Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Horror game devs, get ready! This year’s game jam organized by Filipino Horror Games Hub will begin accepting submissions this September.

The first-ever horror-genre game jam will be led by independent studio and developers Neuroticfly Games, SolitaryStudios, Murushii Studios, and Blu Wraith, who make up the Filipino Horror Games Hub community.

Centered on Filipino culture

The horror genre has long shaped Filipino culture, drawing from the country’s history, folklore, beliefs, and even religion.

Numerous titles in literature, movies, and series fill that space and the Filipino audience continues to clamor for the genre.

‘For me, horror feels very natural in the Filipino dev space because it connects strongly with culture and storytelling,’ said Murushii of Murushii Studios, who requested to only be referred to by his alias.

‘A lot of our local myths, folklore, and even everyday life carry that eerie or uncanny feeling, which makes horror a powerful way to turn familiar things into something unsettling and memorable.’

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According to Guiam, he noticed how horror fans have created a community. Players and casual viewers find enjoyment in getting a good scare together.

‘On the player’ side, horror also tends to work really well in the Philippines because it creates strong emotional and shared reactions,’ he said. ‘People don’t just play it, they experience it together. It becomes that ‘sabay-sabay matatakot’ (scared together) kind of moment, especially during livestreams and community playthroughs.’

About the organizers and the game jam

The theme of the game is set to be revealed on September 1.

‘The goal of the jam is to encourage originality and create memorable horror experiences while supporting the continued growth of the Filipino horror game development scene,’ said Murushii.

Neuroticfly Games recently released Interdimensional Vending Machine on Steam, while SolitaryStudios is known for their horror titles.

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Additionally, Murushii Studios released Project Threshold on June 25 and Blu Wraith developed Apartment 22.

Gilas Pilipinas rolled past the Manawatu Jets, 90-61, on Sunday for a winning start to the first of two tune-up games against a pair of New Zealand clubs before the third window of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

The national squad bucked a weary club from Brisbane, Australia the previous day and blew out the home side before a crowd composed mostly of Gilas fans at Fly Palmy Arena in Palmerston North.

Justin Brownlee didn’t suit up for the contest as coach Tim Cone opted to rest his naturalized player while spreading the minutes to the rest of the squad.

Among those who saw action was Mike Phillips, who showcased his activity on both ends of the floor.

Gilas will take on the Franklin Bulls on Tuesday before setting its sights on the third window later in the week.

The Philippines takes on New Zealand on Friday in Auckland before returning to Australia for a July 6 date with the Boomers in Perth to wrap up the first round of qualification.

Gilas arrived late Saturday from Brisbane, where the team trained the previous four days.

But Gilas encountered delays after arriving in New Zealand, with assistant coach Sean Chambers later saying that the team got to the hotel around midnight.

Two medical groups warned against the unsupervised use of social media by children aged 16 years old and below, saying that it poses risks to a child’s mental health and development.

In a statement on Facebook on Friday, the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) said it does not recommend social media use among children 16 and below. Should they be given access, the group said children should not be allowed to use social media independently.

‘Accounts should be comanaged by a parent or guardian, with active supervision, clear boundaries, and age-appropriate guidance, particularly for individuals with developmental and psychosocial vulnerabilities,’ it said.

The Philippine Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (PSDBP) supported this position. It noted that some of its members have directly observed and managed the consequences of unregulated social media use in young patients.

It said that anxiety, emotional dysregulation, sleep disturbance, and worsening behavioral and developmental symptoms are among the clinical cases they have encountered.

According to PPS, children and adolescents are in ‘sensitive and critical periods of neurodevelopment.’ Their capacity for impulse control, emotional regulation, judgment and social functioning is ‘still maturing.’

The brain systems that govern regulation, decision-making and long-term planning continue to develop as an individual reaches the mid-20s, it said.

Age not only factor

‘Because reward and emotional reactivity systems mature earlier than prefrontal inhibitory systems, younger users are more susceptible to highly stimulating, attention-capturing and commercially driven digital environments,’ PPS said.

‘They need meaningful guidance to navigate these spaces safely.’

The group noted that the age of 16 is regarded as a ‘population-level protective threshold’ for establishing public health safeguards, consistent with emerging international policies.

It clarified, however, that the readiness for social media should not be determined by age alone, saying that ‘developmental capacity, vulnerability and quality of caregiver supervision remain important considerations.’

