Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

A Japanese government panel on Wednesday reviewed countermeasures for inflation that were included in the government’s fiscal 2024 supplementary budget and fiscal 2025 budget.

Referring to progress on measures that were compiled under his administration, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said, ‘They are being steadily implemented as a whole.’

‘We will continue to protect people’s lives and business activities from rising prices,’ he said at a meeting of the government’s Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy.

At the meeting, council members confirmed that the government’s subsidies for electricity and gas charges had worked to lower utility fees.

The members also found that rice prices have risen again, due to the distribution of newly harvested rice, after temporarily falling thanks to the release of the government’s stockpiled rice.

Looking ahead, the council said that price growth is expected to slow in the second half of this year and to hover around 2 percent in the next fiscal year starting in April 2026, due to the effects of countermeasures and a slower pace of increase in food prices.

Additionally, the council suggested that the sentiment of consumers, who were concerned that prices would keep rising, has shown signs of improvement.

Regarding US President Donald Trump’s high tariffs, a risk factor for the Japanese economy, the panel underlined the need to keep a close watch on future developments, citing negative impacts such as a decline in automobile exports to the United States and deteriorating earnings at Japanese automakers.

The police in Maguindanao del Norte and Sultan Kudarat impounded a total of P11.4 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in separate law enforcement operations on Thursday.

The first operation was in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, where the police, led by Lt. Colonel Esmael Madin, flagged down a closed-van cargo truck at about 4 a.m.

Responding to a tip that a cargo truck from Lebak, Sultan Kudarat was to pass through Barangay Dalican, Datu Odin Sinsuat town, Madin alerted his men manning several checkpoints in the town’s capital.

A cargo truck was intercepted and upon inspection, police found 266 cases of imported cigarettes from Malaysia.

‘It was estimated to cost about P9.5 million,’ Madin told reporters, adding that the contraband was supposed to be delivered to an unidentified consignee in Tacurong City.

The suspects are now detained at the Datu Odin police detention facility while appropriate charges are being prepared against them.

A few hours earlier, members of the 2nd Sultan Kudarat Mobile Force Company and Lebak municipal police station confiscated about P1.9 million worth of smuggled cigarettes at a checkpoint in Barangay Christianuevo, Lebak, at about 11:30 a.m.

Two men, the driver and the helper, were arrested and are now detained at the Lebak police detention facility.

Brig. Gen Arnold Ardiente, regional director for Police Regional Office 12, said smuggling will never prosper in the Soccsksargen region because the public has been helping the police foil all illegal activities in the region

As soon as Jonathan Kuminga shows up to rejoin the Golden State Warriors, coach Steve Kerr plans an immediate conversation with the dynamic forward to make sure they are on the same page as the NBA season begins.

Kuminga was expected to arrive in the Bay Area on Wednesday and be at Chase Center on Thursday to go through a physical and likely his first practice since signing a two-year contract Tuesday that could be worth up to $46.5 million. ‘The first thing is a great conversation with JK. To me at the heart of any good team culture is communication,’ Kerr said Wednesday, when the Warriors also signed 39-year-old center Al Horford. ‘We have to have a really good sit down.’

Kerr said he reached out several times to Kuminga over the summer, as he keeps tabs with all his players, and said that ‘he and I have always gotten along well.’ One message Kerr plans to make clear: The offense will revolve around Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, and Kuminga will have to pick his moments while focusing on the defensive end and running the floor to have a better chance of playing. Golden State’s first-round draft pick in 2021 will turn 23 on Monday.

‘Everybody progresses at a different rate. Things can click, but those are the things I’m going to continue to ask of him,’ Kerr said. ‘And I have no doubt, too, there’s going to be times this year where we’ve got to get him the ball and run the offense through him.’ With Kuminga finally signed as well as new additions Horford and Seth Curry, general manager Mike Dunleavy has Golden State’s roster intact at last – a process that took more than three months rather than a matter of days like a normal free agency period.

A restricted free agent, Kuminga received a $7.9 million qualifying offer on June 29 but weighed other multiyear options. Dunleavy hopes Kuminga will be a key contributor and said for now he wasn’t weighing a sign-and-trade scenario.

