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Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano yesterday denied rumors that the minority bloc is actively seeking to unseat Senate President Vicente Sotto III, saying there are no ongoing efforts or signature drives to change the chamber’s leadership.

At a press conference, Cayetano said the Senate minority was not actively courting members of the majority to consolidate votes for a new leadership.

‘There is no active courting in the sense. Even when Sen. (Panfilo) Lacson first revealed that (almost all senators of the 19th Congress had budget insertions), I can tell you, I am not talking to anybody (about a coup),’ Cayetano said.

He said he recently spoke with Sotto over the phone and assured him that the minority bloc remains steady in its role.

Cayetano said no leadership changes should be expected tomorrow or when the chamber resumes session to adjourn for a month-long recess.

Rumors of a leadership change swirled last week after some senators expressed disappointment with the direction of the Blue Ribbon committee’s probe on flood control corruption.

Even observers like former Senate president Franklin Drilon said Lacson’s resignation as chairman of the panel was a sacrifice the leadership had to make to keep Sotto’s Senate presidency.

The Senate majority is composed of 15 senators while the Cayetano-led minority has nine.

For the meantime, Sen. Erwin Tulfo will assume the chairmanship of the Blue Ribbon committee on an acting capacity while the majority bloc deliberates the permanent replacement for Lacson, Sotto announced yesterday.

After the majority caucus yesterday afternoon, Sotto bared that they decided to make Tulfo acting chairman as he is currently the vice chair.

Sotto said most of the majority bloc members want Lacson to stay, including some of the five senators being eyed to replace him.

Sotto said the decision on the permanent chair will be made after the majority’s next meeting, once Sen. Erwin Tulfo, currently overseas, returns.

Meanwhile, Tulfo said Sotto had informed him that no one has yet accepted the position after Lacson stepped down.

‘If there’s no other choice, maybe I’ll take the job. Because we cannot have the position vacant,’ he said over radio dzMM.

In a chance interview yesterday, Sen. Pia Cayetano said she is open to chairing the Blue Ribbon panel.

However, she cited her present work as chair of the committees on ways and means and energy as possible hindrances.

More billions in taxpayers’ money have gone down the drain – this time in Cagayan province. Last Monday afternoon, the Piggatan Bridge in Alcala town crumpled purportedly under the combined weight of three truck haulers.

Fortunately, no one was killed, but seven people were injured. The destruction of the bridge, which links the provincial capital Tuguegarao to the northern towns of Cagayan, has also seriously disrupted mass transportation and supply delivery in the province.

On Feb. 28 this year in nearly Isabela province, the newly opened Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge in Santa Maria town also collapsed as a truck transporting rocks passed through it. As in this disaster, the collapse of the Piggatan Bridge has been quickly blamed on the passage of the three supposedly overloaded trucks, each reportedly weighing from 40 to 50 tons, two of them transporting palay and the third steel.

How local officials quickly came to this conclusion on the cause of the incident is not clear. Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said the cause of the disaster is still being determined.

There were two smaller trucks on the bridge when it broke apart. The 45-year-old bridge had a load limit of only 18 tons. Bridges and other public infrastructure, however, are supposed to undergo regular inspections and engineering interventions if needed to maintain their structural integrity.

The Piggatan Bridge is no makeshift wooden span; it is made of concrete and steel. With regular inspections and reinforcement, it is supposed to be sturdy. Heavy trucks are expected to use such bridges. What’s the use of a steel-and-concrete bridge along a major highway if it cannot be used for trucks transporting heavy loads?

And if exceeding the bridge load limit was truly the problem, there should have been stringent regulation of the use of the bridge by cargo trucks, in the light of the bridge disaster in neighboring Isabela just seven months ago.

If the practice of cutting corners and producing substandard public works infrastructure was already prevalent in the 1970s when construction of the Piggatan Bridge started, the span could still have been expanded and retrofitted in subsequent years.

