Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

As Manila Water prepares its additional water sources and strengthens network resilience measures ahead of the anticipated stronger El Niño in early 2027, the company is also ramping up its sanitation and wastewater management efforts, desludging more than 94,000 septic tanks across its East Zone concession area from January to August 2026 to help protect waterways, preserve water quality, and safeguard public health.

From January to August 2026, Manila Water emptied and cleaned 94,917 septic tanks. In August alone, the company serviced 11,470 septic tanks from non-sewered, sewered-combined, and sewered-hybrid domestic accounts.

The initiative forms part of Manila Water’s continuing commitment to provide reliable wastewater services while supporting environmental protection, particularly during prolonged dry periods brought about by El Niño. Proper septic tank desludging helps prevent untreated wastewater from contaminating rivers, creeks, and other water bodies, preserving water quality when water resources are under increased stress.

‘As we prepare for the anticipated stronger El Niño conditions in the first months of 2027, it is important that communities have properly maintained sanitation systems. By clearing septic tanks on this scale, we help prevent overflows, protect local waterways from pollution, and ensure customers continue to enjoy safe and healthy communities even as water resources face greater pressure during prolonged dry periods,’ Manila Water Corporate Communications Group Head Dittie Galang said.

While Manila Water continues to strengthen its water supply system through the development of additional raw water sources and network resilience initiatives in preparation for the anticipated stronger El Niño in early 2027, the company is likewise intensifying its wastewater and sanitation programs. Proper wastewater management helps ensure that available water resources remain protected from pollution and remain sustainable for future generations.

Complementing its desludging operations, Manila Water maintained strong wastewater treatment performance in August 2026, with all 28 wastewater treatment facilities achieving 100% compliance with standards under the MWSS Regulatory Office Scorecard. The treated water discharged from these facilities consistently met government effluent standards and was suitable for Class C waterways, helping protect rivers and streams while supporting aquatic ecosystems where marine life can thrive.

As climate variability and extreme dry conditions continue to challenge water security, Manila Water emphasizes that wastewater management remains a critical component of protecting both public health and the environment. The company encourages customers to participate in its desludging program to ensure that septic systems function properly and to help reduce pollution in local waterways.

Through its combined investments in water supply, wastewater treatment, and sanitation services, Manila Water continues to help communities prepare for the challenges of El Niño while safeguarding waterways, public health, and long-term water sustainability.

Four people, including three boys, died while four others were wounded when a reported rifle grenade exploded in Sitio Raniag, Barangay Sinamar, this town, on Sunday morning, police said.

Among the fatalities were an 8-year-old Grade 3 pupil and his 85-year-old grandmother. Witnesses said they heard a loud explosion and later found the victims sprawled on the ground.

Police eventually determined the type of explosive device involved. The children had reportedly been playing with a metallic object believed to be an improvised explosive device shortly before the blast.

Police are still verifying the ownership of a loaded .45 caliber pistol allegedly seized from a Grade 12 female student at the gate of Notre Dame of Matalam in Matalam, North Cotabato, on Oct. 1, following conflicting claims between her and her father.

Lt. Col. Marvin Hugos, chief of the Matalam Municipal Police Station, said in a radio interview on Monday that investigators were looking into possibly filing charges against the student’s father under Republic Act No. 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.

The father, who is a member of a Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT), denied owning the firearm.

Police said the 17-year-old student, however, claimed that the gun allegedly belonged to her father.

Hugos said any decision to file charges would depend on the evidence gathered during the investigation and the police legal team’s assessment.

The loaded pistol was found inside a sling bag kept in the compartment of the motorcycle the student was driving.

Police said the motorcycle was registered in the father’s name.

The firearm has been submitted for forensic examination, while police are coordinating with the Regional Civil Security Unit to determine whether it is registered and identify its legal owner.

The student, meanwhile, was placed under appropriate assessment and intervention as a child in conflict with the law (CICL), in accordance with existing laws.

Following the incident, police said they have stepped up coordination with schools and barangays in Matalam, including room-to-room visits across schools in the municipality.

Philippine National Bank (PNB) expects to sustain double-digit growth in the second half, banking on its low-cost deposits and business-focused loan portfolio to cushion the impact of higher interest rates.

PNB president and CEO Edwin Bautista said the bank’s strong first-half performance had carried into the succeeding months, although he could not give a growth rate forecast.

‘But so far the trend continues,’ Bautista said. ‘The numbers, the growth rates are going to be very similar.’

