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A lane in the southbound direction of Mindanao Avenue near Tandang Sora Avenue in Quezon City was temporarily closed.

In a Facebook traffic advisory, the Quezon City government said the lane closure ‘is due to concrete pouring being carried out in the area.’ It said the activity is part of the construction of the Tandang Sora station of the Metro Manila Subway Project.

‘The activity is expected to end tomorrow afternoon, October 5, 2025 (Sunday),’ the QC government said.

Motorists are advised to take alternate routes while the concrete pouring is ongoing.

The local government assured the public that personnel from the Quezon City Traffic and Transport Management Department and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority are on standby to assist with traffic flow on the said road.

The landmark 50th season of the Philippine Basketball Association will also serve as the longest in history, and the journey toward completing the traditional three conferences starts on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

And as with any season, new things are expected to factor out during the 2025-26 campaign that the PBA hopes would be a fitting way to mark the golden anniversary of Asia’s first pay-for-play basketball league. With the Gilas Pilipinas program in mind, the PBA decided to go pragmatic by setting a season schedule that will run until December 2026, spanning 14 months. Season 49 went 11 months from August 2024 to July 2025.

The PBA is set to hold lengthy stoppages during the windows of the Fiba World Cup Asian Cup Qualifiers in late November, February, late June, late August and late November. Gilas is also set to play in the Nagoya Asian Games in September 2026, which would lead to a 40-day break from the Fiba window to the quadrennial meet.

Plans for a pocket tournament that could feature foreign teams are in the works, according to PBA commissioner Willie Marcial. The Philippine Cup will be followed by the two import-flavored tournaments in the Commissioner’s Cup and the Governors’ Cup. San Miguel is the defending champion of the Philippine Cup while TNT aims to defend the two other tournaments this season. Teams will be allowed to field imports of unlimited height in the Commissioner’s Cup while a cap of 6-foot-6 and below is going to be implemented for the Governors’ Cup. All three conferences will likely use the same playoff format, with the top eight teams advancing past the eliminations.

NEW RULES Nine rules were modified for the upcoming season, the most notable being that calls not made on the spot will no longer be reviewed, an offshoot of the controversial Mo Tautuaa dunk that was nullified late in Game 1 of the Philippine Cup Finals.

The PBA has also scrapped the use of a playoff for the No. 8 seed in the quarterfinals in the event of a tie after the eliminations, with head-to-head and quotient system, and possibly-but a long shot-a coin toss to be used as a tiebreaking scenario.

NEW TEAM 2023-2024 PBA Opening Ceremonies. -PBA IMAGES

The landmark 50th season of the Philippine Basketball Association will also serve as the longest in history, and the journey toward completing the traditional three conferences starts on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

And as with any season, new things are expected to factor out during the 2025-26 campaign that the PBA hopes would be a fitting way to mark the golden anniversary of Asia’s first pay-for-play basketball league.

14-MONTH SEASON

Gilas Pilipinas in the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup. -FIBA PHOTO

With the Gilas Pilipinas program in mind, the PBA decided to go pragmatic by setting a season schedule that will run until December 2026, spanning 14 months. Season 49 went 11 months from August 2024 to July 2025.

The PBA is set to hold lengthy stoppages during the windows of the Fiba World Cup Asian Cup Qualifiers in late November, February, late June, late August and late November. Gilas is also set to play in the Nagoya Asian Games in September 2026, which would lead to a 40-day break from the Fiba window to the quadrennial meet.

Plans for a pocket tournament that could feature foreign teams are in the works, according to PBA commissioner Willie Marcial.

THREE CONFERENCES

FILE-PBA trophies for the season. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Philippine Cup will be followed by the two import-flavored tournaments in the Commissioner’s Cup and the Governors’ Cup. San Miguel is the defending champion of the Philippine Cup while TNT aims to defend the two other tournaments this season.

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Teams will be allowed to field imports of unlimited height in the Commissioner’s Cup while a cap of 6-foot-6 and below is going to be implemented for the Governors’ Cup. All three conferences will likely use the same playoff format, with the top eight teams advancing past the eliminations.

