Category: Philippine Star

‘I think the vice president is not in a position to make demands to Congress.’

That’s what Rep. Terry Ridon (Bicol Saro Party-list) said in an ambush interview on Friday, October 3, after Vice President Sara Duterte skipped budget deliberations three times while even setting conditions for her appearance.

He agreed with other minority lawmakers who already manifested their intention to move for the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) budget cut, saying Congress has all the reason to reduce it when Duterte did not even bother to defend her office’s budget.

‘So I think Congress is justified to just basically cut it to the barest operating levels,’ he said.

Rep. Leila de Lima (ML Party-list) was the first to propose cutting the OVP’s budget, even considering a zero allocation, but said that at the very least, funds should remain for its personnel and basic operations.

Minority lawmaker Rep. Antonio Tinio (ACT Teachers’ Party-list) said during Thursday’s plenary debates that the OVP had used only 34% of its budget by midyear. Duterte had explained at the committee-level hearing that the reason for the low utilization rate was due to procurement delays.

Ridon shared a similar idea to the minority lawmakers, saying perhaps the personnel services and relevant operating expenses should be kept.

‘Basically, anything more than personnel services and operating expenses, I think pwede na pong tapyasin po ito (I think they could be cut),’ he said.

Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong (Lanao del Sur, 1st District) said Duterte could have used the plenary to defend and explain why the budget increase was necessary, but ‘unfortunately, no explanation at all,’ he added.

He echoed De Lima’s criticism, noting how the vice president showed courtesy to the Senate but not to the House. He called it a ‘deliberate way’ of ‘expressing her preference’ for the Senate, which he said was insulting to the House as an institution.

‘That’s why sa amin, my working draft would be on the P700 million,’ Adiong said, clarifying that there’s no collective decision yet.

Tinio’s proposal, however, called for a deeper cut, retaining only the personnel services allocation of roughly P200 million for 2026.

How much the OVP wants in 2026

Under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the OVP was allocated P889.2 million in new appropriations, up by P156 million from the P733.2 million it received in 2025.

Driving the increase in the OVP’s proposed budget are an additional P87 million for supplies and materials, P52 million for professional services, and P39.6 million for financial assistance and subsidies – an item not funded in its 2025 budget.

‘Para sa professional services, 405% increase, para sa mga consultant, hindi natin alam kung para saan ‘yan, gusto sana natin malaman sa kanya,’ Tinio said.

(For professional services, a 405% increase-for consultants, we don’t know what it’s for. We would like to ask her to clarify.)

These allocations fall under the OVP’s maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) for 2026, pegged at P673.75 million or a 35% increase from 2025.

Meanwhile, personnel services were set at P212.54 million, about P24 million higher than this year’s budget.

Combined, the OVP’s operating expenditures will reach P886.29 million, or roughly P198.55 million more than its 2025 budget.

In other words, if lawmakers decide to retain the personnel services budget while trimming down the MOOE increase, the OVP would be left with around P728 million, including P16 million proposed for capital outlay.

This would put it nearly at par with its 2025 budget of P744.15 million, which already factored in automatic appropriations for retirement and life insurance premiums – or a reduction of nearly one-fifth from the proposed 2026 allocation.

Will the House be soft?

During this year’s budget hearings with the appropriations committee, the House took a softer approach to the OVP compared to 2024, when deliberations lasted hours and had to be deferred because lawmakers were not satisfied with the answers over her confidential fund use.

This time, the committee passed her office’s proposed budget quickly with just a few questions from two minority lawmakers, despite the increase.

However, with the OVP absent from the plenary debates, her office’s proposed budget increase could take a rough turn.

Imagine simply paying off your bills or topping up your GCash or Maya to finally check out that item that’s been in your shopping cart-and suddenly getting the chance to win up to P200,000 you can put back into paying bills or even continuing your online shopping spree!

With the ‘Ber’ months finally out in full force, leading self-service payments kiosk provider eTap Solutions is making the exact scenario above come true! Starting last September until to Jan. 19, 2026, eTap users can submit their entries to the eTap Weekly Pamasko campaign for a chance to win up to P200,000!

