Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Former Department of Education chief of staff Michael Poa, now part of Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team, was declared a hostile witness for the prosecution as the Senate impeachment court examined how P112.5 million in confidential funds was spent during Duterte’s tenure as education secretary.

His testimony on Day 21 on Sept. 2 followed two Philippine Army officers who questioned DepEd’s use of military certifications to justify its confidential fund expenses.

The prosecution, meanwhile, is weighing whether to drop the bribery allegations under Article III to speed up the trial and proceed to the unexplained wealth allegations under Article II.

The developments came as senator-judges also discussed the 16-vote threshold for conviction or acquittal, while the Senate adjusted its schedule to accommodate impeachment proceedings alongside budget hearings and plenary sessions.

Key developments

Day 20 (Sept. 1, 2026)

Col. Manaros Boransing II testified that the Philippine Army received no regular or confidential funds from Duterte’s offices for the 2023 Youth Leadership Summit and Information Education Communication activities.

Col. Magtangol Panopio said his certification only confirmed that the Army conducted youth summits in its area of operations and did not validate how DepEd spent its confidential funds.

Panopio said he personally considered it improper for DepEd to use his certification to support its confidential fund liquidation.

Both officers said they were shocked to learn during a House committee hearing in October 2024 that DepEd had cited Army programs to justify its confidential fund expenses.

Presiding Officer Francis Escudero barred witnesses from bringing earpieces, mobile phones, smartwatches and similar communication devices while testifying after the court determined that a viral image allegedly showing a witness wearing an earpiece was AI-generated.

Sen. Vicente Sotto III said names appearing on acknowledgment receipts can be considered aliases only if there is a real person behind them. Otherwise, they should be treated as fictitious names.

Day 21: (Sept. 2, 2026)

The Senate impeachment court declared Poa a hostile witness for the prosecution, allowing prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. to ask leading questions.

Poa was called to testify on the disbursement of P112.5 million in DepEd confidential funds during Duterte’s tenure as education secretary from 2022 to 2024.

Defense lead counsel Sheila Sison criticized the prosecution’s 13-point offer of testimony, saying it sounded like rhetoric intended to add drama to the proceedings.

Poa acknowledged that he could potentially face personal liability if Duterte is found guilty of misusing confidential funds, but maintained that he had no personal knowledge of how the money was spent.

He said he only learned during a House committee hearing in October 2024 that confidential funds had been handed to officials of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group.

Poa also confirmed that not a single peso from DepEd’s confidential funds went to the military’s Youth Leadership Summits.

The court reprimanded lawyers over a prolonged exchange during Poa’s testimony, with Escudero urging them to avoid wasting time.

Outside the court, the prosecution panel said it was considering dropping Article III, which covers alleged bribery involving DepEd procurement officials, to expedite the impeachment trial.

Lead public prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro said no final decision had been made but that proceeding directly to Article II, the unexplained wealth allegations, was being seriously considered.

Rep. Joel Chua said dropping the article would be a matter of prioritization rather than weakness, citing a similar move during the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The prosecution also received bank documents and tax records involving Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio and associated companies. Rep. Terry Ridon described these as the final key pillar of evidence for the unexplained wealth allegations.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri confirmed that some senator-judges had discussed the possibility of revisiting the 16-vote threshold needed to convict or acquit Duterte.

The Senate also approved a scheduling arrangement allowing budget hearings and plenary sessions to proceed alongside afternoon impeachment proceedings.

Escudero separately floated holding whole-day impeachment sessions in October, with the trial potentially suspended in November to make way for the Senate’s legislative calendar.

Team Philippines played its best in the 31st Nomura Cup on Thursday, and from almost being written off after a cold second round, the gritty Filipinos will head into the final day with a solid shot at winning Asia-Pacific’s team championship for the first time.

‘We put ourselves in a great spot to have a chance to win this event, but we have to stay present all throughout tomorrow,’ Jet Hernandez said after shooting a four-under-par 68 at Bayhood No. 9 Golf Club in Beijing for a 138, second-best for the third round.

That fueled the Philippines’ 426 aggregate, which is now just five shots behind leader Hong Kong-China.

‘Whatever happens tomorrow, happens; we just have to give it our all and win in the [aspects we can control],’ he added after shooting six birdies.

Shinichi Suzuki assembled a 70 as the Filipinos moved to within three shots of Japan, which is running second, just two shots off the Hong Kong-Chinese.

