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A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck off the coast of Davao Oriental on Friday morning was felt across several provinces in Western Visayas, prompting precautionary measures in Iloilo City and nearby areas.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that the quake occurred at 9:43 a.m. at a depth of 10 kilometers, with its epicenter located about 62 km southeast of Manay, Davao Oriental (07.09° N, 127.09° E). Although the tremor’s origin was in Mindanao, its strong ground motion rippled across the Visayas, including Iloilo, Antique, Capiz, and Negros Occidental.

In Iloilo City, Mayor Raisa Treñas ordered the immediate suspension of classes at all levels-both public and private schools-to ensure the safety of students and school personnel. The Office of the Building Official, City Engineer’s Office, and Facility Conservation Office (FCO) also began structural inspections of City Hall and other government facilities before allowing employees and clients to enter.

Residents across the city reported feeling the quake, with some offices and schools temporarily evacuating as a precaution. As of Friday afternoon, no reports of major structural damage or injuries had been recorded in Iloilo City or the rest of the province, according to the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

Provincial authorities likewise heightened monitoring of public infrastructure. The Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said that it was coordinating with local governments to verify the quake’s effects in municipalities and to remind residents to remain vigilant. Western Visayas, though not among the country’s most active seismic zones, has experienced destructive earthquakes in the past. In 1990, a magnitude 7.1 temblor jolted Panay Island, causing widespread damage across Iloilo and Antique. Disaster experts continue to warn that the region’s aging infrastructure remains vulnerable to strong ground motion despite infrequent earthquakes.

The Department of Public Works and Highways-Western Visayas field offices were also directed to assess key bridges and roads, while the Department of Education-Region VI urged school heads to conduct building safety checks before resuming face-to-face classes.

Phivolcs said that it had not issued a tsunami warning but advised coastal communities to stay alert for possible aftershocks. The agency’s seismologists are continuing to monitor the situation.

Local officials urged residents to avoid reentering damaged structures until engineers cleared them, to report visible cracks in homes and buildings, and to follow only verified updates from government channels./coa

The Philippines is poised to have a citizenry of mostly working-age individuals and elderly persons in the coming years as a result of the ‘significant’ decline in the country’s population growth rate, the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 10th National Population, Health, and Education Conference, CPD Deputy Executive Director Lolito Tacardon noted that the increasing number of working-age individuals poses both an opportunity and a challenge to the government.

‘If the government would be able to optimize them, they can positively contribute to economic development. But if the government fails to provide them with the necessary jobs or economic opportunities, then they will rely on the resources of the government,’ Tacardon said.

Urban migration

He admitted, however, that an aging population would pose more of a challenge given how the government is ‘still in the process of implementing, for example, universal health care.’

Another concern is that many young individuals remain unemployed, with Tacardon noting that ‘one of the problems is that job opportunities do not match the education that they have, and they are not prepared yet.’

‘What we’re asking for is human capital development, but at the same time, it should be coupled with economic intervention, which is creating more jobs, creating more economic opportunities,’ he said. ‘This can’t be addressed by one agency. All of them need to work together.’

Based on the 2024 census by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the country’s population grew by 0.8 percent yearly from 2020 to 2024, much lower than the 1.6-percent annual increase recorded from 2015 to 2020.

The PSA projected that as early as 2030, some 7 percent of Filipinos will be 65 years old and above. At such a percentage, the country would be crossing the threshold and be classified as an ‘aging population.’

During the 2020 census, the PSA noted that people 65 years and over accounted for 5.4 percent of the total population.

By 2050, Tacardon said the trend may reach its ‘peak,’ with about 12 percent of Filipinos aged 65 years and older.

‘The most significant factor related to fertility decline is the improvement of the socioeconomic condition of women in the Philippines,’ he explained, citing findings from a survey by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

‘As they improve their education, their income, there’s a tendency for them to prefer a smaller number of children and delay their fertility, and that’s happening among young people,’ Tacardon said. ‘Because they want to pursue their personal goals.’

Tacardon also pointed out that 16 out of the 18 regions in the Philippines experienced a decline in population growth rate, with the Bicol region posting a negative population growth.

Global trend

Such a decline, he noted, was caused by people migrating from rural areas to highly urbanized cities.

‘Based on our initial analysis, we found that it’s really being driven by internal migration,’ Tacardon said. ‘Our population movement is shifting now. In the past, people preferred long-distance migration. Nowadays, it’s shorter-distance migration that they prefer.’

He said Region V (Bicol) is an out-migration area, and the recipient of the population is the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) area.

This kind of migration leads to a disproportionate increase in the population of urban areas, with four out of 10 Filipinos living in the National Capital Region, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon, according to the PSA.

‘We can see that our urban areas are really vulnerable because of the lack of efficient mechanisms to ensure that its carrying capacity is really responsive in promoting the quality of life of Filipinos,’ Tacardon noted.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), people worldwide are living longer and ‘every country in the world is experiencing growth in both the size and the proportion of older persons in the population.’

