Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Motorists are getting some relief at the start of September as local oil companies cut pump prices, with diesel and kerosene seeing the biggest reductions of nearly P4 per liter. Gasoline prices, meanwhile, dropped by as much as 40 centavos per liter.

The price cuts come amid renewed hopes for an end to the conflict in the Middle East, which helped ease concerns over global oil supply.

However, consumers may still face higher costs for liquefied petroleum gas, with LPG prices potentially rising by as much as P3 per kilogram this month due to a weaker peso and higher shipping costs.

In their bid to help the campaign against loose firearms and establish peaceful communities in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, local officials and residents in 25 of 34 villages voluntarily surrendered 44 unlicensed guns to the military on Monday.

The assorted loose firearms were presented to authorities during a turnover program in Barangay Bitu as part of efforts to curb violence and the proliferation of unregistered weapons ahead of the Sept. 14 Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.

Village officials collected the weapons from their constituents, including those in the hands of barangay leaders.

The turnover was held at the evacuation center in Barangay Bitu, which is the same village where the convoy of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua was ambushed on Aug. 15.

Military authorities said the incident served as a serious reminder of the continuing threat of violence and the need for stronger collective action against loose firearms, particularly with the elections fast approaching.

The initiative brought together government agencies, security forces, local leaders, and residents to help prevent further violence and maintain peace and order in Datu Odin Sinsuat.

Lt. Col. William G. Sabado, commanding officer of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion, led the program. Also present were Datu Odin Sinsuat Mayor Abdulmain Abas Sr.; Lt. Col. Sahibun Mamantal, Maguindanao Norte police deputy provincial director; Lt. Col. Brian A. Balite, Datu Odin Sinsuat municipal police chief; and officials from 25 barangays in Datu Odin Sinsuat.

The surrendered weapons included four 7.62mm sniper rifles, 11 fabricated 12-gauge shotguns, 12 fabricated .38-caliber revolvers, three fabricated 9mm submachine guns, three .45-caliber pistols, three grenade launchers, and other firearms.

Sabado said the surrender of the weapons is an important step toward reducing potential security threats and preventing their possible use in violence.

‘The voluntary surrender of firearms was more than just a turnover. It demonstrated the communities’ trust and cooperation in the pursuit of peace,’ Sabado said.

‘Every firearm voluntarily surrendered represented a potential threat removed and a step toward safer communities,’ he added.

Sabado noted the turnover of 44 loose firearms reflected Datu Odin Sinsuat’s collective resolve against violence and underscored how unity and concerted action can help strengthen and protect peace in the community.

Maj. Gen. Ronel R. Manalo, commander of the Philippine Army’s Armor Division, expressed the division’s full support for initiatives to reduce threats to peace and strengthen community security.

He called for continued cooperation among local governments, security forces, and residents to preserve peace and ensure a safe, orderly, peaceful election.

Team Philippines goes into Nomura Cup battle starting Tuesday with a three-man squad that is the most talented that it can assemble, as the Filipinos try to win what is also known as the Asia-Pacific team championship for the first time in its 62-year history.

Jet Hernandez and Shinichi Suzuki, who won national titles last month, and Rolando Bregente, the runner-up to them in both those events, comprise the formidable PH crew that will try to unseat Vietnam and beat traditional golfing nations like Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, among others.

The trio sampled the Bayhood No. 9 International Golf Club in Beijing, China on Monday, just hours after touching down. Though the course has some tight bends, undulating greens and is longer than usual, Hernandez, Suzuki and Bregente basically said that they ‘will be fine.’

‘I think if we commit to our targets and fire at the right spots on our approach shots, we should be fine,’ the 21-year-old Hernandez, who ruled the PH Strokeplay Championship at Pradera Verde, said. ‘The greens are a little tricky, but I think we will get used to it as the week goes on.’

Suzuki is the youngest in the group at 18, but is a seasoned campaigner. He won the PH Match Play title over Bregente at Luisita.

‘The course this week is amazing,’ Suzuki told the Inquirer. The layout is pretty challenging but will be a very fun one. I like our chances this week. because anyone can play well on this course.

‘We just have to give our best and let God do His will.’

The Philippines has two second place finishes in the first 30 editions of the tournament that it founded in 1963 together with Japan and Chinese Taipei.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday expressed its readiness to conduct training sessions in schools to identify red-flag behaviors and help adults properly respond to warning signs involving children.

