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The World Health Organization (WHO) is ready to provide aid to the victims of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu Tuesday.

WHO Director Deneral Tedros Ghebreyesus yesterday said they sympathize with the Philippines, especially those affected by the powerful earthquake.

‘My thoughts are with everyone in the Philippines, especially those who have lost loved ones in the earthquake,’ Ghebreyesus said in a social media post. ‘WHO is ready to support the government to meet the health needs of the people affected.’

Meanwhile, the Department of Health welcomed the offer of the WHO to help Cebu during this very difficult time. DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said they would just need to coordinate on the assistance to be sent by the WHO as well as those coming from other international organizations.

‘We were informed not only by the WHO but also by other foreign partners that, if needed, they are ready,’ he said. ‘We are just avoiding for things to get out of hand if there are many people coming in at the same time. So we coordinate everything first and they will come in at a moment’s notice.’

Lawmakers help

The House of Representatives has adopted a resolution expressing its sympathy to the victims of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu, but was silent on financial aid.

In House Resolution No. 325, authors Speaker Faustino Dy III, majority leader Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos and minority leader 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan urged all members of the House to do their part in helping the victims recover from the tragedy.

‘The House of Representatives extends its heartfelt condolences and profound empathy to the families and loved ones of those affected by this tragedy, and stands in unwavering solidarity with the province of Cebu and all other stricken communities in their time of great need and collective recovery,’ HR 325 read.

Meanwhile, Bagong Henerasyon party-list said it will support moves of the House to pitch in for disaster relief to quake-hit areas.

‘The House often gathers contributions from its members for disaster response and rapid aid. For the coming weeks and months, we will prod the concerned departments to execute governance and business continuity measures, so that the affected barangays and towns are able to recover and rebuild,’ BH party-list spokesperson Bernadette Herrera said in a joint statement with Rep. Robert Nazal.

‘In previous Congresses, the House made sure communities and even destroyed churches were given needed funds for reconstruction,’ Herrera recalled.

Nazal added he will make sure that the 2026 budget will have specific funds for post-earthquake rehabilitation for the towns and barangays that suffered the most in Cebu.

For his part, Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong expressed yesterday his support for the call of President Marcos for an emergency fund for quake victims.

During a visit to quake-hit areas on Thursday, Marcos said he ‘will be going to Congress, the House and the Senate, so they can provide emergency funds.’

‘We are with the people of Cebu in this time of crisis and the House of the People will heed the president’s call to give Cebu the resources it needs to save lives and protect futures,’ Adiong said in a statement.

Airlines join relief ops

Local air carriers Philippine Airlines Cebu Pacific and AirAsia Philippines are preparing to airlift basic necessities, including fresh drinking water and other essential supplies, for the victims of earthquake in Cebu.

Cebu Pacific said ‘we packed more than just relief goods as we also packed HOPE. Thank you for the initiative and making Cebu Pacific Air part of it.’

PAL, together with LT Group, is preparing to airlift basic necessities, including drinking water and other essential supplies, to help sustain ongoing relief operations.

‘These efforts will be undertaken within the capabilities of our available aircraft, as we carry out humanitarian missions alongside our regular flight schedules,’ it said.

AirAsia said it is ‘working with government agencies, NGOs and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation to help transport emergency medical teams and essential supplies to Cebu. This is to aid in the recovery process, provide comfort and help rebuild lives.’

Meanwhile, Tingog party-list yesterday rolled out its initial relief mission to assist affected families by distributing food packs to thousands of residents.

Shabu with an estimated street value of P850 million was seized in an anti-narcotics operation that also resulted in the arrest of two drug suspects in Bugallon, Pangasinan on Thursday afternoon.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said a Chinese national identified only as Monkey, 40, and his Filipino cohort yielded 125 kilos of shabu stashed in tea bags following a sting along Olongapo-Bugallon Road in Barangay Polong.

The suspects were collared after they reportedly received the marked money from PDEA undercover agents who offered them P5 million in exchange for the illegal substance.

The arresting team also seized the suspects’ Hyundai Starex van and phones believed used in drug transactions as well as the marked money.

