Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday said over 200 classrooms were damaged by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck off Cebu.

Based on a situation report, DepEd said it has so far received 54 initial reports involving the earthquake, covering 2,220 learners and 97 teaching and non-teaching personnel.

The reports showed that 198 classrooms suffered minor damage, 26 classrooms with major damage, while 34 classrooms were totally damaged by the earthquake.

Meanwhile, six water, sanitation and hygiene facilities were also damaged.

DepEd said the reports covered 11 School Division Offices, particularly, Canlaon City, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Iloilo, Bohol, Carcar City, Cebu, Lapu-Lapu City, Toledo City, and Bonogan City.

On the other hand, no injuries among learners were reported.

The magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off Cebu on Tuesday night, according to state seismologists.

The Office of the Civil Defense said as many as 60 individuals reportedly died due to the strong quake.

San Simon, Pampanga Mayor Abundio ‘JP’ Punsalan Jr. pleaded not guilty to graft and extortion charges before the Sandiganbayan, two months after he was entrapped by authorities at a restaurant in Clark Freeport while allegedly receiving a bag containing around P30 million.

Punsalan entered his plea as the charges were read to him during his arraignment before the anti-graft court’s Seventh Division on Wednesday.

A Sandiganbayan order dated Sept. 9 showed that the mayor surrendered and posted cash bonds of P90,000 for each case filed against him for violating Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and Article 293 of the Revised Penal Code (robbery by means of extortion).

The complaint against him stemmed from the claim of San Simon-based Real Steel Corporation that the mayor demanded P80 million from the company in exchange for not overturning Municipal Ordinance No. 24-0025, which granted tax incentives to the firm.

The demand was allegedly accompanied by threats that Real Steel’s incentives would be revoked if payment was not made.

Reports also showed that Real Steel filed an urgent motion before the Office of the Ombudsman to suspend Punsalan in connection with an administrative case for grave misconduct and serious dishonesty. The motion remains pending.

The company likewise lodged a separate administrative case against the mayor before the Pampanga provincial board.

Petron Corp., part of the San Miguel group, has become the first oil firm accredited as an official training institution in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry.

In a statement Tuesday, Petron said it had secured the certification from the Department of Energy (DOE) last week.

The accreditation shows the group’s capacity to produce LPG professionals from its refinery, terminals, haulers, dealers and retail outlets.

This is also consistent with the implementation of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Industry Regulation Act. The law seeks to improve industry standards as well as impose stronger penalties.

‘As more LPG personnel undergo proper training from qualified institutions, consumers can be more confident in the quality and reliability of the LPG products they receive,’ said Rino Abad, DOE’s Oil Industry Management Bureau director.

DOE certificate

After LPG personnel’s training with Petron, they will receive a DOE certificate, according to the firm.

‘The company has already scheduled its LPG training sessions, starting with dealers and retailers in Ormoc, Leyte,’ it said.

Petron’s flagship brands under its LPG business include Petron Gasul and Fiesta Gas.

Petron supplies about 40 percent of the total fuel requirements nationwide through its refinery in Bataan. The facility has the capability to process 180,000 barrels of oil per day.

The oil refiner’s net income in the first half of 2025 dropped 12 percent to P5.3 billion amid persistent market challenges.

Its revenues had also declined by 13 percent to P386.4 billion in the January to June period.

Petron’s weaker performance in the first semester was blamed on the rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East as well as the tariff war triggered by the United States.

The company also cited the recent decision of major oil producers to boost production, resulting in lower crude prices. INQ

Detained Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy has been in the hospital for nearly three weeks due to pneumonia, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said on Tuesday.

The BJMP told the Inquirer in a message that Quiboloy was taken out of the Pasig City Jail and rushed to a public hospital on Sept. 11 after he experienced difficulty in breathing.

‘He was later diagnosed with Community Acquired Pneumonia (Moderate Risk),’ BJMP spokesperson Jail Superintendent Jayrex Bustinera said.

The court in charge of Quiboloy’s case has already issued an order authorizing his hospital confinement after it was informed of the KOJC leader’s condition, Bustinera added.

‘As of 30 September 2025, he is stable and recovering in a public hospital, in line with BJMP policies on medical care for PDL (persons deprived of liberty),’ the BJMP spokesperson said.

Multiple charges

The televangelist leader and spiritual adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte-who is also detained in The Hague, the Netherlands over the thousands of killings under his drug war-has been charged with child abuse and human trafficking cases before courts in Quezon City and Pasig, respectively.

These are in addition to the criminal charges he is facing in the United States, which include conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling.

On Nov. 8 last year, Quiboloy was taken to the Philippine Heart Center for a routine check, but it led to his confinement for an ‘irregular heartbeat.’

He was brought back to the detention center at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Quezon City on Nov. 16 after the Pasig court denied his request for hospital arrest.

