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Actresses Janella Salvador and Klea Pineda sparked anew rumors between the two after photos of them trended online

On her X account, Janella posted sweet photos of her with Klea and Jasmine Curtis-Smith, her co-stars in Cinemalaya entry “Open Endings.”

“Ugh fine I’ll stop gatekeeping these photos,” Janella captioned the post of photos embracing Jasmine as she tagged the actress’ handle.

Klea was quick to respond on Janella’s post, replying with photos of her and Janella also hugging and teasing kisses on the cheek.

“Sige na nga ako din,” Klea wrote in her post. In reposting, Janella simply said “ay sus inunahan ako.”

It can be recalled that several Filipinos believed Janella was the reason for the breakup between Klea and ex-girlfriend Katrice Kierulf, which Janella has outright denied.

“Para lang maging klaro, sabi ko po magsasalita ako at the right time. Ito na yun. Hindi po ako part ng breakup. Hindi po ako third party. I’d like to exclude myself from that,” Janella said on the matter.

When asked what her relationship with Klea is, Janella said: “And ayun lang. Kung ano nakikita niyo ngayon, yun na yun. Nakikita niyo naman kung gaano ako kasaya.”

Shaina Nitura isn’t called the future of Philippine volleyball for nothing.

The young, athletic and energetic star gave a glimpse of what the future will bring as she helped power Adamson to a 25-19, 25-19, 25-14 victory over Far Eastern University and into the V-League Collegiate Challenge crown at the Filoil EcoOil Arena on Friday.

Nitura teamed up with Nigerian Frances Mordi and fired 17 points against the latter’s 19 as the Lady Falcons dominated the Lady Tams in the deciding Game Three and sealed the series, 2-1.

The 20-year-old dynamo, however, was quick to defer credit to their collective team effort.

‘We stayed with each other and we solidified our relationship as a team,’ said the UAAP Rookie of the Year and former UAAP high school MVP.

The feat was a replication of the school’s feat in the Sports Vision-ran league after it reigned supreme six years ago when it was still called the Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference and in 2010 under the banner of Shakey’s V-League.

‘We’re very happy and grateful because we’ve been together since high school,’ said Adamson coach JP Yude.

FEU came into the duel hoping to ride on the crest of its 25-13, 25-22, 15-25, 25-23 win in Game Two at the City of Dasmariñas Arena Wednesday that forced this rubber match.

But Adamson, which took the opener, 25-18, 26-24, 23-25, 25-23, at the same San Juan venue Monday, made sure it won’t make the same mistakes again and utterly decimated FEU on this one.

‘It (Game 2) turned out to be an eye-opener for us, especially for me since it taught me how I can lift up my team,’ said Nitura.

Good thing it did.

The overseas arm of telco giant PLDT Inc. has enhanced its partnership with emerging e-wallet stc Pay to provide digital and financial services to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Bahrain.

PLDT Global Corp. yesterday said it has expanded its collaboration with Middle Eastern e-wallet stc Pay to simplify a number of digital and financial transactions for OFWs in Bahrain.

Through this, OFWs may now cash in directly to their Philippine e-wallets through stc Pay.

Further, the partnership allows OFWs to buy and send gift vouchers to their families and friends home. These services are powered by Vortex, the distribution platform of PLDT Global.

PLDT Global president and CEO Albert Villa-Real said the company has decided to scale up its partnership with stc Pay to bring digital convenience for OFWs in Bahrain. He said PLDT Global is working on more efforts for borderless solutions.

‘This partnership brings digital convenience to our fellow Filipinos abroad and positions PLDT Global as a trusted partner of financial technology leaders like stc Pay,’ Villa-Real said.

PLDT Global is firming up with stc Pay to deliver additional services under their partnership like content subscriptions via Pilipinas Live and mobile load top-ups.

The collaboration also seeks to provide OFWs access to Smart virtual number (SVN), a SIM-less Philippine mobile contact for overseas use.

