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Heartbreak for Alex Eala.

The Filipina tennis ace clawed out of a late deficit in the third set but faltered in the tiebreak to yield to Viktorija Golubic, 2-6, 6-2, 6(0)-7, in the Suzhou WTA 125 quarterfinals in China Friday.

After Eala tied the third set at 3-all, the 32-year-old Swiss won the next two games to grab a 5-3 lead.

Golubic, the World No. 70, even took the advantage in the sixth game, but the Rafa Nadal Academy graduate showcased her resiliency as she clawed out of the hole inch by inch.

Eala took a 6-5 lead, but her Swiss foe forced the tiebreak with a victory in the 12th game.

In the tiebreak, Eala seemingly ran out of steam as she faced a 0-4 deficit and did not recover.

The 20-year-old, ranked 58th in the world, had a strong start in the first set, dropping the first two games before sweeping the next six.

In the second set, though, Golubic waxed hot and won the first four games, before Eala finally bagged one.

But Golubic win two of the next three games to extend the match.

Before the Filipina tennister exited the tournament, she took down Katarzyna Kawa and Greet Minnen in the first two rounds.

Golubic will now take on German tennister Tatjana Maria in the semifinals, who punched her ticket to the semifinals via walkover.

Caritas Philippines – the humanitarian, development and advocacy arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines – yesterday appealed for donations for victims of Severe Tropical Storm Opong in Masbate and Romblon.

Caritas said that residents of Masbate and Romblon are in need of food packs and non-food items such as essential household items, sanitation kits, potable water with jerry cans, solar lamp with power chargers, generator sets and medicine, especially for treatment of wounds.

Aside from these items, people are requesting for construction materials for rebuilding houses and churches as well as interim livelihood for affected families.

As of Sept. 28, the dioceses of Masbate and Romblon remained without power and have been relying on generator sets.

No formal evacuation centers are available in the provinces, Caritas said.

It said that telecom service is down except for Smart, although the signal is weak, and the supply of medicine is running low.

The source of water in Masbate sustained damage from Opong

Kapamilya star Daniel Padilla attended the 2025 Seoul International Drama Awards to receive his Outstanding Asian Star award.

According to a report by ABS-CBN, Daniel walked on the red carpet in the KBS Hall in Seoul, South Korea wearing pinstripe suit by Ryan Viloria and Gekko Studios.

“Awkward, daming tao,” Daniel said. “Siyempre, yun naman ang pinunta natin dito. Okay naman!”

Daniel received the Outstanding Asian Star award with fellow recipients Film Mahawan from Thailand, Kentaro Sakaguchi from Japan, and Anna Jobling from Malaysia.

Also winning the award as determined by fan votes were Jisoo of Blackpink, fellow Korean star Kim Seon-ho, and Chinese actor Yu Bai.

In his acceptance speech, Daniel thanked his ABS-CBN executives, fans who voted him, and his “Incognito” team, even mentioning each of his co-stars.

“I’m truly honored to be here tonight to receive this award, thank you so much Seoul International Drama Awards for this recognition,” Daniel said in his speech. “I also want to thank my friends and my family for their endless support and unconditional love. Mama, I made it.”

“And to all the fans, thank you for your continuous support and unwavering love. You are the reason why I’m here. Thank you so much,” Daniel ended.

The biggest winner of this year’s Seoul International Drama Awards was Netflix hit “Adolescence” as it took home the Grand Prize, Best Director for Philip Barantini (jointly winning with Hirokazu Kore-eda for “Asura”), and Best Actor for Owen Cooper.

Apple TV+ also had a big night as “Severance” creator Ben Stiller won the Golden Bird Prize and writer Dan Erickson won Best Screenwriter, “Pachinko” won Best Miniseries, and “Disclaimer” star Cate Blanchett shared the Best Actress award with “Pachinko” star Kim Min-ha.

Netflix shows “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call” and “When Life Gives You Tangerines” shared the Outstanding Korean Drama award as its stars Ju Ji-hoon and IU won the acting categories.

Completing the winner’s list were Korea’s “The Son” for Best TV Movie, Turkiye’s “The Good and The Bad” for Best Series, and Young Tak’s music in “For Eagle Brothers” for Outstanding Korean Drama Original Soundtrack.

Help! Is there a veterinary clinic with an animal psychiatric ward?’

