Author: user user

The number of houses damaged by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu last week climbed to 62,531 yesterday from 39,806 the other day.

As this developed, disaster response teams continued to assess the effects of the temblor on people and communities, to determine the types of assistance needed.

Of the number of damaged houses, up to 4,854 were beyond repair, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Fourteen municipalities and cities in Cebu including Bogo, the epicenter of the earthquake, are severely affected by the calamity.

The temblor also affected residents and communities in the town of Garcia-Hernandez in Bohol.

Most of the damaged houses are in Bantayan, Borbon, Carmen, Catmon, Daanbantayan, Medellin, San Remigio, Santa Fe, Sogod, Tabogon, Tabuelan and Tuburan as well as in Cebu City.

The NDRRMC said 733 other infrastructure mostly schools and government facilities in Cebu and Bohol sustained damage from the earthquake.

The death toll remained at 72 as of yesterday.

Vietnamese coast guard donates ration

The officers and crewmembers of a Vietnamese Coast Guard (VCG) ship visiting the port of Cebu donated their rations of 32 sacks of rice and 10 boxes of noodles to victims of the earthquake.

Commodore Algier Ricafrente, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deputy chief for international affairs, said that Maj. Gen. Tran Quang Tuan, commander of VCG Region 2, turned over the donation to officials of Tabogon town.

‘In sympathy to people affected by the earthquake, the VCG set aside 32 sacks of rice and 10 boxes of noodles, leaving behind enough food for their return voyage to Vietnam,’ Ricafrente said in a statement.

The VCG vessel CBS 8002 is in Cebu City for a five-day port visit from Oct. 6 to 10.

The visit is part of the 2nd PCG-VCG Bilateral Meeting that will include joint maritime exercises, courtesy calls, cultural exchanges and sports activities.

Members of the PCG and VCG will also conduct joint exercises focusing on search and rescue, firefighting and oil spill prevention at sea.

Ricafrente said the visit of the CBS 8002 showed a shared commitment to strengthening maritime cooperation as provided under a memorandum of understanding signed in January 2024 between the two coast guards.

Tropical Storm Nakri is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) today and will be given the local name Quedan, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

In an advisory issued at 5 p.m. yesterday, PAGASA said the center of Nakri was spotted 1,725 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon, still outside PAR as of 4 p.m.

The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of up to 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph. It was moving north-northwest at 25 kph.

Once it enters PAR, Quedan is forecast to continue moving northwest and may exit by tomorrow morning.

PAGASA said Quedan could intensify into a severe tropical storm on Saturday as it approaches Ryukyu Islands in Japan.

The state weather bureau said Nakri is unlikely to directly affect Philippine weather or sea conditions and no tropical cyclone wind signals will be raised.

However, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the northeasterly wind are expected to bring strong to gale-force gusts over Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte and Palawan as well as the Visayas and parts of Mindanao in the coming days.

Meanwhile, 20 fishermen have been rescued after their boat capsized between the waters off Basilan and Sulu.

The F/B Mona went out for a fishing expedition at dawn on Monday when it was battered by big waves spawned by the ITCZ.

Boat captain Muhammad Javer sent out a distress call after seawater started entering the vessel.

More billions in taxpayers’ money have gone down the drain – this time in Cagayan province. Last Monday afternoon, the Piggatan Bridge in Alcala town crumpled purportedly under the combined weight of three truck haulers.

Fortunately, no one was killed, but seven people were injured. The destruction of the bridge, which links the provincial capital Tuguegarao to the northern towns of Cagayan, has also seriously disrupted mass transportation and supply delivery in the province.

On Feb. 28 this year in nearly Isabela province, the newly opened Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge in Santa Maria town also collapsed as a truck transporting rocks passed through it. As in this disaster, the collapse of the Piggatan Bridge has been quickly blamed on the passage of the three supposedly overloaded trucks, each reportedly weighing from 40 to 50 tons, two of them transporting palay and the third steel.

How local officials quickly came to this conclusion on the cause of the incident is not clear. Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said the cause of the disaster is still being determined.

There were two smaller trucks on the bridge when it broke apart. The 45-year-old bridge had a load limit of only 18 tons. Bridges and other public infrastructure, however, are supposed to undergo regular inspections and engineering interventions if needed to maintain their structural integrity.

