Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Alexandra Eala admitted on Friday that she gets ‘overwhelmed sometimes’ by the huge weight of expectation placed on her as a trailblazer for tennis in the Philippines.

The 21-year-old leaves the Asian Games having fallen short of her ambition to win gold for her country, instead settling for bronze.

Eala is followed everywhere by adoring fans eager for a piece of the world number 18, who in August became the first player from the Philippines to win a title on the women’s WTA Tour.

‘I definitely do get overwhelmed sometimes,’ said Eala. ‘But I understand that it’s such a privilege to be in the position that I’m in and to be able to live out the dreams that I’ve always had as a kid.

‘So it’s something I’ve had to accept that it comes with the job, and this is how things are. I’m ready for the challenge.’

Eala, who skipped the prestigious China Open in Beijing to play for her country at the Asian Games, said she would take away good memories despite exiting in the semi-finals in a three-set defeat to China’s lower-ranked Wang Xinyu.

Wang went on to beat compatriot Zhang Shuai to win gold on Friday.

‘It does come with pressure, but I’m really happy that I was able to compete here,’ said Eala, who was the top seed.

‘To be able to share it with the Filipino people is really important,’ she added.

‘No regrets. I left everything on the court,’ said Eala.

With Games gold comes direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Eala said it was still her ‘dream’ to play in LA.

Senate minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday hit back at Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson over the latter’s latest allegations of continuous ‘illegal reclamation’ on the Taguig side of Laguna Lake.

Cayetano said he appears to be the one to blame for whatever happens in the city.

‘I am always the one being referred to,’ he said in a Facebook livestream on Friday.

‘And whatever happens in Taguig, it is already my fault. Even though Taguig is a very large city and has 1.3 million Taguigeños,’ the senator said.

Cayetano was responding to Lacson’s post earlier Friday showing a video of a joint government inspection of the Taguig Lakeshore area.

‘The illegal reclamation on the Taguig side of Laguna Lake continues unabated. Somebody feels he is above the law,’ Lacson said.

Lacson’s video showed members of a joint inspection team from the Office of the Ombudsman, Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), Land Registration Authority, and Department of Public Works and Highways looking over the area.

Cayetano said he has no problem with government agencies investigating infrastructure and reclamations in Taguig.

‘Ombudsman, DOJ, NBI, private citizens – investigate because that is your right,’ he said.

But Cayetano questioned Lacson’s involvement in the investigations.

‘What is not okay is Senator Lacson’s interference,’ he noted.

Cayetano again denied that the reclamation shown in Lacson’s post was a project of the Taguig city government.

‘That is not a project of the City of Taguig, the one that he posted. I don’t know that. It’s not personal to us. Whatever. We did not personally reclaim anything there,’ he said.

During the Sept. 22 budget hearing for the Philippine Reclamation Authority, Cayetano clarified that the proponent of the lakeshore project in Taguig was the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), not the Taguig City government.

Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, an arch-critic of the Dutertes, said on Thursday that he would no longer testify against Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial to relieve the prosecution panel of pressure.

Lead House prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro announced in open court that the prosecution decided not to present Trillanes as a witness on the charge of alleged unexplained wealth against the Vice President. She did not give a reason.

Trillanes said in a statement on Thursday that he had asked the prosecutors to withdraw him as a witness.

‘This way, the prosecution panel would be relieved from the pressure it is going through,’ he said, without elaborating.

Instead of testifying, Trillanes said he would hold a press conference on Friday to present ‘everything that I would have disclosed in the impeachment trial.’

Trillanes was previously included in the prosecution’s list of witnesses for Article 2 of the four articles of impeachment-the allegation that Duterte had unexplained wealth which she did not declare in her statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN).

‘The prosecution has finally decided not to present former Sen. Sonny Trillanes. We seek the kind indulgence of the honorable impeachment court for the belated final decision on this particular concern,’ Luistro said during Thursday’s proceedings.

The prosecution had considered the testimony of Trillanes to be crucial in establishing a case for Article 2, as he had been claiming for years that Duterte and members of her family – including her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte – had hidden bank accounts.

On April 22, when the House Committee on Justice held confirmatory hearings regarding the two impeachment complaints against Duterte, Trillanes was called as a resource person, and he presented some of the vice president’s bank accounts.

In his 11-page affidavit, Trillanes told lawmakers that the vice president had accounts totaling P111.63 million as of April 2016, jointly with her husband, Manases Carpio, and members of her family.

