Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

A drug den was dismantled in Midsayap, Cotabato, with three high-value targets arrested and two fragmentation grenades and P47,000 worth of shabu recovered, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said.

The operation was conducted at 1:45 p.m. Friday in Barangay Upper Labas by the PDEA-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM).

Eugene Morcilla, PDEA provincial officer for the BARMM Special Geographic Area, said the suspects, identified only by their aliases ‘Tammy,’ ‘Vern’ and ‘Roel,’ had been under surveillance for more than a month.

PDEA-BARMM Regional Director George Paul Alcovindas said the operation disrupted an illegal drug network operating in the area.

Four other suspects eluded arrest, Morcilla said.

The three suspects are detained at the PDEA-BARMM facility in Cotabato City and face charges under Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and RA 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.

The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday tagged former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s recent accusations as nothing more than ‘malicious fabrications’ and ‘black propaganda.’

It said the former senator’s refusal to appear before the impeachment court shows that his narrations cannot survive legal scrutiny.

Duterte’s spokesperson Atty. Paolo Panelo Jr. made the pronouncement after Trillanes held a recent press conference.

In the media briefing, Trillanes said that P319 million from the Chinese government and China-based corporations went to CALLE88 Foods Corp., a company linked to the vice president’s husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.

Trillanes further said that a foundation where Duterte is an incorporator, the Tapang at Malasakit Alliance for the Philippines Inc., received a P150 million donation from the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines.

In a statement, Panelo likened these ‘malicious fabrications’ to previous allegations made by various individuals linked to Trillanes, which, Panelo recalled, eventually held no water.

Panelo said these accusations include that of late Atty. Jude Sabio, who ended up withdrawing his communication from the International Criminal Court against former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Panelo also cited the statements of Arturo Lascañas, a self-proclaimed member of the Davao Death Squad who accused the vice president of being one of the architects of the ‘Oplan Tokhang.’

Panelo asserted that it is because of these ‘repeated, unmasked deceptions’ that the Filipino people also ‘rejected’ Trillanes’ attempt to get elected back into public office.

The lawyer then pointed out that Trillanes’ personal decision not to appear before the Senate impeachment court right when Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth was being tackled exacerbated the veracity of his accusations.

‘The moment he was faced with the very first opportunity to test his wild claims against actual facts, verified records, and law through cross-examination by the vice president’s defense team, Trillanes folded,’ Panelo said in a statement.

‘Instead of defending his claims under oath, he chose the comfort of a safe and scripted press conference where his lies could once again go unchallenged,’ he noted.

‘This sudden retreat is absolute proof that his claims cannot survive real legal scrutiny, and are nothing but black propaganda, which is par for the course for a professional character assassin,’ he added.

Panelo said Duterte ‘would gladly sue’ Trillanes for these ‘endless fabrications.’

But now, Panelo thinks the vice president sees that this action will be useless.

‘Confident that the law, the facts, and the evidence are squarely on her side, the vice president will let the evidence before the Senate Impeachment Court speak for itself,’ said Panelo.

‘Her defense team stands ready to refute whatever Trillanes accusation the prosecution believes is even credible enough for the court’s serious consideration,’ he added.

Asked for clarification whether this essentially meant Duterte has no plans to pursue legal action against Trillanes, Panelo responded:

Japanese electronics manufacturer Toshiba Corp. plans to expand its hard disk drive (HDD) manufacturing operations in the Philippines, a move that could create 3,000 additional jobs, according to Malacañang.

On Saturday, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said in a statement that the Marcos administration expressed support for the expansion in a meeting with Toshiba senior executive vice president Koji Ikeya at Malacañang on Thursday.

‘We are rooting for you. We are glad to hear that your investments in the Philippines are doing very well. Your success here gives us more reason to push this expansion forward,’ Recto told Toshiba executives.

Moreover, Recto described Toshiba’s expansion plans as a ‘vote of confidence for the Philippines.’

Likewise, he assured them that the government is ready to work with Toshiba and other major investors to turn expansion plans into new factories, increased investments, and better-paying jobs for Filipinos.

‘This is exactly the kind of investment we want-one that brings technology, expands our manufacturing base, strengthens our role in global supply chains, and, most importantly, creates thousands of jobs for Filipinos,’ Recto said.

