Asianet Pakistan Private Limited

AS the chant ‘Mga Corrupt, Ikulong na yan!’ reverberated during the Luneta and Mendiola anti-corruption rallies, street vendor Alvin Karingal was catapulted to social media fame because of his ‘ibaba ang presyo ng fishballs, kikiam, calamares at kwek-kwek’ video.

I already noticed Karingal in the Luneta rally while I was video documenting the rallyists, as he was marching with the contingents of the University of the Philippines.

The mass actions are closely tied to the flood control corruption scandal that revolves around the diversion of billions of public funds to a network of favored contractors, lawmakers, and officials tied to flood control projects over the past three years.

Despite the reported completion of 5,500 flood control projects, many are either substandard or entirely non-existent.

The anti-corruption rallies coincided with the Martial Law anniversary.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. signed Proclamation No. 1081 on September 21, 1972, marking the beginning of a 14-year period of dictatorial rule, which effectively lasted until he was exiled from the country on February 25, 1986.

Corruption under the Marcos dictatorial regime ranged from theft of foreign and military aid to the domestic system of crony capitalism.

Political, economic, and social conditions coalesced to create a volatile political environment in the early 1980s. As the crony-run corporations collapsed and Marcos’s associates fled abroad with their assets, the financial situation deteriorated. Continuous mass actions led to his eventual downfall in 1986.

Five decades later, corruption issues also plague the administration of his son, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr.

The formal program in Mendiola ended at around 3:30 p.m. and organizers requested for a peaceful dispersal.

I was only a few meters away when violent clashes erupted as some masked individuals hurled stones, plastic bottles, sticks and Molotov cocktails at the police who stood as a barricade between the crowd and Malacañang.

The riots at Ayala Bridge, Recto, and Mendiola left scores of protesters and police injured, toppled steel posts, a motel ransacked and a trailer on fire at the foot of Ayala Bridge.

At least 216 were arrested following the riots, including 95 minors. Karingal was one of them.

The chant was simple, even absurd and funny to some as his call is just for cheaper street food. He was later identified as a person with mental health condition and a former mayoral candidate.

But for him, and others of similar economic status, it is not a joke. He has been an active rallyist, and a street vendor. He knows exactly how every peso is earned through sweat and struggle.

A post said: ‘This is how corruption shows itself in the daily lives of ordinary people. What others see as small change means survival for those who work tirelessly just to put food on the table. That money comes from long hours of work, tired bodies, and sacrifices.’

‘His call was not just about street food. It was about the everyday struggles of the poor, about dignity, and about justice. And I hope people realize that behind words like his is the truth about how deeply our system fails the poor.’

Kwek-kwek, fishball and kikiam are not exclusively ‘food of the poor,’ but rather a very affordable and popular Filipino street food, making them accessible to people from all economic backgrounds.

Their association with the poor might stem from their origins and widespread availability in the streets.

Filipino street food is the product of adversity. As a colonized country, expensive and high-quality meats were incredibly expensive and impossible to get, necessitating the usage of the animal’s less glamorous and less expensive components. These pieces have been converted into some of the most delicious and economical bites of food, demonstrating the adaptability and resourcefulness of Filipinos.

Corruption is not just a concept: it is felt in daily prices, in the cost of street food, in flooded streets that adversely affect small vendors’ sales, and in public funds diverted from basic services that keep communities afloat.

Karingal was pointing to inflation or the rising cost of basic goods. For his customers, who were ordinary people like him, even a one-peso increase has a big impact. He was asking for something simple, that street food should stay affordable for everyone.

Food itself is a political battlefield. Research group IBON said that involuntary hunger doubled under the Marcos Jr. administration due to its failure to ensure higher wages and low prices.

‘The rise in hunger is a wakeup call that many Filipinos are struggling on meager incomes and the high cost of living. This shows government’s rhetoric of economic gains and a robust jobs market is empty-just like the bellies of millions of hungry Filipinos.’

Peyups is the moniker of the University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 0917-502580.

The avalanche of Congressional inquiries and whistleblower stories on the trillion-peso guni-guni flood control projects has awakened the citizenry to the massive corruption being committed by those in power. The people’s outrage was in full display on September 21, at the Luneta Park and the Edsa shrine.

Now, how can corruption, a never-ending and ever-growing problem in the Philippines, be tamed?

As it is, many in the September 21 rallies find the government’s response still weak and lacking in resolve? On Congressional inquiries: how can those involved in the flood scandals, the errant legislators in particular, be part of the committees to investigate the crime of corruption? And can the Independent Commission for Infrastructures undertake thorough cleansing of the graft-ridden infra development system when the commission is ad-hoc in character and limited to fact-finding work? How will these bodies address corruption issues linked to the highest officials of the land?