The Piggatan Bridge is no makeshift wooden span; it is made of concrete and steel. With regular inspections and reinforcement, it is supposed to be sturdy. Heavy trucks are expected to use such bridges. What’s the use of a steel-and-concrete bridge along a major highway if it cannot be used for trucks transporting heavy loads?

And if exceeding the bridge load limit was truly the problem, there should have been stringent regulation of the use of the bridge by cargo trucks, in the light of the bridge disaster in neighboring Isabela just seven months ago.

If the practice of cutting corners and producing substandard public works infrastructure was already prevalent in the 1970s when construction of the Piggatan Bridge started, the span could still have been expanded and retrofitted in subsequent years.

Reinforcement of the bridge should have been undertaken particularly after the collapse of the Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge. After that disaster in Isabela, public works officials vowed to subject bridges nationwide to structural integrity assessments. Apparently, they missed Piggatan Bridge. Maybe they were too busy with flood control projects.

This time, the Cagayan local government has reportedly ordered an inspection of all bridges in the province. Other local officials can do the same in their jurisdictions. They should be able to put to rest public fears of falling into a river or ground below when traversing bridges.

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano yesterday denied rumors that the minority bloc is actively seeking to unseat Senate President Vicente Sotto III, saying there are no ongoing efforts or signature drives to change the chamber’s leadership.

At a press conference, Cayetano said the Senate minority was not actively courting members of the majority to consolidate votes for a new leadership.

‘There is no active courting in the sense. Even when Sen. (Panfilo) Lacson first revealed that (almost all senators of the 19th Congress had budget insertions), I can tell you, I am not talking to anybody (about a coup),’ Cayetano said.

He said he recently spoke with Sotto over the phone and assured him that the minority bloc remains steady in its role.

Cayetano said no leadership changes should be expected tomorrow or when the chamber resumes session to adjourn for a month-long recess.

Rumors of a leadership change swirled last week after some senators expressed disappointment with the direction of the Blue Ribbon committee’s probe on flood control corruption.

Even observers like former Senate president Franklin Drilon said Lacson’s resignation as chairman of the panel was a sacrifice the leadership had to make to keep Sotto’s Senate presidency.

The Senate majority is composed of 15 senators while the Cayetano-led minority has nine.

For the meantime, Sen. Erwin Tulfo will assume the chairmanship of the Blue Ribbon committee on an acting capacity while the majority bloc deliberates the permanent replacement for Lacson, Sotto announced yesterday.

After the majority caucus yesterday afternoon, Sotto bared that they decided to make Tulfo acting chairman as he is currently the vice chair.

Sotto said most of the majority bloc members want Lacson to stay, including some of the five senators being eyed to replace him.

Sotto said the decision on the permanent chair will be made after the majority’s next meeting, once Sen. Erwin Tulfo, currently overseas, returns.

Meanwhile, Tulfo said Sotto had informed him that no one has yet accepted the position after Lacson stepped down.

‘If there’s no other choice, maybe I’ll take the job. Because we cannot have the position vacant,’ he said over radio dzMM.

In a chance interview yesterday, Sen. Pia Cayetano said she is open to chairing the Blue Ribbon panel.

However, she cited her present work as chair of the committees on ways and means and energy as possible hindrances.

A groundbreaking P2 million purse – the richest in Philippine tennis history – will be up for grabs when the Gentry National Tennis Championships fires off tomorrow at the Colegio San Agustin in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.

This landmark tournament not only raises the bar in terms of prize money and prestige, but also signals a major leap in support for Philippine tennis, drawing a full 64-player draw in the men’s Open singles division alone.

Headlining the star-studded field are the country’s top two players – AJ Lim and Eric Jed Olivarez – battling for supremacy and the whopping P300,000 champion’s prize. The runner-up receives P150,000.

The women’s singles draw is equally competitive.

From one Muhlach to another.

Young actor Andres Muhlach is joining the cast of upcoming production “Bagets the Musical” based on the popular 1984 film following five young boys as they navigate the trials and triumphs of adolescence.

