Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Philippines again observes National Indigenous Peoples Month this October. This commemoration recognizes, promotes, and protects the rights of indigenous cultural communities/indigenous peoples (ICCs/IPs). It should also serve as a reckoning with their ongoing struggles and the structural injustices that deny them their rights.

Among the gravest concerns are the murders committed against the Teduray and Lambangian peoples in the Bangsamoro. On Sept. 30, 2025, Ramon Lupos was beheaded by armed groups in Barangay Limpongo, Datu Hofer, Maguindanao del Sur. He was reportedly ambushed while tending his farm. Lupos is the 86th Teduray killed since the 2019 Bangsamoro autonomy plebiscite.

How can there be a celebration when ICCs/IPs live under constant threat? The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity, led by Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., must fulfill its promise to the Teduray and Lambangian peoples. It should prevent violence and the displacement of these communities. On July 3, 2025, Opapru pledged to work with the sixth Infantry Brigade and the Municipal Task Forces to End Local Armed Conflict, but the killings go on.

Without action, the government’s slogans for Indigenous Peoples Month will remain empty gestures, simple box-ticking exercises rather than genuine commitments. Without life, no other indigenous right-be it representation, free, prior, and informed consent, or cultural integrity can be exercised.

Let the refrain not be one of mourning but of change. There can be no true Indigenous Peoples Month until indigenous lives are protected.

Amid a series of strong earthquakes that jolted various parts of the country, the Department of Health (DOH) has identified DOH-run hospitals in four sections of Metro Manila that will lead in emergency response in case of a major earthquake like the ‘Big One.’

In a press conference on Tuesday, the DOH and representatives from some of its hospitals presented their emergency response and contingency plans in case a major earthquake strikes.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) earlier warned that the ‘Big One,’ or a magnitude 7.2 earthquake along the West Valley Fault, could kill more than 33,000 people and cause 168,000 buildings to collapse.

The DOH, citing figures from the National Harmonized Contingency Plan, noted that the death toll from a major earthquake might reach over 52,000 across Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon).

It added that this could also result in 679,000 injuries, and over 5.3 million Filipinos displaced.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said that he will be going around the DOH-run hospitals to make sure that they are ready for calamities like this.

‘We have to be the last facility standing,’ he added.

Health Promotion Bureau Director Tina Marasigan added that this is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. that all DOH hospitals must continue operations once calamities like the ‘Big One’ hits.

Below is the list of DOH hospitals in the four different sections of Metro Manila:

North

Dr. Jose Rodriguez Memorial Hospital

San Lorenzo Ruiz Women’s Hospital

Valenzuela Medical Center

East Avenue Medical Center

National Children’s Hospital

Philippine Orthopedic Center

Quirino Memorial Medical Center

Lung Center of the Philippines

National Kidney and Transplant Institute

Philippine Heart Center

Philippine Children’s Medical Center

East

Amang Rodriguez Medical Center

Rizal Medical Center

West

Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital

National Center for Mental Health

San Lazaro Hospital

Tondo Medical Center

Dr. Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center

South

Research Institute for Tropical Medicine

Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center

DOH’s plan of action

The DOH said that it ‘will continue to lead and support the response and recovery initiatives in the affected areas’ by providing the following assistance:

Establishing and sustaining medical clinics in tent cities

Prioritizing the replenishment of medical supplies and medicines

Ensuring proper and intact line of communication and power systems

Ensuring sufficient supply for surge capacity such as beds and tents

Focusing on welfare of healthcare workers

Ramping up information dissemination and coordination with relevant stakeholders and affected communities

Improving system for common and control for all levels

Close coordination with other government agencies

The Office of the City Building Officials (OCBO) here has tagged the Vivaldi Residences, touted as Mindanao’s tallest building, among structures that sustained damage from the doublet quake that struck Davao Oriental and most of Visayas and Mindanao regions on Friday.

The 36-story building, however, only received a yellow tag by OCBO, which means that its use would be restricted until the moderate structural or non-structural damage discovered during inspection underwent repairs, and the building would be declared fit for full re-occupancy.

