Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Senator Jinggoy Estrada took a jab at the House of Representatives on Tuesday for its failure to pass a bill that would have strengthened and expanded the mandate of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).

Online streaming platforms would have been included in the MTRCB’s regulatory powers if Senate Bill No. 2805 was enacted into law.

The measure was approved by the Senate on third and final reading during the 19th Congress but its counterpart measure remained pending at the committee level in the House of Representatives.

‘So this isn’t finished yet? Nothing in the House? They’re so lazy,’ Estrada said in Filipino as he presided over the Senate subcommittee on finance’s deliberations on the proposed P221.297 million budget of the MTRCB for 2026.

The senator though noted that many industry stakeholders were also against the bill, saying it ‘impinges on a struggling film industry,’ ‘strangles creativity’ and adversely impacts ‘freedom of expression and artistic integrity.’

‘It is in this context that we shall look into your budget, together with the direction that the agency is taking with your proposed table of expenditures and programs for next year,’ Estrada said.

For 2026, MTRCB is proposing P221.297 million budget.

Of the budget proposal, Estrada noted that P165.698 million was allotted for MRTCB’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) and Capital Outlay which will be sourced from the board’s own revenues, and provided for under the Special Provisions.

Estrada, meanwhile, informed the MTRCB that he has filed Senate Bill No. 878 that would establish the Retained Income Fund and replace its existing sinking fund.

Under the bill filed last August, MTRCB would be allowed to retain 50 percent of its revenues to be used for its MOOE excluding payment of salaries and allowances. /cb

Mayor Abundio ‘JP’ Punsalan Jr. of San Simon town in Pampanga is set to be arraigned before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan’s Seventh Division this Wednesday, two months after his Aug. 5 entrapment for alleged extortion of a Filipino-Chinese businessman.

The Division’s Presiding Judge Geraldine Faith Econg also set the pre-trial of Punsalan on the same date, a copy of her Sept. 9 order showed.

The arraignment and pre-trial followed after the mayor surrendered and posted cash bonds of P90,000 for a case of violations of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and for Article 293 of the Revised Penal Code (robbery by means of extortion), the order showed.

The San Simon-based Real Steel Corporation filed the complaint that accused the mayor of demanding P80 million in exchange for not overturning Municipal Ordinance No. 24-0025 that granted tax incentives to the company.

The demand was allegedly accompanied by threats that Real Steel’s incentives would be revoked if payment was not made.

The National Bureau of Investigation entrapped Punsalan last Aug. 5 at a restaurant in Clark Freeport just as he was taking a bag containing cash amounting to more or less P30 million.

Real Steel’s lawyer Philip Advent said conviction under these charges ‘carries penalties of imprisonment, dismissal from service, and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.’

Punsalan returned to work last September 3 after the Regional Trial Court Branch 206 in Muntinlupa granted his petition for habeas corpus on the ground of ‘unlawful detention’ in the NBI custodial center at the New Bilibid Prison.

Also released were Ed Ryan Dimla, as well as his security personnel, Domingo Ramones, and Rodolfo Dagdag Jr., Philip Ronnie Jimenez Sr., Rufino Cruz, and Erwin Calma.

Also pending in the Office of the Ombudsman is Real Steel’s urgent motion to suspend Punsalan in an administrative case for grave misconduct and serious dishonesty.

Real Steel also filed an administrative case against the mayor before the provincial board of Pampanga./coa

American actor Josh Hartnett was briefly hospitalized after he and his driver were involved in a two-vehicle collision in St. John’s in Canada.

According to multiple foreign outlets, Hartnett, who was in St. John’s for the filming of an untitled Netflix series, was on his way home from the set when the accident happened last Sept. 25. The sports utility vehicle Hartnett was in reportedly collided with a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) patrol car.

The actor and his driver, as well as the officer riding the patrol car, were then taken to the hospital after sustaining minor injuries.

‘RNC collision analysts are seeking any witnesses or video footage (CCTV, dash-camera, cell phone) from the area in the lead up to, or immediately following the collision,’ the RNC said.

Hartnett’s rep Susan Patricola told Deadline that the actor has been discharged and has already returned to work. She added that the incident did not affect the show production.

Hartnett is best known for starring in the films ‘The Virgin Suicides’ (1999), ‘Black Hawk Down’ (2001), ‘Sin City’ (2005) and ’30 Days of Night’ (2007). His recent movie stints include ‘Oppenheimer’ (2023), ‘Trap’ (2024) and ‘Fight or Flight.’ /ra

Two four-ball (best ball) matches from each division make up Day 1 of the ICTSI Elite Junior Finals, and fielding and team chemistry will be keys as the North battles South in a Ryder Cup-type of event that puts a fitting end to the JPGT season at windswept The Country Club in Laguna.

