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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.

Former Senator Cynthia Villar welcomed the signing of Republic Act No. 12308, or the Animal Industry Development and Competitiveness Act (AIDCA), a measure aimed at revitalizing the country’s livestock, poultry, and dairy sectors through a P200-billion investment over the next 10 years.

‘I thank President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Representative Mark Enverga, the Department of Agriculture, and all industry stakeholders for their support in the passage of this vital measure,’ Villar said. ‘This law will strengthen our animal industries, ensure food security, and help build a more resilient agricultural sector.’

Signed into law on September 25, RA 12308 elevates the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) into a line agency under the Department of Agriculture, expanding its regulatory functions and authority. The measure also strengthens the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) and National Dairy Authority (NDA) by assigning them new mandates, including biotechnology, vaccine development, and herd repopulation programs.

Villar said the initiative was driven by the devastation caused by the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak in 2022, which led to a 20.8 percent decline in pork production and economic losses estimated at ?100 billion in 2023.

‘The ASF outbreak nearly crippled our hog industry and disrupted the food supply chain. This law will help our farmers recover and prevent similar crises in the future,’ Villar said.

The former senator also emphasized the need to strengthen the local dairy industry, which currently produces only one percent of the country’s milk requirements.

‘Our dairy sector faces persistent challenges such as low herd population, lack of breeding farms, and insufficient training on animal nutrition and management. The AIDCA will help us address these issues through better programs and funding,’ Villar added.

A major feature of the law is the creation of the Animal Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (AnCEF), which will receive ?20 billion annually from tariffs on livestock, poultry, and dairy imports.The fund will be allocated for:

26%- Repopulation and herd build-up

7% – To be divided equally between the Phil Carabao Center and the National Dairy Authority for herd build-up and repopulation

6%- For animal health and welfare, native animal development programs, disease emergency control, prevention and response, including research and technology advancement

9% – For a Capacity Recovery Fund (CRF), supplemental to the Quick Response Fund under RA 20121

14% – For building improvement and mechanization of shared facilities (Processing plants,slaughterhouses,poultry dressing plants,storage and collection equipment).

14% – For augmenting and developing food safety, animal extension support services, and training

5% – For the development and propagation of animals, feeds, forage, and fodder-particularly seeds and planting materials-and ensuring affordable access for small-hold farmers

15% – For credit to the animal sector, including:Interest subsidies and negative interest loans in case of calamities,Credit guarantees for improvement of animal breeds, breeders, and multipliers,Feeds, animal housing, and purchase of equipment

2% – For technology transfer and commercialization of programs

1% – For marketing services

1% – For accreditation of smallholder farmers and raisers into formal groups such as cooperatives or organizations

The AnCEF was patterned after the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), which Villar also principally authored. It will serve as a supplementary fund to the National Livestock Program (NLP).

The law mandates the Department of Agriculture (DA) to create a Philippine Livestock, Poultry, and Dairy (LPD) Value Chain Development Roadmap to align government programs and ensure efficient service delivery.

It also provides for the establishment of a Livestock, Poultry, and Dairy Management Information System (LPDMIS) – a centralized database for real-time monitoring and decision-making.

In addition, an Animal Registry System will be set up to identify and accredit eligible farmers and raisers who will benefit from AnCEF programs.

The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) will monitor the implementation of the AIDCA and release an annual performance report beginning in its second year.

On its third year, the allocations under the AnCEF will be reviewed to assess program effectiveness, while a mandatory review by the Committee on Cooperatives and Farmer Modernization (COCAFAM) will be conducted on the law’s tenth year to determine whether amendments or extensions are needed based on improvements in farmers’ incomes.

‘Pork, chicken, and milk are essential to the Filipino diet. Through this law, we aim to make our animal industry more competitive and sustainable,’ Villar said.

‘This measure not only strengthens food security but also ensures better income for our farmers and livestock raisers,’ she added

Recent developments at the Senate, as well as profit-taking, weighed down the local bourse on Monday.

By the closing bell, the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) had tumbled by 1.78 percent, or 108.54 points, to end at 6,000.32.

Likewise, the broader All Shares Index shed 1.14 percent, or 41.9 points, to close at 3,643.95.A total of 2.1 billion shares worth P12.12 billion changed hands, stock exchange data showed.

Michael Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said ‘latest political noises, especially at the Senate,’ contributed to the market’s decline.

Over the weekend, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said he had resigned as chair of the blue ribbon committee amid his colleagues’ ‘disappointment’ over the panel’s probe into anomalous flood control projects.

Inflation

While the bourse opened higher, it eventually settled in the red territory for the rest of the trading day.The index’s decline also came ahead of the release of the September inflation print, which analysts say may have accelerated due to recent storm damage and the rice import freeze.

Conglomerates saw the heaviest bleeding, with declines from SM Investments Corp. (down 1.74 percent to P732), Ayala Corp. (down 2.53 percent to P477.60) and GT Capital Holdings Inc. (down 2.44 percent to P579.50).

International Container Terminal Services Inc. was the most actively traded stock as it lost 0.78 percent to P508 per share. Others were BDO Unibank Inc., down 1.81 percent to P135.50; Ayala Land Inc., down 2.89 percent to P23.50; and Bank of the Philippine Islands, down 3.89 percent to P108.60 each.

