Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Consunji-led Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) has denounced government rules requiring it to surrender its assets to participate in the highly anticipated coal bidding, saying they violate an existing law.

The group dismissed the rule as ‘unfair,’ claiming it ‘basically bars us from bidding.’

‘To require us to surrender ownership of our assets as a condition to bid is against Presidential Decree 972, a special law on coal mining, which clearly says that such assets are ours and we can remove them within one year from the expiration of our operating contract,’ the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Other firms seeking to secure the Semirara mine site are ‘not pre-qualified’ and do not need to prove their mining expertise, it said. This is because the government is looking to choose the highest financial offer.

‘Semirara is no ordinary mine. We are mining in the sea, deeper than the tallest building in Makati. We have to pump out the equivalent of 12 Olympic-size swimming pools or Pasig River’s torrent every hour to get to the coal,’ SMPC said.

‘The shift to the highest bidder from the most capable mining outfit as the main award criterion early this year is puzzling… because nobody stands to benefit from the new bid rules except the potential winner, which only has to submit a financial bid to win,’ SMPC added.

Additionally, the new operator would also need to cough up billions of pesos to purchase hundreds of heavy equipment and huge mining trucks, and employ and train thousands of workers.

If the government leans on an inexperienced company, SMPC warned that the country may see ‘zero’ coal production by July of next year. It would also translate to ‘zero royalty payment’ to the government, defeating the objective of the bidding to raise fresh funds.

The Emmy Awards that celebrate the best in television are the latest entertainment industry gala to ink a streaming deal, and will leave broadcast for Amazon Prime starting next year.

The Television Academy on Tuesday, Oct. 6, announced the new six-year deal that will make the awards show available for streaming worldwide without a paywall on the Amazon platform.

The 79th edition of the Emmys next September will see it become the first of the major EGOT awards – Emmys, Grammys, Oscars and Tonys – to exclusively stream.

The Oscars will move to YouTube starting with the 2029 ceremony, after fulfilling the last two years of its contract with the network ABC.

The Emmys’ transition to streaming is a reflection of broader industry trends, with networks vying for continued relevance as streaming proves a dominant force.

But the head of the Television Academy said the decision also offered a way to broaden viewership.

‘Television has never been more global, and the Emmys should be a celebration that the world can share,’ academy chair Cris Abrego said in a statement.

‘Now Prime Video audiences in more than 200 countries will be able to experience the Emmys live with no subscription required.’

At this year’s awards gala, quirky horror series ‘Widow’s Bay’ cleaned up, setting a new record for the most Emmys won by a comedy in a single year, as gritty hospital show ‘The Pitt’ won again for best drama.

Sen. Mark Villar commended the Philippine delegation to the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, for bagging 29 medals – four golds, nine silvers, and 16 bronzes – the country’s largest medal haul in 60 years.

‘The 29-medal haul of our athletes proves how great the potential of Filipinos is in sports. Congratulations to our athletes. You are an inspiration to our youth,’ Villar said in Filipino in a statement on Wednesday.

For Villar, the country’s Asian Games performance shows that Filipino athletes can excel across different sports given sustained support.

‘That’s why we need a long-term plan to ensure that the next generations will be ready to take over and carry the Philippine flag on the international stage,’ he said.

According to him, this is the direction of his Senate Bill No. 2531, or the proposed ‘Roadmap for Sports Excellence Act,’ which seeks to establish a 20-year national framework for sports development, from grassroots talent identification and training to elite and international competition.

Medalists

Villar’s statement recalled the athlete’s achievements, noting the following leaders of Philippine medal campaign:

Carlos Edriel ‘Caloy’ Yulo, who got two gold medals in men’s floor exercise and men’s vault

EJ Obiena, who defended his men’s pole vault title and set a new Asian Games record of 5.91 meters

Jeus Gabriel Yape, who won gold in the mixed individual virtual taekwondo event

The Philippines also secured nine silver medals through the following:

Gilas Pilipinas Women’s 3×3 basketball team

Carlo Paalam in boxing

Kurt Bryan Barbosa in taekwondo

Tachiana Keizha Mangin in taekwondo

Juliana Mykhail Candelaria in taekwondo

Alexandra Luz Enriquez in jiu-jitsu

Jean Claude Saclag in mixed martial arts

Marie June Adriano in karate

women’s sepak takraw team

The delegation’s 16 bronze medals came from a broad range of disciplines, including tennis, gymnastics, weightlifting, athletics, beach volleyball, e-sports, jiu-jitsu, karate, MMA, sepak takraw, soft tennis, skateboarding, and taekwondo.

