Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Transport group Manibela said on Thursday it will hold another three-day nationwide strike from Dec. 9 to Dec. 11, saying it is ‘fed up’ with the continuous harassment of public utility vehicle (PUVs) drivers by traffic enforcers.

In a press conference, Manibela chair Mar Valbuena called the move ‘our response to the relentless apprehension and extortion by enforcers on the road,’ saying that ‘abuse and arrogance [have] no place in our society.’

According to him, traffic enforcers keep on apprehending and slapping fines on their members even though they have already complied with requirements set by transport authorities regarding the renewal of franchises, provisional authority, and registration.

‘Since the months of May, June and July, we have been tasked to have our vehicles inspected and to get insurance in order to have our vehicles registered,’ Valbuena said. ‘They made us pay, they made us go back and forth. The only ones who gained from this are the inspection centers and insurance companies.’

No letup

‘But we jeepney drivers, we still get fined. We still get caught, our papers confiscated .. [Government] agencies are not here to enforce traffic rules but to impose fines and earn money,’ he complained.

Valbuena added that drivers were forced to bribe enforcers whenever they were pulled over just to ensure that they could keep plying their routes.

Manibela has gone on strike several times this year to protest against the PUV modernization program, corruption in government, high fuel taxes, and alleged abuses committed by traffic enforcers from the Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation.

The transport strike this December, however, will be larger ‘because we are fed up’ with dealing with authorities, according to Valbuena.

He added that other transport groups, such as Piston, may also be joining them.

Dialogues

While Manibela has held dialogues with government agencies like the Land Transportation Office (LTO) about their complaints, enforcers continue to extort money from jeepney drivers, Valbuena said.

‘I think with the LTO, it has been a month [since our meeting.] We also continue to follow up [on the matter] with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) because of the daily oppression, extortion, and fines. The problem is, even if we settle the fines, they still won’t release our license plates, our vehicles,’ he told the media.

According to him, they may extend their strike until the end of the year, depending on the response of the DOTr, LTO, and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board

The Supreme Court (SC) recently ruled that votes clearly cast for a nuisance candidate, whose certificate of candidacy (COC) is cancelled will be considered stray votes and instead of being counted in favor of any candidate.

The SC on Wednesday voted to abandon precedent under existing jurisprudence that votes cast for nuisance candidates are counted in favor of the legitimate candidate since voter’s intent cannot be determined on the ballot face.

However, the high court determined that this is no longer applicable under the automated election system (AES).

‘Under AES, the Court said that there will no longer be ‘vague votes’ because the voting machines will base their count on the full names with aliases of each candidate, as shaded in the ballots, as opposed to the manual elections where the voters had to handwrite the name of their chosen candidates, there should no longer be any room for confusion under the AES,’ the SC said in a statement on Thursday.

Also, the SC emphasized that the previous precedent ‘had no basis in law’ as ‘clear tenor’ of Sections 69 and 211 of the Omnibus Election Code stated that a nuisance candidate is deemed to have never filed a COC in the first place and therefore the votes cast for them are considered stray.

‘A rule that is without unequivocal basis in law and supplants people’s choices on the basis of perceived errors in the way they had cast their vote usurps the very sovereign will that the rule intends to protect,’ the high court said.

The outcome of Negros Oriental gubernatorial race have changed, thanks to the old rule of crediting the votes obtained by nuisance bet to another candidate who had a tragic end.

In 2022, the Commission on Elections invalidated the victory of then incumbent Negros Oriental governor Pryde Henry Teves after the poll body credited the votes obtained by nuisance bet ‘Ruel Degamo’ to defeated gubernatorial candidate Roel Degamo.

Roel Degamo along with nine others were killed in a gun attack in the governor’s residence in Pamplona town on March 4, 2023.

Pryde Henry was later implicated in their murder by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

The Miss Grand International organization is calling for participants for its first-ever ‘All Stars’ edition, which is open to ‘all beauty queens [from] any pageant.’

The Thailand-based pageant made the announcement via a clip released on its social media pages on Thursday, Dec. 4.

‘Every opportunity, every achievement, your dream still lives. All beauty queens, any pageant, come compete,’ read the statement in the video.

MGI added in the caption, ‘MGI All Stars (1st Edition) is calling every queen who dares to return to the spotlight, no matter which stage in the world you once called home.’

‘Get ready. A legendary chapter is about to unfold!’ the announcement concluded.

Further details about the competition have yet to be disclosed as of this writing, with the organization only teasing, ‘Coming soon.’

