Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) on Thursday said a smoke incident occurred inside a Light Rail Transit Line-1 (LRT-1) train, but was successfully addressed, preventing any effects on its operations.

According to the LRMC in a statement, the smoke originated from a mobile phone left on the floor of a train at the Central Terminal Station, northbound platform, at around 10:02 p.m. on ThursdayThe LRMC said a certain passenger left the phone out of panic due to its sudden emission of smoke.

‘The train driver’s swift action in removing the phone from the train prevented any escalation,’ the LRMC said.

‘Security and station personnel instantly responded to secure the area,’ it added.

However, the LRMC said the incident still resulted in unloading the train’s passengers at the LRT-1 Central Terminal Station for thorough inspection of the vehicle.

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Thankfully, no damage or suspicious objects were found thereafter.

‘We are pleased to report that the incident had no major effects on the overall operations of the LRT-1,’ the LRMC said. /mr

One of the most iconic heritage buildings of our country is waiting to be transformed into a legacy project of the Marcos administration. The edifice is the imposingly magnificent Manila Central Post Office (MCPO) building, which turns 100 years old next year. Aside from Malacañan Palace, it’s the only other heritage building I know that is nestled right on the banks of the storied Pasig River.

The MCPO is situated right across the historic Binondo district and has as its front open space the renowned Liwasang Bonifacio. Because of its waterfront access, it will naturally be an important pit stop for promenaders strolling along the Pasig River Esplanade.

The river esplanade is a commendable legacy project of the Marcos administration, spearheaded by First Lady Liza Marcos. It consists of riverbank development with features such as walkways, bike lanes, viewing decks, bridges, and commercial spaces along the banks of the river. So far, 1,880 meters of the esplanade have been completed, but the plan is to continue the development for a 25-kilometer stretch of the river. With its access to the Pasig riverbank, and if it is rightfully transformed into a venue that showcases our nation’s cultural heritage, the MCPO will easily become a highlight of the esplanade experience.

The MCPO is currently undergoing rehabilitation after it was gutted by a big fire in 2023. Once the building is restored, it must not go back to its original use as a post office, as it will be a disservice to its stature as a heritage building. Postal service has become a near-extinct government service, and to continue using the MCPO building as a warehouse for mail matters demeans its exalted status as an ‘important cultural property’ as declared by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2018. When a building is declared an ICP, it means that it is a structure with ‘exceptional cultural, artistic, and historical significance to the Philippines.’

The only way to do justice to the stature of the MCPO as an eminent cultural heritage site is to transform it into a National Museum of Contemporary Art. It should be utilized to present our people’s artistic outputs that constitute the creative pride of our race.

Currently, we have three heritage buildings that have been superbly transformed into edifices showcasing our artistic treasures, mementoes of our history, and the rich flora and fauna of our islands. First, the former Legislative building, which has become the National Museum of Fine Arts; the former Department of Finance building, which has been converted into the National Museum of Anthropology; and the former Department of Agriculture and Commerce building, which now houses the National Museum of Natural History. Kudos to the National Museum for its excellent efforts in converting this triumvirate of historic buildings into world-class museums.

Two weekends ago, I revisited the National Museum of Fine Arts and the National Museum of Anthropology, and I was awestruck at the throng of students and ordinary people excitedly viewing the arts and artifacts that define us as a people. Credit should be given to the Duterte administration for opening these museums to the public for free, liberating these cultural venues from being the haughty enclaves of the perfumed crowd.

The National Museum of Fine Arts presents the cream of our country’s artistic output, but it only exhibits artworks created up to the early 1980s, except for a few. There has been almost half a century of outstanding art produced by several generations of exceptional artists since then. A new art museum showcasing our country’s contemporary art should be put up, and the MCPO is the perfect venue for that.

A few years ago, there was talk that the MCPO was being considered for long-term lease as a private five-star hotel. Lately, there has been chatter of a similar plan again. It would be culturally disastrous and would constitute a betrayal of the greater interest of the masses if a cultural icon like the MCPO were transformed into a party place for the uber-rich.

