Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Four years after Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) devastated Dinagat Islands, the province’s vibrant tourism industry is back on its feet, attracting over one million tourists who pumped in revenues worth at least half a billion pesos.

Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr. highlighted the island-province’s post-disaster recovery milestones during the 20th foundation anniversary of Dinagat Islands on Oct. 3.

Demerey traced the turnaround to institutional roadmaps rolled out by the provincial government, starting with the ‘Remedy’ agenda drafted in 2022 and later refined into the target-specific ‘Remedy Targets’ platform in 2025.

Tourism emerged as the primary growth engine for the island.

Official data presented during the address showed annual visitor arrivals leaping from 144,228 in 2022 to an unprecedented 1.121 million by December 2025, an increase of 677 percent.

Odette devastated the Dinagat Islands in December 2021, leaving a trail of destruction that killed 14 people and completely destroyed 14,000 houses.

Demerey said the tourist arrivals in the three years to 2025 generated an estimated P545 million in gross revenues to the island’s tourism and allied industries.

Hospitality sector

The sustained tourist influx stimulated the local hospitality sector, driving a 35-percent expansion in lodging establishments, from 54 to 73, he added.

‘Concurrently, the Department of Tourism-accredited travel and tour operators climbed more than tenfold, from just three in 2022 to 39 in 2025,’ the governor said.

Provincial planners attributed the growth to low-cost, high-impact interisland routes, particularly the roll-on, roll-off ships and passenger links connecting Del Carmen in Siargao to Cagdianao in Dinagat, alongside closer integration with the Surigao City, Surigao del Norte tourism circuit.

In Cebu province, more than 1 million tourists were also recorded in the first eight months of 2026, with foreign visitors accounting for over 242,000 arrivals, according to data released by the Cebu Provincial Government.

The Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) recorded 1,080,809 tourist arrivals from January to August, reflecting continued activity in Cebu’s tourism sector as the province steps up promotions and pushes for more direct international flights.

Domestic travelers continued to make up the bulk of visitors, with 838,575 arrivals during the eight-month period.

Foreign arrivals reached 242,108, or roughly 22 percent of the total.

The Capitol said the latest figures were higher than the 958,317 arrivals recorded during the same period in 2025, representing a 12.78-percent increase.

Domestic arrivals rose 9.19 percent year on year, while international arrivals increased by 27.28 percent, according to the PTO.

Among Cebu’s towns and cities covered by the provincial data, Cordova attracted the most visitors at 171,552, followed by the northern Cebu destinations of Santa Fe on Bantayan Island with 120,197 and Daanbantayan with 59,435.

South Korea remained the province’s largest foreign tourist market, accounting for 60,518 arrivals. The United States followed with 22,866 visitors, while Japan ranked third with 22,223.

The provincial government attributed the tourism performance partly to efforts to market Cebu domestically while improving its international connectivity.

Four rehabilitated wild animals were released into designated sites within the Aurora Memorial National Park, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources office in Central Luzon said on Tuesday.

The animals included a Philippine serpent eagle (Spilornis holospilus), two Philippine cobras (Naja philippensis) and a reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus), according to Artemio Almazan Jr., head of the DENR Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office in Nueva Ecija.

The Aurora Memorial National Park is a protected area spanning portions of Aurora and Nueva Ecija. It covers parts of Maria Aurora, San Luis, Baler, and Dingalan in Aurora, and Bongabon in Nueva Ecija. It is classified as a national park under the Aurora Memorial Protected Landscape.

The protected area forms part of the Sierra Madre mountain range and includes forest formations, wetlands, caves and other ecosystems that provide habitat for wildlife. Parts of the area have rugged, steep terrain, with elevations reaching more than 1,000 meters in portions of Nueva Ecija.

Before their release, the four animals underwent rehabilitation, veterinary care, species-specific feeding management, and health assessments at the DENR Regional Wildlife Rescue Center (RWRC).

The center’s resident veterinarian assessed their overall health and fitness for release, including their ability to survive under natural conditions.

Almazan said the RWRC also implemented biosecurity measures and species-specific feeding management when the animals were under its care to safeguard their health and welfare throughout rehabilitation and prepare them for their return to the wild.