NEW RULES

San Miguel Beermen’s Mo Tautuaa dunks the basket during a play in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against TNT Tropang 5G. The basket was later overturned. -MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Nine rules were modified for the upcoming season, the most notable being that calls not made on the spot will no longer be reviewed, an offshoot of the controversial Mo Tautuaa dunk that was nullified late in Game 1 of the Philippine Cup Finals.

The PBA has also scrapped the use of a playoff for the No. 8 seed in the quarterfinals in the event of a tie after the eliminations, with head-to-head and quotient system, and possibly-but a long shot-a coin toss to be used as a tiebreaking scenario.

NEW TEAM

Players of the newest PBA team Titan Ultra Giant Risers, which took over NorthPort Batang Pier. -PBA IMAGES

Titan Ultra is the league’s newest team after the PBA Board of Governors approved Pureblends Corporation’s purchase of the NorthPort franchise for a reported P90 million.

The sale was completed in early September, with the approval taking weeks in order to allow Pureblends to complete several requirements. New ownership, though, was already actively managing the team while still carrying the NorthPort name.

NEW COACHES There will be four rookie coaches and one returnee entering the new season.

The most popular being LA Tenorio, who will act as playing coach of Magnolia after several seasons with Barangay Ginebra. Also debuting are Willy Wilson for Phoenix, Ronald Tubid for Terrafirma and Pampanga vice governor Dennis ‘Delta’ Pineda for Converge.

Johnedel Cardel was tapped by Titan Ultra to call the shots, a year after he was let go as Terrafirma coach.

The rest are the seasoned ones in TNT’s Chot Reyes, San Miguel’s Leo Austria, Barangay Ginebra’s Tim Cone, Rain or Shine’s Yeng Guiao, Meralco’s Luigi Trillo, NLEX’s Jong Uichico and Blackwater’s Jeffrey Cariaso.

YOUNG ONES

About 12 rookies, including Converge’s Juan Gomez de Liano and Blackwater’s Dalph Panopio, were lined up for the start of the season, with several more expected to join upon the conclusion of their stints in either the MPBL or the NCAA.

Terrafirma’s No. 1 overall pick Geo Chiu is among those that will be around sometimes midway to the season, at the maximum, as he’s still with Abra in the regional league.

YOUNG ONCE

Four players at least at the age of 40 are still strutting their wares in San Miguel Beer’s Chris Ross, Rain or Shine’s Gabe Norwood, TNT’s Kelly Williams and Converge’s Rafi Reavis.

The P214.9 million jackpot prize for the Grand Lotto 6/55 is still up for grabs, according to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Saturday, October 4.

In its evening draw, no one matched the winning combination for the Grand Lotto 6/55, which was 25-28-01-42-13-50.

Jackpot prize would have been P214,989,254.80. Aside from this, PCSO likewise noted that no bettor won the Lotto 6/42 draw, which has an P8,895,388.00 winning prize.

The lucky combination was 41-06-40-04-36-01.

The Grand Lotto 6/55 is drawn every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, while the Lotto 6/42 is every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

A Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairman and his companion were gunned down in broad daylight on Saturday along Jose Lim Street, Barangay Poblacion 5 here.

Col. Jibin Bongcayao, the city police director, identified the victims as Prince Mohaz Rafsanjanie Matanog, youth council chair for Poblacion 5 in Cotabato City.

His brother, Muamar Salvador Matanog, who was with him during the attack, was seriously wounded and immediately rushed to a local hospital, where he later died. Police initial probe states that the victims were aboard a red Toyota Raize with plate number NFJ 8206 when they were fired upon by motorcycle-riding assailants.

Prince Mohaz sustained multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of his body, causing his instant death.

The Police Station 1 immediately launched a hot pursuit operation, which led to a firefight with the suspects. One of the assailants was reportedly hit, while a patrolman was also wounded during the encounter. Scene of the Crime Operatives recovered around 94 fired bullets from the crime scene as the investigation continues. Meanwhile, the Cotabato State University (CotSU) community is grieving for the death of Prince Mohaz, a third-year student of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. ‘This brutal and senseless act is an offense against peace, order, and the values of public service that our city stands for,’ Matabalao said.

He also offered a bounty of P500,00 for credible information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.

Seventeen days after the deadly flash floods that struck this city on the night of September 17, families and friends continue to offer prayers for the two people who remain missing.