Per DTI Fair Trade Permit No. FTEB-235004 Series of 2025, eTap Weekly Pamasko will be giving out P2,500 to 100 lucky winners every week, P5,000 and P10,000 to 10 and 20 winners respectively each month, and then P20,000 to five winners and P100,000 to one lucky winner during its Grand Draw on January 19!

To join:

Simply make a single transaction worth P500 or more using GCash, Maya, GrabPay or Dragonloans at any eTap kiosk nationwide. eTap Solutions’ 4,000+ kiosks can be found in various store partners nationwide, including DALI, TGP, Julie’s Bakeshop and more.

Submit your entry via eTap’s Monday form at: https://wkf.ms/3XZz4nR , which can be found on the official eTap Facebook page. The form will ask for details such as name, number, address and more.

Aside from contact details, you will also be asked to provide a photo of your transaction receipt, a selfie with a transaction receipt + eTap machine, plus a short story about your experience using eTap machines.

Biggest transactions mean more chances of winning as the number of valid entries will depend on the transaction amount: transactions from P500 to P2,499 will count as one entry, P3,000 to P4,999 will be three entries, P5,000 to P7,999 will be five entries, and transactions worth P8,000+ will amount to 10 entries.

Winners will also be announced via the official eTap Facebook page, with the eTap team going live every Monday at 2 p.m.

For eTap Solutions’ head of marketing Paolo Lorenzo Macaraeg, the eTap Weekly Pamasko campaign is both a chance for the company to continue giving back while also spreading holiday cheer:

‘Our loyal eTap users know we’ve always had raffles going, from eTap Para Sa’yo last year to eTap Weekly Panalo just recently. This holiday season, we figured a continuation of these raffles, with bigger and better prizes for our users, is the best way to say thank you for our users’ continued support!’

With eTap, the holiday spirit meets a good chance to win big rewards, even if it’s just as simple as settling your ordinary financial transactions!

Employees of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Northern Cebu whose livelihood have been disrupted by the recent calamity will receive emergency assistance through the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.

DOLE-7 regional director Roy Buenafe said the agency has allocated P11 million for the program, which is expected to benefit over a thousand displaced workers in Northern Cebu.

He said several workers lost their daily wages after operations in their workplaces were suspended, with some employers unable to provide compensation due to financial or personal difficulties.

‘To ensure that affected workers will not be left without income, we will provide them with TUPAD. For the first 10 days, they will receive minimum wage of P540 daily or a total of P5,400,’ he said.

Under the scheme, displaced employees will be tasked with clearing debris, cleaning workplaces, and assisting in community rehabilitation to make business operations viable again.

DOLE said it is coordinating with local governments, which have better knowledge of affected enterprises and workers.

‘Our priority is to assist disrupted and displaced workers immediately,’ Buenafe added.

Employers were also reminded that they cannot compel employees to report for work if there is imminent danger to their safety. ‘Absences under such conditions cannot be a ground for suspension or termination,’ DOLE said.

The labor department further urged affected workers to register with DOLE personnel deployed in the field so assistance can be extended as quickly as possible.

‘We need businesses to come back so people can sustain their livelihood, but in the meantime, we will ensure that no worker is left behind,’ Buenafe said.

The TUPAD program provides emergency employment and livelihood opportunities to those who have lost their jobs or sources of income due to crises.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend; the friend of my enemy is my enemy.’ – Ancient proverb

As expected, everything related to the DPWH ghost projects and corruption has turned into a free-for-all. As I wrote before, some individuals are not going to go quietly to prison or let themselves be thrown under the bus.

So now we can observe several people in Congress, the Senate, the executive body and DPWH making appearances and statements for or against each other and ‘the suspects and suspected’ in the DPWH fund and ghost projects scam.

In the public’s eye, they are all guilty directly, complicit or by omission but we have no details or evidence to back us up. For that it is worth paying attention to what all the ‘players’ are saying, connect the dots and you’ll discover the connection and confirm what used to be rumors or social media banter.

You will also learn that those who claim to be or appear to be are not so. Party-list groups received P150 million a year from DPWH even though they have no physical jurisdiction or constituency, said a DPWH official.