Makabayan bloc lawmakers on Tuesday urged government agencies to address recorded cases of student repression across the country, emphasizing that students have the right to express dissent against anomalies, particularly in corruption.

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, and Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Elago filed House Resolution No. 1512, condemning what they described as ‘alarming escalation’ of repression against youth leaders and students.

This came after the University of Santo Tomas suspended four student activists who faced disciplinary complaints after a confrontation with a personnel of a Philippine Air Force during a campus exhibit last April 21.

The lawmakers also cited 10 other cases of student repression from other universities, including the University of the Philippines (UP), Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), University of Eastern Philippines, Sultan Kudarat State University, Cebu Technological University, Cebu Normal University, University of Rizal Pililla, Central Luzon State University, Tarlac State University, and Cebu Institute of Technology.

They pointed out that the cases escalated after the September 21 anti-corruption protests last year. They also mentioned the issuance of subpoenas on charges of sedition and inciting to sedition for leading anti-corruption protests in September 21, 2025 against four student leaders from UP and PUP.

‘Gusto nating makita kung ano yung explanation ng pattern kung bakit lumalala ang cases of student repression, bakit dumadami yung pagbabawal, paglalagay ng polisiya na nagpapahirap sa mga estudyanteng magmobilisa sa loob ng paaralan o di kaya sa labas,’ Co told reporters in an interview.

(We want to know the explanation on the pattern on the worsening cases of student repression, on why the students are being prohibited to mobilize inside and outside their schools.)

The lawmakers also called for an inquiry into the possible violations of their academic freedom, assembly, and expression.

‘Tumututol kami sa dumadaming instances of repression at pinapaimbestigahan sa pinakakagyat sa House of Representatives na pag may paglabag sa karapatang pantao gaya nito, dapat aksyunan ng mga ahensya ng gobyerno. Ending nito, dapat nirerespeto ang kakayahan ng kabataan na mag-organisa, magmulat, at kumilos,’ Co added.

(We are condemning the escalating instances of repression, and we want the House of Representatives to immediately investigate the human rights violations like these, and the government agencies must quickly resolve these. The rights of the students to mobilize and organize demonstrations must be respected.)

Manny Villar-led Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc. has donated a home in Palawan to five siblings who lost their mother, an overseas Filipino worker, to cancer in 2021.

Villar personally handed over the keys to the house and lot at Camella Palawan during a meeting with the siblings and their grandmother, the company said in a statement.

Their mother, Baby Jane Teodoro Allas, worked in Hong Kong to support her family.

She was reportedly dismissed by her employer after falling ill and later died from complications related to late-stage cervical cancer, according to Vista Land.

The company said a Hong Kong court subsequently ordered her former employer to pay approximately P2 million in damages for wrongful dismissal.

Following Allas’ death, the five siblings relied on their aunt, Mary Anne, and their grandmother for care and support.

Vista Land said Villar learned of the family’s situation and arranged the donation through the property developer.

The turnover surprised the siblings and their grandmother.

The company linked the donation to its ‘Road to 20’ campaign ahead of its 20th anniversary in February 2027. Its statement did not specify the property’s value or the turnover date.

The dismantling of fixtures and materials from the Senate office recently vacated by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was ‘standard practice,’ his office said on Wednesday.

According to them, ‘not a single centavo of public funds was wasted’ in the process, adding that the dismantled items, which were bought using Estrada’s personal funds, will be reinstalled in his new office.

‘It must also be emphasized that similar instances of dismantling fixtures and materials from a vacated senator’s office have occurred in the recent past,’ Estrada’s office said in a statement.

‘This is neither new nor unusual – it is an established and accepted practice within the institution, and singling out this particular transition for scrutiny is both unfair and misleading,’ it added.

The statement came after photos of the office being turned over to Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III showed that the space was left in a stripped-down condition, with several fixtures, including portions of the flooring and walls dismantled.

Lawyer Marian Lucinario, from Sotto’s office, on Monday told the Inquirer that the office was left in an ‘unusable condition’ and that the situation was ‘unprecedented.’