OCBO also defined a yellow tag to mean that certain areas may remain accessible under controlled conditions, subject to its approval.

Given that similar yellow tags were on Buildings A, B, and C of Felcris Centrale, the parking building of the Gaisano Mall of Davao along Bajada, and the Mesatierra Garden Residences.

The OCBO also red-tagged four other buildings here, following the rapid visual inspection it conducted with the Philippines Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) Davao City chapter.

Unlike the yellow tag, the red tag of the OCBO meant the occupancy of the building would be strictly prohibited. The inspection results of the tagged building indicated that the structure had sustained severe damage and was considered dangerous for occupancy.

According to the public notice, the red tag also indicated that it would require a comprehensive structural assessment, during which the entry or use of the premises would be prohibited until all necessary repairs have been completed and cleared by the OCBO.

Buildings that were red-tagged here included the administrative building and school building of Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao in Matina; the Velvet Suites and Hotel in Oroderm City along C.M. Recto St.; the Toledo Building 3 of Magallanes Residences along Magallanes St., and the Teleperformance Davao, or part of the SM Annex Building in Ecoland.

OCBO directed all concerned establishments to strictly comply with the conditions and safety requirements before it could allow re-occupancy of the buildings.

‘These measures are implemented to ensure the safety and protection of residents, tenants, and the general public,’ OCBO said in the advisory.

OCBO and the PICE are continuing their inspections of other establishments with reported cracks.

The 7.4 magnitude offshore quake that jolted Manay, Davao Oriental, at 9:45 a.m. and its 6.9 magnitude doublet that followed at 7:12 p.m. both on October 10 have displaced more than 2,000 people from their homes in Davao Oriental. It also damaged infrastructures and buildings in the surrounding provinces of Davao de Oro and Davao del Norte

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday assured thousands of families in Davao Region affected by the twin strong earthquakes last Friday that the national government will see through the recovery of their devastated communities.

‘We will not get out of here until your situation gets back to normal, although not exactly as when the quake did not yet happen,’ the President, in a mix of English and Filipino, told local officials who briefed him of their localities’ situation, along with several members of the Cabinet.

Marcos made this pronouncement after setting foot in Davao Region, the home turf of his close political ally-turned-nemesis Vice President Sara Duterte, to provide assistance to the communities affected by the recent ‘doublet’ earthquakes in Davao Oriental.

The president flew to Davao Oriental’s capital, Mati City, and also visited the towns of Tarragona and Manay on Monday to personally check on the status of the families in the province affected by the magnitude 7.4 and 6.9 earthquakes that struck hours apart on Oct. 10.

‘The president is not afraid to go to Davao, because the people of Davao are our fellow Filipinos, and they are the ones who need help right now,’ Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a briefing at Malacañang on Monday.

‘This should not be politicized to try to scare the president from visiting Davao. Our President will not be afraid to go to any region of our country because he is the president, and he will help all our fellow Filipinos who are in need,’ she added.

Despite the animosity between Marcos and Duterte, Castro described the Davaoeños to be ‘kindhearted’ to their fellow Filipinos, adding, ‘We know that they have the heart and that they recognize the people who truly help them.’

Better shelters

Prior to the situation briefing in Tarragona, the president visited various quake-affected sites in Davao Oriental, such as the Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital in Manay town, which is now practically operating under tents, as its buildings were destroyed by the violent tremor, and the Manay National High School, whose buildings are under safety assessment due to huge cracks.

While doing the rounds in one of the tents pitched at the Tarragona municipal hall grounds, Marcos observed that those occupying the temporary shelters had to endure the heat, hence the families stayed outside during the day.

He said that owing to the huge number of families who were left homeless when their houses were destroyed, the ‘tent city’ would be a faster way to provide them shelter.

‘We have the tent city, but we will change the tent city into modular shelters, which are stronger, more comfortable,’ the president said.

Initially, Davao Oriental will get 150 modular shelters, which will be installed on Friday and will be ready for use by Monday next week.

Mobile kitchens

The president said that after he listened to the report of the Office of Civil Defense, which placed the number of people affected by the doublet quake at 250,000, he thought of mobilizing mobile kitchens to help them meet their food needs.

