Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Cebu Coliseum holds a lot of memories for Meralco coach Luigi Trillo, going back to the days when he was an assistant coach for the Cebu Gems in the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association almost three decades ago.

‘We made the Finals and lost to Manila. That [team had coach] Louie Alas and Alex Compton while we had hometown hero, Dondon Hontiveros,’ he said.

‘I stayed here for almost a year. That Manila team was tough. That was a solid team,’ he added, showing a low-quality video that resembled a media relic to the press through his phone.

The Gems lost to the Manila Metrostars back in 1999, with the clincher held at Cebu Coliseum.

Twenty-six years later, Trillo created a better memory-and he had a lot of help.

Led by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, the Bolts notched a second straight victory after trashing the Macau Black Bears, 92-74, at Cebu Coliseum late Saturday.

Providing highlight-reel points, Hollis-Jefferson led a strong second quarter by Meralco, which took a 10-point lead at the break that it used as a cushion the rest of the way.

‘Rondae is one of the fiercest competitors I ever played against. He’s the same every time. He approaches the game in the same way,’ teammate Chris Newsome said. ‘He motivates the guys around him, he makes his teammates go harder. Whenever you feel like you can’t anymore, RHJ is someone who will motivate you.’

The Hollis-Jefferson show, and the victory, was exactly what Trillo wanted as he was looking to put on a show for the Cebuanos, who badly needed one if only to distract them from a recent string of tragedies.

‘We’re playing for something more than just us. We’re playing for a crowd that was struck by typhoons and an earthquake,’ Trillo said before the game.

‘We’re coming in for a good cause. We have to earn the respect of the crowd because it also has a good cause.’

And while things were far different from the last time he set foot inside the city’s historic coliseum, other things remained unchanged.

‘Well, now [the coliseum is] air-conditioned. Before it was hot. The fans were some of the loudest, though. I have fond, fond memories of this place,’ he said.

‘I’ve been saying, if not Manila, Cebu would be a nice home base for us.’

The Gems stint wasn’t Trillo’s only brush with passionate basketball fans from the south.

Back in 2013, Trillo and the Bolts faced off against Talk N’ Text (TNT’s former name) in the same venue during the Philippine Cup

Why would President Marcos tinker with the draft 2025 national budget in the bicameral conference committee when he could have done so when it was still with Malacañang?

Former Budget Secretary Florencio ‘Butch’ Abad, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, and former Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno raised this common question in reaction to the allegations made by resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co.

Breaking his monthslong silence by releasing a video on Friday, Co claimed that the president ordered insertions amounting to P100 billion when senators and congressmen met to iron out the disagreeing provisions of the budget measure late last year.

In interviews with the Inquirer, Abad and Tiangco said it made no sense for Marcos to order the insertions at the so-called bicam stage when he could have done it in the National Expenditure Program (NEP), the spending plan drawn up by the executive branch before the budget is sent to Congress.

‘Presidents don’t ask for insertions. It’s not usual for the president to be submitting a list of projects for insertion. Seems like a very cheap move,’ Abad, who served as budget chief of the late President Benigno Aquino III, said in Filipino.

Asking for P100 billion in last-minute insertions in the P6.326-trillion budget was like ‘begging for spare change from the bicam; presidents don’t do that,’ Abad said.

‘Unbecoming of a President’

Tiangco shared the view, saying: ‘If he [the president] had, say, pet projects worth P100 billion, then he should have included that in the NEP.’

Even more ‘unusual and hard to believe’ was that a sitting president would personally hand over a list of projects to subordinates of the speaker, as Co alleged, he added.

Abad said presidents typically communicate budget priorities through the Budget secretary or in direct conversations with the speaker or the Senate president.

‘It’s unbecoming of a president to be asking for an insertion,’ Abad said. ‘The president never inserts. He tells people, ‘I want this in the budget.’ To say the president asked for an insertion is so unusual and hard to believe.’

Even so, Abad acknowledged that the administration did not exactly act credibly in the past years by allowing the funding of ‘ghost’ flood control projects and the defunding of key social programs. Because of this, he said, the public was already ‘primed to believe any allegation involving the budget.’

