Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Diocese of Antique on Sunday urged the Department of Energy (DOE) to include a Just Transition Roadmap for Semirara in the Philippine Energy Plan to ensure a shift to renewable energy and protect workers affected by the transition.

The appeal followed a gathering of Semirara Island residents in Caluya town, Antique, who raised concerns about possible job losses as the coal operating contract of Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) with the government is set to expire next year.

The diocese appealed to the government to ensure that workers receive just compensation and appropriate assistance amid uncertainty and changes in mining operations. The Semirara Islands are considered a major coal mining site in the country.

‘Uncertain’

The diocese said that while it recognizes SMPC’s efforts in worker welfare, environmental rehabilitation, livelihood programs and economic diversification, it noted the lack of a just transition roadmap for renewable energy.

‘What appears to be lacking, however, is an overarching, publicly articulated, time-bound and adequately funded Just Transition Roadmap that brings these various efforts together toward a clear goal: the gradual transition of Semirara and its people away from dependence on coal,’ the diocese said in a pastoral letter.

It noted that without such a framework, the direction of other initiatives would remain ‘uncertain.’

‘Any future operator should be required not only to present a credible plan for extracting coal, but also an enforceable plan for workers, communities, environmental rehabilitation, economic diversification, and the island’s progressive transition away from dependence on coal,’ the diocese added.

The diocese explained the call for a just transition to renewable energy was not just an environmental concern but also an appeal for justice and human dignity.

‘This responsibility belongs not only to government and industry. Care for our common home is a mission entrusted to all of us,’ it said.

Two warring clans in this city have agreed to a ceasefire following renewed hostilities that triggered exchanges of gunfire and forced residents to flee, the Army said.

Brig. Gen. Ricky Bunayog, commander of the 6th Infantry Division (6ID), brought together Barangay Kalanganan Mother chair Bimbo Ayunan Pasawiran and Ustadz Abusaima Hussain, commander of the 128th base command of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the armed wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation (MILF), for a dialogue on Saturday at Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.

Both sides agreed to support the military-initiated cessation of hostilities involving them and their followers.

The meeting also resulted in the creation of a probe team led by Cotabato City police director Col. Jibin Bongcayao to determine what triggered the recent exchange of gunfire.

‘Both parties issued a commitment to honor the understandings reached and to work toward ending hostilities in the area,’ Bunayog said.

The clashes erupted following the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections on Sept. 14. Army and Marines were deployed in Kalanganan after an initial exchange of gunfire on Sept. 28, while Philippine Air Force helicopters conducted aerial patrols over the city for three nights.

No deaths or injuries were reported in the clashes, which involved firearms and M-79 grenades.

Bunayog said 6ID troops would continue patrols and security operations in Kalanganan, a coastal village with about 18,900 residents.

‘We do not want to see another exchange of fire in Kalanganan that could put our people’s lives and safety at risk. We will employ all lawful measures within our mandate to protect the community and maintain peace and order,’ Bunayog said.

He added that troops would take lawful measures to protect residents and maintain peace and order.

The government and MILF ceasefire panels are also working to resolve the conflict.

A few weeks after the controversial crime drama ‘Drug War: A Conspiracy of Silence’ was pulled from YouTube, its preferred platform for the six-part miniseries, it came back stronger, earning several recognitions from the Singapore-based Asian Academy Creative Awards 2026.

‘Drug War,’ which is set to return to the platform for its sixth and last episode this week, just took home three of the four recognitions: Best Screenplay (director Shugo Praico and Jonathan Guillermo); Best Cinematography (Moises M.M. Zee); and, Best Editing (Lawrence S. Ang).

Also from the same showrunners, another crime drama ‘Salvageland,’ directed by Lino Cayetano, also won big in the same awards, bagging the Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Mon Confiado.

Both ‘Drug War’ and ‘Salvageland’ will represent the Philippines to the international round for the Grand Final Award.

‘These recognitions inspire us to stay true to Rein Entertainment’s mission: to push boundaries, explore fresh perspectives, discover unexpected worlds, and tell bolder Filipino stories that deserve a place on the global stage.’ said Praico, Rein Entertainment’s president and head of creatives.

The recognition came as ‘Drug War’ is set to release its final episode this week, after encountering a delay from its original Sept. 3 premiere schedule on Rein Entertainment’s YouTube channel.

On top of this, Episodes 1 to 4 were summarily removed from the platform without due notice, and with no assurance of whether it would be restored.

INQUIRER Entertainment had tried to get a statement from showrunners regarding this, but they declined to give a comment at that time. The show eventually returned on YouTube recently.

