Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Magnolia made another roster addition before the start of the PBA’s 50th season by signing former Phoenix forward Raffy Verano on Thursday.

The Hotshots announced the move on social media with a photo showing Verano being joined by team manager Alvin Patrimonio while inking on the dotted line. He had been joining Magnolia’s practices since the start of the week and even scored seven points in the 91-84 tune-up victory over Blackwater two days prior at Gameville Ball Park in Mandaluyong City.

‘It’s a blessing, for sure,’ Verano told Inquirer after that tune-up game. ‘Everyone’s dream here in the Philippines is to be on a winning team. So I’m grateful and fortunate to land here.’

Verano joins Magnolia after he was released by Phoenix, which selected the Ateneo product in the second round of the Season 48 Draft two years ago.

Minutes have been inconsistent during the scrappy 6-foot-4 forward’s two seasons with the Fuel Masters.

His addition comes amid a busy offseason for Magnolia, which will now be handled by rookie coach LA Tenorio.

Also new to the squad are Javi Gomez de Liano and Paolo Taha while also signing rookie Gab Gomez.

The hour of reckoning has come for Royina Garma. This week, a Mandaluyong court issued warrants of arrest against the former police colonel and trusted Duterte aide, as well as retired police officer Edilberto Leonardo, and three others on charges of murder and frustrated murder.

The five are accused of being behind the 2020 assassination of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Board Secretary Wesley Barayuga. Garma was Barayuga’s boss as general manager of the PCSO from 2019 to 2022, appointed to that position by former President Rodrigo Duterte after her early retirement from the police force with the rank of police colonel.

From those once lofty posts, she is now facing interminable days in jail, because the charges against her are nonbailable. Once Garma is brought back to the country from Malaysia where she had flown reportedly to meet with representatives of the International Criminal Court (ICC), she would go straight to a cramped prison cell. There, she’d have more than enough time to contemplate, and perhaps rue, how her past life choices led to the current state of existence she’s enduring now.

In her heyday, Garma most likely thought the happy days would last forever. She had seemingly hit the jackpot, after all-or what counted for it in a country still ruled by powerful political warlords and kingpins: proximity to power.

Most trusted

As a long-time top cop in Davao City (and later in Cebu City), Garma became one of then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s most trusted foot soldiers, such that, according to the affidavits filed at the ICC by self-confessed former Davao Death Squad (DDS) hitmen Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascañas, Garma was among those with direct knowledge of and participation in the killing sprees carried out by the DDS in the name of Duterte’s ‘war on drugs.’

Per Lascañas, Garma-and Leonardo, now his co-accused in the Barayuga case-allegedly took direct orders from Duterte. In 2016, three Chinese drug lords detained at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm were summarily killed. The suspects were two prisoners who, in 2024, submitted affidavits to the House quad committee looking into extrajudicial killings that it was a cop named Arthur Narsolis who gave the order to kill the Chinese detainees.

Narsolis was not only a subordinate of Garma at that time; he was also her boyfriend. A jail officer would also tell the House that Garma had warned him against ‘interfering’ in the operation to kill the three Chinese. More damningly, Garma allegedly told him it was part of Duterte’s drug war.

Lucrative post

In Cebu City where she became police chief beginning 2018, Garma’s name struck fear and loathing in impoverished communities targeted by the brutal antinarcotics campaign of her boss. A victim’s mother testified at the House how, at the wake of her son who was gunned down by cops in an alleged drug raid, Garma arrogantly barged in, angry that such a wake was being held for a drug suspect and demanding why ‘there is only one dead, when there are many of them’ killed during the operation.

Garma had a full 10 years left to her career as a cop, but apparently, she was promised much bigger things, because she opted to retire early. Just days after chucking her uniform, she was installed as PCSO chief by Duterte. The state gambling regulator turned out to be a lucrative post not only for Garma, but also for her family. She hired seven family members to various PCSO positions and set up a party list led by relatives and associates that, according to House lawmakers, profited from its connection to Garma as PCSO chief.