The privileges of the rich are already heavily subsidized by public funds. The never-ending maintenance of roads that cater overwhelmingly to the private vehicles of the moneyed class is just one example. With Liwasang Bonifacio, a favorite venue for people’s rallies, and the river esplanade, a future-favored promenade of the masses, the MCPO, as swanky sleeping quarters and a watering hole for the ultra-rich, can become a hated symbol of the oligarchy. Imagine the jarring visuals: the super-rich are partying inside the MCPO while the poor masses are rallying at the adjacent Liwasang Bonifacio. The call of the times is to make the people feel that they matter to their government. The ruling administration should not allow a retrogression of its cultural legacy.

The Marcos administration is already on the right track with two legacy projects the Pasig River Esplanade and the planned conversion of the Intramuros Golf Course into a public park and forest. It should follow through with these commendable initiatives by repurposing the MCPO building into a museum for the people.

Build the museums, and the people will come.

Salome weakened into a tropical depression on Thursday morning, just 10 hours after it intensified into a storm, the weather bureau said.

In its 8 am report, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Salome was last located 85 kilometers southwest of Basco, Batanes, moving southwestward at 20 kilometers per hour (kph) over the Luzon Strait.

It has maximum sustained winds of 55 kph and gusts of up to 75 kph.

Pagasa also said that strong winds are expected to extend up to 200 kilometers from the cyclone’s center.

As a result, Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 remains in effect for the northern and western portions of the Babuyan Islands and the northwestern portion of Ilocos Norte.

Meanwhile, the TCWS over Batanes has been lowered from Signal No. 2 to Signal No. 1, Pagasa added.

The tropical depression will continue to move ‘generally southwestward’ and is forecast to weaken into a low-pressure area by Friday.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Robin Padilla have publicized their latest statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

Sotto declared a net worth of P188.8 million as of June 30, 2025, in his SALN.

According to his SALN, Sotto’s assets are valued at P465,604,461.

This amount includes real properties worth P335,171,748; and personal properties, including cash and vehicles, amounting to P130,432,713.

The Senate leader also declared bank loans, personal loans, and other payables amounting to P276,736,338 under his liabilities.

He has business interests in VST Production Specialists, Inc., and TVJ Productions, Inc.

Sotto disclosed that four of his relatives – including daughter Romina Frances Sotto, niece Beverly Anne Sotto, niece-in-law Katherine Anne Roxas, and grandnephew lawyer Valentin Jose Dominic Fregil – work as employees in his Senate office.

Other relatives in the government include son Gian Carlo Sotto (Quezon City vice mayor), daughter Diorella Maria Sotto-Antonio (Movie Television Review and Classification Board chair), nephew Victor Eriko Sotto (Paranaque City councilor), and nephew Victor Maria Regis Sotto (Pasig City mayor).

Padilla, meanwhile, divulged that he has a net worth of 244,042,908 as of December 31, 2024. This figure includes real properties amounting to P100,504,880 and personal properties worth 143,538,028.

Padilla listed no liabilities.

He declared business interests in motion picture, video production, and distribution; buying, selling, renting, leasing, and operation of dwellings; and in the retail business of his wife, actress Mariel Padilla.

His niece, Bettina Padilla, works as a legislative staff officer IV in his Senate office.

Other relatives in the government include his half brother, Ricarte Padilla (Camarines Norte governor); half brother Casimero Padilla IV (vice mayor in Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte); half sister Rebecca Padilla (National Liga Board Member in Camarines Norte); nephew, Don Eduardo Padilla (Camarines Norte provincial administrator); and nephew Jeroy Agustin Padilla (Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte municipal councilor).

Before Sotto and Padilla, Sen. Risa Hontiveros also earlier released a copy of her official SALN for 2024.