PNB’s net income reached P14.6 billion in the first six months of 2026, up by about 17 percent from P12.5 billion in the same period last year.

Bautista said PNB’s high current account and savings account ratio, supported by its extensive branch network, should help keep funding costs relatively stable as interest rates rise.

‘Our cost of funds is steady. Even if interest rates rise, only a small portion of our deposits consists of time deposits that would require higher interest payments. So our cost of funds will remain relatively stable,’ he said.

Meanwhile, higher benchmark rates could allow PNB to charge more on loans, potentially improving its lending margins.

Higher rates, however, could also weigh on the value of its bond portfolio and result in net unrealized losses that would affect capital, Bautista said.

He stressed that PNB remained exposed to this risk, but its capital adequacy ratio of about 20 percent provided a substantial buffer.

‘The difference is our buffer is so fat that it will hardly matter,’ he said.

On credit risk, Bautista said higher interest rates and inflation could strain borrowers’ finances and lead to more past-due loans.

Last week, budget watchdog People’s Budget Coalition (PBC) sounded the alarm over the formation of a subcommittee of ranking legislators in the House of Representatives that would now introduce amendments to the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027.

The House wrapped up floor debates on the budget bill two weeks ago, but the final draft of the measure is far from done, and the PBC expressed concern that changes to the proposed budget were already being negotiated in secret, away from the scrutinizing eyes of the public.

As PBC co-convener AJ Montesa told this paper, ‘our honest worry is that they are doing the negotiations behind closed doors, and that the BARSc [budget amendments review subcommittee] is just a way to make the arranged things public already.’

Opposition lawmaker Rep. Antonio Tinio has a starker warning: The BARSc meeting, he said, will be ‘controlled and scripted,’ with only select lawmakers in the panel having a say over the proposed changes.

Hard-won victories

Those are not unfounded worries. Earlier, in August, a number of civil society organizations (CSOs) had already complained that they had been largely sidelined from the budget talks, with rules for their participation remaining unclear and their queries ‘seen-zoned’ or ignored by the House appropriations committee.

It was only last year that, for the first time in the country’s history, CSOs had been granted accreditation and access to observe the budget deliberations in the House, to pose questions and send representatives to the hearings. The bicameral conference committee, which reconciles the versions of the appropriations bill of the House and the Senate, also had its first historic livestream on Dec. 13, 2025.

These steps toward greater budget transparency and accountability were hard-won victories for the public. And they happened only after Congress felt the people’s wrath following the massive flood control projects scandal, which had its roots in the secretive, byzantine goings-on in the budget talks.

Lawmakers by now should have learned their lesson. The people expect more, not less, openness on government spending, given the unending corruption controversies over the years that have shredded their faith in Congress’ ability to be honest and accountable when it comes to public funds.

National outrage

Before the current flood control controversy that has roiled the Marcos administration, the biggest political scandal to rock the nation was the pork barrel scam, in which scores of lawmakers, from congressmen to senators, were found to have skimmed millions from their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

So tremendous was the national outrage over the pork barrel misuse that the PDAF, as then designed, was formally discarded-declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. But lawmakers were not about to give up the singular privilege of having their hands on the national till; the pork barrel system was simply redesigned, and legislators today, holding the constitutional power of the purse, continue to exercise huge discretionary control over public funds.

And with that power has come yet more corruption and illegality. Plunder and thievery in high places have grown to such gargantuan levels that billions of pesos are estimated to have been lost to ‘ghost’ infrastructure projects uncovered only in the last couple of years or so. Investigations into these irregularities have time and again led back to the labyrinthine budget process in Congress, where horse-trading and bargaining for pet projects among lawmakers are the name of the game.

Audit trail

Allowing for greater public participation in the budget deliberations was supposed to mitigate that disorder in the system. Ideally, the public should be able to see every single amendment and insertion made to the proposed national budget, from the submitted National Expenditure Program to the final General Appropriations Act signed by the President.

That audit trail should be clear to any citizen interested in finding out where the money is going, who’s receiving it and for what purpose, who pushed for this or that allocation, which amendments went through, and so on. And for that to happen, CSOs and budget watchdogs like PBC must be present every step of the way, as the people’s eyes and ears in the budget proceedings.

But, barely over a year after Congress cracked the door open for outside observers, it appears it is now slinking back to bad habits, once again resorting to secrecy and ambiguity in hammering out the budget, when the floodwaters of the infrastructure scandal continue to lap at its doors and assorted lawmakers are still entangled in courts or held in public scorn for their part in the corrupt scheme.

