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When the Philippine Basketball League turned a quarter of a century at the turn of the century, it honored 25 greatest players in symbolic representation of the number of years it thrilled and entertained the basketball nation.

Listed were Johnny Abarrientos, the short point guard with the tallest chance at the world s premiere basketball league, Bogs Adornado, Ato Agustin, Francis Arnaiz, Ricardo Brown, Allan Caidic, Hector Calma, Philip Cezar, Atoy Co, Jerry Codi era, Kenneth Duremdes, Bernie Fabiosa, Ramon Fernandez, Danny Florencio, Abet Guidaben, Freddie Hubalde, Robert Jaworski Sr., Jojo Lastimosa, Lim Eng Beng, Samboy Lim, Ronnie Magsanoc, Vergel Meneses, Manny Paner, Alvin Patrimonio and Benjie Paras. Period.

In statutory construction, it is called expressio unius est exclusio alterius or those who are not included are excluded on purpose. The list is exclusive. But when the country s premiere basketball league turned middle-age in 2015, it added 15 more to make it 40. Danny Ildefonso, Willie Miller, James Yap, Asi Taulava, Eric Menk, Kelly Williams, Jayjay Helterbrand, Jimmy Alapag, Mark Caguioa, Arwind Santos, Jayson Castro, Marc Pingris, Kerby Raymundo, Chito Loyzaga, and Marlou Aquino.

As the league turns gold this year, it included 10 more to complete the symbolic 50. Nelson Asaytono, Jeffrey Cariaso, June Mar Fajardo, Bong Hawkins, Abe King, Danny Siegle, Scottie Thompson, Arnie Tuadles, Elpidio Villamin, and Manuel Victorino made the cut.

The list is not exclusive after all. It was just a matter of time before those who did not make the first or second cut could be finally recognized. But this is not ejusdem generis either, where the law enumerates specific persons followed by a general term to include those persons of the same class or category.

The elite list loses prestige had the first 25, 40 and 50 ended with a catch-all phrase to include all others. Exactly why it is exclusive. In this context, inclusivity is not welcome, greatness is a rarity. The tricky part however is it grows. Others may be omitted now and included later.

It must be beyond difficult to pick the 50 greatest, the wisdom of choice will always be scrutinized. Curiously though, what if another player did not make the first cut but finally made it to finest cut of a diamond celebration? It may be too late. In law, it is called amendment by addition, but definitely not budget insertion. The first is afterthought, the second evil thought.

He is a graft-buster of the entire country and not just of certain groups, Malacañang said yesterday of former justice chief Jesus Crispin Remulla, whose appointment as ombudsman has drawn flak from critics doubting his impartiality.

‘The work of Ombudsman Remulla is for the entire country, not just for one sector or a group of Filipinos,’ Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said at a Palace briefing. Remulla is set to take his oath today as ombudsman.

Asked whether Remulla has direct orders from President Marcos to investigate the statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) of former administration ally-turned-arch critic Vice President Sara Duterte, Castro replied: ‘The work of the ombudsman is for the whole country. Whatever needs to be investigated should be investigated. It should neither be ignored nor neglected,’ she said, adding, ‘What needs to be known by the public should be investigated by the ombudsman.’

Critics and political foes of the administration have assailed Remulla’s appointment, claiming it was meant to pin down the Vice President and her allies.

Malacañang has brushed aside the allegation and expressed optimism that Remulla would be impartial in his investigations.

Castro also denied reports she was being eyed as the next secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

‘First of all, we don’t know where that report started, so there’s no truth to that,’ Castro told a press briefing in Filipino.

Asked whether she would accept the post should President Marcos offer it to her, Castro answered, ‘Hypothetical question, I cannot answer.’

She said the President has no shortlist yet for the next DOJ chief. ‘As of the moment, we have no details regarding that,’ Castro said.

Malacañang earlier designated DOJ Undersecretary Fredderick Vida as officer-in-charge.

Remulla, who was appointed DOJ chief in June 2022, replaced Samuel Martires, who retired in July.

Sara’s case for review

After Malacañang’s announcement of his appointment late Tuesday, Remulla said his office is set to review the pending complaints against the Vice President regarding her alleged misuse of confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

‘Actually, the reports are already there at the ombudsman. We will review them, study them and we will confer with those who are currently handling the cases,’ Remulla said in English and Filipino at a press conference.

Duterte and nine other officials are accused of misuse of P500 million and P112.5 million in confidential funds of the OVP and DepEd, respectively, from 2022 to 2024.

Duterte concurrently served as secretary of DepEd in July 2022 until she resigned in July 2024.

It was revealed during House hearings that P125 million in confidential funds of the OVP in 2022 was spent in just 11 days.