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ???????? ?????????? ?????????????????????????? (@missgrandinternational)

Headed by its president, controversial Thai mogul Nawat Itsaragrisil, MGI crowned Philippines’ Emma Tiglao in August as its 2025 titleholder.

Aside from MGI, Itsaragrisil is also the head of Miss Universe Thailand, which hosted the 2025 staging of the international tilt.

This year’s Miss Universe edition has been marred with several controversies, from Itsaragrisil’s confrontation with Mexico’s Fatima Bosch-who later emerged as the 2025 winner – to accusations that the competition was ‘rigged.’

Itsaragrisil also made headlines after he filed a criminal complaint against Bosch, whom he accused of making ‘defamatory statements’ that allegedly damaged his reputation.

Tropical cyclone wind signal number one is now up in 18 areas while Tropical Depression Wilma is traversing the Philippine Sea, according to the state weather bureau.

In its 5 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Wilma has ‘slightly accelerated.’

The storm’s center was last located 245 km east of Borongan City, Eastern Samar, with maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 55 kph.

Pagasa said Wilma is expected to move west-southwestward until December 6, before turning generally westward for the remainder of the forecast period.

‘On the forecast track, Wilma’s center may make its initial landfall or pass close to eastern Visayas or the Dinagat Islands between this evening (December 5) and tomorrow morning (December 6). It will then continue across Visayas until Sunday (December 7), before emerging over the Sulu Sea and possibly passing over northern Palawan by Monday (December 8) morning,’ Pagasa said.

‘Wilma is expected to slightly intensify before landfall but will likely remain a tropical depression throughout the forecast period. Further intensification is possible once it moves over the West Philippine Sea,’ it added.

Due to the tropical depression, Signal No. 1 has been hoisted in the following areas:

The southern portion of mainland Masbate (Cataingan, Pio V. Corpuz, Esperanza, Placer, Cawayan, Palanas, Dimasalang)

Northern Samar

Eastern Samar

Samar

Biliran

Leyte

Southern Leyte

the northern and central portions of Cebu (Daanbantayan, Medellin, City of Bogo, San Remigio, Tabogon, Borbon, Tabuelan, Tuburan, Sogod, Catmon, Asturias, Carmen, Danao City, Balamban, Compostela, Liloan, Consolacion, Cebu City, Mandaue City, Cordova, Lapu-Lapu City, Toledo City, Pinamungahan, San Fernando, City of Naga, Minglanilla, City of Talisay, Aloguinsan, City of Carcar, Sibonga, Barili, Alcantara, Ronda, Dumanjug, Argao, Moalboal, Badian, Dalaguete, Alcoy), including Bantayan and Camotes Islands

Bohol

the northern and eastern portions of Negros Occidental (Sagay City, City of Escalante, Toboso, Calatrava, Enrique B. Magalona, City of Victorias, Manapla, Cadiz City, Bacolod City, City of Talisay, Silay City, Salvador Benedicto, San Carlos City, Murcia, Bago City, La Carlota City, La Castellana, Moises Padilla)

the northern portion of Negros Oriental (City of Guihulngan, Canlaon City, Vallehermoso, La Libertad)

the eastern portion of Iloilo (San Dionisio, Estancia, Batad, Carles, Concepcion, Ajuy, Sara, Balasan, Lemery, Barotac Viejo, San Rafael)

the eastern portion of Capiz (Pilar, President Roxas)

Surigao del Norte, including Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands

Dinagat Islands

the northern portion of Surigao del Sur (Carrascal, Cantilan, Madrid, Carmen, Lanuza)

the northern portion of Agusan del Norte (Kitcharao, Jabonga, Santiago, Tubay, City of Cabadbaran, Remedios T. Romualdez, Magallanes)

Camiguin

Pagasa said the northeast monsoon, locally known as amihan, will also bring strong to gale-force gusts to areas not under a wind signal, especially in coastal and upland areas exposed to the winds.

December 5: Most of Luzon and Visayas.

December 6: Most of Luzon, Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula

December 7: Most of Luzon, Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Misamis Occidental.

The peso remains at risk of slipping past 60 to the dollar in 2026 amid ‘worsening sentiment,’ though a recovery is expected once the current bout of weakness passes.

In its ‘Asia Strategy Outlook 2026′ report released on Thursday, Deutsche Bank said the peso could go through phases of depreciation and appreciation as the widening graft crackdown hit business confidence.