Based on her SALN as of Dec. 31, 2024, the senator declared total assets of P19.8 million, liabilities of P897,840, and a net worth of P18.9 million.

She listed a car loan amounting to P897,890,000 under her liabilities.

She also disclosed that she has been a stockholder of dive resort Planet Dive Inc., a member of Nueva Ecija-based New Rural Bank of San Leonardo Inc., and a director of La Lina Corp.

Hontiveros earlier said that she strongly supports and welcomes the removal of the ‘unjust, unconstitutional, and anti-people restrictions’ on access to public officials’ SALNs.

The senator was referring to restrictions on the disclosure of SALNs imposed by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla’s predecessor, Samuel Martires.

These restrictions include requirements such as a notarized consent from the officials concerned, a court order for a SALN’s release in relation to a pending case, and, if the statements are also needed by the ombudsman’s field investigators for a fact-finding probe.

Hontiveros believes disclosing SALNs is a good step to strengthen transparency and accountability in government.

‘The new rules should be applied equally on all public officials – from the highest to the lowest, past or present even with reasonable limitations related to personal or sensitive information and security,” she said.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be useful when intentionally deployed, particularly in schools. While there are several tools, such as plagiarism checker Turnitin, that claim to detect AI usage, it may be more useful to reflect on what genuine learning entails.

Harvard’s CS50 Introduction to Computer Science built its own tool with guardrails: a ‘CS50 Duck’ the knowledge of which is limited to the course material and that explains how code works but doesn’t give answers directly. Student surveys reported high usefulness under these constraints.

This is AI as a teaching assistant, not a shortcut for students.

Turkiye tested nearly 1,000 high-school students. One group had no AI, another used a standard chatbot (‘GPT Base’) and a third used a constrained version (‘GPT Tutor’) that offered hints but not full answers. During practice, both AI groups scored higher than control GPT Base by about 48 percent and GPT Tutor by 127 percent.

But on later proctored exams without AI, GPT Base students scored 17 percent lower than those who never used AI, while GPT Tutor students performed about the same as control. This third group that practiced with a constrained, customized AI tutor one that offered hints but was disallowed from giving answers performed better than the control group on practice exams and about the same on the closed-book exam.

Why so?

The gap came from behavior: unrestricted users copied full solutions instead of reasoning through problems. The study shows that unguided AI raises apparent performance but weakens learning while guardrails can retain most of the benefit without the loss.

In our problem-solving class, former Ateneo president Fr. Bienvenido Nebres and I expose students to non-routine problems and give hints when needed to help them figure out strategies, rather than the answers themselves. Learning from mistakes is encouraged, and students sometimes come up with better solutions than the standard ones, which promotes interest, motivation and retention.

On policy, Ateneo de Manila has moved early. A university memo ‘GenAI in Higher Education gives guidelines for teaching, learning, research and creative work.

Transparency

AI use centers on alignment with learning outcomes and instructor control. The policy frames permitted use at the course level, requires transparency from students and cautions against uses that replace core skills practice.

It explicitly advises restricting or prohibiting GenAI when it would retard critical thinking, problem-solving, analysis or skills acquisition needed for the course.

That is a clear standard: design uses that support those skills, and block uses that replace them.

Applied, that yields a playbook for basic and higher education:

Declare rules in the syllabus. State where AI is allowed for brainstorming or feedback and where it is banned. Require disclosure for any assistance.

Design for effort. Use AI to prompt planning, hint next steps and explain errors. Do not let it output complete essays or full solutions for graded tasks. Tie major grades to unaided work.

Verify learning. Pair AI-supported practice with oral checks, in-class writing and closed-tool assessments. Check retention, not only completion time.

Protect integrity and security. Follow the school’s security and data-handling rules when piloting tools.

The policy direction is not anti-AI. It is pro-learning. The evidence is consistent: unguided use can help in the moment yet harm mastery later; guided use can preserve or improve learning.

