Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has no records showing that the P319.3 million received by CALE88 Foods Corp., a company linked to Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, Manases Carpio, came from the Chinese government, an AMLC official testified Tuesday.

During the resumption of the impeachment trial, defense lawyer Mark Vinluan asked AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura if the agency had any indication that the funds came from the Chinese government.

The P319.3 million was among CALE88’s transactions flagged by the AMLC as covered or suspicious. Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV had earlier identified the same amount as funds allegedly sent by the Chinese government.

Vinluan also asked Buenaventura whether AMLC records showed that China-based entities that transacted with CALE88 were illegitimate.

‘No, Your Honor, there’s nothing in the records,’ Buenaventura replied.

Senator-Judge Risa Hontiveros, however, said her office had researched two of the companies that transacted with CALE88: China National Township Enterprises and Beijing Jianweifang Food Co.

Hontiveros said China National Township Enterprises was previously directly under China’s Ministry of Agriculture and later became a state-owned agricultural enterprise under the country’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

She also said company profiles indicated that the firm supported the implementation of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and foreign policy.

Hontiveros said Beijing Jianweifang Food Co. is owned by Xinjiang Fruit Industry Group, which she described as a Chinese state-owned enterprise.

She added that Xinjiang Fruit Industry Group has an embedded Chinese Communist Party organization within its corporate structure and that Beijing Jianweifang’s chairman is a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

‘Bakit po ito mahalaga, Atty. Buenaventura?’ Hontiveros said, explaining that the companies’ alleged state links were relevant to the issue before the impeachment court.

(Why is this important, Atty. Buenaventura?)

Buenaventura began testifying for the prosecution Monday, when he confirmed several financial transactions involving Duterte and Carpio.

At one point, he testified that Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, had P193 million in unique bank transactions on March 28, 2014.

Later, Buenaventura testified that CALE88 received P319,326,770.41 in funds from China, confirming the figure earlier presented by Trillanes at a press briefing in San Juan.

Trillanes said Chinese firms sent the P319 million to CALE88 in tranches from 2023 to 2025.

Search teams on Monday morning recovered the body of the second and last missing passenger of a jeepney that was swept away by strong river currents in Rosario, Batangas, on October 3, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

‘At approximately 8:30 a.m…. search teams located the remains approximately 800 meters downstream from the spillway along the Pinansingin River in Sitio Kilo, Barangay Colongan,’ the PCG District Southern Tagalog said in a report.

Before resuming the search, team members met with the victim’s family at the Colongan barangay hall to discuss the systematic downstream search strategy.

Coast Guard personnel also provided aerial surveillance to support ground and river searches during the morning operation.

The tragic incident occurred at around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday when the passenger jeepney, carrying 14 people, attempted to cross a spillway over the Pinansingin River. Strong currents swept the vehicle off the crossing and completely submerged it.

Residents rescued 12 passengers, while the other two – a husband and wife – were initially reported missing.

The search team, composed of PCG personnel, local government rescuers, Army soldiers, police officers, firefighters and volunteers, earlier recovered the body of the wife on the morning of Oct. 3.

With the recovery of the husband’s body, all 14 people aboard the ill-fated jeepney have now been accounted for, the PCG said.

Local authorities are assisting in the transfer and formal turnover of the remains to the designated authorities and the bereaved family.

Several organizations from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) urged President Marcos and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim to complete the peace process before the 50th Tripoli Agreement anniversary.

In an issued manifesto, the 10-signatory organization called on Marcos to complete decommissioning and sign the exit agreement within his term.

‘The peace process began under President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. with the Tripoli Agreement in 1976. On Dec. 23, 2026, it turns 50. History has handed his son the chance to finish it,’ the group said in a statement.

Moreover, they urged Marcos to meet chair Murad before the new BARMM parliament formally convenes.

The inaugural session of the BARMM Parliament is set for Oct. 30, when it will elect the chief minister and parliamentary officials.

