Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Volunteers and environmental groups removed 609 crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) from the waters off Buyayao Island in the southernmost town of Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, during a two-day reef conservation activity over the weekend.

This starfish species is a natural component of coral reef ecosystems but can threaten reefs when its populations reach outbreak levels.

The starfish feed on living coral tissue, and large concentrations can consume coral faster than reefs can naturally recover.

The loss of live coral can affect marine biodiversity and coastal communities because reefs provide habitat and food for marine species and support activities such as fishing and tourism.

Healthy coral reefs also help sustain marine tourism, including diving, freediving and snorkeling, while reef degradation can diminish the appeal and ecological value of coastal destinations.

The COTS removal activity on Oct. 3 and 4 brought together Mindoro AdvenTours, the Center for Environmental Studies of the Mindoro State University, Freediving Coaches of Asia in Calapan, Mindoro Freediving Buddies, and the Bulalacao local government, including its tourism, municipal environment and natural resources, agriculture, disaster risk reduction and management, and Bantay Dagat offices.

Individual volunteers also joined the activity, combining their time, diving skills, and resources to help protect the island’s coral reefs.

‘For us, conservation is not just about removing COTS. It is about building awareness, inspiring people to care, and creating a community that takes responsibility for the ocean we all depend on,’ said Tina Jarabe of Mindoro AdvenTours.

‘Every volunteer who joined this activity became part of that mission,’ she added.

Organizers said removing 609 COTS demonstrated the value of cooperation among local governments, coastal communities, environmental organizations, tourism stakeholders, and diving and freediving groups.

The activity also highlighted how recreational diving and freediving communities can contribute to marine conservation by using their skills to support reef protection initiatives.

The organizers stressed that reef conservation should not be left to a single organization or sector, saying sustained protection requires continuing collaboration and community participation.

They expressed hope that the initiative would encourage more people to help protect Mindoro’s marine ecosystems and lead to further reef conservation activities in Buyayao Island and other coastal areas.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has no records showing that the P319.3 million received by CALE88 Foods Corp., a company linked to Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, Manases Carpio, came from the Chinese government, an AMLC official testified Tuesday.

During the resumption of the impeachment trial, defense lawyer Mark Vinluan asked AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura if the agency had any indication that the funds came from the Chinese government.

The P319.3 million was among CALE88’s transactions flagged by the AMLC as covered or suspicious. Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV had earlier identified the same amount as funds allegedly sent by the Chinese government.

Vinluan also asked Buenaventura whether AMLC records showed that China-based entities that transacted with CALE88 were illegitimate.

‘No, Your Honor, there’s nothing in the records,’ Buenaventura replied.

Senator-Judge Risa Hontiveros, however, said her office had researched two of the companies that transacted with CALE88: China National Township Enterprises and Beijing Jianweifang Food Co.

Hontiveros said China National Township Enterprises was previously directly under China’s Ministry of Agriculture and later became a state-owned agricultural enterprise under the country’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

She also said company profiles indicated that the firm supported the implementation of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and foreign policy.

Hontiveros said Beijing Jianweifang Food Co. is owned by Xinjiang Fruit Industry Group, which she described as a Chinese state-owned enterprise.

She added that Xinjiang Fruit Industry Group has an embedded Chinese Communist Party organization within its corporate structure and that Beijing Jianweifang’s chairman is a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

‘Bakit po ito mahalaga, Atty. Buenaventura?’ Hontiveros said, explaining that the companies’ alleged state links were relevant to the issue before the impeachment court.

(Why is this important, Atty. Buenaventura?)

Buenaventura began testifying for the prosecution Monday, when he confirmed several financial transactions involving Duterte and Carpio.

At one point, he testified that Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, had P193 million in unique bank transactions on March 28, 2014.

Later, Buenaventura testified that CALE88 received P319,326,770.41 in funds from China, confirming the figure earlier presented by Trillanes at a press briefing in San Juan.

Trillanes said Chinese firms sent the P319 million to CALE88 in tranches from 2023 to 2025.