PDEA chief Isagani Nerez said the arrest of the suspects and the seizure of the illegal substance resulted from extensive intelligence work, which enabled agents to track down people connected to major illegal drug networks.

‘Nasaan ang mga researcher?’ Sen. Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan’s question at the recent Senate hearing on the higher education budget cuts deep into one of the most urgent, yet persistently overlooked, challenges facing the Philippines.

According to World Bank data, the country has only 172 researchers for every one million people-barely half the 322 average in other middle-income countries. The figure is not just a statistic; it is a stark reminder that while nations around us push forward with innovation, we remain stuck in an outdated model of higher education that prioritizes producing graduates rather than generating knowledge.

The senator’s warning that our universities risk becoming ‘undergraduate factories’ captures the heart of the problem. Philippine higher education has long been structured around access and teaching rather than research and innovation.

The result is that while thousands of young people graduate every year, with more than the usual graduates with Latin honors, too few are trained or supported to become part of the intellectual workforce needed to address national problems.

Without deliberate investment, we are left with a vicious cycle: a thin pool of researchers leading to fewer innovations, which then justifies continued underfunding, leaving the country further behind. And this has perpetuated the status quo, which we say is broken.

The government’s allocation of P33.36 billion to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in the 2026 National Expenditure Program, while appearing substantial, is far from enough to narrow the gap.

More troubling is that much of this budget goes to scholarships, regulatory functions, or infrastructure-areas that, while important, do little to address the structural deficit in research capacity.

Compare this with our ASEAN neighbors. Malaysia, for instance, has invested heavily in research clusters and centers of excellence, linking university research directly with industrial development.

Vietnam, once behind us, has surged ahead by aggressively supporting research partnerships with global institutions. Thailand has embedded research into its development strategy, ensuring that scholars contribute directly to solving national problems.

In the Philippines, meanwhile, research remains the preserve of a few elite universities while the vast majority of state universities and colleges remain underfunded and overburdened.

Faculty members often carry teaching loads and committee work so heavy that serious research becomes nearly impossible. Laboratories remain under-equipped and library journals remain underfunded.

Promotion systems reward administrative service or teaching hours over publications and citations and substantial innovation and impact in the community/institution. While some research grants exist, they are typically small, fragmented, and short-term, preventing the kind of sustained inquiry that produces meaningful impact.

The consequences are visible everywhere. In agriculture, our farmers continue to grapple with outdated technologies and climate risks, yet locally driven agricultural research remains thin.

In public health, we continue to rely heavily on imported knowledge, even as Filipino researchers abroad contribute significantly to global medical science.

In education, policies are too often imported wholesale from other contexts without sufficient homegrown studies to test their applicability. The dearth of researchers translates directly into a dearth of solutions.

Worse, the brightest minds often leave or marginalized. The so-called brain drain is not just about nurses and engineers; it also drains the country of its most promising academics.

Young Filipino scholars trained abroad often struggle to find adequate support when they return, pushing many to build their careers overseas instead. While the diaspora can be a source of strength through collaborations, the weak institutional support at home prevents these connections from blossoming into robust, large-scale networks of innovation.

This problem is not new. For decades, the expansion of state universities has focused more on quantity than quality, which has also perpetuated the existence of diploma mills.

Political incentives favor building new campuses and increasing enrolment over investing in laboratories, faculty development, or international linkages.

The mindset that higher education is primarily about teaching rather than knowledge creation has been difficult to dislodge. And yet, without a shift in that mindset, no amount of budget tinkering will solve the crisis.

Reversing this trend requires bold steps. First, the government must treat research not as a luxury but as a development imperative.

UNESCO recommends that countries spend at least 1 percent of GDP on research and development; the Philippines barely scratches 0.2%. Committing to a sustained increase, not just in CHED’s budget but across agencies, is the only way to close the gap.

Second, we must rebalance the incentive structures in our universities. Teaching is essential, but faculty who pursue research should be supported through reduced teaching loads, competitive salaries, and clearer pathways for promotion based on productivity. Without this, the best talent will continue to leave or disengage.

Third, research should be democratized. It cannot remain in the domain of Metro Manila’s elite universities.

