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The government is eyeing a combination of dredging, drainage upgrades, detention basins and flood interceptor projects to address persistent flooding in Parañaque, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon said Monday.

During an inspection of flood-prone areas near Dr. Santos Avenue and Don Galo Creek with Parañaque Rep. Brian Yamsuan and local officials, the public works secretary noted that floodwaters in some communities, “minsan daw lampas tao ‘yung tubig dito.” (“would sometimes rise above a person’s height”)

According to Dizon, among the immediate interventions being considered are dredging operations in Villanueva Creek near Manila Memorial Park and in Don Galo Creek to restore water flow obstructed by garbage buildup and siltation.

“You can see that the water is barely flowing anymore. That means the waterways are clogged, clogged with garbage and heavy siltation, and have already become too shallow,” Dizon said in an interview.

He explained that shallow waterways cause water to backflow into nearby roads and residential areas whenever water levels rise.

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang said the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) site will be transformed into a mixed-use property that could generate steady revenue to support the Bureau’s ongoing development and modernization plan.

Catapang made this remark as BuCor hosted a market-sounding summit at The Somerset in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, where the bureau unveiled plans to unlock its vast assets in preparation for the NBP’s closure by 2028.

He said the summit focused on the 160-hectare portion of the NBP property available for purely commercial leasing arrangements, and an additional 106 hectares slated for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) or Joint Venture (JV) agreements.

Catapang said while portions of the property will be leased, none of the NBP’s assets will be sold, maintaining government ownership throughout.

He said lease rates are projected between P65 and P100 per square meter per month, inclusive of VAT, with annual lease revenues from the 160-hectare commercial area ranging from approximately P1.25 billion to P1.92 billion.

The arrangement will be structured as a commercialized long-term lease, with all improvements to the property remaining the sole property of BuCor, ensuring no divestment of government assets.

The initial contract duration is proposed at 50 years, with options to renew for an additional 20 to 49 years.

Gov. Humerlito “Bonz” Dolor has given independent power producers (IPPs) until May 31 to resolve operational issues and begin full operations, warning that their agreements could be terminated if they fail to comply.

The ultimatum comes as Oriental Mindoro faces a worsening power crisis during the peak of the dry season. The Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (Ormeco) has been implementing manual load dropping to prevent a total grid collapse, resulting in frequent and prolonged brownouts across the province.

“Their deadline is May 31 to fix everything and start operating,” Dolor said in a statement.

He added: “We will no longer tolerate unfulfilled commitments while the people of Oriental Mindoro suffer in the dark.”

Data from Ormeco showed that the province recorded a peak demand of 75.31 megawatts (MW) on May 11, while available supply reached only 56.5 MW, leaving a deficit of 18.81 MW. Demand is projected to rise further to 86.4 MW by the end of the month.

The Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) has approved the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) cyber warrant application to examine the seized gadgets of Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN) founder Franco Mabanta and other individuals recently arrested for allegedly extorting money from former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, according to NBI Director Melvin Matibag.

In the Machra’s Balitaan on Tuesday, Matibag said the Pasig RTC granted their cyber warrant application last Friday, May 15.

Following the RTC’s go signal, Matibag said the NBI can now legally open Mabanta and others’ seized gadgets and “obtain information, videos, pictures, text messages, and text logs, among others.”

“So the people he (Mabanta) talked to, whoever the personalities he talked to, we will have access to that, we will know,” Matibag said.

“So also the rumors that this and that person talked to, we will have definite answers on that, that’s where we will see communications and call logs and videos and pictures on the phone of Franco Mabanta and his associates,” he added.

A proposal to provide a P3,000 incentive for teachers to be given when the country celebrates the World Teachers’ Day has been approved by the House committee on basic education and culture.

In a statement on Tuesday, Eastern Samar Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales confirmed that the committee approved the proposal during its Monday meeting.

The recommendation includes House Bill (HB) No. 4531 which he and Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan authored.

The bill seeks to increase the World Teachers’ Day Incentive Benefit (WTDIB), which is given to more than 950,000 public school teachers nationwide, from P1,000 to P3,000.

The World Teachers’ Day is celebrated every October 5, as established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

“We are deeply grateful to the Romulo committee for endorsing this important measure,” Gonzales said, referring to Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo who heads the committee.