Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Stefanos Tsitsipas was not surprised that Nick Kyrgios was suspended from tennis for drugs.

‘Pretty much expected, to be honest,’ Tsitsipas said. ‘I am surprised it came so late, though.’

Kyrgios was banned earlier this month after he revealed he tested positive for cocaine in June when he was in Spain to play at an event. The Australian could be suspended for four years, though a lighter punishment is expected.

Tsitsipas was asked about Kyrgios on Monday after upsetting No. 10-seeded Arthur Fils in the first round of the US Open.

‘I mean, to be entirely honest with you, I knew about this before the announcement. Myself, I knew about it,’ Tsitsipas said.

‘So what can I tell you? I will just tell you the truth. I knew about all of this before any announcement was made, and when I saw it on social media, I was, like, ‘Here we go.’ I kind of expected it, to be honest.’

Tsitsipas and Kyrgios played a fiery match at Wimbledon in 2022, when Kyrgios reached his only Grand Slam final. Tsitsipas blasted a couple shots directly at Kyrgios, intentionally hit a ball into the crowd, and afterward called Kyrgios a ‘bully.’

Kyrgios has largely battled injuries since and said when he was suspended that he had felt ‘helpless and alone,’ though added that ‘none of that excuses what I did.’

Nor did it come as a shock to Tsitsipas.

‘I knew that those were things that were happening away from the tennis courts. I will tell you that,’ he said. ‘I’m not going to try and cover up someone that I know the truth for. I’ll consider myself a nice person with everyone, but these were behaviors that I personally heard on the tour and heard other people in that same environment saying those sort of things to me.’

Atty. Reynaldo Robles is among the private lawyers assisting the House prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Robles, who will lead the examination of the prosecution’s witness for the 20th day of the impeachment trial, is a veteran litigation lawyer with experience handling civil, criminal, labor, and commercial cases at all levels of the Philippine judiciary.

Robles is the founding and managing partner of the Law Firm of Chan Robles and Associates, where he served since 1993.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Management, major in Economics, from the University of the Philippines in 1986, where he was President and Dean’s lister.

He later earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from Far Eastern University in 1990, graduating cum laude and as class valedictorian. He also placed 10th in the 1990 Philippine Bar Examinations.

Moreover, Robles is also president and chief executive officer of ChanRobles LawNet Inc. and Chan Robles Professional Review, Inc., and serves as trustee and legal counsel of Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, Inc.

He has also served as legal counsel and legislative consultant to national and local government officials and legislators.

Robles has chaired technical working groups that assisted the Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulations, and the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security in drafting committee reports and versions of more than 50 bills.

Robles likewise previously served as a professor of law at the Far Eastern University Institute of Law, teaching criminal, administrative and election law, and special proceedings.

San Beda has been considered the team to beat in nearly every NCAA season since its rise as a men’s basketball powerhouse.

That label carries even more weight entering Season 102, where the Red Lions will try to win back-to-back championships.

Fortunately for coach Yuri Escueta, the burden of heavy expectations is nothing new.

‘Pressure has always been there every time you coach or play for San Beda,’ Escueta told the Inquirer after the NCAA Season 102 press conference at the Mall of Asia Arena on Monday. ‘The expectation of winning comes with it, and we’ve been used to it for the past four or five seasons.’

‘It’s not just for me but for the players I have. We just have to prepare better when we play games to ease that pressure.’

San Beda made it look easy in last season’s finals.

With many expecting the showdown between rivals San Beda and Letran to go the distance, Escueta guided the Mendiola-based squad to a sweep and the school’s 24th men’s basketball title.

But that was last year.

With a new television deal with Cignal and several coaches and players moving across the league, the country’s oldest collegiate league enters Season 102 with a fresh coat of paint.

The same is true for the Red Lions, who lost all five starters from last season’s championship team.

‘We’re still confident even though we lost a lot,’ Escueta said. ‘We have capable guys who can cover for those gaps. I lost all my starters from last year.’

Janti Miller left for La Salle, while Joe Celzo, Bryan Sajonia and Yukien Andrada declared for the PBA.

Nygel Gonzales was supposed to be the lone holdover from that starting five, but he suffered an ACL injury during the offseason, leaving the Red Lions with another major concern before their title defense even begins.

‘Our title defense hasn’t even started yet and we already lost our point guard to injury,’ Escueta said.

‘Good thing we addressed it early because we had to play in the offseason without him.’

House lawmakers on Tuesday differed over a bill seeking to set five-year terms for barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials, which would postpone the upcoming elections for their posts to 2028 in turn.

