Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday expressed his sympathy for the families of those who died in the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu.

He also said that government agencies are on the ground giving aid to those in need.

In a statement, Marcos said: ‘I wholeheartedly extend my condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones, and I include in my prayers the safety of the injured and all those affected by the earthquake.’

‘Our cabinet secretaries are already in the affected areas to provide assistance and assess the damage caused by the earthquake and its aftershocks,’ the president also said.

According to Marcos, the Department of Public Works and Highways is making sure that the roads in the province are safe for travel, while the Department of Energy is working to restore power supply in affected communities.

The Department of Health, meanwhile, is deploying additional personnel to provide medical assistance, he said.

Moreover, the Department of Social Welfare and Development is distributing relief goods and other essentials to the victims, he added.

‘The BFP (Bureau of Fire Protection) is assisting in search and rescue operations, while the PNP (Philippine National Police) is focused on maintaining order and supporting rescue efforts,’ Marcos said.

‘The OCD (Office of Civil Defense) and the NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council) are leading the coordination of all agencies to ensure a swift and orderly response,’ he noted.

‘I urge everyone to remain vigilant and heed the advisories of your local government. Together, we will help our fellow citizens overcome this challenge and rebuild the affected communities,’ he further added.

Still assessing the damage

Meanwhile, in a chance interview in Masbate City, Marcos said the government is still assessing the damage caused by the quake.

‘We’re still assessing the damage there. The earthquake was very strong,’ he said.

‘So we’re assessing the damage, we’re assessing the needs,’ Marcos added.

The entire province of Cebu has been placed under a state of calamity following the earthquake, which caused widespread destruction and left 36 people confirmed dead.

From this, 27 deaths were reported in Bogo City, the epicenter of the 6.9-magnitude temblor that struck at 10 p.m. on Tuesday.

Slater Young, Manilyn Reynes and Ellen Adarna expressed concern for their fellow Cebuanos who have been affected by the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck the island on Tuesday. Sept. 30.

The entire province of Cebu has been placed under a state of calamity amid the widespread destruction and rising death toll. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Bogo City, which recorded the most number of fatalities.

Young, who is based in Cebu, assured those checking up on them that his family is safe and extended his prayers to those affected by the calamity.

‘Thank you for the messages and well-wishes. The family is all okay from the quake last night,’ he said via his Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Oct. 1. ‘Praying for our fellow Cebuanos and everyone else affected from the quake.’ Reynes shared her prayer written in Cebuano via her Instagram Stories.

‘Dear God, palihug, tabangi intawon ang tanan. Daghang salamat,’ she said. (Dear God, please help everyone. Thank you very much.) Cebuano actress Adarna, for her part, reposted a social media card showing the aftermath of the earthquake in Cebu and appealing for prayers. The Office of Civil Defense said on Wednesday morning that ‘as high as 60 individuals were reported to have perished in this earthquake.’ /edv

Eight construction groups, including Consunji-led DMCI and EEI Corp., submitted financial bids for a land approach component of the $3.91-billion Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge (BCIB) project.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) opened their financial bids on Tuesday, which was livestreamed as part of the agency’s way to regain the public trust and promote transparency amid corruption issues hounding infrastructure projects.

The bids for the Contract Package 1 (CP1) were from Beijing Urban Construction Group Co. Ltd., DM Consunji Inc., China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., Sino Road and Bridge Group Co. Ltd., EEI-PMI joint venture, POSCO EandC-Sta. Clara joint venture, China Wu Yi Co. Ltd./Fujian Road and Bridge Construction Group Co. Ltd. (consortium), and the joint venture of Hunan Road and Bridge Construction Group Ltd. and China Civil Engineering Construction Corp.

CP1 covers the construction of the Bataan Land Approach, with an approved budget of P7.25 billion.

The package includes the trumpet interchange that connects the BCIB with Roman Highway, Roman Interchange Bridge, Alas-Asin Main Bridge, Alas-Asin Overpass Bridge, Mt. View Overpass Bridge, Mt. View Waterway Bridge, and the Bataan Land Viaduct.

Envisioned to be the ‘longest water-spanning bridge’ in the country, it is a flagship infrastructure project under the Marcos administration.

Late in 2023, the Department of Finance said the project had secured financing of up to $2.11 billion. It will be built using low-carbon technologies and construction materials, it previously said.

The remaining funding would come from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Philippine government.

Once finished, the project will cut travel time between the two provinces to 45 minutes from five hours.

DPWH officials earlier said the project may be completed by 2030.

