Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Joaquin Arce opened up about being deaf in one ear, saying it made him unique and that he considers it as his ‘superpower’ growing up.

The ‘Pinoy Big Brother’ housemate talked about this in a conversation with Big Brother, in which they discussed a group activity Joaquin was working on with his fellow housemates Lella Ford and Marco Masa.

Joaquin then spoke about his condition as he stated how the story Masa shared about a disability tug at the former’s heartstrings.

‘Masaya po ako na pinili niya akong maging part ng kwento niya (I am happy that he chose me to become a part of his story). I really feel for him,’ Joaquin said.

‘Pinanganak po akong bingi sa kanang tainga. Never ko po naranasan na may dalawa akong tainga na nakakarinig,’ he continued. ‘But my entire life, I’ve been looking at it in such a positive light na hindi ko po napansin ang mga negatibong effects.’

(I was born deaf in my right ear. I never experienced having two fully functioning ears. But my entire life, I’ve been looking at it in such a positive light that I didn’t notice its negative effects.)

Joaquin credited his parents for their relentless support, which prevented him from dwelling on his special needs.

‘They treated me like I wasn’t deaf. They didn’t treat me na kawawa ako (as if I’m pitiful),’ he said of them. ‘They enforced positivity – na dahil dito, unique ako.’ (that because of this, I am unique.)

‘As a kid, inisip ko po siya na superpowers ko siya,’ he added. ‘At dahil po dito, actually, I made it a habit na mas [makinig] sa mga tao para marinig ko lahat ng mga sinasabi. I guess I became a good listener because of that.’

(As a kid, I thought of it as my superpowers. And actually, because of this, I made it a habit to listen more closely to people so I can hear what they say. I guess I became a good listener because of that.) Neil Arce, Joaquin’s dad, admired his son and underscored how the latter is an inspiration to him.

‘From an accident to a blessing; from having special needs to having super powers; from inspiring me to inspiring millions,’ Neil said via his Instagram page. It was actress Angel Locsin, Neil’s wife and Joaquin’s stepmom, who first made public about the ‘PBB’ housemate’s condition earlier this month

First-time grandparent Manny Pacquiao couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear during her first meeting with his granddaughter Clara, the firstborn of his eldest son Jimuel Pacquiao.

Manny and Clara’s precious moment, which took place in Los Angeles, California, was documented by his wife, Jinkee Pacquiao, through her Instagram page on Thursday, Nov. 27.

The boxing legend seemed ecstatic as he carried the child in his arms. Clara, for her part, was seen flashing a smile while being held by her grandfather.

‘Ang pagkikita ni Lolo Manny at ni Clara!’ the caption read, with Jinkee adding the hashtags ‘Praise God’ and ‘God is good all the time.’ (The meeting of Grandpa Manny and Clara!) Jimuel shares Clara with his non-showbiz partner Carolina. The couple’s relationship was revealed to the public last May.

Carolina gave birth to their first child last Nov. 20. The child’s name and face was then shared by Jinkee on her social media page days later.

Ronnie Alonte and Loisa Andalio have once again surprised their fans after tying the knot in a private ceremony witnessed by their family and close friends, less than a week after confirming their engagement.

Alonte and Andalio said ‘I do’ at an outdoor ceremony in an undisclosed location, as seen on the actor’s Instagram account on Thursday, November 27.

The actress, who chose to have her hair done in a simple bun, was a radiant bride in a wedding gown lined with tulle and a v-neckline, while carrying a bouquet of white and green flowers. Alonte was dapper in an all-black suit.

‘Zup! Mrs.Alonte,’ Alonte captioned his post. The couple was congratulated by their followers in the comments, including celebrities such as Chie Filomeno, Enchong Dee, Katarina Rodriguez, and Elisse Joson.

Meanwhile, Andalio sweetly replied to her husband’s post in the comments, saying, ‘Hi’ along with emojis of hearts and a bride. The couple, who has been in a relationship for nine years, also shared a glimpse of how the actor proposed to his longtime girlfriend in a YouTube video on Wednesday, November 26.

