Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Taal Volcano in Batangas province recorded a minor phreatomagmatic eruption on Monday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

Phivolcs said the event at the summit crater occurred at 6:13 a.m. and lasted only one minute.

The eruption produced a 500-meter-high plume, captured by the main crater IP camera, a digital video surveillance device.

A phreatomagmatic eruption occurs when magma interacts with water, causing explosive activity that produces a mixture of steam, ash, and fragmented volcanic materials.

After 14 days of continuous seismic activity, Taal Volcano showed signs of calm. Phivolcs reported in its Monday bulletin that no volcanic earthquakes or tremors were detected over the past 24 hours.

The volcano had been recording daily volcanic earthquakes from Oct. 6 to 19, with no seismic activity observed on Oct. 1, 5, and 20. From Oct. 1 to 20, it registered 193 volcanic earthquakes and 10 tremor episodes, compared with 189 earthquakes and 129 tremors in September.

Volcanic earthquakes are generated by magmatic processes beneath or near an active volcano. Volcanic tremors, meanwhile, are continuous seismic signals with regular or irregular sine wave patterns and low frequencies (0.5-5 Hz), Phivolcs explained.

In its latest update, the agency reported 312 metric tons of sulfur dioxide emissions, rising 300 meters.

During the observation period, no upwelling of hot volcanic fluids was detected in the main crater lake of Taal Volcano Island, located at the center of Taal Lake. No volcanic smog, or ‘vog,’ was observed

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is bringing back the Cadet Engineering Program to hire young engineers who may work in the government agency, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon announced on Monday morning.

Dizon said that it was former DPWH Secretaries Rogelio ‘Babes’ Singson, and Jose ‘Ping’ de Jesus who brought up the program in a meeting on Saturday.

‘They brought to my attention this very good program, the Cadet Engineering Program. This is very good for us to revitalize the DPWH with fresh graduates, with new, fresh engineers who have just passed or are just starting to work,’ Dizon said at a flag-raising ceremony.

The Cadet Engineering Program was an initiative by Singson, launched in 2013.

It was a 26-week program made to put engineers through classes in public service, public infrastructure in the country, the DPWH and its mandate, and the agency’s regional, district, and project management office,s among others.

The program’s objective was to yield young engineers who may potentially work at the government agency.

One of the program’s success stories is the recently-named DPWH officer-in-charge, Undersecretary Engr. Lara Esquibil, who was among the first completers of the program in 2013.

In its previous implementation, interested engineers underwent a promotional exam for DPWH engineering positions nationwide to avoid the patronage system or backing.

However, Singson revealed that the program was dissolved after the agency allowed ‘outsiders’ to get promotional slots.

Jose Abad Santos High School in Binondo, Manila received a bomb threat on Monday morning, but police said it found no explosives within the campus.

‘The DECU (District Explosives and Canine Unit). immediately responded thereat and conducted a bomb sweep with K9 personnel and paneling within the vicinity of the school,’ a Manila Police District (MPD) spot report stated.

‘During paneling, there was no bomb found,’ it noted.

Authorities have yet to identify and arrest a suspect.

The MPD said the threat stemmed from a Facebook post by a certain Louise Florence.

The post supposedly read: ‘I planted a bomb inside Jose Abad Santos. I am not joking. There are five bombs now, one hidden inside of five different buildings. Timer’s set detonation in just a few minutes.’

The post was sent by an alumnus to another alumnus, who then sent it to a 21-year-old student at around 10:55 a.m., relaying it to a Grade 7 teacher in the school and prompting the latter to call the San Nicholas Police Community Precinct personnel, according to the MPD.

Jose Abad Santos High School has yet to issue an official statement on the matter.

The number of deaths caused by the floods in Capiz has risen to 5, bringing to 10 the death toll attributed to the torrential rain spawned by Tropical Storm Ramil (international name: Fengshen) that inundated many areas in Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and parts of Southern Luzon.

Capiz disaster response authorities initially reported only one person, May Mae Urdelas, 23, who died Saturday, October 18, after she slipped, fell, and was swept away by the strong current of a creek in Ivisan town. By late Sunday, however, four more persons were confirmed to have died.

According to the Capiz Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), the confirmed fatalities aside from Urdelas were 44-year-old Rizaldo Balgos, from Roxas City; a 45-year-old man from Barangay Dulangan of Pilar town, who was electrocuted; and two more individuals from Roxas City whose identities were still being verified.