Regional SUCs should be empowered as engines of local innovation, with targeted funding to address the specific challenges of their communities-agriculture in Mindanao, disaster resilience in Bicol and Eastern Visayas, marine science in Palawan, and renewable energy in Ilocos. This localized approach will not only broaden the research base but also make scholarship more directly relevant to Filipino lives.

Finally, research must be integrated into policymaking. Too often, decision-makers ignore local studies in favor of imported models.

Institutionalizing evidence-based policy processes-where legislators and executive agencies actively collaborate with researchers-will ensure that public investments are guided by context-specific knowledge rather than political expediency. This is especially critical in areas such as food security, education reform, and climate adaptation, where global solutions must be tailored to local realities.

Sen. Pangilinan is correct: without strategic investment, our universities will stagnate while our neighbors surge ahead.

But beyond the senator’s intervention, the public must also demand accountability.

What is intelligence fund for? Is it research? What kind of research do we enable and empower? Citizens must recognize that research is not an abstract academic exercise but a matter of national survival. Countries that fail to innovate remain perpetually dependent on others for solutions, locked in cycles of economic vulnerability and political weakness.

The question ‘Nasaan ang mga researcher?’ should haunt not only policymakers but every Filipino who wonders why our agriculture remains unproductive, why our healthcare system struggles, or why our education reforms falter. The answer lies partly in our failure to build the intellectual infrastructure of the nation. It is not enough to build classrooms and train undergraduates. We must also build laboratories, fund long-term projects, support faculty and embed research into the fabric of governance.

If the Philippines is to move forward, the time for token gestures is over. Research must become central to our national vision. It requires political will, sustained investment and cultural change within our universities. Otherwise, the country will continue to graduate millions without generating the knowledge needed to secure our future.

Unless we act decisively, the haunting question will remain unanswered: nasaan nga ba ang mga researcher?

The Cebu City Government has approved Supplemental Budget (SB) 2 amounting to ?81 million, which will be allocated for the livelihood program, the increasing number of beneficiaries of senior citizen financial aid, and the asphalting of various city streets.

The Committee on Budget and Finance stated that this will be charged against the savings of the city government which is about ?489 million in the third quarter after cutting expenses on ‘unnecessary’ spending such as foreign travels by employees and government officials.

In an interview yesterday, Committee on Budget and Finance Chairman Councilor Dave Tumulak enumerated the breakdown of the recently-approved SB2, which totals around ?81,395,000.

At least ?550,000 of this amount is for the livelihood program to be introduced by the Office of the Mayor in the last quarter of the year. However, Tumulak said they do not yet know what kind of livelihood program will be launched.

Another ?40 million is intended to reinforce the financial aid for senior citizens in the last quarter of the year.

‘Nahinloan na ni (list of beneficiaries), gikuha natong mga deceased,’ said Tumulak.

He said they had to request an additional budget after discovering that the previously-approved budget for seniors’ aid was insufficient due to the increase in the number of beneficiaries in the second quarter of this year.

Another item under SB2 is road asphalting in preparation for the Yuletide season and the Sinulog celebration, which also amounts to ?40 million.

‘For the past days we experienced heavy rain, nangabuslot na ni atoang mga main roads,’ said Tumulak.

He also highlighted that Cebu City was able to save at least ?489 million in the third quarter. According to him, to save more, the city cut local and foreign travels of employees and officials, as well as ‘unnecessary projects and programs.’

Meanwhile, Tumulak said the executive department has yet to send its budget proposal for 2026. He added the City Council has already passed a resolution urging the executive to submit its proposals earlier to allow the conduct of budget hearing marathons in October.

Tumulak further said they are targeting to finish the budget deliberations by the end of November.

‘We urge the executive to submit right away kay ma-busy man gud sad ta sa preparations sa Sinulog,’ said Tumulak.

He also mentioned that they are aiming to have the annual budget approved earlier.

The approval of SB 2 was made during a special session. In the same session, the Cebu City Council also approved ?20 million in financial assistance for areas heavily affected by the earthquake, namely the Bogo City, San Remigio Town, and the municipalities comprising Bantayan Island.

