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The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) appealed before the Senate panel on trade, commerce, and entrepreneurship for a boost in its budget for 2026.

At a briefing in the Senate on Thursday, DTI Assistant Secretary Kristian Ablan asked Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, who was presiding over the meeting at that time, to help the agency achieve an increase in its funding for next year.

‘May we solicit the assistance of the chair to help us have a higher budget for 2026? The DTI’s budget is one of the lowest budgets for a department-level office. For DTI Osec, our budget is just P6.9 billion together with our attached agencies, that goes to less than P10 billion. Together with our attached Government-Owned or Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), that’s just up to P12 billion,’ said Ablan.

According to him, the DTI initially requested a budget of ‘less than P20 billion,’ but was only given ‘about half’ of the amount.

‘So we would seek the assistance of the good chairman to help us. If funds will be realigned, may we get a little boost for some of our programs, particularly on our trade fairs as well as enforcing our fair trade laws?’ said Ablan.

Marcoleta, for his part, said the Development Budget Coordination Committee might have thought that the DTI’s GOCCs are earning well, but Ablan explained that the proceeds of the GOCCs do not revert to DTI.

‘Unfortunately, a big chunk goes to the national treasury,’ said Ablan.

Bangsamoro Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua said on Wednesday he would look into the beheading of another Teduray leader in Datu Hoffer town of Maguindanao del Sur Tuesday night.

‘I will talk to the security sector first because I still don’t have the accurate information, but BARMM will (investigate) because we don’t want this thing to happen to our IP brothers,’ Macacua said when asked along the sidelines of the Mindanao Development Forum about the latest killing of non-Moro IPs in BARMM.

Nel Lupos, 60, a former village councilor of Barangay Mantao and a resident of Limpongo village, Datu Hoffer town of Maguindanao del Sur, was killed at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, said Timuay Leticio Datuwata, head of the Timuay Justice and Governance, the indigenous political structure of the Teduray-Lambangian tribe.

‘He was alone inside his nipa hut in his farmland when several armed men forcibly entered and brutally killed him by beheading him,’ Datuwata said.

Lupos was the 102nd non-Moro IP leader killed in BARMM because of issues related to their ancestral land, according to Datuwata.

The brutal killing came after the government failed to arrest the perpetrators of the previous killings, including that of Baywan Angan, whose wife personally knew the identity of the killers but was also killed days after her husband’s murder.

Datuwata said that Angan’s killers, who already had pending warrants of arrest, were still allowed to roam free.

The killings also continued to happen despite the increased deployment of security personnel in the area after Teduray leaders presented their case before a series of hearings conducted by the congressional committee on indigenous peoples early this year, Datuwata added.

According to Datuwata, Lupos left his house in Mantao village and settled in Limpongo following the killing of Angan, also a village councilor, in Sitio Kukor on December 7 last year.

Lupos was the second non-Moro IP leader who became a victim of beheading in Maguindanao del Sur this year.

In February this year, the decomposing body of Fernando Promboy, 65, an elder of the Teduray-Lambangian tribe, was found beheaded days after he was reported missing in Datu Hoffer town.

Promboy and his family were forced to leave their home and settle in Datu Hofer’s Limpongo village in December 2024, also after the killing of Angan.

On April 29, 2023, or almost two years before Promboy was killed, Promboy’s cousin, Juanito, the IP mandatory representative in the Tuayan Mother barangay council, was killed, also due to a land dispute.

‘This unending violence targets tribesmen who refuse to give up their ancestral lands. When you resist, they kill you,’ Datuwata said, adding the same group of gunmen involved in previous attacks could be responsible.

Datuwata said he would no longer issue formal condemnations because of the government’s failure to do something to stop the attacks.

‘The more I speak out, the worse the killings become,’ he said. ‘We’re tired of this cycle of violence against us, but still, there’s no direct action from the government,’ he said.