Earlier on Sunday, a family of five in Quezon province died after they were crushed by a tree that fell on their house in Pitogo town.

Capiz provincial authorities said intense rainfall triggered the severe flooding, with Saturday’s downpour alone nearly matching the average rainfall for an entire month.

The provincial capital, Roxas City, which is now in a state of calamity, recorded only 305 millimeters of rain between October 1 and October 17, but nearly 400 millimeters fell in a single day on Saturday, exceeding the city’s typical monthly total for October.

The floods have affected 3,307 families, or 9,665 individuals, across 61 barangays in Capiz. In Roxas City alone, more than 800 families, or over 2,000 individuals, were rescued as floodwaters submerged several communities.

Hundreds of commuters were stranded after public and private vehicles were unable to pass through flooded roads in various towns.

Classes in all levels have been suspended from Monday, October 20, until Wednesday, October 22, as authorities continue to monitor water levels in rivers and canals.

Local officials have urged residents to stay alert, avoid crossing flooded roads, and evacuate when necessary. Relief goods continue to be distributed in evacuation centers, while search and rescue teams remain on standby should conditions worsen.

Twelve years after Claudine Barretto and Raymart Santiago’s annulment was finalized, Claudine’s mother Inday alleged that Raymart had been abusive toward the ‘Mula Sa Puso’ star.

In a tell-all interview with entertainment insider Ogie Diaz on Sunday, Oct. 19, Inday revealed the details of Raymart’s alleged abuse toward Claudine, including instances of the actor’s supposed physical and sexual abuses.

‘Alam ko kung may sakit sila, may kagalit sila, or if one of them, may away sa partners nila, I can hear them crying. Na-injectiunan na pala. That was the start of the famous injection thing, si Raymart. Tapos bumaba si Claudine, sabi niya, ‘Mom, away-away lang ‘yan.’ Then, he brought us out, ang bait-bait, the old Raymart,’ she said, although she didn’t detail what ‘injection incident’ she was referring to.

‘That was episode number one, there were seven more that came. alam mo naman kapag sinasaktan ang tao eh,’ she continued.

(I know when they’re sick, mad at someone, or if one of them was in a fight with their partners. I can hear them crying. She received an injection. That was the start of Raymart’s famous injection thing. Then Claudine went down the house, she said, ‘Mom, it’s just a normal fight.’ Then, he brought us out, the old Raymart, who was kind, came back. That was episode number one. There were seven more that came. You would know if someone is being hurt.)

Inday revealed further details of Raymart’s alleged abuse toward her daughter.

‘Bumaba si Claudine parang normal. Hindi na siya ‘yung anak ko, parang zombie. I’ll say it out, panindigan ko talaga ‘yun. Kita ko pagbaba ni Claudine sa stairs, parang she just collapsed kay Daddy. Malamig pa sa yelo ‘yung paa. I looked at Daddy, and he looked at me. We knew that it was more than anything else,’ she said.

‘That was the time he [bleeped] her. He [bleeped] my daughter in front of ng pilay nilang masahista. Santino saw it,’ she continued, although it remains unclear what word was bleeped out from the interview. ‘Tinago ko nang ilang years. Not out of shame pero baka di ko mapigilan ang sarili ko.’

(Claudine faced us as if everything was normal. But she wasn’t my daughter. It was like looking at a zombie. I’ll say it out and stand by it. I saw Claudine going down the stairs, and she just collapsed on Daddy. Her feet were colder than ice. I looked at Daddy, and he looked at me. We knew that it was more than anything else. That was the time he [bleeped] her. He [bleeped] my daughter in front of their crippled masseuse. Santino saw it. I hid this for so many years. Not out of shame, but I might not help myself.)

According to Inday, there were also alleged incidents where Claudine’s mouth was covered with a face towel, and she would run away ‘like a scared mouse’ to escape from her ex-husband.

‘Tinakpan niya ng face towel ang mouth ni Claudine, I know the story. [I found out] later on but nobody needs to tell me. Nagti-tinginan kami ni Claudine pero [out] of hiya or takot. meron pa, noong kinaladkad niya si Claudine. Tumawag ulit siya tapos hindi ko nakita pero alam ko nagsigawan [sila],’ she said.

‘Ang nakita ko lang, hinahabol niya si Claudine parang daga. Noong malapit na siya kay Claudine, parang gusto niyang mag-escape, magtago. Naabutan niya, hinablot pa niya. I talk but Dad doesn’t want me to talk because I might say colorful words,’ she added.

