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A suspected illegal gun dealer was killed while three police officers were wounded in an alleged shootout that broke out in this city on Monday night.

Maj. Edgar Fabregas and S/Sgts. Arvin Ilagan and Karl Ernest Fabonan of the Batangas City police were rushed to the Saint Camillus de Lillis Hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds.

The fatality, identified as Ronald de Guzman, was killed in a pursuit operation.

Investigation showed the officers met up with a suspected gun dealer identified only as Bonsai in Barangay Bolbok to supposedly buy firearms.

However, the suspect and his companions sensed that they were dealing with undercover police officers, prompting them to draw their guns, triggering a shootout that left the officers wounded.

The suspects fled after the shooting, prompting a chase and another shootout that resulted in the death of De Guzman. A manhunt was launched for De Guzman’s cohorts.

The first batch of criminal and administrative charges was finally filed against resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co and 17 others over a reported anomalous flood control project found in Oriental Mindoro. Less than three weeks after it was organized, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) initiated the filing of these cases before the Office of the Ombudsman last Monday.

The three-man ICI headed by retired Supreme Court (SC) associate justice Andres Reyes Jr. acted on the findings of the team led by Department of Public Works and Highways acting Secretary Vivencio ‘Vince’ Dizon, accompanied by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who was then the ‘special adviser’ to the ICI, that conducted the ocular inspection of the project site pointed out to them by Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor.

After Malacañang spokesperson Claire Castro seemingly cast doubt on his impartiality, Magalong resigned. He was replaced by retired police chief Rodolfo Azurin as ICI investigator and ‘special adviser.’

The ICI’s first ever interim report was personally delivered by Reyes to the Office of the Ombudsman. The criminal charges included violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019), malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents by a public officer (Article 217 in relation to Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code) and violations of the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184). Co’s co-accused included DPWH district engineers and the private contractor of the project.

According to the ICI report, Co has been recommended to be charged for receiving ‘unwarranted benefits’ in relation to the construction projects of Sunwest Inc., one of the 15 contractors that have cornered P545 billion worth of flood control projects of the DPWH budget for the past three years.

‘While Cong. Co claims to have divested his interests, reports suggest he may potentially retain beneficial ownership. The Commission underscores that additional evidence is needed to establish any definitive connection,’ the ICI noted.

After submission of the ICI interim report, Reyes immediately left the Office of the Ombudsman and declined media interviews. But speaking for the ICI, its executive director Brian Keith Hosaka told reporters the ICI chairman is merely trying to ‘prudently’ and ‘carefully’ work quietly to ferret out the truth on the multibillion-peso flood control scandal. Hosaka further sought to assuage public concern over the ICI proceedings being conducted behind closed doors. He stressed the Commission is striving to shield itself from political interference, saying: ‘We cannot allow the ICI to be used by any political agenda or leverage.’

In Executive Order (EO) No. 94 signed on Sept.11, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM) created the ICI as a fact-finding body. Among other things, PBBM empowered the ICI to investigate the alleged ‘ghost’ flood control and other infra projects for the past 10 years. The President subsequently named Reyes to chair the ICI after he earlier appointed former DPWH secretary Rogelio ‘Babes’ Singson and SGV and Co. country managing partner Rossana A. Fajardo as Commission members.

Yesterday, Reyes signed in behalf of the ICI a memorandum of agreement with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) in its effort to facilitate freezing of bank deposits and other assets of Co and other individuals implicated in various alleged ‘ghost’ flood control and substandard infra projects.

The current ICI is well-intentioned but is not good enough. It lacks subpoena and prosecutorial powers. As stated in EO 94, the ICI can be assisted by the ombudsman, Department of Justice (DOJ) and its attached agencies such as the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and some other government agencies that it may call upon for assistance.

While the ICI doing its own work, the Senate decided to continue with its on-going ‘inquiry in aid of legislation’ into the alleged ‘ghost’ flood control projects of the DPWH. However, its parallel congressional investigation being done by the House infra committee headed by Bicol Saro party-list Rep.Terry Ridon has been called off upon the imprimatur of newly installed Speaker, Isabela Rep. Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III.