Meanwhile, the Cebu City Government is reminding all senior citizens that the final day to claim their financial assistance for the current distribution cycle is on Thursday, October 9, 2025.

Beneficiaries may proceed to the Cash Disbursement Division, 2nd Floor, City Treasurer’s Office at City Hall to receive their aid after a week in their respective barangays.

The City Treasurer’s Office reiterates its advisory: ‘To all our Lolos and Lolas, please be informed that the last day to claim the Senior Citizen’s Financial Assistance is on Thursday, October 9, 2025. Claim at the Cash Disbursement Division, 2/F, City Treasurer’s Office.’

This round of distribution, which began on September 27, covers the third quarter of the year and amounts to ?3,000 per qualified senior citizen, representing ?1,000 per month for July, August, and September.

Following the completion of the senior citizens’ payout, the distribution of financial assistance for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) will commence on October 10 or 11, to be conducted at their respective barangays using the same disbursement scheme.

After the latest distribution, Mayor Nestor Archival floated the idea of shifting from the current quarterly release to a monthly payout system, citing budget sustainability and the need to discourage ineligible claimants.

‘If we give it monthly, dili kayo mabug-atan ang panudlanan,’ Archival said, adding that a monthly schedule could help weed out non-residents who continue to claim benefits.

However, Councilor Pastor Alcover Jr., chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Senior Citizens, has called the proposal impractical.

Alcover emphasized that the quarterly scheme was adopted for logistical efficiency, especially given the growing number of beneficiaries –now over 90,000 registered seniors in Cebu City.

‘Sauna tingali madala pa og monthly-monthly kay naa ray 20,000, 30,000, kaya pa kaayo i-monthly. Pero karon unsaon nimo pag-monthly ana nga 90,000 plus naman na,’ Alcover said. He also cited the burden of preparing thousands of payroll pages and deploying disbursing officers across barangays.

Alcover said he plans to file an amendment ordinance to formalize the quarterly distribution, aligning it with the preferences of senior citizens’ associations that favor fewer trips to claim aid.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has initiated a dialogue with the UAAP regarding the supposed pay gap for referees calling the men’s and women’s games in the collegiate league.

The SBP, in a statement Saturday morning, said they have reached out with the UAAP for a dialogue ‘on how to improve the situation for all stakeholders.’

‘Both organizations stay committed to making the sport as inclusive as possible and advancing women’s basketball in the Philippines,’ the SBP said.

UAAP basketball commissioner Jai Reyes has been in hot water the past week after a story by sports news website Spin.ph revealed a ‘pay gap’ between referees calling men’s and women’s games.

The report bared that ‘referees assigned to women’s games allegedly received reduced rates, with the supposed cuts diverted to boost the pay of those handling men’s matches,’ with those calling men’s matches receiving P3,000 per game, while those in the boys’ division given P2,500 per game.

Last season, referees who call games regardless of division are paid P2,500.

Those who will call the women’s and girls’ divisions games will reportedly receive P2,000 per contest.

Speaking to the news website, Reyes said that the men’s games are ‘faster’ so it is harder to call.

This received a lot of backlash from players, coaches, fans and even some politicians.

The UAAP then explained that the referees’ fees follow a ‘tiered, merit-based structure that allows officials – regardless of gender – to perform well in order to officiate crucial games.’

The UAAP said that it will maintain a tiered system, but moving forward, there will ‘be no diminution of fees across all divisions from previous seasons.’

The SBP also called on stakeholders to ‘stay united.’

‘We can only elevate Philippine basketball to its highest levels if we grow it for everyone,’ it added.

UAAP action returns this Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.

The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival has tapped renowned local and international filmmakers for the jury of its 21st edition this 2025.

The main competition jury is composed of veteran actor Christopher de Leon, award-winning director Pepe Diokno, screenwriter Michiko Yamamoto, Japan-based Americann critic Mark Schilling, and script consultant and writer Sophia Wellington.

De Leon has been a staple of Philippine entertainment for over five decades, earning him the title “King of Philippine Drama” and the recipient of numerous honors from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards, the Metro Manila Film Festival and Gawad Urian.