He will take on the role of the “boy next door” character Adie as originated by his father, Aga Muhlach, alternating with fellow VIVA artist Mico Hendrix Chua.

Andres and Mico’s additions wrap up the previously announced cast members:

Noel Comia Jr. and Tomas Rodriguez as Gilbert (originated by Herbert Bautista)

Milo Cruz and Migo Valid as Tonton (originated by William Martinez)

Ethan David and KD Estrada as Arnel (originated by Raymond Lauchengco)

Jeff Moses and Sam Shoaf as Topee (originated by J.C. Bonnin)

Andres acknowledged in a statement how big “Bagets” remains to be, and being a part of it on top assuming Aga’s original is surreal.

The young actor even said that Aga was “super happy” for him gettinghis first major theater project, “He was also excited to see how I’m going to approach the character.”

Having just appeared in his film debut “Minamahal: 100 Bulaklak Para Kay Luna” opposite Ashtine Olviga, Andres feels more ready now than nervous after some thorough practice and workshops.

“It’s really about honing your talents,” Andres continued. “Once you start learning more about yourself and your abilities, it just makes you more motivated – to perform, improve, and keep getting better.”

Despite taking up his father’s famous role, Andres still wants to carve a path for himself, something the whole “Bagets” cast will be doing for themselves.

“What we put out isn’t because of what the original actors did, but because we want to create something worthy for today’s fans,” Andres added.

“Bagets the Musical,” a joint production of Viva Entertainment, The Philippine STAR and Newport World Resorts, will run at the Newport Performing Arts Theater from January to March 2026.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is planning to hand over nine airports in two separate packages to the private sector to complement its own efforts to improve regional gateways.

At the 2025 Philippine Aviation Summit, Transportation Undersecretary Jim Sydiongco said the DOTr is currently reviewing the bundled airport projects prepared by multilateral agencies.

The DOTr tapped the World Bank’s International Finance Corp. (IFC) to firm up a public-private partnership (PPP) framework for the Davao, Dumaguete and Siargao airports.

The DOTr also hired the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to work on a similar PPP project for the Laoag, Bicol, Busuanga, Bacolod, Tacloban and General Santos airports. Both IFC and ADB are signed as transaction advisers by the DOTr for the bundling of airport PPPs.

Once the projects are approved, they will be offered to the private sector via solicited bidding. In this process, the DOTr will set the bid parameters that parties have to consider when submitting their offers.

Under former transport chief Vince Dizon, the DOTr has employed a new approach when turning over airports to the private sector by packaging them into groups to raise their value.

Although the DOTr is eyeing to solicit offers for its airport bundles, this has failed to discourage private firms from coming up with their own proposals to take over gateways.

The Philippine Regional Airports Consortium, led by the Gokongwei and Gotianun clans, submitted a P16-billion offer to operate and maintain the Davao, Bicol and Siargao airports.

The DOTr is also evaluating unsolicited proposals for airport development. The Villars, for one, want to take over the operations and maintenance of the Iloilo and Puerto Princesa airports.

Right now, the DOTr is negotiating the terms of the P21.27-billion proposal of Villar-led Prime Asset Ventures Inc. (PAVI) to rehabilitate and expand the Iloilo International Airport. The DOTr is also waiting for PAVI to reconcile its paperworks for the P11.63-billion upgrade of the Puerto Princesa International Airport.

Sydiongco also confirmed that the DOTr has revoked the earlier proposal of Mega7 Construction Corp. to operate and maintain the Kalibo International Airport.

Sydiongco said there is a need for the DOTr to review the position of the airport in Kalibo given that air traffic in Aklan is concentrated in Caticlan, which leads to tourist haven Boracay.

Soldiers seized four B40 anti-tank rockets and two grenade projectiles that villagers found in an abandoned residential yard in Barangay Lagandang, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, on Wednesday, October 8.

Ordnance disposal experts from the Army’s 7th Infantry Battalion, under Lt. Col. Tristan Vallescas, immediately brought the rockets and rifle-propelled grenades to a safe area for proper disposal.

Brig. Gen. Michael Santos, commander of the Army’s 603rd Infantry Brigade, told reporters on Thursday, October 9, that the operation that resulted in the confiscation of the explosives was assisted by members of the Joint Peace and Security Team.

