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They may be idiots in the eyes of University of the East coach Chris Gavina.

To the UAAP, though, they made the right call.

The league backed its referees, who were roundly criticized in the aftermath of a controversial match between UE and La Salle, suspending Warriors standout Wello Lingolingo for three games for his role in the contentious game.

Lingolingo’s foul on Archers guard Kean Baclaan-called at the 4:21 mark of the fourth quarter-sparked controversy and fury from Gavina, who insisted it was a hustle play gone wrong. But the league, after review, sided with the game officials, citing ‘excessive and forceful contact.’

The UAAP slapped the suspension on Lingolingo for ‘an unsportsmanlike foul (Criteria 2) committed last Wednesday, Oct. 15, during University of the East’s UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Men’s Basketball game against De La Salle University,’ it said in a statement.

Before the league’s decision, a fuming Gavina torched the referees in an expletive-filled rant for ejecting the UE wingman after he fell on Backlaan’s knee during a scuffle for the loose ball.

Baclaan shoved Lingolingo off his knee almost instantly and grimaced in pain before being stretchered out of the coliseum.

‘I watched the video. They told me that Wello jumped f****** purposely on Baclaan on a loose ball? Get the f*** out of here,’ Gavina said. ‘Call a regular foul. You call an unspo on a play like that? Wello had 24 points at that moment. 24. They’re supposed to be the best of the best? Get the f*** out of here. Hell no. (They) took away our effort.’

He added: ‘I hope these three referees never f****** ref again in any of our games. It was a complete disservice for the outcome of this game and the beauty of the competition was taken away.’

Baclaan was later diagnosed with an MCL tear and will be sidelined for the rest of the season along with La Salle teammate Mason Amos, who also suffered the same injury.

Lingolingo, who had tallied 24 points before his ejection, will miss UE’s game against FEU on Sunday, as well as the team’s first two outings in the second round. The UAAP clarified that the Red Warriors may file a motion for reconsideration.

‘While the referees had already called for a jump ball, Lingolingo dove for possession and landed on the right knee of La Salle’s #13, Kean Baclaan,’ the UAAP statement read. ‘Upon review, it was determined that the foul involved excessive and forceful contact made by a player in an attempt to play the ball or an opponent.’

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said on Thursday that the ongoing investigation of corruption in the government’s multibillion-peso flood control projects would spare no one, even prominent government officials like Sen. Christopher ‘Bong’ Go.

‘There will be no sacred cows here,’ Dizon told reporters. ‘Anyone who will be implicated by the evidence will not be spared and will be held accountable. It’s as simple as that.’

‘It doesn’t matter who they are-former administrations or the current administration-it doesn’t matter,’ he added.

In his interview with reporters, Dizon said that he had discussed with Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla starting the investigation of the possible links between the Discaya couple-Pacifico ‘Curlee’ and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya-and CLTG Builders, a company owned by the senator’s father.

Call from Remulla

Asked whether Go might be linked to the Discayas, who are under investigation in the flood control probes, Dizon said: ‘We talked with Ombudsman Remulla last night about this. And now, we are already working to look at the documents from the previous administration.’

‘That is also our target – from 2016 to 2025. That is also the mandate of the ICI (Independent Commission for Infrastructure),’ Dizon explained.

Go, a longtime aide to former President Rodrigo Duterte, served as special assistant to the president before he was elected senator in 2019.

Dizon said Remulla called him on Wednesday night after the Discayas decided to stop cooperating with the ICI on the flood control investigation.

Go repeated his previous denials of any links to the Discaya couple and to his family’s business dealings.

‘I don’t know the Discayas, I have nothing to do with them, and I don’t care about the Discayas,’ Go said in a hastily called press briefing.

‘I fear nothing’

The senator urged the Discayas to ‘tell the truth’ as he lamented that the investigations were being diverted to protect the real masterminds of the anomalies in the flood control projects.

