Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Department of Public Works and Highways will livestream the bidding process for its projects to promote transparency, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said on Tuesday. Hosaka also explained that the ‘ICI is avoiding trial by publicity and will not allow it to be used for any political leverage or agency by any individual or group.’ /das/abc

The Archdiocese of Cebu will witness a historic and grace-filled moment on Tuesday, Sept. 30, as Most Rev. Alberto ‘Abet’ Uy is formally installed as the fifth metropolitan archbishop of Cebu.

The solemn canonical possession and installation rites will take place at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral at 9 a.m. It is expected to draw together an extraordinary gathering of prelates from across the Philippines and beyond.

According to the Archdiocese of Cebu, among those attending are high-ranking leaders of the Catholic Church: Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Most Rev. Charles John Brown; Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization; Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and Bishop of Kalookan; and Jose Cardinal Advincula, Archbishop of Manila.

Also joining are several archbishops from key ecclesiastical territories, including Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon of Caceres, Archbishop John Du of Palo, and Archbishop Victor Bendico of Capiz, among others. Retired archbishops, such as Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, SJ, and Archbishop Leonardo Medroso, will also grace the celebration.

Dozens of bishops from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will be present, including Bishop Precioso Cantillas, Bishop Julito Cortes of Dumaguete, Bishop Crispin Varquez of Borongan, Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara of Pasig, Bishop Dennis Villarojo of Malolos, and many more. Apostolic vicars and bishops emeriti are also expected to participate.

The installation of Uy marks a new chapter for the Archdiocese of Cebu, recognized as the cradle of Christianity in the Philippines. Cebu’s faithful, together with visiting prelates, are set to witness a moment of deep ecclesial unity as they celebrate the continuity of faith and mission in one of the country’s most historic archdioceses.

Uy was born and raised in Ubay town, Bohol. Pope Francis appointed Uy as the 7th bishop of Tagbilaran on October 13, 2016. He was consecrated on Jan. 5, 2017. /das

Companies linked to resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co tried to deregister three choppers from the Philippines to put these units up for sale, Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon said on Tuesday.

Dizon said that he received this information from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap).

Deregistration is an act of removing an item from an official registry.

‘Companies connected to Congressman Zaldy Co tried to deregister three choppers,’ Dizon told reporters in an interview.

‘What Caap told me is that the firms tried to deregister the units because they have plans to sell them, because you can’t sell them if you don’t deregister them first in the Philippines,’ he explained.

Dizon said that they managed to stop the deregistration, and the Caap already issued a standing order that all air assets linked to Co cannot be deregistered.

Last Wednesday, the public works and highways secretary revealed that Co has P4.7-billion worth of air assets registered under different companies.

He also said that he had already informed the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), the Department of Justice, and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure about the assets.

His presentation showed that Misibis Aviation owns air assets with a combined estimated value of $74.6 million (equivalent to P4.2 billion at the current exchange rate).

These assets include two AgustaWestland AW1398 helicopters worth $16 million each, a Gulfstream 350 jet valued at $36 million, two Bell 407 helicopters pegged at $3 million each, and a Bell 206B3 helicopter estimated at $650,000 (P19 million).

Hi-Tone Construction Development Corp. holds aircraft valued at a total of $7.9 million (P456 million).

Its fleet consists of a Cessna 414A Chancellor worth $700,000, an Agusta A109E helicopter pegged at $6.9 million, and a PA 31-350 Chieftain aircraft estimated at $340,000.

Meanwhile, QM Builder lists a single air asset, a Bell 505 helicopter, worth around $2 million (P114 million).

Going after Co’s assets

When asked to react to the statement of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla that Co might not return to the country, Dizon said that the government will go after all his assets, whether he comes home or not.

‘Now that the ICI filed a report before the Ombudsman, we will ask for the freezing of all his assets, bank accounts, real properties, air assets, potential sea assets, land assets and vehicles,’ Dizon said in the same interview.

‘It’s not enough to hold someone accountable and send someone to jail. The [public] funds need to be returned and this is included in ensuring that the public funds will be retrieved,’ Dizon pointed out.