Schools should take the win by putting teachers in command, building course-level rules and measuring what matters. In education, the unit of output is not a perfect paragraph today. It is a durable skill tomorrow.

SM Cinemas have announced the return of their mini-horror film festival Sine Sindak on Oct. 29, but as of the moment, the details are kept under wraps. Even so, I was invited to attend the special advanced screening of what I’ve heard is the only Filipino film in the Sine Sindak festival.

The film is called ‘Near Death,’ and it stars Charlie Dizon, RK Bagatsing, Xyriel Manabat, Soliman Cruz, and Lotlot de Leon and it is directed by the prolific director Richard Somes. The film is an independent release, produced by Somes’ RVS Studios, in partnership with CMB and Diamond Productions.

Pure Pinoy horror

‘Near Death’ is the story of Julia (Dizon), who attempts suicide but is revived at the hospital. As she recovers, she finds that crossing to the other side has given her the means to perceive a hellish limbo, where its inhabitants can also see her. A showcase of Somes’ craftsmanship as a horror auteur, ‘Near Death’ features interesting directorial choices that set up striking jump scares and frenetic camera work, capturing the rush and thrill of Somes’ elaborate horror scenes.

This is pure Pinoy horror, meant to be seen with friends, with a full theater of people screaming in fright.

But unlike his other films, Somes enters new territory in subject matter and theme. It’s also a film outside the studio system, so it brings Somes closer to the start of his career in independent cinema. It’s a return to form, though he promises to break new boundaries in the genre of horror.

The cinema was packed with the cast, crew, members of the press, along with friends and family of all those involved in the production. Despite having seen a film that scared more than half the audience in the theater, there was a lot of good cheer afterwards. The dark, heavy world of the film stays on screen and it shows the kind of community that Somes has built in this production.

A return to form

I attend the talkback and was able to take the director aside to talk about his return to the genre. ‘If I wanted to do another horror, I wanted it to be a ghost story,’ explains Somes. ‘Dream ko ‘yung ghost [story] kasi lumaki ako sa aswang stories.’

‘I was inspired by ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll,’ from the manananggal until the sequel with the aswangs. In fact, I directed some segments of ‘Shake,” he adds. Yes, Somes directed a segment in ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll 2k5’ in 2005, but his first full-length feature film debut as a director, ‘Yanggaw,’ received critical acclaim and marked the arrival of a brand new voice in Philippine horror.

But most of his notable film and television works veered toward folkloric horror and action. He is currently one of the directors of the hit show ‘Batang Quiapo.’ So, ‘Near Death’ is a return to form for Somes, embracing his indie roots and working outside the studio system.

For his return to the genre, Somes got the idea for the premise of ‘Near Death’ from an Ilonggo belief that when someone dies and gets revived, they bring something back with them from the other side. He tells a story about a second cousin who fell off a tree and lost consciousness, and when he was brought back, he found himself holding onto leaves.

Taking creative liberties

Somes says that the challenge in making a ghost story is that there are so many versions of them now ‘from Thailand, [to] Indonesia,’ he enumerates. ‘So, the challenge for us is to come up with a new mythology.’

With co-writer Jim Flores, they committed themselves to researching and going through all these books and stories. It then occurred to Somes that there’s something about spirituality that clicked with him. He references Dante’s ‘Inferno’ quite a bit, looking at the author’s journey in the book to form the spiritual journey his protagonist would follow and how the world of ghosts would manifest.

‘Nothing beats the feeling of feeling free,’ Somes exclaims when asked about returning to independent cinema. ‘Free to decide on the film. Free to decide how to end your film.’ He then explains that his close friend, Erik Matti (who came onboard to consult with the edit), was able to see the film and the two endings and yet both of them chose to stay away from the cleaner, more audience-friendly ending.

He goes on to say that even though the budget isn’t big as you would in a studio production, he felt like he was allowed to play around in it.

