Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake shook Paluan, Occidental Mindoro, at 4:03 p.m. on Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

Phivolcs said the tectonic tremor struck 10 kilometers southwest of Paluan at a depth of 10 km.

The earthquake came several hours after a magnitude 3.2 quake also struck Paluan.

The agency explained that sudden movements along faults and plate boundaries trigger tectonic quakes

A 30-year-old police officer was fatally stabbed by a man whom he was able to shoot and kill during a violent altercation along a roadside in Barangay Cabaruan, Cauayan City, in the early hours of Friday. police reported.

Police Lt. Col. Avelino Canceran, chief of the Cauayan City police, explained in a phone interview that Police Corporal Jay-ar Galabay, a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and a native of Reina Mercedes, Isabela, had been conducting covert post-event operations before the stabbing occurred.

According to investigators, Galabay and his fellow officers were on a security patrol when they encountered Jomark Molina, who was reportedly causing a disturbance in the Cabaruan area. The officers attempted to calm Molina, but he suddenly attacked Galabay, stabbing him in the armpit with a knife. Despite being seriously injured, Galabay managed to fire back at Molina, striking him multiple times.

‘After being stabbed, Corporal Galabay fell to the ground but managed to fire back while in a prone position,’ Canceran said.

Canceran also noted that Galabay had been assigned to the covert security team during the Miss Tourism Philippines 2025 Coronation Night at the Francisco L. Dy Memorial Coliseum on Thursday evening. The event concluded shortly after midnight, and Galabay, along with his colleagues, was on routine patrol when the confrontation with Molina took place.

Galabay was rushed to Isabela United Doctors Medical Center but was declared dead at 2:23 a.m.

Meanwhile, Molina, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds, was transported to Cauayan Medical Specialists Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m./coa

Chezka Centeno became the second player to win the Women’s World 10-Ball Championship twice after defeating Rubilen Amit, 4-1, 2-4, 4-2, 3-4, 4-2, recently in Bali, Indonesia.

Centeno battled her way through the loser’s bracket before edging out her friend and mentor to repeat the title run she pulled off two years ago in Austria.

The 26-year-old defeated Amit, who was the first cue artist to rule the competition twice back in 2009 in Quezon City and 2013 in Paranaque City.

She also took home the top purse of $50,000 (P2.89 million) while Amit settled for $25,000 (P1.45 million).

Centeno opened the campaign by defeating Canada’s Brittany Bryant before being relegated to the loser’s bracket after bowing to Chinese-Taipei’s Chia Hua Chen.

But Centeno was unbowed as she went on to beat Savannah Easton of the United States, Chinese-Taipei’s Tzu-Chien Wei, Vietnam’s Vang Bui Xuan, Russian pool player Kristina Tkach and Chinese-Taipei’s Wan-Ling Wang.

In the semis, Centeno beat China’s Liu Shasha to set up a date with Amit, who in the other pairing prevailed over Russian Margarita Fefilova.

Amit made it to the final by winning all of her previous six matches before her tracks were stopped by Centeno.

The Philippine stock barometer again failed to climb to the 6,100 level on Friday as investors stayed on the sidelines while waiting for more leads. They are particularly looking at upcoming earnings reports of blue chips.

By the closing bell, the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) shed 0.07 percent or 4.14 points to end at 6,089.53.

The broader All Shares Index also lost 0.19 percent or 7.12 points to close at 3,665.08.

A total of 1.33 billion shares worth P4.42 billion changed hands, stock exchange data showed.

Luis Limlingan, head of sales at stock brokerage house Regina Capital Development Corp., said the market was ‘relatively flat’ due to mixed sentiments ahead of the upcoming earnings season.

This ‘kept the index moving sideways’ as traders anticipate the onslaught of financial reports in the coming weeks, Limlingan added.

Earnings reports

So far, only Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has disclosed its earnings in the January to September period. It netted a record P50.5 billion.

Ayala Land Inc. was the most actively traded stock. It shed 2.59 percent to close at P22.55 each.

Then came International Container Terminal Services Inc., up 0.46 percent to P542.50; BDO Unibank Inc., down 0.21 percent to P139.70; Manila Electric Co., up 1.83 percent to P557; and Synergy Grid and Development Phils Inc., down 5.06 percent to P15.38 per share.

