Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon has instructed building officials and municipal engineers of areas affected by the Cebu earthquake to conduct assessment on buildings under their jurisdiction.

Dizon issued this memorandum on Wednesday as he personally visited Bogo City in Cebu, the epicenter of the earthquake, to assess the situation, especially for roads and establishments that were damaged. ‘The president said that we should start with the most immediate needs of relief, clearing of roads, and make sure everything is okay, then we will just move from there,’ Dizon said in an interview.

The building officials and their respective offices are ordered to ‘immediately conduct rapid assessment, inspection, verification, and structural evaluation on all affected buildings/structures within their respective jurisdiction, in coordination with stakeholders and government agencies, to assess the extent of the damage to buildings and structures.’

With this, Dizon instructed the submission of a detailed report on the findings within 15 days.

The building officers and municipal engineers are also directed to ‘coordinate with the relevant government agencies and provide any necessary assistance in accordance with their mandate, including expediting the permitting process and releasing the corresponding permits for the necessary works to rectify the damage to the affected buildings/structures.’ The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology initially measured the earthquake’s magnitude at 6.7 before upgrading it to 6.9. The earthquake occurred at 9:59 p.m. with its epicenter located 21 kilometers northeast of Bogo City in Cebu.

According to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), at least 69 individuals reportedly died from the strong earthquake as authorities intensified its rescue operations.

OCD Assistant Secretary Rafael Alejandro IV said that 30 fatalities came from Bogo City, followed by 22 in San Remigio town; 10 in Medellin town; five in Tagogon town; and one each in the municipalities of Sogod and Tabuelan. Meanwhile, 147 individuals were injured, with 117 coming from Bogo, followed by San Francisco town with 14, Tabuelan and Catmon with five each, and four in Daanbantayan.

Manny Pacquiao will lead the 50th anniversary celebration of the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ as a promoter, headlining a blockbuster boxing card on October 29 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The event, co-presented by Pacquiao and the International Boxing Association (IBA), will be anchored by a WBC strawweight world title bout between Filipino champion Melvin Jerusalem and South Africa’s Ayanda Kuse. ‘I wasn’t born when the original fight happened and I’m leading the promotion now,’ Pacquiao said during the official launch. ‘I feel blessed at to bring to life 50th celebration of ‘Thrilla in Manila.”

The original ‘Thrilla in Manila’ between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier was held on October 1, 1975, at the same venue.

The undercard features Olympic silver medalist Eumir Marcial against undefeated American Eddy Colmenares, along with appearances by Filipino standouts Marlon Tapales, Carl Jammes Martin, and Arvin Magramo.

‘This is a world championship and a celebration of the ‘Thrilla in Manila,” Pacquiao added. ‘It’s a big help for our boxers that they get to fight in international promotions like this.’

Pacquiao also revealed that VIP guests are expected, including relatives of Ali and Frazier and former world champions.

‘We will invite a lot of personalities. We will have a lot of surprises,’ he said.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the improved satisfaction rating on his performance is ‘nice,’ adding that the government will just continue its job of providing service to the public.

Based on the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from June 25 to 29, 46 percent of adult Filipinos were satisfied with Marcos’ performance.

At a brief media interview in Masbate City, Marcos was asked about where the higher survey ratings in the second quarter of 2025 can be attributed. ‘You know what? I have no idea. I don’t look so much at. It’s, of course, nice to note. I didn’t know about that. But now that you tell me, of course I’m glad that it’s that way,’ he responded.

‘I guess we just have to keep working. Whatever happens-whether there’s a typhoon, a scandal, or unrest-the people expect the government to continue its service, to continue its work at every level-at the national level, at the local level-just to keep going,’ the President added, partly in Filipino.

He added that elected public servants should not be seen as merely playing around or politicking but as working for the welfare of the people.

The latest SWS survey also showed that 36 percent were dissatisfied with the President’s performance, and 19 percent were undecided, producing a net satisfaction score of ‘moderate’ +10.

This showed a 20-point improvement from the ‘poor’ -10 net rating recorded in April 2025.

After not being picked in the 2025 PBA Rookie Draft, graduating Lyceum guard Ato Barba is out for blood.

The Pirates’ 90-89 loss to Mapua in double overtime to open their NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball campaign didn’t dampen Barba’s idea of a revenge tour.

