Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Annie Mitchem’s quiet confidence has become the spark that powered the Akari Chargers’ pair of statement wins early into the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference.

With the American spiker at the helm, Akari surged to a 2-0 start in Pool B, headlined by their first-ever franchise victory against the Creamline Cool Smashers after 10 matches.

Playing in her first official PVL match, Mitchem made quite the impression against the Cool Smashers, putting up a game-high 33 points, including the game-winning kill in Akari’s 23-25, 25-23, 30-28, 23-25, 15-12 breakthrough victory over the defending champions.

Three days later, Mitchem remained as a steady contributor, pouring in 17 points and 15 digs in another five-setter escape for Akari over the Chery Tiggo EV Crossovers, 25-11, 22-25, 29-27, 17-25, 15-7.

The 31-year-old American, who played in Indonesia, Turkiye, Brazil, and Italy, is having a great time in her first stint in the Philippines.

‘I’m really happy and proud of us because this team is really good,’ said Mitchem.

‘This is like one of the [leagues I played before] in Brazil and Indonesia. The crowd was big like this. The fans are really interactive and like screaming so it’s really fun. I enjoyed it a lot.’

For her solid start, Mitchem was rewarded with the first PVL Press Corps Player of the Week presented by Pilipinas Live for the period of October 9 to 18 in the import-laden tournament.

The towering hitter says that she draws confidence from Akari’s pre-game preparations, as well as the time she is spending with her new teammates.

‘I think just going to practice and just being with everyone is really helpful, and just like enjoying our time while we’re practicing,’ said Mitchem.

Mitchem edged out fellow imports in Farm Fresh’s Eli Rousseaux, ZUS Coffee’s Anna DeBeer, and Capital1’s Sasha Bytsenko, along with local aces in PLDT’s Savi Davison and Petro Gazz’s Brooke Van Sickle for the weekly plum deliberated by print and online reporters covering the pioneering professional volleyball league organized by Sports Vision.

Even with a steady import, Akari coach Tina Salak knows that their locals must step up in helping Mitchem shoulder the offensive load.

”Yun ‘yung goal namin, na tulungan ‘yung import namin to make points. Kailangan hindi lang kami nagre-rely doon kay Annie, and we have to rely din doon sa locals namin na makapag-produce at makapag-provide ng points,’ Salak said.

Mitchem and the Chargers will look to sustain their solid start as they face the Petro Gazz Angels on Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan in another triple-header.

Before being a La Salle coach and competitor, Topex Robinson is first and foremost, a father.

So when he heard about University of the East’s Wello Lingolingo being slapped with a three-game suspension for his unsportsmanlike foul on Green Archer Kean Baclaan, he sympathized with the young swingman.

‘The coach and competitor in me thinks that obviously, he deserves to be suspended but the father in me is pardoning the committee to lower the [suspension of] games because he’s not really a bad player,’ Robinson said after their 72-69 win over the University of the Philippines at Araneta Coliseum on Sunday. ‘Those incidents really happen and hopefully he’s given a chance to return (earlier) because three games is going to be huge for him. I know he made his mistakes but I hope they give him a chance and lessen the suspension.’

Lingolingo was sanctioned by the UAAP for his unsportsmanlike foul and subsequent ejection in UE’s 111-110 overtime loss to La Salle on Wednesday after his unfortunate fall on Baclaan.

The Red Warrior’s fall on Baclaan’s knees, unfortunately, resulted in the latter’s MCL injury, which would keep him sidelined for a number of months.

Aside from Lingolingo, UE coach Chris Gavina was also given a four-game suspension for his post-game rant involving profanity-laced statements made to UAAP officials.

Earlier, UE played without Lingolingo and Gavina only to succumb to a 95-76 beatdown at the hands of Far Eastern University.

Sure, Lindsey Vander Weide and Brooke Van Sickle are a match made in heaven for the Petro Gazz Angels. In reality, this was a match made in college.