‘Go after the real culprits, the masterminds. Look for them,’ he appealed to the Ombudsman. Go did not say who the masterminds were.

He said he was ‘willing to be the complainant’ in cases against those behind the corruption scandal, even if they were his family, if they really committed anomalies,’ he said.

‘Let the facts speak for themselves. I’m not hiding anything; I fear nothing because I didn’t commit any offense,’ Go said.

‘I am true to my oath as a public servant. And I’m not going to do anything to destroy the trust the people have given me,’ he added. ‘I have observed ‘delicadeza’ my whole life. I will always guard the trust the people have given me.’

Brian Keith Hosaka, executive director of the ICI, said on Wednesday that the Discaya couple would no longer cooperate in the fact-finding body’s investigation.

He said they invoked their right against self-incrimination following a ‘personal opinion’ expressed by ICI member, former Public Works Secretary Rogelio ‘Babes’ Singson, that the couple were ‘principal players’ and had benefited from the corruption in the flood control projects.

Joint venture

Hosaka explained that the Discayas expected to get a ‘favorable recommendation from the commission as state witnesses’ if they cooperated.

‘So, because of that, they are now saying that they will no longer appear before the commission and cooperate,’ he said.

During a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on Sept. 1, 2025, Sarah confirmed reports that they had entered into a joint venture project with CLTG Builders in the past.

When Go asked her whether the project had involved flood control, she said she couldn’t remember.

At that point, Go declared that if that joint venture had deficiencies or irregularities, he would be the first to recommend charges against the Discayas and CLTG, even if it involved his family. CLTG is Go’s initials-Christopher Lawrence Tesoro Go.

‘For the nth time, I have nothing to do with the business of my family. I don’t have anything to do with their business; I have no involvement in its operations,’ Go said in a statement at that time.

125 Davao projects

In July 2024, former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV filed a plunder complaint against Duterte for allegedly using his position as Davao City mayor and later as president to award public works contracts worth P6.6 billion to ‘unqualified’ companies owned by Go’s father and half-brother-Deciderio Lim Go and Alfred Armero Go-who were also named as Duterte’s co-respondents in the case he brought to the Department of Justice.

Trillanes, citing official records from the Commission on Audit (COA), alleged that from March 2007 to May 2018, CLTG was awarded 125 projects in the Davao region by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

He also said that some of the projects were under Duterte’s centerpiece ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure program.

According to the COA records cited in the complaint, CLTG secured 27 projects worth approximately P3.2 billion in 2017 alone. Alfrego Builders and Supply, owned by Go’s half-brother, won 59 public works projects from June 2007 to July 2018, amounting to P1.74 billion. These were also all DPWH projects in the Davao region.

Trillanes pointed out that in 2018, Alfrego won contracts for 23 projects amounting to P1.3 billion.

Rehashed charges

‘CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders and Supply could not have been awarded the enormous projects were it not for Respondent Bong Go and his connection to the seat of power-Respondent Duterte, who is constitutionally responsible for the annual budget proposal,’ read the complaint.

In response to the charges, Go said that the ex-senator’s allegations were ‘essentially’ the same charges hurled against him in the past, which he had categorically denied.

‘For the record, even before I was born, my family already had a business,’ he said. ‘What I can assure you is that neither I nor my family benefited from my being a government official.’

As early as 2018, Trillanes already sought a Senate inquiry into the possible conflict of interest in the awarding of billions of pesos worth of government contracts to companies owned by Go’s relatives.

Vice President Sara Duterte, a former ally and now an arch-critic of President Marcos, believes that linking Go to the alleged corruption of the Discaya couple in public works projects would eventually lead to her and her father.

‘Whether it will reach me or not, I think so, I believe so because we are allies,’ Duterte told reporters at the Pandesal Forum on Thursday. ‘They’ll try to link us.’

Ultimately, she said, this would lead to the former president, who is currently under the custody of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands, for crimes against humanity in connection with his drug war.

