Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Philippine infrastructure sector is currently drowning in one of the most staggering corruption scandals in decades, revealing a deeply entrenched system of ghost projects, overpricing, underdelivery, and substandard construction.

Roads, bridges, flood control systems, and school repairs-many of which were allocated substantial budgets-have either not been built, were poorly executed, or were falsely declared as completed.

The scale of the deception is systemic: projects are repeated across locations, contract amounts are duplicated, and some infrastructure ‘repairs’ consist merely of repainting or shallow manhole work costing millions.

In Quezon City alone, 66 flood control projects from 2022 to 2025 were found to have incorrect or missing coordinates, making them impossible to verify. Of these, 35 projects could not be located at all, and 305 out of 331 were misaligned with the city’s drainage master plan

The corruption extends beyond technical fraud-it is political and financial. Funds earmarked in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) are often inserted through midnight amendments by bicameral lawmakers, only to be diverted or withheld.

President Marcos himself ordered a freeze on ?60 to ?80 billion in infrastructure funds in August 2025, citing inconsistencies and congressional insertions that lacked alignment with the Philippine Development Plan

Despite budget allocations, many communities report that the funds were never released, or worse, ‘nawala ang pondo.’ This raises the question: where did the money go?

Evidence from Senate hearings and whistleblower testimonies point to a network of contractors, district engineers, and lawmakers who split kickbacks-locally termed tongpats-in cash, not through traceable banking channels.

A single contractor group reportedly secured ?207 billion worth of projects from 2016 to 2025, with multiple firms linked to the same individuals bagging contracts under different names

The Department of Justice has described this as a ‘conspiracy’ involving auditors, agency heads, and legislators.

The funds, instead of reaching communities, were funneled into private accounts, casinos, and luxury assets, leaving behind unfinished dikes, collapsing bridges, and flooded barangays.

The economic toll is immense. The Department of Finance estimates that corruption in flood control alone cost the economy ?118.5 billion ($2 billion) from 2023 to 2025.

Greenpeace suggests the figure may be closer to $18 billion, especially when factoring in climate-related infrastructure fraud

The public outrage, now manifesting in mass demonstrations and legal action-including a Writ of Kalikasan filed against multiple government agencies-signals a turning point.

The people are demanding not just accountability, but reparations and systemic reform.

The massiveness of corruption in Philippine infrastructure is not merely a failure of governance-it is a betrayal of public trust. The budget was never lost; it was captured, diverted, and weaponized by those entrusted to serve. The challenge now is to unmask the full architecture of plunder and to build a new one.

The layered architecture of corruption in Philippine infrastructure and public spending

Based on the latest investigations, whistleblower disclosures, and budget audits from 2022-2025, we can now estimate the layered architecture of corruption in Philippine infrastructure and public spending.

The breakdown of the types of corruption, their mechanisms, and estimated monetary values, based on official reports and coalition intelligence is shown below:

Layered Corruption in Philippine Public Infrastructure (2022-2025)

Total Estimated Loss (2022-2025): ?623.5 billion Equivalent to nearly 10% of the 2025 national budget and more than the entire education budget.

The P1 Trillion Controversy

The ?1 trillion figure is tied to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) allocation in the 2025 national budget, which has become the epicenter of controversy due to massive bicameral insertions and pork barrel schemes.

The 2025 General Appropriations Act originally proposed a ?6.252 trillion national budget. Of this, ?1.1 trillion was allocated to DPWH, making it the single largest budget item, even surpassing education-despite constitutional mandates prioritizing the latter.

Senators Ping Lacson, Rodantw Marcoleta, and Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III have publicly criticized the budget, calling it ‘mangled beyond recognition’ and ‘scandalous’ due to: Last-minute bicaminsertions worth ?142.7 billion. Flood control and infrastructure projects inserted without proper vetting or alignment with national plans. Budget cuts from DepEd and DOH to fund these insertions

Senator Lacson is known for scrutinizing pork barrel practices and flagged the DPWH’s bloated budget as unconstitutional and misleading. Marcoleta has been vocal about budget transparency and has questioned the logic behind allocating more to roads than to classrooms or hospitals.

