Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, retired Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., took his oath as executive director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday.

The ceremony was held at Malacañang Palace. Acorda was the PNP Director of Intelligence from August 2022 to April 2023, and Regional Director for the Police Regional Office X (Northern Mindanao) from November 2021 to August 2022. He is a pioneer of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, who held multiple key positions, including Deputy Regional Director for the National Capital Region Police Office, Director of the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group, Chief of Staff of the Civil Security Group, and Chief of the Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crimes Division.

Acorda replaced Gilbert Cruz, who took office in January 2023.

PAOCC is responsible for implementing measures to ensure an effective and efficient anti-crime drive. It is also tasked to identify and prosecute criminal groups and their protectors in government through efficient intelligence and counterintelligence efforts.

The University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) and the Department of Education Schools Division Office of Manila (DepEd SDO Manila) partnered to improve mental health literacy in schools in 2026, in celebration of the National Mental Health Month.

The partnership signed on Wednesday will tackle the increase of mental health issues reported among students in high school by promoting mental health literacy.

‘One of the implementation activities of the partnership is the research project on the development of learning materials for improving mental health literacy. The project is set to be implemented in 2026,’ UPM said in a statement on Thursday.

The use of mental health-related educational modules and videos will be pilot-tested in Manila, six years after its initial conceptualization in 2019, the statement read. According to SDO Manila District Supervisor Arlen Gatpo, secondary students not only experience anxiety and depression, but also bullying.

The Philippines was previously dubbed the ‘bullying capital of the world’ following the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which found that 65% of Grade 10 students are bullied a few times a month. A study on the improvement of mental health literacy will also be used as a basis for a ‘potential broader implementation of the training initiative,’ Department of Environment and Occupational Health Professor Dr. Crystal Amiel Estrada said as quoted in the statement.

‘The modules do not teach about the diagnosis of mental disorders, but to help learners recognize early warning signs and enable them to seek help early if needed,’ Estrada continued.

Similarly, UPM Chancellor Michael Tee echoed the importance of involving parents and teachers in regards to mental health discussions.

‘In addressing mental health challenges within our schools, it is essential to actively involve the parents and teachers’ associations. The best practices we will develop through this partnership with DepEd shall serve as a model we can replicate in the entire country,’ Tee said. The Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act was signed in 2024, with its Implementing Rules and Regulations released in March 2025.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Vice President Sara Duterte should answer to reports that they received campaign donations from contractors, Taumbayan Ayaw sa Magnanakaw at Abusado Network Alliance (TAMA NA) convenor, Prof. David San Juan challenged on Thursday.

During a press briefing, San Juan asked why only Sen. Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero has explained to the Commission on Elections the P30-M in donations found in his campaign fund, but the president and the vice president have yet to make a statement on the matter.

‘Sen. Chiz Escudero has already explained his campaign donations from contractors, but there are two people who have yet to explain: our president, BBM, and Vice President Sara Duterte – both of them received campaign donations from contractors, according to a report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ),’ San Juan, speaking in Filipino, pointed out.

San Juan continued, addressing the president and the vice president, asking: ‘Mr. President BBM, and Madam Vice President Sara Duterte, should also explain. Is the PCIJ report true that you received campaign donations from contractors? And if it is true, is that appropriate?’

The professor also posed that if the campaign donations are true and are unlawful, Marcos Jr. and Duterte must be held accountable. In mid-September 2025, the PCIJ released a report alleging that the president and vice president ‘received tens of millions of pesos in campaign contributions from public works contractors.’ Under the Omnibus Election Code, candidates are prohibited from sourcing contributions ‘for purposes of partisan political activity . directly or indirectly’ from those doing business with the government.

PCIJ cited that Radulfo Hilot Jr., owner of Rudhil Construction and Enterprises Inc. in Zamboanga, contributed P20 million to Marcos Jr.’s 2022 campaign, while Jonathan Quirante, owner of Quirante Construction Corporation in Cebu donated P1 million.

According to PCIJ, the two contractors allegedly ‘benefited from a steep increase in the value of government contracts awarded to their firms,’ such as when Quirante Construction’s contracts reached P3 billion in 2023, and when Rudhil’s contracts reached P3.5 billion in 2024. Meanwhile, Duterte was reportedly a beneficiary of Glenn Escandor, owner of Genesis 88 whose company was awarded several public works contracts during the administration of the vice president’s father.

Escandor, through his realty company, paid for P19.9 million campaign advertisements for Duterte in 2022, the PCIJ reported.

As the race to the Miss Universe 2025 crown heats up, the Philippines’ own Ahtisa Manalo revealed her official headshot for the upcoming international tilt.