Stalwarts from the boys’ 7-10 division tee off from No. 1, while the girls’ open play at the 10th of the ultra-exclusive layout that remains to be one of the toughest tests of golf in the country.

There are only four members per team from each age-bracket, but captains will have to find the right blend of who to pair with whom as the first to 24.5 points wins the tournament.

After the first four groups, the boys’ and girls’ 11-14 and then the centerpiece 15-18 divisions tee off. Day 2 will be an alternate shot before the highly anticipated singles are held on Friday.

This event is a far departure from the usual junior championships that have been held, as only 48 of the best and brightest of the season will be teeing it up.

Bannering Team North are boys’ 15-18 standouts Patrick Tambalque and Zachary Villaroman; boys’ 11-14 contenders Zianbeau Edoc and Ryuji Suzuki; and 7-10 aces Zoji Edoc and Zach Guico. The South squad will lean on the likes of Alexis Nailga and Luciano Copok (15-18); Ralph Batican and Ken Guillermo (11-14); and Ethan Lago and Kvan Alburo (7-10).

There will be 48 total points up for grabs, and in the event of a 24-24 tie at the end of the Friday session, the champion will be determined by a blind draw from which age-group a sudden-death playoff will come from, with the squads then naming one player each.

The Finals serves as a formidable training ground for future stars of Philippine golf. Created by ICTSI in 2023, the JPGT is designed to build the complete golfer through a mix of stroke play, match play, and skills-based events.

There is also the newly launched ICTSI Intercollegiate Tour that aims to further strengthen the development pathway of the student-athlete by giving them a structured bridge to the professional game.

With two high-stakes matches scheduled in each of the three age categories (7-10, 11-14 and 15-18), the stage is set for an intense, drama-filled opener that could dictate the tone for the rest of this unprecedented Ryder Cup-style showdown.

A lawmaker has asked the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to stop its P450-million subscription to a company providing weather forecasts and other scientific models, so that it can save funds and use these to repair irrigation facilities.

At the House of Representatives’ plenary debates on Monday regarding NIA’s proposed 2026 budget, APEC party-list Rep. Sergio Dagooc asked the agency about the P450-million project mentioned during the committee on appropriations hearing.

In response, budget sponsor and Isabela 4th District Rep. Joseph Tan said that the allocation was for a contract with Tomorrow.io, a United States (US)-based company which according to its website, makes use of ‘advanced AI (artificial intelligence), proprietary satellite technology, and actionable data to transform how the world builds resilience to weather-related threats.’

‘Mr. Speaker, the P450 (million) that we are talking about, this will be used to conduct feasibility studies, detailed engineering, and the risk (assessment) management – in particular with hydrological modeling, dam reservoir design, reservoir design validation, climate resilient planning and project execution,’ Tan said in a mix of English and Filipino.

‘It can do rainfall forecasts of up to 14 days ahead, and with a 20-year historical data set, Mr. Speaker,’ he added.

Dagooc’s issue with the allocation is that the P450 million is just a year’s worth of subscribing with Tomorrow.io – when there may be local agencies like the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) that can possibly do the same predictions and models for a lesser cost, or maybe even for free.

‘Is that an annual subscription or a one-time subscription only?’ Dagooc asked.

‘Mr. Speaker, this is an annual, annual subscription,’ Tan replied.

‘Thank you for the candid answer. Mr. Speaker, for the record, this representation believes this amount is too huge, when we have other government agencies – Pagasa, et cetera, if we’re talking about forecasts. Imagine, we find it hard to fund our irrigation projects, but we will spend P450 million just to detect where and when the rains would fall,’ Dagooc fired back.

Dagooc said he would have no problem if the allocation was for a one-time payment that would provide the NIA multi-year access to Tomorrow.io’s services.

‘Maybe if this is a one-time subscription (payment) only (we would agree), I hope that the committee on appropriations will look into that because the funds we are allocating for different government agencies are small figures, but we will place almost half a billion yearly just for that subscription,’ Dagooc said.

‘So that is for the record Mr. Speaker, we will look at the contents of that software, what it has done, and if these can also be done by government agencies like Pagasa et cetera, and if there are allocations out of the P450 (million) that can be used by NIA to repair irrigation canal and other irrigation-related activities or projects,’ he added.

