Battles we fight in all fronts

“No one is perfect in this world, and we all have our battles, but it's the way we get back on our feet and turn it around that really counts.”

—Tiffany Thornton

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WITH the myriad of problems we face nowadays, can the Filipino people survive?

We assume that most of us are aware the Philippine peso has further dropped to a record closing low against the U.S. dollar on August 27, 2026.

It fell 23.8 centavos to settle at P61.888 per U.S. dollar, beating the previous record closing low of P61.847 set on July 24, 2026. And it’s only in the third quarter of 2026.

Also, our outstanding external (foreign) debt stood at $147.35 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2026, according to data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

It is equivalent to approximately P9,126,490,625,000.00 or P9.13 trillion.

In a population of 117.8 million Filipinos, even those who aren’t born yet are already “indebted.” 

Being buried in foreign debt will force the Philippines to spend a massive share of its money on loan payments instead of local needs.

This means our excessive external debt creates a "debt overhang" that slows down long-term economic growth and discourages stable investment.

 

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In terms of corruption, the Philippines is now reportedly ranked 120th out of 182 countries globally in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

As a leading global indicator published annually by Transparency International, CPI measures the perceived level of public sector corruption based on data from expert assessments and business executive surveys.

We received a score of 32 out of 100 (where 0 means highly corrupt and 100 means very clean).

We may not be the most corrupt country in the world, but being in the top 120 is not something Filipinos all over the world should be proud of; the score falls well below the global average of 42.

To compound the matter, the Philippines performs near the lower end, ranking ahead of only Cambodia and Myanmar in the regional breakdown in Southeast Asia.

Due to entrenched political dynasties, weak public institutions, and high poverty rates that drive patronage politics, the Philippines is perceived as corrupt.

 After the country gained independence in 1946, systems of graft and elite control took root dating back during the Spanish and American colonial eras and persisted.

 

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Also, even if we are not at risk of the specific type of glacial-collapse or glacial-lake outburst flash flood that struck Nepal and Tibet recently, the Philippines faces a very high and frequent threat from severe, monsoon—and typhoon-driven flash floods and debris flows.

The difference is the catastrophic disaster along the Nepal-Tibet border was reportedly caused by a high-altitude "hazard cascade"—a collapsing Himalayan glacier and ice avalanche that created massive, sudden walls of mud and water without initial heavy rainfall.

We have a tropical maritime climate with high mountain ranges (such as the Cordillera Central) in the Philippines, but geological experts say it does not feature permanent alpine glaciers or glacial lakes capable of a glacial outburst.

Philippine flash floods are driven by intense tropical downpours from typhoons and the southwest monsoon (Habagat), while the Nepal event happened during clear skies from an ice/rock collapse.

Local geological experts add that the Philippines experiences its own version of violent "debris flows"—mixtures of wet concrete-like mud, rocks, and sand rushing down steep mountain slopes—such as those triggered by past severe storms and heavy rains.

Due to its geographical fragmentation and heavy exposure to extreme weather, the Philippines faces recurrent flooding emergencies in low-lying floodplains, mining regions, and rapidly urbanized river basins.

 

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WE are still currently in the Age of Pieces but in a transition period and moving slowly toward the Age of Aquarius.

The Age of Pieces is associated with the last 2,000 years, marked by traditional authority, spiritual sacrifice, and collective religious structures.

The Age of Aquarius, on the other hand, is associated with future innovation, global connectivity, technology, and group consciousness.

This multi-century crossover is viewed by most experts as a twilight phase where Piscean traits fade and Aquarian traits emerge.

The Age of Aquarius is an astrological era linked to the slow shift of Earth’s axis known as the precession of the equinoxes. It marks a transition from Pisces to Aquarius and is associated with innovation, collective thinking, and global connectivity, according to Almanac.

It explains that something that most people don’t know is that the position of the planets in the zodiac signs is different astrologically than they are astronomically.

If one were to look through a telescope at the celestial bodies, they would not be traversing the actual constellations the way that astrologers say they are, adds the Almanac.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

Grabato’s $150,000 bounty too tempting

“Sometimes the scandal is not what law was broken, but what the law allows.”

—Edward Snowden

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE wrote a series of articles about the case of controversial Iloilo balikbayan businessman Rey E. Grabato II on October 25 and 26, 2022, or four years before the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uploaded his photos on its “Most Wanted Fraudster” website.

Now, the case has become viral. Grabato’s face or faces are all over the Internet and in the websites of major international media networks.

What a disaster for someone who is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

Social media jerks even profoundly emphasized his being an “Ilonggo” as if ethnicity conjures an unyielding intent to commit impropriety.

