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The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday said that all airports and seaports remain ‘safe and fully operational’ after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake jolted Cebu Tuesday evening.

Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, in a statement, said that the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) and the Philippine Ports Authority immediately conducted inspections at airports and ports in the Visayas following the major earthquake.

The Office of Civil Defense reported that the death toll as of posting time is 69.

‘So far, no damage has been reported, so our service to passengers continues,’ Lopez said in Filipino.

Lopez added that they will continue to monitor all DOTr facilities.

Aid for quake victims

According to the DOTr, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will deploy BRP Teresa Magbanua, along with doctors, nurses, medics, and basic emergency equipment, to assist residents in affected areas in Cebu.

‘The PCG will also deploy a total of eight search-and-rescue K9 units, as well as water desalinators to help with water supply issues, especially in hospitals and evacuation centers,’ the DOTr said.

The DOTr said it will continue monitoring the situation and is ‘in constant coordination with concerned local authorities and relevant agencies to ensure the safety of the riding public.’

Earlier this Wednesday, Caap said Mactan-Cebu International Airport and other airports in Visayas did not incur damage after the said Cebu-hit earthquake.

The low-pressure area (LPA) inside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) intensified into Tropical Depression Paolo at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, the state weather bureau said.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) announced it will begin issuing bulletins on the tropical cyclone at 11 a.m.

In its 5 a.m. forecast, it said the then-LPA (designated as 09g) was last spotted 1,080 kilometers east of southeastern Luzon.

The LPA entered the PAR on Tuesday night.

Petron Corp., part of the San Miguel group, has become the first oil firm accredited as an official training institution in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry.

In a statement Tuesday, Petron said it had secured the certification from the Department of Energy (DOE) last week.

The accreditation shows the group’s capacity to produce LPG professionals from its refinery, terminals, haulers, dealers and retail outlets.

This is also consistent with the implementation of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Industry Regulation Act. The law seeks to improve industry standards as well as impose stronger penalties.

‘As more LPG personnel undergo proper training from qualified institutions, consumers can be more confident in the quality and reliability of the LPG products they receive,’ said Rino Abad, DOE’s Oil Industry Management Bureau director.

DOE certificate

After LPG personnel’s training with Petron, they will receive a DOE certificate, according to the firm.

‘The company has already scheduled its LPG training sessions, starting with dealers and retailers in Ormoc, Leyte,’ it said.

Petron’s flagship brands under its LPG business include Petron Gasul and Fiesta Gas.

Petron supplies about 40 percent of the total fuel requirements nationwide through its refinery in Bataan. The facility has the capability to process 180,000 barrels of oil per day.

The oil refiner’s net income in the first half of 2025 dropped 12 percent to P5.3 billion amid persistent market challenges.

Its revenues had also declined by 13 percent to P386.4 billion in the January to June period.

Petron’s weaker performance in the first semester was blamed on the rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East as well as the tariff war triggered by the United States.

The company also cited the recent decision of major oil producers to boost production, resulting in lower crude prices. INQ

As the NCAA begins a journey to its second century, two goals have emerged for the country’s oldest varsity league: Go home and fly off to the world.

Season 101 opens Saturday with the NCAA hoping to build a grassroots base for potential Olympians, even as it treks back to the place where everything began.

League officials announced on Tuesday that the new season will introduce four Olympic sports that will be played in the second semester of this school year-weightlifting, boxing, gymnastics and golf. The sports will be played as demonstration events for now.

‘We want to farm out the focus into those sports,’ said Paul Supan, the Jose Rizal U athletic director who is the school’s representative to the NCAA management committee. ‘The past 100 years, the NCAA has been contributing to the national training pool; in basketball, swimming, track and field.

‘If one of our students can get into the national team, represent the country and bring glory to the country, then it’s mission accomplished for us,’ he added.

Supan said the four sports will go through the regular process before they can become part of the official calendar of events, including getting consistent representation from all member-schools for three years.

‘The important thing is to get it started, bring [schools and athletes] together and see how we can develop [national athletes],’ he said. ‘The NCAA is [focused on] grassroots and we want to ferry [athletes] to the elite level. Whatever we can start, we will start.’

‘We want to give a chance to student-athletes who want to represent the national team,’ said lawyer Lorenzo Lorenzo, the representative of Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC).

Meanwhile, Lorenzo, EAC’s vice president for administration, said the NCAA is slowly finding its way home to Rizal Memorial Coliseum, its former hotbed that was home to some of the fiercest collegiate rivalries in the past.

