Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

All provinces in the country are expected to experience drought by March 2027 due to the increasing effects of El Niño, Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. warned Monday.

‘By the end of March, all provinces,’ Solidum said during a Palace briefing when asked how many provinces were expected to experience drought or very dry conditions due to El Niño.

Drought occurs when there are several consecutive months of unusually low rainfall, specifically, three consecutive months with more than 60 percent less rainfall than average, or five consecutive months with rainfall 21 to 60 percent below normal.

Solidum also clarified what experts mean by ‘Super El Niño’ and how it may affect the Philippines.

‘Super El Niño is a description of the condition in the Pacific. Its effects on us will vary. As you can see, the provinces experiencing more severe drought are expected to be affected next year, not now, because there is a time lag in its effects,’ he explained.

‘So, we need to clarify to our fellow Filipinos that the term ‘El Niño’ describes the condition in the Pacific, not in the Philippines. When we say El Niño, it means that sea surface temperatures are much higher than normal. However, its effects here, such as whether there will be insufficient rainfall, will still depend on the amount of rain that comes and how much rainfall we receive,’ he added.

Solidum said the southwest monsoon had masked the effects of El Niño, which was why its impact had not yet been fully felt.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will revive its water conservation campaign as the country prepares for the possible effects of El Niño.

During the same briefing, DENR Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna urged the public to use water wisely, stressing that everyone has a role in protecting the country’s water supply.

‘Every individual, every citizen, needs to do their part by conserving water,’ he said.

Four senator-judges called out defense lawyer Mark Vinluan on Monday for raising possible administrative and criminal liability against those who disclose and report confidential information, including the media.

During his cross-examination of prosecution witness Atty. Ronel Buenaventura, executive director of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Secretariat, Vinluan enumerated the penalties under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

‘Based on this provision, Atty. Buenaventura, penalties involve both administrative and criminal sanctions. Correct?’ Vintuan asked the witness, after citing the specific provision of the law.

Private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia interjected, saying the question was ‘irrelevant.’

‘And you’re already bordering on badgering the witness, albeit the threat is veiled, Your Honor,’ she added.

This later prompted Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo to take the floor and remind the defense lawyer that the Senate impeachment court had already allowed the disclosure of AMLC records during the trial.

‘Now, I can see itong defense pa ulit-ulit na bina-badger na lang niya itong witness. Kanina pa ito ng alas-10 ng umaga at nakikita ko pagod na siya. And I don’t see any reason bakit paulit-ulit na lang itong defense na tinatakot pa, pati media tinatakot…’ Tulfo said.

(Now, I can see that the defense has been repeatedly badgering the witness. This has been going on since 10 this morning, and I can see that the witness is already tired. I don’t see any reason for the defense to keep doing this repeatedly, especially when it is even intimidating the witness and the media.)

‘Come on. Kanina pa tayo. Pagod na tayong lahat, especially the witness. And I can see ‘yung sa prosecutor kanina pa masakit ang likod n’ya. Give us a break, okay? Walang takutan,’ he added.

(Come on. We’ve been at this since earlier, and we’re all tired, especially the witness. I can also see that the prosecutor has been complaining of back pain for quite some time. Give us a break, okay? No intimidation)

Senator-Judge Francis Pangilinan shared this sentiment, saying it was uncalled for to raise the issue of possible sanctions when the impeachment court had already authorized the disclosure of AMLC records during the trial.

Pangilinan particularly noted Vintuan’s mention of possible criminal liability arising from the disclosure of AMLC records during the House of Representatives hearings.

‘It leads us to think that maybe in the cross-examination, I don’t know, the defense counsel will raise the issue of the possible criminal liability of the senator-judges? I don’t know. It’s a matter of concern and I just want that placed on record,’ Pangilinan said.

Since the impeachment court had already ruled on the issue, Pangilinan said the defense team could raise the matter before the Supreme Court.

‘But raising the issue of possible criminal liability for authorized disclosure in this impeachment court, I believe is uncalled for, for the record,’ he pointed out.

Senator-judge Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III chimed in, saying the defense counsel ‘should be reminded of the term parliamentary immunity.’

Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros agreed with her colleagues, saying it was wrong ‘even indirectly,’ to threaten the media, who are just performing their duty to cover the impeachment proceedings.

‘Dapat po walang chilling effect na either sadyang or ‘di sadyang lilikhain sa hanay ng Fourth Estate,’ Hontiveros said.

The Diocese of Antique on Sunday urged the Department of Energy (DOE) to include a Just Transition Roadmap for Semirara in the Philippine Energy Plan to ensure a shift to renewable energy and protect workers affected by the transition.

