Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The prosecution panel is now preparing for the possible presentation of evidence for its unexplained wealth allegations against Vice President Sara Duterte.

This phase means it will start calling witnesses and showing proof, should there be changes to the schedule, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said on Thursday.

Ridon said in a press briefing that he is aware of the possibility that the team will be called by mid-September to present its case, should the prosecution panel decide to drop Article III or the bribery case.

The lawmaker is a public prosecutor and prosecution team leader for Article II of the Articles of Impeachment.

Article II deals with allegations that Duterte and her husband Manases Carpio had unexplained wealth which were not declared on her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).

Article III focuses on allegations that the vice president bribed several officials of the Department of Education.

‘The team tasked to present the unexplained wealth case is preparing for the entry of our article,’ Ridon told reporters at the Batasang Pambansa.

‘And we also acknowledge that there are conversations as to no longer presenting bribery accusations and moving straight to the unexplained wealth article. We will decide (on) it in due time,’ he noted.

‘But as far as the unexplained wealth team is concerned, we are preparing so that by the middle of September or towards the end of the month, we can lay down evidence before the Senate Impeachment Court,’ he added.

The prosecution also confirmed that its members have received copies of the bank and tax records of the Duterte-Carpio couple and their business interests.

These materials will be studied by the team to see if these items can be presented in the impeachment trial.

‘Yesterday afternoon, the prosecution was given a copy of all the bank information of our vice president, her husband and their companies,’ Ridon said.

‘The Senate Impeachment Court also gave the prosecution panel a copy of all the tax documents of the vice president, her husband and their companies,’ he noted.

‘So, in the coming days, we will study and scrutinize all these documents, as this will constitute the last important pillar of the evidence that we will use to prove the allegations under the unexplained wealth article,’ the legislator said.

It was Ridon who focused on the alleged issues with Duterte’s SALN when the House committee on justice tackled the two impeachment complaints against the vice president.

Ridon said last April that there was an increase in the vice president’s net worth that is not proportionate to her salary, noting that her net worth rose by over 1,000 percent from 2008 to 2024.

He explained that Duterte’s SALN in 2008 showed a net worth of P18.4 million, while her net worth in her 2023 SALN grew to P77.5 million and P88.5 million for 2024 – representing a 378 percent increase from 2008 to 2024.

However, the lawmaker noted that if figures were based on Duterte’s 2007 SALN – the first year that she became a public official – the jump from a net worth of P7.2 million to 2024’s P88.5 million represents a 1,120 percent spike.

Aside from the SALN issue, Ridon also previously pointed out before the confirmation from Anti-Money Laundering Council Executive Director Buenaventura.

Buenaventura affirmed that they saw covered and suspicious transactions made by Duterte and Carpio, and a total of P6.7 billion in total transactions from bank accounts from the couple.

This includes a total of P4.4 billion in inflows and P1.5 billion worth of outflows.

Meanwhile, several members of the prosecution confirmed that they are mulling whether they will drop Article III or the bribery allegations due to time constraints.

On Wednesday, Manila Rep. Joel Chua confirmed in an ambush interview that the prosecution panel is considering to refrain from presenting Article III.

In a press briefing later that day, Chua clarified that the bribery allegations against Duterte remain strong.

He noted that the only reason why the prosecution panel has considered this article as expendable is due to priorities and a yearning to expedite the trial.

Chua explained that if they push through with the withdrawal of Article III, this will be similar to what the prosecution panel did for the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

However, he also stressed that this is not a new matter, reminding the public that the group had said before that if the prosecution is satisfied with the evidence and testimonies at hand, it will let go of one article.

The Department of Education (DepEd) will no longer conduct active shooter ‘reenactments’ during the simultaneous school safety drills to be held nationwide on Sept. 3.

‘There will no longer be reenactments involving an active shooter or active attacker because, according to experts, these may cause psychological trauma to participating learners and teachers,’ DepEd Undersecretary Malcolm Garma said on Wednesday at the sidelines of Kapihan sa Manila Prince Hotel press forum.

