Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo on Monday asked the Senate impeachment court to admonish its spokesperson, Reginald Tongol, over alleged repeated blunders and for preempting the tribunal.

Tulfo cited Tongol’s latest statement to the media, in which he was quoted as saying that the court might have its final verdict on the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte by December 16.

‘I remember, nag issue kayo ng warning dati sa spokesman ng prosecution. In the same manner, nag issue din kayo ng warning sa spokesman ng defense. Now, it’s about time na mag issue tayo ng warning sa sarili nating spokesperson,’ the senator-judge initially said.

(I remember, you issued a warning before to the prosecution’s spokesperson. In the same manner, you also issued a warning to the defense’s spokesperson. Now, it’s about time that we issue a warning to our own spokesperson.)

‘Why? Kasi over the weekend, marami akong mga kakilala, kaibigan, tumawag sa akin. Sabi, na-pre-judge niyo na agad yung outcome ng impeachment. Kasi itong si Reynald Tongol…nagsalita sa media na sa December 16, magkakaroon daw tayo ng final verdict sa impeachment trial ni VP Sara,’ he went on.

(Why? Because over the weekend, many people I know-friends and acquaintances-called me and said that you had already prejudged the outcome of the impeachment case. [Reginald] Tongol spoke to the media and said that we would supposedly have a final verdict in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial on December 16.)

Tulfo then asked Presiding Officer Sen. Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero if there was any truth to the spokesperson’s pronouncement.

In response, Escudero said the statement was ‘not entirely accurate.’

‘So that’s fake news?’ Tulfo asked.

‘Yes. But that statement is not entirely accurate,’ Escudero said, adding that any statements about the timetable that came out over the weekend could have been based only on the pretrial order.

In the pretrial order, the prosecution proposed 62 trial days, while the defense requested 30 days, for a total of 92 trial days, which was approved by the impeachment court.

‘So that is just simply based on the calendar contained in the pre-trial order. But the court, at this point in time, let it be placed on record and let it be known, is based on math, not based on the realities on the ground of the trial,’ Escudero said.

‘It may be a working mathematical equation, but certainly not based on reality, much less that the point of view of the court. The court will instruct the spokesperson accordingly,’ he added.

Tulfo then suggested: ‘Maybe it’s about time na para i-admonish niya, Mr presiding officer. Kasi this is not the first time. Maraming beses na siyang sumablay, pumalpak. Paulit-ulit na lang.’

(Maybe it’s about time to admonish him, Mr. Presiding Officer. This is not the first time. He has made mistakes and blundered many times. It just keeps happening over and over again.)

‘Buti pa siya, marami siyang alam. Itong mga senator- judges, mga kasamahan ko, there are things na hindi namin alam. Nabubulaga na lang kami, pag nagdakdak siya sa media, kumbaga inuunahan niya tayo, pini-prempt nya tayo,’ he said.

(Good for him, he knows a lot. But we, the senator-judges, my colleagues, there are things that we don’t know. We’re simply caught off guard when he goes on the media, so to speak. He gets ahead of us and preempts us.)

Presiding officer Francis Escudero on Monday denied Senator-Judge Imee Marcos’ objection to presenting foreign currency accounts in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.

During the 33rd day of the trial, Marcos objected to foreign currency accounts being discussed as Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura read details of a transaction report that included a non-peso account.

‘I would like to make that objection, please. It’s very, very clear and well established in both the [former President Joseph Estrada] and [former Chief Justice Renato Corona] impeachment that foreign currency accounts are excluded,’ Marcos said.

But Escudero said that during the Corona impeachment, the court allowed testimony on foreign currency deposits covered by the AMLC.

Escudero also issued an extended ruling on the matter, citing Section 76(2) of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ Manual of Regulations on Foreign Exchange Transactions, which explicitly states that the ‘absolute confidential nature of foreign currency deposits under the [Foreign Currency Deposit Act] shall not apply to a covered institution that reports foreign currency deposits in covered transaction reports or suspicious transaction reports to AMLC], pursuant to Section 9(C) of Republic Act 9160.’