Chanting ‘Kabataan, magkaisa! Baguhin ang bulok na sistema!’ hundreds of students and youth groups marched to Mendiola on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, to mark the National Day of Action Kontra Korapsyon, a coordinated protest demanding accountability and justice over the alleged misuse of flood control funds.

The action was organized by a coalition of youth groups under the newly formed Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot (People’s Movement Against Corruption), which emerged after a series of campus walkouts and rallies across the country.

Protesters accused the Marcos administration of failing to hold top officials accountable in what they described as the worst corruption scandal in recent history. A continuation of ‘Baha sa Luneta’

Friday’s protest was a continuation of the ‘Baha sa Luneta’ demonstration held on Sept. 21, which culminated at Mendiola. That earlier march brought together students, teachers and civic groups calling for transparency in flood control projects that allegedly benefited a handful of favored contractors.

At Mendiola, students carried banners that read ‘Pondo sa edukasyon, hindi sa korapsyon’ and ‘Baguhin ang sistema.’ They denounced what they called Malacañang’s ‘performative’ response to corruption scandals and demanded that public funds be redirected to education and social services.

Youth groups unite under new alliance

Organizers said the Oct. 17 mobilization was facilitated by youth organizations that first met during the Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot convening meeting. The gathering sought to build a broad alliance to sustain anti-corruption actions and encourage more students and first-time protesters to join.

They said the nationwide action sought to build unity across campuses and encourage first-time participants to speak out against corruption.

‘No to cover-ups’

In an Oct. 15 statement, youth groups accused the government of using ‘violence, disinformation and political theatrics’ to divert attention from the scandal involving the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

‘No to cover-ups! We cannot trust an investigation that the public cannot scrutinize and that is controlled by the so-called OG ‘nepo baby’ in Malacañang and his cronies. All those involved in corruption must be held accountable – including Marcos Jr. himself,’ said Joaquin Buenaflor, chairperson of the University of the Philippines Diliman University Student Council.

‘The fact that the House-approved budget remains filled with pork, especially the Unprogrammed Appropriations under the President’s discretion, proves that Malacañang’s supposed investigations are nothing but peak performative behavior,’ said Rep. Renee Co of Kabataan Party-list.

‘Police have been quicker to summon and jail those who fight corruption than those actually named in the anomalies – or even the unnamed masterminds and enablers, including the President himself,’ said Aldrin Kitsune of Kalayaan Kontra Korapsyon.

‘If Vice President Sara was not held accountable with Malacañang’s blessing, it is hard to expect that responsibility will reach the top if it is left to the President alone. Protest is our only way to make the truth come out,’ said Fran Reyes, national spokesperson of Gabriela Youth.

White Ribbon Friday movement

In Quezon City, members of Akbayan Partylist, Tindig Pilipinas and Youth Against Kurakot held a White Ribbon Friday rally at Kamias corner EDSA, part of the ongoing Trillion Peso March Movement. Volunteers distributed white ribbons to motorists and pedestrians as a symbol of truth and accountability.

Placards read, ‘On Fridays, we wear white ribbon – Katotohanan at Pananagutan.’

Marching for a future

Under a gray sky threatening rain, the protests continued into the afternoon. The energy of the youth, their banners, chants, and unity spoke of a generation determined to claim their voice.

For these demonstrators, the fight against corruption is not just a political act – it is a declaration of ownership over the nation’s future. /dm

Typhoon ‘Opong,’ which hit Masbate, unveiled one painfully clear truth: our so-called Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils have become little more than bureaucratic deadweight. The storm lasted only hours, but the waiting that followed dragged on for weeks. Relief and recovery operations crawled, while families endured hunger, displacement, and despair.

