Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Aboitiz-owned Davao Light and Power Co. is allotting P1 billion to acquire the energy assets of Northern Davao Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Nordeco) following the government’s green light to take over the latter’s franchise area.

Talking to reporters, Davao Light president and chief operating officer Enriczar Tia said the company had initially offered Nordeco P1 billion to secure its existing network.

The figure remains up for negotiation with Nordeco, he noted.

‘Although right now, we still need to gather all the data on their assets. It’s just that there’s still no transition period yet,’ Tia said.

The company executive said that Davao Light would also invest to upgrade Nordeco’s network. The timeline and the capital, however, are yet to be determined since the firm is still assessing the condition of the assets.

Third largest

Currently, Davao Light delivers power to Davao City, Panabo City as well as the municipalities of Carmen, Dujali and Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte.

It ended August with more than 500,000 customers, making it the third largest power distributor in the Philippines.

Davao Light will soon cover Nordeco’s operations, including Tagum City, the Island Garden City of Samal and several municipalities in Davao del Norte and Davao.

The transition period will take two years.

The top official, however, said that Nordeco seeks to challenge the decision before the Supreme Court.

Tia said Davao Light had already approached Nordeco for the establishment of a joint transition committee, but the latter was ‘kind of resistive.’

Lower rates

But once Davao Light enters those areas currently being served by Nordeco, Tia was confident that consumers would ‘automatically feel the lower rates.’

As of July, Davao Light charged P9.20 per kilowatt hour. Nordeco rates were 35 percent more expensive, Tia claimed.

Tia also said that Nordeco’s customers were experiencing ‘very frequent’ power interruptions.

Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said he himself has no hunch on the reason for the leadership changes at the Department of Transportation (DOTr), noting that he does not need to seek clarification from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the matter.

Lopez remarks came after he confirmed Friday in a press conference that Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Atty. Vigor Mendoza II will become the new Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chair, replacing Teofilo Guadiz III.

In addition, Markus Lacanilao will assume the role of LTO chair, while Guadiz has been assigned as chair of the Office of Transport Cooperatives.

‘None,’ Lopez said when directly asked if he had any guesses on the leadership changes in the DOTr and the agencies under it.

According to Lopez, all appointees serve at the pleasure of Marcos; thus, they do not need to seek reasons if they will be reappointed to other government roles.

‘There doesn’t need to be a reason. I don’t need to know the reason for the change,’ Lopez said.

‘I didn’t ask, and I won’t ask for a reason. As I said, we are all appointed officials of the president,’ he added.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Tuesday rejected claims that Sen. Mark Villar caused a disruption or was escorted out during a hearing on alleged anomalies in flood control projects.

Atty. Brian Keith Hosaka, ICI executive director, said the account published by columnist Ramon Tulfo – alleging an outburst and the senator’s removal by security – was inaccurate.

‘This is not true. The proceedings were orderly, similar to the other hearings conducted by the ICI,’ Hosaka said.

Villar, who led the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) from 2016 to 2021, appeared at the 9 a.m. session after being summoned to testify under oath about the planning, budgeting, execution, supervision, and monitoring of flood control and other infrastructure projects undertaken during his tenure.

Tulfo’s report had claimed Villar bristled at questions about the projects and why his family was being ‘targeted,’ prompting security to escort him out. The ICI’s statement flatly denied that version of events and stated that the hearing ‘proceeded without incident,’ despite the high-profile testimony and the gravity of the allegations under review.

No further details were provided about the next steps in the ICI’s inquiry.

The Philippine Coast Guard’s Southeastern Mindanao District has ordered a suspension of all sea travel in the Davao region owing to the tsunami warning issued by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake off the coast of Manay, Davao Oriental, on Friday.

Commodore Philipps Soria noted that as a result of the strong tremor, a ‘destructive tsunami is expected’ within two hours of when the quake struck, and which could continue for hours.

The suspension of sea travel stays until lifted, Soria said.

Soria also advised residents in coastal communities to stay away from the shores as a precautionary measure.

A similar advisory was also issued by the Coast Guard’s stations in Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, and Dinagat Islands, further advising fishermen from venturing into the sea until the threat of a tsunami had dissipated

The Department of Energy (DOE) hopes to get more investor support for its waste-to-energy (WTE) push with the launch of a special bidding round in early 2026.

In a statement on Thursday, the agency said the ‘special green energy auction’ would happen in January.

This will mainly focus on WTE projects that will source their waste feedstock within Metro Manila and highly urbanized cities (HUCs), with completion set by the fourth quarter of 2027.

WTE is the process of converting nonrecyclable waste into electricity or fuel.

The energy department will issue the notice of auction and terms of reference within October.

Citing 2024 data from the National Solid Waste Management Commission, the capital region and HUCs generate an estimated 6.12 million metric tons of solid waste, with a potential 335 megawatts of baseload power capacity.

Meanwhile, another auction round will be conducted for biomass and WTE technologies by the second quarter of next year. For this, the DOE intends to open the bidding for proposed projects nationwide.