Parents and guardians are in the best position to assess their child’s particular needs and provide them with the necessary protection, PPS said.

The group acknowledged that digital platforms also provide benefits as it can serve as a tool for communication, learning, social participation and civic engagement.

But PPS warned that social media also carried risks, including exposure to harmful content, development of compulsive use patterns, sleep disruption, as well as measurable harm to one’s mental health and development.

Designed to be addictive

It called for the adoption of a ‘safety-by-design framework,’ in which digital platforms are required to restrict or disable features that may capitalize on children’s developmental vulnerabilities.

These include, among others, features that increase exposure to harmful or age-inappropriate content.’

The group also raised concerns regarding addictive engagement design, harmful algorithms, absence of digital sunset functions that call for devices to be turned off a few hours before bed, and inadequate age verification measures.

It said social media increased the risk of cyberbullying, unsafe online interactions and exploitation by ‘online predators,’ who disguise themselves as children to gain trust.

PPS called for digital platforms to have clear child safety standards, understandable default protections for minors, accessible reporting and redress mechanisms, as well as disclosure of features that may affect a child’s well-being.

‘Platforms must support the protective role of parents, caregivers, schools and communities by providing safer default environments, age-appropriate safeguards and practical tools for families,’ it said.

A 2021 study by Unicef Philippines that interviewed children age 9 to 17 years old found that Facebook, including Facebook Messenger, was the most popular social media app among the youth in the country, followed by YouTube, Instagram, X, and Wikipedia.

The majority of the children said they accessed the internet through a smartphone, followed by a desktop computer, a feature phone, tablet, laptop, and game console.

Bills seeking restriction

Several bills have been filed in both the Senate and the House of Representatives to protect children against the harmful effects of unrestricted access to social media.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian’s Senate Bill No. 2066, or the Social Media Safety for Children Act, filed last April, seeks to prohibit minors under 16 from registering, accessing, or maintaining accounts on social media platforms.

Platform providers will be required to implement age and identity verification systems, conduct regular audits to detect and deactivate accounts of underage users, and establish reporting and response mechanisms to prevent violations.

A year earlier, Sen. Panfilo Lacson filed Senate Bill No. 40, prohibiting minors (age 18 and below) from accessing or using social media services. Lacson cited studies linking excessive social media exposure to mental health issues.

At the House, Misamis Oriental Rep. Jennifer Lagbas filed House Bill No. 7714, also known as Social Media Regulation and Protection Act, to regulate the access by minors (below 13 years of age) to social media platforms, ensuring age verification and parental consent, and providing protections for children online.

Cibac Rep. Eduardo ‘Bro. Eddie’ Villanueva, filed House Bill No. 8262, or the Social Media Protection for Minors Act, in March. It seeks to protect minors from social media harms by establishing a minimum age for social media access (16 and below) and imposing obligations on social media platforms.

There is a growing global movement to strengthen online safety for children amid mounting concerns that young people are being harmed by exposure to unregulated social media content. Governments around the world are enacting or considering measures to restrict children’s access to social media.

Countries that impose social media regulations and penalties for violations cite cyberbullying, harmful, violent or pornographic content, addiction, mental health risks, and online predators to justify the measures.

The common elements in regulating children’s access to social media include setting a minimum age-16 in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, Britain and Canada-and 15 in other countries like Turkey, France and the United Arab Emirates.

They also require age verification mechanisms instead of self-declaration (such as checking boxes that indicate the user is over 18). Minors below the minimum age are prohibited from creating or maintaining social media accounts, not just accessing content.

Noncompliance is heavily fined. Australia is imposing a fine of up to A$49.5 million and Malaysia up to 10 million ringgit.

Tottori Johoku understood exactly what stood in its way in the semifinals of the 2026 NBA Rising Stars Invitational: A towering squad from China.

But the Japanese school got a lot of help in preparing for the one-game tussle for a finals berth, and that help came from FEU-Diliman.

The Baby Tamaraws pushed Tottori Johok to its limits in their duel, forcing it to solve problems that would resurface less than 24 hours later against Tsinghua University.

By the time the championship berth was on the line, Johoku already knew the answers.

‘Offensively and defensively, the Philippines was so talented,’ guard Komei Oda told the Inquirer after Johoku escaped Tsinghua, 71-69, on Friday night at the OCBC Arena. ‘We needed to use team effort on the defensive end against them.’

