Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Davao City acting Mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte is continuing his legal offensive against government officials responsible for sending his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

This time, Duterte, through his lawyer Israelito Torreon, filed a disbarment case against Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty and Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon.

According to Torreon, the four officials violated the Canons of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA), the rule that governs lawyers.

However, he refused to specify which canon was violated by Remulla, Teodoro, Ty, and Fadullon.

‘That, I cannot say anymore, but you know, the Canons of Professional Responsibility, Canons 1 to the rest of the Canons, and if I mention the same, I might be violating my oath,’ he explained.

The young Duterte earlier filed before the Office of the Ombudsman kidnapping, arbitrary detention, and violating the rights of persons arrested under Republic Act 7438 against the four lawyers and several other officials.

However, Remulla was already given a clearance by the Office of the Ombudsman that he no longer has a pending case which was submitted to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).

The clearance is necessary to be considered in choosing the shortlist of applicants to the top Ombudsman post.

Torreon said they are hoping that the disbarment case will affect Remulla’s application to become the next Ombudsman.

‘Hopefully. I do not have any qualms on the matter. That is one of the aims that we, that Mayor Duterte filed this case,’ he said.

Sought for comment, Remulla said the case ‘that is already expected. They cannot hide their displeasure .I will just roll with the punches.’

The Office of the President (OP) pledged to donate more than P200 million to Cebu province and its local government units to help them in rehabilitation works following the powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the donation during a situation briefing with members of the Cabinet and officials of the local government of Cebu province outside the city hall of Bogo City on Thursday.

‘I know at this point that the [quick response] funds of the provincial government and the local governments are already depleted or about to run out. Because you were compelled to realign the money that you were supposed to use for other purposes to help your people,’ he said.

According to the President, P50 million of the OP’s donation would go to Cebu provincial government, while another P20 million would be provided for Bogo City, which was the epicenter of the powerful earthquake.

The OP would also provide assistance to nine of Cebu province’s towns affected by the earthquake.

These were in San Remigio and Sogod, which would receive P20 million each; and the municipalities of Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Medellin, Santa Fe, Tabogon, and Tabuelan, which would get P10 million each.

According to President Marcos, the national government would also provide P20 million for Department of Health-retained hospitals in the province, and P5 million each for each provincial hospital.

More funds from DBM

Furthermore, the President also ordered the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release a government support fund worth P150 million for Cebu and P75 million for San Remigio, Bogo, and Medellin.

‘This is only an initial release; we are contemplating further releases that will be in the pipeline,’ he said of the fund from the DBM.

At least 72 individuals reportedly died and 294 were injured due to the temblor, which damaged several heritage churches, billions worth of roads and bridges, many residential houses, and hundreds of classrooms, while causing widespread power outages in the province.

The magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck at 9:59 p.m., with the epicenter located 21 kilometers northeast of Bogo City, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

A man seen on video holding a pistol, believed to be behind the killing of a 37-year-old construction worker at the height of a riot in Manila after the September 21 protests, is not part of the Philippine National Police (PNP), according to a lawmaker.

During the plenary debates at the House of Representatives on Thursday regarding the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), budget sponsor and Camarines Sur 4th District Rep. Arnie Fuentebella assured ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio that no PNP officer discharged a firearm that killed Eric Saber.

Tinio, during his time to quiz the PNP, an attached agency of the DILG, asked whether the police force had seen videos circulating on social media showing the exact moment Saber was gunned down amid the riot along Claro M. Recto Avenue in the City of Manila.

‘This is widely circulated on social media [.] the ones who entered the hotel have firearms before they eventually went out, so in the video, the alleged gunman who fired is wearing a blue sweater or sweatshirt, he is allegedly the gunman. This is evident in the video. He went in, and his two companions went in to rescue him,’ Tinio said.

‘We are not making any conclusions, but who are those people? Some are saying that maybe they are police officers (in plainclothes). My point is, there is evidence circulating on social media of gunmen in the vicinity right where the shooting happened. So in other words, if the police work on the investigation, they can identify the actual gunman who shot Eric Saber,’ he added.

‘Yes, actually, Madam Speaker, that’s part of the investigation, but we can say that these are not police officers; these people pertain to what we have been saying that they are rioters with guns. So, they are not part of the organization of the Philippine National Police,’ Fuentebella replied.

Tinio said he hopes Saber would get justice, saying that it is the wish of the victim’s relatives when he went to the wake over the weekend.

‘We talked to the family, of course, they are looking for justice for their brother,’ he added.

According to Tinio, Saber was neither part of the rally nor the riot – stressing that Saber’s family relayed that the construction worker only went to a mall in Pasay City to hang out with friends before returning home.

Since Saber lives in Tondo, he had to move through Recto Avenue to go home. Tinio said that Saber was curious about the rally and checked out what was happening.

