Category: Philippine Star

An estimated five million families will benefit from the additional P27.41-billion funding allocated for the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients or MAIFIP program, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

The current beneficiaries of the program stand at five million families, Health Secretary Edwin Mercado said yesterday.

‘Based on our estimate, with the additional funds given, that would also be the number of families and patients we’ll be able to assist,’ Mercado said during an interview with the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon program.

The DOH chief said that bulk or 70 percent of this P27.41 billion, which is equivalent to P19.145 billion, will be used by centers for health development (CHDs), particularly by local government units (LGUs) and private hospitals under these CHDs.

‘This amount can be used in emergency as well as catastrophic cases wherein medical expenses are already too high and PhilHealth coverage is not enough. Though we still recommend for the patient to use PhilHealth first and in our order of billing, you can get a discount depending if one falls under the senior citizen or person with disability category,’ explained Mercado.

Meanwhile, the remaining amount of the MAIFIP budget was divided among DOH hospitals in Manila (P4.35 billion), GOCC specialty hospitals including the Lung Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Children’s Medical Center and Philippine Heart Center (P2.9 billion), UP-Philippine General Hospital (P950 million), and drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation center (P52 million).

Over 70 medical and health care groups have called for the abolition of MAIFIP, calling it a medical pork barrel. The groups said the amount for the politicized health ayuda should instead be given to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. for expanded PhilHealth services.

For four years, Vice President Sara Duterte has occupied the country’s second-highest office with vast resources at her disposal. Yet what does she have to show for it? She has offered no defining national reform initiative, no durable social project and no serious contribution to economic transformation. On health care, education and political reform, her record is thin. Her vice presidency generated a lot of noise but nothing related to nation-building.

Political persecution is no excuse. Leni Robredo was denied a generous budget, excluded from the Cabinet and attacked by Rodrigo Duterte’s propaganda machinery. Yet she built Angat Buhay through private partnerships, delivering programs in nutrition, health care, education, housing and livelihood. Robredo converted political marginalization into service. Sara converts scrutiny into grievance and non-stop whining.

Let me stay it straight – grievance, victimhood and drama is Sara Duterte’s stock-in-trade. And we are tired of it.

Her pattern began in June 2023 when she posted the cryptic insult ‘tambaloslos,’ widely interpreted as a swipe against Martin Romualdez. In October, rather than explain her demand for confidential funds, she branded critics ‘enemies of peace.’ Legitimate questions about taxpayers’ money were re-packaged as acts of hostility.

In March 2024, she claimed an organized demolition job against her family. In June, she resigned from the Cabinet without a clear explanation. In July, she skipped the SONA and appointed herself ‘the designated survivor’ – a ludicrous joke implying catastrophe while national leaders gathered in Congress.

That month, she cried ‘political harassment’ when 75 police officers were withdrawn from her security detail even if hundreds remained. In September, she turned OVP budget hearings into drama, refusing direct answers while accusing lawmakers of politicizing budget oversights.

Then came her two-hour meltdown on Oct. 18, 2024. Duterte called President Marcos incompetent, declared the country headed for hell and recounted imagining herself cutting off his head. She threatened to exhume Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s remains and throw them into the West Philippine Sea. It was gutter theater performed in crass fashion.

In November, she transformed the detention of her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, into a nationally televised standoff involving legislators, police and her security personnel. On Nov. 23, she announced that she had instructed someone to kill the President, the First Lady and then speaker Martin Romualdez should she herself be assassinated. Two days later, she dragged Ninoy Aquino’s murder into the feud by blaming the Marcos family without presenting evidence.

When impeachment followed in February 2025, she re-framed accountability as persecution. When her father was arrested the next month under an ICC warrant, she turned his transfer to The Hague into another drama, ignoring victims seeking justice. By June, she described her impeachment as a ‘crucifixion’ and ‘bloodbath’ – the language of martyrdom.

In February 2026, she announced her presidential ambition and apologized for supporting Marcos, converting another grievance into campaign fodder. By September, facing an arrest warrant arising from her own public statements, she again cried political harassment and declared that ‘I do not feel safe.’

