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Stephen Curry scored 22 of his 42 points in the fourth and overtime periods to carry the Golden State Warriors past the hot-shooting Aaron Gordon and the Denver Nuggets, 137-131, Friday (Manila time) in San Francisco.

Curry outdueled Gordon, who finished with a career-high 50 points, as he ran berserk in clutch time.

Aside from his 42-point performance built on 14-of-25 shooting from the field, Curry also had seven assists, six rebounds and three steals alongside a block.

Denver led by as much as 14 points in the game, and was ahead by nine, 109-100, with 7:22 remaining in regulation following an and-one play by Gordon.

A 3-pointer by Will Richard then lit a fire on the Warriors as they slowly stormed back.

After a triple by Curry tied things up at 117-all with 1:24 left in regulation, Gordon hit a trey with about 26 seconds to go to give Denver a 120-117 edge.

But Curry was quick to answer back with a 3-pointer of his own to force overtime.

In overtime, the two teams traded buckets early, as Jamal Murray hit a layup to make it a 127-128 game with 2:26 to go.

But a backbreaking 7-0 run within the next two minutes, thanks to the troika of Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler and Curry, pushed Golden State up by eight, 135-127, with about 24 seconds left.

Gordon cut the run with a dunk, but Curry’s free throws iced the game.

Butler had 21 markers, six dimes, five boards and three steals, while Jonathan Kuminga had 14 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Warriors, who rose to 2-0 in the season. Green and Al Horford had 13 points apiece for the winning squad.

Gordon made 17-of-21 from the floor to go with eight rebounds in the losing effort. Murray backstopped with 25 points and 10 assists, while Nikola Jokic had 21 markers, 13 boards and 10 dimes for the 0-1 Nuggets.

President Marcos yesterday gave assurance that the government would continue working to hasten the fulfillment of its goal of providing every Filipino family an affordable and decent home.

In a speech during the National Housing Expo 2025 in Pasay, Marcos said a house is not just a structure, but a place where personalities develop, love flourishes and dreams are made.

‘That’s why as long as there are Filipinos aspiring to have their own homes, the government will not stop working. The work will not stop. No one will be left behind in the new Philippines,’ the President said.

The administration initially sought to build one million houses per year to address the country’s housing backlog, which has reached 6.5 million. However, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development lowered the target to 3.2 million houses as it faced various issues, including typhoons and procedural bottlenecks.

Marcos cited the government’s accomplishments in the housing sector, noting that the Pag-IBIG Fund has so far assisted more than 57,000 members in buying or improving their homes this year. Almost P75 billion in loans were also provided to about three million borrowers, he added.

The administration provides affordable shelters through its flagship housing initiative Expanded Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing Program.

Low-income earners can avail themselves of housing loans with interest rates as low as three percent per year through the Pag-IBIG Fund. Overseas Filipino workers may also benefit from the low interest rate.

Beneficiaries and graduates of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program are also eligible under the housing program.

The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is annexing 11 new connections to its network throughout the fourth quarter, as airlines gain confidence to expand reach from the gateway.

In an advisory, MCIA announced the launch of 11 new flights, to be introduced by six airlines, between October and December, when demand for air travel is highest.

By Oct. 26, Cebu Pacific, the country’s largest carrier by fleet and passenger size, is bringing in daily flights to El Nido, while flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) is putting up weekly trips to Calbayog.

By Nov. 15, low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines is putting up twice daily flights to Kuala Lumpur and thrice a week services to Macau. The airline is also pairing this with weekly trips to Davao (18 times), Caticlan (11 times) and Iloilo (four times).

By Dec. 2, low-cost airline Firefly will be linking Cebu and Kuala Lumpur on a five times a week frequency. By Dec. 3, flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will introduce its weekly flights between Cebu and Hanoi, the first of its kind in MCIA.

Also by Dec. 3, low-cost carrier Jetstar is connecting Cebu and Brisbane on a thrice a week schedule, making the flight MCIA’s lone direct service to Australia.

PAL will wrap up the holiday expansion in MCIA on December 4, launching non-stop flights to Guam to give Cebu its only direct access to a US island territory.

