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Through strategic storytelling, impact-driven narratives and tech news that empower communities, the GCash Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Team earned multiple distinctions at the 21st Philippine Quill Awards 2025.

The team received honors in Women in Tech under Communication Management and in Community Relations and Diversity and Inclusion, both for GTalks.

In addition, the Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Team was named a Bronze Stevie® winner for Communications Department of the Year at the International Business Awards (IBA) 2025. These accolades underscore how GCash Corporate Communications continues to balance business growth with purposeful and sustained focus on driving inclusion, trust and meaningful impact.

Championing women in technology

At the Quill Awards, GCash was cited for its GTalks: Empowering the Next Generation of Women in Tech. The session, part of the broader GTalks series, opened dialogue on bridging the gender divide in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), where women remain underrepresented worldwide.

Through programs like GTalks, GCash has made space for more women to participate in technology-driven careers by promoting inclusive hiring, offering flexible work arrangements, and investing in ongoing learning.

Its partnerships with groups such as Connected Women and For The Women also help ensure women are equipped to lead and succeed in digital roles.

These efforts reflect commitments of GCash such as the signing of the UN Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in 2024. Currently, half of the company’s leadership team is led by women.

‘Recognition from the Quill Awards affirms that financial technology can play a role far bigger than transactions. With platforms like GTalks, we are creating opportunities for women, the youth and underserved communities to take part in shaping the digital economy. At GCash, progress is defined by inclusion, because growth that leaves people behind is not real progress at all,’ said Gilda Maquilan, VP and head of Corporate Communications at GCash.

Communications excellence on the global stageOn the international front, the company’s corporate communications team was honored at the 2025 Stevie® Awards where it received the Bronze Stevie for Communications Department of the Year. The recognition reflects the team’s role in building confidence in digital finance, guiding public conversations on fintech and amplifying the broader purpose-driven initiatives of GCash.

Over the past two years, the team has supported major milestones, from helping position GCash as the first Philippine company in the World Economic Forum Unicorn Community, they have also been instrumental in promoting programs such as GForest, which has supported the planting of over 4 million trees, and the GCash Eco Run, which encouraged 12,000 Filipinos nationwide to take part in climate action.

By earning distinction both locally and abroad, GCash demonstrates how a Philippine fintech brand can stand as a leader in both innovation and advocacy, championing financial access while also using its platform to push for equality, sustainability and nation-building.

The country’s biggest exporters group and a major farmers’ organization yesterday welcomed the European Union’s (EU) decision to delay the implementation of its new deforestation regulation, saying it would give local producers and exporters more time to prepare for compliance.

‘Of course, if they’re going to postpone it, that’s better. It’s very hard to comply with all the requirements they set. You need to secure certifications and that takes time,’ Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said in a phone interview with The STAR.

Ortiz-Luis said the group was not keen on the new rule since it would likely translate to additional costs and compliance burdens for exporters, particularly small and medium enterprises.

Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) national manager Raul Montemayor shared the same sentiment, saying the extension would give the country a longer window to build the systems and processes needed to meet the EU’s strict traceability requirements.

‘It takes a lot of preparation. For example, if you export coconut products to the EU, you have to prove that they do not come from environmentally destructive farming practices. The traceability system is very complicated, from where the crop was planted to when it reaches the EU,’ Montemayor told The STAR in another phone interview.

Montemayor said that without a proper verification system, local products risk being barred from the EU, which imported pound 194.9 billion (about P11.9 trillion if pound 1=P61) worth of agricultural goods in 2024, according to data from the European Commission (EC).

He added that even with the extension, a year might still not be enough for the country to catch up.

In an advisory last Monday, the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) said the EC has postponed the enforcement of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to December 2026, two years beyond the original 2024 target.

Former Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) president and CEO Xavier Loinaz, who led the Ayala-led bank for more than two decades, passed away at the age of 82 on Oct. 4.

Loinaz, known to colleagues as ‘XP,’ served as BPI’s president and CEO from 1982 to 2004, one of the longest leadership tenures in Philippine banking.

He guided the bank through difficult periods, including the debt crisis of the early 1980s and the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, while steering BPI toward resilience and growth.

BPI president and CEO Jose Teodoro ‘TG’ Limcaoco said Loinaz’s leadership defined ‘an era of resilience and innovation’ for the bank.

During his tenure, BPI pioneered key innovations in the local industry. It became the first Philippine bank to roll out automated teller machines in the early 1980s and launched internet banking in 1999, transforming the way Filipinos accessed financial services.

