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Supreme Court asked to void DENR’s FOI manual

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ENVIRONMENTAL groups on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to declare unconstitutional and void the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) use of its Freedom of Information (FOI) Manual, amid concerns that the policy limits public access to crucial environmental documents.

Under the 38-page Petition for Certiorari and Mandamus, Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, Inc. (LRC) and Most Rev. Cerilo U. Casicas, Bishop of the Diocese of Marbel, South Cotabato claimed that Administrative Order No. 2016-29, which adopts the agency’s FOI manual, effectively bars public access to crucial environmental information, violating the constitutional right to information on matters of public concern.

“Environmental information such as EIAs (Environmental Impact Assessments), mining documents, and other information related to ECC (Environmental Compliance Certificate) application are matters of public concern. These information are not exempted from the operation of the constitutional guarantee” the petition read. They argued that the issuance and continued implementation of the manual violate Filipinos’ rights to information, due process, a balanced and healthful ecology, health, and meaningful participation in social, political, and economic decision-making.

“Public respondents acted with grave abuse of discretion, amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction,” it added.

The petitioners named newly appointed Executive Secretary Ralph G. Recto and DENR Secretary Raphael Perpetuo “Popo” M. Lotilla as respondents. They did not immediately respond to BusinessWorld’s separate requests for comment.

According to petitioners, the manual lists exceptions that block public access to documents submitted during ECC applications and restrict disclosure of records supporting mining applications for the entire duration of a mining permit.

These restricted documents include feasibility studies, drilling reports, and mineral resource assessments, information the petitioners argue is essential for public participation and environmental oversight.

The petition cites several instances in which the DENR denied requests for records related to major projects, explicitly invoking the FOI Manual as its legal basis, including the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project in Southern Mindanao, one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold deposits.

LRC requested more than 20 documents to evaluate the project’s legal and environmental compliance, including amendments to the Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA), the Conditional ECC, and the approved EIA. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) released only three documents, refusing the rest by citing Section 26 of Annex C of the FOI Manual and confidentiality clauses under the FTAA.

The petition cited the potential massive scale and risk associated with the project, which covers 26,501 hectares and uses the controversial open-pit method. It warns of potential impacts such as altering river systems across four provinces and clearing old-growth forests, making transparency essential

The petitioners also cited the DENR’s refusal to release documents on anomalous flood control projects as further proof of systemic barriers to public disclosure.

They also warn that continued denial will cause grave and irreparable harm to communities and the public, prompting their request for a Temporary Restraining Order and/or Writ of Preliminary Injunction.

The filing follows a September 2025 letter-petition from LRC and several civil society groups, including the Environmental Legal Assistance Center and Alyansa Tigil Mina, urging the President and the DENR Secretary to amend the FOI Manual. They say no action has been taken so far. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking

No legal actions eyed over Sen. Imee’s drug claims vs Pres. Marcos, Palace says

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MALACAÑANG on Tuesday said the First Family has no immediate plans to pursue legal action against Senator Ma. Imelda Josefa Remedios “Imee” R. Marcos, after she publicly accused her brother President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and members of his family of using illegal drugs.

Ms. Marcos on Monday night accused her brother and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos among others, of using drugs during the second day of the Iglesia ni Cristo rally in Manila, which drew a crowd of more than half a million. 

Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro, who earlier dismissed the statement as a “desperate move,” said the Palace would “wait and see” how the issue unfolds, adding that any potential investigation would fall under the jurisdiction of agencies such as the Department of Justice or the Office of the Ombudsman.

“These issues have long been debunked,” she told a briefing, citing previous drug test results and findings that artificial intelligence-generated videos circulating online were fake.

Ms. Castro is also confident that it is unlikely that the allegations will affect the President’s governance or international perception.

“We know that the international community assesses, evaluates based on the right data and facts. So, the only ones who can be deceived by these are people who do not think, or those whose sole aim is to destroy the government of President Marcos, Jr.,” she said in mixed English and Filipino.

She said that Malacañang is still reviewing the statements made by Ms. Marcos and other accusers.

The Marcos siblings have been at odds since last year following Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s resignation as Education secretary and public threats against the First Couple. Ms. Marcos and Ms. Duterte are close allies.

Ms. Castro also dismissed suggestions that the allegations — ranging from corruption claims circulated by former congressman Elizaldy S. Co to the senator’s recent statements — have triggered public outrage toward the President.

