Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) confidentiality is not absolute, House prosecutor Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro party-list said Saturday, arguing that the agency itself discloses financial information to courts when seeking freeze orders.

Ridon said this undermines arguments that confidentiality rules prevent AMLC records from being presented before the Senate impeachment court in Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial.

He pointed out that the AMLC routinely provides information to the Court of Appeals when it seeks orders to freeze assets suspected of being linked to unlawful activities.

‘If the confidentiality were absolute, they wouldn’t be able to provide information to the court to have assets frozen, right?’ Ridon said during the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City.

‘So in a similar situation, why shouldn’t the AMLC be able to provide information to the Senate impeachment court, which does not derive its authority from the judiciary but has its own authority under the 1987 Constitution?’ he added.

In August, the AMLC secured a Court of Appeals freeze order covering 55 bank accounts and four insurance policies linked to a lawmaker, a construction company and other individuals over alleged violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Ridon also pointed to provisions allowing the AMLC to exchange information with other authorities as another reason he believes its confidentiality requirement cannot be considered absolute.

‘That means if information can be exchanged with other offices, then the confidentiality is not absolute. Because when you exchange information, you are disclosing data, right?’ he said.

The issue has become relevant to the impeachment trial as prosecutors seek to present AMLC records involving Duterte, her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, and companies linked to them.

The Senate impeachment court in July granted the prosecution’s request to subpoena AMLC, bank and tax records after finding the documents prima facie relevant and material to the allegations under Article II.

AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura is expected to take the witness stand Monday after his testimony was deferred to give the defense more time to review financial records and prepare for his examination.

While maintaining the prosecution’s position that AMLC confidentiality does not bar the presentation of the records, Ridon acknowledged that the impeachment court will ultimately rule on the issue.

Carlo Paalam expressed his frustrations after another narrow finals loss in the Asian Games 2026 men’s boxing 55kg, saying he felt his momentum was repeatedly disrupted during the fight.

Paalam settled for silver, the Philippine boxing team’s lone medal in Aichi-Nagoya, after losing to Japan’s Rui Yamaguchi by split decision at Nishio Gymnasium on Friday.

Paalam said repeated stoppages by Uzbek referee Maruf Urdushev disrupted his rhythm, particularly when he felt he was building momentum.

‘I felt good, but again, the referee. I don’t know, it wasn’t a good decision. I don’t know why the referee kept looking at me,’ Paalam said after the bout in Filipino.

‘Whenever I had momentum, he would stop it. The referee was really like that. It felt like I was always the one being watched,’ he added.

ABAP president Marcus Manalo was also frustrated by the decision to assign the same referee to the final after he officiated Paalam’s semifinal.

‘It was frustrating that the same referee who officiated his semifinal was appointed again in the final. There were so many other referees available,’ Manalo said. ‘When I saw the referee come out, I was like, ‘Again?” Manalo told POC Media.

Paalam knew he needed a strong final round after trailing on the judges’ scorecards through the first two rounds. He responded by winning all five judges’ cards in the third, but it was not enough to overturn the deficit.

‘I just did my best and pushed myself in the last round because I knew I had to take it. I had nothing left. I gave everything,’ he said.

The Filipino also felt his improvements throughout the bout did not matter once the decision was left to the judges.

‘All the improvements were there. Like I said, the decision wasn’t in our hands. No matter how hard you try to win, if the judges decide otherwise, there’s nothing you can do,’ Paalam said.

National team coach Ronald Chavez shared Paalam’s frustration, saying the Filipino corner felt the fight was difficult from the start and eventually told Paalam to chase a knockout.

‘We weren’t necessarily at a disadvantage in the fight, but we knew the referee and judges could hurt us. With the referee, it felt like Carlo was being singled out,’ Chavez said.

‘After the first round, I thought we were ahead. But I felt it was going to be close, so I told him there was nothing else we could do. If you can’t knock him out, anything can happen,’ he added.

Despite the disappointment, Paalam said he plans to rest briefly before returning to training.

Agusan del Sur recorded 2,018 dengue cases and 14 deaths from Jan. 1 to Oct. 1 due to dengue.

This record comes as the Provincial Health Office declared a province-wide outbreak on Sept. 29 following an evidence-based assessment of the rising cases of infections.

Provincial Health Officer Jacqueline Frances Momville told reporters during a media forum on Friday at the provincial capitol that the situation had reached red alert.

She noted that cases are exceeding the epidemic threshold.

‘This is a stern warning since those threatened by the dengue virus are from all ages,’ Momville said.

