DepEd, DOH downplay revamp rumorsMANILA, Philippines — Education Secretary Sonny Angara serves at the pleasure of President Marcos, an official of the Department of Education (DepEd) said amid reports of a Cabinet revamp. In a message to The STAR, DepEd chief media relations officer Dennis Legaspi said Angara would continue to carry out his mandate unless directed otherwise. Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro maintained that there would be no changes in Marcos’ Cabinet for now, following a report that an “extensive” revamp could affect as many as nine agencies. The report also alleged that Technical Education and Skills Development Authority director general Kiko Benitez is being eyed to replace Angara at DepEd. Speaking at a Palace press briefing, Herbosa noted Castro had already clarified that there is no revamp in the Cabinet.

This is Suki Market on Mayon St. which is just off the Welcome Rotonda on Quezon Avenue. But savvy shoppers in the know also flock to Dapitan Arcade on Dapitan St., which intersects Mayon, in the months building up to Christmas. I think the best time to visit Dapitan Arcade is actually right after the holidays, when the crowd has all but disappeared, yet many of the unique finds are still available. At 8:30 a.m. on the weekend after New Year’s, many of the stalls in and around Dapitan Arcade are already open. Had I remembered to visit Dapitan Arcade before Christmas, I would have surely bought those whimsical, colorful, yummy-looking donut Christmas ornaments.

It is usually colored purple like the variety from Zambales, but some varieties are white like those grown in Leyte. In Basco, we have seen white ube with a purplish tinge. In the ‘60s, I remember my mom would always bring gallons of Magnolia ube ice cream packed with dry ice to her friend Bruno Dedual at The Peninsula Hong Kong. A nostalgic flat lay of classic Filipino ube desserts—ube halaya, ube ice cream, puto ube, and halo-halo—celebrating the timeless appeal of the beloved purple yam. It was then when we first offered it and international event items such as the ube-macapuno cakes and putong ube, as well as the ube halaya and, of course, the ube ice cream with halo-halo.

UP Diliman Law grad leads 5,594 Bar passersNEW LAWYERS: Bar examinees and their relatives gather at the Supreme Court compound in Manila during the release of the 2025 Bar exam results yesterday. MANILA, Philippines — Out of 11,420 examinees, Jhenroniel Rhey Timola Sanchez, a University of the Philippines graduate, aced the 2025 Bar examinations with a score of 92.70 percent. The 2025 Bar exams posted a 48.98 percent passing rate, with 5,594 of the 11,420 examinees successfully passing—up from 37.84 percent in 2024. Ateneo on topADMU emerged as the top-performing law school among institutions with more than 100 examinees, achieving a 98.11 percent passing rate (104 of 106 first-time takers). Among schools with 51 to 100 examinees, Ateneo de Davao University led with a perfect 100 percent passing rate.

‘Senators, congressmen face flood control raps’MANILA, Philippines — Criminal charges are expected to be filed by Jan. 15 against Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, former senator Bong Revilla and several congressmen over their alleged involvement in the flood control corruption scandal, Sen. Imee Marcos said yesterday, citing reports she received from a source she did not identify. Blue Ribbon committee hearings last year had revealed how Estrada, Villanueva and Revilla allegedly received kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects. She also said there was, so far, no direct evidence connecting Senators Francis Escudero and Mark Villar, and former senators Nancy Binay and Grace Poe, to so-called “ghost” or substandard flood control projects. Marcos also lamented that the ongoing Department of Justice investigation centered on the alleged role in the flood control kickbacks scheme of senators both former and current. The JCOC will also look into the implementation of infrastructure projects – like those for flood control or irrigation – to prevent another flood control scandal involving ghost or substandard public works lost to corruption.

DepEd sees fewer struggling readers in schoolsMANILA, Philippines —The number of struggling readers in public schools has dropped since the beginning of the school year, the Department of Education (DepEd) reported yesterday. These assessment results indicate that around 3.42 million learners in Grades 3 to 6 and 1.72 million in Grades 7 to 10 have moved closer to grade-level proficiency in reading. Education Secretary Sonny Angara attributed the progress to structured remediation, focused tutorial sessions and regular monitoring of learners under ARAL. He noted that these interventions are set to be expanded and standardized once the program receives full funding in 2026. With increased resources, DepEd plans to engage more than 440,000 tutors nationwide, including volunteers and non-DepEd personnel.

