Category: Philippine Star

A 58-year-old businesswoman was arrested by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Lapu-Lapu City Field Unit in an entrapment operation in sitio Libo, Barangay Tayod, Consolacion, Cebu after allegedly offering a property in Carcar to a buyer for P40 million without authority to sell.

The CIDG identified the suspect as alias ‘Fannie,’ a widow and resident of Barangay Palanas, Ronda, Cebu.

The operation is in line with the CIDG’s flagship project, “OLEA,” an entrapment operation targeting alleged estafa under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code.

According to authorities, the operation was initiated after a prospective buyer named Vange complained about an alleged fake or fraudulent land transaction in Proper Bonsai, Barangay Bolinawan, Carcar City, Cebu.

CIDG said the suspect allegedly offered the land for P40 million and has already received a large amount as a down payment from the buyer.

However, the CIDG said it received information that the property may have already been sold or transferred to another person.

Fannie, meanwhile, presented documents as proof that the land was still in her name and that she could still sell it.

The CIDG coordinated with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR-CENRO) to verify the ownership and status of the property, including the authenticity of the documents presented.

Based on certification from DENR-Argao CENRO, the said land is covered by Free Patent Application No. 072214-217 in the name of Fannie.

However, the certification also stated that no patent had been issued for that property at the time of verification.

The arrested individual said that she did not sell land that did not belong to her and that she had already spent a lot of money to get it registered.

“Nangita ko og paagi para maka-transfer or maka-process ko ug maka-register nangita ko og kwarta, nangutang para makakuha ko anang yutaa,” Fannie said.

She added that the title to the property is still pending.

During the entrapment operation, a P1,000 bill used as dusted money, a bundle of paper representing P1 million, a Starbucks paper bag, a PSBank check, two types of ID, a Tecno smartphone, and a Contract to Sell were recovered from the suspect.

The authorities added that Fannie was previously arrested through a warrant of arrest for alleged estafa under Article 315, Paragraph 2(D) of the Revised Penal Code and was listed as a Regional Most Wanted Person Level 6.

The police have prepared the documents for the submission of the appropriate criminal complaint to the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office for inquest proceedings. Meanwhile, the arrested person is currently detained at the Custodial Facility of CIDG-7.

Angelo Que returns to the Philippine Golf Tour spotlight with his sights set on another championship, while Aidric Chan and multi-titled Clyde Mondilla also rejoin the hunt as a formidable field converges for the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic beginning Monday, September 21, at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club here.

Fresh from a 1-2 finish at Summit Point last week, Que and Chan had been uncertain about their participation in the sixth leg of the PGT as they were also campaigning in Taiwan. But after both failed to make the weekend cut, the two are expected to make the trip home in time for the opening round of the P2.5-million championship.

Mondilla, meanwhile, skipped the Summit Point stop to honor a previous commitment but has confirmed his return this week, further deepening an already talent-packed cast for the 10-leg circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

With three of the tour’s big guns back in the fold, defending champion Rupert Zaragosa’s bid for a third straight championship here faces another stern test at the tight and demanding Marapara layout.

Zaragosa headlines a field that also includes five-time Order of Merit winner Tony Lascuña, Jhonnel Ababa, Reymon Jaraula, Zanieboy Gilaon, Guido van der Valk, Fidel Concepcion and Jeffren Lumbo – a group whose contrasting styles and experience could make for another intriguing four-day battle.

The Marapara course is expected to put a premium on precision and course management, with its tight confines leaving little room for wayward shots. And with partly cloudy conditions, scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms forecast throughout the tournament week, the elements could further complicate the challenge.

Wind, in particular, could become a significant factor, forcing the players to constantly adjust their shot selection and strategy as they negotiate the layout over four rounds.

All that sets the stage for another wide-open title fight, with several players eager to make their move in the second half of the season.

