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The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Monday said that the agency is in talks for the relocation of victims displaced by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu.

This was what OCD Administrator Harold Cabreros answered when asked if there are relocation plans for residents affected by the earthquake.

‘Yun ang isa sa pinaplano natin ngayon. Mayroon kasing mga bahay na andun mismo sa fault lines,’ Cabreros told reporters speaking in Filipino during an interview in the send-off ceremony of the donations of the Bureau of Customs for the earthquake victims.

‘We are planning. In the meantime, we are building temporary shelters. Permanent relocation may take a long time since it will need funds,’ Cabreros added.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has found the fault that caused the earthquake, with its quick response team locating the inland extension of the newly named Bogo Bay Fault in Sitio Looc, Brgy. Nailon, Bogo City.

Bogo City was the epicenter of the earthquake that occurred last September 30.

According to the latest data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the earthquake affected a total of 155,094 families or 547,394 individuals. It added that 35,925 houses were reportedly damaged in Central Visayas.

Cabreros also advised residents living near the fault line to evacuate as there might be looming aftershocks or another earthquake.

‘That’s what we are telling our fellow citizens to stay away from the fault lines. We don’t know what will happen. We can’t predict earthquakes so we are advising them to stay safe,’ he said in Filipino.

Meanwhile, he said that tents are among the primary necessities of the affected residents so they can seek temporary shelter. He noted that while many residents’ houses were not damaged, they are still reeling from the trauma of sleeping inside their houses.

He emphasized that donations from the private sector may be brought to the provincial government of Cebu. Meanwhile, he said that international organizations who want to extend their help may coordinate with the agency so it can facilitate the turnover of relief efforts to the provincial government.

A rainy Monday is expected over parts of Mindanao, while generally fair weather is forecast for the rest of the country, the state weather bureau said.

In its 5 a.m. weather update, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)-where winds from the northern and southern hemispheres meet-is expected to bring cloudy skies and thunderstorms to southern Mindanao.

Pagasa weather specialist Daniel Villamil said Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon and Visayas will experience fair weather.

‘Partly cloudy to cloudy skies don’t necessarily mean there won’t be any rain. The usual late afternoon to evening rain showers or thunderstorms may still occur,’ he said in Filipino.

He also said Palawan and Visayas will experience similar fair weather conditions.

Meanwhile, Villamil said thunderstorms and overcast skies are expected in Mindanao as the day progresses due to the ITCZ.

‘Because of the ITCZ, areas like the Zamboanga Peninsula and BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao)-technically the southern part of Mindanao-can expect a high chance of cloudiness today,’ he said in Filipino.

‘So we’re looking at cloudy weather with scattered [showers] and thunderstorms,’ he added.

Villamil also said that no gale warnings have been issued for any of the country’s seaboards.

Meanwhile, the following temperatures are forecasted:

Laoag, Ilocos Norte: 24°C to 31°C

Baguio: 16°C to 24°C

Metro Manila: 23°C to 32°C

Tagaytay: 22°C to 28°C

Tuguegarao: 24°C to 34°C

Legazpi: 24°C to 33°C

Kalayaan Islands: 27°C to 31°C

Puerto Princesa: 24°C to 33°C

Iloilo: 24°C to 32°C

Cebu: 26°C to 32°°C

Tacloban: 25°C to 33°C

Zamboanga: 24°C to 33°C

Cagayan de Oro: 24°C to 31°C

Davao: 24°C to 33°C

Weather disturbances

Villamil also reported that Severe Tropical Storm Halong and the cloud clusters monitored outside the Philippine area of responsibility will not directly affect the country.

He said Halong was located 2,105 kilometers east-northeast of Extreme Northern Luzon, moving slowly northwestward, with maximum winds of 100 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts reaching 125 kph.

Meanwhile, the cloud clusters may develop into a low-pressure area either later today or in the coming days.

Four-day weather outlook

Pagasa also provided a four-day weather outlook to guide the public on expected conditions across the country.

Tuesday until Wednesday: Cloudy skies with scattered rain and thunderstorms over Palawan, Zamboanga Peninsula, BARMM, Western Visayas, and Negros Island Region due to the ITCZ.

