Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said vlogger or businessman Norman Mangusin, also known as ‘Francis Leo Marcos,’ was arrested on Monday afternoon over three counts of cyberlibel.

He remains in the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), with bail set at P30,000 for each count.

‘So, as of now, he’s under the custody of the DSOU (Detection and Special Operations Unit) of the CIDG, and he was not yet able to post bail,’ said PNP public information office chief Col. Allen Rae Co in a briefing at Camp Crame on Tuesday.

‘He peacefully submitted to the police authorities,’ said Co, adding that operatives traced him at a hotel in Parañaque City.

The arrest warrant was in relation to Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code, in relation to Section 4(c)(4) of Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

The issuing court is the National Capital Judicial Region, Regional Trial Court Branch 294 in Parañaque City.

In March, National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner Rafael Calinisan said he filed complaints against Mangusin before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office for unjust vexation and cyberlibel after the vlogger allegedly cursed at him during a livestream.

Prior to that, Mangusin was arrested by the CIDG over 12 counts of unjust vexation filed by fellow vlogger.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Nicolas Torre III has extended his leave for another week and is now expected to return to the agency on Oct. 16, MMDA Chair Atty. Don Artes said Tuesday.

Torre was initially expected to return on Oct. 8 but extended his leave to attend to family matters following the death of his mother-in-law, Artes said during a media briefing.

Despite being on leave since Sept. 8, Torre continue to assist the agency and provide support behind the scenes, Artes added.

‘I can say that even though he is on leave, GM Torre is still working and helping us from behind the scenes,’ Artes said.

Torre initially went on a monthlong leave after his vehicle was caught using the EDSA Busway, which is reserved for buses, on-duty emergency vehicles, and vehicles of the country’s top five officials. He later admitted that the vehicle belonged to him and apologized for using the exclusive lane.

The controversy also involved the use of a license plate issued to another vehicle, as well as MMDA markings and a blinker on Torre’s armored sport utility vehicle. The Land Transportation Office subsequently investigated the vehicle and revoked the license of its driver.

Artes previously said he did not suspend Torre because he lacked ‘disciplinary authority’ over the MMDA general manager, who was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Artes also said he continued to consider Torre an asset to the agency despite the controversy.

Lawyer Mark Vinluan, counsel for Vice President Sara Duterte, apologized to the senator-judges Tuesday for remarks that appeared to intimidate the witness or members of the media during his cross-examination of an Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) official.

Vinluan had cited penalties under the Anti-Money Laundering Act while questioning AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura about financial confidentiality.

Senator-judges Raffy Tulfo, Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilinan and Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III later called out Vinluan over what they viewed as potentially intimidating remarks directed at the witness or the media.

‘When we read portions of the law during our cross-examination, it is never our intention to cause intimidation, especially to the members of this honorable impeachment court,’ Vinluan told the court.

‘If in any way a different message was indirectly conveyed, I personally apologize, and commit to be more circumspect moving forward,’ he added.

Vinluan explained that his questions were intended to test Buenaventura’s credibility.

‘In all humility, our intention in cross-examination is to test the credibility of the witness, among others, and part of testing that credibility is to confront him not just with documents but with salient provisions of the law so we could demonstrate whether or not his application of the law is correct,’ he said.

The apology later drew a lighter moment in the Senate impeachment court after Tulfo said Senator-judge Lito Lapid appeared to be ‘scared’ by Vinluan’s remarks.

Vinluan said he had no intention of intimidating anyone, ‘especially Senator-judge Lapid,’ whom he described as ‘very gracious’ to the defense team.

‘Maraming salamat po sa maja blanca,’ Vinluan added, drawing smiles from Lapid and the other senator-judges.

The Senate impeachment court opened the door on Monday to a P4.4-billion financial trail involving Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, rejecting the defense bid to block an Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) witness from testifying on records submitted by banks and other covered institutions.

The P4.4 billion represents the aggregate value of transactions contained in 666 covered transaction reports (CTRs) and 55 suspicious transaction reports (STRs) involving Duterte and Carpio, AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura testified on Day 33 of the trial. The figure covers the transactions reported in those records and is not a separate amount in addition to the specific transactions cited in court.