MCIA is gaining the attention of local and foreign carriers not just for the volume of passengers it serves, but for its quality of infrastructure and service as well.

The Skytrax World Airport Awards, the prestigious aviation award-giving body, named MCIA as the seventh most improved gateway in the world. The airport was recognized for developments in its infrastructure and services for the comfort and convenience of passengers.

Meanwhile, travelers booking a trip for the Christmas season can expect fares to remain the same in November. The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) is retaining the fuel surcharge at Level 4 next month to keep the pass-on fee the same as it was this October.

At Level 4, airlines can impose a fuel surcharge of P117 to P342 for domestic flights and P385.7 to P2,867.82 for international services, depending on the distance.

Jet fuel prices have gone down by one percent to $89.56 per barrel as of Oct. 17 compared to a month ago, according to the tracker of the International Air Transport Association.

High-grade marijuana and cannabis-infused products valued at P43.86 million were seized in an anti-narcotics operation in Taytay, Rizal yesterday.

The sting in Barangay Dolores resulted in the arrest of an alleged high-value drug supplier, according to the Taytay police.

The suspect was arrested after he allegedly sold marijuana worth P5,000 to undercover agents who conducted the sting in his property.

Probers said the arresting team found 58 kilos of marijuana, 1,600 vape cartridges containing cannabis oil and 200 boxes of marijuana juice in the house of the suspect.

The agency of Park Bom issued a clarification that the Korean singer did not file fraud and embezzlement lawsuit against former label YG Entertainment, which continues to handle Bom’s girl group 2NE1.

The incident stems from a now-deleted post by Bom about a complaint draft accusing YG co-founder Yang Hyun-suk of failing to pay her activity profits stemming from “music releases, concerts, broadcasts, advertisements, events, lyric writing, and composing.”

The complaint indicated that the unpaid settlements amounted to 642 trillion won, equal to $448.8 billion or P26 trillion.

Bom’s current label D Nation Entertainment released a statement clarifying the artist did not receive any payments from YG nor does the latter agency owe Bom any money.

“All settlements related to Park Bom’s 2NE1 activities have already been completed, and there is no record that the complaint uploaded to social media was ever filed,” D Nation said.

D Nation ended by reiterating Bom is currently not involved in activities as she’s focused on treatment and recovery, and the label will do what it can to assist in Bom’s health.

Last year, 2NE1 – composed of Bom, Sandara Park, CL, and Minzy – reunited for its “Welcome Back” tour in celebration of the group’s 15th anniversary, marking 2NE1’s first headliner tour in a decade.

The tour ran until last April and included a two-night Philippine stop last December, however, last August Bom stepped away from further activities due to medical concerns.

Bom was notably missing for portions of the first “Welcome Back” concert at the Philippine Arena because of wardrobe malfunctions and was unable to finish the second night because of health-related issues.

The Department of Public Works and Highways has filed malversation complaints against over 20 people, most of them DPWH engineers and contractors, over anomalous flood control projects in La Union and Davao Occidental.

Accompanied by Independent Commission for Infrastructure chairman Andres Reyes Jr., DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon transmitted the complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman.

Dizon said the amounts involved are greater than the P8.8-million threshold, making the offenses non-bailable and warranting life in prison.

Benguet Rep. Eric Yap is a ‘person of interest’ in the La Union project, who is ‘know to be’ the beneficiail owner of Silverwolves Construction, which implemented the project in La Union, according to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla.

Dizon said the La Union project was split into two contracts amounting to P89.737 million each, or a total of P179.5 million.

The Davao Occidental project amounted to P96.5 million and was reportedly implemented by St Timothy Construction Corp. owned by Curlee and Sarah Discaya.

Dizon described it as a ghost project.

Remulla said he would ask ‘as soon as possible’ the Anti-Money Laundering Council to freeze the assets of Yap, a former party-list representative of ACT-CIS.

No flood documents destroyed in fire

Meanwhile, Dizon said no documents related to anomalous flood control projects had been destroyed in the fire that struck the DPWH building in Quezon City on Wednesday.