Co has resigned from his post as the representative of Ako Bicol Party-list amid allegations of his involvement in the anomalous flood control projects.

In his letter to House Speaker Faustino Dy III, Co cited ‘the real, direct, grave and imminent threat’ to him and to ‘the lives of my family members.’

The resigned lawmaker has been accused of receiving billions of pesos in kickbacks, based on the testimony of contractors and DPWH officials.

The allegations came from the testimonies of dismissed Department of Public Works and Highways-Bulacan Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez that an estimated P1 billion in cash, packed in suitcases, was delivered to Co’s penthouse.

The Department of Justice has requested the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to issue a blue notice on Co.

The notice advises the member states of Interpol ‘to collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation.’ /apl

When we hear of abaca, what often comes to mind is Manila envelope and Manila paper. But this humble crop, which is mostly cultivated in Catanduanes, Eastern Visayas, and Mindanao, may one day be our ticket to aerospace and space tourism.

Abaca is the source of the strongest natural fiber in the world, making it essential for ship ropes, filters, medical fabrics, textiles, special papers like banknotes, and other applications that require strength, durability, and water-resistance. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world was short of disposable face masks, abaca was utilized as a natural source of fiber, a contribution from the Philippines during those unprecedented times. As the largest abaca exporter in the world, we clearly had the advantage of its accessibility and opportunities to capitalize on it. My article was later featured by the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority on their social media.

This special interest in abaca, which I developed during the pandemic, was amplified later on by my passion for surfing. I’ve visited almost every famous surfing spot in the country, except for Catanduanes.

As I read more about the surfing life in Catanduanes, came the undeniable facts and potentials about abaca. As an academic pharmacist, I’ve also thought of researching on the isolation and development of abaca cellulose fiber as a novel excipient in making medicines.

For example, a cellulose powder from abaca could be a binder to hold a tablet together, or a sustainable and alternative ingredient in making ‘veggie’ capsule shells. A lot of people don’t know that most shells that hold a capsule come from gelatin, which is derived from the collagen of cows or pigs, hence not suitable for vegetarians, vegans, or certain religious groups like Muslims.

Although these are just a few applications of abaca cellulose in pharmaceutical research, in the bigger picture, this could be our ticket to the new frontier.

The answer is simple: abaca is lightweight, natural, and sustainable. Today, the manufacturers of spacecraft (even aircraft) are pressured to reduce carbon emissions. Abaca fibers deliver high quality and strength without the burden of using metals, hence less fuel is burned. Most importantly, abaca is biodegradable and absorbs carbon dioxide while growing, which is a far greener option than petroleum-based synthetic fibers.

Today, companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are racing to make suborbital flights routine. Imagine telling the whole world that the seats and panels inside a space vehicle carry fibers grown by the farmers in Catanduanes. It is both a poetic and practical vision: the Philippines being a supplier of natural materials for humanity’s journey beyond Earth.

Now, the challenge is, will the Philippines seize the chance to move up the value chain? For a very long time, our abaca has been exported raw and bought from our farmers at a low price by foreigners who then process it, sell it at a high price, and reap the margins.

If we invest in processing hubs, certification facilities, and research partnerships, we can export not just fiber but semi-finished products such as composite panels and specialty mats. That is where the real money is, and that is how rural communities progress.

To achieve this, interagency collaboration is important. Together with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippine Space Agency, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Tourism, along with local universities, we can create a national innovation pipeline: from farm-to-fiber-to-flight.

We are already known as the world’s capital of the strongest natural fiber. Let us take that seriously. We can make the Philippines a global leader in sustainable materials in the next frontier.

Authorities arrested three alleged high-value drug targets and seized over P1 million worth of suspected ‘shabu’ (crystal meth) in separate buy-bust operations in Cavite and Laguna on Monday and Tuesday.

In a report, the Region 4A police said anti-narcotics operatives in Bacoor City, Cavite, apprehended suspects identified only as ‘Jerome’ and ‘Jonathan’ at around 2:40 a.m. Tuesday in Barangay Molino 2. The two were caught after selling P500 worth of shabu to an undercover police officer.