The Angels continued to rely on their potent 1-2 punch, who were teammates at Oregon in the US NCAA, to fend off winless but gritty Chery Tiggo, 25-15, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, on Saturday at Capital Arena in Ilagan City, Isabela.

Returning American import Vander Weide flexed her power and reigning season MVP Van Sickle flaunted her all-around game as they finished with 25 points in the victory.

When the Crossovers threatened to force a decider with a 21-19 lead in the fourth set, Vander Weide caught fire, nailing five straight cross-court kills in a 6-0 run to complete the win after two hours and eight minutes and bounce back from a tough four-set loss to Creamline last Tuesday.

Vander Weide, who last played with Van Sickle in 2019, credited her heroics to the floor defense of Van Sickle, as the latter was at the backrow when the 2022 Best Import and Finals MVP took matters into her own hands.

‘On the last six points, Brooke was digging every single ball. So when Brooke digs that ball, it fires me up. I have to put that ball away for her,’ said Vander Weide.

‘If Brooke wasn’t back there, I wouldn’t have even had the opportunity. It just comes from us playing as a team. Someone digging, someone sending me a perfect ball, putting it away.’

Van Sickle drilled 21 kills and also had a tremendous floor defense with 20 digs and 15 excellent receptions to lead the Angels’ rise to a 2-1 record behind Pool B leaders Akari and ZUS Coffee, who are both unbeaten in two games.

The two-time All-Filipino Conference MVP was proud of how the Angels bounced back from their first defeat to Creamline, which they dethroned last May.

‘I’m really proud of the team. I thought a lot of people came in, did their job very well. It was up and down a little bit. So we had to deal with that as a team. But I thought we handled the pressure really well. I thought Cherry Tiggo did a fantastic job of just pushing us mentally and physically to our limits,’ said Van Sickle.

‘Even like just how Lindsey said, like we had to play as a team, continue to push each other and be there for each other. And at that moment when she was in the front row, I knew Lindsey just capitalized because she’s on fire. I gotta just do my job. I’ll dig any ball for her to be sent and finish this game right away. Because once it goes five sets, you don’t know what’s going to happen,’ she added.

Vander Weide believes every game counts in this conference, making it important to avoid another defeat.

‘I knew we couldn’t take another L on the road. And I think all of us kind of lit that fire underneath us. So, we knew that we were gonna come out and put the pressure on this team,’ she said.

The Department of Health (DOH) has logged fewer cases of influenza-like illnesses (ILI) in the first two weeks of October, reiterating that there is no outbreak nor a need for a lockdown.

In a segment on dzMM Teleradyo, Health Promotion Bureau Director Tina Marasigan said that a total of 6,457 cases of ILI were recorded in the country from Sept. 28, 2025, to Oct. 11, 2025.

‘This is 39 percent lower than the 10,740 cases logged from Sept. 14 to Sept. 27, 2025,’ she said.

She said that the latest cases were 25 percent lower than the 8,628 cases recorded from the same period in 2024. However, she said that the figures may still change due to continuous surveillance.

In a press briefing on Friday, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said that the DOH has no plans to implement a lockdown in the country due to the ILI.

‘There is no planned lockdown; that is fake news. What we have is the seasonal respiratory illnesses, so it’s not a flu outbreak. We do not have a flu outbreak,’ Herbosa said.

Herbosa also noted that the ILI, or diseases like cough and flu, spreads fast during the rainy season. Meanwhile, he said that the agency recommends wearing face masks or staying at home for those who have caught ILI.

With this, the DOH then reminded the public of the following:

Regular handwashing using clean water and soap

Cover mouth or nose when sneezing or coughing

Get enough sleep, eat nutritious food and drink plenty of water

For those who have symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat and body ache, the following must be observed:

Stay at home to prevent spreading the disease

Take medicine like paracetamol for fever

Consult a doctor or go to the nearest health center

The Department of Education-National Capital Region last Sunday noted the increase of ILI cases among learners and the recent earthquakes that struck the country.