Those on the right played along or tolerated the political chess moves of Malacañang to remove VP Sara and, as a result, money poured into congressional districts.

Those in the Left who aligned with Martin to oust Sara are now behaving as anti-Marcos, perhaps to remind PBBM that if Martin goes, Bongbong goes. Some are openly implicating President Bongbong Marcos in the passing of the flawed 2025 budget.

Those who attacked Martin and Zaldy defended PBBM. Those who attacked PBBM were clearly aligned in the past with Martin and Zaldy during the ‘Impeach Sara’ campaign and the notorious distribution of ayuda tagged as ‘7-7-7-million’ to join the speaker’s caravan.

By and large, the general statements had a semblance of truth bordering on confession or admission of complicity, omission or alliance. More interesting is that the Left and the Right are ‘not clean and bright.’

After watching all the investigations concerning DPWH ghost projects, scams and suspected corruption in the legislative and executive branches of government, I was reminded of an old joke, as well as the movie of the late great Robert Redford.

Many authors and politicians have used the joke but historically speaking, the joke was apparently popular in saloons and bars from the gold rush to the roaring 20s onwards. The story goes:

‘During a lavish gathering of very rich individuals, a millionaire approached an attractive woman and asked: ‘Madame, if you were offered a million pounds, would you consider spending the weekend with me at my country estate and have sex?’

‘The woman was shocked and mortified by such a proposition but soon collected herself and replied that a million pounds was a substantial amount of money and that she might consider a tryst with the rich man.

‘After that, the rich man asked, ‘But what if I you were offered 500,000 pounds instead of a million, would you still consider the proposal?’ After some thought, the woman hesitated and replied, ‘Half a million pounds is still a fortune and perhaps worth considering.’

‘Intrigued, the rich man dared to go lower and asked the lady, ‘But what if the offer was only a thousand pounds for a weekend, would you still entertain my offer?’

‘The woman’s face turned red and fumed: ‘How dare you! What do you think I am, a prostitute?!!! The man replied: ‘Madam, we already settled that, we are merely deciding on the price.”

I hesitated to use that story but as I listened to the ongoing investigations regarding the DPWH ghost projects and ‘alleged’ corruption inside the legislative and executive branches of government, I believe the public has already settled or decided who the ‘prostitutes’ are.

The only thing people are squabbling about is who is the most guilty and how much did they get as the project proponent, contractor, sub-contractor and DPWH engineer.

Someone suggested that the investigators should not waste their time asking ‘the suspects and the suspected’ who is higher on the food chain of corruption. Or asking each respondent who else is involved and how much did they receive.

Instead, the investigators should just ask ‘WHO DID NOT RECEIVE MONEY?’ Or who had no dealings or association with the corruptors and the corrupted?

Those questions are less incriminating or damning for the doomed. Pressuring the respondents to name names and point out the guilty is certainly scary for contractors and DPWH personnel because it’s like signing your own death sentence.

They don’t want a target on their back, endanger their family or risk retaliation and therefore getting the truth out of them is like pulling teeth from a lion or a bear.

It is unfair to the remnant of innocent legislators and DPWH employees to be dragged and marked with suspicion without any opportunity to prove their innocence.

With everybody hunting down ‘the suspects and the suspected,’ chances are the innocents will languish under a cloud of suspicion and judgment for a very long time.

By providing a list of members of Congress, the Senate, past and present and asking ‘who did not receive any stolen money,’ the investigators can immediately shorten the list of persons of interest.

Many health advocates for pushing for increased awareness of and battling misinformation against sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) in the Philippines.

This as the country sees a rise in adolescent pregnancies, based on data from the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS).

The 2024 Census of Population by the Philippine Statistics Office showed the annual population growth dropped from 1.63% (2015-2020) to 0.80% (2020-2024, the pandemic).

However, the CRVS reported an increase in adolescent pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14 years old, from 2,411 births in 2019 to 3,343 in 2023.

