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Actress Angel Aquino said her life is an ‘open book’ and shared that she also falls in love with women, clarifying her earlier ‘I like girls’ statement in a recent interview.

‘My life’s an open book’

In an interview on Bilyonaryo’s “The Daily Dish,” Aquino was asked if there was anything about her that the public did not yet know.

‘Oh, I don’t know, my life’s an open book. I like girls? There. Well, a lot of people are in denial – sila talaga ‘yung in denial,’ she said.

Aquino then clarified her remark, acknowledging how it might be perceived out of context.

‘Wait, can I just correct that because I said I like girls. You know that might sound – especially with social media – it might sound weird,’ she said.

‘I’m saying I fall in love also with girls and women. They might think it, you know, it can sound weird kasi if you just take it as is,’ she added.

On her dream project and giving back

Aquino was also asked what she would do if she had a billion pesos to spend.

‘I’d be so happy. I will build my pet hotel and make sure that there’s space for my beautiful pets to run around. I will help people with education because I think that education is very important,’ she said.

The actress, who owns six dogs, shared that she initially saw caring for them as a chore before learning to love them, including one dog that belonged to her sister.

‘I was sent through school by Tulong-Dunong, which is an Ateneo scholarship program, and I want to help that. I want to be able to give back,’ she added.

Economic Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the country’s slower economic growth cannot be blamed entirely on corruption, noting that the world economy has suffered through uncertainty in the past year.

On Monday, October 6, Balisacan said international financial institutions have revised their global growth forecasts downward, citing persistent instability in trade and investment flows.

‘The global economy has… in fact, the World Bank, the IMF – all the organizations have reduced global growth because of the elevated uncertainty in the global economy that impact the flow of goods, trade, investment and so on. We are not completely isolated from those developments,’ Balisacan said at a press briefing.

The issue of corruption has rocked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s government, as several high-profile officials being named in massive flood control fund schemes. The Department of Finance projected that P119 billion was lost in corruption since 2023, dampening economic potential.

For the first half of the year, the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) grew an average of 5.4%, slower than the 6.2% a year ago. The projection for the second half of the year is even slower, with the full effect of the United States’ tariffs taking place.

While he does not attribute the dip in growth solely to corruption, the economic chief said the government must respond swiftly to domestic issues.

‘I think accountability and transparency is key to that. That’s why this administration is pushing for a more rapid digitalization,’ Balisacan said.

He added that addressing corruption could strengthen investor confidence and create a more favorable environment for long-term growth.

World Bank: Turn scandal into reform

World Bank Philippines Director Zafer Mustafaoglu echoed the sentiment, saying the ongoing flood control scandal should be viewed as a chance for reforms toward transparency.

‘This short-term question, actually, would be a good opportunity to enhance its long-term growth,’ Mustafaoglu said, responding to whether the has affected how the World Bank viewed the Philippines’ credibility for loans.

The World Bank has been working with the Philippines on governance reforms aimed at reducing corruption and promoting transparency.

The corruption scandal involving alleged kickbacks from infrastructure projects has implicated several lawmakers and senior government officials and continues to test the administration’s anti-corruption stance.

The Bangsamoro government and local officials in Lamitan City separately sent approximately 20 tons of relief supplies to Cebu for distribution to tremor-stricken communities across the province.

Radio reports in Cotabato City on Monday, October 6, stated that the Bangsamoro government, along with the Tactical Operation Group 12 (TOG 12) of the Philippine Air Force in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, facilitated the airlift to Cebu last weekend of 445 bags of plasma from the Cotabato Regional Medical Center, along with modular tents, hygiene and sleeping kits and water containers for villagers displaced by the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck the province last September 30.

The office of BARMM’s chief minister, Abdulrauf Macacua, the TOG 12, the Office of Civil Defense-BARMM, the Ministry of Social Services and Development-BARMM and the Bangsamoro Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Incidence cooperated in transporting the relief supplies to Cebu using an Air Force plane.

