Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

This after Yulo became the first Filipino gymnast to win a gold in the Asian Games after ruling the floor exercise and vault events in Japan.

They were also the first two gold medals for the country in the ongoing continental multi-sport spectacle.

Yulo lorded over the men’s floor exercise after scoring 14.666 points. The two-time Olympic champion posted an 8.966 execution score and 5.7 difficulty score to edge Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi, who also registered 14.600 points for silver.

Japan’s Shoma Tsukiyama completed the podium with 14.566 points.

Interestingly, more ArenaPlus users backed Yulo to win the floor exercise final, but more money was staked on the rest of the field.

Yulo remained the clear favorite by number of picks, accounting for 54% of the total bets, compared to 46% for the field. However, when it came to the total amount staked, the split went the other way, with 67% of the money wagered going on the field.

The difference was largely driven by a handful of larger bets placed on the field. In other words, while more ArenaPlus users picked Yulo to win, a smaller group of users backed the field with significantly larger wagers, pushing its share of the total amount staked higher.

The numbers, then, tell two sides of the story: Yulo was the more popular pick among users, while the field attracted the larger share of the money staked.

In the end, Yulo delivered the result that mattered most, putting together a golden performance to secure the Philippines’ first gold medal of the Asian Games.

For ArenaPlus Head Ethan William, professionally known as Layson, Yulo’s performance underscored the excitement surrounding one of the country’s most accomplished athletes.

‘Carlos Yulo continues to give Filipino fans plenty to celebrate on the biggest stages,’ said Layson.

‘His performance in the floor exercise was a tremendous display of skill, precision, and composure, and we’re proud to see an athlete of his caliber represent the Philippines.’

Yulo was far from finished.

He followed up his floor exercise triumph by adding another gold medal in vault, posting an average score of 14.599 after scoring 14.733 on his first vault and 14.466 on his second.

Iran’s Mahdi Olfati took silver with 14.533, while Hong Kong’s Ka Ki Ng claimed bronze with 14.116.

He was too nervous to eat.

Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura admitted this on Monday as he took the witness stand on Monday, Day 33 of the impeachment trial, to testify on alleged unexplained wealth of Duterte. Vice President Sara Duterte.

Before resuming the proceedings after the lunch break, Presiding Officer Sen. Francis Escudero asked Buenaventura if he had skipped his meal.

‘Hindi po your, honor (No, your honor),’ the witness said.

When Escudero asked again why, Buanaventura answered: ‘Hindi po makakain (I couldn’t eat.)’

‘Kinakabahan po (I was nervous), your honor,’ he added.

Buenaventura was called by the prosecution to testify on Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth.

The impeachment court allowed him to testify despite a defense motion to exclude him, citing laws protecting the confidentiality of financial records.

In denying the motion, Escudero cited the Bank Secrecy Law, which he said ‘separately and expressly permits inquiry into bank deposits in cases of impeachment.’

‘While this exception does not by itself dispose of the distinct confidentiality imposed on AMLC info, it confirms the policy that bank secrecy is not an absolute bar to the constitutional accountability process,’ Escudero said.

The municipal government of Dingras in nearby Ilocos Norte is giving a P1,000 financial incentive to teaching and nonteaching personnel in public schools to mark World Teachers’ Day on Monday, Oct. 5.

The incentive was granted through the initiative of Mayor Joemelle Ernesti S. Go Sy and under Municipal Ordinance No. 2026-13-019.

According to the municipal government, the assistance aims to recognize the contributions of teachers and school personnel who help educate and support learners in the municipality.

The local government also highlighted the role of education in Dingras’ development, stating that teachers and nonteaching personnel contribute to creating an environment where students can learn and succeed.

World Teachers’ Day is observed annually on Oct. 5 to recognize the contributions of teachers to education and society.

A budget watchdog and transparency advocacy group welcomed President Marcos’ executive order on government spending monitoring, but warned that it should not be taken as a substitute for more permanent legislative reform.

Marcos last week signed Executive Order (EO) No. 126, which institutionalized the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) spending monitoring platform as the government’s unified, publicly accessible platform for budget spending, procurement and program implementation performance.

It also authorized the DBM’s Centralized Open Monitoring Platform for Appropriations and Spending Statistics (Compass) to use blockchain and other emerging technology to boost state spending transparency.

‘We support Compass one-hundred percent, but we emphasize that this portal cannot replace the push for the Cadena Act, which has been languishing in the House,’ said Kenneth Abante, coconvener of watchdog People’s Budget Coalition, on Sunday. He was referring to the bill championed by advocates to combat corruption by tracking public spending.

The proposed Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (Cadena) Act is viewed as a key safeguard against corruption by enhancing transparency on state spending through a digital ledger.