In an interview yesterday, Remulla said he is also seeking a dialogue with the Sandiganbayan to coordinate swifter and ‘continuous’ trial of cases.

Remulla also made it clear he would not tolerate delaying tactics, particularly by those being accused of misdeeds.

He emphasized that the justice system is a dual responsibility, not just of the Office of the Ombudsman or the Department of Justice but also of courts.

Remulla also said he intends to adopt a policy on preliminary case evaluation being practiced in the DOJ to ‘weed out nuisance’ complaints. Such policy, he earlier told the Judicial and Bar Council, recognizes the preeminence of ‘reasonable certainty of conviction’ over prima facie evidence.

SALN access

The appointment of Remulla has been widely welcomed with retired Supreme Court (SC) senior associate justice Antonio Carpio urging him to take this as an opportunity to open the SALN of government officials to the public.

He, however, said private information that do not involve assets or liabilities – such as their residence, the names of their children – should be redacted.

‘The people have lost faith in all institutions of government. They have lost faith in the executive, legislative and even in the judiciary. The Office of the Ombudsman, I call it the second most powerful office of government, could turn the tide,’ Carpio said over radio dzBB.

Sen. Raffy Tulfo wants charges filed against 23 business process outsourcing (BPO) companies in Cebu that allegedly put the lives of their employees in danger when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the province recently.

Tulfo, chairman of the Senate committee on labor, yesterday said that one BPO company blocked the emergency exit of the facility to prevent employees from getting out, while another forced workers to immediately return to work after the quake.

‘I went to Cebu last weekend to condole with and help victims of the earthquake. I witnessed the sufferings of our countrymen. Some lost their loved ones, others their homes and property,’ Tulfo said. ‘I was furious when I learned that a BPO company compelled its workers to return to work instead of allowing them to go home after the earthquake. Another firm prevented the workers from going out of the building.’

In pushing to hold these companies accountable, Tulfo cited Labor Advisory 17 issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in 2022, which states that during calamities such as earthquakes and typhoons, companies must prioritize the safety of their workers and cannot penalize those who are unable to report to work due to safety risks.

He also cited a DOLE order that recognizes the right of workers to refuse work without threat or reprisal from employers if an imminent danger exists in the workplace.

‘What’s the purpose of these orders if these are not implemented properly? There should be a corresponding penalty against companies that violate DOLE’s orders and advisories,’ Tulfo said.

John Kyle Enero, spokesman for the BPO Industry Employees’ Network-Cebu, lamented the ‘business-as-usual’ policy of some BPO companies during natural disasters.

DOLE-Central Visayas chief Roy Buenafe said they investigated and issued work stoppage orders against six local BPO companies that reportedly violated labor laws.

AJ Lim showed his readiness to shoot for a medal in the Southeast Asian Games in December in topping the men’s singles of the PCA Open in Paco, Manila over the weekend.

Lim’s 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Jed Olivarez not only secured his fourth crown in the annual meet but also reaffirmed his status as the country’s top male netter.

It also earned the 26-year-old Lim the top purse worth P200,000.

‘We are tremendously proud and filled with joy at AJ Lim’s performance,’ said Jean Henri Lhuillier, whose Cebuana Lhuillier has helped bankroll Lim’s SEA Games preparation.

‘His dedication, discipline, and heart truly reflect the spirit of Cebuana Lhuillier. To see him rise once more to claim the PCA Open title is a moment of great pride not only for us, but for Philippine tennis as a whole,’ he added.

Newly-appointed Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said he will review the Pharmally scandal case, which involves graft over overpriced COVID-19 supplies, acknowledging it seemed to have been “forgotten.”

“Sisilipin natin ‘yan, kasi nga parang nalimutan na eh, naibaon sa limot, pero hindi dapat makalimutan talaga itong mga ganitong kaso,” Remulla said.

(We will look into that, because it seems it has been forgotten, buried in oblivion, but cases like this should truly not be forgotten.)

“Kasi alam natin mabigat ang alingaw-ngaw at maraming nagsasabi na may nangyari ngang masama doon. May naging pagdinig sa Senado ngunit hindi na umandar,” he added.

(Because we know the buzz is heavy, and many are saying that something truly bad happened there. There was a Senate hearing, but it didn’t move forward.)

In an interview with OneNews, former Blue Ribbon Committee Chairperson Richard Gordon said that the new Ombudsman will look into the Pharmally scandal.

Gordon, in the same interview, also said that detained former president Rodrigo Duterte was “part and parcel” of the conspiracy to “fleece the country” of at least “P11 billion to P47 billion” in the Pharmally fiasco.

“Very-very clear ang kasalanan ng presidente, inamin pa niya mismo,” Gordon said in an interview with OneNews’ “Storycon” on October 8.

(The fault of the president is very clear; he admitted it himself.)