The Marcos administration’s much-awaited second-half pickup in infrastructure spending got off to a weak start in July as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) continued to weigh on overall expenditures. However, the downturn eased considerably from previous months.

In July, the decline in infrastructure spending finally limited itself to single digits, after it had fallen by more than 30 percent in every month from January to June.

Latest data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) showed infrastructure and other capital outlays slipped 4 percent to P89.6 billion in July from P93.3 billion in the same month last year.

From January to July, infrastructure spending fell 36 percent to P457 billion from P713.5 billion a year earlier.

‘The lower level reflected, among others, lower DPWH disbursements amid strengthened procurement compliance, monitoring of ongoing projects, and review and validation of payment claims and contractor documentation,’ the DBM said.

‘Infrastructure implementation nevertheless continued across other key sectors, including defense modernization, rail and mass transport, school facilities, and agricultural infrastructure,’ it added.

Projects that eased the July decline included the Armed Forces Modernization Program, Rural Development Projects, and rail transport accounts payable settlements.

Total government spending, meanwhile, improved after climbing nearly 20 percent to P588.6 billion in July from P491.2 billion a year earlier, while cumulative spending also rose 7 percent to P3.763 trillion from P3.516 trillion.

The government’s economic managers are relying on increased infrastructure spending in the second half to improve the disappointing 2.6 percent growth in the first half.

Earlier, DBM Secretary Kim Robert de Leon said they were expecting the DPWH to start implementing projects in August and September.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, meanwhile, expects a fourth-quarter recovery in spending, adding that they needed to bring public construction back to at least zero growth instead of a contraction to add about 1 percentage point to gross domestic product.

Congratulations are in order for Canadian-American actor Jim Carrey, as he married a longtime partner, marking his third marriage.

Celebrity news website TMZ reported that the 64-year-old actor tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend Min Ah at a small ceremony in Los Angeles.

Not much is known about Ah, who is said to be in her early 30s.

Carrey and Ah were first spotted together in 2022 leaving a charity comedy show in Los Angeles, according to entertainment news website Just Jared.

They made their official debut as a couple at the 51st Cesar Awards in Paris on Feb 26 this year. They were accompanied by his daughter, Jane, and her teenage son, Jackson.

‘Thank you to my wonderful family, my daughter Jane and my grandson Jackson. I love you now and forever,’ he said in French when he went on stage to accept the Honorary Cesar award that day, according to American magazine People. ‘Thank you to my sublime companion, Min Ah. I love you.’

Jane, 39, is his only child, from his marriage to former actress Melissa Womer between 1987 and 1995.

The seasoned actor married actress Lauren Holly, his co-star in comedy film ‘Dumb And Dumber’ (1994), in 1996 before they divorced a year later.

Carrey has starred in several movies such as ‘The Mask’ (1994), ‘Liar Liar’ (1997), ‘The Truman Show’ (1998) and ‘Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind’ (2004).

He plays the main villain, mad scientist Ivo Robotnik in ‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ series (2020 to present). The fourth film in the franchise is scheduled for release in 2027.

Police arrested six people in five separate anti-drug operations across the Caraga region on Saturday.

In a statement on Sunday, the Police Regional Office-Caraga (PRO-13) said its operating units confiscated 20.2494 grams of suspected shabu with a standard drug price of P137,695.92.

The anti-drug operations were conducted in Butuan City, Barobo in Surigao del Sur, Dapa in Surigao del Norte, and Talacogon in Agusan del Sur by police in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Caraga.

The arrested suspects, identified only by their aliases, were ‘June,’ who was apprehended in Barangay Bading, Butuan City; ‘Michael’ in Barangay Poblacion, Barobo; ‘Kepe’ and ‘Puna’ in Barangay 12, Poblacion, Dapa; ‘Marvin’ in Barangay San Nicolas, Talacogon; and ‘Rey’ in Barangay Sumilihon, Butuan City.

The suspects and confiscated evidence were placed under the custody of the respective operating police units for documentation and the filing of charges for alleged violations of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Brig. Gen. Rolindo M. Suguilon, PRO-13 director, commended the operating units and said the police would continue pursuing suspected drug personalities while ensuring that operations comply with the law and respect human rights.

Did you hear the story about the doctor who gave his patient six months to live? Well, the man could not pay his bills, so the doctor gave him another six months!

