Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) on Wednesday maintained that the government’s Barangay Development Program (BDP), designed to eliminate communist influence at the community level, has no ‘ghost’ projects.

At a Palace briefing, NFT-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. explained the strict guidelines and monitoring taken by stakeholders to ensure that BDP projects are implemented properly ‘They have ownership in the implementation of the project. That’s why it’s really good. We really don’t have any ghost projects,’ Torres said.

‘Even though we are not engineers, we have an idea on what to inspect. So that is a very good system, that everybody is involved in seeing to it that these projects are implemented properly,’ he also said.

Meanwhile, Torres also expressed support for Senate Bill No. 1366, also known as the Terror Grooming and Radicalization Prevention Act, which seeks to stop radicalization and recruitment of vulnerable Filipinos to communist groups.

‘The Execom expressed support to the passage of the Terror-Grooming Prevention Act because this will strengthen our preventive mechanism against radicalization, recruitment, and indoctrination, especially among the youth and vulnerable sectors of our society,’ he said.

‘It is a critical shield to protect vulnerable Filipinos, youth, indigenous communities, and farmers from being exploited and radicalized by terrorists,’ he added.

Fight against communist insurgency

Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Jimmy Larida reported a decline in the number of communist guerrilla fronts in the country.

‘Based on the parameters on the clearing, we have seen a steady decline in all the insurgency parameters,’ he said.

In terms of manpower, Larida said that in 2022 there were 2,008 communist terrorist groups monitored. By the end of the first semester of 2025, the number of CTGs had gone down to 901.

At least 69 individuals are dead following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake off Bogo City, Cebu.

INQUIRER.net’s Neil Mercado gives updates on the situation in Cebu province on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

Petro Gazz has appointed Gary and Lisa Van Sickle-parents of reigning All-Filipino MVP Brooke Van Sickle, to lead the team in the upcoming 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference.

Gary takes over as head coach, replacing interim mentor Brian Esquibel, while Lisa will serve as assistant coach. Esquibel had guided the Angels following the departure of Japanese coach Koji Tsuzurabara during the PVL On Tour. The club announced the news on Tuesday night, describing the appointment as the start of a ‘new era’ under the Van Sickles.

‘They nurtured greatness at home, now they bring that same passion to the sidelines to guide our team to greater heights,’ the team said in the announcement.

Gary previously played for the University of Hawai’i from 1988 to 1990, while Lisa suited up for Hawaii Pacific University.

What was supposed to be a night of glamor and charity had a frantic conclusion as the 6.9 magnitude earthquake halted the benefit gala night of the 2025 Miss Asia Pacific International pageant here.

The quake’s epicenter was traced to Bogo City some 95 kilometers – or close to 3 hours – away, from where the pageant event was being held in the capital city.

Just as the 43 delegates were making their exit from the runway at the ballroom of Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City on Tuesday evening, Sept. 30, the hall shook and the ladies frantically ran to different directions as they sought cover.

The international pageant was holding the event to raise funds for Operation Smile through ticket sales for the fashion show of Philippine ternos designed by Cebuano designers, showcased by the delegates.

A silent auction of luxury bags and statement pieces was also conducted to help gather additional funds for the nonprofit organization, while a live bidding was held for items from Cebuano furniture designers Kenneth Cobonpue and Vito Selma, London-based fashion designer John Herrera, and jewelry maker Oro China.

After the successful bidders were announced, the ladies took the runway in their Filipiniana flair of different fabrics, silhouettes and styles. Reigning queen Janelis Leyba and second runner-up Selena Ali showcased the creations of renowned Cebuano fashion icon Cary Santiago.

Belgium’s Jana Janssens was chosen by Santiago as the Best in Philippine Terno, while Herrera picked Alejandro Godinez Jr. as the Best Philippine Terno Designer, his creation paraded by the Philippines’ Anita Rose Gomez.

Grace under pressure, chaos

After the awards were handed out and just as the program was about to close, the floor started shaking, and the crystal pieces from the chandeliers started swaying. The tremor was so strong that the wine glasses and water goblets on the tables tumbled. Some guests rushed outside the ballroom, while the others ducked and went under the tables, including some of the ladies. When the tremor stopped, hotel staff members guided the guests to safety, leading them out to the parking lot.

In her panic, reigning Miss Asia Pacific International queen Janelis Leyba from the United States could be seen in the video hurling off her crown as she tried to leave the stage.

Many of the ladies took off their high heels and rushed outside barefoot, some of them clutching their long skirts as Eva Patalinjug, the pageant’s president, instructed them to follow the ushers to safety while looking out for everyone’s welfare.

The police was deployed to the scene, followed by a rescue team. Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro, who attended the gathering, was seen consulting her staff, asking about the province’s current situation and hurrying out of the vicinity.

