Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Tipo-Tipo town in Basilan was reported to be ‘under siege,’ with the Philippine Army confirming that an ‘incident’ had occurred there.

Government troops clashed with armed men in the municipality on Tuesday morning, prompting mass evacuations as the Philippine Army worked to verify reports that the attackers were linked to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

In a post on social media, the Tipo-Tipo Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) said the firefight began around 7 a.m. in the town proper and that ‘heavy exchange of gunfire’ continued in residential areas as of noon.

The MDRRMO said an estimated 90 percent of residents from Tipo-Tipo Proper had fled their homes and urged evacuees to send their information for accounting and relief purposes.

‘Stay calm and contact your Barangay Officials or MDRRMO for further information and assistance,’ the post read.

All classes and government work in the town have been suspended until further notice.

‘Everyone is advised to stay safe and remain vigilant,’ the LGU said.

Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala confirmed that an incident occurred in Tipo-Tipo but said the military is still verifying the details and possible involvement of MILF elements.

‘The Philippine Army confirms that an incident occurred earlier today in the municipality of Tipo-Tipo, Basilan,’ he said.

‘We are currently verifying the details of what transpired and coordinating with concerned units on the ground to obtain a complete and accurate report,’ he added.

Dema-ala did not disclose further details regarding the nature of the incident, but he said troops are now deployed to secure the area and are in close coordination with LGUs ‘to restore normalcy’ there.

As of press time, the firefight had not yet been officially declared contained, and authorities have yet to issue a full report on casualties or damage

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday denied social media posts alleging that the Rolls-Royce vehicle seized from the Discaya contractors was seen being driven around Metro Manila.

In a statement, the BOC maintained that the Rolls-Royce vehicle confiscated from the Discayas, as well as their other luxury vehicles, remain under the official custody of the BOC-securely stored under the strict supervision of the Customs Police.

‘It must be emphasized that the plate number of the Rolls-Royce shown in the viral post, which ends in ‘949,’ is different from that of the vehicle seized in connection with the Discaya case, which ends in ‘889.’ This clearly disproves the claim circulating online,’ the BOC said.

According to the BOC, no seized property may be removed or handled without proper authority and complete documentation.

Any unauthorized release, tampering, or movement of seized items constitutes a serious violation punishable under existing customs laws and regulations, including administrative and criminal penalties.

Meanwhile, the BOC said it has no intent to file cases against the individual who posted and made the claim online.

‘We understand that it may have been shared out of frustration or confusion. We just hope this serves as a reminder for everyone to verify information before posting or sharing online,’ the BOC said.

However, the BOC reminded and urged the public to rely only on official sources for verified information.

The PLDT group will pioneer a new technology touted to eventually replace the scam-prone One-Time-Password (OTP) system commonly used by banks and other institutions.

PLDT Enterprise, the corporate business arm of PLDT Inc., is set to launch SmartSafe SilentAccess, described as a ‘ground-breaking’ alternative to OTP.

The new technology authenticates users directly and in real-time through the wireless network of Smart Communications Inc., the company said in a statement on Monday.

This is seen to enable frictionless logins and transactions without relying on text or short messaging system (SMS)-based OTP that many companies still use today.

Digital fraud

PLDT Enterprise first vice president and head of product management, Nico Alcoseba, said, ‘It is about making security effortless for end-users, while giving enterprises the strongest and safest possible defense against digital fraud.’

Meanwhile, SMS-based OTPs have become increasingly vulnerable to phishing, vishing and other scam attacks.

PLDT Enterprise’s initiative is seen aligned with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Circular No. 1213, which calls on financial institutions to move beyond SMS-based OTPs. It also supports directives from the National Telecommunications Commission and National Privacy Commission to strengthen consumer protection in the digital space.

PLDT Enterprise plans to roll out further fraud management tools against SIM swap fraud. This is while strengthening measures to verify network location, enabling safer digital access while roaming, alongside know-your-customer checks.

Solutions

‘Our broad suite of fraud management solutions will safeguard billions of digital moments-because as we provide these technologies to banks, retailers, health-care providers and government agencies, we also protect their end-users every time they log in, shop online, access records, or complete transactions,’ said Blums Pineda, senior vice president and head of enterprise business group at PLDT and Smart.

PLDT Enterprise estimated that mobile transactions continued to surge, with over 60 percent of digital transactions in the Philippines happening via mobile devices.

‘This is about more than just telco innovation: it is about ensuring the Philippines becomes one of the safest digital economies in the region,’ Pineda added.

A field of dreams is rising in the heart of Pasig.

