Category: Philippine Star

After a one-year hiatus, the Ironman 70.3 Davao is set not just for a comeback, but for an explosive return to the global triathlon scene as it kickstarts the 2026 season on March 22 with its milestone fifth staging.

This edition promises to be its most spectacular yet, cementing its place as the yardstick for Ironman 70.3 races in the Philippines and Asia-Pacific.

‘Ironman 70.3 Davao has evolved into more than just a race. It is a celebration of athletic excellence, cultural pride and community spirit,’ said Princess Galura, president and general manager of the organizing Sunrise Events, Inc. during the official launch.

The landmark event will set a new benchmark in endurance sports with an expected huge international turnout, a refined world-class course, and a festival atmosphere that only Davao can deliver.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed seminary rector Fr. Edwin Panergo as the new bishop of the Diocese of Boac in Marinduque.

According to the CBCPNews, the Diocese of Boac has not had a bishop since November last year. During the vacancy, Fr. Elino Esplana administered the diocese.

Panergo, 57, is the rector of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Seminary in Sariaya, Quezon and Commission on Vocation director of the Diocese of Lucena.

He will succeed Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr., who led Boac for nine years before he was transferred to the Diocese of San Pablo in Laguna last year.

It hits differently when a classroom full of curious school kids become engrossed in a game – not from a digital gadget, but from a classic board game.

The game, called Master of Disaster (MOD), features a map and play cards with images and icons indicating storms, floods, earthquakes and fires.

Morbid? Not for the kids and their teacher, who find the game as encouraging as it is educational. While the goal is to win just like in any game, MOD provides the kids with the opportunity to learn how to prepare and plan for various disasters, including the value of non-life insurance.

Each player recognizes the need to make choices, whether to spend available resources on rebuilding, or invest on preparing through insurance.

A winning partnership for the curriculum

The initiative is part of a new collaboration between the Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC), through its affiliate Malayan Insurance Co. Inc. (Malayan) and the non-profit Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST).

ASSIST developed MOD and helped Malayan with the donation of the board games to select schools nationwide.

More than just a donation drive, the collaboration allows MOD to be integrated into the curriculum through a structured training and support program, ensuring that teachers can use it not only as entertainment but also as a real tool for learning.

This innovative approach aligns with the Department of Education’s emphasis on Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction and underscores the insurance industry’s role in protecting communities.

Why non-life insurance matters

YGC looks at the program beyond social responsibility and community development. It’s also about future-proofing the way the next generation makes decisions when disasters strike.

For Malayan, this is more than just a game – it’s a tool that builds a culture of preparedness and resilience at a very young age. By making complex concepts simple and engaging, the company is building disaster resilience from the ground up.

Children learn this in the classroom, then bring their new knowledge home where they can discuss disaster preparedness with the family and protect themselves and their property with insurance.

Strategic thinking from the game

Traditionally, schools teach kids how to react in case of disaster emergencies through evacuation drills and related lectures.

Information about financial aftermaths of disasters may be too much for young minds to absorb, so simulations make up for the possible overload.

MOD goes beyond the duck, cover and hold exercise and other similar drills and lectures. The game makes the players think like strategists, taking into consideration the protection of their family, their home and their community before disasters strike.

They develop forward thinking, making up ‘what-if’ scenarios in their heads if they prepare – or don’t.

Triumph from a disaster game

Rolling the dice for education is truly an extraordinary way for a young student to become a ‘master of disaster.’

Survival is no longer a scene from a disaster movie they watched on TV or the moviehouse, and the word ‘insurance’ is not just a word for adults to talk about.

For YGC, teaming Malayan with ASSIST is a triumph in turning a game into a strategic new skill and knowledge for the young generation toward disaster resilience.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has extended until the end of October the deadlines for tax filings, payments and submissions for taxpayers in Cebu.

The announcement followed last week’s 6.9-magnitude earthquake that left at least 70 dead and more than 200 injured and caused destruction across the province.

Under Revenue Memorandum Circular 88-2025, Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said the extension covers all taxpayers and BIR personnel under the following revenue district offices:

80, Mandaue City

81, Cebu City North

82, Cebu City South

83, Talisay City

23, Large Taxpayers Division – Cebu

These include their authorized agent banks.

