Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Eleven government troopers were wounded-three in critical condition-after their convoy was ambushed on Monday morning in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, breaking the reign of peace and security that local government officials and the military have worked hard to preserve over the years.

Army Brig. Gen. Frederick Sales, commander of the 1101st Infantry (Gagandilan) Brigade, told the Inquirer that unidentified gunmen ambushed the military convoy at 7:45 a.m. in Sitio (subvillage) Bauno Dagao, Barangay Badja, wounding 10 soldiers from the 45th Infantry Battalion (45IB) and one member of the Civilian Armed Auxiliary Unit.

The convoy, led by 45IB commander Lt. Col. Franco Baylon, was traveling from Tipo-Tipo toward Lamitan City aboard three KM450 military utility trucks and three civilian vehicles when the gunmen opened fire.

The military convoy fired back at the attackers, triggering a two-minute gun battle, Sales said, citing a report from Baylon.

Three severely wounded troops were immediately airlifted by a Philippine Air Force Black Hawk helicopter to Camp Navarro General Hospital in Zamboanga City for emergency medical treatment.

‘The brigade immediately deployed appropriate response and security measures and coordinated with concerned units and authorities,’ the 1101st Infantry Brigade said in a statement.

Probe under way

It added: ‘An investigation is ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify those responsible.’

The Joint Task Force Orion also confirmed the deployment of reinforcements to secure the area and prevent further threats to nearby communities.

‘Our troops remain vigilant and committed to fulfilling their duty of protecting the people of Basilan and preserving the peace and security that communities and stakeholders have worked hard to achieve,’ JTF Orion stated, appealing to the public to remain calm and refrain from spreading unverified information on social media.

Basilan Gov. Mujiv Hataman strongly condemned the ambush and urged security forces to pursue the unidentified perpetrators ‘firmly but with restraint’ to protect innocent civilians.

‘We pray for the swift recovery of the soldiers wounded in the incident and stand with their families,’ Hataman said in a statement.

The governor called on the residents to remain calm and asked for their help for the arrest of the suspects.

‘Basilan has worked too hard for peace to allow this incident to drag us back into fear and violence,’ Hataman emphasized. ‘Let us remain calm, vigilant, and united, and let the rule of law prevail.’

Tipo-Tipo Mayor Arcam Istarul denounced the attack, calling it a ‘treacherous ambush’ against government forces serving the region.

‘This violent act against our soldiers, who are fulfilling their duty to protect peace and security, has no place in our communities,’ Istarul said in a separate statement.

He added: ‘Any attack against those who serve to protect our communities is an attack against peace and security itself.’

Crop losses in Bohol have reached an estimated P173.69 million due to the prolonged dry spell linked to El Niño, affecting 6,676 farmers in 24 of the province’s 48 municipalities and city, according to a partial assessment by the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA).

The provincial government is now preparing for a cloud-seeding operation expected to start on Oct. 9 to bring rain to drought-hit farms and help protect the province’s rice production.

Larry Pamugas, assistant provincial agriculturist, said that based on the OPA assessment the total recorded agricultural damage reached at P173,669,516.08.

Rice accounted for 95.03 percent of the reported crop losses, followed by high-value crops at 3.03 percent and corn at 1.94 percent. No damage to cassava had been recorded.

San Miguel posted the highest reported losses at P53.2 million, followed by Sagbayan with P19.3 million, Batuan with P16.1 million, Inabanga with P12.5 million and Bilar with P10.9 million.

Other affected areas included Tubigon, P9 million; Catigbian, P8 million; Buenavista, P7.9 million; Calape, P6.9 million; and Getafe, P3.5 million.

The OPA said the figure could still increase as assessment continues in local government units that have yet to complete their reports.

OPA Agricultural Technologist and Rice Program Focal Person Maricel Barloso said the province could face a significantly reduced rice harvest because dry conditions struck during the critical July-August period when rice plants were developing.

Only about 55 percent of Bohol’s potential rice-growing area was planted during the past wet cropping season, she said during a Kapihan sa PIA forum.

