Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

After playing his final game for National University in the UAAP, Jake Figueroa has a lot to think about with regard to his basketball career.

If Figueroa has his way, he wants to take his act overseas.

‘Of course, it’s a different feeling to play internationally. Every athlete now probably has that dream and I also have that dream,’ said Figueroa after NU’s heartbreaking 78-73 loss to La Salle on Saturday.

That route, however, will have to wait.

The do-it-all forward said he has yet to get an offer from any club overseas, specifically, the B.League in Japan and the Korean Basketball League (KBL), where a slew of Filipino players are parading their wares.

Good thing for Figueroa, he also wants to rest after a tough final chapter in his collegiate career.

‘Nothing yet. I also have nothing lined up. I just want to relax for now because this loss hurts. There are no offers yet,’ said the 6-foot-3 Figueroa.

Figueroa did everything he could in his last game as a Bulldog, collecting 21 points, six rebounds and five assists but his performance wasn’t enough to prevent a Finals trilogy between defending champion UP and La Salle.

The 23-year-old Figueroa, who led the Bulldogs to the top seed, can also opt to play in the PBA.

‘Still two years before the PBA Draft so I have to focus on improving myself. Whether I play international or be PBA-ready like everyone says, I know I still have a lot of things to improve on as a player.’

When Leo Ordiales got a call-up for a rebuilding Philippine men’s volleyball team two years ago, he hardly saw action in their fifth-place finish in the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games.

From a limited role in his debut, Ordiales is now among the players expected to carry Alas Pilipinas’ fight in the upcoming SEA Games in Thailand after his impressive showing in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship. The 22-year-old Ordiales, one of the top opposite spikers in the country, is ready to embrace the major role and bigger challenge for Alas in the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand starting next week.

‘I think I’ve become more mature in how I play – and better at handling pressure,’ Ordiales told reporters in Filipino in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) sendoff on Saturday.

Ordiales started his year steering National University to a historic ‘five-peat’ in the UAAP Season 87 men’s volleyball tournament last May, followed by several international training camps and competitions with Alas Pilipinas.

The 6-foot-6 Bulldog then, overcame a jittery World Championship debut, redeeming himself with a strong 21-point explosion in Alas’ historic win over Egypt. He also stepped up big time to help Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo in their heartbreaking loss to Iran in five sets, narrowly missing the round of 16.

Ordiales remains focused on his growth under coach Angiolino Frigoni and the national program as they try to return to the podium after a magical silver medal run in the 2019 SEA Games.

‘For me, I just try to stay calm. I don’t want to pressure myself too much. I’m still building how I’ll handle that kind of pressure,’ he said. ‘ I’m preparing myself for tough and crucial games, thinking about the mindset I need. Like if the game starts badly, how I’ll adjust, how I’ll get my game back right away. Those are the things I’m working on.’

Ordiales was pleased with their two-week camp in Taiwan, as they will be joined by captain and flagbearer Bagunas, fresh from Japan SV.League in Thailand.

‘Everything’s okay. Things are still going well, and my confidence is there,’ said Ordiales. ‘ Our tune-up results were solid, and our chemistry on the court is coming back. We’re just waiting for Kuya Bry so we can be at 100 percent.’

The Filipinos are in Pool B and will open their campaign against Myanmar on December 13 before clashing with defending champion Indonesia on December 16.

Angel Canino, who has been one of Alas Pilipinas’ top performers in international campaigns, admitted that her upcoming Southeast Asian Games debut in Thailand has yet to sink in, with just a week away from the opener.

‘Honestly, I haven’t really thought about it too much yet. I haven’t fully visualized what it’s going to be like when we arrive in Thailand or what exactly will happen to us there,’ Canino told reporters in Filipino in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation on Saturday. But as she plays in the biennial meet for the first time, seeking to help the women’s national program end a 20-year medal drought, the former UAAP rookie MVP from La Salle is fully committed and ready to take on the challenge.

‘The team going into the SEA Games is younger, but I think that’s actually an advantage for us because we come from playing with a lot of pride. And this is another level of pride, since we’re carrying the entire Filipino community, the whole Philippines,’ Canino said.

Canino is one of nine Alas players who will be seeing action in the SEA Games for the first time.

Alas may have several young guns with her ex-rivals from National University Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon as well as Adamson’s rising star Shaina Nitura, but Canino believes that their youth could be their advantage against other teams.

‘Even if we’re a younger group, you can expect that we’ll push ourselves to the limit and do everything we can to perform and show what we’re capable of. That’s why we took on this responsibility, to show that we Filipinos can do it,’ she said.

