Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Parañaque City has deferred the implementation of its no-contact apprehension policy (NCAP). its local government said Tuesday.

Parañaque public information officer Erel Cabatbat confirmed to the Inquirer that the policy ‘is not being implemented as of now.’

The local government had yet to provide a reason for the deferment as of publication.

Earlier, Valenzuela City also temporarily suspended the return of NCAP, citing road conditions.

Valenzuela Mayor Wes Gatchalian said the city’s current situation was not suitable for reimplementing the policy because road construction projects were affecting traffic flow.

‘Road construction projects are being carried out in succession on our major roads, and traffic flow changes daily,’ Gatchalian said in a Facebook post. ‘Let us prioritize the smooth and safe flow of traffic for our fellow Valenzuelanos.’

Meanwhile, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said the city would proceed with NCAP, with its dry run starting Monday.

‘I will push through. There’s a bigger chance the government will make a mistake with our enforcers. With the technology existing, nobody is special nowadays. Everyone is equal,’ Moreno said during a briefing Tuesday.

Moreno said two cameras had recorded 190 violations during the dry run.

Under NCAP, traffic violations are detected through closed-circuit television and digital cameras. Local governments then issue citation tickets and send them directly to vehicle owners.

Vehicle owners who fail to pay their fines within seven days may be barred from registering their vehicles.

Moreno said NCAP would also enforce existing traffic rules more strictly by documenting violations through photos and videos.

‘There is now certainty in implementing laws and regulations that are already existing in the streets of Manila,’ he said.

AMLC Executive Director lawyer Ronel Buenaventura clarifies during Day 34 of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial that the tabular summaries and reports covering billions of pesos in transactions are not conclusive proof of Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio’s cash on hand, cash in bank, unexplained wealth or ill-gotten wealth.

Buenaventura said the records only reflect transactions reported to the AMLC.

The municipal government of Naujan in Oriental Mindoro has temporarily banned the entry of live hogs to protect its swine industry from African Swine Fever (ASF).

Mayor Henry Joel Teves signed Municipal Executive Order No. 26-040 on September 29, instituting the measure, which covers live hogs brought in for sale, breeding, slaughter, or any other purpose.

ASF checkpoints will be set up at entry points to inspect all vehicles transporting hogs and validate health certificates and other official documents.

The restrictions also apply to traders, breeders, and shipments of frozen pork and pork products.

Hog raisers are directed to strictly enforce farm biosecurity protocols – including footbaths, perimeter fencing, regular disinfection, and pest control – to prevent the virus from reaching their herds.

Residents are urged to report any unusual hog deaths, suspected ASF symptoms, or unregulated transport and sale of hogs and pork products immediately to the Municipal Agriculture Office or their barangay officials.

Naujan and the entire province of Oriental Mindoro remain free from ASF, the local government said.

The congressman of Pampanga’s first district is seeking justice for a dog allegedly beaten by the college dean of a private school in Angeles City.

In a Facebook post on Monday night, Rep. Carmelo Lazatin Jr. cited a circulating social media post showing the dean of Systems Plus College Foundation (SPCF) allegedly beating a dog inside the school’s premises.

He said subsequent social media posts showed the dog bleeding from the head and allegedly being stuffed into an empty water drum in an apparent attempt to suffocate it.

Lazatin called on the Angeles City government, headed by his half-brother, Mayor Carmelo Lazatin II, the Angeles City Police Office, and the SPCF administration to investigate the alleged case of animal cruelty and ‘ensure that the perpetrators are meted with the corresponding penalty for this violent act.’

The lawmaker said there is no room in a civilized society for senseless violence against a helpless animal.

‘Regardless if the animal is a stray that accidentally wandered inside school premises, it is not a reason to enact violence on the poor animal. We are human beings; therefore, we have been granted logic and reason. As such, we should exercise utmost patience and humanity when dealing with an animal that lacks the same level of thinking capacity as a human being,’ he said.

Lazatin added that if the educator committed such an act, it was disgraceful and disappointing.

‘In our desire to achieve higher education and learning, may we never lose sight of morality and compassion,’ he said.

