Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Children’s rights advocates on Wednesday renewed their call for a more independent investigation into the arrests of protesters during the Sept. 21 protests and even minors who were later determined as mere bystanders.

The Child Rights Network (CRN) said its member organizations have reported the conditions of the minors’ detention that they described as ‘unlawful.’

‘[H]owever.many of the children arrested were simply bystanders and were not paid to destroy property,’ the CRN said in a statement.

This was also in response to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remula’s claim that the minors arrested during the Sept. 21 protest were ‘paid to cause destruction,’ which prompted the CRN to urge the government to actually go after the adult perpetrators and leave the children to the mechanisms provided under the Juvenile Justice Law.

Remulla, in a statement on Sept. 23, said the incident in Mendiola was ‘not a legitimate’ protest, but insisted on the claim that it was an orchestrated act.

The CRN, however, also raised reports of physical violence against the children by state agents who arrested them, which they said was also raised to the group.

‘This underscores the need for an independent, thorough and impartial investigation to establish the truth and hold all those who committed violent acts against children accountable,’ the CRN said.

According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), there were 95 minors who were arrested during the Sept. 21 protests, along with 217 other individuals.

The DILG said that possible charges that may be filed against them are arson, destruction of property, inciting to sedition and sedition.

Remulla also claimed that there were reports of supposed plots by rioters to burn down Malacanang.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) adopted blockchain technology in its budget release system, marking one of the first large-scale government implementations of its kind in Asia.

In partnership with BayaniChain and ExakIT Services, the DBM this quarter launched a platform that logs Special Allotment Release Orders and Notices of Cash Allocation on the Polygon blockchain.

The portal, accessible at blockchain.dbm.gov.ph, makes entries tamper-proof while allowing the public to verify how funds are authorized and released, BayaniChain said in a statement. The system is designed to bolster transparency, security, and public trust in fiscal management, it added.

BayaniChain CEO Paul Soliman said the project highlights how blockchain and artificial intelligence can ‘help institutions safeguard critical processes and deliver lasting value to their stakeholders.’ /dda

Sen. Risa Hontiveros has flagged two water laboratory firms for allegedly passing the water samples from a water concessionaire despite failing at least one safety parameter.

Hontiveros, during Monday’s Senate Committee on Public Services hearing on disadvantageous joint venture agreements between water districts and private concessionaires, said that the Department of Health (DOH) should investigate, and if necessary, penalize two laboratories, Cosmolab and Scientia Tech.

The two laboratories allegedly cleared water samples from a water concessionaire in Laguna, which were later discovered to have failed in at least one safety parameter, according to local water district officials.

‘We will send you (DOH) the addresses of Cosmolab and Scientia Tech for double checking . and revoke accreditation if you so warrant,’ Hontiveros told DOH officials.

Inquirer reached out to Cosmolab and Scientia Tech for comment, but they have yet to respond as of posting time.

Hontiveros then quizzed DOH officials as to their oversight of accredited laboratories conducting water safety tests.

‘How could this water testing facility in Santa Cruz, which tested the water, and said it was only a typographical error that said the result was [marked as] failed. But the overall assessment came out as ‘passed’? Don’t you oversee such facilities so that they don’t falsify the results and put people’s health at risk?’ Hontiveros asked in Filipino.

In response, DOH Engineer Luis Cruz said the agency’s Health Facilities and Services Regulatory Bureau oversees accreditation for water safety tests, and that all complaints involving erring laboratories will be then referred to the bureau.

The Office of the President (OP) on Wednesday said it respects the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision to postpone the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections, which were scheduled to take place less than two weeks from now.

In a statement, the OP recognized the ruling as ‘a pivotal step in ensuring that the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections will be conducted on the firmest constitutional and legal foundations.’

‘The Palace underscores its unwavering commitment to safeguarding the peace process, strengthening democratic institutions, and protecting the political rights of all citizens in the Bangsamoro,’ it also said. The Marcos administration will also extend its full support to all constitutionally mandated institutions to ensure that the democratic aspirations of the Bangsamoro people are realized in accordance with the Constitution and the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the OP said.

This, it emphasized, is part of the ongoing national effort to achieve just and lasting peace in Mindanao.

In its ruling, the SC declared that the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 77 (BAA 77), along with its predecessor, BAA 58, is unconstitutional, thereby necessitating the postponement of the October 13 polls.

BAA 77, or the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Redistricting Act of 2025, is the law that redistributes the seven seats originally allocated to Sulu.

