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The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office has stepped up relief efforts to assist victims of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu and nearby provinces Tuesday night.

Acting on the orders of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., PCSO General Manager Mel Robles directed branch offices and authorized agent corporations to deliver aid to affected communities.

Piona Trading and Supply Corp. and King Dragon Gaming and Amusement Corp. were among the first to respond, donating food and other essentials to the Cebu provincial government on Wednesday. Additional donations from other authorized agents were en route, PCSO said.

Charitimba food packs were included in the initial relief efforts. Evacuation supply kits – including mosquito nets, plastic mats, blankets, slippers, flashlights, pillows, towels and other necessities – were airlifted via a C-130 aircraft Wednesday afternoon to support survivors.

‘Our thoughts are with our kababayans in Cebu and the surrounding areas,’ Robles said. ‘PCSO is closely monitoring the situation and will extend further assistance to ensure the safety and well-being of those affected. We are working tirelessly to bring comfort during these challenging times.’

Robles added that the spirit of bayanihan was alive in their efforts and encouraged residents to remain resilient and united, ‘knowing that help is on the way.’

PCSO said it remains committed to a holistic response that goes beyond medical assistance, with comprehensive relief efforts for disaster-stricken communities.

According to the Office of Civil Defense, the earthquake resulted in more than 70 deaths and over 150 injuries.

Robles vowed the PCSO will continue to coordinate with authorities to support relief and rehabilitation efforts.

The Senate has sought to modernize budget transparency and accountability through the use of ‘blockchain technology’ in a bid to make the national budget publicly available, ensure accessibility, easy to understand, and open for citizen engagement.

During Thursday’s hearing of the Committee on Science and Technology, Aquino said the proposed Senate Bill No. 1330 or the Philippine National Budget Blockchain Act will strengthen collaboration across the executive and legislative branches of the government, civil society organizations and other stakeholders who play a vital role in sustaining and deepening democracy.

‘By no means this is the only solution, but many of us here believe that this can be one of the major solutions to our problems. Putting the budget on the blockchain is a way to ensure that every peso of the people’s money is monitored,’ Aquino stressed.

‘The bill is a possible solution so that every Filipino knows how the country’s money is being spent. Blockchain was also made a priority because it is transparent, honest, and secure,’ he added.

According to Aquino’s proposed measure, blockchain technology provides a powerful tool for this transformation, and its design guarantees accountability.

‘Through blockchain, all budget transactions become transparent, immutable, auditable and accessible to citizens in real time,’ said Aquino.

While the national budget is one of the most important instruments of governance, Aquino said documents related to it have remained closed, highly technical and difficult to understand, making oversight almost impossible even for those who want to scrutinize them.

‘This ensures that every peso can be tracked by the public. No more ‘fly-by-night’ contractors. No more hidden projects unknown to local governments,’ he said, adding that prices of materials can be easily compared across contracts.

‘To put our national budget on the blockchain answers many concerns and issues with our current system, where there are insertions and ghost projects. The public can see how people’s money is spent,’ he said.

A fire that broke out Wednesday evening in Barangay Canlapwas, Catbalogan City, Samar, claimed the life of a government worker and left more than 200 residents homeless, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported.

The blaze, which started around 5:30 p.m. in Purok 3, was traced to faulty electrical wiring that ignited the roofing of a house owned by Rizalda Magallanes. Made of light materials, the house quickly went up in flames, with the fire spreading rapidly to nearby residences, investigators said.

Firefighters from the Catbalogan City Fire Station, backed by fire volunteers, police personnel, and reinforcements from neighboring towns such as Paranas, battled the fire for nearly four hours. The incident, which was raised to second alarm, was declared under control at 7:20 p.m. and fully extinguished at around 9:23 p.m.

The blaze claimed the life of Reynold Muñez, 30, an employee of the Samar provincial capitol. According to authorities, Muñez ran back inside their burning house, believing his family was still trapped inside. His relatives, however, had already evacuated. His body was recovered after the fire was declared out.

