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State seismologists said there is a significant increase in seismic activity at Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon.

According to the state seismology agency Phivolcs, the Bulusan Volcano Network recorded a total of 72 volcano-tectonic earthquakes since 12:00 a.m. on Oct. 11, 2025.

These quakes are indicative of rock fracturing and are occurring at shallow depths, specifically less than 10 kilometers beneath the volcano’s northern sector.

While Alert Level 1, or low-level unrest, is being maintained over Bulusan Volcano, the agency warned that there are now increased chances of steam-driven or phreatic eruptions occurring suddenly and without warning from the crater and/or its active vents on the summit.

Degassing activity from the active vents has been observed as ranging from very weak to weak.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission was recorded at an average of 31 tonnes per day on October 9, a figure that remains below the baseline of 200 tonnes per day, according to Phivolcs.

State seismologists reminded the local government and the public that entry into the four-kilometer radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) must be strictly prohibited.

The agency also advised residents to exercise vigilance within the two-kilometer extended danger zone (EDZ) on the southeast sector due to hazards such as pyroclastic density currents, ballistic projectiles and ashfall.

Phivolcs further recommended that communities experiencing ashfall use protective gear, such as masks or wet cloths and pay special attention to vulnerable populations.

It also directed civil aviation authorities to instruct pilots to avoid flying near the volcano’s summit and urged residents along valleys and stream channels on the western sectors to remain vigilant against lahars and sediment-laden stream flows during heavy rainfall following an eruption.

As Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro marked her first 100 days in office last October 8, there was also the issuance of Executive Order (EO) No. 59, creating the Provincial Animal Welfare Council (PAWC) to institutionalize programs on animal welfare, rabies control, and marine life conservation in Cebu Province.

The order establishes the PAWC as the primary policy-making, coordinating, and monitoring body for all animal welfare and marine conservation initiatives across the province.

It aims to promote sustainable governance that benefits both humans and animals.

Baricuatro said the creation of the council reflects her administration s long-term commitment to environmental protection and humane animal treatment.

Under EO No. 59, the PAWC will be chaired by the governor and vice-chaired by the provincial veterinarian, Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy.

Members include the chairman of the Provincial Board s Committee on Agriculture, currently Board Member Cesar Baricuatro, representatives from city and municipal Agriculture and Veterinary Offices, accredited animal welfare organizations, and a representative from a veterinary college.

The council is mandated to formulate and update policies and programs on animal welfare, rabies prevention, and marine life protection consistent with national and local standards.

It will also monitor the compliance of local government units with animal welfare laws, pound management, and vaccination programs.

A major component of the order is the conduct of sustained information and education campaigns on responsible pet ownership, rabies control, and marine conservation. These will be implemented through seminars, community outreach, and media campaigns led by the PAWC in coordination with animal welfare groups.

EO No. 59 also mandates the establishment of provincial animal and dog sanctuaries that will serve as shelters for rescued, impounded, or abandoned animals. The sanctuaries will be jointly managed by the provincial government and accredited organizations under the technical supervision of PAWC.

All LGUs are directed to maintain humane and properly managed dog pounds. The Provincial Veterinary Office, together with the PAWC, will conduct regular inspections and require quarterly compliance reports from local governments to ensure humane standards are met.

The executive order further strengthens rabies control measures through annual mass vaccination drives and a continuous spay-and-neuter program as part of humane population management. Funds will be allocated for vaccines, feeds, medicines, and other logistical needs to sustain these initiatives.

Beyond terrestrial animal welfare, the PAWC will also focus on marine conservation.

In partnership with the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, DENR-BMB, DA-BFAR, and the Philippine Coast Guard, the council will enhance protection for marine species such as thresher sharks, marine mammals, and other threatened aquatic wildlife.

Global business solutions provider Mail Boxes Etc. officially arrived in the Philippines as it opened its first store in Manila.

The company made an initial investment of P8 million to secure the master license to bring the service to the Philippines.

Speaking at the store launch in Malate, Mail Boxes Etc. Philippines chairman Norman Fulgencio said the firm aims to serve micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as overseas Filipino workers’ families by being the one-stop center for their logistical and communication needs.

‘As an all-in-one packaging and shipping solutions provider, we handle the etceteras in people’s lives. Whether that means shipping a package abroad, printing posters for a product launch, or running an online store, we handle it all,’ he said.

Mail Boxes Etc. Philippines provides the following business services: domestic and international shipping through leading courier partners; private mailbox rental for personal and professional correspondence; e-commerce and fulfillment for online sellers and small businesses and printing of marketing materials.

