Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Heavy rainfall is expected in 18 provinces in Luzon on Monday due to the southwest monsoon, or ‘habagat,’ which is being enhanced by Tropical Depression Pilandok, the state weather bureau reported.

Based on its 5 a.m. heavy rainfall outlook, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said heavy to intense rains, or around 100 to 200 millimeters (mm) of rainfall, is expected to drench the following areas this Monday:

Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Sur

La Union

Abra

Pangasinan

Benguet

Zambales

Bataan

Tarlac

Pampanga

‘Numerous flooding events are likely, especially in areas that are urbanized, low-lying, or near rivers. Landslide likely in moderate to highly susceptible areas,’ Pagasa said.

Meanwhile, moderate to heavy rains, or around 50 to 100 mm of rainfall, are expected over the following areas:

Batanes

Apayao

Kalinga

Ifugao

Mountain Province

Nueva Vizcaya

Nueva Ecija

Bulacan

Under this condition, localized flooding is possible mainly in urbanized, low-lying or riverside areas, and landslides may occur in highly susceptible areas.

‘Forecast rainfall may be higher in mountainous and elevated areas, the weather bureau said, noting that impacts in some areas may be worsened by significant antecedent rainfall

Pagasa advised the public disaster risk reduction and management offices in the mentioned areas to take all necessary measures ‘to protect life and property.’

In a separate weather advisory on Monday morning, Pagasa reported that Tropical Depression Pilandok had slightly intensified while moving almost stationary over the Philippine Sea east of extreme Northern Luzon.

The tropical depression is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has relieved a maintenance chief following reports of delayed response to calamities, as heavy rains continued to trigger flooding across Metro Manila and several other parts of Luzon.

In an Aug. 29 memorandum, Dizon ordered engineer Loreto Balena Jr. relieved as maintenance chief of the Las Piñas-Muntinlupa District Engineering Office.

Dizon cited Balena’s ‘unsatisfactory performance, lack of urgency, and delayed response to calamities’ as grounds for his removal.

Balena was directed to complete an inventory of his office’s properties, finish and sign pending documents and deliverables, and turn over official records and other papers.

Sen. JV Ejercito, meanwhile, urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to complete unfinished flood control projects before starting new ones, saying incomplete infrastructure could worsen the country’s vulnerability to flooding.

‘For practical reasons, we need to close the gaps so that mitigating or solving flood control would be effective,’ Ejercito, chair of the Senate finance committee, told DZBB on Sunday.

‘Close the gaps, complete the unfinished flood control projects. No new projects. Finish what needs to be finished,’ he added.Ejercito’s call came amid renewed scrutiny of the government’s multibillion-peso flood control program and concerns over unfinished or poorly implemented projects.

He also pushed for the proposed Masterplan for Infrastructure National Development, which he said would provide a long-term framework for infrastructure planning that would survive changes in administrations.

The proposed measure would integrate flood control with transportation, housing, water, energy, utilities and other major infrastructure, rather than allowing projects to be planned and implemented separately.

Ejercito said the government should prioritize the country’s 10 most flood-prone areas and use a 30- to 50-year framework to guide major infrastructure investments.

He said long-term planning could also strengthen accountability by giving projects clear objectives, timelines, and costs, and help prevent corruption by ensuring that projects form part of a coherent national plan.

Rain volume

The warnings came as Metro Manila was placed under a red rainfall warning by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) at 12:10 p.m. on Sunday.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said the metropolis had 186 millimeters of rain in 23 hours from 9 a.m. on Saturday to 8 a.m. on Sunday, based on data from the Pagasa Science Garden Station in Quezon City. A millimeter of rain amounts to a liter of water on a flat area.

Serious flooding remained possible in low-lying and flood-prone areas.

The MMDA said it was deploying mobile pumps, clearing clogged drains and waterways, and dredging and removing debris and garbage from drainage inlets as part of its flood mitigation efforts.

Classrooms damaged

The prolonged rains have also taken a toll on schools.

The Department of Education said 9,869 classrooms had been damaged by the combined effects of the ‘habagat’ (southwest monsoon) and tropical cyclones Luis, Maymay, Neneng, and Obet.

Of the total, 5,731 classrooms sustained minor damage, 2,055 suffered major damage, and 2,083 were totally damaged, according to the latest DepEd situation report as of 8 a.m. Sunday.

Central Luzon had the highest number of affected classrooms and schools, with 3,732, followed by Region I with 2,746 and the Cordillera Administrative Region with 1,266.