Others were Philex Mining Corp., down 3.9 percent to P9.61; Apex Mining Co. Inc., up 0.88 percent to P11.44; BPI, up 1.11 percent to P109.20; Century Pacific Food Inc., down 0.93 percent to P37.40; and Philippine Seven Corp., up 3.81 percent to P43.55 each.

Losers outnumbered gainers, 109 to 83, while 56 companies closed flat, stock exchange data also showed. /rwd

Sonak Group, a growing force in the sports, lifestyle and fashion industries, has appointed Kabir Buxani as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of the Sonak Retail Group.

Since joining Sonak, Buxani has played a pivotal role in modernizing operations, spearheading the company’s entry into e-commerce and introducing automation to streamline manual processes to support scalable, long-term growth.

His deep involvement across business functions has given him a comprehensive understanding of how to drive efficiency while staying closely aligned with Sonak’s core values.

The retail group’s brand portfolio includes ASICS, Onitsuka Tiger, ABC-MART Grand Stage, Molten, Mikasa, Donjoy and Mueller.

By opening more stores for these various brands, introducing contemporary labels to the Philippines and forging new partnerships, he aims to bring the latest in sports, fashion and lifestyle to customers, helping them stay on top of trends and elevate their everyday style.

Buxani steps into his new role following a strategic transition period under the mentorship of his father, Anil Buxani, who will continue to assume his role as chairperson of Sonak Group.

Third generation

As the third generation at the helm, he brings a forward-looking, entrepreneurial mindset to building on the family legacy and driving the business into its next phase of growth.

With a diverse background, Buxani has held leadership roles including chief technology officer, financial analyst and project manager.

His hands-on experience across operations, finance and technical oversight has equipped him with the strategic insight and cross-functional expertise needed to scale teams, optimize performance and drive sustainable growth, building on the acumen that has been instrumental to Sonak’s success for over 60 years.

Buxani expressed his gratitude and enthusiasm for his new role.

‘I am deeply honored to take the helm of Sonak Retail Group and I couldn’t have had a better way to prepare for this role than by working side-by-side with my father and continuing to benefit from his guidance,’ he said.

Founded by the visionary Kay Sham Buxani, Sonak Group was built on a foundation of integrity and foresight. INQ

Social media influencer Kate Cassidy paid tribute to her late boyfriend, Liam Payne, as she marked his first death anniversary.

Cassidy took to Instagram on Friday, Oct. 17, to share a black-and-white photo of her and Payne embracing, with the caption, ‘Today marks a full year without you here. I will forever hate goodbyes. I miss you, Liam.’

Cassidy also shared on TikTok the last video that she and Payne recorded within the last hours before his death. The video showed the One Direction star carrying his girlfriend.

Payne died on Oct. 16 last year at age 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

An autopsy later determined that the singer died of polytrauma, and toxicology reports revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants in his system.

Argentine authorities charged five people for supplying the 31-year-old star with narcotics or for criminal negligence that led to his death.

Before his passing, Payne had traveled with Cassidy to Argentina to renew his US visa. Cassidy departed the country two days before his fatal fall, citing visa delays.

Payne and Cassidy publicly confirmed their relationship in late 2022, and though rumors of a split arose in 2023, they later appeared together again, dispelling the speculation.

Cassidy was among the attendees at Payne’s funeral in England in November 2024, joined by his One Direction bandmates.

Cassidy has made several tributes to her late partner, including getting tattoos such as angel wings and a wilted rose matching a design Payne had.

The Provincial government of Surigao del Norte, through the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), has announced the suspension of work and classes after a magnitude 6 earthquake jolted the province and nearby areas early Friday morning.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the quake struck at 7:03 a.m. with its epicenter located 13 kilometers southeast of General Luna, a town on Siargao Island, and had a depth of 10 kilometers.

The PDRRMC Operations Center reported that over 28 aftershocks have been recorded following the initial tremor.

