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The Department of Public Works and Highways has asked the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct background checks on 14 of its appointed officials following allegations that some remain linked to contractors.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon announced on Thursday, October 23, that he has sent letters to the NBI, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Management Association of the Philippines and the Institute of Corporate Directors requesting assistance in vetting the following appointees:

Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain

Undersecretary Arthur Bisnar

Undersecretary Ador Canlas

Undersecretary Nicasio Conti

Undersecretary Charles Calima

Undersecretary Samuel Rufino Turgano

Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III

OIC-Undersecretary Lara Marisse Esquibil

Assistant Secretary Nerie Bueno

Assistant Secretary Medmier Malig

Assistant Secretary Michael Villafranca

Assistant Secretary Constante Llanes Jr.

Assistant Secretary Michelle De Vera

Assistant Secretary Suzanne Marie Liwanag

Dizon said the independent vetting and background checks are part of the agency’s commitment to implementing reforms in the DPWH.

Prior to the review, the DPWH underwent a complete revamp after former Secretary Manuel Bonoan stepped down and was replaced by Dizon amid ongoing investigations into anomalous flood control projects, where the agency’s own employees had been implicated.

When Dizon appointed new undersecretaries in late September, Rep. Leandro Leviste (Bulacan, 1st District) claimed he knew several DPWH officials under Dizon’s watch who maintain links to contractors.

One of those he named was former Usec. Arrey Perez, who resigned to keep the integrity of the agency’s probe. Leviste, however, immediately backtracked and said he wasn’t referring to Perez. The undersecretary was replaced by Esquibil.

The lawmaker also pressed Dizon to make all meetings, connections and transactions of appointed officials transparent while the government investigates officials receiving kickbacks from infrastructure projects.

The DPWH has been probing its own officials – filing graft, malversation, bribery, bid rigging cases before the Ombudsman against district engineers, other high-ranking employees, and contractors involved in ghost projects.

It also sought the freezing of billions worth of assets through the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), which has so far locked down about P5.2 billion across roughly 2,000 bank accounts.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is seeking to expand the automated services of the Bangsamoro Land Transportation Office (BLTO) to provide convenient and accessible services to more motorists across the region.

At a recent meeting with BLTO’s technology provider Stradcom Corp. in Quezon City, MOTC Minister Termizie Masahud underscored the need for additional LTO sites in far-flung areas of BARMM, specifically in Lamitan, Basilan and Maguindanao. The MOTC is also planning to establish its first BLTO regional office in Cotabato.

Masahud lauded Stradcom’s role in automating the processes of its current BLTO sites, which provide efficiency and convenience in their daily operations.

The BLTO currently has district offices in Cotabato, Marawi, Maguindanao, and Wao, Lanao del Sur; a licensing center in Cotabato, and an extension office in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi. All of these were interconnected through the Philippines’ Land Transportation Office (LTO) IT System.

In November 2021, the MOTC and STRADCOM agreed to automate land transportation systems in BARMM and to interconnect its database with the LTO Central Office. The partnership also ensured the authenticity and validity of documents, such as driver’s licenses and motor vehicle registrations, issued by the BLTO.

To date, the LTO-IT System has processed over 110,000 driver’s licenses, registered over 36,000 motor vehicles, and recorded almost 4,000 traffic adjudication reports in BARMM.

Stradcom Vice President and Head for Auxiliary Services and Project Development Luis Angelo Ibarra affirmed the company’s continued commitment to supporting the MOTC’s transportation initiatives, including its network expansion. He emphasized that Stradcom is not merely a technology provider but a partner of the BARMM in advancing progress and development in the region.

Aside from the LTO-IT System rollout, Stradcom also developed a BLTO Renewal Kiosk (BRK) deployed in the Cotabato District Office, which enables self-service motor vehicle renewal within 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, MOTC and Stradcom officials discussed the adoption of the 10-year driver’s license validity in BARMM, which would extend the current five-year validity period. This policy is also consistent with the driver’s license issuance of the LTO Central Office. Stradcom confirmed that this initiative could be done in the LTO-IT system.

