Category: Philippine Star

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered for the immediate evacuation of areas at risk of a tsunami following a massive earthquake that struck off the coast of Davao Oriental on Friday, October 10.

State seismologists have already issued a tsunami warning in several coastal areas in Visayas and Mindanao, namely Eastern Samar, Dinagat Islands, Davao Oriental, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur.

‘I have directed the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the Office of Civil Defense, the Armed Forces, the Philippine Coast Guard, and all concerned agencies to immediately carry out evacuations in coastal areas, activate emergency communication lines, and coordinate closely with local governments,’ Marcos said in a statement.

Search and relief operations are also being prepared and will be deployed once it is safe, Marcos added.

Both the Department of Health and the Department of Social Welfare and Development are on standby to provide emergency aid.

‘To our kababayans in the affected regions, please stay alert and calm. Move to higher ground and stay away from the shore until authorities declare it safe. Follow all instructions from your local disaster councils and barangay officials. Your safety is our top priority,’ Marcos said.

The quake, initially recorded at a magnitude 7.6 and revised down to 7.5, struck in the waters off the coast of Manay, Davao Oriental.

Several local government units and schools have already suspended classes in light of the earthquake.

The earthquake that struck Davao came one week after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu, killing several people and destroying vital infrastructure.

A lawyer who allegedly duped at least 27 people through a fraudulent investment scam was arrested in Quezon City on Wednesday night.

The 31-year-old suspect, whom police identified only as Joy, was arrested during a sting in a restaurant along Timog Avenue at 7:45 p.m., according to a report from the Project 4 Police Station 8.

Police served the warrant of arrest for estafa against the lawyer, issued by a court in Santiago City in Isabela, as she appeared for a meeting with one of the complainants.

Lt. Col. Joe Leanza, Station 8 commander, said one of the complainants lost P300,000 to the suspect who allegedly hid for eight months from the victims.

Leanza said police acted on the information and assisted the complainant in setting up a business meeting with the lawyer.

‘We set up the meeting with the lawyer and one of the victims under the pretense that she is going to make an additional investment,’ Leanza said.

He said other victims complained that they were lured into investing in the lawyer’s trucking service after they were allegedly promised P5,600 in weekly earnings.

According to Leanza, the victims started having doubts when the suspect could no longer deliver on her promises.

‘She is a lawyer, so (the victims) did not question her credibility,’ Leanza said in Filipino over News5.

The court set the bail for the suspect’s temporary liberty at P36,000.

No worries. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and Unity (OPAPRU) headed by Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. gave this assurance as the chief implementer of the government’s continuing peace process in Southern Philippines. Galvez expressed this confidence amid concerns on the possible impact of the Supreme Court (SC) ruling on the government peace pacts with the Muslim separatist groups in Mindanao.

The SC rendered last week its final and executory ruling resetting the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliament elections to not later than March 31, 2026. The holding of the country’s first ever BARMM Parliament elections originally scheduled on Monday, Oct. 13, would have completed the final political track of the Philippine government’s peace pacts under the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB).

The CAB implements the twin peace pacts entered into one after the other with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) much earlier in 1996. The CAB marked the culmination of 17 years of negotiations with the MILF.

Galvez cited the on-going activities to prepare for the BARMM Parliament elections next year as the best indicators of the robust state of the peace process. In fact, he noted, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) has swung into action to immediately comply with the requirements spelled out in the SC ruling. The BTA is an interim body composed of presidential appointees of representatives from the MILF, MNLF, Christian groups, lumads, indigenous people (IPs) and other sectoral groups. Under the CAB, once elected and constituted, the BARMM Parliament will replace the BTA as its organic legislature.

Speaking at our Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday, Galvez disclosed BARMM chief minister Abdulraof A. Macacua and the rest of the BTA are back at work in office following the SC ruling. Macacua, also known as Sammy Gambar, is among the candidates set to run in the BARMM Parliament polls. In his most recent talks with Macacua, Galvez disclosed the BARMM chief minister has secured the cooperation of the 80-man BTA to meet the deadlines set in the SC ruling.

‘We are truly grateful for the wisdom of the SC giving the BTA more time to ensure the democratic aspirations of the Bangsamoro people are realized within the framework of the Constitution and the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). As the SC said, we need to be setting a very legitimate and very strong legal foundation,’ Galvez declared.

On instructions of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM), Galvez said the OPAPRU has been closely coordinating with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) through the office of Chairman George Erwin Garcia. Without interfering in the work of the BTA as an independent body, Galvez clarified the OPAPRU is helping ensure compliance with the deadlines and requirements on the holding of the BARMM Parliament polls.

