Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved 3,770 public works projects worth P214.4 billion from unprogrammed funds in 2023 and 2024, with majority going to ‘favored regions’ now being flagged for anomalous and ghost flood control projects.

This according to ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio, who said these findings directly contradicted Malacañang’s claims that the President had no role in infrastructure corruption issues.

‘To be able to fund nearly 4,000 projects from unprogrammed appropriations, the president would have had to approve them,’ he said during the plenary deliberations for the Department of Public Works and Highways’ proposed P881.3-billion budget for 2026.

He challenged Malacañang to explain the basis for the releases and to ‘stop washing its hands off the corruption allegations.’

Citing official data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) during the plenary deliberations for the Department of Public Highways’ (DPWH) 2026 budget, Tinio disclosed that the DPWH received P61.4 billion in unprogrammed funds in 2023 for 1,889 projects, and P153 billion in 2024 for 1,811 projects.

In 2023, the top regions that got the largest share in unprogrammed funds were: Central Luzon, with 283 projects worth P11.7 billion in total; Bicol with 138 projects worth P7.6 billion, and Central Visayas with 170 projects worth P7.2 billion. In 2024, Mimaropa got the lion’s share of unprogrammed funds with P29.4 billion for 201 projects, followed by Central Luzon again with P25 billion for 285 projects. Majority of the projects approved for these regions, Tinio added, were flood control projects.

‘These are interesting top three regions, as these are the ‘usual suspect’ regions now being mentioned in the flood control scandal now,’ Tinio noted, alluding to Bulacan and Oriental Mindoro provinces, which are now under scrutiny after officials discovered numerous ghost flood control projects there.

Several past and current lawmakers, particularly Senators Francis Escudero, Joel Villanueva, Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada, and Nancy Binay; and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, are accused of receiving billions in kickbacks from projects in Bulacan.

Co, meanwhile, was founder of Sunwest Inc., the firm that implemented an anomalous P289.5 million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro. He is now facing graft, malversation and falsification charges over the project.

Tinio, however, emphasized that the President could not separate himself from the issue as unprogrammed funds-or standby authorizations that can only be tapped when new revenue or loans materialize-were within the discretion of the executive.

He cited Section 35, Chapter 5, Book 6 of Executive Order No. 292, which states that expenditures from lump sum appropriations ‘shall be made in accordance with a special budget to be approved by the President.’

This is not the first time that Tinio or other lawmakers have criticized the ballooning amount of unprogrammed appropriations under the Marcos administration, especially since these are lump-sum allocations that have no line items in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

This, Tinio stressed, has made them essentially invisible to public scrutiny-as demonstrated by the fact that no flood control project funded by unprogrammed funds were included in Malacañang’s Sumbong sa Pangulo transparency website for flood control projects.

To be able to fund infrastructure projects in this budget line, the DPWH regional and district engineering offices would have to submit requests for funding, which would be vetted by the agency’s planning services office.

The DPWH then submits a special budget request for release of funds to the DBM, which is the delegated authority by the Office of the President.

The DPWH’s sponsoring lawmaker and Surigao del Sur Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. said that the DPWH would soon release its own transparency server that would include these projects and possibly include the proponents of the project. /cb

The Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) on Tuesday expressed alarm over what it described as a troubling use of media access as a form of censorship, following the temporary revocation of Spin.ph’s credentials by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF).

In a strongly worded statement, the PSA condemned the September 23, 2025 decision of PNVF president Ramon ‘Tats’ Suzara to pull Spin.ph’s accreditation. Though the credentials were later restored, the group said the act itself should not have taken place.

‘The very fact that the press is barred, however briefly and inconsequentially-and for no justifiable reason-is unacceptable,’ the PSA said.

The association, which counts the country’s leading sports journalists among its members, announced a new policy in response. Moving forward, any sports official or organization that withholds or forfeits access to PSA members without due process and prior notice will be declared persona non grata.

‘Censorship does not always arrive as a law or an organizational rule. Sometimes it comes as a locked gate, a revoked pass, or an admonished question,’ the PSA said, warning that such actions amount to prior restraint and strike at the heart of press freedom.

To prevent abuse of the new rule, the PSA said it will provide continuous guidance to its members on fair and impartial reporting and form a committee to facilitate dialogue between journalists and sports officials in disputes over accreditation.

The group also noted the broader implications of the PNVF’s move, saying that even after Spin.ph’s credentials were reinstated, a ‘chilling effect lingers’ as journalists may now fear repercussions for critical reporting.