According to the PNP, its local police offices and units are prepared to work with the Department of Education (DepEd) to conduct training sessions to help parents and teachers recognize violent acts, criminal activities, and behavioral red flags among children.

‘Protecting students and teachers in schools requires efforts from various stakeholders,’ PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez said in a statement.

‘And we in the PNP are ready to extend assistance and impart knowledge through training sessions that will educate parents and teachers in the interest of the safety and welfare of learners,’ he added.

The PNP made the pronouncement after DepEd recently began expanding its Kaagapay Program aimed to train parents in helping them identify red flags in their children’s behavior.

The police are also offering protection sessions focused on addressing bullying, online sexual abuse and violent extremism.

The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group and the Women and Children Protection Center also extended its assistance in these sessions to strengthen the parents’ and teachers’ capacity to address concerns related to violence and other criminal activities.

Senator-judge Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III reminded the Senate impeachment court on Tuesday that names could only be considered an alias if there is a person behind it, but otherwise, it is fake.

In the last few weeks, as the court tackled Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds, acknowledgement receipts signed by several people with seemingly suspicious names resembling that of famous food brands, fruits, Filipino phrases and even local politicians surfaced.

The signatories included the likes of Mary Grace Piattos, Andy Lim, Miggy Mango, and Kristine Applegate Estrada.

‘If there is a person behind the alias, then it is an alias. If there is no person behind the name, it is a fictitious name or a fake name,’ Sotto said in a manifestation.

Sotto was citing Republic Act No. 6085, which regulates the use of aliases.

‘For the public and for us, the general rule that she mentioned is Republic Act No. 6085, regulating the use of aliases, which only allowed in the Philippines [the use of] pseudonyms, solely for literary, cinema, television and other entertainment purposes,’ Sotto noted.

It was counsel for the prosecution Mae Divinagracia who brought up the law on aliases, after Senator-judge Robin Padilla sought to justify the use of aliases by noting that even national heroes used them

The proposed P16 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of farm-to-market road (FMR) projects for 2027 is insufficient to cover the thousands of kilometers needed under the system, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said on Tuesday.

During the House committee on appropriations’ briefing on the proposed budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Tiu Laurel said 55,000 kilometers (km) are needed under the FMR system as of Aug. 31, 2026.

‘With the limited budget of P16 billion, we can’t achieve that,’ he added.

He explained that under the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the DA’s FMR projects were allotted P16 billion. This is a more than 50 percent decrease from the P33,009,763,000 budget allotted for the projects in the 2026 national budget.

‘It’s difficult to implement that because we are only given P16 billion for 55,000 km,’ he added.

Tiu Laurel noted that the proposed budget for the FMR projects was determined by the fiscal allocation given to the agency under the NEP.

In the same hearing, Rep. Robert Nazal asked if the DA uses a scientific database to identify areas to be prioritized under the FMR projects.

Tiu Laurel said the DA uses parameters such as road influence area, poverty incidence, number of farmer or fisherfolk beneficiaries, present road conditions, climate change adaptation, average daily traffic, and new production areas, among others.

Nazal then asked the secretary if the agency considers areas where it can observe a return on investment. The secretary said that while this is a general practice, the agency also determines areas with ‘missionary roots,’ with little production but high potential for benefits later on.

More scrutiny

Showing the FMR transparency portal in his presentation, Rep. Antonio Tinio pointed out the completed projects out of the total projects indicated. He asked Tiu Laurel why the agency had completed only half of the total projects.

Based on the transparency portal of FMR infrastructure projects from 2021 to 2026, 3,235 projects were completed out of the 6,428 total projects, with a total investment of P109.53 billion. The completed projects spanned 2,485.23 kilometers.

Tiu Laurel said the projects allocated for 2026 have not yet been implemented because the Special Allotment Release Order was released by the Department of Budget and Management only last week.

He added that of the P23 billion budget for FMR projects in 2025, only P12 billion was released to the agency.

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division dropped the plunder and graft charges against former Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan.

‘He (Bonoan) is no longer an accused in the two cases before the Fifth [Division],’ a member of the prosecution team told the Inquirer on Tuesday.

‘But I think the other accused will file [an] MR (motion for reconsideration),’ they added.

Another source likewise confirmed the development.

