Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Motorists will see a mixed movement in oil prices Tuesday, Oct. 6, with gasoline and kerosene prices rising by P1.90 to P3.30 per liter, respectively, while diesel prices drop by P1.30 per liter. The possible price increases to continuing concerns over supply disruptions caused by the conflict in the Middle East, as well as China’s decision to suspend oil product exports to markets outside Hong Kong and Macau, raising fears of worsening global fuel shortages.

Below are the prices monitored and gathered by Inquirer team as ot Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026.

Stronger measures are needed to protect environmental defenders from attacks and address the land and resource conflicts that place communities at risk, Sen. Loren Legarda said in a statement on Tuesday, noting that Global Witness had documented 12 killings in the Philippines in 2025, the highest number recorded outside Latin America that year.

‘Environmental defenders’ don’t refer only to activists. Those at risk can be farmers defending their land, indigenous communities protecting ancestral domains, or residents raising concerns about projects that may affect their water, livelihoods, forests, and communities.

‘No one should have to risk their life simply for raising these concerns,’ Legarda said.

Accountability and prevention

Legarda cited the findings released by Global Witness on Sept. 16, 2026, in its report ‘Collective Power: The Struggle for Protection for Land and Environmental Defenders’

According to that report, at least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed worldwide in 2025, bringing to 2,375 killings and long-term disappearances it has documented since it began its annual reporting in 2012.

The organization has described the Philippines as the deadliest country in Asia for people protecting land and the environment since 2012.

Globally, the report said, land disputes were linked to more than half of the killings documented in 2025, while mining was the deadliest identified sector, with 11 related killings, four of them in the Philippines.

‘People who ask if their farms would be lost, if rivers would be affected, or if the land they inherited from their ancestors will be protected should not be considered enemies of progress. Communities have the right to be heard when decisions can permanently affect the places where they live and the resources they depend on,’ Legarda said in a mix of Filipino and English.

Protecting environmental defenders, she stressed, requires both accountability when attacks occur and prevention before disputes turn violent.

‘But protection must also begin much earlier by respecting land and resource rights, involving affected communities in decisions, and identifying environmental and social risks before projects are approved,’ she said.

Environmental protection measures

To address the issues related to environmental protection, Legarda has pursued measures.

She has filed Senate Bill No. 311, or the proposed Indigenous Community Conserved Territories and Areas Act, which seeks to recognize the community-conserved territories and areas of Indigenous Peoples and cultural communities and establish a national framework for their recognition and protection.

This approach is also reflected in the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018, or Republic Act No. 11038, which Legarda principally authored and co-sponsored. The law strengthened the protection and management of ecologically important areas and provided a stronger legal framework for conserving the country’s biodiversity.

Legarda is also pushing for Senate Bill No. 1251, or the proposed Philippine Environmental Assessment System Act, which seeks to establish a comprehensive system for evaluating the environmental consequences of policies, programs, plans, and projects and to create a National Environmental Protection Agency.

For Legarda, environmental assessment should include prevent communities from discovering the consequences of a project only after damage has already occurred.

‘Environmental assessment must identify those risks early, and the people who will live with the consequences must be heard,’ she said.

Legarda stressed that the country’s record cited by Global Witness shows why environmental protection must include both strong laws and real protection for the people who defend natural resources on the ground.

Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa has yet to surrender most of his firearms registered under his name after his gun licenses and registrations were revoked, the Philippine National Police-Civil Security Group (PNP-CSG) said on Monday.

‘From 117, they have turned in 26, so we still have 91. We are continuing our coordination with his legal officer,’ PNP-CSG Director Maj. Gen. Aden Lagradante said in a press briefing.

The PNP-Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP-FEO) canceled Dela Rosa’s firearms licenses and registrations based on the order dated May 26 and signed by FEO chief Brig. Gen. Jose Manalad Jr.

‘By our rules, [the firearms] should be surrendered, but the latest information is that they are still in the process of accounting for the remaining [ones],’ Lagradante said, adding that Dela Rosa’s camp had sought a reconsideration of the revocation through a letter to the PNP-FEO.