She explained that the outbreak declaration underwent several stages of assessment based on available evidence, with additional figures continuing to come in.

Dr. Agnes Cullantes, head of the Department of Health’s provincial office, said surveillance teams gathered data on dengue cases across the province’s 14 municipalities and Bayugan City.

Results come out after every seven days of data gathering.

Dr. Rosemaricris Perez, a medical officer at the D.O. Plaza Memorial Hospital, said two of the patients who died had underlying conditions: a pregnant woman and an elderly patient with a heart problem.

She also raised concern that many patients arrived at the hospital late.

Rosario recorded the highest number of dengue cases, with 543, followed by San Francisco with 271, Bayugan City with 229, Loreto with 204 and Bunawan with 180.

This information is according to the Provincial Health Office’s situationer dated Oct. 1.

Prosperidad, the provincial capital, recorded 114 cases, followed by La Paz with 80, Talacogon with 76, San Luis with 71, Esperanza with 68, Trento with 64, Veruela with 56, Santa Josefa with 37 and Sibagat with 25.

Rosario also had the province’s highest dengue attack rate, at 10 cases per 1,000 residents. Loreto followed with five cases per 1,000, while Bunawan had four.

San Francisco and La Paz each recorded an attack rate of three per 1,000 residents.

Finance Secretary Frederick Go has signed a P48-billion financing agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to fund the third phase of the Philippine government’s universal health care reform program.

The financing, equivalent to 119.745 billion Japanese yen and first approved in August, will support the Build Universal Health Care Program Subprogram 3 (BUHC3).

‘By signing this agreement, we are making a long-term investment in the country’s human capital and resilience,’ Go said in a statement.

According to ADB’s website, the program, which will have 14 high-impact policy actions, ‘aims to improve equitable access to quality health services while making the health system more responsive to gender-specific health concerns and the impacts of climate change.’

BUHC3 is the third phase of the program, building on reforms supported by the first two subprograms. ADB provided $600 million for the first subprogram in 2021 and $450 million for the second in 2023.

For the third phase, ADB’s loan will be supplemented by a separate $187.9-million loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, equivalent to about P11.8 billion.

The financing comes as the Philippine healthcare system, ADB said, ‘continues to face inefficiencies and inequalities. Coverage of essential services remains limited, particularly in primary care, diagnostics, medicines and preventive intervention.’

The Philippines may have stumbled onto one of its most valuable agricultural opportunities: the world’s growing appetite for ube.

What was once a familiar ingredient in Filipino desserts is now appearing in products around the world. Philippine ube exports reached $3.06 million in 2025, according to the Department of Trade and Industry, with demand growing for powder, purée, halaya, and other value-added products.

But the boom has exposed a problem that goes beyond ube: demand is moving faster than the country’s ability to supply it. In September, the Department of Agriculture indefinitely suspended fresh ube exports to conserve scarce planting materials while domestic production is expanded.

That is an important lesson for Philippine agriculture. It is not enough to discover that the world wants our products. We must also be ready to protect their identity, build their production base, and ensure that Filipino farmers capture a meaningful share of the value.

This is where geographical indications, or GIs, matter. A GI links a product’s quality, reputation or characteristics to a particular geographic origin. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) says registration can prevent misleading claims about origin while strengthening consumer confidence, market access, and revenue generation. The Philippines established its current GI registration system in 2022.

Other countries offer a useful demonstration of what can happen when this tool is treated as part of agricultural strategy rather than simply intellectual property administration. The European Union now has more than 3,700 registered GIs, covering products such as Champagne, Kalamata olives and Parmigiano Reggiano. The European Commission says GI products generate more than 75 billion euros in annual sales and account for 15.5 percent of EU agri-food exports.

Costa Rica offers an even more relevant agricultural example. Its ‘Banano de Costa Rica’ GI was registered nationally in 2010 and through the World Intellectual Property Organization the following year. In 2026, the industry employed over 41,000 workers directly with another 100,000 indirectly working in banana production. These workers enjoy the highest minimum wage in the banana sector in Latin America and better social services and working conditions compared to others employed in similar professions in the region. With modern and fair production practices at the heart of its model, the ‘Banano de Costa Rica’ GI has built the confidence of relatively affluent international customers-and the industry is able to command premium prices as a result.

The Philippines has already seen what happens when a valuable product name is allowed to become detached from its origin. Consider the case of the ‘Manila Mango.’

