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The city government will implement a four-day compressed workweek for most offices starting Nov. 3 as part of its energy conservation measures in anticipation of the effects of El Niño.

Mayor Alfred Romualdez issued Memorandum Order No. 2026-10-435, dated Oct. 27, directing city government offices to operate from Monday to Thursday, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with Friday designated as a non-working day.

The measure covers all city government departments, offices, and employees, including permanent, casual, contract-of-service, and job-order workers.

The policy intends to reduce electricity and fuel consumption while ensuring the continued delivery of essential public services amid the anticipated extreme heat, reduced water supply, and increased energy demand associated with El Niño.

The memorandum also directs offices to keep air-conditioning units at 24°C, activate sleep settings on computers and other equipment when not in use, and switch off nonessential lights and electronic devices during lunch breaks and after office hours.

City offices must improve government vehicle fuel efficiency by consolidating trips, optimizing routes, reducing engine idling, and performing preventive maintenance. Offices adopting the four-day workweek will receive a 20% fuel reduction, unless an increase is justified and approved by the local chief executive.

However, essential services will continue operating according to their regular schedules or appropriate shifting arrangements. These include personnel at the Tacloban City Hospital and district health centers, the Tacloban City Rescue Unit, security personnel, market and sanitation workers, slaughterhouse personnel, traffic enforcers, and other frontline workers.

The Business One-Stop-Shop (BOSS) will remain open every Friday to receive and process documents. Seventeen frontline offices will extend their services at the BOSS building to accommodate transactions during the non-working day at other city government offices.

The memorandum also temporarily suspends flexible work arrangements inconsistent with the new guidelines. Overtime work on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and scheduled days off will generally not be allowed unless specifically directed or approved by the mayor.

Official travel for training, seminars, conferences, and similar activities is also discouraged and will require prior approval, except when deemed necessary or unavoidable.

The order takes effect on Nov. 3 and will remain in force until amended or revoked.

The move comes as local governments prepare for the potential impacts of El Niño, which can bring prolonged dry conditions, water shortages, and higher electricity demand. Tacloban has been exploring measures to conserve water and identify alternative sources as part of its preparations for the anticipated dry spell. INQPhoto Caption: Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez signs Memorandum Order No. 2026-10-435, directing city government offices to adopt a four-day compressed workweek and implement energy conservation measures starting Nov. 3 in anticipation of El Niño’s effects. (Tacloban City Information Office).

Local stocks recovered on Thursday as investors bought shares after the previous day’s decline, with gains on Wall Street also lifting sentiment.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) climbed 0.92 percent, or 52.03 points, to close at 5,705.58.

The broader all-shares index added 0.38 percent.

Philstocks Financial Inc. attributed the rebound to bargain hunting. The brokerage said positive signals from Wall Street following the US Federal Reserve’s decision to keep its policy rate range unchanged also supported local trading.

Luis Limlingan, head of sales at Regina Capital Development Corp., said the Fed’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged also offered short-term relief to Philippine equities by easing some concerns over further monetary tightening.

‘However, persistent domestic inflation and currency pressures continue to pose risks to the market outlook,’ Limlingan said.

‘While these developments supported the market’s recovery, investors are likely to remain cautious amid ongoing macroeconomic uncertainties and the potential impact on capital flows and corporate earnings,’ he added.

Participation, however, remained thin. Net value turnover stood at P3.30 billion, which Philstocks said suggested weak conviction behind the market’s advance.

Foreign investors also continued to pull funds out of local equities, recording net outflows of P100.69 million despite the index’s recovery.

Sectoral indices ended mixed. Services led the gainers with a 1.91-percent increase, while mining and oil posted the steepest decline at 0.93 percent.

Among the benchmark’s constituents, GT Capital Holdings Inc. recorded the biggest gain, rising 2.82 percent.

DigiPlus Interactive Corp. was the main laggard, losing 2.03 percent.

Analysts said the session’s gains allowed the PSEi to regain the 5,700 level, although subdued turnover and foreign selling tempered the recovery.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will deploy 1,848 personnel for its Undas Operation 2026, including 248 staff members and 1,600 volunteers.

