Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Senator-judge Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III reminded the Senate impeachment court on Tuesday that names could only be considered an alias if there is a person behind it, but otherwise, it is fake.

In the last few weeks, as the court tackled Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds, acknowledgement receipts signed by several people with seemingly suspicious names resembling that of famous food brands, fruits, Filipino phrases and even local politicians surfaced.

The signatories included the likes of Mary Grace Piattos, Andy Lim, Miggy Mango, and Kristine Applegate Estrada.

‘If there is a person behind the alias, then it is an alias. If there is no person behind the name, it is a fictitious name or a fake name,’ Sotto said in a manifestation.

Sotto was citing Republic Act No. 6085, which regulates the use of aliases.

‘For the public and for us, the general rule that she mentioned is Republic Act No. 6085, regulating the use of aliases, which only allowed in the Philippines [the use of] pseudonyms, solely for literary, cinema, television and other entertainment purposes,’ Sotto noted.

It was counsel for the prosecution Mae Divinagracia who brought up the law on aliases, after Senator-judge Robin Padilla sought to justify the use of aliases by noting that even national heroes used them

The proposed P16 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of farm-to-market road (FMR) projects for 2027 is insufficient to cover the thousands of kilometers needed under the system, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said on Tuesday.

During the House committee on appropriations’ briefing on the proposed budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Tiu Laurel said 55,000 kilometers (km) are needed under the FMR system as of Aug. 31, 2026.

‘With the limited budget of P16 billion, we can’t achieve that,’ he added.

He explained that under the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the DA’s FMR projects were allotted P16 billion. This is a more than 50 percent decrease from the P33,009,763,000 budget allotted for the projects in the 2026 national budget.

‘It’s difficult to implement that because we are only given P16 billion for 55,000 km,’ he added.

Tiu Laurel noted that the proposed budget for the FMR projects was determined by the fiscal allocation given to the agency under the NEP.

In the same hearing, Rep. Robert Nazal asked if the DA uses a scientific database to identify areas to be prioritized under the FMR projects.

Tiu Laurel said the DA uses parameters such as road influence area, poverty incidence, number of farmer or fisherfolk beneficiaries, present road conditions, climate change adaptation, average daily traffic, and new production areas, among others.

Nazal then asked the secretary if the agency considers areas where it can observe a return on investment. The secretary said that while this is a general practice, the agency also determines areas with ‘missionary roots,’ with little production but high potential for benefits later on.

More scrutiny

Showing the FMR transparency portal in his presentation, Rep. Antonio Tinio pointed out the completed projects out of the total projects indicated. He asked Tiu Laurel why the agency had completed only half of the total projects.

Based on the transparency portal of FMR infrastructure projects from 2021 to 2026, 3,235 projects were completed out of the 6,428 total projects, with a total investment of P109.53 billion. The completed projects spanned 2,485.23 kilometers.

Tiu Laurel said the projects allocated for 2026 have not yet been implemented because the Special Allotment Release Order was released by the Department of Budget and Management only last week.

He added that of the P23 billion budget for FMR projects in 2025, only P12 billion was released to the agency.

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division dropped the plunder and graft charges against former Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan.

‘He (Bonoan) is no longer an accused in the two cases before the Fifth [Division],’ a member of the prosecution team told the Inquirer on Tuesday.

‘But I think the other accused will file [an] MR (motion for reconsideration),’ they added.

Another source likewise confirmed the development.

Bonoan was accused alongside Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, DPWH district engineers Manny Bulusan and Arturo Gonzales Jr., and assistant district engineer Denryl Caesar Cortuna over an alleged scheme involving P573 million in kickbacks in connection with the infrastructure corruption scandal.

Last August, the Second Division, which handles the second count of graft against Estrada and Bonoan, denied the motion to charge the former secretary.

Bonoan resigned from his post in September 2025, despite maintaining days earlier that he would not be stepping down from his post following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order to investigate alleged anomalies in flood control projects.

In November 2025, the now-defunct Independent Commission for Infrastructure found Bonoan administratively liable for flood control projects in Bulacan province that were supposedly never built.

Last January, the Department of Justice said Bonoan would likewise face a criminal case for plunder.

