Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The series of natural disasters, coupled with stronger demand, pushed the prices of electricity traded at the spot market to soar by 49.4 percent in October.

The systemwide power rates covering the October supply increased to P4.54 per kilowatt hour (kWh) from the previous month’s P3.04 per kWh. This will reflect in consumers’ November bills.

Data from the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) showed Thursday that the demand during the period rose by 1.8 percent to 13,881 megawatts (MW).

Supply, however, fell 4 percent to 19,889 MW.

IEMOP operates the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), an avenue where power is traded between producers and distributors to boost their supply.

All the grids saw increases in rates, with Luzon logging the biggest jump at 54.3 percent to P3.96 per kWh. Both the Visayas and Mindanao, however, recorded higher rates at P5.85 per kWh and P5.87 per kWh, respectively.

Isidro Cacho Jr., IEMOP’s vice-president for trading operations, said this was a usual scenario during October given the rise in demand.

Earthquakes and typhoons

‘Aside from supply and demand, we experienced earthquakes and typhoons. Those events had an impact on our market because they caused multiple outages, plant trippings, and several generator shutdowns,’ he told reporters during a virtual briefing.

The Visayas grid was placed under ‘yellow alert’ after several power plants were on forced outage following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that jolted Cebu late in September.

In a yellow alert, the power supply can still meet demand. But it will serve as a warning that when a plant breaks down one way or another, it will result in brownouts.

Asked for his forecast on WESM rates, Cacho said they expect lower rates as demand weakens during the colder months of November to January.

‘Our expectation is prices will be more stable and lower, barring any unplanned plant outages. If there are significant plant outages, that’s when it becomes a concern,’ he said

Kelly Williams and Jio Jalalon came up huge as TNT rallied from 16 down to claim a 109-95 overtime victory over Terrafirma for the share of the lead in the PBA Philippine Cup on Friday at Ynares Center II here.

Williams dropped 28 points on eight triples, a buck of which came in the fourth quarter and extra period, while Jalalon had seven points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and two steals as the Tropang 5G returned atop the standings with a 5-1 record.

But TNT had to earn the win after a sluggish showing that left coach Chot Reyes fuming and Terrafirma taking advantage behind Jerrick Ahanmisi and Brent Paraiso.

Terrafirma, however, couldn’t sustain its lead as Williams and Jalalon sparked the rally for TNT. TNT won the upper half of a busy stretch that ends Sunday at the same venue when it battles Magnolia.

Magnolia was facing San Miguel Beer in the nightcap as of posting time.

Ahanmisi finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists but the Dyip slumped to a 1-5 record, tied with the idle Phoenix Fuel Masters at the bottom of the table.

It was Ahanmisi’s two free throws that forced the extension at 92-all as Calvin Oftana missed a turnaround, and Rey Nambatac’s follow-up came up short before the buzzer.

Williams opened overtime with a three, before knocking down back-to-back from the same arc that put TNT ahead 105-95, less than two minutes to go.

Most areas in the country can expect fair weather from Friday night to Saturday morning, with Uwan only starting to affect eastern parts of the country by afternoon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

Pagasa Assistant Weather Services Chief Chris Perez, in a briefing on Friday evening, said that only isolated rain showers would be expected on Friday night, but several areas would be under rainfall warnings from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon-particularly the Bicol region provinces of Camarines Sur, Albay, and Catanduanes, which are all under a red rainfall warning.

A red rainfall warning means these areas would receive more than 200 millimeters (mm) of rain.

‘In terms of rainfall, from Friday night to Saturday morning, we are not expecting any significant amount of rain, but from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, we can see that more areas will have a high volume of rain,’ Perez said.

‘Tomorrow afternoon up to Sunday afternoon, more than 200 mm of rain over Camarines Sur, Albay, Catanduanes, and then 100 to 200 mm of rain for areas highlighted by orange, starting from Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Aurora, here in Quezon, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, Masbate, Samar provinces,’ he added.