Reinforcement of the bridge should have been undertaken particularly after the collapse of the Cabagan-Santa Maria Bridge. After that disaster in Isabela, public works officials vowed to subject bridges nationwide to structural integrity assessments. Apparently, they missed Piggatan Bridge. Maybe they were too busy with flood control projects.

This time, the Cagayan local government has reportedly ordered an inspection of all bridges in the province. Other local officials can do the same in their jurisdictions. They should be able to put to rest public fears of falling into a river or ground below when traversing bridges.

Tropical Storm Nakri is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) today and will be given the local name Quedan, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

In an advisory issued at 5 p.m. yesterday, PAGASA said the center of Nakri was spotted 1,725 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon, still outside PAR as of 4 p.m.

The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of up to 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph. It was moving north-northwest at 25 kph.

Once it enters PAR, Quedan is forecast to continue moving northwest and may exit by tomorrow morning.

PAGASA said Quedan could intensify into a severe tropical storm on Saturday as it approaches Ryukyu Islands in Japan.

The state weather bureau said Nakri is unlikely to directly affect Philippine weather or sea conditions and no tropical cyclone wind signals will be raised.

However, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the northeasterly wind are expected to bring strong to gale-force gusts over Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte and Palawan as well as the Visayas and parts of Mindanao in the coming days.

Meanwhile, 20 fishermen have been rescued after their boat capsized between the waters off Basilan and Sulu.

The F/B Mona went out for a fishing expedition at dawn on Monday when it was battered by big waves spawned by the ITCZ.

Boat captain Muhammad Javer sent out a distress call after seawater started entering the vessel.

The number of houses damaged by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu last week climbed to 62,531 yesterday from 39,806 the other day.

As this developed, disaster response teams continued to assess the effects of the temblor on people and communities, to determine the types of assistance needed.

Of the number of damaged houses, up to 4,854 were beyond repair, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Fourteen municipalities and cities in Cebu including Bogo, the epicenter of the earthquake, are severely affected by the calamity.

The temblor also affected residents and communities in the town of Garcia-Hernandez in Bohol.

Most of the damaged houses are in Bantayan, Borbon, Carmen, Catmon, Daanbantayan, Medellin, San Remigio, Santa Fe, Sogod, Tabogon, Tabuelan and Tuburan as well as in Cebu City.

The NDRRMC said 733 other infrastructure mostly schools and government facilities in Cebu and Bohol sustained damage from the earthquake.

The death toll remained at 72 as of yesterday.

Vietnamese coast guard donates ration

The officers and crewmembers of a Vietnamese Coast Guard (VCG) ship visiting the port of Cebu donated their rations of 32 sacks of rice and 10 boxes of noodles to victims of the earthquake.

Commodore Algier Ricafrente, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deputy chief for international affairs, said that Maj. Gen. Tran Quang Tuan, commander of VCG Region 2, turned over the donation to officials of Tabogon town.

‘In sympathy to people affected by the earthquake, the VCG set aside 32 sacks of rice and 10 boxes of noodles, leaving behind enough food for their return voyage to Vietnam,’ Ricafrente said in a statement.

The VCG vessel CBS 8002 is in Cebu City for a five-day port visit from Oct. 6 to 10.

The visit is part of the 2nd PCG-VCG Bilateral Meeting that will include joint maritime exercises, courtesy calls, cultural exchanges and sports activities.

Members of the PCG and VCG will also conduct joint exercises focusing on search and rescue, firefighting and oil spill prevention at sea.

Ricafrente said the visit of the CBS 8002 showed a shared commitment to strengthening maritime cooperation as provided under a memorandum of understanding signed in January 2024 between the two coast guards.

Filipino rock band IV of Spades will end an already fulfilling 2025 with a solo headliner concert this December.

Last July, IV of Spades surprised fans by releasing its first single in over five years since an indefinite hiatus, with former vocalist Unique Salonga back in the picture.

The band followed it up with more releases “Nanaman,” “Konsensya” and “Suliranin,” all of which will feature in the upcoming album “Andalucia” – the band’s second after 2019’s “ClapClapClap!”

