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Tia Andaya’s PVL debut was pushed back to a later date as she and other Filipino-foreigners await the release of their International Transfer Certificates (ITCs) to play in the Reinforced Conference without a hitch.

Like the imports who were supposed to strut their stuff in Tuesday’s opening doubleheader at Ynares Center Montalban, Andaya was also forced to sit out Choco Mucho’s game against Capital1 to avoid risking her federation transfer from USA Volleyball to the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF).

Technically, Andaya is allowed to play in the PVL, which only requires Fil-foreign players to secure a Philippine passport to be eligible to suit up. But playing without an ITC puts her allegiance switch in peril.

‘It hasn’t been signed yet. Because you can get sanctioned by the FIVB, so I don’t want to jeopardize it with the FIVB,’ said Andaya, the seventh overall pick by the Flying Titans in the 2025 PVL Draft last June.

Petro Gazz’s Fil-American duo of Brooke Van Sickle and MJ Phillips as well as PLDT star Savi Davision, who is Fil-Canadian, are in the same predicament as Andaya.

Van Sickle, Phillips and Davison, who have been thriving in the pioneering pro volleyball league for the past several years, are still waiting for their ITCs for this conference. They too are eyeing to be eligible to be part of Alas Pilipinas.

In a statement Tuesday, the PVL slammed the PNVF for the alleged ‘refusal to endorse the International Transfer Certificates (ITCs).’

ZUS Coffee and Akari were forced to go all Filipino in the Reinforced Conference curtain raiser with the Thunderbelles rallying past the Chargers in five sets behind Riza Nogales.

Choco Mucho and Capital1 were also left with no choice but to bench imports Marlee Smith and Oleksandra Bytsenko, respectively, in the second game won by the Flying Titans in a hard-earned sweep.

Arron Villaflor was quick to issue an apology after a post expressing solidarity with the victims of the recent Cebu earthquake earned backlash on social media when people pointed out his more prominent image in the photo card.

Villaflor, who currently serves as a Board Member of Tarlac, recently shared on his social media platforms an image of himself wearing a red shirt while in a praying position, accompanied by a black-and-white message, ‘Pray for Cebu and those affected by the earthquake.’

The image, however, did not sit well with netizens, who quickly referenced the TV characters ‘Honesto’ or ‘Santino’ with his prayerful stance in the picture.

He has since removed the image from his socials.

In an ambush interview on Tuesday, Villaflor said the post was a ‘lapse’ in judgment of his social media team.

‘First of all, gusto kong humingi ng pasensya. I want to apologize. It was a lapse from my social media team, and I told them na wala, nandito na tayo,’ he told reporters. ‘Let’s just learn from our mistakes and tawang-tawa ako kasi [na-realize ko] na ganito pa pala ako ka-relevant sa mundong ‘to.’

(First of all, I want to say sorry. I want to apologize. It was a lapse from my social media team, and I told them that there’s nothing we can do about it. We’re already here. Let’s just learn from our mistakes. And I find it funny because I realized that I’m still relevant in this world.)

‘AKO AY HUMIHINGI NG TAWAD’ WATCH: Actor-politician Arron Villaflor apologizes for his controversial ‘Pray For Cebu’ post, saying that his intentions were there but the ‘photo didn’t land well.’ | @HMallorcaINQ pic.twitter.com/OKpezzTeEn

– Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) October 7, 2025

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake jolted Cebu with the epicenter at Bogo City north of the province. The trembler was felt in most parts of the Visayas islands, with the death toll reaching 72 as of posting.

Well intentions

Villaflor also pointed out that while the post was made with well intentions, it ‘didn’t land well,’ saying that the public has the right to voice their own opinions.

‘For me, I am a public servant of Tarlac. The intention was there, but the photo didn’t land well. Sa lahat ng mga kababayan natin sa Pilipinas, ako ay humihingi ng tawad mula sa aking social media team,’ he said, noting that he had been receiving comments such as Honesto and Santino. ‘Hindi natin masisisi ang tao ngayon because everyone has the right to state their opinions, everyone has the right to say their arguments.’

(For me, I am a public servant of Tarlac. The intention was there, but the photo didn’t land well. To all my countrymen in the Philippines, I want to apologize for my social media team. We can’t blame the public now because everyone has the right to state their opinions, everyone has the right to say their arguments.)

The actor-politician also shared that the controversial post was a lesson for him to be ‘aware’ of his surroundings.

‘In my case, thank you for giving me this chance to apologize, and as a public servant and young leader of Tarlac, this is my advocacy,’ he said. ‘Let’s just be aware of our surroundings. Sa lahat ng mga ahensya, let’s just be aware of our surroundings so we can execute it well in that situation, and for us to serve with integrity and transparency.’

Villaflor is one of the stars of the upcoming Jerrold Tarog-helmed film ‘Quezon,’ which stars Jericho Rosales as the titular Manuel L. Quezon.

Also part of the cast are Benjamin Alves, Karylle, Mon Confiado, Iain Glen, Ana Abad Santos, and Romnick Sarmenta.

