage assessment. One drone, worth ?3.5 million, has night-vision capabilities

Rep. Paolo Duterte (Davao City, 1st District) filed libel and cyber libel complaints on Friday, October 23, against National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag, dismissed policeman Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. and several GMA Network journalists over a report that aired Gracioso’s claim that he delivered cash to the lawmaker.

The complaint filed before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Davao City names GMA Network chairman Felipe Gozon, president and chief executive Gilberto Duavit Jr., 24 Oras anchors Mel Tiangco, Vicky Morales and Emil Sumangil, and Darlene Cay, Marvin Parado and Joel San Luis, along with unnamed ‘John and Jane Does.’

Duterte’s lawyer, Peter Paul Danao, confirmed to Philstar.com that the complaint pertains to the September 25 episode of GMA’s flagship broadcast 24 Oras, which aired pre-recorded interviews with Gracioso and Matibag.

In an initial statement, GMA Network said it had yet to receive a copy of the complaint.

Matibag said in an ambush interview that it was Duterte’s prerogative to file the complaint.

GMA had been the first to report on the affidavit of Gracioso, a former security aide to former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco. In it, Gracioso claimed that he delivered suitcases of cash to Vice President Sara Duterte, her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, and her brother on Velasco’s instructions.

He claimed to have delivered more than P2 billion to the vice president, P1 billion to the elder Duterte, and P100 million to Paolo Duterte.

The vice president and her brother have denied the allegations.

Matibag had earlier said Gracioso’s claims were “99 percent” truthful based on polygraph tests conducted by the bureau, though the NBI’s investigation into the allegations remains open.

Libel is punishable under the Revised Penal Code. Meanwhile, cyber libel, which covers defamation committed through a computer system, falls under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and carries a penalty one degree higher.

Press freedom groups have long raised concerns about the use of cyberlibel against Filipino journalists, especially during the presidency of the elder Duterte.

In that period, then-Rappler executive editor Maria Ressa was convicted of the offense in a case rights groups denounced as a “miscarriage of justice” and a form of harassment.

The government’s own rights body, the Commission on Human Rights, has flagged how libel provisions in the Revised Penal Code and the cybercrime law have been repeatedly weaponized to silence critics.

Noriaki Hirakata made a career out of scrutinizing automotive companies from the outside, analyzing business performance and offering recommendations on what automakers should do.

Then one day, the president of Mitsubishi Motors gave him a call.

‘You keep criticizing this company in the last 10 years,’ Hirakata recalled being told. ‘It’s about time to come around to Mitsubishi to implement what you suggested as an analyst.’

Hirakata accepted the challenge, he told The STAR in a recent interview.

From being an automotive analyst at Morgan Stanley, he joined Mitsubishi Motors’ global corporate strategy team in Japan, where he worked on the company’s medium-term business plan.

One of his key recommendations was for Mitsubishi to focus more on Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, which he believed held considerable promise for the brand.

That conviction eventually brought him to the Philippines.

On July 1, 2023, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. appointed Hirakata as its first-ever chairman of the Board, a strategic appointment that reflects MMPC’s stronger commitment to enhancing corporate governance and driving sustainable business growth.

Upon arrival, he realized there was a lot of room to improve the manufacturing processes and make them more efficient.

The plant’s defects-per-unit, a key measure of manufacturing quality, was among the highest in Mitsubishi’s global operations.

Some people had told him that producing a decent vehicle in the Philippines was difficult.

Hirakata was initially only partly convinced.

That became the starting point for a turnaround.

Rather than impose sweeping changes from the top, Hirakata and the manufacturing team worked to get employees and union leaders involved in the process.

Filipino production workers were sent to Japan to observe how other facilities operated and to learn the discipline and systems behind their manufacturing processes.

The improvements were not immediate.

But by January 2024, quality performance began to improve.

More than three years later, Hirakata remains bullish on the country, even as economic headwinds, softer vehicle sales and intensifying competition weigh on the automotive industry.

His optimism is not simply a matter of faith.

As he sees it, the question is not just how Mitsubishi can sell more vehicles in the Philippines today, but how it can build the manufacturing capabilities to compete in the years ahead.

By late 2024 to early 2025, the Philippine operation had become one of Mitsubishi’s best-performing plants in ASEAN in terms of quality, according to Hirakata.

The plant also earned recognition on manufacturing skills and capabilities.