The exchange was between Act Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio and Asenso Pinoy party-list Rep. Henry Oaminal, one of the proponents of the proposed measure, House Bill No. 10971.

During the interpellation of the bill’s committee report at the House plenary session, Tinio questioned the rationale behind the term extension, pointing out that Republic Act No. 12232, enacted in 2025, already set the term of barangay and SK officials to four years.

‘Since the said law was passed, several stakeholders including grassroot leaders such as barangay officials and SK officials expressed to us that a four-year term would not be sufficient,’ Oaminal answered.

‘It is within the plenary powers of Congress to constantly evaluate laws that are previously passed to determine if they are still sufficient to meet the ever-changing needs of our constituencies,’ he added.

In response, Tinio said the proponent’s answer was ‘very telling.’

‘Natural, kung sino ang elected official, itinanong mo na OK lang ba i-extend term natin, s’yempre, sasabihin nila yes,’ the Act Teachers party-list maintained.

(It’s only natural that, if you ask elected officials if they want to extend their terms, they’d say yes, of course.)

‘Hindi ba mas mahalagang constituency ‘yung mga botante mismo? Mayroon bang lumapit sa mga kongresista, sa mga komite?’ he added.

(Aren’t our constituencies, the voters, more important? Has anyone approached our congressmen, our committees?)

Tinio pressed Oaminal on whether the barangay and SK officials’ constituents had been consulted on the matter, to which the latter-speaking for his own constituents-answered in the affirmative.

‘A lot of barangay projects, when a barangay leader starts it, and a new barangay leader is elected, more often than not, the barangay project started by the previous leader is abandoned,’ the Asenso Pinoy party-list explained.

He further maintained that barangay projects normally took over three years to complete and that over 70 percent of barangays operated with only a P5-million budget annually, although it is not immediately clear where his data was sourced.

Oaminal further cited the 2025 Supreme Court decision, which stated that Congress had the power to set the terms of barangay and SK officials.

Citing concerns on the right to suffrage, however, Tinio suggested that the proposed measure instead allow the upcoming 2026 BSKE to proceed this November but apply the five-year term to barangay and SK officials afterward.

Tinio further cited that some SK officials were supposedly already above the age limit of 24.

After Tinio’s interpellation, the period for sponsorships and interpellations was terminated, and the House plenary suspended consideration of the bill

Similar measures postponing the November 2026 BSKE and fixing the term of barangay and SK officials at five years were approved by the Senate panel on local government last week.

National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag on Tuesday said Davao City Rep. Paolo ‘Pulong’ Duterte could be investigated if he is found to be involved in illegal activities.

Matibag issued the statement following Duterte’s cryptic social media post about an alleged probe into the Duterte family’s assets.

The lawmaker on Monday posted that a ‘government agency facing issues with leadership integrity’ had supposedly ordered the NBI’s Investigation Division for Public Corruption to investigate the assets of the Dutertes.

‘Ang NBI is continuing investigating anyone na may involvement sa mga ilegal na gawain. So if other people feel na ako yung pinatutungkulan niya, and then kung meron siyang kinalaman sa mga krimen, then he will be investigated,’ Matibag pointed out in an ambush interview.

(The NBI is continuing to investigate anyone who is involved in illegal activities. So if other people feel that I am the one being alluded to, and then if he is involved in crimes, then he will be investigated.)

In the Facebook post, Duterte called out a certain ‘Mr. Matibay,’ saying that the Duterte family should not be compared to his ‘corrupt’ bosses.

‘Excuse me, Mr. Matibay. Huwag ninyo kaming itulad sa mga amo ninyong nuknukan ng korap. Ano ba ang tingin ninyo sa mga bahay namin? Nasa Forbes Park? Corinthians? Valle Verde?’ the congressman said in the post.

(Excuse me, Mr. Matibay. Don’t compare us to your bosses who are extremely corrupt. What do you think of our houses? In Forbes Park? Corinthians? Valle Verde?)

But Matibag said he does not think that he is the one being alluded to in Duterte’s post since his name was not explicitly mentioned.

The NBI director also neither confirmed nor denied ordering an investigation into the Duterte family’s assets.

Nonetheless, he emphasized that ‘no one is above the law’ and that the bureau will investigate anyone who would be reportedly involved in any illegal acts, such as corruption.

‘If there’s a report of corruption or just a whiff of corruption, iimbestigahan natin yan,’ said Matibag.

(If there’s a report of corruption or just a whiff of corruption, we will investigate it.)