A waste of national discourse

Every chapter of Sara’s drama anthology grabbed headlines and deepened political division. Yet, none of it affected food prices, created jobs, built classrooms, improved hospitals or strengthened institutions. National attention, congressional time, police resources and public money were diverted to controversies of her own making. And for what? To feed her victimhood narrative. These resources could have been channeled to pursue genuine reform.

Duterte criticizes the Marcos administration for being unproductive and unresponsive. But what solutions has she offered? Where is her economic program or reform agenda? She is the Vice President, for goodness’ sake – not a commentator broadcasting grievances from the sidelines.

I am not defending PBBM. He is no better. Both the President and Vice President lead without vision or direction. Why? Because they share the same motivation. That is, to legitimize their family wealth, consolidate power and to repair the family brand.

Squandered opportunity

Sara had a golden opportunity to demonstrate her mettle as education secretary. Instead, Philippine students remained near the bottom of the 2022 PISA rankings in mathematics, reading and science. She introduced the MATATAG curriculum and Catch-up Fridays, but resigned after two years without demonstrating measurable learning recovery. She failed to move the needle where it mattered – literacy, numeracy, classrooms and teacher support.

Yet her DepEd and OVP received P612.5 million in confidential funds – P500 million for the OVP and P112.5 million for DepEd. Neither office had previously carried such funds. It was not operational necessity; it was political accommodation.

The liquidation documents make a mockery of public accountability. Of the OVP’s P125-million confidential fund released in December 2022, P73.287 million – spent in just 11 days – was disallowed by the Commission on Audit. COA subsequently testified that another P375 million was disallowed. Receipts bore names as absurd as Mary Grace Piattos, Miggy Mango and Jay Kamote. Trial testimony linked supposed recipients to children and people long dead. Duterte denies wrongdoing and deserves due process. Taxpayers also deserve the truth.

As an economist, I hear the same frustration from colleagues in the academe, in various chambers of commerce and in the private sector. We are sick and tired of Sara’s drama, victimhood and incessant whining. She behaves like an entitled politician who cannot distinguish accountability from persecution.

A leader should add clarity to national discourse, offer solutions and unite the citizenry behind a credible vision. Sara Duterte does the opposite. Her contribution is grievance without policy, outrage without solutions and ambition without accomplishment.

That makes her more than unproductive. It makes her a national liability. Filipinos have endured enough tantrums and complaints. We are fed up with the drama.

That was quite a beatdown by the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons on the Ateneo Blue Eagles as the former won running away, 94-75.

After one half of basketball, the Blue Eagles hung in there and gave as good as they got. But the Fighting Maroons showed a glimpse of that second half blitz late in the second period.

Ateneo showed they can battle back from a single digit deficit. But not a two-digit lead.

They look tentative on their shots as compared to UP that looked confident in everything they did. What they did show in their first two games – both wins – are they are an offensive juggernaut and this early, favorites to win another title. They have recruited well and they, as always, are well-coached.

UP gave back in spades what Ateneo delivered in the first 25 minutes. When Ateneo tried to press, UP broke it by having a man run down at the smaller Blue Eagle guards. They repeatedly pounded the boards and attacked Ateneo’s suspect interior. That second half by UP was a clinic on execution and defense.

Maybe Sultan Baruwa should have stayed longer because UP wasn’t getting those lay-ups when he was on the court.

This is Kieffer Alas’ Kiefer Ravena moment.

During Ravena’s debut with the senior Ateneo team on July 10, 2011, he didn’t score a single point against the Adamson Falcons. That was the last time he was held to such a low. Ravena got injured three years later and wasn’t as effective. Again, that was due to an injury.

Alas still scored in double digits, but they were inconsequential. He will know that college ball isn’t high school ball, and he will learn to play through the dry spells. Perhaps more importantly, how to contribute when your guns are jammed.

It isn’t just on Alas, but all the players especially the Filipino-Americans who have to be more decisive and tougher because the opposing locals will want to prove a point or two against them.

Obviously, the Blue Eagles are still a work in progress. It would have been nice to beat UP but at this point, it is wishful thinking. They should learn from this because that is how teams will play them – deny Alas, let the others try and beat you while watching the others fall apart.