Just a few of his iconic films include “Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos,” “Ganito Kami Noon… Paano Kayo Ngayon?,” “Kakabakaba Ka Ba?,” “Aguila,” “Bituing Walang Ningning,” “Madrasta,” “Dekada ’70,” “El Presidente,” “Smaller and Smaller Circles” and “On the Job: The Missing 8.”

Diokno is best known for directing “GomBurZa” and “Isang Himala,” and his first three films “Engkwentro,” “Above The Clouds,” and “Kapatiran” have screened in a number of international film festivals.

“Engkwentro” won a Special Citation at Cinemalaya 2009 before going on to win “Luigi de Laurentiis” Award for a Debut Film and Orizzonti Prize for Best Picture at the Venice Film Festival.

Yamamoto debuted as a screenwriter in 2003’s “Magnifico” and followed it up with the screenplays for “Santa Santita,” “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” and “Zombadings: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington.”

She also wrote the screenplays of “On the Job,” its sequel “On the Job 2: The Missing 8,” “Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles 2,” and “Honor Thy Father” with her husband, director Erik Matti.

Schilling reviews Japanese films for Japan’s oldest English-language newspaper The Japan Times, covers Japan for Variety, and serves as a program advisor for the Udine Far East Film Festival.

Wellington previously taught at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia’s MA in Film and Dramatic Writing and is currently the Head of Screenwriting at the London Film School.

Three esteemed filmmakers make up the jury for the NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award: Loy Arcenas, Ina Feleo, and Pradip Kurbah.

Arcenas started out as a production designer before venturing into writing and directing beginning with “Niño” and “REquieme!” which won back-to-back Cinemalaya Special Jury Prizes.

“Niño” also won supporting actor honors for Arthur Acuña and Shamaine Buencamino and the Best Production Design award while “REquieme!” also won Best Screenplay.

He also wrote and directed “Elehiya” and “Ang Larawan,” the latter a musical film adaptation of Nick Joaquin’s “A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino” which won five awards at the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival, including Best Picture.

Feleo won Best Actress in Cinemalaya 2007 for her debut performance in “Endo” and two years later won the award again for “Sanglaan.”

Other films she has starred in include “Rewind,” “The Hearing,” “The Healing,” “Family Matters,” and the previously mentioned “On the Job 2: The Missing 8.”

Kurbah is a self-taught Indian filmmaker and a leading voice in Khasi-language cinema. His latest movie “Ha Lyngkha Bneng (The Elysian Field)” served as the opening film for this year’s Cinemalaya.

The 21st Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival runs until Oct. 12, 2025.

The town of my late father, Dumanjug, is the most progressive town in the 7th District. It is the home of three governors and two fantastic contractors. Today and tomorrow, the Dumanjuganons celebrate the solemnity of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi led by Mayor Gungun Gica and Vice Mayor Wado Gica. Shoutout to my relatives especially the great clan of the Quirantes, especially engineers Alan and Jonathan.

Dumanjug is the home of Cebu’s fourth governor, Dionisio Jakosalem, born on December 24, 1859 and who served as governor from 1907 to 1912 and became a Cabinet member thereafter. The twenty-fourth governor was Pablo Garcia who served from 1995 to 2004. The twenty-fifth and the twenty-seventh was Gwendolyn Garcia who served first from 2004 to 2012. She was elected and served again from 2019 to 2025.

Dumanjug is also the home of Engr. Alan Quirante who has become famous these last few weeks because, by his amazing entrepreneurial prowess and effective connections, he transformed a small single proprietorship into a multi-million conglomerate which has been able to win many public biddings and amass billions worth of public works, including a number of flood-control projects. His nephew also put up Quirante Construction Corp., under his tutelage and mentorship and this company was able to get many multi-million government projects, including Lapu-Lapu where the former mayor and now congressman, Ahong Chan, is also related by blood to the Quirantes.

Dumanjug Mayor Gungun Gica is the son of the brilliant Ateneo-trained lawyer Edgar Gica and a beauteous and regal lady, Marna Zozobrado. Gungun is also the grandson of former Dumanjug mayor Guntrano “Noy Ano” Gica. Gungun, like his dad and granddad, is a strict disciplinarian, and a stickler for public order and safety. He was able to eradicate the previously-rampant drug problem in the town. He defeated the brother of former governor Gwen Garcia in a hotly-contested election. Today, he is virtually invincible. No one would dare run against him, except a token and symbolic run by a lawyer relative whom Gungun handily defeated twice already.