Search teams on Monday morning recovered the body of the second and last missing passenger of a jeepney that was swept away by strong river currents in Rosario, Batangas, on October 3, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

‘At approximately 8:30 a.m…. search teams located the remains approximately 800 meters downstream from the spillway along the Pinansingin River in Sitio Kilo, Barangay Colongan,’ the PCG District Southern Tagalog said in a report.

Before resuming the search, team members met with the victim’s family at the Colongan barangay hall to discuss the systematic downstream search strategy.

Coast Guard personnel also provided aerial surveillance to support ground and river searches during the morning operation.

The tragic incident occurred at around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday when the passenger jeepney, carrying 14 people, attempted to cross a spillway over the Pinansingin River. Strong currents swept the vehicle off the crossing and completely submerged it.

Residents rescued 12 passengers, while the other two – a husband and wife – were initially reported missing.

The search team, composed of PCG personnel, local government rescuers, Army soldiers, police officers, firefighters and volunteers, earlier recovered the body of the wife on the morning of Oct. 3.

With the recovery of the husband’s body, all 14 people aboard the ill-fated jeepney have now been accounted for, the PCG said.

Local authorities are assisting in the transfer and formal turnover of the remains to the designated authorities and the bereaved family.

Several organizations from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) urged President Marcos and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim to complete the peace process before the 50th Tripoli Agreement anniversary.

In an issued manifesto, the 10-signatory organization called on Marcos to complete decommissioning and sign the exit agreement within his term.

‘The peace process began under President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. with the Tripoli Agreement in 1976. On Dec. 23, 2026, it turns 50. History has handed his son the chance to finish it,’ the group said in a statement.

Moreover, they urged Marcos to meet chair Murad before the new BARMM parliament formally convenes.

The inaugural session of the BARMM Parliament is set for Oct. 30, when it will elect the chief minister and parliamentary officials.

‘That is their right; it is how democracy works. But no coalition is bigger than the peace agreement that made this Parliament possible,’ they said.

They further emphasized, ‘Its unfinished business must come first.’

The group also asked the President to agree on a completion roadmap with a clear timeline and ensure that the fifty-year peace pact is accomplished by Dec. 23.

‘The Bangsamoro now has an elected parliament. The Palace itself has tied normalization to an elected government. That step is done. What remains is the last: completing decommissioning, delivering the promised packages to former combatants and their families, transforming the camps, and signing the Exit Agreement,’ the group expressed.

Four years after Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) devastated Dinagat Islands, the province’s vibrant tourism industry is back on its feet, attracting over one million tourists who pumped in revenues worth at least half a billion pesos.

Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr. highlighted the island-province’s post-disaster recovery milestones during the 20th foundation anniversary of Dinagat Islands on Oct. 3.

Demerey traced the turnaround to institutional roadmaps rolled out by the provincial government, starting with the ‘Remedy’ agenda drafted in 2022 and later refined into the target-specific ‘Remedy Targets’ platform in 2025.

Tourism emerged as the primary growth engine for the island.

Official data presented during the address showed annual visitor arrivals leaping from 144,228 in 2022 to an unprecedented 1.121 million by December 2025, an increase of 677 percent.

Odette devastated the Dinagat Islands in December 2021, leaving a trail of destruction that killed 14 people and completely destroyed 14,000 houses.

Demerey said the tourist arrivals in the three years to 2025 generated an estimated P545 million in gross revenues to the island’s tourism and allied industries.

Hospitality sector

The sustained tourist influx stimulated the local hospitality sector, driving a 35-percent expansion in lodging establishments, from 54 to 73, he added.

‘Concurrently, the Department of Tourism-accredited travel and tour operators climbed more than tenfold, from just three in 2022 to 39 in 2025,’ the governor said.

Provincial planners attributed the growth to low-cost, high-impact interisland routes, particularly the roll-on, roll-off ships and passenger links connecting Del Carmen in Siargao to Cagdianao in Dinagat, alongside closer integration with the Surigao City, Surigao del Norte tourism circuit.

In Cebu province, more than 1 million tourists were also recorded in the first eight months of 2026, with foreign visitors accounting for over 242,000 arrivals, according to data released by the Cebu Provincial Government.

The Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) recorded 1,080,809 tourist arrivals from January to August, reflecting continued activity in Cebu’s tourism sector as the province steps up promotions and pushes for more direct international flights.