Buenaventura confirmed remittances of P319.32 million from China to Cale88 Foods Corp., a company previously linked to Carpio, echoing claims made by former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV in a press conference last Friday, after Trillanes was dropped as a prosecution witness.

Presiding officer Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero rejected the defense claim that AMLC reports were protected by absolute confidentiality, clearing the way for Buenaventura to testify.

‘The court agrees that Section 8-A [of the Anti-Money Laundering Act] must be considered. However, it does not follow that AMLC reports have thereby become absolutely immune from compulsory process,’ Escudero said.

‘The provision therefore regulates the manner and conditions of disclosure. It does not command absolute silence under every circumstance,’ he ruled. ‘The AMLC is not a passive repository, and confidentiality cannot be invoked in a manner that defeats its statutory mandate.’

P193.7-M transfers

Among the transactions examined were seven interaccount transfers on March 28, 2014, involving joint accounts of Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.

The transfers, each bearing a separate reference number, totaled P193.70 million. The largest was P55.13 million, followed by P41.72 million, four P20-million transfers, and P16.85 million.

Buenaventura said these were movements of funds from one account to another within the same bank and were treated separately because they had different reference numbers.

The defense objected to the P193.70-million total, saying the AMLC documents did not contain a grand total.

Defense lawyer Mark Vinluan asked that the amount be removed, but Escudero rejected the request, noting that Buenaventura had testified that the transactions were unique.

The records also showed a P20-million life investment insurance policy purchased by Duterte from BPI AIA Life Assurance Corp. on April 1, 2014.

P41-M cash withdrawal

Buenaventura testified that Carpio withdrew P41 million from two banks in six transactions on Aug. 6, 2024-P23 million from BDO Unibank and P18 million from Philippine National Bank.

‘Her husband walked out of two banks with P41 million in cash in a single day, but in her 2024 SALN, no cash was declared,’ private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia said.

Earlier, Ombudsman records officer Karen Batu testified that Duterte’s joint SALNs with Carpio did not declare cash on hand or in bank from 2019 to 2025.

China remittances

AMLC records also showed P319.32 million in inward remittances from China to Cale88 Foods Corp. through 141 CTRs and three STRs.

Buenaventura confirmed STRs involving the transactions, saying ‘there is no underlying legal or trade obligation, purpose or economic justification.’

The court also allowed the presentation of foreign currency-denominated accounts despite a defense objection that such accounts were protected by the Foreign Currency Deposit Act.

Buenaventura identified two transactions on a BPI account, which he said is co-owned by the Vice President and her father.AMLC records show that BPI reported a debit memo of P9.78 million or $225,581.94 on March 9, 2011, and P9.11 million or $221,322.76 over-the-counter cash withdrawal on April 8, 2013, from the joint account.

There are at least 40 other CTRs involving dollar accounts allegedly registered under the Vice President and her husband, according to Divinagracia.

Senator-judge Imee Marcos objected to the presentation of foreign currency accounts, arguing that these had been excluded in the impeachment trials of former President Joseph Estrada and the late Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Escudero, however, said Amla and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas rules allow covered institutions to report foreign currency deposits through CTRs and STRs.

‘Thus, the suspicious transaction reports or covered transaction reports submitted to the AMLC do not acquire the status of absolute confidentiality merely because they contain information concerning foreign currency deposit accounts,’ Escudero said.Citing Republic of the Philippines v. Sandiganbayan, he said the Supreme Court had ruled that the AMLC could not invoke confidentiality provisions to prevent disclosure of information on covered and suspicious transactions.

‘The court did not distinguish between peso and foreign currency-denominated transactions,’ he added.

Escudero stressed that Buenaventura was being asked only to testify on records already lawfully in his possession through reports submitted by covered institutions. He also clarified that the court was not compelling any bank to disclose foreign currency deposits maintained by Duterte.

STR red flags

Buenaventura testified that banks and insurers filed STRs citing various red flags.

One 2019 STR involving Duterte cited news reports about individuals and corporations allegedly linked to the Department of Public Works and Highways flood control controversy and cited graft and corrupt practices.

A BDO Life STR dated Dec. 5, 2024, cited alleged ‘malversation of public funds and property’ and reports about the alleged misuse of confidential funds.

