In the recently issued DILG Memorandum Circular providing guidelines for the Management of the Dead and Missing (MDM) operations of local disaster management bodies, a particular provision would prove to be a tricky subject for the Local MDM Cluster.
Under the guidelines, the local cluster is tasked to deliberate on and verify the circumstances of death, which should be directly or indirectly related to the disaster or emergency, before reporting the same to higher authorities.
There is no question regarding the death of victims due to drowning, landslide, flooding, electrocution, falling debris, fire or other related causes, being directly related.
On the other hand, indirectly related deaths are those who expired during the emergency as a result of medical complications, infections, delayed medical response, accidents during evacuation, dehydration or malnutrition, exposure to extreme weather or other related circumstances.
The circular emphasizes that negligence or non-compliance with protocols that diminish the disaster’s role as the primary cause of death shall be classified as questionable deaths, which may include but are not limited to: (1) crossing spillways or flood-prone areas despite advisories; (2) sailing or fishing during declared no-sailing periods; (3) engaging in risky activities while intoxicated or in hazardous areas, among others.
This should spur local DRRMOs to warn those who refuse to evacuate or heed advisories, whether at sea or on land, that if they unfortunately perish as a result of their hardheadedness, they will not be classified as directly or indirectly related casualties.
The circular, however, does not state if such questionable deaths, if finally deemed as not due to the disaster or emergency, would still entitle the surviving family to government assistance.
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Residents of the Happy Island who are grumbling about weak internet signals can now report the same to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), which is using citizen feedback to improve the quality of digital services across the country through its “Oplan Bantay Signal” initiative.
Launched in December 2025, the program empowers Filipinos to monitor and report mobile and internet network quality, turning public data into government action.
It has received more than 558,000 speed test submissions from the public, said DICT Secretary Henry Aguda.
To participate in the program, citizens are encouraged to: test their internet speeds using the Ookla Speedtest app; submit the results to the government via email at 1326@dict.gov.ph; and track public reports through the “Signal Mo, Boses Mo” portal.
The gathered data allows the DICT to identify areas suffering from congestion or weak signals, ensuring that infrastructure improvements by telecommunications companies are based on evidence rather than speculation, the PIA report stated.
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NO LAW AGAINST THINKING. A self-educated man opted to represent himself when his case came to trial. The judge lost no opportunity to make it clear how little he thought of the defendant’s legal training and reasoning, and in the end sentenced him to 90 days. At this point, the fellow asked if he could address the court.
“Why not? It can’t do any further harm, can it?” said the judge with a smirk.
“If I called you a son-of-a-bitch, Your Honor, what would you do?”
“I’d hold you in contempt and slap you with another 30 days.”
“And if I thought you were a son-of-a-bitch?” pursued the defendant.
“I’d do nothing, since there’s no law against thinking.”
“Let the record therefore state,” declared the man, “that I think you are a real son-of-a-bitch.”