Domestic travelers continued to make up the bulk of visitors, with 838,575 arrivals during the eight-month period.

Foreign arrivals reached 242,108, or roughly 22 percent of the total.

The Capitol said the latest figures were higher than the 958,317 arrivals recorded during the same period in 2025, representing a 12.78-percent increase.

Domestic arrivals rose 9.19 percent year on year, while international arrivals increased by 27.28 percent, according to the PTO.

Among Cebu’s towns and cities covered by the provincial data, Cordova attracted the most visitors at 171,552, followed by the northern Cebu destinations of Santa Fe on Bantayan Island with 120,197 and Daanbantayan with 59,435.

South Korea remained the province’s largest foreign tourist market, accounting for 60,518 arrivals. The United States followed with 22,866 visitors, while Japan ranked third with 22,223.

The provincial government attributed the tourism performance partly to efforts to market Cebu domestically while improving its international connectivity.

Four rehabilitated wild animals were released into designated sites within the Aurora Memorial National Park, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources office in Central Luzon said on Tuesday.

The animals included a Philippine serpent eagle (Spilornis holospilus), two Philippine cobras (Naja philippensis) and a reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus), according to Artemio Almazan Jr., head of the DENR Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office in Nueva Ecija.

The Aurora Memorial National Park is a protected area spanning portions of Aurora and Nueva Ecija. It covers parts of Maria Aurora, San Luis, Baler, and Dingalan in Aurora, and Bongabon in Nueva Ecija. It is classified as a national park under the Aurora Memorial Protected Landscape.

The protected area forms part of the Sierra Madre mountain range and includes forest formations, wetlands, caves and other ecosystems that provide habitat for wildlife. Parts of the area have rugged, steep terrain, with elevations reaching more than 1,000 meters in portions of Nueva Ecija.

Before their release, the four animals underwent rehabilitation, veterinary care, species-specific feeding management, and health assessments at the DENR Regional Wildlife Rescue Center (RWRC).

The center’s resident veterinarian assessed their overall health and fitness for release, including their ability to survive under natural conditions.

Almazan said the RWRC also implemented biosecurity measures and species-specific feeding management when the animals were under its care to safeguard their health and welfare throughout rehabilitation and prepare them for their return to the wild.

Makabayan bloc lawmakers on Tuesday urged government agencies to address recorded cases of student repression across the country, emphasizing that students have the right to express dissent against anomalies, particularly in corruption.

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, and Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Elago filed House Resolution No. 1512, condemning what they described as ‘alarming escalation’ of repression against youth leaders and students.

This came after the University of Santo Tomas suspended four student activists who faced disciplinary complaints after a confrontation with a personnel of a Philippine Air Force during a campus exhibit last April 21.

The lawmakers also cited 10 other cases of student repression from other universities, including the University of the Philippines (UP), Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), University of Eastern Philippines, Sultan Kudarat State University, Cebu Technological University, Cebu Normal University, University of Rizal Pililla, Central Luzon State University, Tarlac State University, and Cebu Institute of Technology.

They pointed out that the cases escalated after the September 21 anti-corruption protests last year. They also mentioned the issuance of subpoenas on charges of sedition and inciting to sedition for leading anti-corruption protests in September 21, 2025 against four student leaders from UP and PUP.

‘Gusto nating makita kung ano yung explanation ng pattern kung bakit lumalala ang cases of student repression, bakit dumadami yung pagbabawal, paglalagay ng polisiya na nagpapahirap sa mga estudyanteng magmobilisa sa loob ng paaralan o di kaya sa labas,’ Co told reporters in an interview.

(We want to know the explanation on the pattern on the worsening cases of student repression, on why the students are being prohibited to mobilize inside and outside their schools.)

The lawmakers also called for an inquiry into the possible violations of their academic freedom, assembly, and expression.

‘Tumututol kami sa dumadaming instances of repression at pinapaimbestigahan sa pinakakagyat sa House of Representatives na pag may paglabag sa karapatang pantao gaya nito, dapat aksyunan ng mga ahensya ng gobyerno. Ending nito, dapat nirerespeto ang kakayahan ng kabataan na mag-organisa, magmulat, at kumilos,’ Co added.