On the other hand, its predecessor, BAA 58, created the parliamentary districts in the region.

‘There can be no BARMM elections on October 13, 2025, because of the lack of a valid district law,’ the Supreme Court, through its Spokesperson, Atty. Camille Ting said.

Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito expressed full support for the Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) after five of his priority bills and advocacies were included in the list of 44 bills in the 20th Congress identified by the Marcos administration and Congress leaders during the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting.

The said bills include the Masterplan for Infrastructure and National Development (MIND) Act, the amendments to the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Law, Magna Carta for Barangays, amendments to Masustansyang Pagkain or the Expanded Feeding Program, and the proposal to regulate online gambling.

‘It is truly the right time for these proposals, and it is also good to see that the administration considers them important-especially when it comes to improving our infrastructure. Once we immediately pass the master plan, we can avoid unplanned and piecemeal projectso,’ Ejercito said.

‘I am determined to work closely with my colleagues and the Executive branch to deliver reforms that matter most to our people,’ he added.

With the MIND Act, Ejercito said the long-term blueprint will have a clear and institutionalized direction for infrastructure development that will transcend political terms.

On the UHC Act amendments, Ejercito stressed that the implementation and funding of the UHC Act must be strengthened to ensure that every Filipino truly benefits from quality and accessible healthcare.

The lawmaker from San Juan also underscored the importance of empowering local communities through the Magna Carta for Barangays.

‘The barangay is the heart of governance. By giving our barangays the right tools, resources, and autonomy, we are strengthening the very foundation of our democracy.’

Ejercito likewise emphasized that child nutrition and protection from social harms remain central to his priorities. ‘No child should go hungry. The goal is to expand our feeding program.’

Ejercito also supports the effort of the Marcos administration to regulate online gambling in the Philippines. He emphasized that stronger safeguards and regulations are needed to protect Filipino families and communities from these risks.

Strong aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4 to 5 were recorded in Cebu following a magnitude 6.9 quake that struck the province Tuesday evening.

At 9:59 p.m., the magnitude 6.9 earthquake jolted Cebu, with its epicenter located 21 kilometers northeast of Bogo City. Following that, the subsequent earthquakes were recorded in Bogo City from Tuesday evening to early Wednesday morning:

Magnitude 5 – 10:24 p.m.

Magnitude 5.1 – 10:33 p.m.

Magnitude 4.4. – 11:59 p.m. Magnitude 4.5 – 12:01 p.m. (Wednesday)

Magnitude 4.1 – 12:04 a.m.

Magnitude 4.9 – 12:34 a.m. Phivolcs earlier issued an advisory for possible minor sea-level disturbances following Tuesday evening’s quake.

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will prohibit and penalize the use of improvised and temporary vehicle plates starting November 1, 2025, the LTO announced on Wednesday.

According to LTO Chief Atty. Vigor Mendoza II, the agency no longer has backlogs of license plates for both four-wheel vehicles and motorcycles, which means ‘there is no more justification in the use of either the improvised or temporary plates.’

Once the policy is implemented, the LTO will impose a P5,000 fine and confiscate the temporary and improvised plates of vehicles that continue to use them.

Following this, Mendoza advised motorists who have yet to claim their plates to do so in October ‘to avoid any inconvenience with regard to the strict implementation of this policy.’

Additionally, Mendoza warned that improvised and temporary plates will no longer be accepted for the renewal of vehicle registration.

The initiative is in line with the LTO’s plans to implement a policy that requires official receipts, certificates of registration, and license plates to be released on the same day of a motor vehicle’s purchase.

However, Mendoza also stated that some improvised plates will be permitted, provided they are authorized and signed by the relevant LTO offices responsible for processing such requests.

These authorized plates shall ‘contain the assigned plate number of the vehicle with the words ‘Improvised Plate’ below it,’ Mendoza explained.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has been addressing its backlog of motorcycle plates through its plate distribution initiatives.

The DOTr said it aims to distribute around 5.4 million motorcycle plates by the end of October.

A male motorcycle rider was gunned down by unidentified assailants in front of a school along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, the police said.

Quezon City Police District (QCPD) public information chief Maj. Jennifer Gannaban confirmed the incident in a message to the Inquirer, saying officers recovered an identification card from the victim but are still investigating his identity.

‘The victim was on a motorcycle and when the suspects shot the victim, they also took the victim’s motorcycle,’ Gannaban explained, citing a police report of the shooting.

