Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The House of Representatives has given the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) until Friday to submit a proposed schedule of new, higher case rates for 2026, warning that state subsidies for next year would depend on the agency’s compliance.

During plenary deliberations on the Department of Health’s proposed ?253-billion budget, House appropriations committee chair and Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Suansing reminded the state insurer that since the chamber was proposing to realign ?60 billion that was slashed from the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) proposed 2026 budget toward subsidies for the National Health Insurance Program, PhilHealth must commit to raising case rates.

Case rates refer to fixed reimbursement amounts given to hospitals and doctors per illness or procedure.

‘I hope that the PhilHealth will give us the updated case rates by Friday and that should already be the closest estimates to what would eventually be the increase in case rates,’ Suansing stressed. ‘We should not just see ballpark figures.’

‘We are doubling PhilHealth’s budget. Just looking off of that, [our] expectation is at least a 50 percent increase in case rates,’ she added.

Suansing’s deadline – announced past midnight of Sept. 30 – will determine whether the House would eventually approve the additional subsidy.

‘I think everyone is in agreement that the ?60 billion is a huge ask on the part of PhilHealth and we would need more information as to whether or not to ultimately approve it in the final version of the House general appropriations bill,’ she said.

The ?60 billion represents excess PhilHealth funds reverted to the national treasury in 2024 and ordered returned by President Marcos Jr. on Sept. 20.

This is on top of the ?53 billion already earmarked for state subsidies in the 2026 National Expenditure Program. This means PhilHealth could receive a total of ?113 billion – if the House is satisfied with its submission by Friday.

Both Suansing and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, a former health secretary under the Aquino administration, pressed PhilHealth officials to detail increases in packages covering major procedures such as angiogram and angioplasty.

Initially, PhilHealth officials were reluctant to commit to figures, saying that increases must undergo actuarial studies to ensure sustainability.

But later, through sponsoring lawmaker Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia, they estimated that coverage for an angiogram could rise to ?100,000, while angioplasty could increase to about ?200,000.

Suansing argued that PhilHealth could afford an ambitious increase in case rates as its massive reserve funds could cover the deficit.

Beyond case rates, the appropriations chair previously warned PhilHealth that it must not use the additional subsidies for investments.

PhilHealth’s case rate system was intended to simplify payments and curb fraudulent claims. However, it has long been criticized for failing to keep pace with rising medical costs.

MREIT Inc. plans to double its portfolio to one million square meters (sq m) of gross leasable area (GLA) by 2027 by targeting the retail assets of its sponsor, Megaworld Corp.

MREIT disclosed on Monday they wanted to take advantage of continued growth in consumer spending and strong momentum in mall leasing.

‘Our goal is to diversify our portfolio and expand our revenue base,’ MREIT chair Kevin Tan said in a statement. ‘So while the country is experiencing an impressive growth in consumer activities, we want to tap into these opportunities.’

Megaworld currently has 500,000 sq m of retail GLA that may potentially be infused into MREIT. Once these assets are injected into MREIT, its portfolio would reach one million sq m.

According to MREIT, foot traffic at Megaworld Lifestyle Malls has already surpassed prepandemic levels. This was mainly due to strong leasing activities from both local and international brands.

Mall occupancy reached a record-high 93 percent in the first semester. This helps make the retail sector an attractive investment opportunity.

MREIT’s portfolio is spread across Megaworld’s townships. These include Eastwood City, McKinley Hill, McKinley West, Iloilo Business Park and Davao Park District.

In the first six months of the year, MREIT’s distributable income surged by 26 percent to P1.86 billion. This was driven by gains from six newly acquired properties and better occupancy levels.

Its revenues likewise swelled by 28 percent to P2.7 billion.

3 million square meters

At the same time, Megaworld plans to grow its office GLA to 2 million sq m and its retail GLA to one million sq m by 2030. This would bring its total leasing portfolio to 3 million sq m.

Megaworld also recently sold P2.24 billion worth of its shares in MREIT. This makes room for possible asset infusions in the future.

This raised MREIT’s public ownership level to 40 percent. It is above the 33.33-percent minimum requirement for real estate investment trusts.

