Author: user user

Another earthquake with a magnitude of 3.6-downgraded from the initial 4.0-hit Bogo City, Cebu on Wednesday afternoon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

The quake was recorded at 12:42 p.m., and was located 12 kilometers southwest of Bogo City, Phivolcs said.

Phivolcs added that the earthquake was tectonic in origin and has a 10-kilometer depth of focus.

As of writing, the magnitude 3.6 earthquake is the 25th and strongest quake recorded from Bogo City on Wednesday alone, according to the Phivolcs bulletin.

No intensities, expected damage or aftershocks caused by this earthquake were reported.

However, as of 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Phivolcs recorded a total of 12,079 aftershocks following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit off the waters of northern Cebu.

Of the 12,079 aftershocks, 2,139 were plotted, and 46 were felt with the highest magnitude being 5.8. /cb

EPCC is a private sector focused on implementing infrastructure projects across the Philippines.

Since its earliest undertakings nearly a decade ago (we started 1991), such as the Construction of the Misamis Oriental-Bukidnon By-Pass Road awarded in 2015, EPCC has steadily expanded its portfolio of priority projects aimed at improving connectivity, accessibility, and safety for residents and industries alike. Its latest project, the Butuan City-Agusan del Norte Logistical Highway, awarded in early 2020’s, reflects this ongoing momentum to link strategic areas through modern, resilient infrastructure.

‘Our goal has always been to ensure that communities feel the real impact of these projects, not just in terms of roads built or bridges completed, but in the way these developments change lives for the better,’ said EPCC.

Decongesting, connecting

Among EPCC’s major undertakings are road projects designed to ease urban congestion and enhance trade routes. In Cagayan de Oro City, the construction of bypass and diversion roads in Barangay Gusa has provided alternative routes for delivery trucks and commuters who used to face hours of gridlock along the city’s main thoroughfares.

Before the project, heavy traffic disrupted daily life and hampered logistics operations. But after completion, motorists could traverse Gusa to Puerto more smoothly, helping cut travel time and improve the flow of goods in and out of the city.

‘These bypass roads do more than move vehicles; they move economies,’ said EPCC. ‘Businesses now operate more efficiently, and residents experience a better quality of life.’

Life-changing, life-saving

Bridges have also played a key role in EPCC’s portfolio. In one project, engineers addressed the challenge of deep seabeds that made rock embankments impractical. The result is a reliable bridge that now ensures safe and steady passage between previously disconnected areas. The new structure has since opened up opportunities for commerce and community interaction that were once impossible.

Flood control and drainage systems form another critical component of EPCC’s work, particularly in areas frequently hit by storms. In Barangays Macasandig and San Simon in Cagayan de Oro City, for instance, as well as Hinaplanon and Santiago in Iligan City, new flood mitigation structures have significantly reduced flooding incidents that once displaced families and damaged property every rainy season.

Before these interventions, residents endured frequent disruptions, with rising waters cutting off access to schools and workplaces. Today, the new drainage and embankment systems provide peace of mind during heavy rains, ensuring safer passage and protecting homes and businesses.

‘Flood control projects are life-saving infrastructure,’ said EPCC. ‘They safeguard entire communities and allow development to thrive even in disaster-prone areas.’

Regional resilience, equitable growth

EPCC’s priority projects go beyond roads and flood control. The cluster has also taken on building construction and water supply systems, signaling its shift toward comprehensive community development that includes essential facilities and public utilities.

These efforts align with the government’s broader push for regional resilience and equitable growth, particularly in Mindanao, where access to quality infrastructure has long been a key driver of economic and social progress.

With dozens of ongoing and completed projects across the region, EPCC renews its commitment to delivering infrastructure that serves people first, building connections, ensuring safety, and laying the groundwork for a more resilient and connected Mindanao.

EPCC said: ‘We measure success not just in kilometers of roads or meters of bridges, but in the stability and prosperity they bring. That’s the kind of development we aim to build-lasting, inclusive, and genuinely felt by the communities we serve.’