Today, Dumanjug is a very progressive town, which Gungun raised from a fourth-class municipality into a third class, soon to be second class. Its annual revenue as of 2022 was ?273.1 million, its assets were valued at ?1.034 billion, its expenditure was ?238.7 million and its liabilities amounted to ?365.6 million. The only problem is that its poverty incidence was measured at 37.87%. More than one-third of its residents are living below the poverty line. The economy is largely based on agriculture and small-scale and medium-scale industries. The Dumanjug Agora Complex, constructed under the Gica administration, is the center of the town’s trade and commercial activities.

Dumanjug hosts the headquarters of CEBECO 1 that distributes power to its neighboring municipalities. The town has a number of resorts and restaurants and some poultry establishments that contribute to its economy and give employment opportunities to its growing labor force. It has a RO/RO wharf in its Barangay Tangil, which provides sea transport to and from the city of Guihulngan in Negros Oriental. Food items, vegetables and livestock are regularly transported between the Negros Island and Cebu and vice-versa. Dumanjug also offers a number of beautiful tourist sites.

Education is a priority focus area in Dumanjug as it operates no less than 30 public and private basic education centers, as well as six secondary schools and two tertiary educational institutions. One of its oldest institutions is the Little Flower School, which was established in 1946 as the Dumanjug branch of the old Colegio de San Carlos (now the University of San Carlos). It was later renamed Dumanjug Catholic High School. Currently, it is being administered by the sisters belonging to the Oblates of Notre Dame. The town’s biggest educational institution based on student population is the Bitoon National Vocational School. In the same location is a satellite campus of the Cebu Technological University.

The Parish Church of Saint Francis of Assisi is one of the oldest churches in the entire country. More than 95% of Dumanjug residents are Catholic. Today, we shall witness the famous Bisnok Festival as we salute the town’s officials led by Mayor Gungun and Vice Mayor Wado, with Councilors Arthur Famor Rene Asentista, Erick Gica, Elie Luage, Belinda Quirante, Cardo Condes, Kevin Pan, and Isaac Cambalon. Happy fiesta celebration to all Dumanjuganons from all over the world.

The birth certificate of accused Chinese spy and human trafficker Alice Guo has been voided by a trial court in Tarlac, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

At a Senate finance committee hearing yesterday, PSA chief Dennis Mapa told senators that on Sept. 24, the Tarlac City Regional Trial Court Branch 11 granted a petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to cancel Guo’s certificate of live birth.

‘This is good news for the Philippine government, that it was able to declare as void Alice Guo’s birth certificate,’ Mapa said.

The court ruling came a year after the PSA endorsed to the (OSG) the cancellation of Guo’s birth certificate.

In several incidents in the past, Guo insisted that she was a Filipino, although she was a native-born Chinese. She was accused of spying for the Chinese Communist Party and of faking her Philippine citizenship to be able to run and win in the mayoral race in Bamban, Tarlac.

Prosecutors say Guo used the position to set up an offshore gaming hub in the town, which became a center for human trafficking.

She is accused of taking advantage of the country’s late birth registration system to fraudulently obtain her Filipino citizenship, set up businesses and run for government office.

Guo’s citizenship was questioned due to her inconsistent testimonies about her background.

She is facing multiple charges in connection with her alleged involvement in Philippine offshore gaming operators, which have been linked to human trafficking and other illegal activities.

Senate finance committee chair Sherwin Gatchalian said the system that allows registration years after birth paved the way for foreigners with ill intent to infiltrate the country and become fake Filipinos.

‘One of the biggest gaps in terms of espionage in our country is the late registration process. This is a weakness in our system that can be exploited by people who want to create problems in terms of our country’s national security,’ Gatchalian said.

At the plenary session on Wednesday, Sen. Risa Hontiveros exposed in a privilege speech another case of fraudulent late birth registration, this time involving a son of a mining magnate.