Andalio confirmed her engagement to Alonte last November 21, where she shared a photo of herself wearing an engagement ring with an oval-shaped diamond.

Jalen Brunson scored 33 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 10 rebounds and the New York Knicks handed the Charlotte Hornets their seventh straight loss 129-101 on Wednesday night.

Josh Hart added 22 points for the Knicks, who made 13 of 26 shots from 3-point range to improve to 3-1 in NBA Cup group play. Brandon Miller had 18 points in his second game back from a shoulder injury for the Hornets, who’ve lost 10 straight Cup games over the past three seasons and were eliminated from this year’s competition.

The Knicks played like a team eager to advance in the NBA Cup midseason tournament and improve their point differential, which was at minus-2 entering the night.

Jalen Brunson’s 33 lifts the Knicks over the Hornets! They bolted to a 25-point halftime lead behind a balanced offensive attack as all five starters scored in double digits before halftime. New York shot 64% from the field and made 6 of 10 shots from beyond the arc before the break.

Of the Knicks’ 72 first-half points, 68 came from their starters including 19 from Hart.

Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball struggled to keep up with Brunson, who sent him to the bench in the third quarter with his fourth foul. Ball, the only player in Hornets history to ever sign a max contract that pays him $260 million, later was assessed a technical foul for arguing with officials and he finished with just 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting.

Meanwhile Brunson was greeted with repeated chants of ‘MVP! MVP!’ from the crowd at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center.

Miguel Tanfelix narrated his unfortunate experience of mistakenly paying P20,000 instead of just P2,000, and not being able to get it back at a restaurant in Brazil.

The actor recalled his South America trip in his ‘Fast Talk with Boy Abunda’ interview on Wednesday, Nov. 26, saying he was filled with excitement despite some warning him against the dangerous places and people in the continent.

Tanfelix was all praises as he said he was fascinated by the nature experience it offers as well as its night life. However, the actor admitted there was also an unpleasant incident during his trip.

‘Na-scam lang ako ng P20,000. Kasi first night ko sa Rio, kumain ako sa restaurant. Medyo malungkot ako ‘non e kasi birthday ko sa Pilipinas,’ he narrated.

(I lost P20,000 to a scam. During my first night in Rio [de Janeiro], I ate at a restaurant. I was a bit sad at the time because it was already my birthday in the Philippines.)

‘So medyo senti and siguro not paying attention, ang nabigay ko 20 bills ng 100, na dapat 10 lang,’ he recounted. ‘So instead of P2,000, ang naibigay ko ay P20,000.’

(I was quite sentimental and not paying attention, so I paid 20 pieces of 100-bill instead of just 10. So instead of P2,000, I mistakenly gave them P20,000.)

Tanfelix did not immediately realize the mistake, only becoming aware of it the next day after he checked his wallet.

‘Kinonnect-connect ko. Binalikan ko at araw-araw akong nandoon sa restaurant na ‘yon,’ he said, noting that he was in communication with the establishment owner. (I connected the incidents and repeatedly visited the restaurant.)

Tanfelix added that he and the owner reviewed the CCTV but unfortunately, there was no clear footage of him handing out the P20,000 payment.

‘So sabi ko, birthday ko naman, regalo ko na lang sa kaniya ‘yon,’ he stated, chuckling. (So I told myself, I’ll just treat it as my gift to them since it was my birthday.)

Despite this, Tanfelix underscored that the trip, albeit quite expensive, is a memory he will forever treasure.

A total of 40,692 out of 45,192 applicants passed the November 2025 Nurses Licensure Examination (NLE), the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced on Thursday.

Topping the exam were Johannah Marie Gerardo Acevedo and George Wilson Tan Escordia of West Visayas State University-La Paz, both with a score of 93.8 percent.

