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More than P2.1 million worth of shabu (crystal meth) were seized during a surprise inspection inside the Antipolo City jail in Rizal province on Saturday morning, October 4.

Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) personnel were undertaking on Saturday morning a surprise inspection – dubbed as ‘Oplan Linis Piitan’ – inside all dormitories at the detention facility located in Barangay San Jose when searchers discovered several packs of shabu hidden inside the air exhaust duct in one of the cells occupied by male inmates at around 9:30 a.m., the police in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) said in a report Sunday.

The seized meth was placed in one knot-tied transparent rubber condom, 10 knot-tied transparent plastics, and 14 sealed plastic sachets, weighing a total of 320 grams, worth P2,176,000 based on the Dangerous Drugs Board valuation at P6,800 per gram.

The BJMP and police were still determining the identity of the inmates behind the drug contraband.

When Ateneo needed a momentum-stopper against a furious La Salle rally, Shawn Tuano rose to the occasion.

The Blue Eagles’ 81-74 win over the Green Archers in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament may look comfortable on paper, but it was anything but. Ateneo had built a commanding 31-point lead at one point, only for La Salle to storm back in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 11, 68-57, with 3:45 left.

That’s when Tuano delivered.

‘If I’m needed to be the energy guy, I’ll be the energy guy. If I need to score, I’ll try to score. If I need to play defense, I’ll play defense,’ Tuano said after the game at Mall of Asia Arena. ‘I just try to do my roles to the best of my abilities.’

Tuano finished with 15 points, including five crucial points down the stretch. He buried back-to-back baskets to fend off the Green Archers and extend Ateneo’s lead to 73-59 with 3:19 remaining.

The forward’s timely contributions helped Ateneo preserve its perfect 4-0 start to the season.

‘Whatever coach Tab says or needs me to do on the court, I have to accomplish those. This is a good win but there’s a lot to learn,’ Tuano added.

Inspired by a rare taste of success on the global stage with Alas Pilipinas, Dante Alinsunurin returns to club action with Choco Mucho in the PVL Reinforced Conference, armed with fresh lessons and renewed fire.

Alinsunurin, part of Italian coach Angiolino Frigoni’s staff during the Philippines’ historic 19th-place finish in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, still carries the emotional high of that campaign. The national team stunned African champion Egypt and pushed powerhouse Iran to five sets, falling just short of a round-of-16 berth.

‘It was an incredible experience,’ said Alinsunurin. ‘You could really see how much our team has improved. We showed we belong on the world stage.’

Seven of the 14 players on that team were his current or former athletes from National University-a source of pride for the coach who led the men’s national team to a silver medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

As he shifts his focus back to the PVL, Alinsunurin brings with him a key takeaway from the global stage: discipline.

‘That’s what stood out. Discipline in everything-not just training, but in how we eat, how we live daily. It has to come from the heart,’ he said. ‘That kind of consistency makes it easier to reach your goals.’

With Choco Mucho aiming to break through after back-to-back runner-up finishes in the 2023 and 2024 All-Filipino Conferences, Alinsunurin is buoyed by the return of key players. The only notable absence is Sisi Rondina, who is preparing for the SEA Games in Thailand with the beach volleyball squad.

‘I’m really happy a lot of our players are back,’ he said. ‘Some couldn’t play last conference, but now they’re ready. It feels great seeing more teammates at practice.’

Maddie Madayag returns from a stint in Japan, Kat Tolentino is back in training and top draft pick and Alas Pilipinas setter Tia Andaya is set to debut, working alongside Deanna Wong to set up hitters like Isa Molde, Des Cheng, Royse Tubino, Cherry Nunag and rookies Ayesha Juegos and Jen Villegas.

‘I’m thankful Kat and Maddie are both back, and Tia is showing promise,’ Alinsunurin said. ‘Every time I come to training now, I feel more confident about where we’re headed. Having more players gives us options and energy.’

He also praised American import Marlee Smith’s quick adjustment and team-first mindset. ‘She’s doing well-very coachable and even suggests ideas to help the team,’ he added.

Emma Tiglao was in her glamorous, polished and over-the-top best, as she shone at the welcome ceremony, press conference, and other pre-pageant activities ahead of the Miss Grand International 2025 tilt.

Tiglao, who is on a quest to score a back-to-back win for the Philippines, pulled all the stops to ensure that she is among the standout candidates in this year’s edition of the global tilt.