Trillanes also alleged that members of the Duterte family received money from alleged drug lord Sammy Uy. The vice president, the former president, her brothers – Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte – and her father’s common-law wife, Honeylet Avanceña, and their daughter, Veronica ‘Kitty’ Duterte, received P181.6 million in checks from Uy from 2011 to 2013, the former senator claimed.

18 transactions

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), through Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura, confirmed that several bank transactions cited by Trillanes were among the fund movements that they have flagged or monitored.

The confirmation came after Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima asked the AMLC to check whether 18 transactions listed by Trillanes, which she had randomly picked, were part of their investigation.

Buenaventura confirmed that all 18 selected transactions in the annexes presented by Trillanes matched the AMLC’s records.

During the April 22 justice committee hearing, Buenaventura said that given the limited information the AMLC had at the time, he could not confirm the nature of one of the transactions that were randomly picked, but could only confirm that there was ‘a movement of funds.’

He said that on Dec. 9, 2014, the AMLC records showed a transaction amounting to P16,852,832.94. This matched one of the 18 picked randomly by De Lima.

Buenaventura told the justice committee that they found suspicious transactions made by Duterte and her relatives amounting to P6.7 billion. This includes a total of P4.4 billion in inflows and P1.5 billion worth of outflows.

Prosecutors scolded

At the start of Thursday’s court session, before Luistro announced the withdrawal of Trillanes as a witness, Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo asked the prosecution, particularly House prosecutor and Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores, when they would present the former senator.

When Flores said that they would announce the order of presentation of witnesses after the Senate impeachment court goes on a lunch recess, Tulfo told him that it would be ‘much better’ for the prosecution to present Trillanes ahead of the AMLC executive director, as it is the AMLC that would confirm the former senator’s allegations.

Tulfo said this as he scolded prosecutors for instances, which he did not specify, when they supposedly presented unnecessary witnesses.

‘Because sometimes, the prosecution – I’m sorry – you fail in your presentation. There were times that you called witnesses that were not really needed. You are just wasting time,’ he said, adding that several senators became sleepy or excused themselves ‘because listening seems to be useless.’

‘When you invite a witness, make sure that witness will have something to say that would help the investigation in this impeachment [trial],’ Tulfo said.

Trillanes was in the Senate gallery monitoring the proceedings on Tuesday when the Davao City mayor, the younger brother of the Vice President, testified as a hostile witness for the prosecution.

House prosecutor and Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, coleader of the prosecution team handling Article 2, manifested in open court on Tuesday that Trillanes would still testify. He said Trillanes would be presented before the testimony of an official of the Land Registration Authority and the AMLC executive director.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Ridon said that the prosecution still planned to present the former senator, but the order of presentation remains in question after impeachment court presiding officer and Senator-judge Francis Escudero suggested that Trillanes be put on the witness stand after the testimony of the AMLC representative.

Ridon told reporters that they were seriously considering Escudero’s suggestion.

He said the reason they wanted to call Trillanes to testify ahead of the AMLC was for the former senator to speak on matters that were not discussed during the hearings of the House justice committee when it discussed the two impeachment complaints against Duterte

Brisker bank lending to businesses pushed overall credit growth to a three-month high in August, taking total outstanding loans past the P15-trillion mark even as consumer borrowing slowed amid elevated borrowing costs and high inflation.

Excluding short-term placements with the central bank, loans by big banks grew 11 percent from a year earlier to P15.1 trillion, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported. This marked the fastest credit growth since May 2026, when bank lending expanded 12.1 percent.

At the same time, M3, the broadest measure of money supply in the economy, went up by 11.2 percent in August to P20.7 trillion, driven by the faster growth in credit activity, the BSP said.

Business loans, which accounted for the bulk of big banks’ lending portfolio, grew 10.6 percent to P12.7 trillion. It was also the fastest pace of business-loan growth in three months.

The BSP attributed the increase to stronger lending to key sectors, including real estate; electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply; wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; financial and insurance activities; manufacturing; information and communication; and transportation and storage.

Consumer loan growth, meanwhile, remained robust at 16.2 percent, bringing the total to P2.1 trillion. But that was the slowest pace of growth since July 2022, when retail loans expanded 14.7 percent.