Estrada’s office, however, maintained that the practice was not unusual and urged that the transition not be ‘politicized, sensationalized, or made into a manufactured controversy where none exists.’

Estrada’s office also said that its chief of staff, lawyer Racquel Mejia, had informed Sotto’s office ahead of the Oct. 5 deadline for Estrada to vacate the room that the fixtures, furnishings, and materials would be brought to his new office.

This contradicts an earlier statement from Sotto’s office that it had not received any correspondence from Estrada’s office regarding the turnover.

According to Estrada’s office, the matter was also explained to the resident Commission on Audit auditor.

Estrada’s office further noted that when the room was turned over to him in 2022, it was likewise bare.

This is again a contradiction from Lucinario’s message to the Inquirer on Monday, where she said that the office was ‘definitely not’ in the same condition when it was turned over to Estrada by its previous occupant, Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson who was the Senate President Pro Tempore prior to Estrada.

The Inquirer sought Lucinario and Lacson’s comment on the matter but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.

However, Lacson also said on Tuesday that he takes exception to the statement pertaining to the state or condition of the office when he turned it over to Estrada in 2022.

Classes across all levels in both public and private schools in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte, remain suspended on Tuesday due to persistent heavy rains and inclement weather brought by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

Sibuco Mayor Joel Ventura extended the class suspension Tuesday morning to ensure the safety and welfare of students, teaching and non-teaching personnel, school administrators, and parents.

‘This measure is being implemented as a precautionary step to ensure the safety of everyone amid the prevailing weather conditions,’ the local government unit stated in its advisory.

Classes in the town were suspended on Monday due to the inclement weather.

According to the local 24-hour public weather forecast issued at 5 a.m. on Tuesday by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the ITCZ continues to affect the entire Mindanao region.

The forecast warned that Zamboanga Peninsula and Misamis Occidental in Northern Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms.

PAGASA cautioned residents in affected areas against potential flash floods and landslides caused by moderate to occasionally heavy rains.

The Philippine government is set to receive technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under a $500,000 regional program to strengthen safeguards against financial crimes, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

In a statement, the DOF said the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will be among the recipients of the technical assistance, along with ADB’s other developing member countries.

The DOF has yet to specify how much of the total funding will be allocated to the Philippines, or identify specific projects and activities that will be funded in the country.

‘Through this assistance, we are strengthening the capacity of our institutions to prevent illicit finance and comply with international standards. These efforts help protect Filipinos and businesses from financial risks while fostering greater confidence in our financial system,’ Finance Secretary Frederick Go said.

‘We are building stronger institutions and systems that can help keep our financial sector safe, stable, and connected to the global economy,’ he added.

Under ADB rules, technical assistance supports the preparation and execution of development projects and programs, including feasibility studies, due diligence, pilot testing, capacity development and knowledge sharing, among others.

For the Philippines, the assistance is expected to help address financial crimes by strengthening legal and regulatory frameworks, building the capacity of government agencies and financial institutions, and improving supervisory systems, risk assessments, procedures and guidelines.

It is also seen to ensure that the country’s policies and practices remain aligned with international standards.

The assistance comes as the Philippines continues to strengthen its defenses against money laundering and terrorism financing.

The country’s latest National Risk Assessment, covering 2021 to 2024, gave the Philippines a score of 0.67 out of 1 for its antimoney laundering and counterterrorism financing framework, up from 0.60 in the previous assessment.

Still, the assessment said the country’s national-level money laundering threat remained high, citing drug trafficking, fraud, environmental crimes and tax offenses as major sources of illicit proceeds.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), in its latest 2026 annual regulatory plan, also said it was preparing amendments that would allow the watchdog to tighten its oversight of illicit financial activities.

The Philippines remains keen on exporting processed ube as it works to expand the global reach of locally produced agricultural products, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. clarified the indefinite ban on raw ube exports, likely lasting until 2028, applies only to ube meant for planting.

In addition, Tiu Laurel said the Philippine government is ‘100 percent or even a million percent’ supportive of exporting processed ube in whatever form.

‘I want to clarify something: some news reports claim that I am banning the export of ube, but that is not the case,’ Tiu Laurel said in a statement on Tuesday.