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson tweeted this yesterday in an apparent reference to critics of his crusade against budget insertions and his handling of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee investigation on the flood control corruption scandal.

Lacson – who earlier said he would rather respond to his critics’ outbursts with silence – no longer held back in his stinging rebuke of his detractors.

‘We have a crazy cat that keeps meowing on the ground floor and an annoying dog that keeps barking on the upper floor,’ Lacson said on X.

Lacson called out someone as an ‘annoying dog barking’ in the plenary of the Senate, although he did not say who.

He posted the tweet a day after his chief critic in the chamber, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta delivered yet another scathing privilege speech on Wednesday night calling out the veteran budget watcher’s accusations of ‘insertions’ in the national outlay.

Marcoleta questioned Lacson’s criticisms of senators’ budget amendments for their pet projects in his ‘moral crusade to denounce budget manipulations as the breeding ground of corruption’ – only to ‘shift tone’ and ‘get off his hobbyhorse of morality’ by urging Congress to ‘heed the public outrage.’

‘What does this mean? That after all the thunder, we simply move on? This inconsistency, first condemning insertions as corrupt, then quietly moving on without demanding redress only deepens public distrust. Are we truly committed to reform, or merely staging rhetorical battles without the resolve to clean up the rot?’ Marcoleta said.

Lacson also called out a ‘crazy cat. meowing’ on the ‘ground floor,’ an apparent reference to the House of Representatives.

He did not name the person, but the congressman who recently got on his nerve was Cavite Rep. Kiko Barzaga, who posted on social media an election campaign photo of Lacson with controversial contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya, apparently as a way to discredit the Senate Blue Ribbon committee’s flood control corruption hearings.

Lacson said the photo was taken during a meeting with the two upon an invitation of a friend during the campaign period. He denied receiving campaign funds from the Discaya couple.

The congressman mocked Lacson on Facebook by posting a quote card with a cat’s face on the senator’s, and with his response to Lacson’s rebuke.

Employees of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Northern Cebu whose livelihood have been disrupted by the recent calamity will receive emergency assistance through the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.

DOLE-7 regional director Roy Buenafe said the agency has allocated P11 million for the program, which is expected to benefit over a thousand displaced workers in Northern Cebu.

He said several workers lost their daily wages after operations in their workplaces were suspended, with some employers unable to provide compensation due to financial or personal difficulties.

‘To ensure that affected workers will not be left without income, we will provide them with TUPAD. For the first 10 days, they will receive minimum wage of P540 daily or a total of P5,400,’ he said.

Under the scheme, displaced employees will be tasked with clearing debris, cleaning workplaces, and assisting in community rehabilitation to make business operations viable again.

DOLE said it is coordinating with local governments, which have better knowledge of affected enterprises and workers.

‘Our priority is to assist disrupted and displaced workers immediately,’ Buenafe added.

Employers were also reminded that they cannot compel employees to report for work if there is imminent danger to their safety. ‘Absences under such conditions cannot be a ground for suspension or termination,’ DOLE said.

The labor department further urged affected workers to register with DOLE personnel deployed in the field so assistance can be extended as quickly as possible.

‘We need businesses to come back so people can sustain their livelihood, but in the meantime, we will ensure that no worker is left behind,’ Buenafe said.

The TUPAD program provides emergency employment and livelihood opportunities to those who have lost their jobs or sources of income due to crises.

The business community is becoming highly skeptical about the viability of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) created by President Marcos to look into the massive corruption in flood control projects.

In fact, the business sector has expressed the belief that the ICI probe may be doomed from the start, with a nebulous goal, funding, manpower and legal authority to mete punishment on those it is supposed to investigate.

As Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro had previously said, the ICI is merely a fact-finding body that is not supposed to mete punishment on any person who does not attend the hearings of the commission.

Sources in the business community point out that the scope of the investigation by the ICI is a logistical nightmare alone in hiring clerical staff, investigators, lawyers and competent assessors to help collect, check, verify documents and records, and then to compile and safeguard all testimonies, documents and paperwork submitted and gathered by the commission on the numerous flood projects that involves several government agencies.

The investigation, business observers note, could very well cover at least 10 years, and would therefore take even more time to validate and check.

While they are glad that former DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson is part of the ICI, sources say that he was only prevailed upon by President Marcos to join the commission, even as he had previously rejected a return to government.