According to MREIT, Mactan Newtown in Cebu will get P830 million of the total proceeds. Paragua Coastown in Palawan will be allocated P845 million, while the Bacolod township will be allocated P537.92 million. INQ

The title of today’s piece describes our collective reaction to all events unfolding before us, local, national, or international.

Our collective stupor has been our way of life for the last two presidential elections. Before Ferdinand Marcos Jr. became President, we had a president who made killing a normalized disciplinary action for those allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade. Many of us appreciated this, arguing that it was, so far, the best deterrent to the widespread use of illegal drugs among the youth.

When former President Rodrigo Duterte started his term, he vowed to end the illegal drug problem within six months. A lot of us applauded him, despite his crass and vulgar language, whenever he talked about this major affliction among the Filipino population.

But when he stepped down in May 2022, the drug problem was nowhere near eradicated. Duterte himself admitted that he was not able to end this problem as he promised.

The levels of corruption in many government bureaucracies-from the local to the national levels-were already quite noticeable earlier, even before Mr. Marcos cried ‘mahiya naman kayo!’ in his fourth State of the Nation Address.

When Duterte assumed the presidency, he always said that he hated corruption-even a ‘whiff’ of it. It appeared that he did not want small-scale corrupt practices and could have allowed huge amounts of corruption. But it was during his time that the now infamous contractor couple-the Discayas-bagged the biggest chunks of their contracts with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

We also recently learned that one of the huge contributors to the campaign of Duterte’s daughter, now Vice President Sara Duterte, is the Escandor family. A recent inquiry yielded information that the Escandors contributed P20 million to Sara’s vice-presidential campaign. The Escandors are the owners of Genesis 88 Construction. They bagged P2.9 billion of flood control projects in the entire Davao Region, with 25 percent of these projects in Davao City. The Escandors own some hotels and other business establishments in Davao City. Many of their projects are now being investigated by the new secretary of the DPWH. Some of these projects were completed in 2022, but only on paper.

This does not include the infrastructure projects awarded to the family of Sen. Bong Go, who used to be Duterte’s man Friday. In August 2025, information surfaced that Go’s father, Desiderio Go, owns the CLTG Builders (the initials stand for Christopher Lawrence Tesoro Go, the senator’s full name). The company allegedly facilitated the joint venture with Sarah Discaya’s St. Gerrard Construction, the top contractor during the Duterte presidency.

Why it took us this long to express our rage during the ‘Trillion Peso March’ last Sept. 21 spoke volumes about our collective slumber for more than a decade. It seems we have ‘accepted’ that corruption in government offices is normal. It would be unusual to find a few local and national government officials whose hands are not entangled in dirty reciprocal relationships with contractors of infrastructure projects.

And it took a force majeure from nature-in the form of endless flooding-among areas that were supposed to benefit from multimillion- and multibillion-peso flood control projects to wake us up. We reacted like audiences of a slow-burn movie, and only recently have we realized that we could do something together. And this has led to holding huge protest rallies to call out our senators, congressmen and women, and all local and regional officials.

In fairness to several journalists-both in broadcast and print media-these anomalies have been written about and discussed on television in the recent past. But collectively, many of us just listened and shrugged our shoulders, thinking that it was not something to be surprised about.

Our delayed reaction, its minimal impact, and the slow pace of the national government in addressing these problems mirror how global populations have reacted to the major human-made catastrophes of the 21st century. These include Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that continues to this day, and the most inhuman tragedy of all-Israel’s genocidal war against Palestine.

While there are several international initiatives to challenge Israel’s genocide in Gaza, they are quite late and insufficient. Global entities like the United Nations should have acted more swiftly and more strongly, rather than just issuing statements of condemnation. And all these initiatives have been quite slow compared to the swiftness of Israel’s annihilation of Palestinians.

No minors remain in the custody of the Manila Police District (MPD) following the Sept. 21 anti-corruption rally in Mendiola, authorities said on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

MPD spokesperson Major Philipp Ines confirmed this in a Viber message with Inquirer.

‘We don’t have any more minors in custody since Sept. 24,’ said Ines.

‘What we have (detainees) are those of legal age who have not yet posted bail,’ he added.

Ines said he was still waiting for an update on the number of remaining detainees so far.

In a separate statement, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) reported that 91 minors were initially processed by the Women and Children Protection Center of the Philippine National Police and the Department of Social Welfare and Development before being transferred to the Manila Social Welfare Office.

