Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Smilegate announced on Wednesday the 26th that it will carry out the first world merge for its MMORPG ?LORDNINE? (developed by NX3GAMES) and hold Gear Restoration and Trading Post fee reduction events to commemorate the occasion.

Smilegate will merge the four servers Horatio, Yvonne, Douglas, and Santiago into the Musha server, while the two servers Medea and Ricardo will be merged into the Remus server. Players can now encounter more users on a single server, creating a more competitive environment and offering a wider variety of cooperative content. The new Sven and Helena servers are excluded from this world merge.

Smilegate is holding various events to commemorate the world merge. First, through August 31, a commemorative coupon for the limited-edition Homun Rider mount will be distributed via the official social media channels and the official YouTube update preview video. Following the world merge, a series of in-game events will be held, offering various rewards including an ‘Epic Avatar Guaranteed Summon Ticket.’

The first-ever Gear Restoration Event will also run through September 9. During the event period, players can restore gear that was destroyed while attempting to enhance it. Players can request restoration for Epic and Legendary weapons destroyed at +7 enhancement or higher and armor destroyed at +5 enhancement or higher. Restored gear can be claimed from September 9 until maintenance on September 30.

The Trading Fee Reduction Event will also run through September 9. Accordingly, World Trade fees will be reduced from 13% to 10%, while Personal Trade fees will be reduced from 15% to 10%.

The police freed an 18-year-old woman from the clutches of her father, a 55-year-old laborer, who took her hostage at their home in Bugallon, Pangasinan on Monday afternoon, Aug. 24.

The suspect was armed with a bolo, said Police Col. Dennis de Leon, officer in charge of the Pangasinan Police Office.

‘In the course of the negotiation, the suspect eventually threw the bolo outside (of the house), thereby temporarily reducing the immediate threat. However, the suspect subsequently exhibited aggressive behavior and physically hurt his daughter,’ the police reported.

A team composed of de Leon, Police Maj. Rodolfo Labayo Jr., officer in charge of the Bugallon police, and the SWAT team led by Police Capt. John Ramos implemented an operational plan to safely restrain the suspect and rescue the victim.

The father was taken into police custody. His wife told police that he had been experiencing emotional distress following the deaths of their two sons in 2004 and 2018.

‘The suspect reportedly believed that someone had poisoned his sons, which allegedly caused him to become increasingly distressed and suspicious,’ the police said.

The wife said the suspect had also hurt her and her three other children and held them hostage until she found a way to escape with her children. However, the 18-year-old woman was unable to get out, prompting responding police officers to take immediate action to ensure her safety

Suspected illegal drugs worth an estimated P36.1 million were discovered and seized at a mail hub in Pasay City, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the PNP said that law enforcers flagged the packages with the contraband at the Central Mail Exchange Center along Domestic Road on Monday.

‘The items were discovered through cargo x-ray screening and manual inspection by BOC (Bureau of Customs) personnel, complemented by K-9 inspection conducted by PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency),’ the PNP said.

‘The shipments were reportedly consigned and sent by different individuals whose identities and addresses are contained in the seized evidence,’ it added.

It noted that the packages contained 5.282 kilograms (kg) of suspected marijuana kush; 2.838 kg of suspected ecstasy; 1.064 kg of suspected shabu (crystal meth); 511 g of suspected ketamine; and 3,756 suspected ecstasy tablets.

According to the PNP, the confiscated illegal drugs were turned over to the PDEA for proper disposition and further investigation

About 100 tourists and local travelers were scheduled to fly out from the island province of Batanes on Tuesday on board a mercy flight arranged by the Philippine Air Force when it was postponed due to high winds.

Occupants of the PAF C-130 plane l, who were stranded in Batanes for days, were sent back to their lodging places because gusty winds and rain exceeded standard safety limits for planes, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

The southwest monsoon and typhoons dumped more than two weeks of rain, resulting in the cancellation of commercial and government-chartered flights to Batanes.

Air Force officials told disaster responders that pilots adhere to the rules to ensure safe flights.