Is the President serious in pursuing a national cleansing of the graft-ridden infra and social spending processes? Does the President have the guts to ask family members and political allies involved in corruption to take a leave and allow a truly independent body with powers to hold accountable those guilty of corruption to be established, as suggested by Rep. Leila de Lima? Can FM Jr. be the bold reformer the nation is waiting for, or will he behave like his predecessors who barked loudly against corruption at the beginning, only to do nothing once the furor dies down? Is he prepared to break the ties that bind him to the KKK club-Kamag-anak, Kaklase, Kabarkada?

In the meantime, the nation is getting shocking revelations on how high-level corruption is being committed by criminal syndicates led by government officials, as Congressman Toby Tiangco put it. The gangs of plunderers have very deep connections in government and operate like Italian mafiosos. Based on PBBM’s list of top contractors, there are syndicates in different regions/districts of the country, some with a long history of plundering public funds under different administrations.

Who comprise a typical syndicate? They consist of the following:

First, you have the rent-seeking contractors eager to capture huge profits by making little or even no investments that result in substandard or non-existent projects. Of course, these contractors cannot bag juicy projects without the facilitating assistance of the get-rich-quick DPWH engineers and staff. And then to make these projects ‘move’ and get funded, these contractors and engineers have to secure the support of conniving officials in the executive branch, e.g., DBM, DOF, COA, etc. All these players are bound by some kind of an omerta code of silence.

But most importantly, the syndicates have godfathers, the ring leaders. They are the influential politicians who sit on top of the corruption ladder. They are the dynastic rulers of the land. They wield political power and shamelessly engage in primitive accumulation for the benefit of their families, clans and supporters. They tinker with the budgets, ingeniously shaping them to suit their plundering programs with the support of their chosen contractor firms, some of which they themselves set up or are run by family members and cronies.

With the illicit funds that they acquire, the plundering political elites perpetuate themselves and their families in power by spreading ‘ayuda’ to voters to get themselves elected with no hassle. The ayuda taken from the national budget (e.g., TUPAD, AKAP, etc.) or shaved from the DPWH and other government projects make them ‘popular’ overnight to dirt-poor voters. Thus, Partylists and dynastic congressmen do not even go to the trouble of drawing up comprehensive economic-political reform programs and conducting prolonged campaigns to win popular support. They simply go around distributing ‘ayuda’ one or two weeks before the elections.

In a number of congressional districts, the electoral contest is reduced to a battle of who could give the bigger ayuda, ayuda that could go as high as P15,000 or more per voter. The competition to get the voters’ interest based on the development vision and reform agenda of a candidate in a congressional district becomes meaningless. There are no healthy political debates on problems such as joblessness, landlessness and homelessness among the voting poor in a district and how the dynastic candidates plan to address them. In the 2025 elections, a dynastic political family in a Mindanao province was even reported to have promised the barangay captains that their barangays would receive numerous benefits, including a barangay vehicle, if they deliver zero votes to their opponents.

The foregoing dynastic way of buying votes is well known across the archipelago. And yet, the Comelec does not have the will or courage to correct vote buying. The Comelec simply asks concerned citizens to file verified and documented complaints instead of the Comelec itself, motu proprio, fielding agents to stop vote buying, which is usually conducted in an organized way in barangay halls across the country. The Comelec further erodes the credibility of the electoral results when it refuses to cooperate with the demand of IT experts to explain why the audited source code in the automated election system was not used and why there were millions of spoiled overvotes for partylists and senators.

Once in power, the dynastic political elite unabashedly use government resources not only to reward families and loyalists but also to place them in key government positions that enable them to control national and local spending and secure the license to exploit natural and other resources. They have also transformed the IMF-WB policy prescriptions of privatization and trade/investment liberalization as instruments to develop rent-seeking monopolies out of privatized public services (power, water, etc.) and liberalized trade systems. The clear outcomes of this governance arrangement are disempowerment of the poor and their communities and the deeper social and economic inequality at both local and national levels.

The dominant political dynastic families get themselves re-elected regularly even if some political reformers somehow succeed ‘sporadically and for short periods of time,’ as a German scholar Peter Kruizer noted (‘Mafia-style domination in the Philippines’, 2012). Comparing the country to Italy, Kruizer concluded that ‘Mafia-style domination is part and parcel of the democratic political process’ in the Philippines.

But is this real democracy? A government of the few for the few? An elite in perpetual control of the government through patronage politics, vote buying, business monopolies, etc.? They even have the Comelec as a virtual ally, a Comelec that is unable to explain creditably the non-use of the audited hash code in the 2025 automated elections, which elicited the remark of former DICT Undersecretary Elisio Rio that Philippine democracy has become a ‘farce.’

