Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has formally asked 27 government contractors to explain why they should not be charged with violating the Omnibus Election Code for making alleged campaign contributions to political candidates who ran in May 2022, Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia said on Wednesday.

According to Garcia, the poll body issued show cause orders (SCOs) on Monday to the 27 government contractors, who are expected to submit their counter-affidavits within 10 calendar days.

The Comelec’s Political Finance and Affairs Department, which reviews and validates the statements of contribution and expenditures submitted by candidates, will hold a hearing on the matter on Nov. 21.

‘They (contractors) have been sent notices allowing them to air their side. I think in the next two weeks, starting next week, they will be summoned, based on a schedule, to bring their counter-affidavits,’ Garcia told reporters.

The SCOs were issued after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), responding to a query sent by the Comelec, certified that the 27 contractors had secured government deals.

Candidates next

The poll body earlier submitted to the DPWH a list of the names of 54 contractors who were found to have donated money to candidates who ran in the May 2022 elections.

Garcia said that after the contractors, the candidates who received their donations would also be summoned.

According to him, the following were found to have accepted contributions from the 27 government contractors: six senatorial candidates, five party list nominees, four congressional representative candidates, three gubernatorial candidates, two vice gubernatorial candidates, and one running for Manila councilor.

Under Section 95(c) of the Omnibus Election Code, ‘[n]o contribution for purposes of partisan political activity shall be made directly or indirectly by any of the following: (c) natural and juridical persons who hold contracts or subcontracts to supply the government or any of its divisions, subdivisions, or instrumentalities with goods or services, or to perform construction or other works.’

The last part of the said provision also states that ‘[i]t shall be unlawful for any person to solicit or receive any contribution from any of the persons or entities enumerated herein.’

Due process

‘We will find out their answer to the allegations that one, they are government contractors, public work contractors, and number two, they donated a certain amount. And therefore, what is their contention for why they should not be charged by the Commission on Elections [for violating the election code]?’ Garcia said.

‘That is what we call due process, so that, should there be formal proceedings, like preliminary investigations, more or less there will be a basis, and at the same time, there will be a determination of what we call probable cause. There will be a basis for filing a case against them in court so that it will not be dismissed,’ he added.

At the same time, the Comelec is counterchecking its list of corporations found to have also made contributions to political candidates with those identified by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) as possible donors.

‘Regardless of whether or not they are government contractors, the BIR monitors their donations. Where did the donation come from? This is your income, so how were you able to donate this amount?’ Garcia explained.

Francisco ‘Kiko’ Austria Barzaga must be feeling on top of the world these days. Every word and every antic the 27-year-old neophyte congressman throws up is lapped up by the press and social media.

In so short a time, he has earned a sizable following from those who relish his bulldog-in-a-china-shop behavior, believing such actions to be refreshingly radical and necessary amid a political culture of double-dealing and deceit.

But there is a world of difference between the mocking, snarky ways he has employed on the House floor to needle his colleagues to tell the truth – or at least the version of it he wants to hear – and the attacks he has lately leveled at the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

There is a line to be drawn – especially for a lawmaker sworn to uphold the public interest – when bratty, reckless statements begin to undermine the citizenry’s trust in crucial institutions and put the country in potential danger.

According to Barzaga, the PCG should be abolished because it is a ‘waste of our government funds,’ and that it is a ‘corrupt organization’ whose operations in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) could ’cause World War III.’

‘Misleading and inflammatory’

The representative of Cavite’s 4th District presented no evidence to back up his claims-no finding from, say, the Commission on Audit to justify his accusation that the PCG is frittering away public funds, or one from the Ombudsman assailing the agency for wholesale corruption, and certainly no reputable study, analysis, or situation report that would support the incendiary charge that the PCG is leading the country to war.

The words were the rash, petulant pronouncements of a man-child imagining that he had something consequential to say about the agency now at the very forefront of the Philippines’ struggle to assert its sovereignty in waters being snatched by an overbearing neighbor.

Unfortunately, the remarks were also the kind of controversial ‘content’ loved by those on social media who find his broadside as ‘fearless.’

PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela had to allocate extra time to parrying Barzaga’s attention-seeking tirade, describing it as ‘misleading and inflammatory,’ and one that ‘grossly misrepresents the PCG’s mandate, operations, and the very essence of our service to the Filipino people.’