PDRRMO officials said C-130 seats allotted for the tourists and residents would still be honored once good weather allows flights to resume.

The provincial government earlier asked for mercy flights to bring home stranded island guests who are under the care of the Provincial Heritage and Tourism Office (PHTO).

The Batanes provincial government continues to provide relief goods, household kits and lodging amenities to the stranded tourists and visitors.

The provincial government has also been distributing maintenance medicines, first aid support, and medical monitoring to people in need

In a bid to enhance campus security, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday, Aug. 25, presented a campus security guard and mobile patrol strategy for public schools nationwide.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara has presented a hybrid campus security model that seeks to enhance surveillance despite the shortages in security guards in public schools in the country through a strategic patrolling assignment based on ‘campus size and needs.’

The initiative is in partnership with the local government units and the Philippine National Police, under the Department of Interior and Local Government Memorandum Circular No. 2026-037 on Safer School Zones.

‘Under the proposed framework, DepEd will prioritize assigning security guards to high-density campuses while leveraging community support for smaller schools,’ the DepEd said in a statement.

Based on the proposed model, during arrival and dismissal hours, campuses with less than 500 students and 1,000 students are provided one security guard supported by local barangay watchmen and volunteers from the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) assistance team.

Meanwhile, campuses classified as large with 3,300 learners are assigned two security guards, also assisted by the barangay tanod and the PTA volunteers.

Campuses with more than 8,000 learners are proposed to be allocated four security guards, alongside Philippine National Police mobile patrols and local security officers.

The barangay tanods are assigned to be the first line of defense for perimeter controls in campuses, while the PTA assistance teams will assist in crowd and traffic control, according to the DepEd.

‘Through our hybrid security model, we partner with our communities and other stakeholders to ensure a safe and orderly environment for every school,’ Angara said.

The move comes amid mounting concerns on campus security following the shooting incident at a private school in Zamboanga involving a junior high school student, who was able to bring a firearm inside the premises.

The agency said it is set to conduct two phases, starting with schools classified with large populations, before proceeding in small and medium schools.

‘To reinforce physical security without relying on additional manpower, the Department is also prioritizing investments in surveillance infrastructure including closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, upgraded area lighting, access control systems and scanners,’ it added. /

Vice President Sara Duterte was aware and authorized all the processes and activities in relation to her office’s confidential funds (CFs) worth P500 million in total, Duterte’s assistant chief of staff Lemuel Ortonio testified on Tuesday.

The movements cover the last quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023.

The testimony was given after prosecution counsel Mae Divinagracia asked Ortonio whether or not Duterte is the ‘mastermind’ or ‘architect’ of the Office of the Vice President’s alleged misuse of confidential funds.

‘You will agree with me that this whole confidential funds matter, ang arkitekto at mastermind nito ay si Sara Duterte?’ Divinagracia said.

(You will agree with me that this whole confidential funds matter, the architect and mastermind of it is Sara Duterte?)

The question was opposed by the defense, and was stricken off the record, but when Divinagracia attempted to rephrase, she argued harder on the use of the word ‘architect’ in characterizing the vice president.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, at this point, asked Ortonio himself:

‘Lahat ng bagay kaugnay ng confidential fund, mula sa pagrequest, sa pagrelease, sa pagencash, sa paggastos, sa pagliquidate, sa pagsagot sa mga AOMs, notice of suspension, at notice of disallowance ay una, nalalaman ng ikalawang pangulo; pangalawa, inawtorisa niya base sa mga pirma niya sa iba’t ibang mga dokyumento; at pangatlo, ay nasa ilalim ng kaniyang superbisyon bilang head of agency?’

(Everything related to the confidential fund, from requesting, to releasing, to encashing, to spending, to liquidating, to responding to AOMs, notices of suspension, and notices of disallowance, is first, known to the second president; second, authorized by him based on his signatures on various documents; and third, is under his supervision as head of agency?)

‘Based on my understanding and based on what I know – yes. The vice president knows about the confidential activities and how it is being implemented,’ Ortonio answered.

