Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co will seek legal remedies in due course as the embattled former lawmaker faces a slew of arrest warrants and possible new graft and plunder charges on his alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.

‘For now, we trust that regular procedures were followed on the arrest warrants. We will therefore take our remedies in due course,’ his lawyer, Ruy Rondain, told the Inquirer.

Meanwhile, Rondain said he reserved the right to comment on the Department of Public Works and Highways’ recommendations to file plunder and graft charges against Co and his former boss, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, ‘until after I’ve verified the facts.’

On Friday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself announced that the DPWH and the Independent Commission on Infrastructure recommended the prosecution of Romualdez and Co in relation to their possible involvement in anomalous government infrastructure projects.

At the same time, the government has since issued arrest warrants against Co and 17 officials of contractor firm Sunwest Corp., which he founded, also for their involvement in ghost flood control projects.

This after Co came out with a three-part bombshell testimony accusing Marcos and Romualdez of getting P56 billion in kickbacks from P100-billion worth of insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

Both the Palace and Romualdez have denied Co’s allegations.

If ever, this would the first time that the former Speaker, who is Marcos’ cousin, would be criminally liable since the flood control corruption scandal broke out in August following disclosures by the President himself that only 15 companies out of 2000 nationwide accounted for nearly 20 percent of the over P500 billion worth of flood control contracts across the country from 2022 to 2025.

These companies included Sunwest and Hi-Tone. Co is a co-founder of Sunwest while Hi-Tone was founded by his brother, Christopher Co.

His brother preceded him as representative of Ako Bicol party-list, serving in the House from 2010 to 2019. Co took over as Ako Bicol representative from 2019 until he resigned as congressman on Sept. 29 while he was abroad.

Co, who was also chair of the House appropriations committee, had said that he and his family were ‘no longer affiliated or shareholders’ in Sunwest since 2019.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has ordered the national police to enforce arrest warrants tied to alleged anomalies in government flood control projects, after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced multiple suspects are now wanted.

In a statement on Saturday, the DILG said it directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to serve the warrants ‘properly and in full accordance with the law,’ adding that enforcement would proceed regardless of political ties.

Marcos himself announced on Friday, through a video posted on social media, that arrest warrants had been issued in connection with alleged irregularities in flood-control projects, which authorities say involved the misuse of public funds long flagged by auditors and lawmakers.

The DILG said its position was firm: ‘Enforcement will not depend on personalities or politics. Anyone who is the subject of a lawful warrant will be apprehended.’

‘The law applies equally to all and the DILG will carry out what needs to be done,’ it added.

Police confirmed they were preparing to arrest former Ako Bicol representative Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co and 15 others over suspected irregularities in flood-control contracts.

Co, a former chair of the House appropriations committee, has been a central figure in the probe examining alleged misuse of public funds for flood-control projects flagged by auditors and lawmakers.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said earlier that tracker teams have been deployed to determine Co’s whereabouts.

He added that the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) issued a blue notice two months ago – allowing member states to share information on a person’s location – after Marcos raised concerns about the flood-control schemes.

The DILG also stressed that due process would be observed and all individuals covered by the warrants would be treated fairly.

La Salle came back to repeat over defending champion University of the Philippines, 87-82, to keep an inside track at one of the two remaining Final Four berths in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament on Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Jacob Cortez shrugged off an awful shooting affair by hitting two crucial shots in the fourth quarter while Earl Abadam also came through with a pair of baskets that enabled the Green Archers to complete their comeback victory before a crowd of over 10,000.

La Salle snapped a three-game skid and improved to 7-6 with a game left against archrival Ateneo on Wednesday.

The Green Archers also kept their separation from two teams holding identical 6-7 slates in Adamson and Far Eastern University, which earlier in the day prevailed over University of the East, and 5-7 Ateneo going into the aforementioned rivalry game.

Mike Phillips came through with 21 points and 14 rebounds, Vhoris Marasigan dropped 17 while Abadam and Cortez added 14 apiece for the Green Archers.

UP finished the eliminations at 10-4, but is already assured of a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.

The Fighting Maroons, however, will go to the semis as the No. 2 seed as the loss assured the National University Bulldogs (11-2) of the best record in the league.

Rey Remogat scored 25 points for UP in the defeat that came after leading by a high of 16.

The Figaro Culinary Group, Inc. (FGC) is creating a separate entity to operate its Angel’s Pizza business independently.

In a disclosure on Friday, FGC said its board ‘unanimously approved’ a plan to implement a corporate restructuring that involves the well-known pizza brand.