Quoting the 1987 Constitution’s guarantee of press freedom, the PSA emphasized that ‘no sports official or organization’ can override that protection.

‘We don’t ask for favors; we ask for fairness. We don’t seek permission to speak; we seek protection for our speech,’ the group said.

The statement closed with a vow that the PSA will continue covering sports ‘with the same vigor and fairness, respect and responsibility, commitment and passion’ but will not stand idle when press freedom is threatened.

Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III on Monday night accepted the resignation of Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co as a member of the House of Representatives, while an investigative body formed by Malacañang asked the Ombudsman to look into its recommended charges against the lawmaker and 17 others, including some officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

In his letter to Dy on Monday informing the speaker of his ‘irrevocable resignation,’ Co cited ‘the real, direct, grave and imminent threat’ to him as well as ‘the lives of my family members.’

Amid the unraveling scandal over the government’s flood control projects, Co has been accused of getting billions of pesos in kickbacks by contractors and DPWH officials testifying in congressional inquiries into these projects.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has requested the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to issue a blue notice on Co.

The notice practically allows surveillance on the lawmaker, since it serves to advise Interpol’s member states to ‘collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation.’

Co, in his letter, lamented ‘the evident denial of my right to due process of law.’

Posting on Facebook, he said that, as a lawmaker, he had tried to work in the best interest of each Filipino, especially his constituents in the Bicol region.

He said his party list group will soon inform the House about his replacement.

‘Voluntary renunciation’

Lawmakers like Co are allowed ‘voluntary renunciation’ of his or her office, under Article VI of the 1987 Constitution regarding the legislative department.

Dy told reporters on Monday night that he had accepted Co’s resignation, but the House leadership ‘needs to discuss how to address this properly.’

He also advised the resigned lawmaker, who has been on an extended medical leave, to return home and answer the ‘issues’ against him.

Also on Monday, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) asked the Office of the Ombudsman to study whether charges may be filed against Co and 17 other officials of the DPWH and officers of Sunwest Inc. over a substandard flood control project in Oriental Mindoro worth P289.5 million.

Sunwest, which was cofounded by Co, was included in President Marcos’ list of 15 contractors that bagged most of the government’s flood control projects.

In its first interim report and recommendation submitted to the Ombudsman, the ICI cited deficiencies in the construction of a road dike along Mag-Asawang Tubig River in Barangay Tagumpay, Naujan town.

The project, funded through the 2024 General Appropriations Act, was implemented by the Mimaropa (Region 4-B, or Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan) office of the DPWH.

According to the ICI, total disbursements for the project amounted to only P246.16 million-short of the estimated project cost by P43.3 million.

Among the ICI’s preliminary findings was that the materials used for the project ‘appear to be grossly substandard and not in line with required specifications.’

‘Discrepancy, losses’

The ICI noted further that when Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon and Oriental Mindoro Gov. Humerlito Dolor inspected the project on Sept. 9, they found steel sheet piles used in the dike measuring 2.5 to 3 meters-less than the 12-meter-long sheet piles required in the approved plan for the project.

The ICI said ‘this discrepancy could potentially result in public losses estimated at over P63 million.’

The commission also found deficiencies in the project’s documentation, including progress billings, which ‘appear to have been paid despite the absence of material supporting documents.’

Moreover, documents such as Form No. 2307 and Form No. 2550M of the Bureau of Internal Revenue ‘do not appear to have been submitted by the contractor,’ Sunwest.

No certifications

The DPWH Mimaropa also failed to submit such documents as the certifications of clearance for the payment of labor, materials, equipment, and other costs, as well as certifications on quality control.

As the ICI noted, failure to submit these documents warrants administrative sanctions, based on the guidelines of the DPWH itself.

Progress photos depicting the construction of the dike ‘hardly justify or accurately depict the actual progress of the works,’ the commission said, adding that only two photographs were submitted for the first progress billing.

These consisted of ‘a dimly lit photograph of steel sheet piles and a photograph of workers supposedly engaged in ‘clearing and grubbing,” which was meant to show that 25 percent of the work had already been accomplished.

The ICI said further that what made the progress photos ‘all the more anomalous or suspect is that they were the very same photographs used in support of Progress Billing No. 2.’

‘Beneficial ownership’

Before the third progress billing, P35.134 million had been paid to Sunwest for supposedly completing 40 percent of the project, the ICI said.

The commission also said it had yet to receive any documents on the third progress billing, aside from photographs ‘concerning or justifying payment’ to the project.

The ICI identified Co as having ‘reportedly founded’ Sunwest in 1992, when the company was then called Sunwest Construction and Development Corp. (SCDC).

