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Sea travel for all vessels in Quezon province resumed at Friday midnight after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) lifted the Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) over the area.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) station in Quezon’s Real town lifted the sea travel ban after Pagasa issued Tropical Cyclone Bulletin No. 17 at 11 p.m. on October 3 announcing that the TCWS over the Polillo Group of Islands in the northern part of the province has also been lifted.

‘In this regard, all trips of vessels plying the route within the area of responsibility of Quezon province are now resumed to their normal operations,’ the PCG said in a public notice signed by Lieutenant Dawn Baterbonia, commander of PCG-Northern Quezon.

The PCG had suspended the voyages for all vessels and watercraft bound for the Polillo group of islands in the Pacific Ocean and General Nakar town last Thursday due to the hoisting of Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 and rough sea conditions caused by Typhoon Paolo (international name: Matmo), which weakened to a severe tropical storm after it passed the northern Luzon landmass on Friday afternoon.

Paolo has left the Philippine area of responsibility, Pagasa said in its 5 a.m. Saturday bulletin

University of Santo Tomas stretched its unbeaten run to three games after a 99-42 rout of the University of the East in the UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball tournament Saturday at UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

The Growling Tigresses took control early, pouring in 25 points in the first quarter while holding the Lady Warriors to just five to set up the 57-point blowout. UST now sits alone atop the standings at 3-0.

Coach Haydee Ong credited her team’s focus and discipline, especially after UE’s close overtime loss to the University of the Philippines last week.

‘We’re happy that our game plan was followed,’ Ong said. ‘At the start of the season, I told my team that we need to focus on individual and team defense. We want our opponents to perform below their average every time we face them.’

UST dominated both ends, forcing 32 turnovers that led to 30 points off UE miscues, while also tallying 28 steals. Nigerian center Oma Onianwa continued her solid play with 17 points and six rebounds in just 19 minutes. Kent Pastrana had 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals, while Breana Pineda added 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Karylle Sierba also chipped in 11 points as Ong rotated all 15 active players, except guard Eka Soriano, who sat out with an ankle injury.

UE dropped to 0-3, extending its losing streak to 13 games dating back to last season. Ivy Yañez led the Lady Warriors with 12 points, while former UST high school standout Rachel Lacayanga scored 10.

Both teams return to action next Saturday at the newly renovated Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym-the first women’s division game there since Season 82.

TNT finally signed Jio Jalalon to a contract after he was not offered an extension by Titan Ultra, the new team that took over the franchise of NorthPort.

Jalalon inked on the dotted line before his agent Danny Espiritu and Tropang 5G team manager Jojo Lastimosa, finding a PBA team on the eve of the 50th season opener.

His move to TNT has been an open secret for weeks after Jalalon was spotted taking part in practices. Tropang 5G coach Chot Reyes said Jalalon was free to try out after his NorthPort contract expired last Aug. 31.

But Jalalon had to wait before he could become an unrestricted free agent as NorthPort, later Titan Ultra after the PBA approved Pureblends Corporation’s franchise acquisition, was given a 30-day period to make an offer.

NorthPort was supposed to actually trade Jalalon to Blackwater for Justin Chua but the league scrapped the proposed deal due to a moratorium related to the pending Pureblends purchase.

Titan Ultra, however, opted otherwise until the period lapsed after Sept. 30, opening the door for Jalalon to go to any team he chooses.

Jalalon is the latest free agent to join a TNT side eager to build on its near-Grand Slam season after the Tropang 5G signed Kevin Ferrer and Tyrus Hill in the offseason.

He also bolsters a loaded backcourt composed of Jordan Heading, RR Pogoy, Rey Nambatac and veteran Jayson Castro.

The Tropang 5G are Jalalon’s third team in a PBA career that began in 2016 with Magnolia. He joined NorthPort last season in a multi-player trade that sent Zavier Lucero to the Hotshots.

When people started raving about how the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament wasn’t going to be a two-school race anymore, it was Ateneo and host University of Santo Tomas that bolstered their argument.

Slowly, National University is begging to differ.

And in a season where several games have been decided by the finest of margins, the Bulldogs have fueled their 3-0 (win-loss) slate with dominating performances on both ends of the floor.

NU, anchored on a league-best percentage from the floor (43.8), is the second-best offensive team in the league (77.3 points per game) and is the best among the eight schools in defense, surrendering just 64.7 ppg-a testament to the grit that the team brings every ball game.

‘Their character-I don’t question that anymore,’ NU coach Jeff Napa said.

If there are any questions at all, they will come from defending champion University of the Philippines who are hoping to at least shut down at least half of NU’s two-way dominance, which the Bulldogs hope will carry them to a fourth straight victory.

The Maroons struggled to a 0-2 start in the season before finally getting their groove in a 92-75 rout of lowly University of the East.