Previous confinement

On Jan. 23, the KOJC leader, who calls himself the ‘Son of God,’ was hospitalized for pneumonia. He was transferred to the Pasig City Jail on Feb. 12.

Quiboloy was arrested in September 2024 after hiding for 16 days in the 30-hectare KOJC compound in Davao City as he tried to evade arrest by authorities.

The operation to take him in involved 4,500 police officers and cost the government P35 million, according to then Police Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, who led the hunt for the religious sect leader. At the time, Torre headed the Davao Police Regional Office. He later became acting director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and then PNP chief.

As CIDG chief, Torre also spearheaded the arrest of Duterte on Mar. 11 based on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity over his crackdown on drugs as Davao City mayor and then as president.

More than a year after it was completed, the first span of the Tuganay Bridge along the Maharlika National Highway in Carmen, Davao del Norte, already showed cracks on its pavement and bridge approach, an inspection team who visited the site noted.

In its Sept. 25 31-page report, the Davao del Norte infrastructure and social services delivery inspection team noted that the six-lane 420 meter-long Tuganay Bridge 1 along Maharlika Highway, the road that links Davao del Norte’s capital Tagum City to Davao City, was reported to have been completed on Feb. 20 last year but was already showing cracks.

The engineers noted that the P516-million bridge was also priced 38 percent higher for every linear meter than the two-lane and 30-meter-long bridge that the provincial government built.

For transparency

Davao del Norte Gov. Edwin Jubahib had sent copies of the report to the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and other concerned government agencies to add to the growing number of infrastructure projects being investigated by the Senate blue ribbon committee for questions and alleged irregularities.

Jubahib said he endorsed the report in the interest of transparency and accountability. The province, through the Provincial Development Council and the Provincial Peace and Order Council earlier passed a resolution creating the infrastructure and social services delivery inspection team to go over infrastructure and other government projects in the province, in the light of the irregularities uncovered in infrastructure projects at the national level.

The team also noted that the second span of Tuganay Bridge 2, which was started in April this year and still ongoing, also showed some cracks on its approach. Engineers also noted signs that substandard materials were allegedly being used.

The Inquirer tried to reach the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the region for comment but the office still had to reply to the text and phone messages.

DA’s findings

Tuganay Bridges 1 and 2, which figured in the worst flooded areas of Davao del Norte last year, were only two of the 11 projects worth more than P1 billion that the inspection team visited in the province.

The team also noted among others, the P150.28-million concreting project of the Tagum to Panabo Circumferential Road; and the section connecting Malitbog, Kasilak and Consolacion in Davao del Norte, which also showed several defects barely three years after it was completed on Dec. 15, 2022. Some of the projects had suffered delays because of road right-of- way problems.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has also flagged P75 million worth of alleged ‘ghost’ farm-to-market road (FMR)projects in Mindanao.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the alleged ‘ghost’ FMR projects spanning 5 kilometers are located in Davao region and Zamboanga City.

‘So far, these are just initial reports and the amount is not that significant in terms of the overall FMR road projects,’ Tiu Laurel said in an interview with dzBB in Metro Manila on Tuesday.

Digging deeper

Tiu Laurel said these FMR projects were implemented before his term, but the DA was ‘digging deeper’ into the issue given the involvement of ‘very small’ contractors.

The agriculture chief said the FMR review was triggered by a report from the DA’s regional office in Davao submitted at the end of July.

However, Tiu Laurel did not provide additional information about the identity of these contractors or the exact project sites.

He clarified that such projects were part of the DA’s budget allocation under the 2025 General Appropriations Act and no budget insertions were made.

At a briefing on Tuesday, Palace press officer Claire Castro affirmed that Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon was already doing his investigation about the FMRs implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

While lodged under the DA, the FMRs-agricultural infrastructures designed to connect agricultural production areas to markets and major roads for efficient delivery of goods, and reduced transportation costs-are under the DPWH. It is in charge of the commissioning, bidding, and construction of FMRs identified and validated by the DA.

For 2026, the DA proposed a budget of P16 billion for FMRs.

Last month, the DA announced a ‘sweeping’ audit of FMR projects covering the years 2021 to 2025 to check and resolve possible irregularities in their implementation. Tiu Laurel initiated the comprehensive review following congressional investigations involving government-funded flood control projects.

The DA chief wanted the audit of the FMRs to be completed before the end of the year, with its findings to be forwarded to the Office of the President.

‘We must make sure they are done properly, that taxpayers’ money was spent to provide farmers with market access and not squandered for farm-to-pocket projects,’ he said.

Tiu Laurel said no DA official or employee was involved based on their preliminary findings but vowed to immediately suspend any personnel found guilty of engaging in such illicit activities.

The government aims to construct 131,000 kilometers of farm-to-market roads designed to link agricultural areas with markets.

