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Several officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways, including those who have been fired or suspended, are now undergoing what amounts to lifestyle checks.

Their assets have been frozen by the courts upon the recommendation of the Anti-Money Laundering Council. The Bureau of Internal Revenue is working with the AMLC and state prosecutors to determine if tax returns match declared incomes. The Bureau of Customs and Land Transportation Office are also providing inputs in determining if assets are ill-gotten.

Now we know that it isn’t impossible to carry out this type of inter-agency cooperation in trying to ferret out illegally amassed wealth.

Such multi-agency cooperation need not wait for a law against racketeering, which legislators have refused to craft as much as they have resisted proposals for regulating campaign finance, easing bank secrecy rules and curbing political dynasties.

President Marcos ordered the lifestyle checks in the final week of August, with an initial focus on DPWH officials and employees implicated in the flood control scandal.

Inevitably, he was urged to lead by example. In response, Malacañang said the President is ready to undergo a lifestyle check. The Office of the Vice President issued a similar statement, saying OVP officials and employees are also ready.

Now that the DPWH officials face asset checks, Malacañang can make good on its statement and start expanding the initiative.

A good start will be the release of the statements of assets, liabilities and net worth of the President since he assumed power. Several SALNs are needed to assess any wealth increase or reduction in the past three years. Malacañang has said scrutiny of SALNs is part of the lifestyle checks.

With the President getting the ball rolling, Cabinet members can follow, since they are tasked to oversee the lifestyle checks in their respective agencies.

There’s no need to wait for an order from the Office of the Ombudsman, which has not prohibited anyone from voluntarily making one’s SALN public.

There’s also no need to wait for a formal request from any entity such as media organizations. The three representatives of the Akbayan party-list plus a former member of the group who is currently sitting in Congress released their SALNs to the public with no one formally requesting it.

Before the previous ombudsman turned the SALN into a top-secret document, it was an annual routine for officials starting with the president and all members of both chambers of Congress to release their SALNs, or at least make public the amounts they declared as assets, liabilities and net worth. It’s time to restore this practice.

This week I attended an embassy reception, for the first time in months – not only because I like the ambassador, but also to find out if the Filipino party crowd had thinned since the flood control scandal erupted.

Sure enough, for the first time since I began attending such receptions ages ago, I didn’t spot any senator or prominent congressman in the crowd. No Cabinet secretary or well-known local government official either.

An analyst joked that no one wanted to be caught getting off a Mercedes Benz-Maybach S-Class backed by a security convoy of several identical black Benz SUVs. I actually spotted such a Benz fleet parked outside one house in Forbes Park just last week.

These days, folks avoid being seen strutting in Manolo Blahniks, holding a Hermes clutch while flashing a Patek Philippe wristwatch along with a huge Paraiba tourmaline ring.

If you can’t flaunt those ultra-luxe baubles at parties, why attend?

In the hotel basement parking area I spotted a Maserati and a Lexus. I wondered if those were among the luxury vehicles now being hunted down for seizure by the state.

All is not lost for the conspicuous consumers; they can still use their hard-stolen money to splurge on luxuries under the radar of the envious scrum. A public works employee, for example, has reportedly just plunked a cool P2 million in advance payment for dental implants.

But overall, the fun has been taken out of wealth flaunting by the obscenely rich.

This embarrassment over the ostentatious display of fantabulous wealth has descended on the country practically overnight.

It happened after the systematic looting of public coffers for personal purposes came to light, in the most public way, beginning with that privilege speech by Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

That kind of public shaming could not have happened if the offenses imputed on thieves had been kept under wraps, with the plunderers invoking presumption of innocence and presumption of regularity in their official acts.

This is another reason why public hearings are so important.

The bicameral conference in the previous 19th Congress has been dubbed the Chamber of Secrets, where magical things happened to the national budget that would put to shame Voldemort, the villain ‘who must not be named’ in the Harry Potter series.