‘It definitely was our day today; we were able to improve eight shots from yesterday and cut Hong Kong’s lead to half,’ Suzuki said. ‘It will definitely be an exciting final round tomorrow, our mindset is to make sure to stick to our game plan, give our 100 percent best.’

Rolando Bregente, who jumpstarted the Philippines campaign on opening day with a 69, stumbled to a 78 and failed to count.

The Filipinos started the day 10 shots off Hong Kong and looked to be out of it before Hernandez and Suzuki wheeled the country back in the thick of things even with the duo leaving some strokes out on the course.

‘I had a terrible double bogey on the 10th,’ said the 6-foot-3 Suzuki, who responded from the miscue with three birdies in his last six holes. ‘That has been a difficult hole for us [as a team].’

Hernandez, the National Strokeplay champion back home, had six birdies in the third round after ‘doing a better job at being instinctive out there.’

‘The game plan will stay the same for us,’ Hernandez added. ‘For us to just do whatever it takes for us to shoot the lowest score possible.’

Jeffrey Shen and Markus Zachary Lam fired 70s for Hong Kong-China’s third round 140 for 421 overall, now just two shots ahead of traditional power Japan, which got a 68 from Kaito Sato and a 71 from Mao Matsuyama for 139 and 423.

Police and environment authorities arrested two people and seized forest products worth an estimated over P63,000 in separate anti-illegal logging operations in Romblon and Palawan on Thursday (Sept. 3).

The Police Regional Office in MIMAROPA said the operations were conducted with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to curb illegal cutting and possession of forest products in the region.

MIMAROPA covers the southwestern Tagalog region composed of Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan.

In San Fernando town in Romblon, personnel of the San Fernando Municipal Police Station provided security assistance to the DENR-Protected Area Management Office in Sibuyan during an anti-illegal logging operation in Sitio Olango, Barangay España.

At about 9:45 a.m., a 40-year-old resident was reportedly caught holding an axe beside a freshly-cut Balaw tree measuring about 30 centimeters in diameter and 30 feet long.

The tree was estimated to have a volume of 273.9 board feet, with a value of P13,695.

The suspect was brought to the San Fernando police station.

Authorities prepared charges against the arrested person for alleged violation of Section 77 of Presidential Decree No. 705, or the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines, as amended by Executive Order No. 277.

Meanwhile, in Palawan town of Roxas, the personnel of the Roxas Municipal Police Station enforced a search warrant against a 69-year-old resident of Purok Zambales in Barangay 3.

They moved together with the DENR, Palawan Provincial Intelligence Unit, and 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company.

The warrant was issued in connection with an alleged violation of Section 77 of PD 705.

Authorities recovered assorted forest products, including Ipil lumber and planted Mahogany trees, with an estimated combined volume of 300 board feet and market value of P50,000.

Police said the suspect failed to present valid documents, permits or licenses authorizing the possession and ownership of the forest products.

The seized items were inventoried in the presence of barangay and media workers.

The suspect was brought to the Roxas police station.

Former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto ‘Jing’ Paras said on Friday that there was no ‘honey trap’ plot against Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, claiming that the government official really ordered girls from the ‘pimp’ talent manager to offer sexual services.

Paras said this on Friday, shortly after National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag announced the filing of qualified human trafficking complaints before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against him, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, the talent manager, and four lawyers.

Meanwhile, Recto pointed out that he had never met the talent manager-identified only as alias ‘Ken’-and his four female artists supposedly involved in the plan to ‘assassinate’ his image.

Paras’ statement

In a phone interview with the INQUIRER, Paras said Ken-whom he said he has known for a long time-went to his house in 2024 to entice him to invest in a movie production involving female artists.

He said Ken told him that these female artists were being ordered to provide services to Recto.

‘In the process para ma-convince niya ako mag-invest… Sinabi niya, ‘Cong, itong mga babaeng ito, magaganda. Ito yung kinukuha ng top official [Recto]. Ito ‘yung binibigay niya at dinadala niya doon sa isang condominium sa Makati.’ So that’s what he told me,’ Paras said.

(In the process of convincing me to invest, he said, ‘Cong, these women are beautiful. These are the women that the top official [Recto] takes. These are the ones he orders and takes to a condominium in Makati.’ So that’s what he told me.)

The former congressman said he did not mind the talent manager’s remarks at the time since he did not also invest in the project either.