“Andalucia” will drop in full on November 5, and a month later, on December 12, IV of Spades will stage a concert at the Mall of Asia Arena – their first full headline show.

Concert promoter Karpos teased that the show would see Unique, Badjao de Castro, Blaster Silonga, and Zild Benitez play new music live for the first time and reimagine some classics.

Such tracks would be early hits “Ilaw sa Daan,” “Hey Barbara,” “Where Have You Been My Disco?” and “Mundo,” as well as “ClapClapClap!” singles “In My Prison,” “Bata, Dahan-Dahan,” “Take That Man,” “Bawat Kaluluwa” and “Come Inside of My Heart.”

Tickets for the upcoming concert are as follows:

General Admission Regular – P1,500

General Admission Premium – P2,000

Upper Box Regular – P3,000

Upper Box Premium – P3,500

Lower Box Regular – P5,500

Lower Box Premium – P6,500

Floor Standing – P4,500

Tickets for IV of Spades’ concert go on sale this October 12 at noon via the SM Tickets website and outlets nationwide.

After a five-day ceasefire, action in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 25 basketball tournament will resume today (Thursday, October 9) with a double-header on tap at the Cebu Coliseum.

The Benedicto College (BC) Cheetahs will try to extend their hot streak to four games as they take on the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors in the main game at 6:45 p.m.

The Cheetahs are currently at solo second place in the table with an immaculate 3-0 slate.

On the other hand, the Warriors hope to snap their two-game slide after a rousing start.

In the 5:15 p.m. opener, the five-peat seeking Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles shoot for back-to-back wins as they battle against the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Baby Panthers.

The Magis Eagles opened their title defense with a 69-57 drubbing of the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Baby Jaguars last September 21.

The Baby Panthers, for their part, are coming off a 69-61 whacking of the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Baby Wildcats that improved their record to 2-1.

Business group Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) has selected Hans Sy, chair of the executive committee of SM Prime Holdings Inc., as recipient of the MAP Management Person of the Year 2025.

The announcement was made during the MAP’s general membership meeting yesterday.

‘I have never seen myself as someone deserving of awards or recognition. I simply try to do my part. What matters most to me is using what we build to make a difference in our country,’ Sy said.

‘At SM, it has long been our responsibility to create spaces that protect people, support communities and help Filipinos stand stronger for the future,’ he said further.

MAP said the conferment of the award would be held on Nov. 24.

The MAP Management Person of the Year is awarded to those in business or government, who have demonstrated unquestioned distinction in the practice of management and made valuable contributions to nation-building.

Recipients of the award are leaders and managers who are considered exemplary models that should be emulated by their peers and younger generations of leaders.

MAP said Sy was chosen as this year’s recipient for his commitment to environmental stewardship, social inclusion, good governance and resilience, by establishing SM Prime as a benchmark for sustainable and resilient urban development.

The business group also cited Sy’s people-centered style of leadership that promotes employee welfare, professional development and work-life balance and builds an organization that exemplifies the United Nations (UN) Global Compact Women’s Empowerment Principles.

Sy was also recognized for helping provide growth opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises, local government units and the communities where SM malls operate.

The award also recognizes Sy’s role in helping shape global and local guidance on integrating disaster risk reduction into core business strategies by representing the Philippines in the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and by founding ARISE Philippines.

MAP said Sy’s leadership has also shown how Filipino companies can compete successfully with global big brands.

When Kai held his 2025 Kai Solo Concert Tour in Manila, the sold-out show drew a crowd whose energy never wavered from start to finish. From the opening number, Sinner, the intensity with which fans waved their banners and lightsticks made it clear how much excitement filled the Araneta Coliseum. The excitement only grew as Kai launched into the hits Mmmh and Nothing on Me.

