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Plot your 2026 Leaves!

Photo: GovLearn.PH

HOUSE to go paperless, take on blockchain by 2026.

Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III on Tuesday declared that starting in 2026, the House of Representatives will transition to a paperless system and implement blockchain technology, making the Philippine Congress the inaugural legislative body in Asia to utilize this technology to enhance transparency and public confidence.

Dy announced in a video message shared on the House's social media accounts a day after the Chamber adjourned following the ratification of the P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026. He stated that the reform demonstrates his consistent belief that trust in government needs to be built through tangible results.

“As your Speaker, I have always said that trust in government is built not by words alone, but by actions,” Dy said.

He stated that the shift represents an important milestone in the overall endeavor to update and improve Congress.

“Kaya’t nais ko ring ibahagi ang isang mahalagang hakbang na ating tatahakin para sa reforms at modernization ng Kongreso,” said the longtime public servant.

In line with the House’s dedication to transparent and modern governance, Dy mentioned that the chamber will transition to a paperless Congress and implement blockchain technology to guarantee the integrity, security, and transparency of its operations, including national budget preparation.

He mentioned that the initiative will be carried out with the backing of the Department of Information and Communications Technology. Also, that the change positions the House at the leading edge of legislative creativity in the area.

The Speaker emphasized that implementing digital tools aims to formalize transparency and responsibility in the legislative process.

Photo: congress.gov.ph

PDEA: Strict monitoring of social media and e-wallet usage in the drug trade

As drug vendors switch to social media and e-wallet payments, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reports that law enforcement authorities in Occidental Mindoro are stepping up community cooperation and cyber surveillance.

The transfer to online communication and cashless payments has made street-level drug trafficking harder to identify, according to PDEA Provincial Director Jeremy Junio, who spoke at the Joint Provincial Peace and Order Council and Anti-Drug Abuse Council meeting in Mamburao on December 17, 2025.

According to PDEA PD, local peddlers are now utilizing social media to complete transactions and digital wallets like GCash to make payments. Rather than conducting in-person transactions, sellers frequently utilize a "dead drop" system, in which they send buyers a picture of the location where drugs are left for pickup, which minimizes direct interaction and helps them avoid being arrested.

The PDEA stated that it collaborates with national cybercrime and financial intelligence organizations to monitor internet activity, identify questionable transactions, and freeze accounts connected to illicit drug activities in order to combat these strategies. Additionally, the agency collaborates with telecommunications and digital service companies to enhance the monitoring of digital footprints and the collection of evidence. PDEA Provincial Director Jeremy Junio stated that, at the provincial level, enforcement teams continue to depend heavily on community collaboration in order to combat drug trafficking that occurs online.

He underscored the significance of Barangay Drug Abuse Councils in reporting suspicious behavior, pointing out that street-level activity frequently manifests itself in communities long before law enforcement becomes aware of it.
He claims that "shabu" is still the most popular drug in the province, costing an average of P4,000 per gram.

In the meanwhile, he said that PDEA carried out five operations between October and December that led to the arrest of six high-value individuals. Provincial Director Junio also said that the dismantling of a drug den in San Jose was a necessary step because drug dens promote repeated use and frequently result in additional illicit activities, such prostitution.

The PDEA is stepping up preventive efforts by conducting lectures in schools, workplaces, and barangays, in addition to enforcing the law. The focus of these sessions is on digital safety, spotting indicators of drug usage, and comprehending how illicit transactions are being carried out via online platforms.

To combat the changing strategies employed by drug organizations, PD said, it is essential to increase public awareness.

In order to combat the drug issue in Occidental Mindoro, the PDEA and its partner organizations stated they would keep increasing cyber monitoring, financial tracking, community reporting mechanisms, and preventative education.

(VND/JBG/PIA MIMAROPA-Occidental Mindoro/photographs from PDEA Occidental Mindoro)

Happy New Year! 🎇

𝐂𝐘𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐏𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐒:
Keep software and systems updated.

VISAYAS GRID ALERT STATUS
Update as of 01 October 2025, 3:00PM

𝐘𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭
1:00PM-9:00PM

Available Capacity - 2,052MW
Peak Demand - 1,868MW

11 plants are on forced outage due to the earthquake; 16 others have been unavailable even prior to the incident, while 3 are running on derated capacities, for a total of 640.6MW unavailable to the grid.

Factors that contributed to the decrease of yellow alert intervals:

1. Synchronization of CEDC Units 1, 2 & 3, TPC1A, and LGPP Unit 3 back to the grid.
2. Declaration of availability of more power plants: EAUC 2, 3 & 4, CPPC 1 & 2, BDPP 1, 2 & 4, and PDPP3 E and G

The Luzon and Mindanao grids are under normal condition.

A yellow alert is issued when the operating margin is insufficient to meet the transmission grid’s contingency requirement.