Tom Ibarra

My column today: It can no longer be business as usual, otherwise the exchange rate will be P70 to the dollar before we know it, inflation will be double digit and there will be a lot of angry and hungry people in the streets. philstar.com/business/2026/1…

My god, Claire Castro. Fix your soundbites. You are making Malacañang and the President look more and more incompetent each day. Why are you asking civil society to “submit” documents and findings? Staff nyo kami? Kami ba ang nag-insert ng 7,000 projects sa HGAB?

'ANG PONDO NG BAYAN AY HINDI DAPAT INAABUSO’ Ito ang ipinarating ni Palace Press Officer Claire Castro na utos umano ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos sa mga opisyal ng pamahaalan kasunod ang kontrobersiya ukol sa mga insertion sa national budget. “Ang utos ng Pangulo, ang pondo ng bayan ay hindi dapat inaabuso. Ang pondo ng bayan ay dapat sa taumbayan. Hindi sa bulsa ng ninuman,” saad niya sa press conference nitong Martes, November 3, 2026. Bagaman hindi makikialam si Marcos sa deliberasyon ng Kongreso sa panukalang P7.2-trillion national budget para sa 2027, hindi umano palulusutin ng Pangulo ang anumang pag-amyenda rito nang walang sapat na dokumento. “Hindi ito sweet talks katulad ng sinasabi nung iba. Inumpisahan na ng Pangulo para iparamdam sa mga nag-aabuso sa pondo na wala kayong lugar at pwesto sa gobyerno kung kayo'y magnanakaw lang,” dagdag niya. PANOORIN: youtu.be/gUthDNvraiQ?si=w34-…

Itigil niyo na panloloko sa taumbayan. Kayo-kayo na lang mga taga Davao ang maglokohan. Magpaka hibang kayo hanggang gusto niyo.

akala ko ba WANTED na yan?? eh bakit parang wala namang pake yung mga pulis sa likod niya at mukhang ine-escort pa yan siya TANGINA, PNP PROTEKTOR NG PUGANTE!!!

'THERE WILL BE A DAY OF RECKONING' Sen. Robinhood Padilla described former president Rodrigo Duterte’s 600 days in ICC detention as a difficult sacrifice for the country, saying the former leader could use the time to rest from politics and focus on his health. Padilla expressed faith that justice would eventually be served, adding that the ICC could still be dismantled during Duterte’s time. Duterte has been detained in The Hague since March 12, 2025, over alleged crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s drug war. | 📷: Padilla/ Facebook

ganito pala ang behind the scenes ng tree planting activity ni sara, mula mismo sa supporter na navideohan hukay konti, video sakali, picture sandali, pakahusay kunwari lol

LACSON: NO SACRED COWS IN SENATE REVIEW OF 2027 BUDGET Sen. Ping Lacson said no lawmaker would be spared scrutiny in the Senate's review of the proposed 2027 national budget. facebook.com/photo?fbid=1515…

‘POULTRY BOY’: EX-GEN. BANTAG, NAKATAKAS SA POLICE RAID SA LAMUT, IFUGAO Nakatakas diumano si former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gen. Gerald Bantag nang salakayin umano ng mga tauhan ng pulisya ang isang poultry farm sa Sitio Alupapan, Pugol, Lamut, Ifungao dakong ala-5 ng madaling araw ngayong Linggo, Nobyembre 1. Ayon sa post ni Mariano Buyagawan Jr., sinalakay ng mga tauhan ng Lamut Municipal Police Station ang isang poultry farm kung saan naispatan si Bantag, na may patong sa ulo ng P2 milyon, habang nagpapakain ng mga manok. Subalit hindi nadatnan ng pulis ang puganteng heneral sa lugar. Si Bantag, na isang appointee ni former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, ay itinuturong mastermind sa pagp@tay sa radio broadcaster na si Percy Lapid sa kanyang bahay sa Las Pinas City noong Oktubre 3, 2022. Inisyuhan ng warrant of arrest si Bantag ng Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) noong Abril 2023 dahil sa kasong murder. Sinabi ng Department of Justice (DOJ) noong Setyembre 10, 2026 na si Bantag ay posibleng nasa isang liblib na lugar sa Cordillera Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of Mariano Buyagawan Jr.) #geraldbantag #bureauofcorrectionsPH #percylapid #PHwantedpersons #PilipinasToday