Bonoan was accused alongside Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, DPWH district engineers Manny Bulusan and Arturo Gonzales Jr., and assistant district engineer Denryl Caesar Cortuna over an alleged scheme involving P573 million in kickbacks in connection with the infrastructure corruption scandal.

Last August, the Second Division, which handles the second count of graft against Estrada and Bonoan, denied the motion to charge the former secretary.

Bonoan resigned from his post in September 2025, despite maintaining days earlier that he would not be stepping down from his post following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order to investigate alleged anomalies in flood control projects.

In November 2025, the now-defunct Independent Commission for Infrastructure found Bonoan administratively liable for flood control projects in Bulacan province that were supposedly never built.

Last January, the Department of Justice said Bonoan would likewise face a criminal case for plunder.

In July, the Office of the Ombudsman sought to discharge Bonoan as part of a bid to turn him into a state witness in other flood control corruption scandal-related cases.

Bonoan first testified before the anti-graft court last August in the case against Sen. Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr., who was linked to a P76.91-million flood-control project in Pandi, Bulacan, which state prosecutors claimed to be ‘non-existent.’

There, Bonoan claimed ‘all senators’ in 2024 had availed of a ‘leadership fund’ allotted by his agency under the 2025 budget

The municipal government of Mamburao has ordered the distribution of face masks to schools as a precaution against haze observed in parts of Occidental Mindoro.

Mamburao Mayor Glicerio Almero III said local government personnel were tasked to distribute face masks to schools, with the supplies to be turned over to school heads.

‘Ibibigay po natin sa mga school heads and priority po yung may mga kondisyon sa lungs and heart,’ Almero said.

(We will task school heads to determine their priority to be given face masks, preferably to those with lung and heart conditions)

The move came as local authorities in Mindoro advised residents to take precautions amid the spread of haze, which is believed to be linked to smoke from forest fires in Indonesia.

In a separate public advisory issued on Sept. 1, the Calapan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office urged residents to remain vigilant over the haze, which may be caused by smoke from forest and land fires in Indonesia, particularly in Sumatra and Kalimantan, that winds carried to other parts of Southeast Asia.

The public was advised to wear face masks when going outdoors and avoid staying for prolonged periods in areas where haze or smoke is noticeable.

Residents were also urged to monitor official air quality advisories and take appropriate precautions.

Children, older adults and people with existing lung or heart conditions are considered particularly vulnerable and were advised to take extra care

Several netizens shared their experiences of being stuck in traffic for hours along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) amid flooding brought by days of torrential rains.

Many towns in Pampanga province, which the NLEX runs through, were flooded as the southwest monsoon (habagat) prevailed over parts of Luzon over the weekend.

In a post shared with the Facebook group ‘Traffic Updates – NLEX / SCTEX / TPLEX,’ a social media user said she had left La Union around 6:30 a.m. on Monday and only arrived in Taguig City at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

SCTEX refers to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, while the TPLEX refers to the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.

The user noted that, due to the heavy traffic along portions of NLEX, they were prompted to take detours through the towns of Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan.

‘Parang nag-abroad lang e,’ she joked.

(It was almost as though we went abroad.)

Jose Mari Chan

‘Grabe ka, NLEX! Nakapag-staycation tuloy kami sa iba’t ibang provinces at lugar… Imagine, nakapaglibot kami! Inabutan tuloy kami ni Jose Mari Chan sa daan!’ she added.

(You’re something else, NLEX! We managed to take a staycation in many different provinces and places… Imagine, we got around! We were even greeted by Jose Mari Chan on the road!)

Chan is a beloved figure in Philippine music, best known for his Christmas carols often used to usher in the local celebration of the Yuletide season as early as September.

The social media user explained that she was on the way to Metro Manila for her third chemotherapy session.

‘This kind of situation really makes you realize how crucial accessible and passable roads are, especially for patients who need to reach hospitals urgently,’ she said.

Although she said she was grateful to have returned home, she stressed, ‘We Filipinos deserve better.’

Another social media user said she and her family had left their flooded home in Apalit town, Pampanga at 9 a.m. on Monday, but they only arrived at a relative’s home in Dau also in the province at 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

The netizen said roads going through Apalit, San Simon and San Fernando had been impassable due to waist-deep floods at the time.

She also said they had gone to Calumpit, Bulacan in hopes of catching a big bus to pass through the flooded areas.