‘After the PBA Draft, I really got sad and frustrated,’ Barba told the Inquirer at Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.

‘I told myself that I’ll bounce back here because this is the only place I could show my talent now. I have to give my best because after college, I don’t know where my career will go.’

Unlike former teammate JM Bravo, who was drafted by Terrafirma, Barba wasn’t tapped despite being one of the league’s top scorers last season.

While struggling in their Season 101 opener, finishing with just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting, he remains determined to tackle Lyceum’s upcoming games with full intensity.

‘I don’t really want to show coaches that they should regret not picking me because I’m also thinking that my game isn’t at the professional level yet. I still lack a lot,’ Barba said.

‘This season, I’ll try to improve those things here. I’ll play my best.’

Barba hopes to make more impact for Lyceum this Sunday when they take on Perpetual Help at San Juan Arena.

The death toll from the strong earthquake in Cebu has increased to 26, with most fatalities recorded in the tremor’s epicenter of Bogo City in Cebu province, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said in its situation report on Wednesday.

Of the 26 deaths, most were reported in Bogo City with 19, San Remigio town with five, while one death each was logged in the towns of Tabuelan and Medellin.

NDRRMC said these deaths have yet to be validated.

Additionally, 147 were reported hurt.

Most of the injured were also in Bogo with 119 victims, San Francisco with 14, and five each in the towns of Tabuelan and Catmon, and four at Daanbantayan town.

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off Cebu on Tuesday night, state seismologists said.

It occurred at 9:59 p.m., with the epicenter located 21 kilometers northeast of Bogo City, with a shallow depth of five kilometers.

Newly-installed Cebu Archbishop Alberto Uy has ordered a structural assessment of all churches and rectories in the province following a strong earthquake on Tuesday night.

In a Facebook post, the archbishop also directed parishes in the northern portion of the province who were affected ‘to refrain from using your churches for the celebration of the Holy Mass until the proper experts have carried out the assessment and declared the structures safe for use.’

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology initially measured the earthquake’s magnitude at 6.7 before upgrading it to 6.9.

The earthquake occurred at 9:59 p.m. with its epicenter located 21 kilometers northeast of Bogo City in Cebu.

In a social media post, parishioners said that the centuries-old Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan town partially collapsed.

Meanwhile, videos showed that Parroquia de San Pedro Apostol was swaying during the earthquake, with lights and parts of the facade crumbling.

Uy’s installation rites were held at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, who attended the installation, described the earthquake as Uy’s ‘first major test.’

‘We continue to pray to our Loving Father for calmness and strength in the midst of these trials,’ the archbishop said.

Investment approvals by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) surged by more than 30 percent in the nine months ending September on strong investor confidence.

In a statement on Tuesday, Peza said it had approved P154.7 billion worth of investments in the January to September period, 33.5-percent higher than the P115.89 billion posted in the same period last year.

‘These approvals demonstrate enduring investor confidence in the Philippines. Backed by sustained momentum and robust investment activity, we are on track to attain our P250 billion goal and strengthen our standing as a leading investment destination in Asia,’ Peza Director General Tereso Panga said.

‘These investments reinforce our position as a premier hub in Asia and affirm that the Philippines is fast becoming the destination of choice for global industries,’ Trade Secretary and Peza Chair Cristina Roque added in a statement.

2025 target

However, the end-September number means that Peza has so far just achieved 61.9 percent of its goal this year of P250 billion.

In the first nine months, Peza said it had approved 215 new and expansion projects that are expected to generate 50,430 direct jobs and $4.49 billion in export revenues.

Of these, P123.79 billion came from 24 big-ticket projects.

The manufacturing sector drove investments in economic zones with 98 projects, followed by the Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector with 55 projects, and domestic-related activities with 18 projects.

Japan regained its position as the top country investor, accounting for 9.55 percent or P14.78 billion in new and expansion projects.

‘Japan’s return as our leading partner reflects the fruit of our investment missions and strong collaborations with stakeholders. With nearly 10 percent of this year’s total project approvals coming from Japanese companies, we see undeniable proof of the Philippines’ standing as a trusted and highly competitive hub in Asia,’ Panga said. INQ

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will expand the livestreaming of the bidding process of projects in a bid to promote transparency.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Tuesday said that the agency would post all livestream links on its social media pages for the public to access.

