Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

I tend to have gay friends. In fact, I have so many queer friends that I could complete the acronym.

When the iconic monologue of Eugene Domingo from the movie ‘Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2’ became a cultural symbol in the LGBTQIA+ community, I began to look beneath it. These four lines are an iconic piece of Filipino pop culture, often clipped and shared online because they speak a rotten truth about how our society only views queer people-the life of the party, the rainbows to a dull world, the humor to our misfortunes, and the sidekicks to our mainstream stories.

Looking at my seven-year friendship with my gay best friend, I know how profound those sentences are-stripped of Eugene’s comedic delivery.

‘Masaya ‘pag may bakla.’

I first met him in the seventh grade, when he had so many ‘girlfriends’ and ‘girl’ friends that most of the boys in our class despised him. Today, this is a usual inside joke for both of us, but as a 12-year-old, it was a strategy my friend had to adopt because he wanted to prove himself to his deeply masculine and patriarchal father.

We didn’t know each other that well at this age; we didn’t bother to. Our interactions were limited to high school small talk, but it was enough for me to see right through him. I didn’t mean to assume, but looking at him, I just knew he was faking it.

By the ninth grade, we found ourselves being that duo within our friend group. I just woke up one day to find myself cheering frantically for him while he was on stage, dancing as if he had no bones, to ‘Boombayah’ by Blackpink. Soon, he became the friend who would teach me how to pose stylishly, give me tips on how to get my crush’s attention, and effortlessly recite the pros and cons of my skincare products.

Yes, he could make us smile easily or burst into laughter without the stunts. But to say he was just the ‘funny gay friend’ would be misleading-a testament to the exact media stereotype Eugene was mocking. His humor was not merely for our entertainment; it was also his way of letting us know that despite the strict parameters of his life, he chose joy. A contagious one.

‘Mahal ko ang mga bakla.’

Seven years into our friendship, he has witnessed most of my highs and lows. As we go through the journey of being naive, my gay friend is the first to see, laugh, and listen as I fell in love-and as I fell into despair when it ended. He became my unpaid therapist throughout the endless teenage dramas, offering the advice only he could truly define: to fight despite it all.

‘Gusto ko ang mga bakla.’

The irony is that gay people, and the queer community as a whole, spend so much energy making us happy, yet society offers them only the barest, most volatile band-aid protections.

The daily, unwarranted remarks my gay best friend has to dodge in the streets like ‘bading,’ the backhanded taunts ‘sayang,’ and the closet he still hides in from his own father are just the symptoms of a much bigger societal disease; the systemic denial of equal civil rights and the deafening absence of institutional safety nets for queer people.

Having queer friends means realizing all of this-that our society will gladly consume queer talent, media, and culture, but locks them out of its legal protections.

Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and all those navigating their identities are people who have mastered the labor of turning murky oppression into colorful resilience-one that we should not romanticize. Individuals should not be required to turn their pain into entertainment just to make their existence palatable to a world that refuses them baseline dignity.

Resilience, after all, is just a poetic word for survival.

Queer people deserve human rights, not just applause for surviving the lack of it.

Thus, fighting alongside them means recognizing that the joy and laughter they give to us is not a mere rainbow splashed onto our grayish world, but a hard-fought victory won each day against a society that constantly tries to take it away.

To be queer should not mean performing for the appeasement of an audience.

Being part of the LGBTQIA+ community is not only about being the life of the party, the emotional shield for people’s misfortunes, or the comedic sidekicks to mainstream love teams. Rather, being individuals deserving of dignity, citizens entitled to equal rights, brave people who should never have to compromise peace just to live and love, and above all, friends worthy of the exact same joy they freely give.

Makabayan bloc lawmakers have sought a House inquiry into the ‘alarming escalation’ of repression against students and youth leaders who are just protesting against anomalies in government.

‘We are condemning the escalating instances of repression, and we want the House of Representatives to immediately investigate human rights violations like these,’ Kabataan Rep. Renee Co told reporters on Tuesday.