Sustained support to develop potential

Under Villar’s proposed measure, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) would be tasked with coordinating with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the National Academy for Sports (NAS) to develop a long-term Sports Excellence Roadmap.

The bill would also require National Sports Associations to formulate long-term development plans for the athletes’ sports and come up with a more systematic approach to identifying promising athletes through local and national competitions.

SB No. 2531 would also strengthen the support system for Filipino athletes through education, scholarships and grants, sports science, healthcare and nutrition, training facilities and equipment, athlete welfare, benefits and incentives, funding, and public-private partnerships.

Villar said the country’s performance in the Asian Games should not only be celebrated but should also inspire greater investment in the next generation of Filipino athletes.

‘We’re celebrating the victory of our athletes today while we continue to prepare the champions of tomorrow. The 20-year Sports Excellence Roadmap is a step towards a system that will continue to shape talents, give opportunities, and strengthen our Filipino athletes,’ Villar said.

The first printed views of the Philippines and its inhabitants date back to 1602, appearing in a published account of Olivier van Noort’s three-year circumnavigation of the globe. Araling Panlipunan classes taught us about Ferdinand Magellan’s tragic expedition in 1521, but completely skipped over later circumnavigators.

Surely Van Noort’s 1598-1601 voyage deserves a place in our history textbooks. He was, after all, the first Dutchman to circumnavigate the globe, and he spent two full months in the Philippines, from Oct. 14 to Dec. 14, 1600. Had Van Noort or later Dutch incursions into the Philippines succeeded, we would have ended up as part of the Dutch East Indies-modern-day Indonesia-and developed under a vastly different cultural trajectory than Spanish colonization.

Van Noort dropped anchor in Albay, off what is modern-day Legazpi on Oct. 14, 1600. I initially mistook ‘La Baye la baye’ for Laguna de Bay; it actually depicts Albay Gulf. On the left side of the print, a series of hills and mountains trail northward toward Mount Mayon, which served as a landmark for later sea captains.

In Spanish colonial records, the Dutch and English were routinely vilified as ‘pirates,’ who hijacked Spanish galleons plying the Manila-Acapulco route to plunder their rich cargoes of American silver and Asian luxuries. To conceal their Dutch nationality, Van Noort flew a Spanish flag and, speaking in French to Spanish officials in Albay who boarded his ship, claimed to possess a license from the King of Spain.

The Dutch print even depicts a Spaniard aboard Van Noort’s flagship, the Mauritius, kissing the hand of a sailor disguised as a friar! Following this, Van Noort was allowed to purchase provisions for his onward voyage. Van Noort’s ruse was so convincing that the unsuspecting Spaniards even gave him directions on the best route to Manila!

For me, the most fascinating detail in the engravings is the depiction of an inhabitant of Capul Island, shown bearing a bow and arrow and covered in full-body tattoos. Unable to read old Dutch, I rely on early English translations for this image. The first reads: ‘The Indians go most naked, their skiinnes drawne out with indelible lines and figures.’

The second states: ‘The natives of these islands are mostly naked, having their skins marked with figures so deeply impressed [tattooed] that they never wear out.’

The third translation provides even richer detail: ‘The Indians are mostly naked, though some wear a linen cloth. There were also quite a number that were Spanialised [Hispanicized], wearing trousers and shirts. And then there are the foremost Indians that descend from nobility, that have very nice and beautifully cut engravings on their skin, and because it has been engraved with iron and ink it can never be erased.’

Sources offer different explanations for how the Dutch ruse was ultimately exposed. One account claims a sharp-eyed Spaniard examined van Noort’s commission documents and noticed they were issued not by Philip III of Spain, but by William, Prince of Orange. Another version blames an escaped Spanish-American prisoner, while yet another points to enslaved Black men who jumped ship and ratted out the Dutch.

