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October is Museum and Galleries Month as commemorated by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), in line with Presidential Proclamation 798, which was issued in 1991.

‘The annual celebration underscores the importance of fostering national awareness, pride in Filipino culture and hope for the nation’s future,’ said NCCA Chair Victorino Mapa Manalo in a press conference on Sept. 23.

The theme this year is ‘Resilient Museums and Galleries: Educating for Preparedness and Recovery.’

The program was held at the Museo ng Muntinlupa, with Mayor Ruffy Biazon and NCCA officials in attendance, and Miss Philippines Earth 2025 Joy Barcoma as program host. Muntinlupa Yaman ng Kalikasan dancers provided cultural entertainment.

‘Culture and the arts will always survive,’ Biazon said. ‘More importantly, culture is our investment, our investment for our children.’

Challenges

Bernan Joseph Corpuz, NCCA deputy executive director for operations, said ‘more than being house [to] objects, museums tell a story, evoke our history, our art, our pride in our cultural heritage and empower our people.’

During the discussions, Corpuz said ‘museums are not just keepers of artifacts, but tools to understand resilience . Through exhibits, workshops and cultural activities, museums show how lives and communities have been shaped by crises, and how culture continues to adapt and endure. These experiences help people see resilience not as an abstract idea but as something lived and learned.’

‘By sharing examples through exhibitions and activities nationwide, we hope to inspire Filipinos and raise awareness of the vital contributions of museums and galleries to education, preparedness and cultural continuity.’

Capping the press conference was a tour of the Museo ng Muntinlupa, with its captioned histories of the Philippines and the city, historical photos, artifacts, documents, jars, maps, a theater and a section featuring the works of painter-printmaker Fil Delacruz.

Baguio kick-off

The official kick-off ceremony will be held on Oct. 7 at Museo Kordilyera of the University of the Philippines Baguio. Activities include an art fair, workshops and a recognition ceremony.

Both public and private museums nationwide will participate in the monthlong celebration. Activities include lectures on museum ethics and museum interpretation, exhibits, workshops on interpretive critique, mini-storytelling workshops, demos on object handling, and documentation seminars.

Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson stepped down as the chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee on Sunday following criticisms on his leadership of the Senate’s ongoing flood-control probe.

‘Rightly or wrongly, when quite a number of them have expressed disappointment over how I’m handling the flood control project anomalies, I thought it’s time for me to step aside in favor of another member who they think can handle the committee better,’ Lacson said.

‘No amount of criticisms from misinformed netizens and partisan sectors can distract or pressure me from doing my job right, but when my own peers start expressing their group or individual sentiments, maybe it is best to vacate,’ he continued.

On Sunday morning, the senator revealed his intention in an interview with dzBB, also citing the disappointment expressed by his colleagues, particularly from Sens. JV Ejercito, and Win Gatchalian.

In the same interview, Lacson said that his resignation letter may be formally submitted to the plenary session once the Senate resumes its session. Lacson also stated that there have been ‘fake news and false narratives’ from other groups accusing him of targeting some of his colleagues, while allegedly protecting some members of the House of Representatives, specifically ex-House speaker Martin Romualdez, and former Ako-Bicol partylist Rep. Elizaldy Co. Romualdez and Co are both heavily tagged by contractors as ‘masterminds’ of the anomalous flood-control projects.

However, Lacson asserted that he ‘handled the hearings well,’ but he alluded that ‘there are those trying to disrupt the hearings,’ which he said could be the reason why some believe the hearings were not being conducted properly.

‘In one instance, the hearing had barely started when someone tried to make a distraction,’ Lacson added.

Continue fighting corruption

Despite his decision to step down from the committee, the senator vowed to continue fighting corruption.

‘Nevertheless, I will continue to fight a corrupt and rotten system in the misuse and abuse of public funds as I have consistently done in the course of my long years in public service,’ he said. The blue ribbon committee hearing on the supposed flood-control anomalies for next week was cancelled ‘until further notice,’ due to affidavits and documents that have yet to be ready.

