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Twice member Jeongyeon may miss the group’s world tour stops in Singapore and Malaysia, following her absence from the Philippines concert.

‘We cannot confirm whether Jeongyeon will appear at the Singaporean and Malaysian shows. What we can say for sure at the moment is that she will not be performing at the Bulacan show,’ a JYP Entertainment official told The Korea Herald, Friday, Oct. 3.

On Thursday, the agency announced on the group’s fan platform that the singer would not join the Twice ‘This is For’ World Tour Bulacan concert scheduled for Saturday. She had performed at the group’s concert in Macao on Sept. 27-28.

‘We sincerely apologize to fans who have been waiting for the concert for a long time. This was an unavoidable decision made with the artist’s health and recovery as our top priority,’ JYP Entertainment said.

Jeongyeon had been active in the group’s sixth world tour since it kicked off in Seoul on July 19, performing in four Japanese cities and most recently in Macao. News of her sudden absence just a week after the Macao shows has heightened concern among fans.

The singer has faced recurring health challenges over the years. She underwent surgery for a herniated disc in 2020 and went on hiatus in 2021 after being diagnosed with panic disorder. Though she returned in June 2022, she took another short break two months later due to side effects from steroid treatment and recurring panic attack symptoms. /ra

An international organization monitoring the situation of non-Moro indigenous peoples (NMIPs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), has condemned the recent attack against a Teduray elder in Maguindanao del Sur and called for greater protection for the minority tribe.

The Climate Conflict Action (CCA) said in a statement on Friday that since 2019, Rommel Lupos was the 102nd non-Moro indigenous person killed in BARMM.

Lupos was beheaded by still unidentified men on Sept. 30, the eve of observance of Indigenous Peoples Month this October. According to the Timuay Justice and Governance, the indigenous political structure of the tribe, the suspects in the brutality are likely those who had warned Lupos to vacate from his farm as they wanted to occupy the land.

‘Each killing is a reminder that promises of protection remain empty, and justice remains out of reach,’ the CCA said.

It asserted that ‘without justice, there is no protection.’

CCA said the BARMM Indigenous Peoples Code has failed to protect those it claims to defend, and neither has the entire security infrastructure of the government nor the leaders and custodians of the BARMM government.

The group re-echoed the sentiments of the non-Moro indigenous youth who said: ‘This violence is not random-it is systemic.’

The CCA said the killings were designed to sow fear, drive the Teduray away from their ancestral lands, erase their identity, and elicit another round of revenge killings.

‘We need results beyond mere statements. We need accountability. The government must deliver justice for NMIPs. They need concrete actions and policies that will make them feel more secure in their everyday life – to be able to farm their lands, to go to school without fear, and work towards a bright future for their families and generations to come,’ the CCA pointed out.

Ramon Fernandez, Atoy Co and Vergel Meneses led a collection of former personalities who graced the opening of the PBA’s 50th anniversary season on Sunday.

The PBA said about 40 to 50 ex-players, coaches and officials attended a busy day that started with the Leo Awards at Novotel Manila followed by the opening ceremonies at nearby Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The number of individuals who reportedly died from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu rose to 71, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Sunday.

In its latest report, the NDRRMC said that the 71 deaths, along with 559 injuries are up for validation. Meanwhile, no individuals were reported missing.

Aside from this, the NDRRMC said that the earthquake affected a total of 128,464 families or 455,631 individuals. Of this figure, 405 families or 1,205 individuals were served inside four evacuation centers while 7,942 families or 25,291 persons were served outside the temporary shelters. Bogo City recorded the highest number of those affected, with a total of 27,967 families or 90,187 individuals. The city was the epicenter of the earthquake that occurred last September 30.

The agency also said that the earthquake damaged a total of 18,154 houses. Of this figure, San Remigio tallied the most number of damaged houses at 12,644.

As of Saturday, 8 p.m., the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that the strong earthquake generated 5,540 aftershocks, with magnitude ranging from 1.0 to 5.1. Of these, 24 were felt while 1,083 were plotted. The Phivolcs has also 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, Barangay Nailon, Bogo City.

The Phivolcs said that ‘the team observed fault scraps, open cracks, and small pressure mounds within a 2-meter-wide deformation zone.’

Oscar Reyes, a veteran in the Philippine power sector who led the growth of major firms, died at the age of 79.

The local energy sector is grieving the loss of Reyes, whose decades-long service helped shape the growth of the market.

The country’s biggest power distributor, Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), highlights Reyes’ ‘steadfast and humble leadership’ in driving efforts to expand electricity access to every home, even beyond the group’s franchise area. Reyes served as Meralco’s president and chief executive officer from 2012 to 2019.

Maximizing value

‘With strategic foresight and prudence, he guided Meralco, laid the groundwork for modernization while ensuring regulatory compliance, operational integrity and execution excellence,’ Meralco says.

‘True to his philosophy of sweating the assets, he maximized value for customers and stakeholders alike,’ it adds.

Shell Pilipinas likewise expresses its grief, saying Reyes will be remembered for his ‘lasting impact through his visionary leadership.’

He was the country chair of Shell companies in the Philippines and president of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. from 1997 to 2001.

‘We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. May we honor his remarkable legacy and be inspired by the life he lived,’ the firm says.

Ateneo

Before Reyes’ death, he also served on the board of several companies.

Reyes received his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the Ateneo de Manila University. He also had a diploma in business administration and a certificate in export promotion from the Waterloo Lutheran University and a master’s degree in business administration program from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.

MANILA, Philippines-San Beda turned back rival Letran, 68-58, to stay unbeaten in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament Sunday at San Juan Arena.

The Red Lions followed up their opening-day win over College of St. Benilde for a 2-0 start in Group B.