‘As an emerging renewable energy technology, WTE project development is one of the country’s strategies to address solid waste management, serve as flood control mitigation and provide additional clean energy,’ it said.

Power infrastructure

Makati Business Club (MBC) earlier urged the government to classify WTE developments as power infrastructure to increase investor interest in the sector.

‘For these projects to be financially viable, the electricity they generate must also be sold at fair and predictable prices. Recognizing WTE as part of the country’s energy infrastructure, and not only as a waste disposal method, is key to improving project feasibility,’ MBC said in its previous policy note.

High costs also remained ‘a key barrier’ for WTE to take off, as many LGUs still see landfilling as the ‘cheaper option,’ it said.

‘Encouraging LGUs (local government units) to cluster or coordinate can help pool waste supply and improve project scale,’ it said.

Even though the country’s employment rate improved in August, the quality of available jobs remains poor, with Filipinos still enduring low wages and contractualization, two labor groups said on Thursday.

In separate statements, the Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro) and Labor Education and Research Network (LEARN) stressed the need to examine more ‘critically’ the labor force survey released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday.

‘The latest Labor Force Survey may show more Filipinos employed and joining the workforce, but beneath the surface lies a deeper crisis: job generation remains mediocre, and the quality of work continues to decline,’ Sentro said.

According to data from the PSA, the employment rate for August this year was estimated at 96.1 percent, higher than July’s 94.7 percent, and slightly above the recorded rate in August 2024, which was at 96 percent.

For Sentro, the increase in employment rate is ‘surprisingly positive’ given recent challenges, such as ‘trade turbulence, corruption-induced flooding, and a deepening political crisis,’ but he argued that this was due to the ‘resilience’ of Filipino workers, not because of the government.

Real measure

‘Workers’ resilience must not [be used as a ] substitute for state responsibility. The real measure of progress is not how many Filipinos have jobs-but how many have decent, secure, and meaningful work,’ Sentro said.

The group noted that underemployment, although down to 10.7 percent in August compared to 11.2 percent a year ago, ‘remains stubbornly high.’

It further said the decline in manufacturing jobs ‘exposes the country’s worsening deindustrialization’ as it urged the government to adopt a ‘clear industrial policy that rebuilds the country’s productive base, protects local industries, and promotes value-added manufacturing.’

For its part, LEARN said that although data from the survey shows an increase in jobs, comparing the current rates to those recorded last year ‘point to little to no significant change in the national situation.’

The group added that although youth employment rose to 88.3 percent, higher than the 88 percent recorded last year, the quality of available jobs remains ‘problematic.’ /cb

House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III has asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to cancel the passport of former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, who is being sought for his alleged involvement in anomalous public works projects.

In a dzMM interview, Dy confirmed that he sought the help of former Justice Secretary and now Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla to restrict Co’s travel abroad following his resignation from the House of Representatives on Sept. 29.

‘I told him (Remulla) that (if possible), let’s pursue the fastest way to cancel his passport to restrict his movements,’ he said in a mix of Tagalog and English.

Co, who served as the House appropriations chair in the 19th Congress, is facing public scrutiny over alleged irregularities in flood control projects linked to his company, Sunwest Inc.

He and former Speaker Martin Romualdez are also being accused of masterminding the irregular insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and of receiving kickbacks from ghost and substandard projects.

Dy explained that while the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is the authority that formally cancels passports, the House sought the DOJ’s assistance since it oversees the Bureau of Immigration and could help expedite the coordination process.

If Co returns to the Philippines-voluntarily or otherwise-Dy said the case would likely be handled by the DOJ or the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), which is now leading the investigation into alleged irregularities in public works.

In his last letter to the House before resigning, Co said he was leaving the country for medical treatment in the United States. However, Dy acknowledged receiving reports that Co might now be in Europe.

His current whereabouts remain unclear, though his official excuse is that he has sought medical treatment in the United States for an undisclosed condition.

Dy initially ordered him to come home within 10 days in a Sept. 19 letter revoking his travel clearance, but Co instead decided to resign his post on Dy’s deadline.

Before Co stepped down, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco filed an ethics complaint against the former appropriations chair to compel him to explain these issues. /mcm

San Sebastian’s Jhuniel Dela Rama knew exactly what they were in for when they took on Lyceum in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament.

‘As a rookie, we know we have to adjust a lot and we lack experience. What we did today is we just went hard so we wouldn’t regret anything in the end,’ he said at Mall of Asia Arena on Friday.

So when the Golden Stags and the Pirates clashed for a chance to enter the win column in Group A, Dela Rama and company made sure to get the job done.

Even if it meant having to play a couple of overtimes to notch the 100-94 win.

‘It feels nice to get this win, especially in two unexpected overtimes,’ Ian Cuajao said after San Sebastian snapped a two-game skid to start the tournament.

Cuajao spearheaded the Golden Stags’ breakthrough with 25 points, including the game-sealing triple, 98-94, with 20 seconds to go.