But if Barzaga were to conduct a survey even among his constituents, he would likely find himself in the dismal minority when it comes to public support for the PCG and its work in the West Philippine Sea.

Chinese aggression

Survey after survey has consistently shown that the public overwhelmingly supports government efforts to protect the country’s sovereignty over its exclusive economic zone – an invaluable birthright critical to the Filipino people’s economic security and progress.

That right was affirmed by international law when the arbitral tribunal ruled that China’s claim over nearly the entire South China Sea, including the Philippines’ EEZ, had no basis in either history or law. China, however, has continued to disregard that ruling, opting instead to intensify its harassment of Philippine vessels that dare to sail on Philippine waters.

The PCG, a civilian maritime agency, is no match for the might and bullying ways of Beijing, but it has borne the brunt of Chinese aggression with exceptional professionalism, bravery, and decorum. The PCG has repeatedly been the victim of water cannon and ramming attacks by the Chinese navy and militia trespassing on Philippine waters, and video documentation of these lopsided encounters is all over the internet.

And yet in Barzaga’s view, the valiant men and women of the PCG are the aggressors that could spark ‘World War III’?

Barzaga should spell out his position clearly: Does he prefer that the Philippines cease defending the WPS and, in effect, give up its territorial rights and patrimony, to appease Beijing and keep the ‘peace’?

Broad consensus

In this, he will be in a starkly conflicting position not only with his countrymen but also with the rest of the world. The United States, the European Union, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, Vietnam, and many other countries have rallied behind the arbitral ruling and rejected China’s unilateral actions in the region. That broad consensus, anchored on the Philippines’ valid claims to its territory, is what the PCG upholds and enforces with its operations in the WPS.

So when Barzaga taunts the agency with the words ‘water cannon lang galing China, iyak na agad sila, ako pa kaya? (It’s just water cannon from China, and they’re already crying, what more if it were from me?),’ he should be forcefully reminded that, as a public servant, he is not paid with Filipino taxpayer money and granted the privileges of his position only to sabotage the very interests of the land he calls home.

Barzaga has crossed the line from being merely annoying to becoming a danger to the country’s national security. The House, diffident or indulgent all this time, should now find its sense of outrage and censure the looser-than-loose cannon in its midst.

Pageant fans were shocked when Miss Universe 1996 Alicia Machado recently insulted Thailand and mocked Asian features as she criticized Thai mogul Nawat Itsaragrisil, following a confrontation with Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch, ahead of the sashing ceremony.

Nawat, who heads the Thai hosting committee for the staging of the 74th Miss Universe pageant, was caught on video publicly chastising Bosch, which then prompted her to walk out of the conference hall. Other delegates from mostly Latina countries followed suit, including reigning Miss Universe Victoria Theilvig. The confrontation stemmed from a sponsored shoot which Bosch supposedly did not take part in.

Following the incident, Machado, a Venezuelan-American actress-TV host, criticized Nawat through a livestream video on her social media page. However, she also earned the ire of netizens after she apparently insulted Nawat’s home country and even called him ‘that despicable Chinese.’

When a netizen in the comments section tried to correct Machado, she said all individuals with slanted eyes-no matter if they are Chinese, Thai, or Korean-are all Chinese to her. Machado even made the slanted-eye gesture during her livestream.

She also questioned why this year’s Miss Universe pageant is held in Thailand, as she made derogatory remarks against the Asian country.

One of those who spoke up against Machado was Filipino publicist and publisher Josh Yugen, who owns several Miss Universe franchises across the globe. He reposted a clip from Machado’s livestream video and condemned her statement.

‘It’s shocking that in 2025, we still hear such ignorance,’ he said via his Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Speaking to defend Thailand, Yugen stressed the country is one of the most welcoming, safe and sophisticated in the world.

‘[Thailand] deserves respect, not mockery. Maybe Alicia Machado should actually visit Bangkok and see its first-class hotels, world-class transport, and warm-hearted people before talking,’ he said.

‘Her words are proof that racism is still alive, and we must continue fighting it – not with hate, but with education,’ he added.