A Philippine Savings Bank transaction reported on Aug. 1, 2024, was flagged for ‘drug trafficking and related offenses,’ citing a news report on Trillanes’ complaint over the 2017 importation of P6.4 billion worth of ‘shabu.’ Paolo Duterte and Carpio were among those named in the complaint.

Absolute secrecy claim

Vinluan invoked Section 8-A of the AMLA, arguing that the AMLC and its secretariat were required to protect information obtained in the course of their duties and that the law created no exception for impeachment proceedings.

Escudero said the provision requires safeguards but does not impose absolute secrecy. He also said Section 9(c) applies to reporting institutions rather than the AMLC.

He rejected the defense warning that Buenaventura could face criminal prosecution for testifying under Section 14(d) of the AMLA.

‘Criminal liability attaches only to a prohibited disclosure,’ Escudero said. ‘Compliance with the lawful order subject to proper safeguards does not constitute, to the mind of the court, such a breach.’

The court also allowed the prosecution to display AMLC documents on the Senate livestream despite defense objections that they were marked ‘strictly confidential.’

‘The strict confidentiality of documents as the label appears will be rendered futile or nugatory by the flashing of this document on the screen,’ Vinluan said.

Escudero allowed the documents to remain on screen, noting that Buenaventura helped prepare them.

Novak Djokovic advanced to the China Open final on Monday after Daniil Medvedev was disqualified late in the second set, when a ball that came off the Russian’s racket hit a spectator.

A man sitting in the stands behind Medvedev’s side of the court was seen holding his face and escorted from his seat after being hit, as Djokovic was serving for the match with the score at 7-5, 5-3.

Eleventh-ranked Djokovic will play world number nine Alex de Minaur for the title Tuesday in Beijing.

The Australian had advanced over Hubert Hurkacz after the 29-year-old from Poland retired from their semi-final with an adductor muscle strain.

Medvedev’s disqualification arose from a moment deep in the match. When he failed to return a point, the ball bounced off the back wall and Medvedev hit it with a backhand up into the stands, with the chair umpire stopping play.

‘Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all,’ he told reporters afterwards, adding it was ‘100 percent an accident’ and that he wished to apologise to the fan in person.

‘The ball was bouncing back, so I tried to, like, just hit it anywhere, so it doesn’t go out from the court,’ he said.

It had been a physical battle before Medvedev’s disqualification.

Djokovic was red-faced and hunched over between points, with both players forcing each other through grueling rallies, until the Serbian took control in the second set.

The 39-year-old put on a dazzling performance and saved 16 break points across the match, diving at the baseline and sprinting to the net.

‘I didn’t see what happened, to be honest,’ Djokovic told the crowd after the fan was hit.

‘I’m sure that Daniil didn’t… do it intentionally. It happened by accident. Sorry for the crowd,’ he said, adding that it had been a tough contest.

‘I know the feeling,’ Djokovic told reporters later, recounting his own disqualification from the 2020 US Open after accidentally hitting a ball at a line judge.

When Rodel Llorente planted his first grape seeds in the mountains of Barangay Sagrada here, some residents told him grapevines would never grow there.

He proved them wrong.

Seven years later, Llorente, 48, runs Purple Hill Vineyard, a 2-hectare farm growing more than 30 grape varieties from the United States, Italy, Japan and other countries-and drawing visitors eager to pick the fruit straight from the vine.

Llorente started the farm in 2019, growing ornamental plants and vegetables. A friend later gave him grape seeds, which he decided to plant. The experiment paid off.

One grapevine produced as much as 30 kilograms of fruit, prompting him to grow more varieties. Depending on the variety, grapes take six months to a year to bear fruit.

Self-taught through experience and YouTube tutorials, Llorente initially grew grapes to provide healthy food for his family. As the harvest increased, he decided to share it with others.

Other fruits

Llorente said the warm conditions are favorable to grape growing. His latest harvest reached about 80 kg, which he attributed to the prevailing El Niño.

During fruiting season, visitors flock to the vineyard, particularly on weekends. Grape picking is by appointment, with no entrance fee. Visitors simply pay for the grapes they harvest, at prices lower than market rates.

