Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

When Ateneo needed a momentum-stopper against a furious La Salle rally, Shawn Tuano rose to the occasion.

The Blue Eagles’ 81-74 win over the Green Archers in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament may look comfortable on paper, but it was anything but. Ateneo had built a commanding 31-point lead at one point, only for La Salle to storm back in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 11, 68-57, with 3:45 left.

That’s when Tuano delivered.

‘If I’m needed to be the energy guy, I’ll be the energy guy. If I need to score, I’ll try to score. If I need to play defense, I’ll play defense,’ Tuano said after the game at Mall of Asia Arena. ‘I just try to do my roles to the best of my abilities.’

Tuano finished with 15 points, including five crucial points down the stretch. He buried back-to-back baskets to fend off the Green Archers and extend Ateneo’s lead to 73-59 with 3:19 remaining.

The forward’s timely contributions helped Ateneo preserve its perfect 4-0 start to the season.

‘Whatever coach Tab says or needs me to do on the court, I have to accomplish those. This is a good win but there’s a lot to learn,’ Tuano added.

Emma Tiglao was in her glamorous, polished and over-the-top best, as she shone at the welcome ceremony, press conference, and other pre-pageant activities ahead of the Miss Grand International 2025 tilt.

Tiglao, who is on a quest to score a back-to-back win for the Philippines, pulled all the stops to ensure that she is among the standout candidates in this year’s edition of the global tilt.

During the welcome ceremony, the pageant veteran was a stunner in an off-shoulder gown with cut-outs on the waist by Chico Estiva, decked in dripping gemstones from the neckline to the hem. She also delivered her signature melodious introduction, a switch from the usual high-pitched way of saying the country’s name. She then changed into a jewel-toned traditional Chut Thai with a gold wrap-like top, a lilac midi skirt, and a hot pink waist belt decorated with gems and traditional ornaments. The pièce de résistance was her golden Miss Grand Philippines crown, which glowed with every strut. Tiglao was also pretty in pink in an asymmetrical blush dress with a floor-length train by Kannah Designs and gold strappy heels after the welcome ceremony. Tiglao seems to have a love for the color pink, as she showed up in a jewel-toned pink hue to cap off her fifth day at the global tilt. The pink Anthony Ramirez number featured long sleeves, a low neckline, and a silk finish, with a long jeweled necklace bringing the look together. Tiglao showed off her curves in a bright red lace mini dress at the pageant’s talent competition, where she displayed her dance skills.

‘I am so happy I was able to show my love for dancing on the Miss Grand International stage during the Grand Talent Audition. Congratulations to us girls, we did it! And to my Grand sisters who made it to the Top 15 for Grand Talent, cheering for you all!’ she captioned her post. The Pampanga-based beauty queen is eyeing to win the Philippines’ second Miss Grand International crown from the reigning titleholder, CJ Opiaza.

The global tilt is scheduled to take place at the MGI Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, on Oct. 18. /ra

Ramon Fernandez, Atoy Co and Vergel Meneses led a collection of former personalities who graced the opening of the PBA’s 50th anniversary season on Sunday.

The PBA said about 40 to 50 ex-players, coaches and officials attended a busy day that started with the Leo Awards at Novotel Manila followed by the opening ceremonies at nearby Smart Araneta Coliseum.

TNT finally signed Jio Jalalon to a contract after he was not offered an extension by Titan Ultra, the new team that took over the franchise of NorthPort.

Jalalon inked on the dotted line before his agent Danny Espiritu and Tropang 5G team manager Jojo Lastimosa, finding a PBA team on the eve of the 50th season opener.

His move to TNT has been an open secret for weeks after Jalalon was spotted taking part in practices. Tropang 5G coach Chot Reyes said Jalalon was free to try out after his NorthPort contract expired last Aug. 31.

But Jalalon had to wait before he could become an unrestricted free agent as NorthPort, later Titan Ultra after the PBA approved Pureblends Corporation’s franchise acquisition, was given a 30-day period to make an offer.

NorthPort was supposed to actually trade Jalalon to Blackwater for Justin Chua but the league scrapped the proposed deal due to a moratorium related to the pending Pureblends purchase.