Yugen also noted that he already unfollowed Machado on the platform, adding the hashtag ‘Stop Asian hate.’ Aside from Machado and Theilvig, other beauty queens who have condemned Nawat’s actions were Miss Universe 2023 and 2020 Sheynnis Palacio of Nicaragua and Andrea Meza of Mexico, respectively, and Rachel Gupta of India who resigned as Miss Grand International 2024 following a spat with the Thai mogul.

After the incident involving Nawat and Mexico bet, Miss Universe Organization (MUO) President Raul Rocha restricted the Thai host organizer’s pageant involvement. Rocha also called him out for his supposed ‘constant desire to be the center of attention.’ Nawat also eventually apologized for his outburst, and was emotional during a recent event. However, he insisted that he did nothing wrong, and that if he hurt anybody, including Bosch, he was only human to have done so.

Dennis Trillo joined his fellow celebrities in using his platform to lament the misuse of the people’s taxes, saying the taxpayers could have put their money to better use by giving them to charities instead.

Trillo took to his Facebook page on Thursday, Nov. 6 to express his frustration over the misuse of the taxes.

‘Sana dinonate nalang natin yung mga binayad nating tax (We could just have donated our taxes instead),’ he said.

In a separate post, Trillo shared photos of Cebu in the aftermath of Typhoon Tino, which contain the phrase, ‘This is nature reminding us na wala pa ding nakukulong (that no one has been put to jail).’

‘Ano na (What now)?’ he said in the caption.

Many celebrities have used their platforms to voice out their indignation over reports of widespread corruption, such as Vice Ganda, Anne Curtis, Edu Manzano, Sophia Laforteza of KATSEYE, Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino, to name a few.

Other stars like Andrea Brillantes, Maris Racal, Catriona Gray, Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos took their frustration to the streets as they participated in the anti-corruption rallies in Manila and Quezon City in September. /ra

Maki doesn’t just perform. He gives back to his fans (whom he lovingly calls as Zushis) and fellow Filipinos in different parts of the world through his performances – and he’s very passionate about doing so.

‘Marami kasing Filipinos sa ibang bansa that I really want to interact with,’ he explained to reporters in a recent interview when asked why he finds joy in performing in different locations.

‘Not only napo-promote ang music ko internally, but I also get to see Filipinos outside the country who support OPM from afar. Para sa’kin, pag-give back kasi ‘yun eh,’ he continued.

(There are a lot of Filipinos in other countries that I really want to interact with. Not only do I get to promote my music internally, but I also get to see Filipinos outside the country who support OPM from afar. For me, that’s my way of giving back to them.)

Earlier this year, Maki traveled to the US, Canada, England and Australia, as well as several stops in the Philippines, as he said meeting Filipinos in different parts of the world means a lot to him.

‘[Gusto kong] iparamdam sa kanila na namimiss na [nga] nila ang Pilipinas and lagi akong excited sa mga ganito. Bukod sa nakakapunta ako sa ibang lugar, nakikita ko ang mga Pilipino sa [iba’t ibang parte] ng mundo. Who knows, magkaroon ako ng fans na hindi Filipino?’ he said.

(I want to make them feel the longing they have for the Philippines. Things like this excite me. Aside from having the chance to visit different places, I see Filipinos in different parts of the world. Who knows, I might even gain non-Filipino fans.)

The singer-songwriter released his debut album ‘Kolorcoaster’ last October, a culmination of his color-centered hit songs ‘Namumula,’ ‘Dilaw,’ ‘Bughaw’ and ‘kahel na langit.’ A labor of love, the album contains songs centered on various colors as a way of expressing emotions which Maki considers as the ‘ride of [his] life.’

‘In the middle of making [‘Kolorcoaster’], may mga challenges. I had to attend to this and that, and I don’t wanna be that kind of artist na dahil lang may ginagawa ako naiiwanan ko na yung ibang bagay,’ he said, noting there were moments when he took it upon himself to beat his deadlines.

‘At the time, I was like, you know what? I’m gonna wake up at 8 a.m. just to do this. I had to beat the deadline. I had to finish the song in a span of just a few minutes,’ he continued. While it is clear that ‘Kolorcoaster’ shows Maki taking full control of his music, identity and story, he admitted that he wants to be an artist who ‘fights for the things that are right.’