Chan remains one of the biggest names to watch as he continues his search for his breakthrough PGT victory. The young shotmaker, who already won an Asian Development Tour leg, will again be tested against a deep field that includes Russell Bautista, Dino Villanueva, Elee Bisera, Nilo Salahog and Arnold Villacencio, along with foreign contenders Collin Wheeler, Ha Taewon, Kim Tae Soo, Lee Song and Jiseung Cheon.

Filipino-American Ivan Yabut also hopes to turn around a string of disappointing results and finally make a serious run at the championship after struggling to impose his game on the country’s demanding layouts.

Former leg winners Jay Bayron, Mars Pucay, Gerald Rosales, Jerson Balasabas, Ira Alido and Michael Bibat are likewise looking to rediscover the form that once made them regular title threats on the circuit.

The younger generation will also be out to make its presence felt, led by Gab Manotoc, Kristoffer Arevalo, Josh Jorge, Jonas Magcalayo and Leandro Bagtas. All five have shown flashes of potential and will be eager to get into contention early and sustain the pressure as the week progresses.

But much of the attention will inevitably center on Que.

At 47, the veteran remains as hungry as ever, and his recent results suggest that his competitive fire has hardly dimmed. A three-time Asian Tour winner, Que captured the Caliraya Springs leg in dramatic fashion, edging Lascuña by one stroke before following it up with another impressive victory at Summit Point, where he beat Chan by two.

Those triumphs have placed Que firmly in the spotlight as he goes after a third victory of the season – and another strong push toward retaining the Order of Merit crown.

More than anything, however, Que’s recent run has underscored the depth of his experience and his ability to adapt, qualities that could prove invaluable on a Marapara course where patience and precision are likely to be just as important as power.

For Zaragosa, the challenge is to keep his winning streak alive against a field that has become considerably stronger with the return of Que, Chan and Mondilla.

For the rest, it is an opportunity to seize the momentum as the PGT enters the second half of its 10-leg campaign.

And with the wind expected to swirl, rain potentially altering conditions and a loaded field ready to pounce, the Negros Occidental Classic could once again come down to who can best keep his game – and nerves – under control when the pressure mounts.

Senators are calling for immediate action following another school shooting incident, this time at a high school in South Cotabato that left three students dead on Friday.

‘I call on the executive department, the Department of Education, the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies: this is becoming repetitive! Do something about it,’ Sen. Bong Go said.

Go filed Senate Bill 2413 or the Safe Schools and Violence Prevention Bill, which provides for a National Safe Schools Framework covering anti-bullying measures, mental health support, campus access control, risk assessment and incident command for students and personnel, among others.

The bill is pending before the Senate committee on basic education chaired by Sen. Bam Aquino.

In his statement, Aquino condemned the latest school violence, which came on the heels of similar shootings in Tacloban City in June and in Zamboanga City in August.

‘We are calling on the government to quickly ensure the safety of our schools and communities for the welfare of students and teachers,’ he said.

Aquino is seeking the passage of the Comprehensive School Safety Act, which aims to require schools to bolster security by hiring more personnel and installing more closed-circuit televisions and metal detectors.

For her part, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said school shootings ‘cannot be our new normal.’

Authorities, Hontiveros said, should focus on different facets of child development, factoring in mental health, gun access and the prevalence of social media.

She also reiterated her warning on the dangers of nihilistic violent extremism (NVE), seen by law enforcers as a factor that triggered school shootings in Tacloban and Zamboanga.

Hontiveros cited the proposed SAGIP Bata Act, which seeks to require online platforms to appoint a Philippine representative authorized to receive subpoenas, take down orders, request for account information and other directives from the government.

‘But one measure will never be enough,’ Hontiveros said. ‘The government needs to do a real accounting of how we are failing our children.’

Neglect

For the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), the shooting at the Banga National High School (BNHS) in South Cotabato exposed government neglect of public schools.

‘Let us not blame teachers or video games for this tragedy simply to cover up the government’s negligence. We are in dire need of guidance counselors as well as mental health and psychosocial programs, yet where are they? Priority is instead given to drills and the deployment of police forces – who are also known for sowing violence,’ ACT Philippines chairperson Ruby Bernardo said.

