Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) must not be disclosed because of the ongoing investigations into corruption, but because ‘it is the right thing to do,’ Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre said on Thursday.

In a press briefing, Acidre expressed concerns over calls for former and current public officials, especially those linked in the flood-control projects, to release their SALNs.

‘I think if ever we’re going to open the SALNs or to expand our facilitated access to the SALNs, it should be done in the spirit of good governance and transparency. If we open this just for the flood control, there’s already anticipation that sooner or later, it will be weaponized,’ the lawmaker explained.

He also said that copies of SALNs may be requested from the House secretariat as long as there is ‘legitimate reason.’

Revisions of the House’s SALN policy are also being discussed, according to Acidre, but no details have been made final.

Acidre said that the Congress is ‘one with the country’ in the proper facilitation of releasing SALNs.

‘We’re all hoping that members of the House will find a way of really satisfying this requirement of disclosing our SALN, not because there are investigations, [but] simply because it is the right thing to do. And we owe it to the people to be more transparent about our actual net worth,’ he noted.

However, the legislator also emphasized that it would be good if former Ako-Bicol Partylist Rep. Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co’s SALN is disclosed for ‘clarity.’

‘It would be nice for clarity. In fact, it should be historical. So we can see how rich he was before he became a congressman, and how rich he became during his term in office,’ Acidre pointed out.

Co is one among the many public officials linked to the anomalous flood control projects.

However, he has yet to appear before the hearings to answer allegations that he was part of a multi-million peso kickback scheme from government-funded infrastructure projects.

Last Wednesday, in a press briefing, Co’s legal counsel Atty. Ruy Rondain attested that Co’s wealth was earned through business ventures before the ex-congressman entered the government.

Amid the investigations on the corruption controversy, public officials have been called to release their SALNs.

In late October, all 24 senators made their SALNs public.

However, only 14 of the 317 members of the House have released their SALNs as of October 23.

Former Philippine National Police chief Rodolfo Azurin, special adviser and investigator of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), said the commission is looking into why a flood control project along the Davao River here was already damaged only months after it was completed last year.

Azurin said the ICI has taken samples of the materials used to build the dike to check if the project’s contractor followed the specifications approved by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

‘We saw that in less than two years, the project was already damaged, but we still have to review the contract with the DPWH so that we can determine what sanctions we can impose on the contractors and the implementers of the project,’ Azurin told reporters here.

‘We can’t say yet that it’s substandard. We still have to subject it to a series of tests, [that’s why we took samples of the] materials for quality control so that DPWH can determine whether they were using the right materials,’ he said.

Residents disappointed

Residents who live in the area said they were happy when the dike was finished last year because they were always fearful every time it rained because of the rise in the river water.

But according to a resident, they were disappointed when, two months after it was completed, the dike was already damaged and part of the river water flowed into the embankment where their houses stood.

The residents also showed a makeshift bridge that they constructed over the embankment, but a 7-year-old and a pregnant woman were injured when they fell over it.

Azurin was joined by Public Works Undersecretary Arthur Bisnar and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong to inspect three of the 51 questionable projects earlier flagged by the DPWH in the Davao region.

‘Nothing to hide’

Meanwhile, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte lashed out at Act Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, who earlier said they reviewed 121 flood control projects along the Davao and Matina Rivers from 2019 to 2022, and found that around 62 of these were supposedly ‘awarded without details.’

‘Let me make this clear-Davao City has nothing to hide,’ Duterte said in a statement.

‘Every single flood control project along the Davao and Matina Rivers was implemented, inspected, and validated by the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Commission on Audit (COA). The structures exist. They are serving the people. They are not ‘ghosts,” he added.

He also told the ICI: ‘Stop pretending this is a ‘national audit,’ when you keep flying your people – retired police, recycled appointees, and non-engineers – to Davao just to take photos beside working projects. If you want credibility, send real engineers, not political operators,’ said Duterte, who again called the president ‘bangag.’

He dared the ICI to look for ghost projects in Luzon, not in Davao, where they can see the projects standing and being used by people.

Canlaon has been placed under a state of calamity following a resolution passed by the city council during its regular session on Nov. 5, after massive damage was reported in several barangays due to flooding and landslides caused by Typhoon Tino.

