Author: user user

As the morning sun rose over Barangay Sinuda in Kitaotao, Bukidnon, the national highway came alive with a sea of vibrant beadwork, handwoven garments, and the rhythmic beat of indigenous music as the Matigsalug people celebrated the 51st Alrew te Matigsalug, a tribute to a heritage that has endured for generations.

Children walked proudly beside elders dressed in traditional Indigenous Peoples (IPs)attire, while community members gathered to honor the customs of the Matigsalug, which means ‘people of the Salug River.’ For many, the celebration was more than a festival-it was a living expression of identity passed from one generation to the next.

The weeklong observance blended community activities with cultural traditions.

Sports competitions, Nutrition Month activities, a drug symposium, and a patronal fiesta with a procession and Holy Mass preceded the highlights of Laha te Matigsalug 2026, a cultural beauty pageant.

The celebration culminated on July 16 with a civic parade, cultural presentations, championship basketball games, an awarding ceremony, and a community concert.

The heart of the celebration, however, belonged to the tribe’s cultural performances.

The haunting chants of Ulagingan, the graceful Bangkakaw dance, indigenous music, and traditional rituals reflected stories, beliefs, and practices preserved long before the arrival of modern influences.

Matigsalug elders and cultural bearers showcase traditional handcrafted tools, weapons, and beadwork during the 51st Aldew te Matigsalug celebration in Barangay Sinuda, Kitaotao, Bukidnon. Community members gathered around the exhibit, highlighting the tribe’s enduring craftsmanship and commitment to preserving its cultural heritage for future generations. (Photo by Kitaotao LGU)

For the Matigsalug, Alrew te Matigsalug is a reminder that culture is not confined to museums or history books.

It is found in the language they speak, the clothes they weave, the songs they sing, and the traditions they continue to teach their children.

Tribal leaders said the annual gathering strengthens unity among Matigsalug communities while encouraging younger generations to value and preserve their ancestral heritage.

The Matigsalugs are among Bukidnon’s recognized indigenous peoples, with communities in Kitaotao and neighboring areas of Davao Region.

Once known as hunter-gatherers living along the Salug River, they continue to adapt to modern life while keeping alive the traditions that define who they are.

Through Alrew te Matigsalug, they reaffirm that their culture remains vibrant, resilient, and deeply rooted in the land of their ancestors.

More than 500 residents of Provident Villages in Marikina have signed a petition opposing a plan to cut down 21 decades-old trees to make way for a proposed bridge project.

The petition opposes a plan by Hunan Road and Bridge Construction Company Ltd. (HNRB) and Rhodium 688 Builder Inc., which are undertaking the project through a joint venture. Residents also reiterated their opposition to the proposed bridge itself.

The trees, located along Saint Mary Avenue at the entrance of Provident Villages in Barangays Jesus dela Peña and Tañong, include narra, acacia, and golden shower trees that residents said have shaded the community for more than 50 years.

‘Please help us save our trees. They are our cherished ecological treasures,’ said Maria Corazon Lim, president of Holy Family Homeowners Association-Provident Villages.

Lim is leading the campaign to preserve the trees, alongside church leaders, including Holy Family Parish priest Father Bien Miguel, who has also spoken against what he described as environmental destruction.

‘Here in Marikina, so many trees have been cut. Cement is being poured into the spots where big trees used to stand,’ Miguel said.

‘Doesn’t the city pride itself for its abundance of green spaces? I hope our leaders will not allow these places to become smaller and smaller,’ he said.

The residents began organizing after receiving a letter from the two construction firms requesting that the homeowners issue a Certificate of No Objection to allow the trees to be felled.

‘What we told the firms in response is that we are willing to have a dialogue with their engineers and other officials. But on the cutting of the trees, our reaction is a resounding no,’ Lim said.

She also appealed directly to the contractors, saying, ‘I hope you realize how irreplaceable the trees are that you want to cut down in our village.