According to the senator, the hearing was initially scheduled for Wednesday to summon an ex-Department of Public Works and Highways official linked to substandard projects. However, Lacson said the affidavit of Co’s supposed ‘bagman’ has not yet been notarized, and the new affidavits of the Discayas were not yet available, and may not be ready before the scheduled hearing on Wednesday.

Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia trades his guitar for the big screen in ‘Padamlagan,’ a Cinemalaya period film rooted in his native Bicol – and told entirely in the Bicolano language.

For Buendia, the film isn’t just another creative challenge. It’s personal. ‘It’s going back to my roots,’ he told Inquirer Entertainment. ‘I was there when it happened. I was two years old when it happened. I knew all these people-they were my parents, uncles, aunties. I knew exactly the world in which they lived. It’s my offering to them, to relive their experiences through this movie.’

‘Padamlagan’ revisits the Colgante Bridge tragedy in 1972, when over a hundred lives were lost just days before Martial Law was declared. Buendia plays Doring, a father searching for his missing son (Esteban Mara) amid the chaos. It’s ‘a heavy role,’ he admitted, one with ‘hardly any ray of sunlight’ in the character’s journey.

The story feels uncomfortably resonant today. ‘It could just be a coincidence,’ Buendia said, ‘but then I don’t believe in coincidences. This problem has been deep-seated in our culture for decades. The fact that Jenn (Romano, director) was drawn to it means it really has to be told.’

As a father, he drew from his own relationship with his child. ‘It’s something I don’t want to happen in real life, of course. Being a father to a son – and the dynamics between the two characters – I definitely put some of those emotions into the scenes with Esteban.’ Asked whether he prefers acting or music, Buendia saw no rivalry. ‘It’s two different industries, but collaboration is at the heart of both. In a band, you compromise, you work with others. Filmmaking is the same. That’s what I love about it.’

Language itself became both a challenge and a triumph. Romano noted how contemporary Bicolano had to be adapted for authenticity. Buendia, despite speaking the language, struggled with archaic words. ‘Some didn’t register because they were so old. We had one scene that took a long time because I couldn’t memorize the lines. Even though I speak the language, the deep words were still hard. It was like ‘Shogun,’ even the Japanese actors had a hard time because the language was archaic.’

For co-star Sue Prado, the difficulty was worth it. ‘So many things happen in this country that are metro-centric. But Martial Law happened nationwide. Some important stories are left behind. To be part of those who tell the truth – that’s my goal. It’s my duty as a human being.’

Mara added that regional stories deserve more attention. ‘Since it’s a Bicol film, hopefully, when people from other places see it, they’ll be inspired to tell their own regional stories. That’s also part of the advocacy of our producer (Kristine de Leon) with her work with regional filmmakers.’

De Leon admitted how difficult it was to fund the project. ‘This is very hard to finance because it’s regional and uses regional language. Cinemalaya is shown at the center, but our film is really for the Bicolano audience. People generally don’t like reading subtitles. I believe there are so many beautiful stories from regional filmmakers. Also, Jenn is a female filmmaker. She has a different perspective of history. Usually men are the ones telling history. One of our goals is the elevation of regional cinema.’

Buendia said the project was an easy yes. ‘The story really got me. They gave me a pitch deck, and it was like a thesis. I got to know the director through her objectives and passions, and I shared them. Obviously, it’s a Bicolano project so I just had to do it.’

Romano traced her inspiration back to archival research at the University of the Philippines. ‘I encountered a 1972 report on the tragedy in Naga. The last headline in September 1972 was the Colgante Bridge tragedy and then the declaration of Martial Law. After that, there was a media blackout. For someone who did not experience that period, it sparked my curiosity.’ Casting leaned toward actors with Bicolano roots: Buendia from Naga, Prado from Libmanan, and Mara from Sorsogon. De Leon recalled pitching to Buendia: ‘We were so nervous. But if you watch him here, you won’t see the Ely Buendia you know. As an actor, his portrayal of Doring is heartbreaking.’

