Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Tropical Depression Pilandok has maintained its strength while moving almost stationary over the Philippine Sea east of Extreme Northern Luzon, the state weather bureau reported on Monday.

Based on the 11 a.m. weather bulletin from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Pilandok-which was located 1,160 kilometers east of Extreme Northern Luzon-still carries a maximum sustained wind speed of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 70 kph.

No tropical cyclone wind signal is currently hoisted in any part of the country.

According to Pagasa, Pilandok is forecast to move slowly northwestward or remain almost stationary for the next 36 hours before moving generally north-northwestward for the remaining forecast period.

The tropical depression is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Wednesday afternoon or evening.

‘This tropical cyclone is less likely to make landfall over the country and will remain far from the Philippine landmass,’ Pagasa said, but noted the forecast track may still be subject to change in the succeeding bulletins.

As for its strength, Pilandok is expected to intensify into a tropical storm by Tuesday. It would then weaken into a tropical depression by Wednesday and ‘maintain its strength throughout the remainder of the forecast period.’

The national government sharply ramped up its borrowing in July, raising nearly P300 billion as it turned to the domestic market for the bulk of its financing needs.

Latest data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed that gross borrowings surged by 75 percent to P291.38 billion in July from P166.12 billion in the same month last year.

This was driven mainly by domestic borrowings, which jumped by nearly 78 percent to P271.32 billion from P152.54 billion a year earlier.

Treasury bill issuances led the increase, soaring by nearly fourfold, or 383.7 percent, to P133.2 billion from P27.54 billion in July last year.

As it is, yields on short-dated government securities mostly declined during the month, allowing the Treasury to fully award its borrowing program. The government also issued cash management bills, or shorter-term securities, in mid-July.

Meanwhile, Treasury bonds, which are longer-dated securities, rose by 10.5 percent to P138.12 billion from P125 billion a year earlier.

The government likewise increased its borrowings from foreign sources, which climbed by 47.8 percent to P20.05 billion from P13.57 billion in July 2025.

Broken down, project loans accounted for P18.64 billion of the external borrowings, while program loans amounted to P1.41 billion.

From January to July, the national government’s gross borrowings reached P2.11 trillion, up by 20.2 percent from P1.76 trillion in the same period last year.

This amount already accounts for about 77 percent of the government’s gross borrowing program for 2026. Of the January-to-July total, P1.55 trillion was sourced from domestic lenders, up by 15.4 percent from a year earlier. Meanwhile, external borrowings climbed by 35.8 percent to P564.86 billion.

Few words were spoken when wreaths were offered at the shrine of Gat. Marcelo H. Del Pilar here on Sunday, Aug. 30, to mark the hero’s 176th birth anniversary amid stormy weather.

The annual commemorative program was cancelled because of the strong monsoon rains on Saturday (August 29) that flooded many streets in this town and other partst of Bulacan province.

Flowers were laid down at the shrine at Sitio Cupang in barangay San Nicolas on behalf of the intended guest of honor Commission on Elections chairman George Erwin Garcia, Bulakan Mayor Vergel Meneses, the National Press Club of the Philippines, the Central Luzon Media Association (CLMA) and the Philippine Masonry.

Marcelo Day is an annual non-working holiday in Bulacan. In 2023, Marcelo Day was also declared as National Press Freedom Day.

Del Pilar, who is historically known for his numerous pseudonyms like the textbook familiar Plaridel. But to Bulacan he is simply remembered as ‘Tata Celo, ‘ the Father of Philippine Journalism.

He was born in San Nicolas on Aug. 30, 1850. He died on July 4, 1896 in Barcelona, Spain while pursuing Filipino enlightenment through the publication of La Solidaridad.

Four parcels of alleged illegally reclaimed land in Taguig City are covered by ‘fraudulently’ issued titles that will be turned over to the Office of the Ombudsman for investigation, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said on Saturday.

In a statement, the senator said he shared the initial findings ‘to dispel insinuations’ that his disclosures regarding the alleged anomalies were ‘fake news.’

According to Lacson, the parcels covered areas ranging from 5,000 to 193,027 square meters and were processed through various patent and land registration procedures.

He also said there are four other parcels that had no documentation in the Land Registration Authority’s (LRA) digital records.

Lacson said earlier the LRA is examining several titles covering some 38.83 hectares of ‘illegally’ reclaimed areas on the Taguig City side of Laguna Lake.

‘I requested the LRA to backtrack the history of the issued OCTs (original certificates of title) and other modes of titling, so we will find out how they were manipulated with the end in view of filing criminal charges against those responsible,’ he said in a statement.

He said these titles may be declared ‘void ab initio’ or void from the start, once the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) initiates forfeiture proceedings.

Lacson said the Ombudsman has issued subpoenas to the LRA, PRA, Taguig Registry of Deeds and Department of Public Works and Highways.