‘This is what we can see as the necessary support we are going to give, as I’ve said, we will send the mobile kitchens. So, [while] we are providing meals from the mobile kitchens, we will also give P10,000 for those whose houses were destroyed,’ he added.

The beneficiaries of the financial assistance, he hoped, can buy materials and begin to rebuild their homes.

On Monday, Marcos also handed some P258 million in financial aid to the local governments so they can fund initiatives that address needs peculiar to their localities.

He said that he knew this, being a former governor. ‘Some may need to fix their water supply, others may need to have roads reopened.’

Davao Oriental Gov. Nelson Dayanghirang, in a report to the president, said the earthquake, which struck off Manay town, affected 166,834 families and left three persons dead and 232 others injured. The assessment of the damage to infrastructures has yet to be completed, but initial reports tallied 503 houses destroyed, while another 8,055 houses were damaged, he added.

The president allocated P50 million for the Davao Oriental provincial government and P10 million to its capital, Mati City. P15 million each was provided to the towns of Manay, Banaybanay, and Lupon; while P10 million was distributed to each of the municipalities of Tarragona, Baganga, Boston, and Cateel. The towns of Caraga and San Isidro also got P5 million each, while the Governor Generoso town received P3 million.

Financial assistance was also given to the following local government units: P20 million to Agusan del Sur province; P15 million each to Davao City and the provinces of Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Dinagat Islands.

Marcos also ordered the Department of Budget and Management to release local government support funds to the provinces affected by the earthquakes and directed the Department of Public Works and Highways to tap into its quick response fund to support the repair of damaged buildings

National University-Nazareth School and Adamson University will head into their much-anticipated rematch of last season’s finals with perfect records after the defending champion Lady Bullpups and the Baby Falcons routed separate foes on Sunday.

The Bullpups lost just 27 points in grounding the Ateneo Baby Eagles, 25-7, 25-14, 25-6, while the Baby Falcons scored a dominant 25-4, 25-8, 25-14 rout of University of the East as both improved to 6-0 going into their clash that will end the first round of eliminations.

‘We are really looking forward to our game against Adamson,’ NUNS coach Karl Dimaculangan said in Filipino. ‘There are still a lot of things we need to improve on. The match against Adamson, which we have been thinking of as early as last week, will be a truly special one.’

Ysabella Cruz led the Bullpups with 11 points, while Diza Berayo chipped in nine points off seven attacks and two aces, along with 12 excellent digs. Slash Obera and Akeyla Bartolabac contributed eight points apiece.

Ateneo lost for the sixth straight game, like the Junior Lady Warriors.

Janessa Buhay and Kristal Martin powered another balanced showing for Adamson with eight points each while playing just two sets. The match wrapped up in just 49 minutes. Buhay dominated from the service line with six aces, while Martin posted four attacks and a block. Janna Dizon, Sofia Baloloy and Seanne Ordonio added five apiece, all in just two sets of play.

‘I always remind my players to always play their best,’ Adamson coach JP Yude said in Filipino. ‘And it will be up to the Lord what the result will be.

‘We go back to the drawing board, prepare as hard as we can (for the match with NUNS),’ Yude added. ‘We have to be prepared to play against them mentally, that’s a big thing, because there will be a lot of pressure (in that game).

Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas stayed on a roll, dispatching De La Salle Zobel in four hard-fought sets, 25-21, 28-26, 22-25, 27-25, for its third straight win.

Nicole Pelaez starred with 19 points built on 16 kills and two aces, while Kim Rubin added 16 from 15 attacks in the one-hour and 52-minute match. Adrianna Menchavez and Erin Sotto finished with 11 points apiece.

Aneeza Santos dished out 16 excellent sets, while libero Chasliey Pepito anchored the floor with 22 excellent digs.

For the Junior Lady Spikers, Zeianne Laborte topscored with 18 points on 15 attacks and two aces, as Kylie Celada added 17, all on attacks, in the losing effort.

