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A 65-year-old driver died, while five of his passengers were injured, after their sports utility vehicle plunged into a ravine in Cavinti, Laguna, on Thursday afternoon.

According to a report from Police Regional Office 4A on Friday, a Mitsubishi Xpander driven by a certain ‘Larry’ was navigating a curved stretch of the national highway in Barangay Duhat at 2:55 p.m. when it skidded on the slippery road surface, causing the driver to lose control.

The vehicle veered off the highway and plunged into a ravine, the depth of which was not specified in the report.

Larry and his five passengers-including two elderly individuals and an 11-year-old boy-suffered injuries and were rushed to a hospital in the nearby town of Santa Cruz. The driver, however, was declared dead on arrival

Pennywise and Valak, terrifying characters from two different horror movies, on Friday brought nothing but good vibes to many visitors of the Manila North Cemetery.

Even children were not scared of the spooky movie characters as they posed for pictures with them. Aside from an instant ‘meet and greet,’ many visitors also contributed money to their tip boxes.

According to 36-year-old Jericho Legaspi, dressed up as Pennywise from the movie ‘It,’ he and his nephew Jhay-C had been inside the cemetery since 9 a.m. on Friday. Legaspi noted that the cemetery administration allowed them to give entertainment to visitors. Fifteen-year-old Jhay-C, dressed as Valak from the movie ‘The Conjuring,’ said that his uncle encouraged him to wear costumes of the two horror movie characters to earn money. His father’s leg was amputated. As of 2 p.m., Jhay-C shared that he already collected around P8,000.

‘I need this because my father was involved in an accident,’ he told the Inquirer.

Despite the scorching heat and occasional rains inside the weather, the two of them shared that they are happy that many visitors greeted and took pictures with them.

‘This is just to entertain people. Those who are still grieving over the loss of a loved one, we hope we make them feel better,’ Legaspi said in a separate interview.

Legaspi also said that he likes costume dress-up, adding that he used to be a vlogger before, but he stopped as he did not earn well from it.

‘I noticed that costume dressing is a good source of income for others,’ Legaspi added.

Legaspi shared that they will continue their stint in the cemetery until Sunday, November 2.

The Philippines endured a day of near-misses at the Asian Youth Games, falling short of the podium on several fronts.

But the national delegation will leave Bahrain with lessons that might weigh more than medals.

Alas Pilipinas dropped the battle for the bronze to Thailand, 26-24, 25-20, 26-24, in a tense battle that reflected how the national volleyball program has closed the gap between the Philippines and Asia’s volleyball powers.

Rhose Almendralejo scored 15 points, while Harlyn Serneche and Samantha Cantada added eight apiece. But for Jai Adrao, who finished with five points and two blocks, the game was about more than numbers.

‘As we can see, we stay close every set, but in the end, we lose our grip of the match,’ she said. ‘Maybe that’s where the coaches’ reminder comes in-to keep our movement clean. Our lapses and errors show up in the crucial moments.’

Still, Adrao’s disappointment quickly turned into gratitude.

‘Not everyone gets to experience this. I’m thankful to the PNVF (Philippine National Volleyball Federation), PSC (Philippine Sports Commission), POC (Philippine Olympic Committee) and our NU (National University) management. We all worked hard for this. Even if we fell short, we fought together.’

In jiujitsu, Zeus Babanto came within seconds of bronze before being caught in a submission by Saudi Arabia’s Adam Fernani. Sachi Khonghun and Jin Gabriel Ong also lost their medal matches, both by narrow margins.

Cyclist CJ Cabrejos placed 12th in the boys’ 99.6-kilometer road race, finishing 21 seconds behind the winner, Hong Kong’s Lee Wan Chun. His time-2:24:15-kept him among Asia’s fastest young riders, while teammates Carl Laurence Espinosa and Joelian Abdul Hamid learned firsthand how grueling the regional stage can be.

But their fight didn’t go unnoticed as Adrao said the young Filipinos never felt alone.

‘Even when we lose, we feel the support of our countrymen,’ she said. ‘It feels like home, even abroad. Filipinos still cheer for us, win or lose.’

The Philippines still wound up with six gold medals, the country’s finest performance in the event.

Police rescued 11 workers and arrested two men during an anti-human trafficking raid at a suspected illegal cigarette factory inside a closed leisure park in Trece Martires City, Cavite, on Friday.

The 6 a.m. operation at the Amore Recreation and Leisure Park in Barangay Aguado led to the arrest of Tony Sia Lao, a resident of Masbate City, and Erwin Torres Sy of Pasay City, police said. A third suspect named in the search warrant was not found during the raid.