The agency will also deploy 314 first aid stations, 149 welfare desks, 103 mobile units, 104 foot patrol teams, 65 ambulances and 19 emergency vehicles.

These resources will be stationed at cemeteries, bus terminals, seaports, airports and command posts.

Of the first aid stations, 35 will be set up in the National Capital Region, 149 in Luzon, 38 in the Visayas and 29 in Mindanao.

The PRC also reminded the public to observe home safety measures, including locking all entry points, keeping emergency contact numbers accessible and preparing for emergencies.

For road safety, it urged motorists to stay alert, follow traffic rules, check schedules and plan their routes ahead of time.

Earlier, the Department of Health placed Metro Manila under code white alert status, directing hospitals and emergency response teams in the region to remain on heightened alert in anticipation of a possible increase in patients requiring immediate medical attention.

The measure aims to help ensure public safety and preparedness during the Undas period.

Asia United Bank (AUB) posted a record net income of P9.4 billion in the first nine months of 2026, nearly unchanged from a year earlier, as trading losses tempered growth in lending and fee-based earnings.

The bank and its subsidiaries’ earnings edged up 0.3 percent, translating into a return on equity of 18 percent and a return on assets of 2.9 percent.

In a disclosure on Thursday, the Ng family-led bank reported a net loss on trading and securities of P11.8 million, reversing the P1.37-billion gain recorded in the same period last year.

Its core banking business, however, continued to expand.

Net interest income increased by 14.5 percent to P15.5 billion, supported by loan growth and a 10.2-percent reduction in interest expenses. Net interest margin widened to 5.1 percent.

Gross total loans rose 13.8 percent to P292.3 billion, driven by demand from corporate and consumer borrowers.

Fee-based income also climbed 14.5 percent to P1.5 billion. These earnings came from HelloMoney, AUB PayMate, credit cards, and branch transactions.

Total other operating income stood at P2.5 billion, reflecting the trading and securities losses. Operating expenses increased by 7.2 percent to P6.1 billion, while the cost-to-income ratio settled at 33.1 percent.

AUB said it continued to invest in digital transformation while managing costs. Total assets expanded by 3.9 percent year-on-year to P433.4 billion. The nonperforming loan ratio stood at 0.56 percent, with a nonperforming loan coverage ratio of 95 percent.

Deposit liabilities grew 2.5 percent to P344.7 billion. Low-cost current and savings account deposits accounted for 76 percent of the total.

Total equity increased by 11.6 percent to P73.3 billion. AUB ended the period with a capital adequacy ratio of 19.12 percent and a Common Equity Tier 1 ratio of 18.29 percent, both above regulatory requirements, the bank said.

AUB president Manuel Gomez also cited recent stockholder approval to increase the bank’s capital base fivefold to P72.5 billion.

‘However, we remain vigilant toward emerging market headwinds and inflationary pressures,’ Gomez said.

He said the capital enhancement would strengthen the bank’s capacity to sustain profitability and support clients through changing economic conditions.

A former Public Works and Highways official on Thursday said 25 percent of the budget allocated for infrastructure projects in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) are given as ‘commitments’ to certain proponents, including senators.

This was according to former Public Works and Highways Regional Director Gerard Opulencia, who testified as a prosecution witness before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Thursday during the continuation of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s bail hearing for a plunder case.

‘Question 64 of your judicial affidavit states the method by which the commitment is computed. It states that a commitment is 25 percent of the GAA allocations for the projects your office submitted,’ the defense told the ex-official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), who confirmed the statement.

When Associate Justice Gener Gito asked how his office accounted for these commitments, Opulencia said they had a ‘strategy’ for adjusting government project budgets to accommodate them.

‘Before, in my time, we had a strategy on how we would adjust the program report. So, we will have an adjustment or allowance, where we add qualifications, to consider the commitments. There was a time that there was a 5 to 10-percent allowance,’ he said.

Opulencia also said contractors gave commitments as ‘pasasalamat’ or expressions of gratitude. He confirmed that a winning contractor was usually already identified even before a project was put out for bidding.

Despite his revelations, Opulencia told the court that he had never personally delivered commitments to a proponent or witnessed money being handed to Estrada or other accused DPWH officials.

