Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Mars Alba was grateful for Akari’s trust after playing a vital role in the Chargers’ win over Creamline in the PVL Reinforced Conference on Saturday.

Given the keys to run coach Tina Salak’s system, Alba dished out 21 excellent sets in her official Akari debut that also marked the Chargers’ first-ever victory over the Cool Smashers since entering the league in 2022.

‘I’m really grateful that the coaches and my teammates trusted me. It hasn’t been an easy transition since I’m new to the team,’ Alba said in Filipino. ‘I really had to study coach’s system. There’s still a lot to work on, but I’m thankful because the coaches never get tired of reminding and teaching me.’

Behind Alba’s steady playmaking, Annie Mitchem unleashed 33 points in the 23-25, 25-23, 30-28, 23-25, 15-12 win at Dasmariñas Arena.

The former La Salle stalwart, who transferred from Choco Mucho to Akari last June, was also trying different variations of plays and attempting for timely spikes that are all part of Salak’s system.

‘We practice that during training, and in the game, we really just trusted the coaches’ system. When we follow it, the game flows much better. It’s all about the trust in each other,’ said Alba.

After a solid first game, Alba promises to continue to leave everything on the floor for the Chargers.

‘For me, I just give whatever I can to help the team. I give my best,’ she said. ‘I’m happy that, somehow, the team responds to the way I try to lead on the court. And I’m really proud because we didn’t give up out there. You could really see the team’s heart and everyone’s character showing through.’

Akari seeks to keep its momentum going against Chery Tiggo on Tuesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Juan Gomez de Liaño just proved why he’s considered a major piece in Converge’s championship ambitions. And he did so by pulling off what no other player has ever done in the PBA’s 50-year history.

Gomez de Liaño’s 15 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in Saturday’s 129-92 rout of Titan Ultra at Ynares Center II here allowed him to become the first-ever rookie to register a triple-double in his PBA debut.

‘Not a bad way to start my PBA career,’ Gomez de Liaño later said.

Not bad, indeed. Gomez de Liaño played true to expectations raised by his performance during the FiberXers’ tuneup games leading up to the season-opening Philippine Cup.

He did the trick in 33 minutes-more than he should have in a game that was long decided before the final buzzer as the team convinced him he could pull off what he had done a few times during his UAAP career with the University of the Philippines and for Marinerong Pilipino in the PBA D-League.

It was also the first triple-double by a rookie since Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson in 2016.

Nonetheless, Gomez de Liaño was doubly glad to secure the result that enabled the FiberXers to set in motion their quest to play spoiler to the championship duopoly held by teams from San Miguel Corp. and the MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan) group.

‘It’s a total team effort and I give the proper credit to our coaching staff, especially our players for executing our game plan,’ said Gomez de Liaño, who played before his parents and siblings, including brother Javi of the Magnolia Hotshots.

Justin Arana, who has held the fort for Converge since its PBA entry in 2022, had 28 points and 22 rebounds that also helped secure a winning start to the tenure of Pampanga vice governor Delta Pineda as the one calling the shots for the FiberXers.

The long trip to this municipality, still known by its old name of Montalban, pales in comparison to what Converge will endure next Saturday when it goes to Vigan, Ilocos Sur, to take on TNT in a highly anticipated showdown.

TNT opened the season the previous night, also here in Rizal, by defeating Phoenix, 93-78, as almost everyone from Rey Nambatac to new additions Kevin Ferrer and Jio Jalalon stepped up.

Titan Ultra was sent crashing back to earth after starting its PBA foray with an upset of Meralco behind 41 points from Calvin Abueva.

Abueva, however, was scratched after five minutes due to a hamstring injury as the Giant Risers had little answers to the FiberXers’ onslaught Meanwhile, action returns to Antipolo on Sunday to wrap up the first week of Season 50 with NLEX going for a 2-0 start against Terrafirma at 5 p.m., while San Miguel Beer tries to bounce back against Phoenix at 7:30 p.m.

Face-to-face classes in public schools in Metro Manila are suspended from October 13 to 14 due to the increase in influenza-like illnesses among students and school staff, the Department of Education-National Capital Region (DepEd NCR) announced on Sunday.

