Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

An orange rainfall warning was hoisted in parts of Mimaropa and Western Visayas due to the effects of Tropical Depression Verbena on Tuesday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

In its 11 a.m. bulletin, Pagasa warned of numerous flooding events, and possible landslides in the following areas under the orange rainfall warning:

Occidental Mindoro

Oriental Mindoro

Romblon

Palawan

Antique

Aklan

Capiz

Iloilo

Guimaras

Areas under the orange rainfall warning are anticipated to experience 100 to 200 millimeters of rainfall from Tuesday until Wednesday noon.

Pagasa also issued a yellow rainfall warning in the following areas:

Marinduque

Masbate

Negros Occidental

Negros Oriental

The areas is under the yellow rainfall warning are forecast to have rains of 50 to 100 millimeters until Wednesday noon.

According to the state weather bureau, Verbena was last seen over the coastal waters of Hamtic, Antique at 10 a.m., moving west-northwestward at 35 kilometers per hour (kph).

Verbena is packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kph, and gusts of up to 90 kph, Pagasa added.

Due to Verbena’s strong winds, Pagasa raised Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal no. 1 in the following areas:

LUZON

Occidental Mindoro

Oriental Mindoro

Romblon

northern and central portions of Palawan including Calamian, Cuyo, and Cagayancillo Islands

mainland Masbate

VISAYAS

Antique

Aklan

Capiz

Iloilo

Guimaras

Negros Occidental

Negros Oriental

Cebu

The wind speeds in the aforementioned areas may have ‘minimal to minor threat’ to life and property, Pagasa said. /das

The growing rift between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his estranged sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, may not be mended anytime soon.

The President said on Monday that he doesn’t recognize the senator-at least the one he sees on television-as his sister, two weeks after she tagged him, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and their son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, as drug users at an anticorruption rally.

‘For a while now, we’ve been very worried about my sister. When I say we, I’m talking about friends and family, and the reason that is, is because the lady that you see talking on TV is not my sister. And that view is shared by our cousins, our friends. Hindi siya ‘yan (That’s not her),’ Marcos told reporters in a briefing.

‘So, that’s why we worry. So, we are very worried about her. I hope she feels better soon,’ he said, when asked if he was hurt by the action of the senator who spoke about the first family’s supposed ‘drug use’ during the religious sect Iglesia Ni Cristo’s rally for transparency in Manila on Nov. 17.

Imee responded with a quick post on her Facebook page: ‘Bongbong, ako ‘to, kung anu-ano na nakikita mo, ading. Patunayan mong mali ako-gusto kong mali ako. (Bongbong, it’s me. You’re seeing things, my younger brother. Prove me wrong-I hope I’m wrong.)’

Sandro Marcos earlier took exception to his aunt’s allegations, saying this was not the conduct of a ‘true sibling.’ Malacañang had also denied her allegations and rejected calls that Marcos submit to a drug test.

No plan to talk

According to Marcos, he has no intention of reaching out to his sister, who has allied herself with Vice President Sara Duterte after the latter broke away from the administration and quit as education secretary last year following congressional inquiries into her alleged misuse of government confidential and intelligence funds.

‘We no longer travel in the same circles, political or otherwise. So, no,’ the President said.

The feud between the siblings has been building over the course of several years.

After Marcos was elected president in 2022, his sister said that she played the ‘biggest part’ in the formation of his tandem with Sara Duterte. ‘I think that while I was not part of the campaign headquarters, in fact, I had the biggest part,’ she told ANC then.

Imee publicly expressed disagreements with some of the administration’s programs, including the use of retirement and pension funds for ‘high-risk’ investments under the proposed P275-billion Maharlika Wealth Fund.

Senate slate

In the run-up to the May 2025 midterm senatorial elections, the President included his sister in the administration’s slate, but Imee withdrew from the alliance. She cited as her reason the government’s assistance in the enforcement of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for former President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity over his war on drugs. She launched a Senate inquiry into Duterte’s arrest.