On Tuesday, the Animal Kingdom Foundation, a Tarlac-based nongovernmental organization, said in a Facebook post that the dean and a school janitress allegedly committed the act of animal cruelty

The group said several students were deeply affected by what they had witnessed.

‘It is heartbreaking that an incident like this allegedly happened in a place where compassion and respect for life should be taught and practiced,’ it said.

The foundation appealed to witnesses to come forward and provide their testimonies.

‘Your testimony could help establish the truth and bring justice for the dog. Do not let fear silence the truth. Do not let this dog’s suffering be forgotten,’ it said.

Neither Lazatin nor the Animal Kingdom Foundation said whether the dog had died. They also did not say when the incident happened.

A netizen who commented on the Animal Kingdom Foundation’s post claimed that the maltreated dog was no longer seen on the school’s premises.

A student of SPCF said she was crying and begging the male dean to stop beating the skinny dog. She added that she and other students looked for the dog or its remains within the school’s premises but failed to locate it.

On Monday, the SPCF posted a statement on its Facebook page saying that ‘an appropriate inquiry has been initiated to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident.’

The school said it had undertaken necessary measures while the matter was being addressed.

Inflation in the country accelerated to another three-year high of 7.2 percent in September, up from 6.1 percent in August, amid higher food and housing prices, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Tuesday.

The latest print matched the rate recorded in April and snapped four consecutive months of easing.

It also blew past the 6.8-percent median estimate of 19 economists polled by the Inquirer last week but remained within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) forecast range of 6.4 percent to 7.4 percent.

Food inflation jumped to 6.7 percent from 4.6 percent in the previous month, mainly as vegetable costs rose to 10.7 percent from a 3.4-percent disinflation in August.

Meanwhile, inflation in housing and utilities rose to 8.4 percent from 7.9 percent on higher rent, electricity and cooking gas prices.

Transport prices also continued to increase, with inflation in the basket accelerating to 14.6 percent from 13.5 percent.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla challenged the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to commit to data sharing with the anti-graft body, noting that a lack of cooperation in this regard may be done to stall complaints.

In response, the BOC on Monday said they are committed to work with the agency regarding ‘lawful’ requests of information in its fight against smuggling.

‘The problem always with Customs is that they don’t want to complete the documentation so the case can be dismissed,’ Remulla said in a radio dzRH program over the weekend.

‘As we file the case or investigate it, when we ask for the document [from BOC], the document does not come,’ Remulla said. ‘There is no data sharing.’

Remulla noted that the Department of Budget and Management already agreed to a data sharing pact with the Office of the Ombudsman.

The Office of the Ombudsman now has direct access to government procurement records after the data sharing agreement between the anti-graft body and the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

‘At least the DBM allowed data sharing, this time, we are now challenging the Customs,’ Remulla said.

In a statement, the BOC said: ‘The Bureau continuously supports lawful requests for information and is strengthening its systems and processes to further improve cooperation and data sharing, in accordance with existing laws and regulations.’

‘The BOC reaffirms its commitment to transparency, cooperation, and whole-of-government action, and will continue to provide the necessary support to partner agencies to protect government revenues, strengthen anti-smuggling efforts, and serve the best interests of the Filipino people.’

Lopez-led First Gen Corp. is pushing for stronger policy and financial backing to derisk geothermal energy activities and harness about 35,000 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity in Southeast Asia, making the region a global leader in this industry segment.

The group made this call on the opening day of the Asean Energy Business Forum on Monday, saying members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have massive geothermal resource potential of 34,000 GMW to 35,000 MW.

If the target capacity were unlocked, it would represent nearly 48 percent of the world’s geothermal resource.

According to Jaime Jemuel Austria Jr., president of the National Geothermal Association of the Philippines, the region’s current production stands at 4,000 MW.

Indonesia continues to dominate the market, accounting for about 84.9 percent of regional capacity. The Philippines, meanwhile, contributes about 12.7 percent.

But First Gen said there is also geothermal interest in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia and Laos.

