Category: Philippine Star

A suspected drug peddler was killed in an alleged shootout with police and P1.7 million worth of shabu was recovered during a sting in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte on Saturday.

Lt. Col. Esmael Madin, town police chief, said police were about to frisk and handcuff 25-year-old Saidamin Esmail after he handed over 250 grams of shabu to an agent.

However, after sensing it was a sting, Esmail and his companions, identified only as Mursid and Kadir, allegedly fired at the operatives, sparking a shootout near a state university campus.

Oil firms will implement mixed price adjustments starting Tuesday, October 14, reflecting fluctuations in global crude markets.

In separate advisories, Shell, SeaOil and Petrogazz said they will make the following price movements:

Gasoline – increase of P0.30 per liter

Kerosene – decrease of P0.20 per liter

Diesel – unchanged

The adjustments will take effect 6 a.m. Tuesday for most oil firms, while Cleanfuel will enforce the same changes starting 4:01 p.m.

The DOE’s Oil Industry Management Bureau earlier said international oil prices have been influenced by threats surrounding the U.S. government shutdown, rising crude inventories in the U.S., and fears of oversupply following the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) remains to be the leading cause of respiratory illness especially in young children1, prompting experts to raise awareness about the burden of the disease through better surveillance and prevention efforts8.

In a forum initiated by Pfizer dubbed, ‘RSV: The Invisible Thief that Breaks Breath’ held at Rockwell, Makati, the discussion highlighted RSV’s understated yet threatening impact on both ends of the age spectrum-infants under six months1 and older adults over 60, particularly those living with chronic medical conditions2-4.

‘We are taking this awareness initiative to help provide more information to the public because RSV is a real threat; it’s like a thief that takes away the patient’s ability to breathe. The good news is that it is preventable, so no life should be lost because of RSV. Breathing normally again requires more than just rest, especially when RSV is involved,’ said Deborah Seifert, cluster lead at MISP.

The forum included experts in the medical field including Dr. Analyn Fallarme, VP of the Philippine Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology (PIDSOG); Dr. Faith Villanueva, chair of the Philippine Society of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID) Vaccination Committee; and Dr. Anna Lisa Ong-Lim, professor of Infectious and Tropical Disease in Pediatrics, UP-PGH College of Medicine, who delivered the keynote address.

RSV: The thief that breaks breathing

RSV is one of the most common, highly contagious and life-threatening viruses that cause lower respiratory tract infections such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia1,3,7. The virus can be transmitted in several ways: from an infected person through the air or droplets, and by direct contact with an infected person or contaminated surfaces13,16.

A person may become contagious a day or two before showing signs of being sick and are usually contagious for three to eight days. RSV patients with weakened immune systems may remain contagious for at least four weeks13.

Symptoms are flu-like for upper respiratory illness, which include runny nose, sore throat, headache, fatigue and fever. For lower respiratory tract infection, symptoms may include cough, bronchospasm, wheezing, fast breathing and shortness of breath16.

A potential health threat to babies

Across the globe, RSV is responsible for 33 million infections and 3.6 million hospitalizations in children under five6. Nearly 40% of these hospitalizations occur in infants under six months each year, many of whom are too young for routine vaccinations6,9.

In the Philippines, a nine-year case series study involving hospitalized severe pneumonia patients aged five years old and below showed 27% of the viruses detected were RSV14.

In its own research conducted from May 2022 to April 2024, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) indicated that RSV in the Philippines is the most prevalent from May to December although transmission of the virus was present year-round8.

Positivity rate of RSV in the country is 20% based on data from the RSV Surveillance Pilot Project conducted from Jan. 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025, reaching as high as 66.7% during peak season8.

PIDSOG affirms that RSV is one of the most detected respiratory viruses in the Philippines each year, and is the leading cause of hospitalization among infants and young children5.

A pregnant mother’s way of protecting baby from the womb

Early and comprehensive protection from pregnancy to the postnatal period is crucial through regular health monitoring, respiratory care, proper hygiene and adherence to medical guidance. It is critical to protect an infant’s health during their first days after birth because it is during this stage when an infant’s immune system is still immature17,19.

It not only reduces the risk of severe complications and mortality but also helps build long-term respiratory health in young children. Protection from infectious diseases mainly depends on maternal antibodies transferred to the baby18.

Pregnant women can protect their unborn child from RSV through maternal immunization1. RSV vaccines administered during pregnancy pass protective antibodies to the baby via the placenta, forming a natural defense during the baby’s first vulnerable months of life10.