Singson’s corruption-free stint at the DPWH during the term of former president Benigno Aquino III has earned him the respect of international financial and aid organizations.

In fact, in a recent Asian Development Bank infrastructure seminar, just before the ICI was formed to investigate the corruption in flood control projects, Singson had told members of the media who attended the event about his strict and business approach to dealing with legislators and contractors who visited his office.

According to Singson, ‘Unlike others, I never offer my visitors anything to eat or drink when they come, because I do not want them to become comfortable or too friendly and stay longer than needed.’

Singson preferred to keep a formal and arms length approach in all his government dealings.

Perhaps, this approach in the conduct of the ICI hearings is being followed, much to the dislike and suspicion of some observers, since a public hearing allows for some theatrics by some of the legislators and witnesses.

The coverage of the investigation, sources said, is so extensive, and to synthesize all of the findings would itself be a humongous undertaking that may not be credibly completed in just a couple of months.

There is likewise no set timetable for the ICI to complete its work, leaving suspicion and causing frustration that the whole exercise is just a ploy to string the public along until the people get tired and bored, and decide to move on to the next political brouhaha.

The recent resignation of Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong is also being met with dismay by the business sector, which heightens their suspicion about the ability of the ICI to complete its task.

In the meantime, the stock market continues to tank while the economic managers continue to wax optimistic, and the political pot continues to be stirred by talks of military dissatisfaction.

Businessmen admit that the corruption probe has had a ‘chilling effect’ on business and the construction sector, which has a multiplier effect on the economy, has slowed down.

Fortunately, local and international economists remain optimistic that while the Philippine growth scenario will not be as robust as originally projected at the start of this year, it will remain in a slightly lower growth scenario even with the risks it faces.

The ADB, just this week, affirmed a resilient growth outlook for the country while acknowledging some uncertainties from global trade and investment policies and continued and heightened geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East and from the Russian-Ukraine war.

In a briefing, ADB country director for the Philippines Andrew Jeffries acknowledged that ‘Though these uncertainties pose increased risk, we see strong domestic demand anchoring growth, with sustained investments and an accommodative monetary policy supporting the economy’s expansion.’

The ADB forecasts inflation to ease this year, slowing to 1.8 percent before rising to three percent next year. It notes though that adverse weather conditions and climate shocks could put pressure on commodity prices.

Other downside risks to the growth outlook, the ADB cited, are external headwinds from heightened uncertainty, further shifts in global economic policies, and rising trade barriers that could affect market sentiment and hinder economic growth.

One factor it highlighted could be the fragility of China’s property market ‘that could weaken growth in the rest of the region.’

Sustained government investments, including for social services, are seen boosting domestic demand, the report said. Business sentiment remained positive, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ Q2 2025 survey, though softer amid external headwinds.

Consumer outlook stayed optimistic for 2026. This bodes well for private consumption growth, which is partly supported by steady inflow of remittances from overseas Filipinos.

The government, the ADB noted, aims to maintain infrastructure spending at five to six percent of gross domestic product, or GDP, over the medium term.

The recently signed Accelerated and Reformed Right-of-Way Act is expected to streamline land acquisition process for government and public-private partnership projects, which will help speed up infrastructure investments.

The new law, the ADB said, would benefit the government’s flagship projects, including the ADB-financed Malolos-Clark Railway Project and the South Commuter Railway project that would will link Metro Manila to northern and southern provinces in the Luzon region; and the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge Project that will connect the province of Cavite to Bataan and shorten travel time between the two provinces.

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Taiwan will get an increase in their monthly minimum wage, the Department of Migrant Workers announced yesterday.

DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said thousands of OFWs in Taiwan would receive higher salaries starting January 2026.

The government of Taiwan has approved a monthly minimum wage of NT$29,500 and NT$196 per hour, Cacdac said.

‘This is a victory for all workers in Taiwan, including OFWs and their families,’ Cacdac said.

Independent commissions have long promised to fight corruption in the Philippines. They are born with strong words and public hope, then die quietly when political winds shift. The Independent Commission for Infrastructure now carries that burden. Supporters say we should ‘let it do its job.’ True, but the real test is whether its work ends in convictions, not press conferences.

