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PBBM calls for airtight cases vs. infra scandal conspirators By Vince Lopez
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 233 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2025
Ping giving up Blue Ribbon panel
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. underscored the need to establish airtight cases against those involved in anomalous flood control projects, stressing that pursuing complaints on shaky grounds could backfire and undermine government efforts for accountability. “Look, what could happen: [if] we rushed it, our evidence is incomplete, our evidence is vague, but we still insisted on filing the complaints… and we lost the cases. Can you imagine? I think that would be much, much, much, much worse,” the chief executive said in a combination of Filipino and English. In a teaser for his podcast released yesterday, Mr. Mar-
Cites discontent among colleagues
S
ENATE President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson yesterday announced that he is stepping down as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee amid fresh scuttlebutt about another brewing reshuffle in the upper chamber.
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PODCAST. President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s podcast interview by Philip Cu-Unjieng will air today. PCO
Teachers lead Cebu quake relief; rally for educ reforms
By Ram Superable and Vince Lopez
Lacson’s announcement comes amid growing unease among his colleagues over the flood control scandal that has implicated several senators. “No amount of criticisms from misinformed netizens and partisan sectors can distract or pressure me from doing my job right, but when my own peers start expressing their group or individual sentiments, maybe it is best to vacate,” he said. Some senators earlier already expressed concern in previous plenary sessions and probe hearings that the committee’s probe into alleged anomalies in public works projects is getting too close to home. “Nevertheless, I will continue to fight a corrupt and rotten system in the misuse and abuse of public funds as I have consistently done in the course of my long years in public service,” Lacson assured.
cos emphasized that while many individuals linked to questionable projects are “not innocent,” the government must ensure that cases filed in court are backed by strong evidence that will stand up in court. “We know many of these people are not innocent, but if you’re going to bring them to court, you must have a very strong case,” he told Manila Bulletin’s Philip Cu-Unjieng, his childhood friend. The President warned that rushing cases with incomplete or weak
EVEN as his own community reeled from the devastation of the recent 6.9-magnitude earthquake, University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu Chancellor Atty. Leo Malagar chose to do what true teachers do best—lead by example. When the tremors subsided, Malagar did not stay behind his desk. Instead, he joined the university’s volunteer arm, UP Cebu Ugnayan ng Pahinungód, composed of faculty, staff, and students, to reach out to the hardest-hit and most remote areas of northern Cebu. In partnership with the University Student Council, the team immediately mobilized relief operations to bring aid to families who had been left isolated since the quake struck. Away from Cebu, Filipino educators and advocates marked World Teachers Day yesterday into a call for accountability, condemning what they described as government neglect and ramNext page
RESPONDING ON TWO FRONTS. Member of the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu academic community, left photo, led by Chancellor Atty. Leo Malagar joined the university’s volunteer arm, UP Cebu Ugnayan ng Pahinungód, to reach out to the quake’s hardest-hit and most remote areas of northern Cebu. In Manila, members of the Civil Society Network for Teachers rally in Malate, Manila on World Teacher’s Day to push for urgent reforms in the education sector and condemn widespread corruption that affects the welfare of students and school communitie. UP Cebu, Norman Cruz
UP study bares P115b ‘shadow’ 2025 flood funds By Rex Espiritu OVER ₱115 billion has reportedly been allotted for “shadow” flood control projects in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), according to a study conducted by the University of the Philippines–National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG).
It found that the “shadow” flood control budget—which covers projects outside the official Flood Management Program (FMP)—had substantially and “consistently grown over the years,” from P81.552 billion in 2022 to P115.262 billion in 2025. “This means that in the 2025 GAA, the budget for flood control projects outside the FMP is nearly 50% larger
than the FMP’s own allocation,” the UP-NCPAG said in a policy note released on Friday. “To further illustrate, the majority of the P115-billion budget in 2025 was allocated for the construction or maintenance of general structures like walls, revetments, dikes, slope/riverbank protection, drainage systems, Next page
Gov’t has hands full fixing storm, quake impact By Rex Espiritu
HUMANITARIAN CARAVAN. Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO)
personnel load relief goods on board a bus that is part of a nationwide humanitarian caravan that left yesterday for Cebu and Masbate, in partnership with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA). The initiative is spearheaded by PCSO Chief of Staff Jeremy Regino and LRTA Administrator Atty. Hernando Cabrera. Lino Santos
FOOD, potable water, and temporary shelters remain the most urgent needs of residents displaced by the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu, the provincial government reported. Meanwhile, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), in partnership with multiple government agencies rolled out an aid caravan for the benefit of communities in Cebu and Masbate hit by recent natural disasters. This as local civic groups in Marilao, Bulacan called for a thorough investigation into the town’s flood control projects, which according to the group received more than half a billion pesos in funding since 2023. Next page
Metro Manila Subway Route
DOTr resolves Corinthian trouble over Metro Manila subway ROW Manila Subway Project (MMSP) following the acceptance of compensation by THE Department of Transportations residents and homeowners in Corinthian (DOTr) expects to complete by March Gardens, according to acting Transpornext year the acquisition of the right of tation Secretary Giovanni Lopez. way (ROW) for the P488-5 billion Metro Next page
By Darwin G. Amojelar