San Simon, Pampanga Mayor Abundio ‘JP’ Punsalan Jr. pleaded not guilty to graft and extortion charges during his arraignment on Wednesday before the Sandiganbayan’s Seventh Division.

He appeared in court nearly two months after he was entrapped by authorities at a restaurant in Clark Freeport while allegedly receiving a bag containing around P30 million in cash.

The entrapment, which was conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) intelligence division on Aug. 5, led to Punsalan’s arrest and the disarming of his six bodyguards.

A Sandiganbayan order dated Sept. 9 showed that Punsalan surrendered and posted a cash bond of P90,000 for the case filed against him. He is charged with violating Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and Article 293 of the Revised Penal Code (robbery by means of extortion).

Money demand, threat

According to the complaint filed by RealSteel Corp., Punsalan demanded P80 million in exchange for not overturning Municipal Ordinance No. 24-0025, which granted tax incentives to the San Simon-based company, which manufactures steel bars.

The demand was allegedly accompanied by threats that Real Steel’s incentives would be revoked if payment was not made.

The company also filed an urgent motion before the Office of the Ombudsman for Punsalan’s suspension in connection with an administrative case for grave misconduct and serious dishonesty. The motion remains pending.

RealSteel likewise lodged a separate administrative case against the mayor before the Pampanga provincial board.

Punsalan, however, returned to work early last month after a Muntinlupa court granted the petition for habeas corpus filed by his lawyer and ordered the NBI to release him, along with his bodyguards.

According to the court, the NBI failed to provide a sufficient legal basis that would allow it to maintain custody of the mayor and his companions beyond 36 hours.

‘Consequently, the lapse of the mandatory 36-hour period without the filing of charges in court or the issuance of a judicial order renders their continued confinement unlawful,’ the court said.

The Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services (IDEALS) on Wednesday denounced the Senate resolution asking the International Criminal Court (ICC) to place former President Rodrigo Duterte under house arrest, calling it ‘an act of betrayal.’

‘Calling for his house arrest’ is not an act of mercy. It is an act of betrayal. It endangers families still fighting for justice. It would prove, once again, that in this country, the powerful are protected while the powerless are left to suffer,’ the statement of the human rights lawyers group read.

The group further slammed the resolution citing the Rome Statute, which does not allow interim release if the accused may still pose risks to the proceedings, victims or witnesses.

‘In the past, the ICC has denied the request for interim release because the accused possessed influence and power that may endanger victims and witnesses. The Senate’s resolution today is living proof of Duterte’s continuing influence and his allies’ ability to use institutions of government to interfere in proceedings pending before the ICC,’ IDEALS continued.

IDEALS warned that the approval of the resolution is a sign of the dangers of Duterte’s ‘enduring grip on power’ should he be granted any freedom in the middle of his trial.

On Wednesday, the Senate voted 15-3-2 to adopt a resolution to place Duterte under house arrest should medical findings prove that regular detention will worsen his medical condition.

The former president has been under the ICC’s custody at the Scheveningen prison in The Hague awaiting trial for accusations of crimes against humanity during his administration’s ‘war on drugs’ from 2016 to 2022.

IDEAL also pointed out the irony behind the Senate’s ‘plea in the name of ‘humanitarian’ concerns,’ pointing out that the same ‘compassion and mercy’ were not present for the ‘thousands of Filipinos [who] were slaughtered in Duterte’s so-called war on drugs.’

‘The Senate has undertaken no concrete measures to assist the families of victims: failing to investigate, failing to provide pathways for access to remedies, failing to protect and ensure the safety of surviving family members,’ IDEAL stated.

‘Yet for Duterte-the man facing not just one but three counts of crimes against humanity for orchestrating systematic killings of civilians under his watch-the Senate suddenly finds its voice. Is this compassion or privilege at work?’ IDEAL added.

The group further pressed that the Senate must instead show compassion to the victims of the drug war.