Of the province’s estimated 53,800 hectares of plantable rice land, only about 30,000 hectares were planted, with a significant portion later damaged by the heat and lack of water.

Barloso said the OPA could not yet determine whether even half of the planted area would eventually produce a harvest.

Some farmers were unable to plant in May despite the release of water from dams. Farmers in areas with insufficient water opted not to plant, while those who planted late saw their crops affected by the heat.

Still, about 2,600 hectares have already been harvested, while more than half of the planted area was still being harvested, Barloso said.

The OPA has urged farmers to prepare seeds, particularly upland rice varieties that can tolerate heat and require less water, as intermittent rains begin.

The cloud-seeding operation is expected to begin Oct. 9, following coordination between the provincial government, the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) and the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

The OPA also continues to consolidate damage reports from LGUs and coordinate with government agencies for possible assistance to affected farmers, including irrigation support and the promotion of drought-tolerant crops.

Meanwhile, authorities are bracing for the continuing effects of El Niño. All provinces in the country are expected to experience drought by March 2027 as the phenomenon intensifies.

The Philippines’ growth prospects for the rest of the year will hinge on how quickly government spending recovers, regional surveillance group Amro said, forecasting that the economy will lag the regional average this year and in 2027.

In its Regional Economic Outlook Update released Monday, the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office cut its forecast for Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year to 3.3 percent from 4.1 percent previously.

If realized, the 2026 expansion would fall short of the Marcos administration’s 3.5-percent to 4.5-percent target. Barring the pandemic-driven contraction in 2020, Amro’s new forecast would represent the weakest growth since 2009, when the economy expanded just 1.4 percent in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

The Philippines would also trail the 4.9-percent average growth Amro expects across Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) this year. Among its regional peers, the economy would grow more slowly than Vietnam’s 8 percent, Indonesia’s 5.3 percent and Malaysia’s 5.1 percent, but faster than Thailand’s projected 2.4-percent expansion.

20207 revision

For 2027, Amro said the Philippine economy could grow 4.6 percent, down from its previous estimate of 5.5 percent. The revised projection would fall short of the government’s 5-percent to 6-percent target and lag the 4.8-percent average growth Amro expects for Asean next year.

Dong He, chief economist at Amro, said at a press conference that the combined effects of an oil shock stemming from the war and weak government spending following a sweeping crackdown on corruption continued to weigh on the economy.

Amro cut its 2026 inflation forecast for the Philippines to 5.6 percent from 5.7 percent before, though the revised outlook remained above the central bank’s 3-percent target. For next year, the group estimated price growth average at 4.6 percent, significantly higher than its previous estimate of 4.1 percent.

Beyond prices, He said the pace of recovery in government spending would be crucial to the overall economy’s growth trajectory in the near-term.

‘Remember, there was this flood control related issue, and that significantly slowed down public investment,’ he said. ‘The growth outlook is very dependent on how fast public investment and construction related activities can pick up.’

To contain inflation, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point three times since April, bringing it to 5 percent. BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. said the latest increase, in August, was a ‘preemptive’ response to emerging risks from a severe El Niño episode and possible wage increases.

Intact fundamentals

On the growth outlook, Remolona said local economic fundamentals ‘appear to be intact over the medium term,’ adding that a recovery in government spending could help stimulate activity in the second half of the year. The economy grew just 2.6 percent in the first half.

‘It’s a challenging balancing act. But remember that high inflation does eat into the real purchasing power of households,’ Amro’s He said. ‘Without putting inflation under control, growth will be affected in any case.’

Amid the headwinds, Amro said the Philippines remains sensitive to shifts in global financial conditions, particularly through foreign portfolio flows. Local bond yields have risen amid the country’s heavy reliance on energy imports, higher inflation risks and expectations for tighter monetary policy, the group said.

Malacañang on Tuesday denied Vice President Sara Duterte’s remark that the Marcos administration was behind the allegations against her.

Palace press officer Claire Castro said the vice president should instead answer the accusations and present evidence in her defense.

Castro noted that Duterte appeared to be blaming President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. because she could no longer answer the accusations.