They were followed by the next set of top scorers: Rank 2 (93.6 percent) – Mariella Theony Reyes Medina (Saint Louis University) and Carl Andrew Tella-In Soliva (University of Saint La Salle); Rank 3 (93.4 percent) – Tracey Faye Rosagaron Abellon (Ateneo de Zamboanga University), Khyla Shane Jordan Acab (Silliman University), and Charles Jasper Tan Lim (University of the Philippines-Manila).

The full list of passers is available on the PRC website or via this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kBVJjVFgwBmlzIE8rufaczFAzKGcm75n/view

Meanwhile, the PRC said it withheld the results of six examinees pending a final determination of their liabilities under licensure examination rules.

Successful applicants may begin securing appointments on the PRC’s website for the issuance of their Professional Identification Cards and Certificates of Registration on December 23. Those registering are required to bring the following papers:

Downloaded, duly accomplished Oath Form

Notice of admission (for identification only)

Two passport-sized photos (colored, white background, complete name tag)

Two sets of documentary stamps

One short brown envelope

PRC added that the date and venue for the oathtaking ceremony of the new successful examinees will be announced later

SM Prime Holdings Inc. is investing P3.6 billion to build a new convention center in Cebu, touted as one of the largest meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions venues in the Visayas.

This affirms the group’s commitment to Cebu following the recent earthquake and flooding that devastated parts of the province.

SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (SMHCC) is set to open the new facility, SMX Convention Center Seaside Cebu, in the fourth quarter of 2026.

SM Prime disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Thursday that the upcoming facility would offer over 21,000 square meters of leasable space spread across six levels. It will have more than 18,000 seating capacity. Growing portfolio

With the launch of SMX Seaside Cebu, SMX’s total convention portfolio will expand to over 80,000 square meters of event leasable area across 10 venues nationwide.

The portfolio includes the planned SMXCITE in Pasay, SMX Manila, SMX Aura in Taguig, SMX Bacolod, SMX Davao, SMX Clark, SMX Olongapo, Skyhall Seaside Cebu and Megatrade Hall in SM Megamall. This regional expansion reaffirms our position as the largest private convention center networkin the Philippines,’ said Peggy Angeles, executive vice president of SMHCC.

Angeles said after the recent events, the SM group was hoping that SMX Seaside Cebu would play a ‘meaningful role’ in revitalizing the tourism and business landscape of the province.

The acting chief of the Digos City Police Station has been relieved from his post amid an ongoing probe into the killing of Barangay Captain Oscar Bucol Jr., whose shooting was captured on Facebook Live Tuesday night.

The Police Regional Office (PRO) 11, in an online post Wednesday night, said Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete ordered the relief of Police Lt. Col. Peter Glenn D. Ipong during his recent visit to Davao del Sur.

‘RD Rosete ordered the immediate relief of Police Lt. Col. Peter Glenn D. Ipong, Acting Chief of the Digos City Police Station, to ensure an impartial and unhampered investigation,’ the statement read.

PRO 11 added that Rosete also directed the Davao del Sur Provincial Police Office to conduct a thorough probe into the case.

Bucol was shot once and later declared dead at a private hospital in Digos City.

The Facebook Live footage showed him abruptly crying out in pain after he was shot, prompting the guest he was interviewing to flee.

Before the attack, Bucol was widely known for his hard-hitting online commentaries criticizing local politicians, including the city’s police chief. /

Stephen Curry limped away from the bench late in Golden State’s 104-100 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night in the NBA after bruising his right quadriceps.

He will undergo an MRI exam on the injury to determine his status. The Warriors will have to regroup with the idea that Curry might be out for a stretch.

‘It obviously changes everything, our rotations, how we’re playing, who we’re playing through, so we’ll see,’ coach Steve Kerr said. ‘When I heard it was a quad I was actually kind of relieved, better than an ankle or a knee, so hopefully he can recover quickly and be OK. But we’ve got to hold down the fort.’ Curry and Amen Thompson went down hard under the basket with 3:24 remaining and the game tied at 91 after Thompson’s drive to the hoop, which initially was whistled an offensive foul. Houston challenged and the call was overturned to a block by Curry. Kerr said he could see Curry ailing after that play. The two-time MVP finished with 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting – 2 of 9 on 3-pointers – seven rebounds, five assists and seven of the Warriors’ 16 turnovers that led to 22 Houston points.

