Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

John Mark ‘Marama’ Tokong gave the Filipino crowd plenty to cheer about after beating Brazilian World No. 11 Samuel Pupo to advance to Round 2 of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour Philippines Pro at Cloud 9 here Sunday.

Tokong put up 16.60 points on waves of 8.60 and 8.00, while Pupo could only manage 11.00 in their opening-round heat.

Surfing before a big home crowd, Tokong handled the pressure well, making the most of the six-to-eight-foot waves under light conditions.

He admitted that competing in front of his fellow Filipinos was not easy, but he tried not to think too much about the pressure once he got into the water.

‘It’s crazy and amazing. There was a lot of pressure, but I just told myself to relax, keep things simple and enjoy the waves,’ Tokong said.

He could hear his family, friends and supporters cheering from the shore whenever he came out of a wave. For the Filipino surfer, that made the experience even more special.

‘I’m not doing this just for myself, but also for my family, friends, fans and especially the Philippines. Representing my country is very important to me,’ he said.

With one round behind him, Tokong is now looking forward to his next heat, hoping to give the Filipino fans another performance to cheer for.

Surfers who lose in the opening round will still receive US$13,000 (around P830,000), while the champion will collect US$80,000 (approximately P5.1 million).

Around 200 rice farmers from Maguing and Poona Bayabao in Lanao del Sur received fertilizer assistance after participating in a training program on improving rice production and adapting to climate change, particularly the effects of El Niño.

The Provincial Government of Lanao del Sur, through its Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg), conducted the training on the PalayCheck System as part of its flagship agriculture and livelihood program.

In a post on its official Facebook page, the provincial government said the participants received either urea or complete fertilizer to support their rice production.

Last week’s training covered farmer profiling, pre- and post-training assessments, and cost and return analysis to help farmers improve their knowledge and adopt more effective rice farming practices.

It also focused on climate-resilient agricultural techniques to prepare farmers for changing weather conditions and the potential impact of El Niño on their crops and livelihoods.

The provincial government acknowledged the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), represented by Agriculturist I Baimona Ditual, and Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator Engr. Asral Barauntong, particularly in the fertilizer distribution.

In Poona Bayabao, MAFAR Agricultural Technologist Zenaida Daud and Municipal Information Officer Mojib Romero also underscored the importance of training in helping farmers deal with the effects of El Niño.

‘Through this initiative, OPAg continues to promote improved rice production and climate-resilient farming practices to help sustain farmers’ livelihoods,’ the provincial government said.

The program is part of the provincial government’s efforts to strengthen agricultural productivity and support farmers through technical training and farm inputs.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported a generally peaceful and orderly observance of Undas 2026 nationwide, recording more than 40.7 million visitors in cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaria nationwide from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2

‘Based on reports from the ground, this year’s Undas was generally peaceful and orderly, reflecting the discipline of our personnel and the cooperation of the public,’ said PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. in a statement on Monday.

The PNP said 40,740,246 visitors had been recorded in 5,311 burial sites from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2.

A total of 1,695,440 visitors were recorded as of 6 a.m. on Monday.

Police also reported confiscating a total of 6,499 prohibited items from cemeteries nationwide.

These included 879 pointed or bladed weapons, 62 alcoholic beverages, 2,817 lighters, 1,739 cigarette and vape products, 180 cooking materials, and 397 flammable substances.

Nartatez said initial field reports indicated that security measures effectively managed the influx of cemetery visitors and travelers during the annual observance.

Over 166,000 police personnel and force multipliers were deployed to secure cemeteries, transport hubs, and other public areas.

Police assistance desks and emergency response teams were also stationed to assist cemetery visitors, especially children, senior citizens, and those requiring immediate help.

‘Our priority was to ensure people could honor their loved ones safely, and we are encouraged by the results of our collective efforts,’ Nartatez said.

The Philippines can no longer afford to mistake economic growth for economic transformation. The International Monetary Fund in 2024 reported that Philippine labor productivity remained below its prepandemic trend, while medium-term potential growth was revised downwards from 6.5 percent before the pandemic to 6.0-6.3 percent.

The 2024 Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas study on total factor productivity (TFP) supports these findings, indicating that Philippine productivity was below its prepandemic level, with estimated TFP growth in 2022 ranging from -1.9 percent to 0.8 percent, depending on the trend estimate.