Joining Galvez at our Kapihan sa Manila Bay conversations, Undersecretary David Diciano, Presidential Assistant, Office for Bangsamoro Transformation, reported the OPAPRU has resumed its various normalization programs. Some of the programs were held in abeyance to comply with Comelec rules and regulations during the campaign period. Diciano announced the OPAPRU got back to implementing educational assistance, various health and infrastructure programs under the socio-economic track of the CAB.

Comelec Chairman Garcia, who was our Kapihan guest last week, reassured the candidates in the BARMM Parliament elections that they will await how the BTA will comply with the SC ruling. Garcia conceded ‘it’s back to zero’ for the seven-man poll body in their preparations for these elections at the BARMM next year.

The 15-man SC ruled that the BTA-approved Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) No. 58 and its replacement, BAA No. 77, were both unconstitutional. The High Court thus directed the BTA to redraw parliamentary districts of the seven seats previously allocated to Sulu in accordance with the country’s Constitution and laws of the land. The SC gave the BTA until Oct. 30 this year to craft a new redistricting law.

Incidentally, the seven seats were created as a direct result of a separate SC ruling last year that upheld Sulu’s opting out from the BARMM. Originally, Sulu was part of the BARMM that included Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur and Tawi-Tawi. After Sulu opted out, the SC prescribed that the seven seats will be distributed in accordance with the required number of population, contiguous location, among other requirements under the 1987 Constitution.

These five provinces, along with the City of Cotabato and the Special Geographic Area, now constitute the BARMM.

The negotiations for these Mindanao peace pacts spanned seven administrations.

It started with the 1976 Tripoli Agreement entered into during the term of the namesake father of PBBM, the late president Ferdinand Sr. with erstwhile MNLF chairman Nur Misuari. Considered as the mother of all peace pacts, the Tripoli Agreement set forth that this and subsequent agreements should conform with all the provisions under the laws and the Constitution of the Philippines.

It was the 1996 peace pact with the MNLF reached during the administration of the late president Fidel Ramos that created the ARMM, the BARMM’s immediate forerunner. The CAB was forged with the MILF during the term of the late president Benigno ‘PNoy’ Aquino III. The Bangsamoro Organic Law, under Republic Act 11504, creating the BARMM, was signed by former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Galvez vowed to follow the guidance given by PBBM to the OPAPRU. Quoting the words of the 68-year-old Chief Executive: ‘We should be able to complete the peace process starting from the Tripoli Agreement. I want all these completed during my time.’

‘The transformation of the Mindanao peace process takes generations,’ Galvez pointed out. He vows to take it to the ‘exit’ agreement of the CAB in turning the former combatants to become part of this great transformation of peace and development in Mindanao.

As far as the resetting of the BARMM parliament polls is concerned, it’s like a brief pit stop before the ‘exit’ agreement.

Five luxury properties in the Philippines were honored by the website of the prestigious Michelin Guide.

The France-based travel guide awarded the ‘Michelin Key’ distinction to Amanpulo in Palawan, Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu Resort, Fairmont Makati, Nay Palad Hideaway Siargao and Raffles Makati, according to information from its website.

They all earned ‘One Michelin Key,’ which ‘set the standard for excellence in Filipino hospitality.’ Based on the Michelin Guide, ‘One Key’ denotes ‘a very special stay,’ where ‘service always goes the extra mile and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.’

It added the ‘One Michelin Key’ was similar to the ‘Michelin Stars’ awarded to restaurants, wherein a recommended hotel or resort could be given as much as ‘Three Michelin Keys.’

‘As the Michelin Guide broadens its recognition to include outstanding stays, the Philippines debuts on the Michelin Key stage with properties that reflect the nation’s unparalleled warmth and natural beauty,’ wrote the guide on its website.

It added, ‘Each hotel, from city landmark to island escape, offers an experience as memorable as the country itself.’

The five luxury properties awarded each with a ‘One Michelin Key’ were among the 20 hotels and resorts recommended by the Michelin Guide, which also includes Admiral Hotel Manila – MGallery, Hotel Okura Manila at Newport World Resorts, Manila Marriott Hotel at Newport World Resorts, Shangri-La The Fort Manila, Solaire Resort Entertainment City, The Peninsula Manila, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan, Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu Resort, NUSTAR Hotel Cebu, City of Dreams – Nobu Hotel Manila, Grand Hyatt Manila, The Westin Manila, Piece Lio El Nido, The Funny Lion El Nido, Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort and The Lind Boracay.