‘That’s a challenge, if Steph is out everybody else has to kind of improve their game a lot to fill that void,’ rookie Will Richard said.

Guard Gary Payton II also suffered a sprained left ankle that limited him to just under five minutes.

Jimmy Butler said ‘it’s just sad’ how the Warriors don’t follow their game plan and do the little things sometimes and challenged everybody to ‘care more’ about the details – especially if they’re without Curry.

‘What will change the most? I think we’re going to have to be damn near perfect. We ain’t going to have the ultimate bailout on our team, but even when he is on the floor we’re going to have to do our job because we make the game real difficult. As great as a basketball player as he is he has a really hard job every single day, he’s got to be the Batman of all Batmans and save us every night. That ain’t what he’s here to do.’

The swell in the national government’s October budget surplus masked a softer fiscal picture amid the flood control corruption scandal.

Underpinned by sluggish revenue growth and restrained spending, the latest fiscal report is seen to signal a ‘weak fiscal impulse.’

Data released by the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) on Wednesday showed that the budget surplus had surged to P11.2 billion in October, nearly 76 percent higher than a year ago.

This brought fiscal deficit to P1.11 trillion for the first 10 months, keeping the shortfall at 70.83 percent of the revised P1.56-trillion full-year target.

A budget surplus occurs when government revenues outpace expenditures. A deficit, on the other hand, is incurred when the state spends beyond its means.

‘Positive on paper’

The October surplus marks the first significant gain since April 2025 and mirrors last year’s performance, but economists warn that it does not necessarily signal real fiscal strength.

‘It reflects the effects of slower government spending rather than unusually strong revenues. With public works and some agency disbursements delayed due to the corruption probe and tighter scrutiny, expenditures fell faster than expected, creating a temporary surplus,’ said John Paolo Rivera, a senior research fellow at the state-run Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

‘While a surplus may look positive on paper, it actually signals a weak fiscal impulse at a time when the economy needs government spending to support growth,’ Rivera added.

Ateneo de Manila University economist Leonardo Lanzona, said the surplus is an ‘unfavorable development,’ saying the slow revenue growth only came from tariffs.

‘Usually a budget deficit is not favorable, if the inflation had been increasing. But since inflation is declining, a budget deficit would have been the means to improve economic growth,’ he said.

‘Since [the corruption] also caused the decline in the GDP (gross domestic product) growth, this is an unfavorable development as the economy has relied heavily on government spending,’ Lanzona added.

Revenue drivers

Total revenues for the 10-month period reached P3.81 trillion, up just 1.13 percent from a year earlier following the non-recurrence of last year’s extraordinary non-tax receipts.

Tax revenues grew a modest 7.45 percent, driven mainly by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, which posted a 9.55-percent increase to P2.65 trillion.

The Bureau of Customs, for its part, barely exceeded last year’s level with a 0.91-percent uptick to P784.6 billion.

Non-tax revenues, meanwhile, plunged by nearly 37 percent from last year, underscoring the government’s heavier reliance on tax collections as last year’s one-off windfalls disappeared.

Still, collections have already exceeded the revised P306.5 billion program for the year.

Restrained spending

On the spending side, expenditures rose only 3.9 percent, only 80.8 percent of the P6.08 trillion revised full-year program. Primary expenditures, on the other hand, inched up by 2.45 percent since last year. This comes as infrastructure outlays weakened amid the flood control corruption probe.

The softer pace of spending helped produce the October surplus but also highlighted government underspending at a time when agencies were expected to accelerate program implementation.

According to Rivera, the slow disbursement could further weigh on the GDP, which already slowed to a four-year low of 4 percent in the third quarter.