‘Despite the abundance of this 24/7 renewable energy source, geothermal remains a minor contributor to national energy grids across Southeast Asia,’ the firm said.

In Indonesia, although it holds about 40 percent of global resources, the country operates less than 8 percent of the capacity due to bureaucracy problems and pricing structures.

First Gen also cited infrastructure challenges, such as the absence or lack of subsea cables and high-voltage transmission backbones that are needed to transfer the electricity generated from geothermal power plants located in remote areas to consumers.

Further developments are hindered by Hefty initial capital for exploration activities are hindering the development of more such power assets.

‘Because geothermal [energy] bears heavy upfront subsurface drilling risks before revenue generation begins, unsupportive policy environments often render projects unbankable compared to cheaper, faster-to-deploy variable alternatives,’ it added.

In the Philippines, the Department of Energy has begun entertaining developers wanting to secure initial investments from a P10.7-billion geothermal derisking facility.

The concept of this is the government will shoulder half of the drilling costs, with the loan tagged as a grant if the exploration activity is unsuccessful.

At present, the country has 2,057 MW of installed geothermal capacity, making it the third-largest geothermal power producer globally

The Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) said the climate adaptation budget will recover in 2027. However, mitigation funding will continue to decline, raising concerns about the shift to a low-carbon economy.

In its 2027 budget brief, the CPBRD said mitigation spending accounts for only 6.7 percent of total climate expenditures from 2025 to 2027, compared with 93.3 percent for climate adaptation.

Climate mitigation refers to spending that reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and addresses the root cause of climate change. Adaptation, meanwhile, focuses on strengthening resilience to climate impacts.

For 2027, the government proposes P681.5 billion for adaptation, partially recovering from a 40.8-percent decline to P582.9 billion in 2026 from P984.3 billion in 2025.

Next year, the government projects to reduce mitigation spending by 83 percent, dropping it to just P11.2 billion from P65.8 billion.

‘Although the country’s climate change expenditures have historically been skewed toward adaptation measures due to its high vulnerability to typhoons, flooding, drought, sea-level rise, and other climate-related hazards, investments in mitigation initiatives that reduce GHG emissions are equally critical to addressing the underlying drivers of climate change and enhancing long-term climate resilience,’ the CPBRD said.

The decline in mitigation spending ‘raises concerns about the country’s capacity to sustain investments aimed at reducing GHG emissions and supporting transition to a low-carbon economy,’ it added.

The national government has committed to cutting emissions by 75 percent by 2030. However, the Climate Change Commission recently said the country’s fossil carbon dioxide emissions have risen by 25 percent since 2021.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development earlier warned that a high-emissions scenario could shrink the country’s gross domestic product by about 5 percent as early as 2040, with losses accelerating to 20 percent by 2070.

The CPBRD also noted that national government departments account for 96.5 percent, or P668.6 billion, of the P692.7-billion total climate spending proposed for 2027.

‘The effectiveness of climate spending therefore depends not only on the amount identified at the national level, but also on whether resources, implementation mechanisms, and technical capacity reach LGUs and other frontline institutions,’ the CPBRD said.

The agency also cautioned that tagging a large amount as climate spending does not necessarily translate into climate impact.

‘It ultimately depends on the accuracy of tagging, the quality and additionality of interventions, budget execution, and evidence that expenditures contribute to adaptation or mitigation outcomes,’ the CPBRD said.

Vice President Sara Duterte told journalists here on Tuesday that her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, had advised her to ‘come home’ and leave national politics to her brother, Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte, the city’s incumbent mayor.

Duterte made this revelation at a press conference during which she denied accusations that she received money stuffed in suitcases from dismissed policeman Rodulfo Gracioso Jr.

The Vice President was asked about suggestions that her younger brother take the cudgels for her amid threats to her viability as a presidential contender. Duterte may lose her eligibility to hold public office if the Senate impeachment court convicts her.

Duterte said she has not discussed the matter with her brother, who currently leads the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), the political party that carried his father’s presidential bid in 2016.

During the press conference, Duterte said she is not inclined to follow her mother’s plea, and that she is not coming home yet because she still has work as Vice President.

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.