‘Maybe that is what happens when you can no longer find a defense – you simply point fingers at somebody else,’ Castro told reporters in Pasay City.

Asked directly whether Malacañang was behind accusations meant to tarnish Duterte’s reputation, Castro answered: ‘There is nothing left to destroy as far as VP Sara is concerned. That is already on her.’

Castro said Duterte should address allegations involving funds supposedly received by her and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, rather than blame Marcos.

She maintained that the president did not benefit from any of the money being attributed to the couple.

‘Whatever stain comes from those funds or properties that supposedly enriched them, they should not pin it on the president because the president did not benefit, even a centavo, from the money they allegedly received,’ Castro said.

The press officer was reacting to Duterte, who earlier on Tuesday accused Marcos and Malacañang of being behind efforts to discredit her.

‘Who is behind the attacks against me? The administration. The Palace. BBM,’ Duterte had said at a separate briefing on Tuesday.

The exchange came as Duterte faced an impeachment trial before the Senate, where financial transactions involving her and Carpio had come under scrutiny.

Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura testified on Monday that a summary of council reports involving Duterte and Carpio showed 666 covered transactions and 55 suspicious transactions totaling P4.4 billion.

Buenaventura also testified on transactions involving Cale88 Foods Corp., a company partly owned by Carpio.

This includes P319.326 million in remittances from mainland China and Hong Kong.

The testimony did not establish that the money came from the Chinese government.

Castro said the senator-judges hearing Duterte’s impeachment case must evaluate the evidence presented before the court.

‘As of now, we can’t make any judgment. It’s up to the senator-judges how to evaluate the pieces of evidence shown and submitted during the impeachment trial,’ she said.

Still, Castro challenged Duterte to present evidence addressing the accusations against her, including questions over her use of confidential funds.

‘She appears to know how to explain herself. If she has evidence, she should show it,’ she repeated.

The Palace official questioned why Duterte had presented documentary annexes to support some of her recent claims but the vice president had not done the same to address questions surrounding her confidential funds and other financial allegations.

She also argued that Duterte could have answered the accusations against her earlier if she had evidence clearing her.

‘Maybe if she had explained the accusations against her, we would not have reached the impeachment court,’ Castro said.

The press officer also rejected attempts to link Marcos to the allegations against Duterte, saying the president did not benefit from the money supposedly received by Duterte and Carpio.

Castro said Marcos could not ‘sell the country to foreigners.’

The incident off Palawan on Sept. 18, 2026 is not new to us. The Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel struck Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas (BRP) Datu Magat Salamat while the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) was conducting a fuel-subsidy mission for Filipino fishermen approximately 54 nautical miles from Palawan.

The collision reportedly damaged starboard railings, supports, and deck fixtures of BRP Datu Magat Salamat.

China has for some time been ramming, sideswiping, causing collisions, and doing dangerous maneuvering against Philippine vessels inside our own exclusive economic zone and in the main traditional fishing grounds of our fishermen.

In June 2019, a Chinese fishing vessel struck and sank a Philippine fishing boat, then abandoned its 22 crewmembers at sea. In April 2024, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) reported the BFAR vessel BRP Bankaw was rammed three times by the CCG and Chinese maritime-militia vessels during a humanitarian mission. In December 2024, CCG vessel 3302 intentionally sideswiped a BFAR vessel after water-cannon attacks, and in October 2025, the Philippine Coast Guard reported CCG 21559 water-cannoned and rammed the BFAR vessel’s stern, causing minor damage. These are some of the illegal, coercive and aggressive activities of China in the WPS.

The incident is reprehensible, and what is more infuriating is that some people who are blaming and questioning the humanitarian mission of our own vessel are Filipinos. Are they really our own people or would they prefer to have the citizenship of a foreign country?

BFAR is the agency in charge of ensuring the safety of and supporting our fishermen and nobody should question it when it wants to sail in our own exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The question is not about BFAR’s vessel but about what the CCG vessel is doing in our EEZ.

