Category: Philippine Star

Every October, we wear pink. Communities hold awareness campaigns, landmarks are illuminated in symbolic colors, and social media feeds are filled with messages of solidarity. These gestures serve an important purpose. They remind us that breast cancer remains one of the most pressing health threats facing Filipino women today.

But awareness alone is no longer enough.

As we observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month under this year’s theme, “Every story is unique, every journey matters,” we are reminded that behind every diagnosis is a woman with her own aspirations, responsibilities, and dreams. She may be a mother caring for her children, a daughter supporting aging parents, a professional building a career, or a community leader serving others. Every breast cancer journey is different, but all patients share a common need: timely access to quality care, financial protection, and hope for recovery.

At UHCWatch, we believe the national conversation must move beyond awareness and toward concrete action. As we have consistently emphasized, ‘Every October, we wear pink. But what Filipino women truly need isn’t a gesture of solidarity, it’s a guaranteed path to early screening, predictable financing, and modern medicine.’

Breast cancer is no longer just a health statistic. It remains a public health crisis that continues to claim the lives of thousands of Filipino women every year. Despite major advances in cancer detection and treatment, many patients still face significant barriers that delay diagnosis, interrupt treatment, and ultimately reduce their chances of survival. Limited access to screening services, fragmented referral systems, geographic disparities, and high out-of-pocket costs continue to prevent many women from receiving the care they need.

The consequences extend far beyond the patient. A breast cancer diagnosis often affects an entire family. Savings are depleted, household income is disrupted, children may be forced to sacrifice educational opportunities, and caregivers face added emotional and financial burdens. This is why breast cancer must be viewed not only as a medical concern but also as a social and economic challenge.

As UHCWatch has repeatedly stressed, ‘When a mother succumbs to breast cancer because she couldn’t afford or access early diagnosis, it is a systemic failure, not just a health statistic.’ Preventable deaths should compel us to examine whether our health system is truly delivering on the promise of Universal Health Care.

Cancer treatment remains one of the leading causes of catastrophic household spending. While PhilHealth and government medical assistance programs have expanded support in recent years, many families continue to experience financial hardship as they navigate diagnosis, surgery, medicines, therapy, and long-term follow-up care. Financing mechanisms must therefore be fully optimized, sustainably funded, and streamlined to ensure that patients receive timely assistance without unnecessary barriers.

For many Filipino families, the choice remains heartbreaking. Some delay diagnostic procedures because of cost. Others postpone treatment due to transportation and accommodation expenses. Still others discontinue treatment altogether when household finances can no longer sustain the burden. This reality is unacceptable. As we often remind policymakers, ‘No Filipino woman should have to choose between financial survival and medical treatment.’

This is why UHCWatch calls for the further expansion and continuous enhancement of PhilHealth benefit packages for breast cancer. These benefits should not only increase financial coverage but also comprehensively support the entire continuum of care, from screening and diagnosis to treatment, rehabilitation, survivorship, and palliative care. Coverage must reflect the real-world needs of patients, including access to diagnostics, pathology services, medicines, supportive therapies, mental health support, and long-term follow-up care.

At the same time, the push for stronger cancer financing must not be limited to breast cancer alone. Patients living with lung, liver, cervical, colorectal, and other cancers face many of the same barriers, including delayed diagnosis, limited access to specialists and treatment facilities, and overwhelming financial costs. As PhilHealth continues to strengthen its cancer care packages, reforms should be guided by a broader vision of equitable cancer care that ensures meaningful financial protection and access to quality services for all cancer patients. No Filipino should be left behind simply because the disease they face receives less public attention or inadequate financing support.

The Philippines must align its breast cancer response with the World Health Organization’s Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI), which aims to increase early detection by ensuring that at least 60 percent of invasive breast cancers are diagnosed at Stage I or II, that patients receive a definitive diagnosis within 60 days of initial detection, and that 80 percent of diagnosed patients receive complete standard treatment. These are more than performance indicators; they are life-saving targets that can prevent unnecessary deaths and improve outcomes for thousands of Filipino women. As UHCWatch emphasizes, ‘Aligning with the WHO-GBCI targets isn’t just about meeting metrics; it’s about saving thousands of mothers, daughters, and workers every single year.’ Meeting these goals will require stronger coordination among the Department of Health, PhilHealth, local governments, healthcare providers, patient advocates, and civil society, alongside sustained investments in diagnostics, medicines, referral systems, and equitable access to quality care, particularly for women in underserved and geographically isolated communities.