Kai paused to greet the Filipino audience warmly, asking if they had missed him and confessing that he missed them just as much. ‘Masaya ako,’ he told them, earning a chorus of cheers and playful chants of ‘pogi.’ He noted that the Manila crowd’s energy was unlike any other and expressed his wish that the whole concert (mounted by Pulp Live World) would become a cherished memory for everyone who bought tickets.

He then performed Hello Stranger, Slidin’, and Ride or Die, which were met with applause and screams of excitement. A video interlude filled the arena with images of flowers before the man of the hour returned to the stage to perform Come In.

He reminded the fans that this was his very first solo concert and thanked them for making it possible. When they sang along to Baby Don’t Cry and Angel, he gave them a perfect score, praising their singing and their cheers. Spotting several fans holding roses, he playfully asked if they were proposing to him, earning laughter and more chants.

The concert grew more playful as fans repeatedly chanted, ‘Take it off!’ Kai teased them by pretending not to hear, laughing as the audience’s screams grew louder. He explained that his director told him to keep his jacket on, but when the crowd’s chants continued, the director gave his approval, and Kai obliged, making the fans scream in excitement.

He continued to turn up the heat with Vanilla, Peaches, and Adult Swim, before powering through Wait on Me, Pressure, Walls Don’t Talk, and Bomba, showing his versatility as both a dancer and performer.

In his remarks, Kai expressed how much the evening meant to him. ‘I hope our time spent together today will forever be engraved in your minds. Alright? I was so happy today. And really, my Manila fans, I love you,’ Kai told the crowd, who answered with chants of ‘Walang uuwi!’

He also thanked them for the fan events, which included fanchants, flowers, and slogans. ‘I’ll never beat your love. Next time, I’ll prepare more. Today, I lost,’ he laughed.

Before closing with his last song, Kai reminded his fans to keep their memories of the 2025 Kai Solo Concert Tour in Manila close: ‘I hope this moment we spent together is not a second we erased in our memory. Guys, did you get a lot of memories stored in your minds and in your eyes? So keep watching it again until we meet again, do not forget me, OK?’

The latest Senate hearing on the budget of the Department of National Defense (DND) has unearthed some P15 billion worth of allocations that ended up in uncompleted and unusable projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the military from 2023 to 2025.

The revelation prompted the Senate finance committee chaired by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian to stop the Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad (TIKAS) Program of the DPWH and transfer its 2026 allocation of P3 billion directly to the DND.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. also revealed during the hearing last Tuesday that he planned to arrange an inspection of the unfinished projects with Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon so he could gather more evidence in preparation for possible filing of charges against erring officials and their cohorts.

‘We proposed that it be scrapped already and all implementation be by the DND-AFP,’ Teodoro said, describing the DPWH TIKAS projects as nothing more than drainage system and firing ranges that are ‘not part of the core infrastructure-based development program.’

‘This does not fall in line anymore with our strategic basing and operational security requirements for hardened structures and henceforth these will not be pursued anymore, yet recovery must be done,’ Teodoro said.

He explained that there are 944 approved projects under the TIKAS program, of which 648 have reached only the first phase and falsely declared completed.

He said funding for the DPWH projects is done in phases, but is only released in the first year.

‘I fully support the proposal of the chair,’ Teodoro said, referring to Gatchalian’s proposal to transfer TIKAS funds in full to the DND. Sen. Ronald dela Rosa agreed to the proposal and added in jest that ‘tikas’ is a Visayan term for ‘cheater.’

‘We’ll see if we can add, so those projects can be completed. So the goal here is to help the DND complete all of those partly completed projects, because they’re getting wasted,’ Gatchalian said, to the applause of military officers at the hearing, including Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.

Teodoro said the P3-billion allocation for 2026 may not be enough to finish the partly completed TIKAS projects, including some important ones like barracks for military personnel.

Gatchalian, in a statement, vowed to have the budget transfer done as he particularly pointed out unfinished DPWH projects for the Philippine Air Force (PAF) in Pasay City: two multipurpose buildings worth P72 million and P51 million falsely tagged as completed; and two other unspecified PAF projects, each valued at P60 million and P17 million.