Thursday to Friday: Generally fair weather to persist throughout the whole country apart from localized showers/localized thunderstorms.

Bang Si-hyuk, chairperson of K-pop powerhouse HYBE, has been barred from leaving South Korea as police investigate allegations of stock fraud tied to the company’s 2020 listing.

According to local reports on Wednesday, the travel ban was imposed on Aug. 11, when Bang returned to Seoul. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s financial crime investigation unit confirmed it has placed a travel restriction on Bang, who is under investigation for alleged violations of the Capital Markets Act.

Bang is accused of misleading investors in 2019 by denying plans for an initial public offering, allegedly prompting them to sell shares to a private equity fund established by HYBE executives. The fund later offloaded its stake after the IPO, with Bang reportedly reaping about 190 billion won ($135 million) through a prior arrangement.

Bang has denied the allegations, saying HYBE complied with all laws and regulations related to its market debut.

Police opened the investigation late last year. Investigators have raided the Korea Exchange headquarters and HYBE’s office in Seoul to seize documents and questioned Bang twice last month.

The government spends some P12 billion a year on cloud services, with 90 percent of its data stored mainly in Singapore. This was disclosed at the House budget deliberations last Sept. 30, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and legislators all agree that this is a potential national security risk as sensitive information is kept outside the government’s jurisdiction.

The term ‘cloud services’ refers to activities such as data storage done through the internet. These are provided by companies such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, which own the computer servers that host the data of its clients. While it has the benefit of storage and access to data without the government having its own computer servers, storing sensitive information on foreign cloud services exposes the Philippines to financial and security risks. For instance, a foreign government can compel cloud service providers to disclose data stored in its country even if these belong to a foreign government. Experts cite this as among the risks that endanger the government’s ability to maintain data sovereignty and protect its citizens’ privacy.

At the same House hearing, the DICT said it is addressing this by seeking P2.5 billion for the construction of three major data centers as part of a three-year plan to put up nine facilities with a combined cost of P7.5 billion. The DICT’s budget sponsor, FPJ Panday Bayanihan party list Rep. Brian Poe Llamanzares, explained that the investment will help address the security concerns and at the same time generate savings for the government.

Limited funding

The DICT has noted that investing P7.5 billion in nine data centers to develop on-premises data centers will ultimately be cheaper than continuing with the recurring cloud service costs. ‘DICT’s request for capital outlay for infrastructure development is badly needed and urgently needed in terms of timing because we’re trying to catch up to where the rest of the world is,’ Llamanzares added.

What is so disappointing is that the DICT had requested for similar funding in the past to finance efforts by the government to establish data centers in the country. The DICT said that not a single facility has been built to date due to limited funding. In 2024, the DICT submitted a proposed allocation of P2.3 billion for data center management, but the Department of Budget and Management approved only P750 million.

In contrast, as what is being uncovered in the ongoing investigations of anomalous flood-control projects, tens of billions of pesos allocated to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have gone to substandard or ‘ghost’ infrastructure projects and lined up the pockets of government officials, private contractors, and some lawmakers.

Worldwide trend

This is another tragic case of misaligned government priorities. Considering that the worldwide trend is toward digitalization, funding for the DICT has remained small, although a big part of the blame is on the agency itself, which has been struggling to use the budget it is given. In 2019, for example, the Commission on Audit flagged the DICT for using only P1.2 billion of its P6.2-billion allocation for the year, or a ‘very low fund utilization rate’ of only 19.51 percent. This improved to 60 percent in 2023, and 87 percent in 2024. The DICT noted that as of August this year, its budget usage was at only 41 percent, although it expects this to rise to 97 percent with the rollout of major projects such as the free Wi-Fi program by the end of this year.

A source of funding that has presented itself is the P255.5 billion intended for the DPWH’s flood-control projects next year that President Marcos ordered realigned to priority programs of other government agencies after the discovery of nonexistent or substandard projects.

Cybercrime prevention

The DICT has a lot on its plate. It lists its flagship undertakings to include the national broadband program, free Wi-Fi for all, the eGovPH app, the Bayanihan SIM initiative, and enhanced cybersecurity measures, ‘all aimed at building a connected, secure, and future-ready digital nation.’ It is also tasked to strengthen cybercrime prevention, safeguard citizens’ data privacy rights, and regulate and expand telco services through the National Telecommunications Commission.