We therefore urge the DOH and PhilHealth to ensure that improvements in cancer benefit packages translate into meaningful gains in access and outcomes on the ground. The government’s cancer control agenda should be fully integrated into the United Agenda (UNA) for Health, recognizing that reducing the burden of cancer is essential to achieving the broader goals of Universal Health Care, health equity, and financial risk protection. By aligning cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, survivorship, and palliative care strategies with the priorities of the UNA for Health, we can ensure a more coordinated, patient-centered, and sustainable response that leaves no cancer patient behind.

This October, let us honor every breast cancer story not only with awareness, but with action. Let us build a healthcare system where every journey truly matters and where no Filipino facing breast, lung, liver, cervical, or any other form of cancer is denied the chance to live because quality care remains out of reach. That is the true promise of UHC, and it is a promise we must fulfill.

It has been seven years since the untimely death of former Senate president Aquilino Pimentel Jr., or ‘Tatay Nene,’ on Oct. 20, 2019.

How time flies.

I still remember the Pimentel family asking me to speak at his wake. Anticipating a long line of speakers, I rescheduled my flight to Iloilo from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and went straight from the wake to NAIA for my departure.

Looking back, I realized at the wake that I’ve worked with Senator Pimentel for 21 years! Over that time, I went from being his consultant to becoming his ‘anak;’ from preparing questions for interpellations to putting together campaign plans and from seeking out his favorite rhum during my travels to bringing my wife, Charito, to lunch with his family at his ‘senior citizens’ home in Quezon City.

I worked in the Senate for more than 30 years, starting with Senate president pro tempore Teroy Laurel and ending with Senate president Nene Pimentel. In between, I worked with senators Letty Shahani, Juan Flavier, Gringo Honasan and Jun Magsaysay.

That may be why I enjoyed working in the Senate then: for young Filipinos like me, who joined soon after it was reconstituted following the fall of martial law, it was a place where the best and brightest debated the country’s real issues.

That was where debates and interpellations among senators Salonga, Laurel, Gonzales, Pimentel, Saguisag, Shahani and Enrile felt like graduate-school lectures we had to memorize.

It was a place where one could marvel at how Salonga, Pimentel and Gonzales could debate on the floor without briefing notes – and where, later, senator Turing Tolentino could deliver a more than an hour-long privilege speech and answer questions without a single piece of paper on his lectern.

Oh, how far the Senate has fallen with this current crop of politicians.

Nene Pimentel was one of my heroes during the anti-Marcos movement, but I never got the chance to speak with him or work with him in my early years in the Senate.

After studying at USC and working for the California State Legislature, I returned to teaching at UP. In 1995, I resumed political campaigning. Gwen Pimentel-Gana, a student of mine at UP NCPAG’s graduate school, encouraged me to join Nene Pimentel’s 1998 Senate comeback campaign.

I started as a legislative consultant and met like-minded leaders who became my lifelong friends – including then assistant solicitor general (now Sandiganbayan Associate Justice) Karl Miranda, former Eastern Samar governor (later Senate secretary) Lutz Barbo and, of course, our chief of staff, Atty. Gwen Gana.

Joining his office transformed my relationship with him from seeing him as an icon to seeing him as an idol and eventually as a ‘Tatay.’

He lived simply. When I was invited to his birthday celebration at his home in Marikina, I dressed up, only to find Senator Pimentel in slippers and casual clothes. He told me to grab a beer and join the karaoke session.

He showed me what it means to lead with principle and competence. Everything was done in accordance with the rules. Even our hiring as Senate consultants (we didn’t get paid well, by the way) required us to submit numerous documents, attend committee hearings and prepare questions for interpellation and proposed amendments.

He was a taskmaster who expected no less of his staff and consultants than he was willing to do himself. He personally led the drafting of more than 100 Omnibus Amendments to the Local Government Code. We worked on them during our secluded weekend sessions in Laguna, which ran late into the evening and resumed immediately after breakfast.