She added that the prevalence of school violence cannot be separated from the chronic neglect the education sector has been suffering for long.

She noted that under the 2026 budget, the Department of Education created 10,000 School Counselor Associate (SCA) I positions translating to roughly one counselor associate for every 2,600 learners nationwide.

She said that while DepEd reported around 5,000 registered guidance counselors in early 2026, no more than 1,000 were actually employed across roughly 50,000 public schools.

‘With only one counselor for every 2,600 students nationwide – a situation where the number of counselors and school security personnel is already woefully inadequate – education funding is set to be slashed further,’ Bernardo said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) has promised to shoulder the hospital bills of the victims in the BNHS shooting.

‘We will assist. We will pay the bills. We will put it under MAIFIP (Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients) and the President will take care of it,’ DOH Undersecretary Mary Ann Maestral said.

The DOH is also deploying mental health teams to handle cases of trauma among students and teachers.

‘We take care of the mental health also, we have teams for that. They are ready. It depends where do the teachers want the debriefing to take place,’ Maestral said.

The well-attended reception celebrating the 81st anniversary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was full of diplomats, business leaders and friends of Vietnam. The size of the gathering was impressive, but what really resonated with me was the unmistakable confidence of a country that knows where it wants to go – and intends to get there quickly.

I have followed Vietnam’s progress for many years, yet I was still surprised by the scale of its economic ambition. Measured in nominal dollars, Vietnam is still roughly a half-trillion-dollar economy. But in purchasing-power terms, it has already crossed the trillion-dollar mark, and its leaders are openly pursuing double-digit growth and developed-country status by 2045. It is no longer merely an emerging market selling garments and footwear – it is becoming a major manufacturing, electronics and technology center.

The World Bank says Vietnam’s economy expanded by eight percent in 2025, the fastest in ASEAN, supported by exports and public investment. Despite global uncertainty, its growth momentum remains among the strongest in the region. Samsung, Intel, Foxconn and other international companies have made Vietnam an essential part of their production networks. Foreign-invested enterprises account for about 70 percent of its exports.

Vietnam’s advantage is not that it has no problems. It faces expensive infrastructure demands, energy constraints, an aging population, climate threats and the risk of depending too heavily on exports. Its political and economic systems are also very different from ours. We should not pretend that everything Vietnam does can or should be copied by the Philippines.

But one lesson is difficult to dispute: when Vietnam decides that an investment is strategically important, its government moves with urgency. Investors are given a clear signal about priorities, incentives, land, infrastructure and timelines. Government agencies are expected to coordinate rather than compete. When the global minimum tax threatened to reduce the value of traditional tax incentives, Vietnam worked on an investment support fund to help qualified high-technology projects with infrastructure, fixed assets and worker training. It did not simply complain that the rules had changed – it adjusted its offer.

That decisiveness shows in the numbers. According to the ASEAN Investment Report cited by the Asian Development Bank, Vietnam received about $20 billion in foreign direct investment in 2024, compared with $8.9 billion for the Philippines. We remain one of Asia’s faster-growing economies, but red tape, high electricity costs and weak infrastructure continue to hold us back. These are not new discoveries. Investors have been telling us the same things for years.

The Philippines has many advantages Vietnam would gladly have: a young, English-speaking workforce; a strategic location; rich mineral resources; democratic institutions; deep cultural ties with the United States and a large domestic market. We have passed important reforms and created attractive incentives. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has personally worked hard to bring major investors to the country. Our economic managers know what must be done.

Yet problems often begin after the announcements. A prospective investor hears strong assurances at the top, then encounters overlapping permits, changing interpretations, slow local approvals and agencies that don’t share the same timetable. Capital is patient only up to a point. A billion-dollar factory cannot wait indefinitely while papers travel from desk to desk. When another country can offer a credible decision, serviced land, reliable power and a firm schedule, the investment goes there – and so do the jobs, technology and supply chains.