Janssens had to get help from others to get to safety as she hurt her leg after jumping from the stage. She was later rushed to the hospital for tests and treatment. She had since been declared out of danger and has already joined her fellow delegates. As soon as the guests gathered at the designated evacuation area, the hotel setup a help desk at the parking lot. Staff members distributed towels for some of the guests who needed additional covering.

Slippers were handed out to those who had taken off their shoes, and for guests seeking relief from running in the high heels that they have been wearing all night.

Staff members also handed out bottled water as the hotel’s security team assessed the situation. And even if the ballroom was just located on the second floor, the ladies and the production team had to wait for hours before they were allowed backstage.

The ladies, still in their terno, sat on the chairs laid out by the staff members on the parking lot, as more seats were being setup in the evacuation area. But just as the hotel was winding down its sweep of the property, it started raining and the guests were ushered to shelter, with staff members hurriedly handing out umbrellas and helping guests seek cover.

The lobby on the ground floor was the first to be made available for the guests to settle in and collect themselves. The chairs set up in the parking lot were moved to the area for guests to use again.

And at the homestretch of the assessment for structural integrity, the hotel laid out a spread of warm dishes, breads, other food items and drinks for the guests who are awaiting further instructions.

The delegates and the production team were then allowed to return backstage, and the ladies were able to slip into more comfortable clothes. They then also got their meals from the spread.

A couple of hours after midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 1, the ladies were then guided to the buses that would take them to their hotel residence in Mandaue City that has also finished conducting an assessment for structural integrity.

Several other activities have been planned for the ladies in the province, under the Cebu local government’s partnership with the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant. But many of the items in their calendar have been put on hold as of this writing.

Two of the five accused of murder of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga voluntarily surrendered to authorities, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Wednesday.

According to the NBI, the two suspects, Police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza and former police officer Nelson Mariano ‘expressed their intention to surrender to the NBI’ after they learned about the arrest warrant issued by a Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court.

Mariano voluntarily surrendered to the NBI’s Organized and Transnational Crime Division in Manila on September 29, while Mendoza did the same upon the implementation of his arrest warrant in Bacolod City on September 30.

The arrest warrants were issued after corroborating the details of a House quad committee hearing and the findings of the NBI and Philippine National Police joint (PNP) investigation.

In the quad committee hearing on September 27, Mariano and Mendoza confessed to their involvement in the murder of Barayuga in July 2020.

While on his way home from the PCSO headquarters, police reported that Barayuga was shot by gunmen on a motorcycle around 3:30 p.m. at the corner of Calbayog and Malinaw Streets in Brgy. Highway Hills.

In the hearing, Mendoza said that it was PCSO General Manager Royina Marzan Garma and National Police Commission (Napolcom) Chairman Edilberto dela Cruz Leonardo who ordered the assassination of Barayuga.

Shortly after, a recommendation to charge Garma, Leonardo, Mendoza, Mariano, and Jeremy Zapata Causapin, alias ‘Toks,’ of murder and frustrated murder were made. This is where the arrest warrants are based.

The PNP, on Tuesday, formed teams to track down the three remaining suspects

With the meticulously planned release of Taylor Swift’s 12th album this Friday, the country singer-turned-pop star demonstrates again that she is as business savvy as she is musically adept.

From hints dropped during her last tour in 2024 to movie screenings this coming weekend to accompany the new album’s release, ‘Taylor Swift has perfected marketing as narrative art,’ said Robin Landa, a professor who studies advertising and branding at Kean University.

‘She doesn’t simply release an album-she orchestrates a cultural phenomenon.’

The massively hyped ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ album was inspired by Swift’s experiences during her record-breaking ‘Eras’ concert tour, which coincided with the singer’s romance with her now-fiance Travis Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl champion football star.

The 12-track record ‘comes from the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in in my life-and so that effervescence has come through,’ Swift herself promises.

That appears to signal a return to pop after her darker 11th album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ last year.

To call ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ which features a duet with rising pop star Sabrina Carpenter, eagerly anticipated is an understatement

Swift, 35, has said to expect ‘bangers’-high-energy, dance-friendly songs-in the ilk of her fan favorite ’22’ and ‘Shake It Off,’ and created with the same Swedish production duo, Max Martin and Shellback.

To call ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ which features a duet with rising pop star Sabrina Carpenter, eagerly anticipated is an understatement.

The album is the most pre-saved album ever on the Spotify streaming platform, breaking the record set last year by Swift’s last album.

Ownership

Accompanying the album, movie theaters in dozens of countries will host special screenings from Friday through Sunday of a music video, a making-of featurette, personal commentary by Swift about her songs, and a karaoke-style singalong.