Ms. Castro urged the former House Appropriations Chair to return to the Philippines and present evidence to support his allegations, which she described as baseless.

Asked if the President feels compelled to address allegations of corruption and drug use personally, Ms. Castro questioned the need for him to respond to accusations she said lack credible sources.

‘WEB OF LIES’
In a statement on Tuesday, House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos III, who is also accused by the senator, said “it pains me to see how low she has gone to the point that she resorts to a web of lies aimed at destabilizing this government to advance her own political ambitions.”

The presidential son likewise said that his aunt’s accusations were baseless, calling them “not only false, but dangerously irresponsible.”

Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said he found Ms. Marcos’ actions as “very un-Filipino,” saying it is within Filipino culture to keep quarrels within the confines of the home.

“To bring your conflict in front of hundreds of thousands of people at the Luneta, to me that’s unacceptable as a Filipino,” Mr. Lacson said in a statement.

Mr. Lacson added that he was disappointed with the recent remarks from the presidential sister, noting that the rally was hardly the place for such accusations.

“She could have done this in another forum, but not to make accusations whether true or not in front of hundreds of thousands of people,” he said, noting this was driven by political motives.   

“Why discredit your own brother in front of hundreds of thousands of people?”

Separately, Senate President Vicente “Tito” C. Sotto III said in a Viber message to reporters that her allegations could be “It could be the defining moment of her political career.”

Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco, a senior research fellow at the Ateneo de Manila University Policy Center, said Ms. Marcos’ remarks could be a “fatal misstep” due to the potential blowbacks.

“Now we know that she happily campaigned for him in 2022, knowing fully well that he was unfit,” he said, adding her move gives the Dutertes leverage to sow political discord amid growing public outrage against corruption.   

“So, this looks more like a move to provide material for content creation to be used in political warfare.” — Chloe Mari A. Hufana and Adrian H. Halili

PHL reports uptick in disinformation ahead of ASEAN chairmanship

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. speaks at the official launch of the Philippines’ Chairship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2026 at Foro de Intramuros in Manila, Nov. 14. — NOEL B. PABALATE / PPA POOL

By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter

THE Philippines’ intelligence agency had observed an uptick in disinformation campaigns and a coordinated cyberattack targeting government and defense officials as Manila prepares to host the regional bloc’s summit next year, its director for cyberthreat operations said on Tuesday.

Lester B. Gastala, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) cyberthreat director, warned that the threat of disinformation in the Philippines “is not theoretical,” saying foreign interference could be weaponized to undermine institutions and sway public opinion.

“We have also seen a number of disinformation pertaining to the upcoming ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit,” he told lawmakers at a House of Representatives hearing.

He added that there is a “growing number of regional spear phishing ASEAN-themed campaigns targeting government and defense entities, diplomatic missions and the associated infrastructure in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia.”

The Philippines is set to assume the chairmanship of the regional bloc in 2026, with Manila aiming to push for a long-delayed code of conduct in the South China Sea.

ASEAN and China pledged in 2002 to come up with the sea code, a framework that seeks to prevent conflict through diplomatic means, but it has remained elusive due to slow progress.

The disputed waterway has emerged as a flashpoint in the Southeast Asia region as China continues to claim and assert sovereignty over almost the entire sea despite a United Nations-backed tribunal voiding its expansive claim in 2016.

Also on Tuesday, a Philippine Navy officer said that the Philippine military is guarding anti-graft protests from foreign interference.

Philippine Rear Admiral Roy Vincent T. Trinidad said the armed forces were pursuing leads after observing “unusual” levels of support at some anti-corruption protests against anomalous flood control deals, stressing that “domestic concerns” must be free of foreign help.

“We are looking at all possible avenues and areas to ensure that domestic concerns will remain domestic, and will not be influenced by foreign funding,” he told a media briefing in Filipino. “Let us not forget we have a neighbor that wants Filipinos to fight among themselves and for the Philippines to be divided.”

Asked which country he was referring to, Mr. Trinidad indirectly named China, describing it as “the big country run by the Chinese Communist Party” that would “do everything it can to sow discord within the Philippines.”

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment. Beijing has said it does not meddle in the internal affairs of other countries.

Manila and Beijing have clashed over contested areas in the South China Sea, with tensions escalating into confrontations at sea as both sides seek to uphold their sovereignty in the disputed waters. Philippine officials have warned are attempts to spread disinformation aimed at swaying Filipinos over the territorial dispute with China, among others.

