Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez on Sunday ordered the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to penalize bus companies that do not comply with proper terminal standards.

This was after Lopez inspected eight bus terminals in Cubao in preparation for Undas, or All Souls’ and All Saints’ Days, and found four bus terminals with facilities or vehicles non-compliant with road safety and terminal standards.

‘We can’t be selfish, and we should give back to the passengers. They all pay the same. Otherwise, it’s unfair to them that they get short-changed,’ Lopez said as quoted in a statement.

With this, Lopez reiterated that bus terminals must have proper seating, ventilation, maintained restrooms – including all-gender restrooms, comfortable rest areas for drivers, and clean diaper changing areas and lactation rooms.

Upon inspection, Lopez found that Jam Liner had a bus lined up to go on the road despite having worn out tires, while Dagupan Bus Co. had no proper facilities for commuters.

Meanwhile, DLTB Bus Co. had an expired business permit from January 2024. Lopez warned that the bus company may be shut down if the permit is not renewed.

Lopez also saw that Super Lines Bus Co. had no proper seating for passengers.

On the other hand, Lopez commended Victory Liner, Inc., Viron Transit and Alps Bus Co. for their respective terminal facilities.

Victory Liner had steps going into the buses for the comfort of senior passengers, and people with disabilities, which Lopez then asked other buses to procure.

Titan Ultra’s Calvin Abueva wasn’t able to suit up for the Giant Risers in their PBA Philippine Cup game against Magnolia, but he still made quite an appearance.

Quite literally, Abueva had the loudest presence on the floor, urging Titan Ultra on from the sidelines against his former team.

While the Giant Risers eventually fell to the Hotshots, 127-119, Abueva’s energy didn’t go unnoticed-especially by Magnolia big man Ian Sangalang.

‘I know Calvin, and he’s always been like that. I felt him earlier-he was so eager to play, but he couldn’t,’ Sangalang said at Araneta Coliseum on Friday. ‘Pero ‘di siya puwede, e. Sorry na lang,’ he added in jest.

Abueva has been sidelined since sustaining an ankle injury a few games back against Converge. But even in street clothes, the fiery forward made his presence felt, drawing two technical fouls for jeering at his former teammates and even the officials.

Sangalang said he would’ve preferred to battle Abueva on the floor and wished him a quick recovery.

‘Get well soon. That’s more important than bouncing back,’ he said. ‘I was actually talking to him before the game, asking if he’d play. He said he’d try-I even thought he’d surprise us-but he really couldn’t do it.’

Sangalang and the Hotshots look to keep their winning streak going on Sunday when they face Meralco at Ynares Sports Center in Montalban.

Over 300 classrooms were damaged by Tropical Storm Ramil (international name: Fengshen) that struck several parts of Luzon over the weekend.

Based on a situation report, DepEd said a total of 375 classrooms were damaged by Ramil in various parts of Luzon.

Of the total, 201 suffered minor damage, 56 had major damage, while 118 were totally damaged.

DepEd said 16 water, sanitation, and hygiene or WASH facilities were also damaged by Ramil.

Meanwhile, 10,538 schools in 113 school divisions are still currently at risk of flooding, according to DepEd.

Another 12,602 or 103 school divisions, on the other hand, are at risk of landslides.

Due to this, DepEd said it is already coordinating with local government units and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (DRRMCs) to ensure preparedness for emergency responses.

The DepEd-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service also recommended the following:

Activate School Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (SDRRM) teams and contingency plans to address potential flooding and landslides, as needed.

Secure all learning materials and equipment.

Preposition emergency supplies and resources.

Report the situation regarding Tropical Storm RAMIL in schools through the Incident Management Reporting System (IMRS).

‘DepEd remains dedicated to safeguarding the well-being of all learners and personnel,’ said DepEd. /mr

Far Eastern University avoided a three-game losing streak after making easy work of shorthanded University of the East, 95-76, in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.