Chermaine Fulgencio, vice president for operations and marketing at Mail Boxes Etc. Philippines, told reporters that the service is being made available in the country to help Philippine businesses expand their reach.

‘Filipino entrepreneurs have immense potential. Our global-level logistics, marketing support and other solutions will help you operate like a world-class business, regardless if you are a home-based seller or a growing SME,’ she said.

MSMEs account for 99.5 percent of registered businesses in the country.

She said two more stores are expected to open in Marikina and Greenhills this year.

For next year, she said, the target is to open around three to five additional stores in Metro Manila.

She said there are also plans to expand in the Visayas and Mindanao after two years or after the firm has established a strong network in Metro Manila.

To cover more areas, she said the firm is expanding in the country through franchising.

She also said Mail Boxes Etc. Philippines is partnering with different couriers to allow customers to choose their preferred service providers.

Partnerships will also be forged with the Philippine Hotel Owners Association to support luggage delivery services.

Founded in 1980 in California, Mail Boxes Etc. currently operates in over 50 countries with more than 1,800 locations worldwide.

The ‘doublet earthquake’ in Davao Oriental, which hit on October 10, affected more than 490,000 individuals, the latest report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Sunday, October 12.

As of 5 a.m. on October 11, recorded aftershocks numbered 752. However, state seismologists Phivolcs recorded a total of 1,111 as of 12 p.m. on October 12.

The NDRRMC reported that the disaster impacted 125,283 families, totaling 491,258 affected individuals over two regions and seven provinces.

There are also 8,632 persons evacuated, with 8,440 inside evacuation centers and 192 outside evacuation centers.

Death toll. The NDRRMC also recorded eight deaths and a total of 395 injured individuals.

Of the total number injured, 295 were confirmed, while 100 are still for validation.

Damaged infrastructure. According to the agency, there are a total of 273 damaged infrastructure records, amounting to P100,258,000.

There are also 2,155 houses damaged, with 298 totally damaged and 1,857 partially damaged. Thirty-two road sections and seven bridges were also affected by the earthquake.

The total cost of assistance provided to the impacted families was estimated at P26,502,565.88.

A driver and security escort of Department of Transportation undersecretary Ricky Alfonso were accused of physically assaulting a motorist during a traffic altercation in Quezon City on Wednesday.

A video that went viral on social media platforms showed Alfonso pacifying an argument between a driver of an Isuzu multicab and his driver and security escort along Katipunan Avenue.

In the video, one of Alfonso’s companions was overheard threatening the multicab driver, warning the victim that his driver’s license will be compromised. The companion claimed that the multicab driver was weaving through traffic, putting at risk the VIP in their vehicle, referring to Alfonso.

The driver stood his ground in the presence of two Metropolitan Manila Development Authority traffic enforcers, saying he was punched by one of Alfonso’s companions.

‘Bakit niyo ako sinaktan? Sinaktan niyo ako (Why did you hurt me? You hurt me),’ the multicab driver said.

Also catching the attention of netizens was the protocol license plate 10 used in Alfonso’s Lexus sport utility vehicle.

Under DOTr guidelines, only the presiding justices of the Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, Sandiganbayan and the solicitor general are allowed to use protocol plate 10.

An investigation report from Anonas Police Station 9 showed that Alfonso’s vehicle is registered to a holding company in Barangay Dasmariñas in Makati City. Police are coordinating with the company to find how the vehicle ended up with Alfonso.

Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said he talked with Alfonso about the incident.

‘He fired his driver and asked for forgiveness. He said he alighted from his vehicle basically to pacify the incident,’ Lopez said.

Lopez ordered the DOTr legal department to reach out to the victim and provide assistance.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSE) backed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairperson Francis Lim’s remarks on the adverse effects of corruption on investor confidence, noting its drag on market performance in recent weeks.

Lim on Thursday expressed ‘deep regret’ for the confusion caused by his recent statement, which claimed that corruption issues had wiped out approximately P1.7 trillion in market value of publicly listed companies in just three weeks.

PSE president and CEO Ramon Monzon said that data from the exchange indicated that only P185 billion in market capitalization was lost during the three weeks in question.

He said that the P1.7-trillion number attributed to S and P Global Market Intelligence has since been disowned by the latter.

‘That being said, SEC chairman Francis Lim is correct in assailing the level of corruption in the country and its adverse effects on the economy and financial markets,’ Monzon said.

‘The PSE is one with the administration and our regulator in implementing key reforms meant to enhance and deepen our capital markets further,’ he said.