The PNP-FEO previously said Dela Rosa holds a Type 5 License to Own and Possess Firearms, which was originally valid until March 10, 2034, with 117 assorted firearms registered in his name.

Following the revocation, the fugitive senator and his representatives are required to turn over all firearms registered under his name to the police.

According to Section 4(g) of Republic Act No. 10591, firearm holders should not be convicted or are currently accused in a pending criminal case for a crime with a penalty lasting more than two years.

ICC arrest warrant

The National Bureau of Investigation previously submitted a formal request to nullify Dela Rosa’s firearm license on May 25 following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Dela Rosa was asked to surrender his firearms within a notice period or upon apprehension.

The senator is charged before the ICC with crimes against humanity of murder, in connection with his involvement in the drug war under former President Rodrigo Duterte, both during Duterte’s time as Davao City mayor and later as president.

The tribunal, which has Duterte in its custody in The Hague, the Netherlands, has named Dela Rosa a ‘co-perpetrator.’

El Niño has placed 106 cities and municipalities across the country under a state of calamity and affected more than 388,000 people, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

In its latest report as of Monday, the NDRRMC said 66 areas in Cagayan were under a state of calamity, along with 23 in the Caraga region, 12 in the Bicol region, four in Calabarzon and one in Soccsksargen.

The phenomenon has affected 388,375 individuals, or 104,149 families, the agency said.

Cagayan recorded the highest number of affected individuals at 47,587, followed by Caraga with 45,507 and Bicol with 11,055. Calabarzon reported 191 affected individuals.

The NDRRMC said the government has provided P39,058,681.06 in assistance to 24,618 of the 35,893 families identified as needing aid.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) earlier said El Niño could intensify into a ‘very strong’ phenomenon between September and December and persist until the first half of 2027.

Pagasa said the phenomenon could bring hotter temperatures and a significant drop in rainfall.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) reported on Sept. 26 that El Niño had affected 223,214 farmers in 14 regions, with agricultural damage reaching P6.87 billion.

The DA also reported damage to 249,028 hectares of agricultural land and agricultural production. [Verify source figure before publication: ‘163,812 million metric tons’ appears inconsistent and should be checked against the DA report.]

Meanwhile, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Administrator Harold Cabreros said Monday that the agency was monitoring the implementation of the National Action Plan on El Niño.

He said the government was also watching for the cascading effects of the dry season, including a possible increase in forest fires.

‘Ang isa po, ang mino-monitor din natin na katatapos lang po ng ating tag-ulan, ngayon naman tag-init, ang tinitingnan natin iyong mga cascading effects nito, one of which, ang nakikita natin ay magkakaroon ng increase ng forest fires,’ Cabreros said.

(We are also monitoring the start of the dry season and its cascading effects, including a possible increase in forest fires.)

Cabreros said the government was also monitoring the impact of the dry conditions on forests and agriculture.

The Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum resumes its weekly session Tuesday, Oct. 7, after a three-week break, with the upcoming 24th season of the National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (NAASCU) and the Quezon City fencing team highlighting the agenda.

NAASCU president Dr. Ernesto Jay Adalem and commissioner Cris Bautista will discuss preparations for the opening and celebration of the league’s 24th season during the public sports program at the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) media room.

Quezon City District 1 Councilor Joseph Juico will also appear in the session to discuss the city’s fencing team and its projects for the final quarter of the year as the program marks its 20th founding anniversary.

The session starts at 10:30 a.m.

The PSA Forum returns after taking a three-week break to give way to the Philippines’ participation in the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

The weekly session is presented by San Miguel Corp., the PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO and ArenaPlus.

The forum will be livestreamed on the PSA Facebook page and aired on a delayed basis over Sports Radio 918 AM, with the broadcast also shared on the station’s Facebook page.

Filipino and foreign scientists have discovered a new frog species and ‘resurrected’ two others in southern and central Philippines, all of which were thought to have been the same species over the past 100 years.