‘Winning in this way helps us realize how important it is to play together,’ UP coach Goldwin Monteverde said. ‘It’s not just about talent. Quick decision-making and chemistry matter, too.’

But beating a winless team doesn’t quite pose the same challenge as trying to halt a juggernaut.

NU enters Saturday’s matchup against UP at University of Santo Tomas’ Quadricentennial Pavilion boasting the best net rating in the league at +12.7 points per game.

No team is within four points of that rating.

And NU is not just doing good on both ends of the court. The Bulldogs are great at turning stops into points.

Napa’s wards are leading the league in points scored off turnovers, averaging 19.3 per game. And despite being one of the worst three teams when it comes to protecting the leather, the Bulldogs have done a great job of running back on defense-surrendering just 7.7 points per game off their errors, best in the league.

That’s a +11.6 in turnover points-and again, no team is within four points of that. The Bulldogs take the court against the Maroons after the opening game between UST and UE, which starts at 2 p.m.

The low-pressure area (LPA) being monitored outside the Philippine area of responsibility has intensified into a tropical depression, the state weather bureau said on Saturday.

In its latest update released around 4 p.m., the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the weather system was observed gaining strength at 2 p.m.

It was last located 2,285 kilometers east-northeast of extreme Northern Luzon.

The newly formed tropical depression was packing a maximum sustained wind speed of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of 70 kph, moving north-northwestward at 10 kph.

Meanwhile, Pagasa is still monitoring Severe Tropical Storm Paolo (international name: Matmo), which was last spotted about 550 kilometers west of Sinait, Ilocos Sur, outside the PAR.

It was packing a maximum sustained wind speed of 110 kph near the center and gusts of up to 130 kph.

The severe tropical storm is moving west-northwestward at 25 kph, leading farther to the Philippine landmass. /mr

As the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) enters its second season with a four-point line, commissioner Willie Marcial confirmed the arc is here to stay-at least for the foreseeable future.

‘I think it will stay forever,’ Marcial said, before backtracking: ‘As long as I’m commissioner, the four-point line will be used.’

The 2024-25 season served as a trial run for the innovation and the results are in: PBA teams attempted 2,298 shots from the four-point area, converting 554 for a 24.1 percent success rate across three conferences. TNT won both import-laden titles while San Miguel Beer clinched the Philippine Cup.

TNT ranked last in four-point shooting (17.9 percent, 32-of-179), while San Miguel shot above the league average by hitting 65-of-258 (25.2 percent).

Magnolia made the most of the rule tweak, hitting a league-best 32.4 percent (83-of-256), thanks largely to snipers Paul Lee, Peter Alfaro, and Jerrick Ahanmisi. Lee led all locals with 31 makes, while Ahanmisi-who recently signed a one-year deal with Terrafirma-followed with 28. Alfaro, meanwhile, led the league in efficiency at 57.1 percent (8-of-14).

Blackwater was second overall in percentage, making 67-of-233 (28.8 percent), driven by import George King’s 42 makes on 123 attempts. Phoenix (28.3 percent), Meralco (26.6), and Terrafirma (25.5) rounded out the top five.

Below San Miguel in efficiency were NLEX (23.3 percent), NorthPort (19.3), Converge (19.1), Rain or Shine (18.3) and Barangay Ginebra (18.2).

Marcial noted that Fiba had requested data on the four-point line’s use, though it’s unclear whether basketball’s global body was satisfied or if other leagues are seriously considering the idea.

While the rule has produced dramatic moments-most notably a pair of four-point game-winners by import Scotty Hopson in the Governors’ Cup-it still divides opinion. Some teams use it opportunistically or out of desperation.

But when the 2025-26 season opens on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum with a clash between rivals Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia, the arc will be there.

Marcial often compares the four-point argument to the debate on who was the best actor to portray James Bond on the silver screen. ‘There are people who like it, there are people who don’t,’ Marcial said.

Stephen Holt’s chase for a PBA championship continues in his third year in the league and second with Barangay Ginebra, which starts its life minus Jamie Malonzo.

Holt is expected to pick up some of the slack left by Malonzo, who moved to Japan to play for B.League club Kyoto Hannaryz, as the Gin Kings aim to be on the winning side this time after falling short twice in the Finals last season.

‘Jamie’s been a great player for us and we’re gonna miss him,’ Holt said ahead of Ginebra’s season-opening clash with sibling rival Magnolia on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. ‘But at the end of the day, our culture at Ginebra is ‘Next Man Up.’

‘Other guys will have the opportunity to step up and I’m excited with the group that we have. We’ve been working so hard in preseason and we wanted to build upon last season and hopefully win a championship.’

The arrival of rookie Sonny Estil and veteran Norbert Torres could also help alleviate Malonzo’s departure, while RJ Abarrientos, Troy Rosario, Japeth Aguilar and Scottie Thompson are also expected to lead the charge once more for coach Tim Cone.