In July, the Office of the Ombudsman sought to discharge Bonoan as part of a bid to turn him into a state witness in other flood control corruption scandal-related cases.

Bonoan first testified before the anti-graft court last August in the case against Sen. Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr., who was linked to a P76.91-million flood-control project in Pandi, Bulacan, which state prosecutors claimed to be ‘non-existent.’

There, Bonoan claimed ‘all senators’ in 2024 had availed of a ‘leadership fund’ allotted by his agency under the 2025 budget

The municipal government of Mamburao has ordered the distribution of face masks to schools as a precaution against haze observed in parts of Occidental Mindoro.

Mamburao Mayor Glicerio Almero III said local government personnel were tasked to distribute face masks to schools, with the supplies to be turned over to school heads.

‘Ibibigay po natin sa mga school heads and priority po yung may mga kondisyon sa lungs and heart,’ Almero said.

(We will task school heads to determine their priority to be given face masks, preferably to those with lung and heart conditions)

The move came as local authorities in Mindoro advised residents to take precautions amid the spread of haze, which is believed to be linked to smoke from forest fires in Indonesia.

In a separate public advisory issued on Sept. 1, the Calapan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office urged residents to remain vigilant over the haze, which may be caused by smoke from forest and land fires in Indonesia, particularly in Sumatra and Kalimantan, that winds carried to other parts of Southeast Asia.

The public was advised to wear face masks when going outdoors and avoid staying for prolonged periods in areas where haze or smoke is noticeable.

Residents were also urged to monitor official air quality advisories and take appropriate precautions.

Children, older adults and people with existing lung or heart conditions are considered particularly vulnerable and were advised to take extra care

Several netizens shared their experiences of being stuck in traffic for hours along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) amid flooding brought by days of torrential rains.

Many towns in Pampanga province, which the NLEX runs through, were flooded as the southwest monsoon (habagat) prevailed over parts of Luzon over the weekend.

In a post shared with the Facebook group ‘Traffic Updates – NLEX / SCTEX / TPLEX,’ a social media user said she had left La Union around 6:30 a.m. on Monday and only arrived in Taguig City at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

SCTEX refers to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, while the TPLEX refers to the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.

The user noted that, due to the heavy traffic along portions of NLEX, they were prompted to take detours through the towns of Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan.

‘Parang nag-abroad lang e,’ she joked.

(It was almost as though we went abroad.)

Jose Mari Chan

‘Grabe ka, NLEX! Nakapag-staycation tuloy kami sa iba’t ibang provinces at lugar… Imagine, nakapaglibot kami! Inabutan tuloy kami ni Jose Mari Chan sa daan!’ she added.

(You’re something else, NLEX! We managed to take a staycation in many different provinces and places… Imagine, we got around! We were even greeted by Jose Mari Chan on the road!)

Chan is a beloved figure in Philippine music, best known for his Christmas carols often used to usher in the local celebration of the Yuletide season as early as September.

The social media user explained that she was on the way to Metro Manila for her third chemotherapy session.

‘This kind of situation really makes you realize how crucial accessible and passable roads are, especially for patients who need to reach hospitals urgently,’ she said.

Although she said she was grateful to have returned home, she stressed, ‘We Filipinos deserve better.’

Another social media user said she and her family had left their flooded home in Apalit town, Pampanga at 9 a.m. on Monday, but they only arrived at a relative’s home in Dau also in the province at 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

The netizen said roads going through Apalit, San Simon and San Fernando had been impassable due to waist-deep floods at the time.

She also said they had gone to Calumpit, Bulacan in hopes of catching a big bus to pass through the flooded areas.

‘We travelled back and forth from Apalit to Calumpit, to Apalit again, and back to Calumpit kase sabi meron daw libreng sakay, pero wala naman dumadating after waiting for hours,’ she said.

(We travelled back and forth from Apalit to Calumpit, to Apalit again, and back to Calumpit because we were told there were free rides, but none came after waiting for hours.)

`Truck for cows’

However, she managed to get the help of a truck driver who had allowed them on board until reaching NLEX, where the vehicle could no longer bear the weight of the passengers.

‘TRUCK NA PARA SA BAKA. Hindi bus, hindi rescue trucks from the government. Pero, thank you kay kuya na hindi naman utos ng gobyerno pero nagmabuting loob na subukang mahatid kami,’ she noted.