‘Thus the suspicious transaction reports or CRTs submitted to the AMLC do not acquire the status of absolute confidentiality merely because they contain information concerning foreign currency deposit accounts,’ he added.

He also noted that in the case of Republic vs. Sandiganbayan, the court ruled that the AMLC cannot invoke the confidentiality provisions under AMLA to prevent disclosure of information on covered and suspicious transaction reports.

‘The court did not distinguish between peso, foreign currency, and denominated transactions,’ Escudero said.

‘Therefore, the prohibition and confidentiality prohibitions of AMLA cannot apply to it. Otherwise, it will contravene its direct mandate under Section 7 and duly hamper criminal prosecution of money laundering activities,’ he added.

However, Escudero, in making the ruling, clarified that it is not at this point compelling the bank or covered institutions to disclose information concerning foreign currency deposits maintained by the respondent. Instead, the witness is merely being asked to testify on records and financial information ‘already in their lawful presentation.’

No ticket won the jackpots in the Grand Lotto 6/55 and Mega Lotto 6/45 draws on Monday, Oct. 5, according to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

The Grand Lotto 6/55 winning combination was 28-34-18-32-53-20 for a jackpot of ?248.36 million. No ticket matched all six numbers.

The Mega Lotto 6/45 winning combination was 13-25-03-02-12-21 for a jackpot of ?92.17 million. No ticket matched all six numbers.

Minor games

4D Lotto: 2-6-2-5 – ?10,000; 87 winners

3D Lotto 2 p.m.: 1-5-3 – ?4,500; 199 winners

3D Lotto 5 p.m.: 7-5-0 – ?4,500; 116 winners

3D Lotto 9 p.m.: 3-4-0 – ?4,500; 255 winners

2D Lotto 2 p.m.: 15-15 – ?4,000; 661 winners

2D Lotto 5 p.m.: 23-25 – ?4,000; 60 winners

2D Lotto 9 p.m.: 27-15 – ?4,000; 211 winners

Draw schedule

Grand Lotto 6/55 draws are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, while Mega Lotto 6/45 draws take place every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

A little over a month after the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte began, what currently dominates online conversations is not facts from the case, but memes mocking a female prosecution lawyer. Her offense, according to her critics, was appearing too flirtatious. They called her style of questioning ‘malandi’ and said she intentionally made the word ‘baril’ sound like a double entendre. Some went so far as to say that her ‘bedroom voice’ was more fitting for a sex worker than a lawyer or political leader.

A lawyer’s courtroom conduct, especially in an important trial like this, is open to scrutiny. But that is not what many of these memes do. Legitimate criticism asks whether she was effective. Sexual shaming, by contrast, uses perceptions of her femininity or sexuality to question her character and credibility.

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, an intergovernmental democracy organization, identifies sexualization and objectification as recurring forms of gendered disinformation used to humiliate women and undermine perceptions of their professional capacity. The implicit argument behind sexual shaming as a tactic is that if a woman can be made to appear morally questionable, then her trustworthiness and professional legitimacy become questionable too-overshadowing the merits of her education, experience, and overall performance.

This is not just a Philippine problem, but a regional issue that cannot be ignored. A 2025 study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), conducted in partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, found that 60 percent of women lawmakers surveyed across the Asia-Pacific had been targeted online by hate speech, disinformation, image-based abuse, or doxxing. That is the highest rate for this type of abuse in any of the IPU’s regional studies, and an important reminder that making political spaces safer for women needs to be an urgent priority.

Advances in deepfake technology have also compounded the problem and made this tactic easier to weaponize. Female leaders are targets for fabricated, nonconsensual sexual imagery designed to discredit them. The result is a hostile environment that makes it harder for women in leadership, and for those in the pipeline, to thrive.