For Hirakata, the transformation demonstrated what Filipino workers could achieve when given the right systems, training and support.

The changes themselves were hardly revolutionary, he said.

Employees were expected to arrive ahead of their shifts to prepare for work. Smartphone use during production was discouraged. Workers were also exposed to better practices through visits to other manufacturing facilities, including plants operated by other companies in the Philippines.

Some obstacles were practical rather than cultural. If employees could not arrive early because transportation was unavailable, management listened and addressed the problem.

‘There’s no hidden story,’ Hirakata said of the turnaround. It was about improving systems and getting people to understand why change was necessary.

He also learned that leadership required patience.

For Hirakata, the next challenge is to move beyond improving the existing manufacturing operation and establish the Philippines as a more competitive production base.

The country produces only about 100,000 vehicles a year, he noted, compared with roughly 1.5 million in Thailand and one million in Indonesia.

Still, MMPC remains optimistic about the Philippines, he said. It wants to make the country a production hub for a still to be disclosed hybrid model.

The company announced plans to invest P7 billion for HEV (hybrid electric vehicle) production in the country.

As for its export plans, Hirakata said that 2030 is the company’s internal target.

If realized, MMPC will begin exports two years after it starts HEV production in 2028.

While conservative managers may aim to start around 2035, Hirakata said he wants the company to move faster.

But he also said that exporting will bring a different challenge to the firm as it navigates different consumer behaviors and preferences in overseas markets.

‘It’s challenging. But we need a challenge all the time,’ he said.

At present, MMPC produces the Mirage, Mirage G4 and L300.

With Hirakata at the helm, MMPC is sure to gear up for a bigger presence in the Philippines.

When unbeaten Filipino minimumweight contender Zyvyr Medecilo went to Yokohama on a sparring contract three weeks ago, he never thought of fighting for a world boxing title in three months. Apparently, WBA 105-pound champion Takeshi Ishii was shopping for a challenger and promoter Hideyuki Ohashi brought in Medecilo to size him up as a possible opponent.

A day after Medecilo landed in Japan, he was offered to face Ishii on the undercard of the Masamichi Yabuki-Miel Fajardo bout for the IBF flyweight crown in Tokyo on Nov. 26. The Ishii camp looked for a brawler who would engage the champ and on his first day of sparring, Medecilo did exactly what the scouts wanted to see only by accident. Medecilo is actually a technical boxer with a classic stick-and-run routine. But in sparring in Yokohama, he decided to slug it out, not knowing that was what Ishii’s scouts were eyeing. All Medecilo aimed to do was to impress the Japanese onlookers and he did.

Medecilo said when he got the offer, the first thing that entered his mind was to go home. But the Japanese hosts kept him in the gym for three weeks, videoing his every move from working the heavy bag to punching the speed ball to shadow-boxing. Finally, Medecilo returned to Manila last week and immediately, went to the Elorde Gym on Sucat to hook up with trainer Erickson Asilo.

If Medecilo dethrones Ishii, he’ll be the fastest Filipino to win a world title on his 10th fight and justify his moniker the ‘Blitz Kid.’ Malcolm Tunacao set the record when he bagged the WBC flyweight crown on his 11th fight in 2000. Medecilo has never fought overseas in compiling a 9-0 record, with five KOs.

Ishii is a bomber who doesn’t believe in holding back. He’ll charge in for the kill at the opening bell. Last September, Ishii demolished Puerto Rican Wilfredo Mendez at 1:05 of the first round to capture the vacant WBA title in Yokohama. The former kickboxer’s record is 12-1, with nine KOs and his victims include Filipinos Jake Amparo and John Kevin Jimenez. His only loss was on a split decision to Filipino Lito Dante, now based in the US. In a Facebook message, Dante advised Medecilo not to engage Ishii in a slugfest and to box from a distance.

Matchmaker Anthony Arieta said Medecilo’s title crack was unexpected, considering he’s only ranked No. 14 by IBF although No. 8 by WBC and WBO. ‘We accepted the match because we want the history to become the fastest Filipino pro boxer to become a world champion,’ said Arieta. ‘He will be up against the odds. Ishii is a puncher but our guy has skills and ring smartness na pwede makasira ng laban ni Ishii so we think we have a good chance to win. Pumayag kami sa laban kasi it’s Zyvyr’s opportunity to fight for a world title.’