Community leaders led by the Holy Family Homeowners Association have submitted their petition to Marikina Reps. Marcy Teodoro and Miro Quimbo, Mayor Maan Teodoro, Vice Mayor Del de Guzman, Jesus dela Peña Barangay Captain Rosette Sarmiento, and Tañong Barangay Captain Danny del Castillo.

On Thursday, July 22, Lim also submitted a copy of the petition to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-National Capital Region (DENR-NCR) in Diliman, Quezon City. The letter was addressed to DENR-NCR Executive Director Nilo Tamoria.

Miguel called on local officials to protect Marikina’s remaining green spaces also as part of efforts to address the city’s recurring floods.

‘Marikina is frequently submerged in floodwaters – the more reason we should turn around and lead in urban greening,’ the priest said.

‘Let us make Marikina the first model city in keeping its green spaces intact and growing,’ he added.

Residents have also placed tarpaulins bearing the message ‘Save Me’ on the 21 trees in an effort to prevent them from being cut down.

The state weather bureau raises Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 over 13 areas in Northern Luzon due to Tropical Depression Kiyapo on Thursday, July 23.

Lacson flags ‘double appropriation’ for same Taguig slope project

Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson flagged a possible ‘double appropriation’ involving two P100-million allocations that appeared to cover the same slope protection project in Taguig City.

‘From P2.085B as earlier reported, we found three P100-M additional slope protection projects for a new total of P2.385B insertions under the 2025 GAA. Two items appear to be double appropriations, involving two (2)-P100M for the same slope protection project. One of the two must be ghost,’ Lacson said Wednesday in a post on X.

CDN Digital strengthens lead as Cebu’s top news website in first half of 2026

CDN Digital widened its lead as Cebu’s most visited news website during the first half of 2026, capturing nearly half of the market’s total traffic and outperforming its closest competitors across all major traffic sources, according to data from digital intelligence platform Similarweb.

The report showed that CDN Digital generated 2.814 million visits from January to June, equivalent to a 46.77 percent market share among the four leading Cebu-based news websites.

With the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte still ongoing, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said on Thursday that the chamber might rent conference rooms at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) to hold the upcoming hearings on the 2027 budget.

According to Gatchalian, several rooms have been occupied to accommodate participants in the impeachment trial, leaving only three available for legislative hearings.

‘Because the budget is coming in, because we have a lot of committee hearings to do, I can see that we will need to rent space at the PICC. Obviously, our… committee offices were used for the impeachment,’ he said in Filipino.

Starting July 27, the impeachment trial won’t be the only proceedings the senators will spend their time on, as the second regular session of Congress will also commence.

Typically, committee hearings are held on weekday mornings, while plenary sessions are held in the afternoon starting at 3 p.m.

Committee and budget hearings will likely be held only on Thursdays and Fridays starting July 29, as the new schedule for the impeachment trial will be conducted every Monday to Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with plenary sessions starting at 4 p.m., Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian admitted the difficulty that comes with a packed schedule.

‘It’s going to be a challenge, honestly. Now there have been two hearings – on average, each hearing is four to five hours. The budget hearing sometimes takes longer, so it’s really gonna be a challenge,’ he added.

While there is no schedule yet for when the budget hearings will begin, Gatchalian vowed that, under his leadership, the hearings will start ‘ASAP’ (as soon as possible)

The Philippine National Police (PNP) will penalize the law enforcers who reportedly tried to arrest two photojournalists covering a protest in Pasay City, if it will be proven that the cops did not enforce ‘maximum tolerance.’

PNP public information chief Col. Allen Rae Co said this in a press briefing at Camp Crame on Thursday.

His statement comes a day after the incident took place outside the Philippine International Convention Center during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Wednesday.

‘We’ll take a look at that,’ Co said when asked if the PNP is finding out whether or not the the police failed to handle the tense situation with utmost patience and courtesy.

The Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines described the encounter as ‘harassment.’

Photojournalists Bullit Marquez and Rene Dilan were reportedly confronted by the police personnel and were prevented them from taking pictures while protesters were being arrested at the rally.

