Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Vice President Sara Duterte told journalists here on Tuesday that her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, had advised her to ‘come home’ and leave national politics to her brother, Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte, the city’s incumbent mayor.

Duterte made this revelation at a press conference during which she denied accusations that she received money stuffed in suitcases from dismissed policeman Rodulfo Gracioso Jr.

The Vice President was asked about suggestions that her younger brother take the cudgels for her amid threats to her viability as a presidential contender. Duterte may lose her eligibility to hold public office if the Senate impeachment court convicts her.

Duterte said she has not discussed the matter with her brother, who currently leads the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), the political party that carried his father’s presidential bid in 2016.

During the press conference, Duterte said she is not inclined to follow her mother’s plea, and that she is not coming home yet because she still has work as Vice President.

Grade 4 student Elena Jane had mixed emotions before receiving her first Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine dose on Tuesday at Sinabuagan Integrated School, about16 kilometers from Valencia City’s economic center.

The immunization marked the launch of the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Education (DepEd) Bakuna Eskwela school-based program for October.

During the rollout, Grade 1 and 7 students also received Measles-Rubella (MR) and Tetanus-Diphtheria (Td) shots with parental consent.

Rural health midwife Jonalyn Jayme Malunes, alongside the Valencia City Health Office team, targeted 29 first-time Grade 4 female learners for the HPV vaccine, including 10-year-old Grade 5 student Emily Grace, following previous supply shortages. The team is also administering delayed second doses to 32 young learners.

Malunes noted that while both learners had parental consent, some hesitation remains due to negative social media rumors regarding vaccine side effects.

Nationwide, the Department of Education is targeting approximately 4.6 million learners for the School Year 2026-2027 immunization campaign.

Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday called on the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to make public the video of dismissed policeman Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. undergoing a lie detector test to dispel doubts about whether the examination was actually conducted.

Duterte said she had no problem undergoing a polygraph examination herself, responding to Gracioso’s challenge for her to take the test.

Gracioso, who accused Duterte of receiving money stuffed in suitcases, took the test on Sept. 30 at the NBI as part of the process of verifying the truthfulness of his Sept. 14 affidavit about cash deliveries to Duterte and other personalities.

Gracioso used to be a security detail of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, a key Duterte ally.

The test showed ‘no specific physiological reactions indicative of deception.’

Duterte said an affidavit she prepared in response to Gracioso’s accusations had refuted each of the former policeman’s claims.

In a statement released Monday, Duterte said Gracioso ‘made 29 statements concerning me that we believe are false.’

She confirmed receiving a copy of Gracioso’s affidavit from the NBI, along with identification documents, but said it contained no attachments.

‘Among several other pieces of my evidence, Jefry Tupas and I were nowhere near Marinduque during Mahal na Araw in 2019, nor were we in Manila on September 21, 2019,’ Duterte said in the Oct. 5 statement.

She said she was confident that the NBI would be able to file a perjury case against Gracioso after the agency ‘completes its investigation and the evidence is fully evaluated.’

The Biliran Province State University (BiPSU) in Naval, Biliran, has warned students that threatening or endangering anyone on campus could lead to expulsion on the first offense.

This follows an alleged gun threat involving a third-year female college student and one of her teachers on Monday.

In a reminder issued after the incident, the university said any act or conduct that threatens or endangers the health and safety of anyone on university premises constitutes a serious offense under its Student Handbook.

‘Students found responsible for such acts, after due process, shall face expulsion from the University on the first offense,’ BiPSU said in its advisory.

The reminder came hours after the university was reportedly placed on heightened security alert following an alleged gun threat involving a third-year college student and a teacher.

Initial reports said the student allegedly made a threat against her teacher, whom she described as ‘bad,’ through a text message. The university later said the situation had been placed under control.

Authorities and university officials coordinated on the incident to ensure the safety of students, faculty members, and other personnel on campus.

BiPSU, based in Naval, Biliran, has a student population of more than 13,000, making campus security a major concern following the reported incident.

The university cited Section 22.1.1.2.4 of its Student Handbook, which covers ‘brutal and cruel acts such as hazing or any form of conduct which tend to threaten and endanger the health and safety of any person inside the school premises.’

Under the handbook provision, the first offense is punishable by expulsion from the university.