Of these, 68 were later released to their parents, while others were either sent to their respective local government units or remained in a youth facility awaiting pickup.

While acknowledging the Manila government’s efforts to uphold children’s rights by focusing on rehabilitation rather than punishment, the CHR stressed the right to peaceful assembly.

‘CHR stands in solidarity with the Filipino people in condemning corruption, which deprives communities of essential services and violates fundamental rights,’ it said.

‘However, while protest is a legitimate exercise of democratic freedom, acts of violence and destruction of property cannot be condoned as they endanger public safety and harm communities,’ the commission said.

The Sept. 21 anti-corruption protest saw mass demonstrations of different groups across the country, with the largest rallies held in Metro Manila denouncing corruption surrounding billion pesos worth of flood control projects.

While demonstrations at the two major sites in Luneta and Edsa remained peaceful, violence broke out in Manila, particularly in Ayala Bridge, Recto, and Mendiola. Over 200 individuals, including minors, were detained.

In a statement released on Sept. 29, the MPD denied allegations of keeping detainees in appalling conditions.

‘Manila – PBGEN ARNOLD E ABAD, Acting District Director, Manila Police District, assures the public that the individuals, including minors and a person with disability (PWD) who were taken into custody were given proper care, disposition and intervention,’ according to the official statement.

MPD said it provided detainees a ‘spacious and air-conditioned room, nutritious food, decent clothing, other basic necessities, and 24-hour security to ensure their safety and welfare.’

It added that no torture, physical abuse or any sort of maltreatment was inflicted upon the arrested individuals in police custody. /cb

Three police officers were wounded during a buy-bust operation that ended in an armed encounter in Batangas City on Monday night, police said.

Batangas police reported Tuesday that around 10 p.m. Monday, members of the city police intelligence unit were conducting a sting operation against suspected gunrunners led by a certain ‘Bonsai’ in Barangay Bolbok.

Investigators said the suspects realized they were dealing with undercover police operatives and opened fire using handguns, hitting a police major and two staff sergeants.

The three injured officers sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed by their colleagues to the nearest hospital for treatment.

Police said the suspects fled after the shooting and are now the subject of a police manhunt./coa/abc

Lexus Manila has recently relocated to its new home in BGC, offering customers a larger space that feels more like a car lover’s retreat than a showroom. Called Lexus Manila Gallery, the 3-story building includes a roof deck and invites customers to relax and discover Lexus in an environment shaped by Japanese hospitality and craftsmanship.

As Lexus Philippines’ largest facility yet, the expansive property not only offers a more immersive brand experience but also accommodates a significantly greater service capacity.

Lexus Manila Gallery coffee bar

Designed by Casas Architects, Lexus Manila Gallery was created following Omotenashi, the Japanese philosophy of anticipating one’s needs. The result is a space that features a natural flow from the entrance that welcomes guests to the lounges arranged for conversation.

The design firm used natural wood, stone, and leather, following Japanese sensibilities, which add warmth and texture to the aesthetic. Keeping the environment mindful in the scheme, they also used low-VOC paints, eco-conscious tiles, and renewable finishes, including energy-efficient lighting, which casts the best light on the vehicles on display.

Beyond the car display, the showroom brings together a full suite of services for Lexus customers. Sales and after-sales support continue to be housed under one roof with improved dedicated spaces for consultations, new car releases, and vehicle servicing.

Lexus Manila Gallery driveway

Customers can also look forward to personalised assistance, including a coffee bar which will serve brews only found there, exclusive events, and a level of attention that mirrors the Lexus ownership experience.

The Lexus Manila Gallery redefines what a car showroom should be. It’s not only about the cars as the centerpiece, but how people feel while they are there. With Casa Architects shaping the vision paired with Lexus DNA, the Lexus Manila Gallery is a modern sanctuary in the heart of BGC and reflects the brand’s belief in precision, hospitality, and a lifestyle defined by care in every detail.

Alleged sex offender Apollo Quiboloy has been in the hospital since Sept. 11 after being diagnosed with pneumonia, said the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) on Tuesday.

According to the BJMP in a message to Inquirer, Quiboloy-who was detained at the Pasig City jail-was rushed to a public hospital on Sept. 11 after experiencing difficulty in breathing.