With its mix of historical tragedy, heavy emotions, and deep Bicolano roots, ‘Padamlagan’ feels both timely and timeless. For Buendia, transitioning from music to acting isn’t just a side project, but a homecoming.

Aftershocks are expected from a magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck off the waters of Ilocos Norte town on Sunday morning, the state seismologist said.

In its earthquake bulletin, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that the epicenter of the earthquake occurred 63 kilometers west of Currimao in Ilocos Norte at 9:45 a.m.

Phivolcs said that the earthquake was tectonic in origin and had a depth of 10 kilometers.

The boos rained down from all corners of the Mall of Asia Arena. On Sunday night, Ateneo fans made sure Mason Amos understood the extent of the enmity he created by swapping his blue uniform for green.

The jeers were loud. Personal. Unrelenting.

Turns out, they weren’t needed. Amos knew exactly what he was getting into. ‘That’s how they feel,’ he said with a shrug, moments after La Salle’s 81-74 loss to Ateneo in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament. ‘That’s how they’ll feel for the rest of the season.’

The 6-foot-7 forward, who transferred from Ateneo to La Salle before last season, struggled in his first rivalry game wearing the other shade of school pride. He played more than 25 minutes but finished with just six points, two rebounds and two assists. ‘I had a bad game,’ he admitted. ‘But we all have bad games. I’ll keep improving.’

It wasn’t just the missed shots or the stats. Amos was also tasked to guard Kymani Ladi, who wound up with 15 points for the Blue Eagles-another detail that underscored his tough night.

Still, Amos didn’t search for excuses.

La Salle dropped to 2-2 with the loss, but Amos quickly turned the page. His eyes are now set on bouncing back when the Green Archers face National University next Sunday at UST’s Quadricentennial Pavilion.

And whatever noise he heard Sunday night, he is wading right through it.

‘I just have to keep moving forward,’ he said.

The families left behind by eight victims of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs vowed on Saturday not to be cowed into silence or abandon their long struggle for justice.

But during the inurnment rites of the 11th batch of victims whose remains were placed at the Dambana ng Paghilom (Shrine of Healing) in Caloocan City, the families chose to honor them not as victims, but as people who may have been flawed but loved by many.

They were Adrian Romero, 18; Darwin Dacillo, 24; Regie Boy Jaranilla, 24; Ronnel Obenita, 30; Vicente Rufino, 24; Alex Bigonte, Jr., 47; Marlon Ballonico, 50; and Artemio Lusadio, 61.

They are part of Program Paghilom, started by Father Flaviano ‘Flavie’ Villanueva, who seeks to exhume victims of extrajudicial killings (EJK), have the bodies autopsied before they are finally cremated, so their loved ones can finally mourn for them at their final resting place. Diorenda Ballonico, the sibling of Marlon, who was gunned down by men in a motorcycle in 2020, said: ‘We will not allow him to be just a name in a long list of [deaths] soon to be forgotten. We will not stop calling for the truth. We will not stop looking for justice, not only for my brother but for all of us who are victims of this violence.’

‘We lost him without a trial, without an opportunity to explain, without respect for his character. This is the reality of EJK victims. A system that kills not just the person, but also the family and the hope for justice and trust in the system that should be protecting us,’ she said.

Nimfa, a sister of Alex who was shot dead multiple times in 2020 by unidentified men who barged into his house, said she has been finding it difficult to adjust to the loss of her closest sibling.

Her only partner

‘He was my only partner in taking care of one of our siblings who is a PWD (person with disability). He was actually the one who did most of the work,’ she said in an interview, breaking into tears.

She could not accept that he was not given his day in court. ‘I wish they just followed the law [and gave him due process].’