Macacua, figurehead of the 80-seat BARMM parliament, said on Monday that he is thankful to the TOG 12 of the Philippine Air Force for the prompt airlift to Cebu of the relief supplies from the agencies of the Bangsamoro regional government.

Residents of Lamitan City and their local government unit also shipped last weekend 10 tons of relief supplies to Cebu for distribution to tremor-stricken residents in the northern part of the province.

More than 60 villagers died from injuries due to the collapse of structures and stampedes caused by the earthquake that jolted the province.

‘We, Lamiteños, stand along with our compatriot-Filipinos and the foreigners who suffered a lot from the earthquake that struck Cebu province. We wish for their recovery from that calamity,’ Lamitan City Mayor Roderick Furigay told reporters on Monday.

Dottie Ardina closed out her Epson Tour season with a blistering start and a solid finish, firing a bogey-free 65 to secure a share of 24th place in the Epson Tour Championship in Indian Wells, California, on Sunday (Monday Manila time).

Despite her strong final-round performance, the ICTSI-backed Ardina’s 12-under-par 276 total was only enough to lift her to 45th in the season-long Race for the Card, falling short of LPGA qualification.

The spotlight, however, belonged to Anne Chen, who delivered a thrilling finale to the season-ending tournament. The former Duke standout fired a final-round 65 to tie Sophia Schubert, who carded a 66, at 22-under-par 266, forcing a playoff.

Chen, who had led after the second round, battled nerves and fatigue in a grueling five-hole playoff. After the pair traded pars in the first two extra holes, Chen salvaged par on the third playoff hole with a clutch long-range putt following a poor bunker shot.

Both players birdied the par-5 13th in the fourth extra hole – Chen reaching the green in two and Schubert getting up-and-down to match. The duel came to an end on the fifth playoff hole when Schubert missed the green and failed to save par, allowing Chen to seal the win with a routine par.

The win marked Chen’s first career Epson Tour victory and, more significantly, secured her LPGA Tour card for the 2026 season. Her late-season surge lifted her to 11th in the Race for the Card, joining the Top 15 who earned LPGA status.

‘It’s a crazy feeling. A very crazy feeling. I can’t believe it. I do not think it has sunk in yet,’ said Chen, visibly emotional after her breakthrough win. ‘I am sure that it is something everyone says, but it really hasn’t. Definitely going to think about it a lot tonight.’

Among other Filipinas, Clariss Guce, a two-time Epson Tour winner, finished the season at No. 37 after shooting a 69 for a tie for 38th at 279.

Sam Bruce, meanwhile, posted a 73 to close with a 285 and a share of 58th.

Yana Wilson, who surged into contention after a standout third round, faltered under final-round pressure and settled for a tie for ninth at 272. Still, the rookie capped a successful debut season by securing an LPGA card with a second-place finish in the Race for the Card, behind top-ranked Melanie Green.

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 7:11 p.m.) – Several ten-wheeler trucks were caught on the three-decade old Piggatan Bridge in Alcala, Cagayan when it collapsed on Monday afternoon, October 6, the Cagayan Provincial Information Office reported.

The collapse reportedly occurred around 5:30 p.m., just as many people were heading home from work.

Piggatan Bridge fell as an 18-wheeler trailer truck loaded with palay was crossing.

No injuries have been reported so far as authorities responded to the scene.

The Piggatan Bridge connects the northern barangays of Alcala to the town center and main highways leading to Tuguegarao City.

Following the collapse, motorists are now forced to take a much longer route through Gattaran, Baggao, or Peñablanca-routes that, according to authorities, could add several hours to travel time.

Police have stated that the collapse will be investigated, as there is no clear indication yet of whether the bridge had sustained prior damage or if the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recently assessed its integrity.

The bridge remains off-limits to vehicles while authorities evaluate the extent of the damage.

After a one-year hiatus, the Ironman 70.3 Davao is set not just for a comeback, but for an explosive return to the global triathlon scene as it kickstarts the 2026 season on March 22 with its milestone fifth staging.