For the country to achieve its national digitalization goals, Congress must fully support the DICT by reallocating part of the DPWH budget to fund the DICT’s various programs, including the establishment of big data centers to host sensitive and other data here.

However, giving it money to construct data centers will not be enough. The agency must also be given additional funding to hire the necessary people to run those data centers. Otherwise, we will only see a repeat of the health facilities enhancement program of the Department of Health, where 400 of the 600 centers built over the past 10 years remain idle due to lack of personnel.

Ayala-backed Globe Telecom called for stronger ties with foreign partners to fight online scams, as fraud losses in the Philippines have already reached a staggering $8.1 billion.

The telco said it made this appeal at the Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia 2025 held last month in Singapore. It urged more than 1,000 participants to treat cybercrime as ‘one of the most pressing global threats.’

Derick Adil, head of artificial intelligence (AI) and privacy governance at Globe, said that cyber criminals now exploit new technologies, such as AI, to trick people ‘at digital speed.’

Adil said Globe has been aggressive in fending off text scams. So far, Globe has blocked over 9 billion scam messages even before these reached its subscribers.

Also, the company has partnered with local banks for data sharing. It is also working with Philippine authorities to crack down on fraud operations.

Prime target

Apart from individual consumers, Globe said businesses have also been a prime target for cyber criminals.

Data from American cybersecurity firm Fortinet and the International Data Corp. showed that about 78 percent of organizations in the Philippines have encountered AI-powered threats over the past year.

Given the gravity of the situation, Globe said deepening its cooperation with the Philippine government is a must.

On the sidelines of the event, Globe officials touched base with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center to firm up plans about cross-border cybercrime efforts. The agency is supervised by the Department of Information and Communication Technology.

‘These efforts must go beyond one country or one telco. Scams don’t stop at borders, and neither should our defenses,’ said Adil. He is also a cochair of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance Philippines Chapter.

‘To turn every scam attempt into a dead end, we must build a united front of governments, industry, and communities,’ he added.

Based on a regional overview, cyber incidents in Southeast Asia climbed by 29 percent last year as ransomware and phishing activities continued to spread. INQ

At 76, most people slow down.

But for Queruben ‘Tatay Ruben’ Abella, every step he takes is a testament that age-and worn-out shoes-are no match for a determined heart.

Abella, a farmer from Barangay Candelaria in Dagohoy town, was among the more than 4,000 runners who joined the 4th Alturas Pink Run on Sunday in Tagbilaran City. The annual event, organized by the Alturas Group of Companies, aims to raise awareness and funds for cancer patients in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Despite his age, Abella conquered the 21-kilometer race in 2 hours, 37 minutes and 4 seconds-a remarkable feat that earned admiration from fellow runners and spectators alike. Last year, he clocked a faster time of 1 hour, 56 minutes and 29 seconds.

Abella said he intentionally took it slow this year, having joined two marathon events just weeks earlier.

Tried and tested shoes

He shared that muscle cramps hit him midway through the race, but the ointment he carried eased the pain just enough for him to keep going.

‘I was not tired at all. I fought until the end,’ he said in Cebuano at the finish line, smiling through exhaustion and triumph.

Yet what captured the crowd’s hearts wasn’t just his endurance, but the pair of old, hole-riddled shoes he wore.

‘These are my favorite,’ he said, smiling as he pointed at his tattered sneakers. ‘They’re light and comfortable. I’ve run many races with them.’

He said he purchased the shoes from an ukay-ukay (thrift store) and he intentionally punched holes in the shoes to improve ventilation and prevent water from pooling inside when he ran through rivers.

Abella has been running since he was 14, joining marathons across the Visayas and Mindanao. The Alturas Pink Run was his 22nd marathon, and his second time participating in the event.

But for him, this run was not about medals or records: ‘I joined to help raise awareness for cancer. It’s a worthy cause, and it makes running more meaningful.’

A former boxing trainer, Abella spends most of his days tending to his 20-hectare banana farm. Running, he said, keeps him strong-both in body and spirit.

He and his wife, Pilar, 67, have five children and eight grandchildren who proudly cheer him on in every race.