Since being part of the Alas program last year, Canino has proven to be an international-caliber spiker. She was the Best Opposite Spiker in last year’s bronze medal run in the AVC Nations Cup in Manila, despite not playing in her natural position.

This year, Canino led Alas to the final and won the Best Outside Spiker award in their silver medal finish.

Canino is banking on the experience and tournaments they played together in the past two years when they play defending champion Thailand on December 11 before facing Singapore on December 12 in Pool A.

‘It helps a lot that we’ve already played together before. In terms of preparation, it’s the same situation, we usually only get two full days of complete training before a competition. But the trust we have in each other, our will to win, the heart every player brings – that’s something you can’t measure,’ Canino said.

‘Our past tournaments helped us a lot because we saw our lapses, and when we return to training, we already know what to fix and improve.’

Alyssa Solomon is raring to showcase her experience and talent sharpened in the Japan SV.League when she debuts in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand next week.

Solomon took a break from her ongoing Japan stint with the Osaka Marvelous, as she leads the way for Alas Pilipinas in her first-ever SEA Games appearance. Fresh from Japan, the star opposite spiker out of National University, is looking forward to the things she learned from the prestigious overseas pro league.

‘I’m super excited, especially since I just got back. I can’t wait to apply everything I learned in Japan and to finally experience my very first SEA Games,’ Solomon told the reporters in Filipino during the Philippine National Volleyball Federation sendoff on Saturday.

‘I learned a lot there, and it really shaped me as a player. It helped me grow so much,’ she added.

The 23-year-old Solomon, who won three UAAP championships, believes that Japan made her a more lethal opposite spiker with her improved net defense.

‘I think my blocking improved the most. That’s really what I focused on since my role there was doing the double-sub rotation,’ she said.

Alas may have a limited preparation, but Solomon believes that the bond and chemistry they formed since competing last year in the AVC Nations Cup and SEA V.League are still there as they try to end a 20-year medal drought.

‘Chemistry is also a huge factor, and I think we’ve become much more solid as a team. We’re very excited to play in the SEA Games,’ she said.

Alas competes in Pool A, opening its SEA Games campaign against defending champion Thailand on December 11 before facing Singapore on December 12.

Solomon will leave everything on the floor for the country.

‘We’ll just give our best in every game, and we hope you support us no matter what happens,’ she said.

Farmers, fisherfolk and agriculture stakeholders are angry. They are not stopping there and are taking decisive action. With the full support of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., they are getting results.

They have been joining the street protests against corruption. But their significant start in taking action started much earlier. It happened when the Senate was voting for the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement as early as 2022.

How could we open our doors to agricultural imports so freely when our farmers and fisherfolk were not yet prepared to compete against them? Our agricultural budget for our preparation was 2 percent of total as compared to Vietnam’s 6 percent and Thailand’s 4 percent. In addition, we needed other requirements before we agreed to freer trade.

The AgriFisheries Alliance (AFA) took this stand in the Senate. The AFA is composed of farmers and fisherfolk represented by Alyansa Agrikultura (AA), with president Arsenio Tanchuling), agribusiness represented by the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI), with president Danilo Fausto and science and academe represented by the Coalition of Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines (CAMP) with Chair Emil Javier.

With agriculture’s 2-percent budget share and this small amount depleted by 30 percent due to corruption and waste, this had to be fixed first. AFA cited three independent studies that documented this 30 percent.

RCEP conditionalities

AFA argued that RCEP should be ratified only if there were documented conditionalities in the RCEP agreement that would enable us to compete globally. This was an adequate information system that would facilitate good planning, proper consolidation of small farms to achieve economies of scale, effective anti-smuggling measures for fair competition and, very importantly, private-sector monitoring and proper implementation of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) budget. Thankfully, after much deliberation, the Senate included these conditionalities in the RCEP.

However, the actual success is that the private sector budget monitoring and implementation did not happen until Tiu Laurel took over on Nov. 3, 2023. At a PCAFI meeting early in 2025, an Alyansa Agrikultura representative angrily complained about the 30 percent corruption and waste in the regions and asked for DA action. Tiu Laurel then asked him to co-lead with a DA official an investigation into this and recommend a solution.

The main investigation finding was that DA grants were being given without proper processes. The obvious solution was a required checklist (done by banks but not done by the DA) that had to be followed before any grant was given. There are six requirements. The three most important ones are identified here.

Three reasons

First, since grants were given even when farmers did not need them, a needs analysis was required. Second, since they were given to beneficiaries without the proper preparedness, a track record had to be shown.