One of the missing, Dina Consolacion, 48, of Purok 13, Poblacion, was found floating near Busco Bridge in Barangay Butong, Quezon, on the morning of October 4. Her body, already in an advanced state of decomposition, was discovered by residents and later confirmed by authorities.

The discovery raised the death toll to six. Previously confirmed fatalities were Jaya Taña, 27; King Winston Adran, 13; Larry Labay, 53; Princess Kyarah Dacoycoy, 17; and Deejay Ark Taña Viña, 4. Search and retrieval operations led by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) continue for the two remaining missing individuals – Johnny Borbon, 63, and Andrea Vistal, 2.

CDRRMO chief June Ray Valero said responders would sustain the search until the city government issues an official directive on when to conclude operations.

Families of the missing have accepted the painful reality of their loved ones’ fate, offering prayers amid the devastation caused by the sudden cloudburst. The flash floods destroyed millions worth of property, livestock, infrastructure, and agricultural crops, and left hundreds of families displaced.

Valero added that relocation efforts are underway for affected residents still staying at the city gymnasium, which serves as the main evacuation center.

The city government plans to transfer displaced families once the subdivision plan and construction of housing units at the relocation site in Barangay Pinatilan are completed.

MANILA, Philippines-Amid a lingering title drought, Scottie Thompson hopes Barangay Ginebra can turn its frustration into fuel as the PBA opens its milestone 50th season.

‘I think it’s important for us to come into the season with hunger to win,’ Thompson said as the crowd darlings prepare to face the Magnolia Hotshots in their Philippine Cup opener on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. The renewal of the storied ‘Manila Clasico’ rivalry marks the start of Ginebra’s bid to capture its first title since the 2022-2023 Commissioner’s Cup, when it defeated the guest team Bay Area Dragons before a record crowd of 54,000 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

Since then, the Gin Kings have fallen short in three straight Finals appearances, all against TNT-in the 2023 Governors’ Cup and in both the Governors’ and Commissioner’s Cups last season. Their latest Philippine Cup campaign also ended in disappointment, as San Miguel Beer ousted them in the semifinals before going on to win the championship against TNT. ‘Those will serve as our motivation going into the season,’ Thompson said. ‘But we have to take things one game at a time-reach the Finals [first], and hopefully finish with a championship.’

With Jamie Malonzo leaving in the offseason to play in Japan’s B.League, Thompson, Stephen Holt, RJ Abarrientos, Troy Rosario, and Japeth Aguilar are expected to shoulder a bigger load for the Gin Kings.

Ginebra also fortified its lineup with rookie Sonny Estil and veteran big man Norbert Torres, who transferred from rival Meralco.

The Diocese of Boac in Marinduque is no longer ‘sede vacante.’

This is after Pope Leo XIV on Saturday named Fr. Edwin Panergo of the Diocese of Lucena as its new bishop.

In a statement on Saturday, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) noted that before Panergo’s appointment, the Diocese of Boac had been vacant since November 2024.

‘During the vacancy, the diocese was administered by Fr. Elino Esplana, who served as diocesan administrator,’ the CBCP said. Father Panergo

Panergo, the 54-year-old newly designated Boac bishop, was born in Lucena City, Quezon.

He serves as rector of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Seminary in Sariaya, Quezon. He is also the director of the Diocese of Lucena’s Commission on Vocation. The bishop-elect studied philosophy at St. Francis de Sales Major Seminary in Lipa City and theology at St. Alphonsus School of Theology in Lucena.

He likewise holds a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from St. Louis University in Baguio City as well as a licentiate in sacred theology from Notre Dame de Vie in Venasque, France.

Panergo was ordained a priest at Lucena Cathedral on September 8, 1997.

Following his appointment in the Diocese of Boac, Panergo will succeed Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr., who led the diocese for about nine years before being transferred to the Diocese of San Pablo in Laguna province last year.

Magnolia’s new era under coach LA Tenorio comes with sweeping changes-and Paul Lee hopes those adjustments finally lead to the end of the team’s seven-year title drought and its reputation as the PBA’s ‘Introvoys.’