DepEd estimated that P280 million would be needed for minor repairs, P1 billion for major repairs, and P5.2 billion for reconstruction.

Cordillera technocrats are pushing to revive a regional governing body for the preservation of the country’s rice terraces, as calls grow for a comprehensive master plan to protect the World Heritage-listed landscape from abandonment, climate change and deteriorating infrastructure.

The Cordillera Regional Development Council is studying a draft resolution urging President Marcos to establish a Cordillera Rice Terraces Commission, which would oversee the conservation of rice terraces across the region.

The proposed commission would replace the Ifugao Rice Terraces Commission, which was created in 1994 to oversee the preservation and restoration of the terraces but was abolished in 1999. Its responsibilities were later transferred to the Banaue Rice Terraces Task Force, which was dissolved in 2002, leaving the provincial government of Ifugao to take the lead in conservation efforts.

The proposed body would also cover rice terraces outside Ifugao, including those in Mountain Province.

The Batad, Bangaan, Mayoyao, Hungduan and Nagacadan rice terraces in Ifugao were collectively inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage List in 1995.

The terraces remain notable for their indigenous engineering, in which water collected from forested areas at the upper portions of the mountains is channeled through traditional irrigation systems to successive rice paddies, locally called ‘payao.’

‘The establishment of the Cordillera Rice Terraces Commission is crucial for stopping the deterioration of the terraces,’ the draft resolution says. It adds that the body could help revitalize indigenous knowledge and sustainable farming practices while enabling younger generations to continue traditional agriculture.

The proposal comes as urban planner and architect Felino Palafox recently pitched to Malacañang a comprehensive master plan for Banaue and other municipalities where the Ifugao rice terraces are located.

During a meeting with Marcos last week, Palafox offered to prepare a Comprehensive Urban, Environmental, Infrastructure, and Economic Development Master Plan for Banaue and the Rice Terraces Municipalities of Ifugao.

His proposal goes beyond repairing damaged terrace walls and irrigation systems, focusing also on the terraces’ role in the local economy and the engineering interventions needed to preserve them.

It argues that the terraces are deteriorating partly because the communities maintaining them can no longer earn enough from farming to sustain their livelihoods.

Palafox estimated that 25 percent to 35 percent of the terraces have been abandoned or irreversibly damaged, citing population decline and environmental pressures, including extreme weather that has damaged the ancient stone and earthen terrace walls.

The proposal, cosigned by the Ifugao provincial government and Polish entrepreneur Maciej Podhajski, also cited low farm incomes as a reason residents leave the province, threatening the workforce needed to maintain the terraces.

Palafox placed the typical farmer’s annual income at about P50,000, which he described as insufficient to sustain a livelihood.

Ifugao officials have been reviewing the proposal and have yet to make their comments public.

Protecting culture

Former Ifugao Rep. Teodoro Baguilat Jr. said any master plan must address the needs of the communities that continue to maintain the terraces and grow heirloom rice.

‘We must protect and nurture the watershed,’ Baguilat said.

He said the government should subsidize farmers and provide livelihood support, rehabilitate irrigation systems and strengthen programs that preserve indigenous knowledge.

Ifugao communities follow a traditional rice culture that governs planting schedules and the maintenance of the terraces.

Baguilat also called for mechanisms that would allow farmers and local communities to benefit from tourism revenues generated by the terraces.

Often described as 2,000 years old, the Ifugao terraces have been the subject of archaeological research suggesting that some of the structures may have been built or significantly expanded only several hundred years ago, possibly in response to pressures brought by Spanish expansion into the Cordillera.

The terraces remain a living agricultural landscape, sustained not only by stone and earth structures but also by indigenous knowledge and communal practices passed down through generations.

Ifugao had a population of 208,668, according to the latest available census data. The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that in 2024, the province was the second-fastest growing economy in the Cordillera, accounting for 7.5 percent of the region’s gross domestic product, estimated at P28.24 billion.

The proposed commission and master plan are aimed at addressing the intertwined challenges of conservation, livelihood, tourism and climate resilience-while keeping the terraces a living part of Ifugao culture rather than simply preserving them as a heritage site.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday called on Filipinos to not just remember the nation’s heroes but also embody their courage and keep the flame of patriotism alive.

In his message in commemoration of National Heroes’ Day, Marcos said the public must renew their ‘solemn duty’ to carry forward the nation for which the heroes fought and sacrificed.