The Gospel today (Matthew 21:33-43) speaks about a landowner who sets a deadline for his tenants to produce fruits in his vineyard. Jesus reminds us not to be complacent and lazy. We all must give an accounting of our lives to the Lord in due time. The message is that life is not a vacation, but a vocation, a call to do something good and worthwhile while we are still alive. And the message is clear: there is a deadline where there will be no more extensions nor exemptions. At the end of our lives, when we face the ‘final curtain’ may we come before the Lord with hearts filled with love.

We know that we carry nothing with us to the grave, yet why this frenzy to earn more, acquire, and accumulate more? I’ve quoted it before and I quote again: The riches you give away are the only riches you bring with you to eternity. The rest, you leave behind. Make sure then that you are investing right, and not just investing well. At the end of our lives, may we not end up saying to ourselves ‘Sayang … mali (I was wrong).’

You can’t go wrong if you invest in love. The love and goodness in your heart are never gone and will not be wasted. You may be left out, you may get hurt, you may be misunderstood, laughed at, or even persecuted if you love, but, love on anyway. For a while, you may even experience the futility, the foolishness, yes, even the stupidity of it all, but love on anyway, for in the end, the greatest achievement, the greatest investment in life is love. Are you investing enough love in your life? Are you investing in love at all?

Some years ago, I saw a backhoe half submerged on a seashore. I learned that this expensive machine was being used in a dredging operation when its engine conked out. The operator tried to fix it, but it was too late. The tide set in, and there was no more time to get it out. What a waste, this multimillion-peso machine, rusting away along the seashore. What a waste to see some people so unproductive and idle, going nowhere just because they have been overtaken by events, or have been overwhelmed by difficult situations, many of which are of their own making. When the Lord looks at you and me today, is He pleased with the life we are living? Does He look at you and me with a nod and a smile? Or does He look at you and me with a frown or with sadness in His eyes?

Public leaders must not forget that they are just tenants, and they are answerable to the landowner. Power is just leased to them, and their power emanates from the people whom they have promised to serve. It is not only saddening, but also sickening and disgusting when so-called public servants become arrogant, proud, deceitful and, abusive. And it is doubly saddening when they get away with such behavior, or so it seems.

‘Wala na ngang ginagawa, gumagawa pa (Already doing nothing, and still, making money).’ This best describes many of our so-called public servants. They have all the perks and privileges, and they rake in all the money (of the people!), and they do not really serve. How long will this situation go on? When will public servants become real servants?

When we face the Lord someday, and he will look at us straight in the eye, will we be able to look at Him and say: ‘Lord, I have done my very best to the best of my ability, I have not been a source of hurt to my brothers and sisters’? In humility, relying on God’s mercy, may we all meet our Creator someday without regrets, because we have really done our very best.

Please be reminded of the ‘Driver’s Prayer’ which goes this way: ‘Lord, grant me a steady hand and a watchful eye, that no one may be hurt as I pass by.’ A beautiful prayer for all of us, as we go through life. But somehow, I get the feeling that some people deliberately hurt others so that they can pass by.

October is the month of the rosary. Let us not belittle this simple prayer which reminds us of our littleness and our dependence on God in union with the Blessed Mother. There are people who pray proud. I’d rather pray humble and simple.

The national government-run Amai Pakpak Medical Center (APMC) in Marawi City has encouraged at-risk individuals to undergo HIV screening as the number of confirmed cases treated through its AIDS treatment hub surged to 232 from 2022 up to recently

Dr. Monerah Luzviminda Macud, a medical specialist at APMC, said the hospital remains open to individuals who want to be screened for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

APMC began serving as an AIDS treatment hub in 2020, but its services were temporarily suspended before resuming in 2022, Macud said.

Of the 232 confirmed cases recorded since then, 92 are currently receiving treatment at APMC.

Macud said not all patients come from Lanao del Sur province, as some were referred from other areas, including Metro Manila.

Some 64 of those diagnosed were students, while most of the patients were aged 20 to 29. Twelve were below 20, while the youngest recorded patient was 15.

Most of the confirmed cases were men who have sexual relationships with other men, Macud said.

She explained that HIV screening involves a blood sample and that pregnant women are also encouraged to undergo testing to help prevent mother-to-child transmission.

APMC strictly observes protocols protecting the privacy of its clients, Macud said. ‘We do not require clients to line up just to get their medicines,’ she said, adding that counseling is conducted before HIV screening.