Given the malgovernance of the country and the large-scale plunder that the ruling political dynasties are committing, the political-economic system looks more and more like a mafia-run machinery managed by powerful syndicates. Breaking this dynastic rule, as mandated by the 1987 Constitution, is clearly a moral, economic and political necessity. To upend this rule is to unlock the country’s democratic potential to build a more just, inclusive and sustainable society.

The Philippines, along with Indonesia and India, has the highest potential for decisive mangrove action in Asia, ranking 2nd next to Indonesia. However, in terms of financial capacity and investors’ confidence, it ranks below most Asian countries, falling 11th of 17th, a new regional report revealed.

The Regional Readiness Reports map regional trends, threats, as well as conservation and restoration potential, and show the far-reaching impacts of climate, biodiversity, and sustainable developments in nations with high mangrove cover.

Produced by the Global Mangrove Alliance and the Mangrove Breakthrough, the Regional Readiness Reports map regional trends, threats, as well as conservation and restoration potential, and show the far-reaching impacts for climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development in nations with high mangrove cover.

‘These reports answer the critical question of where and how we can most effectively accelerate mangrove action,’ said Irene Kingma, Wetlands International. ‘They point funders and decision-makers to opportunities and to places and partners ready to move.’

According to the Regional Readiness Reports, Asia is home to the largest areas of mangroves in the world, totaling 58,236 km2 distributed across 18 countries: Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Taiwan, the Maldives and Japan. This is around 40% of the 150,000 km2 of mangroves remaining globally in 2020, according to Global Mangrove Watch.

The report said the Philippines has 230.78 km of restorable mangrove area, second only to Indonesia with 2,032 km. India is 3rd with 179 km.

In terms of financial stability and investor confidence, the Philippines ranked 11th while India is 6th, and Indonesia, 9th.

Topping Asian countries with the highest financial investor confidence is Singapore, followed by Japan and Malaysia.

‘Mangroves store up to four times more carbon than tropical rainforests, shield coastal communities from rising seas and storms, and provide vital habitat for over 340 threatened species. Yet, over 50% of their original extent has already been lost, and efforts to conserve and restore them remain severely underfunded,’ the report revealed.

To close this gap, Mangrove Breakthrough partners are mobilizing $4 billion in public, private, and philanthropic finance to halt mangrove loss, restore half of degraded mangroves, and double their protection by 2030. These Regional Reports translate its Finance Roadmap into tangible, high-impact investment opportunities across the three critical regions.

‘The Regional Readiness Reports are blueprints to help donors, financial institutions, governments and NGOs align their resources and commitments-advancing the Mangrove Breakthrough into its next phase, driving system-level change across target regions, and delivering tangible benefits for frontline coastal communities and ecosystems’, added Ignace Beguin, Director of the Mangrove Breakthrough.

The report noted that Asia is home to around 40% of the world’s remaining mangroves. With 3,927 km² of restorable mangroves, the region could deliver nearly half (47%) of the global Mangrove Breakthrough restoration target. Around 27% of mangroves in Asia are under some form of formal protection. Due to the globally significant mangrove area in Indonesia, doubling protection levels there would realize more than half of the Mangrove Breakthrough’s regional goal. Across Asia, conversion of mangrove forests to shrimp aquaculture ponds and agricultural plantations is the largest driver of loss, and resolving land tenure is the most common barrier to effective action.

In the Philippines, mangroves are recognized as highly protected nature-based solutions to climate change, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) said.

Several mechanisms aimed at the protection, preservation, and rehabilitation of Philippine mangrove systems were developed, including legislation and key documents.

Initial statistics reveal that the Philippines had 450,000 hectares of mangrove forests in 1920. By 1990, this decreased to 317,500 hectares, and in the most recent statistics, it decreased further to 311,400 hectares, the CCC said.

Despite the significant reduction of mangrove forest coverage over the past century, the Philippines remains home to numerous mangrove sites, citing the Ramsar Sites in various parts of the country, which are recognized for their international importance.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday announced that the cancellation of the registration of the Duterte Youth party-list is now final and executory.

This follows the group’s failure to secure a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court to stop the poll body from implementing its ruling.

In its statement, the Comelec reiterated that the commission’s Second Division earlier declared Duterte Youth’s registration void ab initio for failing to comply with publication and hearing requirements.

‘With the issuance of the Certificate of Finality and Entry of Judgment, the Order of the Commission En Banc as to the cancellation of the party-list registration of Duterte Youth is now declared immediately executory,’ the Comelec said.