A stock market analyst, who requested anonymity, said that while there may be ‘inaccuracies’ in the numbers cited by Lim, this does not detract from the fact that the ongoing flood control scandal in the country has indeed impacted the local stock market’s performance.

As of Friday’s closing, the Philippine Stock Exchange index has lost 341.96 points since ending at 6,379.75 on July 28, when President Marcos ordered an audit of flood control projects during his 2025 State of the Nation Address.

In a speech during the 57th annual FINEX conference on Oct.7, Lim said that the flood control project scandal ‘has shaken public confidence. Investors aren’t fleeing because of weak fundamentals; they’re fleeing because of weak integrity. It’s a stark reminder that corruption is a weapon of mass wealth destruction.’

Lim assured the public that the SEC remains firmly committed to promoting transparency, good governance and investor protection.

‘Corruption is indeed a weapon of mass wealth destruction, and it is in this spirit that I appeal to all sectors to unite behind the Marcos administration’s strong campaign against corruption,’ he said.

Keanu Jahns and Rupert Zaragosa could once again find themselves battling for supremacy – this time on the tight, demanding fairways of Del Monte Golf Club.

The P3.5 million ICTSI Del Monte Championship gets going Tuesday, ushering in a high-stakes three-tournament stretch to cap the Philippine Golf Tour season.

Jahns, known for his versatility and power, thrives on courses that allow him to unleash his long game as shown in his consecutive wins at Caliraya Springs and the Bacolod Challenge.

Two strong earthquakes that struck Davao Oriental on Friday were classified as a rare ‘doublet,’ or two separate but closely timed quakes, a Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) official said yesterday.

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit waters 44 kilometers northeast of Manay, Davao Oriental, early Friday morning, killing at least two people.

Hours later, past 7 p.m., a separate magnitude 6.8 temblor also struck offshore.

Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol said the magnitude 6.8 event was not an aftershock but a distinct earthquake.

‘A doublet earthquake means two closely timed quakes that happened almost in the same area. But they have different epicenters and strengths,’ he said.

‘We will not consider this an aftershock because, when we say aftershock, it would be one magnitude lower than the main shock. So this is a separate event,’ he added.

Science Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. explained that a doublet happens when stress builds up around a stuck fault called an asperity.

‘The initial rupture causes the first large earthquake, but this only partially releases the accumulated stress until it encounters a stuck portion of the fault called an asperity,’ Solidum told The STAR. ‘When the rupture continues, the built-up stress across the asperity is released, producing the second large earthquake.’

Asked if the doublet could lead to a stronger quake, volcanic eruption or tsunami, Bacolcol and Solidum said the likelihood was ‘very small.’

‘If it were to trigger a larger event – say, magnitude 7.5 or 7.6 – then these would have been considered foreshocks. But so far, there’s no indication of that,’ Bacolcol said.

Solidum, however, said that while doublets involve two major quakes, a large rupture could sometimes produce more than two significant events, a phenomenon known as a ‘multiplet’ earthquake.

In our Gospel today (Luke 17:11-19), Jesus asks: ‘Ten [lepers] were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?’ These words can be the first steps toward a meditation on gratitude. But gratefulness isn’t the only path we can take to go deeper into our Gospel.

Last week, we began a journey of reflection on faith. The request of the disciples, ‘Increase our faith,’ set us on this road. The story of the ten lepers is a new stretch of that journey, a slight turn that helps us explore more about how faith moves. But we are still headed in the same direction. The last line of today’s Gospel is a signpost that keeps us oriented: ‘Your faith has saved you.’ Next week, another marker will guide us forward and continue the same journey. Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.

But let’s not rush ahead. How does this Sunday take us further into faith? What is faith?

Aside from Jesus, who is the protagonist in our Gospel today? Sino ang bida? A quick answer is the Samaritan leper who goes back to Jesus and thanks him. But what if the Samaritan isn’t the model we should automatically follow?

There are times in the Gospels when we are told how Jesus says certain lines. There are moments when Jesus is clearly grieved, moved with compassion, or even angered. But today, we are not given any clues about his tone toward the Samaritan. What if, instead of pure praise, Jesus was gently chiding him? And what if the other nine lepers weren’t the neglectful ingrates they are often made out to be?

Let me make a case for this alternative reading.

Jesus told the ten lepers to go and show themselves to the priests. ‘As they were going, they were cleansed.’ But what if their cleansing didn’t happen with a sudden swell of dramatic music and spotlights on their sores? What if it happened silently, almost imperceptibly?

What is faith? Faith is noticing what others do not perceive right away or what they may overlook. This comes from an attentiveness to grace always already at work. That attentiveness is also faith.