‘True compassion should belong to the families left behind: the mothers who lost children, wives who lost their husbands, families who lost fathers and loved ones-not to the man who enabled their deaths and still wields power through his children and political allies,’ the group declared.

A private lawyer has filed an ethics complaint against former Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero over a P30 million campaign donation from Lawrence Lubiano, who owns 99.331 percent of the controversial Centerways Construction.

Lawyer Marvin Aceron filed the complaint before the Senate panel on ethics on Thursday, noting that the Senate is a constitutional guardian of public trust and thus, it cannot be weakened by ‘tolerance of conduct that corrodes confidence in its members.’

In the 21-page complaint, Aceron listed five grounds for the complaint: First, he said Escudero’s conduct is unbecoming for a member of the upper chamber, simply listing it as ‘disorderly behavior.’

‘Accepting and benefiting from a P30 million donation from a government contractor that later amassed concentrated public contract in respondent’s political bailiwick constitutes conduct unbecoming and brings the Senate into disrepute, regardless of criminal liability,’ the complaint states.

He likewise noted conflict of interest and improper influence in his complaint. Citing Republic Act No. 6713, Aceron argued that public officials are prohibited from having financial or material interests that may be affected by their office and from soliciting or accepting favors that may influence official functions.

Another ground, according to the lawyer, is Escudero’s supposed violation of the Omnibus Election Code.

‘The Omnibus Election Code bars juridical persons holding government contracts from making campaign contributions. When a contractor’s controlling stockholder furnishes extraordinary personal donations and the corporate books are missing or noncompliant, the line between corporate and personal is blurred,’ said Aceron.

Meanwhile, Aceron also noted the integrity of public procurement and corporate compliance. He said that if Centerways submitted inaccurate, misleading, or fraudulent [documents] for eligibility yet bid and won, procurement integrity is compromised.

‘Respondent’s acceptance of a massive donation from the firm’s owner during the same period erodes public trust in the fairness of awards and casts doubt in official impartiality,’ said Aceron.

Lastly, Aceron argued that Lubiano’s claims that the donation came from personal funds ‘cannot stand.’

With these, Aceron said that the case presents the Senate panel on ethics with a straightforward question: Should a senator be permitted to accept P30 million from the 99.331 percent owner of a government contractor?

Aceron said the answer ‘must be no.’

Noting all of these, Aceron prayed that the panel issue subpoena duces tecum compelling the production of the following:

All versions of Centerways’ audited financial statements filed with SEC (2019-2025) including filing dates, any amendments and all notes and schedules

Complete audit working papers and engagement letters from external auditors

All related party transaction documentation between Centerways and Lubiano

Bank records showing transfers between Centerways and Lubiano during December 2021 to May 2022

All bid documents submitted by Centerways to the DPWH and other procuring entities

BIR returns showing dividend declarations by Centerways and dividend income reported by Lubiano

PCAB license records and supporting financial capacity documentation

Aceron likewise requested that the panel compel testimony from Lubiano and explain under oath the following, among others:

The P35 million reduction in 2022 beginning retained earnings

The source of the P30 million political donation

The nature and terms of the P70 million stockholder advances

Aceron said upon finding ethical violations, the panel must recommend sanctions under the Constitution and Senate rules, including censure, reprimand, suspension of not exceeding 60 days, or expulsion with the constitutionally required vote as circumstances warrant.

He likewise noted the need for the Senate to transmit relevant findings to the appropriate prosecutorial agencies should evidence of criminal violations emerge during the investigation.

Newly-elected panel on ethics chairperson Senator JV Ejercito, meanwhile, told the Inquirer that there is a need to discuss the complaint with other members of the committee.

‘Anyway, [the] Independent Commission for Infrastructure is already actively pursuing the cases,’ said Ejercito.

Escudero previously confirmed that Centerways Construction donated P30 million to his 2022 election campaign, but he said he did not help the firm secure big-ticket flood-control projects with the government.