‘People are predisposed to thinking something really happened, because of the many irregularities from 2023 to 2025,’ he said. ‘So when a story comes out, it seems credible. They can easily believe it.’

‘Full control of NEP’

In the video uploaded on Facebook, Co alleged that Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman relayed ‘instructions to insert P100 billion worth of projects’ during the bicameral conference for the budget late last year, when he still chaired the House appropriations committee.

Co also claimed that he was able to confirm Marcos’ instructions with Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin, head of the presidential legislative liaison office, and reported the same instructions to then Speaker Martin Romualdez, who he said agreed to them.

Malacañang dismissed Co’s statements as ‘wild accusations,’ with Presidential Communications Secretary Dave Gomez challenging him to return to the country from abroad and give statements under oath.

Magno, an economics professor who served as finance undersecretary during Marcos’ first year in office, said the president could introduce the ‘insertions’ while the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) was crafting the NEP and did not have to wait for the bicameral conference to do so.

‘My only question to Zaldy Co is why would BBM be so dumb as to wait for the Bicam to insert 100B when he can shove that it in at the NEP?’ she said in a social media post.

Political science professor Antonio Contreras of De La Salle University agreed: ‘The president has full control of the NEP through the DBM. Why would he insert during the legislative phase, and needed Zaldy Co to do the dirty job, when he can very well include whatever he wanted to insert at the time the NEP is still being prepared for submission to Congress? I think Zaldy Co owes us an explanation.’

‘No probative value’

Hours after Co released the video, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said: ‘I’m not defending the president, (but) why would he insert P100 million at the bicam (bicameral conference) when he can do that at the NEP already?’

He called Co’s allegation a mere narration with ‘no probative value’ unless made under oath.

‘It’s just narration – a story. It’s not under oath. If he comes here, takes an oath, and states his testimony-then that’s what will have probative value,” said Lacson, chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee, which is currently investigating flood control project anomalies.

According to Tiangco, he had a meeting with the president and then Speaker Romualdez on Nov. 24, 2024, during which Mr. Marcos berated Romualdez for the ‘massive corruption’ in the House.

In the meeting, which lasted for about an hour and a half, he said, Marcos confronted his cousin about projects allegedly removed from the NEP and about the persistent allegations of corruption in the House.

‘In the 30 years that I’ve known [President Marcos] that was the first time that I saw him mad,’ Tiangco said. ‘He was really fuming.’

Co’s ‘list of projects’

Tiangco said Co was apparently trying to deflect accountability for accepting kickbacks from anomalous projects.

To prove his allegations, Co should release the full documentation of the ‘small committee’ that handled the budget insertions, Tiangco said.

Co also produced a purported list of projects that Marcos requested to be inserted in the budget at the bicameral conference.

An examination by the Inquirer showed all the projects on the list amounted to P99.85 billion. Of this, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) got the lion’s share – P81 billion – of the total insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

Included are 33 listed and confirmed to have been bid flood control projects worth P2.868 billion, with the majority of them under the jurisdiction of DPWH Metro Manila 3rd District Engineering Office.

Absent from the list are the now much-scrutinized DPWH district offices in the provinces of Bulacan and Oriental Mindoro, and in the Bicol Region, where the Cos’ construction companies operate.

Ten of the 33 projects in this category went to a Bulacan-based contractor called ADSL Construction and Trading (P1 billion), which was represented by Aris D. San Luis. ADSL was among the four contractors identified by Oriental Mindoro Gov. Humerlito ‘Bonz’ Dolor as having built flood control projects that collapsed on July 23 after days of heavy monsoon rains.

Also not on the list are the projects of Sunwest Inc., the company Co founded, and those of Hi-Tone Construction, which his brother and former Ako Bicol Rep. Christopher ‘Kito’ Co founded.

