Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

A rare green sea turtle found crawling weakly along the shoreline of Barangay Sabang in Calabanga, Camarines Sur, on Friday (Oct. 2) died despite residents’ efforts to save it.

Fishermen and bystanders spotted the turtle at about 5:30 p.m. that day in Zone 7-B, Sitio Maligaya, with a wound on its head.

Village chief Paul Christian Santos said it was not immediately known how the turtle sustained the injury.

Santos told the Inquirer in a phone interview on Saturday that residents tried to save the turtle, but it eventually died.

‘Before burying it, we had it documented. It measured 50 centimeters in length, and 25 centimeters in width, and weighed more than 20 kilograms,’ he said.

He mentioned that the information was forwarded to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Santos urged residents who encounter green sea turtles not to harm them, and to immediately report their sightings to government agencies concerned, as they are endangered species.

The prices of basic necessities across Agusan del Sur have been frozen at their prevailing levels following the provincial government’s declaration of a state of calamity due to severe agricultural damage, critically low supplies of potable water and relentless high temperatures.

The automatic price freeze took effect immediately pursuant to Section 6 of Republic Act No. 7581, or the Price Act of the Philippines, as amended by Republic Act No. 10623, according to a formal bulletin issued Friday by the provincial office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The measure was triggered after the Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved Resolution No. 585-26, series of 2026, on Sept. 24, placing the entire province under a state of calamity. Prolonged dry spells and soaring heat indices have dried up irrigation networks, parched croplands, depleted community water sources and strained household incomes in multiple towns.

Under national law, the price freeze remains in force for the duration of the emergency conditions that prompted it, but may not exceed 60 days unless lifted earlier by the authorities.

The price freeze covers all essential items falling directly under DTI’s jurisdiction. These include canned fish and other processed marine products; processed and condensed milk; coffee; loaf bread and pandesal; bottled drinking water; instant noodles; iodized and coarse salt; laundry soap; powdered detergent; and candles.

DTI cautioned business operators, distributors and public market vendors against unauthorized markups, hoarding and price gouging while residents cope with the dry conditions.

Under the Price Act, individuals and enterprises found guilty of price gouging or violating the freeze order face imprisonment ranging from one to 10 years, fines between P5,000 and P1 million, or both, at the discretion of the court, alongside administrative penalties including the possible revocation of local business permits.

Turning a heartbreaking loss less than a day before into fuel that drove them harder, Khy Progella and Sofiah Pagara captured a historic bronze medal in the Asian Games women’s beach volleyball tournament by rallying past a Chinese pair at Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court on Friday.

The young Alas Pilipinas tandem battled back from a slow start to stun Cao Shuting and Dong Jie, 13-21, 23-21, 15-13, and secure the Philippines’ first-ever Asiad medal in beach volleyball.

‘We are just so overwhelmed with what has taken place,’ Pagara said in Filipino minutes after the win. ‘We really worked hard for this and we feel that we really deserve this.’

Dominated in the first set and facing match point in the second, Progella and Pagara refused to yield, as the hard-fighting pair out of University of Santo Tomas rallied doggedly to force a decider and make it anybody’s match.

From 10-all, Progella and Pagara surged ahead, 14-12, putting themselves within one point of the bronze. China saved one match point, but the Filipinas remained composed.

Dong then sent a pass long, which triggered a celebration from the Philippine side as Progella and Pagara secured their place in Asian Games history.

‘There were really jitters in the first set,’ Progella said. ‘But after that, we were able to overcome the pressure.’

Golfers bow out

Meanwhile, the Philippine golf teams slid down the standings as South Korea, led by PGA star Tom Kim, and China, spearheaded by former world No. 1 and major champion Ruoning Yin, took control of the men’s and women’s team events, respectively, at Kasugai Golf Club’s East course.

Justin delos Santos and Miguel Tabuena both accounted for one-over-par 71s for a third round 142 as the Filipinos fell out of medal contention with a 416 aggregate, 16 shots behind the Koreans.