Before it closed down its public hearings, dismissed DPWH district engineers of Bulacan Brice Hernandez tagged former Senate Senate pro tempore Jinggoy Estrada and majority leader Joel Villanueva. At the last House hearing, Hernandez pointed to Estrada and Villanueva as ‘proponents’ who downloaded their flood control projects in the province in the 2025 budget. On the other hand, one of the 15 DPWH contractors admitted he was an election campaign donor of ex-Senate president Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero.

Conducting its own motu proprio investigation, the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, currently headed by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson, has conducted six public hearings so far as of last Monday. On that day, a ‘surprise witness,’ retired Marine Sgt. Orly Guteza, testified under oath that the alleged kickbacks from these DPWH projects were delivered to the Valle Verde residence of Co and that of former speaker Martin Romualdez. Earlier that day, retired DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo testified that a businessman-friend of Escudero acted as the alleged go-between of the ex-Senate chief in securing funds for projects in the DPWH budget.

With these very serious accusations, how can we expect an impartial conduct of congressional investigations when ‘almost all senators’ – as Lacson admitted – are involved in the budget mess? In the same way, as Lacson cited, there were many House members who got the bulk of budget ‘insertions.’ So how can the House investigate itself when many of their 316 or so colleagues in the present 20th Congress were re-elected from the 19th Congress that was behind the mangled 2025 budget?

Summing up, the first-best solution is to have a strong, unbiased, fearless ombudsman in the mold of the late senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, whose ninth death anniversary was observed last Monday. There are 17 candidates being vetted by the Judicial and Bar Council in the search for the new ombudsman.

The solution is to prosecute corrupt politicians, government executives and corrupt contractors; jail them – and make them pay.

Converge ICT Solutions Inc. has solidified its position as the broadband provider with the fastest speeds in the Philippines, but PLDT Inc. remains to be the most preferred among subscribers.

In Opensignal’s latest monitor for broadband quality, Converge turned in the quickest download speed of 56 Mbps, beating again Globe Telecom’s 53.6 Mbps and PLDT’s 53 Mbps.

Opensignal also named Converge as the provider to beat for video and reliability experience, as subscribers reported the best quality when doing basic tasks online.

PLDT registered the fastest upload speed of 42.3 Mbps, with Converge recording 39.6 Mbps and Globe putting in 36.9 Mbps. Opensignal measures upload speed as the amount of data per second that can be transferred from device to the internet.

Globe landed as the most consistent broadband provider with a score of 68.1 percent. This metric examines how fast a device meets basic requirements once connected to the internet.

PLDT remains to be the market leader in Philippine broadband, as it cornered 42 percent of all subscribers through its largely fiber network.

Opensignal principal data analyst Robert Wyrzykowski said PLDT has managed to maintain its market dominance through its widest fiber footprint and introduction of new services.

‘PLDT is the incumbent operator and market leader with its 42-percent market share – primarily over fiber – but is also serving customers on DSL and fixed wireless, the latter services under the Smart brand,’ Wyrzykowski said.

Converge, for its part, holds around 30 percent of the broadband segment.

Wyrzykowski said the company has seen the peak of its customer expansion in the early 2020s, but it is still increasing market share thanks to its network upgrades.

‘Converge controls nearly 30 percent of the fixed broadband market, with most customers using fiber-to-the-home, but some still use cable broadband. Its rapid market share growth through the early 2020s has slowed a bit, but they continue to take share,’ Wyrzykowski said.

For Globe, Wyrzykowski said the target appears to be growing in the low-cost market, where its GFiber Prepaid has gained more than 400,000 subscribers to date.

Right now, Globe controls 20 percent of the broadband market, offering wired and fixed wireless access, and it is upgrading its last-mile assets to fiber to improve connectivity.

Cigarettes infused with synthetic marijuana compounds are banned, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Laboratory testing confirmed the presence of cannabinoids in tuklaw cigarettes or Vietnam’s Thuc lào, in the Philippines and Singapore, PDEA chief Isagani Nerez said.

‘When the result was positive both domestically and in Singapore, we informed the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) about it,’ he said.

At yesterday’s PDEA budget hearing at the Senate, Nerez confirmed that possessing tuklaw is a criminal offense.

While some cannabinoids have legitimate medical uses, the cannabinoid ‘pinaca’ has negative effects, DDB executive director Earl Saavedra said.

The PDEA and DDB have cited reports of teenagers exhibiting seizure-like symptoms characterized by brief shock-like body jerks and twitches after using the cigarette.