‘There’s really no extra motivation, but every time you play Letran, you know they’re a strong team you have to prepare for,’ said coach Yuri Escueta.

‘I even look at them as an all-star team, so I tip my hat off to my guys for playing defense and sticking to our targets.’

Agjanti Miller impressed in his first San Beda-Letran duel with 22 points and five rebounds, while Bryan Sajonia stepped up in Yukien Andrada’s absence with 11 points.

Jonathan Manalili paced the Knights with 13 points, six assists, two rebounds and two steals, while Deo Cuajao added 10 as Letran fell to 0-2.

Despite the region’s rugged mountain terrain and limited signal coverage, most Cordillera residents now own smartphones, which they use not only for communication and entertainment but increasingly for education and livelihood, according to the latest National ICT Household Survey.

In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, 61.9 percent of Cordillera households used smartphones. That figure rose sharply to 89.1 percent in 2024, said Aldrin Federico Bahit Jr., Cordillera chief statistician at the Philippine Statistics Authority.

‘Smartphones have become part of a household’s livelihood in the highlands, not just another device for watching Netflix or uploading videos to Instagram or TikTok,’ Bahit said during the Sept. 25 presentation of the survey. While 98.7 percent of Cordillera internet users in 2024 accessed social media-up from 94.6 percent in 2019-and 90.1 percent used the internet to download entertainment (up from 33.8 percent), the survey also noted that more residents were using the internet for productive purposes. The percentage of users relying on the internet for school-related research grew from 46.3 percent in 2019 to 57.7 percent in 2024. Use of the internet for work increased slightly from 29.5 to 30.5 percent, and usage for business or trade also grew from 29.5 percent to 30.5 percent over the same period.

The 2020 national census recorded Cordillera household internet access at 62.8 percent, largely due to inconsistent telecommunications signals in remote areas of Ifugao, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Benguet and Mountain Province.

Budget reallocation

However, improvements under the National Broadband Plan have helped increase coverage. Fiber-optic cables have now reached urban centers like Baguio City, where residents have reliable Wi-Fi access.

The rest of the region may soon benefit from broadband redistributed via wireless signals to meet the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT)five-year goal of region-wide coverage.

DICT Cordillera Director Jimmicio Daoaten said the agency may benefit from over P200 billion reallocated from flood control projects removed from the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Act, which could support continued expansion of free Wi-Fi sites across the region.

‘Our five-year target is to expand Cordillera internet access to all provinces,’ Daoaten said. One of the most notable findings of the 2024 survey was that 24.6 percent of internet users in Cordillera now sell goods online to earn a living.

According to Adamae Joy Simeon-Estong, senior trade development specialist of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Cordillera, ‘clothing, footwear, sporting goods and accessories’ were the most frequently bought and sold items online, followed by cosmetics and consumer electronics.

Simeon-Estong noted that e-commerce is growing rapidly and is expected to reach a gross merchandise value of $150 billion by 2030. She said the DTI may step in to help increase the online visibility of entrepreneurs in the upland provinces.

Although this was not part of the 2024 ICT survey, Bahit had earlier cited in a different forum a 2022 report from the 49th Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry that found home-based businesses and small enterprises earned P355 million after reopening online during the pandemic in 2020.

This trend may help explain the widespread adoption of smartphones and other internet-capable devices in the region.

In-person shopping

However, the survey also revealed continued reluctance to adopt electronic payment methods. Most respondents still preferred cash-on-delivery for online transactions, citing security concerns. In fact, 59.1 percent said they avoided e-payments due to fear of fraud or data breaches.

Interestingly, the number of Cordillerans who preferred to shop in-person rather than online rose sharply, from 38.9 percent in 2019 to 80 percent in 2024.

In August 2024, President Marcos signed Executive Order (EO) No. 64, which mandates a four-tranche salary increase for civilian government workers to be implemented every January from 2024 to 2027.

This raised the salary of teachers as compared to the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) of 2019.

Under the first tranche, the entry-level Teacher I (SG 11, Step 1) saw an increase from P27,000 to P28,512, while Teacher II (SG 12, Step 1) increased from P27,608 to P30,705 monthly and Teacher III (SG 12, Step 1) from P29,798 to P32,870.

The monthly salary for Master Teacher I (SG 19, Step 1) increased from P46,725 to P49,015, while Master Teacher II (SG 20, Step 1) and Master Teacher III (SG 21, Step 1) saw an adjustment from P51,357 to P53,873 and P51,357 to 60,157, respectively.

The highest teaching rank, Master Teacher IV-SG 21, Step 1-rose from P63,997 to P67,005.

By the final tranche in 2027, public school teachers’ salaries are projected to range from around P33,000 for Teacher I to nearly P84,000 for the Master Teacher IV rank, depending on step increments.

For private school teachers, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced in August 2025 an increase in the Teachers’ Salary Subsidy (TSS) from P18,000 to P24,000 annually, starting School Year 2025-2026.

The TSS is a component of the Gastpe program, created under the Republic Act No. 8545, or the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act.

Perpetual Help extended its winning start in Group A of the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament, defeating winless Lyceum, 73-61, on Sunday at Filoil EcoOil Centre.

The Altas, coming off a win over San Sebastian two days earlier, leaned on sophomore guard Mark Gojo Cruz, who finished with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. ‘I just prepared myself and my mind that even though I’m a sophomore, I need to lead,’ said Cruz. ‘My goal is to do good on defense and offense is just a bonus.

Jearico Nuñez added 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Royce Orgo and Jhan Sleat chipped in nine apiece for the Altas, who improved to 2-0.

Renz Villegas led the Pirates with 18 points as Lyceum dropped to 0-2.

Perpetual will face fellow unbeaten Mapua (2-0) on Wednesday for Group A leadership at the same venue.