There are 138 confirmed to have been bid road and bridge developments totaling P14.995 billion. The majority of the projects are under the DPWHb Quezon City 2nd District Engineering Office, with 26 projects worth P2.138 billion; followed by Tarlac District Engineering Office with 24 projects at P2.450 billion.

Le Bron Construction, whose owners are linked to Commission on Audit Commissioner Mario Lipana, leads the contractors for roads, with 11 projects worth P1.1 billion.

Some of the Top 15 contractors named by President Marcos in August for cornering the bulk of flood control projects also appear on the list, including Legacy Construction (with two projects worth P293 million); M.G. Samidan (three projects worth P479 million); QM Builders (one project worth P150 million); Wawao Builders (two projects worth P200 million); and L.R. Tiqui (two projects worth P375 million)

Face-to-face classes in Manila have been suspended on Monday and Tuesday amid Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) protests at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta.

‘November 17 and 18 fall on Monday and Tuesday. the city government decided to cancel classes in both private and public schools,’ Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso said in Filipino.

Moreno said schools will instead shift to an alternative delivery mode.

Meanwhile, government work will continue as usual, including operations at Manila City Hall.

The INC’s three-day protest began on Sunday, Nov. 16, and will run until Tuesday, Nov. 18.

The religious group said the rally aims to strengthen calls for a proper and transparent investigation into the anomalous flood control projects-funded by trillions in public money-to hold those responsible accountable and recover the misused funds.

Barangay Ginebra blew a big lead but came back to defeat Phoenix, 102-93, for a crucial victory on Sunday in the PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday at University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion.

RJ Abarrientos tied the game with a three, Troy Rosario scored a go-ahead basket and Stephen Holt knocked down a triple as the Gin Kings turned a 91-88 deficit into a 96-91 lead, less than a minute remaining to secure an important result.

Ginebra improved to 3-4 for a tie with Meralco at seventh spot going into the Fiba break.

The crowd favorites bounced back from a 106-96 loss to the Converge FiberXers two nights earlier.

Abarrientos scored 25 points, Scottie Thompson had 19 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals while Holt added 17 points, nine rebounds and three assists for Ginebra.

Phoenix fell to 2-6 for a share of ninth spot with Titan Ultra, which earlier lost to NLEX in the opener.

The loss spoiled a huge performance from Prince Rivero, who scored 28 points and was mainly responsible for overhauling Ginebra’s 18-point lead.

Rivero and Jason Perkins were able to put the Fuel Masters up by eight in the fourth, and it appeared that the Gin Kings would falter yet again.

But Ginebra turned things around from an 85-77 margin behind Abarrientos, Rosario and Thompson.

The Alas Pilipinas men’s volleyball team kicks off its final preparations for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games this December with an intensive two-week training camp in Taiwan.

The 15-man national pool arrived safely on Sunday, regrouping under Italian head coach Angiolino Frigoni as they chase a medal in Thailand.

The Kaohsiung camp, which includes six friendly matches against powerhouse Taiwanese squads, marks the squad’s reunion after its historic run in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship last September, where the Filipinos finished 19th out of 32 nations in the country’s successful hosting.

Alas is determined to build on that momentum after the team earned global respect with a breakthrough win over African champion Egypt and pushed powerhouse Iran to a five-set thriller, narrowly missing a spot in the round of 16.

After proving the world that they belong, Marck Espejo, Owa Retamar, Leo Ordiales, Josh Ybañez, Kim Malabunga, Peng Taguibolos, Louie Ramirez, Lloyd Josafat, Buds Buddin, Vince Lorenzo, Eco Adajar, and Jade Disquitado set their sights on bringing home a SEA Games medal.

‘I’m excited for all of us to be together again,’ said Espejo. ‘We’re going to prepare well for the SEA Games. We really need to train together since we came from a long break, too.’

University of Santo Tomas’ Al-Bukarie Sali and JJ Macam got the call-up, seizing the opportunity to work with the national pool. Longtime member Lucca Mamone is also part of the group.

Alas star Bryan Bagunas remains in Japan with Osaka Bluteon in the ongoing SV.League. Taiwan holds a special place in Bagunas’ career as he won the MVP of the Top Volleyball League in 2023, leading WinStreak to back-to-back championships in the same year and in the 2023-24 season.