Escudero continued: ‘May ginawa ka ba na hindi alam o hindi in-authorize ni Vice President Sara kaugnay sa confidential funds, kasabay na ang pagsagot mo sa AOMS, notice of suspension, at notice of disallowance?’

(Did you do anything that Vice President Sara did not know about or did not authorize in relation to confidential funds, at the same time as you responded to the AOMS, notice of suspension, and notice of disallowance?)

‘None, Your Honor,’ Ortonio replied.

Escudero then asked, ‘Lahat alam nya at inauthorize niya?’

(She knows everything and she authorized it?)

To this, Ortonio responded in the affirmative.

During Divinagracia’s direct examination, Ortonio testified to drafting the OVP’s request for CFs from the Department of Budget and Management, signing the disbursement vouchers, encashing the P125 million funds per quarter, and preparing a reply to the Commission on Audit’s AOM.

All of these actions, Ortonio testified, were under the orders of Duterte herself.

The witness also identified the vice president’s signatures in authorizing and certifying all other documents and requirements needed to process CFs. /

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Tuesday downplayed the testimonies of the 25 individuals who introduced themselves as former bodyguards of resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.

The men were cited in an affidavit of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Last week, Romualdez submitted a supplemental counter affidavit to answer the complaint against him by the Ombudsman for plunder, graft, indirect and direct bribery, and money laundering.

In this document, Romualdez mentioned the testimonies of 25 of Co’s aides.

He said some of the aides were identified by the 18 bodyguards who were with them when they made the alleged deliveries of suitcases containing cash to the former House speaker.

Several of the 25 security aides denied their involvement in the delivery, contrary to the previous claims.

Asked to react to these new testimonies, Remulla said in an interview at the House of Representatives: ‘I don’t think it affects us.’

‘They are trying to make their publicity to make people doubt we have a strong case,’ he said. ‘We have a strong case.’

Ombudsman investigators accused Romualdez and Co of alleged ‘concerted and coordinated acts’ in ‘unlawfully amassing, accumulating and acquiring ill-gotten wealth’ amounting to approximately P56 billion from 2022 to 2025.

Some of these funds were purportedly delivered by the bodyguards through suitcases.

Investigators based their evidence on the testimonies of some of the 18 bodyguards, four of which have recanted their allegations.

Remulla, however, said ‘we are not reliant on those witnesses recanting their testimonies.’

‘The case does not rise and fall with those guards or the people who brought the money. We still have other evidence. We can still prove that,’ he said. /

This was the reaction of House Committee on Appropriations chair and Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing after finding out that none of the proposed projects under the Commission on Audit (COA)’s ‘capital outlay’ request for next year were granted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

The COA initially proposed around a P1.18-billion budget for its ‘capital outlay’ funds, which would supposedly cover the commission’s Information Systems Strategic Plan for 2027 to 2029, the construction or modernization of some of its buildings, and the purchase of three vehicles, among others.

But the DBM did not approve the COA’s proposal, recommending a ‘zero capital outlay’ for the commission through the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

During the budget hearing on Tuesday, Suansing mentioned that upon scrutinizing the 2027 NEP for COA, ‘What really stood out is the capital outlay was zero.’

Suansing asked if the DBM gave the COA a particular explanation as to why it zeroed out the whole proposal for the commission’s ‘capital outlay’ request, to which COA assistant commissioner Nilda Plaras answered, ‘There was none, Your Honor.’

The Inquirer reached out to the DBM about the matter but has yet to respond as of this writing.

Meanwhile, Suansing also pointed out COA’s request for a budget to purchase a vehicle for its regional office in the Negros Island Region (NIR), which was included in its capital outlay request.

‘They didn’t approve that either?’ Suansing asked.

‘Yes, one vehicle for the NIR,’ the COA official answered, to which the Committee on Appropriation’s chairperson exclaimed, ‘Interesting.’

Senior Deputy Speaker and South Cotabato Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez seemingly echoed Suansing’s reaction, quipping, ‘Can you conduct an audit on the DBM?’

‘I think they will grant your request. Do that before you submit the budget to the President. Maybe next time, a special audit is possible,’ Hernandez furthered.