Last week, Medecilo was at the Elorde Gym when Manny Pacquiao dropped by. ‘Sinabi ko kay Sir Manny na taga Polomolok ako,’ he said. Pacquiao wished him the best of luck and told him to put in the work in the gym to be ready for a hard fight. Medecilo said he was star-struck and could hardly speak but was inspired by the experience. He recently sparred six rounds with IBF minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran and held his own, raising expectations that Ishii may regret getting what he wished for.ae

Red Planet Hotels is supporting sports events across the Philippines by offering participants and their families a convenient and affordable place to stay close to the action.

The first event under this initiative is the Lactacyd Women’s Run PH Makati leg on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at Ayala Triangle Gardens, where two Red Planet properties in Makati are offering a direct-booking promo for runners.

The Makati leg is part of the Lactacyd Women’s Run Series and offers 10-kilometer, 5-kilometer categories and a 1-kilometer kids run, so the field is expected to include runners of all levels, including participants traveling from outside Metro Manila. Gun times have yet to be announced, and many participants will look for a place to stay close to the venue.

Red Planet Hotels just a few minutes away from the race”Sports events bring people from different cities together, and many of them need a place to rest before and after they compete,” Florent Humeau, CEO of Red Planet Hotels, said. “With 15 hotels across the Philippines, we want to be the practical choice for runners, athletes and their supporters, wherever the event is.”

Red Planet Makati Avenue Manila, at the corner of E. Mercado and F. Calderon Street along Kalayaan Avenue, is about 1.3 kilometers from Ayala Triangle Gardens. Red Planet Makati Amorsolo is along Urban Avenue, about 1.4 kilometers from Ayala Triangle Gardens. Both properties are less than a 15-minutes drive to the venue and are near Makati’s restaurants and cafés, for pre-race meals and post-race recovery.

Hotels have a 24-hour front desk, which allows late check-in the night before and early departures on race day, along with free Wi-fi and luggage storage. Standard check-in times apply, and guests may request early check-in directly with the property.

Red Planet Hotels plans to support more running and sports events in other cities where it operates, including Cebu, Davao, Clark and Cagayan de Oro.

Get up to 35% off when you book directly with Red Planet Hotels

Guests who book through www.redplanethotels.com or the Red Planet App with the code REDWOMAN2026 can get up to 35% off with the Red Membership discounts when they book at any Red Planet Hotel.

Booking dates: October 15 to October 25, 2026

Stay dates: October 22 to October 28, 2026

San Beda squeaked past the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers, 75-71, in their NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball clash Friday evening at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

San Beda squandered a 21-point lead in the fourth but hit timely shots to grab the win, completing a season sweep against JRU.

Aldous Torculas filled up the statsheet with 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three blocks and a steal in the win. Bismarck Lina backstopped with 14 markers and three boards, while Daniel Marcelo had 13 points.

The Red Lions led by 21, 67-46, heading to the fourth as they looked primed for an easy win.

Slowly but surely, though, JRU nipped the lead away, slicing the deficit to 11, 56-67, with 7:11 remaining.

A split from the line by Andrei Ugaddan halted the run, but the Heavy Bombers kept on coming.

A Sean Salvador trey with 1:28 left tied things up at 71-all.

However, JRU could not capitalize despite several opportunities to grab the lead. Four free throws by Zedjay Etulle iced the game and saved the day for the Red Lions.

Kyle Jamora added 12 markers, eight boards and two dimes for San Beda.

Salvador had 19 points for JRU. Jalen Garcia produced 14 points in the loss, which pulled the Heavy Bombers to an identical 7-3 slate.

The QCinema International Film Festival returns for its 14th edition next month with a lineup dedicated to genre filmmaking and auteur cinema under a “Genre’teurs” theme.

The lineup of QCinema 2026, which will run from November 13-22, was unveiled at a media conference last October 22 in a Quezon City restaurant.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte was unable to attend the event in person but her prepared statement was read by District 1 councilor TJ Calalay.

Belmonte touted in her speech how QCinema is the longest-running film festival fully mounted by a local government unit and how Quezon City is just the second Southeast Asian city to be named a UNESCO Creative City for Film.

She vowed continued support for individuals in the creative sector as she lamented the upcoming closure of Cinema ’76 along Tomas Morato. “Democratize cinema, it must reach every individual, student, and citizen, not just the film festival circuit,” the mayor also said in her statement.