Perpetual Help stayed pretty much under the radar in the offseason of the NCAA men’s basketball.

Now, with the first run of the group stage done, coach Olsen Racela’s squad is on the Season 88 marquee.

And it seems that everyone’s in awe of the fact that Perpetual emerged as the only unbeaten team before the start of cross-group matches. Everyone, that is, except Racela and the Altas.

‘We are a process-oriented team. We’re not results-oriented,’ Racela told the Inquirer on Tuesday, on the eve of Perpetual’s duel vs surprise Group B cellar-dweller Letran.

That process has been showing this season.

Perpetual leads the NCAA this season in points allowed (61.8 ppg), about seven points better than the No. 2 team. Its defense is elite: The Altas allow just 34.4% shooting by their opponents (No. 1), and surrender just 16.5 free throws per game (No. 1). Perpetual allows just 23 ppg from the perimeter (No. 2) and 28 ppg inside the paint (No. 2).

And while Perpetual is sixth in rebounding at 44.8 per game, the Altas control the boards in their matches, with an average rebounding margin is +11.25.

Final four as motivation

Racela’s offense is no slouch either. The team may be in the lower half with its 71.6 ppg, but that is anchored on a 73.8 percent assists-to-field goals made ratio.

Perpetual will enter Wednesday’s match against the Knights having topped Group A with a 4-0 (win-loss) record and while the temptation is strong to keep that streak going, Racela’s motivation is simply to put his team in position to battle for a Final Four spot.

‘This streak doesn’t mean a whole lot to us,’ he said. ‘That said, we will try to get as many wins as possible to get us in a good position.’

That means the team has zeroed in on Letran. That a win would hike their streak to five is a matter of consequence only-it isn’t the goal.

‘As cliche as it may sound, we take it one game at a time,’ Racela said.

In Tuesday’s games, T-Mc Ongotan had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists while Renzo Abiera led Arellano in scoring as the Chiefs sank the Lyceum Pirates, 92-65.

San Beda ripped Emilio Aguinaldo, 81-64, in the other match. INQ

Now with enough capital to continue operating, broker-dealer Globalinks Securities and Stocks Inc. may resume operations. This, after the market regulation arm of the Philippine Stock Exchange lifted Globalinks’ involuntary suspension.

In a memorandum on Tuesday, Capital Markets Integrity Corp. (CMIC) said it had received documents from Globalinks. These showed proof of capital infusion.

As a result, CMIC lifted the involuntary suspension imposed on Globalinks. The lifting took effect on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old stock brokerage house was suspended on July 9 ‘due to continuing breaches’ of capitalization requirements, according to CMIC.

Globalinks’ access to the trading system of PSE, the online depository system of the Philippine Depository and Trust Corp. and clearing facilities of the Securities Clearing Corp. of the Philippines was subsequently restricted.

Minimum capitalization

Now that it was allowed to resume operations, Globalinks still needed to ensure that it consistently followed the minimum capitalization requirement, CMIC noted.

‘Should there be any subsequent findings showing that the above rules have been infringed by Globalinks, the proper disciplinary actions shall be meted out by CMIC to the trading participant,’ CMIC president Gerard Sanvictores said in their memo.

Under current rules, securities brokers need to have a minimum paid-up capital of P5 million. Meanwhile, new brokers wishing to register are required to have at least P100 million.

In August, CMIC similarly suspended Mount Peak Securities (MTPeak) for failing to comply with capital requirements ‘and other securities laws.’

MTPeak was established in 1975 and one of the pioneer members of the Makati Stock Exchange Inc. before its merger with the Manila Stock Exchange.

It was ordered to immediately inform its clients of the involuntary suspension. Clients may request for the transfer of their securities to a brokerage of their choice, or execute done-through sell transactions subject to the approval of CMIC. INQ

Tina Salak introduced a new system after assuming coaching duties for Akari, with a big part of that having the middle blockers like Ced Domingo and Fifi Sharma more involved.

