Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Philippine government’s debt service bill climbed in April after a surge in interest payments, pushing total servicing past the trillion-peso mark in the first four months of the year.

Latest data from the Bureau of the Treasury showed that the Marcos administration paid a total of P314.9 billion to creditors at home and abroad in April, up 12 percent from the P280.9 billion recorded in the same month last year.

This brought total debt service payments from January to April to P1.052 trillion, rising 68.9 percent from P622.9 billion a year earlier. The amount has already reached more than half, or 52.5 percent, of the government’s P2.005-trillion debt service program for 2026.

April’s increase was driven largely by a 36.8-percent surge in interest payments, which reached P63.5 billion.

Interest payments have remained elevated since the start of the year, bringing the four-month total to P336.7 billion, up 17 percent from the same period last year. The amount also accounts for 35.4 percent of the government’s P950-billion interest payment program for 2026.

Of the interest payments, domestic creditors received P42.9 billion, up 40.8 percent year on year, while payments to foreign lenders rose 29.1 percent to P20.6 billion.

Principal repayments, or amortization, also increased, rising 7.2 percent to P251.4 billion in April from P234.5 billion a year earlier.

More than double

As a result, total amortization payments in the first four months reached P715.6 billion, more than twice the year-earlier level. The amount represents 67.8 percent of the government’s P1.055-trillion amortization program for 2026.

Principal repayments to domestic creditors surged 43.5 percent to P243.6 billion in April. In contrast, payments on external debt principal fell 88 percent to just P7.7 billion.

The national government’s outstanding debt stood at P18.47 trillion as of end-April, slightly lower than the P18.49 trillion recorded at end-March.

The Treasury said the decline reflected the net repayment of domestic securities, which offset the impact of the peso’s depreciation on the country’s foreign-currency obligations.

The Office of the Ombudsman and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have no problem checking claims made by the 18 former bodyguards of ex-Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, but both agencies stressed the need for individual affidavits, as not every action was taken collectively.

At the consultative meeting of the Senate blue ribbon committee on Monday regarding the flood control scandal investigations, Sen. Bam Aquino asked Ombudsman Central Records Division officer-in-charge Karen Batu if the claims from the 18 so-called Marines were being investigated by the office.

Batu said she was not at liberty to say that, but she knows that lawyer-evaluators from the Office of the Ombudsman required the 18 bodyguards’ legal counsel, lawyer Levito Baligod, to submit individual affidavits stating their personal knowledge of the alleged incidents.

‘Personal knowledge’ required

‘When it was evaluated by our lawyer-evaluators and reviewed and approved by our officials, we sent a notice to Attorney Baligod saying that what the office requires is an individual affidavit for the Marines to declare or to state their personal knowledge of their statements,’ Batu said.

‘Because they made a collective, single joint affidavit for all of them. So when it was evaluated, our lawyer-evaluator said – and then it was reviewed and approved by our officials – that they cannot have everyone say the same thing because when they mentioned bringing suitcases, only some were present; others were not involved,’ she added in Filipino.

Aquino then asked Batu if the camp of the 18 bodyguards had already submitted individual affidavits. In response, Batu said that as far as she knows, the 18 bodyguards’ camp has not yet sent these documents.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said that, while they were able to interview the 18 bodyguards, only five signed the testimony, as Baligod stopped the 13, because he wanted to review the documents.

Matibag said that Baligod later on wanted to rip the documents.

Problem with collective affidavit

Sen. Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan also asked Prosecutor-General Richard Anthony Fadullon if there would be a problem with a group submitting a collective affidavit.

Fadullon said it would not be a problem if the entire group had personal knowledge of everything that was alleged in the document, or if there were clarifications that, for a certain portion, only select individuals knew what transpired.

‘If a joint affidavit is submitted to the Department of Justice and this is signed by let’s say 10 or 18 people for that matter, when there is no qualification in the affidavit, in the statement, that this was taken, was participated in by this particular individual, it would appear, as far as the reader is concerned, that all of the signatories have personal knowledge about what was stated,’ Fadullon said.

