Category: Philippine Star

In Norway some years back, at a money-changing counter at the airport upon arrival, the teller turned down our group of all Filipinos. He refused to take our dollars and change them to the local currency.

The Philippines, he reminded us then, was still on the list of money launderers. We managed to finally exit the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force gray list last year.

That experience at the airport in Oslo was embarrassing but it was almost trivial compared to what our hard-working overseas Filipinos experienced when we were on the FATF gray list – the high cost of sending money to the Philippines and the increased scrutiny.

Now, seeing how much money was stolen through flood-control kickbacks, it’s surprising we even made it out of the gray list, which identifies countries that have deficiencies in fighting money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.

I wouldn’t be surprised if our country finds itself falling back onto the FATF list again.

This is where the government, through the Anti-Money Laundering Council, must step up the fight against this crime of cleaning dirty money.

This is one way to prevent our elected politicians from stealing public funds.

The AMLC must go after those who helped launder the billions of kickbacks in maletas upon maletas.

There are many low-key individuals but are actually very instrumental in cleaning money for the famous and the infamous, sources said.

Who is this launderer?

In the business grapevine, for instance, there’s wild talk that an Indian-Filipino businessman has been laundering money for high-profile individuals.

This individual’s business has been previously linked to some lawmakers allegedly involved in the flood-control mess, but the individual has denied such ties.

In any case, the AMLC must look into how the whole systemic kickbacks scheme happened with the help of professional launderers.

Let’s take the case against former House speaker Martin Romualdez filed by the Office of the Ombudsman before the Sandiganbayan.

According to the charges, Romualdez received cash deliveries from Zaldy Co’s personnel at least 15 times from September 2022 until 2025.

This was for the monthly P2-billion quota or collection imposed by Romualdez on Co, according to the Office of the Ombudsman’s Sept. 7 briefer.

Nearly P5 billion from the amassed funds was used by Romualdez to establish various shell or dummy companies, such as Golden Pheasant Holdings Corp., Braavos Holdings OPC and Valiant Consolidated Resources Inc. Money was purportedly exchanged into other currencies with the help of Felicito Guevarra, who owns a foreign exchange company, according to the briefer.

The various shell companies served as a channel to transfer the money around and allow Romualdez to acquire other properties, companies and assets. These include a property on Tamarind Road in Forbes Park, Makati, valued at P1.5 billion, as well as the house on Narra St. in Forbes Park purchased by Trans Middle East, a corporation owned by the Romualdez family, the Office of the Ombudsman also said.

To be fair to the AMLC, it has already frozen the assets of many lawmakers, including Romualdez.

But what is also needed is to follow the money trail and go after those helping in the whole laundering process – lawyers, money changers and lenders. They are the ones who clean dirty money for politicians.

This is what the AMLC must do with fervor. Otherwise, stealing taxpayers’ money through kickbacks will be too easy for lawmakers and politicians, easier than their real jobs.

What’s next for UP Los Baños?

From a national scandal, allow me to move to campus politics.

All eyes will be on the University of the Philippines’ Board of Regents as it selects the next UP Los Baños chancellor on Sept. 24.

The choice before them extends far beyond an administrative assignment.

I am not from UPLB but I have visited the campus many times and have seen its progress.

As most of us know, UPLB is the nation’s premier engine for agricultural research, food security and climate resilience.

It houses an unmatched concentration of scientific talent charged with solving some of the country’s most pressing systemic crises.

Given the magnitude of that mandate, the defining variable in this selection process is time.

A UP chancellor serves a three-year term and in university governance, three years can pass in a flash.

When a new leader takes office, the inevitable learning curve can take months. After all, one needs to settle down, navigate the administrative maze, establish rapport and, most importantly, understand complex projects.

Most candidates bring valid qualifications but immediate readiness is equally important.

Maintaining momentum

This is where a good incumbent is ideal.

Having led UPLB for the past six years with zeal and competence, incumbent Chancellor Prof. Jose Camacho Jr. or Chancy Dong brings an established understanding of the university’s operational terrain.

During a period marked by expanding international academic partnerships and the establishment of high-level facilities such as the KOICA genetics research center, maintaining established momentum is critical.

Ideally, capitalizing on these complex global research linkages requires leadership that is already active within those networks.

As such, the Board of Regents faces a fundamental question: should UPLB press pause to allow for an administrative transition, or should it maintain its current trajectory without losing a single day?

The question comes at a critical time for our country when it is facing a food security issue and a changing climate.