But it was also here, at the peak of her power and influence propped up by the iron hand of a strongman, that Garma’s sense of impunity appeared to have made a fatal overreach. In July 2020, Barayuga was killed in a shocking vigilante-style shooting in Mandaluyong.

Bare minimum

Nothing came of the investigation into his killing until, four years later, yet another cop would disclose to the House that Garma and Leonardo had allegedly masterminded the assassination, to prevent Barayuga from delving into irregularities in the PCSO.

Confronted with the barrage of incriminating information against her, the once swaggering, untouchable Garma was reduced to a sputtering mess before lawmakers, at one point begging not to be detained for contempt because she supposedly needed to take care of a sick daughter at home-the one she had previously placed in the PCSO’s payroll as a ‘confidential agent.’

Now that the moment of reckoning has come for Garma, she must make amends and pay back for her actions on two nonnegotiable fronts: one, by serving time in prison if she is found guilty of Barayuga’s murder; and two, by testifying at the ICC, fully, and without dissembling, about the extent of the mass killings done by the DDS under Duterte’s command.

Kim Chiu personally shopped for construction materials to donate to the victims of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu Province on Sept. 30.

Chiu, who grew up in Cebu, was spotted buying construction materials on Thursday for the residents affected by the earthquake in its epicenter in Bogo City and nearby municipality San Remigio.

In the photos seen on television variety show ASAP’s official social media pages, the actress was photographed being directly involved in the purchase of the materials and talking to the necessary individuals.

‘In the midst of her taping in Cebu, Kim Chiu took time to personally buy materials for those affected by the recent earthquake in Bogo City and San Remigio. Queen move, indeed!’ read the caption.

Sheil Andes, one of the crew members of Chiu’s upcoming series ‘The Alibi,’ also took to X to share that the actress plans to fill two 10-wheeler trucks with materials for the reconstruction of the disrupted homes.

Chiu is currently in Cebu for the filming of ‘The Alibi,’ opposite her on-screen partner, Paulo Avelino. Aside from Chiu, Zsa Zsa Padilla, who is also part of the series, has donated ready-to-eat food packs to victims of the earthquake.

According to the latest situational report released by authorities on Oct. 2, the death toll from the earthquake has now risen to 72.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the calamity has affected 170,959 individuals, or 47,221 families.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), meanwhile, has recorded 2,613 aftershocks as of 7 a.m. this morning.

Anyse ‘Marlee’ Smith is ready to step up for fan favorite Choco Mucho in the PVL Reinforced Conference starting Tuesday at Ynares Center Montalban.

From having a dazzling stint with Thai club Nakhon Ratchasima in the AVC Champions League hosted by the Philippines last May, Smith looks forward to taking her talent with the Flying Titans.

‘I’m just here to do my job, show my support, be a good team player, and be a leader. I want to win,’ said the American opposite hitter.

‘You will see a very compassionate, very committed Marlee this time around. I feel like I did a big one, the first time, but I want to leave with an even bigger impact this time.’

Smith, who played for North Texas University, also relished the welcoming team of coach Dante Alinsunurin and their fan base. ‘The transition has been fairly easy because my teammates are very welcoming. I felt very supported since I got here. I actually really, really love my team,’ she said. ‘I love the supporters here. I feel like the fans definitely give us a run for our money. They’re there to support us. They’re there when we’re down, and they’re there when we need them. So I just want to say we appreciate all of you.’

Smith will be leading the Flying Titans, who last reached the PVL final in the 2024 All-Filipino Conference and reached the semifinal in the previous one.

Maddie Madayag and Kat Tolentino are returning to boost the Flying Titans, who will still miss Sisi Rondina due to her commitment to Alas Pilipinas.

Meanwhile, Akari, the runner-up of last year’s Reinforced, will field Annie Mitchem as its import.

The 31-year-old American outside hitter is bringing her experience from Jakarta Livin Mandiri in Indonesia, Italy, Turkey, and Brazil following her collegiate career at the University of Hawaii.