As a call for justice and accountability, the community of Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) in Quezon City has been urged to join the Trillion Peso March rally against corruption on November 30.

Over two months since the first anti-corruption rally of the Trillion Peso March movement, another protest will be held at the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue People Power Monument in Quezon City amid probes into corruption in government infrastructure projects where several lawmakers and government officials are implicated.

‘The Ateneo de Manila, through the Mission Integration Center, invites all Ateneo students, employees, and alumni to join the Trillion Peso March Movement in a peaceful rally against corruption and political dynasties,’ the university wrote in its official Facebook page.

‘Let us continue to live out our Ignatian mission: to be persons for and with others, to speak truth to power, and to stand for justice and accountability,’ it added.

The Ateneo community is then encouraged to wear white during the rally. The university said the assembly time is 7:15 a.m. at Zen Garden (Quad 1), College Complex, Loyola Heights campus, while departure from the university is at 8 a.m.

Registration details can be accessed through this link. The university said that registrations, which will be accepted until Thursday, 8 p.m., will help in the coordination of the community in the demonstration.

In a press conference on Monday, Kidapawan Bishop Colin Bagaforo said that the rally’s advocacy ‘is not to overthrow our current elected officials’ but to ‘imprison, expose, and return those who stole from corruption.’

Bagaforo also said that the movement is not supporting any calls for ‘military junta or revolutionary government’ or other efforts to topple the government as they ‘adhere to the call of the Constitution.’

Months after investigations were launched in relation to the flood control scandals in the country, the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has issued arrest warrants against former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, and 15 others from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Sunwest Corporation over a substandard P289.5-million river dike project in Oriental Mindoro.

On Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that eight individuals linked to the river dike anomaly have been taken into custody by the authorities. Marcos noted that two others are set to surrender before the government, while seven, including Co, remain at large.

In a separate press conference, the Department of Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, and the DPWH showed mugshots identifying the suspects in custody as:

Dennis Pelo Abagon (OIC-Chief, Quality Assurance and Hydrology Division; Regular Member of the Bidding and Awards Committee, now OIC-Chief, Planning and Design Division, DPWH Region IV-B)

Gerald Pacanan (Regional Director, DPWH – Region IV-B)

Gene Ryan Alurin Altea (Assistant Regional Director, DPWH Region IV-B, now DPWH Bureau of Maintenance Director)

Ruben Delos Santos Santos Jr. (Assistant Regional Director, DPWH Region IV-B)

Dominic Gregorio Serrano (Chief, Construction Division, DPWH Region IV-B)

Juliet Cabungan Calvo (Chief, Maintenance Division, DPWH Region IV-B)

Felisardo Sevare Casuno (Project Engineer III, DPWH Region IV-B)

Lerma Dotado Cayco (Accountant IV, BAC, DPWH Region IV-B)

Four transmission lines in the Visayas are currently unavailable due to Tropical Depression Verbena, which is affecting a huge part of the country.

In its 9 a.m. Tuesday report, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) identified the affected lines as the:

-Sta. Barbara-Miagao-San Joaquin 69kV Line, which services the Iloilo 1 Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ILECO I)-Iloilo-Lapaz 69kV Line, for ILECO 1 and MORE Electric and Power Corporation-Ubay-Garcia 69kV Line, for Bohol II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BOHECO II), and-Paranas- Quinapondan 69kV Line, for Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative Inc. (ESAMELCO)

NGCP said its line crews are already conducting patrols and restoration activities in these affected areas.

Based on the 8 a.m. bulletin of the weather bureau, Verbena was estimated to be in the vicinity of Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, moving west-northwest at 20 km per hour (kph). It is maintaining maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center and gusts up to 90 kph.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 has been raised over several provinces.

In Luzon, the TCWS 1-affected areas are Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, the northern and central portions of Palawan (Araceli, Taytay, El Nido, Dumaran, Roxas, San Vicente, Puerto Princesa City), including Calamian, Cuyo, and Cagayancillo Islands, and mainland Masbate (Balud, Mandaon, Milagros, Cawayan, Placer, Pio V. Corpuz, Esperanza, Uson, Dimasalang, City of Masbate, Mobo, Palanas, Aroroy, Cataingan, Baleno).