Credit card receivables grew 23.3 percent, also the slowest pace since July 2022, when growth was 21 percent. Growth in motor vehicle loans eased to 5.8 percent, the weakest since May 2023, when it was 4.1 percent.

Salary loans bucked the trend, growing 11.6 percent, the fastest pace since January 2025, when they expanded 14.1 percent.

‘The recent surge in oil prices and the uncertainty arising from ongoing Middle East tensions remain key risks,’ said Jonathan Ravelas, senior adviser at Reyes Tacandong and Co. ‘Higher energy costs could reignite inflation pressures, squeeze household budgets, and make businesses more cautious about expansion plans.’

The BSP tracks bank lending closely because credit is a key channel through which monetary policy affects the economy. In August, the central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 5 percent, its third increase in the current tightening cycle, as it sought to contain inflation pressures linked to the war in the Middle East.

Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson on Friday called out what he described as continued ‘illegal reclamation’ on the Taguig side of Laguna Lake.

He made the revelation as he shared a video taken during a joint government inspection of the area.

Lacson called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) in his post.

He described what was seen during the inspection as a ‘total display of impunity and disrespect for the law.’

The 25-second video showed members of a joint inspection team from the Office of the Ombudsman, Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), Land Registration Authority (LRA), and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) looking over the Taguig Lakeshore area.

‘The illegal reclamation on the Taguig side of Laguna Lake continues unabated. Somebody feels he is above the law,’ Lacson said in a separate post on X.

The remarks came more than a month after the DPWH issued cease-and-desist orders against alleged illegal reclamation projects in Taguig.

Taguig is the political stronghold of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and his family.

Cayetano has been engaged in an ongoing public dispute with Lacson over the senator’s allegations on infrastructure and reclamation projects in the city.

The video shared by Lacson on Friday also appeared to show garbage or other material being pushed into the area.

A man heard in the video asked whether the LLDA had personnel monitoring the site.

‘Isn’t there anyone from the LLDA keeping watch here? Look at that. See? It’s being pushed, right? That’s garbage right there,’ he pointed to the materials he was seeing.

According to Lacson, his office was informed that a cause-oriented group went to the Ombudsman’s office.

The group protested against the local government unit of Taguig for the alleged illegal reclamation in the lakeshore area.

‘The names they mentioned as responsible were former Assistant District Engineer of Taguig-Pateros, Lamberto de Leon, Atty. Joel Montales and a certain Arjay Castañeda – all connected to the Cayetanos of Taguig,’ the senator enumerated.

Earlier, Lacson and his team submitted evidence to the Office of the Ombudsman on the alleged illegal reclamation and infrastructure projects in Taguig.

He said forfeiture alone is not enough. He urged the filing of cases against those who are responsible.

Meanwhile, Lacson was also quoted as saying that Cayetano ‘should face the issues head-on, instead of resorting to ad hominems (attack of a person) or trying to drag other people into the mess.’

Lacson said he has yet to hear an explanation, much less a denial, from Taguig officials, about the illegal reclamation activities.

The Inquirer has sought Cayetano’s comment on Lacson’s remarks. It has yet to receive a response, as of posting time.

In a Facebook live, however, Cayetano said: ‘I am always the one he’s referring to.’

‘And whatever happens in Taguig, it is already my fault, even though Taguig is a very large city and has 1.3 million Taguigeños,’ he added.

The senator said he has no problem with government agencies investigating the reclamation issue, but he objects to Lacson’s involvement in the probe.

Cebuana Lhuillier is expanding services across its nationwide branch network by introducing Cash Accepting Machines (CAMS), giving customers more ways to complete routine financial transactions in locations they already know and trust.

Developed in partnership with ECPay, CAMS enables customers to cash in, load mobile phones, pay bills, and top up, adding technology-enabled self-service options to the Cebuana Lhuillier branch experience.

‘Our goal is to make every interaction with Cebuana Lhuillier as convenient and seamless as possible. CAMS gives our customers more choice in how they complete everyday transactions while allowing us to bring practical, technology-enabled services closer to the communities we serve. It is another step in making financial services more accessible, relevant, and responsive to the needs of our customers,’ said Cebuana Lhuillier President and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier.

The initiative builds on Cebuana Lhuillier’s more than 3,500 branches nationwide, enabling the company to introduce additional services within a physical network that reaches millions of Filipinos. By bringing more capabilities into its branches, customers can meet more financial needs with more ease.