Two more individuals have filed charges of qualified human trafficking and serious illegal detention against London-based Italian national Adel En Nouri and five respondents.

The complaints, filed before the Lipa City Prosecutor’s Office on October 20, alleged that the suspects recruited the complainants for overseas work but then forced them into online sex shows for foreign clients.

In addition to En Nouri, the other respondents named in the complaint are Filipino nationals, along with foreign nationals Fatima Arfaoui, Yuness En Nouri and Mohammed En Nouri.

The offenses cited are qualified trafficking in persons, illegal recruitment and serious illegal detention, all allegedly committed between January 2025 and February 2025 in Lipa City, Batangas.

The complainants, who were working as sales associates in a mall in Batangas, recounted that they were approached by the two Filipino respondents on January 10. The pair introduced themselves as recruiters for a placement agency.

According to the complaint, they claimed the agency was legitimate and was sending sales associates to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a high salary and free accommodation.

The agency demanded a total placement fee of P80,000 each. The complainants made an initial payment of P10,000 each on Jan. 14, 2025, handing the money to the Filipino respondents.

On January 20, En Nouri instructed them to work at the office as “Virtual Assistants” while awaiting deployment, to help cover the remaining placement fee balance. The complainants then started doing video calls for their customers.

While these started as simple conversations, the complainants were later instructed to flirt and show lewd acts. They were promised P5,000 per video session.

However, the money was never given to them, as the recruiters claimed they would save it to cover the placement fee.

A few days later, the foreign clients began requesting indecent photos and videos. When the complainants refused, the Filipino recruiters allegedly threatened them. They were told they would forfeit their paid placement fee and any earnings and would not be allowed to leave.

The recruiters also threatened to humiliate and circulate their photos, blackmailing them with the threat of posting nude photos and videos online.

Due to this coercion, the two complainants were forced to undress and have sex in front of the camera while being watched by foreign customers for ten days.

The complainants claimed they “endured severe verbal abuse, including verbal assault and exploitation.” They also alleged they were denied sleep or rest until the video calls with the foreigners were completed.

The two managed to escape in February 2025, when their guards were distracted and their recruiters were not in the Lipa City office, allowing them to secretly leave and immediately seek help from their family to report to the authorities.

Using the same scheme, three Filipinos in September also filed a complaint against En Nouri before the Department of Justice.

The complaints include qualified trafficking in persons under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure said livestreaming of its hearings will not begin next week as planned, citing the need to first draft rules to protect the rights of witnesses and resource persons.

Brian Hosaka, ICI’s executive director, told reporters on Thursday, October 23, that the procedures for broadcasting the hearings have yet to be finalized. There are also no hearings scheduled next week due to the unavailability of Commissioner Babes Singson.

“We would have to draft the rules for livestreaming,” Hosaka said. “But definitely when we draft the rules we will also show it to the public.”

The ICI’s clarification today is meant to temper expectations following Chairperson Justice Andres Reyes’s remarks at a Senate hearing yesterday, when he said the commission would begin livestreaming ‘next week, once we have the technical capability.’

Reyes made the promise during the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights’ hearing on a bill that seeks to expand the ICI’s powers under Executive Order 94, which created the body in September to investigate corruption and irregularities in government infrastructure projects.

While the ICI is pushing to livestream the hearings “as soon as possible,” Reyes said in a statement read by Hosaka on Thursday that any move to open proceedings to the public must also take into consideration the rights of invited resource persons and sensitive information shared.

“Previously, we stated that the proceedings of the Commission would be confidential to avoid ‘trial by publicity,’ political grandstanding, sensationalism, and disinformation,” Reyes said in his written statement.

These concerns remain valid, Reyes said, and “protecting the integrity of the investigation is still paramount.”

But Reyes said the ICI “hears the clamor of the Filipino people for more transparency.”

The commission has conducted all hearings behind closed doors since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. created it on September 11.

