UAAP suspends UE coach Chris Gavina for four games

University of the East coach Chris Gavina has been slapped with a four-game suspension by the UAAP following his expletive-filled rant.

Gavina lashed out at the game officials on Wednesday following the Red Warriors’ 111-110 loss to the La Salle Green Archers in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament at Mall of Asia Arena. ‘The UAAP Board of Managing Directors has suspended University of the East Head Coach Chris Gavina for four games following his conduct after UE’s game against De La Salle University,’ the league said in a statement on Saturday.

‘As a teacher and leader, a coach sets a high standard for the student-athletes and the university community.’

Gavina was furious after UE guard Wello Lingolingo, who fell on La Salle’s Kean Baclaan’s knees during a fight for a loose ball, got ejected in the fourth quarter of a close game.

‘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 after the Red Warriors fell to 0-6. ‘Everyone’s going after it (the ball). 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.

The punishment handed to Gavina came two days after Lingolingo dealt with a three-game ban for the incident.

Baclaan, who was stretchered off the court, has been ruled out of the season because of an MCL tear in his right knee.

Emma Tiglao says her heart aches for corruption in PH’ in Miss Grand speech

Emma Tiglao spoke about corruption and compassion during her Top 10 speech at the Miss Grand International 2025 pageant on Saturday night in Bangkok, Thailand.

In her spiel, Tiglao highlighted the corruption in the Philippines amid succeeding earthquakes that continue to hit different parts of the country.

‘As a journalist, my heart aches for my country drowned by corruption, for the lives lost to earthquakes and typhoons. And for journalists like Mariam Abu Daga from Gaza, who died for truth,’ she said.

The Philippine bet emphasized the need for love and compassion amid violence and war.

‘We are not born in fear, but to hope, to love, and to live in peace. Peace begins when parents teach children with compassion, leaders embody humility, youth find their purpose. And when we live with empathy and kindness, let love be the grandest voice to peace,’ she concluded her spiel.

Tiglao was earlier named one of the Country’s Power of the Year.

Reigning Filipino queen CJ Opiaza is set to crown her successor at the end of the night.

Some Philippine leaders are currently embroiled in corruption charges amid the multibillion peso flood control projects that have not been delivered, earning outrage from citizens.

Ramil moves over CamSur; Signal No. 2 still up over 14 Luzon areas

Wind Signal No. 2 was still hoisted in over 14 areas of Luzon as tropical storm Ramil moves over the vicinity of Calabanga, Camarines Sur, the state weather bureau said on Saturday evening.

In its 11 p.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported that Ramil maintained its strength, packing a maximum sustained wind speed of 65 kilometers per hour (km/h) and gusts of 110 km/h, moving northwestward at 25 km/h.

The following areas are under TCWS No. 2:

Luzon

Southeastern portion of Isabela (Dinapigue)

Southeastern portion of Quirino (Nagtipunan, Maddela, Aglipay)

Central and southern portions of Nueva Vizcaya (Alfonso Castañeda, Dupax del Sur, Dupax del Norte, Bambang, Aritao, Kayapa, Santa Fe, Kasibu)

Central and southern portions of Benguet (Itogon, Bokod, Atok, Kapangan, Tublay, La Trinidad, Baguio City, Tuba, Sablan)

Central and southern portions of La Union (Rosario, Pugo, Tubao, Santo Tomas, Agoo, Aringay, Caba, Naguilian, Burgos, Bagulin, Bauang, City of San Fernando, San Juan, San Gabriel, Bacnotan, Santol, Balaoan, Luna)

Eastern portion of Pangasinan (San Nicolas, Natividad, San Quintin, Umingan, Balungao, Santa Maria, Tayug, San Manuel, Asingan, Sison, Pozorrubio, Binalonan, San Fabian, San Jacinto, Laoac, Manaoag, City of Urdaneta, Rosales, Villasis)

Aurora

Eastern portion of Nueva Ecija (Talavera, Rizal, Laur, Llanera, Pantabangan, Science City of Muñoz, Palayan City, Gabaldon, General Mamerto Natividad, Carranglan, General Tinio, San Jose City, Lupao, Bongabon, Talugtug)