But a slowdown in government infrastructure spending as a result of the sweeping cleanup may offer some support later in the year by curbing dollar outflows tied to imports of construction materials, Deutsche Bank said.

Additional relief could come from sustained external financing for major infrastructure projects, many of them backed by official development assistance.

JP Morgan entry

The Philippines’ potential inclusion in a key J.P. Morgan bond index is also seen to draw foreign capital and bolster the peso.

‘We think [US dollar/Philippine peso] could first breach 60 on worsening sentiment, before settling closer to 57-58 as the current account deficit shrinks,’ Deutsche Bank said.

The currency’s recent slide to record lows has unfolded against a backdrop of slowing growth and deepening political fallout.

After data showed the economy expanding by just 4 percent in the third quarter, its weakest pace in more than four years, President Marcos’s economic team conceded that official macroeconomic targets may need to be revised to reflect the strains created by the antigraft drive.

Flood control scandal

The scandal-which has implicated lawmakers, Cabinet members, government engineers and several private contractors-has been widely blamed for undermining business sentiment and complicating the central bank’s monetary easing campaign.

A weaker peso carries mixed consequences for the Philippines. It boosts the domestic value of remittances sent home by millions of overseas workers, supporting consumption in an economy that relies heavily on these cash transfers.

But it also risks driving up import costs and reigniting inflation. Prolonged depreciation, meanwhile, inflates the peso value of foreign debts held by the government and private firms.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has signaled it will allow market forces to determine the exchange rate, intervening only if a sustained downturn threatens to fuel imported inflation rather than to smooth out day-to-day volatility.

For now, BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. has kept the door open to a rate cut this month.

Dovish bet

In a separate commentary, Deepali Bhargava, ING Bank regional head of research for Asia-Pacific, said ongoing graft investigations ‘could keep sentiment subdued over the coming quarters.’

The upside, she said, would be that inflation was unlikely to breach the central bank’s 2 to 4 percent target next year, giving policymakers room to continue prioritizing growth and extend their easing cycle.

Another challenge looms beyond politics. Gareth Leather, senior Asia economist at Capital Economics in London, warned that destructive typhoons-while sparing much of Southeast Asia’s industrial and commercial centers-posed risks to agriculture that could push food prices higher across the region, including the Philippines.

‘The good news is that inflation is starting from a very low base-it is at or below target across most of the region,’ he said. ‘We are therefore sticking with our view that central banks will maintain a dovish stance.’ INQ

Classes at all levels in both public and private schools were suspended on Friday in several towns in Misamis Occidental province due to Tropical Depression Wilma.

As of 9 a.m., the Misamis Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office announced the suspensions, as declared by local governments in the towns of Concepcion, Jimenez, Tudela, Lopez Jaena, Sinacaban, and Panaon, as well as the provincial capital, Oroquieta City.

The suspensions were issued in light of continuous heavy rainfall and to ensure the safety of everyone.

The state weather bureau’s Weather Advisory No. 7, issued at 5 a.m. on Friday, listed Misamis Occidental among areas expected to experience heavy rainfall due to Wilma.

Two construction firms owned by contractor couple Pacifico and Sarah Discaya have been stripped of their operating licenses after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoked their corporate papers for containing false information about their ownership.

The Discayas, who were said to have cornered P31 billion worth of public works projects across the country, have several construction companies now implicated in the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal.

In a statement on Thursday, the SEC said it had revoked the corporate registrations of St. Timothy Construction Corp. and St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corp.

The two companies were also slapped with a P2 million fine each, on top of an administrative fine of P1,000 per day of continuing violation.

The regulator said it issued notices to the companies in September, ordering them to settle their fine. They were also asked to explain the questionable information in their papers but failed to comply within the prescribed period.

Their directors are now barred from holding positions-as director, trustee, or officer-in any corporation for five years.

Declarations

Cezarah Rowena ‘Sarah’ Discaya claimed during a Senate hearing in September that she owned St. Timothy and St. Gerrard.

However, the SEC said its records did not show any Discaya in the declarations made by St. Timothy from 2022 to September 2025 and by St. Gerrard from 2022 to 2024.

‘The SEC underscores that corporations must accurately and truthfully disclose beneficial ownership information,’ the SEC said.

‘Failure to comply-whether by omission or by submission of incorrect information-undermines market integrity and will be met with decisive regulatory sanctions,’ the commission added.

Earlier cancellations

In September, the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) also canceled the licenses of nine companies owned or controlled by the Discayas.

Last month, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Sarah and her husband, Pacifico ‘Curlee’ Discaya, may soon face criminal charges over the corruption mess.