It turns out that there were several Chambers of Secrets in the budget process, among them the House ‘small committee’ where no minutes were kept. The chair of the Senate finance committee at the time, Grace Poe, says she did not take part in any small committee for the budget. She did disclose that P26 billion was inserted for AKAP or the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program, with the Senate agreeing after P5 billion was allotted to its members and P21 billion went to the House.

Poe faced the Independent Commission for Infrastructure a week ago. But the ICI session with her was closed to the public, although she answered questions from the media afterward. The Discayas also faced the ICI and gave a ‘tell all, plus plus’ (as per the couple’s lawyer).

We may never know the full details of what Poe, the Discayas or sacked public works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo told the ICI. The commission is starting to be seen (unfairly, according to its defenders) as the latest addition to the Chambers of Secrets.

Another chamber is the Supreme Court, which did not bother holding oral arguments on a case so vital as the impeachment of the vice president of the republic. The SC, whose members probably believe they are indeed gods unaccountable to no one, were in such an admirable rush to resolve that case it even used among its premises for its decision a non-existent news report. Our country faces a plague of ghosts.

The record of the judiciary in resolving cases is one of the reasons why there is such dismay over the decision of the ICI to hold its hearings behind closed doors.

Defenders of the ICI want critics to give the commission a chance, saying its method is similar to Special Counsel investigations in the US. But all along, legal illiterates like me thought it would be patterned after the Philippines’ Agrava Fact-Finding Board on the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, whose hearings were open to the public. Perhaps President Marcos should have clarified this matter when he organized the ICI with the promise of promoting transparency.

The ICI wants the nation to wait for its findings to be known as the details are processed through the usual legal channels.

It’s a reasonable request, if only our legal system wasn’t in such a mess. Those who want ICI sessions to be opened to the public don’t want to wait for months or even years to find out how we lost trillions in tax money to thieves. As the cases crawl along at the usual glacial pace in the judicial mill, the looters will be demanding (as is their right) presumption of innocence. They will be working to unfreeze their assets to finance their legal battles, and possibly buy their way back to politics. They could employ delaying tactics in court, after which they can move to have the case dismissed for inordinate delay, or else claim advanced age and cognitive decline to end their prosecution.

As we have seen, that’s a ginormous amount of money we’re talking about here, which can be deployed for magical political comebacks.

The various Chambers of Secrets could be perceived, unfairly or not, to be complicit in this.

We can wait for the new minority in the Senate to present another witness, even without Lacson’s by-your-leave, against the guy Senator Chiz refers to as he who must not be named.

Escudero must also be a Harry Potter fan. He might want to amplify calls for open hearings by the ICI. But it can’t be a selective call, covering only he who must not be named. Open hearings will be the quickest way for Escudero to refute the accusations against him, hit back at his critics and bolster claims of innocence.

The gods of Padre Faura – and their retired colleague in the ICI – may want to take inspiration from God’s order: let there be light.

Face-to-face classes at all levels at the De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila were suspended yesterday following a bomb threat.

The University Student Government received the threat through email on Tuesday night, warning DLSU students not to go to school the next day.

After sweeping the campus, the Manila Police District found no bomb.

The DLSU management said in-person classes and on-site work resume today, with tightened security in place.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno called on the DLSU to look into the bomb threat, saying it could have been a prank.

President Marcos will ask lawmakers for emergency funds to help the communities affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that devastated Cebu.

Marcos yesterday visited the quake-hit areas to inspect damaged structures, oversee relief operations and provide aid to survivors.

He arrived in Bogo City near the epicenter of the Sept. 30 earthquake, conducted site visits, talked to some of the affected residents and attended a situation briefing by disaster management officials.

‘I will be going to the Congress, the House and the Senate, so they can provide emergency funds,’ the President said during a situation briefing at the Bogo City Hall.

‘The QRF of some agencies is about to be depleted. So we will release the. quick response fund we are using (so we can respond) immediately,’ he added.