‘That’s why we always tell them that if they craft a joint affidavit, they should ensure that everyone identified has personal knowledge of the issues. If not, they can place qualifications on the joint affidavit itself, to state that, on this occasion, only these individuals have been part of or were involved,’ he added.

Coached or rehearsed testimony?

Fadullon said that the route taken by the NBI and the Ombudsman – requiring individual affidavits – was the best way to move forward since it has been a Supreme Court doctrine that affidavits that are perfectly aligned with each other reek of a coached or rehearsed testimony.

‘If there is no such qualification, then I would have to concede to the strategy being undertaken by the NBI as well as the Ombudsman, that it’s better to really have individual affidavits, because it’s also a way of trying to compare and test the credibility of these witnesses,’ he said.

‘Again, what I said earlier, the Supreme Court has already decided in a host of cases that when affidavits perfectly, or the allegations or statements perfectly dovetail, this means there is a pattern, and such raises doubts. It would be better if there is a bit of inconsistency because it gives badges of truth to it rather than if it perfectly dovetails,’ he added.

Repeated allegations

Discussions about the claims of the 18 ex-bodyguards surfaced again as the group led by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano pushed through with the blue ribbon committee hearing last Thursday, despite all Senate positions having been declared vacant and new officials having been elected a day before.

During the discussions, the 18 former bodyguards testified and reiterated several of their allegations, which were contained in an affidavit released on Feb. 25, 2026.

The former officers claimed that they used to work for Co, who used to head the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations. According to the 18 individuals, they were tasked by Co with delivering suitcases allegedly filled with cash to various recipients, including several House members.

However, observers were quick to point out alleged inconsistencies and changes from the 18 individuals’ testimony last Thursday and their original affidavit last February. Manila Rep. Joel Chua said that the venue where the 18 bodyguards supposedly handed the money to him changed.

Lawmakers deny allegations

Meanwhile, Palawan Rep. Jose Alvarez questioned his sudden inclusion in the list of those who received suitcases.

Alvarez rushed to the Senate on Thursday to confront the 18 individuals, saying that he did not receive any suitcase with cash. When asked why he was suddenly included on the list, Alvarez said it might be because he refused to endorse an impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

According to the lawmaker, a certain Margarette, who claimed to represent former Rep. Mike Defensor – a supporter of the 18 Marines – texted him and sent a copy of the complaint against Marcos.

When asked if he would endorse the complaint, Alvarez said he flatly denied the request.

Other lawmakers have also denied the allegations. According to Deputy Speaker Janette Garin, some sectors have been using the Senate as a political theater weeks before the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Garin disputed the allegations that she and other lawmakers received any suitcase from Co, asking the public to be ‘vigilant and discerning’ as the current political climate has led to the proliferation of ‘gross propaganda and public deception.’

Aside from Garin, Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V also noted that the blue ribbon committee hearing was merely staged to discredit the House before Duterte’s impeachment trial even starts.

Classes in all public and private schools in Cotabato City were suspended on Monday following a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that was felt across the area.

Government work in ministries, offices, and agencies under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was also suspended in the Bangsamoro Government Center and other parts of the city to allow for safety inspections and precautionary measures.

The city government of Cotabato said the suspension covers all levels in both public and private schools to ensure the safety of learners, parents, and school personnel. It added that city government offices may continue operations as necessary, with emergency and essential services remaining on duty.

Residents were advised to remain alert and await further advisories from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) and other concerned authorities.

In a separate memorandum, the Office of the Chief Minister directed the immediate suspension of work in all BARMM ministries, offices, and agencies located within the Bangsamoro Government Center and other parts of Cotabato City.

The directive, contained in Circular No. 0096, Series of 2026 dated June 8, 2026, was issued by Senior Minister Said Salendab by authority of Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua.

