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The Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Capiz is urging residents to take precautions against leptospirosis and other waterborne diseases following days of heavy rains and flooding in several municipalities caused by Tropical Storm Ramil.

In Provincial Health Advisory No. 2 issued on Oct. 18, the PHO warned that prolonged exposure to contaminated floodwaters increases the risk of leptospirosis, acute gastroenteritis, and skin infections-particularly for those with cuts, wounds, or extended skin contact.

It reminded Capiznons that post-exposure prophylaxis for leptospirosis is available free at the nearest health facilities. Individuals exposed to floodwaters are strongly advised to seek immediate medical consultation for proper assessment and treatment.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ramon Alex Nolasco stressed that only licensed health professionals are authorized to prescribe antibiotics or provide prophylaxis, cautioning the public against self-medication to prevent drug resistance and complications.

To ensure safety, residents were advised to avoid wading in floodwaters or to wear boots if unavoidable and to wash feet and legs thoroughly with soap and clean water afterward.

The public is also encouraged to boil or chlorinate drinking water and maintain sanitation to prevent mosquito breeding and disease outbreaks.

The PHO also urged anyone who develops symptoms such as fever, body weakness, muscle pain, red eyes, or dark urine after exposure to seek immediate medical attention.

Governor Fredenil Castro approved the advisory, calling on Capiznons to remain calm, cautious, and proactive in protecting their health amid the current weather situation. /mcm

The Philippines asserted its dominance as an international pageant powerhouse through another historic win, posting back-to-back victories in the Miss Grand International competition in Thailand on Saturday night.

Kapampangan broadcaster Emma Tiglao bested 76 other aspirants during the finale held at MGI Hall in Bangkok to inherit the pageant’s ‘golden crown’ from Christine Juliane ‘CJ’ Opiaza, the first Filipino woman to win the title.

No other country has posted two consecutive victories in the Miss Grand International pageant’s 13-year run.

Tiglao first entered the Top 22 and earned a guaranteed semifinal slot by topping the ‘Country’s Power of the Year’ online poll.

She focused on the country’s battle against corruption in both the Top 10 speech round and the final question-and-answer portion.

During the final round of competition, the Top 5 candidates were asked: ‘Scammers are an online threat-a form of warfare often tied to human trafficking that has global consequences. Countries such as South Korea and the USA have launched severe crackdowns. What penalties do you think could help dismantle these operations?’

She responded: ‘As someone who reports these kinds of stories, I really want to use the power of balance. [For] us people to be educated and aware, for us to not be scammed, and a help [from] the government to enhance their justice system for the scammers to be behind bars, to be accountable. Because one day, I hope that we will live in a peaceful world where no one should deceive just to survive.’

News anchor

Tiglao, 30, is a seasoned pageant queen, having competed in the Mutya ng Pilipinas, Miss World Philippines, and Binibining Pilipinas pageants before joining the Miss Grand Philippines search.

She represented the Philippines in the 2019 Miss Intercontinental pageant in Egypt, hoping to succeed Filipino queen Karen Gallman, but finished only in the Top 20.

Tiglao transitioned to broadcasting when she announced her supposed ‘retirement’ from pageantry in 2021, and served as a news anchor for Net25’s primetime newscast ‘Mata ng Agila.’ She now hosts the morning show, ‘Kada Umaga,’ in the same channel. -CONTRIBUTED

Seven overflow bridges in Isabela province were closed to motorists on Monday, Oct. 20 due to rising water levels in the Cagayan River and its tributaries amid the incessant rains due to Tropical Storm ‘Ramil’ (international name: Fengshen), the Isabela Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) reported.

The affected bridges include the Masaya Sur bridge in San Agustin; the Baculud and Cabiseria 8 bridges in Ilagan City; the Annafunan and Gucab bridges in Echague; the Cabagan-Santa Maria bridge; and the Alicaocao bridge in Cauayan City.

In addition, the Turod-Banquero overflow bridge remains inaccessible as it is still undergoing repairs.

As a precaution, classes at all levels in both public and private schools have been suspended in Baggao, Cagayan, and in San Agustin, Isabela. Government work has also been suspended in San Agustin, except for disaster response personnel, frontliners, and healthcare workers.

Meanwhile, a landslide and mudslide blocked a section of the Nagtipunan, Quirino-Aurora Road at the boundaries of Barangays Decureban and Dioryong in Nagtipunan, Quirino, around 5 a.m. on October 20.

Authorities have advised motorists to take alternate routes as clearing operations have yet to begin. INQ

Anne Curtis was quick to dispel the rumors that she’s pregnant with her second child with Erwan Heussaff, saying that netizens might’ve gotten a glimpse of her ‘pizza bump’ instead.