Although Co was said to have divested himself of SCDC in 2019, he ‘supposedly maintains ‘beneficial ownership’ in various entities linked to Sunwest,’ the ICI said, even as it noted that this finding still needed further validation.

The Ombudsman was also asked to consider if charges should be filed against Gerald Pacanan, former director of DPWH Mimaropa, and 16 other officials of the DPWH and officers of Sunwest, including company president Aderma Angelie Alcazar.

Possible charges include malversation and falsification under the Revised Penal Code and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the Government Procurement Reform Act, and the Code of Conduct for Public Officials and Employees.

The ICI clarified that its findings remained preliminary ‘at this stage,’ adding that ‘it does not make categorical findings of guilt and responsibility for determining liability rests with the proper authorities.’ -With reports from Luisa Cabato, Zacarian Sarao, and Inquirer Research

Senator JV Ejercito was elected as the new Senate ethics committee chairperson.

This was announced by Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on the upper chamber’s floor on Tuesday.

According to Zubiri, Ejercito instructed the designation of Sen. Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan as the vice chairman of the committee.

Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros and Senator Erwin Tulfo are also named by Zubiri as members of the committee.

Prior to Ejercito’s election, Sen. Robin Padilla was being considered to be the next chairman of the committee, according to Sen. Joel Villanueva.

Hontiveros is facing a complaint lodged at the same committee for alleged disorderly behavior and ‘witness tampering.’

The complaint, filed before the Senate Secretary’s office by lawyer Ferdinand Topacio and two others, enumerates Hontiveros’ alleged offenses including the recantation of a witness in an inquiry led by Hontiveros about purported ‘abuses’ in the premises of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ founded by detained televangelist Apollo Quiboloy.

The ethics body will be responsible for ‘all matters relating to the conduct, rights, privileges, safety, dignity, integrity and reputation of the Senate and its members,’ according to the Senate website.

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday criticized the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for failing to proactively evaluate the social costs of its investments, particularly in online gambling, before committing funds.

This developed after Hontiveros, during a Senate panel hearing, asked the GSIS if it included the social costs of online gambling in calculating risks before investing P1 billion in the online gambling platform DigiPlus.

GSIS President Jose Arnulfo ‘Wick’ Veloso, for his part, responded that the agency considered DigiPlus to be a legal and listed corporation under the Philippine Stock Exchange.

‘We can see that this qualifies under the three points of our management: profitability, safety, and liquidity. So we saw that it meets the requirements, and that’s why we invested,’ Veloso explained.

Hontiveros then asked Veloso if the GSIS was ‘completely agnostic’ to the documented social costs of online gambling.

But Veloso maintained that the GSIS bases its investment decisions primarily on financial factors unless the Congress or a law specifically mandates otherwise.

Further stressed if this meant the GSIS did not, in fact, consider social costs as one of the qualifications before investing, Veloso responded:

‘The social costs you’re referring to are something we also want to learn how to integrate into our analysis of these kinds of businesses,’ said Veloso. ‘.That is why, Your Honor, we would like to seek the wise guidance of this committee and your chamber. Because we are merely following, and if this is the will of the people, then let us amend the law so that we may be properly guided,’ he added.

Senator Mark Villar, who chaired the hearing, acknowledged the concerns, but pointed out that while externalities like social costs are ‘not easily quantifiable,’ they should still be considered in government investments.

‘Perhaps when we talk about government money, we should be more diligent with learning about these externalities that are associated with these investments, be it in whatever sectors,’ said Villar.

‘It’s not easily quantifiable, but I hope this is something we can discuss in this committee and maybe make a part of the GSIS’ decision-making process,’ he added.

Hontiveros then pointed out that public health professionals could easily quantify the social costs, if need be.

She also pointed out that the social costs of online gambling have been documented well before the GSIS made the investment.

‘Our society and certain sectors of it-including the GOCCs-already recognize this, even in the case of online gambling. And yet, with all due respect, it seems too easy to simply say, ‘Let Congress first tell us what to do.’ You should be able to factor this in more quickly, because in truth, you can act much faster than we can,’ she said.

The senator then asked if GSIS would support the crafting of a legislation that would require government financial institutions to factor in social impacts before investing, to which Veloso answered in the affirmative.

Yet Hontiveros expressed disappointment that the GSIS was unwilling to take a more proactive stance.

‘You don’t have to wait until a new committee report or a new law is approved to take action,’ she said, noting that the pension fund made its P1-billion DigiPlus investment without congressional instruction.