The appeal followed a gathering of Semirara Island residents in Caluya town, Antique, who raised concerns about possible job losses as the coal operating contract of Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) with the government is set to expire next year.

The diocese appealed to the government to ensure that workers receive just compensation and appropriate assistance amid uncertainty and changes in mining operations. The Semirara Islands are considered a major coal mining site in the country.

‘Uncertain’

The diocese said that while it recognizes SMPC’s efforts in worker welfare, environmental rehabilitation, livelihood programs and economic diversification, it noted the lack of a just transition roadmap for renewable energy.

‘What appears to be lacking, however, is an overarching, publicly articulated, time-bound and adequately funded Just Transition Roadmap that brings these various efforts together toward a clear goal: the gradual transition of Semirara and its people away from dependence on coal,’ the diocese said in a pastoral letter.

It noted that without such a framework, the direction of other initiatives would remain ‘uncertain.’

‘Any future operator should be required not only to present a credible plan for extracting coal, but also an enforceable plan for workers, communities, environmental rehabilitation, economic diversification, and the island’s progressive transition away from dependence on coal,’ the diocese added.

The diocese explained the call for a just transition to renewable energy was not just an environmental concern but also an appeal for justice and human dignity.

‘This responsibility belongs not only to government and industry. Care for our common home is a mission entrusted to all of us,’ it said.

Two warring clans in this city have agreed to a ceasefire following renewed hostilities that triggered exchanges of gunfire and forced residents to flee, the Army said.

Brig. Gen. Ricky Bunayog, commander of the 6th Infantry Division (6ID), brought together Barangay Kalanganan Mother chair Bimbo Ayunan Pasawiran and Ustadz Abusaima Hussain, commander of the 128th base command of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the armed wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation (MILF), for a dialogue on Saturday at Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.

Both sides agreed to support the military-initiated cessation of hostilities involving them and their followers.

The meeting also resulted in the creation of a probe team led by Cotabato City police director Col. Jibin Bongcayao to determine what triggered the recent exchange of gunfire.

‘Both parties issued a commitment to honor the understandings reached and to work toward ending hostilities in the area,’ Bunayog said.

The clashes erupted following the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections on Sept. 14. Army and Marines were deployed in Kalanganan after an initial exchange of gunfire on Sept. 28, while Philippine Air Force helicopters conducted aerial patrols over the city for three nights.

No deaths or injuries were reported in the clashes, which involved firearms and M-79 grenades.

Bunayog said 6ID troops would continue patrols and security operations in Kalanganan, a coastal village with about 18,900 residents.

‘We do not want to see another exchange of fire in Kalanganan that could put our people’s lives and safety at risk. We will employ all lawful measures within our mandate to protect the community and maintain peace and order,’ Bunayog said.

He added that troops would take lawful measures to protect residents and maintain peace and order.

The government and MILF ceasefire panels are also working to resolve the conflict.

A few weeks after the controversial crime drama ‘Drug War: A Conspiracy of Silence’ was pulled from YouTube, its preferred platform for the six-part miniseries, it came back stronger, earning several recognitions from the Singapore-based Asian Academy Creative Awards 2026.

‘Drug War,’ which is set to return to the platform for its sixth and last episode this week, just took home three of the four recognitions: Best Screenplay (director Shugo Praico and Jonathan Guillermo); Best Cinematography (Moises M.M. Zee); and, Best Editing (Lawrence S. Ang).

Also from the same showrunners, another crime drama ‘Salvageland,’ directed by Lino Cayetano, also won big in the same awards, bagging the Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Mon Confiado.

Both ‘Drug War’ and ‘Salvageland’ will represent the Philippines to the international round for the Grand Final Award.

‘These recognitions inspire us to stay true to Rein Entertainment’s mission: to push boundaries, explore fresh perspectives, discover unexpected worlds, and tell bolder Filipino stories that deserve a place on the global stage.’ said Praico, Rein Entertainment’s president and head of creatives.

The recognition came as ‘Drug War’ is set to release its final episode this week, after encountering a delay from its original Sept. 3 premiere schedule on Rein Entertainment’s YouTube channel.

On top of this, Episodes 1 to 4 were summarily removed from the platform without due notice, and with no assurance of whether it would be restored.

INQUIRER Entertainment had tried to get a statement from showrunners regarding this, but they declined to give a comment at that time. The show eventually returned on YouTube recently.

Set against the Philippines’ deadly and deeply polarizing war on drugs, the series follows a priest (Ian Veneracion) and a conscience-stricken policewoman (Jane Oineza) as they investigate the death of his former protégé (Harvey Bautista) that unravels into a wider conspiracy of killings, silenced witnesses, and erased evidence. The series has drawn millions of views on YouTube.

