Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Six communal irrigation systems managed by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Bicol sustained heavy damage in the island province of Masbate following the onslaught of Typhoon Opong (international name: Bualoi), with initial estimates placing the total cost at P70 million.

According to a damage assessment report, irrigation infrastructure in four municipalities, particularly in Baleno, Milagros, Dimasalang, and Cataingan, was either destroyed or severely compromised, affecting key agricultural zones that rely on these systems for water supply.

Engr. Gaudencio De Vera, NIA regional manager, said in a Viber message to the Inquirer on Tuesday that approximately 350 meters of lined canals across the province, along with essential irrigation components such as dam aprons, sluice gates, siphons, and intake structures, suffered extensive damage from Opong.

He said NIA personnel have begun coordinating with local government units and the Department of Agriculture to conduct site inspections and draft immediate rehabilitation plans.

‘This level of destruction poses a threat, as it may disrupt the flow of water to farms during the upcoming cropping season. We are moving quickly to secure funding and deploy repair teams to minimize the impact on local farmers,’ he added./coa

Debris from Typhoon ‘Opong’ (international name: Bualoi) damaged the lifting mechanism and slide steel gate of a dam in Milagros town, Masbate, potentially affecting water distribution in the area. (Contributed photo/NIA Bicol)

The BCDA signed three memoranda of understanding with Japanese institutions to open up collaboration opportunities in waste management, renewable energy, telecommunications and sustainable development.

Signed during an official mission to Tokyo, the first MOU is with Japanese industrial and engineering firm Kanadevia Corp. It involves a feasibility study on building a waste-to-energy (WTE) facility in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.

‘This project aligns with the BCDA’s goal of transforming New Clark City into a green and resilient metropolis by introducing sustainable solutions and fostering a circular economy,’ the BCDA said in a statement on Wednesday. Connectivity

The second MOU, this time with Japanese telecommunications firms IPS Inc. and InfiniVAN Inc., explores potential collaborative projects to optimize use of BCDA’s information and communications technology assets in the Poro Point Freeport Zone in La Union and other administered zones. This aims to boost the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure Program by ensuring high-speed internet connectivity in local communities.

The last MOU was signed with the Japan Bank for International Corp. (JBIC). It involves projects that support energy transition as well as environmental and social sustainability.

Aside from encouraging Japanese companies to invest in green and sustainable initiatives, JBIC will consider strategic funding options to support such projects.

Green initiatives

‘With our Japanese partners, we are advancing projects that tackle waste management through renewable energy, strengthen digital connectivity for communities, and promote sustainable development in our economic zones,’ BCDA president and CEO Joshua Bingcang said. ‘These agreements are more than just documents; they represent a shared commitment to collaboration, innovation and sustainable growth,’ Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene de Joya Garcia-Albano said.

The BCDA delegation to Tokyo is also scheduled to meet with the Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport and Urban Development to align strategies for developing New Clark City.

A kilogram of suspected shabu (crystal meth) was confiscated and four suspects were arrested in separate operations in Manila and Quezon City, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said.

The Manila drug bust took place on Tuesday afternoon along Moret Street in Barangay 458, according to the PDEA in a statement on Wednesday.

‘Arrested during the operation were alias ‘JP,’ 19, male; and alias ‘Esmayti,’ 27-year-old male suspect, both residents of Manila,’ the agency detailed.

The two suspects were caught allegedly in possession of five knot-tied plastic bags of suspected shabu weighing 500 grams.

Meanwhile, in another statement on Wednesday, PDEA said the Quezon City drug bust took place on Tuesday night along Annapolis Street in Barangay E. Rodriguez.

‘Arrested during the operation were alias ‘Leo,’ 57, male, a painter, and his live-in partner, alias ‘Aila,’ 38, female,’ the agency noted.

‘Confiscated from the suspects [was] one green eco-bag containing a plastic sachet of suspected shabu weighing approximately 500 grams,’ it added.

Based on the Dangerous Drug Board’s standard drug price for shabu, the combined confiscated shabu is valued at P6.8 million.

PDEA further said the drugs were turned over to the agency’s Laboratory Service for examination.

It added that the four arrested suspects were taken into custody by their respective city police offices, awaiting charges for violating Republic Act No. 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act.

The Department of Energy (DOE) said Tuesday that about P400 million will be needed to restore the electricity services in typhoon-hit Masbate.