The poll body also cited other grounds for cancellation, including untruthful statements in the group’s petition, questions on the eligibility of its nominees, and the lack of genuine intent to represent the youth sector.

It further noted that Duterte Youth was linked to the National Youth Commission, had promoted unlawful means to advance its objectives, violated election laws and regulations, and filed its petition in a manner that placed the electoral process in disrepute.

Duterte Youth garnered 2.33 million votes in the May 2025 midterm elections-the second-highest among party-list groups-which would have entitled it to three seats in the House of Representatives had its registration not been canceled.

The poll body said it would proclaim the three new holders of the vacated seats on Thursday afternoon.

LACK of meaningful consultations with affected communities remains among the leading factors behind the challenges faced by families relocated under socialized housing programs, according to a recent report.

A study by the Philippine Resource Center for Inclusive Development (Inklusibo) urged government shelter agencies and private developers to have closer coordination with civil society organizations and local stakeholders to strengthen accountability and improve outcomes for low-income families.

They highlighted the need to pair housing assistance with broader social protection measures, including fair income verification systems, affordability safeguards and integration with livelihood, education and employment programs.

‘Without sustained assistance, these families risk falling into a cycle of displacement and deeper poverty,’ Inklusibo said. ‘With the right intervention and a genuinely participatory approach that centers on the poor.’

The organization cited in-city, high-rise, and mixed-income housing models-such as the Tondominium project-as suitable for densely populated urban areas where land is scarce.

These designs, it said, allow families to remain close to their jobs and essential services while incorporating disaster-resilient features and maintenance systems.

According to the report, larger units are also more responsive to the needs of low-income families, which often have more members.

‘As low-income families tend to be large, its 44-square-meter units are better suited to their needs than Vitas Katuparan’s 28-square-meter units,’ the group noted.

Mixed-income occupancy was likewise found to foster stronger support networks and expand economic opportunities for residents, though Inklusibo underscored that displaced and low-income families must remain the priority beneficiaries.

The group further gathered other recommendations from stakeholders, including mandatory initial inspections before turnover to address structural issues early and the creation of public spaces to promote social interaction.

Relocating entire communities together, allowing families to live near one another, and providing responsive administrative support were also cited as key measures for ensuring smoother adjustment.

Resident views

SOME residents welcomed high-rise housing for accommodating more families, but many still preferred low-rise structures, citing earthquake safety and limited building lifespan.

About 45 percent of respondents said they supported the relocation, noting better safety, privacy, and sanitation. They also credited larger units, solid partitions, and security features such as guards and CCTVs for improved living conditions.

Cleaner surroundings and on-site administrators also helped deter trespassing, theft, and other crimes.

Participants reported better health outcomes, attributing these to improved ventilation and sanitation. Some also hoped that similar relocation opportunities would be extended to families still living in condemned Vitas Katuparan buildings.

Meanwhile, 35 percent opposed the move and 20 percent were undecided, pointing to gaps in post-relocation aid, strict building rules, inadequate closed-circuit television monitors (CCTV), unsafe playgrounds, and perceived earthquake risks. Others raised maintenance issues, including unit defects and persistent leaks.

‘Water leaks from ceiling cracks caused by earthquakes are a prominent concern among those on higher floors. Some residents, commonly in corner units regardless of floor level, also experience water leaks from windows during strong rainstorms,’ the report said.

Cracks on the roof deck were also reported but remain unaddressed despite a city ordinance mandating priority repairs in common areas.

Affordability, however, emerged as the most pressing concern. ‘Four households were already evicted, and over half face eviction threats,’ the report said.

Monthly rent is P2,000 for households earning below P13,000, and P3,000 for those earning more.

Launched in February 2022, Tondominium is among the Manila City government’s high-rise housing projects under Ordinance 8730, which allows vertical developments on government-owned land for informal settler families.

The P1-billion project, built through the Manila Urban Settlements Office (MUSO), consists of two 15-storey towers with 336 units for former residents of Vitas Katuparan, one of several condemned structures identified by the National Housing Authority in 2020.

Housing Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling earlier said the government is recalibrating its socialized housing strategy to include horizontal or subdivision-style projects. His predecessor, Jose Rizalino Acuzar, had pushed vertical housing to maximize land use but acknowledged its higher planning and construction demands.

The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has slapped a temporary ban on molasses imports to stabilize domestic stocks and prop up millsite prices.

The SRA issued Molasses Order (MO) 1 following the surge in shipments of imported molasses and the spike in the local output of the raw sugar byproduct.

Molasses imports for crop year 2024-2025 jumped to 853,285 metric tons (MT) as of end-August, 28 percent higher than the average annual shipments in the three previous crop years.