Authorities are still conducting search and rescue operations for at least 11 missing persons, while the confirmed death toll has risen to 16, according to city officials.

Mayor Jose ‘Batchuk’ Cardenas said city personnel have been working round the clock to clear roads, bridges, and waterways as part of ongoing recovery efforts and preparations for an incoming typhoon expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday, Nov. 8.

In a Facebook post, Cardenas said the local government aims to complete all road-clearing operations within four days to allow safe transport of relief goods and essential supplies into the city.

He also noted that desilting operations in the Malaiba River are a crucial part of flood mitigation efforts. Meanwhile, Malacañang announced on Thursday that Canlaon City is among the localities to receive P10 million in direct aid from the Office of the President to support relief and rehabilitation efforts.

Local relief operations have intensified, with private groups and volunteers launching both online and on-site donation drives for affected residents.

As of writing, communication lines remain unstable, and power supply has yet to be restored in most parts of the city. Officials said the immediate needs of affected families include clean water, food, and temporary shelter.

Despite the city’s ongoing challenges, Mayor Cardenas expressed optimism that the people of Canlaon will overcome the crisis.

The Recording Academy will announce the 2026 Grammy Award nominees on Friday. It’s as good a reason as any to take a beat and examine how the institution makes it decisions. Who selects the nominees? Who votes? Can anyone nominate any recorded release for a Grammy?

We’ve got you covered. Read on to get a crash course on how Grammy voting works.

How does Grammy voting work?

Members of the Recording Academy and record labels submit artists in certain categories, which are then vetted for eligibility. Currently, there are 95 Grammy Award categories.

After submissions have been screened, voting members help determine who the final nominations will be – typically in the fall – using a membership dashboard. They can only vote for music that has been submitted and vetted.

Once the nominees are determined and announced in November, a period of final round voting takes place. This cycle, that runs from Dec. 12 through Jan. 5.

Winners are announced live at the award show in February.

And don’t get it twisted – voting members do not vote in all 95 categories. They’re permitted to vote in up to 10 categories across three genre fields, as well as the six general field categories, which include record, album, song, producer, non-classical and songwriter, non-classical of the year, and best new artist. That allows experts to focus on their expertise.

How does someone become a voting member?

There are three types of Recording Academy memberships: Grammy U, professional and voting memberships. The latter includes performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, instrumentalists and beyond. Those are the members who determine Grammy winners each year.

Voting members have to provide a proof of a primary career in music, two recommendations and certain verifiable credits.

But there are a few ways around some of those requirements: If you are a current year’s Grammy winner or nominee, you do not need to provide a recommendation from someone in the industry. If you’ve been nominated for a Grammy in the last five years, you do not need to provide proof of your credits.

What determines Grammy eligibility?

Entries must adhere to the specific qualifications of the categories they are submitted into. Rules and guidelines can be found at Grammy.com.

There are also frequent changes made to categories and fields. In 2026, there have been a few: best country album has been divided into best contemporary country album and best traditional country album. The best recording package and the best boxed or special limited edition package categories have also been combined into the best recording package category, with best album cover spun out on its own.

Most importantly: Recordings and music videos must also be submitted within the Grammy eligibility window, which for the 2026 award show means work released between Aug. 31, 2024 – Aug. 30, 2025.

How does a musician qualify for best new artist?

The category of new artist is constantly evolving, trying to capture the zeitgeist each year as the process of categorizing fame gets more complicated. The Grammy rules currently say nominations hinge on whether ‘the artist had attained a breakthrough or prominence’ – and it delegates that determination to a screening committee. Eligible artists must have released at least five singles or one album, but there is no longer a maximum. That’s why someone like, say, Sabrina Carpenter – who broke out in the summer of ‘Espresso’ – found herself up for the best new artist trophy in 2025 despite being on her sixth full-length release.

And this year, the category has also been expanded to include acts who were featured on previous album of the year nominees, so long as they fall below 20% of the album’s music.

Century Pacific Food reported Thursday that its net income in the first nine months of the year grew 10 percent year-on-year to P5.8 billion.

In a disclosure, it said consolidated sales reached P61.8 billion in the period This came as the group saw stronger third quarter results. This was driven by its branded business and the recovery of its OEM (original equipment manufacturer) exports segment.