In the Visayas, the affected areas are Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Cebu, Bohol, Samar, Eastern Samar, Biliran, Leyte, and Southern Leyte.

In Mindanao, areas under Signal No. 1 are the Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, the northern portion of Surigao del Sur (Carrascal, Cantilan, Madrid, Carmen, Lanuza, Cortes, San Miguel, City of Tandag, Tago), Agusan del Norte, the northeastern portion of Agusan del Sur (Sibagat), Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, the northern portion of Misamis Occidental (Sapang Dalaga, Calamba, Baliangao, Plaridel, Lopez Jaena, Oroquieta City, Aloran, Panaon, Jimenez, Concepcion), and the northern portion of Zamboanga del Norte (Jose Dalman, Manukan, Pres. Manuel A. Roxas, Katipunan, Dipolog City, Polanco, Piñan, Dapitan City, La Libertad, Sibutad, Rizal, Mutia).

The Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) on Tuesday did not push through with its plan to hold livestreamed hearings this week after the appearances of two members of the House of Representatives in the proceedings were not shown live to the public.

Caloocan third district Representative Dean Asistio asked and was granted an executive session while Quezon City first district Representative Juan Carlos ‘Arjo’ Atayde was also asked if he would agree to a livestream, and he, instead, took the option of a closed-door session.

Asistio said he chose to hold an executive session with the ICI because he refused to be subjected to ‘trial by publicity’ as he might reveal some ‘sensitive’ information.

As for Atayde, he was reportedly ‘asked’ by the ICI whether his appearance before the investigating body would be livestreamed. He did not elaborate on his response and why he agreed to a closed-door session.

‘They asked me before the guidelines of the livestream came out. with respect to the commission. They asked me,’ the actor-turned-politician told reporters in an ambush interview.

Asistio and Atayde came to the ICI for the first time on Tuesday as resource persons after contractor Pacifico ‘Curlee’ Discaya implicated them both in a Senate inquiry on Sept. 8.

Showing his payoff ledger as proof, Discaya had said that Atayde and Asistio were among the legislators in the list who allegedly received kickbacks from infrastructure projects.

ICI last week announced that livestreamed hearings will already be the norm in the coming weeks, except in cases where parties will request to be covered by confidentiality, so as to not compromise the ongoing probe into the corruption in flood mitigation projects.

‘The ICI may grant such request if it determines that the same is meritorious with sufficient factual and legal bases, and not intended to delay or frustrate the mandate of the ICI,’ read the 11-page guidelines that the three-member panel approved on Friday.

The guidelines take effect immediately upon the publication in the Office Gazette or newspaper of general circulation.

Requests to keep the ICI sessions to be held in an executive session may come from witnesses, resource persons, as well as government agencies, such as the Anti-Money Laundering Council, Office of the Ombudsman, Department of Justice, Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation, it noted.

But the ICI itself can also decide motu proprio, or on its own, to conduct the hearings in an executive session.

This new policy, which aims to inject transparency into the ICI mandate, can also apply to past resource persons who ‘gave their consent’ to publicly disclose audio and video recordings and pieces of evidence, such as reports and presentations they previously turned over to the commission.

The move to retroactively implement the livestream policy is the ICI’s response to remove any doubt on its proceedings, it noted.

‘For the avoidance of doubt, the (livestream) guidelines shall retroactively apply to the testimony of witnesses and/or resource persons, who previously appeared before the ICI, gave their consent to the audio-visual recording, including the documents, reports, presentations and evidence that they identified, disclosed, shared, provided and/or submitted in the course of, and as result of their participation in the hearings or proceedings,’ ICI said in the guidelines.

But Brian Hosaka, ICI executive director, told reporters that the investigating body would have to ‘coordinate’ first with the personalities invited to the hearings before deciding to open access to the public.