His clarification came after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. revealed that P100 billion-about 20 percent of the government’s P545-billion flood mitigation budget from July 2022 to May 2025-was awarded to just 15 contractors, including Centerways Construction.

But in a separate statement also issued Thursday, Escudero said the filing of a complaint against him no longer came as a surprise.

‘Ito ang kabayaran sa pagbanggit ko sa pangalan ni Martin Romualdez at sa pagbubunyag sa katotohanan. This is just part of the harassment from his minions,’ said Escudero.

(This is the price I have to pay for mentioning the name of Martin Romualdez and for revealing the truth. This is just a part of the harassment from his minions.)

‘This isn’t about ethics. This is political retribution,’ Escudero emphasized.

The former Senate chief said the complaint is still ‘part of their script and a desperate smokescreen’

‘I will expose it for the politically motivated sham that it is,’ he said.

Escudero ended his statement with the hashtag that reads: ‘Selective Justice’ and ‘Labanan ang script ni Martin.’

Because no official from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) showed up again for budget discussions at the House of Representatives, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio vowed to push for a significant reduction of the agency’s budget – from P902 million to just P198 million.

Tinio, in his manifestation during Thursday’s session, said that Vice President Sara Duterte’s insistence on not showing up or sending an undersecretary-level official to assist the budget sponsor is an indication that the OVP is not interested in defending their proposed allocation for 2026.

According to Tinio, the move to ask for Duterte’s presence is not about politics, but rather to raise questions and concerns about allocations in OVP – which are also asked of other agencies. And because of this, Tinio said he will move to just give the OVP its proposed personal services (PS) or the allocation for salaries.

‘Again, the point of these discussions is not for politicking; our goal here is to ask legitimate questions, points which we also raised with other agencies. But with this treatment – again, we condemn the disrespect shown by the Vice President to the people, she is seeking a bigger budget for 2026 but the agency chose not to show up to stand and explain their allocation,’ Tinio said in English.

‘That’s why at the proper time Mr. Speaker, I will move to reduce the budget of the [OVP] for 2026, they are asking for a total of P902.895 million for 2026, I will move that it be cut only to the PS component – only the salaries of its personnel. So I will move that the budget be reduced merely to the PS of P198.8 million, at the proper time, since the head of office herself has not deemed it necessary to defend the budget proposal of her office,’ he added.

Tinio said the new figure is based on the belief that OVP personnel are good, but are unlucky to have Duterte as their head of office.

‘Why so? Because the government is obligated, as they remain government employees, to allocate for their salaries, and we also considered the welfare of our OVP employees, we believe that they are honest public servants but they are dragged into the issue because of their head of office’s behavior,’ he added.

Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said that because of Duterte’s actions, she initially thought of proposing to cut OVP’s budget to zero, but she said thinking of the employees prompted her to just push for a budget cut.

‘If she can afford to be showing herself up to the Senate, including being there and applauding the former Senate president in his privilege speech [.] why can she not spare a few moments of her time attending to her official function as Vice President, to defend the budget of her office? Enough is enough, enough of her brattiness,’ de Lima said.

‘So I rise today to manifest my extreme displeasure about the behavior of our Vice President. And in due time, I will move for the decrease in the budget of the [OVP]. I actually intended initially to move for zero budget for the [OVP] [.] but after some mulling, after some reflection, and out of courtesy also and consideration to the personnel and staff of the [OVP], I’m just now thinking of moving for the decrease,’ she added.

De Lima, meanwhile, said that her proposal may be to retain OVP’s PS and the maintenance and other operating expenses.

Before Tinio and de Lima’s manifestations, the proposed OVP budget was once again brought up, as the House seeks to end debates on House Bill (HB) No. 4058 or the General Appropriations Bill (GAB). However, budget sponsor and Palawan 2nd District Rep. Jose Alvarez admitted that no one from the OVP is present to assist him.