“We have seen different issues, disinformation, misinformation and malinformation being raised against the government,” Mr. Trinidad said. “We have seen a lot of infiltration in our society. We don’t have to look far.”

“Part of their rule book is to make us fight among ourselves.”

In April, former Senator Francis N. Tolentino said that a local marketing firm was allegedly involved in spreading pro-Beijing narratives ahead of the May midterm elections, presenting documents that China hired it to provide “keyboard warriors” to influence public opinion.

DepEd usec in flood mess quits

PILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

AN EDUCATION undersecretary implicated in the flood control mess resigned on Monday, the Presidential Palace said on Tuesday.

Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro confirmed Education Undersecretary Trygve L. Olaivar tendered his resignation, but did not elaborate whether President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has acted on it or not.

“We called Usec. Trygve himself and confirmed that he submitted his resignation letter [on Nov. 17],” she told a briefing in Filipino.

Late on Monday, Malacañang announced the resignations of Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, who were both implicated in the flood control scandal.

Education Secretary Jose Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara was also named in the alleged scandal, but he remains in his post.

When asked if he should also resign “out of delicadeza,” Ms. Castro refused to answer, noting the secretary must answer for himself.

In September, Mr. Olaivar denied allegations linking him to the alleged ghost and substandard flood control projects uncovered in a Senate Blue Ribbon inquiry and said he would take a voluntary leave to allow an impartial investigation. 

His name surfaced after former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto R. Bernardo testified that Mr. Olaivar had asked him in 2024 to prepare a list of unprogrammed appropriations worth P2.85 billion, allegedly for the Office of the Executive Secretary, which Mr. Bersamin earlier held, and that a 15% “commitment” was discussed. 

Mr. Bernardo claimed that engineer Henry C. Alcantara regularly collected and delivered this amount to him, which he then turned over to Mr. Olaivar in various locations.

Mr. Olaivar, in a Sept. 25 statement, rejected the accusations and said he welcomed any probe into the matter.

Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson on Tuesday alleged Mr. Olaivar and former Presidential Legislative Liaison Adrian Carlos A. Bersamin received kickbacks from insertions from the 2025 budget.

The senator claimed that kickbacks from the P100-billion budget insertions from last year were received by officials from Malacañang who misrepresented the President.

“What (ex-Party-list Rep. Elizaldy S. Co) is claiming is that he delivered P25 billion representing the 25% kickback for the president, I will attest is not true,” he told the Senate Plenary, citing ex-Public Works Undersecretary Roberto R. Bernardo.

“There are people in Malacañang, not authorized by the President, who misrepresented him,” he said.

The Senator added that they had name dropped the President to Mr. Co making him believe that the funds were meant for the president.

“(Mr. Bersamin) name dropped the President, making Zaldy Co believe that it was the President that wanted to insert P100 billion,” he said.

Earlier, the former lawmaker accused President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and former House Speaker Martin G. Romualdez of having direct links to the multibillion-peso flood control scandal, according to a series of videos he released on his social media page.   

“(Mr. Bernardo) also said that he had delivered cash not to the President but to Olaivar along with Bersamin, P8 billion in at least 10 deliveries,” Mr. Lacson added.   

The senator said that the ex-government officials brought armored vans to a Makati hotel where deliveries would range from P800 million to P2 billion. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana and Adrian H. Halili

INC abruptly ends anti-graft rally

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AN INFLUENTIAL religious group abruptly ended its anti-corruption protest on Monday evening, cutting its planned three-day demonstration in the Philippine capital amid its push for transparency and accountability.

The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) in a statement said it had achieved its goal of “sending the message” as it urged the government to “decisively address” alleged collusion within and among its agencies to siphon of billions of funds from flood mitigation projects.

“It did not need three days to achieve the goal of sending the message that we are calling for justice, accountability, transparency and peace,” the INC said on Tuesday.

Around 550,000 people joined the INC-led protest at Quirino Grandstand in Manila at 8 p.m. Monday, its disaster management office said in a Facebook post. The crowd peaked at 600,000 an hour earlier, while more or less 650,000 attended on the first day of the demonstration on Sunday.

The religious group holds significant political influence due to its bloc-voting practice. Backers of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio included the INC, which endorsed both candidates ahead of their landslide victory in the 2022 elections.

“I agree with the statement of INC that it had already achieved within two days its goal of ‘sending the message’ to the government that it should seriously address the public’s call for transparency and accountability,” Dennis C. Coronacion, who heads the Political Science department of the University of Santo Tomas, said in a Facebook chat.