It will take time for Ateneo to reach that old competitive level. First and foremost is keeping the players in place. No team has been harder hit post-Covid than Ateneo. Have you ever wondered why most teams are able to hold on to their players while Ateneo has seen more players not exhaust their playing eligibility?

The result was UP’s seven-game win streak against Ateneo. Not since the late 70s and early 80s did this happen. But when the tide turned, Ateneo found its championship form.

How Ateneo comes out in their next match will be very interesting.

Japanese firms are seeking to deepen their role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) beyond merely submitting policy recommendations as the bloc moves toward its 2045 vision.

This takes focus at the 18th dialogue between the Federation of Japanese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in ASEAN (FJCCIA) and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in Manila on Sept. 18.

FJCCIA is composed of Japanese chambers of commerce and industry from 10 ASEAN countries, representing 7,420 member companies. It has held an annual dialogue with the ASEAN secretary-general since 2008.

The talks come as businesses navigate growing uncertainty, often described as an era of ‘permanent disruption,’ stemming from the decoupling of high-tech supply chains due to intensifying US-China tensions and logistics disruptions linked to tensions in the Middle East.

FJCCIA chairman Shigeru Shimoda said rising protectionism and non-tariff measures are reducing investment predictability for companies.

‘Japanese companies are not merely external investors; as ‘ASEAN Citizens’ deeply rooted in local communities, we want to build prosperity together with ASEAN toward 2045,’ Shimoda, who is also chairman of the Philippine-Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said.

With the 11-member regional bloc moving from its Economic Community Blueprint 2025 toward the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, Shimoda presented the FJCCIA recommendations aimed at deepening Japanese-ASEAN co-creation partnerships.

The recommendations cover resilient supply chains, the green and circular economy, digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) and human capital development.

FJCCIA said it wanted to help strengthen ASEAN’s competitiveness through cooperation on institutional and digital connectivity, decarbonization, development of a region-wide power grid, establishing Data Free Flow with Trust and facilitating movement of highly skilled talent.

The recommendations were based on the latest FJCCIA Survey 2026, which gathered 1,041 responses from member companies operating across the region.

Luke 9:1-6 tells us something we often forget. Christ did not simply gather disciples. He sent them out. Christianity has never been a spectator sport. It has always been a mission.

When Jesus called the twelve, he gave them “power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases.” Then he commissioned them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and heal the sick. It was a package deal. Truth and charity. Faith and service. Word and witness. That mission has never expired.

Many think that evangelization belongs only to priests, religious, or professional missionaries. The Gospel says otherwise. Every baptized person is sent. Our home, office, classroom, marketplace, and even our social media pages are mission territories waiting for Christ to be brought in.

But notice something surprising. Jesus instructed the apostles to travel light. No walking stick. No bag. No bread. No money. Not even an extra tunic. Why? Because God’s work should rely first on God’s grace, not merely on human resources.

This is not a rejection of prudent planning. Rather, it is a reminder that no amount of preparation can replace trust in divine providence. We can have the best strategies, the latest technology, and the finest facilities, but if Christ is not at the center, our efforts become little more than well-organized activity.

The Christian apostolate is supernatural before it is organizational. Traveling light also means freeing ourselves from unnecessary baggage. Pride. Vanity. Self-importance. The desire for recognition. Attachment to comfort. Fear of rejection. These burdens weigh us down far more than any suitcase ever could. A true apostle carries only what matters most: Christ in the heart.

Jesus also warned that not everyone would welcome the message. Some towns would reject the apostles. His instruction was simple: shake the dust from your feet and move on.

There is a valuable lesson here. We should never become discouraged because people ignore us, misunderstand us, or even oppose us. Fidelity is our responsibility. Results belong to God. Success in the Gospel is measured not by applause but by faithfulness.

Our task is to sow. God alone gives the growth.

The apostles obeyed. They went from village to village, preaching the Good News and healing everywhere. Notice the sequence. They did not wait until everything was perfect. They did not demand guarantees. They did not postpone the mission until they felt completely ready. They simply went.