Inspiration

For Mary Grace Ido-Bernaldez, Alturas Pink Run organizer, the event was more than just a race-it’s a powerful movement to raise breast cancer awareness and support cancer patients and survivors.

She said Abella has become the living emblem of the event’s message of hope and perseverance.

‘Tatay Ruben isn’t just a participant-he’s our inspiration,’ Bernaldez said. ‘He reminds everyone that it’s never too late to do something good and to live with purpose.’ /cb

Agjanti Miller hadn’t played in a San Beda-Letran rivalry game before. But on Sunday, the rookie guard looked like he’d been built for it.

Miller scored 22 points and grabbed five rebounds, fueling San Beda’s 68-58 win over Letran to stay unbeaten in Group B of the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament.

‘There’s really no extra motivation, but every time you play Letran you know they’re a strong team that you really have to prepare for,’ said head coach Yuri Escueta, whose squad now holds a 2-0 record. ‘I even look at them (Knights) as an all-star team, so I tip my hats off to my guys for playing defense and guarding our defensive targets.’

With Yukien Andrada unavailable, Bryan Sajonia stepped up to score 11 points, helping the Red Lions keep their composure in a back-and-forth affair. Miller, though, was the difference-scoring timely buckets, attacking in transition and hitting from deep when San Beda needed separation.

The Red Lions opened the fourth quarter with a flurry to wrest control, and Miller sealed the deal with a two-handed slam in the closing minute.

Letran fell to 0-2, despite a breakout 13-point, six-assist performance from Jonathan Manalili, who also added two rebounds and two steals. Deo Cuajao scored 10, but the Knights couldn’t convert late as San Beda tightened its defense.

Altas, 2-0

In the earlier game, Perpetual Help leaned on a different kind of maturity.

Second-year forward Mark Gojo Cruz played with the poise of a veteran, steering the Altas to a 73-61 win over Lyceum for their own 2-0 start in Group A.

‘I prepared myself with a mindset that even if I’m just a sophomore, I need to lead,’ said Gojo Cruz, who finished with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. ‘My goal is to lead my team on defense, and today, it’s a bonus that my offense clicked.’

The Altas, coming off a victory over San Sebastian, led wire-to-wire and kept Lyceum at bay with help from Jearico Nunez, who added 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Lyceum, which dropped to 0-2, was paced by Renz Villegas’ 18 points. But the Pirates struggled to contain Gojo Cruz’s activity on both ends, and fell behind early in the second half.

Activists in the summer capital are developing a network of human rights cities across the country, beginning with northern Luzon, where civil rights protections and guarantees will help shape local governance.

This was revealed at a City Hall roundtable discussion among militant groups and university law school professors on Sept. 30, as a prelude to the formation of a task force that would oversee the Baguio law shielding ‘human rights defenders’ from harassment.

Audrey Beltran, vice chair of the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance, introduced a three-year-long project to harness the participation of civil society organizations in building human rights cities, with Baguio as a model community.

In 2024, the Baguio City Council passed Ordinance No. 78-2024, or the Human Rights Defenders Ordinance, to provide protection for anyone who is vilified in the course of discussing or promoting issues affecting civil rights. It has mechanisms for redress that punish offenders-even those employed by the government-in line with Baguio’s rebranding as an inclusive human rights city in 2023.

The city government has also been enforcing an antidiscrimination law (Ordinance No. 13-2017), which makes Baguio a safe space from hate speeches, political vitriol and other forms of discrimination against people because of their ethnicity, gender and political orientation.

Veteran activist Joanna Cariño, a Baguio Ibaloy, said laws like Ordinance No. 78 do not immediately end Red-tagging and other forms of attack against dissenters, citing an ongoing court trial involving four Baguio activists who sued government entities to remove their designation as ‘terrorists.’

This time, however, the Baguio laws show activists that the Baguio government ‘has their back,’ said Cariño, with the city council expressing outrage when local activists were targeted by the government.

Baguio’s human rights defenders ordinance and similar civil rights laws are what local activists want to see in other urban areas as they pursue a network of cities ‘that integrate human rights principles in their governance, policies and communities . to ensure equality, nondiscrimination and participatory democracy, ‘ according to a project outline discussed by Beltran.