POGS, along with PIDSOG, advocate maternal immunization, concurring with the World Health Organization’s previously issued position paper on immunization for the protection of infants against RSV1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) likewise recommends maternal immunization for flu and Tdap19.

PIDSOG recommends a single dose of RSV vaccine for pregnant women from 28 weeks of gestation onwards except during active labor. The organization adds that maternal vaccination should ideally happen two weeks before delivery, although the group does not currently recommend repeat vaccination in succeeding pregnancies5.

‘RSV is a menace that continues to evolve, that’s why it is crucial for everyone to keep ourselves aware and informed. Pregnant women need to know that they can now protect their babies before they are even born through maternal immunization,’ said Dr. Fallarme.

Reducing health risk for older adults and vulnerable populations

The burden of RSV on older adults over 60 years, including those with underlying medical conditions, is just as serious as the threat on infants3,13.

There is increased risk of severe RSV illness for older adults who have underlying chronic medical conditions like asthma, COPD, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neuropathy, congenital heart disease and other comorbid illnesses3,12,20, 21.

RSV symptoms in older adults often mimic flu or asthma, fatigue, wheezing or low-grade fever, making early diagnosis difficult7,11,12. Left untreated, RSV can exacerbate heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), leading to hospitalization or even death11,12.

As of April 2025, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has approved recommendations for a single-dose RSV vaccination for adults 50-59 years old who are at risk of severe RSV illness15.

There is no specific treatment for RSV infection22, but it can be diagnosed through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and antigen testing23,24.

While vaccines are now available for prevention of RSV25, the public is advised to consult their physicians.

Message sent With triple-double-making rookie Juan Gomez de Liaño as spearhead, Converge issued a strong warning to the regular contenders with a 129-92 shrinking of Titan Ultra in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup last night at Ynares-Montalban.

Flexing their powered-up crew after a massive pre-season buildup, the FiberXers under new coach Delta Pineda stormed to an early 16-5 upperhand.

That sizzling start and dominant play of Converge plus the sidelining of Titan leader Calvin Abueva at the 7:38 mark of the first canto threw off the Giant Risers, who couldn’t get into groove like they did in their previous 100-96 upset of Meralco and fell to 1-1.

Abueva was a big difference in the memorable debut of the league’s newest ball club last Wednesday, firing a career-high 41, but he managed only two in over four minutes before going out with a tight right hamstring versus the FiberXers.

De Liaño, the No. 2 pick overall in the draft, turned in a sparkling 15-point, 10-rebound, 11-assist output to become the first freshman to produce a triple-double in his maiden appearance. It’s also a first for a rookie since Scottie Thompson posted that statline in 2016.

Justin Arana similarly dished out a career milestone, banging in 28 and grabbing a new personal best 22 boards in his first 20-20 game in the league.

They were surrounded by strong performances from Schonny Winston (16), Alec Stockton (13) and Kevin Racal (12 on a 4-of-5 clip from deep) as the FiberXers gifted Pineda the honors of posting the biggest winning margin of 37 for a debuting PBA coach.

”Yung pacing ng game na gusto namin – mabilis – nagawa ng mga bata. And I think they enjoyed the game and ‘yan ang pinakamahalaga doon,’ said Pineda.

De Liaño deflected credit, saying it was a great performance all across the board.

‘It’s a total team effort and I give props and credit to our coaching staff and especially our players. We’re able to execute the game plan and we focused a lot on defense and I think we emphasized that really, really well today,’ he said.

Josh Munzon carried the load for Titan with 31, but caught fire late and dropped 18 of them in the final period.

Notes: Veteran guard Maverick Ahanmisi is set to leave Barangay Ginebra soon. Ahanmisi, who lurked in the bench behind Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarientos, shared he had approached team governor Alfrancis Chua and asked for a trade and received a positive response. ‘As a player, you want the opportunity to showcase your talent, so it’s kind of a fine line between being patient and waiting your turn. But I just turned 34. I’m now at the back half of my career. There’s not much time to waste for me,’ he said in a video posted on social media. It’s not immediately revealed where Ahanmisi is headed next.

Fatalism is one of the less admirable Filipino mindsets. It is represented by the term ‘bahala na’. When we say bahala na we refer to our attitude to accept whatever happens as having been bound or decreed to happen. Fortunately, even if we believe the happenstance of something as inescapable, we possess the ability to find humor, in words or in deeds, when such inevitable eventuality takes place. We cushion the impact of bahala na incidents with ‘weder-weder lang ‘yan’. And so with such light spiritedness, we roll with the punches, so to speak.