The Philippines last reached the SEA Games podium in 2019, when the country hosted the 30th edition and the men’s squad clinched silver after a finals showdown with Indonesia. Bagunas, Espejo, Malabunga, and Retamar were key figures in that run.

Alas finished fifth in both the Hanoi and Phnom Penh Games. The team continues to chase a breakthrough gold, with the program’s best results so far being two silver medals-including a finals appearance in 1977-and five bronze finishes.

A movement calling itself the United People’s Initiative is mobilizing for a three-day mass action beginning today, Sunday, Nov. 16. Billed as a ‘Rally para sa pananagutan, katarungan, at katapatan,’ the gatherings at the Edsa People Power Monument and Luneta are, by the organizers’ announcement, to be spearheaded by the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), Jesus is Lord (JIL), and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC).

Designed as a show of force, the rally seeks the presence of retired soldiers and police, students, professionals, workers, and members of various faith communities. Though couched in moral language, its aims are unmistakably political. The entire flood-control scandal-and its devastating consequences-will be laid at President Bongbong Marcos (BBM) Jr.’s door: if not for direct complicity, then on the principle of command responsibility. It is expected to culminate in calls for the resignation, impeachment, withdrawal of support from, or ouster of Mr. Marcos.

This is a challenge BBM cannot dismiss. For most of the last three years, he has appeared complacent, almost passive. He has introduced no major policy initiatives, nor shown any sustained effort to redeem the tarnished Marcos name through hard work. His recent attempts to correct this image-his heightened visibility in disaster sites and unusually candid press briefings-only highlight his earlier absence during the first half of his presidency.

Perhaps he has finally understood that winning the presidency is far easier than governing. A passage he quoted in his 2024 State of the Nation Address (Sona) suggests as much. He meant it for the ordinary citizen, but it more accurately reads as an admonition to himself.

The quote is from John Stuart Mill, the 19th-century English philosopher and politician: ‘Let not anyone pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name.’

A year later, he finally raised his voice in protest-this time against what he believed was the unconscionable abuse of congressional insertions in the 2025 national budget. ‘Have some shame!’ he grimly told the joint session of Congress.

Referring to the lives and properties needlessly lost in the recent typhoons, he recounted visiting areas supposedly protected by costly flood-control works: structures that were obviously substandard, unfinished, or existing only on paper. ‘Let’s stop the pretense,’ he said. ‘Everyone knows these are racket-ridden projects-kickbacks, initiatives, errata, ‘SOP,’ for the boys. To all those who conspired to pocket public funds and steal the future of our people, I say: Show some shame, especially to our children who will inherit the debts incurred from the money that you just pocketed!’

It was a stinging rebuke. The curious part was how the assembled legislators reacted: they rose to their feet and gave him the loudest, most sustained applause of his hour-long speech. Their ovation was a declaration that they did not feel alluded to-even as the indictment hung in the air long after the accuser had left the podium.

Perhaps they thought Mr. Marcos was merely indulging in rhetoric, and that whatever he intended would not go beyond securing leverage for his 2026 budget. But though BBM may not have grasped the full scale of the rot in his public works program, a close reading of his 2025 Sona shows that he had given the problem considerable thought. Two weeks later, he named the 15 top contractors who had cornered at least 20 percent of all public works nationwide. He announced the website ‘Isumbong sa Pangulo’ to which he invited citizens to post their own observations on public works projects in their communities. As improbable as it sounds, he has cast himself in the role of whistleblower.

Why this is so, is more complicated. I would not attribute it to an overnight moral awakening. More plausibly, it is what a politician with his image-weak, risk-averse, often uncertain-might do to salvage what remains of his presidency: do the right thing, prove both allies and enemies wrong, rally public support, and risk everything at the altar of good intentions.

What is striking is that many who fought the Marcos dictatorship with fierce resolve-people who once swore to resist every Marcos who came to power-are not joining those who want Marcos Jr. removed. There is, instead, a measure of thoughtfulness that may yet matter for the nation’s future.