Opulencia also confirmed to the defense that he previously instructed three district engineering offices to each prepare and deliver P120 million, for a total of P360 million, to be given to former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo.

Opulencia said Bernardo had instructed him to collect the amount sometime last year, to be given as a ‘commitment’ to a proponent. Opulencia said he initially did not know who the money was for, but noted that Bernardo later revealed in his affidavit that the commitment was given to Estrada.

When asked by justices if he ever sought for a share of the commitments from the district engineering offices, Opulencia said never thought of making such a request because of the promotions he had received.

‘CASH FLOW’ FROM DPWH The Department of Justice receives P40 million in cash sent by Metro Manila Public Works Director Gerard Opulencia (second from right), part of the P150 million in alleged kickbacks that he vowed to return. Present at the turnover are Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon and Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida (5th and 6th from left), among other officials. (File photo from TETCH TORRES-TUPAS / INQUIRER.net)

‘Because, truthfully, with the gratitude for the promotions I received, I really just followed the instructions of Usec. Bernardo,’ he said.

After Opulencia, the prosecution also presented Vergel Nino Garcia, Bernardo’s former driver and aide, as a witness.

Garcia testified that he helped deliver 12 boxes to Estrada at the Atriaga building in San Juan City, although he did not know what these boxes contained.

According to Garcia, he personally saw Estrada during the delivery, whom he said was wearing leather shoes and a collared shirt.Aside from Estrada, Garcia said he also made deliveries to former Education Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar, former Sen. Bong Revilla, the now-deceased former DPWH Undersecretary Catalina Cabral, former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and at a Cherry Mobile building.

For 30 years, Secosana has been part of the Filipina’s journey, offering stylish and accessible bags for life’s everyday moments and special occasions. On October 22, the homegrown brand celebrates this milestone with a new anniversary collection that honors its legacy while taking an exciting step into the future.

For the first time in its history, Secosana expands into footwear, introducing a new category alongside its latest bag styles. Designed for the many occasions that make up a woman’s day, the footwear transitions effortlessly from workdays and everyday errands to special dinners and celebrations. The expansion reflects the brand’s continued commitment to making style accessible while evolving with the needs and lifestyles of the women it serves.

For Bea Secosana, the Brand Director, the milestone represents more than a new product category. It reflects a brand philosophy rooted in always looking ahead, embracing inclusivity, and thinking of the next generation of Secosana women. Shoes, in particular, hold a special place in this vision: accompanying women through every step of life, whether moving forward, taking a step back, or finding their own way ahead.

The anniversary also welcomes Andrea Brillantes as the newest Secosana woman, joining longtime brand ambassador Bea Alonzo. Bringing together different generations, the two represent the evolving spirit of the Secosana woman: confident, individual, and always becoming. Andrea’s addition reflects the brand’s continued commitment to connecting with a new generation while remaining true to the women who have grown with it.

Thirty years on, Secosana continues to look forward without losing sight of the journey that brought it here. With new bag styles, its first-ever footwear collection, and a new generation of Secosana girls, the brand celebrates not just how far it has come, but all the places its women have yet to go.

The Secosana 30th Anniversary Collection launches on October 22, 2026, and will be available at leading department stores nationwide. The shoe line will be exclusively available online.

Close to 300,000 passengers have already been recorded to have passed through Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) since Tuesday ahead of the observance of Undas or the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day holidays.

According to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), a total of 290,844 passengers were recorded from Oct. 27 to 28 based on its passenger tally for ‘Oplan Undas.’

A total of 146,345 passengers (71,621 international and 74,724 domestic) were recorded on Wednesday, which is slightly higher than than the recorded number on Tuesday at 144,499 (70,271 international and 74,228 domestic)

While a significant number of passengers were already recorded, Tuesday’s figures were slightly lower than the recorded number in 2025 which was at 144,741.

The passenger tally for Wednesday, however, was slightly higher than the previous year’s 141,235.

To recall, the New Naia Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) earlier said that it expects a slight increase in passenger traffic during this year’s Undas at 1.25 million, slightly higher than the 1.24 million recorded in 2025