Taking on a model off-duty-inspired look, the Miss Universe Philippines 2025 titleholder is strikingly beautiful in a simple peach tube top and peach-toned makeup, as seen in her official headshot photo released by the local pageant organization on Thursday, Oct. 16. Manalo’s headshot earned praises from her followers in the comments, including her pageant sisters Winwyn Marquez and Graciella Lehmann. The pageant veteran kicked off her campaign for the Miss Universe crown earlier this month, sharing a teaser video of herself wearing a series of gowns, as well as dropping an editorial-like photoshoot where she dripped in gold.

Before entering the Miss Universe tilt, the Quezon Province-based beauty queen had a colorful journey in the national and international pageant scenes.

She went up against Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray for the coveted title, where she ultimately settled for the Binibining Pilipinas – International crown. She ended up bringing home the first runner-up title in Miss International 2018.

Manalo made a strong comeback in local pageantry, where she competed at Miss Universe Philippines 2024. She earned the title to represent the Philippines at the inaugural edition of Miss Cosmo and finished in the Top 10.

The beauty queen is on a quest to win the country’s fifth Miss Universe crown, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 21.

A staggering P500 million-worth of insertion in the intelligence fund of the Philippine National Police (PNP) for 2025 was made by a person who also ‘requested 3,000 containers of fish,’ according to Interior and Local Government chief Jonvic Remulla.

Remulla made the revelation at a Senate subpanel on finance’s Thursday hearing on the proposed 2026 funding of the DILG and its attached agencies.

‘We returned it because it was an insertion in the budget and the insertion came from the person who requested 3,000 containers of fish,’ said Remulla. While Remulla did not particularly identify the person behind the P500-million-worth insertion, it can be noted that Agriculture Secretary Francisco Laurel Jr. earlier revealed that former Representative Zaldy Co tried to force him to issue a permit to import fish worth 3,000 containers for three companies-including one named ZC Victory Fishing Corporation.

His explanation came after he was asked by panel on finance chairperson Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian why the PNP had a P1.3 million intelligence fund in 2025 and only 800 million in 2026. Remulla explained that the ‘additional P500 million’ was an insertion they did not use in 2025. He said they only followed the National Expenditure Program-the so-called President’s budget.

According to Remulla, they returned the budget because they found no use for it.

‘We did not ask for it, so we returned it,’ said Remulla.

In a press briefing in Malacañang in January, Remulla disclosed that various PNP IT projects incurred significant budget cuts in the 2025 General Appropriations Act. Remulla said that while there were significant budget cuts, he noted that nearly P1 billion was allocated for the purchase of all-terrain amphibious vehicles for the Bicol Region while P500 million was added to the PNP’s intelligence fund.

Former Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos on Thursday denied the accusations of Cavite 4th District Rep. Francisco Kiko Barzaga that he and his nephew, 4Ps Party-list Rep. Jonathan Clement ‘JP’ Abalos, are involved in flood-control anomalies.

‘Dear Congressman Kiko Barzaga, I wish to clarify that during my tenure as Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), I had no involvement in any flood control projects. Furthermore, my nephew, Congressman JC Abalos, was not involved in any such undertakings,’ the older Abalos said in a social media post.

Abalos then pointed out that Barzaga ‘hurled unfounded and malicious accusations’ against them after the Cavite congressman failed to appear at an Ethics Committee headed by Cong. Abalos. During the Ethics Committee panel, Rep. Abalos discussed the possibility of Barzaga’s expulsion from Congress and prompted an inquiry into the Cavite representative’s alleged misconduct.

The ex-DILG secretary also gave advice to Barzaga, saying: ‘As public servants, our foremost responsibility is to the people. It would be proper to address the issues being discussed in the committee instead of resorting to baseless accusations.’

Abalos wished in prayer that Barzaga be ‘guided in the actions [he] will undertake moving forward.’ Through a video posted on social media on October 14, Barzaga accused the Abalos family of corruption and called for an investigation into them.

He alleged that Rep. Abalos has ‘plenty of involvement with the 2024 flood control budget anomalies.’

Barzaga also cited that Benhur Abalos was the DILG secretary ‘during the time when hundreds of billions of pesos were stolen from local DPWH projects.’ ‘I call for the investigation on the possible corruption of the Abalos family and their imprisonment if found guilty,’ he added.

None of the undersecretaries of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is connected to any contractors linked to the flood control controversy, Secretary Vince Dizon said Thursday, responding to earlier allegations by Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste.

Dizon thanked Leviste for his candor and straightforwardness and said he would personally investigate the claims.

‘He heard rumors, but it is still important for me to know if he has specifics. Because of my commitment to him and to our fellow citizens, and in line with the President’s directive, I will immediately remove that person and press charges,’ Dizon said in a press conference.

‘I look forward to having a conversation with Cong. Leviste. As far as I know, the undersecretaries we invited-and given how rare it is these days to get people to work as undersecretaries in the DPWH-none of them have contractors. But because of this report, I will also investigate on my own. I would really appreciate it if Rep. Leviste could provide specific names and circumstances,’ he added. Earlier, Leviste said members of Dizon’s team were allegedly meeting with contractors linked to controversial flood control projects. ‘Someone just told me before I arrived here now that not only did one person tell me that they heard that members of the team are actually contractors, but that other members of the team had already been meeting with contractors outside of DPWH at may hinihingi na daw (and they are asking for something),’ Leviste said.