Loinaz also oversaw major acquisitions that solidified BPI’s market leadership, including Family Bank in the mid-1980s, Citytrust in the mid-1990s and Far East Bank at the turn of the century.

Trust is one of the most fragile and powerful things in the world. It takes years to build, seconds to break and sometimes a lifetime to restore. We all know this truth, and yet we still choose to trust. Despite everything we’ve seen, despite the betrayals, disappointments and half-kept promises, we continue to take that risk. And that, to me, is one of the most courageous acts a person can do.

After all, it is easier not to trust. It is easier to build walls. It is easier to believe that everyone has an agenda, that every kind word hides a motive, that every new connection will eventually lead to pain. Suspicion protects you from heartbreak, but it also isolates you from joy. It guards you from deception, but it also shields you from love. In our effort to avoid being hurt again, we sometimes forget that trust is not weakness. It is strength.

I have learned this the hard way. Over the years, after experiencing disappointments in friendships, in business and in public life, I found myself becoming careful to a fault. I told myself I was being wise, that I had learned my lesson. But what I really did was close doors. I filtered every interaction through past pain. I became so focused on avoiding betrayal that I forgot how to give people the chance to prove themselves.

Then one day, I realized that distrust, when carried too long, can quietly turn into bitterness. It eats away at your hope in people. It makes you see shadows where there are none. It convinces you that the world is colder than it really is. That is not wisdom. That is fear wearing the mask of wisdom. And I did not want to live that way.

Trust is not blind. It is not about ignoring risks or pretending that people will never hurt you. Real trust is clear-eyed. It sees the danger, but moves forward anyway. It is a decision to believe that goodness still exists, even when you’ve seen proof of the opposite. It is choosing to believe that some people will still stand by you, even when others have walked away.

To trust again after being hurt is not naive. It is brave. It means you refuse to let the worst experiences define how you see the world. It means you believe that the next person you meet should not have to pay for someone else’s mistake. It means you believe that the human heart, though flawed, is still capable of loyalty, honesty and love.

I often think about the bikers, workers and partners I’ve met through the years. Many of them have trusted us with their livelihoods, their families and their future. For many, this trust came after a long history of being let down by institutions, promises or people in power. And yet, they chose to believe again. That is what moves me the most. It reminds me that hope survives through trust. Without it, progress is impossible.

In leadership, trust is both the hardest thing to earn and the easiest thing to lose. It is not built through grand gestures, but through consistency. Through showing up every single day. Through doing what you say you will do, even when no one is watching. Trust is not a declaration, it is a pattern. You cannot demand it; you can only demonstrate it.

And the same applies to our personal lives. We gain trust not by being perfect, but by being honest about our imperfections. When we admit our mistakes, when we apologize sincerely, when we stand by someone even when it’s inconvenient, that is when trust deepens. It is never about the absence of failure. It is about presence through it.

The older I get, the more I realize that trust is the foundation of everything that matters. Families survive because of trust. Friendships last because of trust. Businesses grow because of trust. Nations progress because of trust. When trust breaks down, everything else eventually follows. That is why I believe it should be guarded, but not withheld. Tested, but not feared.

Some people will take advantage of it. Some will break it. But that does not make trust a mistake. It just means you gave something pure to someone who did not know how to hold it. And that is on them, not on you. Your ability to trust is not a flaw that needs fixing. It is a reflection of your heart’s strength. The world will always need more people who are willing to trust first, lead first and believe first.

We live in a time when cynicism is easier than hope. Everyone has an opinion, everyone is suspicious, everyone is afraid to look foolish. But somewhere in the noise, there are still quiet people who choose to trust. They are the ones who keep relationships alive, who build communities, who make real change possible.

To trust is to take a leap with eyes open. You may fall, but you may also fly. And that possibility, that fragile chance of connection and meaning, is what makes life worth living. So trust again. Carefully, wisely, but wholeheartedly. Let people earn it, but also let them surprise you. Give them room to rise to the faith you place in them.

Because in the end, distrust builds cages, but trust builds bridges. And though not every bridge will hold, the ones that do can take you farther than fear ever could.

So trust again, even when it feels risky. Not because people always deserve it, but because you deserve the peace that comes from not carrying suspicion everywhere you go. Choose to see the world not through the lens of who hurt you, but through the belief that some will still be kind, some will still be loyal and some will still keep their word.