The victim’s body was discovered and reported to the authorities by a concerned citizen early Wednesday morning, according to a QCPD statement.

‘Acting on this, QCPD immediately activated its Special Investigation Team (SIT) to ensure a thorough and focused probe,’ the police said.

‘As part of the investigation, QCPD is conducting CCTV (closed circuit television) forward and backtracking of possible suspect movements while also coordinating with specialized units for evidence gathering,’ it added

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday led the distribution of financial aid and livelihood assistance in Masbate, one of the provinces hardest hit by Typhoon Opong.

During the event at Nursery Elementary School, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) provided P10,000 each to 600 families through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region V also released two checks totaling over P34.8 million to the provincial government of Masbate. The funds will support the agency’s Livelihood Assistance and Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers programs, benefiting 6,455 individuals in 11 municipalities.

Aside from these, Marcos also oversaw the distribution of family food packs, hygiene kits, malongs, 10-meter laminated sacks, and water filtration kits from the DSWD.

In addition, two Starlink units were turned over to Nursery Elementary School to provide internet connectivity for the evacuees.

As of Tuesday, the school shelters 41 families or 121 individuals, displaced by Typhoon Opong.

In his speech, Marcos told the typhoon victims that the government will provide continuous assistance to help them return to their normal lives.

‘Do not worry, the government’s support will continue for as long as you are in need,’ the President said in Filipino.

‘Even if it takes us a little longer because your homes are not yet repaired, we are already providing support,’ he added.

Aside from the distribution of aid, Marcos also visited Masbate Provincial Hospital to personally inspect its damaged facilities and turned over a facsimile check worth P3 million from the Department of Health to the provincial government for repair works.

Former Speaker Martin Romualdez and resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co will be invited to the next hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee’s investigation into the corruption behind anomalous flood control projects.

According to Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, the blue ribbon committee, which he chairs, will send invitations to Romualdez and Co while awaiting developments in the case and before scheduling the next hearing.

He stressed that this should debunk the perception of some groups that the committee was targeting, favoring or even ‘protecting’ some personalities. ‘We are not covering up for anyone here,’ the senator said.

In the case of Romualdez, the invitation will be coursed through Speaker Faustino Dy III, ‘in observation of the time-honored interparliamentary courtesy between the two houses of Congress.’

In Co’s case, Lacson said the letter would be sent to his residential address.

‘Now we know he is abroad and will not show up. If that is the case, we will issue a subpoena, and then a show-cause order,’ Lacson said in an interview on NET25. ‘If the show-cause order is not satisfactory, we will cite him in contempt of the committee and issue a warrant for his arrest.’

In his fourth State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned government officials and contractors who allegedly earned kickbacks from infrastructure projects at the expense of people suffering from heavy flooding. This led to congressional investigations and the creation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to probe alleged corruption in flood control projects.

Co, who resigned as representative of Ako Bicol party list on Monday, is abroad supposedly for a medical leave. The former lawmaker, who chaired the powerful House appropriations committee in the 19th Congress, has been accused of getting billions of pesos in kickbacks by contractors and public works officials testifying in congressional inquiries into these projects.

Co, in previous statements, had denied the allegations and lamented ‘the evident denial of my right to due process.’

Romualdez has not been linked to any of the top companies that cornered big-ticket projects of the government. He denied allegations made in congressional inquiries that he received kickbacks, calling them ‘false’ and ‘pure fiction.’

Evidence

Lacson made it clear that the blue ribbon committee will continue its hearings for as long as there are major developments that it needs to look into. He reiterated that he would maintain a ‘blindfold mentality,’ stressing he would be impartial and go where the evidence would lead him.

‘If we stop the probe now, we may reinforce the perception rightly or wrongly that we are covering up for someone. No. I said it clearly, we will go where the evidence leads us,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Malacañang said Co should return to the country to face the possible charges against him.

‘Nothing can stop him from making his decisions, but if ever a case is filed against him, he will not be able to avoid it, he cannot run away from it,’ Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a briefing on Tuesday.

‘So it would be better that if he becomes an accused, he should simply fight for his rights and defend his innocence based on the evidence he holds,’ she said. The ICI on Monday asked the Office of the Ombudsman to recommend filing of graft complaints against Co and 17 others, including officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways and his construction firm, Sunwest Inc., over a substandard flood control project in Oriental Mindoro worth P289.5 million.