Against FEU-Diliman, Johoku enjoyed a size advantage but struggled to keep pace with the Filipinos’ relentless transition game and collective pressure.

Mismatch

Those lessons became invaluable against Tsinghua.

This time, Johoku found itself on the other side of the size mismatch.

The Chinese school towered over the Japanese squad much the way Johoku had over FEU-Diliman. But instead of trying to match Tsinghua’s size, Johoku leaned on the formula it discovered in the game against the Filipinos.

‘Today, China was a lot bigger than us and we learned that rebounding would be key throughout the game,’ Oda said. ‘We always ran as well and kept outrunning them, and that’s one of the things I learned facing them.’

Oda delivered 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals, finishing just three boards shy of a double-double as Johoku weathered Tsinghua’s interior advantage.

His all-around effort complemented another dominant performance from Philemon Talmon, who finished with 17 points and 19 rebounds after torching FEU-Diliman for 20 points and 23 boards in the semifinal.

Size and shooting

Now Johoku heads into Sunday’s championship game against South Korea’s Kyungbock High School, where another familiar challenge awaits.

Like Tsinghua, Kyungbock brings superior size and outside shooting.

‘Korea is also a very tall team and they can shoot very well, so we’ll do the same things,’ he said. ‘We’ll play team defense, force turnovers and run for easy baskets. We just have to keep working as a team.’

In the girls’ division, defending champion Seika Girls High School of Japan will face Yangming High School of Chinese Taipei in the final.

The government is moving to institutionalize the Philippine ube industry to capitalize on a surging global ‘purple gold rush.’

To shape its long-term strategy, government officials tackled in a recent meeting the creation of a Steering Committee and Technical Working Group that will serve as the sector’s coordinating backbone.

Among others, the proposed body would define the official scope of ube (scientific name: Dioscorea alata), standardize raw and processed products, and harmonize quality requirements across agencies and exporters.

The body is expected to align phytosanitary and technical standards across agencies, addressing long-standing regulatory fragmentation that has impacted agricultural exports.

The working group will be composed of various Department of Agriculture (DA) agencies and attached agencies, other non-DA offices, and representatives from the private sector.

The DA announced plans to establish a structure within the local ube industry following a consultative meeting between the DA, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Export Marketing Bureau, and 249 stakeholders, including farmers, processors, exporters, traders and cooperatives.

‘The urgency is underscored by industry data showing that current production levels of around 50 to 60 metric tons per operator could scale up to as much as 500 metric tons with improved supply coordination and expanded raw material access,’ the DA said.

Shortage

Exporters pointed out the persistent shortages of raw ube despite the growing global demand for ube products, including powder, ‘halaya,’ jam and paste.

Ube exports totaled $3.06 million in 2025, according to data from the DTI, surpassing the $1.4 million recorded by the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2024.

The DA said key markets include Canada, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, while the United States, South Korea and Europe are emerging as next-wave growth destinations.

‘Demand is booming, but supply and structure are struggling to keep up,’ Agriculture Undersecretary Philip Young said.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. stressed the broader economic stakes of the initiative, saying the ube industry’s development will boost the wider export strategy.

‘We need to develop more agricultural export winners that can raise farmers’ incomes and help reduce our farm trade deficit, which exceeds $10 billion annually,’ Tiu Laurel said.

A forest ranger and three of his companions were wounded in an alleged shootout with police during an operation in Arayat town, Pampanga, on Saturday, June 27.

In a statement, the Pampanga Police Provincial Office identified the forest ranger only by his alias, ‘Ka Arlet,’ a former leader of an armed group linked to communist rebels. He surrendered to the government in 2018 and later became a forest ranger assigned to Mt. Arayat.

Police said the encounter occurred inside a compound in Barangay San Juan Baño.

According to the Pampanga police, officers were conducting a surveillance and casing operation after receiving reports of gunfire in the area.

‘While the operation was underway, police caught an armed man firing his weapon near a store. Instead of surrendering after the authorities identified themselves, he opened fire toward the responding officers,’ the statement said.

Police said the officers returned fire, wounding the four men.

Authorities said they recovered a .45-caliber pistol, an M-16 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, a carbine rifle, a .38-caliber revolver, and a hand grenade from the suspects.

The four wounded men were taken to a hospital for treatment.