At a briefing yesterday, Dizon assured the public and concerned authorities that all the documents relating to the ongoing investigation on flood control corruption had been retrieved and secured round-the-clock at the central office in Manila. The fire damaged the DPWH Bureau of Research Standards building.

Dizon said two retired police generals appointed to undersecretary positions, Arthur Bisnar and Charles Calima are leading efforts to secure the documents.

‘They’re all here to protect the evidence,’ he said, referring to Bisnar and Calima.

‘We’re doing that 24/7 – protection of the evidence,’ Dizon said. ‘We’re doing everything to get back the money of our countrymen.’

Dizon admitted he and the other DPWH officials had initially thought saboteurs were behind the blaze.

‘We had the same initial reaction like our countrymen. We were even more suspicious than our countrymen,’ he said. ‘If the public is highly suspicious, me and General Bisnar are also highly suspicious.’

But he stressed Bisnar is still investigating the incident. ‘No documents related to the ongoing investigations were stored there,’ Dizon stressed.

He also clarified a pronouncement from DPWH Assistant Secretary Melody Villar at the Senate that the fire had also affected the adjacent DPWH Region 4-B office. ‘The Region 4B building is safe and sound,’ Dizon said.

Bisnar, for his part, said that in their first week in the DPWH, Dizon had ordered the scanning of all documents related to the flood control projects and all other infrastructure projects in the last 10 years. Physical documents and hard copies have already been transported to the DPWH central office in Manila.

Also yesterday, Dizon directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a thorough background check on all DPWH appointees as part of the agency’s continuing integrity reforms.

Dizon said he has also sought help from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) for a multisectoral background check on top officials of the DPWH.

Finally, some glimmers of progress.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure has had an epiphany, announcing that ICI proceedings will be livestreamed, with occasional executive sessions.

At the Supreme Court, the original Chamber of Secrets where ICI chair Andres Reyes Jr. used to sit as associate justice, the spokesperson indicated that the SC justices are ready to release to the public their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN), subject to certain rules that the requesting party must meet.

This commitment to transparency, however, must pass the test of sincerity. If the old SC rules governing SALN access remain in place, this statement is pure BS.

The SC was the first to make it nearly impossible for the public to get hold of its members’ precious SALNs. Malacañang and Congress during the Duterte administration quickly followed, backed by then ombudsman Samuel Martires.

With new Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla lifting the unconstitutional and illegal order of Martires, we’re seeing a gradual return to the pre-Duterte practice of releasing SALNs.

Last Tuesday, both Senate President Tito Sotto and Speaker Faustino Dy III released their latest SALNs, declaring net worths of P188 million and P74 million, respectively.

Gosh, we even heard Andres Reyes speaking in public for the first time about the ICI probe. The extent of the corruption, as narrated by those who have faced the ICI, ‘makes me cry,’ he told senators.

Meanwhile, the Sandiganbayan, probably pricked by Remulla’s lament about corruption cases being dismissed due to ‘inordinate delay,’ announced on Tuesday that the anti-graft court could finish trying flood control cases within six to eight months.

That was a timetable given by Remulla, factoring in even the delaying tactics employed by defendants.

Since the cases involve malversation of amounts larger than P8.8 million, the offense will be a major one that under the law can warrant life in prison. It won’t allow bail once arrest warrants are issued by the Sandiganbayan, Remulla told The STAR’s online show ‘Truth on the Line’ last Tuesday.

In the coming days, he hopes to meet with representatives of Congress, the SC and the Sandiganbayan, so they can be in sync in the efforts to eliminate ‘inordinate delay’ in the administration of justice.

If Remulla’s timetable would be followed, we could be seeing certain VIPs behind bars while awaiting trial, denied bail even in the spirit of Christmas. Or even before Nov. 30, the date set for more anti-corruption rallies, which could be bigger than those on Sept. 21.

Much will depend on what happens in the ongoing probes. The livestreaming by the ICI removes one of the causes of discontent. Sen. Panfilo Lacson is also ‘100 percent’ certain of returning as chair of the Blue Ribbon committee, according to Tito Sen.