Set against the Philippines’ deadly and deeply polarizing war on drugs, the series follows a priest (Ian Veneracion) and a conscience-stricken policewoman (Jane Oineza) as they investigate the death of his former protégé (Harvey Bautista) that unravels into a wider conspiracy of killings, silenced witnesses, and erased evidence. The series has drawn millions of views on YouTube.

Harry Kane is set to equal England’s appearance record with his 125th cap against the Czech Republic on Tuesday as the striker looks to build on his flourishing partnership with ‘scary’ Jude Bellingham.

Kane will take centre stage if he ties former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton’s landmark in the Nations League clash at Wembley.

The England captain’s pride in representing his country has shone through since his debut against Lithuania in 2015.

Kane scored within two minutes of coming off the bench in that match, and he has rarely endured a barren spell in an England shirt ever since.

The 33-year-old is England’s record scorer with 89 goals after netting twice in Saturday’s 7-0 demolition of Croatia.

Bayern Munich star Kane has been England’s talisman and the one constant throughout their highs and lows over the last 11 years.

Roy Hodgson gave Kane his England debut and the striker has since played under coaches Sam Allardyce, Gareth Southgate, Lee Carsley and now Thomas Tuchel.

But even having a player of Kane’s predatory instincts and remarkable consistency has not been enough for England to end their angst-ridden wait for a first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.

England lost the European Championship final in 2021 and 2024.

And for Kane to follow Bobby Moore as the only male England captain to lift a trophy, Tuchel believes he needs an assist from a midfielder whose virtuoso performance against Croatia on Saturday drew gushing praise from teammates and pundits alike.

In danger of missing out on the World Cup after being dropped from the England squad in October 2025, Real Madrid star Bellingham has gone from Tuchel’s doghouse to the penthouse over the last 12 months.

Having irked Tuchel with his volatile on-pitch antics, Bellingham eventually regained his place in time for the World Cup in June and July.

It was Bellingham rather than Kane who finished as England’s top scorer at the World Cup, but their tournament ended in semifinal heartbreak against Argentina.

‘Never seen anything like it’

Tuchel’s defensive tactics in the closing stage of that loss were widely pilloried.

But has learnt from that late meltdown and wants England to stay on the offensive, with Kane and Bellingham leading the charge.

Key to England’s hopes of winning Euro 2028 will be Kane staying healthy and Bellingham remaining in the kind of masterful form that inspired the rout of Croatia.

The 23-year-old was so dominant in Rijeka, scoring once and providing three assists, that former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane said he can go on to be ‘one of the greatest players of all time’.

‘At this moment in time, he is an amazing footballer. The package, his running power, his delivery, his goal threat,’ Keane said.

Keane’s praise was echoed by Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, who made his first England start alongside Bellingham and Elliot Anderson in midfield against Croatia.

‘Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it,’ Scott said.

‘He’s even better in person, seeing it up close and being on the same pitch as him, he’s the best midfielder in the world.

‘On the pitch his ability is scary and that’s the benchmark we need to live up to.’

England winger Bukayo Saka added: ‘He was special, (I’m) happy to play with him and happy to have him in the England team.’

Tuchel said Kane’s relationship with Bellingham has blossomed on and off the pitch in recent months, paving the way for the explosion of creativity and goals from the pair.

Fittingly, it was Bellingham who took the captain’s armband from Kane when the striker was replaced late in the Croatia match.

‘They get better and better. They love playing with each other. They understand each other better,’ Tuchel said.

The local government of Tarlac City has suspended classes and school-based work for Tuesday, Oct. 6, from kindergarten to high school to commemorate Teachers’ Day.

Mayor Susan Yap issued Executive Order No. 50 to provide teachers and students enough time and opportunity to participate in the National Teachers’ Day and World Teachers’ Day celebrations of the Tarlac City Schools Division (TCSD).

Part of the celebration, the order stated, is the 2026 Aldo Ning Banwat Dangal: TCSD Service and Commitment Recognition Day at the Tarlac City Plazuela Hall will be held to ‘recognize and honor’ the outstanding service and dedication of teachers and school workers.

Ma. Irelyn Tamayo, TCSD’s superintendent, has sent a letter to Yap on Sunday, Oct. 4, informing her of the activities that the schools division office has slated to commemorate this year’s Teachers’ Day.

Likewise highlighted in the celebration is the Talendadong Ka-DepEd 2026, a division-wide talent competition showcasing the talents and creativity of teaching, non-teaching, and teaching-related personnel from the division’s 10 districts.

Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday said she expects the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to file charges against dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. for making false accusations against her.

This came after Duterte confirmed that she has already received a copy of Gracioso’s affidavit from the NBI, together with identification documents, with no other attachments.