‘The EO could not be a substitute for a statutory framework that is Cadena,’ said Patrick Acupan, convener of FOI Youth Initiative, in a separate interview also on Sunday. ‘Maybe as a temporary administrative measure, yes; but not as an executive policy to replace legislation.’

Broad support

Efforts to record national budget transactions on an immutable blockchain ledger have gained broad support in Congress and from Marcos, as his administration seeks to restore trust following a massive corruption scandal over flood control works.

‘To show that the government is serious about ending corruption, it must prioritize measures that strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability,’ Acupan said.

Though while the Senate passed its version of the transparency measure last year, counterpart bills in the House of Representatives have remained stalled at the committee level since being introduced as early as last year, according to records on the congressional website.

A representative for Camarines Sur Rep. Miguel Luis Villafuerte, who heads the House committee on information and communications technology, said the panel already came up with a substitute bill similar to the Senate version.

The panel, where the bills were initially referred, had submitted the consolidated measure to the House committee on appropriations for its action, Villafuerte’s representative said.

‘The delay may be connected to the reluctance of some key actors to pass a reform measure meant to address vulnerabilities in the budgeting and expenditure of public funds,’ Arjan Aguirre, an assistant professor of political science at Ateneo de Manila University, said.

He said the bill’s postponement in the House ‘raises questions about the sincerity of the leadership’s commitment to genuine budget reform and transparency.’

Critical

Enacting the proposed Cadena Act is critical to ensure that transparent spending policies endure future political leadership transitions, Abante said.

‘Passing the Cadena Act is critical because it is not as easily reversed as an EO by the next President,’ he said. ‘It also compels Congress to proactively disclose budget information and amendments.’

‘An EO cannot compel Congress to do its part of the bargain,’ he added.

For now, Abante said, they were working with the government and other civil groups to improve Compass, ‘so that its features are truly user-centered.’

For Acupan, expanding state transparency extends beyond making budget allocation records accessible and depends on enacting a Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation, which is pending before a joint congressional committee.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) Forensic Group said 50 of the 71 remains recovered from the burned MV June Aster in Coron, Palawan, have been identified and cross-matched through DNA testing.

PNP Forensic Group Director Brig. Gen. Pierre Paul Carpio disclosed the figures in a press briefing on Monday.

‘So we have the remaining 21 cadavers for cross-matching,’ he added.

The PNP deployed Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) and Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) teams to the area to help identify the victims.

After the PNP’s DVI process, the results are submitted to the local government unit, which then coordinates with the victims’ relatives.

Carpio said the DNA identification process has not encountered significant difficulties.

‘After every case, we clean the laboratory for decontamination and sterility of the laboratory,’ Carpio said.

He added that they have all the antemortem records needed for crossmatching.

The MV June Aster, operated by Atienza Interisland Ferries, was traveling from Manila to Palawan when it caught fire on Sept. 9 and later ran aground off Coron, with 43 people surviving.

For its part, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is looking into whether misdeclared cargo aboard the MV June Aster may have contributed to the fire that left 77 people dead.

Earlier, the PCG filed a complaint against Captain Roel Sarmiento for allegedly falsifying a public document in connection with the fire aboard the MV June Aster, which had 128 passengers and crew members.

As the country celebrates National Teachers’ Month, Globe is making quality digital learning easier to reach for Filipino families while giving educators practical tools to support their students. Through its partnership with Khan Academy Philippines, Globe is helping connect students, parents, and teachers to free learning resources that can complement what happens inside the classroom.

‘Teachers play an extraordinary role in helping young Filipinos learn, grow, and keep moving forward, but they don’t have to do it alone,’ said Yoly Crisanto, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer at Globe. ‘Technology can lighten their load while giving students more ways to learn beyond the classroom. By making trusted learning resources easier to access, we hope to support teachers and families as partners in every child’s learning journey.’

Globe is a partner of the National Teachers’ Month Coordinating Council, supporting efforts to recognize Filipino educators and help them thrive in an increasingly digital learning environment. This builds on Globe’s broader commitment to empowering teachers through technology and digital learning.

Teachers can use Khan Academy to assign lessons and mastery goals, track student progress, and identify learning gaps that may need more attention. Khanmigo, an AI-powered tool available free to teachers, can also assist with lesson planning, rubrics, exit tickets, differentiation, and other classroom preparation, helping educators spend less time preparing from scratch and more time engaging their students.

Khan Academy Philippines, the first international licensee of the global nonprofit Khan Academy, is committed to localizing educational content aligned with the Department of Education’s curriculum and utilizing innovative technologies to elevate Philippine education. It received the first DepEd Partner-Hero award in January 2026 and has been credited by the Department of Education recently for its vital role in the Philippines’ most recent PISA achievement.

