Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Vice President Sara Duterte was aware and authorized all the processes and activities in relation to her office’s confidential funds (CFs) worth P500 million in total, Duterte’s assistant chief of staff Lemuel Ortonio testified on Tuesday.

The movements cover the last quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023.

The testimony was given after prosecution counsel Mae Divinagracia asked Ortonio whether or not Duterte is the ‘mastermind’ or ‘architect’ of the Office of the Vice President’s alleged misuse of confidential funds.

‘You will agree with me that this whole confidential funds matter, ang arkitekto at mastermind nito ay si Sara Duterte?’ Divinagracia said.

(You will agree with me that this whole confidential funds matter, the architect and mastermind of it is Sara Duterte?)

The question was opposed by the defense, and was stricken off the record, but when Divinagracia attempted to rephrase, she argued harder on the use of the word ‘architect’ in characterizing the vice president.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, at this point, asked Ortonio himself:

‘Lahat ng bagay kaugnay ng confidential fund, mula sa pagrequest, sa pagrelease, sa pagencash, sa paggastos, sa pagliquidate, sa pagsagot sa mga AOMs, notice of suspension, at notice of disallowance ay una, nalalaman ng ikalawang pangulo; pangalawa, inawtorisa niya base sa mga pirma niya sa iba’t ibang mga dokyumento; at pangatlo, ay nasa ilalim ng kaniyang superbisyon bilang head of agency?’

(Everything related to the confidential fund, from requesting, to releasing, to encashing, to spending, to liquidating, to responding to AOMs, notices of suspension, and notices of disallowance, is first, known to the second president; second, authorized by him based on his signatures on various documents; and third, is under his supervision as head of agency?)

‘Based on my understanding and based on what I know – yes. The vice president knows about the confidential activities and how it is being implemented,’ Ortonio answered.

Escudero continued: ‘May ginawa ka ba na hindi alam o hindi in-authorize ni Vice President Sara kaugnay sa confidential funds, kasabay na ang pagsagot mo sa AOMS, notice of suspension, at notice of disallowance?’

(Did you do anything that Vice President Sara did not know about or did not authorize in relation to confidential funds, at the same time as you responded to the AOMS, notice of suspension, and notice of disallowance?)

‘None, Your Honor,’ Ortonio replied.

Escudero then asked, ‘Lahat alam nya at inauthorize niya?’

(She knows everything and she authorized it?)

To this, Ortonio responded in the affirmative.

During Divinagracia’s direct examination, Ortonio testified to drafting the OVP’s request for CFs from the Department of Budget and Management, signing the disbursement vouchers, encashing the P125 million funds per quarter, and preparing a reply to the Commission on Audit’s AOM.

All of these actions, Ortonio testified, were under the orders of Duterte herself.

The witness also identified the vice president’s signatures in authorizing and certifying all other documents and requirements needed to process CFs. /

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Tuesday downplayed the testimonies of the 25 individuals who introduced themselves as former bodyguards of resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.

The men were cited in an affidavit of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Last week, Romualdez submitted a supplemental counter affidavit to answer the complaint against him by the Ombudsman for plunder, graft, indirect and direct bribery, and money laundering.

In this document, Romualdez mentioned the testimonies of 25 of Co’s aides.

He said some of the aides were identified by the 18 bodyguards who were with them when they made the alleged deliveries of suitcases containing cash to the former House speaker.

Several of the 25 security aides denied their involvement in the delivery, contrary to the previous claims.

Asked to react to these new testimonies, Remulla said in an interview at the House of Representatives: ‘I don’t think it affects us.’

‘They are trying to make their publicity to make people doubt we have a strong case,’ he said. ‘We have a strong case.’

Ombudsman investigators accused Romualdez and Co of alleged ‘concerted and coordinated acts’ in ‘unlawfully amassing, accumulating and acquiring ill-gotten wealth’ amounting to approximately P56 billion from 2022 to 2025.