DOMINGO'S DISTRICT ALLOCATION RISES FROM ₱1.5 BILLION TO ₱3.5 BILLION IN HOUSE VERSION Caloocan City 2nd District Representative Edgar Erice cites several lawmakers whose district budgets increased in the House version of the proposed 2027 budget. Speaking on #OnPoint, Erice singles out Bulacan 1st District Representative Danny Domingo, whose allocation reportedly rose from ₱1.5 billion in the National Expenditure Program to ₱3.5 billion in the House version. He also mentions the districts of Representatives Mikaela Suansing, Janette Garin, and Gerville Luistro. Watch the full discussion on #OnPoint. #OnPoint #BilyonaryoNewsChannel #EdgarErice #2027Budget #DannyDomingo #Bulacan #FloodControl

How desperate must a Filipino be to sleep on a sidewalk just to secure government assistance for hospital bills, surgery, or even a loved one’s funeral? A viral Threads post showing people sleeping on the pavement outside government offices has triggered public outrage, exposing the humiliating ordeal that financially distressed Filipinos reportedly endure just to obtain medical assistance. Threads user @paulette_cgyn shared photographs of people lying on the sidewalk, some resting against concrete pillars, while others waited nearby. According to the uploader, the scene was outside the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the House of Representatives, where applicants were hoping to receive financial assistance. “Mawawalan ka talaga ng lakas kapag nakikita mong ganito kalala ang sistema ng pagpapagamot sa bansa,” the uploader wrote. “Kawawang maging Pilipino.” The uploader claimed that people were already spending the night outside as early as 10 p.m., hoping to secure a place in the queue the following day. Even more disturbing was the apparent lack of basic accommodations for applicants, many of whom were already dealing with illness, financial hardship, or a death in the family. “Ano ba yung magprovide tayo ng kahit upuan na lang eh o bubong na masisilungan para sa kanila,” the uploader lamented. PUBLIC OUTRAGE ERUPTS The photographs unleashed angry reactions from netizens who questioned why taxpayers must practically beg for assistance from their own government. “Para ka palaging nagmamakaawa sa sarili mong pera,” commented @mrnclrv. Another netizen, @daleks747, criticized a system that seemingly forces ordinary citizens to plead for assistance that should be accessible to them. Others shared their own experiences of exhausting queues and complicated procedures. One commenter recalled spending an entire day processing burial assistance documents in 2023, only to return a week later for the release of the money. The original uploader also claimed that some applicants had gone home after being told that the day’s 150 available slots were already filled. A SYSTEM THAT PUNISHES THE POOR? The controversy has renewed criticism of the country’s fragmented medical assistance system. Government programs such as DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) and the Department of Health’s Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) are designed to help Filipinos struggling with medical expenses. Yet for many applicants, obtaining assistance can mean navigating multiple offices, submitting extensive documentation, and enduring long queues without any guarantee of approval. Netizens are now demanding a more humane system, including organized appointments, adequate waiting areas, extended service hours, and faster processing. The precise circumstances of the photographed queue, including the location and date, have not been independently verified. The agencies concerned have not been shown in the supplied material to have responded to the specific allegations. But the outrage points to a disturbing reality: For Filipinos already devastated by sickness and poverty, seeking government assistance can become another battle for survival. The cruelest part is not simply that people are sleeping on sidewalks. It is that desperation has become an accepted part of asking the government for help. (✍️: Top Dagohoy) #radarPHBusiness #radarPH

Is this what “to break the bank” mean ?

‘HINDI DAPAT MAPUNTA ANG PERA NG BAYAN SA GHOST PROJECTS' Binigyang-diin ni PCO Usec. Claire Castro ang direktiba ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. na tiyaking maayos na nagagamit ang pondo ng bayan, kasunod ng tanong tungkol sa posibleng katiwalian sa mga budget insertion para sa mga proyekto ng gobyerno, kabilang ang mga farm-to-market road na ang nakatalang coordinates ay nasa karagatan. Ayon kay Castro, dapat matiyak na hindi mapupunta ang pondo sa mga ghost project o proyektong gumagamit ng substandard materials. Bisitahin ang gmanetwork.com/news para sa updates.

Tell me you don't understand economics while telling me you don't understand economics. And we wonder why we're in this shithole right now.