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The local government of Loreto town in Agusan del Sur province has offered free bus rides to help residents return home for the Undas holidays.

The municipal government deployed two buses. It started picking up passengers who registered through its online portal at 8 a.m. on Friday in Davao City downtown.

Other passengers hopped in at pick-up points in Buhangin and Panacan districts in Davao City, Panabo City and Tagum City. Another bus left Davao City at 1 p.m., passing by the same pickup points for passengers for the 153-kilometer trip to Loreto that takes at least three and a half hours.

The initiative aims to ensure that Loreto residents can travel home safely and conveniently as families prepare to observe All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on November 1 and November 2.

For Saturday, the local government will prepare water stations and distribute hot meals at cemeteries in the town.

Hollywood actor Jesse Eisenberg revealed that he will be donating one of his kidneys to a stranger by December.

Eisenberg made the revelation during a guest appearance on the TODAY show on Thursday, Oct. 30, expressing how excited he was to make the selfless decision.

‘I’m actually donating my kidney in six weeks,’ he said. ‘I don’t know why. I got bitten by the blood donation bug. I’m doing an altruistic donation in mid-December. I’m so excited to do it.’

According to RWJ Barnabas Health, an altruistic donation is ‘when a person donates a kidney to a person with advanced kidney disease whom he or she does not know.’

Eisenberg explained that the process is ‘risk-free,’ as he shared that he got the first idea to do it 10 years ago.

‘It’s essentially risk-free and so needed. I think people will realize that it’s a no-brainer if you have the time and the inclination,’ he said.

Eisenberg, who played Mark Zuckerberg in the 2010 hit ‘The Social Network,’ previously made headlines after he called the Facebook owner ‘somebody obsessed with power.’

Earlier this year, Poland’s prime minister made a tongue-in-cheek offer to Eisenberg, who at the time gained Polish citizenship, to give him military training that would land him ‘the new James Bond role.’

Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Isla Fisher are set to reprise their roles as the Four Horsemen in ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,’ the third installment of the ‘Now You See Me’ film series.

‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’ is set to hit Philippine cinemas on Nov. 12.

A Magnitude 4.4 earthquake was recorded northeast of San Policarpo town in Eastern Samar on Friday afternoon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in its bulletin.

Reports from Phivolcs showed that the underwater movement was tectonic in nature, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers below the ground. The earthquake’s epicenter was located 56 kilometers northeast of San Policarpo.

Instrumental Intensities were recorded:

Intensity III – Palapag, Northern Samar

Intensity II – Mapanas, Northern Samar

Intensity I – Can-avid, Eastern Samar

No aftershocks and no damage are expected after the earthquake.

The money-making first home segment of developer Century Properties Group Inc. (CPG) will spend P8.39 billion to build thousands of new houses across the country as it accommodates strong demand for its projects spanning different income segments.

Antonio family-led CPG on Thursday told the exchange it would build 13,150 new housing units in nine project locations in the country under its PHirst Park Homes Inc. brand (PPHI). These will consist of PPHI’s economic, affordable and mid-income home models.

Of the total, 6,326 units will be built in Luzon, including PPHI’s PHirst Park Homes Sto. Tomas in Batangas and PHirst Park Homes Magalang East in Pampanga.

Megawide

Through its partnership with Megawide Construction Corp., PPHI will also deliver 5,824 precast housing units in Cavite, Laguna and Batangas. Another 1,000 units were in the contract awarding stage, CPG said in its disclosure.

‘Our initiatives, through innovative construction methods and strategic partnerships with contractors and suppliers, represent a strong continuation of our mission to provide affordable housing solutions,’ said Roy Lachica, PPHI vice president for the technical operations division.

PPHI currently has 31 active projects in Luzon and the Visayas.

In the first semester of this year, PPHI completed more than 15,000 housing units, with the developer expecting the number to reach 18,000 by the end of 2025.

SSS

This development comes months after CPG announced the P500-million entry of Social Security System into the company, a transaction that analysts said could open doors for other big-time investors and accelerate growth for PPHI.

The state-run pension fund bought 740.74 million shares at P0.675 each, representing a 6.39 percent stake in CPG.