The SVN allows OFWs to receive one-time passwords to authenticate online transactions in the Philippines. The SVN also enables users to make free calls to Hotline 1348 of the Department of Migrant Workers and 1343 of the Actionline Against Human Trafficking.

stc Pay Bahrain CEO Metin Zavrak said the partnership with PLDT Global would accelerate the expansion of the e-wallet’s subscribers. As of 2020, the Department of Foreign Affairs estimates that there are 55,790 OFWs in Bahrain.

Diamond Star Maricel Soriano advised the Filipino youth to take care of their parents while they are still around.

During the media conference of her upcoming movie “Meet, Greet and Bye,” Maricel recalled a moment where she was greeted by millennials in a mall.

“Minsan marami akong nakakasalubong na mga bagets, mga babae naka-mini skirt sila, naka-bag sila at babatiin ako, nilalapitan ko, ‘alam ba ng mga magulang ninyo kung nasaan kayo ngayon? So, siyempre tumigil ang mga laughter, di ba? Seryoso sila bigla,” she shared.

The actress recalled telling them the importance of letting parents know of their whereabouts, “Kasi siyempre aandap-andap ang kalooban niyan, hindi alam kung sino ang kasama n’yo, nasaan kayo, at ano ang mga nangyayari sa inyo.”

Maricel also asked younger generations not to disregard their mothers in particular.

“Huwag n’yo naman dedmahin ang mga nanay n’yo. Isa lang naman ang hinihingi [nila] ibigay n’yo na,” Maricel said. “Sabi ko pa, alam ninyo darating ang panahon tatanda rin kayo magkakaroon kayo ng anak, magkakaroon kayo ng pamilya, gusto n’yo ba kung ano ang ginagawa ninyo ngayon ay gawin din sa inyo? Di ba hindi?”

She reiterated her plea not to snub or abandon one’s parents, instead take every effort to share one’s love for them.

“Walang magulang na nag-iisip ng pangit sa mga anak nila,” Maricel ended.

A family’s story of love, laughter, togetherness, and pain is poised to captivate audiences and tug hearts in the upcoming film “Meet, Greet and Bye” beginning November 12.

The film follows the heartwarming journey of the Facundo family led by Mama Baby (Maricel), who is diagnosed with cancer but refuses to undergo chemotherapy after losing hope of getting better.

Her four children, Tupe (Piolo Pascual), Brad (Joshua Garcia), Leo (Juan Karlos Labajo), and Geri (Belle Mariano) try to find and push for alternative treatment before time runs out for Mama Baby.

The Office of the Ombudsman has directed former Cebu governor Gwendolyn F. Garcia to respond within 10 days to a formal complaint accusing her of grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, and violations of government procurement laws.

The directive, dated September 25, 2025, stems from a sworn complaint filed by Aileen R. Donal, a concerned citizen and taxpayer.

Although Garcia is no longer the sitting governor-having lost her re-election bid during the May midterm polls-she is required to submit a counter-affidavit and supporting documents to the Ombudsman’s Central Records Division in Quezon City, with proof that a copy has been furnished to the complainant.

The Ombudsman’s order, signed by Officer-in-Charge Leilani P. Tagulao-Marquez of the PIAB-D, instructs Garcia to respond and provide evidence to counter the allegations, within 10 days.

‘Respondent’s failure to file her counter-affidavit and countervailing evidence, with proof of service to the complainants within the aforesaid period, shall be deemed as waiver, and the preliminary investigation shall proceed according to existing rules of procedure,’ the order states.

Water Supply Contract

The complaint, a copy of which was furnished to The Freeman, centers on the 2013 Bulk Water Supply Contract between the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) and Cebu Manila Water Development (CMWD), a joint venture involving the Province of Cebu.

Under the contract, CMWD undertook to supply and deliver water to MCWD at a minimum volume of 18,000 cubic meters per day for the first year, and 35,000 cubic meters daily for the second year onward, at a fixed rate of ?24.59 per cubic meter for 20 years, or until 2033.

In 2023, CMWD wrote to the MCWD a notice of termination of the contract. This was deferred twice though, on 18 November and then 30 November, but the contract was ultimately pre-terminated on 1 December that year.