The memorandum stated that the suspension of work was intended to allow safety inspections, damage assessments, and other necessary precautionary measures following the earthquake.

Bangsamoro ministries, offices, and agencies (BMOAs) were instructed to form inspection teams and submit reports to the Office of the Senior Minister not later than 6:00 p.m. on Monday.

However, agencies involved in the delivery of basic and health services, disaster preparedness and response, and other essential functions were directed to continue operations to ensure uninterrupted public service.

Further advisories will be issued once inspections are completed and it is deemed safe for employees to return to work.

Both the Cotabato City Government and BARMM officials emphasized that the measures were taken to protect public safety in the aftermath of the earthquake. Residents and workers were urged to stay vigilant and follow official updates from disaster response offices and local authorities.

The sea waters off Sultan Naga Dimaporo (SND), Lanao del Norte, receded by about two meters from the shores following the magnitude 7.8 tectonic quake that struck Mindanao Monday morning, prompting school officials to cancel classes in the town’s 16 coastal villages.

Jennifer Senerpida, SND Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer, said they observed the sea waters receding and returned to normal situation after 15 minutes.

‘We observed the sea waters receding thrice,’ she said, adding that the water elevation in the rivers was also shaken by the quake.

The Lanao del Norte Schools Division, in coordination with the local government unit, ordered the cancellation of classes in the coastal villages of SND, she said.

The PHIVOLCS issued a tsunami alert in the aftermath of the strong earthquake for nine Mindanao provinces. But the advisory did not include Lanao del Norte province.

The tsunami alert covered Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Tawi-Tawi, Siulu, Basilan, Zamboanga Sibugay, Sultan Kudarat, and South Cotabato.

Abeliza Manzano, chief of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO), said that based on their monitoring, a magnitude 3 was recorded in Kapatagan town and a magnitude 2 in the province’s capital town of Tubod.

Abeliza said the PDRRMOP was still monitoring the situation across the province.

In Iligan City, Mayor Frederick W. Siao issued Executive Order 61 Series of 2026 ordering the suspension of classes in all levels from June 8 to 9 to give way for the assessment of the structural integrity of school buildings.

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck at 7:37 a.m. some 32 kilometers southwest of Maasim, Sarangani, with a depth of 33 km, PHIVOLCS said.

The City Health Office (CHO) has begun disinfection and decontamination operations in areas where garbage has piled up following the shutdown of the city’s sanitary landfill.

Personnel from the CHO’s Tropical Disease Prevention and Control Unit sprayed chemicals on mounds of trash along sidewalks and street corners to reduce foul odor and prevent the spread of flies and maggots, as waste continues to accumulate with no final disposal site currently available.

The operation of the city’s sanitary landfill has been suspended since May 22, after a trash slide on May 20 buried 15 houses in a nearby community, killing two residents and leaving another missing.

The closure has disrupted the city’s solid waste management system, prompting the local government to urge residents to temporarily keep their garbage inside their homes, as there is currently no final disposal site for the roughly 750 tons of waste generated daily by nearly two million residents.

On Sunday, the sidewalk outside the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Lanang was cleared of garbage dumped there days earlier, following a cleanup conducted by utility personnel who transported the waste to a disposal site outside the city.

The DENR had opposed the dumping, warning that littering violates the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

Mayor Sebastian Duterte earlier said the site had been designated as a temporary garbage collection point to highlight the volume of waste generated while essential services remain suspended.

The DENR said it has already identified individuals and vehicles involved in the unauthorized dumping.

‘We are preparing legal action against those who committed such violations,’ the agency said.

Legal action

Duterte has also appealed to the DENR to allow the resumption of landfill operations.

The DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau in the region said it recognizes ‘the urgency of restoring landfill operations,’ but stressed that safety remains the top priority.

‘Our teams are on the ground daily with the local government. We understand the operational pressure, but we cannot compromise public safety and environmental protection,’ Regional Director Alnulfo Alvarez said.