Pqsig Mayor Vico Sotto,has been cited in discussions due to his influence in local governance and his public statements supporting budget accountability.

Where Did the Money Go?

Documents obtained by watchdogs like Vera Files and media outlets like Politiko show:

Bulacan received over ?12 billion , Sorsogon (home province of Sen. Chiz Escudero)

got ?9.1 billion , Mindoro, Batangas, Davao, Cavite, Cebu each received ?4-8 billion in infrastructure projects

These allocations were inserted during the bicameral conference committee, bypassing standard budget deliberations. Critics argue this enabled contractor collusion, ghost projects, and tongpats (kickbacks) at scale.

Greenpeace’s Estimate Is 9x Higher Than DOF’s

The Department of Finance estimates that corruption in flood control alone cost the economy ?118.5 billion ($2 billion) from 2023 to 2025. Greenpeace suggests the figure is closer to $18 billion, after factoring climate-related infrastructure fraud:

There is huge discrepancy between the Department of Finance’s ?118.5 billion ($2 billion) estimate and Greenpeace’s $18-19 billion projection. The difference isn’t just numerical-it reflects two different lenses on corruption: one focused on direct losses, the other on systemic and hidden costs.

Department of Finance (DOF) Estimate – ?118.5B ( $2B). This is based on audited flood control projects from 2023-2025 . It Included direct financial losses from ghost projects, overpricing, and underdelivery

It excluded climate adaptation failures , health impacts from flooding ,lost productivity and displacement, environmental degradation ,opportunity costs of misallocated funds.

Greenpeace estimate of $18-19 Billion (?1.089 Trillion) is based on data from the National Integrated Climate Change Database and Information Exchange System (NICCDIES). It Included: Ghost projects (?560B in 2025 alone),Substandard infrastructure, Climate-tagged funds diverted to corruption,Reduced resilience to typhoons, floods, and heatwaves ;Health risks from stagnant water, mold, and vector-borne diseases, Economic losses from delayed recovery and damaged livelihoods ,Environmental costs from failed reforestation and mining-linked erosion

Greenpeace warns that only 30-40% of climate budgets reach actuql implementation, with the rest lost to graft, contractor collusion, and political insertions.

Greenpeace Philippines’ analysis of climate-tagged corruption from 2023-2025 included the hidden costs-those indirect but devastating economic impacts not captured in official audits. This new accounting of corruption that included health burdens, livelihood disruption, environmental degradation, and lost resilience The results are shown below :

Total Cost of Climate Corruption (2023-2025)

Total Estimated Cost:

?1.649 trillion ( 29.1 billion)

The analysis reveals a staggering ?1.649 trillion ($29.1 billion) in corruption losses from 2023 to 2025-far beyond the Department of Finance’s conservative ?118.5 billion estimate.

This figure includes ?560 billion in direct costs (34%) from ghost projects, overpricing, and contractor collusion, as well as ?1.089 trillion in hidden costs (64%):health burdens, livelihood disruption, environmental degradation, and lost resilience.

The direct costs stem from climate-tagged infrastructure projects-especially flood control-under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Of the ?800 billion DPWH climate budget in 2025, Greenpeace estimates that ?560 billion was potentially lost to corruption.

These include 24,764 projects, many of which were either non-existent, misaligned with climate plans, or executed with substandard materials.

But the deeper damage lies in the hidden costs. Corruption has left communities vulnerable to intensifying typhoons, heatwaves, and sea-level rise.

It has robbed farmers of harvests, displaced families, and overwhelmed hospitals with preventable diseases. It has diverted funds from schools, clinics, and agroecology hubs-crippling the nation’s ability to adapt and thrive.

Greenpeace campaigner Jefferson Chua calls this ‘obscene plunder,’ warning that the theft of climate funds is not just financial-it is existential. ‘They’re not just plundering government coffers,’ he said. ‘They’re crippling the ability of millions of Filipinos to survive in the face of an escalating climate crisis’.