A critical question can be raised: Did the Philippines restore its productive capacity after the pandemic, or merely resume activity without rebuilding its foundations and making it resilient to external shocks?

The economy contracted by 9.5 percent in 2020, rebounded 7.6 percent in 2022, then slowed to 5.5 percent in 2023.

Yet, a recovering gross domestic product (GDP) does not necessarily mean a recovering productive potential. Growth has gone downhill since then.

During the pandemic, businesses closed, investment collapsed, workers lost jobs and firms’ accumulated knowledge, supplier relationships and production routines were disrupted.

These losses may have shifted the country’s production possibility frontier (PPF) inward, thereby reducing the economy’s productive capability.

As proof of this weakened productivity capability, the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office initially reported that Philippine investment fell by about 34 percent in 2020 from the 2019 level. Pandemic scarring is later seen to have cut annual potential growth by an average of 1.69 percentage points from 2022 to 2024, with roughly two-thirds due to slower physical capital accumulation.

These losses compounded long-standing weaknesses. The Philippines has struggled to build a broad industrial base and move agricultural workers into higher value-added activities.

Consumption, supported partly by overseas Filipino workers’ remittances, stays central to domestic demand. Remittances are indispensable to households, but consumption cannot substitute for a productive economy generating technological progress, sustained productivity gains and better-paying jobs.

The missed opportunity in 2022

The strong GDP growth in 2022 offered an opportunity to rebuild the economy’s productive capacity. Instead of chanting growth, the government could have pursued a coordinated industrial strategy to restore investment, upgrade technology, develop skills and reconnect domestic suppliers to production networks.

Technology is central since machinery alone is insufficient. Productive capacity depends on firms’ ability to acquire, operate, adapt and improve technology, which decides whether investment raises productivity and enables more sophisticated production. Without it, the country risks being trapped in lower value-added activities despite participating in global markets.

A capability-driven industrial policy could have found and subsidized functionally upgraded industries that specialize in nonroutine jobs and produced incomes according to their ability to develop technological change, create domestic value and generate productive linkages.

To do this, public support must be conditional, transparent and time bound, tied to measurable improvements in productivity, technology adoption, workforce skills and export performance.

Crucially, these capabilities could have spread beyond large enterprises. Supplier development programs could have trained micro, small and medium enterprises to adopt technology, meet quality standards and become reliable suppliers to advanced firms.

Assistance could have been judged by capability improvements, not the number of beneficiaries. Investment, education, trade, innovation, development finance and infrastructure could have been coordinated to support this transformation.

The cost of misguided policy

Reforms beginning in 2022 required costly public investment, but wrong policies carried costs as well. Early intervention could have preserved viable enterprises, skilled workers and supplier relationships before deterioration made rebuilding harder. It could have accelerated productive investment and strengthened domestic firms before subsequent headwinds intensified.

A stronger industrial base would not have insulated the Philippines from global commodity price shocks, tighter monetary conditions or weaker external demand. However, more productive firms, diversified production and deeper domestic supply chains could have provided greater capacity to adapt, sustain output and protect employment. Better paid productive jobs would have strengthened household welfare and confidence.

Appropriate reform would necessarily have increased immediate government spending. Its potential advantage however, was lowering the longer-term cost of rebuilding lost capabilities while expanding the productive base from which future income and public revenue could grow.

This required disciplined support for viable firms, measurable performance targets, withdrawal of aid from persistent underperformers and safeguards against indiscriminate subsidies and corruption.

Rebuilding productive capacity

The pandemic did not cause all the structural weaknesses, but it exposed and deepened them. Not pursuing capability-building reforms decisively during the recovery left the country vulnerable to subsequent shocks and allowed further erosion of its productive potential.

The government must urgently move beyond managing the economy’s immediate pressures and commit to a disciplined industrial policy that builds productive capabilities, upgrades technology and diffuses them across domestic firms.

Every year of delay risks widening the gap between what the Philippines produces today and what a stronger industrial base could produce. Without decisive action, economic stagnation will no longer be merely a looming risk. It could become this administration’s defining legacy.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) on Monday demanded that the government help end impunity for crimes against journalists and take decisive action to protect media workers.

The call came as the world observed the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on Nov. 2.

In a statement, the NUJP stressed that impunity is not a new problem and that every new attack highlights the need for stronger accountability mechanisms and more decisive government action.