Northern portion of Quezon (General Nakar) including Polillo Islands

Camarines Norte

Catanduanes

Northern and eastern portions of Camarines Sur (Tinambac, Siruma, Goa, San Jose, Lagonoy, Garchitorena, Caramoan, Presentacion, Sagñay, Tigaon)

Eastern portion of Albay (Rapu-Rapu, Bacacay, City of Tabaco, Malilipot, Santo Domingo, Manito, Tiwi, Malinao)

Northeastern portion of Sorsogon (Prieto Diaz, City of Sorsogon)

Meanwhile, the following areas are under TCWS No. 1:

Luzon

Cagayan including Babuyan Islands

The rest of Isabela, the rest of Quirino

The rest of Nueva Vizcaya

Apayao

Abra

Kalinga

Mountain Province

Ifugao

The rest of Benguet

Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Sur

The rest of La Union

The rest of Pangasinan

The rest of Nueva Ecija

Eastern portion of Bulacan (Doña Remedios Trinidad, Norzagaray, San Miguel, San Ildefonso, San Rafael, Angat)

Eastern portion of Tarlac (Camiling, San Clemente, Santa Ignacia, Paniqui, Moncada, San Manuel, Anao, Ramos, Pura, Victoria, City of Tarlac, La Paz, Concepcion, Gerona)

Eastern portion of Pampanga (Magalang, Arayat, Candaba)

Northern and eastern portions of Quezon (Tagkawayan, Perez, Alabat, Quezon, Atimonan, Padre Burgos, Unisan, Gumaca, Plaridel, Agdangan, Pagbilao, Mauban, Calauag, Guinayangan, Lopez, Pitogo, Macalelon, General Luna, Catanauan, San Narciso, Buenavista, San Francisco, San Andres, Mulanay, General Nakar, Infanta, Real, Sampaloc)

Eastern portion of Rizal (Rodriguez, Tanay, Baras, City of Antipolo)

Northeastern portion of Laguna (Santa Maria, Siniloan, Famy, Pangil, Pakil, Mabitac, Paete, Kalayaan, Lumban)

The rest of Camarines Sur

The rest of Albay

The rest of Sorsogon

Burias Island

Ticao Island

Visayas Northern Samar

Northern portion of Eastern Samar (Jipapad, San Policarpo, Oras, Arteche, Maslog)

Northern portion of Samar (Matuguinao, Calbayog City, Gandara, Santa Margarita, Pagsanghan, Tagapul-An, Almagro, Santo Niño, San Jose de Buan) Ramil is expected to continue moving northwestward over the landmass of Bicol Region this Saturday evening before emerging over the waters near the Polillo Islands early morning on Sunday. Afterwards, it will pass close to or over the Polillo Islands, and then make a final landfall in the vicinity of Aurora on Sunday morning or early afternoon.

Based on the forecast confidence cone, the possibility of the cyclone’s landfall over northern Quezon or southern Isabela instead of Aurora is also not ruled out. ‘Slightly intensification is not ruled out prior to its landfall over Aurora. During its passage over Northern Luzon, Ramil is expected to maintain strength or slightly weaken due to frictional effects of mountainous terrain,’ Pagasa said. Ramil is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Monday morning.

‘Once over the West Philippine Sea, further re-intensification is highly likely, with Ramil expected to reach severe tropical storm category while outside the PAR region,’ said Pagasa.

Lacson might return as blue ribbon committee chair, says Sotto

Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III said on Saturday that there is still a possibility that Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson could return as chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee.

Sotto said this in an interview over DWIZ radio after mentioning that they continue to convince Lacson to be their committee chair again.

‘All I’m saying is there’s a possibility,’ the Senate president said when asked if Lacson can still be convinced to reconsider his decision.

‘In other words, I can’t say it’s impossible; it’s not possible. It’s not like that.,’ he pointed out. According to Sotto, the blue ribbon committee members will set a meeting before the end of October to discuss the request of sacked Public Works and Highways Bulacan 1st District engineer Henry Alcantara and assistant district engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza for a house arrest.

By then, he said, they will also convince Lacson again to come back as their committee leader. ‘All is well that ends well,’ said Sotto.

‘Most of my colleagues in the majority want him to return,’ he added.