‘Certain domestic macroeconomic factors are supporting our volume-led growth, especially for a food company like ours that plays in staples,’ chief financial officer Chad Manapat said. ‘Stabilizing inflation, particularly lower rice prices, has somewhat improved purchasing power, which in turn increased demand,’ Manapat said.

He added that he was bullish about the group ending the year with double-digit growth for both profit and revenues.

ACT Teachers Representative and Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio on Thursday announced plans to file a House resolution next week calling for a congressional probe into flood control projects in Davao that were flagged for purported irregularities.

Tinio said the resolution will also urge the Commission on Audit (COA), the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), and the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct their own investigations. The lawmaker announced in response to Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte’s challenge for him to visit Davao and ask residents whether they have experienced flooding.

Tinio emphasized that the data highlighting P4.35 billion worth of flood control projects with red flags came directly from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) website and official budget documents, which he and his team merely ‘analyzed and cross-checked.’

‘Congressman Duterte says Davao has nothing to hide. Good. Then he should welcome a full, transparent investigation of all flood control and infrastructure projects in his district. The Filipino people deserve answers about how P4.35 billion in public funds was spent-or mispent,’ he said in a statement.

‘The data I presented showing 80 out of 121 contracts worth P4.35 billion with serious red flags came from the DPWH’s own records, their website, and official budget documents. We simply analyzed and cross-checked what the government’s own data revealed,’ Tinio noted.

Further backing his claims, the Makabayan lawmaker noted that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) also flagged alleged irregularities in Davao City’s flood control projects.

‘The ICI discovered that a flood control project along the Davao River in Matina Gravahan collapsed just eight months after completion in May 2023. According to ICI Special Adviser Rodolfo Azurin Jr., they need to investigate whether substandard materials were used or if the cement mixture was incorrect,’ Tinio said.

‘So Congressman Duterte says these projects were inspected and validated by DPWH and COA, yet an inspection team led by Azurin and ICI advisor Mayor Magalong found a collapsed project and is now questioning the materials used and calling for contract reviews and sanctions. Sino ba ang dapat paniwalaan?’ he further asked.

Earlier, Tinio revealed five categories for classifying the red-flagged projects:

Total overlap: Two contracts worth P135.14 million funded construction on identical river sections, with one 2019 project covering a section of the Davao River, while a 2020 project covered the same section plus additional areas

Double funding: Two contracts worth P115.09 million were awarded to different contractors for the same project location (‘revetment along Davao River at the Davao River Bridge upstream section’)

Changed location and shortchanging: Nine contracts worth P484.04 million were implemented at different locations than specified in the General Appropriations Act (GAA), often with significantly reduced coverage. For example, one GAA item allocated P30 million for 375 meters of revetment, but the actual contract covered only 120 meters-a shortfall of 255 meters, while charging P161,250 per meter instead of the budgeted P80,000

Awarded contracts without details: A staggering 62 contracts worth P3.44 billion were awarded without proper specifications (such as exact location and length) in official records, making verification and accountability difficult

Awarded contracts not in GAA: 10 contracts worth P622.57 million were implemented despite having no corresponding line items in the approved national budget

He pointed out that these red flags do not merely point to whether the project exists, but also if they were built in the right locations, built to specifications, if they can withstand flooding, and if the P4.35 billion in public funds ‘was spent properly or pocketed by contractors and corrupt officials.’

‘These are not baseless accusations or political drama. These are documented irregularities in DPWH’s own records involving billions in public funds and contractors with clear political ties to the Duterte family and their allies,’ he said. According to Tinio, the projects’ contractors are firms tied to prominent personalities in politics, such as Alfrego Builders (Senator Bong Go’s half-brother, Alfredo Go), in a joint venture with Rely Construction (P96.5 million), and GENESIS88, whose proprietor, Glenn Escandor, donated to Vice President Sara Duterte’s 2022 campaign.

With his return to the Senate blue ribbon committee as its chair, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said he would look into farm-to-market roads, ‘ayuda’ (assistance) programs, and other beneficiaries of the P255.5 billion realigned for flood works in the 2026 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Lacson said part of the realignments also went to the Health Facility Enhancement Program that funds the Super Health Centers.

‘Much of the realignments went to farm-to-market roads. The question is, is the list of such roads from the Department of Agriculture or from congressmen?’ Lacson said.