I write this as someone inside the system-and I’m frustrated. Frustrated by how we’ve turned disaster response into a show of press conferences and photo ops. Because let’s be honest, we’ve made excuses to cover up inaction. We’ve heard them all-‘We’re still assessing,’ ‘There’s no power,’ ‘Communication lines are down,’ and a dozen other senseless lines meant to justify delay.

The truth is, we call ourselves public servants, yet when the public cries for help, too many of us are nowhere to be found. We have Disaster Risk Reductions and Management Councils in name, but not in spirit. What’s ‘quick’ about relief goods that arrive after two weeks? Relief coming after one or two weeks is like calling a snail a racehorse.

It’s true that relief delayed is relief denied. Every day of delay is another day a child goes hungry, a student’s dream fades, and a family sleeps without a roof over their heads. It’s our responsibility to the people, and to the title we carry, to do better. To always be reminded that our duty does not begin when pictures are taken, nor should it end when the headlines fade.

The problem isn’t just logistics; it’s leadership. True disaster management doesn’t start after the damage-it begins long before the storm, with preparation, coordination, and the political will to act swiftly.

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake was felt in Occidental Mindoro early Friday morning, Oct. 17, with its epicenter traced to Paluan town.

The tectonic tremor occurred at 5:28 a.m., 26 kilometers southwest of Paluan, at a shallow depth of 6 kilometers, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

Phivolcs said no aftershocks or damage are expected from the tremor.

On Thursday at 7:02 p.m., a magnitude 3.9 earthquake also struck Santa Cruz town in the province. The quake was felt at Intensity II in Santa Cruz and Mamburao towns and at Instrumental Intensity II in Puerto Galera town in Oriental Mindoro and in Mamburao.

Intensity measures the effect of an earthquake on people and property, while instrumental intensity is determined using an intensity scale.

The seismically active Lubang Fault lies between Mindoro Island and Batangas./mcm

The death toll from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu province on Sept. 30 has climbed to 79, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported Friday.

The NDRRMC said the figure remains subject to validation.

The agency also reported 559 injured people, and no one was reported missing, based on its 8 a.m. situation report.

Meanwhile, the number of affected individuals rose to 747,979, or 216,947 families across 260 barangays.

Of the total, 21,847 were displaced-5,079 are staying in evacuation centers (ECs), while 16,768 are sheltering elsewhere or receiving assistance outside ECs.

As of 4 a.m. Friday, the agency recorded 12,704 aftershocks following the September 30 quake. The tremors have so far damaged 134,229 houses in Cebu and neighboring provinces.

To support affected communities, the NDRRMC reported distributing P416.9 million worth of assistance./mcm/abc

Volcanic earthquakes have continued to shake Taal Volcano in Batangas province for the past 12 days, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported Friday.

In its morning bulletin, Phivolcs stated the volcano recorded three volcanic earthquakes in the past 24 hours. These were accompanied by an ongoing volcanic tremor event that began at 2:47 p.m. Thursday.

However, Phivolcs explained that the tremor at the volcano, which has persisted for more than a day, is not a ’cause for concern.’ Phivolcs has been recording volcanic earthquakes at Taal Volcano since Oct. 6.

From Oct. 1 to Oct. 17, a total of 181 volcanic earthquakes and five tremor episodes were recorded. In comparison, Phivolcs documented 189 volcanic earthquakes and 129 tremors in September.

The four tremors occurred during phreatic and phreatomagmatic eruptions on Oct. 2.

Volcanic earthquakes are those ‘generated by magmatic processes or magma-related processes beneath or near an active volcano.’

Volcanic tremors, meanwhile, are ‘continuous seismic signals with regular or irregular sine wave appearance and low frequencies (0.5-5 Hz),’ the Phivolcs explained.

During the latest observation period, no upwelling of hot volcanic fluids was reported in the main crater lake of Taal Volcano Island (TVI), which sits at the center of Taal Lake.

No volcanic smog, or ‘vog,’ was also observed.