Approximately 70,000 km of these projects had been completed as of July. However, the government has around 61,000 km in backlog or pending validation.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will file criminal complaints against public officials and contractors allegedly involved in flood control anomalies who are found to have committed tax violations.

BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said this in an ambush interview with reporters after meeting with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) at its office in Taguig City on Tuesday. According to Lumagui, the BIR is coordinating with the ICI and other government agencies to investigate the government officials and contractors named in the flood control probe for possible tax evasion.

‘As far as the BIR is concerned, we are looking at the tax angle here, which includes possible tax deficiencies and tax evasion as a criminal case. So for this particular criminal case, we will be the ones to file it. That’s why we will gather all the information involved in the ongoing investigations,’ Lumagui said in Filipino.

According to the BIR commissioner, the first criminal complaint may be filed this week or next, as the agency continues compiling comprehensive evidence on certain personalities.

‘Maybe this week or next, we will file some initial criminal cases. But again, these are not yet complete; we will only be filing cases on specific issues for now,’ he said. Lumagui also mentioned that there are already certain personalities who could serve as complainants in the cases they plan to file. ‘Even before, we had already checked the tax compliances, other information, and reported revenues. We are also conducting lifestyle checks on the contractors and other personalities being mentioned,’ he explained.

‘Billions of taxes being chased’

When asked how much in taxes the BIR is pursuing from personalities allegedly involved in flood control anomalies, Lumagui said, ‘Definitely in the billions.’

‘Because in a particular case, in just one taxable year for a single taxpayer, we already found a billion in tax evasion,’ the BIR commissioner noted.

‘As for the total amount, we still don’t know yet because our examination and collation of information and data from other government agencies are still ongoing,’ he added.

‘Pay for deficiency tax, be rotten to jail’

According to Lumagui, those found liable for tax evasion will face penalties, including payment of deficiency taxes, and may also face imprisonment depending on the amount evaded.

‘First, we will collect the deficiency tax-the amount they were supposed to pay,’ Lumagui said in Filipino. ‘Second, if it is found that there was criminal intent, such as fraud, a criminal case for tax evasion will also be filed. So they will pay the deficiency tax and face a criminal complaint.’ ‘If the Department of Justice prosecutes the case, the penalty could include imprisonment,’ he added, noting that those who evade billions in taxes may face more than 10 years in jail.

Nearly 1,000 Bulacan State University (BulSU) students staged their ‘Kick Back Kontra Korap’ protest on Tuesday (Sept 30), marching through government sites in this city despite heavy rain.

The rally began at the BulSU campus, passed the Bulacan Capitol and Malolos City Hall, but was cut short before reaching the office of First District Rep. Danilo Domingo.

Students urged Gov. Daniel Fernando and Mayor Christian Natividad to support calls for justice for flood victims, citing ‘ghost’ flood-control projects allegedly involving corrupt officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Last Saturday, nearly 1,000 residents, mostly young professionals and students, held a parallel protest in Paombong dubbed ‘Tindig Paombong.’ Convenor Alfredo Punzal demanded that Domingo personally explain the alleged P5 billion corruption in flood-control projects, saying his Facebook denial was not enough.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee earlier heard testimony from former DPWH officials linking Domingo and other Bulacan lawmakers to questionable projects. His district, which includes Malolos, Paombong, Hagonoy, Bulakan, Obando, and Calumpit, received nearly P9.5 billion in flood-control funds from 2022 to 2025.

Domingo has denied any involvement, insisting he neither participated in project implementation nor benefited from it.

Protest leaders, however, vowed to sustain their campaign, saying corruption worsens flooding and deprives communities of basic services.

At last week’s hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee on anomalous flood control projects, Orly Regala Guteza, a witness presented by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, testified that he delivered suitcases containing money to the residence of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Rep. Rizaldy Co.

Shortly after he submitted his affidavit to the committee, lawyer Petchie Rose Espera, whose signature and notarial seal were in the document, issued a statement denying ‘.notarizing, signing or participating in the preparation of the said document.’

She further said the signature and notarial details attributed to her were falsified and unauthorized.

That disclaimer raised serious doubts about the truthfulness of Guteza’s statements, including the integrity of the people who had a hand in his sudden appearance in the hearing.

In an obvious effort at damage control, his handlers said that even if the notarization was falsified, his statements deserve consideration because he was sworn to by the committee before he read his affidavit.

Credibility

It is apparent that the attempt to make it appear that his statements were made under oath before a notary public was aimed at giving them the credibility usually accorded to or is enjoyed by notarized documents.

The common perception of those documents is that their contents are truthful or worthy of belief because their affiants know that they could be held liable for perjury if their statements were later proven false.

The unabashed falsification of a notarial certification submitted in a proceeding that had drawn and continues to draw public attention has added to the already diminished level of confidence in the trustworthiness of documents submitted to government offices and business establishments, in particular, banks and financial institutions.