The name is used for mangoes grown in Mexico, even though the variety has Philippine roots. In 2005, the Philippine intellectual property authorities objected to the use of ‘Manila Mango’ for Mexican-grown fruit, arguing that consumers could be led to believe it came from the Philippines; contemporary reporting noted that the Mexican producer acknowledged that the original seedling came from the Philippines.

Whatever the historical complexities of the mango’s trans-Pacific journey, the episode illustrates the commercial risk clearly: a place name can acquire market value independently of the farmers and territory that originally gave the product its reputation.

There is little reason to wait for another such case. IPOPHL and the Department of Agriculture have identified at least 30 agricultural and fishery products with strong GI potential, including Cordillera Heirloom Rice, Davao Pomelo, Zambales Mangoes, Davao Cacao, Davao Durian, Bonuan Bangus, Quezon Lambanog, Camarines Norte Queen Pineapple, and Oriental Mindoro Calamansi.

Guimaras mangoes already provide a domestic example of the potential: the product was registered as a GI in 2023, and in July 2026 GI-certified Guimaras mangoes were shipped to Europe as part of an effort to promote the product internationally.

Legislators are also moving on the issue. Senate Bills No. 840 and 1392, both titled the Protected Geographical Indications Act, were filed in 2025. SB 1936 followed in March 2026, while House Bill No. 8080 was filed in February 2026. These measures seek a dedicated framework for GI protection.

But legislation should be only one part of the strategy. A GI cannot compensate for low farm productivity, inadequate planting material, poor postharvest systems, or fragmented supply chains. What it can do is give those investments a market-facing purpose: turning a crop into a recognized origin brand whose reputation can be defended and whose value can be built over time.

The Philippines should not wait until the next calamansi, cacao, mango, or heirloom crop becomes an international sensation before asking how its name will be protected and how its farmers will benefit. The lesson of ube is not merely that the world likes Filipino products. It is that when the world does, the Philippines must be ready.

Binibining Pilipinas Katrina Anne Johnson continues to help Filipino communities get closer to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) adopted by the United Nations.

The pharmacist from Davao, the Philippines’ delegate to the 2026 Miss International pageant in Japan later this year, took part in a recent livelihood session with the women of Barangay Karuhatan in Valenzuela City.

‘Inclusion means making sure opportunities are within reach,’ Johnson said of the learning session conducted by Tesda (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority), the government’s primary agency for technical-vocational education and training.

The agency facilitated a pet shampoo making livelihood session with PWDs (persons with disabilities) and single parents of Karuhatan, in hopes of encouraging the residents to pursue entrepreneurship.

‘The intention behind this initiative was more than just teaching participants how to make a single product. It was to introduce a skill that could be practiced, developed, replicated and potentially turned into an additional stream of income,’ Johnson said.’For people who encounter greater barriers to conventional employment, having another avenue to earn can mean greater independence, greater agency and, most of all, greater security,’ she continued.

Johnson said the intiative demonstrated how SDGs 1, 8, 10 and 17 ‘can intersect in practice, showing how different global goals can reinforce one another to widen access to sustainable livelihoods.’

The Miss International pageant has been promoting the 17 SDGs, requiring the delegates to spearhead campaigns in their respective countries to help achive the goals before the target in 2030.

Johnson celebrated SDG Flag Day on Sept. 25 with a series of photographs assembled in collages that showed her participating in various initiatives in schools, hospitals, villages and remote islands across the Philippines.

‘After nearly a decade of seeing our communities up close, the SDGs have come to represent the kind of future I want to help create: one where opportunity is not limited by circumstance, where inclusion is built into progress, and where people can thrive without compromising the world that sustains them,’ she said.

Johnson is on a mission to post the Philippines’ seventh Miss International win. The ‘Final Gala’ will be held at Kanadevia Hall (formerly Tokyo Dome City Hall) in Tokyo, Japan, on Nov. 25.

Bank and tax records to be presented next week before the Senate impeachment court could help determine whether former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV’s recent claims against Vice President Sara Duterte are supported by the records, the prosecution panel said Saturday.

During a press conference Friday, Trillanes said Duterte had peso and US dollar time deposits in 2007 and 2008 that were not declared in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).

He also said the Chinese government and Chinese companies remitted a total of P319 million to Cale88 Food Corp., which is linked to Duterte’s husband, Manases Carpio, and P150 million to the vice president’s Tapang at Malasakit Foundation.

Trillanes also alleged that the Duterte family received P181 million from suspected drug lord Sammy Uy.

Private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa said the prosecution’s upcoming witnesses and financial records could be used to check the claims.