Local production of the sugar byproduct also rose by 21 percent to 1.18 million metric tons (MMT) in the reference period from 975,934 MT last year. This resulted in a domestic millsite stock balance of 303,961 MT.

The SRA noted that the millsite price of domestic molasses also plunged by 30 percent year-on-year to P12,000 per MT as of August 24.

‘Farmers, planters, sugar mills, and other stakeholders have expressed grave concerns on the issues of the stock balance of domestic molasses as well as the marked decrease in its millsite prices,’ MO 1 read.

‘There is, likewise, a concern on the apparent discrepancy between the volume of locally produced molasses used as feedstock by bioethanol producers and the corresponding volume of the products resulting therefrom.’

As such, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona told the BusinessMirror that the agency needs to verify that the feedstock used for bioethanol was local.

Under the Biofuels Act of 2006 or Republic Act (RA) 9367, all liquid fuels for motors and engines sold in the country should be blended with locally-sourced biofuels components.

‘There is thus a need to impose a moratorium on the importation of molasses, and to revisit and review the policies and practices on the same, if only to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship between the local production and the importation of molasses.’

The MO stipulated that the temporary ban on molasses imports will remain in effect until December 31, 2025 unless otherwise shortened or extended by the agency.

During the period of the ban, the SRA said it would not accept applications for import clearance of molasses.

However, all pending applications filed with the agency before the MO are deemed exempted. Imported shipments of molasses already in transit or covered by a purchase order as of the effectivity of the MO are also not included in the ban.

The SRA noted that imported molasses arriving in the country after November 30 would be covered by the MO and would not be issued import clearances.

Any violation of the provision under the order would be a ground for the revocation or non-renewal of the SRA registration of the molasses importer, it added.

AT least 62 people were killed and 201 were injured in the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that hit northern Cebu on Tuesday night, the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said.

‘We have confirmed the death of 62, and we are still verifying reports coming. We have a report that says 201 persons were injured,’ Patricia Vasaya, monitoring officer at PDRRMO, said.

Many of the victims were rushed to the Bogo City Hospital, which recorded 30 deaths as of 2 p.m.

The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) said rescue, retrieval and relief operations are on-going, with the hope of saving lives. Tuesday night’s temblor is the strongest earthquake that hit Northern Cebu in history.

Owing to the Magnitude 6.9 earthquake, the provincial government of Cebu declared a state of calamity. In line with this, a price ceiling on agricultural commodities is in effect, as mandated by Republic Act 7581 or ‘The Price Act.’

Among those killed were rescuers deployed by the Coast Guard (PCG).

Seaman Second Class Lawrence Palomo, Apprentice Seaman (ASN) Jujay Mahusay, and ASN Ert Cart Dacunes, were killed following the collapse of the San Remegio Sports Complex in San Remegio, Cebu, during the earthquake.

DSWD sends relief items

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Wednesday reported that more than 27,000 families across 42 barangays have been affected by the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu on Tuesday.

Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the number of affected families is expected to rise as assessments continue as he assured Cebuanos that their immediate needs, including food and water, will be promptly addressed.

‘While there is much work to be done for recovery, President Marcos instructed us to prioritize the immediate needs of affected families. Relief efforts will focus first on what they need now,’ he said during his rounds in Bogo City, one of the hardest-hit areas.

Fresh from overseeing relief operations in Masbate, which was also recently struck by Typhoon Opong, the DSWD chief supervised the distribution of family food packs (FFPs), marking the agency’s initial wave of assistance for quake victims. Boxes of FFPs were immediately dispatched to Bogo City, with additional aid expected to support ongoing relief operations. Ready-to-eat food (Rtef) boxes, containing meals requiring minimal preparation, are also set to be distributed.

The DSWD currently maintains a stockpile of over 300,000 FFPs at the Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) in Mandaue City. In addition to food aid, the Department will deploy disaster response vehicles and equipment, including mobile command centers, mobile kitchens, water treatment units, and tanker trucks.

‘All of these will arrive by 6:00 p.m. Wednesday,’ Gatchalian said.

In terms of cash assistance, Gatchalian assured the provincial local government of Cebu that the DSWD’s Field Office 7-Central Visayas will provide cash aid under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program. Benefits under AICS include medical assistance to the injured locals and burial assistance for families who lost their loved ones from the powerful quake.

The department is also preparing psychosocial interventions to help the affected families and individuals deal with the trauma caused by the late Tuesday night earthquake.

For the recovery phase, the DSWD chief said the agency will provide emergency cash assistance (ECT) as soon as the clean list of beneficiaries is provided by the concerned local governments (LGU).

‘These cash transfers allow families to prioritize their own needs, whether it’s rebuilding homes or restoring livelihoods,’ Gatchalian explained.