The emerging Pax Silica initiative makes this competition even more urgent. Led by the US, Pax Silica seeks trusted and resilient supply chains for the age of artificial intelligence – from critical minerals and energy to semiconductors, data infrastructure and advanced manufacturing. The Philippines is already positioned within this effort, with Clark and our mineral resources offering enormous possibilities. Vietnam has also made clear it is ready to participate.

We should welcome Vietnam’s interest. Pax Silica should not be viewed as a contest in which one ASEAN neighbor must lose for another to win. Secure supply chains require several trusted locations. The real question is whether each country can convert diplomatic alignment into factories, laboratories, power projects, training programs and employment.

Vietnam will arrive at the table with a powerful proposition: scale, speed, manufacturing experience and disciplined execution, while the Philippines offers talent, resources, strategic geography and one of America’s strongest alliances. On paper, our hand is excellent. But investors do not place billions of dollars on paper advantages. They invest where decisions become permits, where permits become construction and where construction begins on time.

We should therefore establish a true fast lane for strategic investments – not another committee, but a single empowered mechanism with fixed deadlines and accountable officials. Incentives must be competitive, but certainty is often the greatest incentive of all. Power, ports, roads, digital connectivity and skilled workers must be prepared before investors ask for them. And once the President gives the green light, the rest of government must move in the same direction.

At Vietnam’s anniversary reception, the atmosphere was celebratory, but the underlying message was serious. Eighty-one years after independence, Vietnam is not looking backward. It is measuring the distance to its next factory, its next technology hub and its next stage of national development.

Filipinos should admire that achievement without becoming discouraged. The Philippines can move just as fast, and perhaps even faster. But opportunity does not wait for bureaucracy to finish deliberating. In the race for investment, countries that decide today build tomorrow. Those that delay might one day discover that tomorrow has already been built somewhere else – in the end, it’s our children’s future that may be gone forever.

BC) Cheetahs aim to extend their best-ever start to 4-0 as they take on the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 26 basketball tournament today (Sunday, September 20) at the Cebu Coliseum.

Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.

The Cheetahs are coming off a 67-50 whacking of the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters last September 15 that propelled them to solo leadership in the college division with a clean 3-0 slate.

Before downing the Webmasters, the Cheetahs also rolled past the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers and the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu Fighting Maroons.

The Cheetahs will face the 2-1 Wildcats, who are looking to bounce back from a loss to the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM).

The Wildcats opened their campaign with back-to-back victories over the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars and UP Cebu Fighting Maroons before their hot streak was halted by the Dondon Hontiveros-mentored UCLM.

In the other collegiate matchup, the UC Webmasters hope to rebound from their setback against the Cheetahs as they tackle the USPF Panthers in the 5 p.m. main game.

The Webmasters currently carry a 3-1 record, while the Panthers are 1-2.

In the juniors division, reigning five-peat champions Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles shoot for their second straight win as they square off against the USPF Baby Panthers at 2 p.m.

The Magis Eagles kicked off their bid for a historic double grand slam with a 61-56 beating of the University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers a week ago.

The Baby Lancers will try to recover from that early debacle as they lock horns with the 1-1 San Carlos School of Cebu (SCSC) Baby Warriors in the 12:30 p.m. opener.

The impeachment court trying Vice President Sara Duterte may defer resolving the voting threshold question to give senators more time to study the issue, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said yesterday.

Sen. Erwin Tulfo’s motion sought to clarify before the impeachment court where the two-thirds vote to convict Duterte would be based: all 24 members of the Senate or only those who actively participated throughout the trial.

Presiding officer Francis Escudero set the schedule to decide on Tulfo’s motion on Wednesday.

Before deciding, both the prosecution and defense panels will engage in oral arguments to debate the issue, with senators given time for interjections.

Four friends of the court, or amici curiae, provided insights last week to help the impeachment court arrive at a decision.

For Lacson, the complexities of the matter will be difficult to digest in a couple of minutes or hours.