He wrote his own speeches and would call me only when he needed data. He also wrote his own book, ‘Martial Law in the Philippines: My Story.’ How do I know? He would call me at 4 a.m., asking me to trace and verify the people he included in his memoirs. I couldn’t tell him I was in high school when these events occurred.

Despite tempting offers to switch sides while he was Senate president and later senator, he was so principled that he would often tell me, ‘I would rather be in the opposition, even if I am the opposition of one.’

He repeatedly told me his antidote against corruption. He said, ‘Do not engage in even the smallest corrupt activity, because once you start, it becomes a slippery slope you can never get out of.’

I served as his negotiator with the FPJ and Roco camps during his 2004 reelection campaign. Although he received better offers from the other camps, he ultimately chose to lead the FPJ senatorial slate. We did the impossible: we placed third while spending less than any other winning candidate.

Having lost my father before assuming leadership roles, I came to regard Senator Pimentel as my ‘Tatay.’ I emulated him and sought his counsel at every critical juncture in my professional life – from campaigning for FPJ and serving as a spokesman in the Villar presidential campaign to becoming UP vice president for Public Affairs and, ultimately, CHED commissioner and chairman.

His guidance and life lessons have served me well in my leadership positions.

There will never be another Nene Pimentel, and I’m privileged to have worked with him and to call him my Tatay Nene.

At the 2nd SineBohol Film Festival, I sat as a jury and was struck by the power of stories crafted by filmmakers young enough to be my students –or even grandchildren. Talent does not wait for age, position, or permission; it emerges through a camera held by an inexperienced hand, a script written after classes, or a scene captured in the corners of a community. What matters is our willingness to look beyond imperfections and recognize imagination, courage, and truth struggling to reach the screen.

Judging films at the 2nd SineBohol Festival was never about trophies –it was about encountering young minds interpreting the world around them. Each entry asked: what story deserves to be told, whose voice deserves to be heard, and what emotions should linger after the screen goes dark? As a retired professor, I found it refreshing to witness creativity outside the classroom, a reminder that true education happens wherever curiosity meets opportunity.

Retirement, I have come to realize, is not a command to withdraw from the life of the mind. One may leave a university post, surrender an office, and enjoy the freedom of a less-demanding schedule. But should one also retire from sharing what experience has taught? I do not think so. If years in academe have given me anything valuable, it is the responsibility to pass on whatever wisdom I have gathered. Serving as a judge in Bohol was one such opportunity –not to impose an older generation’s standards, but to help the young recognize what they already possess and what they might yet become.

Bohol itself offers a meaningful setting for such encounters. Its landscapes, heritage, and everyday lives are rich sources of stories waiting to be documented and re-imagined. Young filmmakers need not travel to Manila or seek expensive equipment before creating something significant. A compelling story can begin in a coastal village, a crowded market, a family kitchen, or a community confronting change. The challenge is to look closely, listen honestly, and understand that ordinary Filipino lives can reveal extraordinary truths.

We have seen similar possibilities elsewhere. Cinemalaya has brought independent voices into national conversation. In Negros, filmmakers have drawn on local histories and identities to craft stories that resonate beyond their communities. In Mindanao, films have explored questions of conflict, belonging, and peace –perspectives often missing from mainstream screens. Philippine cinema becomes richer when creative opportunities extend beyond traditional centers of production.

Of course, encouragement must not become empty praise. Young filmmakers deserve honest criticism. A promising idea needs discipline; an emotional story needs structure; a beautiful image must serve a purpose. Our task as mentors and judges is to offer criticism that sharpens rather than silences, corrects without humiliating, and challenges without discouraging. A trophy may celebrate achievement, but thoughtful guidance can shape an entire creative journey.

As I reflect on Bohol, I am less concerned with who received awards than with what happens afterward. Will these young storytellers continue making films? Will they dare to tackle difficult subjects, listen to unheard communities, and refine their craft with patience and integrity?

The lights in a screening room eventually dim, and a judge’s name fades from the program. But if a word of encouragement helps a young filmmaker believe a story is worth telling, then something enduring has begun. The greatest reward of a lifetime in education is not the number of students taught, but the number of young minds helped to find the courage to create. That calling, for me, never ends.

Federal Land Inc. is expanding access to housing finance through a partnership with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and Pag-IBIG Fund, aligning its residential portfolio with the government’s efforts to make homeownership more affordable for Filipino families.