During the welcome ceremony, the pageant veteran was a stunner in an off-shoulder gown with cut-outs on the waist by Chico Estiva, decked in dripping gemstones from the neckline to the hem. She also delivered her signature melodious introduction, a switch from the usual high-pitched way of saying the country’s name. She then changed into a jewel-toned traditional Chut Thai with a gold wrap-like top, a lilac midi skirt, and a hot pink waist belt decorated with gems and traditional ornaments. The pièce de résistance was her golden Miss Grand Philippines crown, which glowed with every strut. Tiglao was also pretty in pink in an asymmetrical blush dress with a floor-length train by Kannah Designs and gold strappy heels after the welcome ceremony. Tiglao seems to have a love for the color pink, as she showed up in a jewel-toned pink hue to cap off her fifth day at the global tilt. The pink Anthony Ramirez number featured long sleeves, a low neckline, and a silk finish, with a long jeweled necklace bringing the look together. Tiglao showed off her curves in a bright red lace mini dress at the pageant’s talent competition, where she displayed her dance skills.

‘I am so happy I was able to show my love for dancing on the Miss Grand International stage during the Grand Talent Audition. Congratulations to us girls, we did it! And to my Grand sisters who made it to the Top 15 for Grand Talent, cheering for you all!’ she captioned her post. The Pampanga-based beauty queen is eyeing to win the Philippines’ second Miss Grand International crown from the reigning titleholder, CJ Opiaza.

The global tilt is scheduled to take place at the MGI Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, on Oct. 18. /ra

As the nation prepares to honor its educators on World Teachers’ Day, Oct. 5, the government rolled out twin announcements that recognize the vital role of teachers in shaping the country’s future.

These are the release of the P1,000 World Teachers’ Day Incentive Benefit (WTDIB) and the creation of over 65,000 new teaching and nonteaching positions under the proposed 2026 national budget.

In a memorandum dated Sept. 25, the Department of Education (DepEd) directed the immediate release of the WTDIB for fiscal year 2025.

The incentive, amounting to P1,000 each, will be distributed to all public school teachers with permanent and provisional appointments, including those in community learning centers, provided they are in service on or before Oct. 5 of the school year.

Education Undersecretary Wilfredo Cabral stressed that implementing units with available funds may already begin processing payments to ensure that all eligible teaching personnel receive the incentive in time for the celebration.

Thousands of new jobs

The grant is anchored on Republic Act No. 4670, or the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, which guarantees benefits to support and uplift educators.

Meanwhile, at the launch of Project Bukas at Parañaque National High School on Sept. 29, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman announced that the proposed 2026 national budget includes funding for more than 65,000 teaching and nonteaching positions.

The initiative, Pangandaman said, aims to ease the heavy administrative load that often pulls teachers away from their core task of classroom instruction.

‘This allocation will help relieve teachers of the burden of paperwork and allow them to focus on teaching,’ she said. The budget chief also paid tribute to the education community:

‘We give thanks to the teachers, administrators and everyone who help run our schools for your for your unwavering commitment and dedication to nurturing our future generations,’ Pangandaman said.

‘Nation’s Gratitude World Teachers’ Day,’ celebrated every Oct. 5, serves as a reminder of the indispensable role teachers play in nation-building. For educators across the Philippines, this year’s observance comes with both tangible support-cash incentives and new positions-and symbolic recognition of their enduring service.

With the Sept. 30 earthquake that rocked the province, derailing the activities of the 2025 Miss Asia Pacific International pageant, the organizers were able to squeeze in a quick tour for the delegates.

After four straight days of taking part in various relief missions to help those severely impacted by the tremor, the ladies were finally able to get a much-needed day to unwind.

On Sunday morning, Oct. 5, the ladies participated in a personality development workshop with Trainstation, then headed out to the city to let their hair down.

They went to Mactan Newtown in Lapu-Lapu City to have lunch at two dining outlets of famed British chef Gordon Ramsay that recently opened in Cebu.

After having their fill of Ramsay’s signature Fish and Chips, Classic Cheeseburger, and Gordon’s Fried Chicken, the ladies then stopped by the Lapu-Lapu Monument just a few meters away.

Next in their itinerary was Magellan’s Cross, one of the most popular tourist sites in Cebu City, located at the Plaza Sugbo adjacent to the Basilica del Santo Niño compound.

Before the magnitude-6.9 earthquake halted the pageant’s benefit gala night on Tuesday, Sept. 30, the ladies were really scheduled for a tour of the province in the succeeding days.

But the organizers realigned the pageant’s events to respond to the most pressing concern of the host province, and instead held relief missions and other activities. On Oct. 1 and 2, the ladies went to the Cebu Province Warehouse to help with the packing of goods for distribution to those hit hardest by the quake.