A senator may put forward a motion to defer the voting – at the earliest, the following week, which is from Sept. 28 to 30 – ‘if the arguments are still unclear for some of us.’

‘I’d like to think that we will be given time to sleep over it to dissect everything that will be tackled in the oral arguments,’ Lacson said over radio dzMM. ‘Maybe it won’t be enough that after the oral arguments, we will immediately vote.’

Sen. JV Ejercito also prefers a deferral, saying non-lawyers like him should have time to study everything.

‘It’s good to hear arguments from legal luminaries, so it’s a big thing for us for our appreciation so we can make the right decision,’ Ejercito said over radio dwIZ.

‘What’s important to us is that we should not make mistakes in this decision. We should not violate the Constitution, so we should be given more time to study,’ he added.

According to impeachment court spokesman Regie Tongol, it will need 11 affirmative votes to overturn Escudero’s original rule that 16 votes are needed to convict the Vice President.

Currently, Sens. Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta are detained for separate plunder charges, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa is hiding from an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court and Sen. Loren Legarda is abroad to treat her serious lung illness.

This leaves only 20 senator-judges actively participating in the trial.

The Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) is pushing for the creation of anti-bullying desks and the installation of dedicated alarm systems as part of measures to strengthen school security following 19 threats investigated across Cebu since July.

CPPO Director Police Col. Abubakar Mangelan Jr. made the recommendations during the Cebu Provincial Board’s regular session on September 14, where partner agencies were invited to discuss school safety and preparedness.

Mangelan said the proposed anti-bullying desks should be supported not only by police but also by barangay officials, school authorities, parent-teacher associations (PTAs), and student governments.

He said the setup would ensure that addressing bullying and related concerns would not become a one-person responsibility for the police.

Aside from anti-bullying desks, Mangelan proposed that schools install an alarm system specifically intended for shooting incidents.

The proposal forms part of the CPPO’s recommendations for schools to improve their ability to immediately alert authorities and school communities in case of a serious security threat.

19 threats across province

According to Mangelan, the CPPO investigated 19 school threat incidents from July to September, involving schools in 15 local government units.

The incidents were recorded in Argao, Bantayan, Barili, Bogo, Carcar, Carmen, Consolacion, Cordova, Danao, Liloan, Pinamungajan, San Fernando, San Remigio, and Talisay City.

Carcar, Liloan, and San Fernando each recorded two incidents, while Talisay City recorded three. The other areas recorded one incident each.

Of the 19 incidents, police identified 13 suspects and brought them to police stations for investigation. Nine of those identified suspects were minors, Mangelan said.

He said this was the reason police were unable to file charges against the nine children.

Three arrests made

Mangelan said police arrested three persons in connection with the incidents in Bantayan, Pinamungajan, and Toledo.

In Pinamungajan, police confiscated a .357 revolver during the investigation, while the Toledo incident involved a bomb joke.

For the four incidents where suspects have yet to be identified, Mangelan said the investigation remains ongoing with the assistance of the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit (RACU). He added that police were working to identify those who posted the threats on social media.

Mangelan said police also identified a pattern in several of the incidents they investigated.

‘Most of these incidents or threats that have been directed towards our schools were some of the students or the schools are about to take their exams, or paperworks submission,’ he said.

These circumstances, he said, were among the motives uncovered by police during their investigations.

Mangelan described the practice as a possible ‘modus operandi’ among some students who wanted their schools to suspend classes.

‘This is some sort which become a modus operandi for some of our students wherein the particular school not to suspend their schools – they will have the threats,’ he said.

Interventions for minors

Mangelan said minors who were identified and investigated were subjected to interventions, depending on the availability of facilities in their respective areas.

In areas with Municipal Social Welfare and Development (MSWD) facilities, the students underwent interventions. Those in areas without such facilities were referred to the community intervention program.

In the Pinamungajan case involving the confiscated revolver, the student was subjected to a discernment test by the municipal social worker.

Mangelan said police were still waiting for the disposition of the case to determine whether a case could be filed against the child or the guardian who admitted that the firearm belonged to him.