To cut a long story short, a hastily assembled Spanish fleet under Dr. Antonio de Morga-comprising the flagship San Diego, the San Bartolomé, and a handful of requisitioned local and Chinese vessels-intercepted Van Noort’s Mauritius and Eendracht near Fortune Island on Dec. 14, 1600.

The Spanish battle plan called for both the San Diego and San Bartolomé to ram the Mauritius, lock the ships together to allow Spanish troops to board, and seize the Dutch vessel from both sides. However, San Bartolomé disobeyed orders and pursued the smaller Eendracht, leaving the San Diego to fight the Mauritius alone.

When Dutch crewmen retreated into the hold, Van Noort set a fire inside the ship to force his men back out on deck to fight. Meanwhile, the overloaded San Diego, heavily burdened with extra cargo, with gun ports underwater, began taking on water from collision and cannon damage. Panicked Spaniards cut the lines tethering them to the Mauritius, and San Diego ‘sank like a stone.’

In his ‘Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas’ (1609)-that José Rizal annotated and republished in Paris in 1890-Morga claimed a victory. He swam four hours to Fortune Island, proudly clutching the captured Dutch flags in his hands.

Because Rizal had placed Morga on a pedestal as a most reliable historian, generations of Filipinos fell for Morga. That changed in 1991, when the wreck of the San Diego was excavated from the sea, yielding more than 35,000 intact artifacts now preserved at the National Museum of the Philippines.

Van Noort limped back to Holland, but left a different account: Morga lay paralyzed on a mattress inside the San Diego, rendered speechless by sheer terror. Marine archaeology and Dutch logbooks frame Morga’s fictions as face-saving. Now, it is our turn to rewrite the history books.

The Philippine government is eyeing the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to expand the overseas presence of locally produced coconuts, according to the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF).

In a statement, PCAF said its National Sectoral Committee on Coconut recently convened concerned government officials and private sector-partners to explore Middle East market opportunities for local coconut products through Project Coco Bridge.

‘Its goal is to move Philippine coconut products from export potential to actual commercial and retail presence in the UAE,’ said Michael Sollera, Philippine Agriculture Attaché for the Middle East, Africa and India.

During the meeting, a proposal was raised to utilize the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP), an industry blueprint funded by the coco levy fund to revitalize the country’s coconut industry.

However, the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) said government accounting regulations and fund limitations should be reviewed before allocating funds for this project.

Project Coco Bridge is an initiative of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Dubai, in partnership with The Hub Trading and Logistic Services and the Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Agricultural Attaché for the Middle East, Africa and India.

It aims to assess the export readiness of coconut products across the Gulf Cooperation Council region while addressing various trade barriers.

These include buyer access, production capacity, packaging, labeling and regulatory compliance.

The project adopts a three-phase structure: market readiness diagnostic, business matching, and retail activation and consumer engagement.

The first stage of the project evaluated 24 of the 37 Philippine coconut manufacturers contacted by the government. Of those evaluated, nine were export-ready while five exhibited strong potential pending further technical support.

PCAF said several participating enterprises already received assistance through the CFIDP. However, the assessment revealed that the PCA and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) should align and clarify the specific support they can extend to the project.

For its part, The Hub Managing Director Lito German said the company is responsible for assessing distribution channels across UAE modern trade, traditional retail outlets, food service, and e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.

German said the project prioritizes small and medium enterprises to help assess and build their capacity to meet global standards.

Products under consideration include coconut sugar, jam, oil, milk, cream, juices, snacks, nata de coco, desiccated coconut, vinegar and protein bars.

‘The project’s succeeding phase will explore additional products based on UAE market demand and assess whether our Filipino producers can supply them,’ German said.

During the meeting, Kilusan para sa Repormang Agraryo at Katarungang Panlipunan’s Danny Carranza said that many smallholder farmers have encountered limited to low-value copra production due to technical and regulatory hurdles.

Carranza said accessing capital through financial institutions such as Land Bank of the Philippines remains extremely difficult for farmers, describing the process as even harder than passing ‘through the eye of a needle.’

He also urged the government to scale up extension services to align with potential market opportunities.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla congratulated Isabela Vice Mayor Jeryll Harold Respicio after the official tested negative for illegal drugs, but maintained that his behavior was still concerning.