With the absence of coach Chris Gavina and Wello Lingolingo due to suspensions, the Red Warriors struggled mightily and succumbed to the hungry Tamaraws, who notched their second season win at Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.

Janrey Pasaol, who registered a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists, shrugged off UE’s situation and said FEU won, not because of the Red Warriors’ depleted lineup, but because of their eagerness to escape a losing slump to end the first round of eliminations.

‘I guess people can use those terms (shorthanded) but we all know UE. You can’t count them out because every player there can score. We didn’t think about them not having Lingolingo or their coach,’ the sophomore guard said.

‘For us, we just played and focused on defense because that’s the only thing we talked about.’ FEU, which led UE to end the opening quarter at 22-19, pulled away as early as the second quarter with a 14-6 rally capped off by a Liam Salangsang jumper at the 6:13 mark to build a 36-25 lead.

The Tamaraws ended the half with a huge 52-39 lead, which the Red Warriors never recovered from.

Two other players finished with double-double ouputs with Mo Konateh scattering 15 points and 14 rebounds to go with Kirby Mongcopa’s 12-point and 11-rebound output. Jorick Bautista top-scored FEU with 22.

Precious Momowei had a double-double himself for UE with 23 points and 11 rebounds but the Red Warriors remained winless in the season after seven games to end the first round of eliminations.

The story is told about a lawyer who encountered a crowd in an intersection. Wanting to get to the accident scene, he persistently made his way through the crowd, shouting: ‘Let me through! I am a relative of the victim!’ Upon hearing this, the crowd made way for him, and lo and behold, lying in front of everyone was a dead pig that was hit by a car.

In today’s Gospel (Lk. 18, 1-8), Jesus teaches us about another kind of persistence-persistence in prayer. Jesus tells us today pray, pray more, and pray on. P-U-S-H. Pray Until Something Happens! ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.’ (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17) This is a reminder for us to be in constant communication and conversation with God. It means we put God above everything and everyone.

One reason why many of us do not pray is that we have no time. We have time! We just don’t make time or take time because we have personal agenda that we cannot let go of. What if God left you and me out of His agenda? Think about this: ‘Your most important appointment today is your appointment with God.’ And what if your appointment to meet God face-to-face happened today? Will you be filled with shame and regret that you loved Him too little, too late?

Before I had cancer, I thought I was prayerful already. Cancer has taught me to seek God’s presence in silence and in listening. Many of us pray a lot, but never really experience peace and change in our habits and attitudes. Why? It’s because we really do not listen enough to God when we pray. When you pray, listen to God, don’t give instructions to Him!

Humility is the key to sincere and unceasing prayer. Sincere prayer stems from a faith in Someone greater than ourselves, and unceasing prayer stems from a firm trust in that Someone who loves us and who listens to us. A bended knee and clasped hands coming from a humble heart is a sight that is pleasing to God.

Some of the best prayers are the shortest ones. In fact, the best kind of prayer is said in tears, or whispered, or just remains in the heart, unsaid. The bottom line of prayer is faith and trust. A heart speaks to another heart. Beyond formula, beyond form, beyond liturgy, and rubrics, prayer is a relationship, without which prayer becomes an obligation, or just a show, or worse, a joke.

Times of tragedy and misfortune are times for us to remember God’s power and faithfulness and His ability to bring good out of seemingly hopeless situations. Remember, in our most helpless and weakest moments, the evil one also pounces on us to make us angry, blaming, resentful, or distressed. ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10).

Thought for the journey: ‘For every painful experience, the Lord is your healing touch, for every disappointment, the Lord is your certain hope; for every turbulent storm, the Lord is your calming peace. Yes, remember, wherever and whenever, the Lord is with you always!’

Has it ever occurred to you that you received a blessing, or you pulled through a trial or a sickness, or you found peace and enlightenment, because you prayed, or because people were praying for you? More and more, I believe in the power of prayer that is said, as well as prayer that is shared.