Some of these funds were purportedly delivered by the bodyguards through suitcases.

Investigators based their evidence on the testimonies of some of the 18 bodyguards, four of which have recanted their allegations.

Remulla, however, said ‘we are not reliant on those witnesses recanting their testimonies.’

‘The case does not rise and fall with those guards or the people who brought the money. We still have other evidence. We can still prove that,’ he said. /

This was the reaction of House Committee on Appropriations chair and Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing after finding out that none of the proposed projects under the Commission on Audit (COA)’s ‘capital outlay’ request for next year were granted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

The COA initially proposed around a P1.18-billion budget for its ‘capital outlay’ funds, which would supposedly cover the commission’s Information Systems Strategic Plan for 2027 to 2029, the construction or modernization of some of its buildings, and the purchase of three vehicles, among others.

But the DBM did not approve the COA’s proposal, recommending a ‘zero capital outlay’ for the commission through the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

During the budget hearing on Tuesday, Suansing mentioned that upon scrutinizing the 2027 NEP for COA, ‘What really stood out is the capital outlay was zero.’

Suansing asked if the DBM gave the COA a particular explanation as to why it zeroed out the whole proposal for the commission’s ‘capital outlay’ request, to which COA assistant commissioner Nilda Plaras answered, ‘There was none, Your Honor.’

The Inquirer reached out to the DBM about the matter but has yet to respond as of this writing.

Meanwhile, Suansing also pointed out COA’s request for a budget to purchase a vehicle for its regional office in the Negros Island Region (NIR), which was included in its capital outlay request.

‘They didn’t approve that either?’ Suansing asked.

‘Yes, one vehicle for the NIR,’ the COA official answered, to which the Committee on Appropriation’s chairperson exclaimed, ‘Interesting.’

Senior Deputy Speaker and South Cotabato Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez seemingly echoed Suansing’s reaction, quipping, ‘Can you conduct an audit on the DBM?’

‘I think they will grant your request. Do that before you submit the budget to the President. Maybe next time, a special audit is possible,’ Hernandez furthered.

Suansing asked the DBM to provide a ‘wish list’ of all the items that were left out in the NEP that the commission wanted to advocate for so that Congress may consider them during the deliberation of the institutional amendment requests from the different agencies.

‘Given the limited fiscal space, realistically, we would not be able to fund all. So for us to get a better sense, we request a more detailed list of all of the items under the capital outlay request with the corresponding details,’ said Suansing.

The COA is seeking a P17.3-billion overall budget proposal for 2027, but the DBM has recommended lowering the amount to P16.05 billion.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) cleared Negros Electric Power Corp. of a reported breach of the allowable system loss limit after admitting it had wrongly labeled the company as noncompliant.

In a statement, ERC clarified that Negros Power only secured its franchise recently following its deal with the rural electric cooperative.

Negros Power, a joint venture company between Primelectric Holdings Inc. and Central Negros Electric Cooperative, serves over 220,000 active accounts across Bacolod, Bago, Talisay, Silay, Murcia, and Don Salvador Benedicto.

Because the transition period under its legislative franchise covers five years of operation, Negros Power still has leeway to exceed the 5.5 percent cap set for private utilities.

‘NEPC’s applicable cap for 2025 is therefore 8.50 percent (interim), not 5.50 percent,’ the ERC said

‘Against this interim cap, NEPC’s reported 2025 feeder loss of 7.5 percent is within, not in excess of, its applicable cap,’ the commission added.

ERC’s statement came after it presented at last week’s Senate committee on energy hearing, listing Negros Power among the distribution utilities that exceeded their feeder loss cap in 2025, with a feeder loss of 7.5 percent.

The government now targets to scrap system loss charges from consumers’ power bills

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday said around 20 other steel plants are under surveillance for suspected violations of product and safety standards following its recent raid on a steel manufacturing facility in Davao City.

