Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Tuesday, December 30, 2025. Today’s episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines’ leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer — your Trusted Building Partner. READ: 6 in 10 Pinoys pessimistic about 2026, Pahayag survey shows A MAJORITY of Filipinos remain pessimistic about the country’s future as 2026 approaches, even as short-term expectations for the economy and household finances show signs of improvement, according to the latest nationwide Pahayag survey. The Publicus Asia-led survey found that 58 percent of registered voters described themselves as pessimistic about the state of the country, marking a decline from 70 percent recorded in the previous quarter. However, the figure remains significantly higher than the 49 percent registered a year ago, indicating that while negative sentiment has eased, it continues to dominate public opinion. READ: Congress ratifies P6.79T budget for 2026 BOTH the Senate and the House of Representatives ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the reconciled P6.793 trillion 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), a step away from becoming a law. The Senate held an extended one-day session for its ratification. The 4,300-page enrolled bill will be submitted to Malacañang for review. Senators Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, JV Ejercito, Risa Hontiveros, and Francis Pangilinan voted “yes” to the ratification, but they expressed reservations over the huge funding for medical and health assistance programs and unprogrammed appropriations amid concerns these would be used for politicking. Senators Rodante Marcoleta and Robinhood Padilla voted “no” to its ratification. Marcoleta opposed the continued funding of “ayuda” (assistance) programs for the poor since these promote political patronage. Padilla complained about the lack of funds for Indigenous communities. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, said the country is now one step closer to the enactment of landmark “people-first” budget legislation. READ: The Cabinet at year’s end: Who delivered, who faltered? THIS year marked sweeping changes in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s official family as he promised “sharper, faster and fully focused governance.” Marcos asked all Cabinet-level officials to submit courtesy resignations, in what Malacañang described as a “bold reset” of his administration following the administration coalition’s weak performance in the May 12 elections. What began as a blanket request for courtesy resignations in mid-May evolved into a full-fledged reorganization of the president’s core team. READ: Group recognizes Pag-IBIG as total assets reach P1.2T A GROUP of private real estate practitioners lauded the growth of the Home Development Mutual Fund, or Pag-IBIG, after its total assets reached P1.2 trillion this year. In a statement released on Monday, the National Real Estate Association (NREA), the biggest group of its kind, said Pag-IBIG is among the “biggest and best-managed funds for both provident and housing needs of its members.” It added that the agency is a “big boost” to the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program (4PH) by the administration. NREA President for 2026 Ma. Loren Sales expressed strong support for Pag-IBIG Fund President and Chief Executive Officer Marilene Acosta for the milestone, endorsing her continued tenure. READ: Cabral slid to her death, was not pushed, police say FORMER Public Works undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, a key figure in the flood control bribery scandal, most likely slid and fell into a ravine in Benguet province and was not pushed to her death. Cabral was found dead at the bottom of a ravine at a stop along Kennon Road in Tuba on the evening of Dec. 18. In a press conference at Camp Crame in Quezon City, PNP Forensic Group officer-in-charge Col. Pierre Paul Carpio said a 3D scanning of the crime scene showed that Cabral fell to a point only 0.2 meters away from the base of the ravine and 16.9 meters in height from where she was last seen. The police interpretation was supported by the aberrations seen on Cabral’s hands and on her back that she bumped onto something first before she fell to the ground, Carpio said. BUSINESS: Inflation likely hit 2.0% in December, says BSP HIGH food prices amid lingering effects of adverse weather and strong holiday demand can push the inflation rate for December to a higher level, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Monday. Consumer price growth was forecast to hit 1.2 to 2.0 percent, according to the central bank. A figure at the lower end of the range would be lower than November’s 1.5 percent, while a 2.0 percent or higher outcome would break a nine-month streak of inflation staying below the BSP’s 2.0- to 4.0-percent target. Inflation data for December will be released by the Philippine Statistics Authority on Jan. 6. SPORTS: Kyrgios beats Sabalenka in latest 'Battle of the Sexes' Nick Kyrgios won the latest version of the “Battle of the Sexes” in tennis, beating top-ranked women’s player Aryna Sabalenka, 6-3, 6-3, in an exhibition match that represented light entertainment rather than another landmark moment for gender equality. Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up who has played only six tour-level matches in the last three years because of wrist and knee injuries, appeared to play within himself at times and faced the disadvantage of Sabalenka’s side of the court being nearly 10 percent smaller in an attempt to level the playing field. The players were only given one serve per point, rather than two. Kyrgios was drenched in sweat by the time he clinched victory off his third match point, and the pair were all smiles when they embraced at the net. Kyrgios acknowledged feeling nervous and having to “strap in.” Opinion and editorial Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Orlando Mercado are today’s front page columnists. Contreras talks about budget literacy in his column. Makabenta and Mercado, meanwhile, talks about the execution of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal. Today’s editorial talks about the landmark inclusivity at the recently concluded Metro Manila Film Festival. For more news and information, read The Manila Times on print, subscribe to its digital edition or log on to www.manilatimes.net. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and LinkedIn; and be part of our communities on Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp and Mastodon.