The Michelin Guide also announced the launch of its expansion to Manila and Cebu on Oct. 30, 2025, wherein its inspectors would ‘seek out the most exceptional dining destinations’ in Manila and neighboring Pampanga, Tagaytay and Cavite, as well as Cebu.

We have a situation. We have found ourselves in a very difficult point in our history and the question is whether we, as a people, can make the change this country so desperately needs.

As the issues on corruption and transparency continue to grow, it is obvious that the country is facing significant instability. Why do I say this? In the tourism industry alone, the latest return on tourist investment (ROTI) is showing a real cause for concern. Compared to Vietnam’s rating of 1.94, Thailand 1.50, Malaysia 1.49, Singapore 1.37 and Indonesia 1.08, the Philippines’ sad 0.57 is a rather painful result and it has affected our economy, considering that in 2019, the Philippines had a record 8.2 million tourist arrivals. Today is certainly not looking like It’s More Fun in the Philippines, as the Department of Tourism under this administration has missed its target for 2024 of having 7.7 million tourists visit the country.

Then we have the issue of the stock market, which has lost about P1.7 trillion in value over the past three weeks based on reports, as flood control controversies continue to mount and fear over corruption marking the largest loss in absolute value since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. While I am certain that I have not cited the many other issues the country is facing today, fact is, we have a serious breakdown in trust.

Looking back in history, in the 1980s we had a debt crisis that fueled inflation during the Marcos administration and then the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and a global financial crisis in 2008. We then experienced the pandemic crash in 2020 due to fear and uncertainty, which was severely devastating for the markets and to date, we have been seeing how this current crisis is affecting investor confidence and market credibility due to the misuse of funds and trust over flood control projects.

Whether we like it or not, all this and more is brought about by the deepening political crisis our country is facing today and we need to work on a plan for stability in our country that is more urgent than ever before. Due to the worsening political upheaval in the past few months, it is becoming increasingly apparent that our economic woes are compounding.

If one will recall, just last year, France called for a snap parliamentary election in the hope of gaining a clear majority, which sadly resulted in a divided parliament, with opposing factions unwilling to work together. How to proceed in spite of this now depends on French President Macron, who they say should be asking himself how far he can take the political pretense, considering that most recently, the prime minister quit after 26 days. While Macron says he will not step down before his term ends, some parties in France are clamoring for early elections, while others are pushing for him to go.

Although this is the French ‘situation,’ the Philippines has problems of its own but the effects of political crisis are the same. If one will recall, in 2009, the Greek economy crashed and Greece went into a severe recession and sadly, their financial crisis caused political unrest and the government was forced to call for an early election and lost power.

But looking at the bigger picture, studies have shown that, in countries that have high trust levels, economic crisis is less likely to cause political unrest; however, in countries where people feel less trusting of others, a failing economy is said to be more likely to result in a ruling party being voted out of power. Again, we have a situation and the situation involves trust. Considering that high trust countries did not vote governments out of office even after a recession shows how much they can bounce back from it and much faster than the ones that voted for a change in the ruling party. High trust countries also have more media freedom, higher incomes and a much stronger democracy that plays a big role in ‘bouncing back’ after crisis.

At the end of the day, our problems are all about trust. We have leaders who have failed us and caused us to lose our faith in their leadership yet, at the same time, we are more conscious than ever about trust. This is the main thing that we need to build together, as a political crisis that continues to stress us will bring us deeper into the pit of despair, making it difficult to bounce back and recover. As the saying goes, ‘there is nowhere to go but up’ and we Filipinos need to choose this path and rebuild our country on trust.

Our current political situation is causing so much unrest and suffering, leaving our people afflicted by depression and anxiety. We need to recover and that time is now. More importantly, we need to take action by building back our trust and confidence in our leaders so that they can fully lead us out of crisis. This can only happen if and only if we have the right leaders to lead our nation.

The Department of Public Works and Highways will build a detour bridge within two months to allow the resumption of vehicle traffic in the section of the Piggatan bridge in Alcala, Cagayan, which collapsed earlier this week, according to DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon.

Dizon, who went to Cagayan to inspect the Piggatan bridge with Gov. Edgar Aglipay, said they also wanted to tap alternate modes of transportation to address the province’s needs for both its people and goods, mainly agricultural crops.

Dizon said that while the DPWH will work to build a detour bridge that people can use in place of the collapsed bridge, the detour will still be too long for convenience.

‘The most pressing issue we’re facing now is the distance of the detour,’ he said. ‘For trucks, it adds about 80 kilometers more to their route. You can just imagine the effect on logistics costs, especially for essential goods like food. That’s a huge impact – more than two additional hours of travel for an 82-kilometer detour.’