‘He’s a construction worker, and actually he and his friends only visited MOA that afternoon – meaning, he is not part of those staging a rally. That is his photo. Then, when they were returning home in the afternoon, since he hails from Tondo, he had to move along Recto Avenue,’ Tinio said.

‘And because there has been a commotion near the area, and you know that many Filipinos during commotions are curious to see what is happening. So that is what happened, he was clearly a bystander, watching the riot unfolding,’ he added.

On September 21, two major rallies were organized by opposition groups – one in Luneta Park, Manila, in the morning, and another along the EDSA Shrine and the People Power Monument in Quezon City. Both were geared at protesting against the corruption schemes in the government’s infrastructure projects.

While the programs were generally peaceful, rallies took on a violent turn after some protesters not affiliated with organizers burned down a container trailer along Ayala Avenue – just a few steps from one of Malacañang complex’s gates.

The riot then shifted to Recto Avenue, and in one instance, shots were heard being fired near a hotel chain. The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), meanwhile, said that their officers did not fire guns during the protest.

No tear gas

Fuentebella, who was assisted by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla and acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez, also maintained that no tear gas was released by the anti-riot force during the protests.

Fuentebella said this after being asked by Kamanggagawa party-list Rep. Elijah San Fernando about news reports stating that tear gas was used. According to the Camarines Sur solon, only ‘smoke grenades’ were deployed.

‘The DILG Secretary claims no teargas and guns were used by the police officers [.] Now based on media reports, the police responded with teargas and water cannons, and there are many pieces of evidence, videos, posts,’ San Fernando said.

‘Yes actually Madam Speaker, we have to be careful also in watching the media, because it is not teargas, it was smoke grenades Madam Speaker,’ Fuentebella replied.

San Fernando also asked Fuentebella about police officers carrying firearms to areas of rallies, which supposedly violates Batas Pambansa No. 880 or the The Public Assembly Act of 1985.

Fuentebella then said that only members of the PNP’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit have firearms, and they are located at the far end of the police line – and not at the front lines.

‘Now, the Public Assembly Act of 1985 or BP 880, Section 10(b), it says members of the law enforcement contingent shall not carry any kind of firearms but maybe equipped with batons, riot sticks, shields, crash helmets, visors, gas masks, boots, or ankle-high shoes with shin guards. Now there are media reports circulating that we can actually see our police personnel carrying firearms during the rally,’ San Fernando said.

‘Yes, the riot police had no firearms but SWAT they do have. But they were at the far back Madam Speaker, if we cannot control the rioters who we saw burning things, throwing stones, and causing violence in our society, then the SWAT has firearms to address it. But at the forefront, the ones in front are riot police, who do not have firearms, Madam Speaker,’ Fuentebella answered.

The death toll from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu has risen to 72, according to the latest situational report released by authorities on Thursday, Oct. 2.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) also reported 294 injured, though all figures remain subject to validation. No missing persons have been recorded.

The NDRRMC said the quake has affected 170,959 individuals, or 47,221 families, and a total of 53 cities and municipalities have been placed under a state of calamity.

Power and water supply were also disrupted, although some services have since been restored.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has recorded 2,613 aftershocks as of the 7 a.m. update.

The earthquake, which struck on Sept. 30, had its epicenter in Bogo City and is considered one of the deadliest natural disasters to hit Cebu in recent memory

Questions over its confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) amounting to billions of pesos continue to hound the Office of the President (OP), after a lawmaker noted that it fully spent the funds last year but left more than a fifth of its regular budget unobligated or unused.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio raised the matter during plenary deliberations on the OP’s proposed P27-billion budget in 2026, where he cited the OP’s Statement of Appropriations, Allotments, Obligations, Disbursements, and Balances, saying it fully obligated its CIF for every quarter of 2024.

That year, the OP received P4.5 billion for its CIF, which meant it received P1.1 billion in cash per quarter.

In contrast, the OP was able to obligate only 78 percent of its regular funding in the same year, Tinio said.

Ballooning amount

‘Why is it that when it comes to your CIF, not a single centavo is left? But when we’re talking about the regular budget-which is subject to the normal reporting and accounting procedures of the Commission on Audit (COA)-you’re a bit slow, at 78 percent (obligation rate)?’ he asked.

The OP’s sponsoring lawmaker, Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia, explained that the OP spent its CIF on the activities of its presidential situation room, the national AML/CFT (anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism) coordinating committee, the national cybersecurity interagency committee, the People’s Center on Transnational Crime, and the Anti-Terrorism Council project management center.

The OP’s CIF, which now totals P4.56 billion annually or roughly a third of the Palace’s budget, has steadily grown over the years.

Confidential expenses pertain to surveillance activities in civilian government agencies, while intelligence expenses are those related to information-gathering activities of uniformed and military personnel directly related to national security.