That same readiness is urgently needed today. The world suffers not only from material poverty but also from loneliness, confusion, anxiety, and the loss of hope. Countless people are silently searching for meaning. They may never enter a church unless someone first brings Christ to them through friendship, kindness, integrity, and joyful witness.

Every sincere conversation, every hidden sacrifice, every patient act of charity can become an instrument of evangelization. The greatest sermon is still the life that reflects Christ.

Each morning, the Lord quietly repeats the command he gave to the apostles. Go. Bring peace instead of division. Bring truth instead of confusion. Bring hope instead of despair. Bring Christ wherever you are.

If we travel light, trust God completely, and live the Gospel consistently, we will discover that the mission entrusted to the apostles continues through us. The world is still waiting for witnesses who speak less about themselves and more about Christ –and who make his presence visible by the holiness of their ordinary lives.

The Ladies Philippine Golf Tour’s top guns plunge into an early test of skill, patience and stamina today as the Kenda Tires TLPGA Open gets under way, with the Filipina campaigners facing a strong cast of Taiwan LPGA Tour stars here.

The 54-hole championship, carrying a total purse of NT$4 million, marks another significant step in the LPGT’s growing presence on the international circuit, this being a co-sanctioned tournament with TLPGA, with 20 LPGT players set to challenge the hosts and other foreign contenders at the Taichung International Golf Club.

And with the tournament moving to Taichung for the first time after previous TLPGA-LPGT co-sanctioned stops in other Taiwan cities, the LPGT delegation sees an opportunity to make an early impact – and perhaps produce another overseas victory.

Leading the Philippine charge is two-leg LPGT winner Yvon Bisera, who opens against Taiwan standouts Ling Jie Chen and Chieh Ning Hung at 8:10 a.m. on No. 10.

Fellow ICTSI-backed ace Mafy Singson likewise expects a demanding battle, drawing Chun Wei Wu and I-Wen Chen at 8:30 a.m. on the frontside.

The contingent also includes Korean LPGT mainstays Jiwon Lee, Kim Seoyun and Eunhua Nam, each capable of making a strong run, while amateurs Isabella Tabanas and twins Mona and Lisa Sarines add youth and unpredictability to the Philippine side.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is enhancing the overall quality and integrity of financial reporting by mandating the conduct of audits for government contractors and elevating qualification standards for external auditors and auditing firms.

The commission has issued Memorandum Circular 26, Series of 2026, amending pertinent provisions on the accreditation of independent auditors of SEC-regulated entities under Revised Rule 68 of the Securities Regulation Code.

The SEC said the revised guidelines seek to strengthen the accreditation framework and protect the public’s interest by expanding oversight for government contractors, elevating qualification and track record standards, as well as providing a more rigorous evaluation process.

‘High-quality audits serve as a foundation of transparency in capital markets, fostering public trust in the financial system,’ SEC chairperson Francis Lim said.

‘By tightening our accreditation standards and extending oversight to auditors of major government contractors, we are reinforcing accountability, ensuring that public funds and investors’ hard-earned money are protected by rigorous and independent financial reporting,’ Lim said.

The circular expands the coverage of Group A and B auditors to government contractors, or those with contracts for the procurement or acquisition of goods and consulting services and the contracting for infrastructure projects by the national government and its instrumentalities.

Under the new guidelines, all corporate general contractors are required to engage Group A independent auditors if they have a single government contract of more than P750 million, or cumulative government contracts amounting to more than P1 billion.

Contractors with single government contracts worth P400 million to P750 million, as well as those with cumulative government contracts worth P500 million to P1 billion, meanwhile, should tap Group B independent auditors.

The duly accredited external auditor shall be engaged until the projects have been fully completed or delivered.

These corporations will be required to submit a notarized schedule disclosing project descriptions, costs and status, which must be covered by an auditor’s report.

Overall, the SEC accredits auditing firms and independent auditors for quality assurance review based on three categories: Groups A, B and C.

To ensure that only auditors with sufficient experience handle regulated entities, the commission also increased the track record threshold for all accreditation groups.

For Group A, applicants are now required to have at least five corporate clients with total assets of at least P100 million each, up from P50 million in the previous rules.