The duo is repaying that trust, and along with everyone else who enjoy the change that has come, the Chargers are off to a 2-0 start in the PVL Reinforced Conference after carving our another five-set win, this time at the expense of Chery Tiggo EV, 25-11, 22-25, 29-27, 17-25, 15-7, on Tuesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

‘Coming from past conferences, I felt like my contributions weren’t that competitive,’ the 26-year-old Domingo, once a Finals MVP with another team, told the Inquirer in Filipino. ‘But with Coach Tina now, her system is very nice because everyone gets involved.

‘It’s made things easier for our other spikers, especially the wing attackers, since defenders now have to watch out for us (middle blockers), too,’ Domingo, who finished with seven kills, five blocks and four aces, added. ‘It also feels good to finally be part of the transition plays.’

Sharma made a dent on the Crossovers, too, scoring 10 points as the Chargers brandished offensive depth to score a follow up to a marathon five-set win over Creamline-Domingo’s former team-last week.

Spread out offense

American reinforcement Annie Mitchem and Eli Soyud led the Chargers with 17 points each. Chenie Tagaod had 11 points, while Grethcel Soltones added eight to complete Akari’s balanced scoring.

Domingo also lauded setter Mars Alba, who has been making the most of the Chargers’ offensive wealth despite being new to the team.

‘She’s such a jolly person,’ Domingo said of their veteran setter. ‘From Day 1, she didn’t feel out of place at all. It’s great how quickly she blended into the team.

‘And even though she plays such a crucial role as our setter, she’s slowly learning everyone’s preferences for sets.’

A former Nakhon Ratchasima import in Thailand, Domingo was part of Akari’s first final appearance last year where the Chargers lost to Creamline.

Redeeming themselves isn’t the main mindset of the team, but about competing at the highest level in facing the vastly improved squads for Domingo and the Chargers.

‘We’re not thinking about it too much. This is a new season, with new imports, new players, and a lot of key players stepping up and working double time,’ Domingo said. ‘So for us, this conference feels different. The team’s morale is super high right now, and everyone’s just really happy.’

Akari has nine days to prepare for Petro Gazz on Oct. 23 at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

Chery Tiggo remained winless in two games, hoping to enter the win column in Ilagan City against Petro Gazz on Saturday.

Cess Robles carried the Crossovers with 20 points, while Yunieska Batista had 17 points, 14 digs, and nine receptions. Ara Galang and Mylene Paat delivered nine and eight points, respectively. INQ

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said his administration remains on ‘solid ground’ in terms of support from various sectors but admitted that continuous efforts are being made to maintain their trust and respect.

He made the remarks during a media interview in Malacañang when asked how confident he was that uniformed personnel would remain loyal to the Marcos administration amid reports of a possible coup.

‘So, when you ask me how confident I am, all I can say is that in our assessment, we are still very much – the administration is still very much on solid ground in terms of support from the different sectors of society,’ he said.

‘However, we work very hard to continue to earn that support from them. We know that because they voted for you in the last election that nothing will change,’ Marcos said.

The president also admitted that it is ‘dangerous’ for someone in his position to become complacent, hence the need for constant communication with all sectors.

According to Marcos, lines of communication remain open to anyone with grievances, complaints, or disagreements with his administration.

‘We always go to them and say, what can we do to accommodate your advocacy or some of the things that they would like-that they would like the national government to do. And so that’s what we are doing,’ the president said.

‘And so, that’s the only way. That’s the only real way that we can keep the support of people in different sectors,’ Marcos said.

On Sept. 21, 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.

Reports about a planned coup also circulated following the protest, which government officials have already denied. /mr

The Philippines needs around P100 billion to upgrade its power grid and limit economic losses from widespread blackouts, global energy think tank Ember said.

The figure reflects a ‘high-level investment scenario,’ especially as the market expects to switch on more renewable energy projects that will have to be quickly connected to the grid, according to the group.