Consequently, the planned expansion comes as the Marcos administration seeks to attract more high-tech manufacturing investment and position the Philippines as a hub for advanced manufacturing and AI-supporting industries.

Meanwhile, Recto cited the Luzon Economic Corridor, which connects Subic Bay, Clark, Metro Manila, and Batangas, as a platform for attracting investments in advanced manufacturing and technology supply chains.

Additionally, the corridor focuses on transport, energy, digital infrastructure and advanced manufacturing.

For his part, Ikeya cited the strategic importance of the Philippines to Toshiba’s global operations and signaled the company’s strong interest in further expanding its manufacturing footprint in the country.

The Japanese firm added that the Philippines’ established manufacturing ecosystem, skilled workforce, existing production facilities, and government support as factors driving its interest in expanding local operations.

Toshiba Information Equipment (Philippines) Inc., a manufacturing arm of Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage Corp., recently began manufacturing high-capacity HDDs for data centers at its Laguna Technopark facility.

The company, which marked its 30th anniversary on Saturday, said it is expanding local production to meet growing global demand for storage for artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

Billy Crawford joined the voice cast members of the French version of DreamWorks Animation’s animated film ‘Forgotten Island,’ lending his voice to demon baby Bungi.

Crawford attended the film’s premiere event in Paris and spoke about how the film represents Filipino culture, as seen in a clip by One Filipino TV shared on the actor-performer’s Instagram page on Thursday, Oct. 1.

During the event, he also noted that it was his first time dubbing an animated film.

The character of Bungi was voiced by Filipino-American actor Manny Jacinto in the film’s original version. Other lead voice cast members include Liza Soberano, H.E.R., Lea Salonga, Dolly de Leon, Dave Franco and Jo Koy.

‘Forgotten Island,’ directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, premiered in local cinemas on Sept. 25. The animated film opened to nearly P98 million at the Philippine box office, marking the biggest opening weekend for a DreamWorks Animation film in the country.

A landslide triggered by heavy rains early Saturday, Oct. 3, blocked a portion of a road in Barangay Capaclan in Romblon, prompting local disaster response teams to immediately clear the area.

Personnel from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), Romblon Electric Cooperative and Provincial Engineering Office worked together to remove soil and other debris that had covered the roadway.

Continuous and heavy rainfall in the early morning softened the soil along the roadside, causing it to collapse onto the road.

Clearing operations were launched soon after the incident to remove the debris and restore access along the affected road.

No injuries or other damage were reported in the initial assessment.

Team Philippines officially closes its campaign in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, October 4.

One event remains to be contested-the individual jumping event in equestrian-before the delegations prepare for the closing ceremony and the Games’ conclusion.

Team Philippines schedule for October 4, Sunday at Aichi Nagoya Asian Games 2026

8:30am – Equestrian – Jumping, individual A (heights of 1.40-1.50m) – Colin Syquia (horse: Hocus Pocus) – FINAL second round

5pm – Closing ceremonies at Paloma Mizuho Stadium.

Philippines flag bearer: Jeus Yape (taekwondo)

Police seized an estimated P4.9 million worth of suspected marijuana products and arrested an 18-year-old suspect from Bacnotan, La Union.

This happened during a buy-bust operation in Urdaneta City on Friday, Oct. 2.

The suspect, who is jobless and temporarily residing in Urdaneta City, was also found in possession of an unregistered firearm and ammunition, police said.

The operation yielded 27,730 grams of suspected dried marijuana leaves, 511 grams of suspected marijuana kush and 240 milliliters of suspected liquid marijuana, with a combined standard drug price of P4,913,400.

Police also recovered a genuine P500 bill used as buy-bust money, nine machine-copy P1,000 bills, and a machine-copy P500 bill used as boodle money, a .22-caliber revolver without a serial number loaded with six rounds of ammunition, and a black iPhone 15.

The suspect is in police custody.

He faces charges for alleged violations of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and Republic Act No. 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.

The operation was led by the Urdaneta City Police Station, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 1, and drug enforcement and intelligence units in the region and Pangasinan.

Police Col. Dennis de Leon, officer-in-charge of the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office, noted the importance of sustained, intelligence-driven anti-drug operations and strengthened coordination among law enforcement agencies.