In pre-terminating the contract, CMWD cited ‘unabated expenses incurred due to fortuitous and unforeseen events’ that cannot be addressed by ‘an inflexible pricing formula.’

However, Donal alleges that the termination was actually prompted by pressure from Garcia, who had publicly criticized the deal as disadvantageous to the province.

The complaint claims Garcia used her position to influence CMWD’s decision, despite the contract not meeting the legal grounds for termination under the Civil Code and procurement regulations.

Donal further argues that Garcia’s actions triggered a chain of events that led MCWD to enter into an emergency contract with Manila Water Philippine Ventures Inc. (MWPVI), at rates more than double the original price-ranging from ?58.00 to ?64.96 per cubic meter. The new arrangement could cost MCWD an additional ?3.59 billion over 10 years.

The complaint also questions the legality of the emergency procurement deal between MCWD and the Province of Cebu. It alleges that Garcia misrepresented the province’s ability to supply bulk water, even though it had to purchase the water from CMWD.

This arrangement, according to Donal, amounts to subcontracting-a practice prohibited under government procurement rules.

Donal cites a resolution from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Cebu authorizing Garcia to buy water from CMWD and sell it to MCWD. The resolution itself reportedly acknowledges that the province does not have direct access to bulk water, contradicting Garcia’s certification that it did.

The complaint concludes that Garcia’s actions placed MCWD in a financially precarious position, resulting in higher water rates for consumers and potentially paving the way for privatization or bankruptcy.

Garcia’s side

When The Freeman sought Garcia’s side, she initially referred inquiries to her legal counsel, Atty. Jong Sepulveda. Later, Garcia furnished a press statement from her legal team.

‘We firmly maintain that the Complaint filed is based on incomplete facts, misplaced assumptions, and hollow conclusions,’ reads the statement.

It added that the complaint accordingly presents a selective version of events that disregards the broader context and the legal and administrative realities surrounding the matter.

‘Garcia as per her legal team acted well within her authority, discretion, and official prerogatives-and when required, with the approval/authority from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and was always guided by her duty to safeguard and advance the best interests of the Province.

‘We are confident that, once the full facts and circumstances are fairly and objectively evaluated, it will be evident that no wrongdoing or abuse of authority was committed. Respondent remains steadfast in her commitment to truth, integrity, competence, and the defense of actions taken in the best interest of the Province of Cebu,’ conclude the GGG Legal Team, Atty. RjQ Sepulveda.

San Sebastian College-Recoletos pulled off a reverse sweep over Ateneo de Manila University, 19-25, 20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 15-8, to exit the 2025 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Preseason Unity Cup with its head held up high on Friday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The Lady Stags finished with a 1-2 win-loss record in Pool D, tied with the Blue Eagles. However, Ateneo punched the last ticket to the second round with a 4-2 match points advantage over SSC-R.

Graduating winger Kath Santos poured 20 of her 21 points from kills in her last game as a Lady Stag in the tournament backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Potato Corner and R and B Milk Tea.

”Di namin ini-expect itong panalo sa game na ‘to. Talagang in-effortan namin ‘yung game namin ngayon, nagtulong-tulong kami. Natalo kami ng dalawang set pero sinabi ni coach Clint (Malazo) na i-enjoy namin ang game na ito,’ said Santos, who scored 10 points in the fourth set.

SSC-R carried the momentum of its third and fourth set wins into the deciding frame as it raced to a comfortable 10-4 advantage capped by Juna Gonzales’ back-to-back hits.

A service error by Ana Hermosura widened the Lady Stags’ lead to 13-6 before May Tsunashima pounded consecutive hits to bring the Blue Eagles back to life.

Santos answered with a hit before Tsunashima committed the last of Ateneo’s 34 errors with an overcooked spike to end the two-hour, two-minute contest.

Hermosura had 15 points while Faye Nisperos got 13 for the Blue Eagles, who will take on Adamson University to kick off their single round-robin second round campaign in Pool E on Sunday.