This expanded accounting demands a new response: criminal prosecution, asset recovery, and a shift to nature-based, community-led climate solutions. Because every peso stolen is a life endangered-and every project corrupted is a future erased.

It demands asset recovery, criminal prosecution, and a shift toward nature-based, community-led climate solutions. Because in the face of climate collapse, every peso stolen is a life endangered.

Three members of the board of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), who called last week for the immediate resignation of the pension fund’s president, Jose Arnulfo ‘Wick’ Veloso, have stepped down, citing deep divisions over his investment strategies, which they claimed had resulted in losses of P8.8 billion.

In letters to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. dated Oct. 14 and 15, which. was obtained by the Inquirer, GSIS trustees Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez, Emmanuel Samson, and Rita Riddle tendered their resignations, effective upon the appointment of their successors.

The development marked a dramatic point in a months-long rift within the state pension giant, which manages nearly P2 trillion in assets for millions of government workers.

According to appointment papers dated Oct. 17 seen by the Inquirer, the seat vacated by Gutierrez, a former ombudsman under the Arroyo administration who chaired the GSIS legal oversight committee, will be filled by current board member Garry de Guzman, whose position, in turn, will be taken by Cenon Cruz Audencial Jr.

Samson, who led the pension fund’s risk oversight committee, will be succeeded by Enrico Gregorio Molina Trinidad.

Both Audencial and Trinidad will serve as acting board members representing the banking, finance, investment, and insurance sectors, the documents showed.

Riddle, the former chair of the GSIS audit committee, will be replaced by Gilbert Tan Sadsad.

The resignations came just days after the three, along with one other incumbent member of the nine-member board, sent a sharply worded letter to Veloso demanding his ‘immediate and irrevocable’ resignation over what they described as ‘poor investment decisions’ that allegedly led to billions of pesos in losses.

The letter was also signed by current board member Evelina Escudero and former trustees Jocelyn de Guzman Cabreza and Alan Luga.

The signatories had alleged that the fund’s top executive had pursued risky investments ‘marked by a disturbing lack of transparency.’

They cited what they described as ‘a pattern of actions seemingly designed to bypass proper governance,’ including the alleged practice of splitting investment transactions – a ‘clear tactic,’ they wrote, intended to evade the mandatory board review for investments exceeding P1.5 billion.

They accused Veloso, who recently returned to his post after a preventive suspension ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman, of ‘fabricating issues and weaponizing administrative procedures to retaliate against [board] members exercising their fiduciary duty of oversight.’

In her resignation letter, Gutierrez said ‘a productive and tenable working relationship’ with Veloso was ‘no longer achievable.’

Samson cited ‘numerous’ policy differences with the GSIS chief, while Riddle pointed to what she called an ‘absence of transparency and shared accountability.’

Misleading claims

Veloso said he would remain in office as long as he retained the trust of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

In an interview with dzMM Radio on Monday, he dismissed the accusations as malicious, particularly the claim that he had split investments to avoid board scrutiny.

‘Investments [within allowable amounts] can be done every day. It gives the flexibility to the team to be able to take advantage of market volatility,’ he said in Filipino. ‘If you don’t understand investing, we will have issues with all of that.’

‘That’s why I’m encouraging them [trustees], because of different backgrounds, to be able to clearly study and allow management to be able to execute its role. Everything there is transparent,’ he added.

Veloso also said the fund’s financial performance ‘speaks for itself,’ citing figures as of August 2025.

He pointed to the total assets of GSIS climbing to P1.92 trillion and a total income of P231.06 billion, with net income reaching P100.02 billion.

But in a statement dated Oct. 19, the signatories of the letter to Veloso said the ‘narrative of success’ being advanced by the GSIS chief was ‘predicated on misleading metrics and structural inflows that are unrelated to active investment management.’

‘The reported growth in the Fund’s assets is significantly inflated by non-cash, unrealized gains from the annual revaluation of our property portfolio,’ they said.

Suspension

‘Furthermore, a substantial portion of reported income is derived from the increase in mandatory premium collections. As a fund with a captured market, this growth is an automatic, structural feature, not a result of strategic financial management,’ they pointed out.