Since 2015, the OP traditionally requested only up to P250 million each for confidential and intelligence purposes until former President Rodrigo Duterte raised them tenfold to P2.5 billion from 2017 to 2019.

By 2020, these doubled to P4.5 billion-an amount sustained under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Safeguards

Tinio recalled how some Marcos allies earlier questioned the use of CIF by Vice President Sara Duterte, who had requested unprecedented amounts in 2023 and 2024 for both the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education which she used to head, an agency that traditionally does not require CIF.

But ‘when the new president came in, instead of reverting to the old practice and [proving] that the Duterte administration’s use of CIF was an aberration, the Marcos Jr. administration continued it,’ Tinio noted.

Its growing reliance on such funds, he added, was creating a ‘huge loophole’ since such expenditures are exempt from the procurement law and governed only by a special Department of Budget and Management-COA circular.

Garcia confirmed the figures but said the increase for the OP in 2023-Marcos’ first full year-was introduced in the Senate and not requested by Malacañang.

He also stressed that the funds were subject to liquidation and reporting to the Speaker, the Senate President and the COA.

Lindsey Vander Weide is ready to run it back with Petro Gazz, eager to reunite with former Oregon teammate and reigning PVL MVP Brooke Van Sickle.

Vander Weide, who won Best Import and Finals MVP when the Angels claimed the 2022 Reinforced Conference crown, said she jumped at the chance to return when Petro Gazz came calling ahead of the import-laden tournament, which kicks off Tuesday at Ynares Center Montalban. ‘I kind of always wanted to come back right after I left, but I wasn’t sure if the cards were ever going to play out, and they contacted me this season. I’m in a part where I’m not playing right now, so I’m super excited to be back, and I knew I had to do it with Petro Gazz,’ said Vander Weide.

Vander Weide, who spent the past three years in Puerto Rico and in American pro leagues, is determined to bring back the Reinforced glory to Petro Gazz after a quarterfinal exit last year.

‘That’s the goal. That felt amazing to do last time. I’m really hoping we can do it again. Like you said, we still have a lot of firepower, plus Brooke, huge addition, so hopefully we can get that done,’ she said. The 27-year-old American outside spiker can’t wait to share the court with Van Sickle, whom she played with from 2016 to 2019 in the US NCAA Division 1.

‘We did a lot of big things in college. You guys know Brooke is a huge arm. I’m a big arm so I know that duo is going to be really good, just like it was back then. And like you said, a lot of my old teammates are here too, so that’s really exciting,’ said Vander Weide.

For Van Sickle, it’s a full-circle moment to once again play alongside Vander Weide, who first introduced her to the PVL.

‘It’s really just a full circle moment, having her here, having my parents here,’ said Van Sickle.

The Philippines is looking to host its first-ever Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 tournament, with discussions underway for the event to be held early next year.

The plan was raised in a meeting between Navotas Mayor and Philippine Tennis Association secretary-general John Rey Tiangco and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio on September 29. If plans materialize, the event could be held from January 26 to February 1, 2026.

Also being discussed is the possible public opening of the Rizal Memorial Tennis Courts, a move that officials said would expand access to the sport.

‘This partnership with the PSC paves the way for a new chapter in Philippine tennis,’ Tiangco said. ‘We are pursuing the hosting of the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open and the ITF J30, exploring the opening of Rizal Memorial to the public, and continuing plans for the Philippine Tennis Center in New Clark City.’ Gregorio added that staging a WTA event would give Filipino athletes a chance to test themselves against top players while helping inspire the next generation.

The timing comes as Filipino tennis star Alex Eala continues to climb the world rankings, with organizers hoping to create opportunities for her and other local players to compete on home soil.

The Philippines is already confirmed to host the International Tennis Federation (ITF) J30 event from late November to December 7, 2025, featuring rising juniors aged 13 to 18 from Asia and beyond.

Officials said the proposed WTA event would mark a breakthrough moment for Philippine tennis, combining grassroots development, international hosting, and sports tourism.

The US private sector lost jobs in September, data from payroll firm ADP showed Wednesday, despite analysts’ expectations of employment growth and as concerns linger over the health of the labor market.

Private sector employment shed 32,000 jobs last month, said ADP, with the biggest losses seen in sectors like leisure and hospitality and professional services, as well as in financial activities.

Hiring in trade, transportation and utilities, as well as construction and manufacturing also contracted, data showed.

But analysts were swift to warn that ADP’s figures often diverge from official numbers. Hiring caution

They said this report could receive more scrutiny than usual as a US government shutdown – if it persists – might delay the publication of government employment numbers expected on Friday. For now, ADP’s overall reduction came as it conducted an annual preliminary adjustment of figures based on 2024 results of the quarterly census of employment and wages.

This resulted in a loss of 43,000 jobs in September compared with pre-benchmarked data, ADP added.