Earlier in October, Lacson resigned as chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee amid their investigation into anomalies of flood control projects. Lacson, in his resignation letter addressed to Sotto, cited how a number of their colleagues expressed disappointment with the ‘direction’ of the committee hearings.

Nonetheless, the senator vowed to continue fighting corruption.

UAAP: Coach Jeff Napa downplays NU’s first round lead

Coach Jeff Napa is paying no mind to National University’s successful first-round campaign in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.

The Bulldogs emerged as the top team through the halfway mark of the elimination round following their 71-66 overtime win over Ateneo on Saturday. ‘[This is a] good win for us, but we don’t care where we are right now. What matters is how we work for every game. We don’t think about our record,’ Napa said after steering his team to a 6-1 record.

‘As long as we compete every game, we don’t think about our position especially since the second round is just around the corner.’

The Bulldogs survived the Blue Eagles behind Paul Francisco, who provided the late heroics in OT. He scored 10 of his 13 in extra time. Jake Figueroa also had 13 on top of 10 rebounds.

The win assured NU the No. 1 spot at the end of the first round even if University of Santo Tomas finishes with the same record at 6-1 due to the winner over the other rule. The Bulldogs beat the Growling Tigers in their first round encounter earlier this month.

NU’s lone loss so far was at the hands of defending champion University of the Philippines.

Napa and the Bulldogs look to continue their winning ways in the second round.

‘We’ll refuel because next week we might already start the second round so we need to fully recover to really prepare for the second round.’

Josh Yugen secures another Miss Universe franchise, with 4 bets this 2025

Filipino publicist and publisher Josh Yugen has scored another Miss Universe franchise, and has brought in four international delegates to Manila for training.

At a gathering with journalists and content creators at the headquarters of his House of Yugen in Taguig City on Oct. 17, he presented the delegates from Egypt, Pakistan, Denmark and Sweden.

In the two previous pageant editions, Yugen fielded three delegates in both years, the representatives from Bahrain, Egypt and Pakistan. He Initially held the franchise for the Arab nation, then added the north African country to his list, followed by the South Asian nation.

Appearing before the assembly were Miss Universe Egypt Sabrina Maged, Miss Universe Pakistan Roma Riaz, Miss Universe Denmark Moni Sonne and Miss Universe Sweden Daniella Lundqvist.

Maged and Riaz are aiming to post the first win for their respective countries, while Sonne hopes to record a second consecutive victory for hers. Lundqvist wants to reclaim her nation’s lost Miss Universe glory and be the fourth Swedish queen.

Yugen earlier reported that he had secured the franchise for Denmark, home country of reigning Miss Universe Victoria Kjær Theilvig, after mounting events in the Scandinavian nation.

The Swedish franchise was the biggest surprise to many, another franchise for a Scandinavian country. Yugen is bringing Sweden back to the international pageant after a three-year hiatus, similar to what he did with Egypt which also had a break in the competition.

The four ladies will have a smile makeover with Filipino dentist Jonas Apostol, and will undergo ‘pasarela’ (pageant walk) sessions with international Filipino mentor Ian Mendajar. Yugen said his four Miss Universe entries will also have a Filipino mentor for the interview round, and will be under the guidance of a glam team composed of Filipino stylists.

Filipino fashion designers are also expected to lend their talents to help assemble the respective wardrobes of the delegates from Egypt, Pakistan, Denmark and Sweden.

The ladies expressed their confidence getting under Filipino mentors for the competition, recognizing the Philippines as an international pageant powerhouse.

The 74th Miss Universe pageant will be held in Thailand next month, with the coronation show set at the IMPACT Challenger Hall in Nonthaburi, northwest of Bangkok, on Nov. 21. /ra

Magnitude 4.7 earthquake jolts Ilocos Norte

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake jolted Ilocos Norte on Saturday evening, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). In its latest update, the Phivolcs said the quake, which was of tectonic origin, occurred at 6:50 p.m.

Its epicenter was spotted 9 kilometers northwest of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, with a depth of 10 kilometers.

Intensity II was reported in Pasuquin and Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.

No aftershocks nor damage to properties are expected from the tremor.