Paras added that the topic was reopened only in May this year because Recto has become one of the country’s top officials while he was on the side of the administration’s opposition.

‘Naisip ko dahil controversial itong top official, marami siyang ano at saka nasa opposition kami, alam mo naman kailangan nating i-expose ang mga officials sa corruption, sa kanilang perversion, sa kanilang pinaggagawa outside of their function,’ he said.

(I thought because this top official is controversial, he has a lot of things to do, and we are in the opposition, you know, we need to expose the officials to corruption, to their perversion, to what they are doing outside of their function.)

‘If you are a top opposition leader, don’t you think you want to expose also other things that are happening to the government officials, to a top official?’ he also said.

(If you are a top opposition leader, don’t you think you want to expose also other things that are happening to the government officials, to a top official?)

Paras said he renewed his contact with the talent manager for a plan of exposing the alleged conduct of Recto involving the female artists.

The former congressman narrated that he contacted lawyers from the Rondain and Mendiola Law Firm-including Atty. Ruy Rondain, Atty. Orlando Mendiola-to seek help in ‘interviewing’ the female artists regarding their supposed experiences with the executive secretary and helping them file a ‘legitimate’ complaint.

‘If they were brave enough, at papanindigan nila ang istorya nila, tutulungan namin silang magsampa ng kaso,’ Paras said.

(If they were brave enough, and they stood by their story, we will help them file a case.)

But the former congressman refused to provide the details regarding the supposed statements of the four female artists during their meeting and interview in July.

He said they will divulge all the information when they file counter-affidavits at the DOJ should the case proceed.

Meanwhile, Paras clarified that Leviste had nothing to do with their plan to supposedly expose Recto, noting that he is not even in contact with the congressman.

He pointed out that it was actually the talent manager who brought up Leviste’s name after he began to demand P5 million-P1 million for himself and for each of the four girls-which they would supposedly use for their own hiding and protection after filing the case against Recto.

‘Marunong din siya sa politics. Sinabi niya sa akin, ‘Cong., bakit hindi mo kontakin si Cong. Leviste? Magkalaban naman sila ni Recto. Ang daming pera ‘yang si Leviste. Sabi niya bakit hindi yan ang magpondo nito?’ he also said.

(He is also knowledgeable in politics. He told me, ‘Cong., why don’t you contact Cong. Leviste? He and Recto are rivals. Leviste has so much money. He said, ‘Why isn’t he the one to fund this?’)

Meanwhile, Paras said he was shocked when Ken suddenly reversed his statements after he was arrested in an NBI’s entrapment operation on the evening of July 28.

The former congressman pointed out that he is ready to face the qualified human trafficking complaints, saying that these were all ‘fabricated.’

‘Just explain in court’

Sought for comment, Recto said in a Viber message to the INQUIRER that he has ‘never met the talent manager or any of the female victims.’

‘Clearly they seem to know Hustler Jing Paras et al. I leave it to the NBI, DOJ and courts,’ Recto told the INQUIRER.

‘Magpaliwanag na lang sila sa korte,’ he emphasized.

(They should just explain themselves in court.)

After his arrest on July 28, the talent manager claimed he met with Paras and the four lawyers, including Rondain and Mendiola, to plan the ‘character assassination’ plot against Recto.

He also said Leviste was allegedly the ‘financier’ of the supposed scheme, which the congressman denied

San Miguel Aerocity Inc. (SMAI) said on Thursday that the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) project was not to blame for recent flooding in Bulacan, saying years of engineering studies and flood-mitigation measures underpin the airport’s development.

SMAI, the airport developer of San Miguel Corp. (SMC), said on Thursday that the allegation circulating online was not backed by hydrological data, technical analysis or an identified expert source.

‘NMIA did not cause Bulacan’s flooding. This is a problem the province has had to contend with for many generations,’ it stressed.

SMAI issued the statement days after residents, farmers and fisherfolk held a protest in Bulacan over flood-control projects and developments they blamed for worsening floods in the province.

Fisherfolk group Pamalakaya specifically raised concerns over NMIA, citing flooding and subsidence risks associated with the project.

According to SMAI, Bulacan’s flooding stems from a combination of its low-lying geography, heavy rainfall, upstream river flows, limited river capacities and land subsidence. Danish international firm DHI began research, engineering studies and hydrological modeling for NMIA as early as 2018.