The university, however, stressed that disciplinary action would be imposed only after due process and a determination of responsibility.

‘Following the incident earlier today, we remind everyone, especially our students, that any act or conduct that threatens or endangers the health and safety of any person within the University premises is a serious offense under our Student Handbook,’ BiPSU said.

It urged students and other members of the university community to act responsibly and help maintain a safe and secure campus.

BiPSU officials said the university remains committed to protecting its students, faculty and personnel while addressing the latest incident in accordance with its rules and due process.

The incident comes amid continuing concerns over school and campus safety in Eastern Visayas following a series of threats and violence involving students.

In June, three people were killed and 20 others injured in a shooting at the San Jose National High School here, prompting renewed calls for stronger security measures and closer coordination among schools, parents, local governments and law enforcement agencies.

Philippine stocks fell on Tuesday as faster September inflation and a weak peso dampened investor sentiment, erasing part of the previous session’s gains.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) shed 1.15 percent, or 66.09 points, to close at 5,677.12.

Philstocks Financial Inc. said investors weighed the latest headline inflation reading, which accelerated to 7.2 percent in September from 6.1 percent in August.

Additionally, the figure was close to the upper end of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ forecast range of 6.4 to 7.4 percent.

The peso’s continued weakness also weighed on market sentiment, the brokerage said.

Ron Acoba, chief investment strategist at Trading Edge, said persistent high long-term yields suggest markets remain concerned about inflation, fiscal pressures, and the prospect that interest rates could stay elevated longer, maintaining a challenging backdrop for emerging-market equities.

‘Domestic selling pressure may also be building ahead of the upcoming Mynt IPO as institutional investors begin freeing up liquidity to participate in the offering,’ Acoba said.

Trading remained thin, with net value turnover reaching P4.04 billion. Foreign investors ended the session as net sellers, with net outflows of P293.89 million.

Moreover, all sectoral indices declined. Mining and oil posted the steepest loss, falling 2.38 percent.

Among index stocks, ACEN Corp. bucked the downturn, rising 2.66 percent to P2.70 to become the session’s top gainer.

Meanwhile, Emperador Inc. was the biggest laggard, dropping 7.59 percent to P15.10.

Volunteers and environmental groups removed 609 crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) from the waters off Buyayao Island in the southernmost town of Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, during a two-day reef conservation activity over the weekend.

This starfish species is a natural component of coral reef ecosystems but can threaten reefs when its populations reach outbreak levels.

The starfish feed on living coral tissue, and large concentrations can consume coral faster than reefs can naturally recover.

The loss of live coral can affect marine biodiversity and coastal communities because reefs provide habitat and food for marine species and support activities such as fishing and tourism.

Healthy coral reefs also help sustain marine tourism, including diving, freediving and snorkeling, while reef degradation can diminish the appeal and ecological value of coastal destinations.

The COTS removal activity on Oct. 3 and 4 brought together Mindoro AdvenTours, the Center for Environmental Studies of the Mindoro State University, Freediving Coaches of Asia in Calapan, Mindoro Freediving Buddies, and the Bulalacao local government, including its tourism, municipal environment and natural resources, agriculture, disaster risk reduction and management, and Bantay Dagat offices.

Individual volunteers also joined the activity, combining their time, diving skills, and resources to help protect the island’s coral reefs.

‘For us, conservation is not just about removing COTS. It is about building awareness, inspiring people to care, and creating a community that takes responsibility for the ocean we all depend on,’ said Tina Jarabe of Mindoro AdvenTours.

‘Every volunteer who joined this activity became part of that mission,’ she added.

Organizers said removing 609 COTS demonstrated the value of cooperation among local governments, coastal communities, environmental organizations, tourism stakeholders, and diving and freediving groups.

The activity also highlighted how recreational diving and freediving communities can contribute to marine conservation by using their skills to support reef protection initiatives.

The organizers stressed that reef conservation should not be left to a single organization or sector, saying sustained protection requires continuing collaboration and community participation.

They expressed hope that the initiative would encourage more people to help protect Mindoro’s marine ecosystems and lead to further reef conservation activities in Buyayao Island and other coastal areas.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has no records showing that the P319.3 million received by CALE88 Foods Corp., a company linked to Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, Manases Carpio, came from the Chinese government, an AMLC official testified Tuesday.