Authorities said the rescued workers, mostly from Masbate, were recruited to work at the unregistered factory. They were brought to the Trece Martires City Police Station for documentation and assistance. Police said the leisure park, which was no longer in operation, had been converted into a cigarette manufacturing facility.

The raid was conducted under a search warrant for violations of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, as amended by the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012.

Police said the operation stemmed from an inspection authority issued by the Department of Labor and Employment Region IV-A, signed by Regional Director Erwin Aquino. It was carried out jointly with labor inspectors, social welfare officers, and local police units.

The search warrant was issued on Oct. 28 by the Calamba Regional Trial Court Branch 92.

Barangay officials witnessed the raid, which was recorded using body-worn cameras, police added

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is on full alert for the influx of travelers in Metro Manila ahead of this year’s commemoration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, or Undas.

‘So far, based on our observations while going around, the situation at bus terminals and cemeteries is generally manageable,’ NCRPO Director Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin told reporters after inspecting bus terminals in Cubao, Quezon City, on Friday morning.

‘We are on full alert effective October 28 until November 3, 2025. All our police officers should be accounted for and report for duty, except those with medical conditions, and they should be ready to be deployed at any time,’ he added.

Aberin further noted that the NCRPO did not monitor threats to the region over the holiday weekend and that their officers will not be deployed as marshals to oversee security on buses during the exodus.

‘There is no reason for us to do that. You can just imagine with the total number of buses, we just might run out of officers to deploy. When there really is a need for us to do that, we will do it,’ he explained.

TV host Kim Atienza shared that the wake of his daughter, Emman Atienza, is set to be held on Nov. 3-4 at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City, and fans are welcome to visit.

Kim shared the wake details through an art card posted on his Instagram page on Thursday, Oct. 30.

The wake is set from 12 noon to 10 p.m. at Chapel 5 of the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City.

‘A little kindness everyday. We miss you dearest Emmansky. We love you,’ read Kim’s caption.

Kim told a netizen that they are welcome to come to the wake after a commenter asked if they could come despite not knowing Emman personally.

On Oct. 24, Kim confirmed the death of his 19-year-old daughter through a joint statement with his wife, Felicia, and two other kids.

Emman, a known mental health advocate, died on Oct. 22 in Los Angeles, California.

Kim earlier responded to a netizen who blamed him for his daughter’s passing, calling the commenter an ‘evangelical bully.’

Weeks before her death, Emman opened up about her struggles with anxiety and online hate through her Instagram broadcast channel.

The late social media influencer said that while she enjoyed social media for the supportive community she had built, the constant stream of online hate began to take a toll on her mental health.

‘Every time I post, I feel excited but also anxious and dreadful knowing there’s going to be some hate I’ll have to force myself to ignore,’ she said at the time.

Bracing for the weekend rush, flower vendors here have been busy transforming stocks of chrysanthemums, carnations, roses, and other blooms into vibrant bouquets and garlands for this year’s ‘Undas’ (All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day) observance.

At flower stands along Carantes Street-called Baguio’s ‘living street’-five long-stemmed anthuriums were selling for P180, while early buyers picked up Malaysian mum varieties such as ‘radus’ (P100-P150 per bundle) and ‘remix’ (P300 per bundle). Flower baskets sell for P300 to P500, about the same price range as last year.

Most of the city’s cut flowers come from the Benguet towns of Atok, Bokod, Buguias, Kibungan, La Trinidad, Tuba and Tublay.

As of October, production had reached 6.2 million dozens, enough to meet the traditional ‘Undas’ demand, according to lawyer Jennilyn Dawayan, Cordillera director of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

From January to October, Benguet and other Cordillera growers produced 62.05 million dozens of cut flowers, with the biggest harvests in September (4.13 million dozens) and October (4.11 million dozens), largely made up of chrysanthemums, Dawayan said.

The region’s 2025 flower production is higher than last year’s, she noted. Agriculture in the region in 2024 grew by 1.1 percent, breaking a four-year streak of negative growth in the Cordillera’s gross regional domestic product.

El Niño impact

However, upland farms endured the impact of the dry spell brought by the El Niño phenomenon in the first half of 2024, Dawayan said.

Despite this, most flower gardens survived the subsequent onslaught of monsoon rains and typhoons that battered parts of the country during the wet season.