‘Some ayuda (aid) programs are to be funded by unprogrammed appropriations. We intend to uproot these and return them to the regular budget,’ he added.

Lawmakers’ funds

Lacson said he will move to consolidate funds for ‘ayuda’ and social services under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a program that will vet and provide qualified families with livelihood and education.

He also pushed for the realignment of some P2 billion for the ‘Tulong Dunong’ scholarship program of lawmakers to the Free Tertiary Education Act.

Lacson said he already discussed with Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian the consolidation of funds for Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients to Universal Health Care. This will remove from lawmakers the ‘burden’ of issuing guarantee letters, as the Department of Health will now determine what assistance to provide needy patients.

‘Our work as lawmakers is to legislate and exercise oversight, not to implement laws,’ he said.

‘Let’s make our programs systematic and not whimsical, arbitrary, and patronage-based,’ he stressed.

‘Alien, turo-turo’ items

On Tuesday, Lacson said the Senate will move to strike out ‘alien’ and ‘turo-turo’ items-along with unprogrammed appropriations not tied to foreign-assisted projects-from the 2026 budget bill, which it will start tackling next week.

He said ‘alien’ refers to items not in the disagreeing provisions of the Senate and House versions of the budget bill, while ‘turo-turo’ refers to whimsical, arbitrary, and patronage-based programs.

‘Pleasure of my peers’

Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente Sotto III expressed confidence that he would still keep his post even with Lacson’s return as head of the blue ribbon panel.

Sotto noted that ‘our colleagues also want him [back as blue ribbon chair].’

‘And if ever there is [unrest], no problem with that. I always serve at the pleasure of my peers. Maybe being a senator is much easier than being [the chamber’s top] official,’ he said.

Last month, Lacson announced he would resign as committee chair after his colleagues expressed ‘disappointment’ with his handling of the inquiry into flood control projects.

Lacson had vowed to go where the evidence points, as some of his colleagues were now being implicated in the flood works controversy.

Some sectors viewed his previous departure as a sign of an ‘unstable’ Senate and a bid to ‘appease his majority colleagues’ so that Sotto’s presidency could be ‘preserved.’

Lacson is set to be reelected committee chair next week.

Meeting with Romualdez

Sotto also said he may meet with former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, possibly to invite him to the committee’s next hearing.

‘I’ve already set up a meeting. It might be later or tomorrow. Within the next few days, we’ll be able to talk,’ the Senate leader said.

DandL Industries Inc. is confident about posting stronger financial results next year amid the rate-cut cycle and its robust export business.

This, as the firm’s bottom line in the first nine months rose by 8 percent to P1.95 billion this year from P1.81 billion amid the recent spikes in coconut oil prices.

DandL processes this raw material to produce specialty products such as biodiesel, ingredients for food and personal care and chemical products.

‘From what we see, interest rates are coming down, not just in the Philippines, but even in the US, and in other markets as well,’ DandL president and CEO Alvin Lao told reporters in an online briefing.

‘That usually has a big impact on the economy. So, from that perspective, 2026 should be better,’ Lao said.

Benchmark rate

So far this year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has reduced its benchmark interest rate by four times. The BSP is seen to implement further rate cuts as government spending slows down amid the flood control corruption scandal.

When borrowing costs are lower, consumers and businesses are more encouraged to take out loans and spend, subsequently raising the demand for goods and services.

Aside from this, Lao said the group is banking on its export performance, which is ‘continuing to do well.’

‘We have a lot more (overseas) customers lined up and we have a lot more plans to continue to grow exports,’ he said.

For 2025, the executive also expressed optimism that DandL can hit its 10-percent growth target.

Sales likewise jumped 40 percent to P41.29 billion from P29.48 billion.

Challenging year

‘We do see 2025 being a challenging year, but because of the foundation that we have, investments in RandD (research and development) and a new plant in Batangas, we are able to weather the storm,’ Lao said.

While coconut oil prices hit its record-high of nearly $3,000 per metric ton in the third quarter, the executive said DandL’s overall volume growth ‘remained resilient.’

During the January to September period, total volume climbed 11 percent year-on-year, helped by both high-margin specialty products and commodities.

DandL’s export revenues grew by 20 percent to P11 billion. The firm reiterated that its export business would continue to fuel its growth despite the controversial tariff policies of the United States.