‘NUJP has long called for justice for journalists who have been killed, accountability for those behind the attacks, and concrete measures to protect media workers. Yet, these calls continue to be made as cases remain unresolved and attacks persist,’ it said.

‘Government commitments must be measured by the cases resolved, perpetrators held accountable, and journalists protected-not by statements and promises alone,’ the group added.

The NUJP further said that ‘there can be no genuine press freedom where journalists are killed, threatened, or silenced with impunity.’

It also stressed that there can be no justice while those responsible for media killings remain free and those who seek the truth continue to face danger.

‘A dangerous place for journalists’

The NUJP Media Safety Office has documented 266 incidents of attacks and threats against media workers and at least 12 journalists killed under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Only three of these killings have been classified as non-work-related, based on data from the Presidential Task Force on Media Security.

‘The Ampatuan Massacre, which claimed the lives of 58 people, including 32 media workers on November 23, 2009, remains one of the starkest examples of impunity in the country. Seventeen years after the massacre, the victims’ families continue to seek full justice,’ it said.

‘While the December 2019 convictions marked an important development, the case remains far from resolved. Appeals by the convicted individuals remain pending before the Court of Appeals and dozens of other accused remain at large,’ the NUJP also said.

The NUJP also noted that the fight for justice continued for photojournalist Reynaldo ‘Bebot’ Momay, whose remains have never been recovered.

In August 2026, Momay’s daughter again appealed to the Court of Appeals to recognize him as the 58th victim of the massacre, following the trial court’s refusal to include him in the list of victims.

Developments in cases

Meanwhile, the NUJP acknowledged developments in other cases, which it said showed that accountability is possible and must be pursued.

One such development was the conviction of two men for the 2019 murder of Kidapawan broadcaster Eduardo ‘Ed’ Dizon, seven years after he was killed.

The recent arrest of a suspect in connection with the shooting of Capiz broadcaster Jay Lavapiez was also a step toward accountability, the NUJP said.

‘These developments matter. But arrests and convictions must not be treated as the end of the pursuit of justice. They must be followed through with proper investigations, prosecution, and accountability for everyone involved,’ the statement read.

‘In the Lavapiez case, authorities must establish the roles of everyone involved, including the gunman and those who may have ordered or financed the attack. All responsible must be brought before the courts.’

The NUJP also lamented that the failed attempt to arrest former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag in Ifugao on Nov. 1 highlighted ‘how accountability can remain elusive, particularly when those facing charges are powerful or influential.’

Bantag remains wanted in connection with the killing of broadcaster Percival ‘Percy Lapid’ Mabasa and the death of alleged middleman Cristito Villamor Palana.

‘The continued failure to bring him before the courts underscores the need for authorities to sustain efforts to locate and arrest him so that he can answer the charges in court,’ the NUJP said.

Furthermore, the killings of Gerry Ortega and Mabasa also underscore the need to pursue justice beyond holding the direct perpetrators accountable.

It said that those who ordered, financed, or enabled these crimes must also face justice. The recent killing of broadcast journalist Adrian Loterte in Daraga, Albay, on Oct.12, 2026, is another reminder that the threat of violence against journalists persists, the NUJP said.

Gloria Diaz is going international again, and will be returning to pageantry to bring her signature sass to a global audience as she is set to join the selection committee for the second season of MGI All Stars.

The 1969 Miss Universe titleholder and first Filipina to win the crown has been known to cause pageant candidates to squirm in their heels with her sharp questions. And while only a few have survived and ended up winning, almost all of her ‘victims’ bowed out of the competition.

Because of this, many pageant observers coined the phrase ‘Gloria Diaz curse,’ and have warned candidates about the high probability of losing the crown if they pick the beauty queen to ask the question.

MGI All Stars made the announcement about Diaz’s inclusion in the MGI All Stars Season 2 Selection Committee on social media on Sunday evening, Nov. 1. Aside from being credited as Miss Universe 1969 titleholder, she was also cited for being an award-winning actress and TV personality.

Diaz will be joining returning judges Psi Somut Scott from Thailand, Osmel Sousa from Venezuela, and Omar Harfouch from Lebanon. Pageant coach Lu Sierra from the United States and 2026 Miss Grand International first runner-up Shyare Andrade from Ecuador will also be part of the committee.

MGI All Stars is a groundbreaking competition that gathers participants who have already competed in international pageants for a chance at redemption. It is organized by the same team behind the Miss Grand International pageant based in Bangkok, Thailand.