‘This is how we see innovation working at the branch level, using technology to expand what customers can access while preserving the reach and familiarity of Cebuana Lhuillier. CAMS allows us to make our branches more responsive to how customers want to transact today,’ said Cebuana Lhuillier Senior Executive Vice President, Philippe Andre Lhuillier.

CAMS complements the range of financial services already available through Cebuana Lhuillier’s branches, from remittance and pawning to bill payment and other everyday financial needs. Adding self-service capabilities gives customers another way to complete selected transactions while keeping branch assistance within reach.

The initiative reflects Cebuana Lhuillier’s broader approach to innovation: bringing practical technology into its extensive physical network to make financial services more accessible, relevant, and easier to use.

As customer needs continue to evolve, Cebuana Lhuillier is also evolving how Filipinos experience its branches, turning familiar locations into more versatile touchpoints for everyday financial needs.

‘Tatay’ Elmer Cordero, who was once arrested for staging a protest with the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) in 2020, was brought to a hospital Tuesday, Sept. 29, the first day of a two-day nationwide transport strike calling out the government over sharp increases in oil prices.

Despite his age and health condition, 78-year-old Cordero stood in solidarity with other jeepney drivers hit hard by soaring oil prices. Diesel rose by P8.82 to as high as P106.37 from Sept. 22 to 28, while gasoline increased by P4.88 per liter to P94.11, according to local think tank Ibon Foundation.

Ibon Foundation said that while global oil prices pushed up fuel costs, governments in Southeast Asia ‘are actively intervening to cushion the impact on their consumers.’ In contrast, it said, ‘the Marcos Jr. administration is upholding deregulation and leaving households to absorb most of the shock.’

Earlier in April, as the Middle East crisis triggered record-high oil price increases, Malacañang said the proposal to repeal the Oil Deregulation Law should be carefully reviewed to assess its overall impact on the economy and consumers, saying that if a law were to be repealed, ‘it should bring overall benefit.’

Ibon Foundation said increases reached P18.31 for diesel, P15.25 for gasoline and P16.67 for kerosene after three major oil price hikes last month.

The Department of Energy (DOE) reported that Dubai crude averaged $99.41 from Aug. 13 to Sept. 11, exceeding the $80 threshold set by Republic Act (RA) No. 12316 for the possible suspension or reduction of excise taxes.

No end in sight

But while diesel and kerosene prices fell by as much as P7.57 and P5.85, respectively, starting Tuesday, Sept. 29, Piston still pushed through with its nationwide transport strike, saying the removal of excise taxes on petroleum products would have a greater impact on drivers than a P1 fare increase.

Motorists are also expected to see mixed oil price movements next week, with gasoline set for another increase while diesel prices are likely to drop.

For Ibon Foundation, ‘the government should be able to control local oil prices and should not have to pass the burden of rising global prices on to consumers, as shown by other Southeast Asian countries with stronger state intervention.’

It cited Vietnam, where oil prices are capped and the Price Stabilization Fund is tapped.

Thailand, which also has a state-run oil industry, uses its Oil Fuel Fund and refinery discounts, the local think tank said. Indonesia maintains subsidized fuel prices, with its integrated national oil and gas company playing a central role in implementing subsidies, controls and asset management.

Governments ‘can’

Ibon Foundation asserted that interventions by other countries in the region ‘may have fiscal costs but prove that governments can control fuel prices and protect consumers from price shocks.’

The Philippine government, however, adheres to RA 8479, or the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998, which removed government control over fuel pricing and gave oil companies free rein in setting prices.

‘Instead of wielding authority under its declared national energy emergency early this year to mandate oil companies’ transparent and justifiable pricing, the Marcos administration even harbored the unabated hikes. The DOE has twice denied IBON’s repeated requests to be shown the agency’s method for assessing fuel pricing,’ it said.

Ibon Foundation also accused the government of refusing to ‘meaningfully help millions of vulnerable consumers cope with the oil price shocks,’ instead resorting to ‘stopgap measures like temporary tax cuts and tokenistic ayuda.’

The Dinagyang Festival’s main tribes competition will return to Iloilo City’s historic downtown area in January 2027, with organizers proposing five judging areas and a redesigned lighted street parade.

The Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI) presented its initial plans during a consultative meeting with festival stakeholders on Friday, outlining proposed routes, schedules, staging areas and crowd-management measures.