Repetition alone can also do significant damage. Hear a sexual rumor or joke often enough and it can become attached to a woman’s name in the public mind, whether or not it is true. That is why I have deliberately withheld the lawyer’s name. I want to discuss the issue without contributing further to that association.

What makes the issue even more insidious is that no version of womanhood is safe. A woman can be attacked for appearing too sexual, labeled promiscuous and immoral. She can be attacked for being insufficiently feminine, deemed bossy, abrasive, and unsympathetic. And then she can also be attacked for being overly feminine, too soft and emotional, and therefore unfit to lead. Research shows that women leaders often feel pressured to shift between masculine and feminine styles to satisfy these conflicting expectations and maintain both credibility and likeability.

Ultimately, women are often judged not just on their performance as leaders, but on whether they conform to society’s expectations of how a woman should act. And whereas men are often afforded a wider margin for error-where scandals involving sexual misconduct or personal failings do not immediately compromise perceptions of their credibility-women leaders are easily judged as unfit to lead after a slight misstep or deviation from the ideal.

Sexual shaming and other forms of sexism against women in politics threaten both democratic participation and inclusive governance. Unfortunately, too often, our lawmakers are part of the problem. Last week, Sen. Raffy Tulfo said the prosecution should be careful not to bring in ‘pa-cute’ lawyers. He could have used his platform to condemn the vicious online comments and steer the discussion back to the merits of the prosecution’s case. Instead, his remarks inadvertently reinforced the sexist framing behind the attacks. I applaud House prosecution counsel Atty. Lorna Kapunan for immediately calling him out and reminding him that it was the Senate that passed the safe spaces law and should model those standards in political discourse.

The rest of us have a role too. For every sexist meme or demeaning comment, we can push back by centering the substance of a woman’s argument and body of work. We can remind lawmakers that criticism should never cross the line into misogyny and hold to account those who do.

Because while the public argues about a lawyer’s tone, almost no one is discussing the merits of the case. The memes have effectively crowded out the very thing the public is supposed to be watching: an accountability process involving the second-highest official in the land.

Basilan Gov. Mujiv Hataman led an emergency coordination meeting with representatives from the military, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and local government units following Monday’s ambush that left 11 government troops wounded.

The security meeting was convened at the Taguime Conference Room inside the People’s Capitol at the Basilan Government Center in Barangay Sta. Clara, Lamitan City, as part of joint efforts to bolster coordination and safeguard peace, order, and community security across the province.

Key security officials and local chief executives attended the emergency talks, including provincial chief peace negotiator Al-Rasheed Sakkalahul, Basilan Police Provincial Office chief Col. Edison Dumangas, and military leaders headed by Brig. Gen. Frederick Sales of the 1101st Infantry Brigade.

Also joining the discussion were senior MILF field commanders, Al-Barka Vice Mayor Mar Tokong, and Tipo-Tipo Mayor Arcam Istarul, whose municipality was directly affected by the security incident.

During the executive session, stakeholders discussed critical steps and strategic measures to synchronize actions among concerned security groups and local government units to maintain stability and ensure peace in the affected areas.

The provincial government also reaffirmed its commitment to proactive coordination among all peace stakeholders to protect security gains and maintain law and order across Basilan’s communities.

Officials at the meeting also assured the public of an immediate pursuit operation to track down and hold accountable those responsible for the attack on government troops.

Andrea Brillantes’ upcoming psychological thriller ‘Laya’ is set to hit cinemas nationwide on Nov. 25, with a new poster released ahead of its theatrical run.

Rein Entertainment announced the release date alongside the film’s poster on Saturday, Oct. 4.

‘Hold your breath as the truth waits in the deepest waters,’ the production company said. ‘Rein Entertainment presents LAYA starring Andrea Brillantes, JC Santos, and Anthony Jennings. Showing in cinemas nationwide this November 25.’

Directed by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, ‘Laya’ follows a woman who drifts from place to place before crossing paths with a lonely ex-criminal who is suspected of having something to do with her past.