The one-off movie event is estimated to gross between $30 million and $50 million, according to film industry website Deadline. Swift, who first announced the album on Kelce’s popular podcast last month, is ‘really taking ownership of the whole process, in every aspect of her music and her presentation to the public,’ said Toby Koenigsberg, a music professor at the University of Oregon.

Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour also spawned its own movie theater event, and underlined ‘the importance of having fan communities that interact in real life, not just on social media,’ he added.

One element that has long connected ‘Swifties’-the nickname for her die-hard fans-online is the frantic search for ‘easter eggs,’ or clues about Swift’s upcoming projects scattered through her album booklets, music videos, concerts and social media posts.

Easter eggs

Swifties noticed that, in a letter to her fans in May, Swift spelled the words ‘thiiiiiiiiiiiis’ with 12 ‘i’s – taken by some to indicate her 12th album was imminent.

Once the first album images of ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ were released, featuring cabaret-inspired outfits in orange and green tones, thrilled devotees rushed to social media to point out clues supposedly buried in Swift’s 2022 music videos as well as certain costumes from her latest tour.

‘Taylor’s Easter eggs are one of the most brilliant fan engagement tools in modern music,’ said Landa.

‘This strategy creates free marketing through fan theories and social media speculation-essentially turning her audience into her promotional team.’

‘Sometimes people talk about her business acumen, which is really remarkable. but at the core of what she does is her songwriting’

So, is Swift a musician or a businesswoman?

‘Sometimes people talk about her business acumen, which is really remarkable. but at the core of what she does is her songwriting,’ said Koenigsberg.

Swift is ‘able to consistently write good songs, year after year, album after album, in a way that almost nobody else can.’

Nadine Lustre got candid about her thoughts on motherhood, admitting she is currently not ready to take on the role yet as she is focusing on her career.

The actress-businesswoman spoke about this during a ‘TV Patrol’ interview on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at an event for her and her boyfriend Christophe Bariou’s coconut milk brand.

The topic was brought up after she and entertainment reporter MJ Felipe discussed the motherhood theme of the actress’ upcoming film ‘Call Me Mother,’ one of the official entries at the 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

‘Nakakatakot maging nanay, honestly (It is scary to be a mother, honestly),’ Lustre said. ‘I’ve been working for as long as I can remember and I can’t imagine having another responsibility other than my career.’

‘I am so focused with my career and, of course, this guy right and our businesses as well,’ she continued, pointing at Bariou who was standing beside her. ‘Parang ‘di ako ready. So saludo talaga ako sa mga moms.’

(I feel like I am not ready for it. That is why I salute all mothers.)

In her several interviews before, Lustre had expressed her seeming hesitation to have children. In 2021, she said she did not want to have kids and that if she did, she might opt for adoption.

Meanwhile, also starring along Lustre in ‘Call Me Mother’ are Vice Ganda, Klarisse De Guzman, Mika Salamanca, Esnyr, Shuvee Etrata, and Brent Manalo, among others. /edv

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said inflation may have picked up in September, projecting consumer price hike to average between 1.5 and 2.3 percent, as higher rice, fish, and fuel costs added pressure.

The forecast comes after August inflation stood at 1.5 percent, which settled below the 2 percent to 4 percent target band of the inflation-targeting central bank.

The central bank said it would stay alert to both domestic and global developments, underscoring its data-dependent stance on monetary policy. /dda

The death toll in the devastating 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu on Tuesday night has further risen to 53, with at least 175 persons reported injured, according to the latest report collated by the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO).

As of noon, the 53 fatalities were broken down as follows: Bogo City – 30; San Remegio – 11; Medellin – 10; Sogod – 1; and Tabuelan -1.

Bogo City, about 98 kilometers north of Cebu City, was the epicenter of the strong quake, while the other towns with reported fatalities were all in northern Cebu./coa

Water utility concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. bagged the first Philippine Green Equity label as regulators seek to deepen the local capital market by attracting more investors toward sustainability initiatives.

In a letter to Maynilad on Sept. 26, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) markets and securities regulation department confirmed that the water utility provider had ‘sufficiently established and demonstrated’ its compliance with the commission’s newly issued guidelines.

The SEC last week launched Southeast Asia’s first Green Equity Guidelines, allowing more capital flows toward businesses that champion sustainability. Under Memorandum Circular No. 13 Series of 2025, companies may submit applications to carry the Philippine Green Equity label. Once approved, eligible companies may label their shares as green equity prior to their offering. This comes as a timely milestone for Maynilad, which plans to raise up to P34.33 billion from its upcoming initial public offering (IPO) next month.

Maynilad has so far secured the commitment of two cornerstone investors, International Finance Corp. and Asian Development Bank, that plan to chip in as much as $245 million to its IPO. /dda