Capital1 parades Ukrainian Oleksandra Bytsenko, a 29-year-old outside spiker.

Agricultural damage due to the southwest monsoon, or habagat, and tropical cyclones Mirasol, Nando, and Opong has increased to P2.51 billion as of Wednesday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported.

The latest tally is 28.67 percent higher than the P1.95 billion recorded by the DA on Monday.

In its latest advisory, the DA stated that adverse weather conditions affected the livelihoods of 85,671 farmers in the following regions: Cordillera, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Soccsksargen.

Losses were recorded in rice, corn, high-value crops, cassava, livestock and poultry, agricultural infrastructures, irrigation facilities, and machinery and equipment. Rice incurred the most substantial losses, accounting for 60.15 percent or P1.51 billion, of the total. High-value crops and corn followed at P705.12 million and P278.14 million, respectively. – Jordeene Lagare

Senator Mark Villar broke his silence on Thursday, saying that he welcomes any investigations on his alleged involvement in anomalous flood control projects, maintaining that he has ‘nothing to hide.’

In a statement, the former Public Works and Highways chief turned senator categorically stated that he has neither direct nor indirect ownership nor controlling interest in any company participating in DPWH projects.

‘The official record will confirm that none of my relatives acquired any contracts from 2016 to 2021, during my tenure as Secretary,’ said Villar.

According to him, his focus at that time was solely to implement ‘deep-seated reforms and rebuild public trust.’

‘I have full faith that my service record in those years bears witness to this focus and commitment. To build upon that work, I fully support the investigation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure,’ said Villar.

‘Furthermore, to institutionalize these practices, we will be filing a bill to mandate universal drone monitoring for all major government projects,’ he added.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure earlier bared its plan to summon Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, former Ako Bicol Party-list Zaldy Co, and Villar on its probe into the multi-billion peso anomalous flood control projects in the country.

No official from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) showed up again for the plenary debates at the House of Representatives, with Vice President Sara Duterte demanding two conditions for her to show up before the chamber.

During the plenary session on Thursday, the proposed OVP budget was once again brought up, as the House seeks to end debates on House Bill (HB) No. 4058 or the General Appropriations Bill (GAB). However, budget sponsor and Palawan 2nd District Rep. Jose Alvarez admitted that no one from the OVP is present to assist him.

Instead, Alvarez showed three letters from Duterte – first, assigning staffers like Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio and others to attend in her behalf; second, notifying the House committee on appropriations that Ortonio has been designated as officer-in-charge due to the leave of absence of Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez; and a set of demands for her appearance at the House plenary.

Part of Duterte’s demands is for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to also show up at the House to defend the Office of the President budget.

‘Thirdly, we still have another letter addressed to our chair, (Nueva Ecija Rep.) Mikaela Angela Suansing [.] In view of these letters Mr. Speaker, we have given the Office of the Vice President utmost respect in the procedures of this Congress in order to deliberate on the budget of the OVP,’ Alvarez said.

‘Mr. Speaker, there’s no one from the Office of the Vice President, and I’m prepared to stand alone here, and to stand for the budget of the OVP,’ he added.

Alvarez also read the letter.

‘It has come to my attention that the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) budget of P902.895 million has been deferred due to the committee’s insistence that I attend the plenary deliberations. I am prepared to attend, however, I am seeking the following: 1. The House of Representatives demand the attendance of President Marcos for the P27.3 billion budget deliberation of the Office of the President,’ Duterte said, as relayed by Alvarez.

‘Alternatively, I will attend if the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability will produce before the plenary schedule, a Department of Justice (DO) document confirming that the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) for the following OVP personnel has been lifted: Atty. Zuleika Lopez, Mr. Lemuel Ortonio, Atty. Rosalynne Sanchez, Atty. Sunshine Charry Fajarda, Ms. Gina Acosta, Ms. Julieta Villadelrey, Mr. Edward Fajarda,’ she added.