Marcos noted that the country was hit by two successive strong cyclones Nando and Opong before it was struck by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake. He assured local governments that his administration would have the QRF released as quickly as possible.

The Office of the President donated about P200 million to affected local governments and hospitals to support their relief and medical efforts. Cebu City received P50 million financial aid, while Bogo City, San Remigio and Sogod got P20 million each. The towns of Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Medellin, Santa Fe, Tabogon and Tabuelan were given P10 million each. All hospitals under the health department will receive P20 million while provincial hospitals will be provided with P5 million each.

‘I assured all of our local executives that this is not a one-time aid… We will continue to monitor. We will continue to coordinate with the leaders, the local leadership to make sure that the rehabilitation will run smoothly,’ the President said.

Marcos also directed the budget department to release P150 million in Local Government Support Fund to the Cebu provincial government and P75 million each to the local governments of San Remigio, Bogo City and Medellin.

The administration will also give P10,000 cash assistance for those whose homes were damaged by the quake.

Overall, Marcos ordered the giving of more than P600 million assistance from his office and the budget department.

Before the situation briefing, Marcos visited the collapsed housing units at SM Cares Village in Barangay Polambato, the Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish Church of St. Vicente Ferrer in Barangay Bungtod, the City of Bogo Science and Arts Academy in Barangay Cogon and the Cebu Provincial Hospital in Barangay Taytayan.

Tent city

Noting that the displaced residents remain fearful of returning to damaged buildings, Marcos directed agencies to set up a ‘tent city’ in Bogo City to provide temporary shelters to affected residents.

‘We are fast-tracking this so they can have shelter. Many are afraid to go back to buildings. They prefer to stay outdoors,’ the Chief Executive said.

‘That’s what they want, so we will follow that. So, that’s why our proposal is the tent city.’

The government intends to tap the Philippine Red Cross to deploy its medical field tents, which were used during the COVID-19 pandemic as staging and isolation wards. Marcos gave an assurance that there would be facilities and vital supplies like food, water and electricity at the site of the tent cities.

The energy department had also given assurance that the entire Bogo City in Cebu would be reenergized within the day, the President added.

The death toll from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake has reached 72, while the number of injured persons has climbed to 366 as of yesterday.

About 65,000 families in Cebu have been affected by the quake.

VP Sara visits Cebu

Vice President Sara Duterte is currently in Cebu to ‘extend her sympathies’ to those affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake.

Duterte visited the wake of one of the victims who died during the powerful quake. ‘We ask God to grant comfort to those who have lost loved ones, and to provide relief and strength for those holding their families together amid property loss and damage. May you find strength in one another, and may the legendary Visayan warmth and resilience shine through amidst this deep sorrow,’ Duterte said.

Duterte and President Marcos did not meet in Cebu where they both visited the province.

She arrived in Cebu on Wednesday afternoon to personally extend her sympathies to residents and meet with local officials, assuring them of sustained assistance from her office.

On Wednesday, the OVP Cebu satellite office distributed relief goods to the victims of the strong quake in San Remigio Sports Complex. The OVP distributed food packs, potable water, hygiene kits and other non-food essentials to affected families in Medellin, San Remigio, Bogo, Tabuelan and Tabogon.

Aid

The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday announced it will apply the zero-balance billing program to benefit those injured in the earthquake.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa has ordered the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to shoulder the expenses of patients who were injured in the earthquake and admitted in private hospitals.

‘I already ordered the PCEO (president and chief executive officer) of PhilHealth to make possible coverage of the hospitalization of injured victims that were brought to private hospitals,’ Herbosa yesterday said in a radio interview. ‘I also wanted for private hospitals to help so I will just have PhilHealth take care of the patients that cannot be accommodated in public hospitals.’

According to Herbosa, to make this possible, they checked on a ‘similar issuance’ made during the time he was still undersecretary of the department. ‘We will have this modified for (the situation in) Bogo,’ he added.