He added that once safety measures are verified, the suspension order may be lifted.

While the landfill remains closed, the DENR has proposed interim options, including coordination with nearby local governments, co-processing of residual waste with Holcim-Geocycle, fast-tracking a new sanitary landfill under development, and establishing a temporary disposal area within the existing facility.

Duterte said construction of a new sanitary landfill adjacent to the current site has been ongoing since 2024.

The candidates of the 2026 Binibining Pilipinas pageant painted the town with the colors of the rainbow at a public running event held to celebrate Pride Month.

In their chicest sports apparel, the 36 ladies gamely traded their stilettos for sneakers at the ‘Free To Be HUE Pride Run’ at the Araneta City in Quezon City on Sunday morning, June 7.

Bb. Pilipinas posted photos of the event on social media, and said the run was ‘in celebration of an advocacy that reminds us all to embrace our authentic selves and champion a more diverse, inclusive world for everyone.’

The ladies waved the rainbow pride flag and the other flags representing the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and others) community, while the others added their own flair and carried rainbow fans to the run.

In many parts of the world, International Pride Month is celebrated every June to recognize the struggles that the LGBTQIA+ community has faced, and continues to face, as well as to celebrate their significant contributions to society.

Pageantry is one of the industries that greatly benefit from the community, with many gay men and transgender women running their own competitions, or participating in them.

Members of the community have also been the life force of pageantry, serving as staunch supporters of the platforms and the titleholders that walk the stage of national, international, and even local competitions.

Throughout the years, members of the community have scouted the fairest maidens to field to the competitions, train them, dress them, glam them up, and provide all the support that they can give.

The pageant industry also heavily supports sectors dominated by members of the community, such as the creative field, fashion, hair and makeup artistry, and the performing arts.

Many of the country’s most-loved queens, including Bb. Pilipinas alumnae Pia Wurtzbach, Kylie Verzosa, and Catriona Gray, are staunch allies of the LGBTQIA+ community who have used their voice for the welfare of the sector.

The 2026 Bb. Pilipinas Grand Coronation Night will take place at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on July 18. Reigning queens Katrina Anne Johnson and Annabelle McDonnell will relinquish their crowns to their successors at the end of the competition.

Needing to step up big in a critical game in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals, Justin Brownlee delivered like he always does.

Brownlee’s 41 points on Sunday night drove the Gin Kings to a 116-102 win that put them 2-1 up over defending champion TNT in the best-of-seven series before a season record 18,000 fans at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

‘We just want to come out here with a lot of energy and show these fans that we got that ‘NSD’ spirit,’ Brownlee said after a typical title game performance as Ginebra moved two wins shy of capturing a first title since the 2022-23 edition of the same conference.

But his big-time showing that came after knocking down 16 of 21 shots on top of seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals was one of two great efforts that had the crowd-darlings moving a nose ahead in the series.

Ginebra finally saw Stephen Holt get going on offense with 23 points spiked by five triples and one four-pointer.

Holt made 18 of those points in the first-half when Ginebra relied on its hot shooting that left TNT playing catch up the rest of the way. During that stretch, Holt hit all of his four three-point attempts.

‘It’s a long series, and the mission is the championship,’ Holt said. ‘Whether it’s four good games or four bad games, it doesn’t matter as long as we get those four wins.

‘I was happy that I was able to step up for my team and set the tone in the first quarter and build off. Me personally and as a group, we definitely feel confident.’

It was a huge turnaround for the two-way guard, who could only muster a total of one point during the first two games of the series.

His exploits became the launch pad for Brownlee and Ginebra in making up for a miserable Game 2 defeat when it trailed by 22 points before going on a failed comeback in the dying minutes.

‘He set the tone for us, offensively,’ Brownlee said of Holt. ‘But he’s consistently been one of the guys defending the best player on the other team. And like he said, we didn’t notice he was struggling.’

Coach Tim Cone, who, while acknowledging the criticisms hurled at Holt online, felt that it wasn’t the case as he saw it.