‘Since [Senator] Cayetano keeps publicly asking for evidence, I’ll give it to him, in the spirit of public interest,’ he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Sy family-led SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) has partnered with the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to incorporate hazard and risk data into its operations and investment planning, the company said Friday.

On Friday, SMIC Consultant and Head of Investor Relations and Sustainability Timothy Daniels and Phivolcs Director Teresito C. Bacolcol signed an agreement, which formalized SM’s access to GeoRiskPH, the government’s platform for hazard and risk information.

As part of the agreement, SM will get access to GeoRiskPH tools, including HazardHunterPH Pro, GeoMapper PH, PlanSmart, and GeoAnalyticsPH, to assess its facilities, assets, and operational sites for exposure to weather-related and geological hazards.

In addition, the company said it will use the data to guide property development, business continuity, asset management, and long-term investment decisions.

‘Partnerships like this with the private sector contribute significantly in helping us better understand the country’s multi-faceted needs regarding resilience,’ Bacolcol said.

Likewise, he added that integrating data-driven hazard assessments into business planning can help reduce disaster risks and support sustainable development.

For SM, the partnership will provide access to scientific expertise and hazard information to strengthen its businesses and the communities it serves, Daniels said.

‘Working with Phivolcs gives us access to the country’s scientific expertise and better information to strengthen our businesses and the communities we serve,’ he said.

The agreement forms part of Phivolc’s efforts to involve more private companies in the country’s disaster resilience efforts.

More than 14,000 residents in this province have fled their homes due to widespread flooding brought by persistent heavy rains, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) on Sunday, Aug. 30.

A total of 710 families or 14,052 individuals have been evacuated, with 552 families or 10,242 individuals staying in various evacuation centers across the province. The rest have sought shelter elsewhere.

Out of 13 towns in the municipality, Botolan had the highest number of evacuees staying in evacuation centers, with 1,310 families or 3,491 individuals, followed by neighboring Cabangan with 695 families or 1,938 individuals.

Some residents were preemptively advised to move to evacuation centers as the province experienced non-stop heavy rains, while others were forced to leave their homes as floodwaters rose in their communities.

In its 5 a.m. advisory on Sunday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) maintained its heavy rainfall outlook for Zambales, with 100 to 200 millimeters of rain expected through Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Pagasa was also monitoring a low-pressure area (LPA) inside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), which had a ‘high’ chance of developing into a tropical depression on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Tropical Depression ‘Saudel’ (formerly ‘Obet’) was being monitored outside the PAR.

A dramatic Friday night win over Jordan did nothing to widen the margin of error for Gilas Pilipinas in the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

The Filipinos know they need to set aside an 82-81 victory and go for another favorable result when they host Iran on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

‘From our calculations, we got to win five or six in this round,’ coach Tim Cone said ahead of the 8 p.m. matchup, which the Philippines must win in hopes of closing in on the standings in Group E.

For Cone, defeating Jordan was just half the job, and beating Iran would check a major task box.

Gilas’ win over Jordan and Iran’s loss to New Zealand, also in overtime, made the standings interesting for the Philippines. While Australia is running away from the pack with a 7-0 (win-loss) record, Jordan and Iran fell into a tie with New Zealand at 5-2.

The Philippines, meanwhile, has three wins in seven matches.

Sunday will also see New Zealand playing Syria at 2 p.m., and Jordan taking on Australia at 5 p.m. at the same venue. The Jordan-Australia game could also have some implications in Gilas’ World Cup bid.

But Cone said they won’t rely on other results.

‘We got to take care of our own business,’ he said. ‘This (Jordan win) is like halftime for us, but we haven’t won anything. We have to win the whole thing. Right now, it’s just halftime and we got another [half] to play.’

Momentum is something Gilas hopes to maximize, not only because of the way it won, but also because it is playing at home once more.

The win was cemented by Kai Sotto’s game-saving block in the end, Kevin Quiambao’s go-ahead three, CJ Perez’s clutch buckets and Scottie Thompson’s defense and hustle.

Sotto’s presence justified what many believe-that he’s the missing piece to the Gilas puzzle since he last played for the national team in 2024. Perez, on the other hand, put up what is arguably his best performance on the international level.

Perez also set up the pass for Quiambao, whose three gave Gilas the lead for good. Thompson, however, remained a polarizing figure, with fans either praising the intangibles he provided or ruing his five-second inbound violation that almost cost the game.

One concern being determined at press time is the status of Carl Tamayo, who scored eight points, for Sunday. The former University of the Philippines standout rolled his left ankle during the third quarter. Cone hinted that he may tweak his roster by replacing him with either Justin Arana or RJ Abarrientos if he can’t go.

The low-pressure area inside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) developed into Tropical Depression Pilandok on Sunday morning, state meteorologists said.