The following areas are under a yellow rainfall (50 mm to 100 mm rain) warning during the same timeframe:

Apayao

Kalinga

Mountain Province

Ifugao

Nueva Vizcaya

Nueva Ecija

Bulacan

Rizal

Laguna

Marinduque

Romblon

Leyte

Biliran

‘That’s why generally, as I’ve said earlier, from tonight to tomorrow morning we will have generally fair weather, save for isolated thunderstorms,’ Perez noted.

However, from Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon, Perez said that the concentration of rain would be over Northern Luzon and some provinces in Central Luzon.

‘Now, from Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon, we can see through our forecast track that we expect Uwan to cross the northern and Central Luzon area during this period. That’s why the concentration of rain-more than 200 mm of rain-is expected over Northern Luzon and the provinces of Aurora and Nueva Ecija,’ he said.

The remaining areas of Central Luzon, along with Metro Manila and Calabarzon, will be under an orange rainfall warning.

Earlier, Pagasa’s weather updates showed that Uwan slightly intensified, now packing maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center and gustiness of up to 135 km/h. It is still outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), at 1,175 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas.

It is moving west at a speed of 25 km/h, and may enter the PAR between Friday night and early Saturday morning.

Uwan is also expected to make landfall over Isabela by Monday, but Perez said at the start of the briefing that other eastern provinces in Luzon-and not only Isabela-should prepare for a possible landfall scenario as the cone of probability still shows that the cyclone may deviate from its current path.

Perez noted that Pagasa’s cone of probability is still huge, which means a southward change would put Bicol Region, particularly Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Southern Luzon, and even Metro Manila in its crosshairs.

A northward movement, meanwhile, may result in Uwan hitting northeastern Cagayan and the extreme northern Luzon area.

The Sandiganbayan has ordered the 90-day preventive suspension of San Simon, Pampanga Mayor Abundio ‘JP’ Punsalan Jr. pending a trial for graft and extortion.

The directive comes following his entrapment last September at a restaurant in Clark Freeport, where he was allegedly caught receiving a bag containing about P30 million.

In a 7-page resolution released Friday, the anti-graft court’s Seventh Division ordered Punsalan to cease and desist from ‘further performing and/or exercising the functions, duties and privileges of his position.’

In implementing the suspension order, the anti-graft court cited Section 13 of the Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, which states that it is mandatory for public officials to report valid information involving purported corruption of public funds.

‘Any public officer against whom any criminal prosecution under a valid information under this Act or under the provisions of the Revised Penal Code on bribery is pending in court, shall be suspended from office,’ part of Section 13, as quoted by the court, reads.

‘Should [they] be convicted by final judgment, [they] shall lose all retirement or gratuity benefits under any law, but if [they] are acquitted, [they] shall be entitled to reinstatement and to the salaries and benefits,’ it adds.

Moreover, the Sandiganbayan said the suspension will preserve the investigation and prevent the respondent from influencing the ongoing probe.

As stated in the resolution, Punsalan argued that he was already under preventive suspension by the ombudsman, the alleged acts involved private funds, and that the information was procedurally defective.

‘In the event that this Honorable Court imposes preventive suspension, the same should be concurrently served with the Ombudsman’s imposition of preventive suspension,’ Punsalan said as quoted by the anti-graft court.

‘A successive or duplicative suspension would serve no purpose other than to inflict cumulative punishment in advance of trial,’ he told the Sandiganbayan.

But the anti-graft court rejected this reason, explaining that the preventive suspension is not a penalty and should be enforced once the information is deemed to be valid.

‘Once the information is found to be sufficient in form and substance, then the court must issue the order of suspension as a matter of course. There are no ifs and buts about it. This is because a preventive suspension is not a penalty. It is not imposed as a result of judicial proceedings,’ it said.

The complaint against Punsalan stemmed from the claim of San Simon-based Real Steel Corporation that the mayor demanded P80 million from the company in exchange for not overturning Municipal Ordinance No. 24-0025, which granted tax incentives to the firm.