All deadlines falling within October 2025 will now be moved to October 31.

‘This extension allows our taxpayers sufficient time to comply with their tax obligations without adding to the burdens caused by the calamity,’ Lumagui said.

‘This reaffirms our commitment to responsive, compassionate, and excellent taxpayer service, especially during times of crisis,’ he added.

Popular food content producer Erwan Heussaff recently collaborated with two chefs, Don Baldosano and Angelo Comsti, in a media event to highlight the premium quality and versatility of California Raisins and how they fit perfectly into Filipino cooking.

Heussaff likes using California Raisins in food preparations because they are naturally sun-dried, free of additives, and rich in fiber, antioxidants and essential minerals. He accepted the challenge and created two recipes for the collaboration graced by United States Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson at Offbeat Bistro.

Ambassador Carlson joined him in preparing Steak Frites and Potato Pave with California Raisins and Roasted Eggplant Sauce, but he was on his own in presenting his White Fish and Coconut Crudo with California Raisin Tapenade.

The latter, an appetizer, featured Malasugui fish, which is swordfish, complemented by coconut cream and a tapenade made of California raisins.

The event was supported by the Raisin Administrative Committee, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service in Manila, and the U.S. Embassy in Manila.

White Fish and Coconut Crudo with California Raisin Tapenade

Ingredients:

For the fish:

Malasugui fish, sliced thinly

For the sauce (Leche de Tigre):

1 cup coconut vinegar

1 1/2 cups fresh coconut cream

For the raisin ‘tapenade’:

1 cup California Raisins

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes

3 tbsps. mustard seeds, rehydrated with coconut vinegar

Zest from 1 pc. lime

For the garnish:

Shaved egg yolk

Annatto oil (achuete oil)

Kinchay/chive oil

White baby radish

Mustard seeds

Procedure:

1. Make the raisin tapenade first. Finely mince sundried tomatoes and California raisins, then mix with lime zest and mustard seeds. Shape the mixture into quenelles and set aside.

2. Slice baby radish into medallions and arrange them in a scale pattern of four rows with three medallions each. Set aside.

3. To plate: Lay five slices of fish flat in the center of a wide-bottomed bowl and pour the Leche de Tigre around it. Place the pre-made scale pattern on top, followed by the quenelle of the tapenade and shaved egg yolk. Drizzle annatto oil on the sides of the Leche de Tigre sauce before serving.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is preparing to issue enhanced rules for real estate investment trust (REIT) to boost participation in the space.

SEC chairperson Francis Lim said the revised rules for Republic Act 9856, or the REIT Act of 2009, are currently ‘a work in progress.’

Lim said the SEC is discussing with REIT participants the commission’s own ideas on how to liberalize the REIT rules.

‘We will define what the income-generating assets are. We will enumerate them to minimize issues. What is really an income-generating asset?’ Lim said.

‘For example, electric towers, they’re income-generating, so that can be REIT-able assets. Toll roads, although the company is not the owner, but they have the real right to operate the highway, that long piece of land, that’s a REIT-able asset. So we will be giving examples,’ he said.

Lim said that power plants and cell towers could also be characterized as REITs because, under the law, they are considered immovable properties.

‘Real estate assets are immovable properties and therefore, by definition under the Civil Code, they are real property and therefore, if they generate income on a regular basis, that’s a REIT-able asset,’ Lim said.

‘So it’s like we’re expanding the definition so that more companies will be able to list,’ he said.

In line with its goal of deepening the capital market, the SEC earlier said that it is considering revising the implementing rules and regulations of the REIT Act to better meet market demands.

To promote reforms in REIT, the SEC is reviewing rules to expand eligible assets, lengthen the reinvestment period, and attract broader participation.

The implementing rules and regulations of the Real Estate Investment Act of 2009 were issued in 2020, a move aimed at spurring the growth of the sector.

Companies that own and operate income-generating real estate assets are considered REIT companies.

Congress passed the REIT Act in 2009, as it was deemed a vital vehicle to generate more investments, especially for real estate companies.

Ayala Land’s AREIT was the first REIT in the country, listing its shares in the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2020.

Other REITs soon followed, such as DoubleDragon’s DDMP REIT, Filinvest REIT of the Gotianun family, Megaworld’s MREIT, Gokongwei’s RL Commercial REIT, Citicore Energy REIT and Villar Group’s VistaREIT and Premiere Island Power REIT.