As the Ombudsman, Remulla will now be in charge of the investigation and prosecution of government officials in their cases, which include cases of graft and corruption.

During the height of the scandal, the Office of the Ombudsman, which was then under the leadership of former Ombudsman Samuel Martires, filed graft cases against several individuals involved in the scandal last year.

Officials slapped with complaints include former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and former Undersecretary Christopher Lao. They are accused of illegally transferring over P41 billion from the Department of Health (DOH) to the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) in 2020, during the height of the pandemic.

Latest developments on the case. On October 2, three former DBM officials involved in the case pleaded not guilty before the Sandiganbayan.

The officials are:

Allan Raul Catalan

Dickson Panti

Gerelyn Francisco Vergara

The other co-accused in the case, namely Warren Liong from PS-DBM and Pharmally officials Mohit Dargani and Linconn Ong, did not enter a plea because the anti-graft court has yet to rule on their appeal to quash the graft charge against them.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has warned that five to eight more tropical cyclones are expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) before the end of the year.

PAGASA-Visayas Chief, Engr. Al Quiblat, said during the Openline Forum yesterday that the projection is based on the long-range forecast presented in the September 24 Climate Forum.

‘For the month of October, we are expecting two to four tropical cyclones. Tropical Storm Paolo, the 16th tropical cyclone of the year and the first for October, has already passed. This means there may still be up to three more this month,’ Quiblat said.

He added that based on tropical cyclone threat potential, weather models show a possibility of two low-pressure areas (LPAs) entering the PAR between week 1 and week 2 of October.

Although the likelihood of these systems intensifying into tropical cyclones remains low at the moment, PAGASA is closely monitoring their development.

Quiblat explained that ocean conditions near the Philippines, particularly in the western Pacific, remain active and dynamic due to a 71 percent chance of a looming La Niña.

‘This could change the development of weather disturbances,’ he said as he urged the public to stay updated on the intensity and movement of any potential cyclone.

For November, PAGASA has forecasted two to three tropical cyclones, and for December, one to two. Historical data also showed that from November to December, there is a 60 to 70 percent chance that tropical cyclones may track toward the Visayas region.

‘These cyclones that develop toward the end of the year tend to be landfalling systems,’ Quiblat noted, citing PAGASA’s climatological records.

PAGASA continued to remind the public to monitor weather updates, especially as the country enters the peak of the typhoon season.

PAGASA tropical cyclone names for 2025 are Auring, Bising, Crising, Dante, Emong, Fabian, Gorio, Huaning, Isang, Jacinto, Kiko, Lannie, Mirasol, Nando, Opong, Paolo, Quedan, Ramil, Salome, Tino, Uwan, Verbena, Wilma, Yasmin, Zoraida.

While the auxiliary names used if cyclones exceed 25 in a season will be Alamid, Bruno, Conching, Dolor, Ernie, Florante, Gerardo, Hernan, Isko, and Jerome.

Tennis sensation Alex Eala captured her breakthrough WTA singles title and served as anchor as Philippine athletes made it a ‘September to remember’.

On a high from her milestone first-round victory at the US Open main draw in August, Eala followed up with her maiden championship run at the Guadalajara 125 Open in Mexico.

The 20-year-old ace fought with much intensity and passion all the way through, sealing it with a searing comeback from a set down to beat Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.

With her exploits, Eala smashed her way to the top of the Philippine Sportswriters Association’s roster of achievers for the ninth month of 2025.

Aside from the elite netter, pole vaulter EJ Obiena, the Alas Pilipinas Men, darter Lovely Mae ‘Bebang’ Orbeta, and pickleball player Bambi Zoleta produced noteworthy performances in the other fronts.

Obiena helped stage a world-class street pole vault event, the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge at the Ayala Triangle, and gave Pinoy fans a complete treat by beating his foreign rivals for the gold with his season’s best 5.80 meters.

Alas spiked its stint in the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship at home with a massive upset of No. 21 Egypt, 29-27, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21. It was the country’s first-ever win in the global meet and Alas nearly made more history but lost to No. 14 Iran, 25-21, 21-25, 25-17, 23-25, 20-22, in a close battle for a Last-16 berth.

Writing history for Philippine darts, Orbeta hit the bull’s eye at the World Darts Federation (WDF) World Cup in Gyeonggi-do, Korea, capping an exceptional run with a dominant 7-2 victory over seasoned American Paula Murphy in the finale.

A decorated soft tennis player, Zoleta showed topnotch skills in another sport, copping a pair of gold medals at the World Pickleball Championship Tier 5 in Bali. Zoleta beat Indonesian Angie Bong, 21-15, for the tiara in the women’s singles 19+ 4.5 category, and teamed with Patricia Raymundo in overpowering Marine Demol and Mila Yatmi, 21-6, for the doubles mint.