The demand was allegedly accompanied by threats that Real Steel’s incentives would be revoked if payment was not made.

Reports also showed that Real Steel filed an urgent motion before the Office of the Ombudsman to suspend Punsalan in connection with an administrative case for grave misconduct and serious dishonesty. The motion remains pending.

The company likewise lodged a separate administrative case against the mayor before the Pampanga provincial board.

Heavy rainfall is expected in 25 provinces in Luzon and the Visayas Sunday due to Severe tropical storm Fung-wong, which is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) this weekend, the state weather bureau said Friday.

In its 5 a.m. heavy rainfall outlook, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said heavy to intense showers (100 to 200 millimeters) are forecast for the following areas on Sunday:

Isabela

Aurora

Quezon

Camarines Norte

Camarines Sur

Catanduanes

Meanwhile, moderate to heavy rains (50 to 100 millimeters) are expected in the following areas:

Apayao

Kalinga

Mountain Province

Ifugao

Batanes

Cagayan

Quirino

Nueva Vizcaya

Nueva Ecija

Bulacan

Rizal

Laguna

Albay

Sorsogon

Masbate

Northern Samar

Eastern Samar

Samar

Biliran

‘Forecast rainfall may be higher in mountainous and elevated areas. Moreover, impacts in some areas may be worsened by significant antecedent rainfall,’ Pagasa said.

Pagasa said Fung-wong intensified into a severe tropical storm early Friday morning and is forecast to enter the PAR by midnight or early morning on Saturday.

Pagasa will name it Uwan once it enters PAR.

Pagasa said the severe tropical storm may become a typhoon in the next 24 hours and further intensify into a super typhoon by Saturday evening or Sunday morning and may make landfall Monday in northern or Central Luzon.

Don Trollano knocked down a go-ahead four as San Miguel Beer salvaged a 94-92 victory over Magnolia to extend its streak to four straight following a 0-2 start in the PBA Philippine Cup on Friday at Ynares Center II here.

Trollano’s shot from the longest arc put the Beermen up, 91-88, with 53.2 seconds left as the Beermen were able to restore the lead after the Hotshots came back from an 18-point deficit.

Magnolia actually went ahead by six, 86-80, on a bank shot by Zavier Lucero with 2:34 to go, but San Miguel roared back behind the heroics of Trollano.

He finished with 29 points after missing Sunday’s win over Converge due to a back injury.

The Beermen tied the Hotshots and the NLEX Road Warriors for third at 4-2, but not after some scary moments in the end.

CJ Perez muffed two freebies after Chris Koon’s four cut the SMB advantage to 94-92, but Magnolia’s Paul Lee was forced to make a last-ditch pass for Jerom Lastimosa, whose hurried four at the horn sailed nowhere.

Perez scored 20 despite a 7-of-22 shooting while June Mar Fajardo posted 18 points, nine rebounds and two steals for the Beermen.

Lucero tallied 20 points and 14 rebounds even as Lastimosa added 17 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals for the Hotshots.

Magnolia lost the first of a two-game stretch spanning three days with TNT next on Sunday at the same venue

Aside from sharing the same sensibility as singer-songwriters, Ogie Alcasid and Odette Quesada are compatible as concert partners because they have a unique ‘comfort level’ with each other.

Alcasid and Quesada will once again join forces at the ‘QandA’ concert, a culmination of their joint concerts, which puts the spotlight on OPM classics. Compared to their past shows, it doesn’t follow the Valentine’s Day format and instead focuses on love, life and everything in between.

‘I knew for a fact that I was excited to work with Odette, but same here. Every time we perform together, there is a comfort level,’ Alcasid said during a media con in Parañaque in which Quesada joined via Zoom.

‘I just look at Odette onstage, and she gets my jokes and even plays them off. It’s just fun. Her mind is always working, and she has such a sharp and grounded take on life,’ he continued.