The recent debut of an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated ‘actress’ dubbed Tilly Norwood, and its producer’s boasts of interest from studio executives, sparked a backlash on Tuesday, Sept. 30, from the SAG-Aftra actors union, condemning the replacement of human performers with ‘synthetics.’

The Hollywood buzz around Norwood, introduced on Sept. 27 at a film industry conference in Zurich, and the union’s scathing reaction to it reflected the dread many in the creative community feel about the intersection of AI and show business.

The official Norwood launch consisted of a 20-second appearance of the photo-real character – a 20-something fictional ingenue bearing no particular resemblance to any real celebrity – in a brief video parody about making an AI-generated television show.

Dutch actor-producer Eline Van der Velden, whose London-based AI production studio Particle6 created Norwood, said during her presentation at the Zurich Summit the project was starting to turn heads.

After months of facing boardroom scepticism, talent agents were starting to tell her: ‘We need to do something with you guys,’ Hollywood trade paper Variety quoted Van der Velden as saying. She said an announcement of a first-of-its-kind talent agency deal was a few months away, Variety reported.

Concerns about Hollywood actors and writers being exploited, and even supplanted, by AI-generated scripts and performers was a major issue in SAG-Aftra’s most recent round of contract talks with studios and streaming services.

Computer-generated imagery is nothing new to the film and TV industry, and AI-enhanced software has more recently emerged in various effects such as ‘de-aging’ technology allowing actors to portray younger versions of themselves.

The ability to convincingly replicate a feature-length human film performance with AI stand-ins is still seen as far off.

‘Very real emotions’

Nevertheless, the prospect of talent agents suddenly showing interest in AI-created figures stirred a swift denunciation from SAG-Aftra, representing 160,000 actors, announcers, recording artistes, stunt performers and other talent.

Creativity is, and should remain, human-centered,’ the union said in a statement. ‘The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics.’

The parody video, which first appeared in July, actually comprises 16 AI-generated characters in all. But Norwood – a winsome figure with shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes, a British accent and her own social media profile – was the star.

A separate Facebook post attributed to the character exclaims: ‘I may be AI-generated, but I’m feeling very real emotions right now. I am so excited for what’s coming next!’

SAG-Aftra officials were not amused.

‘To be clear, ‘Tilly Norwood’ is not an actor,’ the union said in its statement. ‘It’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers – without permission or compensation.’

Van der Velden sought to assuage such concerns in an Instagram message, saying Norwood ‘is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art. Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity.’

Van der Velden was more provocative in an interview in July with the publication Broadcast International, which quoted her as saying: ‘We want Tilly to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman, that’s the aim of what we’re doing.’

Not everyone is convinced Norwood packs such potential. Yves Bergquist, director of AI in media at the University of Southern California’s Entertainment Technology Center, called the hoopla ‘nonsense.’

‘There is a lot of very understandable nervousness and fear out there about talent being replaced,’ he said.

But judging from his own daily interactions with Hollywood executives, Bergquist said there was zero interest from ‘serious people’ in developing entirely synthetic characters.

‘Scarlett Johansson has a fan base. Scarlett Johansson is a person,’ he said. /ra

Three teams are still unbeaten in Season 88 of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament, and none of them has made more heads turn than University of Santo Tomas.

After bringing down two heavyweights in the young tournament, the Growling Tigers will be facing another formidable program and another undefeated side in National U on Wednesday, with both looking for a share of the lead at UST Quadricentennial Pavilion Arena.

But for Santo Tomas, this game is more than just staying on track. It’s a way to further validate how far they have gone from an average team last season to one of the most feared here-something that wasn’t the case in the previous decade, maybe even longer.

‘For me and the team, we are happy because we have made the Santo Tomas community happy,’ coach Pido Jarencio told the Inquirer over the phone on the eve of their 4:30 p.m. collision with the equally rejuvenated Bulldogs. ‘What we promise is to keep laying everything on the floor for them (community) and give them something to keep celebrating.’

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have also been on a tear with a healthy roster. And that is something that coach Jeff Napa believes will be crucial for them to again go deep this season, along with another thing that’s purely mental.

‘No. 1 for us is consistency,’ Napa said in Filipino. ‘Day in and day out, our approach has to be all about effort-how much we put in and how we sustain that effort every single day.

Containing Akowe

‘We need to be ready, and most importantly, we need to stay healthy if we want to achieve our goals,’ Napa went on.

Collins Akowe comes into the game with averages of 24.5 points and 18 rebounds, and the Santo Tomas rookie will be up against his high school alma mater for the first time with National U having Omar John trying to take care of the burly, 6-foot-10 Tiger.