Gatchalian has instructed all DSWD Field Offices to be on standby and their personnel ready to be deployed to augment the manpower and resources of Field Office-Central Visayas.

The department also said it will provide burial assistance to families of those who died as a result of the earthquake.

Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said the agency’s field office in Central Visayas will also provide P10,000 cash assistance to the families who lost their loved ones.

First in history

THE earthquake occurred at exactly 9:59 p.m., the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said. The epicenter of the Offshore Northern Cebu Earthquake, with a depth of five kilometers, was traced in Bogo City, Cebu.

It generated an Intensity VII ground-shaking event in the City of Bogo, and the towns of Daanbantayan, Medellin, San Remigio and Tabuelan, while Intensity VI was also in Murcia, Negros Occidental; as well as Bantayan, Borbon, Catmon and Sogod, also in Cebu province.

John Deximo, Senior Science Specialist at Phivolcs, said the agency will deploy a quick response team to conduct an assessment of the damage caused by the earthquake. He said the strong earthquake, which was triggered by movements in a local offshore fault, is a first in Cebu.

‘This [earthquake] is a first in northern Cebu. We are calling it the Offshore Northern Cebu Earthquake. This is the first time that a strong earthquake was recorded in northern Cebu. We are still gathering information. From what we see in the social media posts, we have moderate to heavy damage in structures, buildings and infrastructure, so we will deploy immediate QRT from our team to assess local governments,’ Deximo, a seismologist, said.

He said outside Cebu, the event is expected to affect other provinces in Central Visayas, and other nearby provinces in Luzon and Mindanao.

‘We will have to assess the damage and will refine the reported intensities,’ he said.

Deximo said the QRT will be deployed within the day, and they are expected to assess the damage in buildings, roads, bridges, and investigate geohazards such as liquefaction and landslides, and come up with recommendations for possible evacuation and putting up of an evacuation center where affected communities will be safe.

The Phivolcs Earthquake Information on the Offshore Northern Cebu Earthquake reported that Intensity V was felt in Cataingan, Esperanza, and Pio V. Corpuz, in Masbate; City of Cadiz, Hinigaran, Moises Padilla, City of San Carlos, San Enrique, City of Sipalay and Toboso Negros Occidental; Dauis, City of Tagbilaran, and Talibon, in Bohol; Alcoy, Argao, Asturias, Carmen, Compostela, Consolacion, Dalaguete, Danao City, Liloan, Oslob, Samboan, San Fernando, and Santander, in Cebu; Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City,

Almeria, Biliran, Cabucgayan, Caibiran, Culaba, Kawayan, Maripipi, and Naval in Biliran; Abuyog, Alangalang, Albuera, Babatngon, Barugo, Bato, City of Baybay, Burauen, Calubian, Capoocan, Carigara, Dagami, Dulag, Hilongos, Hindang, Inopacan, Isabel, Jaro, Javier, Julita, Kananga, La Paz, Leyte, Macarthur, Matag-Ob, Matalom, Mayorga, Merida, Palo, Palompon, Pastrana, San Isidro, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Tabango, Tabontabon, Tanauan, Tolosa, Tunga, and Villaba, Leyte; Ormoc City and Tacloban City.

The earthquake was also strongly felt in areas as far as Albay, Negros Oriental, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte, Zamboanga del Norte, and Camiguin province.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center (NDRRMC) also reported three related incidents in Central Luzon, including a landslide, a structural fire, and the collapse of infrastructure.

So far, 22 damaged infrastructures have been recorded, including one road section and five bridge sections.

The NDRRMC said eight cities and towns experienced power interruption.

At least 46 cities and towns in Central Visayas have already cancelled classes, while four cities and municipalities declared work suspension because of the earthquake.

President Marcos ordered concerned government agencies to deploy immediate aid and emergency funds in the areas in the island province.

Hours after the quake hit, Social Welfare Secretary Rexlon T. Gatchalian, Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon, Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque flew to the province to coordinate government support, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

Marcos also directed the Department of Health (DOH) to check the status of the personnel of the medical facilities, which are near the affected areas so they can assist the quake victims.

‘Doctors, nurses, and staff of the DOH Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center [VSMMC] and the DOH Cebu South Medical Center [CSMC] have reported back on their safety. They are now deploying medical teams to nearby areas, especially in Bogo City itself,’ PCO said.

PCO said the Department of the Interior and Local Government has also mobilized personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection and the National Police (PNP) to help search and rescue operations as well as to prevent looting and maintain order.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it has P379 million in standby funds and has 2.4 million boxes of family food packs (FFPs) prepositioned nationwide which can be tapped to provide relief to the affected areas.