Christian Ricio also scored 25 while Dela Rama dominated the boards with 15 points and 23 rebounds.

John Barba notched a game-high 32 points for Lyceum but it went down the drain as the Pirates stayed winless after three games.

To add salt to the Pirates’ wounds, their latest loss was their second defeat in double overtime after a 90-89 heartbreaker at the hands of defending champion Mapua in the season-opener last October.

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) was named the Philippines’ top employer by Forbes Magazine, besting more than 900 others in the country.

The conglomerate led by billionaire Ramon Ang ranked No. 42 in Forbes’ 2025 ‘World’s Best Employers,’ rising 47 notches from its ranking last year. SMC is in the business of infrastructure, energy and food and currently has more than 56,000 employees.

Ayala Corp. came second at No. 139.

Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey more than 300,000 employees across more than 50 countries.

Participants were asked how likely they were to recommend their employer to family and friends. They rated their companies based on salary, career advancement opportunities, work-life balance and reputation. /rwd

Newly installed Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thursday said his immediate tasks would include a review of the multibillion-peso Pharmally case, the corruption scandal that left a smear on the Duterte administration’s pandemic response.

‘We’ll look into that because it seems like it’s been forgotten, buried in oblivion. But these kinds of cases shouldn’t really be forgotten because we know the allegations have weight,’ Remulla said after his oathtaking on Thursday. He added that the Senate conducted a hearing, ‘but it did not move forward from there, so we need to revisit it.’

Acting Chief Justice Marvic Leonen, who administered Remulla’s oath-taking, wished the latter ‘the wisdom to find and give priority to the strategic cases and issues that would lead to fundamental reform and rid corruption from our society.’

Remulla told reporters that he would review pending cases, identify those that have long been unresolved, and study the existing system to develop policies that would expedite case resolution. ‘The first thing I’ll attend to, I think this is an emergency situation when it comes to what happened at the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways). We have to focus on that, build up the cases, and make sure that well-prepared cases are filed before the Sandiganbayan and the RTCs (regional trial courts),’ he said.

Senate probe

When asked if the reopening of the Pharmally investigation might involve former President Rodrigo Duterte, the former justice secretary said he was unsure.

‘The responsibility will always depend on the evidence. We will go as far as the evidence takes us,’ Remulla said.

A Senate blue ribbon committee probe from August 2021 to January 2022 found that Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. won contracts amounting to P11.5 billion despite having a paid-up capital of only P625,000. It was the single biggest chunk of government contracts for COVID-19 supplies awarded to private companies at the time.

The contracts included 8,000 BGI real-time fluorescent RT-PCR test kits, amounting to P600 million; 2,000 A*Star Fortitude RT-PCR test kits worth P688 million; and 41,400 BGI real-time fluorescent RT-PCR kits worth P2.877 billion.

Former Senator Richard ‘Dick’ Gordon, who led the probe as chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee earlier, urged Remulla to revisit the case and asserted that Duterte should be held responsible for defrauding the government at the height of the pandemic.

‘I’m saying he was part and parcel of a conspiracy to fleece the country of at least P11 billion to P47 billion in the Pharmally scandal,’ Gordon said in an interview on One News.

‘Now is the time for all good men to come together because if we do not do that, then forever the Filipino is [going to] be victimized by these people,’ he added.

The Senate inquiry culminated in a draft committee report that endorsed criminal charges against several public officials and private individuals, but was archived at the close of the 18th Congress in June 2022 due to a lack of signatures.

In August 2023, the Office of the Ombudsman endorsed graft charges against Lloyd Christopher Lao.

Lao, a former budget undersecretary, together with Overall Deputy Ombudsman Warren Rex Liong, procurement management officer Paul Jasper de Guzman, and former procurement division chief Webster Laureñana, were also held administratively liable for grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, serious dishonesty, and conduct detrimental to the service’s best interests.

Among the penalties imposed on the officials were dismissal from the service, forfeiture of all retirement benefits, and a lifetime ban on government service.

Former Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) officers Christine Marie Suntay, Jasonmer Uayan, and August Ylagan were also found guilty of gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the service and given the same penalties.

In August 2024, Lao and former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III were charged with violating the anti-graft law by the Ombudsman in the Sandiganbayan for alleged irregularities in the transfer of P41 billion from the Department of Health (DOH) to the PS-DBM.

In September 2024, Lao was arrested but later released after posting P90,000 bail. He was charged with graft for accepting the transfer and subjecting the DOH procurement to a 4-percent service fee amounting to at least P1.65 billion.

In September 2024, the Ombudsman dismissed the administrative charges against Duque. In July, the Sandiganbayan asserted jurisdiction over the case, ruling that it falls within its authority under Republic Act No. 10660, which covers cases involving government losses exceeding P1 million or those implicating high-ranking public officials. /cb -WITH REPORTS FROM JANE BAUTISTA AND INQUIRER RESEARCH