With this, it announced the suspension of face-to-face classes from Oct. 13 to Oct. 14 ‘to provide time for disinfection, sanitation, and building inspection’ in all public schools in Metro Manila. /cb

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Coast Guard District Western Visayas (CGDWV) has intensified evacuation and maritime monitoring operations on Sunday, October 19, as Tropical Storm Ramil continues to affect Panay Island and nearby provinces, prompting thousands of residents to flee coastal communities.

Between 8 a.m. and 12 noon Sunday, the CGDWV reported a total of 7,553 individuals, or 2,386 families, evacuated from 28 barangays across Western Visayas. In Capiz, the Coast Guard Station (CGS) Roxas recorded 2,773 evacuees from 830 families, while CGS Antique assisted 22 individuals from two families. In Iloilo province, CGS Iloilo accounted for the largest movement with 4,758 evacuees representing 1,554 families.

The Coast Guard said all units remain on high alert and are actively monitoring coastal and marine areas to ensure the safety of residents and seafarers. ‘Our personnel continue to conduct evacuation operations and closely coordinate with local disaster offices to protect vulnerable coastal communities,’ the district said in its maritime safety advisory.

Nationwide, Tropical Storm Ramil has disrupted sea travel and port operations, stranding more than 3,200 passengers in various ports, particularly in the Bicol and Luzon seaboards, according to the PCG. Although detailed figures for Western Visayas ports have yet to be released, officials warned that travel disruptions are expected to persist until weather conditions improve.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has raised Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 over 17 areas, warning of winds between 62 and 88 kilometers per hour and possible storm surges up to two meters in low-lying coastal zones. Mariners, fishermen, and small craft operators were strongly advised to remain in port until the storm passes.

The Coast Guard urged the public to stay alert and follow advisories issued by local disaster risk reduction and management councils. Updates on port operations, evacuation centers, and sea travel restrictions will continue to be issued as Ramil moves across the Visayas region

A major portion of the four-lane Bukidnon-Davao road in Sitio Kipolot of Barangay Palacapao here collapsed following a landslide around 9:40 p.m. on Saturday, October 18, rendering the area impassable to all types of vehicles.

The Municipal Public Safety Office (MPSO) of Quezon has advised motorists to avoid the affected section, which has been declared ‘not passable’ for safety reasons.

Teams from the MPSO, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), Municipal Engineering Office (MEO), and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) are currently on-site conducting assessment, clearing, and rescue operations. Traffic congestion has been reported in the area, and motorists are advised to take alternate routes while the affected portion remains closed.

In a phone interview, Lyle Justine Egay, public information officer of the Quezon local government, said that the MPSO is closely monitoring the situation, installing warning signage, and providing regular updates.

In a travel advisory, the Department of Public Works and Highways in Northern Mindanao 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. 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 kilometers to the length of travel.

Magnitude 5.5 earthquake

Before the landslide-described by authorities as a major collapse of the national highway linking Quezon town and Davao City-a magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Surigao del Sur at 8:31 p.m., with tremors felt across several parts of Mindanao, including Bukidnon.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the quake had a depth of 20 kilometers and was located 23 kilometers southeast of Cagwait, Surigao del Sur.

It was classified as an aftershock of the magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck the same area on October 11.mm

Residents across Davao, Surigao, and Bukidnon reported feeling the tremor, with many expressing concern online over the frequent earthquakes and landslides occurring amid persistent rains in the region./cb

The most lucrative pro golf tournament on Philippine soil will feature arguably the most loaded field ever when the International Series gets off the ground on Thursday at Sta. Elena where Miguel Tabuena leads a 10-man local contingent gunning for a cash bonanza for the ages.

A total pot of $2 million (around P116 million) will be dangled as an international roster led by three former major champions in Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuisen open hostilities on Thursday with the Filipinos shooting for an upset over a field that will have the biggest collection of stars to ever play here.

Tabuena has been the most successful Filipino internationally for the past several years and has had a lot of experience playing against some of the best in the world lately.