‘He was later diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia (moderate risk),’ BJMP spokesperson Jail Supt. Jayrex Bustinera said.

Bustinera then said that the court handling his case has already issued an order authorizing his hospitalization after being informed of Quiboloy’s situation.

‘As of 30 September 2025, he is stable and recovering in a public hospital, in line with BJMP policies on medical care for PDL (persons deprived of liberty),’ the spokesperson said.

The televangelist leader and founder of the KJC is currently facing child abuse and human trafficking cases before the Quezon City and Pasig City courts, respectively.

Apart from his cases within the country, Quiboloy is also facing several criminal charges in the United States, including conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, and sex trafficking of children, sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling. /das

Five new undersecretaries of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have been appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon administered the oath-taking of the five new officials on Monday, September 29.

The five new undersecretaries are:

Arrey A. Perez-Undersecretary for Operations in charge of Convergence Projects and Technical Services

Arthur V. Bisnar-Undersecretary for Regional Operations

Charles T. Calima Jr.-Undersecretary for Special Concerns

Ricardo Bernabe III-Undersecretary, Office of the Secretary

Samuel Rufino J. Turgano-Undersecretary for Legal Services

In an interview on Tuesday, Dizon said that he is ‘happy’ now that the new undersecretaries are joining him in the agency. He also said that more appointees will be named in the coming weeks.

When asked why the new DPWH officials are fit for their positions, Dizon said that they are trustworthy.

‘Kilala ko sila. Kailangan trusted. It’s a good mix of technical people, may experience both sa gobyerno and private sector,’ Dizon said.

(I know them. They need to be trusted. It’s a good mix of technical people who have experience both in the government and private sector.)

Dizon noted that he needs lawyers, like Bernabe and Turgano, and investigators like Bisnar.

He also shared that Bisnar is a good friend of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong and new Independent Commission for Infrastructure Special Advisor Rodolfo Azurin.

In a Senate blue ribbon panel’s hearing last Thursday, former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo confessed that he committed ‘wrongdoings’ in anomalous flood control projects. He also vowed to cooperate in the investigation.

Meanwhile, former DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral was previously tagged by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson as the one who allegedly contacted Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto to request insertions in the proposed 2026 national budget.

Dizon earlier said that as Cabral denied the allegations to him, he told her to explain herself before the Senate. cb

The data center arm of PLDT Group has sealed a pact with two global technology leaders to give key sectors access to artificial intelligence’s (AI) full potential without hefty infrastructure investments.

ePLDT said on Monday that it teamed up with Dell Technologies and Katonic AI. They are launching the Philippines’ ‘first sovereign AI solutions stack’ dubbed Pilipinas AI.

Introducing this in the local market will help local businesses to break through challenges in deploying AI, such as complex integration requirements and the lack of AI specialists, according to the firm.

The group also said the service is hosted at its Vitro Sta. Rosa, the first AI-ready hyperscale data center in the Philippines.

The firm hopes to reach sectors, like banking and finance, business process outsourcing, health care, public services and academia. It said that the Pilipinas AI has the capability to detect fraud, provide AI-driven weather forecasting and AI-assisted medical diagnostics, boost customer experience and others.

‘By working with trusted, world-class tech partners, we are putting the right foundation in place for Philippine enterprises to embrace AI with confidence. Pilipinas AI gives them access to computing power and advanced tools that help accelerate adoption, streamline operations and drive innovation at scale,’ Victor Genuino, president and CEO of ePLDT and Vitro Inc., said in a statement.

Not if, but when

‘AI adoption is no longer a question of if, but when. With Pilipinas AI, we are making sure that when Philippine enterprises take that leap, they do so on solid ground,’ Genuino said.

ePLDT currently operates 11 data centers across the Philippines. These are in Makati, Taguig, Pasig, Parañaque, Subic, Clark, Cebu and Davao.

In the first six months of 2025, PLDT’s core income inched up by 1 percent to P17.6 billion from P17.3 billion a year ago. Consolidated service revenues also reached P97.1 billion, with data and broadband accounting for 85 percent. INQ

Biliran, Romblon and Oriental Mindoro were placed under a state of calamity on Monday amid widespread destruction in the three provinces caused by Severe Tropical Storm Opong.