Last year, CPG also unveiled its massive P110-billion expansion plan for PPHI in the next five years. The budget will be used to bankroll the development of 35 new projects with 50,000 units.

To build more than 13,000 housing units

Thousands of residents have begun visiting public and private cemeteries across this city and in nearby San Fernando town ahead of the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day or ‘Undas’, taking advantage of the October 31 special non-working holiday declared by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

The additional day off gave families more time to visit their departed loved ones, clean graves, offer flowers, and light candles – long-standing Filipino traditions that mark the annual ‘Undas.’

In Valencia City, Mayor Amie Galario earlier issued an executive order outlining safety measures for ‘Kalag-Kalag 2025’.

Visiting hours are set from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on November 1 and November 2, with a liquor ban strictly enforced in all cemeteries to maintain peace and order.

City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief June Ray Valero said teams from the disaster office, police, and other peacekeeping units have been deployed across the city’s villages to manage crowd flow, direct traffic, and assist senior citizens and children visiting cemeteries.

At the city’s largest public cemetery, checkpoints were established to regulate entry and remind visitors of prohibited items such as sharp objects, gambling paraphernalia, loudspeakers, and the open burning of grass for paaso (smoke ritual). Designated areas were provided for paaso, while medical aid stations and vendor zones were organized outside the cemetery to prevent congestion.

City terminals also bustled with passengers heading to their hometowns to observe the long weekend and join the annual remembrance of their departed loved ones.

In San Fernando, the local government, led by Mayor Rogelio Yeke and Vice Mayor Jaesar Mae Yeke, held a trick-or-treat parade on Thursday afternoon.

Children in costumes and makeup paraded through the town center, joined by parents carrying baskets of candies.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Manila City government offered flowers for former Presidents Cory and Noynoy Aquino, and Sen. Ninoy Aquino at their graves at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City.

Couple Ninoy and Cory Aquino were both key figures in the revolt that ended the decades-long rule of Marcos Jr.’s father and namesake, dictator President Ferdinand Marcos Sr, in 1986.

Ninoy was an opposition senator during the Marcos Sr. regime; imprisoned after martial law was declared in 1972; allowed to receive medical treatment in the United States following a heart attack in 1980; and was assassinated upon returning to the Philippines in 1983.

Taking the lead in the opposition after her husband’s assassination, Cory ran against Marcos Sr. in the 1986 snap elections. After the polls were marred with allegations of fraud, she was sworn in to the presidency and she restored Philippine democracy. She died of cancer in 2009.

Their only son, Noynoy Aquino, served as president from 2010 to 2016. He died of renal failure in 2021.

Some supporters of the Aquinos dropped by to pay their respects to the former leaders.

Couple Michael and Laisa Obligacion took their son to the Aquinos’ grave markers on Friday, saying their relatives were also buried in the vicinity of the cemetery.

‘Especially now, with the many issues of corruption, sometimes, you’ll get mad at us Filipinos, be ashamed of us Filipinos. But, Ninoy said, the Filipino is worth dying for,’ Obligacion told the Inquirer.

Meanwhile, volunteer Ramia Quinlat took a quick break from her group’s duties at the cemetery to take a photo and light a candle at the Aquinos’ grave markers.

‘They feel like they’re part of my loved ones now because I’ve followed them since they were still living and serving our country,’ Quinlat told the Inquirer.

Marcos and the Manila government also sent flowers to the graves of former Philippine presidents Manuel Roxas and Sergio Osmeña at the Manila North Cemetery

Suspected illegal cigarettes worth P41.05 million were confiscated by authorities in Cebu, Davao, and Nueva Ecija, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said on Friday.

Police seized P618,000-worth of cigarettes ‘without the required graphic health warning labels, rendering them illegal,’ at the Danao City Public Market in Cebu province on Oct. 21 afternoon, the CIDG noted in a statement.

The operation led to the arrest of a woman, whom the CIDG did not identify. Meanwhile, P30.1 million-worth of cigarettes were confiscated by authorities in Dumoy, Davao City, later on Oct. 21, leading to the arrest of four men, whom the CIDG again did not identify.