‘I know there’s a lot of internet noise about him not playing well, but he’s been playing great,’ Cone said in defense of Holt. ‘I think if you’re just looking at Stephen strictly as a scorer, you’re not looking at the whole game of basketball.

‘He’s a lot more than just being a scorer and he impacts winning in so many things that he does, even when he was not scoring a lot,’ Cone went on. ‘He looks at the game and says ‘this is what I need to contribute.’ Sometimes it’ll be scoring, sometimes it’ll be being a ball-mover, sometimes it’ll be spreading it out.

Calvin Oftana brushed off the heated exchange between him and coach Chot Reyes during the fourth quarter of TNT’s 116-102 loss to Barangay Ginebra in Game 3 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.

Reyes was seen standing up and shouting some words at Oftana after the latter committed a miscue while the Tropang 5G were trying to make a late run during Sunday’s contest held before 18,000 fans at Mall of Asia Arena.

‘It’s normal,’ Oftana said in Filipino. ‘He scolded me and I know that made a crucial mistake. But I have total respect for my coach and those things are normal.’

Incidents are nothing new at the Tropang 5G, particularly in last year’s run to the Commissioner’s Cup Finals when Reyes fumed at Poy Erram during a timeout huddle.

In Oftana’s case, it was one of the lowlights of a rough evening that saw him being held to only two points on 1-of-8 shooting.

That came after Oftana fired 31 points, a season-high, in the Tropang 5G’s 101-94 victory on Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Calvin Oftana brushed off the heated exchange between him and coach Chot Reyes during the fourth quarter of TNT’s 116-102 loss to Barangay Ginebra in Game 3 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.

Reyes was seen standing up and shouting some words at Oftana after the latter committed a miscue while the Tropang 5G were trying to make a late run during Sunday’s contest held before 18,000 fans at Mall of Asia Arena.

‘It’s normal,’ Oftana said in Filipino. ‘He scolded me and I know that made a crucial mistake. But I have total respect for my coach and those things are normal.’

Incidents are nothing new at the Tropang 5G, particularly in last year’s run to the Commissioner’s Cup Finals when Reyes fumed at Poy Erram during a timeout huddle.

In Oftana’s case, it was one of the lowlights of a rough evening that saw him being held to only two points on 1-of-8 shooting.

That came after Oftana fired 31 points, a season-high, in the Tropang 5G’s 101-94 victory on Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

‘What’s good about it (incident with Reyes) is that we were able to understand what went wrong and I took full responsibility for my mistake,’ he added.

As for his shooting struggles, Oftana took things for what it was after a silent night.

‘Di araw-araw pasko,’ he said.

Today, June 8, the gates of public schools will open for an estimated 26 to 28 million students. They will return to their classrooms, or what passes for classrooms, to face the same old crisis under a new calendar.

Over the past week, the Department of Education (DepEd) rolled out its annual pageantry of preparation known as Brigada Eskwela. Volunteers repainted walls, repaired broken furniture, swept school grounds, and prepared facilities for opening day. By now, government officials will have made their customary rounds, posing for photographs with eager pupils and hopeful teachers.

The annual ritual is familiar; so are the troubles.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara deserves credit for treating the country’s education crisis with a greater sense of urgency than many of his predecessors. The administration has expanded interventions such as the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (Aral) Program, secured approval for nearly 33,000 new teaching positions, and pushed governance reforms intended to ease bottlenecks in the bureaucracy.

Much ground to cover

But despite those efforts, the Philippine education system remains mired in structural deficiencies accumulated over decades. Figures released in the run-up to the opening of classes provide a sobering reminder of how much ground remains to be covered and how little time the Marcos administration has left to cover it.

DepEd estimates a classroom backlog of 136,000. Even if the government succeeds in delivering 9,000 classrooms this year, the gap remains staggering.