‘As far as the negotiations go, it was fair, reasonable, no issues on my end. I think just sometimes these things take time,’ Dunleavy said. ‘But by my count, I’m all good with it, feel good about the deal we’ve done and really the deal for JK. I think it’s good for both sides. . What that means for the contract structure is we feel like we have a player that can be really good, and I don’t feel like there’s a need to make a move. Now, we’ll see how the season unfolds.’

Everybody is eager to move forward with the drawn-out Kuminga situation resolved.

‘First of all, I’m happy for Jonathan. It may not be the contract he was hoping for, but that’s life-changing money and I’m really happy for him and his family,’ Kerr said.

‘The whole idea is to help him get better, help him become the player that he can become and sign a few more of those contracts. That’s what he has to focus on and that’s what I have to focus on, the getting better part and where he can help us, because that’s really been the thing that’s held him back – what we need versus what he wants to do. There’s no denying that that’s been an issue, and there’s no denying that there’s a place for him on this team. We don’t have a big athletic wing player like he represents.’

Horford, too, is ready to get going with his new team after spending the last four years in Boston, and leaving there ‘wasn’t an easy decision for me to make.’ Playing for Kerr and alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Butler to chase a championship seemed like a great fit.

‘If there was one place that I was going to leave was for this,’ Horford said.

So, during all the uncertainty in recent months he focused on his training and making sure his family was ready for the daunting cross-country transition.

Independent directors may soon be barred from seeking a longer term beyond nine years as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed a circular setting term limits.

SEC chair Francis Lim on Wednesday told reporters that setting the term limit in stone would allow opportunities for ‘true, meaningful independent directors.’

Under the draft memorandum, independent directors will be elected for a three-year fixed term, meaning they will have security of tenure.

This is to ensure that independent directors ‘with different views’ are protected from sudden removal.

‘To make the independent directors truly independent, we’re giving them a three-year security of tenure . Once voted, they are elected for three years, not just one,’ Lim said on the sidelines of the Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines’ digital library launch. There’s a way out currently

At the same time, however, the chair clarified that they may only be elected for a maximum of three consecutive terms totaling nine years.

After that, they are barred from reelection in the same company.

Current rules state that independent directors are only elected for a one-year term. They may serve as independent directors for up to nine years, although companies may apply for exemptive relief for extraordinary cases.

But once the proposed rules are approved, the term limit would be firm and the SEC would no longer grant extensions, Lim noted.

The circular will take effect immediately, meaning independent directors serving their ninth year in 2026 may not be reelected, and their term will not be extended.

Possible penalty

Companies that fail to adopt the three-year security of tenure and the nine-year term limit may be fined P1 million.

The draft circular is available for public comment until Oct. 15.

Lim earlier pointed out that independent directors whose terms have expired in one company can move to smaller firms and share their expertise while also giving opportunities to other leaders.

The decline in the price of palay (unmilled rice) is a serious issue faced by our farmers. Currently, the price of palay is only ?8/kg, resulting in a massive loss of income for farmers-amounting to over ?250 billion.

This is four times greater than the damage caused by the Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2012. This is not merely a market failure; it is a policy-induced disaster rooted in the structural flaws of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).

Enacted in 2019, RTL dismantled the National Food Authority’s (NFA) market intervention powers, liberalized rice imports, and exposed Filipino farmers to global price shocks without adequate safeguards.

Despite amendments tripling the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) to ?30 billion, the law remains irreparable. Its design privileges importers, weakens domestic production incentives, and undermines national food sovereignty.

A new law is urgently needed-one that restores the dignity of farmers, embeds climate resilience, and reclaims rice as a pillar of Filipino self-reliance.

That law is the proposed Rice Industry Sustainable Development Act (RISDA).RISDA is not a mere policy tweak; it is a systemic overhaul.

It integrates economic, ecological, and institutional reforms to rebuild the rice sector from the ground up. At its core is a commitment to guaranteed procurement, price stabilization, and farmer empowerment.

Under RISDA, the government shall purchase a minimum of 20% of the national palay harvest at a floor price of ?25/kg-adjusted annually to ensure a 30% net return above production cost.