Under this plan, Angel’s Pizza’s related assets of its subsidiary, Figaro Coffee Systems Inc., will be transferred to Angel’s Pizza Inc. (API) in exchange for shares in the latter.

The listed firm created API for this particular purpose.

‘Following the completion of the planned corporate restructuring, API will own and operate the Angel’s Pizza business while [Figaro Coffee] will wholly own API,’ FGC said.

FGC said the corporate restructuring is expected to happen in 2026, subject to the necessary corporate and regulatory approvals.

As part of this effort, the FGC board authorized the chair or president ‘to vote on the shares of the company in FCSI, to approve the planned corporate restructuring and such related transactions.’

Incorporated in 2018, FCG is primarily engaged in the processing, manufacturing and packaging all kinds of food products. It is also into establishing, investing, developing, operating and maintaining restaurants, coffee shops and refreshments parlors, among others.

As of this month, the Figaro Group operates 56 Figaro coffee shops and 157 Angel’s Pizza outlets. It also has eight Tien Ma’s Taiwanese cuisine restaurants and one Koobideh Kebabs.

FGC reported a net income of P101.06 million in the three months ending September, down 2 percent year-on-year.

Revenues rose by 9 percent to P1.52 billion, mainly on account of Angel’s Pizza operations

Savouge Aesthetics remained unbeaten in two games in the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference semifinals after dominating ProVolley Academy of Australia, 25-15, 25-13, 25-19, on Saturday at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

Savouge coach Sydney Calderon had the luxury of fielding all of her players with JC Enarciso running the plays with 14 excellent sets and Hero Austria scoring nine points, only seeing action in the third set.

Mark Calado, Shawie Caritativo, Daniel Nicolas, and Renzel Antonio had six points each for a 2-0 record before facing Cignal next on Monday at the same venue at 3 p.m.

‘It’s good. This is really the goal. I told them, let’s take it one game at a time. It helps build our confidence,’ said Calderon in Filipino.

‘Our next games are against Cignal, Criss Cross, and then Kindai. I told them it’s good that we’re gaining momentum before we face those teams. But the players told me they’re ready to go to battle, they’re here already, so we’re not letting this chance slip away.’

Calderon, who steered the team to back-to-back bronze in the past two conferences, has one reminder to her squad: The Finals.

‘That’s what we’re holding on to. I told them that during the eliminations, our performance wasn’t really that good. But this is the real fight.

This is what will set the tone and determine how we’ll finish the season,’ said Calderon.

‘But again, like my players said, they want to reach the finals. I told them, if we want to make the finals, we need to fight. We need to have a championship mindset.’

Meanwhile, ProVolley Academy fell to 0-2 after also absorbing a straight-sets loss to Kindai University on Friday.

Filipino spiker Jude Aspero led the Australians with seven points and 16 excellent receptions, while team captain Samuel Hansen and Isaac Relova added six points each.

ProVolley Academy braces for Criss Cross also on Monday at 5 p.m.

The rugged and pristine terrain of the Dinagat Islands may soon be the setting for an international television event, as producers of the popular reality series Survivor plan to scout the province for its upcoming season.

In a letter to provincial officials, John Bel Martinez of Philippine Film Studios, Inc. (PFSI), the local co-production partner for the international franchise, outlined plans for location scouting between December 2025 and January 2026. The search is for remote islands with minimal human footprint, ranging from lightly touched environments to completely uninhabited natural reserves.

In an interview Saturday, Governor Nilo Demerey Jr. welcomed the prospect, calling it a ‘tremendous opportunity’ for the province.

‘This is a tremendous opportunity for Dinagat Islands to be showcased on the global stage,’ he said. ‘We have islands that are pristine, untouched, and naturally breathtaking. These are perfect for the kind of immersive and rugged experience that Survivor is known for.’

He highlighted the project’s potential to boost sustainable tourism and raise global awareness about the province’s ecological richness. PFSI, which has facilitated Survivor productions for such countries as France, Sweden, and the United States, is known for working in challenging locations.

Martinez assured in his letter that the company would work closely with local officials and communities to ensure the process aligns with environmental and cultural sensitivities.

‘We are ready to assist PFSI in identifying suitable sites and providing logistical support. This project could be a game-changer for Dinagat,’ Demerey said, pledging the provincial government’s full cooperation.

If selected, a Dinagat Islands season would be a milestone, transforming the province into a prime destination for international adventure tourism and eco-conscious filmmaking

Flooding and landslides are possible in low-lying or susceptible areas in Cagayan, Apayao, and Isabela due to the heavy rainfall brought by shear line on Saturday, according to the state weather bureau.