Hontiveros said the subject person also has two passports – Filipino and Chinese – and two birth certificates.

In an assembly dominated by male delegates, it’s once again uplifting to see women heads of state, foreign ministers and country representatives stand and speak at the iconic podium of the UN General Assembly. Our Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, took the honor of conveying at the world stage the Philippines’ national statement during the General Debate of the UN’s 80th General Assembly.

At a time when all is not quiet elsewhere in the world, including in our home front, our country’s top diplomat spoke about our values that are deeply embedded in the aspirations of the UN charter. The Philippines is, after all, one of the 51 founding members of the UN.

I watched our foreign affairs secretary’s speech through the UN live webcast. Like the messenger, the message serves as a wellspring of hope, particularly at a time when we are inundated with a deluge of polarizing ideas. Such messages enliven one’s patriotic spirit and provide us a compass of how we as citizens could participate in nation building.

Peace is at the core of SFA’s message. Yet paradoxically, peace is one of the most elusive quests for the 193 members of the UN. Because at every word uttered about peace, somewhere in the vicinity of the UN headquarters are groups of activists rallying for the end to wars. Within the halls of the GA, a good number of representatives of member-states walked out to support the creation of a Palestinian state.

Precisely why SFA Lazaro voiced a clarion call for peace. Referring to the ‘40,000 cases of violations against children in armed conflict,’ she lamented that this unprecedented record in 30 years ‘is unconscionable.’ I was haunted by painful images of children of war I see and read in the news every day.

I read a UNICEF report from January to June 2025 on the ‘State of Palestine’ that 1.7 million children need humanitarian assistance. From Oct. 7, 2023, there have been ‘over 50,000 children casualties, 17,000 killed and 34,000 injured’ in the Gaza Strip. UNICEF also reported that in the first half of 2025, more than half a million children (over 253,000 girls and 252,000 boys) were screened for acute malnutrition.

A New York Times investigative story on ‘The Trauma of Childhood in Gaza’ tells of a 12-year-old girl named Rahma, whose life has become one of hunger. Like thousands of children, she’s lucky to have one meal a day, consisting mainly of pasta and lentils. If given the choice between crayons and bread, she would choose bread. School for them is now a memory.

I wonder how leaders of countries at war feel about this reality. Are they not horrified? What has become of their sense of compassion?Or have they become so jaded to think of helpless children as mere statistics?

It was against the backdrop of the unthinkable consequences of war did SFA Lazaro reiterate our ‘covenant for peace.’As our country vies for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for the period 2027 to 2028, our foreign secretary said that we anticipate the ‘solemn honor of serving this body.’ Should the Philippines’ candidature succeed, our SFA decisively articulated: ‘We recognize the weight of the responsibility of the Security Council. When it acts for the interest of humanity, it is a fulcrum of change, a force for good and a bastion of hope for populations trapped in hopeless situations.’

SFA Lazaro expounded on how middle-income countries like the Philippines play a crucial role in helping achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals, highlighting that ‘together, we are the fastest growing economies, the largest consumer markets and the top sources of human capital.’

As she spoke of where we stand in global developments, SFA Lazaro acknowledged the roles of people, economies and technologies. She hailed Filipino migrants as agents of growth and how our compatriots ‘support health systems, advance education and boost creative economies.’ She cited how, at the International Conference on Seafarers’ Human Rights, Safety and Well-being held in Manila recently, states and stakeholders affirmed readiness to do more for the ‘1.9 million seafarers as the backbone of maritime trade that accounts for 90 percent of global commerce.’

In addressing the world stage, SFA Lazaro was clad in a black dress (the color of strength) and a light blue blazer (the color of the UN) made from Philippine fabric. One could sense the gravity and sincerity of her message when she affirmed: ‘There is no alternative to the United Nations.’

The photos I have seen of SFA Lazaro – from the opening ceremony to the sidelines of the high-level week, remind me of subtle messages diplomats deliver either through symbolic fashion or accessories. Former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright was said to have used the expressive power of a piece of jewelry – the pin or brooch – to communicate a message during her diplomatic term.