LIST: Top 20 Bar topnotchers of 2025MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court of the Philippines on Wednesday, January 7, announced the top 20 topnotchers for the 2025 bar examinations. The 2025 bar examinations saw a passing rate of 48.98%, according to Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier. This means that 5,594 out of 11,425 aspirants were able to pass the exam. Here is the top 20 bar topnotchers for 2025:Top 20 bar topnotchers — 2025 Source: Supreme Court of the Philippines Rank Name School Score 1 Jhenroniel Rhey Timola Sanchez University of the Philippines 92.70% 2 Spinel Albert Allauigan Declaro University of Santo Tomas Manila 92.46% 3 Alaiza Agatep Adviento University of Santo Tomas Manila 91.91% 4 Angelica De Castro Mitra De La Salle Lipa 91.68% 5 Marc Angelo Galvez Santos University of Santo Tomas Manila 91.58% 6 tie Jeowy Loyloy Ompad University of San Jose-Recoletos 91.25% 6 tie Enrico Gabriel Reyes Paguia Ateneo de Manila University 91.25% 7 Johan Raphael Silapan Gata University of Santo Tomas Manila 90.90% 8 Marie Chantelle Atienza Sarmiento University of the Philippines 90.87% 9 Richmond Bulan Lucas University of La Salette Inc. 90.45% 10 Jasmine Teriann Afable Yap University of the Philippines 90.36% 11 Allan Leo Tabuco Paran Arellano University 90.20% 12 Patric Kiel Quiroz Navarro University of the East 89.93% 13 Alfrancis Bagadiog Cabungcal University of the Philippines 89.80% 14 Gerilin Ano-Os Gascon Bukidnon State University 89.79% 15 Ignacio Lorenzo Dela Cruz Villareal University of the Philippines 89.70% 16 Mae Angela Damaso Locsin University of Santo Tomas Legazpi (Aquinas) 89.42% 17 Randall Lipnica Pabilane Arellano University 89.41% 18 Mikaella Francesa Nuarin Abisana Ateneo de Manila University 89.38% 19 Chinzen Tañada Viernes University of the Philippines 89.35% 20 Ronald Vincent Ofrecio Gonzales University of the East 89.31%The University of the Philippines contributed the highest number of topnotchers, with six passers securing a spot in the top 20. — with reports from Dominique Flores

‘Super flu’ in Philippines not alarming – DOH“The warning I will give is for Filipinos that will travel to the temperate countries, that will go to North America, to the UK. If you’re going there, be knowledgeable that there is a spread of super flu in (those areas),” Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said at a Palace briefing. If you’re going there, be knowledgeable that there is a spread of super flu in (those areas),” Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said at a Palace briefing. The DOH earlier said 41 cases of the super flu were recorded in the Philippines from Aug. 6 to Oct. 24 last year. Herbosa said the presence of the super flu variant in the country is not alarming but urged the public, especially those who have medical conditions, to get flu shots.

Willing SaviorWhile we were still sinners, Christ died for us. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (v. 8). As we thank and trust Jesus, our willing Savior, He can empower us to love others sacrificially with our words and actions. Xochitl DixonHow do you feel when you consider the price Jesus willingly paid because He loves you?

Welcoming 2026 with hopeRP Manhit (chief operating officer, Stratbase Group), Ruben Camba (managing director for Southeast Asia, ACCIONA), Atty. Welcoming 2026 with hope also means accepting responsibility. The author with PAF Commanding General Lt. Gen. Arthur CorduraAnd so, we welcome 2026 with hope for ease in doing business. We welcome 2026 with hope for a modernized Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), particularly the Philippine Air Force (PAF). Lastly, we welcome 2026 with hope for increased interest and investments in the mining industry – a hope I truly radiate as the chairman of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines.

The Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program, which covers the hospital costs of eligible beneficiaries, has been given a P51-billion budget this year. The DOH had sought a hike in the MAIFIP outlay to carry out the zero-balance billing policy in hospitals under local governments. Critics also expressed concern that the assistance makes financially challenged patients overly dependent on politicians who issue guarantee letters. “We only issue guarantee letters to private hospitals with which the DOH has a memorandum of agreement. Other than that, we do not use guarantee letters,” he added.

EDITORIAL — Overseeing themselvesThe two chambers of Congress have ethics committees, so it’s reasonable for lawmakers to believe they can police themselves when it comes to the utilization of the ever-growing types of unconditional aid or ayuda incorporated into the 2026 General Appropriations Act. The same goes for the other pork giniling aid programs, such as the Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situations, which has been institutionalized in this year’s national budget. Malacañang said the GAA prohibits elective officials from playing any role in the distribution of all state-funded aid programs. But there is no prohibition on elective officials’ endorsement of beneficiaries before the aid is released or service is provided. That’s billions in taxpayers’ money at the disposal of elective officials for their personal patronage.

Fingers crossed, we won’t be in for more unpleasant developments yet again, such as another floodgate or some global catastrophe. This means that if economic growth weakens more than expected, the central bank stands ready to continue its easing cycle. The presence of Emirates and other airlines in the Philippines certainly bodes well for our economy, especially our local tourism. Having more players means the Philippines, once touted as the Pearl of the Orient, is connected and accessible and truly a worthwhile destination. December was the busiest month in NAIA’s history, with 4.86 million passengers.

Corruption cuts economic growthEconomic growth slowed down in 2025 to just 4.6 percent, down markedly from the hefty 5.7 percent in the whole of 2024. The four percent quarterly GDP growth rate in the third and fourth quarters of 2025 is the lowest in the past two years. Originally, the government had targeted a GDP growth rate for 2025 of 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent. In terms of lost economic production, the loss was 0.9 percentage point based on the low projected growth rate of 5.5 percent, and 1.9 percentage points based on the high growth target of 6.5 percent. In 2027, we will recover with a growth rate of 6.2 percent, maybe.”For the three years – 2025 (4.6 growth), 2026 (5.4), and 2027 (6.2) – the average annual growth rate will be 5.4 percent, a poor growth rate given that we want to be in upper-middle-income status and reduce poverty incidence to single digits, from the present 12 percent, by 2028.

Contemporary imperialismAfter the recent abduction of Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela, the most important question is how this will affect other countries like the Philippines. Then during the Second World War, Japan again, after Spain and the United States, conquered our country. In the 21st century, imperialism has become more subtle and often economic or strategic, rather than territorial. The question now is whether Trump is going to continue this indirect method or return to the 19th century style of imperialism. The proclamation that the entire South China Sea is part of China is another example of Chinese imperialism.