‘That is their right; it is how democracy works. But no coalition is bigger than the peace agreement that made this Parliament possible,’ they said.

They further emphasized, ‘Its unfinished business must come first.’

The group also asked the President to agree on a completion roadmap with a clear timeline and ensure that the fifty-year peace pact is accomplished by Dec. 23.

‘The Bangsamoro now has an elected parliament. The Palace itself has tied normalization to an elected government. That step is done. What remains is the last: completing decommissioning, delivering the promised packages to former combatants and their families, transforming the camps, and signing the Exit Agreement,’ the group expressed.

Four years after Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) devastated Dinagat Islands, the province’s vibrant tourism industry is back on its feet, attracting over one million tourists who pumped in revenues worth at least half a billion pesos.

Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr. highlighted the island-province’s post-disaster recovery milestones during the 20th foundation anniversary of Dinagat Islands on Oct. 3.

Demerey traced the turnaround to institutional roadmaps rolled out by the provincial government, starting with the ‘Remedy’ agenda drafted in 2022 and later refined into the target-specific ‘Remedy Targets’ platform in 2025.

Tourism emerged as the primary growth engine for the island.

Official data presented during the address showed annual visitor arrivals leaping from 144,228 in 2022 to an unprecedented 1.121 million by December 2025, an increase of 677 percent.

Odette devastated the Dinagat Islands in December 2021, leaving a trail of destruction that killed 14 people and completely destroyed 14,000 houses.

Demerey said the tourist arrivals in the three years to 2025 generated an estimated P545 million in gross revenues to the island’s tourism and allied industries.

Hospitality sector

The sustained tourist influx stimulated the local hospitality sector, driving a 35-percent expansion in lodging establishments, from 54 to 73, he added.

‘Concurrently, the Department of Tourism-accredited travel and tour operators climbed more than tenfold, from just three in 2022 to 39 in 2025,’ the governor said.

Provincial planners attributed the growth to low-cost, high-impact interisland routes, particularly the roll-on, roll-off ships and passenger links connecting Del Carmen in Siargao to Cagdianao in Dinagat, alongside closer integration with the Surigao City, Surigao del Norte tourism circuit.

In Cebu province, more than 1 million tourists were also recorded in the first eight months of 2026, with foreign visitors accounting for over 242,000 arrivals, according to data released by the Cebu Provincial Government.

The Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) recorded 1,080,809 tourist arrivals from January to August, reflecting continued activity in Cebu’s tourism sector as the province steps up promotions and pushes for more direct international flights.

Domestic travelers continued to make up the bulk of visitors, with 838,575 arrivals during the eight-month period.

Foreign arrivals reached 242,108, or roughly 22 percent of the total.

The Capitol said the latest figures were higher than the 958,317 arrivals recorded during the same period in 2025, representing a 12.78-percent increase.

Domestic arrivals rose 9.19 percent year on year, while international arrivals increased by 27.28 percent, according to the PTO.

Among Cebu’s towns and cities covered by the provincial data, Cordova attracted the most visitors at 171,552, followed by the northern Cebu destinations of Santa Fe on Bantayan Island with 120,197 and Daanbantayan with 59,435.

South Korea remained the province’s largest foreign tourist market, accounting for 60,518 arrivals. The United States followed with 22,866 visitors, while Japan ranked third with 22,223.

The provincial government attributed the tourism performance partly to efforts to market Cebu domestically while improving its international connectivity.

Four rehabilitated wild animals were released into designated sites within the Aurora Memorial National Park, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources office in Central Luzon said on Tuesday.

The animals included a Philippine serpent eagle (Spilornis holospilus), two Philippine cobras (Naja philippensis) and a reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus), according to Artemio Almazan Jr., head of the DENR Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office in Nueva Ecija.

The Aurora Memorial National Park is a protected area spanning portions of Aurora and Nueva Ecija. It covers parts of Maria Aurora, San Luis, Baler, and Dingalan in Aurora, and Bongabon in Nueva Ecija. It is classified as a national park under the Aurora Memorial Protected Landscape.