During the arrest, operatives recovered four heat-sealed plastic sachets containing approximately 60 grams of suspected shabu, with an estimated street value of P408,000, based on the Dangerous Drugs Board’s valuation.

Police identified both suspects as ‘high-value individuals’ (HVI) on their drug watch list – a classification reserved for financiers, traffickers, manufacturers, importers, or members of organized drug groups.

In a separate operation in Barangay Antipolo, Rizal, Laguna, police arrested another HVI suspect identified as ‘Jomar’ at 11:28 p.m. on Monday. He was found in possession of three plastic sachets containing about 100 grams of suspected shabu, valued at P680,000.

Authorities also seized the suspect’s mobile phone, which will be examined for possible drug-related communications or records.

Police in Cavite and Laguna are conducting further investigations to trace the source of the seized drugs.

All three suspects are currently in police custody and face charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002

It is one thing for lawmakers and contractors to gorge on public infrastructure funds, but another matter entirely for the state’s top auditors, sworn to protect taxpayer money from such vultures, to take part in the feast.

Of the many names mentioned during the blockbuster Senate inquiry on public works corruption that has sparked a political firestorm and enraged a nation, that of Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Mario G. Lipana stands out as a literal anomaly. The reason is obvious: His alleged entanglement in the flood control scandal belies his commission’s long-standing reputation as the people’s last bastion against plunder.

Now, the public must confront a discomfiting question: Who audits the auditor?

Conflict of interest, it is often said, is corruption in waiting. In Lipana’s case, the conflict of interest is clear as day, and any benefit of the doubt seems to be of no use to him in the face of the bare facts. His wife, Marilou Laurio Lipana, heads Olympus Mining and Builders Group Philippines Corp., a company that has reportedly secured at least nine ongoing contracts with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Bulacan worth P326.6 million, on top of previously completed projects amounting to P178.5 million.

Impeachable offense

These contracts sat at the center of the Senate blue ribbon committee’s hearings, where former DPWH district engineer Henry Alcantara testified that Lipana requested a list of flood control projects in 2022, leading to alleged budget insertions of P1.4 billion spread across three years.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan described such conduct, if proven, as an impeachable offense. ‘A COA commissioner who is peddling flood control projects in your district of Bulacan. Is that right? Because you are being audited by COA, right? How can there be a truthful audit if a project is being asked from you?’ he asked Alcantara.

The logic is inescapable: who would trust a watchdog that accepts a bone from the same intruders it’s supposed to keep out?

The Office of the Ombudsman, pressed during plenary debates by ACT Teachers party list Rep. Antonio Tinio, confirmed that a fact-finding investigation was underway on the allegations against Lipana. But as Tinio correctly observed, delicadeza alone should have compelled the COA commissioner to resign as soon as his vested interests came to light.

Instead, Lipana has been conveniently absent from work, reportedly undergoing medical treatment in Singapore. Meanwhile, neither he nor his family has offered a word of excuse, while the public examines the damning paper trail of contracts in their name.

Twin temptations

The 1987 Constitution states that no member of a constitutional commission shall be ‘financially interested, directly or indirectly,’ in any government contract, a provision so designed to insulate these bodies from the twin temptations of patronage and power.

Lipana, an appointee of former President Rodrigo Duterte and a career auditor who should have known better, violated not just the letter but the spirit of that safeguard the moment his wife’s company began bagging projects from an agency COA is mandated to scrutinize.

His profile on the COA website describes Lipana in glowing terms as ‘a career official who rose from the ranks’ and who ‘has acquired more than 38 years of experience and expertise as Auditor of both local and international audits covering financial and compliance audit.’

How tragic for a technocrat with such credentials to have lacked, at best, the common sense not to risk his career in exchange for familial benefits, or at worst, the moral compass to reject corruption outright.

The larger tragedy, however, is the fallout on COA itself. For decades, the commission has been the country’s most reliable check on corruption, exposing irregularities across administrations and earning a name for itself as a bulwark of transparency.

Public’s faith

Lipana’s case erodes that trust, because state auditors who cannot meet the standard they demand of others forfeit the moral authority that gives meaning to their fiscal independence. Even granting him the presumption of innocence, the appearance of impropriety is overwhelming. By remaining in office, Lipana undermines the credibility of the entire audit system.