Curtis was speculated to be pregnant after she posted clips of herself dancing to Taylor Swift’s ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ in tourist attractions in New York on Instagram on Sunday, Oct. 19.

‘Danced my way around the city. Song on repeat this whole trip,’ she captioned her post.

However, the comments section of Curtis’ post was filled with speculations from netizens, asking if the actress-host was indeed pregnant.

This led to the ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’ star denying the rumors outright.

‘Lol tumaba lang baby agad (Laughing out loud, I just gained weight. Baby right away),’ she said in response to one @ayataharaa.

‘More like pizza dump,’ she replied to another @jennn_fear. Curtis, who wed Heussaff in November 2017 in New Zealand, welcomed her first child, Dahlia Amélie, three years later.

The actress-host recently capped off her stint in the Philippine adaptation of ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay,’ where she starred as the lead character Mia Hernandez.

Roxaco-Asia Hospitality Corporation (RAHC) is all set to spread spooky fun and sweet surprises as all its managed properties-Go Hotels Timog, Go Hotels North Edsa, Go Hotels Airport Road, and Go Hotels Ermita-celebrate Halloween with festive setups and special treats for guests.

This year’s celebration features Halloween ‘Spook Night’ themes across all hotels, complete with creative decorations, eerie yet fun photo corners, and engaging activities for guests to enjoy. On October 31, all arriving guests availing RAHC’s direct promo offers will receive exclusive freebies courtesy of Super Candy Corporation, adding sweetness to their stay and making the celebration even more memorable.

To kick off the festivities, guests checking in on October 30 can enjoy free face painting sessions-perfect for those preparing for nearby Halloween parties or simply wanting to join in the spooky excitement. Guests can choose from fun, cute, or creepy designs to complete their Halloween look.

Roselle Reyes, Director of Sales and Marketing of Roxaco-Asia Hospitality Corporation, shared her excitement for the celebration:

‘We always look forward to creating memorable experiences for our guests, and Halloween is a great opportunity to add creativity and fun to their stay. Through our partnership with Super Candy Corporation and our direct booking perks, we want to make our guests feel special and appreciated while enjoying the festive atmosphere at our Go Hotels.’

With its signature warmth and creativity, RAHC ensures that this year’s Halloween will be filled with treats, laughter, and delightful scares, giving every guest a truly spooktacular stay at any of its Go Hotels properties.

For reservations and inquiries, please call 0954-367-7605 | 0917-828-5939

For marketing partnerships and tie-ups, please contact 0954 332 2753

Tropical Storm Ramil is set to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday morning, the weather bureau said.

As of 3 a.m., Ramil was moving northwest at 25 kilometers per hour (kph), about 350 kilometers west of Sinait, Ilocos Sur, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported.

The storm has maximum sustained winds of 65 kph, with gusts of up to 80 kph.

Even as it moves away from the country, the storm continues to pose wind threats in parts of Luzon.

Pagasa has issued Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 in the following areas:

Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Sur

La Union

northern and western portions of Pangasinan

Abra

western portion of Benguet

Pagasa said Ramil’s trough will also bring scattered rains to the following areas:

Metro Manila

Ilocos Region

Cordillera Administrative Region

Cagayan Valley

Central Luzon

Cavite

Laguna

Batangas

Rizal

Occidental Mindoro

Oriental Mindoro

Palawan

Meanwhile, the rest of Luzon is forecast to experience isolated rain showers or thunderstorms caused by easterlies, or winds from the Pacific Ocean, Pagasa added. /mcm

While he agrees with business organizations’ call for the government to immediately address ‘historic, massive, and unprecedented’ corruption, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said the campaign should prioritize the welfare of all ordinary Filipino taxpayers.

‘I couldn’t agree more with the business sector, except that they should not speak only on their behalf but also for the tens of millions of individual taxpayers, including every Filipino who cannot escape the 12 percent VAT or consumer tax we all pay for goods and services we deal with daily,’ Lacson said in a statement on Monday.

He issued the statement following the signing of a joint resolution by 34 business groups and associations urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to take ‘swift, decisive action’ against corruption, which they described as more than a financial loss but a ‘fatal breach of public trust.’

Signatories of the resolution include the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc., the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, the Makati Business Club, and the Management Association of the Philippines.

Lacson also stressed that public anger and vigilance against corruption must not wane, warning that those responsible could be emboldened if Filipinos lower their guard.

‘[W]e should sustain the momentum of guarding against any and all shenanigans by monitoring and reporting the same, if not to the concerned authorities, directly to the Filipino people so those responsible may be shamed, prosecuted and put behind bars,’ he said.