According to a post on Tomorrow.io’s website dated June 3, 2025, the company – described as a ‘global weather intelligence leader, headquartered in the United States, and a technology provider of U.S. agencies’ – partnered with the NIA to ‘help farmers adapt to volatile and challenging climate conditions and boost productivity using Artificial Intelligence in the Philippines.’

‘Tomorrow.io is a global leader in weather-based satellite technology In collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DA), the partnership aims to transform how weather forecasting supports farming by leveraging Tomorrow.io’s AI-driven models and proprietary network of low-orbit satellites,’ the post on the company’s website said.

‘These satellites enable micro-weather forecasting at the plot level, allowing them to deliver precise and timely agronomy advice, such as when to apply pesticides or delay irrigation based on incoming rainfall. This joint effort comes at a critical time, with the southwest monsoon (habagat) already starting to affect various parts of the country, signaling the arrival of the rainy season,’ it added.

Tomorrow.io said that they are the only provider of a space-based satellite technology that would allow governments to predict weather systems using patterns and advanced monitoring.

‘As a geographically complex archipelago, the Philippines faces unique weather forecasting challenges that traditional ground-based solutions cannot solve alone. With hundreds of islands, mountainous terrain, and remote regions, coverage gaps are inevitable,’ it said.

‘Tomorrow.io’s proprietary space-based satellite constellation is purpose-built to overcome these limitations, delivering real-time, high-resolution weather intelligence across the entire country, including the most remote and underserved areas. Tomorrow.io’s, the only global provider of such a space technology, ensures truly national coverage, enabling faster, more accurate early warnings and decision-making during severe weather events,’ it added.

However, NIA is slated to get a lower budget in 2026. Under the 2026 National Expenditures Program (NEP), NIA would get P45.06 billion – lower than the P69.36 billion in 2025, and the P77.75 billion in 2024.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) amid the ongoing investigation of alleged anomalies in flood control projects across the country.

The MOA signing on Tuesday was led by retired Supreme Court Associate Justice and ICI Chairperson Andres Reyes and AMLC Chair Eli Remolona Jr. at the ICI office in Taguig City.

Representatives of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Insurance Commission also took part in the MOA signing.

Reyes described the MOA signing as a ‘firm declaration of our shared resolve to root out corruption and defend the trust of the Filipino people.’

‘It is only through cooperation that we can confront the many faces of crime, graft, and the darker aspects of governance,’ the ICI chair said.

‘As you may know, the ICI is still very young. We have been in existence for only 15 days, with just four lawyer-volunteers carrying the weight of a tall task. Yet despite our size, our mandate is broad: to investigate irregularities, demand accountability, and restore integrity in public infrastructure. This is why the assistance of the AMLC is both timely and indispensable,’ he added.

The ICI is currently conducting a series of hearings in connection with their ongoing probe on the irregularities of flood control projects across the country.

For this Tuesday, contractor couple Sarah and Curlee Discaya attended the ICI hearing for their alleged involvement in the said infrastructure anomalies.

Meanwhile, the AMLC earlier said it may look into banks after a congressional probe flagged large cash transactions connected to a flood control scandal. /das

The menu of programs under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) should adapt with the rapidly changing digital landscape so Filipino workers would be ‘future-ready’, Parañaque 2nd District Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan said on Tuesday.

Yamsuan in a statement said he has filed House Bill (HB) No. 4037 or the proposed Tesda Programs Modernization Act to address the job and skill mismatch issues hounding the workforce today.

Under HB No. 4037, Tesda’s programs would be expanded by also covering digital skills and emerging technologies – including the placement of courses on artificial intelligence (AI), software development and coding, game design, cybersecurity, digital marketing, robotics and 3-D printing.

‘Within twelve (12) months from the effectivity of this Act, Tesda shall expand its courses and programs to include emerging technologies and digital skills aligned with the Industry 4.0 and future industrial revolutions, such as but not limited to Artificial Intelligence, software development and coding, game development, cybersecurity, digital marketing and e- commerce, robotics, and 3-D printing,’ Yamsuan said in the bill.

‘Tesda shall ensure that its courses and programs are reviewed every three (3) years and updated as necessary, to remain responsive to technological advancements, with the goal of future-proofing the Filipino workforce,’ the bill added.

According to Yamsuan, the country needs to make sure that Filipino workers remain competitive across the globe, by requiring Tesda to modernize its offerings.

‘In this digital age, the labor market is constantly evolving. We need to make sure that our labor force can always catch up by mandating TESDA to broaden its accredited course offerings to include programs that would arm our workers with ‘future-ready’ skills,’ Yamsuan, a member of the House committee on labor and employment, said.