The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) took a bold step toward its future on Friday, Oct. 24, breaking ground for what will soon be its permanent home-a sprawling 8,000-seat arena set within a 1.8-hectare property along Amang Rodriguez Avenue.

UAAP partner and Akari Lighting and Technology Corporation CEO Christopher Tiu led the ceremony, joined by top league officials and representatives from the eight member schools.

‘Three years ago, when we first set foot here, it was a massive parcel of land with very tall grass,’ Tiu recalled. ‘Little did we realize that one day it would turn into a field of dreams for thousands of student-athletes.’

‘Cement and steel will build this structure, but it is the dream and hope of every athlete that will complete this and bring it to life,’ he added.

Fr. Rodel Cansancio, OP, UAAP Season 88 President, hailed the development as a landmark moment. ‘On behalf of all eight member schools, we are deeply grateful to our partner Akari for making this vision a reality.’

Philippine National Bank (PNB) sustained its growth momentum with its net income climbing 23 percent in the first nine months, lifted by stronger lending activity and investment securities.

In a disclosure on Monday, the firm said its consolidated earnings had reached P18.5 billion against the P15 billion booked a year ago.

Loans and investment securities rose by 9 percent and 13 percent, respectively.

‘The bank is now harvesting the benefits from focusing on the improvement in the quality of the lending portfolio through deliberate acquisition of quality customers and improvements in the credit and lending processes and policies,’ PNB chief financial officer Francis Albalate said.

Digitalization

Its president Edwin Bautista likewise showed optimism that PNB could maintain its pace, especially as the group has continued to push for its digitalization to enhance customer services.

‘We expect steady business growth with a strong plan in place to grow corporate, commercial and consumer businesses,’ Bautista said.

‘The bank’s plan for digitalization will further expand opportunities across all areas of the business as the bank prepares itself for advancing innovations that will prioritize improving service to the bank’s customers,’ he added.

The executive, who also led the digital transformation of Union Bank of the Philippines, earlier unveiled a plan to explore the use of advanced technologies, such as data science and artificial intelligence.

Meanwhile, operating expenses during the period increased by 9 percent to P23.64 billion versus the previous P21.67 billion.

Total assets

The lender ended the third quarter with P1.25 trillion in total assets, while total liabilities stood at P1.02 trillion.

PNB has operations across 17 countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. However, the company said last month that its board of directors had provided the go-signal to dissolve its Bahrain representative office, a move that could help PNB slash its costs as well as give more focus on its core business. INQ

Sen. Robinhood Padilla and his supporters’ sudden praise of Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo’s transparency and anti-corruption initiatives comes as a surprise for Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña, who said that this was not how these people treated the former vice president before.

Cendaña, during an online press briefing on Tuesday, said that Robredo’s directive – the strict enforcement of the no-gift policy for government employees – is a good move to prevent corruption at all levels.

However, Padilla’s posts on social media hailing the Naga City local chief executive and saying that Vice President Sara Duterte is doing the same thing were not lost on Cendaña, who noted the irony between the past and present statements made by Duterte supporters.

‘What they did in Naga City is really great, reinforcing the rule that government officials should not be allowed to receive gifts. We’ve seen in the past how corruption starts when contractors begin giving gifts to government officials,’ Cendaña said.

‘It’s like now, all of a sudden, they’re praising VP Leni and her camp, when back then, when they were in power, they did everything to marginalize VP Leni and her good governance practices,’ he added.

According to Cendaña, Duterte will never match how Robredo served at the Office of the Vice President (OVP), stressing that Robredo did not have allocations and issues concerning confidential funds, unlike Duterte.

‘We just want to remind everyone: VP Leni is very different from VP Sara, because VP Leni didn’t have confidential funds, which, up to now, still haven’t been properly explained,’ Cendaña noted. On her Facebook page, Robredo said that all offices in the Naga City government will soon be displaying ‘No Gift Policy’ posters in observance of her Executive Order No. 58.

Robredo said the measure aims to instill ‘the value of serving the public with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency,’ as gifts are ‘unnecessary in obtaining government services.’

‘The institutionalization of a comprehensive ‘No Gift Policy’ is a safeguard against conflicts of interest, corruption, and even the appearance of partiality or undue influence. Public office is a public trust, and we must always uphold that trust,’ Robredo said.

Padilla, on his own Facebook page, meanwhile, shared a news item about Robredo’s directive, saying that Vice President Duterte does the same.