Energy officials, led by their chief Sharon Garin, visited Masbate on Tuesday to assess the extent of the damage of Severe Tropical Storm Opong (international name: Bualoi) on power assets in the province.

Although there was no estimated damage cost yet, the DOE said transmission lines, distribution facilities, and generation units ‘sustained significant damage.’

Masbate, now under a state of calamity, was one of the hard-hit areas in Luzon and the Visayas during the onslaught of Opong, which made successive landfalls in the town of Palanas and Milagros early Sept. 26.

‘Moving with urgency’

A price freeze on all basic agricultural commodities has also been put in place in Masbate to ease the burden on typhoon-affected communities.

As of Tuesday, 1,394 farmers and fisherfolk in Masbate were affected by the storm, while over 1,000 hectares of farmland were devastated.

According to the initial assessment by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Bicol, 781 ha were damaged, while 219 ha were destroyed. The combined production loss amounted to 1,236 metric tons, said DA Bicol information officer Lovella Guarin.

Most of the towns were still struggling with power outages and limited communication lines. The DOE said various electric cooperatives nationwide have been arriving in Masbate to speed up restoration efforts of Masbate Electric Cooperative Inc. (Maselco).

Among the teams of linemen helping restore power in Masbate were from Cebu, Albay, Catanduanes and Iloilo.

‘We are moving with urgency, but also with care. Safety remains our top priority for both workers on the ground and the public,’ Garin said in a statement.

She assured the residents there that they ‘will do everything they can to restore electricity as quickly and safely as possible.’

Aside from Maselco, 11 more electric cooperatives in nine provinces across four regions were still under the DOE’s monitoring after two typhoons, coupled with the southwest monsoon, battered the Philippines.

The DOE said areas covered by these cooperatives continued to suffer from partial power interruptions.

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) on Wednesday maintained that the government’s Barangay Development Program (BDP), designed to eliminate communist influence at the community level, has no ‘ghost’ projects.

At a Palace briefing, NFT-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. explained the strict guidelines and monitoring taken by stakeholders to ensure that BDP projects are implemented properly ‘They have ownership in the implementation of the project. That’s why it’s really good. We really don’t have any ghost projects,’ Torres said.

‘Even though we are not engineers, we have an idea on what to inspect. So that is a very good system, that everybody is involved in seeing to it that these projects are implemented properly,’ he also said.

Meanwhile, Torres also expressed support for Senate Bill No. 1366, also known as the Terror Grooming and Radicalization Prevention Act, which seeks to stop radicalization and recruitment of vulnerable Filipinos to communist groups.

‘The Execom expressed support to the passage of the Terror-Grooming Prevention Act because this will strengthen our preventive mechanism against radicalization, recruitment, and indoctrination, especially among the youth and vulnerable sectors of our society,’ he said.

‘It is a critical shield to protect vulnerable Filipinos, youth, indigenous communities, and farmers from being exploited and radicalized by terrorists,’ he added.

Fight against communist insurgency

Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Jimmy Larida reported a decline in the number of communist guerrilla fronts in the country.

‘Based on the parameters on the clearing, we have seen a steady decline in all the insurgency parameters,’ he said.

In terms of manpower, Larida said that in 2022 there were 2,008 communist terrorist groups monitored. By the end of the first semester of 2025, the number of CTGs had gone down to 901.

At least 69 individuals are dead following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake off Bogo City, Cebu.

INQUIRER.net’s Neil Mercado gives updates on the situation in Cebu province on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

Petro Gazz has appointed Gary and Lisa Van Sickle-parents of reigning All-Filipino MVP Brooke Van Sickle, to lead the team in the upcoming 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference.

Gary takes over as head coach, replacing interim mentor Brian Esquibel, while Lisa will serve as assistant coach. Esquibel had guided the Angels following the departure of Japanese coach Koji Tsuzurabara during the PVL On Tour. The club announced the news on Tuesday night, describing the appointment as the start of a ‘new era’ under the Van Sickles.

‘They nurtured greatness at home, now they bring that same passion to the sidelines to guide our team to greater heights,’ the team said in the announcement.

Gary previously played for the University of Hawai’i from 1988 to 1990, while Lisa suited up for Hawaii Pacific University.