In many schools, overcrowding remains a fact of life. Based on consultations conducted by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2), students described classrooms with as many as 60 learners as noisy, chaotic, and disruptive. Others spoke of extreme heat and poorly ventilated rooms that make concentration difficult.

Some reported persistent bullying, physical assaults, and ridicule severe enough to drive their classmates away from school for days. One student captured their ordeal succinctly: ‘We come to school to learn, not to be embarrassed.’

That statement should haunt policymakers. Learning losses do not occur in a vacuum, and children cannot learn effectively in environments that are overcrowded, unsafe, exhausting, and demoralizing.

Nor is the shortage limited to classrooms. DepEd may now have more than one million teaching and nonteaching personnel, but the system remains stretched thin.

Teaching positions

The approval of 32,916 new teaching positions is welcome. Yet viewed against the scale of the challenge, it is not enough.

Teachers have long been expected to compensate for every deficiency in the system. When learning materials arrive late, teachers improvise. When classrooms are lacking, teachers adapt. When reforms are introduced without adequate preparation, teachers are the ones who have to deal with the fallout.

That concern has resurfaced with the rollout of the new three-term academic calendar. While DepEd insists the reform is part of a broader strategy to improve instruction and reduce workload pressures, teacher groups have raised legitimate questions about implementation, consultation, and preparedness.

The most alarming figures, however, concern learning itself.

Edcom 2’s analysis of nationwide literacy assessments shows that while students made progress in the previous school year, nearly half still failed to reach grade-level reading proficiency by March. The situation in senior high school is even more disturbing. DepEd’s pilot literacy assessment found that only 12.58 percent of Grade 11 students qualified as independent readers. Most required help to comprehend texts expected at their level.

A simple question

For years, international assessments have delivered the same verdict. The Philippines has consistently ranked near the bottom in reading, mathematics, and science. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, Filipino learners lag behind peers in countries with similar economic conditions by five to six years of schooling.

Angara is right to focus on improving learning outcomes, but the goal must go beyond raising scores. After all, the Philippines is not competing against its own dismal baseline but trying to catch up to a world that is leaving it behind.

The Marcos administration has just two years left. That is not enough time to solve every problem it inherited but enough to prove that meaningful change is possible. More classrooms must be built. More teachers and support personnel must be hired. Learning materials must arrive on time.

Only then will a new academic calendar signify more than a change in schedule. Otherwise, students will return next year to the same classrooms, or what passes for classrooms, only for their first-day optimism to once again turn into frustration.

Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes have flown to Quebec, Canada, for the filming of their upcoming movie ‘Remember,’ directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar.

Photos of the celebrity couple before their departure were shared on the social media pages of Star Cinema on Sunday, June 7.

A promotional video featuring the couple’s preparations for their flight was also posted on the film production’s social media.

‘Ito na naman kami, sasabak na naman sa isang bagong adventure, sa isang bagong proyekto, at sa isang bagong kwento,’ Dantes told the camera.

‘Dahil espesyal sa amin ‘to, gusto namin kayong isama sa lugar kung saan mabubuo ang kwento namin,’ added Rivera as they carried their suitcases en route to the airport.

‘Remember’ marks another collaboration between the couple and Cruz-Alviar following the success of the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry ‘Rewind.’

The fantasy-drama film became a major box-office hit and eventually emerged as the highest-grossing MMFF film of all time during its theatrical run.

‘Rewind,’ which follows Dantes and Rivera as a married couple given a second chance to fix their relationship through time-bending circumstances, is now the second highest-grossing Philippine film of all time, trailing behind Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards’ ‘Hello Love Again.’

Before ‘Rewind,’ the reel-to-real life couple previously starred together in romantic films such as ‘One True Love’ in 2008 and ‘You to Me Are Everything’ in 2010.

Known collectively by fans as ‘DongYan,’ the pair got married in 2014 and now have two children, Zia and Sixto.

Additional cast members for ‘Remember’ have not been announced as of this writing. The film is expected to premiere in Philippine cinemas later this year.