‘Our forebears won our freedom, defended our dignity, and laid the foundations of the Republic we cherish,’ he said.

‘We honor them best by embodying their courage, keeping the flame of patriotism alive, and becoming the citizens our country needs,’ the president said.

He noted that the heroes’ spirit lives on those who choose to ‘serve, care and contribute to a cause greater than oneself.’

These can be seen in soldiers and first responders who risk their lives to keep everyone safe, Marcos said.

‘We recognize it in our teachers, health workers, farmers, fisherfolk and overseas Filipinos who sustain our families and communities,’ he said.

‘We find it in every citizen who helps a neighbor, protects the vulnerable, and works honestly for the common good,’ Marcos added.

The president also hoped for Filipinos to continually prove themselves worthy of the liberty the heroes have fought for and build a country that future generations will proudly inherit.

Heavy traffic has been observed on sections of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), while the Libtong Exit in Meycauayan, Bulacan was temporarily closed on Monday.

This is due to flooding caused by the southwest monsoon or ‘habagat.’

In its 9 a.m. traffic advisory, the NLEx Corporation said traffic remains heavy along the NLEx-Candaba Viaduct, Tulaoc (San Simon, Pampanga), and the southbound lane of the San Simon Interchange due to continuous heavy rainfall or flooding on local roads.

‘Motorists approaching San Simon Northbound and San Simon Southbound may take the San Simon Exit and re-enter NLEx via the San Simon Entry as an alternative route to avoid the flooded section,’ the corporation said in the advisory.

‘The San Fernando Southbound Entry is temporarily closed due to heavy traffic in San Simon caused by water buildup,’ it added.

NLEx Corp. also noted that southbound motorists who want to return to the northbound lane may use U-turn slots before the Tulaoc Overpass and before the San Simon Interchange.

Patrol officers are on-site to assist motorists and manage the traffic situation in the areas, said the NLEx Corp.

Meanwhile, light traffic was continuously seen on the following NLEx roads:

Balintawak (northbound and southbound)

Valenzuela (northbound and southbound)

Meycauyan (northbound and southbound)

Bocaue (southbound)

San Simon Interchange (northbound)

Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Concepcion entry and exit ramp

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) earlier reported that 18 provinces in Luzon are forecast to experience heavy rainfall this Monday due to the habagat enhanced by Tropical Depression Pilandok.

The weather bureau said Pilandok had slightly intensified while moving almost stationary over the Philippine Sea east of Extreme Northern Luzon.

The tropical depression is currently carrying a maximum sustained wind speed of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center (up from 45 kph from the Sunday evening bulletin), and gustiness of up to 70 kph (up from 55 kph). Pagasa said Pilandok is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning.

The number of families affected by heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon or habagat in Calabarzon since the first week of August has risen to 305,959, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported on Sunday (Aug. 30).

The affected families are from 965 barangays across the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon.

The agency said the number of families who evacuated from their homes began increasing again on Aug. 29 due to heavy rains, particularly in Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.

Based on the latest reports from local governments, 7,074 families were still staying in 161 evacuation centers across the region as of noon Sunday.

Rizal had the highest number of operating evacuation centers with 72, followed by Cavite with 58, Laguna with 24 and Batangas with seven.

As of Aug. 30, the DSWD office in Calabarzon had distributed 260,072 family food packs to affected families.

A standard DSWD family food pack contains six kilograms of rice, canned goods such as corned beef, tuna, and sardines, as well as sachets of coffee or chocolate malt drink. It is intended to provide a family of five with food for two days.

The assistance was provided not only to families who evacuated but also to those who remained in their homes but were affected by heavy rains and flooding.

Senators on National Heroes’ Day paid tribute not only to country’s historical heroes but also ordinary citizens who risked their safety to help others amid recent rains, flooding, and other disasters.

Sen. Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan said that while National Heroes’ Day is rooted in the country’s collective struggle for freedom-beginning with the 1896 Revolution-it honors not only historical figures, but also ordinary Filipinos who courageously love and serve the country.

He cited parents, overseas Filipino workers, environment defenders, fisherfolks, farmers, truth-tellers, and those holding people accountable as modern-day heroes.

Pangilinan also paid tribute to those who responded to the recent rains caused by the southwest monsoon or habagat.

Nitong mga nagdaang linggo ng walang tigil na ulan, sumuong sa baha ang mga kapitbahay, rider, social worker at health professional, at volunteer sa disaster at emergency response,’ Pangilinan said in a press release on Monday.