Meanwhile, Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said three DOH hospitals in the province – the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, the Cebu South Medical Center and the Eversley Childs Sanitarium and General Hospital are fully functional.

The 72 victims who died in Tuesday night’s quake that struck Cebu don’t have to worry about burying their loved ones after the Department of Social Welfare and Development vowed to shoulder the burial expenses of their families.

‘The DSWD in Central Visayas is now accounting the number of casualties and their location. Our social workers will also talk to the concerned families to inform them that the DSWD will shoulder the burial expenses of their loved ones,’ spokesperson Irene Dumlao disclosed.

The assistant secretary of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group likewise said the department’s Field Office 7 – Central Visayas will also be providing P10,000 cash assistance to the families.

The DSWD has intensified its disaster response operations for families affected by the earthquake, according to Assistant Secretary Leo Quintilla, OIC of the DSWD’s National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau.

Quintilla said the department has ensured the delivery of food, water, shelter, and psychosocial services to quake-hit communities, while also preparing for early recovery interventions such as the emergency cash transfer program.

For its part, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has intensified relief efforts to provide quick assistance to quake victims.

PCSO general manager Mel Robles directed their branch offices and authorized agent corporations in the rapid delivery of donations such as food and other essential items to the Cebu provincial government on Wednesday.

Charitimba food packs are part of the initial relief efforts. Evaluation supply kits, including mosquito nets, plastic mats, blankets, slippers, flashlights, pillows, towels and other necessities, have also been airlifted via C-130 aircraft on Wednesday afternoon to support survivors.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Philippines said it is ready to support the government-led response following the quake.

‘In times of crisis, children are among the most vulnerable. We remain committed to working with national and local authorities to ensure their safety, protection and access to essential services as they recover and rebuild after emergencies, including this earthquake and the recent and upcoming series of storms and typhoons,’ UNICEF said.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Manila city government sent help for relief efforts following the powerful earthquake that rocked the northern part of Cebu.

The MMDA deployed an 18-man contingent from the Public Safety Division and Road Emergency Group. The team would carry solar-powered water purifiers to provide clean water, life locators, battery-operated extrication equipment, trauma bags and various clearing tools, including chainsaws and dump trucks, according to MMDA Chairman Romando Artes.

Joining the team are K9 dogs ‘to assist in earthquake response and rescue operations (and) trained to locate people trapped under rubble or debris using their sense of smell,’ he said further.

For its part, the Manila city government would also send a ‘contingent of doctors and nurses, along with medical supplies and the Manila City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office’ to Cebu, announced Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso. The team from Manila would ‘distribute relief goods, provide medical assistance and coordinate with local authorities for faster and more orderly response to the needs of affected residents.’

The Pasig City government will also send aid to Cebu, Mayor Vico Sotto said, adding that five teams will be deployed in areas in Cebu to assist in disaster response operations in areas heavily affected by the earthquake.

These are composed of search and rescue, mass disaster management, medical, psychosocial first aid and infrastructure audit teams.

Sotto said there are discussions with the city disaster risk reduction and management council for the approval of financial assistance for local government units that are under a state of calamity.

A total of 100 police personnel and firefighters from Negros Island have been dispatched to Cebu to assist in the ongoing search and rescue operations in areas devastated by the quake.

P/Lt. Col. Joem Malong, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office- Negros Island Region, said 80 police personnel are trained in disaster response and emergency operations and comes fully equipped with the necessary rescue equipment. The Bureau of Fire Protection – Negros Island Region also dispatched 20 of its personnel to Bogo City.

A 19-man rescue and relief team mobilized by the Zamboanga City local government is scheduled arrive Thursday in quake-hit Bogo City in Cebu, to assist in the humanitarian mission.

Mayor Khymer Olaso dispatched the team with two rescue trucks transporting parts of the 1,000 sacks of rice, 1,000 boxes of canned goods, 1,000 jerry cans of water and two ambulances. The convoy of the rescue and relief team is expected to arrive in Cebu by 6 p.m. Thursday.

The Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao has also deployed two of its 44-meter vessels to provide additional support to the ongoing relief missions in Cebu province and affected areas in Visayas.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed 70 criminal complaints against dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo and members of her family for allegedly falsifying the documents of their property and businesses in Marilao, Bulacan.

Guo, her sister Shiela Leal, brother Seimen and her father’s partner Lin Wen Yi were charged with 30 counts of falsification of public documents for allegedly submitting false articles of incorporation, secretary’s certificate and the general information sheet for six companies.

According to the NBI, Guo and her family are incorporators of QJJ Group of Companies Inc., QSeed Genetics Inc., QJJ Meat Shop Inc., QJJ Slaughter House Inc., QJJ Smelting Plant Inc. and QJJ Embroidery Center Inc. These are all located in Barangay Patubig, Marilao, Bulacan.

The NBI said the Guos presented themselves as Filipino citizens in the articles of incorporation of these companies, despite evidence proving that they are Chinese nationals.

Overall, the NBI’s Bulacan South District Office filed 70 charges against the respondents, who figured prominently in the investigation into Philippine offshore gaming operators that facilitated crimes, including scams and human trafficking.

An additional four counts of falsification of public documents were filed against Guo and her relatives for supposed misrepresentations in the firms’ business, occupancy and building permits.

Another 30 counts of violation of the Anti-Dummy Law were filed against the respondents.

Guo is also facing six counts of falsification of public documents for allegedly falsifying the deed of sale and documentary stamp of a 4,636-square-meter property in Bulacan that she bought for P2 million on Oct. 5, 2010.

What a difference a round makes.

Bianca Pagdanganan looked poised for a weekend stint after opening with a solid 69 at the Lotte Championship, but a disastrous second round 77 dashed her hopes of a strong finish in the $3-million event at the Hoakalei Country Club in Ewa Beach, Oahu, Hawaii.

The power-hitting Filipina was in strong contention after 18 holes, sitting tied for 25th and carrying momentum into the second round. She even opened with a birdie on the first hole to underline her intentions. Despite a bogey on the par-5 No. 5, she bounced back with another birdie on the 10th to stay at two-under overall through 15 holes.

But disaster struck on the par-4 16th.

Pagdanganan holed out with a rare quadruple bogey – an 8 – that derailed her round and effectively ended her weekend hopes. She settled for pars on the final two holes to post a back-nine 41 and a 77 overall, finishing with a two-round total of 146 – three strokes short of the 143 cutline.

It was another missed opportunity for Pagdanganan, who has been eyeing a strong performance after several early exits this season. Her second-round stats reflected her struggles – she hit eight fairways and reached 13 greens in regulation, but her putting faltered. After needing just 28 putts in the first round, she struggled with 34 on Friday.

Two-time US Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso also bowed out early, carding an 81 to finish at 158.

Meanwhile, Jessica Porvasnik surged to the top of the leaderboard with a scorching 65, overtaking Japan’s Akie Iwai. Porvasnik heads into the weekend at 12-under 132, holding a slim lead in the tightly contested tournament.

The PBA will take a 40-day recess during the Governors’ Cup next year to give way to the Asian Games in Nagoya on Sept. 19-Oct. 4 with Commissioner Willie Marcial laying the groundwork to hold a pocket tournament involving foreign teams while on break.

Nothing is final at the moment except that the Governors’ Cup, featuring imports with a height limit of 6-6, will start July 10. There is interest among teams from Hong Kong, Macau and Indonesia to play in the PBA and an option is to bring them over for the pocket tournament. The break will cover at least two weeks of preparation and the actual competition in Nagoya with coach Tim Cone out to retain Gilas’ championship.

It will be an extended 50th season for PBA as FIBA World Cup Asia qualifying windows are scheduled on Nov. 27-Dec. 1 this year, Feb. 26-March 2, July 2-6, Aug. 27-31 and Nov. 26-30 next year. While PBA will take a break for the Asian Games, it will not interrupt the schedule for the coming SEA Games in Bangkok. PBA’s 50th anniversary season could stretch to at least 15 months.