Dawayan said seeds for marigold (merflores) and sunflower were unavailable in 2024, but this year gardeners were able to plant and harvest 1,640 dozen of marigold in October (or 14,240 dozen since January) and 39,647 dozen of sunflower this month (or 333,423 dozen since January).

Because of an abundant supply, prices have generally gone down, Dawayan said. Wholesale prices for long-stemmed roses dropped from P400 per dozen in 2024 to P380 this year, with growers producing 861,459 dozen of roses in October and 8.65 million dozen since January.

Anthuriums, however, saw a slight price increase – from P400 per dozen in 2024 to P450 this year – amid October production of 462,491 dozens, or 4.64 million dozens since January

‘Over 40 individuals’ will be sued over the riots during the Sept. 21 anticorruption rallies, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) announced.

The violence erupted at the foot of Ayala Bridge and the Mendiola Peace Arch, killing one, injuring hundreds, and leading to the arrest of at least 216 people – 91 of whom were minors – prompting condemnation from human rights groups.

CIDG director Maj. Gen. Robert Alexander Morico II said: ‘We are going to file cases already. We will file cases against more than 40 people, also stemming from the Sept. 21 incident. It will not stop.’

‘We are investigating the commission of a criminal act. It’s not the conduct of a peaceful rally. Everybody involved there will be investigated so that this unfortunate incident will not happen again.’

Morico did not detail whom they will file cases against and what cases they will file.

He stressed, ‘We are investigating all those involved, especially the high-profile people.’

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, citing intelligence reports, previously hinted that rioters ‘may have been paid’ and instigated by a Chinese-Filipino politician and lawyer.

Asked whether the CIDG was looking into Moreno’s claims, ‘When the mayor mentions people, any information the CIDG gets, we exploit and investigate it.’

While Morico and the CIDG again declined to name those it is investigating, at least six individuals have been identified on social media as respondents of its subpoenas:

Aldrin Kitsune-Film student, De La Salle University-College of Saint Benilde; officer, anticorruption group Kabataan Kontra Korapsyon

Park Alamada Pangawilan-Vlogger, also known as Kuya Par

Jacob Baluyot-Journalism student, Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), Sta Mesa; associate editor, PUP student publication The Catalyst

Joaquin Buenaflor-Political science student, University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman; chairperson, UP Diliman University Student Council

Tiffany Brillante-Political science student, PUP Sta. Mesa; president, PUP Sentral na Konseho ng Mag-aaral

Harry Angping-Former Manila 3rd District representative; former chairperson, Philippine Sports Commission

All six respondents have denied involvement in the riots.

Technical vocational education and training, under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), rests on a robust quality-assurance system-the Compliance Audit, System for TVET Accreditation and Recognition (Star) rating program, and Seal of Integrity. These mechanisms were designed to keep training and assessment ethical and industry responsive. Yet findings from the Ateneo Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) study, ‘Ensuring Quality in TVET: An Analysis of Training and Assessment,’ reveal a persistent gap between structure and practice.

‘Some trainers hold only National Certificate Level II (NC II) and Trainers Methodology (TM) certifications, with little depth or relevant industry experience.’

Filipino TVET trainers embody passion and resilience, but structural barriers limit them. Many hold only NC II and TM certifications, with few advancing to higher NC levels or updated TM. Outdated training regulations, inconsistent learning materials, and limited immersion make programs less relevant to today’s industries. Scholars note that obsolete standards stall growth in construction, information and communications technology (ICT), agriculture, and tourism. Trainers also juggle multiple roles-teaching, assessing, reporting, and administration-earning them the label ‘slashers.’ Burdened and overstretched, they lose opportunities for industry engagement and innovation.

‘It’s difficult because I handle too many roles-training, administration, reporting . there’s just too much to do.’

Tesda’s Star Rating Program and Seal of Integrity aim to reward excellence, yet most institutions remain at one- or two-star levels. Only a handful achieve three-star status-the mark of sustained quality. Fewer than 10 percent of accredited assessment centers have earned the Seal of Integrity, reflecting how demanding national standards remain.

Compliance audits mirror this reality. Roughly one in four training programs and over 20 percent of assessment centers are found noncompliant-often due to incomplete equipment, inadequate facilities, or weak documentation. Some assessors admit specific centers appear compliant only during audits, but reuse materials or lack tools during actual assessment. Trainees themselves confess to ‘shortcut training’-being coached only for likely test tasks.

‘Students are often trained to memorize answers tailored to the assessment format.’

The integrity of assessment also comes into question when trainers double as assessors. Even if they do not assess their own trainees, they know the content and flow, which can unconsciously shape preparation. Many now call for independent, Professional Regulation Commission-like third-party assessment bodies to ensure that certification reflects competence, not convenience.