The protected area forms part of the Sierra Madre mountain range and includes forest formations, wetlands, caves and other ecosystems that provide habitat for wildlife. Parts of the area have rugged, steep terrain, with elevations reaching more than 1,000 meters in portions of Nueva Ecija.

Before their release, the four animals underwent rehabilitation, veterinary care, species-specific feeding management, and health assessments at the DENR Regional Wildlife Rescue Center (RWRC).

The center’s resident veterinarian assessed their overall health and fitness for release, including their ability to survive under natural conditions.

Almazan said the RWRC also implemented biosecurity measures and species-specific feeding management when the animals were under its care to safeguard their health and welfare throughout rehabilitation and prepare them for their return to the wild.

Makabayan bloc lawmakers on Tuesday urged government agencies to address recorded cases of student repression across the country, emphasizing that students have the right to express dissent against anomalies, particularly in corruption.

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, and Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Elago filed House Resolution No. 1512, condemning what they described as ‘alarming escalation’ of repression against youth leaders and students.

This came after the University of Santo Tomas suspended four student activists who faced disciplinary complaints after a confrontation with a personnel of a Philippine Air Force during a campus exhibit last April 21.

The lawmakers also cited 10 other cases of student repression from other universities, including the University of the Philippines (UP), Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), University of Eastern Philippines, Sultan Kudarat State University, Cebu Technological University, Cebu Normal University, University of Rizal Pililla, Central Luzon State University, Tarlac State University, and Cebu Institute of Technology.

They pointed out that the cases escalated after the September 21 anti-corruption protests last year. They also mentioned the issuance of subpoenas on charges of sedition and inciting to sedition for leading anti-corruption protests in September 21, 2025 against four student leaders from UP and PUP.

‘Gusto nating makita kung ano yung explanation ng pattern kung bakit lumalala ang cases of student repression, bakit dumadami yung pagbabawal, paglalagay ng polisiya na nagpapahirap sa mga estudyanteng magmobilisa sa loob ng paaralan o di kaya sa labas,’ Co told reporters in an interview.

(We want to know the explanation on the pattern on the worsening cases of student repression, on why the students are being prohibited to mobilize inside and outside their schools.)

The lawmakers also called for an inquiry into the possible violations of their academic freedom, assembly, and expression.

‘Tumututol kami sa dumadaming instances of repression at pinapaimbestigahan sa pinakakagyat sa House of Representatives na pag may paglabag sa karapatang pantao gaya nito, dapat aksyunan ng mga ahensya ng gobyerno. Ending nito, dapat nirerespeto ang kakayahan ng kabataan na mag-organisa, magmulat, at kumilos,’ Co added.

(We are condemning the escalating instances of repression, and we want the House of Representatives to immediately investigate the human rights violations like these, and the government agencies must quickly resolve these. The rights of the students to mobilize and organize demonstrations must be respected.)

Manny Villar-led Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc. has donated a home in Palawan to five siblings who lost their mother, an overseas Filipino worker, to cancer in 2021.

Villar personally handed over the keys to the house and lot at Camella Palawan during a meeting with the siblings and their grandmother, the company said in a statement.

Their mother, Baby Jane Teodoro Allas, worked in Hong Kong to support her family.

She was reportedly dismissed by her employer after falling ill and later died from complications related to late-stage cervical cancer, according to Vista Land.

The company said a Hong Kong court subsequently ordered her former employer to pay approximately P2 million in damages for wrongful dismissal.

Following Allas’ death, the five siblings relied on their aunt, Mary Anne, and their grandmother for care and support.

Vista Land said Villar learned of the family’s situation and arranged the donation through the property developer.

The turnover surprised the siblings and their grandmother.

The company linked the donation to its ‘Road to 20’ campaign ahead of its 20th anniversary in February 2027. Its statement did not specify the property’s value or the turnover date.