Opening this year’s QCinema is the Mervin Malonzo’s animated film “Ella Arcangel: Awit ng Pangil at Kuko” based on the comics by Julius Villanueva.

“Ella Arcangel” was a recipient of the P1.5-million QCinema Project Market Philippines Co-Production Grant in 2023. Bianca Umali voices the titular character of the film which will also compete in the festival’s Asian Next Wave section.

The closing film as part of the QC Selects section will be Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Look Back”, the live-action adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga that won five special awards at last month’s Venice International Film Festival.

Other exciting things to look out for are the new retrospective coffee book for the 14th QCinema and a screening of “Magic Kingdom: Ang Alamat ng Damortis” in Quezon Memorial Circle for QCinema at the Park.

Lineup

Filipino productions will be marked by (PH) while co-productions of the Philippines will be marked with (Co-PH).

Asian Next Wave features new voices by filmmakers in the Asian continent:

“9 Temples to Heaven” by Sompot Chidgasornpongse, Thailand’s entry to the 2027 Academy Awards

“A Girl Unknown” by Zou Jing, FIPRESCI Prize winner at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival Critics’ Week

“Hearing” by Lê B?o

“Fujiko” by Taichi Kimura

“Fruit Gathering” by Aung Phyoe, Crystal Globe Grand Prix winner at the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

“The Burning Giants” by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng

“The World Before” by Yoon Da-bi

(PH) “Ella Arcangel: Awit ng Pangil at Kuko” by Mervin Malonzo

New Horizons consist of only directorial debuts and sophomore outings by filmmakers pushing cinema’s boundaries with fresh perspectives and distinctive storytelling:

“Angh” by Theja Rio, Platform Prize winner at the Toronto International Film Festival

“Baby Jackfruit, Baby Guava” by Nông Nh?t Quang

“Beach Fictions” by Lim Ha-yeon, Special Mention receipient at the Busan International Film Festival New Currents section

“Furies” by Rami Kodeih, Lebanon’s entry to the 2027 Academy Awards

“La Gradiva” by Marine Atlan, AMI Paris Grand Prize winner at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival Critics’ Week

“Sad Girlz” by Fernanda Tovar, Crystal Bear and International Jury Grand Prix winner at Berlin International Film Festival

“The Color of the Sun” by Xavier Tera, FIPRESCI Prize winner at the Venice International Film Festival

“We Are Aliens” by Kohei Kadowaki

RainbowQC explores stories from and about the queer community:

“Big Little Things” by Michelle Zhou

“Flesh and Fuel” by Pierre le Gall, Queer Palm Revelation prize winner at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival

“I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming” by Isabelle Stever, Environmental Awareness Award winner at the 79th Locarno Film Festival

“Jim Queen” by Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané, Silver Audience Award winner at the Fantasia International Film Festival

“Little Trouble Girls” by Urška Djuki?, Slovenia’s entry to the most recent Oscars

“Lovers in the Blue Night” by Anuparna Roy, NETPAC Award winner at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival Orizzonti section

“Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” by Jane Schoenbrun, Queer Palm winner at the 79th Cannes Film Festival

“The Riverbank” by Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias, Special Jury Prize winner at the 2026 Locarno Film Festival

Before Midnight gathers action-packed dark comedy, supernatural horror, unsettling mysteries, and psychological thrillers:

“Arrested Memory” by Sabu

“Chronovisor” by Kevin Walker and Jack Auen

“I Love Paris” by Nicky Murphy, Gold Audience Award for Best International Feature Film winner at the 30th Fantasia International Film Festival

(Co-PH) “Moonglow” by Isabel Sandoval

“The Unknown” by Arthur Harari

Dokyu Days presents true stories from global documentaries:

(PH) “Bomba Bernal” by Khavn

“I Deserve A Lover Whose Every Rise Sets Fiery Dooms Raging Across the Skies” by Mani Haghighi

(Co-PH) “To The Moon and Back” by Elisa Gómez Alvarez

“The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer” by Alessandra Sanguinetti

“Union Town” by Barbara Kopple

Screen International will showcase award-winning and critically acclaimed films from around the world, many of them vying for Oscars contention:

“A Long Winter” by Andrew Haigh

“Fatherland” by Pawe? Pawlikowski, joint-Best Director winner at the 79th Cannes Film Festival and Poland’s entry to the 2027 Academy Awards