According to the DPWH chief, the move would help speed up the transport of agricultural products during the harvest season and reduce the heavy dependence on long-haul trucking routes.

ARROW Law IRR being drafted

Meanwhile, the DPWH will start drafting the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for Republic Act 12289 or the Accelerated and Reformed Right-of-way (ARROW) Law, which expedites the government’s right-of-way land acquisitions for infrastructure projects.

Dizon named DPWH Undersecretary for legal service Samuel Rufino Turgano to chair the ARROW Act IRR Committee and to form the team that will lead the drafting.

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearings on the ghost and substandard flood control projects had revealed that delays in ROW acquisitions for the projects were used to justify stopping work and abandoning the projects.

Meanwhile, the DPWH should lower the prices of their infrastructure projects so as to discourage engineers from getting kickbacks or commissions, Batangas’ Rep. Leandro Leviste said.

He suggested that it would be best if the agency ‘lower project prices by 25 percent to prevent kickbacks’ and to be ‘fully transparent about the 2026 DPWH budget before it is voted on by Congress’ on third and final reading.

The Office of the Ombudsman has launched another investigation of former Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia in connection with the cancellation of a 20-year water supply contract, which reportedly resulted in higher water rates.

In a two-page order dated Sept. 25, the ombudsman gave Garcia 10 days from receipt of notice to file her counter-affidavit and documentary evidence.

Garcia was directed to furnish the complainants, led by a certain Aileen Rama Donal, with a copy of her affidavit and documentary evidence.

The complainants were given the option to submit their reply within 10 days from receipt of Garcia’s counter-affidavit.

The ombudsman said Garcia’s failure to comply within the prescribed period would be deemed as a waiver of her rights, and the preliminary investigation will proceed according to existing rules on procedures.

In July, state prosecutors suspended Garcia for one year without pay for issuing a permit to a quarry operator without requiring an environmental compliance certificate.

But since Garcia is no longer in office, the ombudsman said the penalty is convertible to a fine equivalent to her basic salary for six months.

The new investigation was for alleged violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and for committing administrative offenses of grave misconduct and grave abuse of authority.

The investigation stemmed from a complaint filed by Donal on July 25.

Donal alleged that Garcia was behind the premature cancellation of the 20-year bulk water supply contract signed between the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) and Cebu Manila Water Development Inc. (CMWD) in December 2013.

The complainant said the termination of the contract between the CMWD and the MCWD led to an emergency procurement arrangement between the MCWD and the provincial government.

Donal said the contract was replaced by a new deal between the MCWD and the Manila Water Philippine Ventures Inc., which allegedly resulted in the increase of water rates from P24.59 to P58 per cubic meter.

President Marcos has awarded eight new petroleum service contracts (PSCs) worth around $207 million in a bid to ramp up local energy production and reduce the country’s oil import dependence.

The contracts cover exploration areas across Cagayan, Cebu, northwest Palawan, east Palawan, Central Luzon and the Sulu Sea, according to the Department of Energy.

The DOE said the new PSCs include the world’s first competitive bid round for native hydrogen alongside co-managed projects with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

‘These service contracts signify not only our determination to secure new energy sources but also our readiness to embrace innovation and sustainability while reducing import dependence,’ Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said.

Among the successful bidders were the consortia led by tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan’s PXP Energy Corp.

PXP, along with The Philodrill Corp., Australia’s Triangle Energy (Global) Ltd. and United Kingdom’s Sunda Energy Plc, bagged PSCs 80 and 81 spanning 780,000 hectares and 532,000 hectares in BARMM, respectively.

These contracts are aimed at revitalizing petroleum exploration in the southern Sulu Sea to boost the local economy across BARMM and Mindanao.

Similarly, PXP and its partners Philodrill, Anglo Philippine Holdings Corp. and Forum Energy Philippines Corp. secured PSC 86 to explore 132,000 hectares in the northwest Palawan basin.

Furthermore, the government awarded PSC 82 – covering 480,000 hectares in Cagayan basin – to Triangle Energy and PSC 85 – spanning 127,475 hectares in onshore Cebu – to Gas 2 Grid Pte. Ltd.

In the east Palawan basin, Israel’s Ratio Petroleum Ltd. won PSC 87. This marks the company’s second contract in the Philippines following PSC 78, also in the same location.

For native hydrogen exploration in Central Luzon, the Marcos administration awarded PSC 83 and 84 totaling 211,727 hectares to Koloma Inc., a company based in the United States.