The partner of Darwin Dacillo, a victim at the height of the drug war in 2016, said she was enraged by the developments in Duterte’s murder charges in the ICC.

‘It’s like they come up with stories just to delay the hearings,’ she told the Inquirer.

A dozen armed men who were said to be police officers broke into their house and chased Dacillo, who hid in the gap of their ceiling. The killers then shot him dead in various parts of his body and tortured him after, peeling his tattoo off, strangling him with a belt and beating him up.

Dacillo was with Romero, who was only a teenager when they were gunned by alleged police officers the day after Christmas. Romero’s mother said that his son begged for his life, but the next day, he found out that his son was already dead.

Jaranilla, another victim, was picking vegetables from their backyard in the wee hours of May 4, 2020, in Caloocan City, when masked men came up to him to shoot him. He tried to jump off a nearby river, but the bullet still caught his body.

Rufino, who was held in Quezon City Jail on drug charges before he was freed due to lack of evidence, was not exonerated in the eyes of the killers. Unidentified men still went after him and gunned him down in his house in January 2020.

Also in the same month, policemen, who were with a barangay watchman, stormed the house of Obenita and ruthlessly killed him and two others.

More than 100 urns

An elderly, Lusadio was playing chess when he was killed by a gunshot by unknown suspects. He was rushed to the hospital, but he died 10 days later due to gunshot wounds in his liver, diaphragm and stomach.

More than 100 urns of EJK victims, many of whom died by gunshot wounds either by police or unidentified armed men, under the program are now kept at the shrine in La Loma Catholic Cemetery.

Despite the pain and grief that the families are reeling from, Villanueva reminded them that they gained a family in Program Paghilom. He also urged them to continue the fight not only for their loved ones, but for the country.

Perpetual Help extended its winning start in Group A of the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament, defeating winless Lyceum, 73-61, on Sunday at Filoil EcoOil Centre.

The Altas, coming off a win over San Sebastian two days earlier, leaned on sophomore guard Mark Gojo Cruz, who finished with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. ‘I just prepared myself and my mind that even though I’m a sophomore, I need to lead,’ said Cruz. ‘My goal is to do good on defense and offense is just a bonus.

Jearico Nuñez added 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Royce Orgo and Jhan Sleat chipped in nine apiece for the Altas, who improved to 2-0.

Renz Villegas led the Pirates with 18 points as Lyceum dropped to 0-2.

Perpetual will face fellow unbeaten Mapua (2-0) on Wednesday for Group A leadership at the same venue.

In August 2024, President Marcos signed Executive Order (EO) No. 64, which mandates a four-tranche salary increase for civilian government workers to be implemented every January from 2024 to 2027.

This raised the salary of teachers as compared to the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) of 2019.

Under the first tranche, the entry-level Teacher I (SG 11, Step 1) saw an increase from P27,000 to P28,512, while Teacher II (SG 12, Step 1) increased from P27,608 to P30,705 monthly and Teacher III (SG 12, Step 1) from P29,798 to P32,870.

The monthly salary for Master Teacher I (SG 19, Step 1) increased from P46,725 to P49,015, while Master Teacher II (SG 20, Step 1) and Master Teacher III (SG 21, Step 1) saw an adjustment from P51,357 to P53,873 and P51,357 to 60,157, respectively.

The highest teaching rank, Master Teacher IV-SG 21, Step 1-rose from P63,997 to P67,005.

By the final tranche in 2027, public school teachers’ salaries are projected to range from around P33,000 for Teacher I to nearly P84,000 for the Master Teacher IV rank, depending on step increments.

For private school teachers, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced in August 2025 an increase in the Teachers’ Salary Subsidy (TSS) from P18,000 to P24,000 annually, starting School Year 2025-2026.

The TSS is a component of the Gastpe program, created under the Republic Act No. 8545, or the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act.

