Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

A. Soriano Corp. (Anscor) has divested its minority stake in The Bistro Group (TBG) for P1.91 billion after less than a year, realizing high gains from its investment in the restaurant group.

In a regulatory filing on Thursday, Anscor said it had executed a deed of sale with Inoza Business Holdings Inc. for its 22-percent stake in TBG Food Holdings Inc.

Inoza is a newly established holding firm affiliated with Progeny Global Holdings Inc. The latter operates Bounty Fresh and limited-service restaurants like Chooks-to-Go and Uling Roasters.

According to Anscor, it realized gross annualized returns ‘greater than 25 percent’ on its investment in TBG.

Not too long ago

Anscor bought a minority stake in TBG in November 2024 for P1.61 billion. This entailed a profit of more than P300 million.

‘Anscor extends its best wishes to the Bistro and Inoza teams,’ the company said. ‘We are confident they will continue delighting Filipino consumers with their quality dining experiences for many years to come and we look forward to seeing their continued success.’

The Philippine Competition Commission approved Inoza’s plan to acquire a majority stake in TBG in August. This, after considering the impact of the deal on the nationwide supply of chicken meat, table eggs, pork and beef.

Multiple brands

The Bistro Group currently owns and operates over 200 full-service restaurants across 33 brands. These include Italianni’s, TGI Fridays and Texas Roadhouse, all of which have a strong presence in the Philippines.

In the first semester of 2025, Anscor’s net income plunged by 65 percent to P1.19 billion. This was attributed to the decrease in market value of its investments. The firm’s revenues likewise slipped by 17 percent to P7.9 billion.

This is the second time Anscor has sold its minority shareholding in companies it had invested in.

Being better than the last time is the bare minimum for Kevin Alas as he aims to play a bigger role for NLEX in the season-opening PBA Philippine Cup.

The 2024-25 campaign was a period of adjustment for Alas, who was coming off a third ACL injury. Now fully healthy, he is eager to do more, especially with the Road Warriors having come so close to a semifinals berth in last year’s Philippine Cup.

‘I told myself that I should not have any excuses from hereon not to play at a better level,’ Alas said.

Alas suited up in 23 games for NLEX last season, averaging 7.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 18 minutes per game as he gradually worked his way back.

Not only was he regaining his rhythm after breaking his left knee in 2023, but NLEX was also adjusting to its first season under nine-time champion coach Jong Uichico.

Under Uichico, the Road Warriors reached the quarterfinals of the Philippine Cup with a twice-to-beat advantage, only to lose to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

NLEX is hell bent on atoning for that quarterfinals exit, which it hopes will coincide with Alas getting his groove back.

‘I’m putting pressure on myself [in getting my form back], if not, maybe close,’ Alas said. ‘But I guess the modest goal is to be better than my last conference and be better each day.’

Almost 2,000 flood victims marched through the murky roads of Macabebe and Masantol towns on Thursday, bearing mock-up coffins, placards, and streamers demanding an end to corruption in flood-control projects.

Protesters from the boundary arch of Masantol and those from San Gabriel Chapel in Macabebe merged at the San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish, also in Macabebe, for a holy Mass concelebrated by 11 priests from the Vicariate of the Blessed Trinity. In solidarity, several priests born or raised in Macabebe joined the sacrament.

Fr. Ariel Limjoco said corruption begins at home when children are paid to do tasks for the family or when they are prompted to enrich themselves instead of being encouraged to help and serve people.

The corrupt, he added, experienced hell on earth, citing the Discaya couple who are being pelted and shamed in public or hide themselves.

Limjoco echoed the calls of the vicariate to ‘return the stolen public funds.’

The vicariate also called for long-term flooding solutions to protect the people from disaster.

In the program dubbed Singsong People’s Rally (Lament of the People’s Rally), Marilou Melo of San Rafael Parish in Macabebe pointed out that children suffer in many ways. She said they have lost their playgrounds or have little interest in their studies as classrooms are used as evacuation centers or classes are suspended because of floods in the towns that last for months.