The suspects were caught ‘hauling and transporting 403 master cases of alleged smuggled assorted cigarettes. and failed to present any documents or proof of the legality of the items,’ the police explained.

Then, on Oct. 23 afternoon, police found cigarettes worth P10.3 million at a facility in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, through a search warrant for alleged violations of Republic Act No. 7394 or the Consumer Act.

Philippine bet Ahtisa Manalo has released her tourism video for the 2025 Miss Universe pageant, featuring the attractions, festivities and culture of the country.

Manalo sang and danced to ‘Mabuhay’ in several locations including the Luneta Park, as seen in the video shared on her social media pages on Thursday, Oct. 30.

The video also compiled clips of the numerous tourist spots and delicacies the Philippines is known for.

‘MABUHAY. Here in the Philippines, we have a word – a great way to start off each day,’ she captioned the post, referencing a lyric from the upbeat song.

Weeks prior to this, the Miss Universe Philippines organization also released Manalo’s official headshot for the 74th edition of the Miss Universe pageant.

The international tilt is set to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on Nov. 21.

Manalo is aiming to win the Philippines’ fifth Miss Universe crown, following Gloria Diaz in 1969, Margarita Moran in 1973, Pia Wurtzbach in 2015, and Catriona Gray in 2018.

Santi Santillan unloaded 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter as Rain or Shine avoided collapse and defeated Terrafirma, 106-91, on Friday to regain a piece of top spot in the PBA Philippine Cup at Ynares Center in Antipolo City. His scoring barrage enabled the Elasto Painters to come away with a fourth win in five games and tie the NLEX Road Warriors and TNT Tropang 5G atop the team standings.

Rain or Shine staved off Terrafirma, which rallied from 15 down and even took a three-point lead twice in the third.

Terrafirma dropped to 1-4, joining Titan Ultra at the bottom of the table. Santillan made six of seven shots, highlighted by four triples in the final canto as Rain or Shine pulled away to win its third straight outing.

Felix Pangilinan-Lemetti added 11 points plus six assists to also play a key role for coach Yeng Guiao’s side even as Keith Datu posted 12 points and six rebounds.

Jhonard Clarito tallied 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals and Adrian Nocum chipped in 10.

Jerrick Ahanmisi scored 25 points and Paolo Hernandez hit 20 for Terrafirma in another loss, its third in a row since an upset win over NLEX.

Flower vendors outside the Manila North Cemetery still grappled with sales even as more visitors flocked to the cemetery on Friday, on the eve of All Saints’ Day.

Several flower stalls were lined up with sellers enticing potential buyers. But even so, several vendors struggle to keep up with sales.

Jocel Leonor, who has been a vendor every Undas for nine years already, has only sold P500 worth of flowers a few hours after their shop opened on Friday.

The 29-year-old vendor shared that they only earned P1,200 on Thursday, which she said was just enough to feed their family, as they have four children.

‘We had better sales last year because [the situation] was not that strict,’ she told the INQUIRER.net in Filipino.

Leonor explained that there were more flower stalls outside the cemetery this year than last year, which contributed to fewer sales for them.

She shared that their flowers are sourced from Dangwa, a fresh flower market in Sampaloc, Manila.

But what will happen if they can’t sell all their flowers?

She answered: ‘We will try to sell them at a much lower price.’

Despite this, Leonor hoped for more buyers on Nov. 1 and 2, when more visitors are expected to troop to the cemetery.

Only a few stalls away from Leonor, Christian Cervantes could be heard saying: ‘Flowers, miss, you may want to buy flowers.’

The 24-year-old vendor said he had been selling flowers every year since he was 17.

He said that their sales for this morning were just enough to feed them breakfast.

When asked if there will be more sales on Friday than on Thursday, he answered: ‘There are more visitors but fewer sales.’

He also pointed out that this year, there are more vendor competitors, many of whom are more visible to buyers than Cervantes’ stall.

‘There is a draw every Undas to determine our locations,’ he said.

With their flowers also sourced from Dangwa, he said that they would offer them to their departed loved ones if they would not be able to sell them all.