(IT WAS A TRUCK FOR COWS. Not a bus, not rescue trucks from the government. But, thank you to the driver who was kind enough to try to drive us despite no order from the government.)

‘Para kaming mga palaboy naghahanap ng masakayan, buti nalang may big bus na kononsider kunin kami ni lola, lalo na may mga bata,’ she added.

(We felt like wanderers who could not find a ride. We were lucky to find a big bus who considered taking us since we were travelling with an elderly person and children.)

‘Sana naman may natitira pang awa yung gobyerno,’ she stressed.

(I hope the government still has some mercy.)

Meanwhile, another social media user said they had left Dinalupihan, Bataan at 4 p.m. on Monday and arrived in Santa Rosa, Laguna at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

She noted that they had likewise taken detours through several towns in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan before finding their way to their destination.

‘Mapapaisip ka na lang ng dito ba napupunta ung taxes ko?’ she said.

(You’ll just think: is this where my taxes go?)

She urged fellow motorists to research on social media groups and on map applications to see the conditions of the roads; to fill up their gas tanks, have full meals and bring food before travelling; and to have patience on the road.

For its part, in a statement on Monday, NLEX operator Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) said it understood the public’s frustration, stressing that it was ‘deeply sorry’ for the delays that motorists endured.

MPTC noted that it will be deploying concrete barriers along 300 meters northbound and 300 meters southbound along the Tulaoc Bridge in San Simon, Pampanga to serve as a temporary flood wall as well as siphoning trucks to remove the floodwater.

In a traffic advisory on Tuesday morning, the NLEX Corporation said heavy traffic was still reported in both the northbound and southbound lanes of the expressway segment near San Simon but that all types of vehicles could pass through Lane 1 segment.

Meanwhile, it added, only Class 2 and 3 vehicles, or larger vehicles including buses and trucks, could pass through Lane 2 of the segment.

The Olongapo City government on Tuesday has declared the city under a state of calamity after weeks of intense rainfall that triggered widespread flooding, landslides, damage to properties and infrastructure, and the displacement of residents.

The city council approved Resolution No. 196, Series of 2026, during its regular session on Tuesday based on the recommendation of the Olongapo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (OCDRRMC), which adopted Resolution No. 2026-04 during an emergency meeting on Monday.

In his endorsement to the city council, Mayor Rolen C. Paulino Jr. said Olongapo recorded 2,900.5 millimeters of cumulative rainfall throughout August, about 3.47 times the normal August rainfall of 835.7 mm.

He said 569.5 mm of rain fell from August 28 to 29 alone, equivalent to about 68 percent of the city’s normal rainfall for the entire month.

The prolonged, heavy rains resulted in flooding, landslides, damage to properties and infrastructure, environmental degradation, disruption of transportation and public services, and the displacement of residents, according to the resolution.

The city government also said the successive weather disturbances had significantly disrupted normal social and economic activities and placed considerable strain on its disaster response, recovery, and public service capabilities.

In an earlier interview, Jeffrey Lapid, head of the Olongapo City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said that 13 out of 17 villages in the city were flooded during intense rainfall as of Saturday, Aug. 29.

At least 730 families, or 2,530 individuals, evacuated from their flooded homes. The city also recorded one fatality, a 3-year-old boy in Barangay Old Cabalan who was swept by rushing floodwaters when a wall above their house suddenly collapsed.

The declaration is expected to facilitate the immediate mobilization and use of available resources for response, relief, recovery, and rehabilitation efforts for affected residents, communities, properties, and infrastructure.

The city and other parts of Zambales continue to recover from repeated flooding and other impacts of heavy rains in recent weeks

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is seeking a budget of P198.45 billion for 2027 amid ongoing initiatives to advance the country’s farm sector.

On Tuesday, the DA said in a statement the proposed allocation is 8 percent lower than this year’s approved budget of P215.69 billion.

It is also significantly lower than the initially proposed budget of P260 billion submitted to the Department of Budget and Management for 2027.

The agency primarily attributed the reduced budget to the normalization of the farm-to-market road budget, noting that funding for FMR projects will revert to P16 billion in 2027 after doubling to P33 billion this year.