Dr. Ma. Liezl Alcoy of the San Miguel Arkanghel Parish in Masantol said the flood levels have reached the first floor of homes, endangering senior citizens by slipping, increasing the cost of transportation, and entailing a longer time to deal with health emergencies.

Like them, other speakers did not specify projects, but social media posts decry the six-year delay of the Pampanga Delta River bridge project, which connects Masantol’s left bank, where some 10,000 families were displaced when the mouth of the river was widened from 250 meters to 750 meters since 1992. Touted to be a priority project of Rep. Anna York Bondoc, the unfinished bridge received nearly P700 million.

In the same program, the Archdiocesan Council of the Laity (ACL) of the Archdiocese of San Fernando ‘strongly denounces the greed, selfishness, and corruption of our key leaders and their cohorts,’ said Renato Galang, ACP president, reading from a statement.

Signed by leaders of 24 lay organizations, the council urged ‘every Kapampangan to be courageous: to stand for the Truth, to live our faoith in action, and to demand integrity and accountability in governance

Continuous rains from Typhoon Paolo caused the collapse of a portion of a riprap beside a house in Sitio Oit, Barangay Sta. Fe, San Marcelino town, on Friday.

The San Marcelino Public Information Office reported that no one was injured, but large rocks and mud spilled onto the road, rendering it impassable.

The Municipal Engineering Office immediately deployed a backhoe to assist in clearing operations.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Paolo intensified into a typhoon as it made landfall in Dinapigue, Isabela.

Since Friday morning, nonstop rains have drenched the whole of Zambales and nearby Olongapo City, prompting the issuance of an orange rainfall warning.

An orange warning is raised in areas where intense rainfall-typically 15 to 30 millimeters per hour-is observed or expected to persist for at least two hours./coa

The Negros Island Region (NIR) has deployed policemen, soldiers, firefighters, and local government teams to Cebu province to augment search and rescue (SAR) operations following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake on Tuesday night.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the death toll was placed at 68 as of Friday morning.

The initial deployment of 80 NIR policemen began on Wednesday. The contingent included 41 officers from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office and 39 from the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office.

Police Regional Office-NIR director Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay said the policemen will remain in Cebu for ‘an initial duration of one to two weeks to support search and rescue missions, evacuation efforts, and humanitarian operations.’

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-NIR also deployed a specialized 20-member rescue force, which includes four firefighters from Bacolod City.

Philippine Army and Philippine Coast Guard personnel from the NIR have also been sent to assist in the operations.

In a parallel effort, local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental are mobilizing their technical teams and aid.

Irene Bel Ploteña, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), confirmed that the Talisay City Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue (CSSR) team was the first LGU unit deployed by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

Ploteña said only CSSR teams that are fully trained and equipped are being sent.

The PDRRMO and CSSR teams from the cities of Sagay, Sipalay, Bago, Cadiz, San Carlos, and Silay are currently on standby, awaiting deployment orders from the OCD, Ploteña said.

An Escalante City team traveled to Tabuelan, Cebu, on Thursday to deliver potable water and rice, along with a water tanker and a mobile kitchen, she said.

Sagay City will lend its Aquacube water purification system to Bogo, Cebu, Ploteña added.

Negros Occidental LGU teams continue to remain on standby to assist in other earthquake-hit areas as directed by the Office of Civil Defense.

Negros Occidental, Bacolod City, and other LGUs are also sending financial aid./coa

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Friday said it would go after the people behind ‘malicious’ claims online that the fact-finding body has tapped an anti-crime nongovernment organization in its probe into the massive corruption in government contracts for public works.

In a statement on Friday, the ICI said that the reports claiming that it has sought the help of Task Force Kasanag International, supposedly led by a certain John Chong, that have been making rounds on social media are misleading, ‘entirely untrue’ and are meant to ‘undermine’ the commission.

‘The ICI has not authorized, deputized, or engaged Task Force Kasanag International, or any group led by Mr. John Chiong, in any capacity related to its investigations,’ it said, stressing the ‘impartiality and professionalism’ the ICI observes in its work.