In a separate Facebook post, the Philippine National Police said alias Ka Arlet returned to the folds of the law in 2018 after previously being associated with the Ka Arlet Group, also known as the Pintados Group, which operated in Pampanga and Bulacan and had links to the Rebolusyonaryong Hukbong Bayan.

Residents of Smile Citihomes Condominium in Barangay Kaligayahan, Quezon City were alarmed by a Maynilad Water Services Inc. disconnection notice over nearly P1.3 million in unpaid bills.

Hundreds of angry residents stormed the condominium’s administration building on Saturday night, demanding an explanation from the board of directors of the medium-rise condominium on why their water service would be disconnected despite being up to date on payment of monthly dues.

They also called for the immediate resignation of the board members.

Barangay Kaligayahan Captain Alfredo ‘Freddy’ Roxas, accompanied by police officers, went to the condominium to ensure peace and order and appealed to residents to remain calm.

‘Earlier, I was urging them (the board members) to come out because that’s why you’re all here – your questions have not been answered,’ Roxas said in Filipino, adding, ‘Unfortunately, they refused to come down.’

As a condominium, Smile Citihomes has a single water service connection with Maynilad. The water utility supplies water to the condominium through a main connection, while the condominium administration manages the distribution of water to individual units and collects water payments from residents.

In a June 22 disconnection notice, Maynilad said the unpaid bills covered the following: P143,466.25 for April, P577,415.30 for May, and P577,415.30 also for June, totaling P1,298,296.85.

Maynilad advised payment on or before June 25, warning that failure to settle the amount could result in the temporary disconnection of the water service. A last-minute hold order temporarily stopped the disconnection.

The condominium’s board in an advisory said the issue stemmed from Maynilad’s unilateral reclassification of the condominium’s water rate from residential to semi-business beginning March 4, 2026.

According to the board, Maynilad made the reclassification due to alleged commercial activities within the premises. The board said the change caused a sharp increase in the condominium’s water bills from March to June.

Smile Citihomes is a residential condominium complex with 1,824 occupied units. It also has a two-story commercial building, with the administration office and a multipurpose hall on the second floor.

The ground floor is occupied by fewer than 10 small businesses, including mini-grocery stores, a water refilling station and eateries. The board said Maynilad cited these establishments as the basis for reclassifying the entire condominium’s water service from residential to semi-business.

In its advisory to unit owners and residents dated June 26, the board said Maynilad charged the condominium P576,582.23 for March, P577,065.96 for April, P577,415.30 for May and P577,415.30 for June under the new semi-business rate.

The board said it made partial payments to ensure the continued supply of water while contesting what it described as an unreasonable increase in billing. These payments were listed as P331,983.25 for March, P342,835.85 for April, P335,362.11 for May and P342,000 for June.

According to the board, the disputed amount arising from the semi-business classification had reached P956,296.85.

‘We are taking all legal steps against this unreasonable increase in rate,’ the board said in Filipino.

The board said it had already brought the matter before the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Regulatory Office, formally questioning the disputed billing and seeking the restoration of Smile Citihomes’ residential classification.

An advocacy group has expressed concern over the ongoing review of Oriental Mindoro’s long-standing ban on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), warning that the province’s safeguards could be weakened or repealed without sufficient public consultation and transparency.

In a statement sent to the Inquirer on Saturday, June 27, Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (Masipag) said it was concerned over consultation activities being conducted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) and the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAgO).

While discussions are reportedly underway on possible amendments to the province’s existing regulations, Masipag noted that no draft ordinance, committee report, technical assessment, or formal policy proposal has been released to the public.

Right to know

‘The people of Oriental Mindoro have the right to know exactly what changes are being proposed, what scientific and policy evidence supports them, and who stands to benefit,’ the group said.

According to Masipag, the developments in Oriental Mindoro reflect what it described as a growing national trend in which local governments’ GMO regulations, crafted through democratic processes and local autonomy, are being challenged.

It cited similar efforts in Negros Occidental and other provinces that had previously imposed restrictions on genetically modified crops.

The group also pointed to what it described as unresolved legal and regulatory issues surrounding GMOs.

It cited the 2024 Court of Appeals ruling that issued a writ of kalikasan and a writ of continuing mandamus in cases involving Golden Rice and Bt Eggplant, saying the court identified significant deficiencies in the country’s biosafety risk assessment, environmental monitoring, and regulatory oversight while reaffirming the precautionary principle.

‘Instead of first addressing these deficiencies and strengthening biosafety governance, discussions appear focused on dismantling local safeguards,’ Masipag said.