The requirement for Group B has been set to five corporate clients with assets of at least P50 million each, up from three corporate clients with total assets of at least P20 million.

Applicants for Group C accreditation, meanwhile, must have at least five corporate clients, up from the previous rule of three corporate clients, with assets of at least P5 million each.

The circular also introduced more rigorous evaluation standards by providing more grounds for the outright denial of applications for accreditation.

The trough of a tropical depression located east of the Philippines may bring rains to some parts of Visayas and Mindanao.

As of 8 a.m. on Wednesday, September 23, PAGASA said that the tropical depression is estimated to be 1,865 kilometers east of southeastern Luzon.

It has winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) with gusts of up to 70 kph, moving at 40 kph.

Eastern Visayas, Caraga, Davao Oriental, Misamis Oriental and Camiguin may expect cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms due to the trough of the tropical depression.

PAGASA warned that residents of these areas may experience possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to, at times, heavy rains.

Meanwhile, Metro Manila and the rest of the country may expect partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to localized thunderstorms.

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen will serve as acting chief justice, while the post is vacant after the expected retirement of Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.

In a message to reporters on Tuesday, September 22, Supreme Court Spokesperson Camille, citing Section 12 of the Judiciary Act of 1948, said that ‘the duties and powers of the Chief Justice shall be exercised by the most senior Associate Justice until a new Chief Justice is appointed and qualified.’

‘This is pursuant to Section 12 of Republic Act No. 296, or the Judiciary Act of 1948, which provides that when the position of Chief Justice is vacant, the duties and powers of the Chief Justice shall be exercised by the most senior Associate Justice until a new Chief Justice is appointed and qualified,’ Ting said.

Gesmundo is expected to reach mandatory retirement on November 6. His retirement will give President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. his first opportunity to appoint a chief justice.

After his retirement, Marcos should appoint a new chief justice within 90 days from the list of nominees prepared by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).

The JBC has invited five senior Supreme Court associate justices, including Leonen, to apply for chief justice ahead of Gesmundo’s retirement.

Before you hit ‘post,’ do you stop and think about how others might take it? Do you check the message in your group chat if it’s true before forwarding it? And when something suddenly goes viral for the wrong reasons, what can we learn from it?

In celebration of PR Month, the International Public Relations Association Philippines (IPRA Philippines) is launching ‘PR Matters’ on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook with a new 12 short-form videos that make communication practical, relatable, and useful in everyday life.

The idea is simple. People communicate every day, posting, commenting, sharing, sending messages, and interacting with people online and offline. ‘PR Matters’ on social media turns lessons from professional communicators into short, conversational videos that anyone can understand and use in everyday life.

Every Monday, ‘PR 101’ makes communication basics easy to understand, with IPRA Philippines chairperson Claire Papa, past chairpersons Joy Buensalido, and Jingjing Romero, and Abigail Ho-Torres discussing topics, such as influencer promotions, why some stories make the news, and how is PR different from advertising and marketing.

‘PR IRL’ brings real-life communication stories to social media every Wednesday. IPRA Philippines vice chair Kane Errol Choa, director Charisse Chuidian, past chair Noel Nieva, and secretary Rowena Capulong Reyes look back at widely discussed PR cases and issues that made media headlines, and sharing simple lessons we can still use today.

‘PReady FR FR,’ featuring IPRA Philippines treasurer Wilford Wong and past IPRA Philippines chairperson Millie Dizon, offers practical communication tips for everyday life from what to check before posting online and why you shouldn’t immediately forward messages from your group chat to navigating cancel culture and social media habits that can affect how others see you. New episodes drop every Friday.

‘PR Matters’ began as a weekly column on public relations and communication. IPRA Philippines also published ‘PR Matters: A Communicator’s Guide to Public Relations in the Philippines’ in 2023 and has brought PR practitioners to students through its CommuniTalks sessions at UP Diliman, Far Eastern University, and Centro Escolar University.

IPRA Philippines is the Philippine chapter of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), a global organization of public relations professionals.

Follow “PR Matters” by IPRA Philippines and catch the 12 short-form videos every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.