‘Every learner should have the opportunity to learn at their own pace and get the support they need,’ said Geraldine Acuña-Sunshine, President and CEO of Khan Academy Philippines. ‘Working with Globe allows us to bring Khan Academy closer to more Filipino families and educators, making quality learning resources easier to discover and use wherever learning happens.’

Khan Academy is now available with Go59 (including 1 GB of allocated data) and Go+99 with GoLEARN (including 8 GB of allocated data), providing students access to free lessons anytime through the web or mobile app. This allocation also gives students and teachers access to Khanmigo. With it, learners can explore instructional videos, interactive exercises, quizzes, and other resources in STEM, English, and more.

The learning support can extend from the classroom to the home. Parents can use the Parent Dashboard to monitor their child’s activity and spot areas where they may need support, while teachers can use assignments, mastery goals, and progress reports to identify learning gaps.

Customers can subscribe to Go59 or Go+99 with GoLEARN through the GlobeOne app. Globe customers may also access Khan Academy by opening GlobeOne, tapping Help, then Looking for Life Essentials, and selecting Khan Academy to sign up or log in for free.

How to access Khan Academy for Students:

Open the GlobeOne app.

Tap Help, then ‘Looking for Life Essentials?’.

Select Khan Academy under Education section.

Tap Sign up or Log in.

Choose Learner as your role.

Choose your grade level and subjects.

Start with one subject, such as Math, Science, or English.

Watch a short lesson, answer practice questions, and keep practicing until you improve your mastery level.

How to access Khan Academy for Parents:

Open the GlobeOne app.

Tap Help, then ‘Looking for Life Essentials?’.

Select Khan Academy under Education section.

Tap Sign up or Log in.

Choose Parent as your role.

Open your Parent Dashboard.

Click Add a child.

Connect your child’s existing account or create a new child account. If your child is under 13, you can create a username and password for your child.

Check your child’s activity, assignments, and progress reports regularly.

How to access Khan Academy for Teachers:

Open the GlobeOne app.

Tap Help, then ‘Looking for Life Essentials?’.

Select Khan Academy under Education section.

Tap Sign up or Log in.

Choose Teacher as your role.

Create your class and add students.

Assign videos, exercises, quizzes, or mastery goals. Use reports to see which students need support.

Explore Khanmigo Teacher Tools for lesson planning, rubrics, exit tickets, differentiation, and standards-aligned lesson plans.

Teachers in the Philippines can also use Khan for Educators (Philippines), which is an introductory course designed to help teachers integrate Khan Academy into classroom practice.

A member of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) was killed while two others were wounded in a shooting in Polomolok, South Cotabato, on Monday morning.

Police identified the victim as Jerald Calayo Flungcay, 23, a resident of Barangay Lapu, Polomolok, and assigned in Tboli town.

According to an initial report from the Polomolok Municipal Police Station, Flungcay was going home from Barangay Poblacion aboard his red motorcycle when he was attacked at around 10:15 a.m.

Police said four assailants riding a black Skygo motorcycle and a gray Yamaha Mio opened fire on Flungcay upon reaching the corner of Purok 2 and Purok 3 barangay roads in Barangay Sulit.

The victim died on the spot, while two others were wounded by stray bullets.

Police received a call about the shooting at around 10:40 a.m. and immediately dispatched investigators, intelligence personnel, and a patrol team to the area, while Scene of the Crime Operatives and forensic personnel were called to process and examine the crime scene.

Police immediately set up checkpoints and choke points in strategic areas to intercept the assailants, while intelligence personnel launched follow-up and pursuit operations to identify and arrest those behind the attack.

The suspects remained unidentified and at large as of the initial police report.

Authorities are still investigating the motive for the shooting.

P-pop group SB19 officially launched its photo book ‘Wakas at Simula: A Visual Journey’ on Monday, Oct. 5, giving fans a look at behind-the-scenes moments from the group’s milestones.

The launch, held at a mall in Ortigas, featured a book-signing session with fans, or A’TIN, as well as a brief question-and-answer with members of the press.

The photo book contains previously unreleased photographs and anecdotes from the members, documenting their journey from the beginning of the ‘Wakas at Simula’ era through its conclusion.

‘Mostly ‘yung laman ng book is photos that are not released or hindi pa nakita ng fans. It’s like a visual journal from simula to wakas, to wakas at simula,’ member Justin said.

Justin shared the project took more than a year to prepare and covers significant moments in the group’s career.

The photobook documents SB19’s two-album journey, beginning with the two-day ‘Simula at Wakas’ Kickoff Concert and ending with the ‘Wakas at Simula: The Trilogy Concert Finale.’

It features 96 pages of full-color photographs divided into 10 chapters, including stills from the group’s music videos, performances and behind-the-scenes activities.

Pablo said that having the moments preserved in a physical book makes the project particularly meaningful.