Since Quesada is now based in the US as an HR professional, she doesn’t have a chance to frequently meet with Alcasid between their shows. Yet when they get together onstage, it feels like picking up from where they left off.

‘Even if we don’t see each other between shows, when we get onstage, it’s like picking up from a conversation we left off 35 years ago. I always feel like I’m with my best friend,’ she said.

‘Don’t tell Kevin that,’ she said while giggling, referring to her real-life partner.

One of the reasons that make Alcasid and Quesada’s tandem work is that they don’t have a problem in deciding which songs to perform, which in this case, will solely be focusing on OPM.

‘Surprisingly, this is our ninth, culmination ‘to of our past shows. It’s going to be bigger and better. Pareho kami ng choices so it’s easier, we pretty much agreed on everything that we suggested,’ she said.

Looking back, Quesada said she is proud of what she accomplished in her illustrious career. ‘I’m also preparing for retirement,’ she confessed, noting that she is aware of how time flies in the music industry.

‘I wish I had more time but I did a certain number [of shows] this year, nand’un na ako sa certain mode na when I retire, I have no regrets,’ she added.

Alcasid and Quesada’s ‘QandA’ concert will take place at the Mall of Asia Arena on Nov. 7.

Higher metal prices and revenues boosted the profitability of OceanaGold Philippines Inc. (OGPI) during the nine months to September, soaring by 67.8 percent to $49 million.

OGPI posted revenues of $317.2 million, up by 20 percent. This was driven by its ‘full exposure to spot gold and copper prices.’

The mining firm attributed its improved earnings to record revenue of $142 million in the third quarter of this year. This was fueled by record average realized gold price of $3,415 per ounce.

‘We are pleased to report another safe and responsible quarter, with gold and copper production delivered to plan. We continued to benefit from strong gold and copper prices. These led to record quarterly revenue and robust free cash flow of $59 million,’ OGPI president Joan Adaci-Cattiling said.

During the period, the company produced 66,900 ounces of gold, a 13.5-percent decrease. Copper output increased by 10.9 percent to 10,200 tonnes.

The firm reported that severe weather events in late 2024 hampered access to lower levels of the mine throughout much of 2025. It added that it completed draining water from the lower part of the area in the third quarter of this year.

The company’s all-in sustaining cost, or expenses relative to sustaining operations of the Didipio mine in Nueva Vizcaya, stood at $1,214 per ounce

Since April this year, at least 130 Filipino seafarers have been arrested by the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, allegedly for possessing or accessing child pornography. They were then deported summarily from US ports after being coerced into signing documents for ‘voluntary withdrawal’ of their US visas. No formal charges were made.

The deported seafarers face a 10-year ban from reentering the US, which severely impacts their livelihood and career.

In a Senate hearing, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) officials said the deportations started in January 2025, following new and more restrictive US immigration and visa policies under the Trump administration.

While the US government maintains that the deportations comply with existing laws, maritime groups point out that the actions breach due process, with Filipino seafarers saying they were ‘treated like criminals’ after being denied permission to disembark. They said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers boarded their vessels, conducted digital inspections of personal devices, and subsequently detained and ‘interrogated for hours’ several crew members without legal counsel. They were deported shortly after even when no incriminating material was found in their devices.

One million deportation

The deported Filipino seafarers were not informed of their right to consular representation as stated in Article 36 of the Vienna Convention, noted DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia. Even the Consulate of the Philippines was not informed that the seafarers were detained, interviewed, and deported, he added.

The International Seafarers Action Center, a global labor advocacy group, meanwhile cited violations of the provisions under the International Labor Organization’s Maritime Labor Convention of 2006, which guarantees fair treatment of seafarers regardless of nationality.

The US, through CBP and ICE, has broad authority to deny entry to foreign nationals aboard commercial or passenger vessels entering US waters. The arrest of Filipino seafarers is seen as part of Trump’s target of 1 million deportation cases by end of 2025 to supposedly clean the US of illegal immigrants and criminals.