Also expected to do more is Holt, who posted 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 70 games for the Gin Kings. It was his first season with the title favorites following his Rookie of the Year campaign with the Terrafirma Dyip.

With Holt, Ginebra made it to the Finals of the Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup, only to fall short on both occasions to TNT. The Gin Kings were later sent off by the eventual champion San Miguel Beermen in the Philippine Cup semifinals.

They hope to write a different story this season.

‘You want to put yourself in a position to win a championship, and we did that last season,’ Holt said. ‘For us, it’s all about fighting through adversity and continuing that resiliency and fight so there’s a lot of room for us to grow.’

Heavy traffic is expected around the Philippine Arena in Bulacan as K-pop group TWICE stages its ‘This Is For The World’ tour on Saturday, October 4.

According to the advisory released by the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), the event is scheduled from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. They advised motorists to load their RFID accounts and plan trips ahead of time.

NLEX advised concert attendees to use Ciudad de Victoria exit while motorists bound for Bocaue or Santa Maria are urged to take alternate routes via Marilao, Bocaue, or Tambubong exits.

Traffic personnel will be deployed along NLEX to assist and manage vehicle flow.

TWICE, formed in 2015 by JYP Entertainment, is a nine-member South Korean girl group. They last performed in the Philippines on Sept. 23 at the same venue. /das

To ensure that the Aetas of Porac, Pampanga will no longer go to the cities to beg during the Christmas season, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian distributed 60 carabaos, 30 garetas (carabao-drawn carts), and other farm implements as part of the livelihood support for the indigenous people.

Marcos and Gatchalian visited the Aeta community in Katutubo Village, Barangay Planas in Porac town on Friday, where they also distributed a P10,000 cash assistance to augment their daily needs.

Through the Pag-abot Program, the Aetas were reached out from the streets of San Fernando City in Pampanga and were later reintegrated into their respective sitios in Porac.

Speaking before the 127 Aeta beneficiaries of the DSWD’s Pag-abot Program, Marcos stressed the importance of the Aeta community’s participation in the agricultural sector.

‘Your produce is part of the food for all Filipinos. The agriculture sector is very important, and because your community is quite new, we will provide you with all the support to have a simple livelihood for you to also contribute to the progress of our beloved Philippines,’ the President said in his message.

Rambo Mañalac Serrano, one of the Aeta beneficiaries, said he would use the DSWD assistance provided to his family to plant root crops.

‘The carabao to be given to us will be used for tilling for us to have a livelihood. If we already have a carabao, we can plant cassava and we don’t have to roam around,’ a smiling Rambo said.

The Aeta member also thanked the Marcos administration for the support given to their community members.

‘Maraming salamat po sa DSWD at kay Pangulong Bongbong Marcos (Thank you very much to the DSWD and President Marcos),’ Rambo said.

The Pag-abot Program offers short-term and long-term interventions for families and individuals in street situations (FISS) to get them off the streets and help them lead sustained and dignified lives.

The Aetas are among the sectors that the Pag-abot Program endeavors to reach out.

They are known as one of the indigenous peoples groups who often go to urban centers, especially during the holiday season, to beg and solicit money.

Gatchalian explained that the department has been reaching out directly to communities that often travel to Metro Manila, especially during the holidays.

Through the Pag-abot Program, complemented by other programs of the DSWD, the agency has provided carabaos and farming tools to the Aeta communities.

‘That’s why we are bringing carabaos and other farming inputs to Aeta communities in Pampanga and Tarlac to make sure that it’s preemptive so they just work here and don’t go to the cities anymore during Christmas,’ Gatchalian said in an interview with reporters.

He said similar efforts are underway for the Badjao communities in Zamboanga, noting that the DSWD is intensifying interventions ahead of December, when syndicates typically operate.

‘That’s what we’re also planning to do – we’re doing it already in Zamboanga, and we’re intensifying it because there are really syndicated groups that operate during this season. But we’ll try to do the preventive and the proactive step before December strikes,’ Gatchalian said.

Over 5,000 aftershocks have occurred in the aftermath of the earthquake that jolted northern Cebu on Tuesday evening, September 30, and killed 70 individuals, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

In a Viber message to reporters, Phivolcs said that as of 2 p.m. on Saturday, the number of aftershocks from the magnitude 6.9 quake in Bogo City, Cebu, had reached 5,336.

Of these, 22 were felt, while 1,038 were plotted.

Their magnitude ranges from 1.0 to 5.1.

Phivolcs earlier said the aftershocks from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake could persist for weeks.

On Friday, the state seismology department reported that its quick response team found the fault that caused the strong quake, adding that it was located in Sitio Looc, Brgy. Nailon, Bogo City. /mr