This edition promises to be its most spectacular yet, cementing its place as the yardstick for Ironman 70.3 races in the Philippines and Asia-Pacific.

‘Ironman 70.3 Davao has evolved into more than just a race. It is a celebration of athletic excellence, cultural pride and community spirit,’ said Princess Galura, president and general manager of the organizing Sunrise Events, Inc. during the official launch.

The landmark event will set a new benchmark in endurance sports with an expected huge international turnout, a refined world-class course, and a festival atmosphere that only Davao can deliver.

It’s been the rising refrain of some friends in media, academia and the coffeeshop crowd – mostly somewhat to my left – to insist (and, I believe, reasonably so) that there is nothing fundamentally different between BBM and Sara, between the families and factions of the ruling class they represent, and between their lust for power and money. Therefore, the correct call to the people in this situation, regardless of the consequences, can only be ‘Down with both of them! BBM and Sara, resign!’ Those Latinate lawyers had a term for it: ‘fiat justitia, ruat caelum’ – let justice be done, though the heavens may fall.

For the plotters of a recently rumored coup, the heavens falling would have meant the replacement of both Marcos and Duterte with a 30-person junta that would include, as juntas go, retired military generals, civilian leaders and a couple of clergymen. (What, no writers and artists? Thumbs down!) That plot was dead even before it got off the ground, and perhaps thankfully so – a 30-person junta already sounds worse than a 24-person Senate, and something in me resists the idea of having Catholic priests (or Protestant pastors or Muslim imams, etc.) in any kind of executive capacity in government.

Yes, the people are marching in the streets and are in the mood for the public execution of their plunderers. Our trust and confidence in our leaders have been so badly abused and misplaced that we are now drowning in cynicism and disbelief, certain only in the fact that we are being stolen from by someone, somewhere, somehow.

Nevertheless I sense no great appetite for a revolutionary regime change that will only unsettle things even more. If anything, what we want is certainty and predictability – that the law will be applied and take its course, that the wrongdoers will be identified, prosecuted and punished, and that proper and ample restitution will be made for their crimes, so that we can all move along as a reasonably functioning society.

Not to say that everything will be just peachy once the robber-contractors and their patrons are exposed and put in chains, but that the alert will have been sounded, the people awakened and the bar raised much higher for aspirants to public office in 2028 and beyond. The progressives and middle forces couldn’t have been handed a greater gift: corruption has to be the top election issue, because it affects the poor more visibly now than any other, especially those who can’t escape the floodwaters while their congressman jets off to France.

It’s a problem and a crisis big enough for another EDSA (not to mention all the coup attempts that followed EDSA), but the first EDSA taught us that a sudden change of people at the top, no matter how good the replacements are, doesn’t guarantee deep and lasting change; it merely opens the door for a new set of crooks to come in, and for some old ones to return. EDSA 1 wasn’t a waste; aside from the relief it brought, it was a lesson we needed badly to learn. But have we?

Until our electorate learns to recognize and to vote for its own best interests, no amount of EDSAs short of the bloody revolution and the mass guillotining we’re all trying to avoid will change the composition of the Congress, the Senate and the executives they work with. The current crisis is the best and also the most painful teaching point to have come along to show Filipinos who and what exactly they’ve been voting for, and who’s been paying for all those dole-outs come Election Day – no other than themselves, from the money that should have been spent on keeping them alive and well. Vote for the corrupt, and you kill yourself and your family. You are being bribed today to be stolen from tomorrow.

The challenge now is to get that message through, make it stick and not allow it to be muddled by clever counter-propaganda and by possibly well-meant but adventurous calls for regime change.

Coup or resignation, neither nor both of these will happen. The coup was stillborn and could have led to worse. If the Marcoses and Dutertes are as thick-skinned as their critics make them out to be, then they will brazen it out, ruat caelum.