The investigating body, led by former Supreme Court Justice Andres Reyes, Jr., said it would ask the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to find out the people responsible for the disinformation so that it could recommend the filing of appropriate criminal charges against them.

The ICI has been conducting closed-door hearings with key personalities to explain what went down in the budget process in previous years that could point to how massive funding for infrastructure, especially flood control, went to the pockets of colluding lawmakers, contractors and government officials.

On Thursday, the ICI formally called in Sen. Mark Villar to appear in the next ICI hearing on Oct. 7. ICI executive director Brian Hosaka has also said that former Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualde and resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Elizady Co, whose names have been dragged into the anomaly, would also be summoned to the hearings.

The Sandiganbayan has rejected for lack of merit the plea of Senator Jinggoy Estrada to dismiss the graft charges filed against him over his alleged misuse of P200 million in pork barrel funds in 2014.

The resolution means that his graft trial will push through even though the court had already acquitted him and convicted businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles for plunder over the same case, an argument he raised before the court.

In a 22-page resolution dated Oct. 1, the antigraft court’s Special Fifth Division said there was ‘no cogent reason’ to reverse its Mar. 26 resolution that denied Estrada’s demurrer to evidence because the senator was arguing for cases that differed substantially.

Estrada, in his motion for reconsideration cited by the Sandiganbayan, had argued that there should not be any prosecution for graft since he was already prosecuted for plunder based on the ‘same set of facts and the same set of transactions.’

His motion also took note of the ‘similarity’ between the two sets of indictments wherein the prosecution in both cases ‘presented essentially the same set of exhibits and the same set of witness testimonies to prove the same theory, albeit to prosecute separate sets of crimes.’

But the court rejected his argument, saying there was nothing in the Rules of Court or the laws that required the court to dismiss a separate graft case ‘on account of the charge being a predicate act in a prior case for plunder.’

Double jeopardy

‘The only reason to sustain such an argument would be if the same places the accused in double jeopardy, which is not the case herein, as shall be discussed by the court later,’ read the resolution signed by Associate Justice Zaldy Trespeses, the division chair; and Associate Justices Maryann Corpus-Mañalac and Maria Theresa Mendoza-Arcega.

The case stemmed from the claim of socialite Ruby Tuason, former social secretary to Estrada’s father, former President Joseph Estrada, that she personally delivered cash to the senator from Napoles, who has had numerous convictions for masterminding the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.

Senator Estrada is accused of receiving millions of pesos in kickbacks from Napoles, who connived with some lawmakers and government officials to divert billions of pesos of PDAF funds to nonexistent or flawed livelihood projects supposedly carried out by her nongovernment organizations.

The court also rejected Estrada’s argument that the prosecution failed to prove the element of scienter, or the intent or knowledge to commit wrongdoing, because he did not know of Napoles’s criminal scheme.

The Sandiganbayan noted that Tuason had testified that she informed him of Napoles’ scheme as early as 2004 and that she personally ‘delivered amounts to him on various occasions’ at the Senate and his residence.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 3 is still hoisted over seven areas of Luzon as Severe Tropical Storm Paolo is now traversing the West Philippine Sea, according to the state weather bureau.

Based on its 5 p.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Paolo was last located over the coastal waters of Santa Cruz, Ilocos Sur.

Even though the severe tropical storm is already in coastal waters, Pagasa emphasized that ‘heavy rainfall, severe winds, and storm surge may still be experienced in localities outside the landfall point and the forecast confidence cone.’