What was supposed to be a night of glamor and charity had a frantic conclusion as the 6.9 magnitude earthquake halted the benefit gala night of the 2025 Miss Asia Pacific International pageant here.

The quake’s epicenter was traced to Bogo City some 95 kilometers – or close to 3 hours – away, from where the pageant event was being held in the capital city.

Just as the 43 delegates were making their exit from the runway at the ballroom of Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City on Tuesday evening, Sept. 30, the hall shook and the ladies frantically ran to different directions as they sought cover.

The international pageant was holding the event to raise funds for Operation Smile through ticket sales for the fashion show of Philippine ternos designed by Cebuano designers, showcased by the delegates.

A silent auction of luxury bags and statement pieces was also conducted to help gather additional funds for the nonprofit organization, while a live bidding was held for items from Cebuano furniture designers Kenneth Cobonpue and Vito Selma, London-based fashion designer John Herrera, and jewelry maker Oro China.

After the successful bidders were announced, the ladies took the runway in their Filipiniana flair of different fabrics, silhouettes and styles. Reigning queen Janelis Leyba and second runner-up Selena Ali showcased the creations of renowned Cebuano fashion icon Cary Santiago.

Belgium’s Jana Janssens was chosen by Santiago as the Best in Philippine Terno, while Herrera picked Alejandro Godinez Jr. as the Best Philippine Terno Designer, his creation paraded by the Philippines’ Anita Rose Gomez.

Grace under pressure, chaos

After the awards were handed out and just as the program was about to close, the floor started shaking, and the crystal pieces from the chandeliers started swaying. The tremor was so strong that the wine glasses and water goblets on the tables tumbled. Some guests rushed outside the ballroom, while the others ducked and went under the tables, including some of the ladies. When the tremor stopped, hotel staff members guided the guests to safety, leading them out to the parking lot.

In her panic, reigning Miss Asia Pacific International queen Janelis Leyba from the United States could be seen in the video hurling off her crown as she tried to leave the stage.

Many of the ladies took off their high heels and rushed outside barefoot, some of them clutching their long skirts as Eva Patalinjug, the pageant’s president, instructed them to follow the ushers to safety while looking out for everyone’s welfare.

The police was deployed to the scene, followed by a rescue team. Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro, who attended the gathering, was seen consulting her staff, asking about the province’s current situation and hurrying out of the vicinity.

Janssens had to get help from others to get to safety as she hurt her leg after jumping from the stage. She was later rushed to the hospital for tests and treatment. She had since been declared out of danger and has already joined her fellow delegates. As soon as the guests gathered at the designated evacuation area, the hotel setup a help desk at the parking lot. Staff members distributed towels for some of the guests who needed additional covering.

Slippers were handed out to those who had taken off their shoes, and for guests seeking relief from running in the high heels that they have been wearing all night.

Staff members also handed out bottled water as the hotel’s security team assessed the situation. And even if the ballroom was just located on the second floor, the ladies and the production team had to wait for hours before they were allowed backstage.

The ladies, still in their terno, sat on the chairs laid out by the staff members on the parking lot, as more seats were being setup in the evacuation area. But just as the hotel was winding down its sweep of the property, it started raining and the guests were ushered to shelter, with staff members hurriedly handing out umbrellas and helping guests seek cover.

The lobby on the ground floor was the first to be made available for the guests to settle in and collect themselves. The chairs set up in the parking lot were moved to the area for guests to use again.

And at the homestretch of the assessment for structural integrity, the hotel laid out a spread of warm dishes, breads, other food items and drinks for the guests who are awaiting further instructions.

The delegates and the production team were then allowed to return backstage, and the ladies were able to slip into more comfortable clothes. They then also got their meals from the spread.

A couple of hours after midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 1, the ladies were then guided to the buses that would take them to their hotel residence in Mandaue City that has also finished conducting an assessment for structural integrity.

Several other activities have been planned for the ladies in the province, under the Cebu local government’s partnership with the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant. But many of the items in their calendar have been put on hold as of this writing.

Two of the five accused of murder of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga voluntarily surrendered to authorities, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Wednesday.

According to the NBI, the two suspects, Police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza and former police officer Nelson Mariano ‘expressed their intention to surrender to the NBI’ after they learned about the arrest warrant issued by a Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court.