OVP’s budget was originally scheduled to be discussed last Tuesday, but it was deferred to Wednesday, due to the absence of an undersecretary-level official to assist the budget sponsor.

Proposed allocation

On Wednesday, Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan asked whether Vice President Sara Duterte is present to defend the agency’s proposed allocation for 2026. Deputy Speaker Yevgeny Emano, who was presiding over the session, asked Deputy Majority Leader and Mindoro 1st District Rep. Arnan Panaligan to respond.

Panaligan then named the officials sent by OVP, which includes Ortonio. After this response from the Panaligan, Libanan asked if the requirement of the House is to have either the head of agency or the second-in-command – an undersecretary-level official – assist the budget sponsor in defending the proposed budget.

Panaligan confirmed this, before adding that plenary debates on the OVP budget was actually scheduled for Tuesday, but it was rescheduled to Wednesday because of the same issue.

This is not the first time that the OVP sent an official that is not of an undersecretary level. Last September 12, at the initial budget hearing before the House committee on appropriations, the panel was forced to reschedule the discussions as Ortonio was the highest-ranked official that Duterte sent.

Budget sponsor and Palawan 2nd District Rep. Jose Alvarez said that Vice President Duterte will eventually show up on September 16 – a promise that she fulfilled.

During the committee hearing, both the Minority and the Majority accorded parliamentary courtesy to Duterte, sparing her from questions by the panel’s members. Duterte however waived the parliamentary courtesy given, answering some questions from the Minority solons.

This allowed ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio and Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Co to raise questions regarding low obligation rates and the disallowed OVP confidential funds.

Parliamentary courtesy for OVP has been a hot topic as the Minority through Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice joined the Majority in vowing to maintain this tradition for high-ranking officials.

Tinio objected to this, saying that while this is a tradition, current times call for the waiving of these parliamentary courtesy. The lawmaker also challenged Duterte to waive this courtesy so that she can answer questions related to her offices’ budget.

According to Tinio, Duterte has to answer several important questions – like who is Mary Grace Piattos, the name that signed off several acknowledgement receipts of the OVP confidential fund expenditures.

Piattos, along with other weird names, were not found inside the Philippine Statistics Authority database for live birth, marriage, and death registry.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has conducted a cleanup operation at the Lagarian creek in Brgy. Kalusugan, Quezon City, to mitigate flooding problems in the city during the rainy season.

The clearing operation, which is in coordination with the Quezon City Government, was inspected by MMDA General Manager Undersecretary Procopio Lipana and Quezon City Engineering Department Chief Mark Dale Perral on Thursday.

In an interview with reporters, Lipana emphasized that the 4-kilometer-long Lagarian Creek must be cleared of waste and desilted to enhance water flow and prevent the accumulation of floodwaters during heavy rains.

‘The houses here are almost submerged (in the flood). A lot will be affected by flooding if we don’t desilt this creek,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Perral noted that the Lagarian creek is a critical waterway, since it is upstream of the San Juan River, adding that as for the Roxas District alone, the estimated flood volume can reach around 30,000 cubic meters.

‘If we can desilt it, the capacity of the creek will increase. It will be a big help,’ he said.

The QC engineering chief, meanwhile, noted that they observed that aside from the dumped garbage, the waste found along the creek are mostly belongings of residents that were washed away due to the flood.

Nonetheless, Perral and Lipana appealed to the public to stop dumping waste in wrong places, such as canals and creeks.

Perral affirmed that the Quezon City government has been implementing the resolution recently passed by the Metro Manila Council, where the maximum penalty standard fine for those caught illegally throwing garbage in public places is P5,000.

The Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services (IDEALS) on Wednesday denounced the Senate resolution asking the International Criminal Court (ICC) to place former President Rodrigo Duterte under house arrest, calling it ‘an act of betrayal.’

‘Calling for his house arrest’ is not an act of mercy. It is an act of betrayal. It endangers families still fighting for justice. It would prove, once again, that in this country, the powerful are protected while the powerless are left to suffer,’ the statement of the human rights lawyers group read.