The registration of motor vehicles and driver’s licenses that expired on Sept. 30 will remain valid until Oct. 15, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) said in a statement on Tuesday.

LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II said the move was ‘in consideration of the cancellation of government work caused by heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon and typhoons Nando, Opong, and Paulo, as well as the devastating earthquake that struck Cebu.’

A memorandum on the extended validity of registrations has already been issued to all LTO regional directors and district office heads, according to Mendoza. He also assured the public that no penalties will be imposed on affected motor vehicle owners and driver’s license holders.

The 15-day period for the settlement of traffic apprehension cases effective Sept. 26 will also be extended until Oct. 15, Mendoza added.

He said the move was the LTO’s way of providing assistance given how a lot of Filipinos were affected by the recent calamities.

The LTO had previously extended the validity of motor vehicle registration and driver’s license expiring on Sept. 30 to Oct. 3, and had likewise scrapped penalties for delayed renewals.

The US government shutdown entered its second week on Monday, with no sign of a deal between President Donald Trump’s Republicans and Democrats to end the crisis.

Democrats are refusing to provide the handful of votes the ruling Republicans need to reopen federal departments, unless an agreement is reached on extending expiring ‘Obamacare’ health care subsidies and reversing some cuts to health programs passed as part of Trump’s signature ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’.

With the government out of money since Wednesday and grinding to a halt, Senate Democrats looked set to vote against a House-passed temporary funding bill for a fifth time.

The hard line taken by Democrats marks a rare moment of leverage for the opposition party in a period when Trump and his ultra-loyal Republicans control every branch of government and Trump himself is accused of seeking to amass authoritarian-like powers.

With funding not renewed, non-critical services are being suspended.

Salaries for hundreds of thousands of public sector employees are set to be withheld from Friday, while military personnel could miss their paychecks from Oct. 15.

Trump threats

And Trump has upped the ante by threatening to have large numbers of government employees fired, rather than just furloughed – placed on temporary unpaid leave status – as is normally done during shutdowns.

The president said Sunday that workers were already being fired, but White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt walked back the comments a day later, saying he was only ‘referring to the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have been furloughed.’

Republicans are digging in their heels, with House Speaker Mike Johnson telling his members not even to report to Congress unless the Democrats cave, insisting any health care negotiation be held after re-opening the government.

‘If he’s serious about lowering costs and protecting the health care of the American people, why wait?’ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a challenge to Johnson on Monday.

‘Democrats are ready to do it now,’ he wrote on X.

Shutdown impact

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ which he signed into law on July 4, would strip 11 million Americans of health care coverage, mainly through cuts to the Medicaid program for low-income families.

That figure would be in addition to the four million Americans Democrats say will lose health care next year if Obamacare health insurance subsidies are not extended – while another 24 million Americans will see their premiums double.

Republicans argue the expiring health care subsidies have nothing to do with keeping the government open and can be dealt with separately before the end of the year.

As the shutdown begins to bite, the Environmental Protection Agency, space agency NASA and the Education, Commerce and Labor departments have been the hardest hit by staff being furloughed – or placed on enforced leave – during the shutdown.

The Transport, Justice, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs Departments are among those that have seen the least effects so far, the contingency plans of each organization show.

Still in gridlock

With members of Congress at home and no formal talks taking place in either chamber, a CBS News poll released Sunday showed the public blaming Republicans by a narrow margin for the gridlock.

Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House National Economic Council, said Sunday layoffs would begin ‘if the president decides that the negotiations are absolutely going nowhere.’

Trump has already sent a steamroller through government since taking office for his second term in January.

Spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, 200,000 jobs had already been cut from the federal workforce before the shutdown, according to the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.

After a month of failed attempts to recover the original Facebook page of Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy, the Office of the City Mayor has decided to launch a new one to continue reaching residents online.

‘The Office of the City Mayor has created a new official Facebook page for Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy,’ the City Information Office (CIO) announced on its Facebook page.

The CIO said it failed to gain access to the original page of the mayor’s office despite numerous attempts.

The new verified page is titled ‘Office of the City Mayor – Cagayan de Oro City’ and will serve as the mayor’s official digital platform for updates and announcements.

Uy’s social media page has been its main platform for public outreach, especially in announcing schedules of its services and programs.

‘We encourage everyone to like and follow the new official page of Mayor Klarex Uy,’ the statement said. ‘Stay updated on the latest news, programs, and announcements from the City Mayor.’

Officials said the change aims to ensure transparency and continued public communication amid increasing reliance on social media for local government information.

The CIO has not issued an explanation why it failed to recover the original account, which has tens of thousands of followers. People who come to Uy’s regular ‘People’s Day’ schedule every week are dependent on his social media page for the announcements, including those for his weekly ‘Kasalan ng Bayan’ and barangay outreach.

US interest rates are in a good place for the Federal Reserve’s inflation fight, a senior central bank official said Monday, pushing back against President Donald Trump’s calls for cuts.

‘Overall, given the state of the economy and financial markets, I view the current stance of policy as only slightly restrictive, which I think is the right place to be,’ Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid told a conference in the city, according to prepared remarks.