The 16-year-old Grade 9 student who went on a shooting rampage at the Banga National High School in South Cotabato on Friday was suffering from depression and was exposed to the deep dark web, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla disclosed yesterday.

Citing an initial report from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Remulla said the suspect, who killed two schoolmates and wounded eight others before shooting himself dead, had been viewing a website which promotes violence.

‘We will not name the website but again, he was into the deep dark web, which influenced him,’ Remulla said during a news briefing at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Investigation showed that the suspect used a firearm owned by his father, a disaster risk mitigation officer of the Department of Education (DepEd). It was not clear if the firearm was licensed or government-issued.

Probers examined the suspect’s cell phone and found several notes detailing his bout with depression, an issue which his parents had discovered last April.

Remulla said the parents tried to address the suspect’s mental issues but could not prevent the deadly incident from taking place.

It also appeared that the suspect had planned to carry out the attack for quite some time but had no specific target in mind.

‘He left a note saying he was planning to do it but didn’t know whom to shoot. It was just random on his part,’ Remulla said.

At around 1 p.m. on Friday, the student entered a classroom and shot several students with a Taurus .9mm caliber pistol, which had been kept in his father’s safety box that the suspect forcibly opened.

Two students died while eight others were wounded, two in critical condition, in the attack.

The latest school-shooting incident came after similar attacks in Tacloban in June and in Zamboanga City in August, which left five students dead and scores wounded.

The suspect in South Cotabato concealed the firearm on his back, which was not spotted by the school’s security guard, who inspected his bag. Two police officers were stationed outside the school providing security.

In the wake of the latest school-shooting, Remulla will meet with officials from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and Congress for the crafting of a law which would limit the use of social media platforms to minors. He expressed concern that children can easily access the websites which espouses satanism, nihilism, and other forms of violence encouraging users to commit crimes.

‘This is the fault of a young man who was influenced by the deep dark web. We should not put blame on anyone and rather we should have sympathy and empathy,’ Remulla said.

The DICT, for its part, said it is ready to provide assistance in terms of communications and technical support.

It also urged the public from sharing graphic videos and images in connection with the incident.

‘Let us respect the privacy and dignity of the victims and their families while allowing authorities to conduct a thorough investigation,’ the DICT said in a statement.

Planned attack

Education Sonny Angara visited the BNHS campus yesterday and reiterated the need to tighten security in schools to prevent such incidents, also stressing the need for metal detectors to prevent guns or other deadly weapons from being brought in.

Angara said he was still waiting for the official report from investigators.

Angara said the attacker had left a letter stating he knew that what he had planned to do was wrong, but still carried out the attack.

The suspect had long planned the attack and his friends knew about it.

Banga Mayor Albert Palencia and South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. separately told reporters yesterday that the suspect’s phone had a Messenger group chat where he had told classmates that he planned to kill schoolmates inside their campus, and hinted of family and personal problems.

Tamayo said the BNHS campus employed 11 security guards but the suspect, described as an intelligent student, managed to avoid detection.

The suspect’s father is a DepEd Region 12 employee and had jurisdiction over schools in South Cotabato and the three other provinces and four cities in Region 12.

‘According to one of the Messenger group chats with his friends, he planned the atrocity in August. He had told his friends then he was to execute his plan on Sept. 3, but did not push it through,’ Palencia said.

The attacker had told his friends, in his last chat with them, not to attend classes on Friday because he was proceeding with his plan to kill schoolmates with a gun, according to Palencia.

Barangay officials and teachers told reporters that the suspect entered the campus during noon break, barged into classrooms and shot students.

Then he pointed his gun to his head and killed himself.

Palencia said the attacker reportedly got a low grade in one of his subjects in their most recent grading period.

A female student who was shot died instantly while a male student, who was also shot, died in the hospital. Six other students were wounded in the incident, and are now confined in different hospitals.

Tamayo tasked the South Cotabato Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction to extend assistance and essential relief to the wounded.

DepEd employee

The DepEd has confirmed that the father of the suspect, whose identity is being withheld, is an employee of DepEd Region 12.

Angara, the DepEd chief, said the police have yet to determine possible liability of the father, who owned the gun that was used in the shooting.

‘We respect the jurisdiction of the PNP here in the criminal aspect. We are just waiting for the findings of the PNP. How did the gun get in, how did the child get the gun,’ Angara said.

Angara said he will allow the official investigation to establish the facts and take appropriate action should administrative liability under DepEd rules be determined, while coordinating with authorities on separate firearm laws.

