There was also no punishment for the big fish in a housing scam that she denounced in 2000. It’s not unusual in our country’s sad history that today’s accusers become tomorrow’s defendants in corruption scandals. Several of the other big fish linked to those scandals galore that I have mentioned have also passed away. Or (we can’t discount it, you nasty folks) maybe the big fish were truly innocent. The developments in recent weeks on the public works corruption scandal have not been encouraging.

A keyboard and a miniature hand are seen in this illustration taken, May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping during Xi's visit in Pyongyang, North Korea in this undated photo released on June 21, 2019 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS

The First Couple inaugurate Likha with former First Lady Imelda Marcos who launched an exhibition center for Philippine products in the early 1970s. It’s the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls, or simpy Likha, which President Bongbong Marcos inaugurated last Thursday, Jan. 15. “Finally, this place has been redeemed to its former glory,”said PBBM. Bagging the best of Filipino craftsmanship with Bongbong and LizaAfter PBBM’s SONA in July 2024 and the firm decision to say no to POGOs, those establishments closed, giving the new government the opportunity to transform the space into Likhang Filipino. President Marcos weaves a conversation with Maison Metisse founder Adrienne Charuel as DTI Sec.

OpenAI CFO says annualized revenue crosses US$20 billion in 2025OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken February 8, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Ada moves away from Philippines but rains, winds persistIn its 5 p.m. forecast, PAGASA reported that the center of Ada was located about 970 kilometers east of Northern Luzon, moving eastward over the Philippine Sea at 25 kilometers per hour. In its 5 p.m. forecast, PAGASA reported that the center of Ada was located about 970 kilometers east of Northern Luzon, moving eastward over the Philippine Sea at 25 kilometers per hour. Continuous dry air from the northeast monsoon is expected to weaken the system further, with PAGASA predicting it may be downgraded to an LPA today. Despite Ada’s weakening, the northeast monsoon will continue to bring strong gale-force gusts, particularly over coastal and upland areas. The northeast monsoon continues to affect much of northern and central Luzon, bringing cloudy skies and possible light rains over Cagayan Valley, the Cordillera Administrative Region, Aurora, Quezon and Marinduque.

Hotel101 to put up biggest hotel in MelbourneMANILA, Philippines — DoubleDragon Corp., the property developer chaired by tycoons Edgar “Injap” Sia II and Tony Tan Caktiong, is bringing Hotel101 to Australia, putting up what will be the largest hotel by room count in Melbourne. DoubleDragon’s Nasdaq-listed subsidiary Hotel101 Global Holdings Corp. has signed definitive binding agreements for the development of a 766-room Hotel101 in Melbourne’s central business district. Hotel101’s global expansion strategy includes its first three overseas projects under development in Niseko (Japan), Madrid (Spain) and Los Angeles (US). Hotel101 Global topped off last month the 482-room Hotel101-Niseko, with its opening slated in December 2026. As of Jan. 16, DoubleDragon said Hotel101 Global has reached its highest equity valuation since it traded in the Nasdaq under ticker HBNB, valued at $2.34 billion.

Poll: Self-rated poverty down, hunger risesMANILA, Philippines — Fewer Filipinos considered themselves poor even as the hunger rate increased in the last quarter of 2025, an OCTA Research group survey showed. It was down by a record 17 points from 54 percent obtained in a similar OCTA survey in September 2025. Except in Mindanao, where it increased from 63 percent to 67 percent, self-rated poverty went down across areas nationwide. The survey found improvements in self-rated food poverty, or being poor based on the food they eat. Hunger risesStill, the OCTA survey found a higher percentage of Filipinos who experienced involuntary hunger in the last quarter of the year.

No ‘big fish:’ A strategy of delay and fatigueLast December, Filipinos were promised accountability. President Marcos Junior and the ombudsman gave assurances that the “big fish” behind the multibillion-peso flood control scandal would be arrested by Dec. 15. Yet nothing translated to the arrests of “big fish,” let alone systemic reforms. No matter how PBBM’s administration manipulates the truth, one fact remains: allowing the real “big fish” to evade accountability carries consequences far beyond this scandal. What we are witnessing is not an urgent pace of justice by President Marcos, but a pattern of deliberate delays.