‘Lowering our guard, and worse, forgetting after reaching this far in terms of awareness and inciting public anger is no longer an option,’ he added.

Lacson bared in two privilege speeches the extent of corruption in flood control projects, including how some officials gambled away public funds in casinos. /mcm

Police in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat, have identified and are tracking two ‘persons of interest’ in the killing of a village chairperson in Barangay Poblacion on Oct. 18.

Major Leonel Delasan, Lambayong municipal police chief, said on Monday that witnesses provided information on the two men riding a motorbike who shot and killed Esmakil Sambilan, chairperson of Barangay Lagao.

Delasan noted a personal grudge could be a possible motive but did not elaborate.

Colonel Bernard Lao, Sultan Kudarat provincial police director, strongly condemned the murder and vowed to pursue the perpetrators.

Delasan said Sambilan and a companion were in a Toyota HiAce van heading toward the town center when they were ambushed at 3:30 p.m. along the national highway.

Sambilan was pronounced dead at Evangelista Medical Clinic and Hospital in Barangay Poblacion, while his companion was unharmed.

Sambilan’s remains were immediately taken by his family and buried according to Islamic rites.

Police recovered empty shells from a .45-caliber pistol and a deformed fired cartridge case at the crime scene.

Lao extended condolences to Sambilan’s family and assured them that all efforts would be made to identify and arrest the perpetrators

Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte’s latest remarks mocking Filipinos who use ‘made in China’ products despite their negative sentiments with the country did not escape the attention of a Philippine Coast Guard official for the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Responding to those who call him ‘pro-China’, Duterte said that Filipinos who don’t like Beijing should not use all made in China products ‘before you open your mouth.’

‘I’m leaning towards economic cooperation, not military practices,’ Duterte said in his podcast a few months ago which resurfaced online on Sunday.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the WPS affairs, said such remarks are fallacious.

‘Mayor Duterte’s suggestion that everyday Filipinos using Chinese-made goods (such as clothing or electronics) should somehow accept economic cooperation as a substitute for confronting China’s aggression in the WPS is a false equivalence,’ Tarriela said in a post on Facebook on Sunday.

‘Standing firm against China’s illegal claims and aggressive actions in the WPS is not an ‘either-or’ choice between commerce and confrontation,’ he added.

Tarriela also addressed this remark of Duterte, who said: ‘It’s not about us against China, because China will always be there, and the United States will always be there, they are the ones fighting, and both countries want control over this territory.’

‘His attribution of WPS conflicts to ‘great power competition’ between the U.S. and China oversimplifies the issue and absolves the aggressor,’ Tarriela said.

The PCG official noted that the tensions in WPS is a ‘direct result’ of China’s excessive maritime claims ‘long before any escalation in U.S. involvement.’

‘This is not a proxy war orchestrated by Washington; it is a violation of international law by Beijing,’ he also said.

Tarriela also said that despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘overt courtship’ of China, its ‘bullying’ in WPS still persisted.

‘This history underscores that concessions do not yield peace; they invite further encroachments,’ Tarriela said.

Then-President Duterte pursued closer ties with China, a move later reversed by his successor Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Marcos’ administration also greenlighted joint patrols and military exercises with the United States and other like-minded nations in the West Philippine Sea, allowed its oldest and only treaty ally access to four more military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, and the deployment of two American missile systems in northern Luzon.

These moves earned the ire of China.

Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea but the landmark 2016 Arbitral Award effectively dismissed this, ruling heavily in favor of Manila’s sovereign rights.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to suggestions to further improve the investigation being conducted by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Monday.

During a briefing, Castro was asked to comment on House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Edgar Erice’s call for the President to convene a special session of Congress to pass a bill granting the ICI additional powers.

‘If there is anything that can be improved, the President will not close the door on it, but for now, from what we can see, the ICI investigation is being conducted well,’ she said, speaking in Filipino.

Castro also agreed that the ICI would benefit from having more power, even though Marcos is already satisfied with its work.

‘It’s really better for the ICI to have more teeth. fangs, so to speak, but right now we can see that the ICI is doing well,’ the Palace official added.

”When they summon people-even senators or members of Congress-they respond and give their statements. So for now, the ICI is functioning well and is being respected by the witnesses or those being summoned,’ she also said in Filipino.

On September 11, Marcos issued Executive Order No. 94, creating the ICI, following reports and investigations into alleged irregularities in the country’s flood-control projects.

Less than two weeks later, tens of thousands of people staged protests in various parts of Metro Manila-coinciding with the anniversary of the declaration of martial law under then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in Sept. 1972.

The demonstrations focused on condemning the irregularities in flood-control projects and called for accountability for the personalities involved in the developing controversies.