(He covered Claudine’s mouth with a face towel. I know the story. I found out later on, but nobody needs to tell me. Claudine and I looked at each other, but she did it out of embarrassment and fear. There was one time he dragged her around. I didn’t witness what happened, but she called me and they were at each other’s throats. What I only saw was that he chased Claudine like she was a scared mouse. When he was near her, she escaped and hid. But he was able to reach her. I wanted to talk about it, but Dad doesn’t want me to talk because I might say colorful words.) Inday also claimed that there was a time she brought Claudine to Thailand to prove that the actress wasn’t addicted to drugs, and instead, was suffering ‘mental illness.’ Eventually, the ‘Got 2 Believe’ star came around and told her mother her side of the story.

‘Saktan niyo na ko’t lahat, but don’t touch my children. You’re gonna get it. Miski magkapatid kayo. You have no right. Siguro all this time, kapag pumasok sa utak ko [ang nangyari], ang bait namin sa kanya,’ she added.

(You may hurt me, but don’t touch my children. You’re gonna get it. Even if you’re siblings. You have no right. All this time, when I look back at what happened, I realize how kind we were toward him.)

In the years leading up to the end of Claudine and Raymart’s marriage, their relationship had been tumultuous until their annulment was finalized in 2013.

Since then, the actress has been vocal that she doesn’t want to be friends with her ex-husband due to his current partner, whom she didn’t name.

She also accused the actor of not being a good father toward their children in a 2023 interview.

Alas Pilipinas men seek to return to the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) final in December after turning heads in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship.

The Alas official page has revealed the groupings in the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand with the men’s national volleyball team being grouped with three-peat champion Indonesia, fast-rising Cambodia, which reached the 2023 final and won bronze in 2022, and Myanmar in Pool B.

Pool A has host Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and Laos.

‘It’s still going to be a challenge because all the teams are preparing hard for the SEA Games. Especially Cambodia and Myanmar, we haven’t seen much of them in recent tournaments, but we know they compete at a high level in volleyball,’ said Alas Pilipinas 10-year veteran Marck Espejo.

Espejo was one of the top gunners of Alas Pilipinas with Bryan Bagunas, Leo Ordiales, and Owa Retamar after an impressive showing in the World Championship, where they beat Egypt and narrowly missed the round of 16 after a heartbreaking five-set loss to Iran.

The longtime national team player says the squad’s goal is to reach the final again after a runner-up finish in the 2019 SEA Games Manila.

‘I’m really excited to play again. This time, our team’s goal isn’t just to reach the semifinals, we want to make it to the finals,’ said Espejo as the potential of the men’s team has been unlocked by Italian coach Angiolino Frigoni.

Spikers’ Turf, which opens on Monday next week, has expressed its full support, as well as the men’s clubs, allowing the players to join the national team training camp on November 15 or even earlier.

‘We’re fully supporting our national team here at Spikers’ Turf. That’s why we’re allowing national team players to join practices, training camps, or whatever plans the national team has. Even before November 15, they’re free to go. We already spoke with the different teams to get their thoughts and suggestions too. So that’s how we came up with our solution,’ said Spikers’ Turf tournament director Mozzy Ravena in Filipino.

‘It’s not really a problem because support for the national team should always come first. What we’re doing now is allowing teams with national team players to bring in additional players as substitutes for those who will be joining the national team.’

Bryan Bagunas, who is with his SV.League club Osaka Bluteon, has also committed to the national team for the SEA Games amid the ongoing club season.

Meanwhile, Alas Pilipinas women’s quest to end a 20-year medal drought starts in Pool A against the dynasty of 16-time gold medalist Thailand and Singapore.

Silver medalist Vietnam and bronze medalist Indonesia headline Pool B with Myanmar and Malaysia.

Under the leadership of setter Jia De Guzman, young guns Angel Canino, Alyssa Solomon, Eya Laure, and Bella Belen reached the final of the AVC Nations Cup and won two bronze medals in the SEA V-League this year.

A total of 25,349 Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel, so far, will be deployed for All Saints and All Souls Day or Undas 2025 security arrangements, its public information chief said.

In a press briefing in Camp Crame on Monday, PNP public information chief Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño detailed that 5,175 of the police officers to be deployed will be stationed at cemeteries, memorial parks and columbaria across the country.