Trust is the quiet courage of the hopeful. It is not the absence of scars, but the refusal to let those scars harden you. It is saying yes to life again, even after pain.

And that, more than anything, is the truest kind of strength.

The Miss Asia Pacific International (MAPI) organization successfully held its charity gala at the grand ballroom of the Radisson Blu in Cebu City. The well-attended affair generated a generous amount for both its public and silent auctions for the benefit of Operation Smile.

Headed by Mariquita Yeung, Operation Smile offers free surgeries and care for children born with cleft palates, giving them a chance to live without fear or stigma. Proceeds from the charity gala will help fund the surgery for children with cleft conditions.

“This benefit gala is held in support of Operation Smile. It gives beauty platforms, like the Miss Asia Pacific International, a higher purpose. True beauty shines when rooted in compassion. This outreach project is for children who needed the most attention as we continue to be the reason that they continue to smile,” said Eva Patalinghug at the onset of the public auction.

Some of the auctioned pieces included a Kenneth Cobonpue Yoda easy chair, a Vito Selma Reyna chair, and a John Herrera silk Duchess opera coat, aside from signature handbags that were on display for the silent bids.

The charity gala was also a tribute to Cebuano creativity. A breathtaking fashion showcase of Philippine Terno creations, as worn by the official delegates of Miss Asia Pacific International 2025, paraded before supporters and spectators.

Forty-four (44) Cebu-based designers from the Clothes for Life organization garbed the candidates, together with last year’s 2nd runner-up Selena Ali of Belgium and reigning queen Janelis Leyva of the United States, who were fabulously dressed by Cary Santiago.

“This is a gathering of shared vision and purpose, aside from promoting Cebu as a global destination. The Miss Asia Pacific International is a pageant that inspires transformation as well as uplift lives,” said MAPI board of directors member Tiffany Prima Tan.

Jana Jannsens of Belgium was adjudged as Best in Philippine Terno, while designer Alejandro Godinez Jr., who created Miss Philippines Anita Rose Gomez’s stunning outfit, was named Best Designer.

Beauties extend helping hands

Just as the gala ended, a 6.9 earthquake, caused by the Bogo Fault, rocked the ballroom. Fortunately, nobody was harmed. The Radisson Blu hotel staff calmly and efficiently herded the ballroom guests, as well as the hotel guests, outside of the building. There were four tremors after but not as strong as the initial quake.

It was only Miss Belgium who experienced a sprain while exiting the venue. She was rushed to the nearest hospital and was declared to have a sprain and not a fracture, as was feared by most.

Luckily, Miss Nepal Prapti Rhanabat, who also fell from the ramp on her way to the exit, did not hurt herself. It was the same for Miss Peru Michaela Willa Lazarte, who slid on the rain-drenched pavement while boarding off the bus. The following day, all the delegates hied off to the packing center to lend their hands in packing relief goods for distribution, including Miss Belgium who arrived in crutches.

The 42nd Miss Asia Pacific International coronation night will unfold on October 8 at the Cebu Coliseum. Outgoing titleholder Janelis Leyva of the United States will crown her successor. Stay tuned!

The center cannot hold.

Over the weekend, Senator Panfilo Lacson announced he was quitting as head of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee. In the days preceding, he found himself at the center of controversy over how the corruption hearings were going.

In the last hearing, we were treated to explosive testimony from a former Marine who served as security detail for Zaldy Co. He described how tens of millions in cash stashed in suitcases were delivered to the former congressman and to the homes of former speaker Martin Romualdez.

This was followed by a massive effort to douse that testimony mainly on the technicality of faulty notarization. But that was testimony made in person, under oath and on the Senate floor. And the story linked all the other parts of the building narrative that plunder was undertaken with the connivance of the most powerful politicians.

Lacson was constrained to announce that Romualdez and Co, the emerging Batman and Robin in this story of massive corruption, were to be summoned to the hearing. The next thing we heard was that the Senate hearings will be suspended indefinitely supposedly to give way to budget deliberations.

That was like a stick of dynamite with a lighted fuse was submerged in water – enough to douse the fire and avert an explosion. For every action, there was an equal reaction: powerful forces were in motion to kill an explosive story.

After this episode, Lacson shifted the conversation rather abruptly. He began talking about budget insertions made by the senators. That, in turn, prompted an unexpected reaction: five senators threatened to quit the majority bloc. That threat might blow up the precarious Senate presidency of Tito Sotto.

Lacson had to eat his own blunder. He quit the Blue Ribbon chairmanship in a desperate bid to save the Sotto leadership.