Titan Ultra, however, opted otherwise until the period lapsed after Sept. 30, opening the door for Jalalon to go to any team he chooses.

Jalalon is the latest free agent to join a TNT side eager to build on its near-Grand Slam season after the Tropang 5G signed Kevin Ferrer and Tyrus Hill in the offseason.

He also bolsters a loaded backcourt composed of Jordan Heading, RR Pogoy, Rey Nambatac and veteran Jayson Castro.

The Tropang 5G are Jalalon’s third team in a PBA career that began in 2016 with Magnolia. He joined NorthPort last season in a multi-player trade that sent Zavier Lucero to the Hotshots.

The Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on alleged flood control anomalies set for next week has been cancelled, the committee’s chair and Sen. Ping Lacson confirmed Saturday.

In a Viber message, Lacson said he already informed Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III of the cancellation ‘until further notice.’

According to Lacson, he initially scheduled a hearing on Wednesday, October 8, upon the request of Sen. JV Ejercito to summon former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Mimaropa regional director Gerald Pacanan.

Pacanan was included in 10 DPWH officials who received a show-cause order from Secretary Vince Dizon to explain their reported lavish lifestyle and involvement in substandard projects.

‘To maximize the discussions, I checked with the DOJ if the supposed ‘tell-all’ affidavit/s of the Discayas were already available. Corollary to that, I also checked with the office of the executive judge of Manila RTC if they have concluded the investigation on the possible violations of the notarized document involving TSgt Guteza and Atty Espera,’ Lacson likewise said in the message.

The senator said both of the affidavits and the notarized document would not be ready within a week.

‘Having been informed that both would not be ready within one week, not to mention that the BRC hearing will conflict with the budget and CA hearings, I informed SP Sotto of the cancellation until further notice,’ said Lacson. /mr

The Department of Health (DOH) opened its two-day ‘PinaSigla: Isang Flex para sa Masiglang Pilipinas!’ health fair at Burnham Green in Luneta on Saturday, October 4.

The national event aims to bring healthcare and wellness closer to Filipinos by offering free health services, interactive learning, and disease prevention activities.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa led the launch, joined by Assistant Secretary Albert Francis Domingo and Health Promotion Bureau Director Maria Kristina Marasigan.

‘Today and tomorrow, we have booths here that you can visit,’ said Herbosa.

Among the highlights are free consultation services on-site, such as medical check-ups, vaccinations, lab screenings, and HIV testing. Nutrition and mental health counseling are also available.

Participants can also join interactive activities such as Zumba dances and Health Circ8 Challenge – a circuit of eight zones focusing on nutrition, physical activity, mental health, reproductive health, immunization, and more.

Practical demonstrations on road safety, handwashing, stress management, disaster preparedness and family planning are also being held on-site.

The fair runs until Sunday, Oct. 5, with programs starting at 8 a.m. /das

Net satisfaction in President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos (PBBM) turned slightly positive in June, from being slightly negative, for the first time in his term, the previous April-see ‘Second Quarter 2025 Social Weather Survey: Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s net satisfaction rating rises to +10 in June 2025 from -10 in April 2025’ (www.sws.org.ph, 9/30/25), which has all the numbers cited here.

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll asking for public satisfaction with an official uses the phrase ‘nasisiyahan sa paggawa ng kanyang tungkulin’ (satisfied with the performance in her or his function), with answer-choices of very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied. The net score is the sum of the favorable, minus the sum of the unfavorable, answers.

Net +10 is the lower end of the 20-point band that SWS calls ‘moderate,’ and -10 is the upper end of the 20-point band called ‘poor.’ Any single-digit score is ‘neutral,’ whether positive or negative, since it’s statistically similar to zero. Thus, PBBM got one ‘poor’ grade on his scoresheet before the middle of his term, and recovered from it quickly.

The history of satisfaction ratings. For comparison, the lowest net satisfaction score of former President Corazon Aquino was +7, in November 1990 and April 1992. Former President Fidel Ramos had a +1 in October 1995 and a +2 in December 1995. Former President Joseph Estrada had a +5 in December 1999 and March 2000, and a +9 in December 2000. Those three presidents never scored negatively in the SWS surveys. (In the case of former President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., I recall a net satisfaction score of +15 in 1985, by an SWS-precursor. I know nothing for any earlier president.)