Mariano voluntarily surrendered to the NBI’s Organized and Transnational Crime Division in Manila on September 29, while Mendoza did the same upon the implementation of his arrest warrant in Bacolod City on September 30.

The arrest warrants were issued after corroborating the details of a House quad committee hearing and the findings of the NBI and Philippine National Police joint (PNP) investigation.

In the quad committee hearing on September 27, Mariano and Mendoza confessed to their involvement in the murder of Barayuga in July 2020.

While on his way home from the PCSO headquarters, police reported that Barayuga was shot by gunmen on a motorcycle around 3:30 p.m. at the corner of Calbayog and Malinaw Streets in Brgy. Highway Hills.

In the hearing, Mendoza said that it was PCSO General Manager Royina Marzan Garma and National Police Commission (Napolcom) Chairman Edilberto dela Cruz Leonardo who ordered the assassination of Barayuga.

Shortly after, a recommendation to charge Garma, Leonardo, Mendoza, Mariano, and Jeremy Zapata Causapin, alias ‘Toks,’ of murder and frustrated murder were made. This is where the arrest warrants are based.

The PNP, on Tuesday, formed teams to track down the three remaining suspects

With the meticulously planned release of Taylor Swift’s 12th album this Friday, the country singer-turned-pop star demonstrates again that she is as business savvy as she is musically adept.

From hints dropped during her last tour in 2024 to movie screenings this coming weekend to accompany the new album’s release, ‘Taylor Swift has perfected marketing as narrative art,’ said Robin Landa, a professor who studies advertising and branding at Kean University.

‘She doesn’t simply release an album-she orchestrates a cultural phenomenon.’

The massively hyped ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ album was inspired by Swift’s experiences during her record-breaking ‘Eras’ concert tour, which coincided with the singer’s romance with her now-fiance Travis Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl champion football star.

The 12-track record ‘comes from the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in in my life-and so that effervescence has come through,’ Swift herself promises.

That appears to signal a return to pop after her darker 11th album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ last year.

To call ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ which features a duet with rising pop star Sabrina Carpenter, eagerly anticipated is an understatement

Swift, 35, has said to expect ‘bangers’-high-energy, dance-friendly songs-in the ilk of her fan favorite ’22’ and ‘Shake It Off,’ and created with the same Swedish production duo, Max Martin and Shellback.

To call ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ which features a duet with rising pop star Sabrina Carpenter, eagerly anticipated is an understatement.

The album is the most pre-saved album ever on the Spotify streaming platform, breaking the record set last year by Swift’s last album.

Ownership

Accompanying the album, movie theaters in dozens of countries will host special screenings from Friday through Sunday of a music video, a making-of featurette, personal commentary by Swift about her songs, and a karaoke-style singalong.

The one-off movie event is estimated to gross between $30 million and $50 million, according to film industry website Deadline. Swift, who first announced the album on Kelce’s popular podcast last month, is ‘really taking ownership of the whole process, in every aspect of her music and her presentation to the public,’ said Toby Koenigsberg, a music professor at the University of Oregon.

Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour also spawned its own movie theater event, and underlined ‘the importance of having fan communities that interact in real life, not just on social media,’ he added.

One element that has long connected ‘Swifties’-the nickname for her die-hard fans-online is the frantic search for ‘easter eggs,’ or clues about Swift’s upcoming projects scattered through her album booklets, music videos, concerts and social media posts.

Easter eggs

Swifties noticed that, in a letter to her fans in May, Swift spelled the words ‘thiiiiiiiiiiiis’ with 12 ‘i’s – taken by some to indicate her 12th album was imminent.

Once the first album images of ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ were released, featuring cabaret-inspired outfits in orange and green tones, thrilled devotees rushed to social media to point out clues supposedly buried in Swift’s 2022 music videos as well as certain costumes from her latest tour.

‘Taylor’s Easter eggs are one of the most brilliant fan engagement tools in modern music,’ said Landa.

‘This strategy creates free marketing through fan theories and social media speculation-essentially turning her audience into her promotional team.’

‘Sometimes people talk about her business acumen, which is really remarkable. but at the core of what she does is her songwriting’

So, is Swift a musician or a businesswoman?

‘Sometimes people talk about her business acumen, which is really remarkable. but at the core of what she does is her songwriting,’ said Koenigsberg.

Swift is ‘able to consistently write good songs, year after year, album after album, in a way that almost nobody else can.’