‘What will trigger the drill are the … distinct alarms. [Once] they [go off, they] will signal the commencement of the drills,’ Garma said.

The DepEd called off the active shooter drills originally scheduled on Aug. 25 over inclement weather and amid concerns from psychiatrist groups, which said that current evidence does not show that these simulations ‘reduce casualties or prevent incidents.’

‘Run-hide-fight’

According to Philippine Psychiatric Association and Philippine Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, multiple studies also demonstrated that the drills, which ‘expose learners to hyper-realistic scenarios of violence,’ may cause lasting psychological harm.

For Garma, the deferment of the nationwide drills also allowed the DepEd to include measures to strengthen post-incident response efforts and integrate the ‘run-hide-fight’ protocol.

The ‘run-hide-fight’ protocol is a procedure in which individuals in an active shooter situation may decide to evacuate as a first response; or hide silently as a secondary measure; or directly confront the perpetrator as a last resort.

The DepEd official said that one other measure that was introduced was to seek the consent of parents for their children’s participation in the exercise, noting that schools were currently in the end-of-term block for the first trimester.

‘We will not be able to force them to make their children join,’ he said. ‘But, of course, we would like to encourage our parents to make their children join.’

Muscle memory

The nationwide drill will kick off at a school in Bulacan province on Thursday morning, according to Garma, noting that other schools-particularly those affected by flooding amid inclement weather-may choose to hold the exercise some other time.

The school safety drills were prompted by school shootings in Tacloban City on June 22 and Zamboanga City on Aug. 18. A total of five students were killed, including the shooter in Zamboanga City, who turned the gun on himself after killing a fellow student. The two students who carried out the shooting in Tacloban City were arrested. Only one was charged, however, because the other student is only 14 years old and cannot be charged yet under the juvenile justice law.

‘This will not be the first and the last,’ Garma said. ‘We have to perfect that drill. It’s really for muscle memory.’

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is exploring smart farming technologies for the Philippine agriculture sector to boost farm productivity and close technological gaps.

‘We have to modernize agriculture, and we have to find the right technology that will allow us to leapfrog,’ Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement on Thursday.

Tiu Laurel led a Philippine delegation to Zhejiang Huihong Fruit and Vegetable Farm in Zhejiang province, where they studied digital systems used to monitor crops and manage farm operations.

During the tour, the delegation visited the farm’s greenhouses and examined fruit and vegetable cultivation practices, such as green protection and precision management techniques. They also tasted grapes, plums, and jujubes produced at the farm.

Zhejiang Huihong Biotechnology Co. Ltd. Zheng Yunyu discussed the farm’s smart agriculture data platform, which integrates environmental monitoring, water and fertilizer management, and real-time production data.Representatives from the Philippines and the Zhejiang farm met afterward to discuss the farm’s industrial operations, quality control, and ecological planting models.

‘The bigger task will be determining which technologies can work economically and effectively in Philippine farms, where conditions vary sharply in scale, infrastructure, financing, and digital access,’ the agency said.

They also explored potential collaboration in agricultural technology and fruit and vegetable production, focusing on technology transfer and industry partnerships in precision agriculture, crop protection, and ecological farming.

Tiu Laurel said there was ‘broad room’ for a Philippine-China partnership, with both parties expressing interest in turning the exchange into practical collaboration.

The agriculture chief said the country should keep using farming approaches that have already proven effective elsewhere.

‘There’s nothing wrong with copying the success of others if it will help others,’ Tiu Laurel said.

The DA said the recent visit to Zhejiang province came at a time when the country’s farm sector faces pressure to raise production ‘while dealing with climate risks, resource constraints and uneven access to modern farm technology.’

Sixteen-year-old spiker Ho Thi Bich Diep and Vietnamese squad Ho Chi Minh City are eager to learn from the Philippine pro clubs in their rare overseas stint in the 2026 PVL Invitational Conference.

Ho delivered 18 points to lead Ho Chi Minh City to a breakthrough 28-26, 19-25, 25-21, 25-16 win over defending champion PLDT on Thursday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Team captain Dang Thi Kim Thanh also powered the Vietnamese club with 19 points as they improved to 1-2 and joined Farm Fresh in a three-way tie with PLDT.