According to DepEd, schools shall implement Alternative Delivery Modalities to ‘avoid disruption of learning’ during this period.

DepEd also cited the series of earthquakes that have occurred all over the country as a reason behind the class suspensions.

In those two days, public schools were ordered to disinfect, sanitize, and inspect their buildings and facilities.

DepEd also ordered the schools to prepare for earthquake drills, and other emergency protocols, and implement health and safety practices.

‘Private schools are also highly encouraged to observe and conduct these measures,’ DepEd advised.

Earlier, Marikina suspended classes on the same dates in all levels for both private and public schools due to the spike in flu and flu-like illnesses.

National University Fairview also implemented preventative health protocols, such as mandatory wearing of face masks.

When Jericho Rosales received the offer to star as Manuel L. Quezon in ‘Quezon,’ he immediately jumped at the chance to do it – but it took him to fully understand the purpose in portraying the country’s former head of state.

‘I jumped [at the opportunity] right away without understanding what it meant. I just said yes, [then director Jerrold Tarog asked], ‘Gusto mo ba basahin ang script?’ May meaning pala ang pag-play ng presidente ng Pilipinas, and now I understand how important it is,’ he said during the film’s grand media con.

Years before Rosales took on the titular role, he admitted that he was not fond of his history classes when he was young. ‘I was bored to death, and I just fell asleep,’ he recalled, although it was the film that reminded him of why loving one’s country matters.

‘Because of this film, nabuhay ang pagka-Pilipino ko. It’s such a blessing. The timing is perfect. We all know that it was going to be played by TJ [Trinidad], but he went on a different path, and we talked with him. He was so wonderful and graceful,’ he said. ‘I understood the reason why I fall asleep in history class was because I didn’t care about the country, it is care that makes you move. It is love that makes you move.’

Despite the challenge in portraying Quezon, Rosales said he also understood the importance of ‘taking responsibility’ for his own country, as it is a manifestation of being a faithful citizen.

At the same time, it taught the actor that history plays an important role in why loving one’s country matters.

‘Because of this film, I saw how important it is for everyone to take responsibility and know saan tayo nanggaling, sino ba ‘tong naihahalal natin, and sino ine-elect natin. But it’s important for us to understand what we love the most about our country so we can be proud again. Through history, diyan mo malalaman bakit mo mahal ang Pilipinas,’ he said.

Embodying Quezon

When the actor was asked if he ever felt he was ‘possessed’ by Quezon’s spirit at one point, he said it wasn’t the case, but he had no choice but to bring home the former president’s personality. Almost to the point that his girlfriend Janine Gutierrez and his staff took notice.

‘When you say sinapian kasi – not in a spiritual or horror way – parang pinasok ng ugali niya ang katawan ko. One time, bumisita si Janine [Gutierrez], and she said, ohmigod, ‘Kamukha mo si Quezon.’ And then my staff said, ‘Sir, para kang matanda,” he recalled.

‘Inuwi ko siya and there was no choice. You have to bring it home. I’m not a method actor, but I have to bring it home,’ he continued, noting that Benjamin Alves (who plays a younger Quezon) went through the same experience. Rosales then pointed out that he had to emulate Quezon, instead of simply acting out the character. ‘Kapag inacting mo kasi, hindi totoo. Kailangan maging totoo sa’yo kaya mahirap siyang gawin,’ he explained.

‘We all have to show paano siya mag-isip, ano ang karisma niya, papaano siya sa tao, sa relasyon, sa mga gamit, sa pananamit, kailangan namin gayahin at magkaintindihan,’ he further added, saying that the film’s production team did a good job of ensuring that proper research was done to be faithful to the period in history.

This explains why even if ‘being possessed’ by Quezon was difficult for Rosales, it was difficult for him to let the character go.

Rakuten Viber, the company behind the popular calling and messaging app, seeks to further expand its footprint in the Philippines, which has been a driving force in shaping its global strategy over recent years.