In the first game, University of the Philippines completed a three-game sweep of Pool C in an emphatic 25-22, 25-18, 25-19 crushing of listless Letran.

Casiey Dongallo submitted nine points off the bench to pace the Fighting Maroons in the final preliminary round playdate of the competition, supported by Asics, Mikasa, Smart Sports, Summit, Team Rebel Sports, Belo Deo, Eurotel- Apo View Hotel, Batangas Country Club, Executive Optical, Baic Auto Philippines, SM Tickets and PusoP.com as technical partners.

Yesha Noceja added seven markers while Sarah Ali, Bienne Bansil and Jelai Gajero added six points each to highlight UP’s balanced offense.

The Lady Knights ended their campaign winless in three starts.

Judiel Nitura and Jogi Maquillang had nine and eight points for Letran.

Meanwhile, second round-bound Far Eastern University and Adamson University decided to forfeit their Pool B match due to prior commitments.

Both teams won their first two games without dropping a set, but the Lady Tamaraws secured the top seeding in the pool via higher point quotient.

Second-round matches on Saturday pit University of Santo Tomas, which swept Mapua University, 25-19, 25-17, 25-22, on Thursday to advance, against FEU at 4 p.m., while unbeaten College of Saint Benilde squares off with San Beda University at 2 p.m. in Pool F.

Undefeated four-peat-seeking National University crosses paths with Adamson in Pool E at 12 p.m.

The top two-ranked squads after the second round will be armed with a twice-to-beat advantage in the crossover quarterfinals.

Games in the SSL Preseason Unity Cup are available live and on demand via PusoP.com and Solar Sports.

No worries. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and Unity (OPAPRU) headed by Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. gave this assurance as the chief implementer of the government’s continuing peace process in Southern Philippines. Galvez expressed this confidence amid concerns on the possible impact of the Supreme Court (SC) ruling on the government peace pacts with the Muslim separatist groups in Mindanao.

The SC rendered last week its final and executory ruling resetting the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliament elections to not later than March 31, 2026. The holding of the country’s first ever BARMM Parliament elections originally scheduled on Monday, Oct. 13, would have completed the final political track of the Philippine government’s peace pacts under the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB).

The CAB implements the twin peace pacts entered into one after the other with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) much earlier in 1996. The CAB marked the culmination of 17 years of negotiations with the MILF.

Galvez cited the on-going activities to prepare for the BARMM Parliament elections next year as the best indicators of the robust state of the peace process. In fact, he noted, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) has swung into action to immediately comply with the requirements spelled out in the SC ruling. The BTA is an interim body composed of presidential appointees of representatives from the MILF, MNLF, Christian groups, lumads, indigenous people (IPs) and other sectoral groups. Under the CAB, once elected and constituted, the BARMM Parliament will replace the BTA as its organic legislature.

Speaking at our Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday, Galvez disclosed BARMM chief minister Abdulraof A. Macacua and the rest of the BTA are back at work in office following the SC ruling. Macacua, also known as Sammy Gambar, is among the candidates set to run in the BARMM Parliament polls. In his most recent talks with Macacua, Galvez disclosed the BARMM chief minister has secured the cooperation of the 80-man BTA to meet the deadlines set in the SC ruling.

‘We are truly grateful for the wisdom of the SC giving the BTA more time to ensure the democratic aspirations of the Bangsamoro people are realized within the framework of the Constitution and the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). As the SC said, we need to be setting a very legitimate and very strong legal foundation,’ Galvez declared.

On instructions of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM), Galvez said the OPAPRU has been closely coordinating with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) through the office of Chairman George Erwin Garcia. Without interfering in the work of the BTA as an independent body, Galvez clarified the OPAPRU is helping ensure compliance with the deadlines and requirements on the holding of the BARMM Parliament polls.