For 2027, organizers are adopting a theme of ‘homecoming and cultural reclamation,’ with the competing tribes returning to historical performance routes. The proposed judging areas are the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand, Iloilo Provincial Capitol, Quezon-Ledesma area, Mabini-de Leon and Iznart Street.

Ten tribes are set to compete, with a guest tribe from Antique also expected to join.

Organizers are also proposing a new format for the Dinagyang ILOmination, turning it into a lighted street parade involving universities, educational institutions and barangays. The event is scheduled for the evening of Jan. 22, 2027.

The initial festival calendar begins with the 100-day countdown on Oct. 24, 2026, followed by Pamukaw on Dec. 16 and the opening salvo on Jan. 8, 2027. The main tribes competition, Sadsad sa Calle Real and awarding ceremony are scheduled for Jan. 24.

IFFI President Dr. Ronald Latap said the festival’s success would depend on cooperation among government agencies, performers, volunteers, sponsors and other stakeholders.

Detailed schedules and some event plans remain subject to consultation and revision.

The Senate on September 30 ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the Batang Ligtas Act, which would expand online child protection requirements and give authorities additional tools to investigate technology-facilitated crimes.

The measure consolidates Senate Bill No. 1819 and House Bill No. 9461 and covers online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), as well as the recruitment of minors into violent activities.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who authored and sponsored the Senate version, said the legislation is intended to bring existing laws in line with how technology is being used to target children.

‘The offense, reposed in Section 5 of the Senate measure, is complete upon the prohibited act of recruitment or inducement with the required intent, regardless of whether the child ultimately participates or the intended violent act is carried out,’ Hontiveros said in plenary.

Platforms would take on more responsibility for online safety

The bill would change how platforms operating in the Philippines handle cases involving child exploitation.

Digital platforms would be required to designate local legal representatives who can receive legal orders, including subpoenas, takedown requests and blocking orders.

Covered platforms and technology entities would also have to cooperate with investigations and preserve relevant information.

The proposed framework would further introduce ‘safety by design’ measures, including age verification and proactive blocking of child sexual abuse and exploitation material.

These provisions would place greater responsibility on platforms to prevent and respond to illegal activity on their services rather than relying only on reports after material has appeared.

The bill would also affect how authorities investigate suspected offenses online.

Trained law enforcement officers would receive explicit authority to conduct undercover online operations, subject to warrant requirements and safeguards against police instigation.

Officers would also be prohibited from creating or facilitating actual child sexual abuse material as part of an investigation.

The legislation would make the National Child Safety Office a permanent government body and institutionalize the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC) as a permanent law enforcement unit involving personnel from the Philippine National Police and National Bureau of Investigation.

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Illegal content and online recruitment would face expanded enforcement

The measure would give authorities additional tools for responding to illegal content and activities involving children online.

Takedown and blocking orders would provide mechanisms for removing or restricting access to prohibited material, while requirements to preserve information could help investigators trace activity and gather evidence from digital platforms.

The bill also extends its focus beyond sexual exploitation to the recruitment of minors into violent activities, including nihilistic violent extremism.

Under the measure, recruiting or inducing a minor into violent extremism can constitute an offense once the prohibited recruitment or inducement takes place.

Prosecutors would not need to show that the child eventually joined an extremist group or carried out a violent act.

For the broader Philippine internet environment, the proposed law would place more responsibility on platforms to prevent, identify and respond to child exploitation and recruitment on their services.

It would also create more formal channels for platforms and authorities to exchange information and act on suspected offenses.

The Senate passed its version of the bill 17-0 on September 21. Following ratification of the bicameral conference committee report on September 30, the measure still needs to complete the remaining steps before becoming law.

If signed by the President, the Batang Ligtas Act would change how online platforms handle child-safety risks and how authorities respond to suspected crimes involving digital services.

The provincial government of La Union will shift to a four-day workweek starting Oct. 5, with employees working from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

The new schedule will remain in effect until revoked, according to Memorandum Circular No. 31-2026.

John Martin, a staff member of the La Union information office, said the arrangement was meant to help employees cope with higher transportation costs brought by the oil crisis and the expected effects of El Niño.

The provincial human resources office earlier surveyed employees on measures that could help them cope with the rising costs and El Niño. A shortened workweek emerged as the consensus.

The new work arrangement does not cover offices providing medical, rescue, library, custodial, residential care, security and revenue collection services.

The provincial government did not say when the four-day workweek would be reviewed.