Mangelan said the CPPO had already manifested its proposal for the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to become part of school boards.

He also called for school authorities to be included in decision-making processes so police could validate information concerning possible threats.

Mangelan also said the CPPO, which has a total force of more than 3,000, could commit 50% of its troops to secure schools under threat. Through Gov. Pamela Baricuatro, the CPPO also proposed a one-police-officer-per-school security deployment.

He further proposed that schools conduct an inventory during enrollment, giving students an opportunity to declare whether their parents are members of law enforcement or privately licensed gun owners, which police could use for monitoring purposes.

The recommendations were raised as the provincial government implements Baricuatro’s executive order, namely, the Cebu Safe Schools Program and the Cebu Safe School Committee.

Board Member Sanchez said the discussion was intended to identify gaps and strengthen preparations for threats against students and teachers.

‘We hope it never happens in Cebu but hope alone is not enough, we must be prepared,’ said Sanchez.

Police and military forces are jointly guarding against possible retaliation by remnants of two regional terror groups that lost seven members in an encounter in Barangays Manaulanan and Balong in Tugunan town, Bangsamoro Special Geographic Area, early Saturday, September 19.

Tugunan is one of eight predominantly Moro towns in the Bangsamoro Special Geographic Area, which is under the Bangsamoro regional government but geographically located within Cotabato province in Region 12.

The gunmen killed in clashes in Sitio Gawang in Barangay Manaulanan and nearby farming enclaves in Tugunan were among the few remaining members of the Dawlah Islamiya and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters who had not availed themselves of the joint reconciliation program of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for violent religious extremists.

Barangay officials, traditional Moro community leaders in Tugunan and municipal police personnel said the gunfights in Sitio Gawang left seven gunmen dead. They were identified as Mumin Haron, Haymin Taib, Dagkungan Musa, Norodin Baskie, Abdullah Dalimbang, Abdulrahim Dalimbang and another gunman whose body was found on Sunday at one of the encounter sites. Police investigators are still working to establish his identity.

Local executives and traditional Moro leaders told reporters on Sunday that the series of deadly encounters in Tugunan on Saturday first erupted in Sitio Gawang in Barangay Manaulan, involving combined policemen and soldiers and remaining wanted members of the now-defunct Dawlah Islamiya and BIFF. The clashes subsequently spread to nearby farming enclaves in the municipality.

Tugunan Mayor Abdulbayan Abas had told reporters that outlaw groups operating in the municipality are led by three commanders: Mama Lilah Tanageb, Zoria Mulod and Theng Saddam. All three are wanted for alleged involvement in heinous crimes and are known for allegedly collecting “protection money” from villagers on a regular basis.

‘The police-military law-enforcement operation against those wanted persons in our municipality was legitimate. It targeted persons wanted for criminal cases pending in courts,’ Abas said.

Officials of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and the Army’s 6th Infantry Division separately told reporters on Saturday afternoon, after the encounter in Sitio Gawang, that the targets of the search operation opened fire first at soldiers and policemen approaching their location, triggering an intense exchange of gunfire.

Brig. Gen. Ricky Bunayog, acting commander of 6th ID, said the anti-terror operation in Tugunan involved personnel of various units, including the Maguindanao del Norte Provincial Police Office, Tugunan Municipal Police Station, the Army’s 61st Reconnaissance Company, and the 40th and 7th Infantry Battalions and the 602nd Infantry Brigade, all under his command.

Attack helicopters from Tactical Operations Group 12 of the Philippine Air Force provided air support to soldiers and police officers as they exchanged gunfire with members of Dawlah Islamiya and the BIFF along the boundary of Barangays Manaulanan and Balong, forcing the militants to flee while carrying five wounded companions.

Villagers in Tugunan had asked officials of the 6th ID and the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region to protect them from possible harassment by remaining members of Dawlah Islamiya and the BIFF seeking to avenge the deaths of seven of their companions during Saturday’s clashes in Barangays Manaulanan and Balong.