A late afternoon anti-narcotics operation shattered the quiet of Villa Ernesto Subdivision, one of this city’s established upscale residential enclaves in Barangay Gusa, leading to the arrest of a high-value individual and the seizure of approximately P748,000 worth of suspected shabu on Monday,

Operatives from the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) and the City Mobile Force Company (CMFC), in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 10 (PDEA-10), conducted the operation against the suspect at around 5:42 p.m.

The joint operation, supervised by CDEU chief Maj. Aldren Baculio and Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO) Director Col. Dexter Paje, resulted in the apprehension of the high-value target along with an accomplice.

Law enforcers confiscated roughly 110 grams of suspected shabu during the raid.

The suspects are currently detained and face charges for allegedly violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (RA 9165)

Face-to-face classes were suspended in some schools in Quezon City due to poor air quality recorded in the city on Tuesday.

In an advisory, the Quezon City Government suspended in-person classes of child development centers, kindergarten, Grades 1-12, and Alternative Learning System of all public schools. Their classes will shift to alternative delivery modes of learning.

It then noted that class suspension of private schools and higher education institutions is left to the discretion of their school administrations.

The following private schools also shifted to alternative learning modes on Tuesday:

National University – Fairview

Senior High School

Ateneo de Manila University

Grade School

Junior High School

Senior High School

School of Education and Learning Design

School of Humanities

School of Management

School of Science and Engineering

School of Social Sciences

Quezon City Academy Foundation

Junior High School

Senior High School

Acelina School Inc.

Capitol Hills Christian School Inc.

Coronado’s School of Quezon City

Good Shepherd Cathedral School

Bethel Christian School

Saint Jude Academy of Quezon City

School of the Holy Spirit of Quezon City

Claret School of Quezon City

Shining Hope Academy

Immaculate Conception Cathedral School

St. Theresa’s School of Novaliches

Pace Academy

The Blessed Sacrament Catholic School

Citing the latest Air Quality Index, the Quezon City Government said that the city’s air quality monitoring sensors recorded ‘unhealthy’ and ‘very unhealthy’ air quality and may cause difficulty of breathing and cough, especially to those with respiratory conditions.

‘Posibleng may kaugnayan ito sa smoke o haze mula sa mga kasalukuyang sunog sa Kalimantan, Indonesia. Pinapayuhan ang lahat na magsuot ng face mask at iwasan muna ang paglabas kung hindi kinakailangan,’ it said in another advisory.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) on Tuesday wants to maintain the proposed P4.04 billion budget under the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) to push for its modernization programs next year.

During the House committee on appropriations’ briefing of the proposed budget of the commission, CSC Chairperson Atty. Marilyn Barua-Yap emphasized that the proposed funding of P4,039,690,000 will be allocated to execute the Philippine Civil Service Modernization Project (PCSMP).

Of the figure, at least P1.453 billion will be attributed to the PCSMP, while P2.587 billion will be allocated for the regular budget subsidy.

Under the 2027 proposed budget, the commission received an increase of P1.145 billion from P2.895-billion budget in 2026.

Barua-Yap said the commission seeks to continue modernizing the civil service systems, particularly human resource management in government agencies, as well as digitize the personnel management system.

Among the CSC’s 2027 targets include the full implementation of the Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence, also known as the PRIME Embedded Systems Governance, a framework that ensures fair and accountable management systems in agencies.

‘The project aims to strengthen human resource capabilities, modernize human resource systems, and digitize personnel management to build a more responsive, capable, agile, and future-ready civil service,’ Barua-Yap said.

The proposed increase in the commission’s budget is set to allot P1.882 billion under personnel services, or 46.60 percent of the total budget, P1.2348 billion for maintenance and other operating expenses, and P0.919 billion for capital outlay

Their certifications of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) participation in the 2023 youth training programs had nothing to do with the agency’s confidential funds, two Philippine Army officials told the Senate impeachment court on Tuesday.

‘I think wala po akong pinapatunayan sa paggastos ng pera, your honor. It’s only stating that we conducted the YLS (Youth Leadership Summit) in our area of operation, your honor,’ Col. Magtangol Panopio of the 7th Infantry (Kaugnay) Division said.

(I think I did not attest to how the money was spent, Your Honor. It only states that we conducted the YLS (Youth Leadership Summit) in our area of operations, Your Honor.)

His remark was in response to Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros’ question whether the certification he signed on December 05, 2023 was in support to the accuracy of how the DepEd spent its confidential funds.