History paints a bleak picture. Former president Elpidio Quirino formed the Integrity Board in 1950, which could receive complaints only with Malacañang’s blessing and budget. Former president Ramon Magsaysay’s Presidential Complaints and Action Commission in 1953 energized citizens but lacked prosecutors. Former president Carlos P. Garcia’s Presidential Committee on Administration Performance Efficiency in the late 1950s conducted audits, not graft prosecutions. Former president Diosdado Macapagal’s Presidential Anti-Graft Committee in 1962 vanished with the next administration. Even Congress’ Office of the Citizens’ Counselor under Republic Act No. 6028 in 1969 – an ombudsman-type office – was never implemented. Different names, same fate: short-lived, dependent, disposable.

Only institutions built into the Constitution endured. In 1986, former president Corazon Aquino and the framers of the 1987 Constitution gave the ombudsman fiscal autonomy and its own Office of the Special Prosecutor. That is why major graft cases that reached judgment passed through the ombudsman and the courts, not ad hoc commissions. The lesson is blunt: presidential executive orders stir attention, but courts deliver accountability.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. created the Independent Commission for Infrastructure through Executive Order No. 94. Its mandate covers substandard and ghost infrastructure projects of the last decade. It can subpoena records, hold hearings and submit reports to the President. On paper, the powers look broad. In practice, the design is fragile. Funding still comes from Malacañang. Subpoenas duces tecum need resort to courts for enforcement and contempt citations. Criminal cases still pass through the ombudsman or the Department of Justice (DOJ) before trial. The Sandiganbayan remains the court of jurisdiction. Unless the Commission is welded into this pipeline, it risks becoming another intake layer, not a producer of convictions and eventual imprisonments.

Telling the public to ‘let the commission do its job’ should mean more than patience. It should mean removing obstacles that doomed past bodies. Witnesses must be compelled, not invited. Records must be produced, not requested. Investigations must result in cases filed, not reports shelved. Anything less, and history repeats itself.

Neutrality is critical. The Supreme Court in 2010 struck down former president Benigno Aquino III’s Philippine Truth Commission for targeting a single administration. That ruling was a warning: selective scope kills credibility and invites failure of prosecution. The new Commission cannot afford to look partisan. Its reach must cover all administrations and contractors, with conflict-of-interest rules and independent audits of its members.

If the Commission wants to succeed, it needs fixes now. A memorandum of understanding with the ombudsman and the DOJ would force integration: joint teams, shared evidence rooms and strict deadlines and timelines from referral to filing. A statutory upgrade would secure subpoena power, budget and tenure. Dashboards showing how many cases were referred, information filed and convictions won would keep it accountable. Without these, it risks becoming another short-lived Malacañang creation.

Investigators must also watch where corruption starts: the bidding table. Republic Act 12009, the New Government Procurement Act of 2024, requires disclosure of beneficial ownership, standard bidding forms and budget alignment. Yet it has become common practice to subvert these rules through loopholes or selective enforcement. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport concession is a cautionary tale of a different but related kind. Several petitions before the Supreme Court question how the deal secured rushed approvals, ignored statutory guardrails and approved steep fee hikes despite subverting extant laws. The challenge is how to stop this cycle before it undermines every new reform.

The verdict from history is harsh. Executive-created bodies have been loud but brittle. They were easy to set up, easier to ignore and easiest to dismantle. Unless the new Commission is legally insulated, hardwired into the ombudsman and the DOJ and judged by the convictions and incarcerations it secures, it will follow the same curve.

The Filipino people now cry for convictions and imprisonments of those found guilty of plunder (under Republic Act 7080) and forfeiture of unlawfully acquired properties and taxpayers’ monies (under Republic Act 1379), among other relevant laws, after expeditious and public trials by special courts assigned by the Supreme Court to try those indicted. They do not need another body that fades with the headlines. They need concrete results that stand in court. That is the real job the Commission must do.

The Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats shoot for another victory as they tackle the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars in a rare Friday game of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 25 basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum.

The Wildcats outfoxed the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers, 72-65, in their previous match to snap a three-game losing spell.

Coach Felix ‘Donbel’ Belano, Jr. and his boys hope to make it back-to-back wins as they take on the listless Jaguars side at 6:45 p.m.

The Jaguars are smarting from two straight setbacks at the hands of the Benedicto College (BC) Cheetahs and the four-peat seeking University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers.

In the high school division, the CIT-U Baby Wildcats will battle against the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM) at 5:15 p.m.