And third, because no independent private sector person could monitor what was being given out, the elected private sector chair of the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Council should be a witness for transparency and accountability.

The DA regional executive directors who did not comply with these requirements would be severely penalized. So far, three regional executive directors have already been relieved of their posts. This is noteworthy, since no one has been penalized for this gross misuse of funds for the past many years.

The chart here shows partial results of this compliance, with letters instead of Region numbers listed until all the results are responsibly verified. This Table is updated monthly.

There can be no satisfactory delivery without the corresponding discipline. Tiu Laurel has shown his commitment against corruption and waste. He has ordered investigations and the corresponding disciplinary action on one undersecretary, three assistant secretaries, 10 directors, and 33 staff members. He identified a large previously approved project and called it a scam in a Senate hearing.

With Tiu Laurel’s commitment to fighting waste and corruption, the farmers, fisherfolk and agriculture stakeholders look forward to the action and results Tiu Laurel will soon be delivering. INQ

Cybersecurity firm Fortinet warned businesses and consumers to brace for a potential spike in cyberattacks during the holiday season. This, as increased spending and remittances could create more opportunities for online fraud.

Bambi Escalante, Fortinet’s country manager for the Philippines, said Filipinos are especially vulnerable to this due to the expected rise in overseas Filipino worker (OFW) remittances and their long Christmas celebrations.

‘In the holiday season, that’s when there would be a lot of financial transactions that don’t ordinarily happen the rest of the year, such as remittances from our OFWs, us buying gifts, online purchases, online transactions,’ Escalante said in a year-end briefing in Makati.

‘Now that the holidays are here, I’m sure there will be a resurgence of online scams again,’ she added.

Escalante added that work stoppages over the holidays could also leave businesses exposed to cyberattacks.

‘People take vacations, or there are network freezes, and nobody’s manning the data center or the network or looking at what’s happening, then the cyber criminals can just attack any industry,’ she warned. Cybercrime as an industry

As technology advances, cybercrimes are also growing more sophisticated and specialized, said Jonas Walker, the director of threat intelligence for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East at Fortinet.

Walker noted that artificial intelligence (AI) is lowering the barrier for launching attacks. The technology even prompts malicious actors to develop their own AI models.

Fortinet predicts that by 2026, cybercrime will have evolved into an organized industry comparable in scale to global sectors.

‘The findings clearly show that cybercrime is no longer an opportunistic activity, it is an industrialized system operating at machine speed. As automation, specialization, and AI redefine every stage of the attack lifecycle,’ Walker said.

‘Cybersecurity has become a race of systems, not individuals, and organizations will need integrated intelligence, continuous validation, and real-time response to stay ahead of adversaries who measure success by throughput, not novelty,’ he added. INQ

Brazil and Portugal will dispute the right to become the inaugural winner of the Fifa Futsal Women’s World Cup after taking down their rivals in Friday’s semifinals at Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Two goals inside the first minute allowed Brazil to take down Spain, 4-1, in a battle between the top two countries in the Fifa rankings while Portugal racked up six goals in the first half on its way to beating Argentina, 7-1.

The final is set Sunday at the same venue to conclude the 16-day competition which the Philippines is hosting.

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. after Spain and Argentina meet in a consolation match for third place at 5 p.m.

Ana Luiza and Amandinha put Brazil ahead just 61 seconds into the contest before Debora Vanin made it 3-0 five minutes into the second half.

Spain pulled one back seconds later behind Ale de Paz, but Luana Rodrigues added another for Brazil with eight minutes to go in the match.

Lidia Moreira and Fifo each had a brace for Portugal as it raced to a 6-0 lead at halftime before Ines Matos scored one early in the second half.

Mailen Romero scored for Argentina with less two minutes before the buzzer to avert a shutout.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has strengthened the implementation of its School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) and Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (Aral) initiative as part of ongoing efforts to accelerate learning recovery nationwide.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara visited Talon and Moonwalk Elementary Schools in Las Piñas City, both recognized for championing the programs, and lauded teachers and Aral tutors for their success in helping struggling readers catch up.

At Talon Elementary School, 575 learners were initially identified as struggling readers at the start of the school year. By midyear, the number dropped to 233.

‘That’s due to the work of our teachers, Aral tutors, because of their intervention, they learned how to read, those over 300 students out of the 575,’ Angara said in an ambush interview.

Overall, 71 percent, or 342 learners, exited the Aral program after meeting grade-level reading standards.

The school also ranked first in the division’s National Achievement Test (NAT).