According to Duterte, Gracioso-who was also former aide of then House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco-has made 29 statements against her that she and her camp believe are ‘false.’

‘Among several other pieces of my evidence, Jefry Tupas and I were nowhere near Marinduque during Mahal na Araw in 2019, nor were we in Manila on Sept. 21, 2019,’ said Duterte.

The Vice President was referring to Gracioso’s claims that he allegedly handed over two large suitcases containing P50 million cash each to Tupas for Duterte around April 2019 in Marinduque; and that he delivered two suitcases containing P50 million each to the Vice President in Manila on Sept. 21, 2019.

With Duterte claiming that the allegations are false, she cited NBI Director Melvin Matibag earlier pronouncements that a perjury case may be possible if Gracioso’s allegations are proven false.

‘We expect a case to be filed by the NBI against Gracioso once the agency completes its investigation and the evidence is fully evaluated,’ said Duterte.

Duterte’s statement came the same day the NBI held an investigative conference regarding Gracioso’s allegations, which she was also invited to.

Former Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and his wife, Rowena, on Monday failed to appear before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to comply with the invitation letters sent to them over the ‘cash delivery’ claims of dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr.

Instead, the Velasco couple were only represented by their three legal counsels, who arrived at the NBI headquarters in Pasay City around 9:45 a.m.

VELASCOS NO-SHOW AT NBIWATCH: Three lawyers of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and his wife Rowena arrive at the NBI to represent them in complying with their invitation letters over the ‘cash delivery’ claims of dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. pic.twitter.com/aJtV7utP1Y

– MJ Salcedo (@MJSalcedoINQ) October 5, 2026

In an ambush interview, one of the counsels, Atty. Rowell Ilagan said that aside from complying with the invitation letters, they appeared at the NBI to formally request and subsequently receive the copy of Gracioso’s affidavit implicating his clients.

He reiterated the camp’s denial of Gracioso’s allegations, noting that information circulated on social media is ‘easy to fabricate.’

‘Velasco knows Gracioso’

Ilagan did not confirm that Gracioso became Velasco’s aide but affirmed that the former House speaker knows him.

‘Kilala po. Pero hindi po natin masabi kung ano po yung pagkakilala niya,’ the lawyer said when asked by reporters.

(He knows him. But we cannot say what his relationship was.)

He refused to answer media queries regarding the Velasco couple’s whereabouts abroad but asserted that they are free to travel as ‘they are private individuals.’

‘Mali pong isipin na [tumakas sila]. As private citizens, we can freely travel. That is one of our constitutional rights as an individual,’ Ilagan said.

(It’s wrong to think that [they escaped]. As private citizens, we can freely travel. That is one of our constitutional rights as individuals.)

Meanwhile, Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesperson Anisha Hassan confirmed to the INQUIRER in a Viber message that ‘as of date, our records show that he (Velasco) is still outside the country.’

Velasco’s lawyer said that they would answer other allegations against his clients ‘at the proper forum and at the proper time.’

Ilagan said the NBI has not yet set another schedule for their clients.

The BI and NBI Director Melvin Matibag confirmed last week that Velasco is out of the country.

According to Matibag, the former House Speaker left the country for Nagoya, Japan, on August 30. He was supposed to be back on September 14, but based on the BI records, he still has not returned.

Meanwhile, Velasco’s wife, along with two individuals, traveled to Hong Kong on September 24. She was supposed to return on Sept. 27, but there was still no record of such.

Aside from the Velascos, supposedly invited to appear this Monday are Vice President Sara Duterte and her brother, Davao City First District Rep. Paolo Duterte.

Vice President Duterte’s camp earlier wrote to the NBI, requesting to move to another date for its investigative conference on Gracioso’s ‘cash delivery’ allegations.

Meanwhile, Rep. Duterte has yet to arrive at the bureau and did not confirm if he will comply with the invitation or not.

Gracioso is claiming to have delivered more than P2 billion to the vice president, P1 billion to the former President Rodrigo Duterte, and P100 million to the congressman in tranches starting in 2018 upon Velasco’s instructions.

He underwent another lie detector test last Wednesday, and the NBI said the result showed ‘no deception indicated.’

Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) saw its energy sales in the first eight months of 2026 slightly improve as the utility giant racked up more customers.

Charina Padua, senior vice president and head of customer relations and services at Meralco, said the sales of the group’s distribution business reached 35,938 gigawatt hours (GWh) in the January to August period, up 0.7 percent from a year ago.

‘[The] slight increase was driven by consistent energization performance, offsetting a slight decline in organic sales due to cooler weather,’ Padua told reporters.

‘We’re forecasting continued recovery for the third quarter of 2026,’ she added.