Of the food packs, 300,000 are spread all over Cebu and ready for immediate distribution, Gatchalian said.

For its part, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the agencies which are responding to the recent disaster may use their Quick Response Funds (QRF) to provide urgent relief and recovery initiatives.

It noted that agencies may seek replenishment from the DBM once their QRF balance has been reduced to at least 50 percent.

The Department of Health (DOH) has deployed medical teams to Bogo City, Cebu following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake on Tuesday night.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said that the first batch of the emergency response team came from Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City.

In addition, the DOH Cebu South Medical Center (CSMC) on Wednesday has also deployed medical teams not only in Bogo City but in nearby areas.

The DOH Centers for Health Development (CHDs-regional offices) in Central and Eastern Visayas have reported back and are now coordinating with their regional counterparts of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Herbosa said.

Meanwhile, the Red Cross (PRC) has mobilized its ambulances from Cebu, Bogo, and Masbate to assist those affected by the earthquake.

The PRC said that its volunteers continue to respond on the scene to provide essential medical care.a

THE Department of Energy (DOE) on Wednesday announced a price freeze on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and kerosene in Cebu following the earthquake on Tuesday night.

The price freeze will be implemented for 60 days to ensure price stability. This move, added the DOE, is meant to protect households from undue economic burden and guarantee the continued availability of essential fuel products that are critical in cooking, lighting, and other immediate recovery needs.

‘Stability of fuel prices and availability of supply are vital in times of disaster. The Department is working closely with all partners to make sure that families and frontliners have access to the essential energy resources they need during relief and recovery operations,’ Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said.

The DOE, in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and local governments, will be conducting inspections to prevent overpricing and profiteering during this critical period. Violators face heavy penalties under the law.

The DOE also assures that there is sufficient supply of petroleum products in the province and that distribution channels are being closely coordinated with oil companies and local authorities to ensure uninterrupted access to consumers, particularly in evacuation centers and hardest-hit communities.

Price freeze on basic goods

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has implemented a 60-day price freeze on basic necessities in the entire province of Cebu following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck the province on September 30.

‘We recognize the heavy toll this disaster has brought to families. Beyond enforcing the price freeze, our priority is to ensure that prices and supplies are affordable and stable,’ Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina A. Roque said in a statement on Wednesday.

Currently, DTI said its monitoring teams in field offices have been deployed to ‘actively’ inspect markets, verify prices, and guarantee an ‘adequate and continuous’ supply of these basic goods in all affected communities.

Roque said the department will be ‘vigilant’ in making sure that consumers are protected from undue price increases.

DTI said the automatic price freeze immediately took effect upon the declaration of a State of Calamity by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Resolution 1985, Series of 2025).

Visayas grid on yellow alert

THE National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) on Wednesday placed the Visayas grid on yellow alert until midnight after 27 power plants, with 1,444 megawatts (MW) of total capacity, went on forced outage owing to the 6.9-magnuitude earthquake that struck Cebu.

A yellow alert is issued when the operating margin is insufficient to meet the transmission grid’s contingency requirement. The Visayas grid’s available capacity stood at 1,888 MW as against a peak demand of 1,839MW. The alert is in effect from 1p.m. to 9 p.m.

The grid operator also reported 16 more power plants that have been unavailable even prior to the incident, while one other is running on derated capacity.

In all, a total of 1654.7 MW was shaved off from the grid as of Wednesday noon.

The Luzon and Mindanao grids, meanwhile, are under normal condition.

Meralco PowerGen Corporation (Mgen), the power generation arm of Meralco, said its thermal plants in the Visayas-Cebu Energy Development Corporation (CEDC) and Toledo Power Company (TPC)-tripped as a safety precaution during the seismic event.

CEDC, which has a net saleable capacity of 219.7 MW, and TPC, with a net saleable capacity of 73 MW, were promptly inspected by technical teams.

Earlier in the day, MGen said two units of CEDC and one unit of TPC have already been safely restarted and synchronized to the grid, while the remaining unit is undergoing inspection and will be brought back online progressively.

As of press time, MGen said ‘all CEDC units and TPC unit are already synced to the grid.’

Mgen said it is closely coordinating with the Department of Energy, NGCP, and local authorities to support system stability and help meet the power needs of Cebu and the Visayas grid.

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) said there are 24 electric cooperatives (ECs) across 10 provinces in four regions that reported power interruptions caused by the earthquake.

It said that restoration efforts are ongoing for 844,428 affected consumer connections.

Meanwhile, the DOE, in coordination with the NGCP, power generation companies, and ECs, mobilized sector-wide efforts to immediately secure power supply to hospitals, water stations, and other lifeline facilities.