Forthsky Padrigao opened his collegiate farewell tour with a bang against La Salle in a 93-83 win over the weekend, as he continues to quarterback the Santo Tomas offense that has Nic Cabañero as one of its top guns.

Padrigao, Cabañero and Akowe formed a three-sided battering ram that took down the Archers as Santo Tomas has beaten the champions and finalists of the last two years.

Meanwhile, the Green Archers seek to pick themselves up from that loss when they battle Far Eastern in the 2 p.m. game of a heavy six-game sked that will also have the women’s teams of Santo Tomas and National U squaring off at 7 p.m. in their first collision since the Lady Bulldogs won the title last year.

New Lady Bulldogs coach DA Olan will be facing his first acid test in the seasoned Haydee Ong and the Tigresses.

‘For me, it’s not really feasible to bring in a new system,’ Olan said after their 89-64 rout of Far Eastern last week. ‘Considering I got my knowledge of the game from (resigned) coach Aris (Dimaunahan), It’s gonna be the same concepts and principles.

Sofia Andres recounted being overcome by fear and panic as she was at a filming set in Cebu when the 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the island on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

The actress narrated her experience through her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

‘Been filming in Cebu when the earthquake struck yesterday. Terrified, and the panic of being away from family hit me so hard,’ she said. Despite her frightening experience, Andres said she attended a commitment in Dumaguete, where her restaurant business with her partner Daniel Miranda is located.

‘But today I’m in Dumaguete, supporting each other, working nonstop, building dreams together,’ she added. ‘Life must go on, and I just keep praying for the best.’ In a separate post on her page, Andres further reflected on how the tragedy was an apparent reminder ‘how fragile everything can be.’

‘When the [6.9] magnitude earthquake struck, I was terrified, the panic, the rush of fear, and the thought that I was away from Manila, away from my family. That feeling of distance in moments like this is something I’ll never forget,’ she lamented.

‘Still, here I am now in Dumaguete, showing up because life doesn’t stop. Hustling, working hard, pushing myself for the dreams I’ve committed to. It’s not easy being far but I know this journey is shaping me in ways I can’t yet see,’ she added. ‘Sometimes I wish I could just pause, but life keeps moving. All I can do is pray for strength, for safety, for peace in the middle of uncertainty. And I remind myself these sacrifices, these risks, this constant hustle it’s all for something bigger than me.’

Positive results from the government’s investigation into corrupted flood control projects may be the only savior of the stock market after dipping to a six-month low, according to the operator of the local bourse.

Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) president and CEO Ramon Monzon told reporters on Wednesday that the market’s ‘very bad’ performance was due to the weak investor sentiment.

‘The market’s No. 1 ally is confidence,’ Monzon said on the sidelines of the Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines’ digital library launch.

What could trigger the benchmark index’s recovery, Monzon noted, would be ‘very positive results’ from Congress’ probe into anomalous flood control projects. Relief after 7 days

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) managed to snap its seven-day losing streak and reclaim 6,000 on Wednesday, mostly because of bargain hunters taking advantage of cheap prices.

Local stocks also tracked the upbeat Wall Street sentiment overnight despite the shutdown of the U.S. government. By the end of the session, the PSEi surged by 1.22 percent, or 72.57 points, to close at 6,026.03.

Likewise, the broader All Shares Index added 0.93 percent, or 33.83 points, to end at 3,654.62.

A total of 2.46 billion shares worth P6.8 billion changed hands, stock exchange data showed.

Benign inflation

Apart from bargain hunting, the index was also able to break free from its losing streak because of expectations that September inflation remained within the government’s target range, said Japhet Tantiangco, research head at Philstocks Financial Inc. The PSEi recently slipped below 6,000 as investors took cover amid mounting corruption allegations involving high-ranking government officials.

This significantly affected confidence, said Monzon, who joined the Sept. 21 rally on EDSA with other PSE staff members. This was to show the PSE’s solidarity with the Filipino people in calling for an end to corruption.

‘A very good, credible investigation [is] the only thing that can bring back confidence,’ Monzon added. Active stocks

All subsectors emerged from the red territory, with mining stocks showing the best recovery.

International Container Terminal Services Inc. was the most actively traded stock as it jumped by 3.05 percent to P486 each, followed by Philippine Seven Corp., down 3.42 percent to P41; BDO Unibank Inc., up 4.06 percent to P138.30; Ayala Land Inc., up 0.21 percent to P24.40; and Bank of the Philippine Islands, down 2.61 percent to P112 per share.