The group further slammed the resolution citing the Rome Statute, which does not allow interim release if the accused may still pose risks to the proceedings, victims or witnesses.

‘In the past, the ICC has denied the request for interim release because the accused possessed influence and power that may endanger victims and witnesses. The Senate’s resolution today is living proof of Duterte’s continuing influence and his allies’ ability to use institutions of government to interfere in proceedings pending before the ICC,’ IDEALS continued.

IDEALS warned that the approval of the resolution is a sign of the dangers of Duterte’s ‘enduring grip on power’ should he be granted any freedom in the middle of his trial.

On Wednesday, the Senate voted 15-3-2 to adopt a resolution to place Duterte under house arrest should medical findings prove that regular detention will worsen his medical condition.

The former president has been under the ICC’s custody at the Scheveningen prison in The Hague awaiting trial for accusations of crimes against humanity during his administration’s ‘war on drugs’ from 2016 to 2022.

IDEAL also pointed out the irony behind the Senate’s ‘plea in the name of ‘humanitarian’ concerns,’ pointing out that the same ‘compassion and mercy’ were not present for the ‘thousands of Filipinos [who] were slaughtered in Duterte’s so-called war on drugs.’

‘The Senate has undertaken no concrete measures to assist the families of victims: failing to investigate, failing to provide pathways for access to remedies, failing to protect and ensure the safety of surviving family members,’ IDEAL stated.

‘Yet for Duterte-the man facing not just one but three counts of crimes against humanity for orchestrating systematic killings of civilians under his watch-the Senate suddenly finds its voice. Is this compassion or privilege at work?’ IDEAL added.

The group further pressed that the Senate must instead show compassion to the victims of the drug war.

‘True compassion should belong to the families left behind: the mothers who lost children, wives who lost their husbands, families who lost fathers and loved ones-not to the man who enabled their deaths and still wields power through his children and political allies,’ the group declared.

Two more eruptions were observed at Taal Volcano in Batangas province within the past 24 hours, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

In its daily bulletin issued at 5 a.m., Thursday, Phivolcs reported a five-minute phreatic eruption and a 13-minute phreatomagmatic blast, although it did not specify the exact times of the events.

On Wednesday, a minor phreatomagmatic eruption from Taal’s main crater occurred from 2:02 a.m. to 2:15 a.m.

The US Geological Survey defines phreatic eruptions as steam-driven explosions that occur when water beneath the ground is heated by magma, lava, hot rocks, or newly formed volcanic deposits.

Phreatomagmatic eruptions, on the other hand, occur when magma and water interact, leading to the ejection of steam and pyroclastic fragments.

During its observation period, Phivolcs also detected 10 volcanic earthquakes, accompanied by four volcanic tremors that lasted two to four minutes.

The agency clarified that volcanic earthquakes originate from active volcanoes and exhibit distinct patterns characterized by their ‘mode of arrivals, periods, and amplitudes.’ Volcanic tremors, meanwhile, are continuous seismic signals with either regular or irregular wave patterns and low frequencies.

In the latest monitoring period, Phivolcs reported that Taal emitted 1,892 metric tons of sulfur dioxide, which rose 600 meters into the air. The agency classified the emission activity as ‘weak.’

No upwelling of hot volcanic fluids was observed in the main crater lake of Volcano Island, which sits at the center of Taal Lake. No volcanic smog or ‘vog,’ was also detected.

Alert Level 1, or low-level unrest, remains in effect over Taal Volcano.

Phivolcs warned that sudden steam-driven or phreatic eruptions, minor phreatomagmatic activity, ashfall, and the release of volcanic gas may still occur.

Authorities continue to prohibit entry into Volcano Island, Taal’s permanent danger zone, particularly within the main crater and the Daang Kastila trail. Aircraft are also discouraged from flying over the area, as ash from sudden eruptions may pose hazards.