“Fjord” by Cristian Mungiu, Palme d’Or winner at the 79th Cannes Film Festival

(PH) “Makikiraan Po (Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors)” by Lav Diaz, Brian Prize winner at the Venice Film Festival

“Nowhere to Lay My Eyes” by Hong Sang-soo, three awards including Best Director at the 79th Locarno Film Festival

“The Beloved” by Rodrigo Sorogoyen

“The Diary of a Chambermaid” by Radu Jade

“Vintage Violence” by Eugene Kotlyarenko

Rediscovery features digitally restored landmark films from cinema’s rich history:

“Amores Perros” by Alejandro González Iñárritu

(PH) “Batang West Side” by Lav Diaz

(PH) “Patay Na Si Hesus” by Victor Villanueva

“Possession” by Andrzej ?u?awski

“Perfect Blue” by Satoshi Kon

A “Focus On: Pete Lacaba” portion honors the late screenwriter with

“Jaguar” by Lino Brocka

“Sister Stella L.” by Mike de Leon

QC Selects highlights powerful stories, distinctive perspectives and exciting cinematic visions:

(PH) “11” by Bebe Go

“You Are The Film” by Makoto Ueda

“Club Kid” by Jordan Firstman

“Fucktoys” by Annapura Sriram

(PH) “I Grew An Inch When My Father Died” by P.R. Monencillo Patindol

“Ibuku” by Eddie Cahyono

(Co-PH) “The Remotes” by John Torres

“The Tigers” by Alberto Rodriguez, Jury Award for Best Cinematography at the San Sebastián International Film Festival

“Look Back” by Hirokazu Kore-eda

QC Shorts International this year will be divided into four programs.

At Night We Lead Different Lives for the double lives of humans in transactional relationships

(Co-PH) “And If Thuy Didn’t Exist” by Carlo Francisco Manatad, Special Mention recipient at the Locarno Film Festival

(PH) “Body Works” by Maki Makilan

(Co-PH) “Is This Desire?” by Apa Agbayani

“She Said” by Ivan Tan

“Through the Cracks” by Le Hoang

A Little Blasphemy Never Hurt Anyone for humans reckoning with faith, body, and desires through their interactions with animals and beasts

(Co-PH) “Bleat!” by Ananth Subramaniam, Queer Palm for Best Short Film at last year’s Cannes’ Critics Week

“Fruit” by Jen Nee Lim

(Co-PH) “Run Shirley Run!” by Rodiell Veloso

“The Bovine Comedy” by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, Pardino d’oro for Best Auteur Short Film winner at the Locarno Film Festival

“The Dream Is a Snail ” by Thiên Ân Nguy?n

All Our Mothers Were Once Girls for the unlived lives of mothers through the eyes of the children around them

(PH) “Grandmothering” by Kylechandler Bigay, Asian premiere

(PH) “Maanaa Kanimo” by Toni Cañete

(PH) “Sana’y Nandito Ka” by Clister Santos

“The 4PLY Clandestine System” by Natalie Sin

The Mountains Always Ask for More for the fraught relationship with nature and the histories it conceals and reveals

(PH) “Agsangit Laeng ti Al-alia (A Ghost Can Only Howl)” by Carla Pulido Ocampo

“Golden Island” by Arief Budiman

“Incident on the Mountain” by Savunthara Seng

“Obscura” byTimoteus Anggawan Kusno

(PH) “They Made Monsters” by Jaime Morados

The jury is still out. The defense has not yet presented its witnesses, much less offered its evidence, if any. But the Filipinos are known for their advanced thinking. Many have even pushed the name of Speaker Bodjie Dy to replace the vice president and a number of sectors are already celebrating imagined victories, fantasizing acquittal while others are imagining concocted convictions.

Thus, a number of scenarios are like windmills in the minds of many pundits trying to intersect and collide with each other. I do not think it violates the sub judice rule if many Filipinos would create scenarios in their fertile imaginations. The freedom to think is absolute and no court could gag the limitless flights of fancy and creativity among the more imaginative and creative Pinoy minds.

Let us call the first scenario the Luistro-Kapunan endgame scenario, one of conviction by not only 14 but 16 or even 17 votes. The second scenario is the more conservative Lacson-Sotto conservative ending, conviction by 14 votes. The third scenario is the Sison-poa strategic acquittal scenario with 10 or even 11 voting for acquittal. And lastly, the Bong Go-Robin gambit of acquittal due to less than 16 for conviction similar to the Lacson-Sotto scenario.