For Ho Chi Minh, its participation in the PVL is integral to the program’s growth and the young Vietnamese aim to learn from the Filipinos as well as Thai club Est Cola.

That’s why Ho is soaking in all the lessons she can pick up in every game.

‘I was trying hard to follow this high-level of play, being young and as a rookie,’ Ho said through a translator. ‘I’m grateful for the more experienced veterans that are on the court, reminding and pushing me, giving me the support, so that I can play comfortably, and to be able to keep at the same level of the team.’

Ho was also grateful for the veteran Vietnamese players who are guiding them in their PVL campaign, including their captain Dang, who had a national team call-up.

‘I’m happy that I got the support and trust of my teammates, motivating me to accomplish what I did tonight, and for the future games,’ she said.

Ho Chi Minh has two more games, facing Nxled on Friday before EST Cola on Sunday, with the top two teams advancing to the final.

The young spiker is slowly getting her groove in the week-long PVL tournament.

‘A lot of the younger players had a really good time experiencing older players, more experienced players, understanding the high technical level, the attack patterns, and how to adjust and how to adapt to this high-level play. I’m grateful for the experience and being able to adapt when it comes to these challenges,’ Ho said.

The Sandiganbayan Third Division on Thursday granted the request of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta to undergo a medical check-up on September 7.

‘The court grants the motion and allows Marcoleta’s medical furlough on September 7,’ said Associate Justice Karl Miranda, the Third Division chairperson.

Marcoleta’s lawyer David Gabriel said the senator is suffering from stage two hypertension and prostate enlargement, prompting them to file the motion for medical furlough for a check-up in the Medical City in Pasig City.

‘We believe there is no medical facility [in jail] to actually examine the medical condition of honorable Senator Marcoleta,’ Gabriel told the court.

Miranda clarified: ‘All the tests will be completed in a day and Senator Marcoleta will be returned to Quezon City jail?’

Gabriel responded in the affirmative, noting that it is only an outpatient procedure.

‘Okay, so clear,’ Miranda said. ‘The court will grant the request.’

The senator was on a nine-day hospital arrest at the Philippine National Police General Hospital following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him and his campaign donors on July 6.

Marcoleta, his donors former Rep. Mike Defensor and businessmen, Joseph Espiritu and Aristotle Viray face plunder over a P75 million campaign donation the senator received while being a sitting party-list lawmaker, which, according to prosecutors, was not declared in the senator’s financial and campaign disclosures.

Of the said amount, P30 million allegedly came from Defensor, P25 million from Espiritu, and P20 million from Viray.

All of them have pleaded not guilty for plunder during their arraignment.

They also face charges for violating Presidential Decree No. 46, which prohibits government officials from receiving, and private individuals from conferring, gifts.

Marcoleta also faces three counts for violating PD No. 46, filed before the First, Third and Fourth Divisions of Sandiganbayan.

After the hearing, Marcoleta posted a P90,000 bail in total for three of his cases.

‘Yes, I believe it’s P30,000 each,’ Gabriel told Inquirer in a text message when asked to confirm if Marcoleta has posted bail for his three PD No. 46 cases.

The senator, however, will remain in custody due to plunder handled in the Third Division, but his bail hearing for this case began on Thursday

Tarlac Rep. Maria Cristina Angeles said Thursday that she had long sought government funding to strengthen two bridges that recently collapsed due to heavy rains and strong river currents.

Angeles said she had asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to address concerns over the foundations of the two bridges even when she was still a mayor.

She was referring to the 136-meter-long Agana Bridge, which collapsed over the weekend, and the 720-meter-long Aquino Bridge, which collapsed on Aug. 28.

‘Through the years that I was mayor, I had long asked the DPWH to give sufficient attention to finding a solution to strengthen the foundations of these two bridges, but this was not prioritized by previous officials,’ Angeles said in Filipino.