Defending champion Mapua opened its NCAA Season 101 campaign with a dramatic 90-89 double-overtime victory over Lyceum on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With team captain Clint Escamis fouling out late in regulation, it was JC Recto who carried the Cardinals in crunch time. The veteran forward tallied 16 points and nine rebounds, delivering clutch plays in both overtime periods to lift Mapua past a gritty Lyceum side. ‘I just let my instincts take over,’ said Recto, who was thrust into the spotlight after Escamis exited with only eight points. ‘All I thought about was doing whatever the coaches asked me to do.’

Recto tied the game at 80-all with a three-point play in the first overtime, neutralizing a late Pirates surge. He did it again in the second extra period, converting another and-one to pull Mapua even at 87-all in the final minute.

With the game knotted and time winding down, it was rookie guard Cyrus Cuenco who sealed the win. Fouled by Lyceum’s Lance Aurigue with 12 seconds left, Cuenco calmly hit the second of two free throws to give Mapua the final lead. Cuenco finished with 14 points, while Earl Sapasap and Yam Concepcion chipped in 16 and 13 points, respectively, for the Cardinals, who began their title defense with a statement win.

Mapua, which won the NCAA title last season after ending a decades-long championship drought, showed its depth and resilience despite missing key contributions from Escamis down the stretch.

The loss spoiled a strong effort from Lyceum’s Renz Villegas, who poured in 23 points. Michael Versoza also registered a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, but the Pirates failed to close out the game on multiple opportunities.

MANILA, Philippines-La Salle survived a furious fourth-quarter rally to edge Far Eastern University, 74-72, and return to the win column of the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

The Green Archers dodged a late-game bullet when FEU’s Jorick Bautista missed a wide-open layup with seven seconds left that could have tied the game. La Salle then ran down the clock to seal the victory.

Coming off a tough loss to University of Santo Tomas, La Salle improved to 2-1 for solo fourth place ahead of their rivalry clash with Ateneo on Sunday. ‘Coming off a loss, you really want to win. We had stretches where we played really well, but in the UAAP, you can’t expect easy wins. FEU came back strong,’ said La Salle deputy coach Caloy Garcia.

La Salle led by as many as 13 points heading into the fourth, 64-51, but saw its cushion quickly evaporate. FEU stormed back behind Mo Konateh, Janrey Pasaol, Bautista, and Jedric Daa, cutting the deficit to one, 69-70, with 2:25 left. But Mason Amos and Doy Dungo answered with clutch baskets to push La Salle ahead, 74-69. Bautista buried a triple to make it 72-74 with under a minute to play, before missing the game-tying attempt in the final seconds.

Dungo, a former UST Tiger Cub, led La Salle with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting in place of the injured Kean Baclaan (ankle sprain).?’I just stepped up because we were short on players. I stayed composed and ready,’ said Dungo.

Amos added 14 points, four assists, and three rebounds, while Jacob Cortez also had 14 points. EJ Gollena contributed 13 points and eight rebounds. Mike Phillips, though limited to six points, hauled down 13 boards and dished out nine assists.

FEU dropped to 0-3, joining University of the East at the bottom of the standings. Pasaol paced the Tamaraws with 25 points, while Konateh had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Mongcopa added 13 points and Bautista finished with 10.

FEU faces Adamson next on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.

University of Santo Tomas coach Pido Jarencio was officially listed as team governor of Terrafirma for the PBA’s 50th season, which starts this weekend.

Jarencio’s name was listed on the team’s official roster carrying the said capacity after serving as team manager of NorthPort for the last few seasons. The PBA legend has been rumored to join the Dyip for weeks, and was tightlipped when he was asked by The Inquirer after the UAAP Season 88 press conference.

He had different roles during his time with NorthPort, first as a coach before he switched roles with Bonnie Tan in 2023.

Several NorthPort officials left while the Batang Pier were in the process of being purchased by Pureblends Corporation, with team governor Erick Arejola now with Magnolia as assistant team manager.

Waiyip Chong, NorthPort’s assistant team manager, now serves as Terrafirma’s team manager while Jeff Napa and Jarencio’s son Jared is now part of Ronald Tubid’s coaching staff.

Terrafirma enters the season with a bevy of new players after failed bids to sell the franchise to Starhorse and the Zamboanga Valientes.

The Dyip selected 6-foot-9 Geo Chiu as the No. 1 overall pick in the Rookie Draft, but will only be available after his MPBL campaign with the Abra Weavers.