Ronnie Aperocho, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Meralco, earlier said that the company expects power sales volume is expected to rise by 2 percent to 2.5 percent this year, an improvement from the flat sales volume of 53,997 GWh in 2025.

Energy sales growth

However, the anticipated energy sales growth was slightly lower than its initial forecast of 3 percent.

Aperocho said the dip in demand could be blamed on the growing adoption of rooftop solar among households and businesses. Energy conservation efforts, particularly among shopping mall operators, duringt the height of the Middle East war could have also affected consumption.

But Aperocho remained optimistic that Meralco could regain stronger figures in the face of the expected worsening of the current El Niño.

El Niño is attended by the abnormal warming of the Pacific Ocean’s surface temperatures near the equator. This climate phenomenon is often linked to drought and less than normal rainfall in the western side of the Pacific where the Philippines is located.

Meralco’s distribution business continued to give the largest share at P12.7 billion, accounting for 48 percent of the group’s consolidated core earnings in the first semester of this year.

After years of loss and a long legal fight, the family of the late Baby Jane Teodoro Allas received just that on Oct. 2, when Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc., the country’s biggest homebuilder, turned over a Camella house and lot in Puerto Princesa to her children.

For the family, this new home brings a sense of stability Baby Jane had worked so hard to give her children. It is also a fitting gesture from a homegrown company whose own story has long been tied to the Filipino dream of homeownership.

Chasing the dream

Vista Land founder and Chairman Manny Villar led the ceremonial handover of the keys to the ready-for-occupancy home at Camella Palawan, marking one of the company’s initiatives ahead of its 20th anniversary in 2027.

For nearly two decades, Vista Land has developed communities across the country for families chasing that dream of owning a home. In Baby Jane’s case, this Camella home comes to a family that has spent years holding together what she left behind.

Baby Jane was an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Hong Kong and a single mother of five. She was diagnosed with late-stage cervical cancer and later challenged her dismissal by her former employer following her diagnosis. In 2026, a Hong Kong court ordered the employer to pay some P2 million in damages after ruling that she had been unlawfully dismissed.

The ruling came five years after Baby Jane died in 2021. It was a hard-won recognition of a fight she did not live to finish, but one driven by a mother’s tireless efforts to protect her dignity and secure a better future for her children.

Her sister, Mary Anne Allas, continued the case on Baby Jane’s behalf, carrying forward a fight that reflects the challenges many OFWs face in asserting their rights. The damages allegedly remain unpaid, as the former employer reportedly failed to appear before the court.

Immediate realities

Back home, however, the family has had more immediate realities to deal with.

Baby Jane left behind five children, who have been living with their grandmother in Brgy. Antipuluan in Narra, Palawan. Rosemarie, now 23, has finished Grade 12 and is raising two children of her own. Joa Christian, 22, is a second-year college student at Western Philippines University in Aborlan, Palawan. John Christian, 17, is in Grade 12; Jessica Shane, 16, is in Grade 10; and Jenno, 11, is in Grade 4. Four of them are still pursuing their education.

Now, they will have a permanent place of their own at Camella Palawan in Puerto Princesa City. Turned over to them was the Cara unit, which has 66 sqm of floor area on an 88-sqm lot, with three bedrooms and two toilet-and-bath areas.

Beyond its size and features, the home gives Baby Jane’s children a permanent place to return to as they continue their studies and build lives of their own. It answers, in part, the hope that had driven her years abroad, which was to give her children a better future.

For hardworking Filipinos

For Vista Land, the turnover also comes at an important point in its own history. As the company heads toward its 20th year, it looks back at nearly two decades of building quality homes and conducive communities across the Philippines. Over that period, Vista Land has grown alongside generations of hardworking Filipinos saving for and eventually moving into homes of their own.

Baby Jane’s family now becomes part of that story.

The donation cannot undo what the family went through. But it can, at least, ease one concern that has followed the family for years.

Baby Jane spent years working abroad with her children’s future in mind. Today, part of that hope has found a place to stay in a home they can finally call their own.

Motorists will have to brace for another round of gasoline price increases on Tuesday, while diesel products will see a slight reduction.

In an advisory, Shell Pilipinas said gasoline prices would increase by P1.90 per liter.

Kerosene will also rise by P3.30 per liter.

Diesel, meanwhile, will have a price drop of P1.30 per liter.

Other oil firms have yet to announce their price adjustments.

In a statement late last week, Jetti Petroleum Leo Bellas said the potential price increases for October 6 to 12 could be attributed to the continued supply disruption worries due to the conflict in the Middle East.

China’s decision to suspend exports of oil products to markets beyond Hong Kong and Macau likewise fueled ‘fears of worsening global product shortages,’ Bellas said.