Our singularly unpopular president was Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who had her first negative score in November 2003, at -3. Her next negative score was a -6 in October 2004; it was never positive again, up to June 2010. Her net satisfaction quarterly averages in each year were: -25 in 2005, -16 in 2006, -9 in 2007, -33 in 2008, -35 in 2009, and -7 in 2010. The SWS term is ‘bad’ for scores of -30 to -49; it is ‘very bad’ for -50 to -69, which happened to her twice, the worst being a -53 in March 2010.

On the other hand, the lowest net satisfaction score of Benigno Aquino III was +11 (March 2015), while the lowest score of Rodrigo Duterte was +48 (September 2017). It is noteworthy that Duterte was personally very popular, while at the same time his (a) deadly and indiscriminate ‘war on drugs’ and (b) friendly attitude towards China were very unpopular.

The average net satisfaction scores for the aggregate of SWS surveys under the past presidents are: Corazon Aquino +35, Ramos +38, Estrada +33, Arroyo -7, Aquino III +45, and Duterte +62. The running average for Marcos Jr. is a ‘good’ +32, as of June 2025.

‘Trust ratings’ are different. An SWS trust rating uses the word pagtitiwala (trust), and pertains to an individual simply as a person, not as a functionary responsible for doing something for the Filipino people. A trust rating, rather than a satisfaction rating, is appropriate for checking the popularity of foreign officials, the Pope, businessmen, entertainment personalities, and the like.

But SWS does obtain trust ratings of politicians, from time to time, upon request. For instance, in the media release, ‘SWS confirms the June 2025 survey items sponsored by the Stratbase Group on public trust in the Philippines’ top officials’ (www.sws.org.ph, 7/15/25) one can find the following:

This shows that public trust in PBBM as a person also rebounded from May to June, like his net satisfaction score. However, it appears that public trust in him (as well as in his cousin Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez) is not as adequate as trust in Vice President Sara Duterte and Sen. Francis Escudero. I wonder if this is worrisome to some politicians.

Metro Manila and some nearby provinces are expected to experience cloudy skies with rain showers and thunderstorms, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration on Saturday morning, October 4.

In its latest 24-hour weather forecast, Pagasa reported that Metro Manila will also experience moderate winds blowing from the south to southeast, with Manila Bay waters expected to be moderate.

Similarly, Laoag City, Baguio City, Clark Zone, Olongapo, Tagaytay City, and Lipa can expect the same weather conditions. Subic Bay’s coastal waters will also be moderate.

In other parts of the country, partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with rain showers and thunderstorms might be experienced in Legazpi City, Puerto Princesa City, Kalayaan Group of Islands, Bacolod City, Iloilo City, Metro Cebu, Tacloban City, Cagayan de Oro City, Valencia City, Metro Davao, Zamboanga City, and Tuguegarao City.

Meanwhile, the rainfall warning over Bataan and Zambales due to severe tropical storm Paolo is now terminated.

In a separate advisory, Pagasa said that threats of storm surge over the Philippine coastal areas have ceased as Paolo’s maximum winds moved farther offshore. However, wind-driven waves may still affect low-lying coastal communities.

Paolo has exited the Philippine area of responsibility as of Saturday morning, but Pagasa reported that they are monitoring a new low-pressure area that has a medium chance of developing into a tropical depression outside of PAR within the next 24 hours. /das

As the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) enters its second season with a four-point line, commissioner Willie Marcial confirmed the arc is here to stay-at least for the foreseeable future.

‘I think it will stay forever,’ Marcial said, before backtracking: ‘As long as I’m commissioner, the four-point line will be used.’

The 2024-25 season served as a trial run for the innovation and the results are in: PBA teams attempted 2,298 shots from the four-point area, converting 554 for a 24.1 percent success rate across three conferences. TNT won both import-laden titles while San Miguel Beer clinched the Philippine Cup.

TNT ranked last in four-point shooting (17.9 percent, 32-of-179), while San Miguel shot above the league average by hitting 65-of-258 (25.2 percent).