In July, Veloso and several other GSIS officials were suspended by the Ombudsman after an anonymous complaint questioned the fund’s P1.45-billion investment in Alternergy Holdings Corp. The other GSIS officials were Executive Vice Presidents Michael Praxedes and Jason Teng, Vice Presidents Aaron Samuel Chan and Mary Abigail Cruz-Francisco, officer Jaime Leon Warren, and acting officer Alfredo Pablo.

The six-month suspension, the ombudsman said, was intended to prevent those accused from influencing the investigation.

The ombudsman’s order was lifted in September after the anti-graft body determined there were ‘insufficient grounds’ to believe the officials’ continued stay in office would affect the inquiry.

Background

Veloso was the president and CEO of the Philippine National Bank (PNB) before his appointment to GSIS.

He was an international banker and was appointed as the first Filipino CEO at HSBC Philippines until he transferred to PNB in 2018.

Meanwhile, Gutierrez was appointed Ombudsman in December 2005 but resigned from her position in April 2011, almost two weeks before she was due to face an impeachment hearing.

In March 2011, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Gutierrez after she was accused of betraying public trust by failing to act on corruption claims made against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her husband, and military and government officials suspected of corruption.

Ensuring transparency in the budget process at the barangay level and exercising vigilance during the implementation stage will help the country to get rid of corruption, House of Representatives Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III said on Tuesday.

Dy, in his speech at the Liga ng mga Barangay Congress at the World Trade Center, told local government officials including those from the barangay that they play an important role in pushing for transparency and accountability, as they can check if deadlines and standards are met when projects are implemented.

According to Dy, barangay officials can help in the fight against corruption if they can identify what are the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects in their area – and eventually check if these are up to par.

‘The most important thing here is that no matter how much we get strict and ensure transparency and accountability on our proposed budget, is when these proposed projects get into the implementation stage in our respective areas,’ Dy said in Filipino.

‘That is why your roles and duties will be so important. I am asking you to identify the projects of the Department of Public Works [and Highways] for every district, what are the projects or programs that would arrive for your areas, especially the barangay under your jurisdiction,’ he added.

According to Dy, based on experience at the local government level, vigilance once the national budget is approved will be key to pushing for growth and avoiding losing public funds to corruption.

‘If you do this, you will be able to monitor your projects. And because of this, you can see if the projects are up to the right standards. Know from your districts, from the DPWH, what the program of works is for the projects set aside for your areas,’ he said speaking in Filipino.

‘You will play a great role in removing, stopping, and defeating corruption here in our country,’ he added.

Corruption scandals in the country, particularly regarding the flood control project, has led to calls for greater budget transparency.

For the deliberations of the proposed 2026 national budget, several reforms were initiated by the House – from moves to allow civil society organizations to monitor and participate in discussions, to the removal of the small committee that implements changes in the General Appropriations Bill even after it has been approved on third reading.

Several public officials and companies, however, were also placed at the hot seat due to corruption allegations. In his fourth State of the Nation Address last July 2025, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned government officials and contractors who allegedly benefitted from flood control projects at the expense of the people.

Eventually, Marcos inspected several projects which were then revealed to be either substandard or completely non-existent. Investigations from different bodies – including Congress – followed suit, but several lawmakers were implicated as either having interests in the companies that do flood control projects, or were accused of diverting funds for such purposes.

The flood control scandal eventually reached Congress’ leadership: last September 8, former Senate president Francis Escudero was replaced by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, after after Escudero was criticized for receiving a P30 million campaign donation in 2022 from a contractor whose firm was able to bag a lot of government infrastructure projects.

In the House, Dy was elected Speaker after former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez relinquished the post on September 17, to allow an independent commission to probe his alleged involvement in flood control issues.

Romualdez has not been connected to any of the top companies doing the flood control projects, but he was one of the lawmakers named by contractor-couple Pacifico ‘Curlee’ Discaya and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya of allegedly receiving kickbacks from the projects. With reports from Halle Danelle Yuson, trainee

After directing his first series, Gerald Anderson has stepped into a new role behind the camera as a first-time producer of the 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry ‘Rekonek,’ but he admitted that managing the budget is one of the major challenges of the job.