Krelz Gecosala and Kresthan Belacas delivered standout performances with double victories in their respective divisions, grabbing the spotlight in the boys’ category of the Gov. Edwin Jubahib National Juniors Tennis Championships in Tagum City, Davao del Norte over the weekend.

The fifth-seeded Gecosala defied the odds in the boys’ 18-and-under division, stringing together three straight-set wins before overpowering No. 4 seed Kurt Alcantara, 6-1, 6-3, in the finals. The 16-year-old Midsayap, North Cotabato native also dominated his own age group, dropping just eight games across three matches, culminating in a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Wallaen Cabigas in the finals.

Not to be outdone, Belacas of Mlang, Cotabato sparkled in the younger age groups. He held off Tyronne Caro in a tight 7-5, 6-3 win to secure the 12-and-U crown, then added the 14-and-U title after Caro retired in the second set, trailing 3-6, 4-2,

Their back-to-back victories earned both Gecosala and Belacas co-MVP honors alongside Faith Lazaro from Tagum City, who made waves in the girls’ division of the five-day event hosted by Gov. Jubahib in his continuing commitment to help develop the sport in the region.

Lazaro snapped Ayl Gonzaga’s winning streak in the Palawan Pawnshop nationwide junior circuit with a gutsy semifinal comeback win, 0-6, 6-4, 6-2. She then claimed the 16-and-U crown with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Telko Ello. Though she fell short in the 18-and-U finals, losing to Sultan Kudarat’s Sanschena Francisco, 6-3, 6-3, Lazaro’s strong performance earned her a share of the MVP award.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga, who has been a consistent force in both Luzon and Mindanao legs of the nationwide talent search initiated by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro, bagged the girls’ 14-and-U title with a 6-2, 6-2 win over doubles partner Justine Gumbao, replicating her triumph in Sultan Kudarat.

In other results, Maureen Mamaba of Davao de Oro shocked the girls’ field by clinching the 12-and-U crown with a 6-3, 6-3 upset of Alexandrea Bendoy; while Brandon Luchavez, an unseeded player, won the 10-and-U unisex title, defeating top seed Storm Tozer, 5-4(3), 4-0.

Gonzaga, on the other hand, bounced back in doubles play, securing two titles. With Gumbao, they trounced Sam Rodriguez and Shan Tuyor, 8-1, in the 14-and-U finals. She later paired with Francisco to beat Ello and Yana Reyes, 8-3, in the 18-and-U finals.

In the boys’ doubles, Alcantara and Cabigas captured the 18-and-U trophy with an 8-5 win over Harinne Antiola and Jaime Gultiano, while Caro and Gecosala clinched the 14-and-U crown, downing Belacas and Dimzon, 8-3.

The Group 2 tournament was presented by Dunlop and sanctioned by Philta with support from Universal Tennis and ICON Golf and Sports, utilizing both the DavNor Sports Complex and Tagum City courts to accommodate a record number of participants.

The Philippines’ trade gap in August narrowed to its lowest level in six months as exports increased while imports declined, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

PSA data showed that the balance of trade in goods, or the difference between the value of exports and imports, amounted to a $3.54-billion deficit in August, 19 percent lower than the $4.4 billion shortfall in the same month last year.

The August trade gap was narrower than the $4.42-billion trade deficit in the previous month.

It was also the smallest trade gap posted since the $2.97 billion shortfall in February.

From January to August, the country’s trade deficit narrowed to $32.38 billion from $34.33 billion in the same period last year.

PSA data also showed that the country’s export sales rose by five percent to $7.06 billion in August from $6.75 billion in the same month a year ago.

Dollar earnings from electronic products, the country’s top export commodity, went up by 8.5 percent to $3.87 billion in August from $3.57 billion in the same month in 2024.

Hong Kong dethroned the United States as the country’s top export market, accounting for 17 percent or $1.19 billion of the total in August.

From January to August, Philippine exports grew by 13 percent to $55.7 billion from $49.45 billion in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, PSA data showed that the country’s imports declined by five percent to $10.6 billion in August from $11.15 billion in the same month last year.

The PSA reported that imports of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials experienced the largest decline, reaching only $611.83 million in August.

China remained the largest supplier of the country’s imported goods, amounting to $3.19 billion, or 30 percent of the total, in August.