TCWS No. 3 is hoisted over the following areas:

Ilocos Sur

La Union

Southwestern portion of Abra (Boliney, Sallapadan, Bucloc, Tayum, Bangued, Langiden, Pidigan, San Quintin, Pilar, Luba, Manabo, Villaviciosa, San Isidro, Peñarrubia, Bucay, Tubo)

Western portion of Kalinga (Tinglayan, Pasil)

Western portion of Mountain Province (Besao, Tadian, Sagada, Bauko, Sadanga, Bontoc, Sabangan)

Western portion of Ifugao (Hungduan, Tinoc)

Benguet

TCWS No. 2

Southern portion of Ilocos Norte (Nueva Era, Badoc, Pinili, City of Batac, Paoay, Currimao, Banna, Laoag City, San Nicolas, Sarrat, Dingras, Solsona, Marcos, Bacarra, Piddig, Pasuquin, Vintar, Carasi)

Pangasinan

The rest of Abra

The rest of Kalinga

The rest of Mountain Province

The rest of Ifugao

Western portion of Isabela (Cordon, Ramon, San Mateo, City of Santiago, Quezon, Mallig, Roxas, Aurora, San Manuel, Cabatuan)

Northwestern portion of Quirino (Cabarroguis, Saguday, Diffun)

Northern and central portions of Nueva Vizcaya (Dupax del Norte, Aritao, Santa Fe, Bayombong, Bagabag, Villaverde, Kasibu, Bambang, Diadi, Quezon, Solano, Dupax del Sur, Ambaguio, Kayapa)

Northernmost portion of Nueva Ecija (Carranglan)

TCWS No. 1

The rest of Ilocos Norte

Apayao

Batanes

Mainland Cagayan including Babuyan Islands

The rest of Isabela

The rest of Quirino

The rest of Nueva Vizcaya

Aurora

The rest of Nueva Ecija

Tarlac

Zambales

Pampanga

Bulacan

Northern portion of Quezon (General Nakar, Infanta) including Polillo Islands

Paolo is currently packing a maximum sustained wind speed of 110 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of 165 kph, moving west-northwestward at 35 kph.

The severe tropical storm is forecast to re-intensify into a typhoon category within the next 12 hours and may exit the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday morning.

Another conviction for Janet Lim Napoles, this time for money laundering.

The controversial businesswoman who has been serving prison sentences since 2018 was found guilty of 13 more counts of money laundering in connection with the ‘pork barrel’ scam, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) said on Thursday.

In a statement, the council hailed the local court ruling as a warning to corrupt officials amid a widening probe into dubious flood control projects.

The Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 158 on Wednesday sentenced Napoles to seven to 14 years in prison for each count and ordered her to pay a fine of P94.15 million for laundering money from lawmakers’ priority development assistance fund (PDAF), more commonly known as ‘pork barrel.’

It marked the second conviction the AMLC has secured against her, following a 2024 ruling from the Manila RTC Branch 24.

‘This sends a strong message: those who abuse public funds will be held accountable,’ Matthew David, AMLC executive director, said. ‘The AMLC welcomes this court decision as a demonstration of AMLC’s relentless pursuit of individuals who exploit the financial system to conceal corruption.’

The Pasig court found that Napoles planned a scheme involving the creation of bogus nongovernment organizations to receive pork barrel funds for ghost projects.

The scam, which the Inquirer broke in a series of reports in 2013, involved the diversion of pork barrel funds to bogus foundations from 2004 to 2012, arising from the alleged collusion between Napoles and some lawmakers.

She has been convicted of plunder.

Concealing criminal origin

By making it appear that the funds originated from legitimate sources, the AMLC said Napoles concealed its criminal origin-an act that fully satisfied the elements of money laundering under the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001.

The conviction comes at a time when the AMLC is intensifying its efforts to investigate financial crimes tied to government-funded flood control projects-a controversy that has drawn comparisons to the pork barrel scandal.

Photos of cash-stuffed bundles were presented during congressional hearings as evidence of kickbacks to legislators, fueling public outrage and triggering mass protests on Sept. 21.

Broadest freeze order

Just this week, the AMLC obtained its third and broadest freeze order in the corruption investigation, immobilizing 1,813 assets worth P2.9 billion-including 1,563 bank accounts, 154 vehicles, 30 properties, 54 insurance policies, and 12 e-wallets.

Officials said the figure is likely to climb as the investigation widens. Last week, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the AMLC was also preparing to block the assets of six individuals-including some lawmakers-being sued by the National Bureau of Investigation in connection with allegedly anomalous flood control projects.

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