Could the son of a kleptocratic regime be the harbinger of genuine reform? The answer, as always in a democracy, is up to us.

Anti-narcotics operatives dismantled a suspected clandestine drug laboratory believed to be producing shabu in Antipolo City, Rizal, early Sunday morning, seizing an estimated P900,000 worth of illegal drugs.

In its initial report, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Region 4A (PDEA-4A) said its agents and Rizal policemen also arrested the alleged caretaker of the lab, identified only as ‘Joel,’ 40, during the operation around 2 a.m. in Barangay San Jose.

Authorities said two other suspects – identified by their aliases ‘Jazz,’ a Korean-American national, and ‘Pai’ – remain at large.

The report did not provide further details of the operation, except that it was a buy-bust.

Confiscated from the site were 300 grams of suspected shabu valued at P900,000; three plastic bottles containing liquid believed to be methamphetamine chloride; other liquid substances suspected to be controlled precursors and essential chemicals; and various drug paraphernalia and laboratory equipment.

PDEA classified the suspects as ‘high-value’ targets under the government’s intensified anti-drug campaign.

The arrested caretaker is now under PDEA custody and will face complaints for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act and other related laws.

Cyber threats are no longer distant concerns-they are unfolding in real time, right here in the Philippines.

As highlighted in the 2025 Microsoft Digital Defense Report, the Philippines placed 20th globally in terms of cyber activity impact. This demands urgent action from Filipino enterprises.

Attacks like ransomware, extortion and data theft are no longer isolated information technology (IT) issues-they disrupt operations, delay customer service and cause financial and reputational damage that can take years to recover from.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has intensified the threat landscape. Attackers now use AI to mimic legitimate communications, automate phishing and exploit vulnerabilities with speed and precision. A single compromised identity or unpatched system can trigger widespread disruption.

The reality for Philippine enterprises

Despite the growing risks, cybersecurity remains under-prioritized in many Filipino organizations. Often siloed within IT, it’s disconnected from broader business strategy-leading to fragmented investments and reactive responses.

Legacy systems, limited employee training and lack of strategic leadership involvement compound the challenge.

The 2025 Microsoft Digital Defense Report highlights identity compromise and ransomware as dominant global threats.

Locally, Lumma Stealer, a credential-harvesting malware that often precedes ransomware attacks, affected more than 9,000 Windows devices.

Weak identity protections, limited visibility into cloud assets and inadequate incident response capabilities widen the gap between attacker sophistication and defender readiness.

Global expertise, local impact

Microsoft processes over 100 trillion security signals daily and responds to thousands of identity-related attacks per second. This global vantage point helps us understand evolving threats-and more importantly, how to stay ahead.

Based on our global threat intelligence and local engagements, here are four critical areas Filipino enterprises must prioritize:

1. Identity is now the front line of defense. Attackers increasingly target credentials and misconfigured permissions. In the Philippines, where hybrid work and cloud adoption are accelerating, protecting employee and workload identities must be a top priority.

2. Visibility and automation are also critical. Organizations that struggle to map digital assets-especially in multicloud environments-often miss early indicators of compromise. Automated threat detection and response significantly reduce breach impact.

3. Resilience is built through collaboration. In regions where public and private sectors share threat intelligence, recovery is faster and systemic risks are reduced. Microsoft actively contributes to global and regional intelligence-sharing networks and encourages Filipino enterprises and organizations to participate.

4. Security must be embedded into innovation. Whether launching a new service, migrating to the cloud, or deploying AI, cybersecurity should be part of the design-not an afterthought. Filipino enterprises should view security as a strategic enabler of trust and growth.

From insight to action

Cyber resilience starts with leadership. Filipino enterprises must elevate cybersecurity to a strategic priority, with clear accountability and regular risk reporting. This includes integrating cybersecurity into business continuity plans, investing in employee training and establishing rapid incident response protocols.