Despite the region’s rugged mountain terrain and limited signal coverage, most Cordillera residents now own smartphones, which they use not only for communication and entertainment but increasingly for education and livelihood, according to the latest National ICT Household Survey.

In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, 61.9 percent of Cordillera households used smartphones. That figure rose sharply to 89.1 percent in 2024, said Aldrin Federico Bahit Jr., Cordillera chief statistician at the Philippine Statistics Authority.

‘Smartphones have become part of a household’s livelihood in the highlands, not just another device for watching Netflix or uploading videos to Instagram or TikTok,’ Bahit said during the Sept. 25 presentation of the survey. While 98.7 percent of Cordillera internet users in 2024 accessed social media-up from 94.6 percent in 2019-and 90.1 percent used the internet to download entertainment (up from 33.8 percent), the survey also noted that more residents were using the internet for productive purposes. The percentage of users relying on the internet for school-related research grew from 46.3 percent in 2019 to 57.7 percent in 2024. Use of the internet for work increased slightly from 29.5 to 30.5 percent, and usage for business or trade also grew from 29.5 percent to 30.5 percent over the same period.

The 2020 national census recorded Cordillera household internet access at 62.8 percent, largely due to inconsistent telecommunications signals in remote areas of Ifugao, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Benguet and Mountain Province.

Budget reallocation

However, improvements under the National Broadband Plan have helped increase coverage. Fiber-optic cables have now reached urban centers like Baguio City, where residents have reliable Wi-Fi access.

The rest of the region may soon benefit from broadband redistributed via wireless signals to meet the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT)five-year goal of region-wide coverage.

DICT Cordillera Director Jimmicio Daoaten said the agency may benefit from over P200 billion reallocated from flood control projects removed from the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Act, which could support continued expansion of free Wi-Fi sites across the region.

‘Our five-year target is to expand Cordillera internet access to all provinces,’ Daoaten said. One of the most notable findings of the 2024 survey was that 24.6 percent of internet users in Cordillera now sell goods online to earn a living.

According to Adamae Joy Simeon-Estong, senior trade development specialist of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Cordillera, ‘clothing, footwear, sporting goods and accessories’ were the most frequently bought and sold items online, followed by cosmetics and consumer electronics.

Simeon-Estong noted that e-commerce is growing rapidly and is expected to reach a gross merchandise value of $150 billion by 2030. She said the DTI may step in to help increase the online visibility of entrepreneurs in the upland provinces.

Although this was not part of the 2024 ICT survey, Bahit had earlier cited in a different forum a 2022 report from the 49th Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry that found home-based businesses and small enterprises earned P355 million after reopening online during the pandemic in 2020.

This trend may help explain the widespread adoption of smartphones and other internet-capable devices in the region.

In-person shopping

However, the survey also revealed continued reluctance to adopt electronic payment methods. Most respondents still preferred cash-on-delivery for online transactions, citing security concerns. In fact, 59.1 percent said they avoided e-payments due to fear of fraud or data breaches.

Interestingly, the number of Cordillerans who preferred to shop in-person rather than online rose sharply, from 38.9 percent in 2019 to 80 percent in 2024.

MANILA, Philippines-San Beda turned back rival Letran, 68-58, to stay unbeaten in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament Sunday at San Juan Arena.

The Red Lions followed up their opening-day win over College of St. Benilde for a 2-0 start in Group B.

‘There’s really no extra motivation, but every time you play Letran, you know they’re a strong team you have to prepare for,’ said coach Yuri Escueta.

‘I even look at them as an all-star team, so I tip my hat off to my guys for playing defense and sticking to our targets.’

Agjanti Miller impressed in his first San Beda-Letran duel with 22 points and five rebounds, while Bryan Sajonia stepped up in Yukien Andrada’s absence with 11 points.

Jonathan Manalili paced the Knights with 13 points, six assists, two rebounds and two steals, while Deo Cuajao added 10 as Letran fell to 0-2.