(In recent weeks of incessant rains, neighbors, riders, social workers, health professionals, and disaster and emergency response volunteers waded through floodwaters)

”Yan ang bayaning Pilipino: Hindi nagpapasiil sa hamon ng buhay,’ he added.

(That is the Filipino hero: One who does not let life’s challenges defeat them.)

Sen. Bong Go echoed Pangilinan’s sentiments, highlighting the contributions of frontliners, health workers, rescuers, uniformed personnel and volunteers who continue to respond to emergencies and disasters.

‘Sa mga nararanasan nating kalamidad at masamang panahon, marami sa kanila ang hindi nag-atubiling tumulong at rumesponde para masiguro ang kaligtasan ng ating mga kababayan,’ Go said in a Facebook post.

(Amid the calamities and severe weather we have experienced, many of them did not hesitate to help and respond to ensure the safety of their fellow Filipinos.)

Go said their courage, compassion, and love for the country should inspire other Filipinos.

Meanwhile, Senate President Win Gatchalian called on Filipinos to carry the spirit of heroism into the challenges they face.

‘Pugay sa ating mga bayani at sa tapang nilang manindigan para sa bayan,’ Gatchalian said in a post on Facebook.

(Salute to our heroes and to their courage to stand up for the country.)

‘Dalhin natin ang diwang ito sa bawat hamong kinakaharap natin – manindigan sa tama, ipaglaban ang kapakanan ng bawat isa, at higit sa lahat, unahin ang Pilipinas,’ the Senate president added.

For Sen. Loren Legarda, honoring the country’s modern-day heroes must go beyond gratitude and translate to better living conditions.

‘[K]ung tunay nating pinahahalagahan ang kanilang ambag, dapat nakikita iyon sa kanilang sahod, benepisyo, kaligtasan sa trabaho, kabuhayan, at proteksyon para sa kanilang pamilya,’ Legarda said in a statement.

(If we really want to honor their contributions, it should be reflected in their salary, benefits, job security, livelihood, and protection for their family.)

Moreover, Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III also praised Filipinos who had dedicated their lives and service to the country.

For Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel ‘Migz’ Zubiri, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, the occasion is a chance to honor heroes across generations.

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano also praised the men and women who sacrificed their lives for the country’s independence, encouraging Filipinos to ‘continue what they started.’

National Heroes’ Day is observed every last Monday of August as a national holiday to commemorate the sacrifices and contributions of the country’s heroes.

A year ago, the House of Representatives opened its doors to civil society organizations (CSOs), allowing governance watchdogs to ask questions and attend hearings as part of an effort to make the budget process more transparent.

It now appears the experiment may be short-lived.

As the House began deliberations on the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, CSOs accredited to participate last year are finding themselves effectively shut out. The rules governing their participation remain unclear; their questions go unanswered, and the House budget panel has yet to call for a new round of accreditation.

‘The House appropriations committee has gone cold on us,’ said Tim Salomon of the Caucus of Development Non-Government Organizations Networks. CSOs are being ‘seen-zoned’ when they request dialogue, he told the Inquirer last week.

What a curious way to demonstrate the chamber’s so-called commitment to transparency.

The House had pledged to sustain the reforms it introduced last year, including televising budget hearings. The committee chair, Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Suansing, was still talking as recently as early August about ‘closer coordination’ with CSOs.

Last full-year budget

But as public finance specialist Zy-za Nadine Suzara put it: ‘They are not walking their talk.’

Perhaps the more pertinent question is: Why stop now?

The 2027 spending plan is the last full-year budget of the Marcos administration before the 2028 elections. It will finance programs and projects as the administration seeks to shape its political legacy ahead of the next elections.

In this country, of course, electioneering does not wait for the official campaign period. It starts years ahead of Election Day. So if there were ever a time when public scrutiny of the national budget needed to be intensified, this would be it.

Instead, the House seems to be pulling down the blinds.

Budget watchdogs have already raised alarms over the record-high P58.32 billion proposed for the Local Government Support Fund, or LGSF, which has been described as ‘LGU pork.’ Economist Cielo Magno warned that without clear rules, such discretionary funds could become instruments of political patronage. The LGSF has more than doubled since 2025, when it stood at P23 billion.

And then there are the other forms of pork: discretionary assistance programs, unprogrammed appropriations (UAs) and infrastructure projects vulnerable to political influence. These are precisely the areas where independent eyes are needed.