By 2030, it is said that one in six people in the world will be aged 60 years or over, and the share of the population aged 60 years and over will increase from a billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion.

It added that by 2050, the world’s population of people aged 60 years and older will double to 2.1 billion, and the number of persons aged 80 years or older is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 to reach 426 million.

‘While this shift in distribution of a country’s population towards older ages-known as population aging-started in high-income countries (for example, in Japan, 30 percent of the population is already over 60 years old), it is now low- and middle-income countries that are experiencing the greatest change. By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population over 60 years will live in low- and middle-income countries,’ the agency said. /cb

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) said all airports under its jurisdiction remain in normal operation following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that jolted the waters off Davao Oriental on Friday morning.

This tremor killed an individual.

In a statement this Friday afternoon, Caap said that based on their initial assessments, ‘no major damage’ was seen to airport facilities across the country.

Meanwhile, the aviation authority said minor cracks were observed in the logistics building of Dipolog Airport in Zamboanga del Norte.

Caap said it is currently conducting an inspection ‘to ensure structural integrity and passenger safety.’

Following the quake, two commercial flights bound for Davao were also diverted. These flights are the following:

GAP2813 (Manila-Davao) – diverted to Mactan-Cebu International Airport

CEB963 (Manila-Davao) – diverted to General Santos International Airport

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck waters off the coast of Manay, Davao Oriental at 9:43 a.m. this Friday.

It was earlier reported as magnitude 7.6.

One individual reportedly died, while more than 12,000 schools across Mindanao and parts of the Visayas were affected by the quake. /apl

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Mindanao on Friday morning also sent tremors across Eastern Visayas, prompting widespread class and work suspensions, temporary power outages, and precautionary evacuations in coastal areas following a tsunami advisory.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the quake occurred off the coast of Mindanao, but it was felt in several parts of the Visayas region, including Leyte, Samar, and Eastern Samar.

Local government units across the region immediately issued advisories for residents to remain alert.

In Maydolong, Eastern Samar, local officials warned fishermen not to venture out to sea. In Dulag, Leyte, the municipal government urged residents living near the coast to evacuate to higher and safer ground, while Southern Leyte Governor Damian Mercado also ordered residents along coastal communities to seek shelter inland.

Phivolcs initially raised a tsunami alert for several provinces, including Leyte, Eastern Samar, and Southern Leyte, urging residents to move to elevated areas as a precautionary measure.

Among the areas that immediately suspended classes and government work were Guiuan, San Julian, and San Policarpo in Eastern Samar, as well as Ormoc City, Baybay City, Palo, Hilongos, Villaba, and Carigara in Leyte.

The Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative (Esamelco) temporarily shut down one of its substations, affecting power supply in Llorente, Balangkayan, Maydolong, San Julian, and Borongan City. The cooperative later deployed maintenance teams to assess possible damage to its facilities.

In Tacloban City, classes were suspended after the tremor, with patients from several hospitals briefly evacuated for safety. Employees from the city hall and customers from various business establishments rushed outside as aftershocks were felt.

‘It was scary. I saw the electric wires swaying,’ said one woman, who declined to be named, adding that she feared for her child, who was still in school during the quake.

A major shopping mall in Tacloban temporarily closed operations to allow engineers to inspect the building for potential structural damage.

Classes and work at Tacloban- UP Campus were also canceled due to the tremor.

In Leyte, Leyte, the opening ceremony of a school sports competition was disrupted, with videos showing students and teachers crying and panicking as the ground shook.

In Catbalogan City, Samar, the distribution of cash assistance for victims of Typhoon ‘Opong’ was momentarily halted but later resumed once safety was assured.

As of press time, no major damage or casualties have been reported in Eastern Visayas, but authorities continue to monitor coastal areas and inspect infrastructures for any signs of damage.

Phivolcs has since lifted the tsunami warning but reminded residents to remain cautious due to possible aftershocks

Twenty-six inbound packages at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) cargo facility were found to contain P109.8 million worth of shabu (crystal meth), the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said.

In a statement on Friday, BOC said the parcels were discovered in three styrofoam boxes declared as e-commerce packages arriving from Hanoi, Vietnam.

These items were flagged during an X-ray screening and were inspected early evening last Monday, leading to the discovery of 16,150 grams of a white crystalline substance, according to the bureau.

The substance was later confirmed to be shabu after field testing by the bureau’s drug task force and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

‘The two representatives of the consignee logistics company were arrested on site in violation of Republic Act No. 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002),’ the bureau said.

‘The case also constitutes violations of Republic Act No. 10863 (Customs Modernization and Tariff Act), particularly Section 1400 (Misdeclaration), Section 1401 (Unlawful Importation and Exportation), and Section 117 (Regulated Importation and Exportation),’ it added. /apl

A total of 36 courts in the Davao Region were damaged by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck off Davao Oriental, the Supreme Court said on Friday.