While all biddings at the central and regional offices are already livestreamed, Dizon said the policy would now cover the district offices.

The ongoing probe of anomalous flood control projects has so far uncovered either ‘ghost’ or substandard undertakings emanating from the district office level.

As Dizon lifted the suspension of procurement activities for locally funded projects under the agency, a memorandum order dated September 16 provided preliminary measures that must be followed during the bidding process, which included livestreaming.

Dizon added that the DPWH would initiate this process during the procurement phase for the multimillion-dollar Bataan-Cavite interlink bridge project.

‘If the DPWH [personnel] will be the only ones monitoring this, there might not be enough scrutiny. If we can do something for the public to be aware of this and keep an eye on the projects of DPWH, I think monitoring will be strengthened and corruption in the past will not happen again,’ Dizon stressed.

New undersecretaries

At the same time, President Marcos has appointed five new undersecretaries of the DPWH.

Taking their oath administered by Dizon on Sept. 29 were: Arrey Perez, undersecretary for operations in charge of convergence projects and technical services; Arthur Bisnar for regional operations; Charles Calima Jr. for special concerns; Ricardo Bernabe III for the Office of the Secretary; and Samuel Rufino Turgano for legal services.

The DPWH also signed on Tuesday a partnership agreement with the Blockchain Council of the Philippines (BCP) to boost transparency and accountability in national infrastructure projects.

The DPWH and BCP committed to launch Integrity Chain, a blockchain-powered platform which aims to provide a real-time public dashboard that tracks progress on infrastructure projects, such as bidding, planning and awarding.

The DPWH said the platform also allows the public to scrutinize the projects and report anomalies and tampering of records.

Dizon said its pilot implementation would begin with the foreign-assisted projects, as their funding and documents were already vetted by multilateral and international organizations.

Dizon said he expected ‘greater transparency’ now that the agency had partnered with the private sector on the use of blockchain technology.

ICI-AMLC cooperation

Meanwhile, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) signed on Tuesday a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for cooperation in the ongoing investigation of alleged anomalies in flood control projects.

The pact was signed by retired Supreme Court Associate Justice and ICI Chair Andres Reyes Jr. and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli Remolona Jr. as chair of the AMLC.

Representatives of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Insurance Commission, both AMLC members, likewise took part in the signing.

Unprogrammed funds

‘As you may know, the ICI is still very young. We have been in existence for only 15 days, with just four lawyer-volunteers carrying the weight of a tall task. Yet despite our size, our mandate is broad: to investigate irregularities, demand accountability, and restore integrity in public infrastructure. This is why the assistance of the AMLC is both timely and indispensable,’ Reyes noted.

In Congress, ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio on Tuesday urged Malacañang to ‘stop washing its hands off the corruption allegations’ relating to infrastructure projects implemented under President Marcos’ watch.

Tinio noted that the majority of the projects funded under unprogrammed appropriations (UA) in 2023 and 2024 went to ‘favored regions’ now being flagged for anomalous and ghost flood control projects.

‘It is only the President’s discretion that determines how UA (funds) are used,’ he said.

Citing official data from the Department of Budget and Management, Tinio disclosed that the DPWH received P61.4 billion in unprogrammed funds in 2023 for 1,889 projects and P153 billion in 2024 for 1,811 projects.

This means that, in these two years alone, the President approved 3,770 public works projects worth P214.4 billion from unprogrammed funds.

In 2023, the top regions that got the largest share in UA were: Central Luzon, with 283 projects worth P11.7 billion; Bicol with 138 projects worth P7.6 billion; and Central Visayas with 170 projects worth P7.2 billion.

In 2024, Mimaropa got the lion’s share of UA with P29.4 billion for 201 projects, followed by Central Luzon again with P25 billion for 285 projects, and then Metro Manila with P16 billion for 181 projects.

At least a third of these funds for both years went to flood control projects.

Zsa Zsa Padilla donated ready-to-eat food packs to victims of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Cebu which struck on Tuesday night, Sept. 30.

Photos of Padilla at the provincial relief center were shared on Cebu Province’s Facebook page on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

‘Zsa Zsa Padilla dropped by the Capitol command center this afternoon to turn over ready-to-eat food packs and bottled water for families affected by the 6.9 magnitude earthquake,’ read the caption.

The province’s local government added that the veteran actress’ donation shows ‘solidarity with the Cebuano people during difficult times and hardships.’

