Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Isabela town Vice Mayor Jeryll Harold Respicio tested negative for illegal drugs after undergoing a P28,000 test at a private hospital, following Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s call for him to undergo testing after his outburst during a council session.

Respicio took a test at St. Luke’s Medical Center-Quezon City, saying it was expensive.

‘Jonvic, irefund mo ako. Ang mahal ng drug test,’ he said in Facebook post.

(‘Jonvic, refund me. The drug test was expensive.’)

Remulla earlier said Isabela Governor Rodolfo Albano III is addressing the incident involving Respicio, the Reina Mercedes vice mayor whose video went viral engaging in a heated confrontation with barangay officials during a Sangguniang Bayan session.

The confrontation erupted during discussions over projects funded by tobacco excise tax shares, prompting police officers to step in.

The incident was livestreamed and later circulated on social media.

‘Governor Albano is handling it. Pero I advised him to give him a drug test kasi mukhang adik ‘yung asal niya. Meron bang normal na vice mayor na gano’n? Parang wala sa sarili. Parang hindi halal,’ Remulla said during a media interview.

(‘Governor Albano is handling it. But I advised him to have the vice mayor undergo a drug test because his behavior looks like that of an addict. Is there any normal vice mayor who behaves like that? He seemed out of his mind. It was like he wasn’t himself.’)

‘Dapat mag focus siya sa health niya, itigil niya ‘yang drugs,’ he added.

(‘He should focus on his health and stop using drugs.’)

Philadelphia 76ers center Ariel Hukporti suffered a season-ending right Achilles tendon tear in Monday night’s preseason game against the New York Knicks, the team said Tuesday.

Hukporti, who signed a free agent deal with Philadelphia in July, suffered the injury in the first quarter. He went down grabbing at his right leg after the non-contact injury before leaving the game.

The team said Hukporti will undergo surgery later Tuesday.

The 76ers signed Hukporti to a $3.4 million, one-year deal to add frontcourt depth behind two-time NBA scoring champion Joel Embiid and Adem Bona. Hukporti averaged 2.2 points in 54 games with the reigning NBA champion Knicks last season.

The 24-year-old Hukporti, who is from Germany, was the final pick of the 2024 draft by Dallas and had his rights traded that night to the Knicks.

Los Angeles Clippers guard Max Strus is out for at least a month with a right foot injury.

The team said he suffered a partial tear of the plantar fascia in Sunday’s 104-101 win over the Golden State Warriors in the teams’ preseason opener in Hawaii. He’ll be reevaluated in four weeks.

Strus joins forward Brandon Ingram (Achilles tendon) as new Clippers players who will be sidelined initially.

The Clippers open the season on Oct. 21 at home against Sacramento.

Strus averaged 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds while appearing in 12 games for Cleveland last season after missing the first five months with a broken left foot.

The Clippers acquired Strus in August as part of a five-team trade.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino stood by his gold forecast for Team Philippines at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, saying a series of close calls showed the ambitious target was within reach even after the country finished with four gold medals.

Tolentino defended his projection as Filipino medalists gathered late Monday evening at Century Park Hotel for a welcome dinner that doubled as an assessment of the Philippines’ campaign in Japan.

Carlos Yulo, EJ Obiena and Jeus Yape, who combined to win all four Philippine golds, were among the athletes honored after the delegation also brought home nine silvers and 16 bronzes.

‘I can say that I am not ashamed [when I said] eight [gold medals] were doable. I can explain it,’ Tolentino said.

Yulo accounted for half of the gold-medal haul, Obiena retained his dominance in pole vault, and Yape emerged as an unexpected champion in the obscure virtual taekwondo.

The four golds matched the Philippines’ output from the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and the pandemic-delayed 2022 Hangzhou edition.

But Tolentino, who predicted eight golds before the delegation left for Japan, said several results could easily have pushed the total closer-or even past-his target.

‘To those asking, ‘Where’s eight?’ Yes, it was eight,’ Tolentino said. ‘Maybe we’ll just pick from those who got a silver and one from bronze so it would be eight.’

He pointed to the disputed finals loss of boxer Carlo Paalam, the defeat of mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Jean Claude Saclag and the bronze-medal finish of middle-distance runner Victoria Bossong among the opportunities that got away.

‘You all saw what happened to Carlo Paalam, and it’s all up for you to judge what happened,’ Tolentino said. ‘Both jiujitsu and taekwondo silvers got zero in the scoring. It was the referees who decided the outcome.’