Let us thank the Lord for people who have taught us to pray, and who have imbued in us the value of prayer. They prepared us to become strong and persevering in our journey. Many of them are gone now, but their effect on us remain. Maraming salamat po for the gift of prayer.

Think about this: ‘There are two kinds of being alone-solitude and loneliness. There are people who choose to spend their lives in solitude and have peace, and there are some people who are surrounded by so many people and activities, but still experience loneliness. May the cross be with us in our solitude and in our loneliness.’

Is there anything bothering you right now? Is there anything dark or heavy in your heart? Bring it all to God in prayer. BTS – Believe, Trust, Surrender. Prayer is powerful. Pray, pray on, pray pa more.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday took exception to the remarks of Navotas City Representative Toby Tiangco, who accused the agency of ‘lawyering’ for former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co by not canceling his passport.

The DFA noted that the Republic Act No. 11983, or the new passport law, states that the agency could cancel or revoke passport only in certain instances including when there is an order from the court once the holder has been convicted of a criminal offense or is a fugitive from justice.

‘This process is governed by established legal criteria and is not subject to arbitrary or political considerations,’ the DFA said in a statement.

‘Our respect for the constitutional guarantee of due process and the rule of law cannot be rewritten on a whim-the government cannot simply play ‘gotcha’ with passports,’ it added.

Tiangco, however, said that the DFA has the power to cancel Co’s passport if Section 4 of the RA No. 11983 pertaining to ‘national security,’ would be invoked.

‘Isn’t that a national security issue? Isn’t that situation fall under it?’ he said, noting that people are now ‘very angry’ which could lead to the destabilization of the government.

‘Why does it seem like they are lawyering for him? There is a legal process,’ Tiangco also said.

Differing takeaways

However, the DFA said Tiangco’s accusation of the agency’s ‘lawyering’ for Co ‘reflects a misunderstanding of the legal standards governing passport cancellation.’

‘If Congressman Tiangco has genuine concerns and substantive evidence, he should seek judicial relief, rather than indulge in baseless accusations,’ the DFA said. ‘Upholding the rule of law, not rhetoric, must remain the compass of public service.’

Co was accused of receiving billions of pesos in kickbacks from contractors and the Department of Public Works and Highways officials who testified in congressional inquiries into flood control projects. He vehemently denied the allegations.

Co is still out of the country and had resigned from the House of Representatives due to what he thinks is a ‘real, direct, grave and imminent threat’ to himself and ‘the lives of my family members.’

The multibillion peso corruption scandal involving flood control projects caused widespread protests and campus walkouts since Sept. 21, as well as rumors of a coup, which was denied by the military. /cb

Tropical Storm Ramil (international name: Fengshen) made the first of at least five expected landfalls on Saturday afternoon, with no clear forecast regarding the path and intensity of the storm other than its slow exit by Monday.

In its 5 p.m. update on Saturday, weather bureau Pagasa (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) said Ramil made landfall at 4:10 p.m. in Gubat town, Sorsogon. Pagasa’s earlier forecast at 11 a.m. on Saturday said the storm’s first landfall may be at Northern Samar, Catanduanes or Albay.

Ramil packed maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (km/h) and gustiness of up to 90 km/h. This was a slight decrease from Saturday morning’s strong winds recorded at 75 km/h while gustiness remained the same at 90 km/h. In its advisory that morning, Pagasa also said the storm was moving west-southwest before proceeding northwest toward Northern Luzon, where it stayed in that direction by late Saturday afternoon.

Ramil ‘may maintain its strength or slightly weaken due to frictional effects of the mountainous landmass,’ the weather bureau said, as it also cited the storm’s proximity to the open sea.

‘Once over the West Philippine Sea, further re-intensification is highly likely,’ Pagasa said. Landfall forecast

As in its earlier forecast at 11 a.m., Pagasa said at 5 p.m. the storm’s next landfall by Saturday morning may be in Aurora, northern Quezon or southern Isabela.