‘For me, it’s so important. Katulad nga na sa amin po ang photographs are really powerful. It has a way of immortalizing moments,’ he said.

‘Kapag nakakita ka ng photograph, a certain photo from the children, it triggers different emotions from the people na makakakita,’ he added.

The photobook comes in matte paperback packaging with a slipcase and includes a limited-edition poster and five photocards.

In a message included in the book, SB19 described it as a celebration of the memories behind ‘Wakas at Simula’ and the work that went into the era.

The group also dedicated the project to A’TIN, describing the book as a thank-you to fans who continued to support them through uncertain moments.

The launch comes as SB19 continues to mark milestones on the international stage. In July, the group made history as the first homegrown Filipino act to perform at Lollapalooza in Chicago. The group also performed at Japan’s Summer Sonic in August.

SB19 is also nominated in three categories at Brazil’s BreakTudo Awards 2026: International Male Group, International Collaboration of the Year for ‘Emoji’ with Jolin, and International Fandom of the Year for A’TIN.

Much of corporate support for Philippine education has long come in tangible forms, such as chairs, learning materials, computers and other equipment schools can readily put to use.

The need for material support is evident in schools across the country, many of which still contend with shortages in basic facilities and equipment.

In July, for example, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) said the country was short of more than 166,000 classrooms. The crunch could even deepen by 2028, when another 51,222 classrooms are expected to be more than 50 years old and due for replacement.

But the country’s education woes go beyond such needs, and growing attention to teacher training and professional development is offering another front in efforts to improve learning environment.

About six in 10 high school teachers handle subjects outside their undergraduate programs, a 2024 Edcom 2 study found. The mismatch even climbs to 98 percent in physical sciences and 80 percent in biological sciences.

Core of the system

A business community-led advocacy group said the findings make teacher development impossible to ignore.

‘It is true that improvements in facilities, student training and resources are crucial, but none of these will matter without skilled teachers at the core of our education system,’ said Justine Raagas, executive director of the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd).

‘Education thrives when we have teachers who are empowered to teach, engage and inspire students,’ she added.

With the need for stronger teacher development growing, the private sector can help close the gap.

One initiative, from the Security Bank Foundation Inc. (SBFI) takes a long-term approach by putting teachers and principals through a three-year mentoring program. Its Mentoring Future Leaders for Nation-Building program-designed to strengthen classroom practice, peer coaching and schoolwide interventions-had trained more than 36,000 educators since 2014.

True transformation

‘Physical structures alone cannot improve education,’ SBFI chair Rafael Simpao Jr. said. ‘True transformation lies in the hands of principals and teachers.’

For the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF), companies should collectively align their resources around clear gaps in the education system.

According to LCF chair Shem Jose Garcia, the country’s low rankings in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) results had pushed more corporate foundations to look at literacy gaps and build on programs already underway within the league.

‘We already had literacy programs among our members. But a lot of us that did not have one saw what others were doing and partnered,’ Garcia told the Inquirer.

Mindful of duplications

Supporting teachers, he said, should be central to the country’s response to the education crisis, with progress ultimately hinging on whether they get the tools and support they need.

Garcia also said the latest Pisa results, which showed stronger Philippine performance in literacy, offered an encouraging sign.

‘That really shows what happens when you identify a challenge and then get different parts of society to come together to work toward this shared goal,’ he added.

That coordination also means knowing where the private sector can add value without duplicating public efforts.

Local stocks rebounded Monday as investors bought beaten-down shares, ending a five-session losing streak.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) climbed 2.03 percent, or 114.18 points, to close at 5,743.21.

Philstocks Financial Inc. attributed the recovery to bargain hunting and positive signals from Wall Street’s closing performance last week.

The brokerage said a weaker-than-expected US jobs report tempered expectations of a hawkish Federal Reserve, helping lift sentiment in the local market.

The gains, however, came amid subdued trading as many investors remained on the sidelines.

Luis Limlingan, head of sales at Regina Capital Development Corp., said the PSEi ended higher as buying pressure emerged, particularly among index heavyweights, following five consecutive sessions of declines.

‘Investors took advantage of relatively cheaper valuations after the recent sell-off. Sentiment was also supported as investors likely positioned ahead of tomorrow’s inflation print release,’ Limlingan said.

Net value turnover reached P3.28 billion. Foreign investors ended the session as net buyers, with net inflows of P134.20 million.

Nearly all sectoral indices advanced, led by services, which surged 4 percent. Banks were the lone exception, slipping 0.07 percent.

International Container Terminal Services Inc. led the index gainers, jumping 5.23 percent to P905 per share.

DigiPlus Interactive Corp., meanwhile, was the biggest index decliner, falling 2 percent to P7.84 per share.