Before the discoveries, they were referred to as cryptic species, meaning they look very similar but are genetically and behaviorally distinct.Filipino wildlife biologist Kier Mitchel Pitogo, one of the authors of the study detailing the three new additions to the Philippine amphibian fauna, explained that these frogs play an important role in the environment, acting as bioindicators of forest habitat quality.

stressed that for conservation purposes, it becomes extremely important to get their names and identities right.’Conservation decisions are ultimately made at the species level, so if we don’t recognize the species correctly, we may not even know which species is declining, where it occurs, or what habitat needs to be protected,’ Pitogo explained.It took four years and 230 frog specimens for the authors to officially add the three latest species to the country’s amphibian fauna.Aside from Pitogo, the authors include Rew Hoskins, Faben Hana Tesfazion, Camila G. Meneses, Hayden W. Cannon, Christian E. Supsup, Syrus Cesar P. Decena, Marites B. Sanguila, and Rafe M. Brown.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will build three rainwater impounding facilities (RIFs) in Manila to help mitigate flooding in the capital.

MMDA Chair Atty. Don Artes and Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso signed a memorandum of agreement for the implementation of nature-based solutions in the city.

The agreement covers the construction of RIFs at the ASEAN Garden along the CCP Complex, Remedios Circle, and Rajah Sulayman Park.

The proposed sites were identified following technical studies by Haskoning that assessed their feasibility as locations for RIFs, particularly in areas prone to recurring flooding.

The facilities will temporarily store rainwater and serve as catch basins during heavy rainfall.

The RIF at Remedios Circle will have an estimated storage capacity of 10,000 cubic meters and will serve a catchment area of around 94 hectares.

The facility at Rajah Sulayman Park will have an estimated storage capacity of 8,000 cubic meters and will also serve a catchment area of around 94 hectares.

Meanwhile, the Vito Cruz ASEAN Garden facility will serve a catchment area of about 60 hectares and will have a proposed storage capacity of around 9,600 cubic meters.

The projects are part of a P4-billion fund approved for rainwater catchment facilities.

The construction of the RIFs forms part of an initiative to develop Metro Manila into a ‘sponge city,’ where rainwater is stored and managed as a resource.

The collected rainwater may also be used for other purposes as part of efforts to improve water resource management and conservation.

Artes said the MMDA aims to complete the construction of the three facilities before the start of the rainy season next year, with a target completion date of June 30, 2027.

‘The marching order to us from our President Bongbong Marcos is to finish this before the rainy season starts next year. So internally, we have set a target by June 30,’ Artes said.

Artes said the three facilities are only part of a larger project to address flooding in Manila, particularly in the areas of Taft, Remedios, and Padre Faura.

Domagoso thanked the national government, through the MMDA, for responding to the city’s requests for the projects, with funding to come from the agency.

‘So, on behalf of the people of Manila, I would like to thank the National Government, Office of the President through MMDA Chair Artes and MMDA family,’ he said.

‘Solutions, interventions, with the recurring problems with regard to flooding of Metro Manila, particularly the south portion of Manila, are now going to be implemented under the leadership of Chairman Artes,’ Domagoso added.

The project engineer in the allegedly substandard road dike project in Oriental Mindoro on Tuesday told the Sandiganbayan Sixth Division that he was not aware that contractor Sunwest was conducting construction work at night.

Felisardo Casuno, who used to be with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region IV-B office, made this known during the continuation of his testimony to defend himself before the court where he faces a charge of malversation through falsification of public documents, with former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co as co-accused.

Sunwest, which was co-founded by Co, undertook this project, which DPWH found to have alleged deficiencies.

The project in Naujan town was supposed to have 12-meter-long steel sheet piles (SSPs), but DPWH chief Vince Dizon said after an inspection that the SSPs were only three meters long.

Associate Justice Kevin Vivero asked if Sunwest ‘unilaterally decided’ to just use three-meter SSPs for the project.

In response, Casuno said that, as the contractor, Sunwest has control of the equipment and personnel.

‘Oftentimes, they are piling it at night,’ Casuno further said in response to the clarificatory question.