It will then ‘traverse the mountainous terrain of Northern Luzon and emerge over the coastal waters of Pangasinan or La Union [by Sunday] evening,’ the weather bureau said.

Ramil is expected to leave the Philippine area of responsibility by 2 p.m. on Monday. Its forecast position by that time is at 450 kilometers west of Batac, Ilocos Norte.

Stranded passengers, vehicles

Meanwhile, more than 4,300 passengers and truck operators (drivers and helpers) and more than 1,200 vehicles have been stranded in 21 ports in Northeastern Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Bicol and Eastern Visayas, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

Bicol had the highest number of stranded people at 3,626, according to a PCG advisory, which also reported 1,022 rolling cargoes, five vessels and one motorbanca stranded in the ports of Tobaco, Pioduran, Pasacao, Virac, Cataingan, Aroroy, Mobo, San Pascual, Claveria, Cawayan, Castilla, Matnog, Pilar, and Bacacay, all in the region.

In Southern Tagalog, 107 passengers and 20 rolling cargoes were stuck in the ports of Real, Atimonan and Alabat, while in Eastern Visayas, 655 passengers and 165 rolling cargoes were stranded in Sta. Clara, Dapdap and Looc ports.

Floods, landslides

Continuous heavy rains triggered floods and landslides in several parts of Eastern Visayas.

In Borongan City, capital of Eastern Samar, several villages experienced flooding that rendered major roads impassable, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

In Biliran province, nonstop rains also flooded several barangays in Almeria, while a major road in Barangay Bulalaco, Kawayan town, became impassable due to rising waters. Floods were also reported in the villages of Cabani and Ol-og in Maripipi.

Around 210 families or 802 individuals from flood- and landslide-prone barangays in Naval town were preemptively evacuated to the town gymnasium on Friday afternoon. A landslide was also reported in Barangay Villa Vicenta, Caibiran.

The entire island province still remained in a state of calamity after the devastation of Typhoon ‘Opong’ (international name: Bualoi) late last month which left 12 people dead. The Department of Health (DOH) placed its hospitals and other facilities under the emergency alert of ‘code white,’ to ensure the ready deployment of its equipment and emergency response teams nationwide. -WITH A REPORT FROM JOEY GABIETA

TNT’s performance in Saturday’s out-of-town win over Converge showed that it remains a serious contender for the PBA Philippine Cup crown.

But that form they showed in the 110-103 victory in Vigan, Ilocos Sur won’t be sustainable if the Tropang 5G couldn’t stay healthy as they endured late last season when injuries eventually took a toll on their eventual failure to complete a Grand Slam.

‘We really hit the injury bug last conference and you can never tell how many players will get injured in a given time,’ RR Pogoy, who fired 27 points on six triples, said before the 50th season tipped off.

Pogoy was one of the players who got hurt late last season, but that didn’t stop TNT from reaching the Philippine Cup Finals-the final hurdle of its triple crown bid.

Rey Nambatac was not activated in the playoffs after getting hurt in the eliminations, Poy Erram was scratched during the middle of the championship series while Jordan Heading and Calvin Oftana played through ailments as the Tropang 5G lost to the San Miguel Beermen last July.

This time, TNT hopes it will be able to avoid a similar fate, especially with some new pieces added in the offseason in Kevin Ferrer and Jio Jalalon.

‘Their additions are a big thing for us, and we have to stay healthy because it’s gonna be difficult if we have a lot of injuries on our team,’ added Pogoy.

The Tropang 5G improved to 2-1 two weeks into the eliminations of the All-Filipino tournament, with Pogoy accounting for 30 percent of the team’s three-point conversions.

TNT as a whole made 20 triples, plus two four-pointers from Rey Nambatac to make it 22 from beyond the three-point arc, tied for fifth most in league history.