‘For now, the availability [of Rizal Memorial Coliseum] is still limited, but we are moving toward the direction of holding more games there,’ Lorenzo said.

Coming home

‘Bringing back games [to Rizal Memorial] will be nostalgic,’ Supan added. ‘Old-timers will be able to reminisce the games that were played here.’

Season 101 will kick off with the men’s basketball tournament at Smart Araneta Coliseum with host Mapua taking on Lyceum at 2 p.m. and San Beda battling St. Benilde after.

The four demonstration sports have had a lot of success in the international field, with weightlifting, gymnastics and boxing producing medals in the Summer Games.

Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, incidentally a product of NCAA school St. Benilde, won the country’s first Olympic gold medal when she ruled her division in the weightlifting competition of the Tokyo Olympics. Three years later, Carlos Yulo became the first double-gold winner of the Philippines when he ruled two events in the Paris Games.

The entire province of Cebu has been placed under a state of calamity following the strong earthquake that struck the island late Tuesday night, which caused widespread destruction and a death toll now confirmed to be at 36.

The Cebu Provincial Information Office said that 36 fatalities have been recorded as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, of whom 27 were reported in Bogo City, the epicenter of the 6.9 magnitude quake that struck at 10 p.m. on Tuesday.

In an emergency online session early Wednesday presided over by Cebu Vice Governor Glenn Soco, the 17th Sangguniang Panlalawigan unanimously approved the state of calamity declaration to enable a faster and more efficient response to the growing needs on the ground.

‘This declaration is necessary to give our provincial government the ability to respond quickly and effectively. It allows us to mobilize resources, extend immediate assistance to affected families, and implement rehabilitation measures as we begin our recovery,’ Soco said in an official statement.

The Provincial Board members attended the session on Wednesday morning remotely, as many are stationed in their respective districts to monitor the situation and assist constituents

Taal Volcano erupted early Wednesday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

According to Phivolcs’ bulletin, the eruption ended at 2:15 a.m.

Alert Level 1 remains raised at Taal Volcano.

‘ATM: Ongoing eruption at Taal Volcano. Details to follow. Alert Level 1 prevails over Taal Volcano,’ Phivolcs said on its social media accounts.

‘UPDATE: The eruption has ended at 02:15 AM,’ it added.

In its 8 a.m. report, Phivolcs added that the eruption produced a 2,500 meter-high plume that drifted northwest. Alert Level 1 or low level of unrest remains raised in the area.

According to the state seismologists, sudden steam or phreatic eruptions, volcanic earthquakes, thin ashfall and emission of poisonous gases are still possible under Alert Level 1.

Residents are urged to stay at homes unless absolutely necessary, to wear face masks and eye protection when going out and to follow the advice of authorities. /mcm

The Indigenous Teduray-Lambangian community in Maguindanao del Sur is in mourning following the brutal beheading of another tribal leader around 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Limpongo village, Datu Hoffer Ampatuan in the same province.

Timuay Leticio Datuwata, head of the Timuay Justice and Governance, the indigenous political structure of the Teduray-Lambangian tribe, identified the victim as Nel Lupos, 60, a former village councilor of Barangay Mantao and currently a resident of Limpongo village.

‘He was alone inside his nipa hut in his farmland when several armed men forcibly entered and brutally killed him by beheading,’ said Datuwata.

According to him, Lupos had previously evacuated from Mantao village following the murder of another tribal leader, Baywan Angan, also a village councilor, who was gunned down in Sitio Kukor on December 7, 2024.

Datuwata attributed the killing to land conflict, which continues to plague indigenous peoples’ communities in the province.

‘This unending violence targets tribesmen who refuse to give up their ancestral lands. When you resist, they kill you,’ he said, pointing to what he believed was the same group of gunmen responsible for previous attacks.

Despite the recurring violence, Datuwata said he is no longer issuing formal condemnations.

‘The more I speak out, the worse the killings become,’ he explained. ‘We’re tired of this cycle of violence against us, but still, there’s no direct action from government.’/coa

Newly-installed Cebu Archbishop Alberto Uy has ordered a structural assessment of all churches and rectories in the province following a strong earthquake on Tuesday night.

In a Facebook post, the archbishop also directed parishes in the northern portion of the province who were affected ‘to refrain from using your churches for the celebration of the Holy Mass until the proper experts have carried out the assessment and declared the structures safe for use.’

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology initially measured the earthquake’s magnitude at 6.7 before upgrading it to 6.9.

The earthquake occurred at 9:59 p.m. with its epicenter located 21 kilometers northeast of Bogo City in Cebu.

In a social media post, parishioners said that the centuries-old Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan town partially collapsed.