That may or may not suffice. We will see what happens in the forthcoming plenary sessions.

There were more revelations about humongous insertions made by the senators themselves. Those revelations have brought the chamber to the brink of implosion. The investigators, it appears, now need to be themselves investigated. But by whom?

Over the last several days, the implicated senators began playing sophomoric word games with the public. ‘Amendments’ were not ‘insertions’ we are told. The objective here is not clarity but obfuscation.

We are told that amendments resulting in billions of pesos earmarked according to the whim of politicians is completely legal. But this is exactly the anomaly that brought about the massive corruption on infrastructure projects: legislators playing gods, directing where public investments should go.

By earmarking public funds for their identified projects, legislators become ‘funders’ in the language of those involved in the actual looting. As ‘funders,’ they are entitled to as much as 25 percent in commissions – considered as ‘obligations’ of those stealing public funds. This is at the very heart of the scandal now razing our institutions and causing public trust to evaporate.

No doubt, the Senate is well on its way to imploding. The blades are out. The veneer of civility is wearing thin.

So desperate have things become that one senator has called for ‘snap’ elections that excludes all incumbents. Senate President-at-the-moment Tito Sotto says this will be an invitation to chaos.

But, Mr. Senator, the country is already in chaos. There are people calling for the early establishment of a ‘revolutionary government’ to enable the nation to slip out of a bankrupt constitutional order designed to plunder.

When a horse breaks a leg, it is considered an act of mercy to put it out of its misery with a bullet to the head. All the legs of our badly designed constitutional order are broken.

What is happening in the Senate is merely the most imminent breaking point in a long fault line. After this chamber implodes, other meltdowns could happen.

What is unfolding before our eyes is the whole system of patronage, where institutions shelter their members and the powerful protect their underlings, is cracking up. Public vigilance is unmasking the hypocrisy of the ruling elite. Scandal is paralyzing the ability of the powerful to shelter their corrupt underlings.

It is simply that the system of patronage that masqueraded as a democracy has now become unsustainable. The system of corrupt politics bled our nation dry. The nation now has no more blood to give.

We are in a classic revolutionary situation. But, as the theoretician Antonio Gramsci put it, the old order is dying; and the new one could not yet be born.

Therefore, we find ourselves in a historic purgatory. The ruling elites, including the most pretentious ‘reformers,’ have lost all credence. They struggle to remain afloat by putting the others down. In the end, the whole nation drowns: the failed government complements the failed economy.

All the corruption that has happened takes a toll on all of us far more profound than what conventional accountants can measure. We suffer the daily grind in the most brutal circumstances in a society founded on meanness. We have difficulty envisioning a hopeful future for our people.

The first sentence above comes from that poem by William Butler Yeats called ‘The Second Coming.’ A fuller quote reads: ‘Things fall apart; the center cannot hold.The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.’

Expressway builder Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) is making its return to the bond market to raise up to P20 billion and fund the completion of big-ticket projects.

MPTC yesterday said it is offering to the public P15 billion in fixed-rate bonds, with an oversubscription option of P5 billion, to finance the delivery of ongoing projects.

The bonds will be offered in tenors of three, five and 10 years, providing flexibility for MPTC in paying the interest to investors.

The bonds will be issued at par, with interest calculated on a 30- and 360-day basis and paid quarterly in arrears. The Philippine Rating Services Corp. assigned the offer with the highest score of PRS Aaa with a stable outlook.

The offer will run from Nov. 17 to 21 and will be listed at the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp. on Dec. 2.

MPTC president and CEO Gilbert Santa Maria said proceeds from the issuance would finance the completion of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) and Lapu-Lapu Expressway (LLEX).

MPTC expects CALAX to be finished by the first half of 2026 as its final segments have found their contractors in EEI Corp. and CM Pancho Construction Inc.

Moreover, MPTC is co-building another tollway in Cebu, the LLEX, which would bridge Cebu City and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport via the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, another project managed by MPTC.

Further, Santa Maria said part of the proceeds would go for the maintenance of the Manila-Cavite Expressway, as it gears up for additional traffic once CALAX fully opens. The two tollways will be connected to improve connectivity to the south of Mega Manila.

MPTC will also direct some of the proceeds to refinance loans. In August, then-MPTC president and CEO Jose Maria Lim said the company owes lenders around P80 billion, and it eyes to bring this down further before entertaining the idea of going public.