Joining Galvez at our Kapihan sa Manila Bay conversations, Undersecretary David Diciano, Presidential Assistant, Office for Bangsamoro Transformation, reported the OPAPRU has resumed its various normalization programs. Some of the programs were held in abeyance to comply with Comelec rules and regulations during the campaign period. Diciano announced the OPAPRU got back to implementing educational assistance, various health and infrastructure programs under the socio-economic track of the CAB.

Comelec Chairman Garcia, who was our Kapihan guest last week, reassured the candidates in the BARMM Parliament elections that they will await how the BTA will comply with the SC ruling. Garcia conceded ‘it’s back to zero’ for the seven-man poll body in their preparations for these elections at the BARMM next year.

The 15-man SC ruled that the BTA-approved Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) No. 58 and its replacement, BAA No. 77, were both unconstitutional. The High Court thus directed the BTA to redraw parliamentary districts of the seven seats previously allocated to Sulu in accordance with the country’s Constitution and laws of the land. The SC gave the BTA until Oct. 30 this year to craft a new redistricting law.

Incidentally, the seven seats were created as a direct result of a separate SC ruling last year that upheld Sulu’s opting out from the BARMM. Originally, Sulu was part of the BARMM that included Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur and Tawi-Tawi. After Sulu opted out, the SC prescribed that the seven seats will be distributed in accordance with the required number of population, contiguous location, among other requirements under the 1987 Constitution.

These five provinces, along with the City of Cotabato and the Special Geographic Area, now constitute the BARMM.

The negotiations for these Mindanao peace pacts spanned seven administrations.

It started with the 1976 Tripoli Agreement entered into during the term of the namesake father of PBBM, the late president Ferdinand Sr. with erstwhile MNLF chairman Nur Misuari. Considered as the mother of all peace pacts, the Tripoli Agreement set forth that this and subsequent agreements should conform with all the provisions under the laws and the Constitution of the Philippines.

It was the 1996 peace pact with the MNLF reached during the administration of the late president Fidel Ramos that created the ARMM, the BARMM’s immediate forerunner. The CAB was forged with the MILF during the term of the late president Benigno ‘PNoy’ Aquino III. The Bangsamoro Organic Law, under Republic Act 11504, creating the BARMM, was signed by former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Galvez vowed to follow the guidance given by PBBM to the OPAPRU. Quoting the words of the 68-year-old Chief Executive: ‘We should be able to complete the peace process starting from the Tripoli Agreement. I want all these completed during my time.’

‘The transformation of the Mindanao peace process takes generations,’ Galvez pointed out. He vows to take it to the ‘exit’ agreement of the CAB in turning the former combatants to become part of this great transformation of peace and development in Mindanao.

As far as the resetting of the BARMM parliament polls is concerned, it’s like a brief pit stop before the ‘exit’ agreement.

After the Trillion Peso March, groups of anti-corruption advocates are mounting a nationwide White Friday Protest.

Starting today and every Friday, the Trillion Peso March Movement will mount a noise barrage and candle lighting to demand accountability and transparency in government spending.

‘This is not just a protest – it’s a people’s vigil for truth, justice, and reform,’ the movement said in a statement. ‘From homes to highways, parishes to workplaces, we’re inviting everyone to make noise and light candles until every peso of the people’s money is accounted for.’

The launch event will be highlighted by a 6 p.m. mass at EDSA Shrine, followed by a noise barrage, candle lighting, and the singing of Bayan Ko.

There will also be ringing of all church bells every 8 p.m., described as ‘both a prophetic cry of indignation and outrage against the evil of corruption, and a resounding call to contrition and conversion.’

The St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Scout Magbanua, Quezon City, will lead a noise barrage and bell ringing, headed by Rev. Fr. Romerico Prieto, in solidarity with communities nationwide echoing the same call for truth and accountability.

Noise barrage and candlelighting hubs will also kick off in local parishes and communities across Metro Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod and other regions nationwide. Participants are encouraged to wear white as a symbol of truth and unity

The Trillion Peso March Movement also emphasized that the weekly protest transcends politics. ‘We will keep the noise alive until accountability is achieved. Every whistle, every candle, every voice matters,’ it said.