The agreement, formalized through a memorandum of understanding under the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (Expanded 4PH) Program, will give qualified Pag-IBIG members access to financing opportunities for select Federal Land residential developments.

The partnership brings a private-sector developer into the government’s housing initiative, which seeks to broaden access to homeownership by linking housing supply with financing options for eligible buyers.

The agreement was signed during the second National Housing Expo, organized by DHSUD and Pag-IBIG Fund, highlighting the government’s push to strengthen collaboration with property developers in addressing the country’s housing needs.

Federal Land President Jose Mari Banzon said the company would establish a dedicated business unit to process Pag-IBIG housing loans, a move intended to facilitate financing access for prospective buyers.

He congratulated DHSUD and Pag-IBIG Fund on the Expanded 4PH Program, saying it creates opportunities for both homebuyers and developers.

‘Federal Land is committed to work with DHSUD and Pag-IBIG Fund to allow Filipino families to achieve their dream of owning their own home,’ Banzon said.

Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Marilene Acosta said private-sector partnerships are critical to strengthening government housing initiatives, particularly as affordability remains a key consideration for prospective homeowners.

‘While finding the right home is important, making it affordable matters just as much,’ Acosta said, adding that the agreement is expected to expand housing choices, improve value and create more opportunities for members to own homes.

For developers, participation in government-backed housing programs offers a potential channel to reach qualified buyers by connecting residential projects with institutional financing. The establishment of a dedicated loan-processing unit at Federal Land also signals an effort to streamline the financing process for eligible customers.

Federal Land, the real estate arm of GT Capital Holdings, has a portfolio spanning residential, commercial, retail, office, hospitality and master-planned developments across Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite and Cebu.

The company was named Developer of the Year at the 2026 Philippines Real Estate Awards.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has fired its biggest gun. A jumbo 50-basis-point hike to 5.50% with headline inflation at 7.2% and the peso on its back is not tightening. It is a chokehold. The message is clear: BSP will break demand before it lets inflation break the economy.

That pain travels fast from the BSP boardroom to the factory floor in Cebu. Corporate credit just got expensive and scarce. Banks do not wait for the circular. Prime that was 6.5% last month is now 7.25% to 7.5%, and for the typical middle-market borrower, add another 250 to 350 basis points of risk premium. The working capital line you rolled at 8% in June reprices at 10.5% to 11.5% today.

Worse than price is access. As funding costs rise and peso volatility forces banks to hold more liquidity, they demand more collateral, tighter covenants, and shorter tenors. They will still lend, but mostly to those who least need it.

Undeniably, this time, the cash conversion cycle will be stretching at both ends. In fact, borrowing cost for working capital becomes a cash flow trap. When a P100-million inventory and receivables line costs P2.5 million more a year overnight, cash management stops being accounting, it becomes survival. Your suppliers, squeezed by their own dollar costs, now want cash on delivery. Your customers, squeezed by inflation, stretch payment from 30 to 60 days. You are caught in the middle, financing both sides with double-digit money. Ultimately, this will no longer be about profit on paper. This is about payroll on Friday or on the 15th and 30th.

Financing strategy for capital expenditures (capex) and inventory must be rewritten. For capex, the hurdle rate has moved. Projects that cleared at 9% weighted average cost of capital no longer clear at 12%. Companies will defer, lease instead of buy, and sweat existing assets for another year. For inventory, the old logic inverts. In a low-rate world you stock up to avoid stockouts. In a 5.50% world, inventory is a double tax. You pay more to hold it, and if you cannot move it, its real value erodes while you finance it at 11%. The shift must be from just-in-case to ruthless just-in-time, even if it risks a lost sale.

Three industries bleed first. Real estate and construction live and die on leverage. This hike kills mortgage affordability, kills pre-selling, and kills take-up. Developers who borrowed at 7% to build a project with an 8% margin are underwater before turnover. Second is import-dependent manufacturing – food processing, plastics, packaging, steel fabrication. They are hit thrice: higher dollar cost from the weak peso, higher commodity cost from inflation, and higher peso cost to finance both. Third is SME retail, restaurants, and consumer discretionary. They have no pricing power and no balance sheet to absorb. Their inventory is perishable and their customers are the first to pull back when real wages fall.