While the DMW and the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC have said that they are coordinating with US authorities to clarify the incidents and ensure that the rights of Filipino nationals are protected, advocacy groups have called out the government’s tepid response to the situation, and its seeming resignation to the arbitrary deportation as part of US policy.

Emergency repatriation

In a statement, the Philippine Embassy said it continues to engage US authorities, including the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, to demand transparency and fair treatment for maritime professionals arriving in the US, and to ‘ensure that mandatory consular notification is observed in such cases.’

The Embassy added that it was also working with unions, shipowners, and manning agencies to document the cases and assist the affected crew, even as the DMW continues to offer emergency repatriation and employment assistance to the deported sailors.

But advocacy groups rightly pointed out how the government could do more to address the CBP’s ‘unjust and inhumane’ action and exact accountability for its disregard of the crew’s rights.

For a start, consular and Embassy officials can actively reach out and support those arrested with food and medical attention while in detention, and legal advice before deportation. A hotline to the consular offices should be established for seafarers to seek consular assistance.

Cornerstone of Philippine economy

Aside from filing a diplomatic protest, the President too must flex the country’s vaunted closeness to the US as its longtime ally, and cite how it has responded to the US’ needs in times of crisis as in allowing the transit and processing of Afghan refugees here amid the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan a few years back. Reciprocity is expected between friendly countries after all.

Advocacy groups have also urged the DMW and other related agencies to update their predeparture orientation seminars for seafarers to include modules on child pornography laws and related issues, and the latest visa and immigration policies of the US.

With the Philippines deploying some 500,000 seafarers annually, Filipino sailors account for roughly 30 percent of the world’s merchant mariners-from oil tankers and bulk carriers to luxury liners and passenger ferries.

As such, seafaring remains a cornerstone of the Philippine economy, with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reporting remittances from sea-based Filipino workers reaching nearly $7 billion in 2024.

Given that the recent deportations would hurt the economic stability of half a million Filipino households dependent on maritime workers while also undermining the country’s reputation as a reliable labor source, an urgent and proactive response from the government is expected.

Uwan (International name: Fung-wong) intensified into a typhoon-category cyclone as of 8:00 p.m. on Friday, the state weather bureau said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its bulletin that Uwan is now packing maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center, and gustiness of up to 150 kph.

It is still outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), but is moving closer to the borderline, as Uwan is on a west northwestward track at a speed of 20 kph.

‘As of 8:00 p.m. today, 07 November 2025, Severe Tropical Storm ‘Uwan’ (Fung-wong) has intensified into a Typhoon and is being monitored outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR),’ Pagasa said. ‘All are advised to monitor updates from DOST-PAGASA,’ it added.

Earlier, Pagasa Assistant Weather Services Chief Chris Perez said that most areas in the country can expect fair weather from Friday night to Saturday morning, with Uwan only starting to affect eastern parts of the country by afternoon.

According to Perez, only isolated rain showers would be expected on Friday night, but several areas would be under rainfall warnings from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon – particularly Bicol Region provinces of Camarines Sur, Albay, and Catanduanes, which are all under a red rainfall warning.

A red rainfall warning means these areas would receive more than 200 millimeters (mm) of rain.

By Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon, Perez said that the concentration of rains would be over Northern Luzon and some provinces in Central Luzon, particularly Aurora and Nueva Ecija.

The remaining provinces in Central Luzon, along with Metro Manila and Calabarzon, will be under an orange rainfall warning.

Uwan is expected to make landfall over Isabela by Monday, but Perez said at the start of the briefing that other eastern provinces in Luzon – and not only Isabela – should prepare for a possible landfall scenario as the cone of probability still shows that the cyclone may deviate from its current path.

Perez noted that Pagasa’s cone of probability is still huge – which means a southward change would put Bicol Region, particularly Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Southern Luzon, and even Metro Manila in its crosshairs. A northward movement, meanwhile, may result in Uwan hitting northeastern Cagayan and the extreme northern Luzon area.