Over 6,000 cups have been served since Ex-Preso began-not from a grand plan, but from grace, says Fr. Jun-G Bargayo Jr., SJ, the executive director of the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service Foundation (PJPS). When the PJPS formation house opened on July 2, eight PRLs (persons restored of liberty) entered the program. A week later, someone donated a food cart. ‘Why not try coffee?’ Fr. Bargayo Jr. thought.

And so, with the help of Fr. Albert Garong, SSP, a coffee aficionado, they acquired a machine.

A rediscovery of purpose and dignity

Suddenly, the coffeemakers were learning to brew new beginnings first by faith, then by practice.

‘Initially, we struggled with the name,’ Fr. Bargayo Jr. recalls. And a lot of them were hesitant, wanting to hide their past as PDLs. But everything changed the day they served coffee at the Ateneo during the Feast of St. Ignatius. Fear, shame, and inadequacy melted into warm acceptance.

For these men, Ex-Preso is more than a livelihood. It is liberation in a cup, a rediscovery of purpose and dignity.

Freedom, however, is complicated. ‘It isn’t easy for someone who has been confined for years,’ Fr. Bargayo Jr. explains. ‘The world they returned to isn’t the world they remember.’ That is why PJPS’s three-month psychospiritual formation is essential. It is a program designed to heal the spirit and to help them regain their self-worth. The program teaches the rhythm of prayer and work, financial literacy and basic entrepreneurship, conflict resolution, and the art of starting over.

For these men, Ex-Preso is more than a livelihood. It is liberation in a cup, a rediscovery of purpose and dignity

After formation comes the deployment phase-a rebirth. The goal there is clear: For every Ex-Preso barista to one day co-own a cart, to be their own boss, and to serve hope with every brew. Many PDLs are, in fact, entrepreneurship graduates from the University of Perpetual Help’s extension program-proof that education, even behind bars, can transform lives.

To them, the cart is not merely a dispenser of caffeine. It is a small business on wheels and a classroom-where patience is practiced, discipline is learned, and where service becomes an offering of gratitude.

Mark’s story of pride

Mark remembers laughing when Fr. Bargayo Jr. said that he would one day manage a coffee cart. After six years and four months in prison, he had lost confidence. He could not look people in the eye; unworthiness had become a habit.

Then Ex-Preso arrived. Within a month, Mark, who admitted he had no skills, learned to drive, to pull a perfect espresso, to tinker with and repair a coffee machine, and slowly, to reclaim himself. ‘Kung hindi ako nakulong, malamang patay na ako,’ he recalls.

‘I never imagined people would talk to me, thank me, and even smile-because of my coffee’

Today, Mark is living his best life: free of vice, earning from honest work, and with self-respect. With a smile, he says, ‘I never imagined people would talk to me, thank me, and even smile-because of my coffee.’

His scars remain, but so does grace. Before Ex-Preso, he was hiding. Now, he’s seen! His proudest moment? Hearing his mother say she is proud of him.

Armel’s story of acceptance

Armel spent 21 years behind bars-a ‘colorful captivity,’ he muses. During that time, he earned a degree in commerce, majored in entrepreneurship, and volunteered as a teacher. When freedom finally came, it was not what he expected. He intimates that he prayed for release but should have prayed to be ready instead.

He was haunted by anxiety and chose to live apart from family, admitting that it’s hard to give what you don’t have. While he is currently working to piece himself together to eventually go home healed, restored, and complete, Ex-Preso has given him the chance to piece himself back together. So with each cup Armel brews, he utters a prayer, whispered for whoever will drink it. This, he says, is his way of giving back.

He has accepted that some will still continue to judge him. ‘I can’t change how they see me. But I can work on becoming better,’ says Armel.

His specialty is ‘C’ARMEL’ Macchiato, the drink named after me, he chuckles. ‘Imagine, galing po ako sa loob, na-spell ko ang macchiato!’ The joke lands, but behind it is courage. Armel is able to dream again. His hopes are modest and mighty at once-to own a small home, support his child, live quietly, and help those still waiting for their break of dawn.

On precision, patience, and dignity

Ex-Preso is, at heart, a ministry of restoration. It teaches precision and patience-grinding, tamping, calibrating-but also the deeper craft of dignity. showing up on time, earning trust, being accountable, and standing tall.