During the resumption of the impeachment trial, defense lawyer Mark Vinluan asked AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura if the agency had any indication that the funds came from the Chinese government.

The P319.3 million was among CALE88’s transactions flagged by the AMLC as covered or suspicious. Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV had earlier identified the same amount as funds allegedly sent by the Chinese government.

Vinluan also asked Buenaventura whether AMLC records showed that China-based entities that transacted with CALE88 were illegitimate.

‘No, Your Honor, there’s nothing in the records,’ Buenaventura replied.

Senator-Judge Risa Hontiveros, however, said her office had researched two of the companies that transacted with CALE88: China National Township Enterprises and Beijing Jianweifang Food Co.

Hontiveros said China National Township Enterprises was previously directly under China’s Ministry of Agriculture and later became a state-owned agricultural enterprise under the country’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

She also said company profiles indicated that the firm supported the implementation of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and foreign policy.

Hontiveros said Beijing Jianweifang Food Co. is owned by Xinjiang Fruit Industry Group, which she described as a Chinese state-owned enterprise.

She added that Xinjiang Fruit Industry Group has an embedded Chinese Communist Party organization within its corporate structure and that Beijing Jianweifang’s chairman is a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

‘Bakit po ito mahalaga, Atty. Buenaventura?’ Hontiveros said, explaining that the companies’ alleged state links were relevant to the issue before the impeachment court.

(Why is this important, Atty. Buenaventura?)

Buenaventura began testifying for the prosecution Monday, when he confirmed several financial transactions involving Duterte and Carpio.

At one point, he testified that Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, had P193 million in unique bank transactions on March 28, 2014.

Later, Buenaventura testified that CALE88 received P319,326,770.41 in funds from China, confirming the figure earlier presented by Trillanes at a press briefing in San Juan.

Trillanes said Chinese firms sent the P319 million to CALE88 in tranches from 2023 to 2025.

Search teams on Monday morning recovered the body of the second and last missing passenger of a jeepney that was swept away by strong river currents in Rosario, Batangas, on October 3, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

‘At approximately 8:30 a.m…. search teams located the remains approximately 800 meters downstream from the spillway along the Pinansingin River in Sitio Kilo, Barangay Colongan,’ the PCG District Southern Tagalog said in a report.

Before resuming the search, team members met with the victim’s family at the Colongan barangay hall to discuss the systematic downstream search strategy.

Coast Guard personnel also provided aerial surveillance to support ground and river searches during the morning operation.

The tragic incident occurred at around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday when the passenger jeepney, carrying 14 people, attempted to cross a spillway over the Pinansingin River. Strong currents swept the vehicle off the crossing and completely submerged it.

Residents rescued 12 passengers, while the other two – a husband and wife – were initially reported missing.

The search team, composed of PCG personnel, local government rescuers, Army soldiers, police officers, firefighters and volunteers, earlier recovered the body of the wife on the morning of Oct. 3.

With the recovery of the husband’s body, all 14 people aboard the ill-fated jeepney have now been accounted for, the PCG said.

Local authorities are assisting in the transfer and formal turnover of the remains to the designated authorities and the bereaved family.

Several organizations from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) urged President Marcos and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim to complete the peace process before the 50th Tripoli Agreement anniversary.

In an issued manifesto, the 10-signatory organization called on Marcos to complete decommissioning and sign the exit agreement within his term.

‘The peace process began under President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. with the Tripoli Agreement in 1976. On Dec. 23, 2026, it turns 50. History has handed his son the chance to finish it,’ the group said in a statement.

Moreover, they urged Marcos to meet chair Murad before the new BARMM parliament formally convenes.

The inaugural session of the BARMM Parliament is set for Oct. 30, when it will elect the chief minister and parliamentary officials.

‘That is their right; it is how democracy works. But no coalition is bigger than the peace agreement that made this Parliament possible,’ they said.

They further emphasized, ‘Its unfinished business must come first.’

The group also asked the President to agree on a completion roadmap with a clear timeline and ensure that the fifty-year peace pact is accomplished by Dec. 23.

‘The Bangsamoro now has an elected parliament. The Palace itself has tied normalization to an elected government. That step is done. What remains is the last: completing decommissioning, delivering the promised packages to former combatants and their families, transforming the camps, and signing the Exit Agreement,’ the group expressed.

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.