Losers overpowered gainers, 139 to 64, while 58 companies closed flat, stock exchange data also showed./tad

The Cebu Provincial Government has maintained a red alert status as disaster response and relief operations intensify across northern Cebu following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Bogo City on the night of Sept. 30, leaving 71 people dead, three missing, and nearly 600 injured.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Sunday morning continued to record quakes of magnitudes 4.1 and 4.5 in Bogo City, as well as reported Intensity II in Daanbantayan, Cebu, and Instrumental Intensity in the towns of Villaba, Leyte, Abuyog, and Carigara in Leyte province.

The Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) also said the quake, which struck at 9:59 p.m. with a shallow depth of 5 kilometers, continued to generate aftershocks up to Sunday, further alarming residents still reeling from the devastation.

Under a red alert, all disaster response units, including the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Coast Guard, police, and provincial rescue teams, are fully activated, ensuring 24-hour coordination of relief and recovery efforts.

According to the latest situation report, the quake has affected 209,972 families-equivalent to 372,513 individuals-across northern Cebu.

About 26,140 families have been displaced, seeking refuge in evacuation centers and makeshift shelters.

Besides Bogo City, the epicenter of the quake, other heavily affected areas include the municipalities of Medellin, San Remigio, Daanbantayan, Sogod, and Borbon, where thousands of houses were damaged or flattened.

Bogo City Hall, the Daanbantayan Municipal Building, and several schools and churches sustained severe structural damage.

Ground movement

Authorities also confirmed the appearance of sinkholes and fissures in Medellin, Borbon, and San Remigio, prompting geologists to monitor ground movement in affected zones.

Relief operations remained in full swing, with the Incident Command Post in Bogo City serving as the central coordination hub.

Food, potable water, shelter materials, and medical supplies remain the top priorities, along with the need for water tankers, generators, and heavy equipment to clear debris and restore access roads, according to the provincial government in social media posts on Sunday.

Power supply has been restored to 99 percent of the affected areas, while telecommunication lines are mostly operational, except in isolated areas.

But ports in Hagnaya, Pulangbato, and Bantayan are still closed due to pending safety inspections. Classes in at least 10 northern municipalities remain suspended until further notice.

Gov. Pamela Baricuatro has appealed to volunteers and private donors to avoid traveling directly to quake-hit towns, citing heavy congestion disrupting emergency response convoys.

On Sunday, various reports from news media and netizens showed long lines of vehicles heading to northern Cebu stuck in traffic.

Travel time between Cebu City and Bogo City, which are about 98 km apart, usually takes three hours. But on Sunday, motorists reported being held on the road for over six hours and still unable to reach Bogo or other further destinations.

To streamline relief logistics, the Capitol has opened a donation hub at the Danao City Boardwalk, in partnership with the Danao City government, where goods are sorted and dispatched by provincial teams to affected municipalities.

Danao City, also in the north, is the gateway to the northern tip of Cebu, where the affected localities are located.

The Emergency Operations Center at the Cebu Capitol in Cebu City continues to operate on a 24-hour basis, consolidating field reports and coordinating with local government units, national agencies, and private organizations.

A minor earthquake with a magnitude of 2.5 hit Calatagan town in Batangas province on Monday morning.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported in its bulletin that the tectonic earthquake’s epicenter originated 8 kilometers southwest of the locality with a depth of 108 km.

The tremor occurred at 7:25 a.m.

A tectonic earthquake is produced by sudden movement along faults and plate boundaries.

The minor quake is not likely to cause damage, and aftershocks may not occur, Phivolcs said.

Calatagan is located 71 km from Batangas City and 131 km from Metro Manila.

Batangas is one of the most seismically active areas in the Philippines, primarily due to the Lubang Fault, located between Mindoro Island and Batangas./coa

The Bureau of Internal Revenue has extended deadlines for the filing of tax returns and payment of corresponding taxes, as well as the submission of other required documents for affected taxpayers in Cebu, which was hit by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake.

Taxpayers and BIR personnel under the jurisdiction of Revenue District Office No. 80 (Mandaue City, Cebu), No. 81 (Cebu City, North), No. 82 (Cebu City, South), No. 83 (Talisay City, Cebu), and No. 123 (Large Taxpayers Division – Cebu), including their authorized agent banks, will benefit from the extension of all deadlines falling within October 2025.

All tax obligations falling due within October 2025 may now be filed and paid on or before Oct. 31, 2025, as provided under Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 88-2025. The complete list of covered BIR forms and returns is enumerated in the circular.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) turned over abandoned and forfeited goods to the Office of Civil Defense to support relief operations for earthquake victims.

The donation, which came mostly from the Manila International Container Port, included 56 pieces of rapid emergency tents and 1,087 pieces of assorted tents to serve as temporary shelters, as well as 50 units of mobile power supply to provide electricity in affected areas.

The BOC also donated one bio-toilet unit to ensure proper sanitation for displaced residents.

The donated items were declared abandoned and subsequently forfeited in favor of the government./tad