Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Whispers of another coup attempt have reached Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III ahead of the Senate’s resumption of sessions Tuesday.

Sotto, as in the past, brushed off the speculations, calling it a ‘common’ story that they hear frequently.

‘There are one or two stories about someone talking to others-that’s all,’ he said of the latest whisper he heard from one of his colleagues.

‘As for me, I leave it up to our peers. The Senate president should always leave it to the wisdom and the trust and confidence of his colleagues,’ Sotto added in an interview in the Senate.

According to the Senate leader, they did not discuss how many were involved in this latest challenge against him, as the alleged plotters would just deny it anyway.

It was not clear why some senators would seek his ouster this time.

‘Nothing. Nothing was mentioned,’ Sotto said.

However, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson previously warned that they might lose the support in the majority bloc or even the Senate presidency if he returns as chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee.

Lacson is set to be reelected to his previous post later in the Senate plenary.

Just last month, Lacson stepped down as head of the blue ribbon committee, citing his colleagues’ disappointment with the ‘direction’ of the panel.

The committee has been investigating the flood control projects scandal, which allegedly involved some government officials, private contractors, and lawmakers, including senators.

Jessica Sanchez will welcome 2026 in the Philippines, as she is set to grace a New Year’s countdown event in the Metro.

Sanchez was announced as a performer for Newport World Resorts’ ‘The Grand Countdown to 2026’ event at the Manila Marriott Grand Ballroom on Wednesday, December 31, as seen on its social media platforms.

‘JESSICA SANCHEZ IS COMING HOME! Witness the vocal powerhouse’s first homecoming performance after her historic America’s Got Talent win,’ the post read.

Sanchez’s homecoming comes three months after she won the championship on the 20th season of ‘America’s Got Talent,’ a historic victory 20 years after she joined the talent competition’s inaugural season.

One of the highlights of her ‘America’s Got Talent’ journey was the announcement of her pregnancy to her first child with non-showbiz husband Rickie Gallardo. They have since welcomed their daughter last October.

Sanchez is also notable for competing on the 11th season of ‘American Idol’ where she finished as a runner-up to Philip Philips. She released her debut studio album ‘Me, You and the Music,’ which also contains the single ‘Tonight’ with Ne-Yo, and also appeared in two episodes of the hit series ‘Glee.’

Several flood control projects in Davao Region and Davao City merit a deeper investigation, according to Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, as most of the projects started way beyond their target completion date.

Ridon, in a press briefing on Tuesday, presented photos of several flood control initiatives in Davao Occidental and Davao City, which have not been finished yet, and classified them according to four categories – no structure or possibly ghost projects, incomplete, poorly situated and unconstructed.

According to the lawmaker, who is co-chair of the House of Representatives’ infrastructure committee, they checked on the projects in the area after the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) found out that there are questionable projects, due to residents’ complaints about flooding despite these structures.

‘What was mentioned during the ICI inspection, particularly at the Matina Gravahan, was that the projects were damaged just months after their completion. [.] it is very important to check with the contractor if the project actually follows the specifications of the DPWH,’ he said.

‘So, the bidding for the projects took place in 2021. Contracts were awarded in 2022. But the statements from local residents said that the projects were never started despite being reported as completed [.], which is why we have reached this point,’ Ridon explained.

‘In the last two weeks, our team had been coordinating with several DPWH officials and staff to look further into the Davao region,’ he added.