Let me cite Alejandro Ilagan Atienza, more popularly known as Kim Atienza. Sometime ago, he was a resident weather anchor in the primetime news program of ABS-CBN called TV Patrol. To end each of his segments of weather reports, broadcaster Kim would always say ‘sa bawat pagsubok ng panahon, laging tatandaan na ang buhay ay weather-weather lang.’ With that proverbial line, including the prostituted localization of weather into ‘weder’, the television meteorologist drew the analogy of the unpredictability of life to the unforeseen changes of weather conditions. Kuya Kim, in his reportage was perceived to concede to the belief that most of the time we do not have control of the circumstances that happen to our lives. It may, indeed, be true that according to this fatalistic mindset almost all of the things that have had happened to us are way out of our control.

The case of former president Joseph Ejercito Estrada was a classic exemplification of ‘weder-weder lang’. Estrada brilliantly rose to power in amazing political weather. Even if his opponent, then Speaker of the House of Representatives Jose de Venecia was fully backed up by inexhaustible Malacañang resources, Erap clobbered JDV in unprecedented numbers. But the weder-weder lang being a phrase referring to just inevitable cycle of ups and downs, his fortune changed. His exit from the presidency was the worst inglorious political weather of his life. Estrada was under extreme duress when he left Malacañang.

Enter the scene of another Philippine president. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, enjoying his best political weder, had the service of a Jose Calida. If I were to imagine a Duterte marching order to Calida, the former told the latter ‘Bahala ka na, Calida, kay Sereno.’ Permit me to opine that to kick Maria Lourdes “Meilou” Aranal Sereno out as chief justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, Calida performed a legal exhibition in using quo warranto rather than the more common constitutionally enshrined process called impeachment. Believe me, Serena’s ouster happened because it had to happen in Duterte’s best political weather condition.

All bulletins seem to point to the change of weather. Public pulse indicates that the political wheel has spun. Like the lyrics of a song, Tatay Digong and his breed once spiraled high, they have plummeted down. What I discern is that the assumption of Jesus Crispin “Boying” Catibayan Remulla as the Ombudsman is completing the weather cycle of the Dutertes. They are no longer up. They are down. With former president Digong incarcerated in faraway Netherlands, a legal exhibition against Vice President Sara Duterte Carpio, under the leadership of a Calido lookalike in Remulta, is likely to roll forward. If Calida did not use the impeachment route against the chief justice, Remulla, according to his initial meeting with the press, is also poised to keep off the impeachment channel. It is not impossible to imagine that the president might have told the ombudsman ‘bahala ka na kay vice president.’

A popular Filipino dish usually made from grilled and chopped pig’s head and served on a sizzling plate, Sisig is best known as a favorite pulutan (accompaniment) for beer or gin sessions with the boys, but it is also great as a viand to go with freshly cooked rice as a meal.

The dish has since evolved from being simply the Pork Sisig that it was invented to be, as many different versions of it resulted from kitchen experiments, including Chicken Sisig using preferred parts of the poultry, Tuna Sisig, Bangus Sisig, Tahong Sisig (mussels), and Shrimp Sisig.

Pasta, meanwhile, has also become a preferred food choice in recent years because it is versatile and complete and serves as a one-dish meal for your harried lifestyle.

Aside from the classics, such as Bolognese, Pomodoro, Pesto, Carbonara, Arrabiata, Puttanesca and Aglio Olio, a pasta dish can be any Filipino dish tossed in pasta these days. Adobo, tuyo in oil, tinapa for that heavenly smoky flavor, or even Laing Pasta are some of the Filipino twists to the classic pasta.

So, how about combining the two in one dish? Sisig Pasta – and you can serve it on a sizzling plate, too? Chef Jackie Ang Po came up with the brilliant idea, put them together in a dish, and called it Sizzling Spicy Sisig Pasta.

Sizzling Spicy Sisig Pasta

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Sunny Farms cooking oil

500 grams cooked sisig

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 pc. onion, chopped

2 cups pork stock

1 cup all-purpose cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 pc. siling haba

1 pc. siling labuyo

1 pack Armando Fettuccine

Siling labuyo and siling haba for garnish

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in pan. Sauté onion. Add minced garlic, then the cooked sisig.

2. Pour in stock. Make sure you scrape the yummy bits off the pan and mix it in with the stock.

3. Once mixture simmers, add mayonnaise, all-purpose cream, and the optional siling haba and siling labuyo in case you like your dish spicy. Once done, remove from heat and set aside.

4. Cook pasta according to package directions. Use 1 liter of water for every 500 grams of pasta. Transfer pasta to a bowl of cold water to shock it and stop the cooking process.