No target date has been set for the start of livestreaming.

Chef Nouel Catis is ready to conquer the pastry world following the success of his Dubai Chocolate.

The viral sweet is a chocolate bar filled with kadayif and a pistachio-tahini cream, inspired by the Arabic version of a cheescake called Knafeh.

It was formally created in 2021 with Sarah Hamouda, but it was just last year did it really take off thanks to content creators particularly on TikTok, even becoming the subject of imitations.

Chef Nouel told Philstar.com during an exclusive interview that he fell in love with Knafeh while working in the Middle East and always carried the idea with him whenever creating pastries that people in the region enjoy.

“Some people are tired of it because they said it’s been around for two years, they said it’s overrated,” Chef Nouel reflected on reactions to Dubai Chocolate. “But there are those as well who have tried the recipe that I have really curated… it made them change their mind.”

The popularity of Dubai Chocolate has led to numerous collaborations for Chef Nouel, which he perceives as people recognizing Filipinos’ global talents.

He noted that Filipinos aren’t really known for chocolates, except maybe tablea, or even being chocolatiers.

“This is really bringing everyone up in the global scene to know that we are equally capable. We are equally gifted and also competitive,” Chef Nouel added.

The chef’s latest collaboration is with German appliance company Miele, something he was excited for as it offered a chance for people to learn his skills as a pastry chef.

“A lot of people think I can only do chocolate. As much as I’m also celebrating that part, I want them to see another side, more technical, and probably be celebrated by a lot of contemporaries in my generation,” said Chef Nouel.

The collaboration sees Chef Nouel creating three pastries using Miele products: Barako-Dalandan Torte, Miele Honey Cake and The Green Forest.

The Torte is a blend of Barako coffee, local chocolate, and toffee-dalandan caramel inside a hazelnut shortcrust while the Cake is a mixture of vanilla cream filling, cinnamon dark chocolate mousse, and burnt honey, apple, and calamansi curd on an almond biscuit base.

The Green Forest is Chef Nouel’s Dubai Chocolate take on the Black Forest cake using pistachio cherry brandy cream, pistachio-kunafa spread, and chocolate garnish on a flaky, laminated dough.

Chef Nouel describes pastry-making as both a science and an art that requires a lot techniques, “While cooking, you can always invent on the go. But for pastries, you have to plan ahead and do a lot of trials before coming up with a dish.”

Even his new creations can come off as surprising as many don’t expect to mix Barako coffee with dalandan or apples with calamansi, the latter which the chef described to Philstar.com as “Filipino meets West.”

“This is in itself already something I really want to put out of my bag and let people see there are still a lot of things we can do with the available resources we have,” the chef added.

Some collaborations on the horizon are with Marcelo’s Microcreamery, Duty Free, and hopefully KitchenAid.

Chef Nouel just visited Singapore where he teamed up with fellow pastry chef Janice Wong and launched his chocolate with Cold Storage after doing the same with Hong Kong’s C!ty’super, and back in Dubai he’s preparing a partnership with Warner Bros.

“I think we might go to France or the United Kingdom. The world is our oyster, so unlimited,” Chef Nouel ended.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has filed new malversation and graft complaints before the Ombudsman against several of its officials and contractors over P275.9 million worth of substandard flood control projects in La Union and Davao Occidental.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon personally submitted the complaints on Thursday, October 23, saying the move aims to ‘expedite the filing of cases.’ At the same time, he and the Ombudsman named three lawmakers as persons of interest in the flood control controversy.

The Davao Occidental case involves a P96.5-million flood control project, with eight DPWH officials from the province’s district engineering office among those charged.

Also charged was contractor Sarah Discaya, owner of St. Timothy Construction Corp., which won the flood control project.

Speaking at a press conference, Dizon described it as a ghost project that was supposed to be completed in 2022. Construction, however, only began after the government launched its investigation into flood control anomalies, and law enforcement later found that the project was never completed.

‘So far, it’s already been three years since the supposed completion and full payment of the project. So it is clearly a ghost project,’ he said.