BFP reported that 23 houses were destroyed while three others sustained partial damage. The incident displaced 50 families or about 208 individuals, with property losses initially estimated at P2 million.

The affected families are currently taking shelter at a church in the village and at their barangay hall.

The Catbalogan City government, under Mayor Dexter Uy, has extended relief assistance to the fire victims.

The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged four nonexistent flood control projects in Bulacan worth more than P350 million, as it filed additional audit reports against officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and their private contractors before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

According to COA, the said projects were under the DPWH Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office (DEO).

Below is the list of ghost projects and their respective contractors based on a statement released by the commission on Thursday:

Construction of Flood Control Structure (Revetment), Purok 1 to Purok 2, Barangay San Roque in Baliuag, amounting to P92,688,858.48 (Syms Construction Trading)

Construction of Flood Control Structure along Angat River at Barangay Taal in Pulilan, amounting to P92,710,206.94 (Syms Construction Trading)

Construction of Riverwall at Barangay Pagala, Sta. 00+910 to Sta. 01+310 in Baliuag, amounting to P96,499,500.70 (Triple 8 Construction and Supply, Inc.)

The projects were inspected on September 24, 17, 15, and 23, respectively-all of which were found to be nonexistent.

The parties found to be reportedly liable for all four projects are as follows, according to COA:

Henry C. Alcantara-District Engineer

Sally N. Santos-SYMS Construction Trading

Brice Ericson D. Hernandez-Assistant District Engineer

Ernesto Galang-Planning and Design Section Chief

John Michael E. Ramos-Engineer

Lemuel Ephraim SD. Roque-Project Engineer

Jolo Mari V. Tayao-Engineer

Jaypee D. Mendoza-Construction Section Chief

Irene DC. Otingco-Engineer

Joshua Blitz S. Roxas-Engineer

Bernardo Villafuerte-Engineer

Raymond G. Tolentino-Engineer

Lorenzo A. Pagtalunan-Engineer

Elmer F. Arellano-Engineer

Wilfredo M. Natividad-Triple 8 Construction and Supply, Inc.

However, the commission clarified that the initial list of liable persons ‘is not final and may expand as the audit progresses, or new information becomes available.’

The COA stated that these individuals may face graft and corruption charges for possible violations of Republic Act No. 3019, also known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act; malversation and falsification of documents under the Revised Penal Code; as well as violations of COA Circular No. 2009-001 and the Government Procurement Reform Act.

During the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on September 23, Alcantara denied involvement in ghost flood control projects, explaining that Hernandez and Mendoza were behind those operations.

Alcantara said he used and awarded projects to in-house contractors but told the two other officials not to do ghost projects.

In the same hearing, Hernandez likewise named three politicians in Bulacan who allegedly got kickbacks from the province’s infrastructure projects.

Among them were Bulacan (2nd District) Representative Augustina Dominique ‘Tina’ Pancho, Bulacan (1st District) Rep. Danny Domingo, and former Bulacan (5th District Representative) and now Guiguinto mayor Ambrosio ‘Boy’ Cruz Jr. as the ones who allegedly got a cut from the projects in the province’s first district engineering office.

Currently, COA has submitted 17 fraud audit reports to relevant agencies-nine to the Office of the Ombudsman and eight to ICI, including the four additional reports on the flood control projects mentioned above.

Two more eruptions were observed at Taal Volcano in Batangas province within the past 24 hours, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

In its daily bulletin issued at 5 a.m., Thursday, Phivolcs reported a five-minute phreatic eruption and a 13-minute phreatomagmatic blast, although it did not specify the exact times of the events.

On Wednesday, a minor phreatomagmatic eruption from Taal’s main crater occurred from 2:02 a.m. to 2:15 a.m.

The US Geological Survey defines phreatic eruptions as steam-driven explosions that occur when water beneath the ground is heated by magma, lava, hot rocks, or newly formed volcanic deposits.

Phreatomagmatic eruptions, on the other hand, occur when magma and water interact, leading to the ejection of steam and pyroclastic fragments.