Yamsuan cited the case of his city, Parañaque, noting that there are a lot of available jobs within buildings accredited by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, but applicants fail to meet the standards set by these companies.

‘For example, in the City of Parañaque, there are multiple buildings accredited by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, reflecting continued demand for information technology and technology-enabled services.8 However, there are not a lot of opportunities to learn about emerging technologies to access higher-value jobs,’ Yamsuan said in the bill’s explanatory note.

‘This measure aims to expand Tesda’s accredited programs to modern technological and digital fields. By doing so, it operationalizes the constitutional mandate to give priority to science and technology education, training, and services,’ he added.

Yamsuan also pointed out a 2021 report by the Philippine Institute of Development Studies, which stated that the current Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs are largely ineffective in curbing underemployment among young people.

The same report also found that six in 10 Filipino workers are employed in elementary or agricultural occupations, and jobs often rely on basic skills.

Yamsuan is not the lone lawmaker who has raised concerns over the adequacy of Tesda’s programs and other higher and technical education offerings. Last August, Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre said that part of his priority as the House committee on higher and technical education chairperson is to modernize the Tesda and Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) charters.

Acidre explained that updating the two agencies’ charter laws is part of a 10-point higher education reform legislative agenda.

Last July, nonprofit organization Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) said that despite decades of reforms to the education system, the country’s learning crisis has persisted, with the gap between graduates and employment only growing wider and students’ performance as well as teaching quality continuing to decline.

PBEd Executive Director Hanibal Camua said these factors have caused a growing disconnect between education and employment, as graduates struggle to find jobs after graduation.

Yamsuan said the bill seeks to address these findings, and other recommendations by Edcom 2 or the Second Congressional Commission on Education – like a call to prioritize digital technology in terms of working on overseeing curriculum standards.

‘All these sectors require our workers to possess technological skills dahil halos lahat ng industriya ngayon ay gumagamit na ng makabagong teknolohiya (because almost all industries today utilize modern technologies),’ he added.

Last Sept. 28, the nation should have remembered the birthday of Wenceslao ‘Bintao’ Vinzons. But few did. Many young Filipinos have never even heard his name. Among the older generations, his story has faded into the footnotes of World War II. And yet, in a time when the country is engulfed by scandal after scandal-when public office is reduced to the pursuit of family wealth, dynasty, and kickbacks-Vinzons’ life and death strike with the force of an indictment.

We are living through a crisis of corruption and impunity. The images seared into the public imagination are obscene: bundles of thousand-peso bills stacked on tables, waiting to be delivered as kickbacks; words like tara and obligasyon now part of the common tongue, as if plunder were as ordinary as breathing. Politicians shrug off exposés, tighten their seat belts, and ride out the storm. They know anger can be loud but fleeting. What is left is a public demoralized, persuaded that the Philippine government is little more than a criminal syndicate in barong tagalog.

This is why Vinzons matters now. Born in 1910 in Indan, Camarines Norte, he became the UP student council chair and editor of the Philippine Collegian. He was a visionary, farseeing, brilliant advocate for a pan-Malay union. He founded Young Philippines, a political party of law students who insisted that the youth was not a waiting room but a vanguard. At 24, he was a delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention. At 27, he was governor. At 29, a congressman. But his true test came not in the halls of lawmaking but in the forests of Bicol.

When Japan invaded, Vinzons organized 2,800 guerrillas in Camarines Norte. His command was one of the earliest, fiercest resistance groups in the country. For the Japanese, neutralizing Vinzons was essential. When he was captured in 1942, they offered him collaboration: help pacify the resistance in exchange for his life. He refused.

But the refusal did not cost him alone. The Japanese retaliated by executing six members of his family-his father Gabino, his wife Liwayway, his sister, and two of his children. An unborn child was lost with Liwayway. Vinzons knew this was likely. He chose the nation anyway.

This is the staggering reversal. In the Philippines, the family has always rivaled the state for the loyalty of its citizens. Politicians rationalize dynasties as the necessary scaffolding of competitiveness for public office. But Vinzons turned this proposition on its head. He chose to sacrifice his family so that the nation-and the families of 2,800 guerrillas under his command-might live.

Measured against that, how obscene is today’s corruption! We have a President who, in his State of the Nation Address, could only scold the corrupt with the rebuke: ‘Mahiya naman kayo.’ But shame without civic grounding means little. What we lack is the civic virtue that once allowed a 31-year-old congressman to die rather than betray his people. The civic duty that animated Vinzons has all but dissipated.