Its first season was held in May, with 2025 Miss Universe finalist Vanessa Pulgarin from Colombia winning the crown and $100,000. She stands to win up to $1 million if she successfully defends her title in two more consecutive editions. The Philippines’ Gazini Ganados finished in the Top 5 in that edition.

This time, three candidates from the Philippines are confirmed to take part in Season 2. Miss Eco International 2025 Alexie Mae Brooks and Miss International Queen 2025 finalist Anne Patricia Lorenzo Diaz earned their way into to competition by winning at the inaugural Reina Filipinas pageant in August, while Miss World 2019 and Miss Universe 2023 veteran Michelle Marquez Dee is a direct entrant in the competition.

The contestants are expected to arrive in Bangkok later this month, while the final competition is set on Dec. 12 at the MGI Hall at Bravo BKK.

Sen. Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan on Monday urged the government to intensify its crackdown on hoarders, profiteers, and cartels as the country braces for the impact of a strong El Niño on food production and prices.

He also called on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA), Price Coordinating Council and other concerned agencies to strengthen market monitoring and enforce applicable price freezes in areas declared under a state of calamity.

He said these agencies should recommend the imposition of price ceilings when warranted under the law to protect consumers from unreasonable price increases.

‘We should not profit from the impending calamity that will further afflict our countrymen, especially farmers and fishermen who also buy food from the market. During times of crisis, consumers must be protected against exploitation,’ Pangilinan said.

According to him, authorities should investigate and prosecute individuals and entities engaged in hoarding, profiteering, and cartel activities that seek to exploit the threat of drought and water shortages to manipulate food supply and prices.

‘[They should] gather evidence and pursue criminal and administrative cases against those responsible for illegal price manipulation. Enforcement must not end with frontline sellers. We must target the very top, the big business owners behind these syndicates,’ said Pangilinan, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform.

Under Republic Act No. 7581, or the Price Act, as amended by Republic Act No. 10623, the prices of basic necessities in areas declared under a state of calamity are automatically frozen at their prevailing levels or placed under automatic price control, unless otherwise declared by the president.

Pangilinan also warned that public officials who conspire in or knowingly conceal violations of the Price Act may be held accountable.

At a Christmas family reunion over a decade ago, my husband and I overheard my grandmother repeatedly ask my grandfather how many children they had together. ‘Pito,’ he immediately answered.

Around 30 seconds later, she asked again. ‘Seven,’ he replied. When the question came a third time, Lolo answered, ‘7-Eleven!’

Each response was met with surprise and disbelief from Lola. By then, her dementia had already progressed significantly and she hardly remembered her children and grandchildren, except for those she was living with. Lolo, meanwhile, never lost the sweetness in his voice or the smile on his face. My grandfather, whom I had never really known as a jokester, had found a creative way to respond to the same question she would ask him a hundred times in a day. It’s as if he challenged himself to give her a different answer each time.

I find myself returning to this memory as the country celebrates All Souls’ Day. While the occasion invites us to remember those who have died, it also makes me think of families whose experience of grief begins long before death.

Dementia affects a person’s memory, thinking, reasoning, and behavior in a way that impairs a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. While there are different types of dementia, the most common known cause is Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the World Health Organization, 57 million people were living with dementia worldwide in 2021, with nearly 10 million new cases occurring each year. While research has made significant strides in understanding the disease better, right now, there is still no cure that can repair or reverse its progression.

Behind these figures are the individuals and families learning how they can navigate the profound changes taking place.

A friend of mine, whose mom had Alzheimer’s, said that what was most difficult for him was losing someone he always turned to for advice, and losing her familiar expressions of love and affection. He said he felt guilty for missing someone who is still beside him, while simultaneously mourning the loss of time and opportunities he had with her before the disease progressed. However, it was only after she passed that he was able to really admit all these feelings to himself.

‘Ambiguous loss,’ a concept coined by family therapist Pauline Boss, helps explain this experience. Although they are still present, familiar aspects of the relationship have changed and are becoming increasingly harder to access. This leaves their loved ones with an ongoing, unresolved loss that does not come with a traditional feeling of closure.

Some people may also have anticipatory grief. This refers to the sorrow that one feels over the further losses and eventual death they expect. For caregivers, that sorrow can also overlap with exhaustion, making all the emotions even more difficult to process and understand.