He said the Pangasinan police would continue to intensify operations against illegal drugs and other criminal activities to help ensure public safety and security in the province.

The provincial government of Biliran has secured some P13.846 million in educational assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that is set to be released this month to 3,490 students across the province, Gov. Rogelio Espina said.

Espina said the assistance was secured through requests he made to Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Rep. Gerry Boy Espina.

Of the total, 2,646 high school students will receive P3,000 each, or a combined P7.938 million, to help cover their transportation expenses.

Another 844 college students enrolled at the Biliran Province State University (BiPSU), including its Biliran campus and main campus, will receive P7,000 each, for a total of P5.908 million in educational assistance.

The combined assistance will amount to P13.846 million.

The program will benefit students from all eight municipalities of Biliran.

Based on the provincial government’s allocation, Naval has the largest number of beneficiaries, with 1,606 students, consisting of 1,315 high school and 291 college students. The municipality has a total allocation of P5.982 million.

Cabucgayan has 473 beneficiaries, including 394 high school and 79 college students, with an allocation of P1.735 million.

Kawayan has 334 beneficiaries who will receive a combined P1.366 million, while Maripipi has 322 beneficiaries with P1.014 million in assistance.

In Caibiran, 200 students will receive a combined P1.052 million, while Culaba has 291 beneficiaries who will receive P1.057 million.

Almeria has 145 beneficiaries with an allocation of P903,000, while Biliran municipality has 119 beneficiaries who will receive a combined P737,000.

After facing pushback from the telecommunications industry, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on Friday stood its ground on the P100,000 daily fines imposed on three major operators over ‘poor’ mobile broadband service.

In a statement, the regulator maintained that both the issuance of show-cause orders and the setting of service standards for telco operators are within its mandate and being carried out in accordance with due process.

While acknowledging concerns raised by the Philippine Chamber of Telecommunication Operators (PCTO), the NTC insisted that it was well within its authority to impose penalties to enforce compliance with service standards.

‘The issuance of show-cause orders is part of the process,’ NTC Deputy Commissioner Andres Castelar Jr. said. ‘It gives the concerned operators the opportunity to explain [their] side, present supporting evidence and respond to the Commission’s findings, including its position on the daily penalties, its basis, reckoning point and duration.’

The NTC also maintained that the telcos had been repeatedly notified of their identified service deficiencies and given opportunities to address them.

In an earlier statement, the regulator said it had imposed the fines after its September revalidation found that poor mobile broadband signals in certain areas remained unchanged ‘despite the opportunity afforded mobile network operators to undertake urgent corrective measures.’

The daily fines-slapped on Smart Communications Inc., Globe Telecom Inc. and DITO Telecommunity Corp.-began on Sept. 25 and will remain in place until the operators address the service deficiencies identified by the NTC.

All three telcos, however, said they received their respective show-cause orders only on Sept. 28.

Pointing this out, the PCTO said in a Sept. 30 statement that the three operators were not given ‘adequate notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard, respond to, and contest the NTC’s findings.’

The chamber, which counts some of the Philippines’ largest telco players among its members, also questioned what it described as a lack of transparency surrounding the methodologies and parameters used by the NTC in its tests.

Joint security forces intercepted over P1 million worth of smuggled cigarettes during a random checkpoint along the national highway in Barangay La Paz, Naga town, Zamboanga Sibugay on Friday afternoon, Oct. 2.

Personnel from the Naga municipal police station, with assistance from troops of the Army’s 106th Infantry Battalion and the La Paz temporary patrol base, intercepted a black Mitsubishi Montero Sport carrying the illegal cargo at around 3:55 p.m. at Purok Lubay.

Police Captain Russel Jan Parungao, information officer of the Zamboanga Sibugay Police Provincial Office, said officers flagged down the vehicle after observing suspicious circumstances during the routine check.

A thorough inspection guided by the plain view doctrine revealed 18 master cases and 95 reams of contraband cigarettes hidden inside the SUV.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) appraised the seized smuggled cigarettes at P1,074,000.

The suspect and the confiscated items were brought to the Naga municipal police station for documentation and custody before being turned over to the BOC for proper legal disposition.