The film’s first teaser, released in May, opened with Brillantes’ character swimming underwater before a gunshot is heard. She later crosses paths with Santos’ character, who reveals that he had been charged with murder.

The teaser also showed Brillantes’ character discussing her revenge plans with Jennings, as well as other intense scenes between Brillantes and Santos.

‘Laya’ was filmed in Oslob, Cebu and marks another major film project for Brillantes, who is known for her roles in ‘Kadenang Ginto,’ ‘Senior High,’ ‘High Street,’ and most recently, ‘A Secret in Prague.’

The film, meanwhile, reunites Santos with Bernardo, who previously directed him in the 2018 romance-drama ‘Mr. and Mrs. Cruz.’

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) has suspended four student activists who faced disciplinary complaints following a confrontation with military personnel at a Philippine Air Force (PAF) exhibit on campus last April 21.

The Varsitarian, UST’s official student publication, reported on Monday, Oct. 5, that the university’s Office of Student Affairs had issued separate resolutions addressing two complaints-one filed by the PAF and another by an alumnus who expressed concern over the incident.

The resolutions said the students-Sean Capalar, Dex Frogoso, Ralph Manuel, and Raven Racelis-violated UST’s Code of Conduct by failing to uphold the university’s principles and ideals.

According to The Varsitarian, the university will also withhold certificates of good moral character from the four students. This resulted in Capalar’s removal as public relations officer of the UST Central Student Council (CSC) due to her ‘effective lack of a certificate of good moral character.’

Capalar was suspended for five days, while Racelis received a 10-day suspension. Manuel and Frogoso were suspended for eight and four days, respectively.

The complaints stemmed from the confrontation at the PAF exhibit, which was held as part of UST’s 415th-anniversary celebration.

The student activists questioned Air Force personnel about military equipment and operations, as well as alleged human rights abuses, two days after an armed encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental, that left 19 people dead.

CSC Secretary Clarence Mindo criticized the university’s decision, saying the suspensions amounted to the ‘weaponization of the student handbook’ and would prevent the practice of dissent and academic freedom among students.

‘This is unacceptable against genuine student representation,’ Mindo said. ‘I cannot, within my conscience and individuality, stay silent regarding this matter, especially knowing the context of these cases filed against our own.’

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) has called on youth-serving organizations to participate in a consultation that seeks to bring young Filipinos’ experiences and insights directly into the country’s education reform process.

The initiative seeks to gather youth perspectives through an arts-based module that participating organizations can conduct with the young people they serve.

The module, developed through a partnership with the AHA Learning Center, the Philippine Educational Theater Association, Save the Children Philippines, and the University of the Philippines Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, covers key concerns such as literacy, school safety and bullying, socio-emotional and life skills, and gadget and social media use.

Edcom 2 pointed out that recent findings reveal significant gaps in learning and learner well-being, with the Department of Education’s latest Senior High School Literacy Assessment indicating that only about 13% of the 1.4 million Grade 11 learners assessed were able to read independently.

Meanwhile, data from the Programme for International Student Assessment showed that bullying among Filipino students was substantially higher than the average among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, with 43% of girls and 53% of boys reporting that they had experienced bullying.

‘We have the numbers, and we have consulted many experts, but this will be incomplete without hearing directly from the youth,’ the commission’s executive director, Karol Mark Yee, said.

‘Youth organizations are often among those closest to the realities young people experience in their communities. This consultation provides a way to document those insights, lived experiences, and proposed solutions and bring them into the policy process,’ he stressed.

As Edcom 2 explained, instead of relying solely on surveys, the consultation uses creative and arts-based activities to explore how young people experience issues affecting their education. The module was piloted last month with young learners from the AHA Learning Center.

The sessions seek to answer questions that statistics alone may not capture, including what young people fear and aspire to, what prevents them from achieving their goals, what they consider most urgent, and which solutions they believe could work.