5. Add a little bit of water to the sisig with sauce in pan. Simmer. Then toss in cooked pasta. Mix and serve on sizzling plates.

Keanu Jahns and Rupert Zaragosa could once again find themselves battling for supremacy – this time on the tight, demanding fairways of Del Monte Golf Club.

The P3.5 million ICTSI Del Monte Championship gets going Tuesday, ushering in a high-stakes three-tournament stretch to cap the Philippine Golf Tour season.

Jahns, known for his versatility and power, thrives on courses that allow him to unleash his long game as shown in his consecutive wins at Caliraya Springs and the Bacolod Challenge.

At least seven people were reported dead following the magnitude 7.4 and 6.8 earthquakes that struck Davao and nearby areas on Friday, authorities said.

As of yesterday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported 11 people injured and no missing persons.

Details on the fatalities and injuries have yet to be released, except that they are from the Davao and Caraga regions.

The NDRRMC said a total of 3,519 families, or 8,436 people, were affected by the twin quakes. Of these, 2,468 families or 7,915 individuals are currently staying in 29 evacuation centers in quake-hit areas.

Disaster response teams continue to assess the extent of damage.

So far, a total of 441 houses were damaged across 58 barangays in Davao Oriental, 15 in Davao del Norte, 14 in Davao de Oro and three in Dinagat Islands.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed 1,552 family food packs, 606 ready-to-eat meals and 969 non-food items worth P3.75 million to affected communities.

Two mobile kitchens and communication hubs were also deployed to restore connectivity and provide hot meals in areas where power was disrupted.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian directed a rights-based and rapid response approach, emphasizing the immediate delivery of food and humanitarian assistance, as well as psychosocial support for children and women in evacuation centers.

The Philippine National Police (PNP), meanwhile, ordered a comprehensive assessment of all police facilities and equipment in Davao Oriental and nearby provinces following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck off the coast of Manay.

PNP acting chief Lt. Gen. Jose Nartatez Jr. instructed regional directors in affected areas, particularly in the Davao and Caraga police regional offices, to inspect all stations, headquarters and infrastructure for possible structural damage.

Reports from the regional assessments will be consolidated and submitted to the NDRRMC.

Nartatez said all police units in Mindanao remain on full alert and are ready to assist in rescue, relief and security operations.

He likewise reminded police commanders to maintain visibility patrols to deter looting and other crimes in evacuation centers and heavily affected communities.

Cebu quake

Meanwhile, the death toll from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that rocked Cebu and nearby provinces on Sept. 30 remains at 74, with 559 others injured.

The NDRRMC said 79,959 houses and 773 infrastructure, including government facilities and schools, were damaged across Central Visayas.

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora yesterday turned over cash assistance to the province of Cebu and Bogo City to support relief and recovery operations.

Zamora turned over a P1-million check to Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro at the provincial capitol in Cebu City, then traveled to Bogo City, where he handed another P1-million check to Mayor Maria Cielo Martinez. The cash assistance was sourced from the disaster risk reduction fund of San Juan City, as approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

Zamora, who is League of Cities of the Philippines president, also turned over another P1-million check from the LCP to Bogo City.

As part of ongoing humanitarian and disaster relief operations in Northern Cebu, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) transported relief items aboard a C-130 cargo aircraft from Villamor Air Base in Pasay City to Benito Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

The shipment included water filters, sleeping mats, towels and blankets donated by the Rotary Club of Pasay Southeast, led by its president, Rynah Ventura.

Also onboard were folding beds, boxes of assorted relief goods and sacks of rice from the Office of Civil Defense.

‘These supplies were intended for communities affected by the recent earthquake in Northern Cebu. This sustained effort reinforces the PAF’s steadfast commitment to provide rapid airlift support and ensure the prompt delivery of vital assistance to disaster-affected communities, in close coordination with partner agencies and organizations,’ the PAF said.

National University wore down La Salle in the clutch, 82-78, and regained hold of the pole position in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament Sunday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Sampaloc, Manila.

The Bulldogs uncorked a 27-17 rally in the fourth to take command but needed one last stand to repel the Green Archers’ comeback attempt sans ace forward Mason Amos, who went down with a suspected knee injury, to notch their second straight win since absorbing their lone scar so far against the title holder UP.

NU jacked up its slate to 5-1, breaking a tie with University of Santo Tomas (4-1), which just handed Ateneo (4-2) its second straight defeat via triple overtime on Saturday in the race among surprise leaders at the tail end of the first round. UP (3-2) and La Salle (2-3), the finalists in the last two seasons, are in catch-up mode after flat starts in the UAAP’s new order.