From how I viewed them, the style and colors of SFA Lazaro’s suits and dresses exude both savoir-faire and indefatigability (I learned she attended at least 35 bilateral meetings, during which she was also complimented by her counterparts for her stylish outfits).

Toward the end of her address, SFA Lazaro tactfully said that amid threats of foreign encroachment, as a maritime country, we remain relentless in abiding by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) ‘as reinforced by the binding 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea.’

While our ships and boats are literally rocked and countries of the world face the promises and threats of AI, SFA Lazaro assured the international community, ‘we offer steady hands’ in Philippine missions and offices where we unwaveringly advance the goals of the UN. Then she took inspiration from General Carlos P. Romulo’s words at the First UNGA in 1946 – that our stake in the UN as a nation is one of ‘an identical destiny, of shared anxiety, of hope and endeavor.’

Unquestionably, this year has been marked with unforgiving catastrophes. Just this week, in fact, two unrelated tremors hit the country. First was in the Visayas (epicenter was in Bogo City, Cebu) at 9:59 PM on September 30, 2025 and in just a little over four hours, Taal Volcano erupted.

Though Taal Volcano’s eruption was a bit trivial, Bogo City, Cebu and its surrounding municipalities suffered horribly. At 6.9 magnitude, several structures collapsed and scores of lives never made it. Apart from these sad tales, more than five hundred were reported injured. Dejectedly, both happened while we are still trying to fend off the damages brought about by Typhoon Opong in other parts of the country.

Just like many tragedies in the past, however, the recent one also brought about the best character in most of us, generosity. While some sectors took some religious spins on these catastrophes, the fact remains that scientifically, natural tragedies do happen once in a while and depending on their strengths, may or may not bring about destruction to anyone. If it does happen, however, the weaker structures will suffer the most.

Notably, to some extent, nature has also conspired with well-meaning citizens, to do good as well, in unearthing potential anomalies. For instance, the tremor that hit the Visayas in 2013. To recall, as photos revealed, some kilometers of damaged concrete roads and bridges in Bohol didn’t have or have insufficient steel bars. Apparently, poorly built, these roads, bridges and structures were not able to withstand tremors of such magnitude. Thus, certainly, some unscrupulous people must have siphoned enough money and rendered the projects destruction-bound. The same is also true this week as some roads and bridges are rendered unusable.

With this in mind, as reconstruction begins in these badly hit areas, we have more reasons to worry. It is a known fact that politicians wield so much power especially in the countryside. Most of them are astute businessmen too. They are mostly into construction and other related businesses like hardware and sand and gravel. With the LGUs’ Bids and Awards Committees (BACs) under their total control and co-bidders downright cohorts, they’ll surely win, albeit, under cover of their distant relatives’ or close friends’ names. Consequently, undertaken projects, most likely, will be either overpriced or substandard.

Thus, absorptive capacity theory must come into play. Among others, there are salient points in this theory that we must all learn and, hopefully, adhere to. These are, ability to use funds, budget utilization and program implementation. So self-explanatory, isn’t it. However, there are lots of obstacles that hinder absorptive capacity. Among many, in our country’s situation, poor capacity, structural issues as well as efficiency and accountability stand out the most.

Our DPWH and LGU Engineering Departments have unequivocally shown these deficiencies in capacity and structural issues in their respective organizations. Absolutely, apart from nature’s wrath, the Senate and ICI hearings have also uncovered that. More importantly, even COA wasn’t able to adequately perform their role as guardian of the public funds. Explicitly, it is its mandate as granted by the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Its auditors are supposed to ‘examine, audit, and settle all government accounts and expenditures to ensure that public resources are used legally, efficiently, and for their intended purposes, preventing their misuse or misappropriation.’

On the other hand, a question on absorptive capacity is supposed to be dug deeply when such term was mentioned by Sen. Lacson in one of the hearings of the Senate’s Blue-Ribbon Committee. Remember the P51 billion infrastructure budget of the First District of Davao City in the last three years of Pres. Duterte’s presidency? Yes, it should have been given value. Why? If true, the local economy will be largely affected. Yes, infra development will boost the local economy as industries related to construction will rake in a lot. Sadly, however, there are other industries that might be getting the shorter end of the stick here too.