Analysts attribute REIT stet to the inclusion of new asset types such as prime office and residential buildings, hotels, malls and renewable energy infrastructure.

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 7:11 p.m.) – Several ten-wheeler trucks were caught on the three-decade old Piggatan Bridge in Alcala, Cagayan when it collapsed on Monday afternoon, October 6, the Cagayan Provincial Information Office reported.

The collapse reportedly occurred around 5:30 p.m., just as many people were heading home from work.

Piggatan Bridge fell as an 18-wheeler trailer truck loaded with palay was crossing.

No injuries have been reported so far as authorities responded to the scene.

The Piggatan Bridge connects the northern barangays of Alcala to the town center and main highways leading to Tuguegarao City.

Following the collapse, motorists are now forced to take a much longer route through Gattaran, Baggao, or Peñablanca-routes that, according to authorities, could add several hours to travel time.

Police have stated that the collapse will be investigated, as there is no clear indication yet of whether the bridge had sustained prior damage or if the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recently assessed its integrity.

The bridge remains off-limits to vehicles while authorities evaluate the extent of the damage.

The official number of fatalities of the Sept. 30 magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu went back up to 70 yesterday as the management of the dead and missing cluster led by the Department of the Interior and Local Government continued to validate the reported deaths.

As verified so far, the Office of Civil Defense said 32 of the casualties are from Bogo City, while 14 are from Medellin, 15 from San Remegio, six from Tabogon and one each in Sogod, Tabuelan and Borbon.

The number of reported injuries is currently at 559 – with Bogo City, the earthquake’s epicenter, accounting for 180 people hurt, followed by 150 in Tabogon, 66 in Medellin, 86 in San Remigio, 20 in Tabuelan, eight in Borbon, four in Catmon, 29 in Daanbantayan, 14 in San Francisco and two in Carmen.

Latest data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) said a total of 128,294 families or 457,554 persons were affected by the earthquake.

Of the number, at least 407 families or 1,347 persons from affected communities were served inside four evacuation centers or temporary shelters.

The NDRRMC said a total of 18,154 damaged houses were reported in Central Visayas with 3,507 homes reported as destroyed.

Tent cities

Cebu residents displaced by the earthquake can now have temporary shelter following the tent cities put up by the national government.

Public Works Secretary Vivencio Dizon and Philippine Red Cross (PRC) chairman Richard Gordon yesterday led the establishment of tents in Barangay Cogon in Bogo City, alongside Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco and officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Cebu provincial government.

Around 200 tents were put up in Bogo City.

The PRC has brought about 2,500 family tents to be put up in several areas in Cebu. Each tent can accommodate a family of five persons and has blankets and other items for the comfort of the evacuees.

Teresito Bacolcol, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director, said the aftershocks would last for several weeks. He also did not discount the possibility that some of the tremors would have a magnitude of 5.1.

‘Eventually the numbers will decrease. Eventually the magnitude will downgrade,’ he said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City yesterday.

Phivolcs has recorded at least 5,092 aftershocks in Cebu since Tuesday.

Food packs

DSWD has released 75,000 boxes of family food packs (FFPs) to local government units (LGUs) in Cebu, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said yesterday.

He said the 75,000 released FFPs is part of the 142,000 FFPs requested by the 11 quake-hit Cebu LGUs.

The DSWD’s Field Office-7 (FO-7) has deployed its quick response teams in the municipalities of San Remigio and Medellin in Northeastern Cebu to render disaster relief operations.

The FO-7 also continues to lead the profiling of the affected families through the use of Family Access Cards in Emergencies and Disasters in Bogo City.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)’s Gabriela Silang transported relief goods to West of Sabil Point in San Remigio, Cebu yesterday.

The PCG said that LCT Island Shipping helped in the collaborative effort of the Coast Guard District Central Visayas and Coast Guard Station Northern Cebu.

At least 23 PCG personnel, 20 personnel from LCT Island Shipping and one representative from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) assisted in the delivery of relief goods.

The said relief goods are composed of 3,300 food packs and 2,066 evacuation supply kit from PCSO and 66 sacks of rice from the Coast Guard Civil Relations Service.