Following the landmark unveiling of these PSCs, the DOE said contractors may now start their respective work programs over a seven-year exploration period. These include geological and geophysical studies, seismic surveys and drilling activities.

‘From conventional petroleum to native hydrogen, we are expanding the frontiers of Philippine energy exploration,’ Garin added.

‘As we work with our partners in both the private sector and the BARMM, we move closer to our vision of a truly energy-secure and inclusive Philippines,’ she said.

The UK, having recorded as the fastest growing economy in the first quarter of 2025 at 0.7%, making it the fastest among the G7.

BCCP Executive Vice Chair Chris Nelson noted that the UK is leveraging its growth momentum through its new Industrial Strategy, providing support to British businesses and increasing its competitiveness in areas such as Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy Industries, Creative Industries, Defence, Digital and Technologies, Financial Services, Life Sciences, Professional and Business Services.

Nelson said that, ‘I have been in discussions with Martin Kent, the UK Trade Commissioner for Asia-Pacific. He mentioned that UK trade growth in the APAC area is growing strongly.’

He added that the target sectors identified in industrial energy are also the areas that are of interest to the Philippines and have existing assistance and partnerships with the UK.

‘I think what the UK government has looked at, particularly with its industrial strategy plan, is to focus on key sector areas-in particular, things like renewable energy. There’s a lot of support from the UK in this area, and they’ll be looking at those opportunities,’ Nelson said.

The UK and the Philippines have entered into a Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), which would address market access issues and reinforce investment opportunities in multiple sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, energy, economic development, life sciences, and technology.

Nelson also reiterated its support to the Philippines’ interest in joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade group in which the UK is already a part of.

The Philippine-UK trade continues to see an upward trend in terms of total trade at £3.0 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2025, with Nelson citing that the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration has placed driving trade and investment further at the forefront of its economic agenda, driven by reforms such as the recently passed RA 12252 extending the long-term lease of private lands to foreign investors from 50 years to up to 99 years and the Republic Act 12254 or the E-Governance Act – urging the release of its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

Nelson further added that, ‘Next year will be the 80th year of diplomatic relations between our two countries, and we continue to see growth in trade between the two areas. Our concern as a chamber, representing our members, is the impact on government work and legislation. We would like to see the Cybersecurity Act passed – as this is another area to which the Philippines can work together with the UK expertise.’

Despite heated instances in their battle with the University of the Philippines Wednesday evening, Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin stressed that the Fighting Maroons are not malicious, but just ‘tough and physical’.

Ateneo absorbed an 83-69 loss to UP Wednesday, the Blue Eagles’ first setback in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.

With UP holding a 79-62 advantage over their Katipunan rivals, Kymani Ladi and Migs Yniguez were called for double technical fouls after getting tangled up in the rebound play.

And with the game all but over with mere seconds remaining, Maroons star guard Rey Remogat was called for an unsportsmanlike foul on Ian Espinosa. The foul saw the former getting thrown out of the game.

After the contest, Baldwin underscored that physicality is part of sports.

‘Look, UP is tough. UP is physical. They have been since [UP head coach] Goldwin [Monteverde] has been there. Nobody in our dugout is crying about that,’ he said.

Baldwin said that he did not see the replay, but he believes Remogat’s explanation that he was merely trying to stop the fast break.

‘I think that it was a hard foul. I think it was a foul with purpose, you know, to stop the fast break. But I seriously doubt whether there was any malice in it,’ the coach stated.

‘UP guys are tough. Like, they’re really tough guys. But I don’t see them as malicious and I don’t see their coaching staff that way at all. I just think they’re highly competitive and I applaud that. I applaud toughness,’ he added.

The game was tight through the half, with Ateneo trailing by just two, 38-40. But the Fighting Maroons clamped down on defense in the third quarter, outscoring their rivals 24-11 to break the game wide open.

UP’s lead grew to as high as 19 points, 79-60, after a 3-pointer by Remogat.

‘You know, I ask our guys to be dogs all the time. And I think the UP coaching staff probably doesn’t have to ask for that very much because that’s what those guys are and I admire that about them,’ Baldwin said.

‘And I think we live in a world today where people overreact to toughness. I mean, get the hell out of sports if you’re not going to be tough, right? And if you’re going to cry about things all the time, well, you’re not going to be on the winning side very much.’

UP showcased its defensive prowess in the game as they forced Ateneo to shoot 25-of-65 from the floor compared to their 28-of-57 clip.

The Maroons have now won three straight games and rose to 3-2 this season, while the Blue Eagles dropped to 4-1.