In the coming Philippine Cup, the quarterfinals will be on Dec. 21-28. The top four elimination placers gain a twice-to-beat advantage over the next four finishers in the quarterfinals where the pairings are 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5. There will be no playoff for eighth spot. The same format will be used in the Commissioner’s Cup where the 66-game eliminations are scheduled on March 11-May 13 next year. The Philippine and Commissioner’s Cups will feature a best-of-seven semifinals and finals. The Governors’ Cup will roll out a best-of-five semifinals and best-of-seven finals. The All-Star Weekend will be on March 6-8 in Candon, Ilocos Sur.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said the first conference will hold games at Ynares Center in Antipolo and Montalban with several dates at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and MOA booked during the Christmas holidays, Ninoy Aquino Stadium earmarked for the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup on Nov. 21-Dec. 7 and PhilSports Arena undergoing renovation.

In response to the devastating earthquake on September 30 that struck northern Cebu, The Freeman Foundation has made an urgent appeal for donations—cash and in-kind—to support affected families.

The donations will go to affected families in Bogo City, and in the towns of Medellin, San Remigio, Tabogon, Daanbantayan, Tabuelan, Tuburan, Sogod, Bordon, and other towns that may have also been affected.

The Freeman general manager Melandro Mendoza emphasized that relief efforts will focus on communities that have not yet received aid.

‘We are prioritizing areas that remain unreached. Our first batch of donations is scheduled for dispatch this Sunday (Oct. 5) in Tabogon,’ Mendoza said.

With homes destroyed and communities still reeling from destruction, The Freeman Foundation is calling for essential relief items: bottled water, canned goods, medicines, baby food, infant formula, and diapers. Used clothing is not needed at this time, it said.

In-kind donations may be delivered to The Freeman Newspaper Office, corner of D. Jakosalem and V. Gullas Streets, Cebu City, while cash donations may be deposited to The Freeman’s BPI Colon Branch account number: 9071005477.

Founded as the civic arm of The Freeman, Cebu’s longest-running newspaper, The Freeman Foundation has consistently mobilized support for disaster-stricken communities across Cebu and the Visayas.

Over the years, it has extended assistance during typhoons, fires, and health emergencies-often reaching underserved barangays and indigent patients.

The Freeman Foundation’s work is rooted in the newspaper’s century-old commitment to public service, truth, and community empowerment.

Whether through medical outreach, food drives, or emergency response, The Freeman Foundation stands as a trusted conduit between donors and those most in need.

As northern Cebu begins the long road to recovery, The Freeman Foundation invites Cebuanos and compassionate donors to join hands in solidarity.

Every bottle of water, every can of food, and every peso donated brings hope to families who lost everything.

The collapse of several government-owned buildings and public structures in the Cebu earthquake will most likely add more fire to the ongoing investigations into various graft-tainted infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Parallel investigations are taking place at the Senate Blue Ribbon committee and the newly created Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI). Being grilled in these investigations were unscrupulous private contractors in cahoots with errant DPWH district engineers allegedly involved in the ghost flood control projects funded under the annual government budget.

The initial investigations have so far unmasked ‘proponents’ of the questioned 2025 budget ‘insertions,’ including senators and House members of the 19th and 20th Congresses who were namedropped by these contractors and DPWH district engineers in their sworn testimonies at these public hearings.

One of those named was former Senate president Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, who was first implicated at the House infra committee hearing. Before he was ousted as Senate chief, Escudero was directly linked to one of the 15 contractors identified by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM) as having cornered P545 billion worth of flood control projects of the DPWH for the past three years.

Lawrence Lubiano, owner of Centerways Construction and Development Corp., admitted at the House public hearing that he contributed to the election campaign of his ‘good friend’ Escudero during the May 2022 national and local elections.