Meanwhile, the La Union case, Dizon said, involves two phases of a flood control project split into contracts worth P89.7 million each, totaling P179.5 million.

The project was awarded to Silverwolves Construction Corp., represented by its general manager, Moises Tabucol, and has already been fully paid.

Twelve officials from the DPWH La Union 2nd District Engineering Office were also charged alongside Tabucol.

3 congressmen tagged

According to Ombudsman Boying Remulla, Reps. Edvic and Eric Yap are two more persons of interest in the La Union flood control project, saying Eric held a stake in Silverwolves Construction a few years back. Dizon said Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong gave them the lead.

‘He divested from it a few years ago supposedly, but there is reason to suspect that he’s still the beneficial owner of the company,’ Remulla said.

He also noted that Eric served as House appropriations chair from 2020 to 2022, the same period when the Discayas were awarded the La Union flood control project.

The connection became more apparent when the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) discovered the Discayas had once transmitted around P70 million to Edvic’s bank account, Remulla said.

‘So we saw that there is really a pattern – they were clearly involved in the contract because the money was transmitted from the Discayas,’ Remulla said in mixed Filipino and English.

This, he stressed, constituted a ‘clear case of conflict of interest’ for the Yaps, which is punishable under Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

‘Of course he’s trying to hide that,’ he added.

Remulla also tagged Rep. Salvador Pleyto (Bulacan, 6th District) as another lawmaker who received funds from the Discayas, according to findings from the AMLC. Pleyto was the president of S.A. Pleyto Construction Corp.

Edvic, Eric and Pleyto have yet to issue statements in response to the allegations against them.

Normally, filed complaints are first evaluated. However, since government documents are presumed to be regular, Remulla said the cases will proceed directly to a preliminary investigation.

The DPWH first filed cases against government contractors and the agency’s officials before the Ombudsman in September.

With the government rolling out reforms in how infrastructure projects are planned, budgeted and implemented, Sen. Chiz Escudero called for public and local government participation in the process.

In a statement on Thursday, October 23, Escudero said infrastructure projects should first be vetted by local governments where they will be built before national agencies seek their inclusion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

The main problem, he stressed, is how projects are suddenly included in the final version of the national budget or the General Appropriations Act (GAA) without proper assessment of whether such projects were ‘feasible, needed or even real.’

‘It is even more important for local government units to endorse projects that lawmakers push as amendments, which are often inserted into the General Appropriations Act – the final version of the budget signed into law by the President,’ he said in Filipino.

The current system. In the budget process, agencies like the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) typically collect reports from their regional offices to identify priority projects in different provinces.

These are then compiled into a list with corresponding budget requests submitted to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), which prepares the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

Lawmakers usually enter the process during budget deliberations, when they lobby for projects needed in their districts or provinces – such as multipurpose buildings, courts, hospitals, bridges, roads and schools.

These come in the form of amendments in the budget once the NEP becomes the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) and goes through committee-level deliberations and plenary debates.

What he suggests can be done. Escudero said this should not be the case if the government wants to avoid corruption in infrastructure projects. Instead, proposed projects should have the endorsement of regional, provincial or municipal development council before any funds are disbursed by the DBM.

‘At the NEP stage, no unnecessary projects should be able to slip through. Only those that are priorities and truly essential to a province or town should be included in the NEP,’ he said in Filipino.

Escudero suggested these measures under his proposed Grassroots Infrastructure Planning and Budgeting Bill.

Amid political heat. The senator, meanwhile, has been linked to allegations of budget manipulation and kickback schemes in infrastructure projects, including flood control, which began during his time as Senate president.

Escudero has since denied the allegations, calling them part of a smear campaign against him.

He is also under investigation by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) over a P30 million donation he received from one of the country’s top flood control contractors during the 2022 elections.

The opening round of the $2-million International Series Philippines lived up to the LIV Golf spirit – featuring explosive shot-making, fearless attacking and birdie-fests that kept fans on their toes from start to finish.