So when will resigned speaker Martin Romualdez face charges, be covered by an immigration lookout bulletin and have his assets frozen, like his perceived right-hand-man, Elizaldy Co?

‘I will go where the evidence takes me,’ Remulla told me.

People had hoped that with the livestreaming of ICI proceedings beginning next week, the next appearance of Romualdez before the commission would no longer be held in secret.

But yesterday, the hopes were dashed as the ICI announced the postponement of the livestreaming, ostensibly while working out the mechanics of the system – something a typical GenZ could do pronto, with eyes closed.

Romualdez may complain about being singled out, but he is the principal argument of the Duterte camp and skeptics of the ICI’s work that the ongoing anti-corruption crackdown is selective, with the biggest fish being protected.

But the lone person accusing Romualdez of large-scale corruption, former Zaldy Co bodyguard Orly Guteza, is MIA. Guteza, an ex-Marine, has yet to face the ICI or the ombudsman, or even return to the Senate.

While waiting for Guteza to resurface, or his handlers to file formal complaints, Remulla is looking into the plunder case refiled by former senator Antonio Trillanes against Sen. Bong Go and Rodrigo Duterte.

Remulla has also said he would look into allegations of misuse of confidential funds by Sara Duterte as Vice president and when she was secretary of education. To speed things up in this area, Remulla said he would ask for records of the VP’s impeachment case from the House of Representatives.

By next month, Remulla sees seven to eight of the flood control cases being filed with the Sandiganbayan.

Aside from infrastructure projects, the ombudsman covers many other areas. Remulla has withdrawn the Pharmally case for a second look. The refiled case will likely include those that Martires allegedly shielded, notably Rodrigo Duterte and his former economic adviser (and accused drug trafficker) Michael Yang.

That’s a lot on Remulla’s plate, but two weeks into the job, his energy doesn’t seem to be flagging.

‘I’m 64. How many years do we have left to serve in this kind of capacity?’ he told me.

A 64-year-old typically is concerned about legacy. For Remulla, this means leaving to the next generations a much improved Office of the Ombudsman – with ‘the best people, who hold principles dear to the heart, who are willing to work for this country and move forward.’

And yes, he wants the agency to be feared: ‘talagang kakatakutan.’

‘Sometimes fear is the biggest deterrent for many Filipinos,’ he told me. ‘And maybe that’s the only way we can instill fear – by having a very, very efficient, working ombudsman.’

The Office of the Ombudsman, he stressed, is designed to be an ally or ‘kakampi’ of the people, ‘nakikipaglaban para sa taumbayan’ – one that fights for the citizenry.

That’s how the ombudsman is designed, he said: as a ‘protector of the people, a representative of the people.’

At the recently concluded 2025 International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings, I was struck by the plenary speech of World Bank Group president Ajay Banga, which unfortunately was not appreciated here by most local media as our focus in the past few weeks has been on the legislative and infrastructure corruption issue.

However, I felt the need to bring attention to what Banga said, especially his view on the need to focus on creating the conditions for opportunity and stability, alongside rebuilding from the damages caused by war in conflict areas.

According to Banga, ‘We are living through one of the great demographic shifts in human history. By 2050, more than 85 percent of the world’s population will live in countries we call ‘developing’ today.

‘In just the next 10 to 15 years, 1.2 billion young people will enter the workforce – vying for roughly 400 million jobs. That leaves a very large gap.’

He cited that around ‘four young people will step into the global workforce every second over the next 10 years. So in the time it takes to deliver these remarks, tens of thousands will cross that threshold – full of ambition, impatient for opportunity.’

The pace of population growth, Banga said, is most staggering in Africa, which will be home to one in four people by 2050.

‘Between now and then estimates suggest: These young people – with their energy and ideas – will define the next century.

‘With the right investments – focused not on need, but opportunity – we can unlock a powerful engine of global growth.’

However, the WB president warned, ‘Without purposeful effort, their optimism risks turning into despair – fueling instability, unrest and mass migration – with implications for every region and every economy.

‘This is why jobs must be at the center of any development, economic, or national security strategy.’