‘You could very well be more proactive, and in fact show a good practice . guiding us in showing how our GOCCs can, over time, become increasingly selective in placing funds, especially when these involve the contributions of our public sector unions.,’ she added.

Hontiveros then said that she wishes they could have gone farther in this direction.

‘But if that is all the GSIS can say to the public, then I won’t be the only one disappointed,’ she said. /cb

The Social Security System (SSS) in Cotabato province has issued ‘show cause’ orders against at least 88 business establishment owners for their failure to remit the collected social security contributions from their workers.

The issuance of a show cause order is part of the state insurer’s ‘Run After Contribution Evaders’ (RACE) program in Cotabato province after confirming that 88 business owners failed to perform their obligations of remitting to the SSS the collected employees’ share and their counterpart.

On Monday, Sept. 29, lawyer Glenn Mar P. Acas of the SSS Mindanao South Legal Department led the conduct of ‘KaltaSSS-Collect Program’ in Kidapawan City to ensure workers are covered by SSS.

The ‘KaltaSSS-Collect Program’ is an SSS initiative providing social security coverage to private employees and government job order (JO) and contract of service (COS) workers, classifying them as self-employed SSS members.

It aims to ensure that private employers fully adhere to their obligations under Republic Act (RA) 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018.

Acas said the show cause orders were issued earlier to 76 employers for the past three months, while on Monday, Sept. 29, SSS issued orders 12 business owners for them to settle their obligations under RA 11119.

He said of the 76 employers with show cause orders since June this year, only 42 percent or 32 employers, have responded positively and settled their delinquencies.

Acas said SSS is patiently giving employers all the opportunities to comply with the law. A 15-day grace period is given to employers to rectify their violations.

The SSS official said the state insurer is determined to resort to legal remedies if the delinquent employers continue to ignore the opportunities given to them.

Jose Froilan Garcia, SSS Kidapawan branch manager, assured SSS members that benefits due for affected workers will not be affected despite delayed remittances from their employers.

‘We encouraged them to settle (with the SSS) rather than pay a bigger amount of penalties,’ Garcia told Church-run Radio DXND.

He said the benefits will continue while administrative remedies and the adjudication process with delinquent employers are underway.

The RACE program identifies businesses with violations that include non-registration, non-production of records, non-reporting of hired employees, and non-remittance of employee contributions

While it is his prerogative to step down from his post, former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co should still return to the country to face the possible charges against him for his alleged involvement in anomalous flood control projects of the government, according to Malacañang.

The renewed call for Co came as his colleagues at the House of Representatives expected him not to come back anytime soon, and the Department of Justice raising concern that it would be ‘inevitable’ for him to be a ‘fugitive.’

‘Nothing can stop him from making his decisions, but if ever a case is filed against him, he will not be able to avoid it, he cannot run away from it,’ Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a briefing on Tuesday.

‘So it would be better that if he becomes an accused, he should simply fight for his rights and defend his innocence based on the evidence he holds,’ she added.

Co resigned from being a member of the House on Monday, citing ‘the real, direct, grave and imminent threat’ to him as well as ‘the lives of my family members.’

The decision to leave his post came just as the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) asked the Office of the Ombudsman to recommend filing of graft complaints against him and 17 others, including officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and his construction firm Sunwest Inc. over a substandard flood control project in Oriental Mindoro worth P289.5 million.

According to the ICI, Co, as former House appropriations committee chairperson, received unwarranted benefits in relation to construction projects of Sunwest.

Co was accused of getting billions of pesos in kickbacks by contractors and DPWH officials testifying in congressional inquiries into flood control projects.

‘If his name is being mentioned, then definitely he must answer it. Because if he fails to respond and chooses to avoid it, he will only appear guilty. That’s why it is better for him to explain his side,’ Castro said.

The DOJ has requested the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to issue a blue notice on Co.

Castro said the DOJ was still waiting for a response from the Interpol on its request as of Tuesday.

Should it be granted, the notice practically allows surveillance on the lawmaker, since it serves to advise Interpol’s member states to ‘collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation.’

According to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, they no longer expect Co to face the DOJ, which may lead to him being tagged as a fugitive through the Interpol.

‘He won’t make any more appearances. He will be a fugitive. Isn’t that how people usually act when they have problems-they disappear?’ said Remulla in a press conference.

‘So far, he’s not yet a fugitive, but that will inevitably be his status here,’ he added.

As of Sept. 29, Remulla said Co was currently staying in Madrid, Spain.

The DOJ is verifying reports that he is set to return to Singapore via Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Oct. 5 to get admitted to a hospital.