The Philippine divisions of the pharmaceutical company Bayer Philippines and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are teaming up to encourage young Filipinos to be more open to discussions about SRHR, contraception, pregnancy and other sexual education topics.

“We are putting young people at the center ensuring they have the knowledge, skills, and support to make informed choices and to advocate for themselves and their communities,” UNFPA Philippines Country Representative Neus Bernabeus said during a World Contraception Day conference last September 26 in Bayer Philippines’ Taguig office.

Bernabeus stressed that reproductive health is a human right, contraception saves lives, and everyone deserves accurate information on both.

“Access to reliable, unbiased knowledge about contraception is essential,” Bernabeus continued. “We must work together to combat misinformation that puts lives at risk.”

A representative from the Commission on Population and Development, on behalf of executive director Lisa Grace Bersales, shared data that over nine million Filipinos are undergoing family planning as the country’s fertility rate dropped to 1.9.

The figures show a societal shift toward planned parenthood and enable the country to harness its demographic divide, as well as enable women and couples to recognize their reproductive rights without stigma or barriers.

This is 42% of sexually active unmarried women lack access to their preferred method and there is still a low engagement of men, thus the need to redouble efforts to ensure equitable access to modern contraceptives, especially to marginalized groups.

“[We envision] a world where every pregnancy is wanted [and to] normalize discussions on reproductive health,” Bayer Philippines’ Managing Director Angel-Michael Evangelista said.

Also present at the conference was THE FORUM For Family Planning and Development through its president, Dr. Corazon Raymundo, who emphasized the non-government organization’s commitment to advancing SRHR for all.

Raymundo noted that while the Reproductive Health Law of 2012 affirms SRHR as a universal right, there were still many young Filipinos and marginalized groups like the queer community, persons with disabilities and Indigenous Peoples who remain excluded and denied their SRHR needs.

This exclusion makes the Philippines one of the Southeast Asian countries with the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy, HIV, and gender-based violence.

“We must recognize that this is not just a health issue, it intersects with societal challenges that affect people’s daily lives,” ended Raymundo. “Building an inclusive future requires acknowledging the meaningful participation, representation, and empowerment of people and communities.”

The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) is set to auction off a wide range of assets, including farmland, residential and commercial properties as well as equipment, through its electronic public bidding platform on Oct. 29 to 30.

The bidding portal will accept offers starting 9 a.m. on Oct. 29 until 1 p.m. the following day. All submitted bids will be opened at 2 p.m. on Oct. 30, the state-run deposit insurer announced.

Up for sale on an as-is-where-is basis are 34 vacant agricultural lots, 15 vacant residential lots, eight residential lots with improvements, three agricultural lots with improvements and several mixed-use properties. The inventory also includes two commercial lots, two vehicles and a generator set.

The properties, which range in size to as much as 8.2 hectares, are scattered across 19 provinces, including Aklan, Batangas, Cebu, Ilocos Norte, Isabela, Laguna, Leyte, Negros Oriental, Pangasinan, Sultan Kudarat and Zamboanga del Norte. The vehicles and generator, meanwhile, are located in Oriental Mindoro.

Interested buyers may register once via the PDIC’s e-bidding portal or by accessing the ‘Assets for Sale’ icon on the PDIC website. A catalog with detailed descriptions, requirements and bidding conditions is also available online.

The agency reminded bidders to conduct due diligence on the assets, such as verifying ownership, status and physical condition, before making an offer.

Winners of agricultural properties will need to submit within 15 days a Certification from the Department of Agrarian Reform stating that the land is not covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program and that no Emancipation Patent or Certificate of Land Ownership Award has been issued.

They must also file an Affidavit of Aggregate Landholdings confirming that their total landholdings do not exceed the five-hectare legal limit.

As receiver of closed banks, the PDIC sells remaining assets to help settle claims of uninsured depositors and other creditors.

Proceeds from closed bank asset sales go to funds managed by PDIC for creditors’ claims, while revenues from corporate asset sales are added to the Deposit Insurance Fund.

President Marcos signed a law that aims to revitalize and modernize the local livestock and poultry industries through an annual P20-billion earmarked fund that will provide farmers with necessary support and interventions.