In earlier times, when official and commercial papers that bore the signatures of the parties were submitted, the genuineness of the signatures was presumed and no additional documents were needed to authenticate them.

Not anymore.

The proliferation of fake and falsified documents, which has been made easy through the use of computer-generated signatures and other AI (artificial intelligence) techniques, no longer makes that trusting attitude acceptable.

Today, it is standard operating procedure that signatures in commercial or business documents must be accompanied by a photocopy of a government-issued identification card (or sometimes two depending on the significance of the document) of the signatory that bears his or her signature.

Signed thrice

And below that, the signatory must sign three times and indicate the date of his or her signing. These requirements are aimed at ensuring that the document was really signed by the person whose signature appears on it.

These requirements apply even if the document is notarized by a notary public or sworn to before a government employee who is authorized to authenticate documents.

With that incident in the Senate hearing, notarization may cease to be looked at as a reliable measure of the truthfulness or credibility of statements made in notarized documents. It looks like the threat of being held liable for perjury or making false statements under oath no longer makes telling the truth an essential element in the preparation and submission of sworn statements.

This would be unnerving for transactions that, for example, involve huge amounts of money or require compliance with some obligations in long-term contracts that are based on commitments made under oath.

In light of the misuse of the notarial process, some businesses cannot be faulted if they adopt stricter rules in the submission of documents that are required to be duly notarized.

That may include giving a copy of the notary’s notarial commission to make sure he or she is authorized to perform the notarial act and, like the signatories, a photocopy of a government-issued identification that bears his or her signature.

Aside from non-existent flood control projects, the Marcos administration will also look into the alleged ‘ghost’ farm-to-market roads (FMR) implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

In a briefing on Tuesday, Palace press officer Claire Castro said Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon is already doing his investigation about the FMRs.

Dizon told Malacañang that the DPWH is ‘also closely monitoring this issue because it really needs to be addressed at the soonest possible time.’

According to Castro, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Independent Commission on Infrastructure not to limit its investigation to flood control projects, but to all of government infrastructure.

Lodged under the budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA), FMRs are agricultural infrastructure designed to connect agricultural production areas to markets and major roads for efficient delivery of goods, and reduce transportation costs.

The DPWH is responsible for commissioning, bidding and constructing the FMRs identified and validated by the DA.

For 2026, the DA proposed a budget of P16 billion for FMRs.

On Sept. 18, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. ordered a ‘sweeping audit’ of all FMR projects constructed in the past four years, amid the controversy surrounding flood control projects.

More than a week after, the DA discovered anomalous FMR projects in two provinces in Mindanao, based on the initial findings of its audit.

In an interview on dzBB on Tuesday, Tiu Laurel said two FMR ghost projects were found in Davao Occidental, and these structures were built in 2021 and 2022. /apl

Lip Sync Assassin walked away as one of the big winners at the recently concluded CinePride Film Festival in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Precious Paula Nicole, star of the short film, bagged the award for Best Lead Performance, while Jon Galvez was honored as Best Director. Nicole also got a Special Citation for Best Performance at the Sinag Maynila 2025 Awards Night. The win was celebrated as they returned to The Philippines through a press conference that featured a special screening of Lip Sync Assassin.

Nicole and Galvez shared the victory with the local film, LGBTQIA+, and drag communities. Nicole said that the role was something meant for her as she got the call from Galvez two weeks after she manifested the opportunity. Galvez, on the other hand, always thought that Nicole would be perfect for the movie while he was writing the script. ‘Complex nga ‘yung character ni Sampaguita pero kailangan puno siya ng puso kasi willing siyang ibigay ang lahat lahat para sa pamilya. And meron din akong nakitang parang magic kay Precious even when I was following her career in Drag Race na ‘yun eh all heart lagi ang binibigay niya.’

Lip Sync Assassin follows the story of Sampaguita, a drag queen who also works as a contract assassin so she can earn extra for her daughter and ill mother. Galvez tags it as a breadwinner story which partly resonates with his previous experience as an OFW based in Singapore. The movie also features Star Magic’s Argel Saycon plus drag queen favorite Hana Beshie. At the press conference, Nicole reflected on how she never says no to a challenge and hopes her recent milestone as an actress encourages more people to dream big. ‘Mahirap siya talaga, ako nga po after 20 years nangyari sa akin yung pag-arte, pero hindi ko binitawan.’ Lip Sync Assassin was screened at select movie houses all throughout the metro until the end of September thanks to Sinag Malaya 2025.

CinePride Film Festival was held last September 11-14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. It serves as a global celebration of LGBTQIA+ stories through film debuts, workshops, and panel discussions. This year’s films featured international drag legends BenDelaCreme, Monét X Change, and Jinkx Monsoon.