Co, ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, and Gabriela Women’s Rep. Sarah Elago filed House Resolution No. 1512 after the University of Santo Tomas (UST) suspended four student activists for allegedly confronting Philippine Air Force (PAF) personnel at an on-campus exhibit on April 21.

The students had questioned PAF personnel about military equipment and operations, as well as alleged human rights abuses, two days after 19 people, including two University of the Philippines (UP) students and activists, were killed in a supposed encounter with soldiers in Toboso, Negros Occidental.

The lawmakers also cited 10 other cases of student repression in other universities, including UP, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of Eastern Philippines, Sultan Kudarat State University, Cebu Technological University, Cebu Normal University, University of Rizal Pililla, Central Luzon State University, Tarlac State University and Cebu Institute of Technology.

‘We want to know the explanation for the pattern of worsening cases of student repression, and why the students are being prohibited from mobilizing inside and outside their schools,’ Co said.

Ysabel Ortega is gearing up to pursue a music career, with plans to release her first single before the year ends, while Kyline Alcantara is still considering whether to officially pursue a career as a recording artist.

Ortega shared the update while walking the red carpet of the Filipino Music Awards 2026 on Tuesday, Oct. 6, where she expressed her excitement about being surrounded by artists she looks up to.

‘I’ve always been a fan of OPM. Siyempre, i-celebrate natin ‘yung sariling atin,’ Ortega told reporters. ‘As someone na pangarap din maging parte ng industriya at maging aspiring singer, I’m just so happy to be in a room full of such amazing and talented singers.’

When asked if her music debut was coming soon, Ortega confirmed that she is targeting a release this year. ‘Malapit na. This year, hopefully,’ she said.

Ortega is currently working with GMV, a new partnership between Sparkle and Viva Records, on her music projects.

‘Very collaborative kami ngayon ng GMV. So right now, we’re working on our songs. ‘Yung first single namin, we’re already working on it,’ she said.

While she kept details about the song under wraps, Ortega described its sound as something that reflects her personality.

”Yung vibe very me, and of course, masarap kantahin. I don’t wanna spoil too much, pero basta ‘yun, very ako,’ she said.

Meanwhile, Alcantara is still considering whether to formally pursue a career as a recording artist.

Alcantara, who was also present at the Filipino Music Awards, said she was happy to attend the event, which recognizes established and emerging Filipino musicians.

‘I’m so happy that I’m invited here. Because we’re all here to honor and to recognize every single, even up-and-coming artist or an icon na sa industriya,’ she said.

Unlike Ortega, Alcantara said she has yet to decide when she will venture into recording music professionally.

‘Well, pinag-iisipan ko pa po kasi gusto ko, ‘pag gagawin ko na siya, wholeheartedly ko siya gagawin,’ Alcantara said. ‘For now, I’m here to observe and to ask for guidance.’

Among the musicians who Alcantara said inspire her are Sarah Geronimo, Regine Velasquez and Juan Karlos Labajo.

Las Vegas Aces top reserve Jewell Loyd was listed as doubtful for Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals Wednesday night against the Golden State Valkyries, but Stephanie Talbot and Dana Evans might return to the lineup.

Talbot and Evans are questionable.

Talbot has not played the past two postseason games because of an injured left leg, and she was replaced in the starting lineup by Loyd. Loyd hurt her left leg in Sunday’s 71-60 series-opening loss.

Starting all but one game this season, Talbot averaged 4.0 points and 2.6 rebounds, but in the postseason has upped that to 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds.

Loyd, long one of the league’s top perimeter shooters, was the Aces’ first player off the bench in the regular season and averaged 8.0 points.

Evans has not played since Sept. 22 because of a right knee injury. She played just 14 games this season, but was a key player off the bench last season averaging 8.4 points and 2.9 assists when the Aces won their third title in four years.

More areas are forecast to experience drought from October 2026 to March 2027 as the El Niño continues to prevail in the country, the state weather bureau said on Wednesday.

In the climate outlook of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), weather specialist Junie Ruiz noted that less rainfall in the country is expected during this period.

Pagasa recently declared the end of southwest monsoon or ‘habagat’ season and observed weaker winds and declining rainfall associated with the weather system.