He continued, ‘But what do we mean by a job? It can mean working for a company and advancing through it to higher levels, or being employed at a small business. But it could also mean starting your own as an entrepreneur.

‘A job is more than a paycheck. It is what allows both women and men to pursue their aspirations. It’s purpose. It’s dignity. The anchor that holds families steady and the glue that keeps societies together.

‘It is the straightest line to stability – and the hardest progress to reverse once achieved.’

And that is exactly what our government officials here should likewise focus on – creating more jobs for our young, educated and eager Filipinos to stay in the country and work together to bring the Philippines to a higher level of economic growth.

Our employment statistics as of June showed a relatively high employment rate of 96.3 percent, an unemployment rate of just 3.7 percent and an underemployment rate of 11.4 percent.

Appears good, right? But a deeper dive on the employment statistics indicates that the jobs generated are in the services sector, accounting for 61.4 percent.

The agriculture sector, which includes our farmers and fisher folks and feeds our population of almost 117 million, provides employment for just 20.9 percent of our working population, while the industry sector accounts for just 17.7 percent.

Why am I not impressed with the employment statistics? Because as we all are aware, most of our college educated professionals are seeking employment abroad and it is their remittances that are helping prop up our economy.

But as WB president Banga pointed out, the global youth statistics show that more and more young people globally are joining the workforce and competing for the best jobs available in the global market.

With more Filipinos seeking white collar jobs, our agriculture sector which should be an income earner, continues to languish because our farmers and fisherfolks are aging and their children do not want to work in the agriculture sector, thus forcing the government to rely on imports.

Not being able to capitalize on own agriculture sector to provide us with our own basic staples and provide us with potential export income is already a big economic mistake, and yet our government wants to convince us that importations are still the best way to provide us what we need, instead of concentrating on increasing our own agricultural production.

What worries me, and is overshadowed by politics and corruption issues, is the continuing decline in the quality of education in our country. Even in our important agriculture sector, there is hardly any interest from young Filipinos to study any agriculture related courses that could benefit the sector.

The rankings of our educational institutions in international education surveys show an alarming deterioration.

Even for our own high-tech requirements, I have noticed that more and more foreign Information Technology guys are being hired.

As I recently wrote, even the entry-level IT and business process outsourcing jobs are being reduced as Artificial Intelligence (AI) takes over the more basic BPO requirements.

Upskilling is the new battlecry, but again education is the problem, and the current education secretary is in the midst of a political storm that is also caught up in the corruption controversy.

Likewise, I’ve noticed that our young workforce survive on gig jobs that may initially appear lucrative, but does not really provide the social safety nets that they will have to rely on as they grow old.

Moving from one lucrative gig job to another may bring in the cash, but most of the young workers I’ve had the opportunity to talk and interact with have no concern about their future medical needs, simply because they are young and do not face any medical attention so far.

But as my fellow columnists Boo Chanco and Cito Beltran have written in their own columns, the medical cost as one ages becomes a terrible burden because the government, once again, has failed us in providing that social safety net.

Nearly 9,000 officers from the National Capital Region Police Office will be deployed across Metro Manila during this year’s observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, the NCRPO said yesterday.

The NCRPO will be on full alert starting Oct. 31 – a special non-working holiday.

‘Our preparation for Undas is anchored on anticipation, coordination and compassion,’ said NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin in a statement yesterday.

He said 8,575 personnel from the five districts, regional headquarters, regional mobile force battalion and support units will be stationed in cemeteries, worship places, major thoroughfares, transportation hubs and ‘rally convergence points.’

An additional 1,330 police officers will conduct anti-criminality operations, including beat and mobile patrols, checkpoints, traffic management and medical assistance.

Metro Manila is home to some of the largest cemeteries in the country, including Manila North Cemetery, Manila South Cemetery, Libingan ng mga Bayani, Manila Memorial Park and La Loma Cemetery.

Aside from Undas, the NCRPO is preparing for the White Friday protests on Oct. 31.

‘Even with simultaneous rallies expected across the region, our goal is to maintain peace without compromising the rights of the people,’ Aberin said.

