Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III expressed confidence in the majority bloc’s support for his leadership.

In a text message to reporters on Monday, Sotto said he is ‘very confident’ of his colleagues’ backing amid murmurs of another coup d’état attempt.

However, he did not say whether loyalty checks are being conducted among senators.

Sotto’s leadership is backed by 15 senators, but Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson has warned that the majority’s slim lead over nine minority members could potentially trigger another coup attempt.

‘That’s what I told the Senate president. I said, ‘We are 15, they are nine, don’t underestimate the nine,’ Lacson said in Filipino at a Kapihan sa Senado then.

Meanwhile, in a separate text message also on Monday, Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito-who earlier admitted that the idea of leaving the majority bloc had crossed his mind-dismissed rumors of a renewed attempt to change the Senate leadership.

‘No change in leadership,’ he said.

Sotto assumed the Senate presidency in September after a minority-led ouster against Sen. Francis Escudero succeeded./mcm

House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III has admitted that trust in the chamber has been very low and urged lawmakers and staffers to work diligently to restore the people’s confidence.

Dy made the remarks during the flag-raising program at the Batasang Pambansa on Monday, noting that he has heard accounts of House staffers not wearing their uniforms while commuting out of fear of being publicly shamed amid widespread outrage over corruption schemes in government infrastructure projects.

Instead of taking offense, Dy said the House should use this as a reminder to redouble its efforts.

‘I know that the situation in Congress now is not easy during these times. There is a huge challenge for our institution and even for each one of us,’ he said.

‘I have even heard stories of our colleagues who are forced to wear different clothes or remove their uniforms due to fear that they might be picked on while commuting towards Congress,’ he told the audience.

‘It may be hard to accept, but the people’s trust towards our institution really went down. But this is also a reminder to improve our work and regain that lost trust through honest service,’ he added.

Dy reminded lawmakers and House staffers that they can always rely on hope.

‘Let us all remember: For every storm, the sun will rise again. For every dark night, light will emerge. There will always be light at the end of each tunnel,’ he told the employees.

‘I am here to give my thanks because, despite everything, you continue to serve with care and honesty. Each document addressed, each door guarded, and every area you ensure cleanliness of-all of these have an important role in our everyday duty,’ the speaker said.

In his fourth State of the Nation Address last July 2025, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned government officials and contractors who allegedly benefited from flood control projects at the expense of the people.

This came after Senator Panfilo Lacson’s warning that half of the country’s almost P2 trillion funds since 2011 for flood control may have been lost to corruption.

Marcos later inspected several projects, many of which were found to be either substandard or completely non-existent.

Multiple investigations-including Congress-were launched, but several lawmakers were implicated for either having interests in the companies that do flood control projects or being 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 Escudero was criticized for receiving a P30 million campaign donation in 2022 from a contractor whose firm secured several government infrastructure projects.

In the House, former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez relinquished his post last 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 involved in flood control projects, but he was one of the lawmakers named by contractor couple Pacifico ‘Curlee’ Discaya and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya as allegedly receiving kickbacks from the projects.

During a previous Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, Curlee Discaya said that several House members have asked for a percentage of public funds allocated to infrastructure projects after his companies bagged government contracts.

Discaya added that on top of lawmakers’ request for a kickback was a 25 percent cut that would allegedly be given to Romualdez and Co.

Romualdez dismissed the Discaya couple’s allegations, calling it ‘false, malicious, and nothing more than name-dropping.’/abc

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson has resigned from his post as the chairperson of the blue ribbon committee, emphasizing that there are no political considerations in any of his actions related to handling committee hearings and other related activities.

In a resignation letter dated October 7 addressed to Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Lacson explained how a number of his colleagues have expressed disappointment with the ‘direction’ of the blue ribbon committee hearings regarding the anomalous flood control projects.

‘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,’ said Lacson.

But according to him, nothing could be farther from the truth.

‘This narrative is categorically false. These misrepresentations are being floated mostly by critics opposed to our efforts to get to the bottom of the flood control anomalies,’ he said.

Lacson underscored that his committee went where the evidence lead them, and not by the noise coming from highly partisan political persuasions.

‘To all my colleagues, let me reiterate: there are no political considerations in any and all my actions related to my handling of the committee hearings and other related activities,’ said Lacson.

‘Truth is, I do not need to amass political capital much less at the expense of anybody because I entertain no further political plans after my term ends in 2031,’ he added.

With these, Lacson tendered his resignation as the chairperson of the Senate blue ribbon panel.

Looks like it’s the Insurance Commission’s (IC) turn to weed out or sanction bad actors within its sphere of influence.

This, after the ever-widening investigation into the extent of the corruption in flood control projects revealed that even nonlife insurance companies are involved.