Under pristine skies and near-perfect scoring conditions, 76 players broke par at the Sta. Elena Golf Club in Laguna on Thursday, setting the tone for a tournament built on excitement, not attrition. The par-72 layout, softened by the absence of wind, was virtually defenseless against the barrage of birdies that define modern LIV-style golf – a showcase of power, precision and pure entertainment.

At the forefront of this birdie binge was Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut, who blistered the course with an eight-under 64 to seize the early lead. The two-time International Series winner birdied four of his opening seven holes at the back nine and, after trading a birdie and a bogey early on his return nine, closed with four more birdies in his last seven holes.

‘It was perfect,’ said Suwannarut. ‘I’ve been playing pretty good. I know my yardages, I trust my swing, and when I tell myself I can do it – I just go ahead and hit it.’

Trailing him by one was Japanese Kazuki Higa, who also sizzled with a flawless 65, while Charles Porter and George Kneiser of the US, Richard Bland of England and Thai Chapchai Nirap matched 66s to make it a crowded leaderboard in the event, which serves a gateway to the LIV Golf League.

Two-time major champion Dustin Johnson put on a masterclass of his own in the company of Filipino star Miguel Tabuena and former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.

Johnson started in thunderous fashion, birdieing his first three holes and picking up another stroke on the fourth. Though he stumbled with back-to-back bogeys soon after, the former world No. 1 reignited his assault with a dazzling run of five birdies in six holes.

A double bogey on the 15th briefly stalled his momentum, but a closing birdie capped a 67 that featured 25 putts, 11 fairways and 14 greens hit – a statline that underscored both his precision and confidence.

As the international stars went low, the homegrown heroes of Philippine golf rose to the occasion with gritty, inspired play. Clyde Mondilla and Tabuena led the local charge, each carding 69s that reflected poise and persistence amid the high-scoring frenzy.

Mondilla, a former Philippine Open champion at the ultra-demanding The Country Club, showed steely resolve after a shaky start. He battled through a wobbly backside 37 but came alive on his front nine, firing four birdies in his last eight holes, capped by three straight to close his round.

His 32-37 effort, built on 10 fairways, 14 greens and 28 putts, put him in a share of 23rd – just five shots adrift of the lead.

Tabuena, meanwhile, mirrored Mondilla’s resilience. The two-time Philippine Open winner rebounded from an up-and-down stretch of three birdies and three bogeys in his first 14 holes with a late charge – birdieing Nos. 15, 16 and 17 – to finish alongside his compatriot at three-under.

Close behind were Justin Quiban and Angelo Que, who each opened with two-under 70s. Quiban’s round was a rollercoaster highlighted by two eagles on his front side, offset by a pair of bogeys, while Que mixed four birdies with two early mistakes on Nos. 1 and 4 to stay within striking distance.

Other notable 70s came from Patrick Reed, Chase Koepka, and Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho, all proving how wide open this week’s scoring could get.

Rookie Carl Corpus flashed early promise with birdies on Nos. 1 and 5, igniting hopes of a strong performance in an event of this magnitude. But a few errant swings led to four dropped shots in his last 10 holes, settling for an even-par 72 alongside compatriot Keanu Jahns, who clawed his way back to level par with birdies on 14 and 16.

Further down, Rupert Zaragosa and Sean Ramos struggled to keep pace with the heavy hitters, each signing for 74s and flirting with the projected cut line. Aidric Chan, fresh off a recent Asian Development Tour triumph along with Corpus, also found himself in a similar predicament after a 73.

Still, the locals’ resilience – showcased by Mondilla’s steady scrambling and Tabuena’s strong finish – offered a glimpse of a Filipino contingent determined not to be mere spectators in a star-studded field.

At the end of a thrilling first day, Sta. Elena reflected the kind of golf LIV and its aligned International Series have come to represent: aggressive, entertaining and geared toward fan engagement.

With 76 players already under par, the stage is set for an even wilder second round – one where precision may matter less than momentum, and where birdies, not pars, will again be the currency of success.