Instead, Alvarez showed three letters from Duterte – first, assigning staffers like Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio and others to attend in her behalf; second, notifying the House committee on appropriations that Ortonio has been designated as officer-in-charge due to the leave of absence of Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez; and a set of demands for her appearance at the House plenary.

Part of Duterte’s demands is for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to also show up at the House to defend the Office of the President’s budget.

Best response possible

House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Caloocan City 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice, meanwhil,e believes that not giving a response to Duterte’s hateful messages may be the best response possible.

‘The letter of Vice President Sara Duterte with all due respect reeks of hate and impropriety, considering that the subject matter is simply the proposed budget of her office. Instead of addressing the issue with sobriety and professionalism, the letter reflects the lingering bad blood between her and the House, particularly the 19th Congress,’ Erice said.

‘Our task is to serve the people, not to be distracted by personal grievances or political animosities. The best way forward is simply to ignore the letter, and proceed with the more important task at hand – the approval of the national budget. To ignore the letter and treat it as unimportant is in fact the most professional and dignified way of addressing this matter,’ he added.

OVP’s budget was originally scheduled to be discussed last Tuesday, but it was deferred to Wednesday, due to the absence of an undersecretary-level official to assist the budget sponsor.

This is not the first time that the OVP sent an official that is not of an undersecretary level. Last September 12, at the initial budget hearing before the House committee on appropriations, the panel was forced to reschedule the discussions as Ortonio was the highest-ranked official that Duterte sent.

Budget sponsor and Palawan 2nd District Rep. Jose Alvarez said that Vice President Duterte will eventually show up on September 16 – a promise that she fulfilled.

During the committee hearing, both the Minority and the Majority accorded parliamentary courtesy to Duterte, sparing her from questions by the panel’s members. It was Erice who moved to give Duterte parliamentary courtesy.

Duterte however, waived the parliamentary courtesy given, answering some questions from the Minority solons.

This allowed ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio and Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Co to raise questions regarding low obligation rates and the disallowed OVP confidential funds.

The Iloilo City council on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution urging the erection of a statue honoring the late Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago in one of the city’s major plazas.

The resolution, authored by Councilor Rex Sarabia and unanimously co-sponsored by all 11 members of the council, urges Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu to recognize the ‘Iron Lady of Asia’ and honor the distinction brought to the country by the late former senator, who was born and raised in the city’s La Paz district.

‘The late senator Miriam Santiago, fondly remembered as the ‘Iron Lady of Asia,’ a proud daughter of Iloilo City, born and raised in La Paz, whose brilliance, courage, and integrity brought honor and distinction not only to her hometown but to the entire country,’ the resolution stated.

Santiago, a three-term senator and two-time presidential aspirant, passed away on September 29, 2016, two years after being diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer.

It specifically mentions Defensor-Santiago’s experience as a trial court judge, immigration commissioner, senator, and judge of the International Criminal Court.

‘[Defensor-Santiago’s] unwavering dedication to good governance, rule of law education, and public accountability continues to inspire generations of Filipinos, particularly the youth, who affectionately remember her sharp wit, wisdom, and unparalleled intellect,’ the resolution stated.

‘As an Ilongga, her life and legacy are a source of pride and inspiration for Iloilo City, especially for the people of La Paz district, where she spent her formative years, where her values of academic excellence, public service, and moral courage were deeply rooted,’ it added.

During his sponsorship speech at the city’s regular session on Wednesday, Sarabia said that it was timely to honor the senator, given the recent corruption controversies on flood control projects.

‘I think we need to draw inspiration from our very own Ilongga to fight for what is right, to fight against corruption,’ Sarabia said.

Defensor-Santiago had her early start in Iloilo, graduating as valedictorian from La Paz Elementary School and Iloilo National High School, both in La Paz.

She graduated magna cum laude from the University of the Philippines in Iloilo (now UP Visayas) with a degree in political science and earned a law degree at the UP College of Law in Diliman, Quezon City.