Grade 4 student Elena Jane had mixed emotions before receiving her first Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine dose on Tuesday at Sinabuagan Integrated School, about16 kilometers from Valencia City’s economic center.

The immunization marked the launch of the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Education (DepEd) Bakuna Eskwela school-based program for October.

During the rollout, Grade 1 and 7 students also received Measles-Rubella (MR) and Tetanus-Diphtheria (Td) shots with parental consent.

Rural health midwife Jonalyn Jayme Malunes, alongside the Valencia City Health Office team, targeted 29 first-time Grade 4 female learners for the HPV vaccine, including 10-year-old Grade 5 student Emily Grace, following previous supply shortages. The team is also administering delayed second doses to 32 young learners.

Malunes noted that while both learners had parental consent, some hesitation remains due to negative social media rumors regarding vaccine side effects.

Nationwide, the Department of Education is targeting approximately 4.6 million learners for the School Year 2026-2027 immunization campaign.

Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday called on the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to make public the video of dismissed policeman Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. undergoing a lie detector test to dispel doubts about whether the examination was actually conducted.

Duterte said she had no problem undergoing a polygraph examination herself, responding to Gracioso’s challenge for her to take the test.

Gracioso, who accused Duterte of receiving money stuffed in suitcases, took the test on Sept. 30 at the NBI as part of the process of verifying the truthfulness of his Sept. 14 affidavit about cash deliveries to Duterte and other personalities.

Gracioso used to be a security detail of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, a key Duterte ally.

The test showed ‘no specific physiological reactions indicative of deception.’

Duterte said an affidavit she prepared in response to Gracioso’s accusations had refuted each of the former policeman’s claims.

In a statement released Monday, Duterte said Gracioso ‘made 29 statements concerning me that we believe are false.’

She confirmed receiving a copy of Gracioso’s affidavit from the NBI, along with identification documents, but said it contained no attachments.

‘Among several other pieces of my evidence, Jefry Tupas and I were nowhere near Marinduque during Mahal na Araw in 2019, nor were we in Manila on September 21, 2019,’ Duterte said in the Oct. 5 statement.

She said she was confident that the NBI would be able to file a perjury case against Gracioso after the agency ‘completes its investigation and the evidence is fully evaluated.’

The Philippine government is set to receive technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under a $500,000 regional program to strengthen safeguards against financial crimes, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

In a statement, the DOF said the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will be among the recipients of the technical assistance, along with ADB’s other developing member countries.

The DOF has yet to specify how much of the total funding will be allocated to the Philippines, or identify specific projects and activities that will be funded in the country.

‘Through this assistance, we are strengthening the capacity of our institutions to prevent illicit finance and comply with international standards. These efforts help protect Filipinos and businesses from financial risks while fostering greater confidence in our financial system,’ Finance Secretary Frederick Go said.

‘We are building stronger institutions and systems that can help keep our financial sector safe, stable, and connected to the global economy,’ he added.

Under ADB rules, technical assistance supports the preparation and execution of development projects and programs, including feasibility studies, due diligence, pilot testing, capacity development and knowledge sharing, among others.

For the Philippines, the assistance is expected to help address financial crimes by strengthening legal and regulatory frameworks, building the capacity of government agencies and financial institutions, and improving supervisory systems, risk assessments, procedures and guidelines.

It is also seen to ensure that the country’s policies and practices remain aligned with international standards.

The assistance comes as the Philippines continues to strengthen its defenses against money laundering and terrorism financing.

The country’s latest National Risk Assessment, covering 2021 to 2024, gave the Philippines a score of 0.67 out of 1 for its antimoney laundering and counterterrorism financing framework, up from 0.60 in the previous assessment.

Still, the assessment said the country’s national-level money laundering threat remained high, citing drug trafficking, fraud, environmental crimes and tax offenses as major sources of illicit proceeds.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), in its latest 2026 annual regulatory plan, also said it was preparing amendments that would allow the watchdog to tighten its oversight of illicit financial activities.