Anderson talked about the financial struggles that come with bringing a project to life during the press conference of the partnership launch between his The Th3rd Floor Studios and Reality MM Studios headed by Dondon Monteverde on Monday, Oct. 20, in Makati.

‘If you want a good or big project, you also need money. Money, that’s one of the biggest challenges as a producer. So I was hoping that this would be our first project and that it would be successful,’ he said.

The Kapamilya actor noted that he’s not one to ask anything from other people, but investors helped to bring the project into production.

‘I don’t like asking anything from other people, but as a producer, we need to [ask], so when someone trusts you with their money, you want to give the best project for them,’ he explained.

Despite the challenges, Anderson admitted that he’s one to embrace them with open arms, which was one of the reasons he decided to venture into producing following his directorial debut with ‘Sins of the Father.’

‘Mahilig ako sa challenge (I like challenges). Hindi rin basta-basta makapasok ng MMFF (It’s not easy to get into MMFF). So I think this is the best time to test the waters as a producer,’ he said.

Aside from being the producer, Anderson also stars in ‘Rekonek,’ which features Filipinos from all walks of life as they scramble and stumble through a world suddenly stripped of Wi-Fi, screens and constant connectivity.

Directed by Jade Castro, ‘Rekonek’ stars the Legaspi family (Carmina, Zoren, Cassy and Mavy), Andrea Brillantes, Bela Padilla, Kelvin Miranda, Charlie Dizon and Gloria Diaz.

The Th3rd Floor Studios and Reality MM Studios’ first film collaboration with ‘Rekonek’ aims to bring the meaningful spirit of Christmas and connection to the MMFF this year. /ra

Edgar Saavedra-led Megawide Construction Corp. has bagged the P1.2-billion contract to build what would be Baguio City’s version of the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in hopes of decongesting traffic in one of Luzon’s busiest tourist destinations.

In a regulatory filing on Monday, Megawide said it had received the Notice of Award from the local government, confirming that the company had been selected as the private sector proponent for the Baguio City Integrated Terminal (BCIT) project.

The award is still subject to Megawide’s compliance ‘with all the conditions of the award,’ it noted.

Transport hub

The Baguio city council first confirmed Megawide’s unsolicited proposal for the project in June.

Megawide first proposed building BCIT, which would stand along Marcos Highway, in 2019.

The intermodal transport hub is set to house all vehicles that pass through the major thoroughfare linking Baguio to other parts of Luzon.

Planned as the city’s version of PITX, once operational in 2027, BCIT is seen to accommodate up to 400 buses and 25,000 passengers daily via seven southbound routes, including La Union, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila and Cavite.

Megawide was also the private sector proponent for PITX, a major transport hub in Metro Manila that began operations in 2018.

In the first semester, PITX chipped in P217 million to the Megawide Group’s total revenues, up by 6 percent because of the steady influx of passengers in the terminal.

Occupancy

Foot traffic averaged 164,800 by end-June, while commercial occupancy remained at 98 percent.

Apart from BCIT, Megawide is also set to develop the South Luzon Integrated Terminal Exchange (SLITX) through its subsidiary, Megawide One Mobility Corp.

Under its 30-year joint venture agreement with the city government of Carmona in Cavite province, Megawide will also connect the P800-million SLITX to PITX and other in-city public terminals.

SLITX will have a capacity of 30,000 passengers daily and direct access to the South Luzon Expressway via a new toll entry and exit that will be built, Megawide said in a statement.

Megawide earlier noted the government’s continued focus on infrastructure development would be its likely profit booster this year. Most of the company’s major projects are public-private partnerships, including the Metro Manila Subway System and the Malolos-Clark Railway project.

Megawide’s net income in the January to June period was flat at P436 million, mostly because of less activity at its construction segment. Still, the company said they were on track to outpace their 2024 income growth, with the real estate business under PH1 World Developers Inc. gaining momentum.

A radio broadcaster who was ambushed in Albay on Monday morning died hours after surgery.