Higher allocations for programs, including coffee development, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ projects and P20 billion for animal industry development and competitiveness partially offset reductions in other programs, such as support for attached agencies and digitalization.

The government has kept the budget for the Rice-for-All program, which supports the P20-per-kilogram subsidized rice initiative, at P10 billion.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the reduced funding must still address a sector grappling with high production costs, changing weather patterns, climate risks and market uncertainty.

‘This is not simply an investment in agriculture. It is an investment in food security,’ Tiu Laurel said during a budget hearing at the House of Representatives.

Tiu Laurel assured lawmakers that the DA will use its budget allocation efficiently, carefully, effectively, and with full accountability.

Despite lower funding, the DA will prioritize programs aimed at bolstering agricultural production, improving infrastructure, reducing postharvest losses, strengthening logistics and market access, and expanding the use of technology.

There is likely one week left in the prosecution’s timeline before they rest their case regarding Article I of the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, or specifically the allegations of misusing confidential funds (CF) allocated to her offices from 2022 to 2023.

In a press briefing after the trial on Tuesday, public prosecutor and Manila Rep. Joel Chua said that they will decide who will be their next set of witnesses after lawyer Michael Poa – a member of the defense panel who used to serve as Undersecretary when the Department of Education (DepEd) was still under Duterte’s supervision.

After Poa, Chua said they may have three or four witnesses left – a representative from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), former Education Assistant Secretary Edward Fajarda, and one or two other individuals.

‘Well, siguro ang natitira na lamang kung saka-sakaling bukas ay maipe-presenta ‘yong PSA, ang natitira na lamang si Mr. Edward Fajarda and probably isa, or siguro at most, dalawa. Mamaya pag-uusapan pa namin kung, or ipa-finalize namin tomorrow,’ Chua said.

(Well, what remains of our witness, should we be able to present PSA, is Mr. Edward Fajarda and probably one or at most, two more witnesses. Later we will discuss or finalize the list tomorrow.)

‘In any event, masasabi natin, baka by next week, eh matatapos na hopefully ang confidential fund (issue) and we will move on to the next article,’ he added.

(In any event, we can say that by next week, we can hopefully finalize the confidential fund (issue) and we will move on to the next article.)

Chua also confirmed earlier statements from fellow public prosecutor Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, who said that the prosecution plans to end the presentation of evidence by October.

If they are able to rest their case for all articles by October, Chua believes the defense can present their evidence immediately after and allow the Senate Impeachment Court to rule by December.

‘May target kasi tayo na ito ‘yong gusto natin na matapos, kasi we have to understand after us meron pang defense eh, sila naman ang magpe-present eh,’ he said.

(We have a target because we want to finish this, because we have to understand that after us, the defense will present their own evidence.)

‘Siyempre ayaw naman natin na umabot pa to by next year, so sana, hopefully by November, tapos na lahat, so by December we can have the decision of the impeachment court whether or not to convict the Vice President,’ he added.

(Of course we do not want this to reach by next year, so hopefully by November, we will be done, so by December we can have the decision of the impeachment court whether or not to convict the Vice President.)

DepEd issue

Chua is the team leader for Article I, as most of the allegations raised by the prosecution were borne out of the investigation made by the committee he chairs, the House of Representatives’ committee on good government and public accountability.

Over the second half of 2024, Chua’s committee focused on allegations that there was misuse of the P500 million CF allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) from the fourth quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023; and the P112.5 million placed in DepEd for the first three quarters of 2023.

One of the issues raised at the committee hearings was the matter tackled earlier – the testimony of Philippine Army (PA) officials Col. Maranos Boransing II and Col. Magtanggol Panopio that none of Duterte’s offices whether it be DepEd, OVP, or even the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) poured part of its regular allocations or CFs to the youth oriented-programs.

Boransing and Panopio were referring to the Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) and the Information Education Communication (IEC), programs funded by the PA’s annual budget, which aim to curb communist groups’ recruitment of high school and college students.

When the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged DepEd’s P15.54 million confidential expenditures through an audit observation memorandum (AOM), the agency cited certifications from Boransing, Panopio and other PA officials regarding the conduct of the YLS and IEC to prove the use of CFs.