Schmid, who is a voting member of the Fed’s powerful rate-setting committee this year, said he had voted for a rate cut last month as an ‘appropriate risk-management strategy,’ given the ongoing signs of a cooling labor market.

The Fed has a dual mandate from Congress to act independently to tackle both inflation and unemployment, mainly by hiking, cutting or holding its benchmark lending rate.

Pressure from Trump

Schmid’s remarks stand in stark contrast to those of Trump, who has regularly lambasted Fed Chair Jerome Powell – and the rate committee on which Schmid sits – for not cutting rates quickly enough.

In recent months, Fed officials have noted that while inflation remains stuck stubbornly above the bank’s long-term two percent target, the cooling labor market has required them to refocus their attention, and contemplate additional rate cuts.

But speaking on Monday, Schmid said that while the Fed must navigate the trade-off between inflation and unemployment, targeting inflation should come first.

‘My view is that the Fed must maintain its credibility on inflation,’ he said.

Futures traders currently see a roughly 95 percent chance that the Fed will cut interest rates by a quarter percentage-point at its next rate decision later this month, according to data from CME Group.

That would lower the bank’s key lending rate to between 3.75 and 4 percent.

The 2023 Performance-Based Bonus for qualified teaching and non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd) has been approved, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

In a joint press release on Tuesday, the two agencies said the approval followed the endorsement of DepEd’s eligibility by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Harmonization of National Government Performance Monitoring, Information, and Reporting Systems.

‘A Teacher I with a monthly salary of P27,000 (salary grade 11) is expected to receive approximately P14,040 in PBB for FY 2023,’ the DBM said.

The DepEd is yet to announce the date of the release of the bonus.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara thanked the DBM for the approval.

‘Our teachers and education personnel are the backbone of our nation’s future,’ said Angara.

‘This bonus is a testament to their unwavering dedication. We thank our partners in government for their continued support in uplifting the teaching profession,’ he also said.

The announcement comes as the country concludes the annual National Teachers’ Month.

Trading of shares of mass housing developer 8990 Holdings Inc. was suspended at the stock exchange on Tuesday morning following the conclusion of its tender offer, paving the way for the third delisting in 2025.

In a notice, the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) said the trading suspension was implemented at 9:02 a.m. on Oct. 7, as the public ownership of 8990 Holdings had already gone below the minimum public ownership requirement.

The tender offer of its shares was conducted from Sept. 2 to Sept. 30.

The shares were transferred from the minority shareholders to 8990 Housing Development Corp., its subsidiary that conducted the offer.

The company is set to make its P6-billion exit from the local bourse on Oct. 29. It will be the third company to go private again this year, following Keppel Philippines Holdings Inc. and Philab Holdings Corp.

Not even a sudden knee injury can stop Britney Spears from expressing herself through dance, although she admitted that the pain was ‘horrible.’

Spears took to her Instagram account on Sunday, Oct. 5, to reveal that she sustained a knee injury after falling down the stairs of her friend’s house.

‘I fell down the stairs at my friend’s house. it was horrible. it snaps out now and then, not sure if it’s broken but for now it’s snapped in!!! Thank u god,’ she captioned her post, while including a clip of herself dancing at her home.

In the clip, Spears also shared that she will continue to ‘express [herself] and pray through art,’ while reiterating that her post is not meant to stir ‘concern or pity.’

‘My boys had to leave and go back to Maui. this is the way I express myself and pray through art. father who art in heaven. I’m not here for concern or pity, I just want to be a good woman and be better. and I do have wonderful support, so have a brilliant day!!!’ she said.

Spears’ recent post came four years after her conservatorship was dissolved, although she clarified that she won’t be returning to music, is ‘not [her] focus’ at the time.

She also opened up about the anguish of being failed by her own family in a tell-all memoir ‘The Woman In Me,’ which was released in 2023.

Floodwaters inundated 23 out od 180 barangays across Iloilo City on October 7 as localized thunderstorms unleashed heavy rainfall, according to a 6 p.m. update from the city’s Operations Center. The CDRRMO-BDRRMS division detailed flooding depths from 2 to 12 inches in affected areas.

In the City Proper alone, 11 barangays were submerged, including Tanza Timawa II (5-12 in), San Jose alleys (3-8 in), and front of Lar’s in Tanza Timawa I (6-8 in).

Elsewhere, other districts recorded significant flooding: Mandurriao (2 barangays), La Paz (1 barangay), Molo (2 barangays), Jaro (2 barangays), Arevalo (1 barangay), and Lapuz (4 barangays).

Flooding has become a recurring challenge in Iloilo City, particularly during the rainy season.

In recent years, heavy rains have regularly overwhelmed drainage systems and low-lying barangays, prompting calls for improved flood mitigation infrastructure and better urban planning to cope with storm surges and intense downpours.

Many barangays in the city are situated in flood-prone zones or along watercourses, making them vulnerable to sudden inundation during thunderstorms. Local officials and residents have repeatedly flagged poor drainage, clogged waterways, and land subsidence as contributing factors that exacerbate flooding during heavy rainfall.