The group also asked: ‘Why open communities to GMO cultivation when questions on risk assessment, contamination, accountability, and long-term ecological impact remain unanswered?’

Ban based on public consultations

Masipag stressed that Oriental Mindoro’s existing GMO ban was not enacted arbitrarily but was the product of extensive public consultations and forms part of the province’s broader environmental policies aimed at protecting biodiversity, local seed systems, ecological agriculture, and community control over food production.

The group likewise disputed claims that GMO technology is the best path toward sustainable agriculture, arguing that growing scientific consensus favors agroecology and organic farming as more effective responses to climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

‘With the Philippines bracing for the impacts of an incoming Super El Niño – bringing higher risks of drought, crop failure, water scarcity, and food insecurity – the group warned that reliance on proprietary seeds and chemical inputs will only deepen vulnerability. Public resources should instead strengthen farmer-led agroecology, conservation of local seeds, and systems built for resilience – not corporate-controlled technologies,’ the statement reads.

In a telephone interview on Saturday, Vice Gov. Antonio ‘Jojo’ Perez Jr., the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, said the provincial board has yet to receive any proposal from the Provincial Agriculture Office or any other entity seeking to amend or repeal the ordinance.

‘It will all pass through the SP and its concerned committees. But as of now, we have not received any communications regarding this matter. But we will study the proposals if there would be any for amendment or repeal,’ Perez said.

Masipag maintained that for any review process to be considered legitimate, full transparency is essential.

The group called for the immediate release of all documents, studies, and proposals related to the review and urged provincial officials to uphold the principles of precaution, local autonomy, environmental accountability, and meaningful public participation.

‘At a time when climate extremes are becoming more frequent, the future of Philippine agriculture will not be secured through expansion of GMOs,’ Masipag said.

‘It will be secured by strengthening what belongs to the people: agroecology, biodiversity, local seeds, and food sovereignty.’

Capital1 coach Jorge Souza De Brito relished the chance to test his team’s mettle against the Dominican Republic in a friendly match ahead of the new PVL season.

Revamped Capital1 faced the Dominican Republic, which recently saw action in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Week 2 in Pasig City.

De Brito admitted that the world-class squad was too strong, but he was pleased with the experience and lessons his wards gained.

‘As a first friendly match, it was very good. Even without having all the key players on the court at the same time, the system proved to be viable, even against the strong Dominican team,’ De Brito told the Inquirer.

‘There is no comparison between the level of the teams, but learning how to handle the fundamentals in critical situations may have been the greatest lesson from the game. We will have moments like these in the competitions ahead.’

The Dominican Republic captured its first win in the VNL Saturday last week, stunning erstwhile-unbeaten Japan at Philsports Arena.

Capital1 had a busy offseason, landing Cignal’s MVP pair of Vanie Gandler and Erika Santos, and free agent setter Jaja Maraguinot.

The two-year-old franchise drafted University of Santo Tomas captain and two-time UAAP Best Libero Detdet Pepito at No. 2 and University of the East go-to scorer Khy Cepada to surround PVL Rookie of the Year Bella Belen with more talent.

De Brito believes that with the right pieces, they are on the right track. But the work doesn’t end there, as he seeks to strengthen their connection before kicking off the new season next week in the PVL on Tour.

‘We are on the right path, and with the support of these new players, Capital 1 continues its journey of growth and development. Without a doubt, the quality of the players naturally leads people to expect exponential growth, but performance depends on the chemistry we are building, and of course, on the ups and downs that every new group experiences,’ the Brazilian coach said.

‘Our goal is to exceed expectations through hard work and by doing things the right way for our team.’

The Miss Philippines Earth is closer to crowning its new queen, announcing the Top 10 finalists at the coronation night held in Malitbog, Bukidnon on Saturday, June 27.

The delegates who advanced to the next round are the following:

Tupi, South Cotabato

Agoo, La Union

Passi City

Cebu City

Marikina City

Malaybalay City

Mandaluyong City

Tumauini, Isabela

Ballesteros, Cagayan

Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte

Aside from the Miss Philippines Earth 2026 titleholder, her elemental court-namely Miss Philippines-Air, Miss Philippines-Water, Miss Philippines-Fire, and Miss Philippines-Ecotourism-will also be announced at the end of the show.

Reigning queen Joy Barcoma was not in attendance at the event.