‘For us, our concern is the safety of the children, their return, when classes will resume, etc.,’ Angara added.

Angara proposed the creation of a Joint School Safety Task Force with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the PNP to conduct site-specific security audits across public schools nationwide.

Angara said the move was in response to the directive of President Marcos following a deadly shooting at Banga National High School, the third fatal campus shooting over the last three months.

‘In line with the President’s directive, DepEd will work with DILG and PNP to review the measures already implemented following previous incidents and identify remaining gaps in school safety,’ Angara said, who personally visited Banga National High School on Saturday.

President Marcos directed DepEd, DILG, and the PNP to submit an assessment report recommending concrete policy measures to prevent future campus violence.

‘This operational framework is not intended to create another permanent bureaucracy, but rather to bring the agencies together to assess specific risks, identify gaps, and recommend concrete interventions.

‘Since the circumstances and vulnerabilities of schools may differ from one area to another, we need to assess risks on the ground and identify interventions appropriate to each school and community,’ Angara added.

He said the proposed joint task force will evaluate critical campus security areas, including physical access control, threat reporting, emergency response, and local law enforcement coordination.

‘I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. No parent should have to experience this kind of pain, and no child should be afraid to go to school,’ Angara said.

Angara was accompanied by other DepEd officials as they assisted the victims and coordinated closely with local authorities and law enforcement to investigate the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

‘We remain unwavering in our commitment to securing our learning institutions nationwide,’ the DepEd said.

Videos taken down

Acting on the government request, Meta has started removing on its social media platforms videos related to Friday’s deadly shooting.

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center said they coordinated with Meta to take down videos which spread on Facebook immediately after the shooting occurred.

‘The videos circulating were immediately taken down, and the accounts sharing the videos were blocked,’ CICC executive director Undersecretary Renato Paraiso said.

The CICC’s threat monitoring center is still tracking down activities or contents related to the shooting.

Paraiso expressed condolences to the victims’ families and also urged the public to refrain from sharing on their social media accounts videos and photographs of the shooting.

He warned that reposting contents related to the incident could inspire other people to carry out attacks on school campuses.

‘It may cause fear, confusion and may trigger copycat violence,’ Paraiso said as he called on parents and guardians to regularly monitor the activities of their children online, including interaction with other groups on the internet and private chats.

Three Baguio fighters are locked and loaded to make a splash in the debut of mixed martial arts at the Inae Sports Center in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games starting today.

Jean Claude (The Dynamite) Saclag, 31, takes to the mat in the 65kg traditional event while Carlos (Limitless) Alvarez, 27, battles in the 77kg traditional division and Gina (Conviction) Araos, 37, sees action in the 54kg modern class in quarterfinal matches today. Winners advance to the semifinals tomorrow and survivors go for gold on Tuesday.

The trio qualified for the Asiad through the qualifying 4th Asian Mixed Martial Arts Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, last May. Saclag and Araos won gold medals while Alvarez settled for bronze. Saclag’s victory was spectacular as he stopped Zhussupov Chingiz of Kazakhstan in the first round.

Traditional MMA fighters wear a gi, shin pads, open-finger gloves, mouthguards and groin guards (for men). Modern fighters wear shorts and rash guards (sleeveless for men, sleeved for women) insead of a gi. In Nagoya, the MMA coaches are Richard Lasprilla, Lester del Rosario and Rex de Lara.

MMA coach and practitioner Franco Rulloda is the only Filipino on the roster of the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Organization supervising the Nagoya event. He is a lecturer for sports federations regarding rules and regulations with the added responsibility of creating more MMA officials.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla is delaying his trip to France to block the asylum bid of former lawmaker Zaldy Co.

Remulla cited two reasons for the slight delay, another deadly shooting in a school in Banga, South Cotabato that left the shooter, a Grade 9 student, and two other students dead and eight others injured.

Another factor are documentary requirements from the International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol, but Remulla did not provide further details on these documents.

‘I would have to delay my trip to France by two weeks or three weeks to finish this,’ Remulla said at a news briefing in Camp Crame yesterday.

Remulla earlier said he will meet with Interpol officials in Lyon to follow through on the government’s request for a red notice alert on Co, who is facing warrants of arrest for plunder, graft and malversation before the Sandiganbayan.

Remulla will report to President Marcos on Monday about the guidelines he is crafting with the Department of Education on school safety measures.

It is rambutan season in the Philippines!