The lawmaker then made a presentation that segregated the following projects under these categories:

No structureConstruction of Flood Mitigation Structure, Barangay Kinangan, Malita, Davao OccidentalConstruction of Flood Mitigation Structure, Barangay Little Baguio, Malita, Davao OccidentalIncompleteConstruction of Revetment along Talomo River, Sta. 3+880 to Sta. 4+120, Right Bank, Davao City (started December 1, 2021)Construction of Revetment along Talomo River? Sta. 3 + 542 to Sta. 3 + 817 Right Bank, Davao City (started December 16, 2021)Construction of Flood Mitigation Structure along Maa Creek, Sta. 0+487 – Sta. 0+937, Don Julian Rodriguez Ave Section, Left Bank Section, Davao City (started March 1, 2022)Construction of Revetment along Davao River, Barangay 8-A, Davao City (started April 13, 2022)Construction of Revetment along Davao River, Crocodile Park Section, Davao City (started April 13, 2022)Construction of Flood Mitigation Structure at Purok 16, Block 2, Barangay Catalunan Pequeño, Davao City (started April 13, 2022)Construction of Seawall from San Jose connecting Seawall of Brgy. Leon Garcia, San Jose, IKP and MASEA, Brgy. Gov. Vicente Duterte, Agdao? Davao City (started June 2, 2022)Construction of Revetment along Matina River, Matina Pangi Bridge II Downstream both Banks, Davao City (started August 4, 2023)Construction of Revetment along Matina River, Asico Bridge Upstream Section Right Bank, Davao City (started February 2, 2023)Construction of Revetment along Matina River, Matina Pangi Road Section, Right Bank, Davao City (started February 2, 2023)Poorly situatedConstruction of Concrete Revetment Barangay Pinalpalan? Malita? Davao OccidentalConstruction of Flood Mitigation Structure along Bunawan River, Sta. 2 + 020 to Sta. 2 + 440, Davao CityConstruction of Concrete Revetment along Davao River? New Valencia Section, Sta. 0 + 000 – Sta. 0 + 500, Davao CityUnconstructed

Construction of Revetment along Talomo River? Sta. 3+800 to Sta. 4+060? Left Bank? Davao City (actual start date is December 1, 2021)Construction of Seawall at Bucana? Sta. 0+000 – Sta. 0+400? Brgy. Lasang? Davao City (actual start date is February 16, 2021)Construction of Revetment – Construction of Concrete Revetment along Davao River, Pangyan, Davao City

According to Ridon, this classification is a more complex way of categorizing anomalous projects, noting that it is not merely a question of whether flood control initiatives are non-existent or substandard.

‘So, it’s a bit different from our typical understanding that there are only two things important to consider, whether projects are ghost or substandard. But I think as far as DPWH is concerned, they have a more detailed distinction between projects. So DPWH saw in Davao Occidental that what are deemed as ‘no structure’ projects. So this might be akin to what we typically know as ghost projects,’ Ridon said.

‘So, there is a distinction from DPWH [.] incomplete projects, basically as simple as unfinished projects. However, it is very important to note that these noted incomplete projects are not 2025 projects. They are 2021, 2022, and 2023 projects. So this means it should have been finished a long time ago,’ he observed.

Poorly situated projects, on the other hand, Ridon said, do not protect communities and only worsen flooding.

‘So ‘yon pong DPWH, they make a distinction on poorly situated projects, so when you say poorly situated projects, these structures don’t protect vital assets, it increases flooding downstream,’ he said.

‘This means that these projects should not have been proposed from the beginning. Because to be honest, these projects have no benefit, they cannot help communities, and it only worsens flooding for low-lying areas,’ he added.

This is not the first time concerns have been raised over flood control projects in Davao City. Last Wednesday, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio called for a more thorough investigation on flood control projects in Davao City’s first district, as he and his team allegedly found ‘red flags’ in 80 out of 121 projects worth over P4 billion.

Tinio conducted a separate analysis of projects in Davao’s first district – under Rep. Paolo Duterte – upon checking documents requested from DPWH.

Tinio identified five categories for classifying the red-flagged projects: total overlap, double funding, changed location and shortchanging, awarded contracts without details, and awarded contracts not in accordance with the General Appropriations Act.

According to the ACT Teachers solon, they red-flagged 54 of the 68 implemented projects along the Davao River, which were worth P2.65 billion, while 26 out of the 28 implemented projects near the Matina River, worth P1.70 billion, allegedly showed irregularities as well.

