CAPTIVATING.
Performers reenact bamboo planting and harvesting, adorned in intricate and delicate costumes as the Tultugan Festival brings Maasin’s heritage to life. Inset photo shows Ilonggos and visitors coming together for ‘AweSM Iloilo 2026,’ where joy, color, and tradition fill every moment. All ways lead to SM City Iloilo, the home for celebrations, as families create unforgettable Dinagyang experiences. Mayor Raisa Trenas Facebook page
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IN MET R MANILAO
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 344 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES JANUARY 25, 2026
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Wages, rising cost of goods top Pinoy concerns—OCTA Cheaper food, corruption fight, free education round up top 5 issues By Charles Dantes and Maricel Cruz
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MPROVING workers’ wages and curbing the rising cost of basic goods top the list of issues that Filipinos want the Marcos administration to address immediately, according to the latest “Tugon ng Masa” nationwide survey conducted by OCTA Research.
The poll found that 45 percent of adult Filipinos cited improving or increasing wages and salaries of workers as among the most urgent national concerns, followed closely by controlling price increases of basic goods and services at 41 percent. Access to affordable food, such as rice, vegetables, and meat, ranked third at 30 percent, while fighting graft and corruption in government was cited by 29 percent of respondents. Providing free, quality education rounded out the top five at 28 percent. While fighting graft and corruption remained within the top 5, it ranked higher in a Pulse Asia survey conducted also last month which showed that the majority of Filipinos view corruption as
having an impact on the economy, in particular on rising prices and weaker services. The Pulse Asia survey showed at least 38 percent of respondents identified making food prices more affordable as the most urgent action government leaders should take, followed by reducing or eliminating corruption to improve service delivery (31 percent) and creating more jobs and livelihood opportunities (21 percent). According to OCTA Research, across socioeconomic classes, wage concerns remained prominent. Among Class D respondents, 46 percent prioritized wage increases, compared with 43 percent in Class ABC and 42 percent in Class E. Turn to A4
DPWH to finish flood control projects inspection in Q1 THE Department of Public Works and Highways is looking to complete the inspection and audit of the more than 400 flood control projects nationwide by the first quarter of 2026. “We are continuing our validation. We are conducting a thorough inspection and document audit of all 416 projects. This started last year, and we expect to be completed by the first quarter of this year,” DPWH spokesperson for legal matters Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III said. Bernabe said new processes are being introduced as to the coordinates of projects following allegations that former DPWH chief Manuel Bonoan deliberately fed the Palace wrong grid coordinates of flood control infrastructure. “For this year, when you look at the projects, the station limits are already there – the corresponding coordinates are already there. So, just from the title, we would know what are the coordinates of the project, from start to end,” he said. He added that changes in coordinates need the approval of DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon. He also reported that there are no flood control projects this year, as the DPWH is focused on completing all unfinished flood control projects. He said they are now preparing the masterplan for projects to be implemented in 2027. Turn to A4
House to act on any impeach rap without delay, but with caution By Maricel V. Cruz THE House Committee on Justice is prepared to take up any impeachment complaint that reaches the panel through proper referral from the plenary, assuring the public it will be ready to exercise its constitutional mandate with both urgency and restraint. “This is extraordinary power that is given to the sovereign people to remove an erring impeachable official. So, it is indeed my appreciation that it should be exercised without delay and with utmost caution,” Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said during a forum yesterday. The Justice Committee chairperson said procedural compliance and proper referral remain the key questions that determine what the committee Turn to A4 can officially act on.
Groups seek more proactive gov’t response to China disinfo By Pot Chavez and Rex Espiritu
SEARCH CONTINUES. The BRP Teresa Magbanua, the Philippine Coast Guard’s 97-meter vessel, continues its search and rescue operation for four remaining missing sailors in the reported distressed area of M/V Devon Bay on Saturday, January 24, 2026. PCG Facebook page
PH, China coast guards continue search for missing sailors By Charles Dantes and Rex Espiritu THE Philippine Coast Guard and the China Coast Guard continued their joint maritime search and rescue operation following the capsizing of a foreign cargo vessel near the Scarborough Shoal in the West Phil-
ippine Sea, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said. According to the embassy, the China Coast Guard pursued its search and rescue efforts on January 23 for crew members who fell into the water after the vessel overturned in waters near the shoal. Four crew members remained unaccounted for. CCG vessels Dongsha and San-
men were deployed to the area and later coordinated with the PCG vessel BRP Cabra (9701), which arrived at the scene on the evening of Jan. 23, the embassy said. The vessels conducted a sectorby-sector search of the surrounding waters to locate the missing crew members.
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THE political coalition 1 Sambayan called on the national government to take more proactive actions in response to what it described as China’s “wolf warrior” rhetoric and disinformation. “At a minimum, the government should consider declaring persona non grata any embassy spokespersons found to have engaged in inappropriate conduct,” the group said in a statement sent to Manila Standard. “The Chinese Ambassador, who has maintained a notably low public profile, should likewise be formally summoned by the Department of Foreign Affairs to account for these actions, clarify the embassy’s position, and be reminded of the obligation to refrain from interference in domestic affairs, consistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” it added. The Chinese embassy in the Philippines earlier said it had filed a diplomatic protest over remarks and social media posts by Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela on maritime issues and expressed “strong indignation” to Philippine authorities. Turn to A4
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