‘Interrelated’

‘A major part of the (human rights cities) project is to expand human rights education, to partner with other organizations and establish initiatives for human rights legislation in the cities or set the discourse that would shape rights-based policies in the future,’ Beltran said.

The project builds upon Article 11, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution that was crafted following the peaceful ouster of the Marcos dictatorship: ‘The State upholds human dignity and ensures full respect for human rights.’

The project aspires for a collaboration among human rights cities where ‘human rights are universal, interdependent, and interrelated. ‘

It will be undertaken until 2028 by the Cordillera Women’s Education Action Research Center, the Cordilleran Youth Center and the Katinnulong Dagiti Umili Ti Amianan Inc. These Baguio-based groups participated in Fianza’s roundtable talks.

Started in January, the human rights cities project has focused on civil society groups operating in Baguio, in Kalinga’s Tabuk City, San Fernando City in La Union and in Santiago City in Isabela.

Unique

Ordinance No. 78 is the fourth human defenders measure to be enacted in the country, Cariño said, but it is unique because of a provision that acknowledged the existence of Red-tagging as a threat and which penalizes offenders when the Red-tagging attacks occur within city jurisdiction. Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who signed the ordinance in December last year, was himself Red-tagged multiple times by a former official of an anticommunist government task force. /cb

The body of a 53-year-old farmer who was swept away by raging floodwaters during the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Paolo was recovered on Sunday, nearly three days after he went missing, authorities said in a report on Monday.

According to the Aritao Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the farmer’s remains were found floating along a river in Barangay Santa Clara, Aritao.

A 30-member search and retrieval team – composed of local police, firefighters, municipal disaster responders, and volunteers from nearby towns – had been scouring the swollen river since the man was reported missing.

Initial reports indicate the farmer was attempting to cross a bamboo bridge over the river to retrieve his carabao from a flooded field when he slipped and was swept away by the current.

Barangay Santa Clara Chairman Ricardo Suguitan told responders that witnesses had seen the man struggling to swim before being overwhelmed by the swift-moving waters.

On Oct. 4, at least 767 families – or 2,514 individuals – were forced to evacuate to temporary shelters and higher ground across Nueva Vizcaya due to flooding caused by Paolo. Most evacuees began returning to their homes the following day./coa

Cebuana Lhuillier, through its corporate social responsibility arm, Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation, Inc. (CLFI), has mobilized immediate relief operations under its Tulong sa Pagbangon (TSP) initiative to support families affected by the recent earthquake in northern Cebu.

An initial ?500,000 has been allocated from CLFI’s disaster response funds, prioritizing assistance to communities in Bogo City, the identified epicenter of the quake. The relief drive targets around 1,000 families, with each household set to receive tote bags containing food, bottled water, sanitary products, and other essentials. Additional contributions gathered through the TSP Donation Drive, including E2G food bars and other emergency supplies, will also be distributed.

‘Cebuana Lhuillier has always been committed to standing by Filipinos in times of need. Our hearts go out to the families affected by this tragedy, and through CLFI, we are working to bring immediate aid and comfort as they begin their journey to recovery,’ said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President and CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier.

The relief operation is being carried out with the help of Cebuana RAPIDO, the company’s employee volunteer group dedicated to disaster response. Volunteers are set to begin packing operations immediately, with the deployment of goods to Bogo and nearby affected areas targeted within the next one to two days.

‘Through Tulong sa Pagbangon, we want to assure affected families that they are not alone. With the help of our RAPIDO volunteers and the generosity of our donors, we will continue to deliver support to those who need it most,’ added Jonathan Batangan, Executive Director of CLFI.

To extend the reach of these relief efforts, CLFI is accepting cash donations at all Cebuana Lhuillier branches nationwide or through designated bank accounts: BPI E-Donate (QR code below); UnionBank – 1021-7002-3202, BPI – 307-107-3458. Every contribution will go a long way in providing food, water, and immediate on-site relief to the families who need it most.

For years, Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation has championed disaster preparedness and resilience, mobilizing its employees nationwide to assist communities in times of crisis. TSP Cebu continues this mission by extending bayanihan where it is needed most.