Noel Bellen Samar, 54, of Kadunong ITV and DWIZ, was declared dead around 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center in Legazpi City, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Samar was shot four times with a .45-caliber pistol by unidentified assailants while driving along the national highway in Morera village in Guinobatan town, past 9 a.m. Monday.

Doctors were able to perform a successful operation to treat his wounds, but Samar later succumbed to his injuries.

The motive for the attack remains unclear, but police are investigating the possibility that it was related to his work as a broadcaster.

In an interview, Albay police director Col. Noel Nuñez said that based on CCTV footage obtained through backtracking, two suspects riding separate motorcycles appeared to have tailed and sandwiched the victim prior to the ambush.

Nuñez said police have a person of interest and vowed to continue pursuing the case until justice is served.

He urged the suspects to surrender, saying, ‘We will do our best, 100 percent, to resolve the case and give justice to the victim. You will be found, held accountable, and justice will prevail.’

Meanwhile, Albay 3rd District Rep. Adrian Salceda condemned the shooting of Samar and offered a total of P50,000 in financial assistance and reward money related to the case.

Salceda said he is offering P25,000 to anyone who can provide credible information that will help identify and arrest the gunman.

‘I vehemently condemn this act of violence. Such attacks have no place in a civilized society, and certainly not in the political life of Albay. Any attack on the media is an attack on our freedoms,’ he said

Rumors have been swirling that Finance Secretary Ralph Recto is on his way out of the Department of Finance-talk that coincided with a wave of online disinformation attacks targeting him.

Given that Recto authored the unpopular (but fiscally sound) value-added tax law, it wasn’t hard for netizens to take the rage bait and pile on.

Still, that kind of narrative against the state’s chief fiscal planner could spell political trouble for the Marcos Jr. administration, especially amid a widening corruption scandal that’s already prompted ultrapopulist proposals like an income tax holiday-a crowd-pleaser that could hurt the state’s coffers.

But before anyone starts drafting farewell statements, a well-placed source told Biz Buzz there’s ‘zero truth’ to the rumors of Recto’s impending exit.

As for the man himself? Recto said he’s not aware of any such talks-but added that he ‘serves at the pleasure of PBBM.’ -Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral

Leave it to GSIS

It has been quite an eventful year for Jose Arnulfo ‘Wick’ Veloso, the embattled president and general manager of state pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

The calls are clear and mounting: his ‘immediate and irrevocable’ resignation from the fund, as well as the pullout of GSIS’ investments in certain stocks that have supposedly resulted in P8.8 billion in losses.

Veloso himself has denied these allegations, but an analyst also weighed in.

For Joey Roxas, president of Eagle Equities Inc., those leading the calls should just let Veloso decide when to buy and when to sell.

‘That’s in the best interest of GSIS,’ Roxas told Biz Buzz.

While there technically has been a ‘paper loss’ already for GSIS, which bought shares in former stock market darling DigiPlus Interactive Corp. in 2024, selling now could result in actual losses for the fund.

‘I don’t think they should [pull out] because GSIS has always been a participant in the local stock market,’ Roxas added.

Apart from DigiPlus, GSIS also has investments in Monde Nissin Corp., Nickel Asia Corp. and Bloomberry Resorts Corp.

But it’s more than just investing in well-known companies.

‘Rather than big deals, if they can trade small deals every day, it will increase liquidity in the market,’ Roxas said.

‘The market needs to be liquid so that bigger funds can enter . Who better than GSIS and SSS (Social Security System) to do that? They have the funds,’ he added.

Let’s see if Veloso will also be firm in keeping GSIS’ stock investments-or if ‘real’ losses are on the way. -Meg J. Adonis inq

SPC Power Corp. has tapped two Chinese firms as it starts investing in battery energy storage systems (BESS). The company said that its unit SPC Island Power Corp. (SIPC) entered into pacts with Beijing Hyperstrong Technology Co. Ltd and China Communications Services Philippines Corp.

Hyperstrong, a major energy storage system integrator, will supply the group’s BESS. China Communications Services, meanwhile, will focus on engineering, design, and construction.