At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia announced the seven-man poll body has ‘invited’ Escudero to face investigation into allegations he might have violated the country’s election law on the limits of campaign contributions.

Under the Omnibus Election Code, candidates must submit their individual statement of contributions and expenses (SOCE) whether they won or lost in the elections. Garcia strongly took exception to the accusation that the Comelec ‘singled out’ Escudero in their probe of candidates who accepted donations from contractors with business interests or projects with the government.

Garcia explained Escudero was summoned first because the contractor already admitted giving P30 million to the senator’s campaign fund. Subsequently, Escudero himself confirmed this in media interviews. Thus, the Comelec looked into Escudero’s SOCE submission, Garcia cited.

According to Garcia, Lubiano already appeared before them at the Comelec. Lubiano explained his ‘campaign donation’ to Escudero was done in his ‘private capacity’ and that the money came from his personal account and not from his company’s finances, the Comelec chief added. Garcia disclosed they asked Escudero to appear next week at the Comelec.

‘Ngayong linggo na ito, yung kandidato na nabigyan ng contractor ay may sulat na po siya para mag appear sa susunod na linggo. Senador po yun. Umamin naman po siya,’ Garcia cited.

‘Hihintayin na lang po natin ang sasabihin ng kandidato dahil sa batas parehong liable ang nagbigay at tumanggap,’ he pointed out. If proven liable, Garcia added, the donor and the candidate will both face imprisonment of one year to six years and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

At the outset, Garcia announced that he has already ‘inhibited’ himself from any activities related to the Comelec investigation into Escudero’s case. Formerly one of the most sought-after election lawyers, Garcia represented Escudero’s runningmate, ex-senator Grace Poe, who ran but lost in the May 2016 presidential elections.

Also during our news forum, Garcia confirmed 54 other presidential, vice presidential, senatorial, governor and mayoral candidates who ran in the May 12, 2022 elections are also facing Comelec investigation for the same accusation. Included in the Comelec list were those named in the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) report. Based on the PCIJ report, both PBBM and Vice President Sara Duterte allegedly received donations from some of the 15 contractors being grilled at the Senate and the ICI.

While the PCIJ reported having based their list on Comelec records, Garcia noted stark differences in the names of particular contributor-companies from the SOCE list of the Comelec’s political and finance affairs department. Garcia instructed the poll body’s 38-man political and finance affairs department to set aside for the meantime the SOCE evaluation of the May 2025 mid-term elections. The Comelec chief directed their SOCE investigators to focus instead on the 2022 national and local elections.

‘Anyway, there is enough time for our SOCE investigations before the next national and local elections in May 2028,’ Garcia pointed out. Under our country’s election laws, Garcia pointed to the five-year prescriptive period within which the Comelec can run after violations. If not filed within this time frame, an election offense can no longer be prosecuted, he stressed.

This is the reason why, Garcia added, he has been asking the Department of Budget and Management to allow the Comelec to beef up its political and finance affairs department, given the three-year cycle of elections in our country.

So for now, it will do well for PBBM, Vice President and other May 2025 candidates named in the PCIJ report to go over their respective records of campaign donations.

They better come out clean as a whistle on their SOCEs. That’s all that Comelec could ask from the candidates.

Meanwhile, the paths of PBBM and Vice President Sara did not cross yesterday when they separately visited the sites hardest hit by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake. The powerful tremor rocked Cebu and several other Central Visayas provinces. It struck around 9:59 Tuesday evening or after office hours, when most people were already in their homes. As of yesterday, government authorities reported at least 72 individuals were declared quake casualties.

The previous day, PBBM flew to Masbate, devastated in the latest Typhoon Opong that visited us this year. As of latest count, 40 people perished directly related to the ‘tri-phoon’ Mirasol-Nando-Opong. One of the country’s most active volcanos, Taal in Batangas, threatens to erupt anew while building up steam.

Sadly, the string of natural calamities demands a ‘disaster-in-chief’ in full command over the chaotic situation usually arising in such life-or-death emergencies.