It is disheartening that in the face of China’s hostile activities in our backyard, we still allow some people to make up stories that show our adversary in a good light instead of showing who is really provoking trouble in illegal and unjust ways.

These are challenging times when we should unite as Filipinos in defending our seas, our rights and our future just as our ancestors fought for our nation and freedom through many incursions and occupations of the past. Shame on this generation that seems unwilling and unable to protect what is ours. We should use our voice to tell the truth of these happenings: let us not give our adversaries, foreign or domestic, any chance to divide real patriotic Filipinos.

The widow of slain Kidapawan radio journalist Eduardo ‘Ed’ Dizon lauded a Quezon City court for the guilty verdict rendered on Tuesday against two men accused of murdering him in 2019.

‘Justice is served. I thank all friends of Ed Dizon, thank you for your prayers, and to DXND people,’ Madonna Dizon, wife of the murdered journalist, said.

Dizon had worked for the Church-run DXND Radio Bida in Kidapawan City.

On Tuesday, October 6, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 228 found the accused mastermind Dante Encarnacion Tabusares and gunman Junell Jane Andagkit Poten guilty of murder.

Both were sentenced to reclusion perpetua, or imprisonment of up to 40 years.

The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS) also welcomed the court decision.

Two consumer groups are urging customs brokers to reconsider the ongoing ‘port holiday’ at Manila’s ports, which they warn could further disrupt the flow of essential goods and add to costs ultimately shouldered by consumers.

In separate statements, CitizenWatch and Konsyumer At Mamamayan (KM) said Filipino consumers would ultimately bear the brunt of the protest, which is scheduled to run for a week starting Oct. 5.

The Practicing Customs Brokers and Port Truckers Alliance of the Philippines Inc. (PCBAPI) had called for the voluntary ‘rest day’ protest over what it said was foreign shipping lines’ failure to address a mounting backlog of empty containers.

While acknowledging the port stakeholders’ concerns, the consumer groups warned that stopping work would only further strain the movement of essential goods.

‘A ‘port holiday’ could create another burden for ordinary Filipinos who are already having a hard time. It will only disrupt the movement of food, medicine, fuel, and other essential goods,’ CitizenWatch co-convenor Christopher Belmonte said.

‘What is needed is action-not a stoppage of the flow of goods,’ he added.

PCBAPI chair Reynaldo Soliman earlier told the Inquirer that foreign shipping lines can take two weeks to a month to accept empty containers for return after imported goods have been unloaded.

The resulting pileup has worsened congestion at Manila’s ports, according to Soliman, who claimed that only around 10 percent of cargo movements were proceeding on schedule while the rest faced backlogs.

Soliman said the congestion was already contributing to higher costs that are eventually passed on to consumers.

Instead of halting work, KM convenor Louie Montemar called for urgent talks among the government, shipping lines, port operators, container depots and truckers.

‘Port operations should continue while the government, shipping lines, port operators, container depots and truckers hold urgent talks. These should lead to concrete reforms, clear accountability and firm deadlines,’ Montemar said.

Soliman estimated that about 3,000 customs brokers would participate in the voluntary protest.

But port stakeholders were divided over the planned stoppage. The Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations (ACTOO), which represents roughly 60 percent of port-based truckers, has said it would not participate.

A human rights advocate slammed the defense panel in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial on Tuesday, branding its warnings of criminal liability an ‘absurd, desperate move’ and an outright ‘assault on press freedom.’

Carlos Conde, former senior researcher at Human Rights Watch – Asia Division and former secretary general of the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP), pointed out that while it might be too early to detect a widespread chilling effect, he would not be surprised if the defense’s persistence has already made some members of the press cautious.

He expressed surprise that Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero allowed such warnings to be aired in the first place, pointing out that the tribunal had already ruled the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) documents were permissible in the hearing.

‘These documents are being trotted out openly in an impeachment court,’ Conde told the Inquirer. ‘I don’t think journalists should find it hard to justify reporting on these documents,’ he added.