‘Maybe Sec. Dizon can also check with all of his appointees who are contractors, if any, that they’ve met since their appointment, and what they discussed during those meetings. It’s quite tragic because so many people have high hopes for Sec. Dizon’s leadership in the DPWH,’ he added.

During the latter part of the press conference, Leviste took a call from the official and spoke for a few minutes. He declined to disclose the official’s name but said the person was committed to investigating the claims and removing any officials found to have ties to contractors.

The low-pressure area (LPA) inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) has a ‘high chance’ of developing into a cyclone in the next 24 hours, the state weather bureau said Thursday evening.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the LPA was last located 1,060 kilometers east of southeastern Luzon at 3 p.m, moving westward to potentially make landfall by Saturday evening.

Once it develops into a storm, it will be named ‘Ramil,’ Pagasa said; however, as of 5 p.m., the LPA has no effect in the country. Instead, the easterlies and the northeasterly windflow are bringing rains in Luzon and Visayas.

Pagasa warned of ‘cloudy skies with scattered rains’ due to the easterlies in the following areas:

Mainland Cagayan

Isabela

Aurora

Nueva Vizcaya

Nueva Ecija

Metro Manila

Quezon

Rizal

Bicol Region

Oriental Mindoro

Marinduque

Romblon

Aklan

Capiz

Eastern Visayas.

Meanwhile, the northeasterly windflow was forecast to bring isolated rains in the northwestern section of Luzon, particularly in Ilocos Norte, Babuyan Islands, and Batanes.

The rest of the country will observe ‘generally fair weather,’ Pagasa added. /mr

Aiah Arceta of P-pop girl group BINI visited the Philippine Red Cross-Cebu Chapter’s emergency operations center to show support for the families affected by the recent earthquake in the province.

The Philippine Red Cross gave a glimpse of Arceta’s visit through a post on Facebook on Thursday, Oct. 16, describing the gesture as a ‘true bayanihan spirit.’

‘Aiah of the P-pop girl group BINI showed a true bayanihan spirit as she visited the Philippine Red Cross Cebu Chapter’s Emergency Operations Center, meeting and encouraging Red Cross Youth volunteers who have been tirelessly repacking and distributing relief goods for quake-affected families,’ read the post.

Along with her visit, Arceta donated 783 pieces of 2-meter sakoline, durable waterproof sheets used as temporary roofing and ground cover for families who lost their homes in the earthquake.

The P-pop idol previously organized a donation drive under her initiative Aiahdvocacy and was able to raise over ?440,000 in funds for earthquake victims in Cebu.

Arceta had already been engaged in charitable work even before the earthquake. Through her Aiahdvocacy project, she had conducted outreach initiatives in various communities.

On Sept. 30, a magnitude-6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of Cebu, with its epicenter near Bogo City. At least 76 people were killed, and more than 1,271 were injured. The quake damaged nearly 112,900 homes.

Following the calamity in Cebu, a magnitude-7.4 earthquake also struck off the Mindanao region on Oct. 10, which triggered tsunami warnings. Aftershocks are still being observed as of this writing.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro on Thursday clapped back at Vice President Sara Duterte’s recent tirades against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., stressing that the latter is not afraid of investigations-unlike the previous administration.

Her remarks came in response to Duterte’s statement questioning Marcos’ confidence that the ongoing probe into anomalous flood-control projects would not lead to his doorstep. ‘A person becomes confident when they know that what they’re doing is for the nation and not just for personal gain like some others out there. Let’s not forget that the President has been the key to stopping and preventing corruption,’ said Castro in a Viber message to reporters.

‘That’s our President-brave and confident in his words. He wasn’t afraid to undergo an investigation, something the previous administration never did,’ she continued.

The Palace official also said that those who have wronged the nation are often afraid to answer questions and, worse, are the same ones most vocal in attacking the government despite having no accomplishments of their own.

At a forum held on the same day, Duterte said Marcos should not be too sure that the flood-control probes would not eventually point to him, saying the investigations-which she also questioned-were still ongoing. ‘You will wonder why the President is confident that the scandal and the corruption would not lead to the Office of the President,’ Duterte said at the Pandesal forum at the Kamuning Bakery in Quezon City.

This was her reaction to Marcos’ statement in a media interview on Wednesday, saying he was confident in the investigation because he knows ‘what we did or did not do.’ ‘We’ll follow the evidence. And wherever that leads is not something that we try to direct or influence,’ he also said.

On Sept. 21, tens of thousands of people staged protests in various parts of Metro Manila-coinciding with the anniversary of the declaration of martial law under then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in Sept. 1972.