Making room to acknowledge that grief can help families adjust their expectations and find new ways to connect in the present. Missing what has changed need not prevent us from finding meaningful companionship in what remains possible.

For Lolo, that meant answering the same question with a little humor and a great deal of tenderness. Lola might not remember the answer, but he continued to give her his attention.

I am conscious, however, that I witnessed only a small part of what spending time with Lola required. That Christmas exchange could not tell me everything about his experience or his private grief, and it would be unfair to turn it into a standard of endless cheerfulness that every loved one or caregiver must meet.

What is clear is that caregivers need help and support, too. Talking to a therapist or joining support groups can provide space to process grief, guilt, and frustration with people who understand what they are going through.

The Alzheimer’s Disease Association of the Philippines (https://www.alzphilippines.org/) provides dementia education, caregiver resources, referral information, and support groups through its ADAP CARES program. Such support means a lot for families who may otherwise feel they have to manage everything on their own.

When my grandfather died in 2015, Lola lost the companion who had patiently answered her questions. When she eventually passed away five years later, there was profound sorrow, but also comfort in our faith that she would be reunited with the love of her life.

It is never easy to lose a loved one. Perhaps, for some of us, it is just as painful to feel that we are slowly losing someone we love while they are still physically present.

This All Souls’ Day, I pray for those who have died and for all who are grieving someone, whatever form their loss may take.

Over 1.4 million passengers have passed through the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) during the Undas week, the terminal said on Monday.

PITX recorded a total of 1,499,454 passengers from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1.

The termina is anticipating another 180,000 passengers on All Souls’ Day, as the Undas winds down.

As of 10 am, PITX recorded 55,317 passengers, a several thousand fewer than the figures reported during the same period in the past few days.

PITX recorded more than 60,000 passengers as of 10 a.m. on Oct. 30 and over 59,000 during the same period on Oct. 31.

However, PITX Senior Corporate Affairs Officer Kolyn Calbasa said the terminal expects a bigger influx on Nov. 3, with estimated foot traffic reaching 190,000.

‘Tomorrow [ang anticipated influx] because sabay sabay na po yung influx ng daily commuters din po natin,’ Calbasa told the Inquirer in a text message.

(Tomorrow [the anticipated influx] because at the same time, we also have the influx of daily commuters.)

She explained that those traveling from their provinces will be joined by other passengers heading back to work in Metro Manila.

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) will receive at least P85 million in investments for new leisure, recreation, and tourism developments in northern Luzon across its two estates.

Specifically, BCDA’s Clark estate in Pampanga will soon house a resort that Grace Farm Nature Resort Corp. will develop under a 15-year lease agreement.

Additionally, the company has committed to invest at least P50 million in developing, constructing, and improving the resort within the initial lease period.

Meanwhile, the BCDA is set to develop a restaurant and an adventure park in Camp John Hay, Baguio City, under separate lease agreements.

On one hand, Zoo and Theme Park Services Inc. secured a lease agreement to develop a 5.8-hectare integrated educational family adventure park at the former American military base. It also plans to build a botanical garden and a cultural heritage site in the area.

Likewise, the company has committed to invest at least P20 million in the project within 10 years of contract signing.

‘We hope that through this initiative, we can contribute to the growth of tourism in Camp John Hay and create opportunities for the community,’ said Ren Christopher Siccion, business development head at Zoo and Theme Park Services.

At the same time, Anrey Inc. will lease a 500-square-meter property in Camp John Hay to open a new branch of Sizzling Plate, a Baguio-based restaurant brand that has been serving customers for 47 years.

BCDA said Anrey had committed to invest at least P15 million in the restaurant’s development within one year of contract signing.

Meanwhile, the state-run corporation expects the three projects to generate additional economic activity and employment opportunities in Pampanga and Baguio.

‘Through these lease agreements, we are opening more opportunities for private sector partners to invest in BCDA properties and develop facilities that respond to the needs of visitors, businesses, and surrounding communities,’ BCDA president and CEO Joshua Bingcang said in a statement.

While it did not provide job generation estimates for each project, BCDA said the lease agreements would help ‘maximize’ the economic potential of its properties.

In addition to Clark and Camp John Hay, BCDA also manages Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Poro Point Freeport in La Union, Morong Discovery Park in Bataan, and New Clark City in Tarlac.