The JPST is composed of soldiers, policemen, and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, together maintaining law and order in areas where there are MILF bastions.

Residents of Isulan, among them traditional Moro leaders actively supporting the anti-terror campaign of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, had told reporters that the anti-tank rockets and rifle grenades were left in Sitio Kimondo in Barangay Lagandang by members of the now-weakened Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

More than 300 members of the allied BIFF and Dawlah Islamiya, both fomenting hatred for non-Muslims and tagged in all deadly bombings in Central Mindanao since 2014, had surrendered in batches in the past three years to different units of the 603rd Infantry Brigade, which has jurisdiction over hinterland and seafront towns in Sultan Kudarat.

Major Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of the 6th ID, said on Thursday that they are thankful to the residents of Lagandang for reporting promptly to the 7th IB their discovery of the rockets and grenades in wooden boxes piled in a yard owned by a certain Mutin Ali, who reportedly relocated elsewhere earlier.

President Marcos has awarded eight new petroleum service contracts (PSCs) worth around $207 million in a bid to ramp up local energy production and reduce the country’s oil import dependence.

The contracts cover exploration areas across Cagayan, Cebu, northwest Palawan, east Palawan, Central Luzon and the Sulu Sea, according to the Department of Energy.

The DOE said the new PSCs include the world’s first competitive bid round for native hydrogen alongside co-managed projects with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

‘These service contracts signify not only our determination to secure new energy sources but also our readiness to embrace innovation and sustainability while reducing import dependence,’ Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said.

Among the successful bidders were the consortia led by tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan’s PXP Energy Corp.

PXP, along with The Philodrill Corp., Australia’s Triangle Energy (Global) Ltd. and United Kingdom’s Sunda Energy Plc, bagged PSCs 80 and 81 spanning 780,000 hectares and 532,000 hectares in BARMM, respectively.

These contracts are aimed at revitalizing petroleum exploration in the southern Sulu Sea to boost the local economy across BARMM and Mindanao.

Similarly, PXP and its partners Philodrill, Anglo Philippine Holdings Corp. and Forum Energy Philippines Corp. secured PSC 86 to explore 132,000 hectares in the northwest Palawan basin.

Furthermore, the government awarded PSC 82 – covering 480,000 hectares in Cagayan basin – to Triangle Energy and PSC 85 – spanning 127,475 hectares in onshore Cebu – to Gas 2 Grid Pte. Ltd.

In the east Palawan basin, Israel’s Ratio Petroleum Ltd. won PSC 87. This marks the company’s second contract in the Philippines following PSC 78, also in the same location.

For native hydrogen exploration in Central Luzon, the Marcos administration awarded PSC 83 and 84 totaling 211,727 hectares to Koloma Inc., a company based in the United States.

Following the landmark unveiling of these PSCs, the DOE said contractors may now start their respective work programs over a seven-year exploration period. These include geological and geophysical studies, seismic surveys and drilling activities.

‘From conventional petroleum to native hydrogen, we are expanding the frontiers of Philippine energy exploration,’ Garin added.

‘As we work with our partners in both the private sector and the BARMM, we move closer to our vision of a truly energy-secure and inclusive Philippines,’ she said.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is seeking additional funds for the holding of the first parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in March next year.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia yesterday said the poll body has used up most of the P1.2 billion previously allotted for the BARMM election, which was recently postponed and moved from Oct. 13 to March.

He said P500 million ‘has been spent for the printing of official ballots that have gone to waste.’

‘We need additional budget equivalent to or higher than what has been spent to meet all expenses needed,’ Garcia said.

He said the Comelec also spent a part of the budget for the deployment and recall of all election paraphernalia.

The Comelec has yet to set the date of the BARMM election after the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional laws redistricting the autonomous region, effectively postponing the electoral exercises.

The high tribunal gave the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) until Oct. 30 to craft a new districting law.

Garcia said the Comelec would wait for the BTA to finish crafting the new districting law before setting the date of the election, which must be held not later than March.

He said the Comelec is closely coordinating with the BTA concerning updates on the crafting of the new Bangsamoro districting law.