Go supports DND

At the hearing, Sen. Bong Go, vice chairman of the committee on national defense, voiced his support for the DND and its attached agencies, emphasizing his continued adherence to the principle of protecting and empowering the nation’s uniformed personnel – a value he said he learned from former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Go also highlighted his principal authorship of Republic Act No. 12177, or the Free Legal Assistance to Military and Uniformed Personnel Act, which ensures legal protection for soldiers and law enforcers who may have a run in with the law while performing their official duties.

‘As the lifeblood of our nation’s defense and security, our soldiers have often faced dangerous situations that jeopardize their lives and limbs. For these reasons, I principally authored RA 12177 or the Free Legal Assistance to MUPs (Military and Uniformed Personnel) Act, which provides free legal aid to MUPs involved in cases related to the performance of duty,’ he said.

Isabela Fernandes of Brazil bested 42 other delegates to be crowned Miss Asia Pacific International 2025 at the culmination of glitzy rites held in Cebu City.

Miss Asia Pacific 2018 Sharifa Akeel crowned the Brazilian beauty. Isabela also won as Miss Zanea and Miss NuStar earlier in the evening.

Miss Asia Pacific Philippines 2025 Anita Rose Gomez was proclaimed as 1st runner-up. Anita was also named Miss Hotel 101, Miss Cindyrella Drip, and Miss RMBC Nutramins.

Bowomrat Maneerat of Thailand was named 2nd runner-up, aside from winning as one of three Miss Cindyrella Drip beauties.

All Top 3 queens fast tracked their entry to the first cut by winning the pre-pageant challenges. Isabela won the Best in Evening Gown, Anita won as Best in Swimsuit, and Bowomrat won the Best National Costume.

Jana Jannsens of Belgium and Delilah Almira Wildboer of Netherlands were declared 3rd and 4th runners-up, respectively.

The lucky delegates who made it to the semi-final round (Top 10) were Prapti Rhanabat (Nepal), Budsuren Baansansuren (Mongolia), Mariana Garcia (Mexico), Hanna Leigh Cross (New Zealand) – Miss Sheridan and Continental Queen of Oceania, and Michaela Whilar Lazarte (Peru) – Continental Queen of the Americas.

The other ladies who made it to the first cut (Top 30) were Bejandri Lourens (South Africa)- Continental Queen of Africa, Aisyah Amini (Indonesia) – Continental Queen of Asia, Tracy Victoria Johnson (Nigeria), Danube Kangjam (India) – Miss Photogenic and Miss Stronghold Insurance, Mealyann Nita Saing (Cambodia) – Miss Cindyrella Drip, Elena Cristiana Gogulescu (Romania), Alejandra Violeta Perdamo Soto (Honduras), Patricia Diaz Escalante (Colombia), Kayla Jane Usison (USA), Monica Fernandes de Freitas (England), Devayani Priya Shanmugam (Malaysia), Ngoc Anh Duong (Vietnam), Alicia Mui (Macau), Krishashinii Do Vijaya Raj (Singapore), Charlyn Corona Cruz (Dominican Republic), Chi Kwan Lau (Hong Kong), Hsin-hui Chen (Taiwan), Naomi Shotlander (Canada), Anna Gomes (United Kingdom) – People’s Choice Award, and Lisa Malasch (Germany) – Miss Congeniality and Miss JPark Island Resort.

This year’s selection committee included Pilarcita Pearson, Bryan Ong, Dr. Carelle Herrera, Mila Manuel, Krish Gangwar, Tiffany Vu, and Miss Asia Pacific International 2018 Sharifa Akeel.

The jurors selected the winners based on the following criteria: Beauty of Face (35%), Beauty of Figure (35%), and Personality and Intelligence (30%).

Hosted by Marc Nelson, the 42nd Miss Asia Pacific International coronation rites was beamed live to a global audience from the Cebu Coliseum Complex in the Queen City of the South.