In a press conference on Tuesday, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the facilities that could be violating product standards and workplace safety, among others, were identified through reports and intelligence information gathered by the bureau.

‘Ang ginagawang effort ng NBI at PAOCC (Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission) and other law enforcement agencies will not end in Davao, pupuntahan din namin yung mga ibang lugar pa,’ Matibag said.

(The efforts of the NBI, PAOCC [Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission], and other law enforcement agencies will not end in Davao. We will also go to other places.)

‘There are about 20 more across the country na amin pong sinu-surveillance at binabantayan,’ he noted.

(There are about 20 more across the country that are under surveillance and monitoring.)

Matibag, however, did not specify the locations of the steel plants.

So far, the NBI has raided five steel facilities – two in pampanga, one in Bulacan, one in Misamis Oriental, and the recent one in Davao.

Last August 13, the NBI-in coordination with PAOCC and other relevant agencies-conducted an operation against the Davao Mighty Steel Corp. facility in Barangay Ilang, Davao City, where authorities found radioactive-bearing materials and steel products that allegedly failed government standards.

According to Matibag, 14 individuals allegedly involved in the supposed illegal operation are already under the bureau’s custody, while seven others remain at large.

NBI’s Disaster Victim Identification Division chief Dr. Wilfredo Tierra said a total of 194 workers were examined at the Davao facility, 57 of which had documented medical findings.

He added that two other workers tested positive during radioactivity scanning and were subjected to decontamination and further medical procedures.

The NBI is coordinating with the Department of Labor and Employment to provide temporary jobs for affected workers and with the Department of Health regarding concerns about their long-term exposure to radioactive materials.

Meanwhile, NBI’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives and Foreign Malign Influence Unit chief Zulhika Conales said 394 buildings in General Santos City and Sarangani province that reportedly used Davao Mighty Steel reinforcing bars were damaged following a recent earthquake.

She added that the structures included government offices, schools, businesses, and a hospital.

Matibag said the NBI is also coordinating with other government agencies and foreign counterparts on the proper storage and disposal of radioactive materials recovered from the Davao facility.

He urged the public planning to build homes and infrastructures to check the steel products being used in construction and ensure that they meet the required safety standards.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is strengthening an early-warning system that would track upcoming harvests, weather disturbances and market conditions in hopes of preventing vegetable gluts from leaving farmers with spoiled or unsold produce.

In a statement on Monday, the DA said it plans to use regular harvest projections and farm-gate price monitoring to identify potential supply disruptions and connect farmers with buyers before markets become saturated.

‘We want to move from reacting to problems to anticipating them,’ Agriculture Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra said.

‘The monitoring system will give us alerts on upcoming harvests, weather disturbances and other developments that could affect the supply chain to help us trigger assistance earlier,’ Guevarra added.

According to the DA, the system could trigger logistics and other government assistance when potential disruptions are detected, while complementing regional help desks that respond to farmers facing difficulties moving their produce.

It also plans to strengthen coordination with other government agencies that could serve as institutional buyers.

This renewed early-warning initiative would build on emergency procurement measures used during the Middle East conflict, when a surge in logistics costs threatened the movement of agricultural products to markets.

It also comes after about 5.8 metric tons of Chinese cabbage and carrots were dumped in Benguet earlier this month after continuous rains, congested trading centers and poor road conditions prevented farmers from selling the produce before it deteriorated.

In one case, a truck carrying 2.5 tons of Chinese cabbage spent two days and two nights waiting to enter a La Trinidad trading center. Another farmer sold only 700 kilograms of a four-ton carrot harvest, eventually dumping about 3.1 tons along a road.

The DA said better monitoring could also help address recurring oversupply, which can drive farm-gate prices low enough that farmers opt to discard vegetables rather than incur additional transport costs.

But the agency stressed that the early-warning system is only an interim measure that will remain in place while the government pursues longer-term infrastructure to absorb excess harvests.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the DA is seeking funding in 2027 for mega cold storage and vegetable processing facilities beside the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center.