Rianne Malixi and Bianca Pagdanganan also accounted for 71s for their 142 as the Filipino women fell 13 shots out of the lead with their 418 as Yin powered the Chinese to a 137 after a 66 to lead India by four shots.

Individually, Delos Santos and Malixi remained as the brightest performers for Team Philippines, with Delos Santos tied for 12th spot at 206, down by eight shots to new leader Kim, who fired a 65 for 198.

Infrastructure giant Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) is acquiring an additional 1.9-percent stake in Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) from San Miguel Corp. (SMC) for P12.4 billion, a move reflecting the Pangilinan Group’s bullishness in the power utility.

The group at Meralco’s helm said it had inked an agreement with SMC’s energy arm, San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp. (SMGP), for the acquisition of 21.4 million shares priced at P580.99 apiece, way higher than the P90 price tag SMGP settled in 2025.

Once the transaction has been sealed, MPIC’s direct and indirect shareholding interest in Meralco will increase to 49.4 percent from the current 47.5 percent.

MPIC, which has interests in power, toll roads, water and healthcare, said it intends to fund the acquisition through a combination of internally generated cash and financing.

The deal remains subject to conditions, including the approval of the Philippine Stock Exchange of the special block sale.

‘The transaction represents an increase in MPIC’s effective interests in Meralco and reflects MPIC’s continued confidence in Meralco’s long-term growth prospects and strategic importance to the group,’ it said.

In July last year, SMGP secured P23 billion worth of shares of the utility giant for just P3.89 billion after winning a court dispute that compelled the state-controlled Land Bank of the Philippines to sell based on 17-year-old terms.

Juan Paolo Colet, managing director at investment bank China Bank Capital Corp., said this decision has shown that the Pangilinan Group ‘remains very confident in the future of Meralco’ despite uncertainty about the controversial system loss charges.

‘For San Miguel, it’s an opportunity to monetize a portion of its minority stake at more than six times the original purchase price of P90 per share,’ Colet said.

Toby Allan Arce, head of sales trading at Globalinks Securities and Stocks Inc., also described the sale as a ‘sensible capital-allocation move’ for the Ramon Ang-led group.

Over P3.2 million worth of suspected ‘shabu’ (crystal meth) was intercepted and four individuals were arrested during a back-to-back anti-drug operations here and in the island province of Camiguin.

In an advisory Saturday, Oct. 3, Brig. Gen. Nestor Babagay Jr., Police Regional Office-10 (PRO-10) director, lauded the operatives and vowed to sustain strict, intelligence-driven campaigns against illegal drugs across Northern Mindanao.

‘These operations show our firm resolve against the illegal drugs trade. We will intensify our operations, strengthen intelligence efforts, and hold those involved accountable,’ he said.

The bulk of the illegal drugs was seized late night on Thursday, Oct. 1, in a buy-bust operation in Lower Tambo, Barangay Macasandig in this city.

Operatives from the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit-10 (RPDEU-10) and allied intelligence units arrested a 35-year-old man identified only as alias ‘Bossing,’ categorized as a high-value individual.

They also nabbed a 41-year-old jeepney driver alias ‘Eska.’

Police also confiscated six plastic sachets containing around 470 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated standard drug price of P3,196,000.

Also seized were a red sling bag and a P1,000 bill used as buy-bust money.

Barely hours later, at 2:35 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, joint police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-10) operatives enforced a search warrant in Camiguin.

This led to the arrest of unemployed live-in partners, alias ‘Pat,’ 35, and ‘Mae,’ 49.

The couple, classified as street-level peddlers, yielded 10 sachets of suspected shabu weighing 10 grams values at P68,000 and a sachet of suspected marijuana worth P3,600.

‘All four suspects are currently in police custody and will face charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002,’ Navarro said in a text message.