Magnolia made the most of the rule tweak, hitting a league-best 32.4 percent (83-of-256), thanks largely to snipers Paul Lee, Peter Alfaro, and Jerrick Ahanmisi. Lee led all locals with 31 makes, while Ahanmisi-who recently signed a one-year deal with Terrafirma-followed with 28. Alfaro, meanwhile, led the league in efficiency at 57.1 percent (8-of-14).

Blackwater was second overall in percentage, making 67-of-233 (28.8 percent), driven by import George King’s 42 makes on 123 attempts. Phoenix (28.3 percent), Meralco (26.6), and Terrafirma (25.5) rounded out the top five.

Below San Miguel in efficiency were NLEX (23.3 percent), NorthPort (19.3), Converge (19.1), Rain or Shine (18.3) and Barangay Ginebra (18.2).

Marcial noted that Fiba had requested data on the four-point line’s use, though it’s unclear whether basketball’s global body was satisfied or if other leagues are seriously considering the idea.

While the rule has produced dramatic moments-most notably a pair of four-point game-winners by import Scotty Hopson in the Governors’ Cup-it still divides opinion. Some teams use it opportunistically or out of desperation.

But when the 2025-26 season opens on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum with a clash between rivals Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia, the arc will be there.

Marcial often compares the four-point argument to the debate on who was the best actor to portray James Bond on the silver screen. ‘There are people who like it, there are people who don’t,’ Marcial said.

House members on Friday threatened to slash the proposed P902.8-million budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) after Vice President Sara Duterte skipped, for the second year in a row, the plenary deliberations on the matter.

Adding to the acrimony was a letter Duterte wrote to the House appropriations committee saying she would attend the budget hearings on two conditions.

First is for President Marcos to also personally defend the proposed P27.3-billion budget for the Office of the President.

Second is for the House committee on good government to confirm that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had already lifted its lookout bulletin orders on her staff. The committee was the same body that looked last year into Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds.

‘Barest minimum’

Palawan Rep. Jose Alvarez, a member of the appropriations committee said the panel decided not to reply to Duterte’s letter, while other lawmakers scoffed at her demands.

‘Enough is enough, enough of her brattiness,’ Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima said.

‘If she can afford to show up in the Senate and applaud the former Senate President in his privilege speech, which is definitely not part of her mandate as the Vice President, why can’t she spare a few moments of her time attending the official function as Vice President to defend the budget of her office?’ De Lima said.

She was referring to the speech delivered by Sen. Francis Escudero on Oct 1, which railed against former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice said Duterte was already being unreasonable, warning that the House would further reduce her budget ‘at the proper time.’

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio also served notice that the OVP budget might be brought down ‘to its barest minimum.’

‘Such a waste’

It was actually the Department of Budget and Management that raised the proposed OVP budget to P902.8 million, after the OVP submitted a lower request of P733 million, that same amount it got last year.

Tinio also drew attention to Duterte’s recent trips abroad. ‘She keeps saying that she spent for these trips out of her own pocket, but she herself admitted that because she is the Vice President, it is the Filipino people paying for the travel expenses of her staff and security detail,’ he said.

Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, vice chair of the appropriations panel, said it was ‘such a waste that [Duterte] didn]t go because she could have at least defended and explained to the plenary why she needed that increase.’

Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon told reporters ‘The Vice President is not in a position to make demands [which show] . her lack of respect for the budget process.’

On Thursday night, the House voted in plenary to terminate deliberations on the OVP budget. This means any changes must now be made during the period of amendments, which starts next week up to Oct. 13.

Since she broke her ties with Marcos beginning with her resignation as education secretary in June last year, Duterte’s proposed budget for her office became drastically reduced by the appropriations committee then headed by Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co.

In a better time, such as the start of the Marcos administration, she could propose a much higher budget-like the P2.3 billion which Co approved in 2022.

But last year, the Vice President was left with her current budget of P733 million after Co-who would soon be embroiled in the corruption scandal over flood control projects-slashed the OVP’s budget by more than P1 billion. He even reminded Duterte’s staff that funds allotted to her office were ‘the people’s money.’