(We are condemning the escalating instances of repression, and we want the House of Representatives to immediately investigate the human rights violations like these, and the government agencies must quickly resolve these. The rights of the students to mobilize and organize demonstrations must be respected.)

Manny Villar-led Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc. has donated a home in Palawan to five siblings who lost their mother, an overseas Filipino worker, to cancer in 2021.

Villar personally handed over the keys to the house and lot at Camella Palawan during a meeting with the siblings and their grandmother, the company said in a statement.

Their mother, Baby Jane Teodoro Allas, worked in Hong Kong to support her family.

She was reportedly dismissed by her employer after falling ill and later died from complications related to late-stage cervical cancer, according to Vista Land.

The company said a Hong Kong court subsequently ordered her former employer to pay approximately P2 million in damages for wrongful dismissal.

Following Allas’ death, the five siblings relied on their aunt, Mary Anne, and their grandmother for care and support.

Vista Land said Villar learned of the family’s situation and arranged the donation through the property developer.

The turnover surprised the siblings and their grandmother.

The company linked the donation to its ‘Road to 20’ campaign ahead of its 20th anniversary in February 2027. Its statement did not specify the property’s value or the turnover date.

The dismantling of fixtures and materials from the Senate office recently vacated by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was ‘standard practice,’ his office said on Wednesday.

According to them, ‘not a single centavo of public funds was wasted’ in the process, adding that the dismantled items, which were bought using Estrada’s personal funds, will be reinstalled in his new office.

‘It must also be emphasized that similar instances of dismantling fixtures and materials from a vacated senator’s office have occurred in the recent past,’ Estrada’s office said in a statement.

‘This is neither new nor unusual – it is an established and accepted practice within the institution, and singling out this particular transition for scrutiny is both unfair and misleading,’ it added.

The statement came after photos of the office being turned over to Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III showed that the space was left in a stripped-down condition, with several fixtures, including portions of the flooring and walls dismantled.

Lawyer Marian Lucinario, from Sotto’s office, on Monday told the Inquirer that the office was left in an ‘unusable condition’ and that the situation was ‘unprecedented.’

Estrada’s office, however, maintained that the practice was not unusual and urged that the transition not be ‘politicized, sensationalized, or made into a manufactured controversy where none exists.’

Estrada’s office also said that its chief of staff, lawyer Racquel Mejia, had informed Sotto’s office ahead of the Oct. 5 deadline for Estrada to vacate the room that the fixtures, furnishings, and materials would be brought to his new office.

This contradicts an earlier statement from Sotto’s office that it had not received any correspondence from Estrada’s office regarding the turnover.

According to Estrada’s office, the matter was also explained to the resident Commission on Audit auditor.

Estrada’s office further noted that when the room was turned over to him in 2022, it was likewise bare.

This is again a contradiction from Lucinario’s message to the Inquirer on Monday, where she said that the office was ‘definitely not’ in the same condition when it was turned over to Estrada by its previous occupant, Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson who was the Senate President Pro Tempore prior to Estrada.

The Inquirer sought Lucinario and Lacson’s comment on the matter but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.

However, Lacson also said on Tuesday that he takes exception to the statement pertaining to the state or condition of the office when he turned it over to Estrada in 2022.

Classes across all levels in both public and private schools in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte, remain suspended on Tuesday due to persistent heavy rains and inclement weather brought by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

Sibuco Mayor Joel Ventura extended the class suspension Tuesday morning to ensure the safety and welfare of students, teaching and non-teaching personnel, school administrators, and parents.

‘This measure is being implemented as a precautionary step to ensure the safety of everyone amid the prevailing weather conditions,’ the local government unit stated in its advisory.

Classes in the town were suspended on Monday due to the inclement weather.

According to the local 24-hour public weather forecast issued at 5 a.m. on Tuesday by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the ITCZ continues to affect the entire Mindanao region.

The forecast warned that Zamboanga Peninsula and Misamis Occidental in Northern Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms.

PAGASA cautioned residents in affected areas against potential flash floods and landslides caused by moderate to occasionally heavy rains.