As the Senate hearings have revealed, only a handful of closely related non-life firms wrote the insurance policies that were supposed to cover the risk of infrastructure projects not being completed on time and according to the agreed specifications.

Over the past several years, these firms were able to earn piles of money as these policies had never been activated since the projects themselves were certified as completed, even if they weren’t.

That assurance that the policies would not be used supposedly allowed these insurance companies to give ‘massive’ kickbacks-to the tune of 70 percent of the premiums-to those who went for their companies rather than competing nonlife insurance companies who could not penetrate the market for the construction bonds covering projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), including flood control projects.

It should come as no surprise then, that not one of the largest nonlife insurance companies in the country are involved in the questionable projects.

Biz Buzz sources said the IC is now poring over the records of the involved companies to determine liability.

And in the meantime, since the policies have actually been written, perhaps local government units or even the DPWH itself under the new leadership may consider making a claim, if only to recover something from these questionable projects. -Tina Arceo-Dumlao

BCDA turns to rugby to help youth

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has joined forces with the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) and the country’s rugby team, the Philippine Volcanoes, to promote youth empowerment through rugby.

A recently held rugby clinic gathered about 30 youths from Bamban and Capas towns in Tarlac to introduce the basic of the sport and instill the importance of teamwork, discipline and resilience.

BCDA also took the opportunity to introduce its community development initiatives, particularly the Ayta Ethno Botanical Center (AEBC) in New Clark City.

‘The collaboration between PRFU and BCDA underscores their shared vision to foster sports development and community empowerment, while celebrating the rich heritage of the indigenous peoples of Tarlac,’ the state-run firm said.

The timing of this collaboration could not have been better, as the Philippine Volcanoes are gearing up for the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series, an annual series of regional rugby sevens tournaments in the region.

Who knows? The next rugby superstar might come from this part of the country. -Jordeene B. Lagare INQ

Ejae – a Korean-American singer-songwriter best known for taking on the singing voice of Rumi in ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ – announced that she will release her new single ‘In Another World’ on Oct. 24.

The singer-songwriter took to her Instagram account on Saturday, Oct. 4, to announce her new single, saying it will ‘give life’ to all of the songs she had written since then.

‘I’ve decided I want my artist project to give life to those songs, so people can laugh, dance, or cry with me and the amazing collaborators who helped create them. There’s one song that feels like the perfect place to start,’ she said.

‘Writing this song helped me through a hard time, and I hope that sharing it can help others too. It’s called ‘In Another World’ and is releasing on 10/24/25,’ she continued.

Ejae also opened up about how the past few months have been a ‘crazy ride’ since ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ was propelled into the limelight, while thanking those who sent love along her way.

‘The past few months have been a crazy ride. I mean, I was just on SNL!!! I’m so humbled and grateful for the love I’ve received as a songwriter and the singing voice of Rumi from ‘KPop Demon Hunters,” she said. ‘Getting so much exposure so quickly has been strange, exciting, and truthfully a little scary.’

Ejae added that while she is grateful to be acknowledged as an artist, she ‘became comfortable behind the scenes’ through the years. Along the way, she eventually realized that she didn’t want to define herself with the ‘traditional view of an artist.’

‘People keep referring to me as an ‘artist’ or a ‘star’ – which is everything 11-year-old EJAE dreamed of, but over the years, I became comfortable behind the scenes, and I didn’t think I was meant to be an artist. Recently, though, I realized I don’t need to box myself into being the traditional view of an artist,’ she said.

‘To me, an artist is someone who uses their art to express themselves, and songwriting is my art. For years, writing has been my therapy, my way of coping, celebrating, making sense of the noise in my head. Along the way, I wrote some songs that never found the right home. Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far. I know my journey is still being written, and I am so grateful to anyone willing to tune in,’ she further explained.

Born Kim Eun-jae, Ejae was a former SM Entertainment trainee for almost 10 years before leaving the agency sometime in 2011. She then moved to the US and transitioned to songwriting.

Before ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ she had written several hit K-pop songs including Red Velvet’s ‘Psycho’ and ‘Birthday,’ aespa’s ‘Drama’ and ‘Armageddon,’ and Twice’s ‘Last Waltz,’ to name a few. She also wrote the majority of the soundtrack of ‘KPop Demon Hunters.’

It was an ordinary Tuesday night, almost 11 p.m., the tailend of my 10-day duty at Bantayan District Hospital, 137 kilometers from Cebu City. The kind of night when fatigue turns corridors into silence. Then, like Green Day’s lyric about September ending, the earth jolted us awake.

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Bogo City and several northern Cebu towns on Sept. 30, 2025, at 9:59 p.m. Sixty-eight lives lost. About 366,360 affected. Nearly 80,000 families displaced. Governor Pam Baricuatro, just 142 days into her term, rushed to Cebu Provincial Hospital in Bogo, set up a command center, and appealed for help. Cebu answered, at least for the first two days.