The way forward can be lit up by the facts that will emerge out of the many parallel investigations now taking place into the infrastructure scam and wheresoever it may lead – not just at the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, but also in the even more independent media.

The enemies of the truth know how easy it is not just to distort the truth, but to destroy the truth-sayers. They did it to Leila de Lima with the sordid exposé of a private relationship that, even if it were true, was her own business. They put NBN-ZTE whistleblower Jun Lozada behind bars.

Unlike many others, I am willing to let the albeit imperfectly constituted ICI do its work – but quickly and transparently, please – and to judge it by its results. We can expect that no one facing the ICI will come clean with the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We will be dealing instead with a complex puzzle, putting it together piece by irregular piece until the broad and inescapable picture of systemic corruption emerges, with every part and element detailed – from delivery boys and drivers to district engineers to Cabinet-level officials to congressmen, senators and ultimately to the highest offices of the land.

The Vice President is already involved – it was the corruption in her office, after all, that led to her impeachment in Congress. Inevitably this circuit of corruption will come around to the Office of the President and to its signing power over whatever budget proposal it receives and presumably reviews; the only question will be that of BBM’s personal culpability and what of it, if any, can be proven.

That could yet be the ultimate test of BBM himself, of our democracy and of whether, after all’s been said and done, it may be time for another regime change outside of the ballot box; fiat justitia, ruat caelum.

Despite several challenges to the ongoing proceedings, a deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) expects the case against former president Rodrigo Duterte to proceed to confirmation hearings ‘sooner than previous cases.’

Although the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I postponed Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing originally scheduled on Sept. 23, ICC deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang is expecting it to push through in the coming months.

‘It is likely that this case will still proceed to the hearing on the confirmation of charges sooner than previous cases before this Court,’ Niang wrote in a filing dated Sept. 29.

He provided reasons for this projection, but these details were redacted in the public version of the filing.

The ICC deputy prosecutor cited two cases wherein the confirmation of charges hearing took about a year since the first appearance hearings of the suspects.

Duterte’s first appearance before the tribunal was on March 14, days after he was arrested in the Philippines and turned over to the ICC. He has been detained at the ICC Detention Center in The Hague.

Niang was responding to the defense’s recent assertion that Duterte should be granted interim release while proceedings for his fitness are underway.

The ICC deputy prosecutor maintained that ‘Duterte, if granted interim release, would be a flight risk, is likely to interfere with the proceedings, and may commit further crimes.’

He accused the defense, led by Nicholas Kaufman, of ‘unnecessarily (delaying) the proceedings by waiting until five months after Mr. Duterte’s initial appearance. to file its challenge regarding his fitness to stand trial,’ said the deputy ICC prosecutor.

Last August, Kaufman claimed that the former president was unfit to stand trial and sought to terminate the proceedings.

Actress Angel Aquino shared that her life is an “open book” and revealed in a TV interview that she also likes girls.

In “The Daily Dish” of Bilyonaryo New Channel, Angel was asked if there is something that people still do not know about her.

‘Oh, I don’t know, my life’s an open book. I like girls? There. Well, a lot of people are in denial – sila talaga ‘yung in denial,’ she said.

She then clarified her “I like girls” statement.

‘Wait, can I just correct that because I said I like girls. You know that might sound – especially with social media – it might sound weird,” she said.

“I’m saying I fall in love with also with girls and women. They might think it, you know, it can sound weird kasi if you just if you take it as is,’ she added.

In the same interview, Angel was also asked what she would do if she had a billion pesos to spend.

‘I’d be so happy. I will build my pet hotel and make sure that there’s space for my beautiful pets to run around. I will help people with education because I think that education is very important,’ she said.

Angel shared that she has six dogs. She initially saw taking care of them as a “chore,” but then gradually fell in love with them, one of whom was her sister’s pet.

‘I was sent through school by Tulong-Dunong which is an Ateneo scholarship program and I want to help that – I want to be able to give back,’ she added.