Among those cited by the ICI is the 2008 Supreme Court decision on Akbayan, et. al vs. Thomas G. Aquino, et. al, docketed as G.R. No. 170516, where the high tribunal recognized the ‘informer’s privilege,’ which allowed the government to refuse disclosure of the identity of the person who provided information to law enforcement agencies.

Jude Garcia proved why he’s one of the most reliable scorers in the Spikers’ Turf, helping Criss Cross to survive erstwhile-unbeaten Savouge Aesthetics in a five-set thriller, 25-19, 25-14, 23-25, 18-25, 15-12, to force a triple tie on top of the Invitational Conference semifinals on Tuesday night at Ynares Center Montalban.

The King Crunchers lost steam after taking a two-set lead, with Mark Calado powering the Spin Doctors’ comeback to force a decider.

Garcia took matters into his own hands, scoring five of his 25 points in the fifth set, as Criss Cross tied Savouge and Japanese guest team Kindai University at 3-1.

‘What was running through my mind was that I wanted everything we did, every play, every point, to be clean and done well,’ said Garcia in Filipino. ‘And everyone did contribute, and that helped us get the win. We wouldn’t have achieved it without teamwork. We trusted each other to pull through.’

‘I’m really happy because you can see that all my teammates are contributing, whether they’re inside the court or coming off the bench. You can really feel the eagerness, the desire to win, and the determination to reach the finals again,’ he added.

Criss Cross needs to beat also-ran University of Santo Tomas-Gameville on Thursday at FilOil EcoOil Centre for a fourth straight finals appearance.

A win by Criss Cross will make Thursday’s duel between Savouge and Kindai University a do-or-die for the last finals berth.

‘Even if they’re missing some of their main gunners, we still need to double our effort. We can’t afford to be complacent in this last game because this is our chance to reach the finals,’ said Garcia.

Jaron Requinton was also instrumental with 19 points, scoring the last two hits to seal the nail-biting win after two hours and 25 minutes.

Nico Almendras tallied 10 points, 13 excellent receptions, and five digs. Popoy Colinares and Gian Glorioso had eight and seven points, respectively, and combined for eight of the team’s 13 blocks, as setter Adrian Villados had 23 excellent sets.

Savouge was led by Calado’s 23-point effort. Middle blockers Dan Nicolas and Giles Torres had 15 and 14 points, respectively. Shawie Caritativo added seven points, 16 excellent receptions, and 13 digs to help out libero Rikko Marmeto, who had 32 receptions.

Coach Rafa Merino felt scoring the first two goals caught the Philippine women’s futsal team off-guard in the 3-2 loss to Morocco that eliminated them from quarterfinal contention in the Fifa Futsal Women’s World Cup.

The Filipina5 went into a dream start in the first seven minutes as Inday Tolentin and Cathrine Graversen scored to the delight of 1,771 fans at Philsports Arena in Pasig City on Monday night.

But Morocco answered with three straight goals, all before the break, that left the hosts to search for an equalizer the rest of the way.

‘I think that scoring two goals in such a short period of time surprised us a bit, and it took us out of the game plan that we had,’ Merino said through an interpreter.

‘I think it confused us a bit [because] we don’t have enough experience to handle this type of scenario.’

Morocco won to stay alive in the competition, while a second successive defeat sent the Philippines wrapping up its campaign on Thursday against powerhouse Argentina.

Merino and the Filipina5, despite the huge odds against them, will try to put up a competitive showing despite their predicament.

‘We are in the World Cup, and we are at home. So I don’t think there is any bigger motivation than that,’ the Spanish-born coach said.

Kim Atienza got himself inked with a musical note and a butterfly, which is the same tattoo that his late daughter Emman had.

The TV host remembered his youngest child by showing off his new tattoo through his Instagram page on Sunday, Nov. 23.

In his caption, Kim referenced a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche who said, ‘Those who were dancing were thought insane by those who could not hear the music.’