The DepEd, at that time, was being headed by Vice President Sara Duterte.

A separate certification of the DepEd’s participation in the YLS and the Information Education Communication (IEC) campaign activities was also issued and signed by Col. Manaros Boransing II of the1st Infantry (Tabak) Division on January 01, 2024.

Their certifications were among the documents that the education agency submitted to the Commission on Audit to prove its use of P15.5 million in confidential funds.

‘So simpleng ang certification may dinaos na ganitong mga gawain. Wala pong sinasabi kung paano o anong pondo ang ginastos ng particular ng DedEd yun whether regular funds nila or confidential and intelligence funds nila. Wala po yun sa certification?’ Hontiveros asked again.

(So, the certification simply states that these activities were conducted. It does not say how they were funded or what specific funds DepEd used, whether their regular funds or confidential and intelligence funds. None of that is stated in the certification?)

‘Wala po yun sa certification, your honor,’ Panopio answered.

(That is not stated in the certification, Your Honor.)

Hontiveros earlier asked Boransing the same questions, with the latter confirming the conduct of eight summits and an EIC in 2023 with partner agencies, including DepEd.

‘So bilang signatory po nung inyong certification, pinapatotohanan nyo ba na tama ang paggamit ng DepEd sa kanilang confidential and intelligence funds?’ Hontiveros asked.

(So, as the signatory to your certification, are you attesting that DepEd properly used its confidential and intelligence funds?)

‘No, ma’am,’Boransing said. ‘The certification was their DepEd’s and other stakeholders’ participation in the Youth Leadership Summit and the Information Education Communication Campaign, ma’am.’

‘Wala kayong pinatotohanan doon na gumastos sila ng pondo, whether regular or confidential and intelligence funds, para doon sa activities ng Philippine Army?’ the senator asked again.

(You did not attest that they spent any funds, whether regular or confidential and intelligence funds, for those activities of the Philippine Army?)

The witness replied in the affirmative.

Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds released to the DepEd and the Office of the Vice President is one of the four articles of impeachment lodged against her.

The Social Security System (SSS) is expecting to generate P71.4 billion in investment income by the end of 2026, with the bulk of its portfolio remaining in government securities as it seeks to balance higher returns with a cautious investment approach.

At its 69th anniversary press conference, SSS officials announced that they expect the pension fund’s investment portfolio to reach P1.441 trillion by year-end, resulting in a 6.11 percent return on investment.

The state-run firm expects to invest P724.11 billion in government securities, which will generate P34.75 billion in income.

The portfolio will consist of P191 billion in equities, projecting a yield of approximately P8 billion. Following that, member loans will amount to P153.67 billion, also projected to generate around P8 billion in income.

The fund will allocate the rest of its portfolio to capital markets, money market instruments, corporate loans and bonds, and property investments.

‘The key message here is we’re balancing the security of our members with the need to improve the service. It’s a tricky balancing act. You don’t want to be too conservative because then, you don’t generate enough income necessary to pay for pension. At the same time, you need to be a little more aggressive,’ SSS Commissioner Victor Limlingan said.

‘The balance is divided accordingly. We have corporate loans and bonds, equities, mutual funds, and experimental loans. A big thrust that we’re doing is we’re trying to improve our loan portfolio,’ he added.

Already, SSS’s total investments from January to June stood at P1.27 trillion, generating P27.2 billion in income. Breaking down the portfolio, SSS allocated P629.05 billion to government securities, P179.44 billion to equities, P154.56 billion to property, P151.90 billion to member loans and P96.34 billion to corporate notes and bonds.

Foreign investments

Notably, SSS has earmarked P15 billion for foreign investments this year, which would mark its first foray into offshore investments. It also plans to allocate another P20 billion for overseas investments in 2027.

However, the pension fund has yet to provide estimates on how much income these investments could generate.

SSS is reviewing other investment opportunities, including government assets for possible disposal.

‘We are constantly working with the team in the Department of Finance with regards to government assets, if SSS is interested. But we have always maintained a conservative approach,’ SSS President and CEO Robert Joseph de Claro said.

‘One consideration would be the capital appreciation,’ he added.

This year, the expected investment income will boost the state-run pension fund’s net income to at least P100 billion. This comes as SSS’ January-to-July net income had already slipped to P55.5 billion

Meanwhile, member contributions reached P235.33 billion, while expenses stood at about P7.1 billion. The Mandatory Provident Fund, a compulsory retirement savings scheme for higher-income members, reached P263.12 billion and covered 9.18 million members.