Landfill collapse rescuer dies after retrieval opsLocal authorities continue their search, rescue and retrieval operations at the Binaliw landfill on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026 after the deadly landslide buried several sanitation workers and killed 35. MANILA, Philippines — The collapse of a mountain of garbage at a landfill facility in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City has killed not only 36 workers, but also a rescuer who helped extract the victims under the rubble. Ramon Singson, 50, security guard and volunteer rescuer from Toledo City, died days after serving in the search and retrieval operation. Singson’s family said that a wound he suffered during the search and rescue operation got infected and led to septic shock. “He saved so many lives, now it’s time for him to rest.”The search and rescue operation at the Binaliw landfill was dangerous.

‘Choose now’We all have to make choices but what often determines success is if we are resolute in achieving our choices and just how good our sense of timing is. I myself have wondered, if VP Sara is impeached and PBBM was out of office by force of circumstance, who then would benefit the most? Then a businessman boldly suggested that the obvious choice for both the constitutionalists and business side was VP Sara Duterte. They could even be subjected to the same investigation that they did to VP Sara. Going back to choosing, we all find ourselves regularly having to choose who to follow, who to elect, who to idolize or who to believe in.

Graft, bribery trial of ex-Nayong Pilipino execs to proceedIn a resolution promulgated on Jan. 9, the anti-graft court’s Fifth Division denied the motions filed by former NPFI officials, including its former chairperson Patricia Yvette Ocampo-Desiongco. MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has ruled to proceed with the trial of former Nayong Pilipino Foundation Inc. (NPFI) officials for graft and indirect bribery over an alleged junket trip in 2017 to Jeju Island shouldered by a Hong Kong-based resort and casino operator. In a resolution promulgated on Jan. 9, the anti-graft court’s Fifth Division denied the motions filed by former NPFI officials, including its former chairperson Patricia Yvette Ocampo-Desiongco. They said the Office of the Ombudsman filed the charges before the Sandiganbayan on Oct. 3, 2025 or more than six years from the termination of its probe in 2019. The Fifth Division noted that ombudsman prosecutors filed the cases before the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) in 2022.

SK official nabbed in stingThis photo shows a picture of a hand in handcuffs. BACOLOD CITY ­– Anti-narcotics agents arrested an official of the Sangguniang Kabataan and two others during a sting in this city on Monday. Police said they seized from the suspects 105 grams of shabu with an estimated street value of P714,000. Meanwhile, two drug suspects were also arrested in separate anti-narcotics operations in San Enrique and Silay City, Negros Occidental. The sting resulted in the seizure of shabu with an estimated street value of P54,400, probers said.

Sara on fresh impeach raps: All about moneyVice President Sara Duterte shares breakfast with personnel from the Office of the Vice President—Central Office and Pangasinan Satellite Office—after Mass at the Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag Church in Pangasinan in October 2025. MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte yesterday said moves to file a new impeachment case against her are “all about money.”Civil society groups earlier threatened to file a new complaint against her after the one-year ban expires in February. “As expected, because they are the ones who always say they will file impeachment complaints. Instead, the House, with 215 votes, approved a fourth impeachment complaint on Feb. 5, 2025, which was followed by the transmittal of the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. Duterte, meanwhile, did not comment on the impeachment complaint filed against Marcos.

Marcos expects Bonoan to tell truth in flood probeMANILA, Philippines — President Marcos is confident former public works and highways secretary Manuel Bonoan will tell “only the truth” in the ongoing probe on the multibillion-peso flood control scandal, Malacañang said yesterday. Bonoan appeared before the Senate Blue Ribbon committee on Monday, a day after arriving from the United States. He denied there was ill-intent in his submission of misleading coordinates of flood control project locations to Malacañang. Lacson on Monday said testimony presented by two female witnesses during the Blue Ribbon hearing was insufficient to implicate Romualdez in the flood control mess. Marcoleta also said the minority released a report last Dec. 10 about the flood control probe when he was Blue Ribbon chair.