Phivolcs reiterated that Taal Volcano remains under Alert Level 1, ‘which means that it is still in an abnormal condition and should not be interpreted to have ceased unrest or the threat of eruptive activity.’

Entry to the island, boating on Taal Lake, and flying aircraft near the volcano remain strictly prohibited, the agency stressed

With the world’s best young gymnasts set to converge in Manila, they will shoot for gold hoping to live by the slogan of nect month’s event: ‘Leap High, Flip Strong!’

The official motto of the 3rd Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships reflects both the physical demands and the aspirational spirit of the sport. The tournament will be held from Nov. 20 to 24 at Newport World Resorts, a sprawling leisure and entertainment complex across NAIA Terminal 3.

”Leap High, Flip Strong!’ is more than just a campaign slogan,’ said GAP president Cynthia Carrion. ‘It’s a rallying cry for our 24 million Filipino youth to mount a leap of faith in these challenging times and to strive for growth and development.’

‘The motto cultivates a positive mindset, encouraging people to believe in themselves and their abilities,’ she said.

The meet is sanctioned by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the Asian Gymnastics Union, and is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Department of Tourism. Around 900 gymnasts from 77 countries are expected to participate, making it one of the largest youth sporting events in the country this year.

The Philippines, whose interest in gymnastics was reignited by the two-gold haul of Carlos Yulo in the Paris Olympics, hopes to ride the momentum of that win and make the hosting a memorable one.

Carrion emphasized that the championship will be a visual spectacle as much as it will be a showcase of the best young gymnasts in. the world. ‘This is going to be a festive celebration of movement, artistry, grace, exuberance, and elegance,’ she said. INQUIRER SPORTS STAFF

Hardly have ‘nepo babies’ faded from social media posts, when a video of another form of toxic entitlement went viral over the weekend: a Lexus with blinkers on and protocol plate No. 10 had apparently been involved in a road rage incident, which showed the car’s driver slapping the driver of the multicab for allegedly getting in the way of the ‘VIP’ he was transporting. As one of the SUV’s passengers was heard saying: ‘VIP kami, ginanon kami. Eh kung nabaril namin ‘yan? Delikado ‘yang ginagawa mo, pare!’

That VIP turned out to be Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Special Concerns Ricky Alfonso who has yet to explain to his bosses, Acting DOTr Secretary Giovanni Lopez and Land Transportation Office Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao, why he was using the protocol plate meant exclusively for judges of the Court of Appeals and the Sandiganbayan.

Alfonso has since gone on leave, his driver terminated, and investigation into the incident ongoing, said Lopez who also ordered the revocation of protocol license plates issued to officials of the DOTr and its attached agencies.

The restricted use of protocol plates is in accordance with Executive Order No. 56 issued by President Marcos, who authorized it only for top level officials, from the president to senators, House representatives, judges of the Supreme Court, the Sandiganbayan, Court of Appeals and Tax Appeals, the military and police chiefs, and so on. While Cabinet secretaries are included in the list, nowhere was there mention of undersecretaries.

Edsa busway

The President’s Administrative Order No. 18 meanwhile prohibited officials from using sirens, blinkers, and similar devices in their motor vehicles.

The incident involving Alfonso recalls similar instances of traffic violations among government officials over the use of the Edsa busway exclusively meant for public buses, ambulances, and marked government vehicles responding to emergencies.

Among those who flaunted their privilege were relatives and staff of two sitting senators, a woman who name-dropped a general, and a movie star turned politician who called out authorities for letting people like him stew in traffic, while the carousel lane had room enough for more than buses.

That Alfonso, a DOTr official-who presumably knows traffic rules-would wantonly violate them shows the skewed sense of entitlement among government officials who hold themselves above the law. The incidents raise questions about the accountability of ‘VIP’ personnel who abuse the perks and privileges of their position. Shouldn’t they hold themselves up as role models to taxpayers who pay their salaries?

Level the playing field

By stripping officials of such VIP-style privileges, Lopez showed how political will can level the playing field to ensure that traffic rules apply equally to all drivers.