Therefore, COA’s next step is clear. For this body to retain the public’s faith, its leadership must enforce the principle it expects of other agencies: accountability begins at home.

This scandal is but a glimpse into how deep corruption runs in the bureaucracy, seeping into the very walls built to keep it out. For the sake of the institution he has served for nearly four decades, Lipana should audit himself and step down. And when all is said and done, COA must perform, as other agencies are doing, lifestyle checks and a long overdue internal cleansing of its ranks, from the top down, for this constitutional office to preserve its honor as the nation’s conscience.

Amid the fiasco on flood control projects, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Blockchain Council of the Philippines (BCP) have inked a partnership to use blockchain technology to ensure transparency and accountability in national infrastructure projects.

In a signing of memorandum of agreement (MOA) on Tuesday, the DPWH and BCP committed to launch Integrity Chain, a blockchain-powered platform which aims to provide a real-time public dashboard that tracks progress on infrastructure projects, such as the bidding, planning, and awarding.

The DPWH also said that this platform also allows the public to scrutinize the projects and report anomalies and tampering of records.

‘As part of the pilot, BCP will provide the DPWH with a one-year complimentary subscription to the Integrity Chain, which includes technical support, training, and cybersecurity measures in full compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012,’ the DPWH said in a statement.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon also shared that the pilot implementation will begin with the foreign-assisted projects as their funding and documents are already vetted by multilateral and international organizations. He also said that the implementation for locally-funded projects will follow.

‘If we use this, we will be able to catch those who are responsible. It is important to partner with the private sector because they will help us. They will serve as our eyes. Because it is impossible to monitor what’s inside the DPWH, we need to seek help outside the agency,’ Dizon noted.

Dizon also said that he expects ‘greater transparency’ now that the agency has partnered with the private sector for the use of blockchain technology.

‘This is a very important step, the use of blockchain is a very important step to monitor each and every step of the process of each department, from the central office down to the regional and district offices,’ he said in an ambush interview.

With this, Dizon said that tampering of records will become ‘virtually impossible’ as documents and transactions are shared with everyone in the platform.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure previously denounced reports of ‘widespread destruction and tampering’ of DPWH personnel of documents related to anomalous flood control projects.

ICI Chairperson and retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr warned that ‘any attempt to destroy, falsify, or conceal them is a grave offense that carries both administrative and criminal liability.’

What is blockchain technology?

BCP President Donald Lim described blockchain technology as a ‘consensus mechanism’ which is a decentralized digital ledger that records all transactions to ensure check and balance.

‘Like on a budget, you can’t change the numbers because if anyone steals from it, we will know who is responsible. If someone inserts a budget, we will know who did that. If someone amends, we will be informed. Everyone will see. It’s a recording of a ledger,’ Lim said in a separate interview.

When asked if connivance is possible in manipulating records using the technology, Lim said that it’s difficult to do so. He noted that the Integrity Chain involves private sectors that will monitor the infrastructure projects.

‘It’s difficult to collude because you need to convince all organizations to not approve or approve it. There’s a technical blockchain but there’s also human blockchain that we created today,’ he added.

He said that the Integrity Chain will be funded by a ‘blind trust’ where the organizations will ask funding from different private corporations.

‘To ensure that there will be no undue influence, there will be blind trust. No one will know who’s contributing,’ Lim noted.

Lim also shared that they will set up a technical working group in the coming week, which will be monitored by the DPWH.

During the MOA signing, presidents and leaders of private businesses, academe, civic, professional and faith-based organizations pledged to use their credibility and networks to ensure the success of the Integrity Chain.

‘By making every peso traceable, immutable, and observable, we create a system where accountability is no longer optional but guaranteed. Through this pilot with the DPWH and the legislative momentum in Congress, we aim to demonstrate that when the private sector and government act together, integrity can prevail,’ the organizations’ statement of support read. /cb

Teachers and education workers are set to stage a walkout in time for the commemoration of World Teachers’ Day on Oct. 3 (Friday), the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) announced on Tuesday.