As a reaction, Marquez allegedly cursed, which prompted the police officers to attempt to apprehend him and Dilan as well.

According to Co, cursing police officers has a corresponding offense, but he noted that ‘it doesn’t mean that we will make the arrest.’

‘Our police practice maximum tolerance. That’s part of the job,’ the PNP official emphasized.

‘So if this is a result of being cursed, that will also come out in our [investigation], and we will take the appropriate action to discipline our personnel,’ Co noted.

The PNP official, however, did not elaborate on the sanctions police officers might face if it is proven that they committed a wrongdoing.

Co pointed out that it is not yet conclusive to say that the police officers tried to arrest the photojournalists, emphasizing that the investigation is still ongoing.

He also reiterated that the PNP has nothing to hide from the public, and it did not prevent anyone from documenting the events at the demonstration.

‘As I’ve stated earlier, they suddenly rushed in-they wanted to breach the line formed by the police for the restricted area. So they were pushed back. They were prevented from doing so,’ Co said.

He also told reporters that one of the photojournalists was allegedly not wearing any visible IDs and that his camera was dropped on the ground, ‘so there was no way of knowing that he was a journalist.’

But a photojournalist who personally witnessed the incident told the INQUIRER otherwise, attesting that both Marquez and Dilan wore visible IDs during that time.

She said her fellow photojournalists went near the area to capture the instance wherein a Muslim woman was being dragged by the police and her hijab (headscarf) was touched.

The Press Photographers of the Philippines earlier released a statement on the incident, condemning the reported ‘harassment’of the photojournalists that as a ‘clear violation of press freedom

Eight local governments near this freeport received a total of P218.1 million in revenue shares from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) for the first half of this year.

In a statement on Thursday, SBMA Chair and Administrator Eduardo Jose Aliño said the amount, released on Tuesday, was 10.24 percent higher than the revenue shares distributed during the same period last year.

Olongapo City received the largest allocation at P50.42 million, followed by Subic, Zambales, with P32.87 million.

The other allocations benefited Dinalupihan town in Bataan, P27.44 million; San Marcelino town in Zambales, P26.27 million; Hermosa town in Bataan, P23.42 million; the municipality of Castillejos in Zambales, P19.82 million; Morong town in Bataan, P19.34 million; and San Antonio town, also in Zambales, P18.53 million.

The revenue shares come from the five-percent tax on the gross income paid by businesses operating inside the freeport.

The funds are distributed among the contiguous LGUs based on population (50 percent), land area (25 percent), and equal sharing (25 percent).

Editha Marzal, OIC deputy administrator for finance, said the amount released also included the 10-percent retention from the first-semester 2024 distribution.

Under Republic Act No. 9400, which amended the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992, the SBMA is required to allocate two percentage points from the five-percent gross income tax collected from freeport locators to the contiguous LGUs

George King seems to be having the time of his life as San Miguel Beer’s reinforcement in the 2026 PBA Governors’ Cup.

King is not only racking up numbers but also enjoys being with the team on a 3-0 start for the Beermen in Group A.

From his trademark gesture of placing an imaginary crown on his head to dancing with teammates to being greeted on the bench with barking chants, there’s a reason for King to have fun.

‘For me, it’s easy to lose focus that this is a game,’ King said. ‘And if I go back to my early stages of when I found this game, and I did it because it’s fun. And I enjoy it, and I still do. But I believe that at this point, sometimes it can be easy to forget that.

‘And so, I was recently reminded of that. I’m just taking the game seriously. But having those celebrations and smiling on the court and having fun. I think it makes it all the merrier. And I believe the fans enjoy it as well,’ he added.

The Beermen have been flourishing, primarily because of King’s play and being an apparent fit to the talent-laden roster.

But the way they enjoy each other’s company, King believes it could go a long way in terms of their title drive.

‘When we’re out there, obviously we’re making plays. And we’re making our opponents call a timeout and we’re sitting there and we’re literally sitting there and dancing. And just building our chemistry,’ said King.

‘I think these are the things that are going to pay off for us down the road.’