‘This bond issuance aims to bolster MPTC’s fiscal position while ensuring the capital adequacy to support continued infrastructure investment and operational excellence,’ Santa Maria said.

The issuance will be managed jointly by BPI Capital Corp. and First Metro Investment Corp. MPTC tapped BDO Capital and Investment Corp., China Bank Capital Corp. PNB Capital and Investment Corp. and Security Bank Capital Investment Corp. as joint lead underwriters.

A total of 131 insurance providers complied with the Insurance Commission (IC)’s directive to submit a complete inventory of their products and service offerings, ensuring regulatory compliance and transparency in the industry.

‘This is in line with the commission’s efforts to ensure that entities are not allowed to offer products unapproved by the commission, as strengthened by the implementation of the Financial Products and Services Consumer Protection Act,’ the regulator said.

The directive encompasses all entities under the IC’s supervision, including life, non-life and composite insurers. It also includes mutual benefit associations (MBA), health maintenance organizations (HMO) and pre-need companies offering various insurance-related services.

Insurance firms were given until Sept. 15 to comply with the directive of the IC. In its previous advisory, the commission warned that non-compliance could lead to sanctions and regulatory measures under existing laws.

However, several companies failed to submit a product inventory report to the IC.

These include AIA Philippines Life and General Insurance Co., CLIMBS Life and General Assurance Philippines, Apex Life and General Assurance Corp., BPI AIA Life Assurance Corp. and Philippine Life Financial Assurance Corp.

For HMOs, Forticare Health Systems International, Getwell Health System, Medicare Plus and Optimum Medical and Healthcare Services failed to comply with the requirement. Likewise, pre-need companies including AMA Plans, Eternal Plans and Evergreen Life Plan Services also failed to submit.

Those in the non-life industry that were unable to comply were Asia United Insurance, Cibeles Insurance Corp., Insurance Company of North America, Metropolitan Insurance Co. and People’s General Insurance Corp.

It also includes the Prudential Guarantee and Assurance, SGI Philippines General Insurance Company and Visayan Surety and Insurance Corp.

For MBAs, the insurance regulator reported that as CCT Mutual Benefit Association, Fire Services Mutual Benefit Association, Goodlife Mutual Benefit Association, Kabigkis Mutual Benefit Association, Lakan Mutual Benefit Association, Meralco Employees Mutual Aid and Benefits Association, did not submit the report.

Also included among those who are unable to file compliance requirements are Novo Ecijano Teachers Mutual Benefit Association and the Philippine Public School Teachers Association.

The insurance regulator reminds the public to transact only with IC-regulated entities and to exercise utmost caution when dealing with providers falsely claiming to be registered with the commission.

At least 16 out of 48 public schools in Mandaue City sustained partial damage following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu on September 30, according to a report from the Mandaue City Office of the Building Official (OBO) and city engineers.

This was revealed after Mayor Thadeo Jovito ‘Jonkie’ Ouano conducted an inspection on Monday, October 6, at Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School, Mandaue City Central School, and Looc Elementary School.

‘Partially damaged lang, dili pud whole school ang na-damage – naa lang gyud mga parts nga nadaot,’ Mayor Ouano said.

At the Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School, cracks were observed on some columns, while at Looc Elementary School, the building locally known as the ‘Petron Building’ was found to be tilted. The mayor clarified, however, that the structure had already been slightly tilted even before the quake.

To ensure the safety of students, the damaged building remains off-limits even though classes have resumed following the temporary suspension after the earthquake.

Mayor Ouano said he has instructed the OBO and the City Engineering Office to recheck the structures.

Before lifting the suspension of classes, he said he had requested an official report from the OBO to determine whether teachers and students could safely return to their classrooms.

During his inspection at Mandaue City Central School, Ouano also found columns with visible cracks. He said these may still be repaired through retrofitting since the damage was not as severe as that of Looc Elementary School.

The mayor said the inspection aims to assess what the city can immediately repair and how to expedite the process.

He added that Edgar Espina, administrative officer of the Department of Education (DepEd) Mandaue City Division, informed him that the department has a Quick Response Fund that may be utilized for repairs.

However, Ouano emphasized that the city government will not rely solely on that fund. He said he has reached out to the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) for possible assistance and also sought support from the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) for the repair of the 16 partially affected schools.

‘For the city government’s part, naa pud ta’y pondo, pero medyo mo-agi pa ni’g proseso. It would be better if the private sector could also help so the repairs can be completed faster,’ he said.