The Marcos administration has been making aggressive moves to entice more investments in the energy market, as it wants renewables to account for 35 percent of the country’s power generation mix by 2030 from the current 22 percent.

Alnie Demoral, Asia energy analyst at Ember, said there was an ‘urgency’ to modernize the local transmission system.

Energy future

‘Smart grid deployment will be vital in shaping a cleaner and more resilient energy future, delivering reliable, flexible, and secure electricity to both growing industries and Filipino households,’ she said late on Tuesday.

It defined smart grid as the ‘digitalization of electricity networks, enabling two-way communication between suppliers and users.’

Smart grid provides digital intelligence that includes forecasting and the real-time balancing of renewables and demand to ensure consistent electricity supply to the end-users.

The group said ‘reliable’ grid assets serve as a ‘backbone’ for the economic growth of the Philippines and the other member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

However, it said that Asean countries continue to experience grid challenges.

Transmission

‘At a national level, transmission remains a key challenge. Many of the most resource-rich solar and wind sites are located far from major demand centers, and limited transmission capacity can lead to congestion and curtailment,’ the report said.

This is particularly important for the Philippines, as Ember sees the country leading the deployment of solar and wind farms.

Other factors weighing down on the grid’s reliability are aging infrastructure, as well as limited rural coverage.

The lack of a strong grid system leads to power outages, subsequently causing ‘lost economic momentum,’ Ember said.

It cited the Panay Island power crisis in early 2024, where daily losses amounted to around P400 million to P500 million.

‘While such a scale of blackout is uncommon for the island, it illustrates how grid disruptions can have material impacts on local economies and livelihoods,’ it said. INQ

Actually, I’d say the famous runner-up of a phrase-the most famous one being ‘My loyalty to party ends where my loyalty to country begins,’ dating from 1922-is the most famous because two presidents of Indonesia have quoted it in their memoirs. But here it is in full. The full phrase was, ‘I prefer a government run like hell by Filipinos to one run like heaven by Americans because no matter how bad, a Filipino government might be improved.’ See the citations from Alfredo Saulo’s monumental two-volume reference book on the late President Manuel L. Quezon from 1978.

Context is everything. Quezon himself, in an extemporaneous speech he made on Dec. 9, 1939, responded to an oratorical contest he attended, together with the audience’s response as recorded at the time:

‘It is true, and I am proud of it, that I once said, ‘I would rather have a government run like hell by Filipinos than a government run like heaven by Americans.’ I want to tell you that I have, in my life, made no other remark which went around the world but that. There had been no paper in the United States, including a village paper, which did not print that statement, and I also had seen it printed in many newspapers in Europe. I would rather have a government run like hell by Filipinos than a government run like heaven by any foreigner. I said that once; I say it again, and I will always say it as long as I live. [applause]

‘But that is not an admission that a government run by Filipinos will be a government run like hell [laughter]. Much less can it be an admission that a government run by Americans or by the people of any other foreign country, for that matter, can ever be a government run like heaven. [laughter]

‘We have had four years of our government-the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines-a government run by Filipinos, and I defy anybody, American, foreigner or Filipino, to tell me that ours today is a government run like hell. I should say that this is the best government we have ever had in the Philippines, and I will now enumerate the facts to prove this to you.

‘We have been under American administration. I will not speak now of the Spanish regime because that already belongs to history. We have been, I repeat, under American administration for over 40 years. But when did the common tao receive the protection of the government, if not only upon the establishment of the Commonwealth? You heard American governors-general charge the cacique of abusing his power, but they were merely denouncing the political bosses, not the economic bosses whom they never went after. When did Juan dela Cruz ever have any chance at social justice if not only upon the establishment of the Commonwealth? Under the American rule, a law in this country authorized the imprisonment of the kasama who left his landlord while still pecuniarily obligated to the latter. But it was Manuel Quezon, let me tell you, who did away with that law.