‘Morally speaking, I know that I’m fighting for the things that are right. And I will say things that I believe is right. Confident ako na magsasabi ako ng ga’nun sa social media platforms ko aside from [performing] on the stage,’ he said.

‘Because it’s just so sad that we’re living in a country full of love pero ‘yung nagseserbisyo sa’tin, sila pa ang hindi tayo mahal. Mahal lang nila tayo tuwing botohan and kapag nandyan na sila sa serbisyo, [iniiwan] na nila tayo and I don’t think that’s love,’ he added, noting the recent political controversies hounding the country. The singer-songwriter will hold his ‘Kolorcoaster’ concert – which he also directs – at the Araneta Coliseum on Friday, Nov. 7. The concert will also have stops in Doha in Qatar, and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Malacañang has associated the increase in the country’s hunger rate in September with the consecutive natural calamities that struck the Philippines.

Palace press officer Claire Castro remarked on Thursday in response to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, which reported that hunger in the country rose to 22.9 percent in September from 17.6 percent in June. ‘Let us not forget that our fellow citizens have experienced a series of calamities-this has affected the continuous efforts of our government, especially the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), to lower the country’s hunger rate,’ she said, when asked for a reaction on the survey results.

‘Perhaps we are experiencing this because of the consecutive calamities-not just one, but a series of disasters that we’ve been going through one after another,’ she also said.

Castro described surveys on such issues as ‘helpful,’ saying they allow the government to compare and validate its own data.

She also emphasized that the government continues to work tirelessly to provide assistance to those in need.

Based on the SWS survey, conducted from Sept. 14 to 23, the increase in hunger rate was due to the nearly doubled figures in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The latest hunger rate is the highest since the record high of 30.7 percent at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020.

The bodies recovered from Barangay Sabud in Loreo, Agusan del Sur, on Wednesday-where a Philippine Air Force (PAF) Super Huey crashed on Tuesday-have been identified following an examination by government forensics experts.

According to Lt. Col. Salvacion Evangelista, spokesperson of the Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the six victims have been placed in individual caskets and are ready to be returned to their families.

The PAF had released the identities and photos of the pilot and crew of the ill-fated aircraft. They are Capt. Paulie Dumagan, Second Lt. Royce Louis Camigla, Sgts. John Christopher Golfo and Yves Sijub, Airman First Class Ericson Merico, and Airman Ameer Khaidar Apion.

At 11 a.m. Thursday, the remains of Sijub received departure honors before being transported to General Santos City.

Even after formally submitting a request to the Office of the Ombudsman, Akbayan Party President Rafaela David is urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other top government officials to voluntarily release their Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) to demonstrate transparency.

David, along with members of the party-list and civil society, and youth leaders, requested the SALNs of Marcos, Vice President Sara Duterte, former Ombudsman Samuel Martires, and 13 other officials on Thursday.

‘They shouldn’t wait for the Ombudsman to release their SALNs. They should release their SALNs themselves,’ David, speaking in Filipino, said in an ambush interview after the letter’s submission.

‘Our topmost officials should set an example and show that they are committed to transparency and accountability. They should lead the way. Even before the Ombudsman releases the SALNs, they should make theirs public. That is our appeal to the president, the vice president, and all government officials,’ she added.

Akbayan issued the letter following the publication of Memorandum Circular No. 3, series of 2025, on October 31. According to the Civil Code’s requirement, the memo takes effect 15 days after publication.

The Office of the Ombudsman lifted restrictions on public access to SALNs filed by government officials on October 14, marking a departure from the policy of Remulla’s predecessor, Martires, who in 2020 imposed stringent conditions on the documents’ release.

Martires had allowed access to SALNs only if there was notarized consent from the officials concerned, a court order related to a pending case, or a need by the Ombudsman’s field investigators for a fact-finding probe.

In defense of his policy, Martires said at that time that SALNs had been weaponized to damage the reputations of government officials or political rivals.

Under Remulla’s memorandum, journalists and the public now need only to present two valid IDs and pay for the reproduction or certification fee to request a copy of an official’s SALN.

Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) exited the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) early Thursday morning, but its trough continues to bring rain to parts of Luzon and Mindanao, the state weather bureau said.