But there is more to Purple Hill Vineyard than grapes.

Guests can enjoy dragon fruit, mulberries and ‘guyabano,’ go fishing or request food to be prepared at the farm. Stingless bees, organic chickens, Peking ducks and other animals add to the experience-and provide plenty of photo opportunities.

The mountain setting offers a sweeping view of Iriga City and Mount Iriga.

For Ramon Parica, the farm provides a healthier alternative to buying grapes elsewhere while giving families a chance to bond.

But what he enjoyed most was picking the fruit himself.

‘It is the satisfaction and thrill of picking the grapes that matters most. It is really a treasured experience, especially from tree to mouth,’ Parica told the Inquirer on Sunday.

The experience was enough to make the Parica family want to return.

Ramon, his wife Majoy and their two daughters said they would come back whenever the grapes were in season.

For Bobby and Emmalyn Moreno of Naga City, the trip offered a different kind of reward. ‘The experience is fulfilling, relaxing and, at the same time, going to the mountain is an exercise. It really is a connection to nature, so it is satisfying,’ the couple said.

For Llorente, such reactions make the farm worth opening to visitors.

He sees Purple Hill Vineyard as more than a source of food. It is also a place where people can learn about farming, enjoy nature and discover the rewards of growing their own food.

The Philippines is seeking to position itself as Asia’s next clinical research hub, with a new center of excellence targeted to open in Manila within the year through a partnership with British Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.

The planned Clinical Trial Centre of Excellence is being developed by AstraZeneca with De La Salle University (DLSU), the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza).

It will be established within the DLSU Knowledge, Innovation, Science and Technology Zone and serve as the first of three planned pillars of a broader health ecosystem, alongside a Cancer Command Centre and a Cardio-Renal-Metabolic Centre.

The Department of Trade and Industry said it would work with AstraZeneca and other government and academic partners to streamline regulatory approvals and explore a one-stop-shop model to support clinical research.

Currently, AstraZeneca supports more than 28 ongoing and planned clinical trials across over 150 sites nationwide, involving more than 1,000 Filipino patients enrolled since 2022.

AstraZeneca has invested more than P3 billion in Philippine clinical trials over the past six years, covering research in areas including oncology, respiratory and immunology, and cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases.

The company has also partnered with AC Health and its Healthway Medical Network to expand clinical trial capabilities to more hospitals, including facilities outside traditional research centers.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said expanding the industry could create higher-value employment for doctors, nurses, researchers and other health professionals while giving more patients access to clinical research.

‘Just as we built the IT-BPM industry from call centers into a globally competitive knowledge-services sector, we see clinical research and health information management as the Philippines’ next growth industry,’ Roque said.

Separately, AstraZeneca and Peza are developing a proposed Multi-Stakeholder Health Innovation Hub within the economic zone network following an agreement signed in August 2025.

Its flagship Oncology Innovation Center is envisioned to use artificial intelligence for early lung cancer detection while expanding patient-support systems and strengthening health-care workforce capabilities.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed on second reading a bill prohibiting children aged 13 and below from creating social media accounts while restricting access for those under 18.

The measure aligns the Philippines alongside a global shift enacting digital guardrails to shield minors from online harms.

Lawmakers approved House Bill No. 11566 by voice vote.

The bill, known as the Safe and Friendly Environment for Kids in Digital Spaces Act, consolidates over 40 legislative proposals seeking to enforce tighter oversight over minor social media usage.

The legislative piece comes after a push by authorities for digital content restrictions following a spate of school shootings and stabbings by students.

In approving the bill, lawmakers are seeking to mitigate violence they feel were driven by online content.

‘We recognize that while children have the right to benefit from technology, they must be protected from the risks that technology may expose them to,’ Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, who sponsored the bill, told the House floor.

‘Digital platforms provide opportunities for education, creativity, self-expression and connection,’ he said.

‘However, these same platforms may expose children to cyberbullying, grooming, sexual exploitation, harmful content, inappropriate advertising, privacy violations and forms of online interaction that they may not yet be equipped to navigate safely,’ he told fellow lawmakers.

Under the proposal, children aged 13 below are outright banned from social media.

