Filipinos flock home Undas exodus begins; Authorities double security
Story by John Paul Fulgueras
The rush of passengers began early ahead of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day, with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) expecting around eight million travelers over the Undas long weekend.
Thousands of commuters crowded Metro Manila bus terminals today to head home to their provinces following Malacañang’s declaration of October 31 as a non-working holiday.
The Manila North Cemetery, one of the country’s largest, is projected to receive over two million visitors. Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) expects 5.8 million air travelers, including 1.35 million passing through Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) also anticipates about 2.2
million sea passengers across all PPA-managed seaports nationwide.
To ensure public safety, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have deployed more than 50,000 police officers nationwide—over twice last year’s 21,000. In addition, 16,592 personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will assist in maintaining order.
Authorities said these efforts aim to ensure a safe, stable, and peaceful observance of Undas 2025 as millions of Filipinos travel to honor their departed loved ones.
by Ruth Savannah Balilo
Between the world of the living and the dead.
Everyone knows about ghosts. Under dim lights and blankets placed on top of cold sweat, we have heard about what they do. The way they look at our eyes sends dread straight to our souls, and especially the way they leave in the blink of an eye. Despite their abrupt
In Loving Memory
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mediums, but perhaps the worst is our phones. The receipts lay there plainly, messages that carry the warmth of life, while the timestamps show the cold truth—we have been ghosted. Ghosting always appears to be the easiest answer. It’s quick and easy, just press a few buttons like block or ignore, then carry on with life. Nothing in this world is linear; however, it is
Story by Aljane
Filipinos have been ghosted. Hey, are you still there?
Layout by Dain Dela Cruz
CONDOLENCE CONDO. Families gather around colorful apartmentstyle tombs, often called “condo tombs,” at the Manila North Cemetery to honor their departed loved ones.
Photo by Danny Pata/GMA News
Memory of the Ghosted,
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Aljane Venice Dalin
it is messy. Ghosting produces ghosts. Those who attack your guilt as the ghoster and those who whisper what-ifs as the ghosted. Resting easy is never guaranteed for both parties; it will all be left to time to make the hurt less significant.
WORLD OF THE LIVING
No one said living is easy. Saving a relationship takes time, effort, and especially presence. Choosing this
EDITORIAL
with a proper goodbye, something both parties deserve.
The thought of letting go of someone incites uncertainty, nevertheless, but it is just like limbo dancing. As we bend our backs to pass this line, there is this gnawing fear of falling, of making the wrong decision. However, there will always be us to catch ourselves; all we need is some trust.
1 OUT OF 2
Corruption has many faces — drastic in appearance, parallel in greed.
Almost three months after the Discaya couple was under fire for their corruption scandals, the Philippine government has been digging up ghost projects left, right, and center in hopes of eliminating corruption. According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., the AFP is to investigate about 16,000 projects nationwide, and they have already spotted 60 ghost projects among them. The corruption swarming the country has been an under-the-table transaction for decades, and people are itching to unmask the thieves behind the anomalies.
a total of 421 ghost projects have been tracked nationwide. Among them, 261 were found in Luzon, 109 in Visayas, and 51 in Mindanao. The corrupt do not fear the rage of their citizens; they only fear having their reputation mauled by the public, especially on social media. In fact, the authorities have long been ghosting the people.
Another day, another statistic, another project lost to the depths of greedy wallets. Finance Secretary Ralph Recto revealed that the Philippine economy has lost over P100 billion to ghost projects from 2023 through 2025. Justice delayed is justice denied, and the losses from such projects alone will haunt the country’s economy for longer than the people in power
Today, Filipinos do not trust their own government officials. The government has effectively gatekept the nation’s resources for itself, like bloodsucking parasites leeching off the people. Despite the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) initial list of regional directors and district engineers under investigation for alleged ghost projects, not a single arrest has been made, even with countless evidence of substandard and non-existent projects.
Some corrupt faces have long been unmasked, yet with great power come great benefits. Evidently so, as they remain in positions of power, living lavish and laidback lives. However, unmasking the culprits is not enough, for punishment is a
Filipinos have done the haunting.
Illustration by Ruth Savannah Balilo
Illustration by Ruth Savannah Balilo