I will not name names but all possibilities are being considered. It is possible that one senator who has been hiding may run again and stumble in the stairs and rush to cast his vote for acquittal. It is possible that the Sandiganbayan grants a temporary reprieve to two detained senators just to exercise their voting right. A female senator from Europe may surface totally healed from her lung problems to vote unexpectedly for the side never thought of by her allies.

In the event that the vice president is convicted and thus impeached, one of the accessory penalties would be perpetual disqualification from running for public office. With that eventuality, she could not even run for barangay captain in any village in Davao. She cannot even be appointed to any government office. And an impeachment conviction cannot be obliterated by an appeal to the Supreme Court, nor erased by a presidential pardon.

On the other hand, if and when the vice president is acquitted, her 2028 presidential candidacy would practically be in the bag. The Filipinos have a culture called bandwagon mentality and most of the fence-sitters would join the DDS and ride on the bandwagon of the most probable winner. These characters in the likes of Bong Go, Bato de la Rosa, Rodante Marcoleta, and Robinhood Padilla shall dominate the political landscape. And the Cayetanos shall be on the top of the heap.

When the Dutertes will be in Malacañang again, the Marcoses and the Romualdez clans shall disappear from the face of the Philippines. They will be living a life of royal comforts in their mansions and castles in Switzerland and Austria. The only Marcoses to be left behind are the scions of Imee Marcos, the Manotocs. They will flourish and prosper under the grace of the Dutertes. The Villars, the Gatchalians, the Ejercitos, and the Estradas, being the perennial turncoats, will dance to the music of the DDS.

In Cebu, Christina Frasco and her husband, together with Gwen Garcia will most probably run to the embraces of Inday Sara. The Garcias, unlike their iconic patriarchs Noy Pabling and Noy Jesus, would ally themselves with whoever is in the Palace. The politics of the Garcias, just like the politics of almost all the Cebu trapos today are not anchored on principles or ideologies. Their politics is almost always planted on expediency and political survival.

Unlike the times of Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. when he was a Nacionalista from crib to grave, the Cebu politicians today are all political butterflies. Serging Osmeña Jr. remained loyal to his party whether winning or losing. The bottom line is: the result of the impeachment will determine the political landscape in Cebu.

There is no political leader in Cebu today who can hold a candle to the stature of Don Sergio or of Noy Pabling Garcia and Noy Jesus Garcia. The trapos we have today are not leaders. They are simply politicians who make politics their business and source of livelihood. Don Sergio did not need money from the government. He was richer than the government.

From falling from a macopa tree where he lost his right arm at five years old to raking in medals in international races almost two decades later.

That’s how King James Reyes’ life has transformed after he added another feat to his impressive resume – a bronze in the 5th Asian Para Games at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium here Friday.

The 24-year-old ASEAN Para Games double gold winner timed in four minutes and 13.81 seconds to deliver the Philippine team’s first and only medal thus far in this edition.

Sri Lankan Wahumpurage and Puwakpitikande took the gold in 4:03.25 while Indian Parmod the silver in 4:09.65.

‘Sa tulong ni God, hindi po naging hadlang ang kapansanan ko para ma abot ko ang aking mga pangarap,’ said the proud son of Loreto, Agusan del Sur and graduating Sports Science student at Adamson.

‘Personal best ko din po ito, nagbunga training namin at sacrifices,’ he added.

It also buried the stigma made of the heartbreaking incident the day before when Cyril Cloyd Ongcoy lost his bronze also in the 1500m but in a different category – T12/T13 – following the jury’s decision to reinstate an initially disqualified Fakhriddin Khamraev of Uzbekistan, who pocketed the mint instead.

With more track and field events plus swimming and fencing left in the Filipinos’ schedule, the Philippines, which was financed by the Philippine Sports Commission, is presently at 17th overall in the medal race with a 2-2-2 harvest.

Evaristo Carbonel and Edwin Enguito, Jr. reached for medals but couldn’t catch one.

Carbonel posted a personal best of 27.18m in the men’s discus throw F11 but it was only good for fifth and last, while Enguito ended up fourth in the men’s high jump T63 with a 1.63m.

In fencing at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center, Wilfredo Bugayong II and Violeta Sapalit both crashed out in the medal race in saber.