That brings us to the hardest decision, the consumer. Persistent price pressure has hollowed out purchasing power. The ‘masa’ is trading down and the middle class is trading off. You cannot simply pass on a 10% cost increase when your buyer’s real income is down. If you pass everything on, you lose volume. If you absorb everything, you lose margin and die slowly.

The answer is to price surgically, not blindly. Hold the line on core value SKUs that drive foot tra and raise on premium where sensitivity is lower. Defend cash ruthlessly, renegotiate supplier terms, collect faster, kill slow-moving stock, and convert fixed costs to variable where you can. And fix your funding mix now. Lock in longer tenors even at a premium and keep undrawn lines for emergencies. Floating-rate debt today is a loaded gun.

To every business owner reading this from Cebu and beyond: the BSP did what it had to do to save the peso and break inflation expectations. Your job is to survive it without breaking your company. Stop budgeting for a rate cut next quarter. It is not coming. Assume that 5.50% is here to stay. Manage for cash not for accounting profit. More importantly, remember, that (as financial gurus will always say) in a high-rate storm, liquidity is not king, it is oxygen.

Two personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) were killed while their superior survived following an ambush by unidentified men in this city yesterday afternoon.

Reniel Agpalo and Louther Vitor were declared dead on arrival at the Cotabato Regional Medical Center due to multiple gunshot wounds.

The PCG said one of the fatalities holds the rank of seaman second class while the other was an apprentice seaman.

Their superior, Lt. Cmdr. John Paul Cabarrubias, was not harmed in the attack, which occurred near a station of the PCG.

Reports showed the PCG men were in a Toyota Innova on their way to the station when unidentified armed men waylaid them along Roman Vilo street.

The attack sparked a commotion, which provided the assailants a chance to escape.

After the incident, Cabarrubias went to the Cotabato City police station to assist in the investigation.

History crashes onto the shores of this surfing paradise from October 30 to November 8 as the world’s ultimate wave-riders storm the legendary barrels of Cloud 9.

For the first time ever, the country plays host to the World Surf League (WSL) Philippines Pro Championship Tour – surfing’s crown-jewel spectacle – bringing the sport’s most formidable global elite straight into local waters.

At the center of this celebrated gathering presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) is a lineup of world-class athletes, each bringing a distinct brand of brilliance to Siargao’s unforgiving reef break.

Leading the men’s division is Brazil’s Yago Dora, the current World No. 1, who arrives in the Philippines with a target firmly on his back.

Celebrated for his seamless blend of high-flying aerial maneuvers and razor-sharp rail work, Dora views heavy, world-class reef breaks like Cloud 9 as the ultimate canvas to prove his consistency under high-stakes pressure.

Joining him from the famed Brazilian Storm are former World Champions Gabriel Medina and Italo Ferreira, two of the sport’s most explosive icons.

‘This will be a historic moment for Philippine surfing and the CT will usher the sport into a new era. Let it inspire a new generation of athletes. Let the world discover not just our waves, but the vision, ambition, and heart of the Filipino people,” said PSC Chairman Patrick Gregorio.

The country’s hosting of this global surfing spectacle was made possible through the united efforts of key national agencies with the PSC and PAGCOR – the Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Tourism and Events Infrastructure and Safety Administration (TIEZA), and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) in partnership with SIARELCO.

Equally vital was the steadfast support of local leadership. Surigao del Norte Governor Lyndon Barbers, General Luna Mayor Johnson Sajulga, and Vice Mayor Doc Minmin Sajulga stood at the forefront of preparations, guiding every step with vision and commitment.

Adding even more firepower to the Brazilian contingency are Filipe Toledo and Miguel Pupo with the international men’s field being further elevated by global superstars across the map.

Italy’s Leonardo Fioravanti brings technical tube-riding prowess and European precision to the lineup, while Japan’s Olympic medalist Kanoa Igarashi leverages his tactical sharpness and blinding speed in hollow waves.

Also helping turn the CT into a world-class event were key partners, including the DILG, DBM, CAAP, DOTr, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine Airlines, TCP and SDMI.

Completing the high-caliber men’s roster is American standout Tyler Wright, who brings immense star power, veteran composure, and elite wave-reading abilities to the competition.