The Discayas’ wealth became the talk of the town earlier this year following TV and online features about their ‘rags to riches’ story, where they flaunted their luxury cars, among other things.

OPM band Cup of Joe led the respective lists of audio streaming platform Spotify and Billboard Philippines’ top local artists of 2025.

The quintet ranked first in the two categories released by the streaming platform on Thursday, Dec. 4, namely top local artists and top local groups.

The group’s hit song ‘Multo,’ meanwhile, was named the top local song of 2025, the top song in ‘Tatak Pinoy,’ and the top song in ‘.ph’ 2025.

In the list of the top local artists of 2025, Cup of Joe was joined by December Avenue, Arthur Nery, Dionela and TJ Monterde, who respectively placed second, third, fourth and fifth.

‘Still taking it all in. COJ is Spotify PH’s most awarded artist of 2025,’ the band said via its Instagram page.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cup of Joe (@cupofjoemusic_)

Marking another feat, Cup of Joe was also hailed as Billboard Philippines’ No. 1 artist of 2025.

‘From their steady rise to fame, the five-piece band has exploded in popularity within the past year, single-handedly topping the Billboard Philippines Hot 100 for 27 straight weeks with their chart-dominating hit ‘Multo,” the magazine said of the group.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cup of Joe (@cupofjoemusic_)

Aside from ‘Multo,’ Cup of Joe – consisting of Gian Bernardino, Raphael Ridao, Gabriel Fernandez, CJ Fernandez and Xen Gareza – is also known for their songs ‘Misteryoso,’ ‘Estranghero’ and ‘Pahina,’ among others.

Health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling ordering the return of P60 billion in PhilHealth funds that were transferred to the National Treasury last year, calling the decision a ‘quiet victory’ for millions of Filipinos relying on the Universal Health Care (UHC) program.

In a statement, Leachon said the High Court’s 15-0 ruling ‘declared the diversion of 60 billion PhilHealth funds to the national treasury unconstitutional,’ stressing that the decision ‘upheld the law and protected the lifeline of millions of Filipinos who depend on Universal Health Care.’

‘We thank the Supreme Court for its steadfast guardianship of justice. We thank the petitioners who carried this fight with conviction, and the countless advocates who labored quietly, without recognition, to defend the promise of health for all,’ he said.

‘This is not a triumph of one voice, but of many-of those who believed that health funds must remain sacred, that the poor must never be abandoned, and that justice must prevail even against the weight of power,’ he added.

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered that the P60 billion, part of the P89.9 billion in so-called ‘excess’ PhilHealth funds, be returned to the state insurer through the 2026 national budget. Only P60 billion was remitted before the Court stopped the remaining transfers through a temporary restraining order issued in October 2024.

The ruling struck down Special Provision 1(d) of the 2024 General Appropriations Act, which allowed the government to tap GOCC ‘fund balances’ for unprogrammed appropriations. The Court referred to the provision as a ‘rider’ that violated constitutional rules and contravened Section 11 of the UHC Law, which prohibits diverting PhilHealth reserves for general government expenditures.

The High Court also voided DOF Circular 003-2024, which directed the remittance of PhilHealth’s alleged excess funds.

In a separate message, Leachon said the decision ‘protects the Universal Health Care Law, ensures funds go back to patients, and permanently prohibits future diversions. A victory for integrity, reform, and the Filipino people.’

Several health groups and advocates, including Leachon, were among those who earlier questioned the legality of the transfer, arguing that the funds-much of which came from sin tax revenues earmarked specifically for UHC-could not be used for other government projects.

With the ruling now final, Leachon said the fight for stronger public health financing continues, but emphasized the importance of marking the moment.

‘Today, we honor this moment with humility,’ he said. ‘We are reminded that integrity can still win, and that the quiet persistence of people who fight for what is right can change the course of our nation.’

In a statement on Friday, the MMDA said in Filipino, ‘The implementation of the expanded number coding scheme will be suspended on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, a special non-working holiday in observance of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.’

This means even vehicles with license plates ending in ‘1’ and ‘2’ will be allowed on major roads on Monday.

‘Number coding is automatically suspended during official and special non-working holidays. Plan your long weekend activities well to avoid any disruptions. Be careful when driving,’ it added.

The Inquirer is still clarifying with the Makati City Information and Community Relations Department whether the local government’s own coding scheme will also be suspended on Monday.

Makati enforces coding rules and only lifts them during holidays or when Malacañang suspends government work in Metro Manila