Drought

Ruiz said that six provinces in Luzon and Visayas will experience drought in October and November.

Pagasa defines drought as three consecutive months of receiving way below normal rainfall.

Ruiz added that drought may prevail in 17 areas by December, 45 areas in January 2027, 78 areas in February 2027, and 84 areas in March 2027.

Strong El Niño

He also said that a strong El Niño remains present in the tropical Pacific.

He added that this phenomenon may reach a very strong state by the end of 2026 and will continue until the first half of 2027.

Tropical cyclone forecast

Despite the presence of El Niño, he said that three to five tropical cyclones are expected to enter or form inside the Philippine area of responsibility from October this year to March 2027.

One or two tropical cyclones are expected from October to December, one in January, while there is a slim chance of tropical cyclone formation for February and March next year.

‘May El Niño tayo kaya posible ang mas kaunting ulan at mas mainit na temperature sa mga susunod na buwan. Pero patuloy pa rin nating babantayan ang mga weather system na magdadala ng maraming ulan sa bahagi ng bansa gaya ng ITCZ [intertropical convergence zone], shear line, amihan, and tropical cyclones,’ he said.

(The El Niño is prevailing now, that’s why we can expect less rainfall and hotter temperatures in the next months. But we continue to monitor weather systems that will bring rains in the country, such as ITCZ, shear line, northeast monsoon, and tropical cyclones.)

El Niño impact

The Department of Agriculture earlier said that El Niño has already affected 223,214 farmers in 14 regions in the country, with damage in the agriculture sector already reaching around P6.87 billion.

The country may suffer from higher electricity rates and more power outages as the super El Niño threatens to strain the energy system and trigger a surge in consumption, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said on Tuesday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) earlier said that due to the effects of the weather phenomenon, a state of calamity has been declared in 106 cities and municipalities in the country, with 388,000 people affected.

Even without El Niño, Filipinos are already airing their frustrations over elevated power costs, triggered by surging oil prices following renewed tensions in the Middle East.

The very dry conditions caused by the weather pattern, however, is also seen to bring up demand for electricity.

‘It’s possible because demand-supply relationship always has an effect on the market,’ Garin told reporters on the sidelines of the Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting in Pasay City.

But she assured the public that the Department of Energy (DOE) has been in close coordination with the Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure that those selling electricity in the spot market – where power is traded between producers and distributors to boost supply – do not take advantage of the situation.

El Niño refers to the abnormal warming of Pacific Ocean surface temperatures, a phenomenon often linked to extreme climate conditions such as drought, erratic rainfall and stronger heat waves.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration had said it expects El Niño to peak toward the end of 2026 and persist until early next year.

The Department of Science and Technology also warned that all provinces would experience drought by March 2027.

Impact on supply

Pressed on the possibility of more power outages, Garin admitted that El Niño would have an impact on supply.

‘I don’t want to be a doomsayer, but I just want to be very transparent about this. When it’s very hot, our rivers are dry, so that’s hydro already. Our coal power plants, not only are we over-extending their production, but also the heat affects their efficiency,’ she said.

‘Of course, solar, even if you think that solar automatically produces more when it’s hotter-if it’s too hot, then there is also a negative impact on that,’ Garin added.

According to her, the DOE is already preparing to tap other options to help boost power supply, although she urged the public to practice conserving energy.

‘This is one way we can help: turning off our lights, pulling the plugs for appliances that we don’t need, and that would help us achieve at least 10 to 20 percent reduction in our demand,’ Garin said.

On Monday, the NDRRMC said a state of calamity had been declared in the following areas because of El Niño: 66 areas in Cagayan, 23 in Caraga, 12 in Bicol, four in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), and one in Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City).

A total of 388,375 individuals or 104,149 families have so far been affected, mostly in Cagayan (47,587 individuals), followed by Caraga (45,507 individuals), Bicol (11,055 individuals), and Calabarzon (191 individuals).

The NDRRMC said that over P39 million in assistance has been provided to 24,618 of the 35,893 families in need.