The mega church said its protest was not politically motivated, though figures linked to the Duterte camp have appeared as guests at the demonstrations. Senator Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos, the President’s sister, delivered a scathing speech against Mr. Marcos that included accusations of longtime drug use before the protest was halted.

Palace Press Officer Claire A. Castro said Ms. Marcos’ accusations were baseless and may have been an attempt to divert attention from ongoing investigations into massive corruption that has gripped the Southeast Asian nation.

While the protest showed the INC’s ability to mobilize large crowds, Ms. Marcos’ remarks may have prompted the church to end it early, said Arjan P. Aguirre, who teaches political science at the Ateneo de Manila University.

“The INC mobilization clearly made enough noise to show it can still bring out hundreds of thousands of people. But the impact was blunted once some politicians reframed the gathering as an anti-government protest,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat, noting Ms. Marcos’ speech “shifted the spotlight away from the flood control scandal and toward internal political conflicts.”

Ederson DT. Tapia, a political science professor at the University of Makati, said the church may have ended the rally to prevent “public fatigue, internal strain or unintended escalation” from its demonstration.

The INC is opposed to any form of violence in addressing the corruption scandal, urging instead that the issue be resolved through legal and constitutional means, its minister Bienvenido Santiago, Jr. said on Sunday.

“From the very start, we have stressed that we are against moves that are against the Constitution,” the INC said. “We started peacefully and we ended peacefully.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

SC junks plea to produce ICC warrant

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THE Supreme Court (SC) en banc has denied a motion by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Senator Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa seeking to compel government agencies to produce an alleged International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against the senator.

The SC on Tuesday ruled that there was no sufficient basis to immediately compel production of the alleged warrant but directed the respondents, including Ombudsman Jesus Crispin C. Remulla, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Foreign Affairs, to submit comments on the petitioners’ claims within 10 days.

“The court acted on the submissions but found no sufficient basis to immediately compel production of the alleged warrant,” the SC said in a statement.

The petition, originally filed on March 11 challenged Mr. Duterte’s potential arrest and the Philippine government’s cooperation with the ICC through the Interpol.

On Nov. 12 the petitioners filed a Very Urgent Motion seeking to compel Mr. Remulla to produce a copy of the alleged ICC warrant against Mr. Dela Rosa. In a separate Very Urgent Manifestation dated Nov. 13, petitioners alleged that Mr. Remulla publicly stated that “an ICC arrest warrant had already been issued” and that a “diffusion order” was in place.

They also claimed he said the government could surrender Mr. Dela Rosa “without undergoing extradition proceedings” and that “the DoJ has placed at least three witnesses under the Witness Protection Program at the ICC’s request.” — Erika Mae P. Sinaking

Marcos vows continued typhoon aid

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday vowed continuous aid to communities affected by Super Typhoon Fung-wong, locally named Uwan, underscoring the need for government services to continue despite successive natural disasters.

He convened Cabinet members and local officials following an inspection for a situation briefing to coordinate ongoing relief and rehabilitation measures, a statement from his office said.

The government has begun distributing emergency cash transfers worth P10,263 each, along with family, hygiene and kitchen kits to 141 families whose homes were completely destroyed.

He also visited the Cararayan-Naga Elementary School in Tiwi in the province of Albay, where he spoke with students attending morning classes under a temporary shifting schedule.

The school is accommodating 157 displaced learners out of its 917 enrolled students, according to local education officials.

The Department of Education (DepEd) distributed learning materials during the visit, while the Office of the President donated two Starlink internet units — one to Cararayan-Naga Elementary School and another to Tiwi Central School — to help restore connectivity.

Seven classrooms at Cararayan-Naga suffered major damage amounting to about P3.5 million, and eight others sustained minor damage estimated at P392,000, DepEd Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Bernie C. Despabiladero said.

Three water and sanitation facilities were destroyed, alongside 200 learning resources and 50 desks.

Mr. Despabiladero said the school has already received aid from various agencies, including learner kits from DepEd Albay, psychological first aid, Starlink connectivity from the Department of Information and Communications Technology and cleanup support from the Department of Public Works and Highways and local governments.

Uwan caused more than P4 billion in combined agriculture and infrastructure losses, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Monday, with crop damage alone reaching P1.79 billion and infrastructure losses at P2.27 billion. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Philippines, Palestine seek deeper political ties

THE PHILIPPINES and Palestine seek to improve bilateral relations through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on political consultation, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday, following a visit from the Palestinian envoy.