The women’s field is every bit as formidable, promising an unforgettable display of speed, commitment and artistic precision.

Australia’s top-ranked sensation Molly Picklum leads the charge, widely recognized across the globe for her aggressive, completely fearless approach when taking on heavy slab conditions and hollow barrels.

She is joined by American prodigy Caroline Marks, whose lethal, powerful backhand attack in steep, technical tubes make her an absolute threat whenever the swell turns on while rising star Erin Brooks brings a breath of dynamic energy and fearless barrel riding that far outstrip her years.

Hawaiian power-surfer Gabriela Bryan thrives in heavy, punishing swells that demand raw strength and absolute commitment, while seasoned veteran Lakey Peterson rounds out the elite field with a career built on tactical mastery, blinding speed, and flawless execution.

Together, these women stand ready to push the boundaries of high-performance surfing in the legendary waters of Cloud 9.

All eyes will be trained on these top-ranked Championship Tour standouts with a total 40 elite surfers (24 men and 16 women) in the field, including the three Filipino surfers – John Mark ‘Marama’ Tokong, Jayuard Alciso and Mara Lopez – competing alongside these international stars.

Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 12 seized P3.7 million worth of shabu and arrested three men in separate operations in General Santos City and in nearby Polomolok, South Cotabato on Wednesday, October 21. One of the operations also targeted an alleged drug den.

Combined PDEA 12 agents and police officers arrested a suspected drug den operator and his two accomplices after they sold shabu to undercover operatives during a buy-bust operation at their hideout in Purok Lower Malakas, Barangay San Isidro, General Santos City. The suepects allegedly also facilitated shabu sessions for buyers at the site.

PDEA-12 Director Charlene Magdurulang told reporters Friday, October 23, that the operation, supported by personnel from various units of the Police Regional Office 12, resulted in the seizure of shabu worth P106,760. The confiscated drugs will serve evidence in prosecuting the suspects for alleged violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Under state law, drug den operation is non-bailable criminal offense.

In a separate operation on Wednesday, another PDEA-12 team seized shabu worth P3.6 million in Barangay Silway 8 in Polomolok, South Cotabato, while targeting a suspected local drug trafficker, who fled after realizing he was dealing with anti-narcotics agents posing as civilians.

The suspect left behind the illegal drugs at the designated transaction site in Purok Maunlad in Barangay Silway 8. The seized shabu is now in PDEA-12 custody.

Magdurulang said local executives and barangay officials had pledged to help file a criminal complaint against the fugitive suspect in absentia.

We have been reading and hearing about how AI will soon run the world as humans watch on the sidelines. AI has solved some of the toughest mathematical problems. AI is now at the controls of the world’s financial infrastructure, even trading 24/7 in equities and other markets.

Algorithmic governance means society would be organized around optimization, efficiency and data.

Decisions would no longer be dependent on the whims of corrupt politicians because AI would be programmed to function according to hard rules.

I am dreaming, of course. I can’t wait for the day it would be possible for us to just outsource the job of running our government to AI.

But nope. We are still stuck with the bozos we elect into office.

Nevertheless, perhaps AI has some bright ideas on how to run our country so we don’t become a failed state soon.

Google AI’s responses to my questions produced no earthshaking insights. It was essentially regurgitating what we have already written.

Still, Google AI provided a convenient laundry list of remedies economists have offered to save our government from potential collapse.

To begin with, Google AI said:

‘To prevent the collapse of institutions and secure a prosperous future, the administration should enact a two-pronged strategy: immediate stabilization to restore public confidence and structural transformation to cement a lasting legacy.’

Here are the short-term priorities AI thinks is needed for immediate stabilization in the next 12-24 months:

‘To bring back hope and ensure political and economic survival, focus on the most immediate pain points affecting everyday Filipinos.

‘First is food security and inflation control. If the people cannot afford to eat, no other policy matters. Stabilizing food prices is the fastest way to maintain public peace and boost approval.

‘Next is fiscal consolidation. Digitize the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs to plug tax leakages without introducing new, regressive taxes that burden consumers.’

To ensure the Philippines thrives in the decades to come and to permanently alter our economic trajectory, Google AI suggests initiating long-needed reforms.

‘Restructure the basic education curriculum to focus heavily on foundational literacy and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) to reverse our PISA rankings.