‘As a newly seated congresswoman, I personally appealed to Secretary Vince Dizon during the recent budget hearing to provide sufficient funding for the bridges,’ she added.

Angeles also thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon for visiting the area to inspect the damage.

‘I am deeply grateful to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Secretary Vince for their personal visit, concern, solutions and immediate response,’ she said in Filipino.

Angeles also appealed for unity among Tarlac residents and urged them to refrain from politicizing the issue or pointing fingers.

‘Instead, let us unite and help one another, and respect the DPWH as it provides the correct information about what happened,’ she said in Filipino.

On Wednesday, Marcos and Dizon inspected the ongoing construction of a Bailey bridge intended to restore access following the collapse of Agana Bridge.

The President directed the DPWH to fast-track the construction of the alternate bridge and said the national government would provide P300 million in assistance to the Tarlac City government.

Angeles joined Tarlac City Mayor Susan Yap, Tarlac Gov. Christian Yap and other local officials during the inspection.

Marcos also said Wednesday that widespread flooding in Central Luzon and Metro Manila resulted from the failure to implement a flood control master plan that had existed for decades.

‘We already have a master plan; it’s just never been executed,’ Marcos said when asked whether the public could expect such a plan.

‘We’re only executing it now. We have had a master plan for decades, but nothing was done. Only now. We’re only starting it now,’ he added, without specifying which master plan he was referring to.

The remarks came as 9.4 million people, or 2.7 million families, across Luzon were displaced by flooding caused by three storms and the prevailing southwest monsoon, or habagat, since Aug. 1.

On Aug. 29, a sport utility vehicle fell into the Tarlac River as Agana Bridge collapsed. Only one of its five passengers survived.

The remains of two passengers were recovered in Pangasinan, while two others remained missing.

Tarlac was placed under a state of calamity on Aug. 30 following widespread damage caused by the southwest monsoon.

Slow-moving traffic was still observed in the northbound portion of Tulaoc, Pampanga along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) on Thursday morning, according to NLEx Corporation.

In its latest update as of 6:50 a.m., NLEx Corporation said that there is approximately 1.5-kilometer traffic build-up in Tulaoc’s northbound portion, following days of heavy flooding in the area.

The corporation shared that Lane 3 remains impassable to all kinds of vehicles in the Tulaoc’s northbound and southbound lanes of the expressway. It added that its Lane 1 is passable to all vehicles northbound while its Lane 1 and 2 are passable to all vehicles southbound.

Meanwhile, the corporation said that light volume of traffic can be observed over the northbound and southbound lanes of San Simon Interchange.

San Simon Interchange’s Lane 1 is passable to all kinds of vehicles while Lane 2 is only passable to Class 2 and 3 vehicles, both northbound and southbound.

On the other hand, light traffic situations were observed over the southbound portions of San Simon, Bakintawak, and Valenzuela.

Traffic was also regulated over Libtong Exit, Sta. Rita Northbound Exit, Balagtas Northbound Entry, and Pulilan Northbound Entry.

The Toll Regulatory Board has asked the NLEx Corporation to explain the flooding incident that occurred along Tulaoc and San Simon in Pampanga that caused heavy traffic to motorists for the past few days

The Philippines needs to attract about $12.6 billion in investments to build 2,100 MW of capacity as it seeks to reclaim its spot as the world’s No. 2 geothermal producer.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin said it takes $6 million to produce one megawatt of geothermal energy.

‘It’s quite expensive,’ she said on the sidelines of the 7th Philippine International Geothermal Conference in Batangas.

Industry players earlier said the exploration and drilling stage is the riskiest part of the business, as they need to prepare about $10 million to $12 million per well, even without the certainty of securing a commercial resource.

To help developers cut the risks of exploring geothermal sources in the country, the government is eyeing an additional P60 billion injection into the geothermal derisking facility.

Garin said the agency is ready to facilitate fresh talks with financial institutions, such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Land Bank of the Philippines, to bring in additional capital for the Philippine geothermal resource derisking facility (PGRDF).

Currently, the facility has about P10.7 billion ready for rollout.’If it’s successful and it’s well managed, we can. And we do intend to do that,’ Garin said when asked about applying for a new facility.