Kim added, ‘Be a little kind.’

It can be recalled that Emman opened up about her tattoo, which was inked at the back of her ear, in an interview vlog with TV host Toni Gonzaga in November last year. During their conversation, Emman said it was inspired by Nietzsche’s above-mentioned quote.

‘This tattoo is just a reminder that I have the freedom to dance to the music I hear regardless of whether people can hear it too,’ Emman said at the time.

‘I think it works in that way as well – just like I’m dancing and maybe some people can hear the music, some people can’t, and it doesn’t matter because I’m happy I’m listening to the music,’ she added.

Meanwhile, in a separate post on Monday, Nov. 24, Kim also looked back at an episode of his now-defunct show ‘Matanglawin’ where Emman served as his guest co-host.

‘Thanking God for the beautiful beautiful memories today,’ he captioned the post.

Emman, who was diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder, passed away at their family home in Los Angeles, California, last Oct. 22.

Despite not winning the Miss Universe crown, Ahtisa Manalo felt like a queen upon coming home to overwhelming support from fans.

Manalo arrived in the Philippines via Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at around dawn, and was greeted by a crowd of fans, members of the press, and pageant vloggers, aiming to get a chance to see her up close.

The pageant veteran, who looked regal in a brown Filipiniana-inspired mini dress, was accompanied by Miss Universe Philippines (MUPh) organization EVP Voltaire Tayag at the airport.

‘What an incredible welcome! Fans and media gathered in numbers to greet Miss Universe 2025 3rd Runner-Up Ahtisa Manalo, showing just how deeply Filipinos celebrate their queen,’ the MUPh said.

In a separate clip, Manalo was also greeted by signs from airport staff, and was seemingly amused after seeing fans and the media pushing to get a closer look at her.

‘The energy was unmatched. An overwhelming wave of fans and media greeted Miss Universe 2025 3rd Runner-Up Ahtisa Manalo, a testament to the love she inspires. The Philippines is beyond proud!’ MUPh’s post read.

A veteran in her own right, Manalo has been competing in pageants for 18 years before arriving at her ‘ultimate destination’ of representing the Philippines on the Miss Universe stage. She eventually finished as third runner-up, despite being touted as one of the favorites to take home the crown after her strong performance at the preliminary competition.

She also joined Miss International 2018 and Miss Cosmo 2024, where she finished first runner-up and Top 10, respectively.

The Miss Universe Philippines confirmed that the global tilt will be her final foray into pageantry, and that she would continue with her work for the nonprofit organization Alon Akademie.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has brought back seasonal service linking Manila and Sapporo, Japan’s northernmost island, during the winter through early spring season.

The flights to Sapporo began on Nov. 24, 2025 and will run until March 27, 2026.

The new flight route operates thrice weekly – every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – through 168-seater Airbus A321neo aircraft.

The narrow body jet can accommodate up to 12 seats in business class and 156 seats in economy class, with extensive inflight entertainment options and Wi-Fi connectivity.

For flights coming from Manila, departure time is scheduled at 6:30 AM, which will arrive in Sapporo at 12:15 PM.

Meanwhile, Sapporo-originated flights depart at 1:15 PM and arrive in Manila at 6:15 PM.

Heeding demand

‘By relaunching this seasonal route, we are opening a gateway for travelers to experience Philippine Airlines’ world-class service, and signature heartfelt hospitality while supporting demand for flights between the two destinations,’ said PAL president Richard Nuttall.

‘The returning service expands PAL’s presence in Japan, boosting connections across the Japan region,’ he added.

PAL operates the largest destination points and routes between the Philippines and Japan, with nonstop services to Osaka (Kansai), Nagoya, Fukuoka, Tokyo (Haneda) and Tokyo (Narita), including direct flights from Cebu to both Osaka (Kansai) and Tokyo (Narita).

By December, additional roundtrip flights will be deployed to Narita, Osaka and Nagoya coming from Manila and Cebu as the airline anticipates higher passenger volume for the holiday peak season. /dda