Cristina Constandache, chief revenue officer at Rakuten Viber, says the ‘ultimate goal’ is to increase both its market share and penetration by introducing new features and improving existing ones.

‘We want to strengthen the position in the Philippines and the adoption, and we want to make sure that we answer real consumer needs in Philippines, first and foremost, and then we look at what can be adapted to the rest of Southeast Asia,’ Constandache tells the Inquirer in an interview.

Constandache says the Philippines presents a unique opportunity for the company to scale up its business, given Viber’s strong market presence and the country’s economy that continues to grow despite internal and external challenges.

‘It’s a country that, over the years, has shown tremendous growth to this day. Despite the high penetration, we are still experiencing a double-digit growth year over year,’ Constandache says.

Constandache says Southeast Asia is a ‘very dynamic’ economy, and the Philippines is aligned with Rakuten Viber’s business intent to drive digitalization for small and medium businesses.

Being a business-centric country offers Rakuten Viber the incentive to create solutions catering to the needs of entrepreneurs, including the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which account for 99.63 percent of establishments nationwide, based on government data.

‘We know out of the economies in the region, the Philippines is heavily reliant on platforms like Viber to help entrepreneurs grow. It’s, however, a trend that we are not seeing in the rest of the world as much,’ she adds.

Enhancements

The company executive describes the Philippines as an important market for Rakuten Viber, ranking it among the firm’s top global markets in both business growth and goals, and serving as a testing ground for new services.

‘Everything that we are launching or the products that we are considering are considered first and foremost with the Philippines in mind when it comes to Southeast Asia. After that, depending on the adoption of these products and services, we are considering how to take them out of Asia,’ she says.

As such, Rakuten Viber will continue enhancing products already in the platform, including Viber Marketplace or Viber Business Plus and Viber Ads Manager, which have shown ‘very good traction’ since their launch.

Viber Marketplace or Viber Business Plus enables users to easily find and quickly connect with thousands of local businesses.

To date, it has recorded more than 2 million interactions, which, according to Constandache, is considered a ‘huge success’ even if it was only launched in September.

Self-service

On the other hand, Viber Ads Manager is a self-service advertising platform enabling small and medium agencies and advertisers in the country to independently run ad campaigns in target markets.

Viber Ads Manager, meanwhile, has reported triple-digit growth since its inception in July.

She says, ‘The numbers overall remain low because the product is one month old, but it has been amazing-it had amazing uptake in a very short period of time.’

Rakuten Viber has lined up various product improvements between the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year, particularly for marketplace, to ensure ‘the search results are as relevant as they can be,’ she says.

In parallel, Rakuten Viber is working on launching Viber Pay in the country, which remains a top strategic priority for the firm despite rollout delays due to circumstances beyond their control.

‘While it hasn’t theoretically moved from last time due to legislation and the fact that we need to fine-tune the product in order to meet all the changing financial regulations, it is very much imagined to enhance the products for SMEs,’ she says. ‘It remains a key initiative of the company,’ she adds. INQ

A concert headlined by Billie Eilish in the US took a terrifying turn after the hugely popular singer-songwriter was violently yanked into a crowd barricade during her performance.

The 23-year-old Grammy winner was at the Kaseya Center in Downtown Miami on Oct 9 to kick off her ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’ tour.

After the song Guess, Eilish jumped offstage and was moving along a line of fans pressed against the front-row barricade – shaking hands and sharing high-fives – when, in an instant, the energy shifted.

A man grabbed her arm and pulled her hard towards the barricade. Eilish lurched forward, landing hard into the metal barrier as security guards rushed in.

Videos of the moment, captured from multiple angles and quickly shared across social media, show Eilish staggering back, visibly shaken, and upset. Within seconds, her security guards pulled her upright and pushed the man away.

Eilish steadied herself, kept on walking, and continued performing.

Police later confirmed that the man was ejected from the venue. They offered no details about whether he was detained or charged.

Andres Rodriguez, 26, told NBC News he had been standing in the front row, hand outstretched for a high-five with Eilish, when he noticed a man just behind him reach forward suddenly.