Now what if the cleansing wasn’t yet complete when the Samaritan noticed it? What if all he saw were the first signs, the faint glimmers of restoration?

What is faith? Faith is bold hope and trust even while grace is still slowly unfolding and the evidence is far from clear. Before the miracle feels finished, faith is courageously responding because something has already begun.

The Samaritan, realizing this, ‘returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.’ But what if the other nine lepers didn’t return because they hadn’t yet noticed that they were healed or that the healing had begun?

Jesus, looking at the Samaritan, asked, ‘Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?’ What if the subtext was: ‘You noticed your healing while the others were still oblivious to it. Why didn’t you bring this to their attention? Why didn’t you tell them and bring them back with you?’

What is faith? It cannot just be noticing grace, nor hoping, nor trusting. Faith is not complete until you share it with others and help them see what you have seen.

Is your faith only for you? Does it end with you?

Jesus tells the Samaritan, ‘Stand up and go.’ But go where? Maybe ‘go and tell the others’? Jesus continues, ‘Your faith has saved you.’ But maybe we can add: ‘But it should save others as well.’

P.S.: We have a lot of ‘what-ifs’ in our reflection on the Gospel today. And Scripture is open enough to allow this. Here is another ‘what-if’ that is a product of my playful imagination:

What if the Samaritan, challenged by Jesus, tried to run after the other lepers but was not able to find them anymore? The Samaritan then returns to his old life as a merchant of wine and oil, but always with a tinge of regret for what he missed out on doing. One day, on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, he comes across a man beaten up and left half-dead by robbers. The Samaritan, desiring to pay it forward, goes above and beyond in caring for the wounded victim. The Samaritan takes him to an inn, cares for him, and gives the innkeeper two silver coins to help the man recover. The Samaritan then promises to return and repay whatever else the innkeeper spends. Jesus later hears about this and turns it into a parable known as..

What if?

Yes, that is admittedly quite a stretch. But I think it is still in line with what faith is and what faith should help us do.

Your prayer assignment this week:

Look up Jimmy Cliff’s cover of ‘I Can See Clearly Now.’ (Here’s a version that ties it together with Cool Runnings, which itself is a great story of faith:

But change the words from: ‘I can see clearly now the rain is gone… I can make it now the pain is gone…’ to: ‘Though things are not so clear, and the rain’s not gone. I haven’t made it yet, and the pain’s not gone. Still, it’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day.’

You may or may not be able to carry a tune, but with your actions, sing that song to someone who needs to hear it this week.

Hindsight, definitely, is 20-20.

If he could turn back time, NBA icon Stephon Marbury would tell his younger self to ‘focus more,’ the guard said.

The guard, during the Shoot More with Stephon Marbury event at the Venetian Expo Hall here, was presented with a Minnesota Timberwolves jersey.

The Timberwolves was his first NBA team, being drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the fourth overall selection of the 1996 draft before being shipped to Minnesota for the fifth overall pick in the same class, Ray Allen.

‘If I were to meet my rookie self, I would tell him to play smarter, to be stronger and to make sure you focus more,’ Marbury said in front of fans.

In his first year, he started 64 of his 67 games and averaged 15.8 points, 7.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game alongside Tom Gugliota and Kevin Garnett.

Minnesota was a team Marbury played for a couple of years, before he asked for a trade, ending his Timberwolves stint.

Marbury’s NBA career was a roller-coaster ride. After being traded to the New Jersey Nets in 1999, he was dealt anew in 2001 to the Phoenix Suns.

After three years with the team, he was traded once again to the New York Knicks, being the face of the franchise for a few years. However, he feuded with head coaches Larry Brown and Isiah Thomas.

After Thomas was booted out of the team, Marbury was bought out of his contract and joined the defending NBA champions Boston Celtics, where he saw his minutes and scoring dip.

Later, Marbury signed with numerous Chinese Basketball Association teams, but he cemented his legacy as a legend with the Beijing Ducks.

At Sunday’s event, with hundreds of fans cheering on Marbury’s name, the now-48-year-old ‘Starbury’ thanked his supporters.

‘I’d like to thank you for all the support. It’s been nothing but love. I appreciate all the love,’ he said.

The Shoot More with Stephon Marbury event was held in partnership with Alipay+.

The NBA returned to China for the first time in six years with the Macau Games. The four-day preseason event will end Sunday evening as the Brooklyn Nets take on the Phoenix Suns.

Phoenix won Friday’s preseason contest, 132-127, in overtime.