The 31-year-old will be joined in the starting field by Angelo Que, Keanu Jahns, Rupert Zaragosa, amateur Perry Bucay, Clyde Mondilla and young guns Justin Quiban, Sean Ramos, Aidric Chan and Carl Corpus, who all got into the 72-hole championship via different routes.

Tabuena, who also has some PGA Tour experience, will be coming off an 11th place tie in the Jakarta IS stop and can use his local knowledge of the venue where he is a member.

And it is what Ramos hopes to gain as he crams to familiarize himself with the well-manicured layout that has some of the most slippery greens in the land.

‘To be able to play in it, and to do so on home soil, feels very special,’ Ramos said. ‘I’ve been preparing by playing at Sta. Elena over the past few weeks to get familiar with the course and the greens.

‘I’m happy with how I’ve been performing on The International Series so far, and I hope to carry that form into next week. Having stars like Dustin Johnson in the field makes it even more inspiring – DJ has always been one of my biggest idols.’

Quiban is also one of the most exciting talents to come out of the country, plying his trade on the Asian Tour.

He finished in the top-20 of the PH Open earlier this year.

Quezon Gov. Angelina Tan has expressed grief over the tragic death of a family of five whose hut was crushed by a fallen tree at the height of Tropical Storm Ramil.

‘We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the five individuals who lost their lives in the town of Pitogo this morning,’ Tan said in Tagalog in a post on her Facebook page.

She said local authorities have already reached out ‘to the bereaved family to provide immediate assistance and support during this time of grief.’

Five members of a family, including a baby boy, were killed by a falling ‘buri’ palm tree in Pitogo, Quezon province, as Ramil battered the province early Sunday, October 19.

Police spot report said the victims – ‘Alberto,’ 66; ‘Jean Andrea,’ 35; ‘Alvin,’ 35; ‘Nazareth,’ 11; and baby boy ‘Noeh’ whose exact age was not given – were sleeping inside their nipa hut in Barangay Cawayanin at around 5:30 a.m. when the palm tree fell into their hut.

Jean Adrea, the daughter of Alberto, was married to Alvin while Nazareth and Noeh were their children, the report said.

The victims died on the spot from fatal injuries due to the strong impact of the falling tree.

Police described the palm tree as ‘burned’ but did not provide further details.

But according to information from residents in the locality, the tree has long been burned from the bottom to uproot it.

Pitogo is under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1

Tropical Storm Ramil maintains its strength as it moves past Luzon, and is soon to exit the landmass on Sunday afternoon or evening, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.

At 1 p.m. Ramil was last located in the vicinity of Olongapo City, Zambales, moving west-northwestward at 15 kilometers per hour (kph).

It maintains its maximum sustained winds of 65 kph, and gusts of up to 90 kph, consistent with its strength since 5 a.m., Pagasa reported.

Despite its later exit from Zambales, Pagasa warned that heavy rainfall, severe winds, and storm surge may still be experienced outside the landfall point.

Pagasa also said that Ramil may slightly weaken due to mountainous terrain, but is highly likely to re-intensify into a severe tropical storm outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday.

Still, the following Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals (TCWS) are still up:

TCWS no. 2

central and southern portions of Benguet

central and southern portions of La Union

Pangasinan

Nueva Ecija

Bulacan

Tarlac

Pampanga

Zambales

northern portion of Bataan

northern and central portions of Metro Manila (Caloocan City, Quezon City, City of Valenzuela, City of Marikina, City of Malabon, City of Navotas, City of Pasig, City of San Juan, City of Mandaluyong, City of Manila, City of Makati, Pateros, Taguig City, Pasay City, City of Parañaque)

northern and western portions of Rizal ( Rodriguez, Teresa, City of Antipolo, San Mateo, Taytay, Cainta, Angono)

TCWS no. 1

Cagayan including Babuyan Islands

Isabela

Quirino

Nueva Vizcaya

Apayao

Abra

Kalinga

Mountain Province

Ifugao

the rest of Benguet

Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Sur

the rest of La Union

Aurora

the rest of Bataan

the rest of Metro Manila

Quezon including Polillo Islands

Laguna

Cavite

Batangas

the rest of Rizal

Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Islands

Oriental Mindoro

Marinduque

Romblon

Camarines Norte

western portion of Camarines Sur

Burias Island

Fengshen: the sinker of MV Princess of the Stars

TS Ramil was given the international name Fengshen, the same name as the typhoon that capsized MV Princess of the Stars near Romblon in June 2008.