In a meeting, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro said that the MoU seeks to establish a structured bilateral mechanism of consultations between the two nations.

“This will allow us to take stock of our bilateral relations, identify areas of cooperation, and promote our common interests,” Ms. Lazaro said in her speech after the bilateral meeting.   

She added that they seek to convene an inaugural political consultation by next year.

The DFA earlier announced that Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin will conduct a state visit to the Philippines from Nov. 16 to 21.

“The Foreign Minister and I also agreed on the importance of expediting the conclusion of a Visa Waiver Agreement for holders of diplomatic, official and special passports,” Ms. Lazaro said.

She added that the agreement will provide greater interaction and closer cooperation between officials and policymakers from both countries.

The Philippines also seeks to provide technical and capacity-building assistance to Palestine.

“The projects will be implemented under the auspices of the Technical Cooperation Council of the Philippines (TCCP), which the DFA chairs,” she added. — Adrian H. Halili

PCIC allocates P571M in insurance payouts for typhoon-hit farmers

The Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) set aside an initial P571.3 million to cover crop insurance payouts to farmers affected by Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) and Super Typhoon Uwan (Fung-wong), according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The DA said about 65,176 insured farmers in 14 regions were affected by the two typhoons, based on PCIC reports. Initial assessments indicate losses of around P147.3 million for rice, P55.6 million for corn, and P224.3 million for high-value crops.

Some P119.4 million in payouts will likely go to the Bicol Region, which recorded the highest number of claimants at 10,958.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. was quoted in a statement as saying, that a wider crop insurance coverage is becoming increasingly critical as climate change drives more frequent and severe weather events.

“Hopefully, more of our agricultural stakeholders can be covered by the PCIC so the sector can better cope with disasters,” he said.

Based on the latest figures from the DA, damage to agriculture caused by the two typhoons totaled P4.13 billion, including P3.17 billion from Uwan and P968.16 million from Tino.

The combined losses from the two typhoons totaled 19.2 million metric tons in crop output, affecting 43,882 hectares of agricultural area and about 84,357 farmers and fisherfolk. — Andrei Vonn E. Villamiel

Soldier held by BARMM cops for cigarette smuggling

COTABATO CITY — Police anti-smuggling operatives on Saturday foiled an attempt by an Army technical sergeant to transport P194,680 worth of Indonesian-made cigarettes from Zamboanga City to Carmen town in Cotabato.

Officials of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) and the Maguindanao del Norte Provincial Police Office told reporters on Tuesday that the now detained 46-year-old Vergelio L. Marapao, Jr. belongs to the Army’s 1st Scout Ranger Battalion (SRB) based in Carmen, one of 17 towns in Cotabato province.

The 1st SRB is deployed in Carmen but is not an organic unit of the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade based in the municipality, only supporting the anti-terror operations of the brigade and the 6th Infantry Division in the area.

Brig. Gen. Jaysen C. De Guzman, director of PRO-BAR, said operatives from different police units stopped Mr. Marapao’s car, just for a routine inspection at a checkpoint in Barangay Macasandag in Parang, but detained him immediately when they found out it was loaded with cigarettes from Indonesia.

Investigators from the Parang Municipal Police Station had found out that Mr. Marapao was on his way to their battalion headquarters in Carmen, from Zamboanga City, where his family reportedly resides, when he was intercepted by policemen at a stretch of the Secretary Narciso Ramos Highway in Parang, a seaside town in Maguindanao del Norte, one of the five provinces in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The imported cigarettes that policemen found in the trunk and backseat of Mr. Marapao’s car, costing P194,680, are now in the custody of PRO-BAR, to be turned over to the Bureau of Customs for its disposition.

Mr. Marapao is now detained in a police detention facility in Parang, where Camp SK Pendatun, the command center of PRO-BAR, is located. — John Felix M. Unson

Hydropower developers seek higher tariff for run-of-river

STOCK PHOTO | Image by Wirestock from Freepik

HYDROPOWER developers are seeking a higher, more “reasonable” tariff for run-of-river (RoR) hydropower projects to attract further investment, an industry official said.

On the sidelines of the Third Philippine Hydro Summit on Tuesday, Gertrude V. Roque, president of PhilHydro Association, Inc., said that increasing the tariff would attract more developers.

“The reality is that we’re not just producing water or power, but we are also taking care of the watershed and the infrastructure that we contribute to the countryside,” Ms. Roque said.