Refueling the tank

But his growth as a director can be seen in ‘Near Death.’ His work is always energetic, the movements of the camera he describes as ‘kinetic.’ There’s a lot of energy in his work and as an artist, Somes says, all artists must ‘refuel the tank.’ Lately, he has been watching a lot of new movies, and his venture into action like the work he does in ‘Batang Quiapo’ has given him a new approach to covering the physicality and danger in his movies.

‘If you notice, I don’t use a lot of cuts in this film,’ he shares, ‘so you can see the actors really going through these motions.’ There are quite a few sequences when the ghosts in the film get violent, and Dizon and De Leon find themselves being thrown around the frightening halls of the apartment building that was the set of ‘Near Death.’ The violence is brutal in this movie and we are not spared any of it.

I ask if he feels that it is harder to scare audiences now, with the way the world is today, and he agrees with my proposition. He credits this to streaming sites giving people access to all kinds of content that could desensitize the audience.

‘What I’ve learned from something [Robert] Eggers said is that the most important thing to make your horror film successful is to have a character with a tormented soul,’ he shares. Citing Eggers’ ‘The Witch’ as an example, he continues, ‘The horror of the human spirit takes center stage and the ghosts really just become the backdrop and setting of the story.’

‘I really want to push that boundary and storytelling, which is why I got really good actors so that I can amplify those horror moments,’ he ends.

The modernization project at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) is not covered by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), according to Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez.

Lopez said this on Thursday after the Naia workers’ group Pagkakaisa ng mga Users, Stakeholders at Obrero ng Naia (PUSO ng Naia) on Tuesday said it will submit an open letter, urging the ICI to investigate the P1.5-trillion public-private partnership between the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation (NNIC) for the redevelopment of the Naia. ‘They have the right to go to ICI. But I, I studied what the mandate of ICI is. This, there are no public funds that were disbursed. There is no misuse of funds that are related to flood control or other infrastructure,’ Lopez said in an ambush interview on Thursday.

‘On the contrary, they are the ones who give money to the government. Simple as that,’ he added, referring to NNIC President Ramon Ang’s remark that they remitted P57 billion to the national government in one year of Naia’s privatized operations. Lopez said he is respecting the decision of the group to call the ICI to investigate the PPP program.

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‘If that is what they want, we will respect it. But in our opinion, it should not be covered by ICI,’ said Lopez.

Irregularities?

On Tuesday, the PUSO ng Naia called on the ICI to look into the alleged irregularities of the PPP deal for Naia’s modernization.

‘The ICI must move for a full review of the agreement to determine whether legal safeguards for consultation, disclosure, and oversight were deliberately bypassed,’ the group pointed out.

Meanwhile, in April this year, petitioners composed of lawyers Joel Butuyan, Ma. Soledad Derequito-Mawis, Antonio Gabriel La Viña, Roger Rayel and Jose Mari Benjamin Francisco Tirol asked the Supreme Court to void both the Naia PPP deal, asserting that it was ‘never designed with the common good or public welfare in mind.’

In her continuing effort to celebrate Filipino creativity and cultural heritage, Sen. Loren Legarda will once again lead the much-anticipated 2025 National Arts and Crafts Fair (NACF) from October 23 to 29, 2025.

Taking place at Megatrade Halls 1-3 of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City, the event features more than 300 exhibitors that showcase the diversity and excellence of Filipino craftsmanship, such as indigenous handwoven textiles, handcrafted accessories, and sustainable materials.

These include Abra’s Abel loom weaving, the delicate embroidery of Lumban, the intricate beadwork of Zamboanga, and the vibrant weaving traditions of Antique. Since its launch in 2016 through Legarda’s vision and initiative, the NACF has become one of the country’s vital platforms for local artisans, particularly micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), to promote their work and sustain their livelihood. This year’s NACF underscores anew the importance of keeping cultural traditions alive by highlighting the intricate works of the Schools of Living Traditions (SLTs) and the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) awardees, who best represent the meaning of Filipino craftsmanship.