National University got back to its winning ways after trouncing Adamson, 85-66, in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament at Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.

Following a tough loss to Ateneo on Saturday, the Bulldogs dominated the Soaring Falcons to improve to a 3-2 record.

‘It’s a good response but we still had a subpar performance. We gave too much three-pointers. We need to address that,’ NU coach Jeff Napa said.

‘Against Ateneo, we gave up a lot of triples, same as today, we need to address that but still, this is a good win.’

NU used a red-hot start to dictate the pace against Adamson, which tripped to a 2-2 card.

The Bulldogs led big early, enjoying a 50-35 halftime spread before staving off the Falcons’ fightback in the third period.

Adamson cut the deficit down to six, 58-52, before NU restored order with a 6-0 spurt to end the third.

PJ Palacielo paced NU with 19 points and eight assists while Paul Francisco had 17.

Mo Diassana and Reinhard Jumamoy tallied double-doubles with the former registering 15 points and 12 rebounds and the latter tallying 12 and 10. Tebol Garcia joined the scoring frenzy with 12.

Ray Allen Torres finished with 14 points, Matt Erolon scored 12 while Mathew Montebon and Precious Jonah turned in 11 points a piece for Adamson.

Every October, the country marks the Special Month for the Conservation and Protection of the Tamaraw in Mindoro, highlighting efforts to protect one of the Philippines’ most iconic – and most threatened – animals.

The observance was established in 2002 through Proclamation No. 273, signed by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, to increase public awareness of the tamaraw’s importance as part of the country’s natural heritage and biological resources.

The declaration came after the country saw decades of decline in the tamaraw population. The world’s rarest buffalo, the species is found only on the island of Mindoro, southwest of Luzon.

Once estimated at 10,000 individuals, the tamaraw population had dropped to only 154 in 2000, based on data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Mimaropa.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the tamaraw as critically endangered, indicating that it remains at an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

Latest government data showed a modest rise in the tamaraw population, with the DENR counting 425 in Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park this year, up from 380 last year.

But as the Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. (MBCFI) said, the rampant clearing of forests and grasslands for farms, houses, businesses and infrastructure is still pushing the critically endangered species to the brink.

‘If areas have always been a grassland or a forest land, let us no longer convert them into agricultural areas, residential areas, business districts, or build additional infrastructure there,’ said MBCFI Executive Director Kathy Lene Cielo.

Habitat loss

One of the biggest threats confronting the tamaraw, which is endemic to Mindoro and now confined to protected and critical areas on the island, is the widespread loss and degradation of its natural habitat.

The initiative Species on the Brink identified habitat degradation as the main threat to tamaraws in the 20th century, explaining that land conversion for agriculture, coupled with population growth, reduced the areas where the cattle species could live and feed.

Agricultural fires have likewise threatened tamaraw habitats.

Based on data from Global Forest Watch, Oriental Mindoro had about 148,000 hectares of natural forest, covering roughly 69% of its land area, but the province lost about 511 hectares of primary forest between 2002 and 2021.

Poaching

The killing of tamaraws also played a critical role in the species’ decline.

June Pineda, coordinator of the DENR’s Tamaraw Conservation Program (TCP), previously attributed the species’ population decline to continued habitat destruction, hunting and poaching.

Tamaraws were hunted for both subsistence and sport, Species on the Brink said, leading to a drastic decline in their population: ‘Although protected by law, the illegal capture and killing of this species remains.’

On Oct. 23, 1936, Commonwealth Act No. 73 was signed to prohibit the killing, hunting, wounding or taking of Bubalus mindorensis, the scientific name of the tamaraw.

Livestock and disease

The expansion of cattle ranching is also considered a threat. Species on the Brink explained that domestic cattle can compete with tamaraws for resources and may expose the wild buffalo to diseases.

The possibility of disease transmission becomes concerning when domestic livestock and wild tamaraws occupy overlapping areas. Interbreeding with domestic cattle is also a threat confronting not only the tamaraw but all wild cattle species in Asia.

Recent conservation work has provided evidence that tamaraws are no longer restricted to Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park, with new populations confirmed in the Upper Amanay Ranges, located between Occidental and Oriental Mindoro.