It was not immediately known if Padilla was already in Cebu when the earthquake happened or if she flew in to offer help.

However, in the comments section of her posts, netizens are reminding the actress-singer to take care during her taping amid the incident.

Padilla also took to her Instagram page to ask for more donations, including food, water and tents, for the affected individuals.

‘Please help Cebu. Let’s pray for Cebu,’ read her post alongside the art cards about the donation.

As of this writing, the death toll in Cebu has climbed to 61. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing. The Cebu provincial government has also called for medical volunteers.

Meanwhile, Slater Young, Manilyn Reynes and Ellen Adarna expressed concern for their fellow Cebuanos affected by the earthquake.

Heart Evangelista also extended her prayers for the Cebu victims as well as for those in surrounding areas. /ra

So many people have come to be aware of the ongoing Miss Asia Pacific International here because of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that jolted one of the pageant’s events. And the delegates recalled the moments that happened that fateful evening.

The Philippine-based international pageant was holding its gala night at the ballroom of Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City on Sept. 30, to raise funds for Operation Smile. But the massive tremor with the epicenter traced to Bogo City north of the province disrupted the festivities.

Videos from the event showed Australia’s Deborah Madriaga among the last ladies walking down the runway, exhibiting a calmer demeanor than the others.

‘I’ve never experienced an earthquake, so that was the first time. Growing up, I was into a lot of action movies and stuff, so seeing all of that, it was just natural instinct for me, firstly being calm, and then also looking for my sisters as well,’ she told Inquirer Entertainment.

‘I saw Belgium jump off, so I followed her, and I saw Brazil onstage, so I ran to her. And the crown also jumped in front of me. So I was like, this is real, this is actually happening. The first thing I thought was get the girls to safety,’ she shared.

Reigning queen Janelis Leyba, the finale model of the show, was seen in videos taking her crown off her head and dropping it on the floor. ‘After it all calmed down, that’s when I picked it up and that’s when I gave it back to our leaders. I panicked. I felt so bad for Janelis, like she was so scared. I wish that I could be there for her. She ran off,’ Madriaga said.

The Philippines’ Anita Rose Gomez also said it was her first time experiencing an earthquake. ‘I was just about to get off the stage when it happened. And I just felt that I’m dizzy. I’m not so sure what’s happening, and I just saw people running around me,’ she said.

‘And I saw Miss Taiwan, she’s so shocked, and she cannot move. I grabbed her hands and I told her to go with me under the table. I just kept on praying, that everything will be okay after the earthquake,’ Gomez continued.

‘Kudos to Radisson Hotel, and of course the Miss Asia Pacific International, the staff, they were so calm and prepared, and they made sure that everything was okay, that everything was fine. And I just want to take this opportunity to say to everybody that we are all well taken care of,’ the Zambaleña beauty said. Gomez said she saw online the extent of devastation that the earthquake caused, even claiming lives. ‘I just want everyone to pray, hold on to our faith. And of course, let’s help one another. Let’s look out for one another. And at the same time, let’s help Cebu recoup from what happened last night,’ she said.

Cambodia’s Mealyann Nita Saing shared that she had also experienced a quake while in Bangkok, Thailand doing modeling a few years back. She recalled this incident with people who took cover under the same table as hers during the commotion.

Gomez, meanwhile, said her experience taught her to be quick on her feet. ‘Have the presence of mind that we need. At the same time, don’t panic. It’s something that is instilled in me, that in times of problems, in times of catastrophes, you have to be more relaxed, composed,’ she said.

The earthquake has prompted the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant to cancel the press presentation at the provincial capital scheduled on the day after the earthquake struck. It has also released a statement of solidarity with Cebuanos affected by the tremor.

‘Pageantry is not only about celebrating grace, talent, and advocacy-it is also about embodying the true essence of service,’ the pageant organization said, adding that the candidates will devote their time and influence for relief and fundraising events and initiatives, awareness and empowerment, and solidarity events and programs.

The Miss Asia Pacific International delegates have volunteered in the packing of relief goods at the Cebu Province Warehouse on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 1. The call to action was made the last minute, and the ladies readily heeded it. Miss Asia Pacific International President Eva Patalinjug-Lim said all the other activities scheduled for the ladies around the province have been cancelled, but the coronation night will push through on Oct. 8 at the Cebu Coliseum.