The education chief said similar efforts are now already in place nationwide, a first time for DepEd, as it is being rolled out in all public schools.

Meanwhile, the Moonwalk Elementary School was acknowledged as the division’s 2nd Best SBFP Implementer.

Overall, it has catered to 789 feeding program beneficiaries as it implemented an innovative strategy.

The education chief, however, assured continuous improvement and implementation sustainability as the agency secured a budget boost from the Senate alongside wider opportunities for collaboration with local government units (LGUs).

Universal feeding

Under the Senate-approved General Appropriations Bill, the SBFP budget will be P28.66 billion to cover universal feeding for Kindergarten to Grade 1 and extend feeding to 200 days for targeted learners, including severely wasted, wasted and adolescent pregnant students in higher grade levels. Milk will be sourced from local farmers, while food products will come from DOST-FNRI-certified suppliers.

Angara also highlighted strengthened collaboration with LGUs under the updated Joint Circular on the Special Education Fund, allowing local governments to support early-grade feeding, literacy, and learning recovery programs.

‘With wider areas now eligible for LGU funding, schools can expect faster and more appropriate support without waiting for action from the national level,’ he said.

After being included as respondent in the flood control-related cases in Bulacan before the Department of Justice (DOJ), former Sen. Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla said he will not back down.

Rather, Revilla emphasized that he will face the allegations against him with courage and determination.

‘I have lived my life facing all challenges thrown my way. I didn’t run, I didn’t hide. I didn’t back down then, I won’t back down now,’ Revilla said in a statement on Saturday.

‘And because the truth is on my side, I will face it with courage and determination,’ he noted.

On Friday, the DOJ Spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez said Revilla and former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co ‘were admitted as additional respondents in the cases involving SYMS Construction and Trading.’

Martinez said the cases are currently pending preliminary investigation, adding that Revilla was given a few days to submit a counter-affidavit.

The former senator, meanwhile, said in the statement that the accusations against him are ‘not only lies but simply unbelievable.’

‘I am an easy target being used to muddle the truth, but the truth will always come out. My name is being used to deflect from the truth-but the truth, never, can be covered up,’ the former senator said.

‘Together with you, I believe that in the end, those who are truly guilty will be held accountable-for justice and for the people,’ he likewise said, addressing the public.

On Wednesday, Revilla had been included in the recommendation submitted by the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) to the Office of the Ombudsman for charges, including plunder, in relation to the flood control anomalies.

ICI chair Andres Reyes earlier said the referral was based on the affidavits of former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, who previously accused Revilla of seeking a 25 percent commission-totaling P125 million-on flood control projects.

Revilla has since denied Bernardo’s allegations. /mr

Zanjoe Marudo lamented the prevalence of fake news on social media as he shrugged off rumors that he and his actress wife Ria Atayde had supposedly separated.

The actor addressed the breakup claims during the media conference of the 2025 Metro Manila Film Fest entry ‘UnMarry,’ where he is a cast member, on Friday, Dec. 5.

‘Wala na kong reaksyon sa mga ganyan kasi napakarami na talagang fake news na lumalabas sa YouTube,’ he said.

(I don’t react to that anymore because fake news have been spreading on [social media, particularly YouTube.])

Marudo admitted that a lot of people abroad have also reached out to him to confirm if the rumors were true.

‘Ang daming tumatawag sa akin from the States [na nagtatanong], ‘Uy, ano totoo ba? Totoo ba?’ [Sabi ko], ‘Bakit yan ang libangan niyo?” he recalled, laughing.

(Many people from the US had called me, asking if the rumors were true. I told them, ‘Why is that your hobby?’)

‘Kasi gusto nilang malaman para iku-kuwento nila sa mga kaibigan nila do’n na hindi totoo,’ he continued. (Because they want to know the truth so that they can tell it to their friends there.)

Further speaking about his approach toward such matters, Marudo credited the changes he made to improve himself.

‘Siguro yung dating version ko na insecure, matagal magdesisyon, walang bilib sa sarili, ‘yun ‘yung mga binago ko,’ he stated. ‘Then gumanda ‘yung pananaw ko sa buhay. Naging maganda ‘yung relationship ko sa mga tao, at ngayon may masaya na kong pamilya.’

(The previous version of me was insecure, indecisive, and had no self-confidence, so I changed that. My perspective in life has since changed. My relationship with other people also improved, and now I have my own happy family.)

Marudo and Atayde got married in a civil wedding in March 2024, then welcomed their firstborn Sabino the following September. /ra