In its rainfall outlook issued at 5 a.m., the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that the three provinces will experience moderate to heavy rainfall (50 to 100 millimeters) due to shear line, or the warm winds coming from the Pacific Ocean.

‘Forecast rainfall may be higher in mountainous and elevated areas. Moreover, impacts in some areas may be worsened by significant antecedent rainfall,’ Pagasa said.

With this, Pagasa warned that ‘localized flooding is possible mainly in areas that are urbanized, low-lying, or near rivers’ and ‘landslide [is] possible in highly susceptible areas.’

Pagasa also said that Cagayan will experience moderate to heavy rainfall on Sunday.

In its 5 a.m. weather forecast, Pagasa weather specialist Daniel Villamil said that four weather systems will bring rains across the country on Saturday: shear line and northeast monsoon or amihan in Northern Luzon; easterlies in the eastern section of Central Luzon; and intertropical convergence zone in Palawan and portions of Mindanao.

Meanwhile, generally fair weather conditions may be observed in Metro Manila, most parts of Luzon, whole Visayas, and parts of Mindanao.

Pagasa on Friday also said that a LPA is ‘highly likely’ to form inside the PAR in the coming days and may start affecting the country by Sunday, November 23.

The Western Mindanao Naval Command (WMNC) reported on Friday that its forces had seized smuggled cigarettes worth P174 million in a five-day operation in the waters of Sulu province.

In a statement, the WMNC said the operation ran from November 13 to 17 and intercepted five vessels carrying contraband into the towns of Tapul, Banguingui, Lugus and Jolo.

The WMNC said they also arrested 35 crew of the vessels that were brought to the Naval Station Romulo Espaldon in Zamboanga City inventory and later turned over to the Bureau of Customs-Port of Zamboanga for proper disposition.

Authorities counted some 2,874 master cases of illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of P174,277,366.00.

A new species of ant has been discovered in the Philippines.

The National Museum of the Philippines shared the development through a Facebook post on Friday.

According to the museum, the new ant species was named Strumigenys silangan, as all specimens were collected in the eastern parts of the Philippines.

The museum noted that Strumigenys silangan is notable for its appearance, as it has four segments on its antennae and a smooth first belly plate.

‘This makes Strumigenys silangan one of the 13 out of 882 known species of Strumigenys ants around the world that have four-segmented antennae,’ it said.

The new species is a mix of S. emmae – ants with spoon-shaped or round hairs on their heads – and S. eurycera – ants with simple hairs, a very flat back part of the body (called the propodeum), and lined textures on their first belly plate.

‘[Strumigenys silangan] has simple hairs like one group but a gently sloping body shape and a smooth belly plate like the other,’ the National Museum noted.

The new ant species was discovered by the National Museum’s research associate Dr. David M. General and Dr. Gary Alpert of Northern Arizona University.

General and Alpert’s study was published in Breviora, the scientific journal of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University.

Filipino beauty queen Ahtisa Manalo expressed her gratitude to Filipinos and supporters following her third runner-up finish in the Miss Universe 2025 pageant.

Hours after the coronation in Bangkok, Thailand, Manalo took to her social media pages to pen her short gratitude message, writing, ‘Maraming salamat po mga kababayan at sa lahat ng #Ahtistahins’ (Thank you very much, my countrymen, and to all the #Ahtistahins).

Manalo delivered a strong outing for her 2025 Miss Universe journey. In the preliminary rounds, she stunned in a midnight blue-and-gold gown and wowed in a fiesta-themed national costume. During the finals, she owned the runaway in her white two-piece swimsuit and a silver evening gown with sheer details.

In the final question-and-answer round, Manalo spoke about her work with Alon Akademie, an organization that helps youth from low-income families, emphasizing that one’s life circumstances ‘do not define where you will go,’ in response to the Top 5’s question about how they would use the Miss Universe platform to empower young girls.

Manalo’s third runner-up finish sparked mixed reactions after netizens and celebrities felt she deserved a higher placement given her strong performance. Comedian-host Vice Ganda and Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee were among those who were shocked and frustrated by this year’s pageant results.

The 2025 Miss Universe pageant was marred by controversies following the walkout incident involving now Miss Universe 2025 Fatima Bosch of Mexico and National Director of Miss Universe Thailand Nawat Itsaragrisil, as well as the resignation of two judges days before the coronation, with one of them accusing the organization of arranging an ‘impromptu jury’ to predetermine the winners.