‘I’ve long been saying that we have someone who could win in MMA, and it was Saclag who got the silver. He knocked out his opponent in the first round [but he became] too eager. And with all due respect to Victoria, her heat time was better than the winning time in the final, so it should have been gold.’

‘So we are not denying that it can be achieved, because I and [Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Pato Gregorio] had every reason to believe that we could get eight. It’s actually more than eight,’ he added.

The House prosecution panel presented several bank accounts belonging to Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio before the Senate impeachment court as it continued its attempt to uncover her alleged unexplained wealth.

From Tuesday to Wednesday, the prosecution invited representatives of several banks, particularly LandBank, Asia United Bank (AUB), Philippine Savings Bank, Metrobank, Security Bank, the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Philippine National Bank (PNB) and Banco de Oro (BDO).

Each financial institution presented bank accounts either owned respectively by Duterte and Carpio or jointly with other family members.

Below is the complete list of bank accounts and its year-end balances covering years 2022 to 2025.

The supposed P120 million ‘token of gratitude’ received by state witness and ex-Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo from former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co is just ‘one percent’ of the total amount of alleged kickbacks the former lawmaker received from infrastructure projects nationwide.

Bernardo made this revelation as he took the witness stand before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Wednesday where Co and former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials face graft case stemming from an allegedly substandard Oriental Mindoro road dike project worth P289.4 million.

This amount was tackled when Bernardo sought to revise the initial P100 million amount ‘balato’ that is stated in his written judicial affidavit submitted to the court.

‘With my deep recollection, it’s P120 million within three years,’ Bernardo said of the alleged ‘token of gratitude’ from Co.

Of this amount, Bernardo said he recalls receiving from Co P45 million in 2023, P50 million in 2024, and P25 million in 2025.

According to Bernardo, this ‘one percent’ figure is part of the alleged ’25 percent commitment’ allotted for Co in every DPWH project.

Bernardo said aside from him, Henry Alcantara, a state witness and former district engineer of Bulacan, also received ‘one percent’ from Co as ‘token of gratitude: stemming from the same ’25 percent commitment.’

The exact amount of this alleged kickback for Co was not mentioned by Bernardo.

Co was also the chairperson of the powerful House committee on appropriations before his resignation as a party-list representative in September last year amid the widespread public outrage on the multibillion flood control corruption scandal.

The former lawmaker could not participate in the trial after he flew out of the country and declared by the Sixth Division as a fugitive from justice.

A respondent declared as a fugitive from justice could no longer participate in the proceedings and could not seek any judicial relief unless they surrender voluntarily.

The Sugar Council welcomed Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines’ (CCEAP) assurance that it would use sugar produced in Negros but called on the company to expand its commitment to locally sourced sugar nationwide.

‘We welcome Coca-Cola’s commitment to use 100 percent locally produced premium refined sugar in Negros, but we appeal to CCEAP to expand that commitment to Filipino sugar sourced throughout the country,’ the group said in a statement on Wednesday, Oct. 7.

The council, composed of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (CONFED), the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) and the Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (PANAYFED), was responding to a CCEAP statement issued on Oct. 5.

‘In fact, this explicitly reinforces the core argument we raised in our September 23, 2026, joint appeal that the use of locally sourced raw materials in manufacturing directly supports Filipino sugar farmers, millers, refiners, industrial workers, transporters and agricultural communities,’ the council said.

While CCEAP has highlighted its nearly eight-decade history in Bacolod, Filipino sugarcane farmers and laborers need a broader national picture to assess the health and security of their livelihoods, the council said.

It noted that CCEAP’s recent statement focused heavily on its Bacolod operations but did not disclose the actual volume of sugar it uses.

More importantly, the council said the company had yet to answer a question it previously raised: How does the importation of 16.98 million liters of finished Coca-Cola products from Indonesia affect domestic production and demand for locally refined sugar?

As the country’s largest industrial buyer of locally produced sugar, CCEAP’s sourcing decisions have a significant impact on the livelihoods of millions of Filipinos, the council said.

‘During Crop Year 2025-2026, our sugarcane farmers already suffered billions of pesos in foregone revenue due to the over-importation of refined sugar-leaving them without vital capital to combat rising fuel costs, skyrocketing fertilizer prices and devastating red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestations,’ it said.

The council added that importing finished products shuts out both domestic sugar and local labor from the production process.

‘To move forward in a spirit of genuine partnership and to give Filipino stakeholders a complete picture of the market, we call on CCEAP to prioritize Filipino sugar not only in Negros but throughout the country,’ the council said.