The DOE said that as of 9:00 a.m., significant progress has been reported in the Visayas, with 214 out of 309 affected towns (69.26 percent) already energized. The status across ECs, however, remains varied as 15 are operating normally; four are experiencing partial power interruptions and five continue to face total power interruptions. The DOE said restoration efforts are actively underway to bring electricity back to 844,428 consumer connections.

Meanwhile, Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines has suspended the market operations in the Visayas grid beginning 10:05 p.m. of September 30.

THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday said two of the five accused in the killing of Philippine Charity Sweeptakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga in 2020 have already surrendered following the issuance of an arrest warrant against them by a local court.

The accused were identified as former police officers Santie Mendoza, and Nelson Mariano.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago said the two expressed their intention to surrender upon learning that an arrest warrant has been issued against them by the Branch 279 of the Regional Trial Court in Mandaluyong on Monday.

On September 29, 2025, Mariano voluntarily surrendered to the NBI-Organized and Transnational Crime Division (NBI-OTCD) while Mendoza voluntarily surrendered on September 30 to NBI agents who flew to Bacolod City to implement the arrest warrant.

It can be recalled that Mendoza and Mariano confessed their involvement in the Baruyaga murder case during the House Quad Committee hearing conducted on September 27, 2024.

They implicated former PCSO general manager Royina Garma, former National Police Commission (Napolcom) Chairman Edilberto Leonardo and police officer Jeremy Causapin in the crime.

This led to the filing of murder and frustrated murder charges against them.

Barayuga, a retired police officer who was then PCSO Board Secretary, and his driver were shot by motorcycle-riding gunmen while traversing the intersection of Calbayog and Malinaw Streets in Mandaluyong City on July 30, 2020.

Barayuga died at the scene, while his driver sustained gunshot injuries.

Earlier, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the Department of Justice (DOJ) will seek the cancellation of Garma’s passport.

Remulla added that he would ask Santiago to check on the possibility of requesting a red notice from the Interpol to hasten Garma’s return to the country.

He said Garma and her co-accused will be considered as fugitives if they will not surrender to authorities despite the issuance of the arrest warrant against them.

It can be recalled that Garma was allowed to leave for Malaysia a day after returning to the country from Los Angeles, California, last September 6 following the denial of her application for political asylum.

Garma left as a tourist for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, according to the Bureau of Immigration, on September 7.

Garma was allowed to leave the country after the BI was able to verify that there was no hold departure order (HDO) or warrant of arrest issued against her.

Remulla later on disclosed that Garma has agreed to testify for the prosecution in connection with the crimes against humanity filed in the International Criminal Court against former President Rodrigo Duterte for his bloody anti-illegal drug war.

He said Garma left for Malaysia to meet with ICC representatives in preparation for her testimony.

THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) celebrates its 50th season with a classic Barangay Ginebra San Miguel-Magnolia showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

And to also celebrate the golden anniversary of Asia’s pioneering professional basketball league, the PBA welcomed Pureblends to the family during the pre-season press conference on Wednesday at the Shangrila Fort.

‘We are very happy that we’re accepted by the PBA, we waited for a long time and the timing is great because it’s in the PBA’s 50th anniversary,’ Pureblends team governor Emil Tiu said. ‘We will learn from here and we are to compete.’

Pureblends took over NorthPort’s franchise with the team carrying the brand Titan Ultra-a food supplement for men-and the players as the Giant Risers.

They will debut against the Meralco Bolts on October 8 at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City.

Former Terrafirma coach Johnedel Cardel will handle the team composed of Cade Flores, Calvin Abueva, Joshua Munzon, Fran Yu, Damie Cuntapay, James Kwekuteye, Jeo Ambohot, rookies Chris Koon and 6-foot-9 Mario Barasi.

Jerrick Balanza and Von Pessumal are also part of the Titan Ultra roster that reportedly bought the Batang Pier franchise for P90 million-lock, stock and barrel.

‘I must admit that we are still a young team, but we have a complete lineup,’ Tiu said. ‘We will give the strong teams a good fight. We will fight.’

League treasurer Atty. Raymond Zorilla of Phoenix Super LPG said Titan Ultra complied with all the requirements to get the nod of the board.

Terrafirma also named Alfredo ‘Pido’ Jarencio as its representative to the board replacing Bobby Rosales.

Ginebra-Magnolia game where LA Tenorio will make his debut as playing-coach of the Chicken Timplados is set at 7:30 p.m.

The PBA will be holding a Fans Day on Saturday at the Green Gate of Smart Araneta Coliseum to be followed by a celebration and concert at the Meralco Theater with the pro league’s past and present members.