Bugayong advanced to the Table 16 of men’s Category A after overcoming Hong Kong’s Lee Sheung Ho, 15-5, the round before but ran into Chinese Cheng Yang and suffered a 6-15 beating.

Same with Sapalit, who was shown the door by South Korean Kim Yeji, 6-15, in the Table of 16.

The Philippines’ housing policy could shift toward subsidizing homebuyers rather than requiring developers to build socialized housing, under proposals by the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations Inc. (CREBA) to ease affordability constraints and make private sector participation in addressing the housing backlog more effective.

The group is urging the government to introduce interest subsidies for qualified borrowers, review socialized housing compliance rules and streamline licensing requirements, arguing that current policies risk producing housing units that beneficiaries cannot afford while tying up developers’ capital in projects with limited demand.

National President Noel Toti Cariño said at a press conference on Oct. 21 ahead of the group’s national convention in Cebu sheduled Oct 22 at the Radisson Blu Cebu, that housing policy should focus not only on increasing unit production but also on enabling beneficiaries to purchase and occupy homes.

‘This way, we are addressing the issue of affordability, not just the issue of production of homes,’ Cariño said.

Under CREBA’s proposal, participating developers would make non-recoverable contributions to a fund administered by the Home Development Mutual Fund, or Pag-IBIG Fund. The money would subsidize part of the interest payments of qualified homebuyers, reducing their monthly amortization and making housing loans more manageable.

CREBA has submitted the proposal to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), Pag-IBIG Fund and the executive branch. The association said the recommendation is being studied by the concerned agencies.

The proposal emerged from a technical working group established by CREBA to explore alternatives to existing socialized housing compliance requirements.

The association argues that requiring developers to construct designated housing units does not guarantee that the intended beneficiaries can afford them or that the properties are located where demand exists.

Some projects remain vacant because of accessibility constraints or weak demand, while developers absorb the costs of land acquisition, construction and beneficiary identification, he said.

An interest subsidy could direct assistance to qualified buyers at the point of purchase, while giving developers greater flexibility to deploy capital toward projects with viable demand, he added.

The proposal would, however, require a workable funding structure and clear eligibility rules to ensure that subsidies reach intended beneficiaries without undermining the financial sustainability of housing programs.

Financing gap divides housing market

CREBA Executive Vice President Fernando Martinez said developers remain willing to support efforts to narrow the housing deficit but need clearer implementation rules, stronger coordination with local governments and more effective collaboration with government agencies.

National convention chairman Jose Soberano III said housing policy should distinguish between households that can qualify for financing but struggle with monthly payments and those that cannot afford to borrow in the first place.

The first group could benefit from Pag-IBIG-backed loans and interest subsidies, while households without sufficient income or borrowing capacity may require more direct government intervention through agencies such as the National Housing Authority.

Possible rent-to-own arrangements could provide another route to homeownership for households that cannot readily qualify for conventional housing finance, Soberano said.

For developers, the challenge is to reconcile affordability objectives with the economics of project delivery. Land, construction and compliance costs must be recovered before capital can be reinvested in additional developments, making a sustainable financing framework essential to continued private sector participation.

CREBA said its more than 300 members and allied industry organizations are prepared to contribute to housing initiatives, provided the government establishes practical guidelines and coordinates resources, technology and design solutions.

Industry seeks stronger public-private coordination

The proposals reflect the real estate industry’s push for a housing framework that aligns government assistance with private sector investment and the financial capacity of prospective homeowners.

Martinez said closer coordination among public agencies, local governments and developers could improve the implementation of housing programs and make better use of private sector resources.

CREBA is raising the proposals during its 53rd National Convention in Cebu, which brings together developers, contractors, builders, suppliers and other industry stakeholders to discuss policy and business conditions affecting the property sector.

About 400 to 500 delegates had indicated plans to attend the gathering, which carries the theme ‘Beyond Shelter, Creating Communities, Transforming Lives.’

The association said the convention would provide a platform for presenting recommendations to the government, particularly on how socialized housing compliance can be redesigned to deliver measurable benefits to intended beneficiaries.

For CREBA, the policy shift is intended to move the industry beyond construction quotas toward a model that combines public assistance and private sector capacity to make homeownership more attainable.

The effectiveness of the proposed changes will depend on whether the government can translate the recommendations into clear rules, sustainable financing and housing programs that match the needs and incomes of Filipino households.