‘I hope Coach LA is the answer to those questions,’ Lee said in Filipino as the Hotshots prepare to open their campaign in the PBA’s 50th season against Barangay Ginebra on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. Since his appointment in late July, Tenorio has wasted no time reshaping the roster, highlighted by the addition of former Terrafirma forward Javi Gomez de Liano.

Lee said the veteran playmaker has also introduced a more deliberate offensive approach compared to the fast-paced, run-and-gun style of former coach Chito Victolero.

‘He’s teaching us to slow down a bit on offense,’ Lee explained. ‘Coach LA wants us to control the tempo and read the situation, instead of always pushing the pace.’ Still, Lee emphasized that Magnolia’s trademark defense-its calling card throughout Victolero’s tenure-remains firmly in place.

‘You have to give Coach Chito credit for instilling that defensive mindset,’ he said. ‘That part has been easier for Coach LA because our defensive sharpness is already there.’

The Hotshots have been bashed as ‘Introvoys’ because of their penchant of starting strong before eventually fading late in the conference.

The Supreme Court has ordered a five-day suspension of work in select courts in Iloilo City, Cebu City, Bogo City, and Roxas City from October 6 to 10 to allow structural and electrical engineers to inspect the Halls of Justice following last week’s 6.9-magnitude earthquake.

Under OCA Circular No. 291-2025, issued on October 4 by Court Administrator Ma. Theresa Dolores C. Gomez-Estoesta, the suspension covers all first- and second-level courts in the affected areas. Acting Chief Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen authorized the measure after the tremor damaged parts of Cebu province and was felt across the Visayas.

During the suspension, courts will remain available on an on-call basis for urgent judicial action such as bail applications, release orders, petitions for habeas corpus, and marriage solemnization. Judges were also encouraged to conduct videoconferencing for time-sensitive proceedings such as arraignments and pre-trials to prevent delays. Executive and presiding judges were instructed to find alternative hearing venues and coordinate with their respective regional court managers.

Although Iloilo did not sustain major physical destruction reports comparable to Cebu, the knock-on effects-power outages, infrastructure stress, and concern over structural integrity-appear to have motivated precautionary action from the judiciary to protect court personnel and litigants.

The suspension of court work allows structural and electrical engineers to assess the safety of court buildings in Iloilo and other affected jurisdictions before normal operations resume. As of now, no reports have surfaced of major damage to court buildings in Iloilo City directly attributable to the quake. But the judicial branch’s move reflects a more conservative posture in response to regional seismic risk and the potential for latent structural vulnerabilities.

The September 30 earthquake killed at least 70 people, mostly in northern Cebu, and injured hundreds, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Hospitals in Cebu City were forced to evacuate patients to open grounds, while widespread brownouts hit Iloilo City shortly after the tremor struck. INQ

As the world observes World Animal Day on Saturday, October 4, FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-list Rep. Brian Poe called on Filipinos to show greater compassion and responsibility toward animals, pointing out that the first step begins with a simple reminder: Do no harm.

‘On World Animal Day, we are reminded that compassion begins with the simplest act: to do no harm. The very least we can do for animals is to ensure they are treated with kindness, respect, and dignity,’ Poe said in his statement.

He warned that animals are too often the silent victims of cruelty, neglect, and exploitation, stressing that society has a moral duty to protect them. ‘Our duty as human beings is to protect them, care for them, and recognize that their well-being is closely tied to the kind of society we want to build,’ he added.

Poe also highlighted his legislative push for stronger protections through House Bill No. 1746, or the Revised Animal Welfare Act of 2025, which seeks to strengthen animal welfare laws, impose stricter penalties for cruelty, and promote responsible ownership and care.

‘If we strive for a more humane and compassionate Philippines, we must include in that vision the care and protection of creatures who cannot speak for themselves,’ he emphasized. ‘Let us never forget to rescue and safeguard our animals, for they too deserve protection and care in times of crisis,’ Poe reminded, noting that the Philippines has recently been struck by natural disasters.

The lawmaker has been actively supporting animal welfare initiatives. On September 28, 2025, Poe joined animal welfare advocates and pet owners in celebrating Mars Global Adoption Weekend, an annual event promoting pet adoption and responsible ownership.

Animal advocacy runs in the family, as his mother, former Senator Grace Poe, championed a Senate version of the Animal Welfare Bill during the 19th Congress.