‘In health care, transition away from political medical handouts toward a fully funded, mandatory PhilHealth universal coverage system where access is a right, not a political favor…

‘To transition to a high-value economy, we need an educated workforce and energy security to permanently escape from ‘failed state’ risks.’

But what can be done with the tight fiscal space and prevalence of corruption?

‘That’s exactly the rot that has historically paralyzed governance. When cash is low and systemic corruption is high, trying to enforce change through the traditional bureaucracy is a fool’s errand.

‘To break this cycle under a tight fiscal space, change the architecture of how public money flows. Force transparency through technology, bypass corrupt middlemen and align the self-interest of local officials with measurable economic outcomes…

‘First, mandatory full digitization of procurement and payroll. Transition all government agencies to an automated, blockchain-verified Central Procurement System and shifting all local government unit payrolls to biometric-verified direct deposits.

‘This immediately eliminates ‘ghost projects’ and ‘ghost employees.’ If an employee cannot provide a biometric scan, they do not get paid. If a project cannot be verified via public satellite imaging and automated geo-tagging, the funds are automatically frozen by the budget department.

‘Implement a ‘results-based’ confidential fund reform. Issue an executive directive that ties the allocation of non-itemized and confidential funds directly to strict, auditable national security milestones.

‘We must weaponize these funds against the economic saboteurs – the agricultural cartels and tax evaders -turning confidential funds into a revenue-generating tool.

‘Shift cash handouts to voucher-based conditional subsidies. Eliminate unmonitored political medical and educational handouts. All welfare will be converted into digital, single-use vouchers linked directly to national IDs for specific services (direct tuition payments to accredited technical schools or direct PhilHealth premiums).

‘By shrinking the scope of human intervention in government transactions, the scope for theft and corruption drastically shrinks. Build a system where honesty is not a moral choice, but the only functional choice left for the bureaucracy.’

How close is the Philippines to a sudden, dramatic midnight collapse?

‘The Philippines is one major global shock away from this slow-burning decline cementing into a permanent state of underperformance… the country will not experience a sudden dramatic crash, will simply become a stagnant, low-productivity economy that permanently trails its neighbors.’

I asked Google AI what advice should BBM give his sons, as a father concerned about their future, in the light of the current mess in the country with the possibility of a political rival winning in 2028. Here is the advice:

‘Never allow your physical freedom to be tied to a single piece of paper issued by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. If a hostile faction takes over and revokes your passport, you are trapped.

‘Legally and quietly cultivate secondary residencies or citizenships through legitimate global investment programs or international legal mechanisms. Ensure that your bank accounts and primary living arrangements are diversified across neutral, stable jurisdictions like Europe, the Middle East or Singapore.

‘A true Plan B means having a destination where you are legally protected, financially liquid and welcome on an hour’s notice.

‘History is a brutal teacher. Learn from our family’s past: look at the presidency as a temporary duty, but treat your personal independence and global mobility as a permanent necessity. Build your lives so that no matter who holds power in Manila, you remain completely untouchable.’

Rats will always leave a sinking ship, whether they are government leaders or part of the economic elite. The poor ignorant folks voting for them will be left behind to go hungry when all things go to hell, and drag us who know better to the pits as well.

First off, let me clarify to our readers that they did not see a repeat of my column about Cabinet appointees entitled ‘Presidential prerogative’ last Wednesday. It was the title of my previous week’s column. The column last Wednesday was originally entitled: ‘Same old story.’ This glitch was an unintended error of our layout artist. Fortunately, the erroneously titled column dwelt to a certain extent on presidential prerogatives over the yearly budget of the national government.

The Supreme Court (SC) released late Wednesday its ruling in favor of the four consolidated petitions against three Congress-approved budget laws. Specifically, the SC ruling involved the 2024, 2025 and the 2026 General Appropriations Acts (GAA). The 2024 and the 2025 GAAs were approved by the 19th Congress while it was the present 20th Congress that approved the 2026 GAA.

The SC ruling came a week after the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading the proposed 2027 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). Dubbed as ‘The President’s Budget,’ it contains the P7.2-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for next year. The NEP is the original GAB as approved by the President and submitted to Congress by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM) endorsed to Congress the 2027 NEP. Voting 281-13 with one abstention, pro-administration House lawmakers stamped their approval on the 2027 GAB under House Bill (HB) 10858 containing the NEP, as amended.