BESS

The Iloilo BESS project will have a 100 megawatt hours (MWh) capacity, while the Bohol facility will produce 60 MWh.

These facilities are expected to be completed by next year.

According to James Villareal, executive vice president of SIPC, this move would complement the company’s expansion in the renewable energy market.

‘We are pleased to partner with Hyperstrong and China Communications Services to deliver these energy storage projects, underscoring our commitment to support the country’s RE development with sufficient energy storage capacity for grid stability,’ he said in a statement Tuesday.

A total of P21.6 million has been turned over by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to 37 associations covered under its Sustainable Livelihood Program in the Caraga region, and another P8 million cash assistance for 554 individual beneficiaries.

The financial assistance, along with 18 three-wheeled vehicles locally known as ‘bao-bao’, were turned over at the Datu Lipus Makapandong Cultural Center in Patin-ay, Prosperidad town, last Oct. 16.

DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) is the department’s capacity-building initiative that aims to enhance the socioeconomic well-being of poor and marginalized families through skills training, enterprise development, and resource support.

Jean Paul Parajes, DSWD assistant regional director for operations, said the livelihood assistance served as an investment in the beneficiaries’ capacity to achieve long-term economic stability.

‘This DSWD-SLP livelihood assistance is more than just a grant-it is a solid step toward building your economic resilience and unlocking new growth opportunities,’ Parajes said during a ceremony attended by DSWD Caraga, local government officials, and leaders of livelihood associations.

He reminded recipients to ensure the sustainability of their projects as he thanked local government units and partner agencies for their support in implementing the program.

DSWD Caraga did not specify the different livelihood activities the beneficiaries were engaged in, but Agusan del Sur Governor Santiago Cane, Jr., suggested several income-generating activities, including egg and vegetable production.

Rep. Adolph Edward G. Plaza of Agusan del Sur’s 2nd District encouraged beneficiaries to manage their businesses responsibly and highlighted the importance of monitoring to sustain operations.

‘Agriculture-related livelihoods are vulnerable to natural and man-made hazards. Sustaining and growing a business requires study, research, and discipline,’ Plaza said.

He said he would reward outstanding livelihood associations after one year with P150,000 for the top-performing group, P100,000 for the second, and P75,000 for the third.

The three-wheeled vehicles distributed to some SPLAs also hoped to expand their business operations and reduce their transportation costs.

Among the beneficiaries, Angelito Apolo, president of the Asenso Poblacion SLPA in Bayugan City, thanked the government for the assistance.

‘Before, I earned little because I had to pay rent for my tricycle. Now, that rental cost that I would no longer be paying becomes additional income for my family,’ Apolo said. DSWD officials said they would continue monitoring and mentoring SLPAs to help them sustain their enterprises and contribute to the local economy./coa

Catholic bishops and priests from the Southern Luzon Tagalog Region (SoLTaRe) banded together to call for accountability within the government amid corruption scandals.

In a video posted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, bishops and priests from the region called on the government to ‘prosecute all the corrupt forthwith.’

‘Paring SoLTaRe says no to corruption, no to dynasty,’ the bishops and priests said.

Catholic bishops and priests from Southern Luzon Tagalog Region (SoLTaRe) release a video message calling for accountability amid corruption issues in the government. pic.twitter.com/gUbZT25xjb

– CBCPNews (@cbcpnews) October 21, 2025

The group was formed by bishops and priests from the Archdiocese of Lipa in Batangas; Diocese of Lucena, Diocese of Gumaca, and the Prelature of Infanta in Quezon; the Diocese of Boac in Marinduque; the Vicariate of Calapan and Vicariate of San Jose in Occidental Mindoro; the Diocese of Imus in Cavite; and the Diocese of San Pablo in Laguna.

Their call comes amid several corruption scandals involving infrastructure projects in the government, the most damning being the issue of flood control, where multiple projects turned out to be non-existent despite billions of allocation in government funds.

Many lawmakers were directly implicated in the alleged corruption, some being accused of accepting kickbacks in exchange for infrastructure deals. /gsg