The controversy erupted during a tense confrontation inside the impeachment court on Monday, where defense attorney Mark Vinluan aggressively grilled a witness over the penal provisions of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), demanding answers regarding a potential ‘breach of information security and confidentiality.’

Pressing the legal risks on the witness stand, the defense highlighted that violations carry penalties of three to eight years’ imprisonment, along with perpetual disqualification from public office.

The confrontational tactic drew swift censure from Senator-Judge Raffy Tulfo, who intervened to call out the defense teams’ ‘intimidation’ and ‘veiled threats.’

Rather than backing down, Conde urged newsrooms to use such an incident as an opportunity to ‘push the envelope’ and report on the documents fairly, while remaining mindful of the accused’s right to due process.

‘What the defense is doing is…a really desperate move to try to prevent the public in general from exposing these alleged transactions,’ Conde said.

‘It is up to the media now to really reject that by being persistent in reporting what the documents say,’ he added.

During the trial, the witness repeatedly said he could not respond to questions about AMLC records outside the court’s subpoena.

-Thus said Mohagher M. Iqbal, in his reaction to several social media posts about a political coalition among four political parties in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Iqbal used to be the Minister of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education during the transition period. To recall, he was ousted rather unceremoniously from this post after a new interim chief minister was installed and appointed by President Marcos.

An ideologue and key member of the Central Committee of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Iqbal also heads the MILF Peace Implementing Panel, which was organized after the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). The CAB is the main reason for the establishment of the BARMM, the new autonomous region that replaced the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. For almost two decades, Iqbal headed the MILF peace negotiating panel in the painstaking but landmark peace process between the MILF and the Philippine government. The CAB was signed in 2014, but the BARMM was only made fully operational starting early 2020, after a plebiscite ratified the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) that became the legal framework for the region’s creation.

The said posts, allegedly from supporters of one political party, claimed that a huge coalition of three political parties and two members of the Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIP) has been forged and that the members of the said coalition ‘… have already taken their oath, administered no less by the Supreme Court.’ In these posts, pictures of the leaders of the political parties are shown to have ‘forged the coalition,’ with pictures of leaders of the four political parties in one frame, as if the said coalition was already a done deal. It was made to appear that the different political parties that got Parliament seats in the Sept. 14 elections had decided together to be a ‘super’ majority in the forthcoming regular Parliament. The three political parties include the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP), the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) and the Serbisyong Inklusibo-Alyansang Progresibo, a political party associated with traditional politicians in Lanao del Sur.

In a statement released by the editorial desk of the Luwaran, the official information outlet of the MILF, Iqbal denied that the UBJP had already agreed to coalesce with three other political parties to form a ‘super’ majority party in the new Bangsamoro Parliament of 80 members.

In his characteristic sharp and terse remark, Iqbal reacted to the posts by summing up his denial saying, ‘nothing is over until it’s over…’ He reiterated his denial on his social media page.

The asymmetrically designed BARMM Parliament has 80 seats to be filled, but two of these have already been assigned prior to the first parliamentary elections. These are the seats reserved for NMIP in the BARMM from the Téduray and the Téduray-Lambangian groups, namely Jo Genna Jover and Leticio Datuwata.

After the controversial social media post was made public, the two issued a statement denying that they have joined any coalition, maintaining their independence, and that no political party ‘owns’ them. They strongly asserted that their mandate comes from their Indigenous Political Structure that nominated them for the two reserved seats, and not any political party.

Both BFP and UBJP figured in several preelection and election-related controversies, ranging from pre and postelection violent incidents that killed at least five and injured 43 people, mostly supporters of the UBJP, to ballot shading in the polls of different localities.

As the regional version of Mr. Marcos’ Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, the BFP ran a well-oiled and aggressive political campaign, and convinced some UBJP stalwarts to join it, including the new interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua. Macacua used to be the commander of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the armed wing of the MILF, and was appointed governor of Maguindanao del Norte before he was appointed by Mr. Marcos as the new interim chief minister in March 2025.

All these have led to strained relationships between Macacua and the MILF, particularly with both the former interim Chief Minister Ahod B. Ebrahim, aka Al Haj Murad and Iqbal.