However, he clarified that he only learned of it during the testimony of one of the witnesses in this case.

During his testimony in January, prosecution witness village chairman Nestor Alegria Asi, said he personally observed Sunwest laborers driving steel sheet piles at the construction site, often starting at around 7 p.m. Asi also testified that acetylene torches were used to cut the SSPs.

Casuno said he has not received any report that such activities were being conducted at night.

Meanwhile, he maintained that he personally saw four 12-meter SSPs being piled on the ground.

Furthermore, he submitted a picture of an SSP stockpile as evidence in court.

He told the court that the stockpiled SSPs are compliant with the 12-meter requirement, which he said he measured himself.

Casuno’s testimony began on Oct. 1.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it is planning to issue a directive urging golf courses in Metro Manila to use recycled water, among other conservation measures, to help mitigate the effects of El Niño.

Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna made the statement during a Palace press briefing on Monday, after he was asked if the agency plans to renew a 2024 directive for golf courses to use recycled water when irrigating their fairways, greens, tees, rough, grass patches, and plants.

‘Actually, it’s not just them. The directive will be repeated, but we will also give a directive on other measures that can be done by the public. Isn’t there a saying that ‘it is better to lose electricity than water?” Cuna said in Filipino.

‘We cannot be ‘business as usual.’ Every individual, all citizens, need to do their part by conserving water. The unnecessary use [of water], such as car washing, soaking of driveways and swimming pools, is unnecessary at this time,’ he added.

According to Cuna, other water conservation measures that the public can undertake include rainwater harvesting, especially with the constant storms being experienced by the country.

He also encouraged the public to reuse ‘grey water,’ which is gently used water generated from household activities such as laundry, showering, and cooking, to water plants.

Cuna said the DENR, through the Water Resource Management Office, will work with local government units (LGUs) to implement water conservation measures.

He also assured that the water level of Angat Dam, which supplies 90 percent of the water in the National Capital Region, remains ‘steady’ at 208 meters.

Should a water shortage occur, Cuna said the DENR is already working with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and other water concessionaires to ensure that mobile and stationary water tankers will be placed in strategic areas.

Moreover, he urged residents to report any potential ‘leakages,’ saying that a lot of water is wasted because of them.

In the same briefing, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) also warned that all provinces in the country are expected to experience drought or very dry conditions by March 2027 due to the increasing effects of El Niño.

‘[T]he effects are being felt, but it can get worse next year based on the amount of rain that will happen. And I’d like to reiterate again, how we will be affected by it is dependent on how much preparation we have and the conservation of water that we will do,’ DOST Secretary Renato Solidum said.

A brass bell, believed to be over a century old, has been recovered after police traced it to a scrap-metal buyer in Bohol who paid P17,000 for it.

The bell, reportedly made in 1914, was stolen from Saint Peter the Apostle Parish Church (popularly known as Loboc Church) in Loboc town, and discovered missing by church personnel at 7:50 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 5.

Police were alerted about 10 minutes later and immediately reviewed CCTV footage from the area.

The footage reportedly showed two people taking the bell and boarding a tricycle, giving investigators a lead that helped them identify the alleged perpetrators.

Police coordinated with the Sagbayan Municipal Police Station and arrested a 25-year-old male scrap-metal buyer from Purok 6, Barangay Santa Cruz, Sagbayan, at around 1:50 a.m. Tuesday.

The bell had already been sold to a scrap-metal buyer in Sagbayan for P17,000, according to the police report.

A follow-up operation led police to Purok 2, Barangay Libertad, Tubigon, also in Bohol, where they recovered the stolen bell.

According to Fr. Agerio Paña, parish priest, the suspects had reportedly passed by their area several times before the theft.

Police said the suspects were expected to face charges on Tuesday.

The tricycle allegedly used in the theft was also placed in the temporary custody of the Sagbayan police for proper disposition.

The arrested suspects were brought to the Loboc Municipal Police Station for documentation and the filing of appropriate charges.

Authorities recovered the bell less than 24 hours after it was reported missing, preserving an artifact believed to be part of the parish’s historical heritage.