During its observation period, Phivolcs also detected 10 volcanic earthquakes, accompanied by four volcanic tremors that lasted two to four minutes.

The agency clarified that volcanic earthquakes originate from active volcanoes and exhibit distinct patterns characterized by their ‘mode of arrivals, periods, and amplitudes.’ Volcanic tremors, meanwhile, are continuous seismic signals with either regular or irregular wave patterns and low frequencies.

In the latest monitoring period, Phivolcs reported that Taal emitted 1,892 metric tons of sulfur dioxide, which rose 600 meters into the air. The agency classified the emission activity as ‘weak.’

No upwelling of hot volcanic fluids was observed in the main crater lake of Volcano Island, which sits at the center of Taal Lake. No volcanic smog or ‘vog,’ was also detected.

Alert Level 1, or low-level unrest, remains in effect over Taal Volcano.

Phivolcs warned that sudden steam-driven or phreatic eruptions, minor phreatomagmatic activity, ashfall, and the release of volcanic gas may still occur.

Authorities continue to prohibit entry into Volcano Island, Taal’s permanent danger zone, particularly within the main crater and the Daang Kastila trail. Aircraft are also discouraged from flying over the area, as ash from sudden eruptions may pose hazards.

Cardinal Jose Advincula, archbishop of Manila, has instructed churches in the entire archdiocese to mandate the praying of Oratio Imperata, or an obligatory prayer for the ‘cleansing and healing of our nation’ amid the corruption in the country.

In a pastoral letter on Thursday, Advincula once again described corruption as a ‘profound moral and spiritual crisis’ and not merely a political or economic problem. However, he also acknowledged the ‘growing awareness’ against corruption, where many people courageously stand up and take their fight to the streets.

He previously emphasized that organized rallies denouncing corruption are not just ‘pockets of political resistance’ but a reflection of the people’s moral conviction and their right to suppress the evil.

‘Dear brothers and sisters, let us stand united in prayer and action so that truth, integrity, and justice may prevail over dishonesty, corruption, and self-interest,’ Advincula said.

With this, he mandates the praying of Oratio Imperata for Integrity, Truth, and Justice in all parishes in the archdiocese.

Advincula said that this prayer will replace the Prayer for the Faithful during the celebration of Holy Mass, which is considered a ‘rare practice reserved only for the gravest of circumstances-as a clear expression of the urgency and seriousness of our situation.’

Aside from this, he ordered the ringing of all bells in churches every 8 p.m. ‘as a prophetic cry of indignation and outrage against the evil of corruption, as well as a resounding call to contrition and conversion.’

He noted that the instructions must be performed starting Saturday, October 4, which also coincides with the Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Several congressional hearings have been launched to investigate the anomalies in flood control projects in the country. These revealed allegations of lawmakers and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways getting kickbacks and congressional insertions in the national budget, among others.

Several flights at the Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Norte have been canceled on Thursday due to bad weather conditions brought about by Tropical Storm Paolo, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap).

In its advisory, Caap said the following flights, which are bound from and to Manila, were canceled this Thursday:

Philippine Airlines

PR 2196

PR 2197

PR 2198

PR 2199

Caap noted that a total of 425 passengers were affected by the flight disruption.

‘Affected passengers are urged to coordinate directly with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates and rebooking assistance,’ Caap said.

The aviation authority assured the public that it is ‘closely monitoring the situation and is in constant coordination with airline operators and airport authorities to uphold the safety, security, and welfare of the traveling public.’

Based on the 11 a.m. update, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, Ilocos Norte, was placed under Signal No. 1 due to Paolo, which was packing maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 90 kph.

Paolo is forecast to make landfall over Isabela or northern Aurora by Friday morning before crossing Northern Luzon and emerging over the West Philippine Sea.

A fire that broke out early Thursday and raged on for more than three hours, razed almost two dozen houses, rendering 23 families homeless in Barangay Tetuan, Zamboanga City.