‘That would be better for the city sad, nga ma-paspas, ma-normal nasad ang pag-klase aning mga students,’ the mayor added.

While classes have resumed, Ouano assured that learning activities have not been disrupted since only certain portions of the schools were affected.

Students from damaged classrooms were transferred to other rooms, though he admitted these have become more crowded than usual.

The mayor said the city government is working to fast-track the repairs of the partially damaged school buildings to restore normal learning conditions.

‘Muhangyo ko da atoang mga kaigsounan nga pataasan lang gamay ang atoang pasensya, pero ang inyohang local nga kagamhanan diri sa City of Mandaue naningkamot ug maayo para ma-paspasan ni siya nga mapangitaan dayun nato ug paagi,’ Ouano said.

He added that with the combined efforts of DepEd’s Quick Response Fund and assistance from the private sector, the city hopes to accelerate the repair of damaged infrastructure.

Additionally, while all public schools in Mandaue have already resumed classes, Ouano clarified that private schools may decide on their own reopening once they have been inspected by their respective engineers.

He said the city government is ready to assist private schools that may need help.

‘Kung mangayo sila’g tabang, andam kaayo ta. Coordinate lang sila para ma-send dayon nato ang OBO ug engineering team,’ he said.

A ‘frustrated’ Sen. Panfilo Lacson resigned yesterday as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee.

The Senate plenary is expected to tackle the resignation this week. If Lacson cannot be prevailed upon to reconsider, four senators are being eyed to replace him in the panel, according to Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who recieved the letter of resignation.

In a message to The STAR, Lacson said his decision was driven by frustration, not pressure.

‘No one can pressure me. Been there, done that – with GMA, even Erap (on the jueteng issue) and Duterte,’ he said, referring to former presidents Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Joseph Estrada and Rodrigo Duterte.

‘I resist and fight when I know I’m right. Needless to say, I can handle all the pressure from all directions. It’s frustration that is hard to bear,’ he added.

In a letter, Lacson wrote, ‘In the course of the current investigation, which has implicated some senators in the flood control mess, a number of our colleagues have expressed disappointment with the ‘direction’ of the Blue Ribbon committee.’

Some senators have accused him of ‘zeroing in’ on colleagues while protecting House lawmakers linked to ghost or substandard infrastructure projects, an allegation Lacson denied.

‘Nothing could be further from the truth. This narrative is categorically false. These misrepresentations are being floated mostly by critics opposed to our efforts to get to the bottom of the flood control anomalies,’ he maintained.

Lacson said he plans to end his political career after 2031, or when his fresh six-year term ends.

‘I do not need to amass political capital, much less at the expense of anybody, because I entertain no further political plans after my term ends in 2031,’ he said.

Inquiry alive

Meanwhile, the Senate Blue Ribbon panel’s inquiry into anomalous flood control projects nationwide will continue, Senate President Sotto said yesterday.

Four senators eyed to replace Lacson are ‘very good’ candidates, Sotto said.

The Blue Ribbon inquiry has led to the filing of charges against Senators Francis Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva.

Senators, congressmen, engineers and contractors have been implicated in multibillion-peso ghost or substandard infrastructure deals.

‘The only time (Lacson is) deemed resigned is when we elect a new chairman,’ Sotto noted.

Sotto dismissed claims that Lacson’s resignation is aimed at preventing instability within the chamber amid talks of a leadership coup.

Stable

Sotto is confident in the Senate leadership’s stability, dismissing rumors on social media that efforts are being made to oust him.

Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano is allegedly being touted as Sotto’s replacement.

Cayetano assured him that the rumors were false, Sotto said.

Civic group Tindig Pilipinas, one of the organizers of the Trillion Peso March, is opposing reported efforts to change the Senate leadership.

A Cayetano-led Senate would only ‘bury the crimes of the Dutertes’ and any possible leadership shift would be a ‘biased and deceitful show of transparency,’ the group asserted.

Sotto downplayed speculation of a ‘loyalty check’ within the majority bloc, saying senators remain in constant communication.

Quoting Sen. JV Ejercito, Sotto said reports of Ejercito’s plan to join the minority were a rehash.

Ejercito had called Lacson to explain that the statements attributed to him were misleading, he noted.

No senator is planning to leave the majority bloc, Sotto maintained.

Ejercito earlier said he and four members of the majority were mulling leaving the bloc due to how senators are ‘burning down our own house.’

‘Almost all’ senators in the 19th Congress had questionable insertions in the 2025 national budget, Lacson revealed earlier.