We learned that Grabato has been in sickbay since returning from the United States.

Now that the FBI has offered a reward of up to $150,000 (around Philippine P9 million) for information that leads to Grabato’s arrest and conviction, will someone from Mina or nearby Iloilo municipalities take advantage of the large and tempting bounty?

 

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We all know that large cash rewards frequently motivate or galvanize friends, close associates, and family members to turn in wanted fugitives.

A cash reward or bounty will always create a powerful excitement and motivation to put personal gain above loyalty. Turning on a friend can remove a threat or secure survival in competitive or high-stakes environments.

Loyal or not, some friends-turned-tipsters easily convince themselves that "it is just business" or "just a game," making the betrayal feel less personal to them.

On the part of those who love and sympathize with him, hiding a fugitive or living on the run creates immense stress, fear, and resentment within a family or friend group, wearing down loyalty over time.

Also, there is immense concern informants often worry that if they do not turn the person in, they might get caught helping them or face legal trouble themselves.

After the US Department of Justice revealed they have filed cases against the now 47-year-old Grabato, a Filipino citizen, for conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States with respect to tax, we wrote that “the scandal that walloped the Grabato political family in Mina, Iloilo was like a hurricane.”

 

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All of a sudden, they became the talk of the town; their enemies could be ecstatic after news spread around the globe (that’s the power of the Internet media) that the son of couple Rey and Lydia, both prominent political leaders in the third district of Iloilo, was indicted in New Jersey for alleged involvement in a $650 million Ponzi scheme and conspiring to evade $26 million in US federal tax liabilities.

Lydia Grabato is the former mayor of Mina, Iloilo, while husband Rey is the incumbent mayor. They had been scheduled to talk to the Iloilo press on October 25, 2022 “to clear matters” but called it off.

The cases against the accused son were filed in the United States. The alleged accomplice, Thomas Nicholas Salzano, 64, of Secaucus, in New Jersey, was already arrested.

The son Grabato, who isn’t a US citizen, was believed to have fled to the Philippines when the scandal erupted in New Jersey after the pandemic.

It wasn’t immediately known if the Grabato couple would present their son or defend him in absentia.

It was not also known if the parents would convince the son to surrender although they already issued a statement that he was sick and being taken care of in an undisclosed location.

 

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The Grabatos aren’t only known as political leaders and allies of Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. and former governor Arthur Defensor Sr., but also as a “wealthy” family that owns several businesses in Iloilo province.

No one has openly linked their wealth to the son’s alleged fraudulent activities in the United States that resulted in 18 counts of criminal cases.

The parents have not been linked to graft and corruption and illegal activities and were known to be “outstanding” public servants.

But there were reportedly ugly whispers and speculations both from their friends and enemies that may not be good to the ears of the family.

Some people say, “it is better to be charged in court and go to jail for murder than to be involved in a grand thievery, get arrested and thrown behind bars.”

The son Grabato, who hasn’t issued a public statement since the scandal erupted, is still presumed innocent until proven guilty.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

Our international embarrassment

“And now I've got to explain the smell that was in there before I went in there. Does that ever happen to you? It's not your fault. You've held your breath, you just wanna get out, and now you open the door and you have to explain, 'Oh! Listen, there's an odor in there and I didn't do it. It's bad.”

—Ellen DeGeneres

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

AREN’T we ashamed?

If graft and corruption have given us international humiliation, garbage problem has given us international embarrassment.

Our dignity as a nation has been compromised and continues to ebb owing to these successive crises.

If our elected officials are not accused of plunder and malversation of public funds, they are derided and mocked for incompetence—especially their failure to repair and maintain our drainage system, or for pocketing billions of funds intended for flood control projects.

Trash piled up and clogged the drainage because some irresponsible residents in the squatter colonies also polluted their surroundings and didn’t observe proper disposal of garbages.  

Although humiliation is worse than embarrassment because it directly attacks our core dignity and leaves a deep, lasting wound, embarrassment makes us objects of derision.

 

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Embarrassment can feel bad because it triggers a painful physical and emotional threat response driven by the fear of social judgment and rejection.

Such is the predicament the Philippines is in today following the spread on the internet of videos and photos recently showing a sea of trash clogged drainage systems in Parañaque City, one of the 16 cities comprising Metro Manila.

Although joint clearing operations have significantly reduced the volume of garbage, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called the garbage situation critical.

Authorities working in the Baclaran channel reportedly cleared roughly 45 truckloads of waste—totaling 500 tons—over just a few days this month.

Trash continued to pile up overnight due to unpredictable wind currents carrying waste from Manila Bay.

As of this writing, cleanup operations remained continuous as discarded plastics block vital water pumps.