‘Our long-term solution is mega cold storage and vegetable processing facilities,’ Tiu Laurel said.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio on Tuesday has called on the Department of Trade of Industry (DTI) to release related information and documents of all projects under the United States-led Pax Silica.

The statement follows plans to establish more projects in other locations, apart from the Artificial Intelligence (AI) hub in New Clark City, Tarlac, Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo earlier disclosed at a budget hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations.

‘During the interpellation, Undersecretary Rodolfo, himself admitted that data centers are indeed possible under Pax Silica, possibly in other locations outside Clark. That directly contradicts what the government has been telling the public,’ Tinio said.

He further slammed Finance Secretary Frederick Go’s previous remarks, claiming that there are no data centers under the Pax Silica.

‘So the fake news is the government’s own statement that there is no data center in Pax Silica. The concerns of affected communities regarding electricity, water, and environmental impact are entirely valid,’ he stressed.

The solon further raised the involvement of a former senior advisor of a major AI technology provider to the US military, insinuating on Washington’s hidden agenda.

‘In the US, Helberg (US Undersecretary of State Jacob Helberg) has been very explicit: Pax Silica is about securing US supply chains for their defense industrial base. The US military depends on microchips produced in China, and they say they can no longer have the microchips for their missiles, tanks, airplanes, and warships coming from China. That’s the real purpose of Pax Silica,’ he explained.

Tinio, moreover, emphasized the concerns surrounding the 4,000-acre AI industrial hub, such as the massive power and water it requires and the modular nuclear power plants.

He then questioned whether the Electric Power Industry Reform Act and environmental regulations can accommodate the demand needed by the data centers.

‘I am also requesting the Committee on Rules to fast-track a current resolution for the discussion of Pax Silica. The Filipino people deserve full transparency on a project that entangles our country with the US war machine and potentially compromises our sovereignty, environment, and resources,’ he added

The Venice Film Festival has added a new documentary about the civilian toll of the Israel-Hamas war to its lineup. ‘NAZA,’ from two of the filmmakers behind the Oscar-winning documentary ‘No Other Land,’ will screen in the main competition, festival organizers said Monday.

According to the synopsis, the film was shot at night on Tel Aviv rooftops and focuses on the killings of Palestinian civilians. Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor co-directed ‘Naza,’ which was produced by The Guardian and filmmakers behind ‘The Zone of Interest.’ It’s the only documentary competing for the Golden Lion award.

Abraham and Szor were two of the four directors of the 2025 best documentary winner ‘No Other Land,’ the story of Palestinian activists fighting to protect their communities from demolition by the Israeli military. A collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers, it was made over four years between 2019 and 2023, wrapping production days before Hamas launched its deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that started the war in Gaza.

‘Naza’ builds on reporting between 2023 and 2025 published by the Israeli-Palestinian +972 Magazine, the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call and The Guardian.

The war was top of mind at last year’s festival as well, where thousands gathered for a large pro-Palestinian protest during one of the busiest nights in hopes of redirecting the spotlight from the movie stars to the real world. The subject was also prominent in the program: Kaouther Ben Hania’s ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab,’ about the death of a 6-year-old girl attempting to flee Gaza City with her family in early 2024, won the festival’s Silver Lion award.

Ben Hania is part of the Maggie Gyllenhaal-led jury that will be selecting the award winners at the festival, which begins on Sept. 2. Winners will be announced on Sept. 12.

Earlier this year, the Venice Biennale contemporary art exhibition opened with no Golden Lions after the jury quit in protest of Israel’s and Russia’s participation and loud protests outside their pavilions. In 2024 the artist and curators representing Israel at the Venice Biennale kept the Israeli pavilion exhibit closed, saying they would only open it if there were a ceasefire in Gaza.