The MV Princess of the Stars is a 23,824-ton ferry acquired by Cebu-based Sulpicio Lines in 2004.

After four years in operation, on June 18, 2008 Tropical Depression Fengshen entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility and was given its local name ‘Frank.’ In the following days, Fengshen developed into a typhoon and made landfall in Samar on June 20 that year.

On June 21, 2008, the MV Princess of the Stars was cleared to sail from Manila to Cebu in the next 22 hours, carrying 851 passengers.

Reports then said that the ferry was cleared after initial weather forecasts said the typhoon was supposedly heading northwestward towards the Bicol Region, but it later shifted, and Typhoon Fengshen began moving towards Mindoro.

However, Fengshen’s movement shifted a third time and moved towards Metro Manila.

Due to this, the MV Princess ran into the typhoon around 16 hours into its travel, and was engulfed by strong winds and high waves near Sibuyan Island.

Based on reports, the ferry began tilting heavily to the left after water began entering the ship.

Among its 851 passengers, only 32 survived, and while 300 deceased bodies were recovered in a four-month-long search-and-rescue mission, another 400 remain unfound.

Seven years after the incident, in 2015, P241 million was awarded to the victims of the tragedy in a decision by the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC), citing testimonies from the survivors who said that there was no emergency management executed by the shipping company before, during, and after the sinking of the ship.

However, in 2021, the Manila RTC dismissed the criminal case against Edgar Go, one of the Sulpicio Lines executives, due to insufficient evidence of his involvement in the capsizing. /mr

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 2 was raised in the southwestern portion of Luzon, including parts of the National Capital Region due to Tropical Storm Ramil on Sunday morning, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

Ramil was last located at Lopez Bay in Alabat, Quezon, moving west-northwestward at 25 kilometers per hour (kph), the state weather bureau reported.

It also said that Ramil has maximum sustained winds of 65 kph, and gusts of up to 90 kph.

The TCWS no. 2 was hoisted in the following areas:

southeastern portion of Quirino

central and southern portions of Nueva Vizcaya

central and southern portions of Benguet

central and southern portions of La Union

Pangasinan

Aurora

Nueva Ecija

Bulacan

Tarlac

Pampanga

northern and central portions of Zambales

northern portion of Metro Manila (Caloocan City, Quezon City, City of Valenzuela, City of Marikina, City of Malabon, City of Navotas)

northern and central portions of Rizal

northern portion of Laguna

northern and eastern portions of Quezon including Pollilo Islands

Camarines Norte

northwestern portion of Camarines Sur

Meanwhile TCWS No. 1 was raised in the areas listed below:

LUZON

Cagayan including Babuyan Islands

Isabela

the rest of Quirino

the rest of Nueva Vizcaya

Apayao

Abra

Kalinga

Mountain Province

Ifugao

the rest of Benguet

Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Sur

the rest of La Union

the rest of Zambales

Bataan

the rest of Metro Manila

the rest of Quezon

the rest of Rizal

the rest of Laguna

Cavite

Batangas

Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Islands

Oriental Mindoro

Marinduque

Romblon

the rest of Camarines Sur

Catanduanes

Albay

Sorsogon

northern and central portions of Masbate including Ticao and Burias Islands

VISAYAS

Northern Samar

northern portion of Eastern Samar

northern portion of Samar

Pagasa said Ramil may make landfall in Quezon within the day, and will strongly affect a big portion of southern Luzon today.

Ramil will last fall in either Zambales or Bataan on Sunday afternoon or evening, before it exits the Philippine area of responsibility on Monday morning to afternoon, Pagasa added.