Oftana hit all four triples, Kelly Williams also made the same amount on nine attempts, Simon Enciso connected on three while Ferrer had two for the Tropang 5G.

The Supreme Court has started to institutionalize electronic and regionalized bar examinations as the standard mode of admission into legal practice by changing Rule 138 of the Rules of Court, or Amended Rules, in a resolution dated Aug. 12, 2025.

The Supreme Court noted that the Amended Rules are the product of an ‘extensive study’ done by the Subcommittee on the Admission to the Bar, chaired by Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando.

‘Under the Amended Rules, the bar examinations will be conducted electronically through a secure and reliable assessment platform. The examinations will be administered in English and will be uniform for all examinees,’ the Supreme Court said.

The Supreme Court added that the bar examinees must answer the questions personally, while separate guidelines may be issued by the Bar chairperson for those with special needs.

The high court emphasized that the ‘Amended Rules promote a policy of inclusiveness, fairness, and non-discrimination, and ensure integrity, efficiency, and the technology-driven administration of the bar examinations.’

It also noted that the examinations will be held for three days in September at designated local testing centers across the country. The examinations will be covered by the following subjects:

First Day-Morning: Political and Public International Law; Afternoon: Commercial and Taxation Law

Second Day-Morning: Civil Law and Land Titles and Deeds; Afternoon: Labor Law and Social Legislation

Third Day-Morning: Criminal Law; Afternoon: Remedial Law, Legal and Judicial Ethics, with Practical Exercises

The Supreme Court, through Bar Bulletin No. 1 dated Oct. 16, scheduled next year’s examinations on Sept. 6, Sept. 9 and Sept. 13. It noted that the examinations will have 20-essay type questions, with each question numbered separately and answers will be graded zero percent to one hundred percent or five percent per question.

The Supreme Court previously said that the 2025 Bar examinations, held last Sept. 7, Sept. 10 and Sept. 14, made history for recording the largest number of test finishers with 11,425 examinees.

It added that out of 13,193 admitted applicants, this year’s exams also saw the highest first-day turnout of 11,437 examinees. /cb

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has urged Filipinos to be more prepared for disasters following the series of strong earthquakes that affected different parts of the country recently.

In his vlog titled ‘Handa sa Sakuna’ (Ready for Disasters) on Sunday, the President noted that beyond disaster response and recovery, disaster preparedness should become second nature to Filipinos.

‘Disasters are part of our country’s reality, that is why disaster preparedness should also be part of who we are,’ he said.

‘We should not only respond to disasters but also learn from the lessons each one brings. The new Filipino is wiser and more prepared,’ Mr. Marcos added. Plan, coordinate among family members

The President urged every household to create a disaster plan and ensure that all members, especially children, were aware of it.

This includes identifying evacuation areas, meeting points, and safe zones.

Prepare go-bags

Mr. Marcos also advised families to prepare a ‘go-bag’ – an emergency kit containing essential documents, canned food, biscuits, water, first aid supplies, medicines, hygiene kits, flashlight, whistles, lighters, radios, and emergency cash.

‘When disaster strikes and your family needs to evacuate, you won’t have to panic and scramble for what to bring, because everything is inside the go-bag,’ he said.

Listen to authorities

The president stressed the importance of getting accurate information during emergencies.

He advised the public to listen only to official announcements from government agencies, local government units, law enforcement agencies and reputable news organizations.

‘Beware of fake news. In the recent earthquakes in Davao and Cebu, many were misled by false information, and some were hurt because they panicked and fled unnecessarily,’ the President warned.

President Marcos assured Filipinos that the national and local governments are continuously improving disaster response capabilities.

‘The DSWD and even local government units have food packs and go-bags ready and prepositioned in our warehouses,’ he said.

‘The communication and information drive of government agencies has also been strengthened to further educate our citizens,’ the President added.

He also called on government regulators to ensure that the policies on the construction of all infrastructure projects ‘must be strictly followed and implemented with full integrity.’ /mr