The victory pushed UST to solo third at 4-2, sending DLSZ to an even 3-3 slate. INQ

Former Speaker Martin Romualdez on Tuesday said he believes any resource person, including former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, invited by the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) should heed its summons and return to the country.

Romualdez made the remark after the conclusion of an ICI hearing where he was invited to discuss his ‘familiarity and personal knowledge’ of alleged insertions in the national budget.

Co, who was subpoenaed alongside Romualdez, did not attend the hearing.

Asked what he thinks the ICI should do regarding Co’s absence, Romualdez said: ‘The ICI will have resource persons invited here, and we shall await the same.’

‘[But] any resource persons invited here, we expect them to return,’ he added.

Romualdez thanked the ICI for the ‘opportunity to share his side of the story’ and reiterated his commitment to support the body in its investigation.

‘It seems that right now, it’s about facts and evidence, not just political noise or speculations,’ said Romualdez, partly in Filipino.

‘Kaya (That’s why), the ICI commissioners were able to ask me many questions, and I was able to answer them. I feel very, very happy to share the information,’ he added.

Romualdez is among the lawmakers implicated in the flood control corruption scandal after Co’s former security consultant accused him of allegedly receiving kickbacks from government projects-an allegation Romualdez has since denied. /jpv/abc

Mark your calendars, gymnastics enthusiasts! Get ready to celebrate a spectacular decade of dedication and artistry! The Philippines’ biggest gymnastics showdown, the 10th STY International Gymnastics Cup, is back and ready to take your breath away!

Get ready for three flip-tastic days (October 17-19, 2025) at the Alonte Sports Center in Binan, where over 800 athletes and delegates from across Asia-including provinces across the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, and India-will battle it out on the uneven bars, balance beam, vault, and floor exercise. This year, the competition will have the highest number of gymnasts participating to date, and for the first time, PGAA is introducing the HP1 category.

Celebrating a Decade of Gymnastics Excellence

This prestigious competition, now in its 10th year, is a golden opportunity for Filipino gymnasts, both seasoned champions and rising stars, to showcase their talent and compete alongside international athletes. Witness the next generation of Filipino gymnasts and rising international gymnasts take flight as they chase gold and inspire a nation!

The competition serves as an excellent precursor to the upcoming 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships, which will take place in the Philippines in November. This is the first time the Philippines will host this major event, which is a significant step for the country’s gymnastics program!

‘Reaching our 10th anniversary represents a significant milestone and reflects the development of gymnastics in the country, as the Philippines gains international recognition in the gymnastics arena with the upcoming Junior World Championships’, noted STY Gymnastics Center Founder and Head Coach Normita ‘Boots’ Ty. Last year, we were honored to host over 700 delegates. This year, I anticipate an even greater turnout of talented athletes, as we expect the highest number of participating gymnasts to date. We are especially pleased to see increased engagement from provinces and clubs across the Philippines that traditionally have limited opportunities for international competition. Through PGAA, we are committed to providing these athletes with valuable international competition experience here in the country.’

Coach Boots and the PGAA STY Gymnastics Center are deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of Filipino gymnasts. The center’s branch in Carmona, Cavite, is a testament to this dedication, providing accessible and high-quality training to aspiring athletes in the South. ‘With the valuable support of the Binan Local Government, led by Mayor Angelo ‘Gel’ Alonte, we are pleased to collaborate with Binan in advancing sports development and increasing exposure in the southern region. PGAA is committed to developing gymnasts nationwide, and this competition helps us identify potential talent for GAP (Gymnastics Association of the Philippines) to nurture future athletes like Carlos Yulo as we also look forward to finding our future female olympic medalist, said Coach Boots.

What Awaits You at the 10th Anniversary Cup:

A dazzling opening ceremony kicks off the festivities on October 17th at 5:00 PM, celebrating ten years of athletic achievement.

Witness the grace and power of Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Levels 1 to 7, and the strength of Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Levels 1 to 3 during the competition proper on October 18th and 19th, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

Experience why the STY International Gymnastics Cup is a significant regional event, not only showcasing Filipino talent but also attracting top-tier gymnasts from around the world.