Edcom 2 said community-based referral mechanisms will also be incorporated into the sessions because some of the topics may be sensitive. Participants who require psychosocial support may be connected with appropriate services.

Participating organizations are expected to benefit from the consultation by gaining authentic insights from the young people they serve, using ground-level information to strengthen their local programs and interventions, and contributing to national education policy.

A Catholic priest has called for a stronger culture of care for elderly Filipinos, urging families, communities and institutions to ensure that older people are not left behind amid migration, urbanization and changing family structures.

Father Andy Peter Lubi, director of Hapag Aruga Foundation Inc., made the call Sunday, Oct. 4, during the foundation’s Elderly Filipino Week celebration at its home for abandoned and vulnerable senior citizens in Barangay Managpi.

Lubi said older people deserve dignity and care for their role in passing on faith, values and life experiences to younger generations.

‘We need to care for our brothers and sisters, especially those who are weak and those who need our help,’ Lubi said.

Drawing from the biblical image of a vineyard in the Book of Isaiah, Lubi likened caring for the elderly to tending a grapevine. He also compared senior citizens to vintage wine, saying life can become more meaningful with age when they receive proper care, companionship and attention.

‘Habang tumatanda, mas lalong sumasarap ang kanilang pamumuhay,’ he said.

Lubi said migration, urbanization and changing social conditions have left many elderly people vulnerable to neglect. He urged communities to help them live what he called a ‘vintage life’ marked by dignity, companionship and care.

Hapag Aruga currently cares for 13 elderly residents, some of whom had previously relied on neighbors for food or had been left to fend for themselves, according to organizers.

The home provides residential care, food, medical assistance, hygiene supplies and other basic needs. It also conducts livelihood and formation activities for its residents and works with government agencies, private donors and community groups.

For elderly people who worry about who will care for them as they grow older, Lubi said faith and prayer can help ease anxiety and strengthen their sense of peace.

Elderly Filipino Week is observed annually from Oct. 1 to 7 under Presidential Proclamation No. 470.

As he walked toward the Rizal Ceremonial Hall at Malacañang Palace, each footfall seemed to echo the rivers he had crossed, the steep mountain trails he had climbed, and the long roads he had walked as a teacher to reach children in far-flung barangays.

Then came his name.

‘Daryl B. Arguelles, School Principal 2, Bagtasan Elementary School, Department of Education Antique, for his dedication in bringing educational opportunities to the farthest barangays in Bugasong, Antique.’

The words marked the moment he became a Dangal ng Bayan awardee of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) on September 18, 2024, carrying national recognition for the very journey his feet had known so well. The award honors government workers whose extraordinary acts of public service are matched by consistent ethical conduct.

The memories gave way to the moment. The medal was resting on his neck, the trophy in his hands, and the journey that once demanded his every step had, for a moment, brought him to the center of it all.

Since January 28, 2023, Arguelles has served as the Public Schools District Supervisor of Bugasong and Valderrama, where his work takes him beyond school gates and into communities tucked in the mountains.

Beyond the town centers of Bugasong and Valderrama, Antique, are remote, mountainous communities located in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA), where distance remains a barrier to education. Bugasong lies about 43 kilometers from the provincial capital of San Jose de Buenavista, while Valderrama is about 53 km away.

In Valderrama, home to approximately five Iraynon-Bukidnon communities considered indigenous people (IP), he saw children roaming around the plaza instead of sitting in classrooms. Some Iraynon-Bukidnon parents believed their children should help on the farm, questioning the value of schooling when they themselves had not finished their education.

For Arguelles, the problem was not simply getting children into school. It was helping families believe that education could change the course of their lives.

Struggling learners

‘They show eagerness to go to school every day. They do not get absent, and their reading and numeracy skills improved because complete elementary and high school education became accessible to them,’ he said.