Bunayog and PRO-BAR director Police Brig. Gen, Chistopher Abecia separately said that some of the units involved in Saturday’s law-enforcement operation in Tugunan would remain in the municipality to protect residents from possible retaliatory attacks by remnants of the Dawlah Islamiya and the BIFF. The groups have been accused of targeting civilians in retaliation for losses during encounters with the police military forces.

In our Gospel today (Matthew 20:1-16a), a landowner goes out at dawn, nine o’clock, noon, three o’clock, and five o’clock to hire day laborers for his vineyard. That’s already very strange. Why doesn’t the landowner delegate this task to his foreman? (We know he has one because later in the story, a foreman does enter the scene.) Stranger still is how all the laborers get the exact same pay no matter how long they worked.

A lady I study the Bible with commented, ‘If you do this in the corporate world, you are asking for trouble.’ She’s right… but this Gospel passage isn’t meant to be a blueprint for HR policy. This is a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven. Even so, this can challenge us to make our workplaces look a little more like God’s reign.

Many corporations in the SandP 500 index have CEO-to-worker pay ratios in the hundreds-and even thousands-to one. Based on publicly available data which SandP firms are required to file, one restaurant leader earned 31 million dollars in 2025 while a median employee received only around 17 thousand dollars. (I leave it up to you to search the Internet to find out what company this is and who its CEO is.) To put that into perspective, for every dollar a member of the frontline staff was compensated, the top executive got $1,794. And that’s not the worst figure. One automotive manufacturer has a pay gap in the millions to one. (You can probably guess what car company this is.)

Now, I can understand why a CEO is given a higher salary. The responsibility is immense, the pressure is constant, and there is competition for talent. But paying somebody in the corner office thousands-or even millions-of times more than those who keep the business running daily feels scandalous. The more that flows to the top, the less remains for those at the bottom.

I mentioned SandP above. A bit of trivia that would be funny if it weren’t so tragic: SandP stands for Standard and Poor.

The economic landscape I just described was not the situation during Jesus’ time, but the reality back then was no less dire. There were day laborers standing at street corners, enduring the blistering sun, and worrying about getting work. If no one hired them, they would have no food for their families that night.

Why did the vineyard owner in our parable pay everyone the full daily wage regardless of how many hours they toiled? It was because no matter how long they labored, they and their families still needed to eat. The master was not measuring their output; he was providing for their daily bread.

The early-morning crew grumbled against both the owner and the late arrivals. To paraphrase their grievance: ‘How are we equal to those who put in only a single hour? We bore the day’s burden and heat!’

But the landowner recognized that each person he called was equal in need. Another member of my Bible study group realized, ‘I would rather be under the sun working than under the sun but not working.’ I couldn’t agree more. Those left waiting until five o’clock might not have been carrying heavy baskets of grapes, but they bore an even heavier burden: the agonizing anxiety of having no food to bring home that night. They weren’t lounging around lazily the whole day. In my imagination, they were pacing up and down the street, desperate to offer their strength, if only someone would give them a chance.

Now, wouldn’t the vineyard owner have avoided trouble if he had paid those he hired at dawn first? They would have left after getting their wages and would have never known how much the others were paid. But the master wanted them to see what he was doing because he was also a teacher.

What did the landowner want these workers to learn?

The version of the story we hear at Mass has the master asking the disgruntled laborers, ‘Are you envious because I am generous?’ A more literal translation of the original Greek can be, ‘Is your eye evil because I am good?’ The ‘evil eye’ was a Jewish idiom about feeling envious or begrudging another person’s good fortune. Why weren’t the early-morning hires happy for the late arrivals? Why didn’t they just say, ‘Thank God you and your families will eat tonight!’