Hypocritical

The Philippines should focus on anti-corruption reforms instead of applying to be co-chair of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) for next year, former finance undersecretary Cielo Magno said yesterday.

Magno spoke on Monday at the OGP’s Global Summit in the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, where the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management was named ‘overall winner’ and ‘national level winner’ of ‘anti-corruption theme.’

In a Facebook post, Magno told Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman that the awards mean nothing if the agency fails to prevent massive corruption in the procurement process.

‘The Philippines is a founding member but failed to deliver a fully operational legal guarantee for the right to information up to now,’ the former finance official-turned-transparency advocate said.

It is hypocritical, she said, for the Philippine government to aim as a co-chair of the OGP-a 74-member group promoting transparency, civil participation, inclusivity and accountability in governance-given the prevalence and massiveness of corruption issues.

‘We must be doing something wrong in terms of impact monitoring in OGP because these mentioned reforms fail to have a genuine impact,’ Magno underscored.

‘We can have co-created plans and commitments, but they can be just nicely written essays, but actually are meaningless for the citizens,’ she added.

In a scathing speech, Magno lamented that civil society groups advocating for transparency are ‘under attack’ by adversarial personalities, from digital trolls to the upper echelons of government.

‘We are not just ‘stakeholders,” she said. ‘We are co-creators, watchdogs, and the moral backbone of this movement, so we cannot let ourselves be divided into ‘us’ and ‘them.”

‘Governments and civil society are not adversaries-we are partners in accountability,’ she stressed.

Philippine civil society groups are increasingly asserting their role in the budget process. Despite assurances from House leaders to foster inclusion, many groups feel sidelined as mere observers.

‘We would like to have the opportunity to be called upon to give our opinion,’ AJ Montesa, technical advisor at People’s Budget Coalition (PBC), a group of civil society organizations accredited by the House to monitor the budget deliberations, told One News’ ‘Money Talks’ in September.

Clamoring for a more active role, Montesa said that ‘our goal is really to become resource persons.’

In a joint statement on Tuesday, the PBC and five other groups alleged that the House Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee’s version of the 2026 National Expenditure Program contains over P230 billion in pork barrel, despite the Supreme Court declaring it unconstitutional a decade ago.

The construction and real estate industries are major contributors to economic growth. Businessmen say thousands of jobs in these industries are currently as frozen as the assets of controversial contractors and public works officials.

Approvals for collecting payments from government agencies have also become more complicated, with the required signatures tripling or even quadrupling. This time, the businessmen say the red tape is meant not to collect grease money or ‘facilitation fees,’ but to spread culpability or broaden deniability in case a project is deemed to be anomalous by probers.

The real property sector had already taken a hit from the property bubble created by the proliferation – and then the abrupt shutdown – of Philippine offshore gaming operators.

Now the construction sector and its downstream industries are reportedly being battered. The corruption scandal has spread to substandard, overpriced or non-existent farm-to-market roads, schools and hospitals.

This week, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Francis Lim lamented in a speech that the ‘crisis of confidence’ arising from the corruption scandal has wiped out an eye-watering P1.7 trillion in market value from the stock market. Lim described corruption as a ‘weapon of mass wealth destruction.’

Presidential investment and economics adviser Frederick Go clarified that the P1.7 trillion was based on sensationalized ‘fake news’ posted on social media, although there has been a slide on a much smaller scale in the stock market in recent weeks.

Regardless of the actual amount of market value losses, the scandal is turning the country into Asia’s basket case. Not only because of the staggering extent of the corruption now being uncovered, but also because of perceptions that after all the hue and cry, there will only be token punishments. The big fish will get a slap on the wrist and everything will return to business as usual.

Surely there are honest, competent folks who are in government not to rob the nation but to serve the people and the greater good. But for now, they are being tainted by too many rotten eggs at all levels of government.

Are we a nation of thieves? We’re seeing the impact of this perception in that incident reported by One News’ Gretchen Ho, whose mother was humiliated when a foreign exchange dealer at the airport in Oslo, Norway, upon seeing the Philippine passport, refused to accept her 300 US dollars for currency conversion for fear that it was dirty money being laundered.