There is still a long road ahead. Freedom demands steady work, and healing takes time. But the smell of coffee makes the road of Ex-Preso enticing.

Six thousand cups and counting. and that’s just the beginning. Each new booking sustains livelihoods, funds formation, and tells a simple story-that people can change, with our help and a ‘little kindness.’

President Marcos’ surprise move to shake hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the close of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Saturday could be seen as a diplomatic gambit.

That moment, captured on camera, was pregnant with meaning (see ‘Amid sea row, Marcos extends hand to Xi,’ 11/2/25). Recognizing its newsworthiness, the Inquirer chose it as the banner photo for its Sunday issue.

The novelty of the handshake lies in the context in which it was done.

By stepping up to approach the usually heavily guarded Xi to congratulate him on China’s chairmanship of the Apec forum in 2026, was Mr. Marcos setting the stage for an imminent reframing of Philippine relations with China? This question is relevant due to the ongoing hostility between Manila and Beijing, stemming from the longstanding maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Whatever motivations he might have, Mr. Marcos displayed true statesmanship as the leader of the nation hosting in 2026 the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and related meetings that include the leaders’ summit of the Asean Plus Three (Asean plus China, Japan, and South Korea).

Depending on confidence-building measures that could ensue from Mr. Marcos’ friendly gesture toward Xi, next year’s Asean Summit could shape up to be a very consequential one-if Xi attends the Asean Plus Three meeting in Manila, and more importantly, agrees to the adoption of the code of conduct in the South China Sea between China and other claimant nations.

The Inquirer hit the nail on the head with the story that accompanied the photo, summing up the full import of what Mr. Marcos achieved diplomatically, however fleeting the handshake was: ‘But it was the President, who often complains about Chinese aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea, who initiated the universal gesture of peace and friendship, which surprised the Chinese leader unaccustomed to unchoreographed actions.’

Art of diplomacy. Bilateral relations between sovereign nations are anchored in respect and trust. In global affairs, when one side offers the olive branch, it is often interpreted as a friendly gesture that bodes well for dialogue. Diplomacy can open doors for reframing the engagement of two assertive sovereign nations beyond the confines of the volatile WPS, regardless of their asymmetrical relationships on the economic, military, and technological fronts.

Mr. Marcos himself viewed the opportunity to speak face-to-face with Xi as ‘just common courtesy’ to a fellow leader, and therefore, we should not read too much into it. But by showing humility instead of hostility toward China, despite its continued harassment of Filipino fishers in the WPS, Mr. Marcos demonstrated political maturity that won’t escape the keen perception of Xi and his closest advisers.

Diplomats view such gestures as a spring of hope, as our President appears to be on a mission to find pathways for peace in a volatile region, where the emergence of China as an economic and technological powerhouse is impacting global geopolitics.

Nonconfrontational. The President’s nonconfrontational approach is a personal trait that officials who have worked with him can readily attest to. Recall what he declared last July at the White House: ‘Our foreign policy is an independent one, and we are essentially concerned with the defense of our territory and our sovereign rights .. Again, our strongest partner has been the United States, but we are trying to form coalitions and multilateral relations so that those like-minded nations who share the same values would hew to international law.’

In response, US President Donald Trump said he didn’t mind if Mr. Marcos got along with China ‘because we’re getting along with China very well . He has to do what’s right for his country.’ Apparently returning the favor, Mr. Marcos praised both Trump and Xi for agreeing to ‘pause’ their tit-for-tat tariff increases when they met on the sidelines of the Apec summit last week.

Seen through the lens of these recent events, the handshake was only the overt manifestation of Mr. Marcos’ inner desire for peace. In public and even privately, Mr. Marcos has been vocal about the need to resolve issues peacefully, without, however, sacrificing our country’s territorial integrity (unlike his predecessor). Talking peace with China and asserting our national sovereignty are not mutually exclusive.

We hope that Marcos’ impromptu gesture will lead to more constructive dialogues that reduce confrontations on the high seas and ultimately persuade Beijing that the code of conduct can calm the restive waters, rather than fueling the potential for a shooting war in this Asian century. The prospect of a thaw in relations appears promising because Foreign Secretary Tess Lazaro, a longtime reliable hand in foreign affairs, is advising the President on the China issue.