Suansing asked the DBM to provide a ‘wish list’ of all the items that were left out in the NEP that the commission wanted to advocate for so that Congress may consider them during the deliberation of the institutional amendment requests from the different agencies.

‘Given the limited fiscal space, realistically, we would not be able to fund all. So for us to get a better sense, we request a more detailed list of all of the items under the capital outlay request with the corresponding details,’ said Suansing.

The COA is seeking a P17.3-billion overall budget proposal for 2027, but the DBM has recommended lowering the amount to P16.05 billion.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) cleared Negros Electric Power Corp. of a reported breach of the allowable system loss limit after admitting it had wrongly labeled the company as noncompliant.

In a statement, ERC clarified that Negros Power only secured its franchise recently following its deal with the rural electric cooperative.

Negros Power, a joint venture company between Primelectric Holdings Inc. and Central Negros Electric Cooperative, serves over 220,000 active accounts across Bacolod, Bago, Talisay, Silay, Murcia, and Don Salvador Benedicto.

Because the transition period under its legislative franchise covers five years of operation, Negros Power still has leeway to exceed the 5.5 percent cap set for private utilities.

‘NEPC’s applicable cap for 2025 is therefore 8.50 percent (interim), not 5.50 percent,’ the ERC said

‘Against this interim cap, NEPC’s reported 2025 feeder loss of 7.5 percent is within, not in excess of, its applicable cap,’ the commission added.

ERC’s statement came after it presented at last week’s Senate committee on energy hearing, listing Negros Power among the distribution utilities that exceeded their feeder loss cap in 2025, with a feeder loss of 7.5 percent.

The government now targets to scrap system loss charges from consumers’ power bills

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday said around 20 other steel plants are under surveillance for suspected violations of product and safety standards following its recent raid on a steel manufacturing facility in Davao City.

In a press conference on Tuesday, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the facilities that could be violating product standards and workplace safety, among others, were identified through reports and intelligence information gathered by the bureau.

‘Ang ginagawang effort ng NBI at PAOCC (Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission) and other law enforcement agencies will not end in Davao, pupuntahan din namin yung mga ibang lugar pa,’ Matibag said.

(The efforts of the NBI, PAOCC [Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission], and other law enforcement agencies will not end in Davao. We will also go to other places.)

‘There are about 20 more across the country na amin pong sinu-surveillance at binabantayan,’ he noted.

(There are about 20 more across the country that are under surveillance and monitoring.)

Matibag, however, did not specify the locations of the steel plants.

So far, the NBI has raided five steel facilities – two in pampanga, one in Bulacan, one in Misamis Oriental, and the recent one in Davao.

Last August 13, the NBI-in coordination with PAOCC and other relevant agencies-conducted an operation against the Davao Mighty Steel Corp. facility in Barangay Ilang, Davao City, where authorities found radioactive-bearing materials and steel products that allegedly failed government standards.

According to Matibag, 14 individuals allegedly involved in the supposed illegal operation are already under the bureau’s custody, while seven others remain at large.

NBI’s Disaster Victim Identification Division chief Dr. Wilfredo Tierra said a total of 194 workers were examined at the Davao facility, 57 of which had documented medical findings.

He added that two other workers tested positive during radioactivity scanning and were subjected to decontamination and further medical procedures.

The NBI is coordinating with the Department of Labor and Employment to provide temporary jobs for affected workers and with the Department of Health regarding concerns about their long-term exposure to radioactive materials.

Meanwhile, NBI’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives and Foreign Malign Influence Unit chief Zulhika Conales said 394 buildings in General Santos City and Sarangani province that reportedly used Davao Mighty Steel reinforcing bars were damaged following a recent earthquake.

She added that the structures included government offices, schools, businesses, and a hospital.

Matibag said the NBI is also coordinating with other government agencies and foreign counterparts on the proper storage and disposal of radioactive materials recovered from the Davao facility.

He urged the public planning to build homes and infrastructures to check the steel products being used in construction and ensure that they meet the required safety standards.