Meanwhile, videos showed that Parroquia de San Pedro Apostol was swaying during the earthquake, with lights and parts of the facade crumbling.

Uy’s installation rites were held at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, who attended the installation, described the earthquake as Uy’s ‘first major test.’

‘We continue to pray to our Loving Father for calmness and strength in the midst of these trials,’ the archbishop said.

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will prohibit and penalize the use of improvised and temporary vehicle plates starting November 1, 2025, the LTO announced on Wednesday.

According to LTO Chief Atty. Vigor Mendoza II, the agency no longer has backlogs of license plates for both four-wheel vehicles and motorcycles, which means ‘there is no more justification in the use of either the improvised or temporary plates.’

Once the policy is implemented, the LTO will impose a P5,000 fine and confiscate the temporary and improvised plates of vehicles that continue to use them.

Following this, Mendoza advised motorists who have yet to claim their plates to do so in October ‘to avoid any inconvenience with regard to the strict implementation of this policy.’

Additionally, Mendoza warned that improvised and temporary plates will no longer be accepted for the renewal of vehicle registration.

The initiative is in line with the LTO’s plans to implement a policy that requires official receipts, certificates of registration, and license plates to be released on the same day of a motor vehicle’s purchase.

However, Mendoza also stated that some improvised plates will be permitted, provided they are authorized and signed by the relevant LTO offices responsible for processing such requests.

These authorized plates shall ‘contain the assigned plate number of the vehicle with the words ‘Improvised Plate’ below it,’ Mendoza explained.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has been addressing its backlog of motorcycle plates through its plate distribution initiatives.

The DOTr said it aims to distribute around 5.4 million motorcycle plates by the end of October.

When it comes to training, consistency is everything. Fitness isn’t built overnight-it takes weeks, or even months, of putting in the work. But the trick is to stay active every day, while still knowing when to rest. And that balance is what makes progress stick.

The challenge? Travel. Being away from home can easily throw us off our rhythm. But with a little planning, you don’t have to lose momentum. Here are some ways to stay fit, even when you’re out of town.

Being away from home can easily throw us off our rhythm. But with a little planning, you don’t have to lose momentum.

Time your trips around training

One smart move is to use travel as your built-in recovery week. After pushing your body with consistent workouts, we all need days of unloading to bounce back stronger. So if you can, plan your trips during these lighter phases. More experienced athletes sometimes push harder before traveling, then scale back while away-just doing light cardio or bodyweight movements to maintain baseline fitness.But if that’s not your style, no problem. The key is adjusting your mindset and routine, so you keep moving, even if it’s not your usual setup.

Bodyweight workouts

Don’t underestimate bodyweight training-it’s not ‘just for beginners.’ You can break a serious sweat with no equipment at all. YouTube is full of solid routines, but here’s a simple one you can try:

Circuit training (minimal rest between moves, one to two minutes of rest between rounds):

Push-ups (as many as possible)

Chair dips (12 to 15 reps)

Lunges (alternating, as many as possible)

Squats (15 to 20 reps)

Spiderman plank (15 to 20 reps per side)

V-ups (15 to 20 reps)

Plank (as long as you can)

Run it out

Running is the ultimate travel workout-simple, effective, and you can do it almost anywhere. Just pack your shoes and a weather-appropriate outfit. But before you head out, check if the area is safe for running or ask locals where it’s best to go.

Sample session:

15-minute warm-up jog

6 reps of four minutes of running, then one minute of walking

20-minute steady jog or brisk walk

5-minute cool down Try yoga

When I first tried yoga, I thought it would be easy. Big mistake. Fifteen minutes in, I was sweaty, shaking, and way out of my comfort zone. That’s the beauty of yoga-it challenges strength, flexibility, balance, breathing, and focus all at once. Perfect for travel since you don’t need much space.

Walk more (skip the cab)

Travel is the perfect excuse to walk more. Instead of always booking a cab, try taking public transport or just exploring on foot. Not only do you burn calories and log steps, but you also get to experience the city more authentically. Depending on your destination, safety and convenience may vary, so do your research. But even five to 10 kilometers of walking a day adds up fast.

Pro tip: Wear comfy sneakers, carry extra shirts, and don’t be shy about using Google Maps if you get lost.

Final thoughts: It’s not about being perfect

No matter where you’re headed, keep in mind that trips can double as both rest and movement opportunities. Mix in recovery (stretching, yoga, or even breathwork), adjust your routines, and remember, fitness isn’t about being perfect. We train so we can enjoy life more, not to let workouts control us.