Also making it to the September honor roll were Joseph Arcilla, Samuel Nuguit, Patrick Mendoza, Bien Zoleta, Princess Catindig and Christy Sañosa, who topped the mixed team division of the 9th Asian Soft Tennis Championships in Mungyeong City, Korea, and the Philippine delegation that claimed the Overall Nation Championship Trophy at the FIA Asia Pacific Motorsport Championship in Sri Lanka.

The Department of Public Works and Highways will build a detour bridge within two months to allow the resumption of vehicle traffic in the section of the Piggatan bridge in Alcala, Cagayan, which collapsed earlier this week, according to DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon.

Dizon, who went to Cagayan to inspect the Piggatan bridge with Gov. Edgar Aglipay, said they also wanted to tap alternate modes of transportation to address the province’s needs for both its people and goods, mainly agricultural crops.

Dizon said that while the DPWH will work to build a detour bridge that people can use in place of the collapsed bridge, the detour will still be too long for convenience.

‘The most pressing issue we’re facing now is the distance of the detour,’ he said. ‘For trucks, it adds about 80 kilometers more to their route. You can just imagine the effect on logistics costs, especially for essential goods like food. That’s a huge impact – more than two additional hours of travel for an 82-kilometer detour.’

According to the DPWH chief, the move would help speed up the transport of agricultural products during the harvest season and reduce the heavy dependence on long-haul trucking routes.

ARROW Law IRR being drafted

Meanwhile, the DPWH will start drafting the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for Republic Act 12289 or the Accelerated and Reformed Right-of-way (ARROW) Law, which expedites the government’s right-of-way land acquisitions for infrastructure projects.

Dizon named DPWH Undersecretary for legal service Samuel Rufino Turgano to chair the ARROW Act IRR Committee and to form the team that will lead the drafting.

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearings on the ghost and substandard flood control projects had revealed that delays in ROW acquisitions for the projects were used to justify stopping work and abandoning the projects.

Meanwhile, the DPWH should lower the prices of their infrastructure projects so as to discourage engineers from getting kickbacks or commissions, Batangas’ Rep. Leandro Leviste said.

He suggested that it would be best if the agency ‘lower project prices by 25 percent to prevent kickbacks’ and to be ‘fully transparent about the 2026 DPWH budget before it is voted on by Congress’ on third and final reading.

Presidential investment czar Frederick Go on Thursday, October 9, clarified that reports claiming the corruption scandal caused the Philippine market to dive were false, even if Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Francis Lim himself was the one who cited them.

During the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines conference, Lim said that P1.7 trillion was wiped out from the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) due to the corruption issue. This represented a 12% decline in the market.

Go said that Lim cited false information.

‘Unfortunately, the Securities and Exchange Commission chairman was quoting from a confirmed fake news socmed post designed to catch attention and falsely sensationalize,’ Go said in a press conference in Malacañang Palace.

Go said he also confirmed this with the PSE president himself.

The only legitimate drop in the PSE was 1.6% from August 11 to 29. Go also cited Inquirer’s Biz Buzz, which debunked the P1.7-trillion meltdown as early as September.

As far as Go knew, there were also no businesses that pulled out their investments in the country because of the corruption issue.

‘I think sometimes when there is unpredictability in the environment, people might temporarily think about their investment projects. But we’re quite confident that when this is all resolved, they will all come back. So, they have not pulled out. They will continue rather, that they will continue with their projects,’ Go said.

Go declined to comment on whether Lim will face any consequences for sharing misinformation in a public forum.

Addressing the US State Department’s report that found corruption as a barrier to investment in the Philippines, Go said that this is nothing new.

Red tape and corruption have long been flagged by other international chambers and groups, he said.

The difference now is that the administration is more keen on addressing the matter, Go said.

‘This administration sees the fight against corruption and red tape as a core part of its economic strategy. Again, the president himself initiated the current investigation as a catalyst for governance reform and to address long-standing issues decisively,’ Go said.

Amid ongoing political noise and flood control projects controversy in the country, President Marcos gamely answered personal questions about his family in a podcast interview.

In the last part of his latest podcast, the President credited First Lady Liza Marcos for her accomplishments in the past three years of his presidency.

Marcos said he was amazed at how his wife worked to ‘bring back to its old glory’ the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City in time for the country’s hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit next year.

Asked how many ‘brownie points’ he earned for praising his wife during the recent reopening of the PICC, the President responded laughing, ‘I hope a lot. I’m going to live off that for as long as I can.’

Marcos described his wife as smart and very effective.

‘She just doesn’t let go of something. Once she gets a hold of something and she decides to do it, she actually gets it done. And she’s very effective,’ the President said.

Marcos added: ‘Her legal training serves her well.’