Kalmaegi was tracked early Thursday morning, about 265 kilometers north-northwest of Pag-asa Island, Kalayaan, Palawan, moving west-northwest at 35 kilometers per hour (kph), the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

The storm has maximum sustained winds of 155 kph and gusts of up to 190 kph as it heads towards Central Vietnam.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 remains in effect in the Kalayaan Islands due to Kalmaegi’s extensive circulation.

Pagasa also reported that the trough of the typhoon is bringing scattered rains and thunderstorms to the following areas:

Aurora

Quezon

rest of Palawan

Zamboanga Peninsula

Basilan

Tawi-Tawi

Meanwhile, two other weather systems are affecting the rest of Luzon.

Separately, the northeast monsoon, or ‘amihan,’ will bring rains to Batanes, while the shear line triggers scattered rain and isolated thunderstorms in Cagayan, Pagasa added.

Localized thunderstorms are also forecast to bring isolated rain showers to Metro Manila and the rest of the country.

Pagasa is also monitoring Tropical Storm Fung Wong, which is still outside of PAR, at 1,735 kilometers east of northeastern Mindanao, moving northwestward at 20 kph.

Fung Wong has maximum sustained winds of 65 kph and gusts of up to 80 kph.

Pagasa said Fung Wong is expected to ‘rapidly intensify and may reach typhoon category on Friday, and super typhoon category on Saturday.’

Fung Wong is forecast to enter PAR on Friday evening or Saturday morning, and Pagasa will assign the domestic name Uwan.

Inflation was steady at 1.7 percent in October, as cheaper rice prices and slower price increases in other food staples like meat and vegetables offset a faster rise in utility rates.

The latest figure, reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday, settled within the 1.4- to 2.2-percent forecast range of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for the month.

In the first 10 months, consumer price increases averaged 1.7 percent, undershooting the 2- to 4-percent target band of the BSP.

The cost of utilities and rent-the main drivers of inflation in October-rose 2.7 percent from 2.1 percent a month earlier, propelled by a 4.1-percent jump in electricity rates and a 5.7-percent increase in water bills.

The uptick was offset by slower food price pressure, which eased to 0.5 percent from 1 percent in the previous month.

Rice prices

Vegetable inflation cooled to 16.6 percent from 19.4 percent, while meat prices rose 5.2 percent, slower than 6 percent earlier. Price hikes in dairy products and eggs also moderated to 1.6 percent from 2.5 percent.

At the same time, rice prices fell by 17 percent in October, slightly deeper than the 16.9-percent decline a month earlier. The PSA said the downtrend may persist amid higher local production and the continued ban on rice imports.

Still, statisticians warned that vegetable prices could rise in the coming months due to recent typhoons. Transport costs may also add pressure to inflation toward year-end as holiday demand builds.

‘The steady headline inflation rate shows that our coordinated interventions are helping to maintain adequate supplies and keeping essential goods affordable,’ Department of Economy, Planning and Development Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

‘We remain vigilant in managing risks from weather disturbances, global market volatility and other domestic factors that may affect prices in the coming months,’ he added.

More room for BSP

With inflation remaining subdued, the case for additional policy rate cuts through the rest of the year and into 2026 remained alive, as the BSP maintained a pro-growth stance in a bid to supercharge an economy hit by governance issues and weather disturbances.

In a statement, the central bank said potential electricity rate adjustments and possible increases in tariffs on rice imports could add some upward pressures.

But even if those risks materialize, the BSP said they won’t be enough to upset its ‘generally benign’ inflation outlook.

The BSP also flagged the ‘weakened’ domestic growth prospects, citing depressed business sentiment amid the widening probe into anomalous infrastructure spending of the government.

Looking ahead, the central bank said it would use the fresh data to ‘reassess the impact of prior monetary action.’

In a note to clients, economists at Chinabank Research said more easing actions may be on the horizon.

‘We expect overall inflation to remain low for the rest of the year, though upward price pressures may arise from energy-a hefty increase in local pump prices was announced this week-as well as from weather-sensitive food prices,’ they said.

‘With inflation running low, this would likely provide support for consumer spending and give room for the BSP to continue easing monetary policy,’ they added.