The death toll from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu has risen to 72, according to the latest situational report released by authorities on Thursday, Oct. 2.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) also reported 294 injured, though all figures remain subject to validation. No missing persons have been recorded.

The NDRRMC said the quake has affected 170,959 individuals, or 47,221 families, and a total of 53 cities and municipalities have been placed under a state of calamity.

Power and water supply were also disrupted, although some services have since been restored.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has recorded 2,613 aftershocks as of the 7 a.m. update.

The earthquake, which struck on Sept. 30, had its epicenter in Bogo City and is considered one of the deadliest natural disasters to hit Cebu in recent memory

The Land Transportation Office in Western Visayas (LTO-6) has relieved two of its traffic enforcers after a viral video showed them overtaking on a double solid yellow line at a bridge in Barangay Balantang, Jaro, Iloilo City.

The video, uploaded on Facebook by radio station manager Jay Balnig, quickly spread online, drawing more than 300 reactions, 201 shares, and 110 comments as of press time. Netizens blasted the officers for violating the traffic rules they are sworn to enforce.

‘They catch violators, but they themselves are worse,’ one commenter wrote in Hiligaynon. Another said, ‘There should also be a show-cause order for the driver. If he can’t explain, his license should be revoked. That’s only fair.’

Some expressed frustration over claims that the enforcers were in a blinker vehicle.

‘If an ordinary person commits a violation, it’s considered wrong. But for them, it’s not-because they are supposedly protected by the law,’ another user commented.

According to the LTO, a double solid yellow line means that overtaking or lane changing is strictly prohibited. The markings, often placed on bridges and highways, are designed to prevent accidents and separate vehicles moving in opposite directions.

An LTO 6 vehicle veers through a no-crossing lane, prompting questions about traffic enforcement. (Photo: Jay Balnig)

LTO-6 regional director Atty. Gaudioso P. Geduspan II confirmed on Wednesday that the two officers had been relieved from their posts pending investigation.

‘Obviously, as shown in the video, there is a clear lapse of judgment when they maneuvered an illegal overtaking on roads with pavement markings such as solid yellow lines, which indicate no overtaking,’ Geduspan said.

He added that a Show-Cause Order will be issued, requiring the two to explain their actions as part of due process. The agency’s Intelligence and Investigation Unit will conduct a full probe and recommend appropriate sanctions.

‘If culpability is found, the appropriate administrative penalties will follow,’ Geduspan emphasized.

‘No one is above the law’

While withholding the officers’ identities, Geduspan underscored that the LTO will not shield erring personnel from accountability.

‘No LTO personnel are exempt from enforcement of traffic rules,’ he said. ‘Our enforcers must uphold them first before they can expect the public to comply.’

He added that internal monitoring is being tightened to prevent similar lapses, stressing that discipline within the ranks is crucial to credible law enforcement.

‘The rules apply to everyone,’ Geduspan said. ‘No one is above the law

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it has not received any reports of violence or looting in Central Visayas following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck the region.

The tremor hit 19 kilometers northeast of Bogo City in Cebu province on Tuesday night.

‘Fortunately, there have been no reports of gender-based violence or looting incidents in the aftermath of the earthquake,’ PNP Directorate for Police Community Relations Deputy Chief Brig. Gen. Antonio Marallag Jr. said during a briefing at Camp Crame on Thursday.

Marallag also said that the Police Regional Office Central Visayas (PRO 7) increased its deployment from 1,356 officers on Wednesday to 2,250 officers on Thursday to support recovery efforts.

He added that the PNP’s Reserve Standby Support Force also deployed 312 personnel from PRO 7, 116 from PRO Eastern Visayas, and 112 from PRO Negros Island Region to strengthen the police response.

According to the latest situational report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Thursday morning, at least 72 people have died and 294 were injured.

The NDRRMC said these casualty figures are yet to be validated.