Harry Kane is set to equal England’s appearance record with his 125th cap against the Czech Republic on Tuesday as the striker looks to build on his flourishing partnership with ‘scary’ Jude Bellingham.

Kane will take centre stage if he ties former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton’s landmark in the Nations League clash at Wembley.

The England captain’s pride in representing his country has shone through since his debut against Lithuania in 2015.

Kane scored within two minutes of coming off the bench in that match, and he has rarely endured a barren spell in an England shirt ever since.

The 33-year-old is England’s record scorer with 89 goals after netting twice in Saturday’s 7-0 demolition of Croatia.

Bayern Munich star Kane has been England’s talisman and the one constant throughout their highs and lows over the last 11 years.

Roy Hodgson gave Kane his England debut and the striker has since played under coaches Sam Allardyce, Gareth Southgate, Lee Carsley and now Thomas Tuchel.

But even having a player of Kane’s predatory instincts and remarkable consistency has not been enough for England to end their angst-ridden wait for a first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.

England lost the European Championship final in 2021 and 2024.

And for Kane to follow Bobby Moore as the only male England captain to lift a trophy, Tuchel believes he needs an assist from a midfielder whose virtuoso performance against Croatia on Saturday drew gushing praise from teammates and pundits alike.

In danger of missing out on the World Cup after being dropped from the England squad in October 2025, Real Madrid star Bellingham has gone from Tuchel’s doghouse to the penthouse over the last 12 months.

Having irked Tuchel with his volatile on-pitch antics, Bellingham eventually regained his place in time for the World Cup in June and July.

It was Bellingham rather than Kane who finished as England’s top scorer at the World Cup, but their tournament ended in semifinal heartbreak against Argentina.

‘Never seen anything like it’

Tuchel’s defensive tactics in the closing stage of that loss were widely pilloried.

But has learnt from that late meltdown and wants England to stay on the offensive, with Kane and Bellingham leading the charge.

Key to England’s hopes of winning Euro 2028 will be Kane staying healthy and Bellingham remaining in the kind of masterful form that inspired the rout of Croatia.

The 23-year-old was so dominant in Rijeka, scoring once and providing three assists, that former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane said he can go on to be ‘one of the greatest players of all time’.

‘At this moment in time, he is an amazing footballer. The package, his running power, his delivery, his goal threat,’ Keane said.

Keane’s praise was echoed by Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, who made his first England start alongside Bellingham and Elliot Anderson in midfield against Croatia.

‘Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it,’ Scott said.

‘He’s even better in person, seeing it up close and being on the same pitch as him, he’s the best midfielder in the world.

‘On the pitch his ability is scary and that’s the benchmark we need to live up to.’

England winger Bukayo Saka added: ‘He was special, (I’m) happy to play with him and happy to have him in the England team.’

Tuchel said Kane’s relationship with Bellingham has blossomed on and off the pitch in recent months, paving the way for the explosion of creativity and goals from the pair.

Fittingly, it was Bellingham who took the captain’s armband from Kane when the striker was replaced late in the Croatia match.

‘They get better and better. They love playing with each other. They understand each other better,’ Tuchel said.

There was a point during the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan when sports fans began railing against athletes who missed their opportunities to score medals for the Philippines.

The noise became loud enough that it prompted a reaction from national boxer Nesthy Petecio, who reasoned that there was no reason to bash non-medal athletes, who are even more disappointed by the result.

It also spurred several more opinions from other athletes, who used their social media clout to defend their fellow sports heroes.

The generated noise is proof of something positive: Filipinos have come to expect more from themselves in international arenas.

There was a time, it should be noted, that we were generous with participation praise in big events such as the Asian Games, World Championships, and the Olympics.

Not anymore.

We are, without doubt, in the golden age of Philippine sports-an era where we have not only ended our Olympic dry run but, in a span of three years, won three gold medals in two editions of the celebrated Summer Games.

Olympic triumph

We have a Filipinas football team that qualified to the World Cup-twice. The program has a World Cup win chalked up, too. EJ Obiena is the best pole vaulter in all of Asia, and the greatest track and field star the country has ever had, rising at one point to No. 2 in the world.

Carlos Yulo, owner of two of those Olympic golds, deserves a monument. So does Hidilyn Diaz, who opened the door to Philippine Olympic triumph.

And then there’s Alex Eala, the country’s fast-rising tennis GOAT who is arguably the most popular women’s tennis player in the world right now.

It is the heroics of these athletes that give us the ability to sneer at defeats in events that we feel we shouldn’t have lost.

But all that bristling can be distracting, too.

And in the Asian Games, where we long to protect and extend this period of unprecedented success in international sports, we must not only pick up lessons from those defeats.