Rambutan’s main harvest season is from August to October. The red, hairy fruit that opens up to a translucent white flesh, which you bite off from a single big seed, is in great abundance at this time of the year and therefore sells at an affordable price.

You know it is in season when you see rambutan being sold in markets and supermarkets, offered by neighborhood online sellers for free delivery, and peddled by street vendors everywhere possible.

Some varieties give you a bit of work, as part of the hard covering of the seed tends to stick to the flesh and come off with it when you take a bite, but tuklapin varieties, where the sweet flesh easily separates from the seed, are now available for easy and effortless consumption.

Major harvests of rambutan during this peak season come from Southern Luzon, including Batangas and Laguna, as well as from Mindanao, Mindoro, and Palawan. A fruit native to Southeast Asia, it got its name from the Malay word that means hair because of its appearance. Its look and taste reminds you of the lychee fruit, and rightly so because they are relatives. It is also related to the fruit longan.

Rambutan offers many health benefits, so it should be a light and healthy fruit to indulge in. Rich in vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds, it is a good source of Vitamin C, which helps the body absorb dietary iron. It also serves as an antioxidant, thus protecting the body against free radicals, and its copper content assists in the proper growth and maintenance of heart, bone, and brain cells.

The fruit also contains potassium, calcium, carbohydrates, protein, and iron. It comes with a good amount of fiber, which helps promote good digestion and address the problem of constipation.

The ‘Degree Behind Bars’ program of Mandaue City College (MCC) drew the attention of local college presidents in Central Visayas as they explored initiatives that could be adapted by other institutions.

Association of Local Colleges and Universities in Region 7 (ALCU-7) Chairman Dr. Richel Bacaltos, president of Talisay City College, said the group looked into how MCC provides persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) an opportunity to pursue higher education while serving their sentences.

ALCU-7 members visited MCC on September 16 as part of its 13th quarterly meeting held in Mandaue City.

‘Mao na ang among tan-awon dinhi og giunsa nila… tingali ma-apply namo ang among nakat-unan sa pagbisita sa Mandaue City College,’ Bacaltos said.

He said the visit allowed members of the association to learn from MCC’s experience and examine how the program could potentially be applied in other local colleges.

Around 21 presidents of local colleges and universities from Cebu and Bohol took part in the two-day meeting, with eight representatives from Cebu and 13 from Bohol.

Bacaltos said the quarterly gathering also served as an avenue for local colleges to exchange experiences and discuss concerns that they commonly face.

‘We establish partnership, ingon ani benchmarking aron sa usa’g usa makakat-on mi,’ he said.

Among the challenges faced by local colleges, according to Bacaltos, are financial constraints and compliance with the standards and requirements of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

‘These are all challenges nga atong giatubang sa mga local colleges,’ Bacaltos said.

The association also discussed micro-credentialing with CHED and other initiatives related to student development.

Before the MCC visit, the college presidents met with Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Jovito ‘Jonkie’ Ouano at City Hall on September 15.

Bacaltos said ALCU-7’s regular meetings provide member institutions with opportunities to establish partnerships and learn from programs and practices implemented by other local colleges

Volunteer divers took to the waters off Lapu-Lapu City yesterday to retrieve and document marine debris as the city marked International Coastal Cleanup 2026 through its annual Scubasurero marine cleanup.

The activity, dubbed ‘Scubasurero 2026: Diving for Clean Seas, Building Resilient Communities’, brought together city officials, environmental groups, private-sector partners and volunteer divers who conducted an underwater cleanup along the Hilutungan Channel.

Led by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) and Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Ma. Cynthia ‘Cindi’ King Chan, the activity focused not only on removing submerged waste but also on documenting the types of debris found in the city’s coastal waters.

The initiative forms part of the city’s Adopt-a-Reef advocacy and its ‘Atong Dagat, Atong Ugma’ campaign.

Chan said protecting the city’s marine ecosystems is closely linked to the livelihood of fisherfolk, coastal communities and tourism workers, as well as the city’s marine biodiversity.

She also urged residents to prevent household waste from reaching canals, waterways, and the sea.

‘Kung kita mismo magmatngon sa atong basura ug dili nato kini itugyan ngadto sa atong mga kanal, sapa, baybayon, ug dagat, dako kaayo ang atong ikatabang sa pagpanalipod sa atong kadagatan,’ she said.

The Scubasurero activity concluded with a ceremonial pledge board signing, reaffirming the participating groups’ commitment to continued ocean conservation efforts.