The Italians proved they were still the Kings of Volleyball as they ruled the FIVB Men’s World Championship for the second consecutive time after outlasting the young Bulgarian side, 25-21, 25-17, 17-25, 25-10, in front of a tournament-best 16,429 crowd at Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.

More than keeping Italy on top of the world, team captain and now two-time Best Setter Simone Giannelli put a spotlight on the importance of cementing their legacy in the Philippines, which has volleyball as a rising sport, and inspiring the Filipino youth.

‘It’s very important because we have all things but all around the world is not like this,’ he said.

‘I think that we have to do something great with our presence in every country [that we] visit,’ added Giannelli after displaying his playmaking brilliance to bring out the best in Italy’s Yuri Romano, Mattia Bottolo and MVP Alessandro Michieletto.

Giannelli was one of the six players, Alas Pilipinas captain Bryan Bagunas also among them, who were painted on the mural of an outdoor court in Parañaque, in the Volleyball Legacy Art Project.

‘I’m very grateful for what the Filipinos did for me,’ he said. ‘Because that playground, it’s amazing, the artist I want to know him and to congratulate him, to thank him and all the volleyball family because it was an amazing initiative. The Volleyball Foundation is very, very good because it makes good things for the sport.’

The hosting of the Men’s World Championship will probably change the landscape of Philippine men’s volleyball after the best of the best, like Italy, surprise runner-up Bulgaria and World No.1 and bronze medalist Poland, showcased their talents here to inspire a new generation of Filipino youth, along with Alas Pilipinas, which proved it belonged on the world stage.

Giannelli, who has won championships for their national team and several clubs overseas, has important advice for the Filipinos who showered him and his team and other participating countries with love.

‘Never in my life [have] I thought that I would be representing a court in the Philippines, in Manila, and to be there forever. It’s amazing for the kids. The message that I can give to them is to try to be a good person,’ said the 2022 World Championship MVP.

‘[Being good] is what we need now, and enjoy the sport and stay together with your friends and family and make the sport great.’

Bottolo, who rose to the occasion in the final, firing seven aces to finish with 19 points, was grateful to the Filipinos for making them feel at home.

‘Being far away from home for three weeks, just training and hotel, was really tough for us. This is the World Championship, and if you want to play that, you have to live this toughness. The Philippines has helped us a lot because your people are incredible,’ said Bottolo. ‘They treated us very well every day, so I have to say thank you very much.’

Romano, who unleashed 22 points in the final, agreed. ‘The fans, the fans are crazy, we feel all their love and we feel they cheer for us. It’s very fun to be here,’ said Romano. INQ

The Department of Public Works and Highways will livestream the bidding process for its projects to promote transparency, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said on Tuesday. Hosaka also explained that the ‘ICI is avoiding trial by publicity and will not allow it to be used for any political leverage or agency by any individual or group.’ /das/abc

The Archdiocese of Cebu will witness a historic and grace-filled moment on Tuesday, Sept. 30, as Most Rev. Alberto ‘Abet’ Uy is formally installed as the fifth metropolitan archbishop of Cebu.

The solemn canonical possession and installation rites will take place at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral at 9 a.m. It is expected to draw together an extraordinary gathering of prelates from across the Philippines and beyond.

According to the Archdiocese of Cebu, among those attending are high-ranking leaders of the Catholic Church: Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Most Rev. Charles John Brown; Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization; Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and Bishop of Kalookan; and Jose Cardinal Advincula, Archbishop of Manila.

Also joining are several archbishops from key ecclesiastical territories, including Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon of Caceres, Archbishop John Du of Palo, and Archbishop Victor Bendico of Capiz, among others. Retired archbishops, such as Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, SJ, and Archbishop Leonardo Medroso, will also grace the celebration.

Dozens of bishops from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will be present, including Bishop Precioso Cantillas, Bishop Julito Cortes of Dumaguete, Bishop Crispin Varquez of Borongan, Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara of Pasig, Bishop Dennis Villarojo of Malolos, and many more. Apostolic vicars and bishops emeriti are also expected to participate.

The installation of Uy marks a new chapter for the Archdiocese of Cebu, recognized as the cradle of Christianity in the Philippines. Cebu’s faithful, together with visiting prelates, are set to witness a moment of deep ecclesial unity as they celebrate the continuity of faith and mission in one of the country’s most historic archdioceses.

Uy was born and raised in Ubay town, Bohol. Pope Francis appointed Uy as the 7th bishop of Tagbilaran on October 13, 2016. He was consecrated on Jan. 5, 2017. /das