As the website Re said, the tamaraw ‘may feign toughness, but they need our help to make a full comeback,’ especially since threats have sent their population spiraling downward over the years.

On the 35th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial Wednesday, representatives of multiple banks testified on the financial records of Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, as the prosecution continued presenting evidence on alleged unexplained wealth.

Witnesses from Asia United Bank, Philippine Savings Bank, Metrobank, Security Bank, BPI, PNB, and BDO were called, covering at least 30 bank accounts across eight banks whose combined ending balances the prosecution claims exceeded P190 million not declared in Duterte’s SALN.

A notable development surfaced when Senator-judge Francis Pangilinan’s questioning of Security Bank Branch Banking Group Head Leslie Cham revealed that two peso-denominated checking accounts belonging to Calle88 Foods Corp., a banana chips company partly owned by Carpio, were closed in July 2026, the same month the impeachment trial began.

The first account, ending in 2013, had a 2025 ending balance of P16,987.59, while the second, ending in 8581, had a 2025 balance of P21,164.27. [5]

The prosecution’s attempt to probe whether BPI maintained foreign accounts for Duterte and Carpio was blocked after Presiding Officer Francis Escudero sustained a defense objection, ruling the inquiry was outside the scope of the subpoena.

Escudero also scolded the prosecution’s assisting counsel for failing to have documents ready to support public prosecutor and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Lordan Suan during the presentation of insurance company witnesses, and separately reprimanded the clerk of court secretariat for minor inefficiencies.

Palace press officer Claire Castro, a lawyer, weighed in on the evidentiary significance of the bank records, saying they carry substantial value and would be difficult to dispute without evidence of tampering. She was quoted as saying, Bank records do not lie.

Also, outside the court, Sens. Robinhood Padilla and Bong Go and PDP-Laban filed a fresh Supreme Court petition on Sept. 29 to block application of the Senate’s reduced impeachment conviction-vote threshold, even as an earlier set of three similar petitions was dismissed.

The dismantling of fixtures and materials from the Senate office recently vacated by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was ‘standard practice,’ his office said on Wednesday.

According to them, ‘not a single centavo of public funds was wasted’ in the process, adding that the dismantled items, which were bought using Estrada’s personal funds, will be reinstalled in his new office.

‘It must also be emphasized that similar instances of dismantling fixtures and materials from a vacated senator’s office have occurred in the recent past,’ Estrada’s office said in a statement.

‘This is neither new nor unusual – it is an established and accepted practice within the institution, and singling out this particular transition for scrutiny is both unfair and misleading,’ it added.

The statement came after photos of the office being turned over to Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III showed that the space was left in a stripped-down condition, with several fixtures, including portions of the flooring and walls dismantled.

Lawyer Marian Lucinario, from Sotto’s office, on Monday told the Inquirer that the office was left in an ‘unusable condition’ and that the situation was ‘unprecedented.’

Estrada’s office, however, maintained that the practice was not unusual and urged that the transition not be ‘politicized, sensationalized, or made into a manufactured controversy where none exists.’

Estrada’s office also said that its chief of staff, lawyer Racquel Mejia, had informed Sotto’s office ahead of the Oct. 5 deadline for Estrada to vacate the room that the fixtures, furnishings, and materials would be brought to his new office.

This contradicts an earlier statement from Sotto’s office that it had not received any correspondence from Estrada’s office regarding the turnover.

According to Estrada’s office, the matter was also explained to the resident Commission on Audit auditor.

Estrada’s office further noted that when the room was turned over to him in 2022, it was likewise bare.

This is again a contradiction from Lucinario’s message to the Inquirer on Monday, where she said that the office was ‘definitely not’ in the same condition when it was turned over to Estrada by its previous occupant, Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson who was the Senate President Pro Tempore prior to Estrada.

The Inquirer sought Lucinario and Lacson’s comment on the matter but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.

However, Lacson also said on Tuesday that he takes exception to the statement pertaining to the state or condition of the office when he turned it over to Estrada in 2022.