San Remigio’s recreational center collapsed. Bantayan’s centuries-old church lost its facade. In Bogo, buildings fell like Lego bricks.

In Metro Cebu, the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge swayed. High-rises were inspected for cracks. Hospitals evacuated patients to the streets. At Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), obstetrician Dr. Grace Rabago delivered a baby in the rain, nurses shielding mother and child with umbrellas.

The province had not felt a quake this strong in years, yet the memory was too familiar. Twelve years earlier, Oct. 15, 2013, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake devastated Bohol. More than 200 dead. The same CCMC was crippled, abandoned, and reduced to a glorified parking lot. Successive mayors staged ribbon-cuttings, but no real hospital rose. Ironically, in 2020, when COVID-19 struck, the city built a ‘temporary quarantine facility’ in just 10 days. But a permanent hospital? Still a promise. The pandemic itself claimed 66,684 Filipino lives out of 4 million confirmed cases.

Twenty-four days after the 2013 quake, Typhoon ‘Yolanda,’ then one of the strongest typhoon in recent world history, slammed Guiuan, Tacloban, and Palo before striking Cebu’s Daanbantayan and Bantayan Island, Iloilo’s Conception, and Palawan’s Coron. Some 6,452 lives lost.

Bohol, still reeling from its earthquake, was left gasping as the world’s attention pivoted to Tacloban. Fast forward: Dec. 16, 2021, Typhoon ‘Odette’ battered Cebu and killed 410. Pandemic protocols evaporated overnight, proof that government memory is even shorter than public patience.

I lived through all of these. I sutured earthquake wounds outside Bantayan Hospital after this year’s quake. I was in Tacloban the day before Yolanda hit, and escaped just in time. I was at home when the 2013 quake struck, and when Odette toppled Cebu’s power lines in 2021.

I also witnessed Yolanda’s global response. Some countries sent aid and doctors to Tacloban and Palo. Humanity, for a moment, outshone politics. Yet at home, calamity funds became receipts without accountability. Relief goods arrived late, some never at all. Yolanda’s housing projects remain unfinished, substandard, or ghost. The Pharmally scandal taught us that in the Philippines, disaster is always a business opportunity.

Last Wednesday, stranded in Santa Fe, Bantayan Island, I could not sail out, the port to San Remigio was damaged. At Kota Beach, I found the skeletal frame of an unfinished hotel tied to a former presidential adviser. It survived not because of structural integrity, but because corruption is earthquake-proof. Untouched, incomplete, and immune to collapse, a ghost project in broad daylight.

Today, passing through Medellin’s Kawit port and Sogod, I saw families begging for food and water on the roadside. Alongside them were convoys of private donors, NGOs, and volunteers, hashtags optional. Uniformed men clustered in Bogo, doing their duty.

But strip away the press releases, the photo ops, the Facebook resibos, and what remains is hunger. No electricity. No potable water. No certainty about tomorrow. Aid trickles; hunger floods. This is the paradox of Filipino resilience: our altruism shines brightest when institutions collapse into darkness. We are always ready to help one another when storms rage and earthquakes, but our leaders remain experts only at rebuilding facades, never foundations.

Twelve years after Bohol and Yolanda, we are still asking: How many disasters will it take before this country learns to build not just buildings, but memory, accountability, and foresight? If resilience is our national virtue, then forgetfulness is our national sin.

As communities in Masbate continue to recover from the devastation brought by Typhoon Opong, Manila Water has mobilized a dedicated relief team and deployed a mobile water treatment plant and water tanker to provide much-needed potable water to affected residents.

The company’s swift response comes amid challenges in aid distribution, as national and private relief efforts are also deployed to Cebu following the powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the province just days after the typhoon. Despite this, Manila Water has extended its support to both disaster-hit areas.

In Masbate, Manila Water has so far distributed 24,000 liters of potable water to an estimated 16,000 individuals from Barangays Bagacay, Pinamarbuhan, Tabuk, and Malatukan. These are running totals as of the morning of October 6, with relief operations still ongoing.

The company’s mobile water treatment plant, capable of producing 3,000 liters per hour through conventional treatment and 1,500 liters per hour via reverse osmosis, is currently sourcing raw water from the Mandali River in Mobo, Masbate. An alternative water source has also been identified at Barangay Lalaguna’s irrigation system to ensure continuous operations.

Manila Water’s relief efforts in Masbate were made possible through close coordination with the Office of the Civil Defense – National and the Office of the Civil Defense Region V, which served as the company’s ground coordinator.

Their support enabled efficient deployment and ensured that potable water reached the most affected communities. ‘Access to clean water is critical in the aftermath of disasters. Our team in Masbate is working closely with local authorities to ensure that affected families have safe drinking water as they begin to rebuild,’ Manila Water Communication Affairs Group Director Jeric Sevilla said.