It was immediately transmitted to the Senate that simultaneously undertook their own preliminary public hearings on the 2027 NEP. The printed copy of the House-approved 2027 GAB is now pending before the Senate finance committee chaired by Sen. JV Ejercito. Once the Senate resumes session on Nov. 9, they will approve in plenary their own version of the budget bill.

Once approved into law, the proposed 2027 budget bill will fund not just the NEP but all the congressional amendments – another word for insertions – that lawmakers put into it. The bulk, if not all, of these congressional amendments were done by lawmakers with moist eyes set on the May 2028 national and local elections.

The 15-man SC voted 13-2 that declared as ‘unconstitutional’ specific provisions of the three GAAs, mostly on a number of the unprogrammed appropriations (UA). SC senior associate justice Marvic Leonen penned the majority decision that favorably granted the petitioners. The SC found as unconstitutional the increased UA provision that was P449.5 billion more than ‘The President’s Budget’ in the 2024 GAA.

The UA is that part of the total budget, mostly consisting of foreign-assisted projects (FAPs) that need peso counterpart funds. The budget releases of FAPs are subject to availability of funds as certified by the National Treasury. Much of the ‘congressional insertions’ were carved out from UA and realigned to other projects identified by proponent lawmakers.

Congress holds the power of the purse as enshrined in our country’s 1987 Constitution. Aside from the veto power, the prerogative to allow budget releases still remains with the President, through his alter ego, the DBM secretary.

Ironically, the 121-page SC decision absolved PBBM of any culpability or liability.

‘The President did not commit grave abuse of discretion when he certified (2024 GAA) as urgent House Bill No. 8980,’ the SC ruling stated.

The SC conducted a total of six sessions of oral arguments. The first was held on April 7 and the last was on July 14. The SC handed down the ruling on Oct. 7 but was released and announced 13 days later. At least five ‘amici curiae’ were invited to explain and help the SC justices understand the budget process during the oral arguments. They were composed of former Cabinet officials and erstwhile legislators whose individual expertise was sought to enlighten the SC justices.

One of them, former Economic Planning secretary Solita ‘Winnie’ Monsod, deplored UA was turned into a new source for congressional pork barrel funds. Monsod cited a previous SC ruling that struck down ‘pork-barrel’ allocations in the annual budget as unconstitutional. Thus, she strongly batted to declare the same against UA provisions in the GAA.

Monsod’s stand on UA was not shared by the other amicus curiae. Monetary Board member Benjamin Diokno, who is also an economist, along with erstwhile Batanes Rep. Florencio ‘Butch’ Abad, ex-Senate president Franklin Drilon and former Albay congressman now PBBM’s Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) Secretary Joey Salceda, defended the necessity of UA provisions in the annual budget.

It won’t be a surprise if disgruntled lawmakers might decry as another case of ‘judicial overreach’ the latest SC ruling that reversed anew their legislative acts as being unconstitutional. The same Gesmundo-led High Court last year ruled the 2025 impeachment case they filed against Vice President Sara Duterte as invalid and violated certain provisions of the Constitution.

VP Sara claimed before that both PBBM and presidential first cousin, ex-speaker Martin Romualdez, allegedly dangled budget releases from the 2025 GAA to House members of the previous Congress. The budgets for the pet projects of lawmakers were released supposedly to those who signed the 2025 impeachment case against VP Sara.

The 2027 GAB is the penultimate budget law before both PBBM and members of the current Congress bow out at the end of their respective terms of office. The scandal-rocked 2025 GAA on ‘ghost’ flood control projects continues to haunt Congress. Legislators bewail in silence the consequent DBM-impounding of their GAA-funded pet projects.

Categorized as ‘FLR,’ or for later release, these current allocations under the 2026 GAA will likely be withheld until the SC decision on the three GAAs will become final and executory. Malacañang already announced yesterday the temporary suspension of project implementation while the Office of the Solicitor General will seek a review of the SC decision, in particular on the UA provision of the GAAs.

Most likely than not, the suspended implementation will be on congressional projects tucked into constitutionally-declared infirm UA provisions. From FLR, it will now become NFR, as in Never For Release.