Also on Oct. 2, the delegates underwent a mental health workshop to help them process their emotions after the tremor, and to prepare them for a visit to the quake-hit towns in northern Cebu.

On Oct. 3, the pageant brought relief goods to Daanbantayan, Medellin and San Remigio, neighboring towns of Bogo City, where the earthquake’s epicenter was traced.

The following day, they kicked off the earthquake relief program of the pageant’s official shoe provider, dubbed ‘From Glamour to Giving.’

Giannis Antetokounmpo was with the Milwaukee Bucks in practice for the first time this season Saturday, after missing the first few days of training camp while he remained in his native Greece recovering from COVID-19.

Antetokounmpo participated in non-contact work only, Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. Antetokounmpo arrived in Miami on Friday. The Bucks held media day on Monday – Antetokounmpo took part remotely – and started camp in Milwaukee on Tuesday, then flew to Miami on Thursday for a few days of workouts at Florida International University in advance of their preseason opener against the Heat on Monday.

‘I think it took a toll on my body. I’m not feeling 100% yet physically,’ Antetokounmpo said of dealing with the illness. ‘Just taking it day by day, getting back in shape. I was able to do some 5-on-0, run up and down a little bit. Tomorrow I’ll be a little better. I’ve got like 18 days until the first game so I think I’ll be fine.’ Antetokounmpo, who turns 31 in December, is entering his 13th season, all with Milwaukee. He’s a nine-time All-Star, an NBA champion, a two-time MVP, an NBA Finals MVP and he’s one of only two players who have averaged at least 30 points a game in each of the last three seasons. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder is the other.

Not having Antetokounmpo for some camp might turn out to be advantageous in at least one capacity, Rivers said. The Bucks basically know what he brings to the table. Working out without him lets the Bucks see what might happen in the minutes where he isn’t in the lineup.

‘The key to our team every year is the minutes when Giannis is off the floor,’ Rivers said. ‘So, we’ve been working on that. And so maybe that’ll help us in the long run.’

In the Philippines, which has one of the highest rates of stunting in children under five years old at 26.7 percent-higher than the global average of 22.3 percent-chronic hunger is a problem that threatens future generations.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), around 18 percent of children in the Philippines, or about 2 million, are severely ‘food poor.’ This not only points to a lack of calories but a deficiency in nutrients crucial to children’s growth and development.

Last July, Sen. Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan filed a bill seeking to address this problem by providing all public school learners from daycare centers, kindergarten to Grade 12 with fortified meals for breakfast directly sourced from the produce of local farmers and fisherfolk.

These meals could provide a lifeline for these poor children. They are not mere ‘ayuda’ nor ‘free food,’ but they create ripple effects on children’s health, well-being, and learning abilities.

Many countries have launched successful feeding programs: Thailand’s school lunch program, which is similar to Pangilinan’s measure, has reduced malnutrition and improved academic performance; South Korea’s free school meal program introduced in the early 2010s has been credited for significantly reducing behavioral issues in schools; and Brazil’s national school feeding program has been used as a benchmark for similar programs.

National feeding program

The country has a national feeding program policy under Republic Act No. 11037, but its scope is limited to undernourished children in daycare, kindergarten up to Grade 6. The Pangilinan proposal would expand the coverage up to Grade 12 and hit two birds with one stone: feed poor students and support local farmers and fishermen.

In its Year Two Report published last year titled ‘Fixing the Foundations: A Matter of National Survival,’ the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom II) underscored the role of nutrition and feeding as the foundation of quality education.

The commission acknowledged that the Philippines has made strides in improving the well-being of Filipino children in recent years.

‘(However), millions of Filipino children remain chronically malnourished, facing challenges such as poor health, inadequate nutrition, and limited learning capacity,’ it stated, noting that one in four Filipino children under five years old still experiences stunting.

Social inequity

In August, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) backed Edcom II’s call to government agencies, legislators, and local government units to take immediate action. It said undernutrition and malnutrition are a stark manifestation of social inequity, where only 25 percent of Filipino children aged six to 12 months meet the recommended energy intake; the rest were deficient in protein and healthy fats, essential for their physical growth and development.

‘Socioeconomic disparities further exacerbate these challenges, limiting many children’s access to essential early childhood care and development services. These inequities hinder their ability to achieve optimal health, learning, and productivity outcomes,’ Edcom II said.

It added that addressing these disparities demands a comprehensive approach that integrates quality early childhood education, health, and nutrition programs.