The 10th STY International Gymnastics Cup is more than just a competition; it’s a celebration of athleticism, dedication, and the pursuit of greatness that has grown over a full decade. Don’t miss your chance to witness the future gymnastics stars soar to new heights!

Coach Boots established PGAA STY Gymnastics Center in 2008 with the dream of developing elite Filipino athletes who would compete with the world’s best and make their country and community proud. The PGAA partners with LGUs like the ongoing grassroots training program which is supported by the city government, and scholars under the Muntinlupa Gymnastics Club who train and compete alongside the PGAA STY delegation. Such programs have been core to PGAA’s objective in ‘making a difference in people’s life aside from creating champions’.

A ‘king’s gambit,’ former Sen. Franklin Drilon called it.

In chess, it is about conceding an early advantage to protect a more valuable piece. In the Senate, it meant sacrificing Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s chairmanship of the prized blue ribbon committee to preserve the fragile hold of his close ally, Sen. Vicente Sotto III, on the Senate presidency, under the threat of insurrection by loyalists of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

But what may have been a tactical retreat for the Senate leaders became a strategic defeat for the chamber itself, a short-lived advantage that turned a proud committee into a mere pawn in an ugly game of partisanship. On top of that, it risks derailing the momentum of the committee’s deepening investigation of public works corruption that, under Lacson’s leadership, was finally making some headway, albeit in a direction that didn’t please his peers.

What a shame that the Senate’s most powerful committee has been muzzled by its own members for the simple reason that it was doing its job. But also not surprising, for the reorganization merely demonstrates the Senate’s fraught relationship with transparency.

Instrument of oversight

For a long time, the Senate blue ribbon committee, formally known as the committee on accountability of public officers and investigations, has served as the chamber’s most potent instrument of oversight. It is empowered to investigate ‘any matter of public interest,’ particularly those involving wrongdoing by government officials. Its inquiries, often televised and headline-grabbing, have exposed corruption scandals, from the pork barrel scam to overpriced pandemic supplies, keeping public servants on their toes.

That record of vigilance, however, rests on the chair’s independence and the chamber’s willingness to let the committee fulfill its mandate unhampered by external influence. Unfortunately, those standards are rewritten when the panel dares to train its guns on the Senate’s own kind, who operate under the delusion that they are above scrutiny.

‘Some senators publicly and secretly pursue the narrative that I am zeroing in on several of my colleagues while purportedly protecting those members of the Lower House perceived to be the principal actors in the budget anomalies related to the substandard and ghost flood control projects,’ Lacson said.

To make matters worse for the embattled senator, his comments about the billions quietly inserted into the national budget by almost all of the senators from the previous Congress also struck close to home, triggering consternation among those implicated.

Five candidates

Now, the loss of Lacson at the helm raises troubling questions about what lies ahead for the blue ribbon committee, in the absence of a chair with both the investigative mettle and the moral authority to confront the corrupt.

Last week, Sotto named five candidates to replace Lacson-Senators JV Ejercito, Risa Hontiveros, Pia Cayetano, Raffy Tulfo, and Kiko Pangilinan-yet all of them demurred, most of them saying Lacson was still the best man for the job. In the end, the committee’s vice chair, Sen. Erwin Tulfo, was designated as the interim head.

But is Erwin Tulfo, a former broadcaster who has been in the Senate for all of three months, the right person to take over? Recall that he once anchored a blocktimer on a state media channel that received millions of pesos in advertising money from the Department of Tourism, then helmed by his sister Wanda Tulfo Teo.

Pia Cayetano, another candidate reportedly considering the post, would likewise be a foolish choice, given that her brother, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano is the minority leader in cahoots with the very people threatening Sotto’s leadership. Lacson, by contrast, has a track record as a relentless scrutinizer of the budget and the gravitas to take on disgruntled colleagues.

A cowardly move

Among them, it’s evident who’s best equipped to handle the blue ribbon panel as it withstands tremendous pressure from contractors, officials, and House lawmakers, let alone fellow senators.