Meanwhile, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport said the NAIA is ready to accommodate from Oct. 27 to Nov. 5 some 1.3 million passengers, including Filipino balikbayans and overseas workers who will join this year’s Undas.

New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. chairman Ramon Ang said the country’s main airport will become the best airport after its rehabilitation as he, along with NNIC general manager Angelito Alvarez and Manila International Airport Authority chief Eric Ines, showed Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez improvements done at the terminals, including the facial recognition kiosk in airline counters, drop bags and immigration e-gates.

‘From the worst airport, NAIA will become the best airport after rehabilitation,’ Ang said.

Alvarez said passenger experience has also improved with the on-time performance rated above the global standard of 85 percent.

Maximum police visibility for holidays

Beyond Undas, Mayor Isko Moreno ordered the Manila Police District (MPD) to implement maximum police visibility, particularly in the capital city’s busiest districts as the Christmas season approaches.

During a meeting yesterday, Moreno ordered the MPD to ‘deploy additional personnel and conduct round-the-clock patrols in high-density areas such as Binondo, Recto, Quiapo, Ermita, Malate and the University Belt.’

Moreno said police presence would be augmented by barangay personnel who will be tapped to ensure peace and order during the holidays.

‘Police officers should be on the roads, they should be seen and felt by the people. We want residents and visitors to feel that they are safe during the holidays,’ Moreno said in Filipino.

Around 4,000 households in northern Cebu have been identified for total rehabilitation or repair after sustaining severe structural damage from the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the province on September 30, 2025, the Cebu II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CEBECO II) reported.

‘Before we can energize these homes, we need to secure clearance from the Office of the Building Official of each municipality. We will not reconnect power unless the structure is inspected and declared safe,’ said Lowell Belciña, CEBECO II general manager, during the Kapihan sa PIA7 forum yesterday.

Belciña said the cooperative is prioritizing safety inspections to prevent electrical hazards in quake-damaged homes.

He assured that power delivery across northern Cebu remains stable, provided there is consistent supply from generation companies and transmission lines maintained by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

‘There’s no problem with the delivery of power as long as generation and transmission systems are stable,’ Belciña said.

To ease the financial burden on affected consumers, Belciña announced that CEBECO II’s Board of Directors has waived surcharges for electricity bills in quake-hit areas for the September 2025 billing.

‘We understand the situation of our consumers. For those unable to pay their September bills, which were due in October, we will not impose penalties or surcharges,’ he said.

Belciña said CEBECO II, which serves 11 towns and two cities from Compostela to Daanbantayan, was among the cooperatives directly affected by the quake. The tremor initially caused a total blackout across its service areas due to transmission disruptions at NGCP facilities.

‘By 4 a.m. on October 1, our engineers and linemen were already deployed to assess the damage. We prioritized hospitals, water systems, and LGUs to ensure the continuity of essential services,’ he added.

By October 5, CEBECO II had fully restored electricity in all barangays within its franchise area. However, households located in no-build zones will remain disconnected until they receive safety clearance.

‘As long as households are cleared and ready to receive power, we are also ready to reconnect them,’ Belciña assured.

The cooperative reported a total of 86 electric poles and 16 transformers damaged across its coverage area.

‘Our total damage count is 86 poles and 16 transformers within our coverage area. Many of these have already been replaced, and those found structurally sound during inspection were reinstalled and reenergized,’ he said.

Belciña noted that the extent of damage was minimal compared to Typhoon Yolanda, allowing restoration to be completed swiftly and with limited service interruption.

Meanwhile, Engr. Marcelino Bagatsolon, Senior Manager for Operations and Maintenance of NGCP Cebu-Bohol Area, assured that power transmission in northern Cebu remains stable and manageable despite the quake’s impact.

Bagatsolon said the Visayas grid interconnection continues to play a key role in maintaining stability and reliability during emergencies.

‘From Daanbantayan down to Danao, we encountered no problems in power delivery. The grid remains flexible and interconnectable, which allows us to assist nearby areas such as Bohol,’ he said.

Through this interconnected network, NGCP can help supply power to Bohol via transmission lines from Argao to Maribojoc, ensuring energy resources can be shared across regions when needed.