‘But I think if it’s successful, I think more, even not just ADB will offer,’ she added.

The idea of the PGRDF is that the government would shoulder half of the drilling costs, with the loan tagged as a grant if the exploration activity is unsuccessful.

‘But I think if we do it properly, and most of these are successful, we won’t have a problem accessing other funds… We have to choose the right projects for this undertaking,’ she said.

Without disclosing more details, Garin said the facility has identified 12 projects that could benefit from the initial round of the budget.

In a separate interview, Marvin Kenneth Bailon, head of business development at Energy Development Corp., stated that the group has included its project in Mindanao on the list.

Currently, the country has 2,057 MW of installed geothermal capacity, making it the third-largest geothermal producer globally.

Geothermal power accounted for about 6.4 percent of electricity generation last year, with Garin hoping to increase this to 10 percent.

Garin described geothermal as the ‘best resource’ because the technology can produce electricity around the clock.

Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) chief Jesus Fernandez was ordered dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman which has filed a graft case against him in the Sandiganbayan.

The anti-graft body said the criminal cases of Fernandez and another private individual stemmed from the procurement of 132 ambulances worth ?485 million.

‘The Ombudsman found prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction to charge Fernandez,’ it said in a statement.

Fernandez was charged with two counts of indirect bribery and two counts of violation of Section 3(b) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

In a separate administrative case arising from the same transaction, the anti-graft body found Fernandez guilty of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and grave misconduct.

‘This carries the penalty of dismissal from the service, including cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and perpetual disqualification from reemployment in government service,’ Ombudsman said.

Inquirer is still trying to reach Fernandez for comment. We will include his side in this story once available.

According to the Ombudsman, Fernandez’s cases and dismissal stemmed from a complaint filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government following a fact-finding investigation by Task Force BFP Accountability into the procurement of 132 units of Type 1 Basic Life Support ambulances.

The contract, Ombudsman said, was awarded to Toyota Mabolo, which entered into a joint venture with Autozone Prime Distributors, Inc. for the project.

The joint venture’s representative Rosaverna Sangga was also charged with two counts of Corruption of Public Officials under Article 212 of the Revised Penal Code.

Investigators alleged that Fernandez ‘allegedly received a total of ?14.752 million’ from Sangga.

This amount was allegedly delivered on two separate occasions, according to investigators.

Sangga allegedly delivered ?10.752 million to Fernandez on November 21, 2024, and another ?4 million on Sept. 25, 2025, according to the Ombudsman ruling.

The ruling further stated that Fernandez was the bids and awards committee chairperson when he received the ‘first SOP’ in Nov. 2024, while he was the head of the procuring entity when he received the ‘second SOP’ in Sept. 2025.

It further said that ‘receiving any gift, compensation, promise, or consideration from any individual in relation to his position gives the appearance of impropriety, which does not only bring doubt to his credibility but significantly tarnishes the credibility of the agency that he leads, in this case, especially in the process of procurement

Ogie Alcasid called on fellow Filipinos to push for change to end the cycle of suffering caused by recurring floods during heavy rains in the country.

The veteran singer-songwriter made the reminder on his social media pages on Tuesday, Sept. 1, as the flooding in several cities and provinces began to subside.

‘Humupa ang baha. Tumigil na ang ulan. Dapat siguro tanungin natin ang ating mga sarili kung papayag pa ba tayo na laging ganito?’ he said. ‘Hindi maaari kabayan! Hindi na maaari!’

Alcasid’s post drew hundreds of comments from netizens who shared the same sentiment and expressed hope for better governance. Meanwhile, there were also those who argued that citizens must also do their part by practicing environmental responsibility, and not solely rely on the government.

Alcasid was among the celebrities using their platforms to speak out against the worsening floods across the country, which have recently intensified after weeks of persistent rains due to the southwest monsoon or habagat.

One of the notable personalities who echoed the same sentiment was TV host Lyn Ching, who called for action over the extensive flooding in Hagonoy, Bulacan during a live report.