Lopez had earlier required senior officials of the DOTr to commute to work at least once a week, starting Sept. 17, 2025. The mandate was meant to ensure that officials would have firsthand experience on the challenges and predicament faced by commuters that would hopefully help them craft more responsive transportation policies. Is this directive still in place? Can the agency post the weekly reports required of its officials that would include proof of their commute, like tickets or time-stamped photos?

In his notice to explain to Alfonso, Lopez emphasized that government officials are constitutionally duty-bound to ‘be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency, and act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.’

Exactly. While the Lexus was found to not be Alfonso’s personal property, what was he doing tooling around in a luxury vehicle whose blinkers were meant to part traffic so he could pass through smoothly instead of enduring the traffic woes of the rest of us mere mortals?

Collective disgust

If former DOTr chief Vince Dizon could order the agency to automatically suspend the license of erring motorists for 90 days, shouldn’t Lopez put DOTr officials to a higher standard?

As Lacanilao vowed, the agency is committed to enforcing all laws and regulations ‘without fear or favor, regardless of position or title.’ For a start, the agency can make an example of Alfonso to show it means business. He has betrayed the public trust, and shouldn’t that merit more than just indefinite suspension?

With people’s collective disgust over corruption spilling over, officials shedding their entitlements could at least appease a public already chomping at the bit over the long-drawn out investigations and conviction of the guilty behind the flood control mess.

Malacañang should start the process of imposing accountability, and revoke all special license plates, except for top officials including judges. Revoking such a privilege should make public officials identify with the sufferings of the common people whom they profess to serve.

A private caregiving facility that caters to the elderly and persons with disability (PWDs) had been maltreating its residents in the last three years until it was shut down by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) last week for operating without the necessary permits and licenses.

The facility was run by the Bukidnon Multi-Sectoral Services Foundation Inc. (BUMSSEFI).

According to Ian Dave Santiago of the Maramag Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO), the foundation originally operated in Kalilangan, an interior town bordering Wao, Lanao del Sur, before relocating to Purok 1 at Tuban Village in North Poblacion here.

Felix Vergara, a former town official, said through the years, the facility has become an ‘open secret’ to many in this town with over 110,000 residents.

‘Everyone knew about it. It was openly discussed in the municipal hall but nobody lifted a finger to stop it,’ Vergara lamented.

Complaints

North Poblacion village chief John Andre Lalaan said the facility and its owners had been the subject of complaints from the neighborhood.

‘The residents complained about how the [in-house clients] yell that they are hungry. They also complained about the stench from the facility reaching their houses,’ Lalaan said.

He said the owners would make amends and promise to fix these problems. ‘[But] each time, they broke that promise,’ he said.

When DSWD Northern Mindanao personnel, accompanied by MSWDO staff and police served the closure order on the facility on Oct. 10, Santiago said the stench of human waste and urine greeted them.

They also found that the 17 residents of the facility at that time were assigned dirty and messy rooms, and they were generally living under squalid conditions.

The DSWD transferred the residents to a state-run residential care facility in Manolo Fortich town. They reportedly came from Balingasag and Laguindingan towns and Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental province, Cagayan de Oro City, and several towns in Bukidnon.

Rescued

The family of each client reportedly shells out at least P6,000 monthly to provide for their care needs.

Santiago said a foundation official, identified as Myrna Sun, would come to the MSWDO to ask for medicines or seek advice on how to treat a certain kind of disease, leading them to believe that the facility had not hired the services of any doctor, nurse and professional caregiver for their residents.

The DSWD said earlier monitoring visits by personnel revealed that BUMSSEFI had been operating without a Certificate of Registration and License to Operate and was housing clients under unsafe and hazardous conditions.

Among the violations observed were unsanitary restrooms and sleeping areas, lack of occupational safety standards and health-threatening conditions, the agency reported.