The southwest monsoon or habagat will affect parts of Luzon on Tuesday and is expected to continue prevailing over these areas in the next few days, according to the state weather bureau.

In the 5 a.m. weather forecast of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), weather specialist Veronica Torres said that many areas in Luzon will still experience cloudy skies with scattered rains.

‘Inaasahan natin sa may Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, sa may Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, kabilang na ang Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Rizal, makakaranas tayo ng makulimlim na panahon, posibleng may kalat-kalat na pag-ulan, pagkidlat, at pagkulog,’ Veronica said.

(We expect that Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, and Rizal will experience overcast skies with chances of scattered rains and thunderstorms.)

She also said that partly cloudy to cloudy skies with chances of localized thunderstorms will affect the rest of Luzon. She then noted that La Union, Benguet, and Pangasinan will experience 50 to 100 millimeters of rainfall on Monday where flooding and landslides are possible.

‘Asahan na sa mga susunod na araw, patuloy pa rin ang southwest monsoon sa malaking bahagi ng Luzon and by around August 29, mas humina na yung epekto ng habagat sa ating bansa pero since 3-5 days pa yan, maaari pa itong magbago,’ she added.

(Expect that the southwest monsoon will continue to prevail over a huge part of Luzon and by around August 29, its effects will weaken but since it’s around 3-5 days, it may still change.)

Meanwhile, the Visayas and Mindanao remain unaffected by the southwest monsoon and are likely to see partly cloudy to cloudy skies conditions with chances of thunderstorms. Torres also said that hot and humid weather conditions are possible in the morning until noon, and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening.

No gale warning is still hoisted in any seaboards of the country.

Temperature forecast of the following areas:

Metro Manila: 26°C to 31°C

Laoag: 25°C to 29°C

Baguio: 17°C to 20°C

Tagaytay: 23°C to 29°C

Tuguegarao: 25°C to 32°C

Legazpi: 26°C to 33°C

Puerto Princesa: 25°C to 32°C

Kalayaan Islands: 25°C to 32°C

Cebu: 26°C to 34°C

Tacloban: 26°C to 34°C

Cagayan de Oro: 25°C to 34°C

Zamboanga: 25°C to 34°C

Davao: 26°C to 34°C

Weather disturbances outside the PAR

Torres said that Typhoon Saudel (formerly Obet) was last located 1,180 kilometers east-northeast of Extreme Northern Luzon as of 3 a.m. It exited the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Monday, 9:30 p.m.

Torres added that as it moved northward, it may enhance the southwest monsoon.

Meanwhile, she noted that Tropical Depression Atsani was last estimated 1,760 kilometers east of Northern Luzon. As it was seen near the boundary of the PAR, its possibility of entering the PAR is not ruled out.

The House Committee on Labor and Employment has sponsored a measure that aimed to strengthen workers’ safety against climate-related threats and hazards.

The measure is called House Bill No. 10559 under Committee Report No. 552 which seeks to strengthen the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) framework by integrating adjustments to weather.

‘Health should not be sacrificed for a livelihood. Life should not be sacrificed for a job,’ House Committee on Labor and Employment Chairperson Ramon Jolo Revilla said on Tuesday.

‘And it should never come to pass that a worker has to choose between earning for their family and protecting themselves,’ he noted.

He mentioned that the unpredictable weather has become a daily occupational risk to workers, primarily those working outdoors.

‘For construction workers exposed to intense heat and employees who must report for work amid heavy rains and severe weather, climate change is no longer an abstract issue but a danger they confront in earning their livelihood,’ he emphasized in a statement.

Revilla added that the measure also seeks to impose stiffer penalties for Occupational Safety and Health violations, which resulted in the injury or death of a worker.

He, however, clarified that the move is not intended to criminalize ‘ordinary mistakes,’ but to penalize ‘willful or grossly negligent violations that put workers in danger.’

These wrong moves include deficiencies in training or protective equipment that are disregarded by the company or employer.