2 major lotto prizes still up for grabs

The jackpot prizes for the Grand Lotto 6/55 and Lotto 6/42 are still up for grabs as nobody guessed the lucky combinations on this Saturday’s draws, according to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

In its evening draw, no one was able to take home the P29.7 million jackpot prize for the Grand Lotto 6/55 with a winning combination of 05-35-27-52-39-28. Likewise, no bettor matched the lucky numbers in the Lotto 6/42 draw, which were 12-25-26-06-14-38.

With this, the jackpot prize is now P30.9 million.

The Grand Lotto 6/55 is drawn every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, while the Lotto 6/42 is every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, the PCSO said.

A T-shirt worn by Taylor Swift sparks a $2M windfall for sea otters

A Northern California aquarium has raised more than $2 million for sea otter conservation in just two days. All it took was Taylor Swift wearing a vintage T-shirt.

Swift wore a vintage Monterey Bay Aquarium otter conservation T-shirt in a release party movie for her new ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ album, sending her ardent fans on a quest to buy the shirt last produced in the 1990s. After the aquarium was flooded with calls about buying the T-shirt showing two otters floating on their back, it decided to re-release the garment Thursday as part of a special campaign to raise $1.3 million, a nod to Swift’s favorite number, said Liz MacDonald, the aquarium’s director of content strategy.

The aquarium met and surpassed its goal to raise the funds for its sea otter conservation program in less than eight hours, averaging about $100,000 in sales every 15 minutes, MacDonald said. Donors who give at least $65.13 to its newest fundraising campaign to help injured and orphan otters will be mailed a T-shirt, MacDonald said.

‘We definitely had a little Taylor Swift dance party in the office yesterday afternoon when we hit the goal,’ she said.

The aquarium began accepting back-orders and by Friday afternoon it had raised more than $2 million, according to its website.

How Swift acquired the T-Shirt that was last produced more than 32 years ago – when she was just 3 years old – remains a mystery.

She and fiancé Travis Kelce have been documented visiting nearby Carmel, but MacDonald said the aquarium is not aware of the couple having been in their shop.

MacDonald said the staff has had fun speculating about Swift’s interest in the T-shirt. When Taylor announced the release of her new album on Kelce’s podcast ‘New Heights’ a couple of weeks ago, the couple had a little banter about how he loves otters and loves sending her videos of the furry sea creatures.

‘One of my favorite theories is that we have a sea otter on our exhibit whose name is Opal and she was named by the fans through an online poll, and I wonder if Taylor Swift may have been one of the people that voted for the name Opal,’ MacDonald said, adding that opal is Kelce’s birthstone and that Opalite is the name of one of Swift’s songs.

Whatever the reason, the aquarium and Liberty Graphics, an employee-owned company printing the T-shirts, are reveling in the moment.

‘They’re a company based in Maine who were as taken by surprise as us, but who are also as delighted to have this opportunity to be part of this amazing moment that does so much for sea otters and for ocean conservation,’ MacDonald said.

Liberty Graphics will use 100% cotton in the T-shirts and water-based ink, which is more ocean-friendly and sustainable, she said.

‘We’re also working to make sure that the packaging doesn’t use plastic,’ she added.

The company of 50 employees normally produces 1,500 shirts a day, said Matt Enos, a company manager.

Enos said that beginning Monday the company will probably have to focus most of its resources on fulfilling T-shirt orders from Swifties.

UAAP: Nic Cabañero shrugs off early MVP talks after first round

University of Santo Tomas star Nic Cabañero has emerged as an early favorite to win MVP in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.

Cabañero is currently the league’s leading scorer, while powering the Growling Tigers to second place after the first round. Heading into Saturday’s game against Adamson, Cabañero averaged 18.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He continued his scoring binge, dropping 23 points in the upset loss to the Falcons.

Cabañero, however, isn’t thinking about the MVP award.

‘I’m just doing my job and my role. All I’m thinking about is winning a championship and leaving a legacy with UST,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t get those numbers if the team and the coaches aren’t working together.’ Cabañero is bracing for a tough second round.

‘I’ve been doing this for a while now and I’ll just continue to do my role. I need to improve my defensive aspect and play more as a leader,’ he said.