Who fed Justice Marvic Leonen non-existent news? Is there a rogue lawyer in the Supreme Court? Did the culprit act with malice? Were there accomplices? Are the other magistrates even investigating?

Leonen penned the trashing of VP Sara Duterte’s impeachment last July 25. He misstated that the House of Reps didn’t hold a plenary on Feb. 5. He then misjudged that 215 of 306 congressmen broke the constitutional limit of one impeachment rap per official per year. Twelve colleagues affirmed him.

Leonen’s basis was a Feb. 5 ABS-CBN news bit, which he footnoted. Supposedly, the network reported that no House plenary was held. He was wrong.

The report in fact twice stated the holding of a plenary. A video of the session accompanied it. Another ABS-CBN item, which Leonen also footnoted, likewise mentioned the plenary.

Leonen thus wrote his ponencia from fictitious news. It wasn’t even distorted. It was simply a ghost. But the rest concurred.

All these come to mind when deposed Senate president Chiz Escudero took to the floor on Monday. He blamed congressmen for linking him to the flood works scandal. Supposedly the latter resent his shelving of VP Sara’s trial since February.

VP Sara rooted from the gallery. She raised both hands high as Escudero lambasted their common enemy, resigned speaker Martin Romualdez. She was at the Senate to cheer, not to be tried.

Leonen is ruined. That’s the inference of public statements by three constitutional framers, two former Chief Justices, retired magistrates, law deans and professors.

It’s been two months since the uproar against Leonen’s unanimous but unfounded ruling. The House is seeking reconsideration. So are three civil society groups.

What are Leonen’s options to save face? If he reaffirms a decision based on nothing, he faces further public wrath. It won’t be any better if he reverses himself.

Should Leonen resign as ponente? Should he resign from SC? If so, a new ponente will be one of Rodrigo Duterte’s 11 appointees who voted for Leonen’s baseless ruling.

To date, Leonen hasn’t called for oral arguments. It’s what he should have done in the first place before July 25.

Last Feb. 14, Atty. Catalino Generillo wrote SC to compel the Senate to try VP Sara forthwith. On Feb. 19 VP Sara asked SC to declare her impeachment unconstitutional. No SC action for four months. In late June, the Senate voted 19-4-1 to shelve trial.

Suddenly on July 8 Leonen gave the House two weeks to submit certain documents. The House met the July 21 deadline. Storms cancelled SC’s regular Tuesday en banc on July 22, and the next two days. Meantime, Congress was set to reopen Monday, July 28.

As if racing against time, Leonen and 12 justices held special en banc on Friday, July 25. Amid floods mid-afternoon, they announced their signing of a 97-page ruling.

Aside from citing the non-existent news, they imposed seven new rules for impeachment, which only Congress has authority to do. They also inserted a rider that impeachable officials, like SC justices, are exempt if the complaint is based on collegial discussion.

SC’s reputation has been more than tarnished. What is it doing to redeem itself? Is it scrutinizing whoever fed Leonen to the lions?

Is SC crafting ways to prevent a repeat? Is it doing anything at all?

If the decision stays, can other crimes now be dismissed using non-existent alibis? Wouldn’t Philippine jurisprudence be made impure?

Senior Associate Justice Leonen was appointed by President Noynoy Aquino. Eleven who concurred are Duterte appointees: Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, Justices Paul Hernando, Amy Lazaro-Javier, Henri Inting, Rodil Zalameda, Samuel Gaerlan, Ricardo Rosario, Jhosep Lopez, Japar Dimaampao, Midas Marquez and Antonio Kho Jr.

Also concurring was Bongbong Marcos’ only appointee, Justice Raul Villanueva.

Justice Alfredo Caguioa, an Aquino nominee, inhibited. Justice Filomena Singh, a Duterte nominee, was on leave.

There are more questions but these will have to squeeze news space from the hot issue of fake and faulty flood control projects. Still, the SC impropriety cannot be swept under the rug.