Consequently, the peace process mechanisms that were integral in the signing of the CAB and even in the provisions of the BOL came to a halt, abetted by the moves of some regional interlocutors who connived with key national officials close to Mr. Marcos to sow divisions among the MILF and eventually within the UBJP.

Heard of gray predators? These are elderly people who are victims of crime, from petty theft to murder. They are targeted because age slows down their responses to sudden moves against them, usually theft.

The digital age has increased digital assaults on a massive scale, most alarmingly through the stealing of digital information. In many cases, lolo or lola willingly surrenders digital information (passwords) to relatives and people they think they can trust, which may as well be tantamount to opening one’s safe to allow their trusted ones total access to wealth: cash, credit cards, land titles, and more. Ironically, as we develop more sophisticated digital safeguards, we find that they have become easier to breach safety protocols, particularly the signatures.

In fact, the elderly are victimized more and more through simpler methods: sweet talk. All you need is a clever young relative looking over your shoulder as you are inputting a password on a form or device to allow modern-day versions of Alibaba’s thieves, and all it takes is one thief. Other elderly people just hand over their ATM cards and/or Government Service Insurance System and Social Security System cards, after a relative ‘kindly’ offers to handle the cumbersome withdrawals.

I wanted to concentrate today on gray predators of a different kind. Here, the predator(s) are themselves senior citizens.

The scariest ones are those who are actually authorized to handle digital information. They can be people working in your bank, government office, or collecting office. We’ve seen so much of this done through public works, but it seems it doesn’t even have to be done through official channels.

I still remember a rich barangay in Makati that overpriced its purchases of street lights. It was a major scandal that led to the officials’ ouster.

A recent ongoing case was uncovered when a security guard agency threatened to cut off their services to a barangay, saying they had not been paid by the neighborhood association. It turned out the collections had been made by residents, but one unscrupulous official in the association was pocketing the collections. I haven’t figured out how this was done but it seems there just wasn’t enough oversight going on-officials were all too busy and left the collections to the treasurer. In another case, at a major university office, collections were dutifully made, but receipts were questionable.

In the end, though, it seems old-fashioned sweet talk is probably still the most popular criminal modus when victimizing gray prey. Remember the predators approaching the elderly with some information they have about an elderly resident and claiming to know a relative, information obtained from talking with drivers and other household employees.

The thief says she’s short on money, or needs to help a sick relative. The amounts may be small but accumulate and can run into several thousands. In the stories told to me, it seems it’s in richer barangays where amounts are much higher, with the thief claiming the employer is unable to make the appeal personally because they were in an accident.

One amazing case had someone claiming she was trying to help an old man who needed money for a ‘palit-ulo’ case-the old man’s son had been arrested for drug trafficking, which carried very serious penalties. But the ‘kind’ people working in the penitentiary offered to get his son out if the price was right, in a ‘palit-ulo’ scheme, which literally means ‘swapping heads.’ There are poor enough petty criminals willing to serve out a prison sentence, or at least a part of it, if someone needs to have a convicted relative out of jail-exchange heads, as the expression goes. This includes elderly women needing money and figuring they can sacrifice their old age for the family.

Why the elderly? Although many of the elderly are often cash-strapped too, it’s the elderly who may have larger amounts of cash on hand, the proverbial ‘under the mattress’ emergency not-so-petty fund.

The compassion factor is easier to mobilize with the elderly. More people have become almost like family. After I finished my term as chancellor at the University of the Philippines, I was approached by the daughter of a barangay official. She appealed to my friendship with the barangay official, now retired. I never got paid back and I didn’t want to press the case since I knew the barangay official had financial problems too.

Just remember it’s almost impossible to retrieve financial loans. You could try a promissory note and keep your fingers crossed but a promissory note is only as good as an IOU note scribbled on pad paper.

My mother would lend money out in exchange for a land title as a guarantee. She always said she knew land titles don’t have any legal value but always thought they had some moral hold and that many would pay back the debt. But people seemed more honorable before and many would pay back the debt on time.