These examined surrounding waterways, historical typhoons and storm surges, land subsidence and the project’s potential impact on drainage and flood levels.

In 2021, UK-based engineering firm Mott MacDonald consolidated DHI’s models and baseline data to align the project with international lender standards.

Dutch marine engineering firm Boskalis and DHI later devised a solution to deepen riverbeds while narrowing their bottom width instead of extensively widening rivers, avoiding land constraints and impacts on mangrove areas.

This was applied to the Maycapiz-Taliptip or Alipit, Santa Maria and Meycauayan rivers.

From 2022 to 2024, SMC removed more than one million metric tons of silt and waste from the three rivers under its Better Rivers PH initiative.

The conglomerate’s cleanup operations in Bulacan have since expanded, with more than 4.3 million metric tons removed as of Aug. 18.

SMAI also stressed that NMIA is not a reclamation project but a development on existing titled land in Bulakan previously used as commercial fishponds.

Dredging not enough

The company acknowledged that dredging alone may not be enough during severe rains, with some areas potentially requiring wider river channels, permanent river dikes, floodgates and pumping stations.

SMAI said it would continue its flood-mitigation commitments and work with government agencies on broader measures to improve Bulacan’s flood resilience.

The province became the focal point of last year’s flood control controversy after it was revealed that it got P44 billion out of the P548 billion worth of flood control projects implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) between July 2022 until May 30, 2025.

Bulacan, according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who headed the Senate blue ribbon committee which investigated the issue, was the ‘most notorious’ in terms of anomalous flood control projects across the country.

Officials of the DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office were charged in court last year after many of their projects were found to be nonexistent or substandard.

Vice President Sara Duterte faced a warrant of arrest for three counts of grave threats issued by a Quezon City Regional Trial Court on Friday.

The case is in connection with Duterte’s remarks during an online press conference on Nov. 23, 2024, wherein the Vice President alleged she had instructed someone to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were killed.

The offense of grave threats is covered by Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

In the issued warrant, the court set her bail at P120,000 for each count.

Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code defines the commission of grave threats as a ‘person who shall threaten another with the infliction upon the person, honor or property of the latter or of his family of any wrong constituting a crime.’

It also noted that any threats made online may be punished with higher penalties if it falls under cyber libel or other cyber offenses.

Under Section 6 of RA No. 10175, ‘all crimes defined and penalized by the Revised Penal Code, as amended, and special laws, if committed by, through and with the use of information and communications technologies.’

It also cited that the penalty to be imposed may be one degree higher ‘than that provided for by the Revised Penal Code, as amended, and special laws, as the case may be.’

Under Philippine laws, charges for grave threats may also face jail time between one and six months.

The Department of Justice on August 12 filed a criminal complaint against Duterte over her alleged death threat to the President, the first lady, and the former House Speaker, which was referred to the National Bureau of Investigation last year.

The Vice President is also in the middle of a Senate Impeachment trial over several allegations, including grave threats.

Sharon Cuneta shrugged off the previous clash between her husband, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, and her former boyfriend, Sen. Robin Padilla, saying it was a ‘non-issue’ for the couple.

Pangilinan and Padilla had a heated exchange back in May after the former supposedly raised his voice at the latter. The feud happened during plenary discussions on the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents’ attempt to serve an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa at the Senate building in May.

This was brought up during an interview with Cuneta on ‘Fast Talk with Boy Abunda’ on Thursday, Sept. 3, as show host Abunda cited memes on the matter that referenced the Megastar’s past relationship with Padilla.

”Yung ibang [memes nakita ko],’ she admitted.

But when asked what her reaction was to these, she said, laughing, ‘No comment. Ganito na lang, ‘Uy, ex ko. Uy, husband ko.’ Tapos na. Stops there.’

She added, ‘I don’t want to comment because sa amin, it was a non-issue.’

During the conversation, Abunda also asked Cuneta for her reaction after Padilla’s sister, BB Gandanghari, publicly declared that she had withdrawn her support for Pangilinan. BB said her decision was prompted by Pangilinan’s opposition to the proposal of Padilla to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 10 years old.

‘Sa akin, I respect naman kung ano ‘yung paniniwala ng bawat tao. Hindi ko mai-impose ‘yung beliefs ko sa isang kaibigan. I never had to do that,’ Cuneta said.

”Yung sa akin lang, sana ‘yung friendship hindi naitapon kahit iba na ‘yung paniniwala. Kasi mahal ko siya e,’ she continued, referring to BB.