As of 10 a.m., Pilandok was last spotted 1,225 kilometers east of extreme northern Luzon, moving west northwestward at 15 kilometers per hour, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Pilandok has maximum sustained winds of 45 kph, and gusts of up to 55 kph, Pagasa added.

But the state weather bureau noted that the cyclone is ‘less likely to make landfall over the country and will remain far from the Philippine landmass.’

It also noted that Pilandok is expected to be a ‘short-lived’ tropical cyclone and is likely to weaken over the Philippine Sea by Tuesday, Sept. 1.

From today, Pilandok is forecast to move west-northwestward until Monday, Aug. 31.

Then its movement will shift northwestward to north northwestward until it dissipates, Pagasa said.

Actress Gee Canlas accused her estranged husband, actor Archie Alemania, of physically assaulting her during their marriage, including allegedly breaking two of her ribs and strangling her twice.

Canlas made the allegations in an interview with Ogie Diaz uploaded on YouTube on Saturday, Aug. 29, where she responded to Alemania’s recent interview about their separation.

Canlas said she watched Alemania’s interview and wanted to correct some of his statements and provide context about their relationship.

Addressing Alemania’s claim that he felt he was being provoked during their arguments even as he tried to remain quiet, Canlas recalled an incident where she said the actor became violent toward her.

‘Everything I say in this interview is backed with evidence […] He wanted me to talk. He was forcing me to agree with him about something […] He got a tumbler and he went to hit me on the side of my head behind the ear. Tumunog ‘yung skull ko,’ she recalled.

Canlas also recalled another fight that she said resulted in her sustaining two fractured ribs and eventually prompted them to stay at her parents’ house.

‘The reason we ended up staying at my parents house is because he broke my ribs. Two fractured ribs. I wrapped my whole body around him to stop him from leaving. He pushed me then pinuruhan niya ako, punch na parang boxing. Nawala ‘yung hininga ko. The next thing I know nagising ako sa kama na naka curl up, parang hipon,’ she said.

According to Canlas, the incident happened at their old house. She said her therapist advised her to leave the environment because of the trauma, which led to them staying at her parents’ home.

Canlas also disputed Alemania’s characterization of her as someone who was constantly nagging, saying their arguments stemmed from a lack of communication because he would allegedly walk away instead of discussing and resolving their problems.

She said Alemania told her mother about the incident involving her ribs, but instead of apologizing, he allegedly tried to justify his actions.

‘Blame the daughter for something that he did. And in spite of that, my mom mediated pa for us,’ Canlas said, adding that her father did not know about her fractured ribs because she was protecting Alemania.

Later in the interview, Canlas recalled another alleged incident of physical abuse, saying Alemania strangled her twice during their marriage.

‘He ended up strangling me. In the course of our marriage, he did that twice,’ she said. ‘When it was good, it was good. When it was bad, it was bad.’

Canlas also said Alemania would give her the silent treatment after their fights, with some instances allegedly lasting for months.

‘The whole time na di kami nag-uusap, dadaan-daanan ako niyan, lasing, uuwi 5 am, so ‘yung sinasabi niyang walking on eggshells saan,’ she said, adding that her parents did not intervene in their problems despite the couple living under the same roof.

Canlas also addressed Alemania’s earlier statement quoting the Bible: ‘Husbands love your wives. Wives submit to your husbands.’

She said marriage should be a ‘give and take’ process but cautioned against what she described as ‘blind submission.’

‘But there’s also such a thing as blind submission. Hindi ka pwede magsubmit kung feeling mo hindi best interest nung tao, ‘yung kapakanan ng pamilya mo […] There is no trust. There is no respect,’ she said.

The actress likewise disputed Alemania’s description of himself as a ‘dakila’ or devoted husband, bringing up an alleged instance of infidelity that she said she discovered after leaving him.

‘What if I tell you I have proof that you were sleeping with someone the time that we’re together,’ she said, adding that she did not want to disclose the nature of the alleged proof at the moment.

Canlas also said she chose to remain with Alemania amid his legal issues involving singer-actress Rita Daniela, who accused him of making unwanted sexual advances toward her.

‘I decided to stay with him, with the legal issues that he has, in hopes na makita niya ‘yung loyalty and devotion ko sa kaniya. Masalvage pa ‘yung marriage namin kahit papaano,’ she said.

Canlas said she eventually realized she needed to end the relationship after she surprised Alemania on his birthday, only for them to end up fighting again.

‘I remember in my head. So be it. I’m done. I felt like I could no longer do anything to make him happy,’ she said.

The actress also said she had to sell her wedding and engagement rings to help provide for her family while Alemania was struggling financially amid his legal case.

Canlas said she and Alemania were undergoing marriage counseling before she learned about Daniela’s complaint. She said she had also been waiting for Alemania to come clean about something after he was fired from the television series ‘Widows’ War.’