The declaration by the these provinces brought to five the total number of local governments in a state of calamity in the aftermath of Opong, which lashed through parts of Luzon and the Visayas between Sept. 25 and Sept. 26.

On Saturday, the province of Masbate and Calbayog City in Samar also approved similar declarations to speed up release of local quick response funds needed for their recovery from the storm that had displaced thousands, destroyed infrastructure, farms, homes and schools, and left at least 14 people dead.

Biliran registered the highest number of fatalities at 10, on top of widespread damage to crops and vital facilities.

In total, Eastern Visayas recorded 12 deaths attributed to the typhoon, including two fatalities from Tagapul-an and Calbayog City, both in Samar.

The worst

Biliran Gov. Rogelio Espina described as ‘massive’ the destruction in the province caused by Opong.

‘This is the worst typhoon in years to hit Biliran, leaving massive destruction to both property and lives,’ Espina said in an interview with local reporters on Monday.

The governor appealed for national assistance, saying, ‘We hope President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other government agencies will notice our province and extend the necessary aid.’

The declaration of a state of calamity was approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) in a special session on Monday afternoon upon the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), which Espina chairs.

With the declaration, the provincial government down to the barangay (village) level can now access their calamity funds to support rehabilitation efforts.

Based on Espina’s report, the typhoon killed 10 people-four each from the towns of Maripipi and Kawayan and one each from Caibiran and Culaba.

Damage to crops, mostly rice, was estimated at over ?140 million, while damage to various infrastructures reached over ?1.26 billion.

About 62 classrooms were also damaged, while power and water supply have yet to be restored in several barangays.

‘Out of our 132 barangays, 43 currently have no water supply, and many remain without electricity,’ Espina said.

He urged residents to remain resilient.

‘Let us not lose heart. We will rise again,’ Espina said.

Romblon, Oriental Mindoro

In Romblon, the provincial board placed the entire province under a state of calamity on the recommendation of its Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) based on the extent of the damage it suffered, including the destruction of homes, infrastructure, livelihoods, and the loss of power and communications, the Romblon Provincial Information Office (PIO) said in a statement.

The Romblon PIO said more than 9,800 homes and other infrastructure were damaged or destroyed by the typhoon in the province.

In Oriental Mindoro, the declaration was made during the 13th regular session of the Provincial Board (PB, as announced by Vice Gov. Antonio ‘Jojo’ Perez Jr. in a Facebook post on Monday. Perez, the PB’s presiding officer, led the approval of the resolution, which aims to fast-track rehabilitation efforts, implement necessary emergency measures, and ensure the immediate distribution of aid to all affected families across the province.

Masbate rehab starts

Masbate province, meanwhile, has started the slow process of rehabilitation, with aid coming from its neighbors in the Bicol region – the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon and Catanduanes – that have sent manpower, equipment and relief goods – to help in the cleanup and restoration of basic services on the island-province.

A team of linemen from the First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative also arrived in the province on Monday, ‘rolling up their sleeves and helping us fix and restore our power lines,’ according to a Facebook post of the Masbate Electric Coop, Inc. Opong destroyed over 600 classrooms and affected some 30,000 students in Masbate, according to a report from Department of Education (DepEd) Bicol.

Classes in the province would be suspended for a week starting Monday, said a memorandum issued by Nelson Morales Jr., superintendent of the Masbate Schools Division. DepEd Bicol Director Gilbert Sadsad, in a private message on Sunday, said classes in Masbate would resume through asynchronous learning, adding the agency has yet to finalize the cost of the damage, as reports were still being validated.

In a separate message, DepEd Bicol information officer Mayflor Marie Jumamil said that based on initial rapid damage assessments, 43 schools were flooded and 11 others were hit by landslides.

At least 138 classrooms were rendered unusable, while 303 sustained major damage. Another 250 classrooms suffered minor damage.

Given the extent of the destruction, DepEd estimated it will need 564 temporary learning spaces to allow classes to resume.

‘If in-person classes resume, they may be held in makeshift classrooms. If there are still available and usable classrooms, a shifting schedule may be adopted,’ Jumamil said.

Across Bicol, over 200,000 learners were affected by storm-related class suspensions, Sadsad said. INQ