‘VP Inday Sara Duterte is the same; her staff repeatedly tells people everywhere we go abroad about the no-gift policy. So, my fellow Filipinos, please don’t feel bad if I don’t accept what you hand to me or if I give it to someone else,’ Padilla said in Filipino in a post on Monday.

Minutes after sharing the news item, Padilla – who also hails from Bicol Region – uploaded a video wherein Robredo, who was with Sen. Bam Aquino, noticed him watching a previous livestream.

Aquino, Robredo’s campaign manager during her 2022 presidential bid, left a comment thanking Padilla for helping Naga City residents after typhoons.

‘This is how we are in the Bicol Region,’ Padilla said.

‘Thank you very much, Sen. Robin Padilla, for watching our Facebook Live with Mayor Leni and, of course, for helping our fellow Nagueños during the height of Typhoon Kristine,’ Aquino said in the comment.

Robredo’s tenure as vice president coincided with the term of Duterte’s father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, who was in office from 2016 to 2022. During the said years, OVP’s budget suffered several cuts, with National Expenditures Program (NEP) versions not breaching the P1 billion mark.

Robredo was on the receiving end of attacks from Duterte’s supporters, and oftentimes, from the former president himself. In October 2019, Duterte criticized Robredo for allegedly destroying the drug war’s credibility in foreign media interviews, as she supposedly asked that the campaign be stopped.

The former vice president later clarified that she never intended to ask for the drug war’s stoppage, as she only sought a reassessment of the program. But Duterte then suggested that she herself manage the country’s anti-drug campaign – to which Robredo responded by taking the offer, making her the co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD). But in less than a month after her appointment, Duterte removed her from the post, citing a lack of trust. Aside from these, Duterte supporters on social media, like former Overseas Workers Welfare Association deputy administrator Mocha Uson, also made several unpleasant remarks towards Robredo. A study released last February 2022 showed that Robredo was the biggest victim of disinformation efforts.

The government peace body on Thursday called on the people of Basilan to uphold its ‘peaceful’ designation following the clan war in the province, which wounded four people.

‘To our fellow Basileños, we have seen that Basilan has been declared a peaceful place, I hope we never return to conflict,’ said Carlito Galvez Jr., chief of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), in an interview.

As of June, the island province of Basilan is now officially free from the threat and presence of Abu Sayyaf Group.

Galvez made the reaction after the clan war or ‘rido’ in Tipo-Tipo town in Basilan which stemmed from the Oct. 21 killing of Nadzri Asdana Tarahin, an Islamic teacher and village councillor of Barangay Baguindan.

‘We condemn in the strongest possible terms the heinous act of violence that led to his untimely death in the island province of Basilan,’ he also said of Tarahin.

Galvez noted that there are still long-standing clan wars, or ‘rido,’ in the province.

He said OPAPRU is working to end clan wars in the province, which have seen ‘more than’ 32 long-standing ‘rido’ dating back 50 years or more.

‘These long ridos brought a great suffering to the people,’ he said.

When everyone seems to be trapped by the unimaginable speed and noise of our hyper-connected world, the news of the loss of a young soul, Emmanuelle ‘Emman’ Atienza, only 19 years old, allows us to take a break, pause, and reflect not just on the inevitability of death, but on the ways we are building our world for ourselves and for the next generation.

After her mother, Felicia Atienza, confirmed it on Instagram, social media was flooded with messages of condolences and sympathies from friends and fans alike who were influenced by Emman. As a social media influencer, she became relatable to the young generation her age with her honest opinions about herself and the kind of culture that she could not escape as a young adult. Her honesty and transparency on social media, particularly regarding her mental health, became the starting point of some speculations about her death. But why and how Emman really died is none of our business.

Emman’s honesty and transparency about her mental health opens a broader discussion about how social media shapes young people’s well-being, providing spaces that can both support and harm them. But her story also invites us to remain careful when giving hasty judgments about perceived institutional failures of these modern social systems.

Social media became an avenue where she freely expressed herself and helped other young people make sense of their own messy experiences in life. Unfortunately, it is the same platform that brought back her old wounds from those experiences.

The school also failed to protect Emman from bullying. While the burden to address bullying should not just rest on the shoulders of the school, we must nudge our school system to do whatever it takes to protect children from bullying, especially during their formative school years. When the school fails, students have nowhere to run. Emman was bullied in her school at the age of 13.

But in most cases, the most glaring failure comes from the family. I say this not to blame Emman’s family. I am referring to the family as a social system. I think that we are all trapped in what the South Korean philosopher Byung Chul-han described as the ‘achievement society.’