Envy begins when you see what others have. Behind envy lurks the insidious attitude of ‘I deserve more.’ The ‘evil eye’ is also an eye that blinds. It prevents you from seeing what you have. It blocks you from realizing what others need. We see the same ‘evil eye’ rolling in resentment in the parable of the prodigal son (see Luke 15: 11-32) when the older son confronted his father angrily, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.’ The older son couldn’t see what he already had. The father had to remind him, ‘My son, you are here with me always.’ The older son couldn’t see what the younger son needed after being hungry for so long-not just a fattened calf but a reassurance of the father’s love.

The ‘evil eye’ of the grumbling workers couldn’t see that they had already received what they were promised. The ‘evil eye’ focused more on what they thought they were entitled to. The ‘evil eye’ was blind to the hunger of the other workers.

Our parable today ends with the vineyard owner telling the disgruntled laborers, ‘Take what is yours and go.’ But in my mind’s eye, the next day, the master himself, not just any foreman, will call them again at dawn. Why not a foreman? A foreman looks for labor, but the master seeks relationships. He will hope that they come to him at once and see that being with the master is already a reward in itself. The longer you are with him, the more blessed you are. If they refuse-because they have realized they can come later and still get the same pay-the master will try to call them again at nine o’clock, at noon… and so on…. The master will try to call them not just five times, but, as we learned last week, seventy-seven times. My proof for this: When the ungrateful workers grumbled against the master, how did the master address them? ‘My friend.’

Your prayer assignment this week:

The original audience of the Gospel according to Matthew were Jews who had long lived under the Law and borne the responsibility of keeping the covenant. They probably saw themselves as the workers who started laboring at dawn. The workers hired at the ‘eleventh hour’ represented the Gentiles who were entering the Kingdom late. But no matter when they were called to the vineyard, now they were all saved. No one was ‘more saved’ than another. There are no first class or economy seats in the Kingdom. There are no tiers in Heaven.

You probably just guessed our reflection song this week: Eric Clapton’s ‘Tears in Heaven’. But change ‘tears’ to ‘tiers.’

Now, imagine the people you have yet to forgive: ex-friends who have hurt you and abused your trust or even politicians who have stolen your taxes and betrayed public trust. If they repent, because of God’s mercy, they can be welcomed into Heaven. Imagine meeting them there.

Imagine them asking you now:

Would you hold my hand

If I saw you in Heaven?

Would you help me stand

If I saw you in Heaven?

If you cross paths then choose to turn away or ignore each other, I think that is not yet Heaven. Why?

Justin Kenneth Carandang of GMA News Online was elected new president of the Collegiate Press Corps for the 2026-27 athletic season, which covers UAAP Season 89 and NCAA Season 102.

Carandang steps up as new head of the unified media organization after previously serving as its Vice President for Internal Affairs following elections held on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Joining Carandang in the new CPC leadership are Julio Gabriel Sampedro of UAAP Varsity Channel as VP for internal affairs, Luisa Morales of One Sports as VP for UAAP, Rom Anzures of ABS-CBN News as VP for NCAA and John Mark Garcia of SPIN.ph as secretary.

The new Board of Directors is composed of Theodore Jurado of People’s Journal, Ivan Suing of Daily Tribune, Abby Toralba of Malaya Business Insight, Niel Victor Masoy of The Manila Times and Ralph Villanueva of Philstar.com.

‘I would like to thank the Collegiate Press Corps for putting their trust in us. We will strive to become better storytellers as we put the journeys of our student-athletes into the spotlight,’ said the 33-year-old Carandang.

The UAAP and NCAA Press Corps were unified in 2022 to bring together members of traditional and digital media covering both leagues.

The organization has since expanded its programs and projects beyond game coverage, including its annual Awards Night recognizing standout collegiate athletes and coaches across basketball, volleyball and football.

Meanwhile, former CPC presidents Joey Villar of The Star, Norman Lee Benjamin Riego of SPIN.ph, Randolph Leongson and John Bryan Ulanday of The Star, as well as Camille Naredo of ABS-CBN News will serve as advisers to guide the new set of officers.

‘We would also like to thank those who came before us. We stand on the shoulders of the great leaders and members who helped shape the organization into what it is today,’ Carandang added.