On the other hand, it gives limited access to teenagers under 18, who would be shielded from harmful ads, livestreaming and algorithmic short video feeds that encourage doom-scrolling.

Teens under 18 are also barred from making online purchases and engaging with ‘gambling-like mechanisms.’

They are also prohibited from involving themselves with other features that may pose ‘reasonably foreseeable and material risks’ to well-being and development.

Romulo said the distinction between those aged 13 below and teens under 18 ‘is deliberate.’

‘Younger children require a clear minimum age boundary, while adolescents require a framework that recognizes their growing capacity for independence without disregarding the risks to which they remain exposed,’ he said.

The bill also mandates the establishment of an Office for Children’s Social Media and Digital Safety.

This unit will be under the Department of Information and Communications Technology and its mandate is to serve as the chief regulatory body enforcing the bill’s youth protection objectives.

Social media platforms will also be required to develop their own age identification system for its users that meet the standards set by the proposed regulatory office.

Social networks ‘shall be responsible for the effectiveness of their respective age assurance systems,’ with its users required to undergo age verification twice a year.

Platforms must also prohibit minors from chatting with ‘unknown adults,’ while also preventing teens from accessing artificial intelligence features embedded within social media sites.

Social media platforms face fines of up to P5 million for failing to comply with the ‘child-safety’ provisions sought under the bill, and a maximum P20 million fine for repeated noncompliance.

Authorities arrested two Korean national who allegedly yielded P1 million worth of ketamine in a buy-bust operation at the Clark Freeport Zone on Tuesday.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) office in Central Luzon said the two Koreans, aged 31 and 38, were working in a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) but did not release further details about their employment.

It said one of the Koreans has been in the Philippines for a year while the other one arrived in the country six months ago.

‘Operating teams recovered approximately 200 grams of ketamine valued at P1,000,000, one mobile phone, and the marked buy-bust money,’ the PDEA said.

PDEA said it had initially received confidential information about the suspects’s alleged illegal activities.

After verifying the information, PDEA conducted the buy-bust operation against the two Koreans at a resort in Clark Freeport.

The arrested suspects are facing charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

In 2005, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DBB) included ketamine in the list of regulated and controlled drugs.

While used as an anaesthetic by doctors and veterinarians, ketamine is also used recreationally which is against Philippine law. It is a dissociative drug that causes individuals to hallucinate.

DBB allows licensed doctors and veterinarians to prescribe a maximum of only 1.5 grams of ketamine per patient.

Philippine landlords have weathered the property market’s twin challenges of excess vacant homes and weaker sales, as disciplined spending and a shift in investment portfolios help strengthen their finances, SandP Global Ratings said.

In a report released on Monday, SandP said the oversupply of residential properties had eased in 2025, although inventories of completed units awaiting buyers remained high.

The improvement has helped property developers narrow the decline in sales to 7 percent in the first half of the year, from an 11-percent contraction in 2025, the ratings agency said.

Developers are also recalibrating their portfolios to bolster resilience in a volatile market. Some are shifting toward more affordable residential projects outside Metro Manila, where supply and demand are more balanced, SandP said.

The country’s four largest property groups-Ayala Land, Megaworld, SM Prime Holdings and Robinsons Land-have also tightened their spending plans. Their combined capital expenditure for 2026 has been cut by 25 percent from initial plans amid ‘macro and industry uncertainties,’ according to SandP.

Still, the broader economic outlook remains a challenge for the property sector. SandP expects the Philippine economy to grow just 2.9 percent this year before recovering to 5.4 percent in 2027.

Excess supply

Consumer sentiment is likely to remain under pressure from heightened uncertainty, supply-chain disruptions, excess property supply in Metro Manila and weaker purchasing power, while higher interest rates could further weigh on demand, SandP said.

Banks are also expected to remain cautious in extending credit to homebuyers and developers.

‘Rising interest rates, weakening purchasing power could weigh on home demand for the mid to affordable segment over the next 12 months,’ SandP said.

Looking ahead, SandP said landlords were expected to direct more capital toward income-generating properties like malls and offices rather than residential development, supporting recurring revenue and more stable earnings.

Real estate investment trust, or REIT, subsidiaries that are majority-owned by developers are also expected to remain an important source of capital through asset recycling, it added.