Elmeir Apolinario, chief of the Zamboanga City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said they counted at least 22 houses that were razed to the ground and one structure partially damaged after the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) declared the fire out at 3:21 a.m.

Apolinario said the city government had distributed immediate assistance and support to the fire-hit families temporarily housed at the Tetuan Central School Gymnasium.

At least four vehicles were also damaged.

The fire in Tetuan village occurred barely three days after the Sept. 29 fire earlier gutted several houses in the city’s Barangay Tumaga, rendering 26 families homeless.

BFP is still investigating the cause or causes of these fire incidents in the two villages in Zamboanga City

Questions over its confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) amounting to billions of pesos continue to hound the Office of the President (OP), after a lawmaker noted that it fully spent the funds last year but left more than a fifth of its regular budget unobligated or unused.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio raised the matter during plenary deliberations on the OP’s proposed P27-billion budget in 2026, where he cited the OP’s Statement of Appropriations, Allotments, Obligations, Disbursements, and Balances, saying it fully obligated its CIF for every quarter of 2024.

That year, the OP received P4.5 billion for its CIF, which meant it received P1.1 billion in cash per quarter.

In contrast, the OP was able to obligate only 78 percent of its regular funding in the same year, Tinio said.

Ballooning amount

‘Why is it that when it comes to your CIF, not a single centavo is left? But when we’re talking about the regular budget-which is subject to the normal reporting and accounting procedures of the Commission on Audit (COA)-you’re a bit slow, at 78 percent (obligation rate)?’ he asked.

The OP’s sponsoring lawmaker, Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia, explained that the OP spent its CIF on the activities of its presidential situation room, the national AML/CFT (anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism) coordinating committee, the national cybersecurity interagency committee, the People’s Center on Transnational Crime, and the Anti-Terrorism Council project management center.

The OP’s CIF, which now totals P4.56 billion annually or roughly a third of the Palace’s budget, has steadily grown over the years.

Confidential expenses pertain to surveillance activities in civilian government agencies, while intelligence expenses are those related to information-gathering activities of uniformed and military personnel directly related to national security.

Since 2015, the OP traditionally requested only up to P250 million each for confidential and intelligence purposes until former President Rodrigo Duterte raised them tenfold to P2.5 billion from 2017 to 2019.

By 2020, these doubled to P4.5 billion-an amount sustained under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Safeguards

Tinio recalled how some Marcos allies earlier questioned the use of CIF by Vice President Sara Duterte, who had requested unprecedented amounts in 2023 and 2024 for both the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education which she used to head, an agency that traditionally does not require CIF.

But ‘when the new president came in, instead of reverting to the old practice and [proving] that the Duterte administration’s use of CIF was an aberration, the Marcos Jr. administration continued it,’ Tinio noted.

Its growing reliance on such funds, he added, was creating a ‘huge loophole’ since such expenditures are exempt from the procurement law and governed only by a special Department of Budget and Management-COA circular.

Garcia confirmed the figures but said the increase for the OP in 2023-Marcos’ first full year-was introduced in the Senate and not requested by Malacañang.

He also stressed that the funds were subject to liquidation and reporting to the Speaker, the Senate President and the COA.

Caloocan City has opened a new center aimed at providing services for children with special needs and their families.

The facility, called Hope and Play: A Pod for Every Ability, will be open Mondays through Fridays and will offer psychoeducational screening, language programs, behavior management, learning support, and training for parents and guardians.

Mayor Dale Gonzalo ‘Along’ Malapitan said the city government recognizes the challenges of raising children with special needs and committed to protecting the interests of children and other vulnerable members of the community.

‘Ang katotohanan ngayon, mahal ang gastusin kapag may anak ka na may espesyal na pangangailangan, at hindi lahat kayang gumastos para sa therapy at iba pang medical needs,’ Malapitan said.

‘Dito papasok ang Pamahalaang Lungsod ng Caloocan sa pamamagitan ng Hope and Play: A Pod for Every Ability upang matiyak na mabibigyan ng karampatang pag-aalaga ang mga batang may special needs,’ he added.