‘So basically we saw through a scan of flood control projects in Davao – and this is just partial – that there are disturbing indications of irregularity. And there is a huge possibility of ghost projects [.] clearly there is overpricing, and other indications of anomalies,’ he said.

In response, Duterte dared Tinio to visit Davao and ask residents there if they have experienced flooding – to debunk claims of irregularities in the city’s flood control projects.

Duterte, in a statement on Wednesday night, urged Tinio to stop using Davao for political drama.

The Senate launched on Tuesday a redesigned and upgraded website featuring a section dedicated to budget transparency.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who led the launching ceremony, said that the new website would make public information easier to access.

‘The website was redesigned with a cleaner, modern, and user-friendly interface to make information easier to find, access, and understand. It can now be accessed seamlessly across all devices. You can navigate Senate documents, bills, and resolutions with greater speed and clarity,’ Sotto said in a statement.

During the launch, the new website was presented by Lou Galban, the Senate IT team lead.

She noted that it would provide access to senators’ profiles and accomplishments, as well as live broadcasts, along with access to Senate Assistance services and enhanced search functionality for laws, bills, and other public information.

Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr., who was also present at the ceremony, mentioned that the upgraded website would ‘strengthen the bridge’ between the work conducted in the Senate and the country’s citizens.

The new Senate website aims to provide a reliable and accessible gateway to public information and legislative updates from the Senate.

A total of 643 classrooms across Eastern Visayas sustained varying degrees of damage after Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong) pummeled the region over the weekend, according to a situational report from the Department of Education (DepEd) regional office.

As of 8 p.m. on Monday, the agency recorded 106 totally damaged classrooms, 93 ‘major damaged classrooms’and 444 ‘minor damaged classrooms’in public schools across the region.

The hardest-hit divisions included Samar with 166 damaged classrooms, Borongan City (140), and Maasin City (206), where clearing and clean-up operations are ongoing.

Calbayog City division reported 72 destroyed and damaged classrooms; Catbalogan city division (30) and Tacloban city division (seven).

Northern Samar, one of the hardest-hit school divisions, has yet to submit their damage report as several island schools remain cut off due to power and internet outages. Communication is being maintained through two-way radios in coordination with local government emergency operations centers.

DepEd Regional Director Ronelo Al Firmo said division and school disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) coordinators have initiated rapid assessments to determine the extent of the destruction and identify immediate needs.

‘We are validating field data to support requests for assistance and ensure the safety of our learners and personnel,’ the report noted.

Power and water services in most parts of the region are being gradually restored. Tacloban City, Samar, and Maasin City reported full restoration of power, while Southern Leyte remains among the most affected with only 25 percent of electricity and internet services restored.

The report also said 127 schools across the region were used as evacuation centers at the height of the typhoon, sheltering over 4,000 families or 11,485 individuals. Most evacuees have already decamped as weather conditions improved.

DepEd has directed teachers and non-teaching personnel to report back to their respective schools to prepare for the resumption of classes on Wednesday, November 12. Temporary learning spaces (TLS) and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) facilities will be established in heavily affected schools.

The consolidated damage and needs assessment will be forwarded to the DepEd Central Office’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS) to facilitate funding support for rehabilitation.

Super Typhoon Uwan, which struck days after Typhoon Tino, brought torrential rains and violent winds to Eastern Visayas, causing widespread flooding, power outages, and displacement before moving northwest toward Northern Luzon

Electricity has been fully restored across Oriental Mindoro after temporary outages caused by strong winds from Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-Wong), the Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (ORMECO) confirmed on Tuesday.

ORMECO general manager Engr. Humphrey Dolor said the province is now ‘fully energized,’ following restoration efforts in areas that briefly lost power during the typhoon’s onslaught.

Meanwhile, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) Head Vinscent Gahol reported that sea travel has resumed across the province. However, passenger volume at the Calapan City Port remains above average as vessels from various liners return from safe anchorage.