‘Trainers should not also serve as assessors because impartiality is compromised.’

Institutional gaps deepen the challenge. Public training institutions face rigid procurement and outdated equipment, while private schools struggle with sustainability. The shortage of higher-NC trainers compounds the issue, especially in construction, ICT, agriculture, and automotive sectors. Professional development remains limited; scholarships for graduate studies or industry immersion are rare. Despite partnerships, many programs still rely on obsolete tools, producing graduates who are technically competent but weak in communication and problem-solving. The lingering view of TVET as a ‘second-choice’ track continues to deter high-performing youth.

‘We really lack industry exposure.’

Even scholarship programs need recalibration. Some trainees enroll mainly for allowances, not skill mastery, leading to poor completion and employment outcomes. Administrators recommend tighter screening to ensure training builds competence, not dependency.

Tesda’s frameworks remain fundamentally strong, but their power lies in consistency, not paperwork. The study proposes urgent steps: regularly update training regulations through stronger industry collaboration, create a centralized repository of standardized materials, reduce trainers’ administrative loads, expand immersion and professional development, establish independent assessment bodies, and align scholarships with labor-market priorities.

The future of Philippine TVET depends not just on producing certified workers but on cultivating a workforce that industries trust and the world respects. Training and assessment are the twin engines of that trust-and when they run on competence and integrity, the system certifies more than skills. It certifies hope.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way organizations make decisions, manage teams and deliver value. Algorithms can now predict customer behavior, automate reports and optimize operations at speeds once unimaginable.

But amid all this progress, one truth remains constant: no amount of technology can replace trust.

As we automate processes and digitize interactions, the organizations that will truly thrive are those that remember that at the heart of every innovation, there are people. The ability to engage, align and empower those people is what gives leaders their competitive advantage.

And this is where stakeholder management becomes more than a leadership skill. It becomes a strategic edge.

We asked Herleen Mortera, subject matter expert of Inquirer Academy, about managing work with AI. These are her thoughts on the importance of stakeholder management in the modern workplace:

Here are four principles that explain why, in the age of AI, human engagement remains the most powerful differentiator of all.

AI changes how we work, not why we work

AI can analyze data and forecast trends, but it cannot replicate the why-the meaning and motivation that drive people to act. Stakeholder management fills this gap by ensuring technology serves people, not the other way around.

Success in digital transformation depends less on the sophistication of tools and more on how effectively stakeholders are aligned.

Projects fail not because systems malfunction, but because people aren’t engaged, informed or convinced.

When stakeholders understand the purpose behind change, they support it. When they trust the process, they sustain it.

Trust: The currency of the digital era

In today’s fast-moving world, information spreads instantly-but so does mistrust. A single miscommunication can damage credibility, while one authentic act of transparency can strengthen it for years.

Stakeholder management transforms trust into a measurable advantage.

It’s not just about communication; it’s about consistency-showing reliability in both message and action.

AI can generate insights, but trust determines whether those insights translate into real-world impact.

Trust isn’t a ‘soft’ value anymore-it’s the new business currency.

The human edge: Empathy as a competitive advantage

Automation may make operations faster, but empathy makes them meaningful. The ability to understand perspectives, manage emotions and connect authentically has become a vital business differentiator.

Empathy allows leaders to balance analytics with awareness, efficiency with ethics and innovation with inclusion. It’s what helps organizations scale without losing their human touch-the one advantage that AI will never replicate.

In a world where relationships drive results, empathy isn’t a weakness. It’s a strategy.

When engagement meets intelligence

The future belongs to organizations that blend technological intelligence with emotional intelligence. Imagine workplaces where AI predicts trends, but leaders interpret the story behind the numbers-where automation handles efficiency and engagement fuels alignment.

AI gives speed; engagement gives direction. Together, they create resilience and relevance that endure beyond any algorithm.

AI may be redefining how we work, but it’s still people who define why we work. Technology can enhance accuracy and speed, but only engagement can build trust, loyalty and shared purpose.

In the end, the most advanced systems are only as effective as the relationships that sustain them.

In the age of AI, the smartest strategy isn’t just to automate-it’s to connect.

Because while machines learn fast, people who trust and believe move faster. INQ

Mortera will facilitate an online workshop titled ‘Stakeholder Management Strategies: Effective Communication and Collaboration for Project Success’ on Dec. 11 and Dec. 12. The eight-hour course is designed for leaders, managers or supervisors leading a department or project.