‘So abangan natin dito sa mga maririnig natin sa mga parating na testigo natin at makikita natin sa mga record kung ito hong mga financial transactions na ito ay magma-match doon sa mga narinig natin (kay dating Senator Trillanes),’ Tolosa said during the Saturday News Forum.

(So, let us wait and see, based on the testimonies of upcoming witnesses and the records we examine, whether these financial transactions align with what we heard from former Senator Trillanes.)

The prosecution is set to present representatives from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), banks and financial institutions, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) as witnesses next week.

Trillanes was initially on the House prosecution’s witness list but later withdrew from the trial.

The CEO of the Recording Academy in a statement confirmed that the Grammy Awards’ Asian pop category will debut in 2027 as planned.

‘Over the past several weeks the Academy has been conducting listening sessions and have been in dialogue with leaders of the Asian music community. The journey has been rewarding and inspiring,’ Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement obtained by Variety. ‘Our organization is at its best when we engage deeply with music people and go the extra mile to understand their lived experiences.’

‘In this case, we heard candid feedback from people in our community who don’t support the continuation of this category. We also heard from people who didn’t have accurate information about the category, and having space to clear up misperceptions has been especially valuable. But by far, the loudest feedback we heard was from people who were enthusiastic supporters of the category, fellow music creators expressing their encouragement for keeping it,’ he continued.

‘We understand this conclusion will not satisfy everyone, and that never feels good. But at the same time, we are confident it’s the right conclusion for the music community overall. As is the case with all our categories, we will continue to diligently engage with the music community and keep striving to honor this music-and all music-in the best possible way,’ he added. ‘We look forward to celebrating the Asian Pop Music Performance nominees at the 2027 Grammy Awards.’

Previously, Mason had suggested the new category was being reconsidered after the plan announced in June stirred up controversy. BTS took a stand one month later, saying it would not submit its music for consideration at the 69th Grammy Awards: ‘We hope music can be heard and embraced for what it is, beyond region or language.’

The septet has been nominated for Grammys but has never won, although its fifth LP ‘Arirang’ is expected to be a strong candidate. All the group’s bandmates are voting members of the Recording Academy, as is Bang Si-hyuk, the founding chairman of their label Big Hit Music.

The album has remained on the Billboard 200 for six months, having topped the chart for three weeks.

Rice production and supply in Mindoro, including the popular Dinorado variety, could be affected if the El Niño phenomenon intensifies.

This is according to agricultural and climate data cited by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Oriental Mindoro.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said most rice production in Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro come from irrigated farms, making them vulnerable to reduced water availability during prolonged dry conditions.

The two Mindoro provinces account for about 74% of the total rice production in the Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) region, according to PSA data.

A decline in water supply could affect farmers’ ability to maintain rice production, potentially putting pressure on the supply of locally produced rice varieties, including Dinorado.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagaasa) earlier warned that the ongoing Strong El Niño could intensify into a Very Strong El Niño between September and December 2026, and could persist until the first half of 2027.

The projected prolonged dry conditions have raised concerns over agricultural production and water availability in Mindoro, one of the country’s major rice-producing areas.

Coleman Wong will be eagerly checking his phone for a message from Rafael Nadal after the Hong Kong player won tennis gold at the Asian Games on Saturday, and with it a place at the Olympics.

Wong beat Wu Yibing 6-2, 6-4 and joins Wu’s fellow Chinese Wang Xiyu, who won the women’s final, as singles champions in Nagoya.

The 22-year-old Wong is the first man from Hong Kong to win tennis gold.

Top seed. Top of the podium. Coleman Wong takes gold!

The Hong Kong, China star defeated China’s Wu Yibing 6-2 6-4 to claim the men’s singles title at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026.

Wong is ranked 100th in the world and at the 2025 US Open was the first Hong Kong male to reach the third round of a Grand Slam.

At 17, he decided to move to Spain to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy, and the Spanish great keeps abreast of how Wong is progressing.

Asked whether he had heard from Nadal following his golden triumph, Wong said: ‘I haven’t checked my messages. I don’t know. Let’s see.

‘He always talks to my coaches to see how I’m doing, how the team atmosphere is like,’ he added.

‘Sometimes we have a meeting with him and uncle Toni (Nadal’s uncle) to see what’s going on, the situation.

‘He knows what’s going on, the planning and everything. We always ask him what do we do at this moment, should we go here or what’s the plan.’

Wong can now start planning for Los Angeles 2028, which will be his first Olympics.