‘We are still waiting for reports from Roxas and Bulalacao ports in the south. The Philippine Coast Guard informed us that boat trips in Puerto Galera, Pola, and Mansalay have also resumed,’ Gahol said.

Internet connectivity, however, remains slow in some areas. A customer service representative told Inquirer that their engineers are still checking network lines and posts affected by the typhoon

Eastern Samar has been placed under a state of calamity upon the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) following the extensive destruction caused by successive weather disturbances – Typhoon Tino and Super Typhoon Uwan.

In a resolution approved on Tuesday, the council cited that the twin typhoons brought torrential rains, violent winds, and massive flooding, which led to significant damage to properties, infrastructure, agriculture, and fisheries across several municipalities and in Borongan City.

Based on the Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis conducted by local disaster risk reduction and management councils, the twin typhoons left 323 houses totally damaged; 2,529 houses partially damaged;47,178 families displaced; P29.08 million in infrastructure damage; P9.2 million in agricultural losses; P6.7 million in damage to fisheries; and P730,000 in losses to livestock and poultry.

The PDRRMC, chaired by Gov. Ralph Vincent Evardone, noted that the scale of destruction has overwhelmed the response and recovery capacities of local government units, requiring immediate intervention, resource mobilization, and coordinated relief operations from the provincial and national governments.

The declaration of a state of calamity, once approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, will enable the utilization of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF), including the Quick Response Fund. It will also authorize price control measures on basic goods and prime commodities to prevent overpricing during the emergency period.

Provincial officials said the move would expedite the delivery of assistance to thousands of families affected by the two typhoons, which struck the region within days of each other, bringing severe flooding and isolation to low-lying towns and coastal villages.

Tino and Uwan struck Eastern Visayas in early November, prompting mass evacuations and widespread power outages. The province of Eastern Samar, located along the Pacific coast, bore the brunt of the storms’ impact

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved a P1.684-billion replenishment of the government’s quick response funds (QRFs) amid the onslaught of recent earthquakes and Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) and Supertyphoon Uwan (Fung-wong).

In a statement on Monday, the DBM said it allocated P1 billion to the Department of Agriculture (DA), P631.032 million to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and P53.007 million to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The government sets aside money for the QRF in the annual national budget and allocates these to critical agencies as a standby fund to be used primarily for the rehabilitation and recovery of areas affected by calamities and other national emergencies.

Concerned agencies may request replenishment from the DBM when the balance of their QRF has reached 50 percent.

Allocations

According to Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, the bulk of the latest release will go to the agriculture sector, as farmers and fisherfolk were among the hardest hit by the latest disasters.

‘Of the total amount, P1 billion has been released to the DA to strengthen its recovery and rehabilitation programs in regions affected by African swine fever and the recent tropical cyclones,’ the DBM said.

Meanwhile, the P631.032 QRF of the DSWD will be routed to the procurement of family food packs and nonfood items, stockpiling of relief goods, and emergency cash transfers to 58,962 families affected by earthquakes and storms across several provinces.

It will also be used to fund DSWD regional offices’ warehouse rentals, administrative costs, and standby funds.

The PCG, meanwhile, will spend its allocated funds to amp up its relief, rehabilitation, and search-and-rescue operations in areas hit by the calamities.

Casualties from Tino, Uwan

As of Nov. 8, the Office of Civil Defense said Tino left at least 204 people dead, 109 missing, and 156 injured across the Visayas and parts of Mindanao.

Cebu, already reeling from last month’s magnitude 6.9 earthquake, was hardest hit.

Eight deaths due to Uwan were reported as of Monday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and other agencies.

Figures on the damage to agriculture and infrastructure have yet to be released.

Early last October, the DBM also approved the release of P1.625 billion to replenish the QRFs of the DSWD and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The release was in line with President Marcos’ directive to speed up relief and recovery efforts for calamity victims.