While focused on Masbate, Manila Water has also extended support to Cebu, where its subsidiary continues to supply potable water to municipalities affected by the recent earthquake.

Manila Water remains committed to delivering life-saving water access and supporting communities in times of need.

At 76, most people slow down.

But for Queruben ‘Tatay Ruben’ Abella, every step he takes is a testament that age-and worn-out shoes-are no match for a determined heart.

Abella, a farmer from Barangay Candelaria in Dagohoy town, was among the more than 4,000 runners who joined the 4th Alturas Pink Run on Sunday in Tagbilaran City. The annual event, organized by the Alturas Group of Companies, aims to raise awareness and funds for cancer patients in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Despite his age, Abella conquered the 21-kilometer race in 2 hours, 37 minutes and 4 seconds-a remarkable feat that earned admiration from fellow runners and spectators alike. Last year, he clocked a faster time of 1 hour, 56 minutes and 29 seconds.

Abella said he intentionally took it slow this year, having joined two marathon events just weeks earlier.

Tried and tested shoes

He shared that muscle cramps hit him midway through the race, but the ointment he carried eased the pain just enough for him to keep going.

‘I was not tired at all. I fought until the end,’ he said in Cebuano at the finish line, smiling through exhaustion and triumph.

Yet what captured the crowd’s hearts wasn’t just his endurance, but the pair of old, hole-riddled shoes he wore.

‘These are my favorite,’ he said, smiling as he pointed at his tattered sneakers. ‘They’re light and comfortable. I’ve run many races with them.’

He said he purchased the shoes from an ukay-ukay (thrift store) and he intentionally punched holes in the shoes to improve ventilation and prevent water from pooling inside when he ran through rivers.

Abella has been running since he was 14, joining marathons across the Visayas and Mindanao. The Alturas Pink Run was his 22nd marathon, and his second time participating in the event.

But for him, this run was not about medals or records: ‘I joined to help raise awareness for cancer. It’s a worthy cause, and it makes running more meaningful.’

A former boxing trainer, Abella spends most of his days tending to his 20-hectare banana farm. Running, he said, keeps him strong-both in body and spirit.

He and his wife, Pilar, 67, have five children and eight grandchildren who proudly cheer him on in every race.

Inspiration

For Mary Grace Ido-Bernaldez, Alturas Pink Run organizer, the event was more than just a race-it’s a powerful movement to raise breast cancer awareness and support cancer patients and survivors.

She said Abella has become the living emblem of the event’s message of hope and perseverance.

‘Tatay Ruben isn’t just a participant-he’s our inspiration,’ Bernaldez said. ‘He reminds everyone that it’s never too late to do something good and to live with purpose.’ /cb

Yields on short-dated government debts went up during Monday’s sale of Treasury bills (T-bills) as investors await the inflation data and the central bank’s next policy decision this week.

Auction results showed the Bureau of the Treasury was able to raise its target amount of P22 billion via T-bills.

The offering was 3.4 times oversubscribed after attracting total tenders amounting to P74.5 billion.

Even so, the 91-day debt paper fetched an average rate of 4.983 percent, higher than the previous offering’s 4.828 percent.

The average yield for the 182-day T-bill stood at 5.128 percent, up from last week’s 5.075.

Lastly, investors asked an average rate of 5.228 percent for the 364-day securities, higher than the preceding auction’s 5.171 percent./tad

Coach Tim Cone couldn’t focus on anything other than Barangay Ginebra’s dismal loss at the hands of former pupil LA Tenorio and Magnolia to open the PBA’s 50th season.

‘I’m happy for LA, sad for myself,’ Cone said as the Gin Kings absorbed an 80-73 defeat in the Philippine Cup on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

There was a lot of talk about the coaching battle between Cone and Tenorio coming into the game, which ended with the Hotshots taking control for the majority of the contest.

‘You guys are making a big deal out of it,’ Cone said of the faceoff with Tenorio. ‘We’re friends. It’s the same thing when I played against Chot Reyes or Jeff Cariaso, or Johnedel Cardel, or Willy Wilson. They’re all my ex-players, ex-coaches, Luigi Trillo, you know. It’s the same.

‘It’s much bigger for LA than it was for me tonight. Put it that way. It was his first game, he’s gonna remember it. I’m gonna forget this one really quickly,’ added Cone.

Ginebra got 16 points and 17 rebounds from Stephen Holt, but Scottie Thompson was scoreless and Japeth Aguilar could only produce five points and five rebounds.

The Gin Kings also turned the ball over 21 times.

‘Too many turnovers, not enough effort on defense, didn’t execute tonight, didn’t play a very good game at all,’ Cone lamented.

‘Give credit to them, they were more prepared than we were. They looked sharper, looked better.’