We should not only search from the rubble of what we deem as results we could have done better in.

To extend this golden run, we should also look at the spaces where we expected victories-and got them.

We are already past building blueprints out of our shortcomings; we can now begin building off replicable success.

What can we learn from the gold medals in pole vault in gymnastics? That building teams around athletes to cater to their physical, mental, and emotional needs produces great results.

That we should find ways to fund scientific training no matter where we are based-Obiena trained abroad, Yulo has started camping out in the country.

Noise from defeats

What do we pick up from our gold in taekwondo? That maybe targeted funding is not the answer to our meager financial resources.

With the Los Angeles Olympics practically just around the corner, the Asian Games has to be dissected in terms of wins and losses and the stewards of the country’s national program must not react in a knee-jerk manner to diagnose and then address what went wrong.

There are defeats, after all, that bear no need for additional scrutiny because they can be remedied at the level of the athlete. There is, for example, no need to overthink Eala’s bronze medal. Being the No. 1 seed in the tournament was never a guarantee for gold.

Even in the Olympics, where the biggest tennis stars gun for their nation’s glory, only one of the last eight singles winners was the event’s top seed.

In Eala’s case, all it takes is to have an opponent playing on fire in the worst moment and you miss out on the target.

And the noise from defeats such as these can distract preparations for future events.

Spotlight on victories

The best way to build is to shine the spotlight on victories that the country collected in the Asiad. What worked? Of the processes that led to gold, or whatever unexpected success we encountered in Japan, what can be scaled to the grassroots so we can build a bigger pool of world conquerors?

What paths to victory are realistically replicable?

Our current run of success coincides with good news from the resources side. A recent court victory awarded the Philippine Sports Commission with billions in terms of sports funding.

A family in Barangay Loakan Proper here rescued a young eagle found in the garden of their rented home on Saturday, Oct. 3 and turned it over to authorities for assessment and rehabilitation.

Leticia Amoguis said her husband, Ed, found the bird around 10 a.m. in their garden in Purok Bubon, according to the Bauio City Public Information Office.

Recognizing the bird as a protected wildlife species, the family reported the sighting through Baguio 911 and, on advice, contacted Baguio City Police Station 4.

Police personnel took custody of the bird and turned it over to the appropriate authorities for care.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong commended the family, Baguio 911 and the police for their prompt response and efforts to protect the wildlife.

Authorities reminded the public not to handle, keep or attempt to care for wild animals on their own. Injured, stranded or displaced wild animals should be reported to the proper authorities for appropriate assessment and assistance.

A loaded caliber .45 pistol was found inside the motorcycle of a 17-year-old female student during a security inspection at Notre Dame of Matalam in North Cotabato on Thursday, police said.

Brig. Gen. Alan Manibog, Police Regional Office-12 director, said a school security guard found the firearm inside a black sling bag in the motorcycle’s compartment box. The motorcycle was driven by the Grade 12 student, identified by the alias ‘Ljem,’ in Barangay Poblacion, Matalam.

The firearm, a Model 1911 U.S. Army caliber .45 pistol, had a magazine containing eight rounds. Police personnel secured it and brought the student to the Matalam Municipal Police Station for assessment and intervention.

Police said the firearm allegedly belonged to the student’s father, who reportedly forgot to remove it from the motorcycle before his daughter drove it to school. Authorities are determining whether the firearm is licensed and whether the father is a licensed gun owner.

Lt. Col. Marvin Hugos, Matalam police chief, said the firearm and ammunition were secured for documentation, verification and disposition. Police said the investigation was being conducted cautiously to avoid causing further trauma to the student.

Providing young basketball players with a more professional environment to compete, develop their skills and gain exposure will be the focus of a grassroots showcase set for Sunday in Quezon City (QC).

The HTG Sports Showcase Game will bring together youth programs from across Metro Manila in four age divisions at the MRB QC District 2 Gymnasium, with organizers hoping the event can help raise playing and operational standards at the grassroots level.

Games will be played in the 12-under, 13-under, 14-under and 15-under divisions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with San Beda, Diligent Basketball, R3R and Jubilee Christian Academy among the participating programs.

Beyond providing competition, the showcase is designed to give young players an environment that more closely resembles higher-level basketball, with experienced officiating, game broadcasts and media coverage.

‘The core purpose of the Showcase Game is to demonstrate HTG Sports’ commitment to raising operational and production standards in local youth sports,’ founder Miggy Al-Alawy said.

‘The event provides a platform where young players can compete, develop and showcase their skills under professional conditions, while acknowledging everyone involved in the ecosystem-from coaches and referees to event staff and families.’