‘To be clear, we are banning the export of ube planting material. Raw ube can simply be cut into pieces and planted, so we are essentially banning the sale of unprocessed, untreated raw ube that could serve as planting material,’ he said.

Moreover, Tiu Laurel explained that the export ban on raw ube aims to develop the local industry and prevent supply issues from overseas demand.

‘We want to steadily develop the ube industry, which has captured global taste buds, so we can limit, if not avoid, the missteps we made with previous high-value crops that drew overseas demand,’ the agriculture chief added.

Consequently, to support the industry’s development, the DA has sought P300 million to bolster ube production.

Meanwhile, the funding will double the current ube-planted area, with plans to add 1,000 hectares in the first year. Tiu Laurel earlier said that by 2028, the ube planting area will expand fourfold.

On the other hand, the government will allocate about P850,000 per hectare for the initial rollout of farm development and support facilities for the upcoming harvest cycle.

Furthermore, the DA eyes to accelerate the supply of planting materials through minisett propagation, alongside tissue culture and single-leaf nodal cuttings.

‘Farmers and cooperatives will source mother tubers from existing production areas, serving as multiplier farms,’ the agency said.

‘We will secure planting materials to ensure a sufficient supply for local production and prevent other countries from using Philippine planting materials to capture the growing global market.’ it added.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that ube production dropped by 6.7 percent to 12,483.31 metric tons (MT) in 2025.

Police arrested a 32-year-old farmer during a search warrant operation in Barangay Cadacad in Narvacan town in this province on Sunday, Oct. 4, resulting in the seizure of suspected shabu, marijuana, and a homemade firearm and ammunition.

The Narvacan Municipal Police Station, in coordination with the Ilocos Sur Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit, Provincial Intelligence Unit and other police units, conducted the operation at 5:15 a.m., according to a police report.

Police identified the suspect as a single resident of Barangay Cadacad and classified him as a street-level drug personality.

Authorities said they seized five small heat-sealed sachets containing a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu, with a combined estimated weight of 0.7 gram and a standard drug price of P4,760.

They also confiscated a plastic bag containing about 27 grams of suspected dried marijuana leaves valued at P3,330 under the standard drug price, along with an improvised glass tooter and two rolled aluminum foil pieces.

The operation also yielded a homemade .22-caliber revolver, four live .22-caliber Magnum rounds, four ordinary .22-caliber rounds and five .38-caliber rounds.Other items seized included a shoulder bag, plastic containers, a candy box and black gloves, police said.

Police said the seized items were inventoried and marked at the scene in the presence of the suspect and designated witnesses in compliance with legal requirements.

The suspect 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.

Two Philippine Military Academy senior cadets are now registered civil engineers after passing this year’s licensure examinations on September 26 and 27, the military school’s public information officer said on Monday night.

Army Cadets First Class Daniel F. Castro III of Dumalag, Capiz, and Carls S. Borja of Callao Norte in Lasam, Cagayan, finished their respective civil engineering courses before joining PMA, said Navy Lt. Commander Jesse Nestor Saludo, PMA spokesman.

Saludo said Castro ‘earned his Civil Engineering degree from Capiz State University.’ He described Castro as the eldest of three children whose father, Rex, died in a road accident. Their mother, Jennifer, is a municipal worker.

Saludo said Borja earned a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao. Borja is the son of retired policeman Ronilo and mathematics teacher Carolyn, who serves at the Callao National High School.

They learned the cadets had passed the exam when the Professional Regulation Commission released the test results on October 2.

Both new engineers are candidates for graduation next year as part of the Mandaraig Class of 2027.

In a news release, Saludo said, ‘Preparing for the board examination meant returning to engineering subjects after years of cadet training and finding time to review alongside their regular duties. The licensure examination also came during PMA’s final examination period, from which they are not exempt to take.’

Their cadet ranks are now referred to as Army 1CL, because the current first-class cadets were assigned their branch of service when they were second-class cadets (equivalent to third-year college students), Saludo told the Inquirer.

Once they graduate, Castro and Borja would very likely be commissioned as junior officers of the Philippine Army Corps of Engineers, he said.