PCSO general manager Melquiades Robles said evacuation kits and relief goods were also on their way yesterday to typhoon victims in Masbate.

‘We cannot turn away from the suffering of our fellow Filipinos in Masbate and Cebu,’ Robles said in a statement.

Drop-off points

In a similar development, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has offered to use the Tourist Rest Areas built in the province of Cebu as drop-off points for donations to earthquake victims.

The agency brought up the suggestion after the municipal government of Medellin, one of the towns affected by the powerful temblor, announced it has established a 24/7 drop-off area for relief item donations at the Tourist Rest Area built in front of the municipal hall.

‘Our Tourist Rest Areas here in Cebu, including the one in the Municipality of Medellin, continues to be open and it is ready to receive and be a drop-off point for those who may wish to provide assistance to the Cebuanos affected by this tragedy,’ Frasco said.

‘Other tangible relief aid to Cebu may also be dropped-off to other Tourist Rest Area locations in Moalboal, Carcar and Carmen,’ she added.

At least 33 individuals were arrested and P1.83 million worth of suspected shabu was confiscated during a series of anti-illegal drug operations conducted across Central Visayas from October 3 to 4, according to the Police Regional Office-7.

In a 24-hour span, law enforcement operatives intercepted a total of 269.25 grams of suspected shabu.

The largest haul was recorded in Barangay Catarman, Liloan, Cebu, where authorities seized approximately 150 grams of shabu valued at P1.02 million.

The illegal drugs were recovered from a high-value target apprehended through a joint operation by the Liloan Municipal Police Station, the Provincial Intelligence Unit, and the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit.

PRO-7 reported that Cebu Province accounted for the bulk of the seizures, with P1,076,712 worth of narcotics. This was followed by Bohol Province with P376,040, Cebu City with P184,688, Mandaue City with P173,740, and Lapu-Lapu City with P19,720.

PRO-7 Regional Director Police Brigadier General RedricoMaranan commended the participating police units for their continued efforts in combating illegal drugs.

‘Every gram of shabu seized means a life rescued from the chains of addiction. Our men and women will not pause even in times of calamity because the people of Central Visayas deserve safe and drug-free communities,’ Maranan said.

Despite ongoing relief and clearing operations in areas affected by the recent 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Northern Cebu, PRO-7 assured the public that its anti-drug campaign remains active.

Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) has expanded its river cleanup program to Alabang River in Muntinlupa.

SMC said the initiative includes clearing obstructions and widening narrow sections of the waterway to ease flooding that has long affected nearby communities and critical roads.

More than 26,000 tons of silt and waste from a 450-meter stretch of the river, starting at its mouth in Laguna de Bay and going upstream near Cupang Bridge, have been cleared in the two months since work started.

‘Our goal is to provide long-term solutions that would ease flooding for the city’s communities and critical roadways,’ SMC chairman and CEO Ramon Ang said.

‘We owe a great deal of gratitude to Mayor Ruffy Biazon for bringing together the concerned agencies to work with us on a comprehensive approach to solve the problem,’ he said.

The operations are part of remedial measures after severe flooding last July 8 left motorists stranded for hours along South Luzon Expressway.

SMC said that a subsequent investigation found that Alabang River was heavily silted and constricted that rainwater could not flow freely along the waterway.

Several sections of the river had also been narrowed by informal structures and new construction, the company said.

SMC shared the findings with Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon, who then welcomed SMC’s deployment of dredging equipment to begin clearing the river a week after a meeting last July 25.

The company has since been coordinating with the Muntinlupa City Engineering Office, the Department of Public Works and Highways and a nearby private subdivision on efforts to restore the river to its natural depth and width.

SMC said that newly installed sheet piles by a private contractor had to be removed as they were obstructing the flow of water along the channel.

It said that efforts would have to include relocating informal settler families along the riverbanks through a well-coordinated relocation effort for affected families.

Apart from Alabang River, SMC has ongoing cleanup operations that have so far removed 268,979 tons of debris from 5.9 kilometers of Parañaque Rivers around NAIA, 256,920 tons from 2.8 kilometers of Navotas Rivers, 479,278 tons from 6.2 kilometers of San Pedro Rivers in Laguna and 19,842 tons from Las Piñas River.