Further, Tuaño said the PNP will set up 5,293 police assistance desks and 1,616 motorist assistance centers for Undas.

He added that 8,265 personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Philippine Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies will also be deployed to assist with security.

Additionally, according to Tuaño, the police’s deployment will be augmented by 22,399 force multipliers or barangay tanods and other volunteer groups.

The PNP public information chief said the law enforcement agency will be on full alert for Undas starting Oct. 31.

A driver died while five other motorists were injured on Monday morning, Oct. 20, after a wayward cargo truck caught fire in a road accident in Atimonan town in Quezon province.

Atimonan police, in a spot report, said a cargo truck driven by ‘Rolando,’ was negotiating a descending curved section of the Maharlika Highway in Barangay Malinao Ilaya at 6:40 a.m. when he lost control of the vehicle due to mechanical trouble.

The wayward truck consequently crashed into a pile of mud on the roadside, hitting a parked wrecked truck, causing it to tilt on its side, and subsequently slid and bumped two running tricycles.

After the collision, the truck caught fire and eventually exploded, police said.

Rolando was trapped inside the burning truck and died on the spot.

The fire and gasoline sprays caused injuries to the two trike drivers identified as ‘Edwin,’ 58; ‘Meriel,’ 28, and his three passengers – ‘Amethys,’ 13, ‘Jamela,’ 11, and ‘Angel,’ 13.

They were brought to a hospital in the locality for treatment.

Local firemen rushed to the site and extinguished the fire on the burning truck. INQ

Search and retrieval operations continued on Sunday for a missing couple who were swept into a deep ravine when a massive landslide led to a collapse of a section of the Bukidnon-Davao road in Sitio Kipolot, Barangay Palacapao here.

The area is popularly known to tourists and travelers as ‘Overview’ for the viewing decks established along the stretch of zigzag turns.

Authorities identified the missing couple as Ely and Thelma Ubatay, residents of Purok 9, Barangay Kahusayan, Kitaotao town, Bukidnon.

They were reportedly on their way home aboard their tricycle, locally known as ‘bao-bao,’ when the road gave way at 9:45 p.m. on Saturday, sending their vehicle plunging into the ravine.

Quezon Mayor Pablo Lorenzo III, who personally inspected the site on Sunday, said search operations were temporarily halted on Saturday night due to darkness and safety concerns but resumed early on Sunday morning.

Reinforcements from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) and responders from Valencia City, Maramag, and nearby towns joined the retrieval and clearing efforts.

Heavy disruption

Lorenzo expressed deep concern over the landslide’s significant impact on mobility and commerce.

‘The economy is going to be affected, especially the movement of people and goods,’ he said.

‘The highway is cut off, and although there are temporary adjustments, the supply chain-especially goods bound for Davao and vice versa-is heavily disrupted,’ he added.

He said that the local government is coordinating with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for possible solutions, including the construction of a temporary access road.

‘Unless DPWH can find a way through here, maybe a temporary road can be made. Until then, we’re left waiting. There’s actually a possible diversion road, but that’s up to DPWH to decide,’ Lorenzo pointed out.

According to the mayor, the affected section had previously undergone costly repairs. ‘You can see how big the damage is. The slope gave way, apparently due to water seepage underneath. (But) we’ll wait for the engineers’ full assessment,’ he noted.

Lorenzo also confirmed that several other barangays in Quezon reported smaller landslides following heavy rainfall the night before.

‘Probably the water accumulated in certain areas, causing soil movement. This one, however, is the most serious so far,’ he said.

Lengthy alternatives

The landslide has rendered the national highway, known as the Buda (for Bukidnon-Davao) road, impassable to all types of vehicles, forcing motorists to take lengthy alternate routes.

The road is a vital link between the Northern Mindanao and Davao regions. Goods from the Davao region intended for export to Southeast Asia and China pass through here and on to the Mindanao Container Terminal in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, or the Cagayan de Oro port.

In a travel advisory, the DPWH said those bound for Davao City coming from Cagayan de Oro City or Bukidnon may take the highway from Valencia City to Tagum City and on to Davao City, passing through the towns of San Fernando (Bukidnon) and Talaingod and Kapalong (Davao del Norte), although this adds some 60 kilometers to the travel length.

Instead of entering Quezon town, another route is the highway from the junction of Camp 1 in Maramag, Bukidnon, to Kabacan, Cotabato, and on to Davao City. This adds some 90 km to the length of travel.