This procurement mandate is not symbolic; it is a strategic intervention to dismantle rice trader cartels and restore market fairness. Drawing lessons from India’s Minimum Support Price (MSP) system and Thailand’s farmer price support schemes, RISDA repositions the NFA as a proactive market stabilizer, not a passive logistics agency.

Beyond procurement, RISDA institutionalizes a robust price support mechanism. It mandates the establishment of a dynamic floor price calibrated to grain yield, inflation, and production costs.

This ensures that farmers earning 5 tons per hectare receive a net income of ?50,000 per hectare per crop-an income floor that reflects both dignity and viability. The NFA is empowered to intervene during harvest seasons, buying palay when market prices fall below the threshold, thereby shielding farmers from predatory pricing.

Moreover, RISDA introduces a rice import parity clause: importers must purchase 60% locally grown rice for every 40% of their import volume.This creates competitive demand for domestic palay and curbs speculative importation.

To prevent price manipulation and hoarding, RISDA enforces strict penalties on profiteering, price gouging, and artificial scarcity. Licensed traders must submit periodic inventory reports, and the NFA, in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), will conduct regular market surveillance.

Public price bulletins and digital reporting platforms will empower consumers to monitor rice prices and report violations, democratizing market oversight.

RISDA also revives the quedan system-a warehouse receipt mechanism that allows farmers to deposit palay in accredited warehouses and use the receipts as collateral for low-interest loans. This delays market disposal until prices improve, reducing vulnerability to post-harvest price crashes.

Cooperatives will manage community warehouses, strategically located near production zones, and participate in buffer stock programs. Blockchain-based tracking and third-party audits will ensure transparency and accountability.

Programs for farmers under RISDA go far beyond input subsidies. The proposed law mandates the construction and rehabilitation of irrigation systems, prioritizing rainfed and drought-prone areas.

Solar-powered and gravity-fed networks will be developed, especially in upland and indigenous communities. Post-harvest modernization is central: drying centers, milling facilities, and climate-controlled storage hubs will be built in strategic municipalities, with cooperatives given priority access to equipment grants.

Farm-to-market roads will be geospatially planned, with 10% of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget earmarked for rice-producing regions.

RISDA embeds climate resilience through agroecological transitionIncentives will be provided to farmers who regenerate soil carbon, adopt low-emission practices, and manage local seed banks.

A national hybrid rice seed independence program will be launched, targeting 50% local seed production coverage within four years. Research institutions and state universities will collaborate with farmer-led organizations to develop climate-resilient varieties, biological pest control systems, and diversified cropping models.

Innovation hubs will be established in major rice provinces to support decentralized, participatory research.

To ensure strategic foresight and policy coherence, RISDA creates the National Rice Sustainability Council (NRSC)-a multi-sectoral body composed of government agencies, farmer cooperatives, academics, civil society, and local governments.

The NRSC will develop a National Rice Industry Roadmap, harmonize efforts across stakeholders, and monitor rice production, supply, and food security status.

Subcommittees on agroecology, seed systems, market development, and data systems will provide technical depth and ensure evidence-based policymaking.

RISDA’s buffer stock policy is aligned with international best practices. A 90-day rice reserve will be maintained to safeguard against supply disruptions, price volatility, and emergencies.

Regional reserves will be established in disaster-prone areas, and replenishment will prioritize domestic procurement. Responsible importation may supplement stocks when necessary, but never at the expense of local farmers.

Funding for RISDA will be sourced from the General Appropriations Act (GAA), with a recommended allocation of 10% of the national budget for rice sufficiency, as advised by the UN FAO.

Government corporations will be mandated to buy palay at the guaranteed floor price, ensuring a minimum 30% net return above production cost.

Investments in agricultural RandD, climate-resilient infrastructure, and cooperative capacity-building will be scaled up to secure long-term food sustainability.

In sum, RISDA is a forward-looking, systems-based reform that redefines rice governance in the Philippines. It corrects the structural failures of RTL, restores the procurement mandate of the state, and embeds farmer dignity, youth empowerment, and climate resilience into national policy.

It draws lessons from Asia’s leading rice producers-Vietnam, Thailand, India, Pakistan, and China-while rooting its architecture in Filipino realities. RISDA is not just a legislative proposal; it is a moral imperative and a strategic necessity. The time to act is now.

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.