‘Congratulations. Now that it’s confirmed he’s not on shabu, it’s really confirmed that his craziness is natural,’ Remulla told the Inquirer in a Viber message on Wednesday.

Earlier, Respicio asked Remulla to shoulder the cost of the drug test, saying it was ‘expensive.’

‘Please ask him for his GCash number. I will remit it ASAP,’ said Remulla, when asked if he will refund.

Respicio went to the St. Luke’s Medical Center-Quezon City after Remulla’s call for him to undergo testing after his outburst during a council session.

House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ G. Dy III welcomed the ratification of the bicameral conference committee report on the bill proposing the creation of the Presidential Merit College Scholarship Programs (PMSPs), which seeks to give deserving students sustained educational support for college and technical education, including expenses beyond tuition.

‘Many youth have intelligence, industriousness, and a clear vision, but their families are short of money to spend on education. They should be given the opportunity to finish and use their abilities for their own families and for the country,’ Dy said in Filipino in a statement.

The reconciled measure, a priority of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), establishes two specific programs under the PMSPs:

the Presidential Merit College Scholarship Program under the Commission on Higher Education

the Presidential Merit Technical Scholarship Program under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority

The measure, which reconciled House Bill No. 8477 and Senate Bill No. 2410, addresses both the financial difficulties faced by outstanding students and the shortage of workers in critical fields.

It includes a provision to support exceptional senior high school graduates from low- to middle-income households and to develop skills for hard-to-fill occupations.

To qualify for the scholarships, the bill generally sets an annual family income ceiling of P2 million, based on the combined annual gross income of the applicant’s parents or legal guardians, subject to periodic review and adjustments, considering education costs, inflation, and the number of household dependents.

College applicants must, among other requirements, comply with the following:

completed senior high school

ranked within the top 1 percent of their school’s grade 11 students

have a Grade 11 general weighted average of at least 95 percent or its equivalent

have no failing grade in the first two terms of grade 12

For the technical scholarship, applicants must comply with the following requirements:

complete senior high school with a general weighted average of at least 90 percent or its equivalent

secure admission or enrollment in a TESDA-recognized diploma program in a priority sector, subject to other qualifications

College scholarship slots would be equitably distributed among regions, while equally qualified applicants from underrepresented areas and socioeconomically disadvantaged households would receive preference in selection.

Under the bill, the financial assistance would cover tuition subsidies and other school fees, living expenses, relocation, room and board, transportation, books, connectivity, and laboratory costs. It may also cover internships, licensure or board examinations, thesis preparation and research assistance, where applicable, subject to available funds and implementing guidelines.

‘We know that, even if the tuition is free, fare, food, lodging, and other materials need to be paid for. So the assistance must address the students’ actual expenses so that they can continue until they finish,’ Dy said.

The bill identifies priority fields, including science, engineering, information technology, artificial intelligence, agriculture, fisheries, health, and specialized teacher education.

CHEd and TESDA will coordinate with relevant agencies and update the list at least once every three years to reflect national and regional needs.

The measure requires a timetable for processing and releasing scholarship benefits. Benefits already granted could not be reduced while a scholar remains qualified, and existing Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program beneficiaries would retain their previously granted benefits during the transition.

The ‘Galing Para Sa Bayan’ component of the bill requires scholars to render service in the Philippines equivalent to the years of scholarship assistance received, generally beginning within one year after graduation. They may fulfill this through gainful employment, professional practice, research, teaching, community engagement, or public service in sectors aligned with their studies and contributing to national development.

Actress-turned-politician Niña Jose addressed comments about her drastic weight loss, assuring netizens that she is healthy and that her current physique was her goal.

Jose said this through a statement released on her Facebook page on Tuesday, Oct. 6, which features a black-and-white photo of her laughing.

‘Thank you for the engagement guys-kahit nega ‘yung iba, nagulat ako dahil lang sa picture ko pa talaga. Thank you,’ she wrote, apparently referring to the reactions and comments about her appearance on her social media posts.

She assured, ‘By the way, wala akong sakit. Sadyang gusto ko lang maging skinny.’