‘So when we were working on our marriage, he was trying to cover up a lie at the same time. Tapos nung nalaman ko na, he cups my face, and tells me, ‘I need you to be strong. I need you to be brave,’ Bakit hindi sorry? Instead of apologizing, inutusan pa ako maging strong,’ she recalled.

‘He never said sorry for what happened. He never said sorry to my parents. Both of my parents are pastors,’ she added.

Canlas said she confronted Alemania about what happened with Daniela, but he denied it. The actor continued to deny the allegations in his recent interview.

‘Doon sa interview niyo, important bang sabihin na naging babaero ka for people to believe na hindi ka nang mamanyak. I’ll never know what happened in that car, silang dalawa lang nakakaalam non,’ she said.

In October 2025, Alemania was found guilty of acts of lasciviousness under Article 336 of the Revised Penal Code in connection with the complaint filed by Daniela.

Despite her experiences, Canlas said she remains hopeful about finding love again. Asked if she still loves Alemania, she replied, ‘No. I think I love myself now.’

‘Hindi ‘yung nangyari sakin ang magiging story ko. That’s just a chapter. There are better days ahead, including someone,’ she added.

Canlas also said she is not currently open to co-parenting with Alemania.

‘In what world would I want to co-parent with someone, who doesn’t respect me in the very least. How can I expect him to create a safe environment for our son,’ she said.

Sept. 3, 2006

The National Historical Institute installed a national historical landmark in the Cuartel of Imus in Cavite to commemorate the ‘Labanan sa Imus.’ On Sept. 1, 1896, the forces of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and Col. Jose Tagle attacked the friars and guardia civils who had taken refuge in the Casa Hacienda. The following day, revolutionaries led by Tagle launched another attack while Aguinaldo and his men were fighting in Bacoor. Finally, on Sept. 3, 1896, additional Spanish forces under Gen. Ernesto de Aguirre were defeated. Aguirre’s sable de mando fell during this battle and was captured by the revolutionaries. This victory served as an inspiration to the revolutionaries as they fought for independence.

Sept. 3, 2022

Calaca was converted from a municipality into a component city of Batangas through a plebiscite, which ratified Republic Act No. 11544, signed by then President Rodrigo Duterte on May 26, 2021. Once a barrio of Balayan situated on the left bank of the Bolbok River, Calaca was established as a town on May 10, 1835. Prior to its conversion to a city, it was already emerging as one of the fastest-growing local economies in Calabarzon and was known as the ‘Power Town in South Luzon.’ Today, Calaca is a third-class city with a population of 92,281, as of the 2024 Census.

Sept. 4, 2025

The provincial government of La Union and the Baguionas Farmers and Coffee Growers Association (BFCGA) signed a deed of donation for La Union’s first coffee processing facility located in Barangay Libbo, Bagulin. The 78-square-meter facility was funded P2.9 million under Republic Act No. 7171, or the Support for Virginia Tobacco Farmers Act. Construction began on November 18, 2024, and was completed on May 29, 2025. The facility is now operated by BFCGA, whose members are mostly robusta coffee farmers from the indigenous peoples community. Its 33 farmer-members collectively cultivate 30.55 hectares and yield about 400 kilograms of green coffee cherries annually. They supply coffee beans to popular establishments in the surfing town of San Juan.

This week’s festival

Siargao Food and Wine Festival (Aug. 26 to Aug. 31)

The Siargao Food and Wine Festival is the country’s first community-led, island-wide culinary festival that’s taking place in Siargao, Surigao del Norte. In partnership with the Department of Tourism, the festival carries the theme, ‘Building a Better Island, One Bite at a Time.’ It celebrates the people, produce and traditions that shape the island’s food culture through collaborative dining experiences, workshops, markets and community gatherings. The six-day festival offers a series of immersive experiences, including a gala opening on Aug. 26, Ocean Day on Aug. 27, Coconut Day on Aug. 28, Producer Day on Aug. 29 and Community Day on Aug. 30. It will culminate on Aug. 31 with a closing celebration and recognition.

Hadang Festival (Sept. 1 to Sept. 8)

The Hadang Festival is celebrated in Calbayog City, Samar. The festival is named after ‘Hadang,’ which is an ancient ritual dance offering to spirits for blessings such as a good harvest, healing or protection from violence. In 2025, it was declared as the city’s official festival through Ordinance No. 2025-27-658. The ordinance also formally ended the use of the Sarakiki Festival, which had previously been hyphenated with Hadang. This year’s celebration includes a beauty pageant, ‘Hinadang nga Bulawan, ‘Uyag Kinahimat-an,’ Hadang ritual street dancing competition and grand showdown, concert, fiesta carnival and culminates with the town fiesta on Sept. 8.