Marcos signed Republic Act (RA) 12308 or the Animal Industry Development and Competitiveness Act on Sept. 25, just three days before it would have lapsed into law.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and various industry groups welcomed the enactment into law of the landmark measure that was four years in the making.

The new law establishes a 10-year earmarked fund called the Animal Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (AnCEF) that will have a yearly appropriation of P20 billion, bankrolled by the tariffs collected from imported animal products from meat to milk.

The annual appropriation will be allocated as follows: repopulation programs (26 percent), carabao and dairy herd build-up (seven percent), animal health welfare and disease control (six percent), capacity recovery fund (nine percent), processing facilities (14 percent), food safety and extension support (14 percent), animal feeds (five percent), credit assistance (15 percent), marketing activities (one percent), research and development (two percent) and accreditation of farmers (one percent).

Under the law, if tariff collections exceed P20 billion, the excess amount shall be used to provide farmers with direct financial support including for the purposes of recovery and compensation programs.

The establishment of the AnCEF has long been sought by both industry stakeholders and government officials since dreaded animal diseases like bird flu and African swine fever (ASF) entered the country.

Talks on the legislative measure began in 2021 after hog industry players lobbied for government support to prevent the local pork industry from collapsing due to ASF.

At the time, the rice competitiveness enhancement fund – the inspiration for AnCEF – was three years into its implementation, giving officials the idea to create a similar fund to support the local animal industries.

The bill was delayed multiple times due to political factors including the 2022 general elections and the leadership changes in the DA, sources said.

‘This is a historic step toward a stronger, more sustainable and competitive livestock and poultry industry,’ the DA-National Livestock Program (NLP) said.

The passage into law of RA 12308 comes at an opportune time since the budget of the DA’s NLP will be lower by around 29 percent next year.

Some of the NLP programs that were unfunded for 2026 were similar to components of AnCEF, such as the animal welfare program and recovery program.

DA officials earlier noted that they anticipated the creation of the AnCEF to supplement the budget of the NLP.

Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. president Danilo Fausto raised concerns that the P20 billion budget of AnCEF for its initial implementation this year may not be guaranteed since its funding will be sourced from the 2025 General Appropriations Act, primarily from the budgets of concerned implementing bureaus and agencies.

The AnCEF was earlier estimated to have a guaranteed budget of P7 billion from tariff collections, but it was revised upward to P15 billion after the DA validated the figures, and later to P20 billion.

By way of innovating its 63rd edition, the Miss International organization will be making a few changes in order to tweak its platform for the 21st century audience; with a new concept and new format.

For starters, they will be using original music in the final show. Plus, a Miami-based company will distribute the broadcasting rights of the 2025 competition.

This year’s pageant will have Manila-based production company AIKA Events and Productions to stage the final show on the last week of November in Tokyo, Japan – a first for the global tilt.

Moreover, the National Costume presentation show will be held in a venue with Mount Fuji in the background.

This year’s batch of contestants will also be the first to sing and perform the new Miss International theme song.

Binibining Pilipinas International 2024 Myrna Esguerra, who will be representing the Philippines in the international finals, will depart for Tokyo on the last week of October.

She hopes to join the ranks of Gemma Cruz (1964), Aurora Pijuan (1970), Melanie Marquez (1979), Precious Lara Quigaman (2005), Bea Rose Santiago (2013), and Kylie Versoza (2016) in proudly winning the Miss International crown for the Philippines.

The 63rd Miss International will unfold on November 27 at the Yoyogi National Stadium (2nd Gymnasium). Outgoing queen Huynh Thi-Thanh Thuy of Vietnam will crown her successor. Stay tuned!

Cebu’s provincial and city governments have ordered an investigation into the alleged unsafe conditions faced by business process outsourcing (BPO) employees in the wake of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake.

In an interview with ANC’s “Headstart” on Friday, October 3, the Cebu Provincial Public Information Office said Governor Pam Baricuatro has already requested the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to investigate BPO companies in the province, including other companies with “questionable” standard operating procedures.