The Portland Trail Blazers fired new play-by-play television broadcaster Braiden Bell on Thursday when inappropriate social media posts that he made as a teenager resurfaced just hours after the team announced his hiring.

‘The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments,’ the team said in a statement Thursday night. ‘Social media posts made by our recently announced play-by-play broadcaster are in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster.’

Bell had been the play-by-play announcer for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the G League’s Valley Suns before the Trail Blazers announced they had hired him on Thursday to replace longtime broadcaster Kevin Calabro. Hours after the 29-year-old Bell was hired, posts surfaced that Bell made on his X account in 2012 and 2013, when the platform was known as Twitter. The posts were first reported by KGW-TV in Portland.

Bell apologized in a social media post Friday.

‘I am deeply sorry for the language that I used on Twitter. These tweets, while wrong, were written by me 14 years ago while I was only 15 years old and have no reflection of who I am today,’ he said. ‘I do not take lightly any harm it causes now. I regret this being my first impression to many of you online, but I can take solace in knowing that the people who truly know me understand that this is not the kind of person I am. Again, I’d like to apologize to anyone who was hurt by my words and will continue to always treat people with kindness and respect.’

The Blazers said in a statement: ‘We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City. We believe strongly that everyone who is a part of Rip City should feel welcome and safe and we will make sure that our new broadcaster reflects these values. We will do better.’

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday urged parents to watch for behavioral changes among their children as he called for greater vigilance to prevent school violence following a series of incidents involving students.

The call came after school shooting incidents in Tacloban City, Zamboanga City, and South Cotabato that resulted in at least eight deaths and several injuries in the past three months.

‘We must closely watch over our children, our young people. We must ensure that they do not get involved in these kinds of acts. This is not easy to do-we all need to be vigilant and work together,’ the president said in his remarks after visiting Patul Elementary School in Santiago City, Isabela.

‘We must do this together, including the parents. Of course, you are the first ones who need to watch your children for changes in their behavior-if they become unusually sad, angry, or anything else. We simply need to keep a close eye on them,’ Mr. Marcos added.

Protecting young people, the president said, is a shared responsibility among parents, teachers, and the government.

Teener found with gun

‘We need everyone-the national government and local governments-to work together and help ensure that our children can study well and remain safe, so that we do not see any more unfortunate incidents,’ Mr. Marcos added.

On Thursday, a 15-year-old student in Catarman, Northern Samar, yielded a gun and bullets after policemen, who were responding to an alert from school authorities, confronted him inside a classroom at Catarman National High School on Thursday.

This came after another student told a teacher that the Grade 10 student was allegedly carrying a firearm inside the classroom, reports from the Eastern Visayas regional police showed.

The teacher reported the matter to the school administration, which then notified the Catarman municipal police.

Police recovered a .45-caliber pistol without a serial number, four magazines and 10 rounds of ammunition from the minor. The student reportedly told authorities that the gun and bullets belonged to his father, who is a bus driver.

A source, who asked not to be named due to lack of authority to speak to reporters, told the Inquirer that authorities were assessing whether the minor had acted with discernment when he brought the firearm to school, a determination that could affect whether a complaint may be filed.

The source said the student claimed he had no intention of harming anyone.

No class suspension

Classes at the school, which has more than 5,000 enrolled students, were not suspended following the incident.

But police met with school officials to review and strengthen safety and security measures to protect students, teachers and other school personnel.

Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson on Saturday said information revealed by former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV in connection with Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment case has ‘no probative value.’

Trillanes on Friday held a press conference at which he revealed the contents of his testimony that was supposed to be presented to the Senate impeachment court.

This came after the House prosecution team announced that it would no longer present Trillanes as a witness on the alleged unexplained wealth charges against the vice president.

In an interview with DWIZ 882, Lacson, a senator-judge, said Trillanes’ claims lacked probative value because they were made at a press conference.