From January to August, the country’s total imports climbed by five percent to $88.08 billion from $83.78 billion in the same period a year ago.

Philippine Institute for Development Studies senior research fellow John Paolo Rivera said in an email that the latest trade performance may be due to weak import demand amid slower domestic activity and the tapering off of pre-tariff frontloading.

Exporters were frontloading shipments to the US to avoid the reciprocal tariffs that took effect on Aug. 7.

Chinabank Research stated in a commentary that the latest export performance indicates that tariffs are beginning to weigh on external demand.

‘This underscores the need to further diversify export markets, especially with the possibility of additional US tariffs on the horizon,’ Chinabank Research said.

Rivera said that downside risks remain due to global uncertainties and tighter financial conditions.

‘A sustained trade recovery will depend on export diversification and improving logistics competitiveness,’ he said.

More than 60 people were reported dead following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Cebu, with the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) warning that the toll could still rise as search and rescue operations continue.

At a press briefing on Wednesday morning, October 1, OCD Officer-in-Charge Asec. Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said the death toll from the deadly quake had climbed to ‘as high as 60,’ with many of the fatalities reported from a hospital in Bogo City.

He said the country remains in the ‘golden hour’ of the earthquake’s aftermath – a critical period when swift response can still save lives.

With red alert status raised and full staffing deployed, authorities have prioritized search and rescue operations as many remain trapped beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Cebu Gov. Pam Baricuatro earlier confirmed that most of the casualties were from Bogo, the area closest to the quake’s epicenter, where roughly 90,000 people reside.

As of 9:30 a.m., the Joint Operation Center in Bogo City, led by Baricuatro, reported 53 deaths and 154 injuries, which include 30 in Bogo, 10 in Medellin, 11 in San Remigio, and one each in Sogod and Tabuelan.

Authorities are still assessing the extent of the destruction, but the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) earlier reported damage to at least 22 structures, six roads and bridges.

Several homes, establishments and even churches were reduced to ruins due to the earthquake.

Cebu has been placed under a state of calamity, allowing the province to tap 30% of its local quick response fund for rehabilitation efforts.

The 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck north of Bogo late Tuesday night, September 30, at a shallow depth, registering its strongest shaking at Intensity VII.

The quake’s strength is close to the anticipated ‘Big One,’ a 7.2-magnitude quake projected along the West Valley Fault in Metro Manila.

Sparkle Artist Management defended one of its talents, Heart Evangelista, by calling out as fake a news article circulating online involving the socialite-artist.

On its social media accounts, the talent agency posted a screenshot of a Bilyonaro article with the headline “FitFlop, Tiger Balm quietly drop Heart Evangelista amid Chiz Escudero probe.”

The two brands have Heart as an endorser, and the probe being alluded to about the former Senate president allegedly being involved in kickbacks of flood control projects.

Sparkle called attention to the article and labelled it as “fake news.”

“Fake news alert! this is not true!” the agency wrote. “Don’t be fooled by fake news! Always be vigilant when reading articles online.”

As for Heart, the socialite-artist recently shared in an Instagram Live she would be skipping the Spring/Summer 2026 collection unveilings in the Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, noting it currently is not a good idea for Filipinos to be abroad with luxury brands.

Heart first announced that she will not joining Fashion Week in Milan and Paris.

“I know that you guys say ‘laban, laban,’ ganyan-ganyan. I really appreciate you,” Heart said. “But honestly, I don’t think it’s the right time for anyone to, especially from our country, to be going to Fashion Week because I think we need to be here.”

She explained that Filipinos had to “open their eyes” and “become one, empathize, really see what’s going on, and see what they can do,” adding she may return to fashion week events next year.

A dashcam video captured the Mactan-Mandaue Bridge shaking strongly as a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Cebu province on Tuesday night, September 30.

The powerful tremor was felt across Cebu City and northern Cebu, toppling buildings and killing at least 19 people as of Wednesday morning. It prompted widespread rescue operations.

Playoff qualifiers San Juan and Rizal Province closed their elimination round campaign with victories over also-ran Marikina and Bacolod on Monday in the Manny Pacquiao MPBL 2025 Season at the Marikina Sports Center.

The San Juan Knights trounced the Marikina Shoemasters, 78-61, to improve to 26-3 and finish No. 3 in the North Division behind the Abra Weavers (27-1) and the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards (27-2) in the round-robin elimination phase.