‘Despite the strong economic growth we saw in the second quarter, this month’s release further validates what we’ve been seeing in the labor market, that US employers have been cautious with hiring,’ said ADP chief economist Nela Richardson in a statement.

‘Far from definitive’

Pantheon Macroeconomics’ senior US economist Oliver Allen maintains that Wednesday’s report is ‘far from definitive.’

He said in a note that other ‘more reliable surveys generally point to growth in private payrolls slowing only a bit further in September, and remaining positive.’

But Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, said markets would likely focus on how the headline number was below expectations.

A Briefing.com consensus forecast of analysts, for example, had expected private sector hiring growth of 40,000.

‘Regardless of whether ADP is a good advance estimate of the official payroll estimate, or not, markets will perceive this as a weaker-than-expected report,’ Weinberg said.

This could fuel expectations for further Federal Reserve rate cuts this year.

Payroll data

Weinberg believes that market perceptions could also quickly change if the Bureau of Labor Statistics did end up reporting official payroll numbers on Friday that are significantly different.

On Wednesday, ADP said that salaries were up 4.5 percent year-on-year, a rate that was ‘little changed.’

Pay gains for those who changed jobs cooled to 6.6 percent in September from 7.1 percent in August, ADP added.

US policymakers have been wary of weakening in the key jobs market, with the central bank cutting interest rates for the first time in 2025 last month over employment concerns.

Creamline will continue to miss Jia De Guzman when it resumes its campaign in the upcoming PVL Reinforced Conference.

Owing to a management decision, De Guzman will once again sit out another conference for the Cool Smashers as she continues her full-time commitment to Alas Pilipinas, which is eyeing to end a 20-year medal drought in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in December.

‘Of course, it’s impossible not to feel the loss. Jia is different. She’s battle-tested and a big factor in games. We’ll always feel that it’s a missed opportunity not having her. But maybe it’s just not the right time yet. Hopefully, by next year,’ Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses told the reporters in Filipino.

Meneses, though, remains confident with his team roster with four-time Best Setter Kyle Negrito, who has stepped up her game since the eight-time winner De Guzman took her act to Japan last year, as well as Rhea Dimaculangan-Villarete and Mafe Galanza. ‘Kyle has really improved a lot from previous conferences. So the rotation is stable, there’s really no problem there,’ said Meneses. ‘We have two backups Rhea and Mafe. And they’re always ready.’

Creamline, which finished bronze in the PVL on Tour and Invitational, is raring to defend its throne in the Reinforced with American import Coco Schwan, Alyssa Valdez, Michele Gumabao, Pangs Panaga, Jema Galanza, and rookie Sheena Toring.

‘Our number one goal is to finish the conference healthy. That’s really the top priority. But of course, our mindset is also on defending our title. Hopefully, Courtney will be a big help to us,’ Meneses said.

MANILA, Philippines-Representative Brian Poe has affirmed the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s commitment to connect all Department of Education target schools by December.

‘The commitment of DICT is that by the end of this year, they will be able to connect all the target sites of DepEd,’ Poe said during the Sept. 29 budget hearing for the 2026 General Appropriations Bill, where he sponsored DICT’s budget.

He reiterated a pledge made by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his State of the Nation Address to close the digital divide in education.

For the government, ‘connected’ means meeting strict and measurable performance criteria. For schools served by low Earth orbit satellites, the minimum download speed is 5 megabytes per second and the upload speed is 1 to 2 megabytes per second.

DICT is monitoring compliance and engaging with service providers to ensure performance.

‘If our colleague has any instances where there are any sites that are too slow or not keeping up with the standards of DICT, I believe the agency is open to flagging these service providers because it is our goal at the end of the day to provide the best services possible to the Filipino people,’ Poe said.

Outdated networks are also being retired.

‘DICT has communicated to me that they are doing away with old technologies such as 2G and 3G, so that by next year, only new technology like LTE and 5G will be allowed by our service providers,’ he said.

The effort is backed by historic funding. The 2025 national budget includes the largest Wi-Fi appropriation in Philippine history – P5 billion in automatic annual funding, plus an additional P2.5 billion infused last year as a presidential priority.

Of that, P1.5 billion is specifically allocated to fulfill the December connectivity target. An additional P1.5 billion is also proposed in the 2026 budget to connect the remaining 12,139 DepEd schools.

Sustainability remains a concern, but Poe expressed optimism. ‘Ngayon, hopefully when this budget passes, mabibigyan po sila din ng maintenance and operating funds to be able to maintain the connections that they will build in our schools,’ he said.

He emphasized the weight of the promise. ‘The reason why I am so firm in this commitment is this was a SONA commitment of the president, and it is a priority of the DICT and a commitment we made to the Filipino people. So I believe that when they tell me three times in a row that they will connect all the schools by December, gagawin po talaga nila.’