 

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The float heap of garbage, which clogged the Redemptorist Water Channel in Barangay Baclaran, was described by Palace as “truly shocking” even as officials also backed stronger local government penalties for improper disposal by residents and visitors.

Authorities have reported 72 truckloads — about 396.6 metric tons — of waste hauled over three days, with operations continuing using additional equipment including floating backhoes and a trash skimmer, as of August 12, 2026.

Come to think of it: 500 tons of trash is equals 1,000,000 pounds of garbage, which is roughly the weight of 40 to 50 fully loaded municipal garbage trucks.

Exactly 1,000,000 pounds (calculated as 500 tons multiplied by 2,000 pounds per ton). It is about 45 large trucks, if each truck carries an average load of 11 tons.

It is equivalent to one full day of trash generated by a city of about 200,000 people (assuming an average of 5 pounds per person daily).

It actually matches the approximate annual number of debris collected by Baltimore's famous solar-powered trash skimmer, Mr. Trash Wheel, from the harbor each year.

 

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Why must we worry about our garbage problem? To begin with, garbage is dangerous because it spreads severe diseases, pollutes soil and water sources, and releases toxic gases that harm both human health and the environment.

According to studies, piles of trash create breeding grounds for rats, flies, and mosquitoes.

Health experts have warned that these pests carry and spread dangerous diseases like cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and malaria.

Rainwater passing through trash also reportedly creates a polluted liquid called leachate, which carries heavy metals and chemicals into underground water supplies.

Also, plastics and chemicals break down over time, releasing toxins that kill helpful soil microbes and poison plants and crops.

Rotting organic waste inside landfills also reportedly produces methane and carbon dioxide, which drive climate change. Burning garbage in the open releases poisonous chemicals and smoke that cause breathing and lung problems.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

Divert our attention

“I have looked into your eyes with my eyes. I have put my heart near your heart.”

—Pope John XXIII

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE need more inspiring and success stories like the Alex Eala phenomenon that recently swept the national imagination to divert our attention from the endless political muckraking and silliness of sycophants who tolerate, protect, abet and endorse bad, terrible and incompetent leaders.

Aside from tennis, there are sports familiar to Filipinos that can produce Alex Ealas and embolden the young athletes to also take the magnificent route traversed by the sensational 21-year-old tennis beauty and brains.

To mention a few: weightlifting, gymnastics, boxing, billiards, pole vaulting, chess where we have produced Olympic if not world champions.

More Alex Ealas and her extraordinary conquests mean less focus on toxic politics and the tedious impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio (of course we must still continue to monitor it from time to time).

 

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Filipinos have been overdosed with politics and divisiveness and there seems to be chaos and tumult each time they scroll down the social and mainstream media items in their gadgets.

As a result, many Filipinos become wound collectors and “victims of life.” We choose not to move on and one of the reasons is that suffering and pain creates sympathy from others.

Alex Eala’s dramatic and sensational performances in the recent Mubadala DC Open in Washington DC and National Bank Open in Toronto gave many mentally and emotionally worn-out Filipinos a chance to heave a sigh of relief and forget politics and economic despair for a while.

Filipino fans are expected to follow the young tennis star’s impressive imperium in the hard, class, grass courts in the succeeding weeks and months to avoid and escape from the sweeping national woundology.

There is no quick fix to all our problems. We have been saddled by natural calamities like storms, floods, tremors, volcanic eruptions these past weeks and we need to draw inspiration from truly heroic Filipinos like Alex Eala who has already brought us enormous pride and international fame aside from uniting us in one fleeting moment.

We need more.

  

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A devastating earthquake that has resulted in the death of at least 130 people and reduced thousands of buildings—old and newly built—to rubble across western Colombia has presented an immediate challenge to Abelardo de la Espriella just as he took office promising drastic spending cuts.

The Bloomberg said the president faces immediate pressure to direct resources to some of the hardest-hit areas, including parts of his own electoral base.

What’s more, according to The Bloomberg, the 7.4 magnitude quake struck Colombia’s coffee region, raising the prospect of wider economic damage.

The disaster could give De la Espriella’s government political cover to retreat from one of his most ambitious campaign pledges: slashing public outlays by 40 percent.

How he funds reconstruction while pursuing those cuts will offer an early indication of how his economic pledges can survive the realities of governing, observed The Bloomberg.

It’s a baptism of fire for the political novice who rode a Trumpist agenda to power. The crisis also complicates De la Espriella’s push to decentralize power.

The first president in recent history to be sworn in outside the capital, he found himself away from the center of government on his first full working day, weighing whether to return to Bogota or travel directly to the affected areas, added The Bloomberg.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)