A committee led by a chair more concerned with maintaining alliances than unearthing the truth will only confirm that Senate investigations are not ‘in aid of legislation’ but politics. The Senate, already battling declining public trust, can ill afford another blow to its integrity.

The Senate majority must understand that a king’s gambit is only as good as the end it serves: To sacrifice the truth for temporary peace, to trade accountability for fake harmony, is a cowardly move for an institution that has routinely uncovered scams and censured presidents.

Palace press officer Claire Castro denied on Tuesday that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and his family are seeking ‘perpetuation in power’ as claimed by Vice President Duterte in a press briefing in Zamboanga City.

‘I’ve been saying that for a long time, haven’t I? This government is doing nothing but politicizing and spending the Philippine budget on corruption.They no longer have an objective for their tenure in the administration other than to engage in politics and their end goal is perpetuation in power,’ Duterte said partly in Filipino.

Castro dismissed the vice president’s comments, saying Duterte has no proof of her accusations, and claiming that the current government is cleaning up after the previous Duterte administration.

‘All words. all accusations, no evidence, no value. Even when the truth is President Marcos, Jr. is fighting corruption which the previous administration failed to do,’ Castro said.

‘What’s worse is that they even defended those who ‘allegedly did not abuse the public treasury’ like in the Pharmally scandal. They are now cleaning up what they spread in the past. They shouldn’t divert the sins they committed against the people,’ added Castro.

Duterte also accused the administration, and the Office of the Ombudsman of ‘controlling the narrative,’ saying that when the corruption probe comes too close to the Office of the President, the investigation dies down.

‘Why is the investigation specific? Why aren’t all corruption scandals investigated? That’s why we say everyone is controlling the narrative because they choose what they want to investigate, if someone in the Office of the President gets hit, the investigation suddenly dies or disappears or gets buried or drowned,’ the vice president pointed out.

It must be noted that newly-appointed Ombudsman, former justice secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla previously said that the complaints made against Duterte over her office’s and the Department of Education’s alleged misuse of confidential funds will be reviewed. /gsg

The government may collect at least P10 billion worth of insurance claims from flood control projects bagged by contractor couple Pacifico ‘Curlee’ and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya in the last three years alone.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, gave this estimate on Tuesday after learning from the Insurance Commission (IC) that 30 percent of the value of a project is covered by insurance.

‘Regarding the issue of flood control, we are now addressing this because we see two main problems. First, the ghost projects, and the substandard projects,’ IC Commissioner Reynaldo Regalado said speaking in Filipino during a budget hearing in the Senate.

‘We can still recover about 30 percent of the ghost projects.’ he said in Filipino.

When Gatchalian asked how much the government could recover from the reported ‘ghost’ flood control projects, Regalado could not give an estimate yet, saying the assessment is still ongoing.

The IC chief added they have yet to see the ‘actual situation per insurance and per project,’ which he said is ‘very exhaustive.’

Gatchalian later inquired if the bond companies have ‘sufficient capital.’

‘Because of the scale-we’re talking about Discaya-I think his contract was around P30 billion? So just imagine, if we’re talking of one-third, that’s P10 billion that the government could potentially recover,’ he pointed out.

He was apparently referring to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism’s report that from 2022 to 2025, companies and joint ventures of the Discaya couple cornered 421 projects totaling P31,035,712,926.70.

But Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon later revealed that the companies owned by the couple had actually secured almost ?78 billion worth of projects since 2016.

Regalado assured the public that the government is taking steps to recover the 30 percent insurance claims from these graft-tainted infrastructure projects, citing the two agreements that the IC and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are set to sign on Wednesday.

‘We would be signing a memorandum of agreement and a data sharing agreement with the DPWH to ensure that we have the same data and somehow the issue of restitution, at least on the 30 percent, can be covered by insurance,’ he said.

‘The next day, we would be having a meeting on how we can have a whole-of-government approach and restitution because it has to be clearly addressed-our public is waiting on how we’re supposed to be doing that,’ Regalado added.

At present, the IC estimated about ?4.9 billion worth of assets frozen in connection with the anomalous flood control works. /jpv