The problem became more troubling when Arguelles examined the records of Bakiang Primary School, a community in Valderrama. From those records, he found that only about 50 of the approximately 100 pupils could read properly, while many others struggled with basic literacy.

Looking further into the records, he found that some struggling learners came from families with close blood relationships. The situation raised concerns that extended beyond access to schooling and prompted conversations about family, health, and the importance of education.

From there, he began working with parents, encouraging them to value education and recognize their role in helping their children learn and stay in school. Teachers also integrated discussions about the health risks associated with marriage between close relatives into their lessons and raised the topic during barangay assemblies. As parents became more aware, some began advising their children against marrying close relatives.

‘Value education,’ he would tell them.

And he could speak from experience.

‘I am a living testament to the fact that I came from a poor family living in one of the farthest barangays, but because of education, the quality of my life improved,’ said Arguelles, who earned his Bachelor of Elementary Education and PhD in Philosophy, major in Educational Management, from the University of Antique.

As a young boy, Arguelles would walk to school while living in Barangay Yapu, Bugasong, also a GIDA community.

Accessible education

His message was simple: if education had opened a different path for him, then the children in these communities deserved the same chance. But for that chance to be real, education had to be within their reach.

That meant bringing schools closer to IP communities and families living in remote areas. Arguelles worked with school heads and stakeholders to establish and expand schools in communities where distance became a barrier to children’s education.

He provided technical assistance that led to the conversion of Lublub and Tigmamale Elementary Schools in Valderrama into integrated schools, opening opportunities for high school students, out-of-school youth, and Balik-Aral learners in isolated communities.

He also worked to convert 10 primary schools across Bugasong and Valderrama into complete elementary schools. He also supported Bugnay Elementary School in establishing an extension school in Sitio Bunga, Valderrama, which now serves Kinder to Grade III learners.

What once required hours of walking, dangerous river crossings, or leaving home for board and lodging could now be avoided with classrooms closer to where the children lived.

His presence in these communities was not limited to planning from behind a desk.Joebeth Tatoy, teacher-in-charge of Babangan Elementary School, recalled accompanying Arguelles during school monitoring visits to some of the farthest schools in Valderrama.

‘He is never afraid of taking the risk to visit even the farthest schools like Culyat and Busog Elementary Schools in Valderrama district, which can be reached by crossing rivers and climbing mountains for five to six hours,’ said Tatoy.

Noble intentions

‘As we journey together to these schools, I can feel his noble intentions for the deprived, depressed and underserved learners because once, he felt all of these difficulties during his elementary and secondary days wherein he needed to cross a river and walk for hours just to reach school,’ Tatoy added.

But for those in the schools, his presence means more than simply making the journey. It means having a supervisor who listens, understands, and supports them once he arrives.

For Cherry Camacho Arnaiz, a Grade 3 teacher at Paliwan Elementary School in the Bugasong District, Arguelles is more than a supervisor who monitors schools from afar.

‘He is in the field, in the schools, understanding the real situation. Teachers and school heads perform better because he is supportive, not threatening,’ said Arnaiz.

For Arguelles, however, building a school was never the finish line. The classrooms were matched with families who understood why their children needed to be there.

That is why he continued visiting communities, speaking with parents and reminding them that the opportunity they once had to seek was now at their doorstep. With schools now close by, he wanted families to see there was no barrier to their children’s education.

His advocacy became most personal in the story of a 17-year-old Grade 6 learner who once asked him for help learning to read because he wanted to continue to high school.

The learner had a record of frequent absences because he was working to help his family. Arguelles spoke with his parents about their child’s eagerness to study and spent extra time tutoring him alongside other struggling readers.

By the end of the school year, the learner could read independently and had gained the self-esteem to continue his studies. He eventually pursued work as a seaman, carrying with him the education he had once struggled to reach.

Even as a supervisor, Arguelles has not let go of the learners he once taught. He stays connected by looking at their performance in school, using what he sees to provide enrichment programs for those doing well and remediation for those who continue to struggle.