Corruption begins in the mind. It thrives in the rationalization that ‘everyone does it,’ that loyalty to family excuses betrayal of the nation. Every time we sing ‘ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo,’ we should remember that Vinzons lived and died those words-and that his sacrifice should shame our officials who equate patriotism with lining the pockets of their kin.

The tragedy is not only that Vinzons is forgotten. It is that his sacrifice has not become the beacon it should be. In a time when young people flood the streets in anger at corruption, his story should guide them. He embodied what it means to be a Filipino youth activist: principled, fearless, incorruptible. He was, in every sense, the father of student activism, the proof that youth is not preparation but power.

If our institutions are to regain legitimacy, they must show the courage Vinzons showed-not in death, but in action. Arrest and prosecute the guilty, no matter their family name. Make the national budget a paragon of transparency. Empower civil society and youth organizations to act as watchdogs, armed with technology and civic discipline.

Otherwise, public rage will flare and fade, as it always has. But if we take Vinzons seriously-if we allow his forgotten name to rebuke us-we may yet recover the civic virtue to save this democracy. He died at 31, but he has not finished speaking to the Filipino spirit and soul.

The House of Representatives needs to inform the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on the seat vacancy of Zaldy Co following his resignation as a representative of Ako Bicol Party-list, according to Comelec Chairperson George Garcia on Tuesday.

Garcia said that while the poll body is aware that the office of House Speaker Faustino Dy III received the resignation on Monday, the lower chamber still needs to officially inform the Comelec of Co’s resignation.

Garcia noted the process is similar to when a member of a House of Representatives dies and there needs to be a declaration of seat vacancy.

‘If a member resigns, there needs to be a declaration to trigger vacancy from the member of the House of Representatives,’ Garcia, speaking in Filipino, told reporters during an online interview.

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 Dy, Co cited ‘the real, direct, grave and imminent threat’ to him and to ‘the lives of my family members.’

With this, Garcia said that the poll body is yet to receive the letter from the lower chamber. He added that it is usually the secretary general informing the poll body of the acceptance of the resignation.

Garcia also said that it is also the secretary general who asks who would replace the seat vacated.

‘Comelec can’t just issue a certificate of proclamation or acknowledgment of the resignation of the member of House of Representatives without the lower chamber’s acknowledgement,’ Garcia stressed in Filipino.

‘It should also be noted that the issue of membership is purely a matter under the discretion of the House of Representatives and cannot be interfered with by the Comelec,’ Garcia added in Filipino.

Garcia noted that as Co resigned, the second nominee will automatically assume the party-list’s first seat while the third nominee will get the second seat.

He explained that this is because the Ako Bicol Party-list secured two seats in the May 2025 midterm elections, garnering a total of 1,072,171 votes. The certificates of nomination of the party-list showed that aside from Co being the first nominee, Alfred Garbin and Jan Franz Chan were named the second and third nominees, respectively.

The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday allayed fears and debunked myths regarding the safety and effectiveness of contraceptives as the agency sought to encourage the public to practice family planning.

‘Until now, myths regarding contraceptives continue to flourish,’ the DOH said in a video presentation. ‘Many have become confused and afraid because of these rumors.’

Among the myths surrounding contraceptives that were pointed out by the DOH was the belief that birth control pills can cause cancer, which the agency stressed was not true.

‘Instead of causing cancer, studies have shown that [birth control] pills can help reduce the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer,’ the DOH said, citing a report from the World Health Organization.

The DOH further noted that some people believe that taking birth control pills can lower a person’s sex drive. However, the agency pointed out that there has been no evidence to prove such claims, emphasizing that birth control pills are safe to use.

The DOH also addressed fears regarding ligation, which involves cutting or blocking a woman’s fallopian tubes, noting that some people believe that undergoing such procedure can weaken a person’s body.

‘That’s wrong. Ligation does not cause weakness or hormonal imbalance, nor does it affect a person’s sex drive or weight. It also does not involve removing a woman’s womb,’ the DOH said.

The DOH also noted that withdrawal during sexual activities do not effectively prevent pregnancies, pointing out that one out of five women who rely on such a method become pregnant within a year.

The agency said it was important to spread correct information regarding contraceptives so that couples would be aware of their options when practicing family planning, helping them attain their desired number of children and allowing women to determine the spacing of their pregnancies.

Some of these options include condoms, birth control pills and injectables, which prevent pregnancies in the short term. Long-term options, meanwhile, include implants and intrauterine devices, while permanent measures include ligation and vasectomy.

Previously, the DOH said more than 9 million women in the country were using family planning methods based on data from the agency. However, it also noted that only 0.1 percent of Filipinos have undergone vasectomy despite the measure being 99.9 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. /cb