Cuneta nonetheless acknowledged that people change and said she was okay with it.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved the initial public offering (IPO) of GCash operator Mynt Inc. worth up to P92.32 billion, bringing the fintech giant closer to its much-awaited stock market debut.

The SEC said on Friday that the Commission En Banc had resolved to render effective Mynt’s registration statement covering up to 66.9 billion common shares, subject to compliance with remaining requirements.

In addition, Mynt will offer up to 1.61 billion common shares through the primary offer, while a selling shareholder will sell up to 6.42 billion shares.

Likewise, the transaction also carries an overallotment option of up to 1.20 billion shares.

Moreover, Mynt will price the shares at up to P10 each and expects to net up to P89.25 billion from the total offer, assuming the overallotment option gets oversubscribed.

About P14.95 billion in net proceeds from the primary offer will fund growth in digital financial services, product development, and general corporate purposes.

Mynt is also the first company to benefit from the SEC’s lower public float requirement for large issuers. The regulator allowed the company to have a minimum initial public float of 12 percent instead of 15 percent.

Based on the latest timetable submitted to the SEC, the offer period will run from Oct. 6 to 12. Mynt is targeting an Oct. 20 listing on the Philippine Stock Exchange’s Main Board under the ticker symbol ‘GCASH.’

Zheng Qinwen flopped to the court then jumped up in a fist-pumping celebration Thursday after battling into the US Open third round, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist relishing the return of her game – and her competitive fire.

The former world number four endured an injury-plagued 2025 that included a longer than anticipated recovery from elbow surgery.

She missed the Australian Open and has struggled to regain her form, and the mindset of a champion.

‘Before the surgery, for me winning is like drinking water – everything comes natural, everything comes fluent,’ Zheng said after beating Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 to reach the third round.

‘After my surgery, I had some tough matches against the best players in the world (and) I’m close but I don’t get them.

‘I totally lost the dynamic of how to compete.

‘Now after two, three months I really felt the first time in this tournament I find myself, I found my fire back during the competition.’

Zheng sank so far in the rankings that she had to go through qualifying to book her US Open berth.

She grudgingly acknowledged that grinding through the qualifiers may have helped her regain her competitive edge – but that didn’t really take the sting away.

‘It takes a while for me to accept my ranking dropped to 125 and, OK, I need to actually play qualies,’ she said.

Now she’s in the thick of the main draw and will face former Australian Open champion Keys for a place in the last 16.

Zheng is looking forward to the test – and likely a chance to step back onto one of the main show courts of Flushing Meadows after toiling through two rounds on the outside courts.

‘I used to always play on the big court,’ she said. ‘I need to fight to get everything back.’

The hazardous haze from forest fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia are still detected in Palawan and several areas in Visayas and Mindanao, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) on Friday warned.

The OCD advised the public to wear protective masks, particularly N95 masks, when outdoors in the following areas due to the presence of transboundary haze:

Palawan

Cebu

Zamboanga del Sur

Zamboanga del Norte

South Cotabato

Misamis Oriental

Lanao del Norte

Zamboanga Sibugay

Basilan

Tawi-Tawi

Sulu

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) reported high PM2.5 levels.

This situation indicates fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter in the country last Tuesday, Sept. 1.

As of Friday, Sept. 4, ‘very unhealthy’ air quality index (AQI) was still raised over Talisay City in Cebu, Koronadal City in South Cotabato, and Cabadbaran City in Agusan del Norte.

Under this level, the AQI ranges from 201 to 300, indicating that the air pollution may affect the general public.

Meanwhile, the DENR-EMB also reported 101 to 150 AQI in IloIlo City, La Castellana in Negros Occidental, Iligan City in Northern Mindanao, Butuan City and some areas in Butuan City.

The affected places were put under ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ level, which means air quality is harmful to individuals with respiratory problems, elderly, children, pregnant women, among others.

On Friday, the PM2.5 levels in the National Capital Region recorded good AQI, which indicates that the air quality is no longer harmful.

The air quality in Metro Manila last Tuesday reached up to ‘acutely unhealthy’ levels, due to the reported AQI of up to 300.

The Department of Health warned that the transboundary haze may cause difficulty in breathing, coughing, chest pain, watering of the eyes, itchiness in the nose, and may worsen respiratory diseases, such as asthma