The DSWD received P625 million to fund the prepositioning of relief items in the agency’s warehouses and the provision of emergency cash transfer for disaster-affected families in areas declared under a state of calamity.

The DPWH, meanwhile, got P1 billion to cover the third replenishment of its QRF for its reconstruction and rehabilitation programs, activities, and projects, including the prepositioning of goods and equipment in communities or areas stricken by natural disasters.

‘Standby funds’

Pangandaman said the President wants all government agencies to act swiftly in providing immediate assistance to calamity victims, especially those affected by the deadly magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit Bogo City in Cebu and nearby areas on Sept. 30.

‘This is a whole-of-government approach-from the release of funds to the delivery of emergency services and the conduct of ground zero assessment,’ she noted. ‘Our government is prepared. We have standby funds that can be tapped immediately to deliver assistance to those affected. In moments like this, government aid must never be delayed.’

Early last month, the DBM also approved the release of P716.15 million to the DSWD’s QRF.

The replenishment supported the stockpiling of family food packs and nonfood items for 424,681 families as well as the distribution of emergency cash aid to 41,502 families affected by Tropical Storm

‘Mirasol’ (Mitag), Supertyphoon ‘Nando’ (Ragasa), and Typhoon ‘Opong’ (Bualoi) in Bicol, Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan), and Cagayan Valley.

Part of the fund also covered transport and logistics, standby regional allocations, and other operational support to hasten the delivery of aid and services.

The amount was charged to the NDRRMC’s fund under the 2025 national budget.

As of Oct. 2, the NDRRMC still has P5.3 billion in available funds that can be used for rehabilitation efforts and the repair of infrastructure damaged by the earthquake.

Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday denied being among the financiers of an alleged destabilization plot against the government, tagging it as mere ‘chismis’ or gossip.

‘I really don’t make allegations without evidence. So when you make allegations without any proof, that’s called gossip, and that makes you a gossipmonger,’ Duterte, speaking in mixed Filipino and English, told reporters during a chance interview Negros Occidental.

Duterte said this after veteran broadcaster Ramon Tulfo identified her as one of the supposed financiers of a supposed destabilization plot against Duterte.

Aside from the vice president, Tulfo also identified her brother Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo ‘Pulong’ Duterte and politician-entrepreneur Chavit Singson.

Tulfo, however, did not identify who his source of the information was.

But Malacañang earlier said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines is already looking into the list disclosed by Tulfo.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered agencies to keep monitoring the weather condition and delivering provisions to more than 1 million people displaced by Supertyphoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong), a Malacañang official said on Monday.

On Tuesday government work resumes but classes at all levels in all provinces in Luzon and Visayas remain suspended.

‘The President also reminded all concerned agencies to continue rehabilitation efforts in areas affected by Typhoon ‘Tino’ (Kalmaegi) and damaged by Supertyphoon ‘Uwan,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a message to reporters.

The President issued the directive during a briefing with officials of various agencies at the Presidential Security Command Center in Malacañang on Monday morning, she said.

Uwan triggered floods and landslides and left eight people dead.

Medical teams, shelters

It weakened from a supertyphoon into a typhoon early on Monday as it headed northwest toward Taiwan.

Uwan blew in a few days after Tino left at least 224 dead in central Philippines last Tuesday.

Of the at least 1.2 million people displaced across 11 regions, 100,050 families were in emergency shelters in the Bicol region, including 44,000 families in Camarines Sur province, the biggest number of evacuees in a single region.

Bicol also comprises the provinces of Albay, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon.

Meanwhile, 20,000 families were in similar shelters in Region 4A ,or Calabarzon.

Castro said the President also instructed Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa to ensure that sufficient medical teams are on standby at all evacuation centers.

Communication lines

Overall telecommunications network availability stood at 71 percent on Monday, according to the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Communication lines were still down in some 20 cities and towns in the Bicol region as of Monday.

Several countries, including the United States, Japan, Singapore, India, and Timor-Leste, have offered humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, Castro said, citing reports from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.