Visitors can see indigenous elders and cultural masters doing live demonstrations and workshops throughout the event.

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‘Amidst technological advancements nowadays, we must not forget to look back to our traditions and treasures because these helped shape the country we are enjoying today. I have made it my mission to ensure that we all remain committed to celebrating and honoring the beauty of the cultural heritage that our ancestors have gifted us,’ Legarda said.

‘The 2025 National Arts and Crafts Fair amplifies our collective call to uplift marginalized communities, empower indigenous traditions, and foster inclusive growth through art and craftsmanship. This is also a call for active community participation to realize the goals of this initiative,’ she added.

The 2025 NACF is a collaborative effort among the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and the Design Center of the Philippines (DCP), working together to strengthen the link between culture and commerce and to empower Filipino artisans with pride, purpose, and opportunity in the global market.

It was tough luck for the Philippines in triathlon on the morning of the Asian Youth Games opening ceremony, as Euan Arrow Ramos crashed out of the competition on Thursday at Sofitel Bahrain.

Ramos suffered scratches and bruises all over, including his right arm and leg, after hitting the deck when his wheel clipped a cateye on a tight turn in the race featuring 39 triathletes. The 15-year-old came out of the water in ninth place and had closed in on the leaders during the bike stage when he apparently ran over a reflective road stud and crashed. He was later brought to Bahrain Defense Force Hospital.

The cones had to be moved after several incidents, which slightly altered the course, but Triathlon Association of the Philippines secretary general Ting Joson said they couldn’t blame the results on the adjustments.

‘It was unfortunate because Arrow was strong and the boys prepared well. It’s just unfortunate that there was a cat’s eye there,’ Joson said. ‘Even if they changed the course on the fly, it’s the officials’ prerogative if they feel that’s the safer way to do it.’

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‘As a technical official, if you see that an accident happened and you can prevent it from happening again, you have to make those calls,’ he added.

Adding to the Philippines’ woes, Peter Sancho del Rosario lost his 12th-place finish after being disqualified for an infraction at the second transition, when he removed his headgear before setting his bike on the rack.

China’s Li Yansong ruled the event in 27 minutes and 0.4 seconds, followed by Kazakhstan’s Ramazan Ainegov (27:11) and Korea’s Kang Woohyeon (27:13).

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will add more flights to key cities in Australia, Japan and the United States to meet greater demand travelers for the holiday season.

Starting mid-December 2025 to mid-January, PAL will increase the number of its flights to the following Philippine-Australian routes:

Manila-Perth will double flights from three to six weekly.

Manila-Melbourne will increase from five to seven per week.

For Japan routes, the flag carrier will grow the number of its flights as follows:

Manila-Sapporo will revive its seasonal nonstop route with thrice-weekly trips from Nov 24, 2025 to Mar 27, 2026.

Manila-Narita will have additional 12 roundtrip flights from Dec. 19, 2025 to Jan 7, 2026, on top of two daily flight offering.

Manila-Osaka will increase to 12 round trips from Dec 19, 2025 to Jan 7, 2026, supplementing two daily flights.

Manila-Nagoya will add three roundtrip flights on top of its daily service on Dec 25 and 27, 2025, as well as Jan. 3, 2026.

Cebu-Osaka will have additional five roundtrip flights, on top of four trips weekly.

Cebu-Narita will get another four round trips between Dec 28. 2025 and Jan 7, 2025, besides its daily service.

PAL will also add Asia-routed service beginning Oct. 26, 2025 until March 28, 2026:

Manila to Da Nang, Vietnam will cater to daily flights compared with only thrice weekly.

Manila to Busan, South Korea will increase flights from seven to 11 per week.

The flights to the United States, PAL’s most profitable business segment, will also expand starting Nov 25, 2025.

Manila-Seattle route will increase weekly flights from three to five, complementing the schedule of flights heading to San Francisco, Guam, Los Angeles, New York and Honolulu.