‘I saw that, and my first reaction was, ‘What was his plan here? What was he trying to do?” he said.

He recalled feeling uneasy about the man even before the incident.

The stranger, he said, arrived moments before Eilish took the stage and made an unprompted remark to two teenage girls nearby: ‘Oh, don’t worry, I’m not going to harass you.’

‘Their mum said, ‘Listen, buddy, as long as you don’t do something weird, we’re good’,’ Mr Rodriguez recalled. ‘And I thought, ‘Why would anyone even say something like that?”

WE LOVE THIS DIVApic.twitter.com/l7tROcrKOf

– Billie Eilish Spotify (@BillieSpotify_) October 10, 2025

It was not the first time Eilish had encountered inappropriate behaviour from her fans and concertgoers.

In December, Billboard reported that Eilish was struck in the face by a necklace thrown from the crowd during a concert in Arizona.

Fans had also thrown their phones at her, she said.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2023, Eilish and her brother and collaborator, Finneas, said this object-throwing trend during concerts and performances was ‘nothing new’.

‘I’ve been getting hit on stage with things for, like, literally six years. People just get excited, and it can be dangerous,’ she said. ‘It’s absolutely infuriating when you’re up there,’ Eilish said. ‘I have mixed feelings about it, because you know it’s out of love. They’re just trying to give you something. But when you’re onstage, you’re in a vulnerable position.’

The story is told about a group of wives who were instructed during a recollection to send a message of gratitude to their respective husbands. These are some of the responses that the women received: ‘Are you sick?’ ‘Do you need anything?’ ‘Can you repeat your message, please?’ The best one was: ‘Who you?’

In today’s Gospel (Lk. 17,11-19), Jesus teaches us the value of gratitude and how often we forget or take it for granted in our lives. ‘Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?’ All too often we focus on the gift and forget to thank the giver of the gift!

There are a lot of things we cannot understand or explain in our lives. There are a lot beyond our control, too, so if you are a ‘control freak,’ sooner or later you may become stressed or discouraged and may end up distressed. The sooner we let go of the game called control, the better. May we be given the gift to see life as a gift, a mission, and a lifetime full of gratitude and appreciation. Remember, we have received more, compared to what we have achieved in life.

Worse than physical leprosy is the political leprosy that has been caught by our political system and government. It all starts with greed, and greed is caused by lack of values and faith. In the time of Jesus, lepers were outcasts of society. Nowadays, our political lepers are well-entrenched in the very halls of the administrative, judicial, and legislative branches of our government.

If you have experienced healing, forgiveness, deliverance, or prosperity do not forget to look up with gratitude to God and look around you to help others in any way you can. Remember, those who have been given surprises and second chances must generously and gratefully share their blessings.

Thought for the journey: ‘The finest hour in our life is when we have done good things to nameless people without expecting them to remember our acts of love and kindness. The mathematics of life is not the multiplication of wealth, but the division of tasks, subtraction of greed, and addition of humility.’

We all are indebted to God. May we not forget that all we are, all we have is from Him, and all we do are made possible by Him. But, all too often, we are not only forgetful but also ungrateful people. ‘Is this how you repay the Lord, O foolish and senseless people? Is He not your Father and Creator? Has He not made you and established you?’ (Deut. 32, 6)

To return to God does not only mean coming back to the right way, but also giving back to God what is due Him. Go back to God’s heart. Conversion time! ‘. Come back to me with all your hearts, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ (Joel 2: 12) It also means to give back to God what is due Him. Payback time! ‘How can I repay the Lord for His goodness to me?’ (Psalm 116:12)

May we not forget to return to God, and keep on returning to Him as we journey on. Let us not stay too far and too long away from Him. May the lures and pleasures of this world not make us forget who we are, what our purpose in life is, and our final destination, heaven.

‘Till I find to my wonder, every path leads to thee . All that I can say is please, stay with me, stay with me.’ I borrow this last line from the theme song of the movie ‘The Cardinal’ to remind us that God accompanies us in our journey, and that all roads, no matter how narrow and winding, ultimately lead to Him.