Empowering teams with the right tools and knowledge is essential. Reviewing access controls, conducting security drills and assessing vendor risks are practical steps that build a culture of vigilance.

Partnerships matter. Working with Microsoft Philippines provides access to global intelligence, local expertise and scalable solutions tailored to industry needs. Whether securing hybrid work, protecting customer data, or responding to threats in real time-collaboration is key.

Resilience defines success

In today’s digital economy, resilience is the new competitive advantage. It’s the ability to anticipate threats, respond swiftly and maintain trust under pressure. Cybersecurity is no longer a back-office concern-it’s central to continuity, customer confidence, and long-term growth.

Microsoft Philippines is committed to helping organizations build this resilience. Together, we can build a digitally resilient Philippines-where trust, innovation and security go hand in hand. -CONTRIBUTED

While the ending didn’t go La Salle’s way, JC Macalalag had no second thoughts about taking the potential game-winner.

Macalalag had a chance to win the game with a three-point attempt but Far Eastern University came away with a close 84-83 win in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament at Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.

‘Before I even got the ball, my confidence was there because I always practice that shot,’ the shifty shooter told the Inquirer.

‘Sadly, the ball didn’t go in but coach (Topex Robinson) told us that the faster we move on from this loss, the better. These experiences are really the ones that’ll strengthen you as a player. I’ll take it as a motivation to make sure that when I get a chance to take a shot like that again, I’ll make it.’

After Kirby Mongcopa’s late-game heroics, La Salle still had a chance to steal the win with the score stuck at 84-83 and 27 seconds left.

Macalalag got a well-timed look from beyond the arc as the clock expired, but the shot bounced out and the Green Archers slipped to the fourth seed at 6-5. He finished with 14 points and five assists.

Tough Final Four race ‘expected’La Salle, which at one point was in the running for a twice-to-beat advantage, is now sitting at fourth. FEU, meanwhile, stayed breathing for playoff contention.

The tight Final Four race, though, is something the Green Archers expected even well before the season began, according to Macalalag.

‘Even before this season, we knew it was going to be tough. All those teams prepared for this season so we just have to keep on pounding as a team to get the momentum and rhythm,’ he said.

‘It’s going to be a bigger chance for us to enter the Final Four if we can win our next games. Like I’ve been saying, all these teams prepared so we expected this kind of race,’ he added.

As of writing, the Tamaraws hold a 5-7 card as the second-worst team in the league, but a single win or a loss from other teams could propel them over La Salle, Ateneo (5-6) and Adamson (5-6).

The only safe team so far is National U, which holds not just the top seed but also a sure twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs with an 11-2 record.

The 38th edition of the Awit Awards is shaping up to be a star-studded affair that celebrates how far Original Pilipino Music (OPM) has come, as local artists from generations will gather under one roof.

Organized by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) and MQuest Ventures, the Johnny Manahan-helmed awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, November 16 at the Meralco Theater.

The ceremony will be hosted by ‘Vibe’ jocks Elijah Canlas, Dylan Menor, Joao Constancia, Maxie Andreison, Ana Ramsey, Ryle Santiago, Paulo Angeles, Kych Minemoto, and Queenay Mercado.

Nina, Krystal Brimner, Randy Santiago, and Vehnee Saturno were chosen to present awards at the ceremony.

The audience can also expect performances from BINI, Sheryn Regis, Carmela Lorzano, Lolita Carbon, Alyson, Lola Amour, Earl Agustin, Hey June!, BGYO, Dionela, Jayda, Amiel Sol, Over October, Rob Deniel, and BenandBen.

Decided by an established group of personalities, songwriters, composers, and industry professionals, the biggest awards of the night are Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.

Meanwhile, genre-centered awards such as best performance by a solo artist, best performance by a group, RandB, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Dance/Electronic, Traditional, Alternative, World Music, Pop, Ballad, and Instrumental will be given out at the event.

People’s Choice-based awards based on respective categories will also be awarded to the winning awards.

A telecast of the 38th Awit Awards will air on TV5 on the same day at 6:00 p.m.