The CBCP cited the grim consequences: 48 percent of Grade one to three students are not prepared for their grade level, 80 percent of Grade three students struggle with multiplication, division, and geometry, and 30 percent are not functionally literate.

Global labor market

This has manifested in the Philippines’ poor performance in the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), where it ranked 76th out of 81 participating countries in reading, math, and science.

This would have a severe impact on the competitiveness of younger generations in the global labor market, which puts a premium on a higher skill set.

Pisa noted: ‘Raising quality of education and protecting health, especially in the early years, will equip the next generation with the skills they need to meet the demands of higher productivity and higher paying jobs. Investing in the skills of this young population is essential to fuel future growth and increase household incomes.’

Without institutional help, however, poor Filipino children will be trapped in an endless cycle of poverty.

While a ‘free meal’ may be inconsequential to others, it represents a lottery ticket to many poor Filipino families that could help them escape poverty.

A major portion of Luzon is forecast to experience fair weather while rains are set to prevail in Visayas and Mindanao on Sunday, according to the state weather bureau.

In a 5 a.m. weather forecast, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) weather specialist Obet Badrina said that while no low-pressure area is being monitored inside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), the southwest monsoon, or habagat, is currently affecting the country.

‘A major portion of Luzon will experience hot and fair weather with possible thunderstorms in the afternoon until evening,’ Badrina said.

Meanwhile, Kalayaan Islands will see cloudy skies and rains while partly cloudy to cloudy skies with localized thunderstorms are expected over Palawan.

‘A major portion of Visayas will also experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated thunderstorms,’ Badrina said.

Lastly, localized thunderstorms in the afternoon until evening are possible in a huge part of Mindanao. Badrina also shared that no gale warning is raised in any seaboards of the country but he warned mariners that thunderstorms can cause heightened waves .

Temperature forecast in the following areas:

Laoag, Ilocos Norte: 25°C to 32°C

Baguio: 16°C to 20°C

Metro Manila: 24°C to 33°C

Tagaytay: 22°C to 30°C

Tuguegarao: 24°C to 32°C

Legazpi: 24°C to 32°C

Kalayaan Islands: 25°C to 32°C

Puerto Princesa: 25°C to 32°C

Iloilo: 25°C to 32°C

Cebu 26°C to 32°C

Tacloban City: 25°C to 32°C

Zamboanga: 24°C to 33°C

Cagayan de Oro: 25°C to 32°C

Davao: 25°C to 33°C

Tropical cyclones outside PAR

Badrina also said that the two tropical cyclones monitored outside the PAR will not affect the country.

Typhoon Paolo (international name: Matmo) was spotted 930 kilometers west of extreme northern Luzon with a movement of west-northwestward at 25 km per hour. It was carrying a maximum wind speed of 140 kph and gustiness of 170 kph.

Badrina said that Paolo is heading to the southern part of China while Tropical Storm Halong may enter the northeastern boundary of PAR.

Meanwhile, Halong was located 2,190 km northeast of extreme northern Luzon with a movement of westward at 10 kph. It was packing a maximum wind speed of 65 kph and gustiness of 80 kph.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Sunday said the Department of Health (DOH) was already investigating anomalies surrounding 400 ‘idle’ health centers under the agency even ‘before the media picked it up.’

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Herbosa responded to an online interview of Health Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Dr. Albert Domingo.

‘Actually the DOH has been investigating these anomalies way before media picked it up,’ Herbosa said.

‘Several actions have been taken already and we continue to do case buildup,’ Herbosa added.

During the committee-level hearing for the DOH’s proposed budget for 2026, Herbosa tagged the agency’s health facilities enhancement program (HFEP) as the ‘flood control version’ of the agency.

The HFEP, launched in 2008, is DOH’s banner program that aims to ensure that poor and marginalized communities have access to healthcare services. With this revelation, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno, during the House plenary debates of the agency’s proposed budget, questioned why only 200 out of 600 health centers under the HFEP are functional despite being allocated over P170 billion in the past decade.

However, budget sponsor and Bataan 2nd District Rep. Albert Garcia clarified that while the HFEP has no ‘ghost hospitals,’ the lack of personnel and healthcare professionals to run the facilities made them non-functioning.

Garcia also said that the DOH entered into a memorandum of agreement with local governments in ‘good faith,’ as it expected them to provide personnel.

Herbosa also shared that the agency is ‘looking for options to operationalize non-functioning completed health facilities.’ Meanwhile, when asked what kind of actions the agency had already taken in relation to the investigation, Domingo said ‘they are actions meant for mandated investigative bodies and the formal Courts of law.’