The route to Tagum City is advised for light vehicles, while trucks are advised to take the route via Cotabato province

Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Mikaela Suansing has justified the need to put unprogrammed allocations (UA) in two separate sections for foreign-assisted projects (FAPs) under the proposed 2026 budget, noting that the government cannot just renege on its obligations for these programs.

Suansing, chairperson of the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations, said in a press briefing on Monday that in the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), the UA for FAPs gets the biggest chunk – at P133.1 billion out of the total P243.2 billion.

This is a combination of purpose three and purpose four of the 11 UA purposes that Suansing mentioned. Purpose three is entitled Support to FAPs, or loan proceeds that would be approved and declared effective, while Purpose four is the Government of the Philippines counterpart of FAPs that are still undergoing negotiation.

‘I think both the House and the Senate were very clear on this, that we would need to retain the funding for foreign assisted projects under unprogrammed appropriations. And why is that so? Infrastructure projects lodged under DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) and DOTR (Department of Transportation) will only be allowed if these are foreign assisted projects or FAPs,’ Suansing said.

‘FAPS are projects funded by partner countries such as JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), the French ODA (official development assistance), multilateral bodies or other international entities such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and we need to retain the funding for FAPS because we cannot renege on our obligations and agreements to our development and international partners,’ she added.

Suansing said that the P133 billion UA for FAPs can be divided into three – 36.7 percent or P48.89 billion under FAPs that are still under negotiation; 28.8 percent or P38.33 billion that are newly-approved loans; and 34.5 percent or P45.85 billion that are additional tier two requirements of DOTr FAPs.

‘Second, the newly approved loans. I put that separate because when the NEP was finalized in July, these two projects under DSWD and DOH were still not finalized. And as of October 7, these two projects already have perfected agreements, that’s why we put it separate and the total for that would be P38 billion,’ she said.

‘And lastly, this is very interesting, P45 billion under FAPs are additional Tier Two requirements of ongoing foreign assisted projects under DOTR. What does that mean? This is P45.8 billion, they have a counterpart under the programmed appropriations of DOTR, but because the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) believes that the DOTr cannot spend the bulk of the fund (it was broken down),’ she added.

As to why there is a need for two separate items on FAPs, Suansing explained that there are two components to foreign projects – the loans that are granted to the country, and the funds that the Philippine government has to shell out.

‘Each foreign assisted project has two components, the first would be the loan proceeds, for projects whose funding come from our international partner. So that’s from JICA, from KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency), from ADB, World Bank. These are loan proceeds which are under (Purpose) number three,’ Suansing noted.

‘The second branch of the foreign assisted projects would be what you call GOP counterpart, this means that under the agreement, there is a part shouldered by our international development partner, there is a portion that our country will fund, that is just like counterpart projects of local government units in the country,’ she added.

While several groups hailed the current budget process for being more transparent than previous years, there were also concerns regarding the presence of unprogrammed appropriations in the proposed2026 national budget even if these are believed to have been used as an instrument for corruption inside flood control projects.

Last October 9, Minority member Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña called out the transfer of UA for infrastructure projects in the proposed 2026 national budget to Foreign-Assisted Projects (FAP) – noting that it is just another form of unprogrammed funds.

Cendaña said that while allocations for the Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure and Social Programs (SAGIP) were transferred to FAP, there is still a need to clarify where the funds would go because both are considered UA.

‘That is what we have observed, the reduction of the SAGIP projects, but when we saw it, it seems it was just transferred to the FAP, the Foreign Assisted Project,’ he said. ‘So we really need to scrutinize the allocations under UA.’

According to Cendaña, while there are reforms initiated for the budget process, it should be clarified how the UA will be appropriated.

‘Because while we have mentioned improvements, reforms, a lot still has to be explained, like the basic issues, like why are these items placed under the UA, if these are obligations that we should pay for our healthcare workers, if these are obligations under foreign loans when we implement foreign assisted projects,’ he said.

Last Monday, the House approved the GAB contained under House Bill (HB) No. 4058 with 287 lawmakers voting in favor, 12 against it, and two abstentions – despite concerns that it is allegedly still filled with UA and other ‘pork’ projects.

In his speech, Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III said HB No. 4058 might not be perfect, but ‘we made sure nothing was hidden, nothing was concealed, with the goal to ensure that every penny of the tax paid by our citizens is given back to them in the form of opportunities, services, and hope.’