The currency dealer reportedly acted on an advisory that had not yet been updated: the inclusion of the Philippines in the gray list of countries under closer monitoring for money laundering by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force.

The FATF took the Philippines out of the gray list last February; the European Union did the same only in August. The currency dealer in Norway – a non-EU state that is part of the Schengen visa zone – still had the old FATF alert, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

We might yet be returned to the gray list, if the FATF would take a closer look at our election campaign system and consider the ongoing corruption scandal.

Being flagged for dirty money at currency exchanges abroad is just one of the hassles Filipinos go through because of weak governance and development woes.

A nation’s standing in the international community is reflected in the strength of passports. Singaporeans, who hold the world’s strongest passport as per the Henley Passport Index for 2025, can enter 192 out of 227 global travel destinations visa-free; the second-ranked South Koreans, 190, and the third-ranked Japanese, 189.

Filipinos, ranked 74th, are visa-free only in 64 destinations. When applying for a Schengen visa, we must submit not only an originally issued birth certificate, income tax return and certificate of employment, but also bank statements with transaction records covering six to eight months depending on the Schengen Area state issuing the visa.

Those are humiliating requirements that I suspect are meant to ensure that the applicant is no hampaslupa planning to become a TNT living off welfare or refugee applicant status within the Schengen zone. But the stringent requirements can’t prevent all the obscenely wealthy Pinoy money launderers from entering Europe, buying up properties and regularly depositing their loot in Switzerland.

The robbers in our country would have scoffed at money laundering involving such a miniscule amount; $300 would buy only one Hermes handkerchief. But that Norway incident deserves attention, because the millions of Filipinos working overseas could suffer the same humiliation.

One answer is to show a resolute response to the corruption problem. China has executed several former officials for corruption, with another ex-minister currently on two-year suspended death sentence. South Korea has sent several former presidents to prison for graft.

We abolished capital punishment. But we can present to the world a swift and credible probe, with full transparency, accompanied by structural reforms to rebuild damaged institutions rather than just patch them up like Humpty Dumpty, and of course the speedy prosecution and punishment of the guilty.

It’s unfortunate that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure has steadfastly refused to open even part of its hearings to the public, preferring instead to conduct its probe like the Supreme Court, to which the ICI chair used to belong. The Philippine judiciary is not known for integrity; it warranted special mention even in the US State Department’s latest country assessments for corruption.

The impression is that it’s just business as usual in dribbling justice, with VIPs mollycoddled. So far the ICI has questioned the Discayas, former Senate finance committee chair Grace Poe and former public works chief Mark Villar. What these key players told the ICI is left to conjecture, fueling suspicions of hush-hush arrangements.

It seems the ICI tack is to wear out those demanding open hearings, as cases crawl at the usual glacial pace through the legal mill. In the meantime, toss the Marites mill a bone, such as the request for immigration lookout bulletin orders for the big guns.

ILBOs, which Jesus Crispin Remulla promptly approved in a parting act as justice secretary, won’t stop any of the 33 covered people from leaving the country.

The government will have to do more than this, to reassure Filipinos and the world that genuine change is on the way – soon, and with full transparency, the lack of which was a key factor in dragging the nation into this mess.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will start the voter registration for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on Oct. 20.

The registration, which will be conducted nationwide except in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), will run until May 18.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the voter registration for the barangay and SK elections in the BARMM will start on May 1 and will also end on May 18.

Garcia said the Comelec opted to start the voter registration for the barangay and SK polls in the Bangsamoro region after holding the first BARMM parliamentary election, which is scheduled in March.

He said conducting the registration simultaneously may create confusion among BARMM voters, who may think the activity is for the parliamentary elections.

The Comelec said it is expecting up to 1.4 million applicants during the seven-month registration period.

Almost three million prospective voters have submitted applications in the last national voter registration held from Aug. 1 to 10.

The barangay and SK elections will be conducted nationwide in December 2026.