“Yes, we are looking into this. We got reports from some companies, although majority of the BPO companies that we have seen are in Cebu City,” Cebu provincial public information officer Ainjeliz Orong said.

Local action. Orong clarified that most of the BPO firms flagged for unsafe conditions operate within Cebu City, which is beyond the provincial government’s jurisdiction. She said the city government, however, has since launched its own investigation.

“I understand and I’ve seen that the Cebu City government is on top of this. Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival and Vice Mayor Tommy Osmeña have already ordered for a probe for DOLE to step in,” she added.

The investigations were prompted by a letter from the BPO Industry Employees’ Network (BIEN) in Cebu to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), requesting a dialogue on reported labor rights and workplace safety violations.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, in an interview with DZMM TeleRadyo, said the dialogue is set for Monday, October 6, to discuss the details. He also urged affected workers to file complaints with the nearest DOLE office.

“Kaya nga po ang aming pakiusap sa mga manggagawa na mayroong maling experience o karanasan na may kinalaman sa di magandang pamamalakad, hinihiling po namin at nakikiusap kami padalhan po kami ng detalye para sa ganon maka-aksyon po kami kaagad,” he said. (That’s why we are appealing to workers who have had negative experiences or encountered poor practices to send us the details, so we can act on them right away.)

Hundreds of complaints

BIEN Cebu reportedly received hundreds of complaints from BPO workers of at least 10 companies within just two days after the September 30 earthquake.

Among the complaints were accounts of employees being forced to return to work despite the risk of aftershocks, facing retaliatory measures such as notices to explain, unpaid workdays, loss of benefits, sanctions, suspensions and even threats of dismissal.

BPO companies in the Cebu province and city have allegedly failed to provide any support to their workers after the quake, not even transportation assistance, psychological debriefing or medical aid.

Collecting reports. On the part of the Cebu City government, Osmeña posted his personal number on social media to receive detailed complaints from residents, saying this would help the city consolidate reports and file a comprehensive case.

The earthquake damaged several buildings, roads, bridges and establishments, with many collapsing or sustaining major cracks. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, at least 72 people were killed and more than 500 others were injured, as aftershocks continue.

Help! Is there a veterinary clinic with an animal psychiatric ward?’

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson tweeted this yesterday in an apparent reference to critics of his crusade against budget insertions and his handling of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee investigation on the flood control corruption scandal.

Lacson – who earlier said he would rather respond to his critics’ outbursts with silence – no longer held back in his stinging rebuke of his detractors.

‘We have a crazy cat that keeps meowing on the ground floor and an annoying dog that keeps barking on the upper floor,’ Lacson said on X.

Lacson called out someone as an ‘annoying dog barking’ in the plenary of the Senate, although he did not say who.

He posted the tweet a day after his chief critic in the chamber, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta delivered yet another scathing privilege speech on Wednesday night calling out the veteran budget watcher’s accusations of ‘insertions’ in the national outlay.

Marcoleta questioned Lacson’s criticisms of senators’ budget amendments for their pet projects in his ‘moral crusade to denounce budget manipulations as the breeding ground of corruption’ – only to ‘shift tone’ and ‘get off his hobbyhorse of morality’ by urging Congress to ‘heed the public outrage.’

‘What does this mean? That after all the thunder, we simply move on? This inconsistency, first condemning insertions as corrupt, then quietly moving on without demanding redress only deepens public distrust. Are we truly committed to reform, or merely staging rhetorical battles without the resolve to clean up the rot?’ Marcoleta said.

Lacson also called out a ‘crazy cat. meowing’ on the ‘ground floor,’ an apparent reference to the House of Representatives.

He did not name the person, but the congressman who recently got on his nerve was Cavite Rep. Kiko Barzaga, who posted on social media an election campaign photo of Lacson with controversial contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya, apparently as a way to discredit the Senate Blue Ribbon committee’s flood control corruption hearings.

Lacson said the photo was taken during a meeting with the two upon an invitation of a friend during the campaign period. He denied receiving campaign funds from the Discaya couple.

The congressman mocked Lacson on Facebook by posting a quote card with a cat’s face on the senator’s, and with his response to Lacson’s rebuke.