In a live broadcast on his official social media page earlier, Gov. Robert Lyndon Barbers said several municipalities-Alegria, Claver, Mainit, Placer, San Francisco, Sison, and Gigaquit on the mainland, as well as General Luna, Del Carmen, Socorro, and San Benito in Siargao Island-have suspended classes at all levels as a safety precaution.

Barbers also ordered the temporary suspension of all water-related activities in affected coastal and island towns.

‘No water activities, no island hopping, no surfing, no visits to Sugba Lagoon-a famous tourist destination on the island,’ he said, and reminded residents to remain vigilant, stay updated through official advisories, and prioritize safety while aftershocks continue to occur.

To ensure close monitoring and coordination, the PDRRMC has raised a blue alert status and activated the Provincial Emergency Operations Center (EOC). All city and municipal governments have likewise been instructed to activate their emergency operations centers and remain on heightened alert.

Local Chief Executives are authorized to declare localized or granular suspensions of work and classes depending on the conditions in their respective areas. They are also urged to submit immediate assessment and facility reports to the Provincial Operations Center together with the school administrators and local disaster response offices

Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. on Friday morning joined police and Army forces in commemorating the 8th year after this city’s main business area was retaken from the hands of Islamic State-linked militants.

Police and military personnel gathered for the commemoration rites at Kampo Ranao, headquarters of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade, and where a marker bearing the names of 161 soldiers and seven policemen who perished in the government’s bid to retake the city from the militants was erected.

The marker, dubbed the ‘Tears from the Sun’ monument, honors their bravery and courage during the five-month campaign from May to October 2017 to flush out the terrorists who laid a siege on the city.

Adiong was joined by Brigadier General Felix Ronnie Babac, Assistant Division Commander of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, in laying a wreath at the marker after an honor hymn rendered through bugle.

Eight years ago today, then-President Rodrigo Duterte declared the liberation of Marawi from IS control, although it took until Oct. 23 to completely flush them out of the main battle zone.

A book on insider accounts of the 2017 war, written by journalist Carmela Fonbuena, revealed that small-scale fights continued until December that year./coa

For Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, the proposed 2026 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) should be retained.

OVP’s proposed P902.8 million budget breezed through the Senate finance subcommittee chaired by Gatchalian and was approved for plenary consideration in less than an hour.

The House of Representatives previously voted to slash the OVP’s budget by P156 million, bringing its budget to its 2025 level of around P700 million.

‘Well, if you were to ask me, and this is what I think, the OVP budget should be retained and not trimmed,’ Gatchalian said in an interview in Filipino.

The senator noted that the OVP was only asking for a modest increase anyway.

At the start of the Marcos administration, the vice president’s office received a budget of up to P2.3 billion in 2023.

Once allies during the 2022 presidential elections, the Marcos administration and Duterte clan have since been embroiled in a bitter feud marked by the vice president’s resignation from the cabinet as education secretary in June last year.

The gap became more intense after Marcos administration allowed the International Criminal Court to arrest former President Rodrigo Duterte, who faces crimes against humanity charges due to his war against illegal drugs, which killed thousands, according to official government data.

American singer Charlie Puth revealed that he and his wife, Brooke Sansone, are expecting their first child together.

Puth announced the news on Friday, Oct. 17, near the end of the music video for his new single ‘Changes.’

The scene in the music video shows Sansone gently cradling her belly as Puth join his hands over it.

In the comments section, industry friends and fans congratulated the couple on the pregnancy news.

Last year in September, Puth and Sansone married at the singer’s family home in Montecito, California. The couple got engaged the previous year in New York City.

Puth and Sansone were longtime acquaintances after growing up in the same area in New Jersey.

Rumors of a romantic connection between them first surfaced in the summer of 2022. They made their relationship public later that year.

Puth rose to fame for his song ‘See You Again’ (feat. Wiz Khalifa), which was used as soundtrack in the action-thriller film ‘Furious 7.’ The song topped charts worldwide.

The 33-year-old singer has since released hit songs ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’ (feat. Selena Gomez), ‘Left and Right’ (feat. Jung Kook of BTS) and ‘Attention,’ among others.

Sansone, on the other hand, is not part of the showbiz industry. She holds a degree in marketing from the College of Charleston. Professionally, she works in digital marketing and public relations.