Hydropower facilities generate electricity from the natural flow of moving water. The types of such projects active in the Philippines are impounding hydro, run-of-river hydro, and pumped storage hydro, which qualify for subsidized rates under the government’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program.

Launched in 2011, FIT offers fixed payments per kilowatt hour to developers. This is also a uniform charge billed to all on-grid electricity consumers to support the development and promotion of renewable energy.

Since the installation target for RoR under FIT is about to be fully subscribed, the Department of Energy (DoE) has set a new target of 100 megawatts (MW) this year.

During the previous FIT rounds, the rate for RoR ranged from P5.90 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to P6.0804 per kWh, depending on the scheduled completion date of each project.

Once the quota is taken up fully, RoR will adopt the incentive structure of the green energy auction, another program to encourage renewable energy development.

PhilHydro proposed the use of “actual average capacity factor” as the basis for setting the tariff. This sets the rate based on how much electricity a power plant actually generates over a period of time, compared to how much it could generate if it ran at full power continuously.

“Actual and historical capacity factors of operational plants best represent the true conditions and challenges of operating RoR hydro,” the group said in a position paper.

PhilHydro is also asking for run-of-river hydro to be shielded from contingency costs, citing “constant exposure to weather, climate change and natural disasters.”

As of October, the government has awarded 404 hydropower project service contracts with a potential capacity of more than 14,000 MW.

According to a speech by Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin delivered by Ruby B. de Guzman, director of the Renewable Energy Management Bureau, hydropower’s role in the system is to provide firming capacity and deliver power reserves crucial to keep the grid stable.

“Hydropower is more than just a part of our energy mix — it is a National Imperative that underpins a successful energy transition and is crucial to achieving our renewable energy targets of 35% by 2030 and 50% by 2040,” Ms. Garin said.

The DoE is partnering with foreign partners and technical experts to map potential large-scale hydropower sites across the Philippines, supporting the goal of boosting hydro capacity, she said.

“The energy transition is not a distant goal — it is the reality we are living today. And for the Philippines, water is not just life; it is power, resilience, and opportunity,” she added. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

BSP says cash withdrawal cap was agreed to after consultation with banks

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said its P500,000 cap on cash withdrawals to make large kickbacks from infrastructure projects more traceable was arrived at following due study and consultation with the banking industry.

“It wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction,” BSP Deputy Governor Zeno Ronald R. Abenoja told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of a Senate hearing on Thursday. “It was well-considered. We looked at other countries’ experiences. So, it was carefully thought out… and we did consult the banks, the feedback that the banks were getting from their clients and among themselves.”

Sen. Francis Pancratius N. Pangilinan had asked the Senate plenary if the regulation was a knee-jerk reaction to revelations that nearly P500 million in cash was withdrawn over two days by contractors linked to the flood control scandal.

Mr. Pangilinan also said he has received complaints from banks, depositors and small businesses about the P500,000 cap.

“A lot of banks, a lot of depositors, (and) small businesses are saying suddenly it’s so difficult to transact with the banks because there is a limit of P500,000,” he said.

In September, the BSP issued a circular imposing a P500,000 daily limit on cash withdrawals, including the total of multiple transactions.

Clients seeking to withdraw more than P500,000 will have the burden to submit documents proving that the cash withdrawals serve a legitimate business purpose.

Mr. Abenoja also noted that the BSP guidelines mirror the provisions of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) and other central bank regulations.

 “The guidelines… iterate what is already in the AMLA,” he said. “Because under the AMLA, banks are required to do enhanced due diligence. And one form of that is to require or ask for supporting documents to make sure that legitimate transactions underlay their transactions with the banks.”

AMLA requires covered persons, including banks, to file suspicious-transaction reports to the Anti-Money Laundering Council within five working days from its occurrence.

Sen. Sherwin T. Gatchalian, who heads the Senate finance committee, said then-Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto sees the measure as a “possible” factor behind the slowing growth in the third quarter.

“Secretary Recto was saying this is possible,” Mr. Gatchalian told the plenary. “And also moving forward, it can also create some negative effects.”

“The BSP acknowledged this, and they are now reviewing this policy,” he added.

Mr. Abenoja said the central bank’s Financial Supervision Sector and Office of the General Counsel and Legal Services are handling the review of the regulation. 

“It’s ongoing,” he said. “We don’t know yet what will be the final outcome. But the BSP is considering all these inputs.” — Katherine K. Chan

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