‘We travelled back and forth from Apalit to Calumpit, to Apalit again, and back to Calumpit kase sabi meron daw libreng sakay, pero wala naman dumadating after waiting for hours,’ she said.

(We travelled back and forth from Apalit to Calumpit, to Apalit again, and back to Calumpit because we were told there were free rides, but none came after waiting for hours.)

`Truck for cows’

However, she managed to get the help of a truck driver who had allowed them on board until reaching NLEX, where the vehicle could no longer bear the weight of the passengers.

‘TRUCK NA PARA SA BAKA. Hindi bus, hindi rescue trucks from the government. Pero, thank you kay kuya na hindi naman utos ng gobyerno pero nagmabuting loob na subukang mahatid kami,’ she noted.

(IT WAS A TRUCK FOR COWS. Not a bus, not rescue trucks from the government. But, thank you to the driver who was kind enough to try to drive us despite no order from the government.)

‘Para kaming mga palaboy naghahanap ng masakayan, buti nalang may big bus na kononsider kunin kami ni lola, lalo na may mga bata,’ she added.

(We felt like wanderers who could not find a ride. We were lucky to find a big bus who considered taking us since we were travelling with an elderly person and children.)

‘Sana naman may natitira pang awa yung gobyerno,’ she stressed.

(I hope the government still has some mercy.)

Meanwhile, another social media user said they had left Dinalupihan, Bataan at 4 p.m. on Monday and arrived in Santa Rosa, Laguna at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

She noted that they had likewise taken detours through several towns in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan before finding their way to their destination.

‘Mapapaisip ka na lang ng dito ba napupunta ung taxes ko?’ she said.

(You’ll just think: is this where my taxes go?)

She urged fellow motorists to research on social media groups and on map applications to see the conditions of the roads; to fill up their gas tanks, have full meals and bring food before travelling; and to have patience on the road.

For its part, in a statement on Monday, NLEX operator Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) said it understood the public’s frustration, stressing that it was ‘deeply sorry’ for the delays that motorists endured.

MPTC noted that it will be deploying concrete barriers along 300 meters northbound and 300 meters southbound along the Tulaoc Bridge in San Simon, Pampanga to serve as a temporary flood wall as well as siphoning trucks to remove the floodwater.

In a traffic advisory on Tuesday morning, the NLEX Corporation said heavy traffic was still reported in both the northbound and southbound lanes of the expressway segment near San Simon but that all types of vehicles could pass through Lane 1 segment.

Meanwhile, it added, only Class 2 and 3 vehicles, or larger vehicles including buses and trucks, could pass through Lane 2 of the segment.

The Olongapo City government on Tuesday has declared the city under a state of calamity after weeks of intense rainfall that triggered widespread flooding, landslides, damage to properties and infrastructure, and the displacement of residents.

The city council approved Resolution No. 196, Series of 2026, during its regular session on Tuesday based on the recommendation of the Olongapo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (OCDRRMC), which adopted Resolution No. 2026-04 during an emergency meeting on Monday.

In his endorsement to the city council, Mayor Rolen C. Paulino Jr. said Olongapo recorded 2,900.5 millimeters of cumulative rainfall throughout August, about 3.47 times the normal August rainfall of 835.7 mm.

He said 569.5 mm of rain fell from August 28 to 29 alone, equivalent to about 68 percent of the city’s normal rainfall for the entire month.

The prolonged, heavy rains resulted in flooding, landslides, damage to properties and infrastructure, environmental degradation, disruption of transportation and public services, and the displacement of residents, according to the resolution.

The city government also said the successive weather disturbances had significantly disrupted normal social and economic activities and placed considerable strain on its disaster response, recovery, and public service capabilities.

In an earlier interview, Jeffrey Lapid, head of the Olongapo City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said that 13 out of 17 villages in the city were flooded during intense rainfall as of Saturday, Aug. 29.

At least 730 families, or 2,530 individuals, evacuated from their flooded homes. The city also recorded one fatality, a 3-year-old boy in Barangay Old Cabalan who was swept by rushing floodwaters when a wall above their house suddenly collapsed.

The declaration is expected to facilitate the immediate mobilization and use of available resources for response, relief, recovery, and rehabilitation efforts for affected residents, communities, properties, and infrastructure.

The city and other parts of Zambales continue to recover from repeated flooding and other impacts of heavy rains in recent weeks