Chua said they are already satisfied with the matter relating to YLS.

‘Yes, insofar as the Youth Leadership Summit is concerned and the certifications they issued, we are (satisfied),’ he noted.

During the trial, Panopio also admitted being shocked that DepEd under Duterte used his certification to justify its confidential expenses, saying that the first time he first heard about this was on October 17, 2024 – the hearing of the House committee on good government and public accountability.

Boransing and Panopio are the eighth and ninth witnesses presented by the prosecution for Article I.

Prior to the two Army officials, the prosecution panel presented two Land Bank of the Philippines officials from which OVP and DepEd withdrew their CFs; COA auditors who checked on the confidential expenditures made by Duterte’s offices; and OVP staffers like former special disbursing officer Gina Acosta.

Last August 24, Acosta testified before the impeachment court that she released OVP’s CFs Col. Raymund Dante Lachica of the VPSPG even though she knew that Lachica was not a bonded officer.

Like Boransing and Panopio, Acosta also appeared before the House committee on good government and public accountability, and admitted during a November 2024 hearing that it was Duterte’s orders to release the CFs to Lachica.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is calling for stricter enforcement of ‘no-build zone’ policies and other measures aimed at reducing flooding and protecting communities from the effects of climate change, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Tuesday.

He issued the directive during a Central Luzon and Metro Manila Response Meeting with key Cabinet officials and local chief executives on Monday in Malacañang.

‘According to the president, the law must be enforced, including the ‘no-build zone’ policy. Let us stop politicizing the issue. Enforce the law. It must be explained to everyone that stricter enforcement of the law is necessary for our safety,’ Castro said during a briefing.

‘For LGUs, enforce the ‘no-build zones.’ Ensure that your respective jurisdictions are properly maintained, work together to clear obstructions from waterways, and make sure that garbage is collected and disposed of at proper disposal sites,’ she added.

In the same briefing, Castro said Marcos wants greater focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

‘There is no need for us to blame one another. Whatever shortcomings may have occurred under the previous administration will not be tolerated by the president,’ she said.

‘The president is particularly focused on the effects of climate change, as we are increasingly witnessing and experiencing the full force of nature’s fury,’ she added.

She said the government will also strengthen coordination with the Climate Change Commission, which is chaired by Marcos, to identify gaps in the implementation of climate policies and ensure that its recommendations reach the president.

The UAAP is adjusting its September basketball schedule to accommodate the Gilas Pilipinas’ campaigns in the Asian Games and Fiba 3×3 Under-23 World Cup.

There will be only five gamedays for the collegiate men’s and women’s basketball tournaments from Sept. 13 to 30, the UAAP announced.

The Season 89 opening ceremony is set for September 12 at Mall of Asia Arena, with the first men’s basketball games scheduled the following day at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Far Eastern University will face Adamson at noon, followed by defending champion La Salle against National University at 2:30 p.m. University of the Philippines will then take on University of Santo Tomas at 6 p.m.

The men’s schedule will continue on September 16 at MOA Arena, September 19 at Smart Araneta Coliseum, September 26 at MOA Asia Arena and September 30 at the same venue.

The schedule adjustments were made as several UAAP players are set to represent the Philippines in September.

‘We have always believed that the UAAP’s mission goes beyond the competition. We are here to develop student-athletes who can represent our schools, but we are equally proud when they get the opportunity to represent the country,’ said UAAP Season 89 President Mark Molina of FEU.

FEU’s Cabs Cabonilas and Jedric Daa and Adamson’s Earl Medina are scheduled to compete in the Fiba 3×3 Under-23 World Cup in Wuhan, China, from September 15 to 19.

La Salle’s Luis Pablo and Doy Dungo and UST’s Koji Buenaflor are set to suit up for Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 in the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, from September 21 to 25.

The collegiate women’s basketball tournament will also start later as the national teams for the Asian Games and the U23 World Cup are expected to include several UAAP student-athletes.

‘The support of the UAAP is important to our national team programs, especially with so many of our student-athletes being called up to represent the country,’ Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Executive Director Erika Dy said.

‘We appreciate the UAAP for working closely with us and for making the necessary adjustments to accommodate our national team commitments.’