The Baby Wildcats tamed the UC Baby Webmasters in their season-opener while UCLM split their first two assignments, beating the USJ-R Baby Jaguars before falling prey to the Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Blue Dragons just last Tuesday, September 30.

No, I am not talking about the death penalty when I speak of the penalty of death, but rather what it does to one’s soul, the spiritual decay and separation from God. This, however, casts no fear on those who must continue to bear the consequences for their actions in stealing from the people, the very same ones they swore to protect.

Then, to add to all the challenges that the country continues to face as we see more revelations about flood control, Cebu is hit by a massive magnitude 6.9 earthquake with at least 69 people killed and dozens of others injured. The province of Cebu is now under a state of calamity and thousands spent the night on the streets due to repeated aftershocks. It has also been reported that about 800,000 residents are without electricity weeks after Typhoon Opong and the most recent earthquake. Many residents are also reported to have no access to clean water after the back-to-back typhoons.

Most of the victims of the quake come from Bogo, which is said to be the place closest to the epicenter, with body bags lined on the streets and people being treated in tent hospitals. Not to mention the cracked roads and broken bridges that are making it difficult to get help to people fast. This is truly a tragedy and we are in it for the long haul.

Difficult as it may be to say, this is the real problem that we must set our sights on yet, despite all of our pains, there are those who choose to focus on matters that do absolutely nothing for our countrymen except to keep us divided or distracted from the bigger issues caused by greed and corruption that are literally killing our nation.

So what’s next for us? We are at a point in our history when our leaders and our people need to be united to fight for our country, regardless of color, because divisive factions do nothing for our nation’s future and progress. There is no room for more strife and conflict when the battle is clear – we need to fight against corruption and we can only do this together if we want to have a better Philippines. How many more communities or school buildings need to be destroyed by the wickedness of corrupt government officials and their supporters in order for us to decide on what we should do to collectively rebuild this country?

The time is now as we are drowning in the multiple schemes of corruption that have been created as acceptable and systemic. Multiple corrupt practices, as Mayor Benjamin Magalong explained, that is going on inside the House of Representatives point to its former leadership, where corruption is linked to the very top level of its ranks. Change starts from the top but sometimes, corruption can also come from the top as well. This is the hard and bitter truth that all of us must be brave enough to express so that we can all make the very idea of corruption extremely nauseating and revolting to people and make them fully appreciate and support good governance.

I don’t think we all completely understand how difficult it is for us to build our country on good governance, considering that corruption is so deeply entrenched in our society. Former US president Woodrow Wilson said: ‘If you want to make enemies, change something.’ Anyone of us who is involved in trying to make a change would likely agree with this statement because change does not come easy, as we have to unite in working against habits and behaviors that have been formed over a long period of time, and doing this involves people.

But first and foremost, in order for us to achieve this change, we must be compelling in our commitment to communicate the need for change so that more people will understand what the problem is and why this problem can no longer continue to persist. Corruption hurts everyone and erodes the trust we have in public servants who are supposed to act in our best interest.

At this juncture, we are facing one catastrophe after another and the question is, how much more can we handle and how prepared are we to endure potential challenges yet to come? In the aftermath of the Cebu earthquake, we are finding out that while the Philippines lacks the resources of Japan, a country that has achieved the world’s most sophisticated earthquake response and mitigation system, addressing the gaps we face in building safety standards and structural integrity of building structures, including taking earthquake drills and go bag reminders seriously, Filipinos can respond bravely and more quickly during crisis situations. This is why we need to act and tune in to the multiple scenarios that are happening in order for us to be part of the solution.

In the time of Noah, God saw how the wickedness of people became so pervasive that their hearts were filled with only evil. The sin of omission is disobedience to God’s plan for all of mankind, as this is a clear neglect of what is good because, by failing to help the very same people we promise to protect and serve, we actively participate in the process that is indifferent to the people’s right to a dignified life. What has happened to our countrymen is nothing less than evil and the consequences of this, as the Bible says, is death, the kind that is worse than any form of death penalty.

While some countries do sentence their corrupt officials to death, this has not stopped, even just by example, all those who have robbed and raped us. While this does not frighten them, perhaps we can take comfort knowing that the law of the Lord will give us the justice we deserve. The penalty of death represents all that we need to express in order to put an end to greed, apathy, corruption and love for power. The change is within our grasp and this is where we must place our firm resolve.