The Bayambang, Pangasinan mayor even joked that she aspires to look like the animated character Corpse Bride.

‘But thank you for the concern ah. Kahit may ibang pressing matters, ‘yung itsura ko pa talaga ang pinag-uusapan,’ she further quipped.

‘Nakakatawa lang kasi when I was bigger tawag sa akin aparador; nung puti face ko chimchamchu; ‘yung payat naman ngayon kalansay or tarsier. But in all that, I can say madami affected sa akin,’ she said.

Concluding her post, Jose shrugged off the comments, joking that the netizens must ‘love’ her to be so concerned about her.

‘Anyway, sa dami ng gulo sa mundo. Let us remember to live, laugh and love,’ she added.

Jose’s weight loss came after she gave birth to her second child with her husband, former Bayambang, Pangasinan Mayor Cesar Quiambao, in 2025.

Jose Rizal University watched Lawrence Mangubat struggle against Arellano all game long in their NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament showdown.

That, however, didn’t stop coach Nani Epondulan from putting the ball in his hands when the team needed something to happen.

Despite a cold shooting afternoon, Mangubat was entrusted by the Heavy Bombers to take the lead in the clutch for a 64-62 squeaker over the Chiefs at San Juan Arena on Tuesday.

‘I challenged Mangubat. I told him, no matter how good their defense is, you’re [better],’ said Epondulan of Mangubat, who finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists.

‘That’s why he’s here [in the NCAA]. This is where the saying ‘good defense, better offense’ comes in.’

Mangubat went just 5-for-23 from the field but buried arguably JRU’s biggest shot of the game as the Heavy Bombers improved to 4-1.

After trailing by as many as 14, JRU pulled within four, 62-58, before Mangubat drilled a 3-pointer from the right corner to cut the deficit to 62-61 with 19 seconds remaining.

Sean Salvador then calmly sank a pair of go-ahead free throws in the closing seconds to complete JRU’s comeback and send the Chiefs to 3-2.

Chris Hubilla also had 14 points, five rebounds, a steal and a block for the Heavy Bombers.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will begin on Oct. 8 the regularization of Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) units in Metro Manila that were onboarded by transport network companies (TNCs) before securing the required authority from the agency, a practice known as ‘tempo.’

The 30-day regularization program covers TNVS units operating under the Metro Manila Urban Transportation Integration Study Update and Capacity Enhancement Program and included in the validated masterlist submitted by TNCs.

The program, issued under Memorandum Circular No. 2026-111 pursuant to the directive of Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, seeks to address ‘tempo,’ or the practice of TNCs onboarding TNVS units onto their digital platforms before the units obtain the required authority from the LTFRB.

The LTFRB said the practice violates its rules and regulations because it allows TNVS units to operate without valid authority.

Applications will be accepted for 30 days, and late submissions will not be accepted.

LTFRB Acting Chairman Greg Pua said the policy seeks to help thousands of TNVS drivers who relied in good faith on TNC onboarding and made substantial financial commitments as a result.

‘It is the policy of both the DOTr and the LTFRB that no driver or operator be left behind by a regulatory intervention occasioned by the fault of another,’ Pua said.

He said denying regularization to the affected units could disrupt transport services.

Pua, however, stressed that the policy applies only to unauthorized units included in the validated masterlist submitted by the TNCs.

‘The memorandum circular does not represent a general opening for new TNVS applications across the board, nor does it waive any administrative liabilities incurred by TNCs for onboarding unauthorized vehicles,’ he said.

Applications must be filed online through the LTFRB’s official platform or any digital portal designated by the agency.

Individual TNVS operators or accredited TNCs may file applications through their authorized representatives on behalf of drivers.

To qualify, vehicles must be included in the validated masterlist and pass a roadworthiness test at an LTFRB-recognized Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center.

The inspection results must be electronically transmitted to the LTFRB before it can issue a Provisional Authority.

Vehicles that exceed the standard seven-year age limit are ineligible, although overage units may be replaced with qualified vehicles under existing LTFRB rules.

Applicants will no longer need to manually upload Personal Passenger Accident Insurance policies. Instead, the insurance must be obtained from an accredited provider integrated into the LTFRB system, allowing policy details to automatically appear in the applicant’s online portal.