Most of us are guilty of allowing our family members, children, or adults to be taken care of by strangers because we are busy chasing dreams and building our careers. We tend to rationalize this behavior by arguing that our actions are ‘for the future of our family.’ From Emman’s story, she grew up with her ‘yaya’ during her formative years- slapped in bed, locked in a closet, and made to believe myths to control her behavior. At the age of 3, she even watched pornographic shows on screen without proper guidance. In other words, she grew up being taken care of and disciplined by a stranger who may not even be aware that the strategies she used in raising Emman would later affect her mental health.

This situation has become rampant in the Philippines in recent years, not only among upper-class families who can afford to pay household helpers but also among children of poor families left behind by overseas Filipino workers. Those children are fortunate if they grew up with family members who show genuine concern, but in most cases, they do not. Lack of education and extreme poverty often prevent most parents from understanding the consequences of not properly raising a child.

While we continuously find ways to shield our people from being depressed, we must also find ways to change the way we live in our society today. The problems cannot be located in the individuals alone, but also in the kind of social systems we all allow to perpetuate. In this sense, we are all guilty of Emman’s death.

‘Dreamboi,’ a film that initially earned two X ratings from the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), emerged as the biggest winner of the inaugural CineSilip Film Festival, bagging the majority of the major awards, including Best Film and Best Director.

The CineSilip jury recognized the Rodina Singh-helmed film for its story on trans representation when it comes to addressing desire, as well as other entries on the festival’s awards night on Monday, Oct. 27. The jury was composed of filmmakers Erik Matti and Joy Aquino, as well as Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino member Tito Valiente.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best Film: ‘Dreamboi’

Second Best Film: ‘Pagdaong’

Third Best Film: ‘Haplos sa Hangin’

Best Director: Rodina Singh for ‘Dreamboi’

Best Actor: Martin del Rosario for ‘Haplos sa Hangin’

Best Actress: Angela Morena for ‘Pagdaong’

Best Supporting Actor: Migs Almendras for ‘Dreamboi’

Best Supporting Actress: Chloe Jenna for ‘Maria Azama Best Porn Star’

Best Screenplay: ‘Haplos sa Hangin,’ Sonny Calvento and Mikko Baldoza

Best Editing: Arnex Nicolas, ‘Dreamboi’

Best Cinematography: Malay Javier, ‘Dreamboi’

Best Musical Score: Paulo Almaden, ‘Haplos sa Hangin’

Best Sound: Immanuel Verona and John Buquid, ‘Dreamboi’

Best Production Design: Chips Day Abando, ‘Dreamboi’

Newly installed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reaffirmed Tokyo’s commitment to help bolster the resilience of the economy and infrastructure in the Philippines.

Takaichi met with President Marcos in Kuala Lumpur to hold a Japan-Philippines summit. This was on the sidelines of the latest iteration of the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit held in the Malaysian capital.

The Japanese and Philippine leaders held their bilateral talk for about 20 minutes, according to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Takaichi, the first woman to be Japan’s Prime Minister, assumed office last Oct. 21

During their talk, Takaichi stated Tokyo’s intention to contribute to food security in the Philippines, particularly through the provision of equipment for postharvest rice processing.

Japanese grant

Last Oct. 16, Tokyo and Manila exchanged notes on the Japanese grant aid for the establishment of a rice processing facility at the National Food Authority’s premises in Cauayan City, Isabela.

The project cost is estimated at P810.98 million. Of that amount, Japan will provide 1.7 billion yen or P664.53 million. This will be done through the Economic and Social Development Program backed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The project will increase NFA’s capacity to buy palay and enhance the agency’s postharvest processing, handling and storage efficiency.

Also, Takaichi said Japan intends to advance cooperation with the Philippines on nuclear energy.

Clean energy

Related to this, she noted that Tokyo and Manila have signed a memorandum pertaining to a comprehensive energy cooperation. This happened during the Asia Zero Emission Community meetings, which was also held in Kuala Lumpur, but earlier this month.

The cooperation entails capacity building, knowledge exchange, collaborative pilot projects, and policy dialogue. It covers key areas such as renewable energy, grid integration, energy storage, hydrogen, ammonia, liquefied natural gas, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage.

Meanwhile, the Singapore-based Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (Amro) in a statement called for a renewed push toward deeper regional integration.

‘By broadening our sources of growth, we can strengthen the resilience of all Asean+3 economies,’ said Yasuto Watanabe, director and CEO of Amro.

In Kuala Lumpur, Asean welcomed its 11th member, Timor-Leste. The other 10 are the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The so-called Asean+3 economies also include China, Japan, and South Korea.