It’s a tale of night and day for NU, which bled for only five wins last season owing to an All-Filipino squad following the injury of foreign student-athlete Mo Diassana from Mali in the first game. With Omar John, the Bulldogs already tallied the same number of wins in the first around alone with a chance to surpass it against Ateneo to end the round.

“The boys really wanted it even sa practice pa lang. They’re so focused, and at the same time relaxed kung anong gusto nilang gawin. We know that when we entered the game, alam na nila kung anong gagawin nila,” said assistant Vic Ycasiano as head coach Jeff Napa had to rush to the Ynares Sports Center i. Antipolo for the PBA game of Terrafirma, where he also serves as one of Ronald Tubid’s assistants.

Jake Figueroa, the team’s captain and scoring leader, was steady anew with 18 points on a stellar 7-of-10 clip to go along eight rebounds and two steals. But it was PJ Palacielo who wreaked the heaviest damage on the Green Archers by firing 10 of his 16 points in the fourth period.

Palacielo capped his payoff period assault with a short heave on bruising defender Mike Phillips to make it a 76-70 cushion for the Bulldogs, who banked on a freethrow shooting spree to thwart the Archers’ uprising behind the three-point barrages of Kean Baclaan and Jacob Cortez.

Paul Francisco and Gelo Santiago contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Reinhard Jumamoy scored all of his eight points in the fourth quarter but none bigger than his defensive stand when he stripped Phillips off a rebound to preserve NU’s 77-75 lead in the waning seconds.

From a 70-76 deficit inside the last two minutes, Cortez willed La Salle back to the game with four straight points paired with EJ Gollena’s freebie to strike within one point that led the way for a fouling game in the last 17 seconds.

La Salle had a chance to even tie the game or steal it on a game-winning triple with a Phillips rebound after Jake Figueroa split his charities only for Jumamoy to slam that door with a crucial steal.

Francisco pretty much iced the deal with two free throws as Kean Baclaan’s last heave trey for a 79-78 count hardly mattered with only two seconds left. Jumamoy and John took care of their freebies for the final score.

Phillips and Cortez churned out 15 points each while Baclaan chalked up 11 for the Green Archers, who absorbed a double whammy with their second straight defeat coupled with Amos’ right knee injury.

According to head coach Topex Robinson, Amos, who was already brought to the Makati Medical Center, heard a pop on his right knee after a wild scramble early in the fourth quarter. He will undergo MRI, and his test result is expected to be out as soon as possible.

In women’s basketball, Tin Cayabyab (18), Marga Villanueva (15) and Angel Surada (14) connived as NU tied Ateneo for second place at 4-1 with an 86-68 win over La Salle (0-4)

The scores:

NU 82 – Figueroa 18, Palacielo 16, Francisco 13, Santiago 12, Jumamoy 8, Parks 6, Garcia 4, John 3, Manansala 2, Enriquez 0, Padrones 0, Dela Cruz 0, Navarro 0, Reyes 0.

La Salle 78 – Phillips 15, Cortez 15, Baclaan 11, Pablo 8, Amos 7, Gollena 6, Macalalag 5, Abadam 4, Daep 3, Dungo 2, Nwankwo 2, Melencio 0, Marasigan 0.

Quarterscores: 21-23, 40-40, 55-61, 82-78.

Amid the strong shaking from a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Davao Oriental on October 10, a woman safely gave birth to her first child while temporarily staying in an evacuation area, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

According to a statement from the health department on Saturday, October 11, the mother gave birth simultaneously with the shaking of the 7.4-magnitude earthquake.

‘Meron kaming mobile curtain, nilagyan namin siya for privacy reasons. Pinaanak namin po siya doon,’ Dr. Bryan Dalid, Medical Center Chief II of the DOH-Davao Regional Medical Center, said.

(We have a mobile curtain, which we set up for her for privacy reasons. We delivered her baby there.)

‘Ang nagpaanak po sa kanya ang ating resident OB doctor at ang ating pong midwife,’ he added.

(Our resident OB doctor and our midwife delivered her baby.)

She was among the evacuees, along with 662 other patients, as part of the hospital’s precautionary measures.

The mother and child are safe and in good condition, according to the DOH. They were advised to return to the DOH-DRMC for their follow-up checkups.

Meanwhile, the DOH also said the woman’s delivery will be fully covered by the Zero Balance Billing program.

The latest report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council recorded eight deaths and 146 injured individuals from the magnitude 7.4 and 6.8 earthquakes in Davao Oriental.