‘Is that freedom? Would that be freedom-allowing a poor tao who owes his landlord to be sent to jail-which you so proudly claim the Filipino enjoyed under the former regime?

‘Will you, I ask, have less faith in your own President, the man chosen by your own people, a man of your own flesh and blood? Will you have less faith in him than in a foreign governor-general? [applause] When was the right of habeas corpus denied in the Philippines, and by whom? It was denied during the first years of the American occupation, if you could still remember the concentration camps in Batangas. Did the government of the Philippines, while it was purely in American hands, ever consider the Filipino and his existence as its main concern? When did you have a bank organized to promote Filipino commercial interests? When did you have a bank, the Philippine National Bank, organized to help Filipino farmers, Filipino industrialists? It was established only when the Philippines had the Senate, when we had Harrison, who, as our American governor-general then, permitted the Filipinos to govern this country. And it was because Governor-General Wood tried to undo what that former American governor-general had done that I said: ‘I would rather have a government run like hell by Filipinos than a government run like heaven by Americans.’

‘I never expected to hear such an assertion [that we should reexamine our coming independence] from the lips of any young Filipino. I had expected to hear it from their fathers . Yes, I heard them advocating the continuation of American sovereignty in the Philippines upon the theory that America gave us freedom and would give us more freedom than we could give ourselves. At that time, those who had so believed and spoken had not had occasion to see with their own eyes what the Filipinos could do if they were given the chance to govern themselves. But after four years of the Commonwealth Government . for any young man here to say that he would rather see Americans continue in the Philippines. I should reply, ‘Make yourself an American citizen.’ [laughter]’

Five barangays in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, are being closely monitored amid the recent ash emissions of Mt. Kanlaon, a city official involved in disaster response said Wednesday.

Seth Bariga, information officer-designate of Canlaon City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), told the Philippine News Agency that trucks are on standby to evacuate residents of these barangays if necessary.

The five barangays – Masulog, Lumapaw, Pula, Malaiba, and Linothangan – are outside Mt. Kanlaon’s four-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) but within its six-kilometer extended PDZ.

Bariga said parts of Masulog and Pula are within the PDZ, which remains off-limits to this day. Residents of these areas are currently residing in two evacuation camps or with relatives.

‘As of the moment, there are no reports of ashfall in these areas since the wind is blowing in the southeast direction,’ Bariga said.

On Wednesday, Mt. Kanlaon emitted grayish ash plumes between 6:54 a.m. and 7:40 a.m., producing plumes that rose to 100 meters above the summit crater before drifting southwest, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

A similar event was also reported on Monday.

Bariga said no damage or untoward incidents related to the volcano’s unrest have been reported so far, but barangay officials have been directed to monitor their respective areas should Mt. Kanlaon’s activities escalate.

Alert Level 2 prevails over Mt. Kanlaon, signifying ‘increased unrest,’ Phivolcs said

Paolo Contis is overwhelmed with delight and gratitude after he spent time with his daughters Xonia and Xalene during his weekend trip to Cebu, where the girls are based.

The actor-TV host documented the trip which included a visit to a resort along with his former wife Lian Paz and her now-husband John Cabahug, as seen on Contis’ Instagram page.

‘My heart is full,’ he exclaimed in the caption of his post last Saturday, Oct. 11. ‘Thank you John and Lian for a wonderful day!’

He added that the venue was made better by ‘being with [his] whole family.’

‘God is great!’ he declared.

In a more recent post on Tuesday, Oct. 14, Contis said he has returned to Manila and is looking forward to returning to Cebu to reunite with his daughters, Cabahug as well as Paz.

‘Back in Manila after a wonderful weekend,’ he said, showing his photos and videos with Xonia and Xalene. ‘I love you both so much!’

‘Thank you again Lian and John. See you all very soon,’ he added.

Contis, Paz and their children reunited last August after having been estranged since the former couple’s separation in 2012.

Paz is now married to Cabahug, with whom she tied the knot in September. /edv