With roughly three months left, preparations for the Sinulog Festival 2027 are officially underway.

For next year’s festivities, however, contingents and other participants should expect austerity measures as organizers adapt to economic challenges.

Registration for major competitions such as the Ritual Showdown, Grand Parade, and Puppeteers is now open, Elmer ‘Jojo’ Labella, executive director of the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI), announced.

Registrations are expected to close Nov. 30 or Dec. 1 this year.

Austerity measures

During the OpenLine Media Forum, Labella also revealed changes to manage the budget for the country’s largest and grandest festival.

These include tighter competition rules, a minor parade route adjustment, and possibly suspending minor events as they prepare for rising operating costs and economic pressures.

‘We are anticipating that these are hard times because of the rising cost of fuel … [which has] affected the operating expenses for Sinulog,’ Labella said.

Despite the expected increases, subsidies and prizes for participating groups will remain at last year’s levels.

‘As to the assistance, prizes, subsidies and everything, it will actually be the same as last year,’ said Labella.

Other changes

On the other hand, SFI unveiled new additions for next year’s festival such as an on-the-spot painting competition, which SFI is developing with the Cultural and Historical Affairs Office.

‘We will have a new event this year … for 2027, an on-the-spot painting competition because we always want to have something [new] for the year,’ Labella said.

Organizers are also planning a minor adjustment to the parade route to help ease congestion.

The parade will generally follow the existing route, with plans to extend a portion near the buffer zone along N. Bacalso Avenue, specifically in front of Asian College Technology (ACT), Labella said.

‘Same route, but of course, we will likely extend it a bit… just to decongest,’ he said in a mix of Cebuano and English.

SFI will also enforce stricter technical requirements for floats.

Organizers plan to inspect floats for compliance with the prescribed height and width limits before the festival.

‘What we will do now is we will actually ask those making floats that probably there will be an inspection as to the height and width, as dimensions that have been prescribed by the guidelines,’ Labella said.

Stage performances will continue to prohibit special lighting effects.

Only general wash lighting will be allowed during evening performances to keep a level playing field, he said.

Mandatory workshop for choreographers

To improve performance quality, SFI will hold a workshop Oct. 17 and 18 in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

Labella said attendance will be mandatory for choreographers handling participating contingents in Sinulog 2027.

‘We will have a workshop … We are working on it so that it will be a must for choreographers who will be handling contingents for 2027,’ he said.

La Salle defeated Ateneo, 83-76, in the 100th game of their storied UAAP men’s basketball rivalry at Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday night.

The Green Archers’ victory evened the rivalry series at 50-50 and pulled them level with the Blue Eagles at 3-2 in the Season 89 standings.

‘We really discussed how important this is for everyone, so we just toughed it out,’ said La Salle coach Topex Robinson.

‘We did something we committed to and we said whatever happens, we have to stick with what we prepared for.’ La Salle held a slim 72-70 lead in the fourth quarter before unloading an 11-2 rally, capped by a triple from Jacob Cortez with 2:16 remaining for an 83-72 lead.

Cortez scored eight of his total 12 points in the payoff period to carry the Green Archers, with five assists, three rebounds and a steal.

Joaquin Tovera and JC Macalalag turned in 15 points a piece to give La Salle its second straight win.

Shawn Tuano scored 17 while Jared Bahay had 14 in the loss that snapped Ateneo’s two-game winning streak.

The Blue Eagles’ prized rookie Kieffer Alas, meanwhile, struggled with only five points on a 2-for-11 shooting night.

TNT drew big performances from the returning Calvin Oftana and new import Nick Hornsby in blowing out Terrafirma, 116-92, on Wednesday in the resumption of the 2026 PBA Governors’ Cup at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Oftana fired 31 points in his first game back with the team while Hornbsy added 26 to power the Tropang 5G into a crucial win that boosted their chances of securing a quarterfinals berth as one of the top four teams in Group A.

The Tropang 5G improved to 5-4, sharing third place with the Converge FiberXers. The victory also allowed them to further separate themselves from the Dyip in the top four.

Terrafirma fell to 3-6 for fifth place in the group.

His performance came after Oftana saw action for Gilas Pilipinas in its failed defense of the gold in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Oftana didn’t see action in the first phase of the conference due to multiple injuries sustained last conference.

Hornsby, meanwhile, took the place of Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, but will serve as a permanent import amid the impending return of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

Maverick Ahanmisi finished with 27 points for Terrafirma in the loss.