‘It has no probative value. First of all, that was a press conference. Secondly, it isn’t even part of the court record. So, how could it possibly have probative value?’ he explained when asked if Trillanes’ statement carried weight.

He added, ‘Now, it is up to the prosecution to present a witness who has the documents presented by Senator Trillanes.’

Among the allegations Trillanes raised were more than P319 million that CALE88 Foods Corp., a company linked to Duterte’s husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, received from the Chinese government and China-based corporations.

For Lacson, if the former senator’s testimony were presented before the court, it would be met with objections.

‘All I can say is that whether it takes place in an impeachment court or at a trial, I expect a barrage of objections from the defense-from the respondent’s side,’ he said.

From a general viewpoint, he said statements from individuals with no personal knowledge or competence regarding the matter usually encounter objections from counsel.

‘Regarding the records, the source of those official records should be the one to testify – not relying on a third party, so to speak, who lacks personal knowledge,’ he stated.

South Korea won men’s football gold at the Asian Games, beating host Japan 1-0 in Saturday’s final to lift the gloom after a disastrous World Cup and series of damaging controversies.

Swansea City’s Eom Ji-sung rifled in on the hour to give the Koreans their fourth straight title in front of 30,000 fans at Toyota Stadium near Nagoya.

Japan was looking to win gold for the first time since 2010 and was coached by Go Oiwa, who will take over the senior national team after next year’s Asian Cup.

The Asian Games are contested between under-23 squads with three overage players.

South Korea endured a miserable World Cup in North America this year, going out in the group stage after a shock loss to South Africa.

Coach Hong Myung-bo quit but his departure did little to quell public outrage over the disappointing campaign and added fuel to pre-existing questions about how he was hired.

Police raided Korean FA headquarters in August as part of an investigation into Hong’s 2024 appointment.

The KFA also apologized for allegations that it provided sexual entertainment for foreign referees.

Eom, who played at their dismal World Cup, put a smile on Korean faces with a brilliant goal, lashing home a left-foot shot against the run of play.

The win secured military exemptions for South Korea’s players.

Nearly every able-bodied South Korean male is required to perform at least 18 months of military service, but the government rewards Asian Games gold medals and Olympic medals of any colour with an exemption.

This year’s squad follows in the footsteps of senior captain Son Heung-min and Atletico Madrid playmaker Lee Kang-in.

The Koreans had players with European experience throughout their team and Eom threatened with an early chance that went over the bar.

Japan, fielding a mostly home-based Under-21 team, suffered a setback when forward Uche Nwadike was stretchered off midway through the first half with a knee injury.

The 40th Negros Trade Fair (NTF) ‘Butlak 2026′ generated around P118 million in combined reported sales, reflecting strong market demand for Negrense products and enterprises, NTF chairperson MaryAnn Colmenares said.

Organized by the Association of Negros Producers (ANP), the six-day trade fair was held at SMX Convention Center at SM Aura Premier, from Sept. 22 to 27.

Colmenares said P75 million came from spot sales, while P43 million came from business-to-business sales, including business orders and transactions generated through institutional buyers, retailers, distributors, and other business partners.

Spot sales increased from P54 million in the previous edition to P75 million this year, representing a 39-percent increase or an additional P21 million in direct consumer purchases, she added.

The strong results underscore the continued demand in the Metro Manila market for products created by Negrense entrepreneurs, makers, designers, food producers and creative enterprises, Colmenares pointed out.

Butlak 2026 marked the 40th edition of the Negros Trade Fair, one of the country’s longest-running regional trade fairs. The milestone edition showcased the breadth of Negros’ craftsmanship, food, design, creativity, and enterprise, Colmenares said.

Spearheaded by the ANP, its rollout was done in partnership with the provincial government of Negros Occidental and the SM Group.

The results reflect the growing market reach of Negrense enterprises and the continued demand for products rooted in local craftsmanship, creativity, food, design, and innovation, Colmenares added.