Hardly foolproof

Let us note at this point that even with watchdogs on hand, the budgetary safeguards in last year’s deliberations were hardly foolproof.

The CSOs had urged President Marcos to veto more than P633 billion in ‘hard, soft and shadow pork’ in the 2026 budget. They identified P243 billion in UAs, P210 billion in soft pork and P180 billion in infrastructure projects as particularly vulnerable to corruption and political patronage.

The President did veto seven UAs totaling P92.5 billion, trimming the UAs to P150.9 billion. These funds, he declared, should not be treated as a ‘backdoor for discretionary spending.’

But the watchdogs were not satisfied-and for good reason.

They pointed out that the President left untouched other backdoors for corruption, including large social assistance and employment programs whose budgets had more than doubled from the Palace’s original proposal.

In other words, the presence of watchdogs did not magically make the budget clean. It only gave them a front-row view of questionable items and the chance to call them out.

If the executive could reject recommendations made by CSOs as participants in the process, how will they make themselves heard when they are not even allowed into the room?

Bicameral conference

The House should therefore explain, clearly and publicly, why a mechanism it introduced with such fanfare last year has effectively disappeared. If the rules have changed, it should say so. If accreditation will be reopened, it should do so.

On top of this critical issue, the public should be watching an equally crucial part of the process: the bicameral conference committee.

Last year, the public was given an unprecedented view of the final negotiations through a livestreamed bicam. Will that happen again? Or will the doors close just when the most consequential decisions are being made?

The answer will say much about whether last year’s transparency reforms were meant to become institutional safeguards or were just for show. The House has no business expecting public confidence while restricting public scrutiny. Not in an ordinary year, and certainly not with a general election approaching.

The national budget belongs to the Filipino people. The lawmakers who authorize it are its stewards rather than its owners. With an election-season spending bonanza looming, this is precisely when the public needs more eyes on the budget, not fewer.

Tropical Depression Pilandok has maintained its strength while moving almost stationary over the Philippine Sea east of Extreme Northern Luzon, the state weather bureau reported on Monday.

Based on the 11 a.m. weather bulletin from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Pilandok-which was located 1,160 kilometers east of Extreme Northern Luzon-still carries a maximum sustained wind speed of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 70 kph.

No tropical cyclone wind signal is currently hoisted in any part of the country.

According to Pagasa, Pilandok is forecast to move slowly northwestward or remain almost stationary for the next 36 hours before moving generally north-northwestward for the remaining forecast period.

The tropical depression is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Wednesday afternoon or evening.

‘This tropical cyclone is less likely to make landfall over the country and will remain far from the Philippine landmass,’ Pagasa said, but noted the forecast track may still be subject to change in the succeeding bulletins.

As for its strength, Pilandok is expected to intensify into a tropical storm by Tuesday. It would then weaken into a tropical depression by Wednesday and ‘maintain its strength throughout the remainder of the forecast period.’

The national government sharply ramped up its borrowing in July, raising nearly P300 billion as it turned to the domestic market for the bulk of its financing needs.

Latest data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed that gross borrowings surged by 75 percent to P291.38 billion in July from P166.12 billion in the same month last year.

This was driven mainly by domestic borrowings, which jumped by nearly 78 percent to P271.32 billion from P152.54 billion a year earlier.

Treasury bill issuances led the increase, soaring by nearly fourfold, or 383.7 percent, to P133.2 billion from P27.54 billion in July last year.

As it is, yields on short-dated government securities mostly declined during the month, allowing the Treasury to fully award its borrowing program. The government also issued cash management bills, or shorter-term securities, in mid-July.

Meanwhile, Treasury bonds, which are longer-dated securities, rose by 10.5 percent to P138.12 billion from P125 billion a year earlier.

The government likewise increased its borrowings from foreign sources, which climbed by 47.8 percent to P20.05 billion from P13.57 billion in July 2025.

Broken down, project loans accounted for P18.64 billion of the external borrowings, while program loans amounted to P1.41 billion.

From January to July, the national government’s gross borrowings reached P2.11 trillion, up by 20.2 percent from P1.76 trillion in the same period last year.

This amount already accounts for about 77 percent of the government’s gross borrowing program for 2026. Of the January-to-July total, P1.55 trillion was sourced from domestic lenders, up by 15.4 percent from a year earlier. Meanwhile, external borrowings climbed by 35.8 percent to P564.86 billion.