The walkout will take place in Mendiola, according to ACT Chair Vladimer Quetua, as a sign of protest in marking the World Teachers’ Day to again demand for substantial education budget increase, salary hikes, and would even double as a call to end corruption and bureaucrat capitalism ‘that continue to deprive schools of resources.’

Quetua lamented how teachers continue to bear the brunt of persistent problems, especially in public schools, such as their meager wages, overcrowded and dilapidated classrooms, shortages in books and other learning materials, and the growing list of workloads.

While these problems remain unresolved, he pointed out that the government would rather spend its billions of funding on the ‘pork-laden’ infrastructure projects, confidential funds, and the continued funding for its counterinsurgency programs under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, which, during the Duterte administration, had been notorious on linking government critics with the underground armed rebellion.

‘This won’t be just a simple celebration of World Teachers’ Day this year,’ Quetua said at a press conference in Quezon City. ‘We are all suffering from hunger and neglect while our officials are milking all funds intended for Filipinos, which include funds for education.’

The only way for them to be seen and heard again would be through their collective action in calling for an end to corruption and to press the government for higher salaries for teachers and more funding for the education sector.

Among their calls would be the increase of salary, suggesting that the increase for all teachers and education workers be increased to P50,000 as minimum for Teacher I rank and P36,000 as minimum for education support personnel.

Quetua said they will also call for an increase in salaries for Instructor I, with a Salary Grade 16, and equal pay for private school teachers.

The group will also urge the government to double the education budget to meet the United Nations’ requirement of 6 percent of the gross domestic product.

‘The October 3 walkout will serve both as a day of protest and a day of assertion: to honor the struggles of teachers by demanding decent pay, sufficient funding for classrooms and learning resources, and the dismantling of corruption at the highest levels of government,’ Quetua said.

‘World Teachers’ Day is not about token recognition or hollow praises from the same government that abandons us,’ Quetua noted. ‘It is about the collective voice of teachers demanding justice, dignity and real support for education.’ /cb

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) significantly cut its growth forecasts for the Philippines to below 6 percent, citing external headwinds that could weigh on investments. The ADB trimmed its outlook for the country in 2025 to 5.6 percent, from its old estimate of 6 percent, according to the Manila-based lender’s flagship Asian Development Outlook report released Tuesday.

For 2026, the ADB slashed its forecast to 5.7 percent from 6.1 percent before.

While the revised 2025 prediction would settle near the lower limit of the government’s 5.5 to 6.5 percent target, the ADB’s downgraded 2026 forecast would fall short of the official 6 to 7 percent goal for next year.

‘In the Philippines, forecasts are lowered as global trade uncertainty dampens investor sentiment,’ the Bank said.

‘However, low inflation and an accommodative monetary policy are expected to support domestic demand in the near term,’ it added.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) offered a total compensation of P820.5-M billion for residents and property owners in Quezon City to acquire right-of-way for the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP).

According to the DOTr, the MMSP alignment covers 500 meters and affects 33 properties within the gated community where the compensation was offered.

The DOTr said that a total of 32 compensation offers have been to property owners.

Of the P820.5-M, 20 homeowners in the gated community have accepted the compensation totaling P461 million, while ‘negotiations with the remaining property owners are ongoing.’

As of writing, the MMSP right-of-way acquisition status stands at 75 percent, the DOTr reported.

However, the DOTr aims to have full acquisition by March 2026, and it also plans to begin drilling works along the MMSP alignment within the gated community starting January 2026.

Following this development, DOTr Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez expressed his gratitude to the property owners in the Quezon City gated community for their support to the MMSP.

The construction of the MMSP suffered a two-year delay due to right-of-way issues.

With the increase in progress resolving such issues, the DOTr said the MMSP should be operational by 2031.

Once completed, the P488.5-billion project shall be the first underground subway station in the Philippines spanning approximately 35 kilometers, with 17 stations.

The DOTr said the MMSP is expected to service over 500,000 passengers every day from Valenzuela, Quezon City, Pasig, Taguig, Parañaque, and Pasay. /cb