Among those present were Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-7 Regional Executive Director Laudemir Salac, CENRO head Jocelyn Abayan, representatives of the Philippine Coast Guard, environmental groups, diving organizations, hotels, and other private-sector partners.

The city also joined the simultaneous cleanup organized by the DENR-7 in partnership with CENRO.

Fifteen designated coastal cleanup areas across mainland and island barangays were mobilized for the activity, drawing participation from national government agencies, city and barangay officials, schools, environmental organizations, private companies, and volunteers.

The 2026 cleanup carries the theme ‘Clean Seas for Resilient Communities.’

During the activity at Bridge Park in Barangay Pajo, Chan said the city’s coastal protection efforts extend beyond annual cleanup drives and include waste management, mangrove rehabilitation, marine conservation, and environmental monitoring.

Lapu-Lapu City Lone District Representative Junard ‘Ahong’ Chan, meanwhile, called for sustained coastal protection efforts, particularly among young people.

‘This is something we need to do regularly. Let us also teach our children and young people the importance of caring for our environment,’ he said.

Salac also stressed that coastal cleanup should be accompanied by proper waste management, from waste segregation and collection to recycling, resource recovery and environmentally-sound disposal.

He said the cleanup should serve as a reminder to prevent waste from becoming pollution rather than treating cleanup as a one-day activity.

The simultaneous cleanup was also attended by representatives of the Environmental Management Bureau-7, Philippine Coast Guard Central Visayas District, Department of Social Welfare and Development-7, Department of Health-7, Philippine Statistics Authority, Department of Economy, Planning and Development, Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, Office of Civil Defense, Bureau of Fire Protection, and other government agencies

Several groups marched through the streets of Metro Manila on Sunday, September 20, on the eve of the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.

Youth and student groups marched from La Salle Green Hills in Mandaluyong to the EDSA Shrine in Quezon City, while the August Twenty One Movement (ATOM) held a separate march in front of the Supreme Court in Manila.

The protesters called for government transparency, accountability over corruption, and the passage of legislation against political dynasties.

The march also called for the conviction of Vice President Sara Duterte in the Senate impeachment trial.

The protest was spearheaded by Akbayan Youth, the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines, Youth Against Kurakot and various university student leaders.

Meanwhile, ATOM marched to the Supreme Court to protest the high court’s ruling that reverse the conviction former First Lady Imelda Marcos. The group called for accountability for what it alleged the Marcos family had stolen. The group, along with Tindig Pilipinas and Partido Manggagawa, also marched toward the EDSA Shrine.

Monday, September 21, marks the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines.

The proclamation placing the country under martial law was signed by then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. on Sept. 21, 1972, but it was only announced on national television on September 23.

Martial Law was lifted on Jan. 17, 1981. Human rights groups estimate that the regime resulted in 70,000 arrests, 34,000 cases of torture and 3,240 deaths.

The ramming by a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship of a Philippine civilian vessel can never be justified, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

‘There is no justification for the CCG vessel to undertake aggressive actions against a Philippine civilian law enforcement vessel and cause damage to the ship and endanger the safety of the civilian crew,’ the DFA said, referring to an incident on Friday off Palawan involving a CCG ship and the BRP Datu Magat Salamat, a law enforcement civilian vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

‘The Philippines emphasizes that the BFAR vessel was merely conducting routine and lawful humanitarian activities to support Filipino fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea,’ the DFA added.

The DFA noted that the CCG vessel’s ‘illegal, coercive, aggressive and dangerous acts are inconsistent with China’s obligations under international law, including UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award, the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) and the 1974 Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS).’

‘The Philippines calls on China to respect Philippine sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone in accordance with UNCLOS as affirmed by the 2016 Arbitral Award, exercise restraint and avoid actions that could further escalate tensions in the region,’ the DFA said.

Investigators have completed gathering evidence from a ferry that caught fire while sailing in the waters off Coron, Palawan, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.

The PCG said the evidence-gathering activity on M/V June Aster was meant to support the ongoing maritime safety and crime investigation.

A joint team from the PCG, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Coron police yesterday conducted a final sweep of the vessel, according to PCG spokesperson Cmdre. Noemie Cayabyab.

A PCG response team has completed draining water from the engine room of the June Aster.

Cayabyab said the team collected 7, 865 gallons of oily water from the ferry.

Samples of lube and contaminated oil as well as seawater collected from the ferry will be subjected to laboratory tests.

Cayabyab said monitoring of the June Aster and the surrounding water will continue for possible oil spill.

Records showed 77 people died, 43 survived and eight are still missing from the maritime mishap.