‘Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you, all things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices.’ (St. Teresa of Avila, October 15)

A moment with the Lord:

Lord, help us to return and keep going back to You, and to return and keep giving back what is due unto You. Amen.

It wasn’t the result she had wanted, but Tots Carlos was thrilled to make her comeback from a knee injury that sidelined her for six months.

Carlos delivered 12 points, but Creamline fell short against Akari, which drew 34 points from Annie Mitchem, 23-25, 25-23, 30-28, 23-25, 15-12, in the PVL Reinforced Conference on Saturday night at the Dasmariñas Arena. ‘My injury was a bit complicated. We really had to figure out what worked best for me. It took a lot of patience and discipline to get back,’ said Carlos in Filipino.

‘It’s also about mindset because when you have injuries, it’s frustrating. But I’ve learned a lot from everything that happened.’

Creamline lost to Akari for the first time after 10 games, including a title-clinching sweep in the Reinforced Conference last year.

But the three-time Conference MVP and the Cool Smashers are sticking to the positives, with a short turnaround before battling All-Filipino champion Petro Gazz on Tuesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

‘The team was still positive after the game. It wasn’t an easy match, but you could see the effort. It was a tough loss, for sure. But like always, once a game is done, the focus shifts to the next one,’ Carlos said. ‘We don’t have much time to prepare, so we move forward quickly. The coaches already gave us feedback too.’

Carlos was proud of her team after forcing a fifth set behind Courtney Schwan and Alyssa Valdez’s clutch showing.

But they have to address their late-game errors to bounce back from this tough loss.

‘Honestly, I appreciate how hard the team worked tonight. It wasn’t an easy game-Akari played really well, and their whole team showed up,’ said Carlos.

‘I think we just need to respond better to what the other team is doing. That’s really it. There were some crucial errors that turned out to be the difference of the game.’

The City of Marikina declared class suspensions for Monday and Tuesday for all schools in the city, both public and private, due to an increase in cases of flu or flu-like illnesses.

‘As a precautionary measure against the increase in cases of flu and flu-like illnesses reported by schools in Marikina and in accordance with the recommendation of the City Health Office, we will have a two-day Health Break at all levels in public and private schools starting tomorrow, Monday, October 13 to Tuesday, October 14, 2025,’ Marikina Mayor Maan Teodoro, speaking in Filipino, said in a statement on Monday.

According to the Marikina government, this is a ‘preemptive measure’ to ensure the safety and welfare of students, teachers and school staff.

During the two-day health break, a general cleaning and disinfection of schools will be done, the local government said.

It also advised Marikina residents to take precautionary measures such as resting or visiting a doctor when flu-symptoms persist.

Some universities in Manila have also reported a spike in flu cases.

Adamson University conducted a deep cleaning of the campus last Friday, and classes for all levels will shift online on October 13.

‘Additionally, due to the recent increase in flu cases, online classes for all levels previously scheduled for the week of October 13-17, 2025, will be moved to Monday, October 13, 2025. All offices will resume normal operations on Monday, October 13, 2025,’ the school’s advisory read.

National University (NU) Fairview also limited online classes on Friday, citing the rise in the number of influenza-like illness cases in Quezon City.

The university also implemented a ‘no face mask, no entry’ policy as a precautionary measure.

In the past week, the University of Sto. Tomas implemented a three-day health break for junior high school students, while San Beda Alabang held a two-day health break for elementary and high school students. Both schools also recorded an increase in flu cases among their students and faculty.

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook the waters off the coast of Maitum, Sarangani, on Sunday evening, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

The earthquake was recorded at 7:54 p.m., 38 kilometers southwest of Maitum, Phivolcs said.

According to the Phivolcs’ data, the tectonic earthquake had a 10-kilometer depth of focus. Phivolcs also reported the following instrumental intensities:

Intensity III

T’boli, South Cotabato

Intensity IIKiamba, Sarangani

Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat

Intensity I

Maitum, Sarangani

Kalamansig, Sultan KudaratNo aftershocks and damage to infrastructure are expected, Phivolcs added.