The SC also said in a message to reporters that all 138 courts in the following provinces suspended their operations on Friday due to the effects of the earthquake:

Davao de Oro

Davao del Norte

Davao del Sur

Davao Occidental

Davao Oriental

Sarangani

South Cotabato

Surigao del Sur ‘Presiding Judges in the affected areas have been authorized to exercise their discretion in suspending court operations to ensure the safety and welfare of court personnel and court users,’ the SC said.

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Davao Oriental offshore at 9:43 a.m. Its epicenter was located 62 kilometers southeast of Manay town, Davao Oriental.

Meanwhile, another earthquake occurred barely 10 hours after, this time with a magnitude of 6.8, with its epicenter at 36 kilometers southeast of the same town.

The Philippine Coast Guard’s Southeastern Mindanao District has ordered a suspension of all sea travel in the Davao region owing to the tsunami warning issued by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake off the coast of Manay, Davao Oriental, on Friday.

Commodore Philipps Soria noted that as a result of the strong tremor, a ‘destructive tsunami is expected’ within two hours of when the quake struck, and which could continue for hours.

The suspension of sea travel stays until lifted, Soria said.

Soria also advised residents in coastal communities to stay away from the shores as a precautionary measure.

A similar advisory was also issued by the Coast Guard’s stations in Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, and Dinagat Islands, further advising fishermen from venturing into the sea until the threat of a tsunami had dissipated

After a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Davao Oriental, the province’s 2nd District Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario lamented how corruption and the banning of rockfall netting projects limited protection for disaster-prone communities vulnerable to landslides.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said that rockfall netting projects are ‘very notorious for corruption’ and ‘already been banned, but it keeps being implemented.’

‘What we do as district congressmen is request funding for infrastructure projects meant to protect our constituents,’ Almario told reporters on Friday. ‘The problem is, with all these corruption issues we’ve been hearing about, the ones losing opportunities are those who actually need them. We’ve had rock slides in our area too, the same place where the rockfall netting project was banned because of reported corruption,’ he claimed.

To address the issues, the lawmaker said they resorted to utilizing their ‘limited’ resources and manpower.

In August, Marcos, along with Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Tuba Mayor Clarita Sal-ongan, and Department of Public Works and Highways officials, inspected the rock shed project at Purok Millsite Sitio Camp 6 in Barangay Camp 4, on Kennon Road in Benguet province. Marcos likewise inspected the rock netting technology employed at Kennon, saying these devices were overpriced and 75 percent of the bloated expenses ended up as kickbacks.

During the inspection, the President expressed his frustration over another pair of ‘useless’ infrastructure projects in the province. /mr

Malacañang on Friday announced changes in top positions at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

In a Viber message to reporters, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said LTO chief Atty. Vigor Mendoza II will become the new LTFRB chair, replacing Teofilo Guadiz III.

Markus Lacanilao will assume the role of LTO chair, while Guadiz has been assigned as chair of the Office of Transport Cooperatives. Lacanilao was the Special Envoy on Transnational Crime.

Malacañang has not issued an official statement regarding the changes, but transport groups, collectively known as the ‘Magnificent 7,’ had recently called for Guadiz’s resignation over his alleged failure to implement the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP), formerly the PUV Modernization Program.

The group includes Pasang Masda, Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines, Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas, Stop-and-Go, Fetodap, Busina, and Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations. However, five members have since withdrawn their calls for Guadiz’s resignation.

Transport group Manibela, on the other hand, expressed support for Guadiz after the LTFRB reaffirmed its commitment to fully implement the PTMP and emphasized that transport sector reforms remain a top priority.

Guadiz was also previously linked to a ‘lagayan (bribery) scheme’ exposed by his former executive assistant, Jeffrey Tumbado, who alleged that Guadiz facilitated under-the-table transactions, including route modifications and prioritization of franchise papers and special permits-a claim Guadiz denied.

Meanwhile, Lacanilao was cited for contempt last April for allegedly lying during a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing investigating former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest. He voluntarily appeared before the Senate that same month to comply with the order.

The inquirer sought comments from Guadiz and Mendoza on their new positions, but had not received a response at the time of posting./mcm

Complaints were filed against a Maguindanao del Sur town councilor and his companion for allegedly transporting 61 illegal rifle parts, according to the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG).

The pair was arrested in Camarines Norte on Wednesday, and the complaints were filed before the local prosecutor the following day, HPG spokesperson Lt. Nadame Malang said in an interview with reporters in Camp Crame on Friday.

The complaints were for violating Republic Act No. 10591 or the Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act for the alleged illegal firearm parts, and Republic Act No. 4136 or the Land Transportation Act for reportedly possessing expired driver’s licenses, Malang added.

The suspects were onboard a pickup truck where authorities found 61 parts of M14 and M16 rifles, along with an unmarked 9mm pistol hidden in the compartments, according to the HPG.

‘These two suspects we caught were on their way from Taguig to Mindanao. It was a long trail in Santa Elena, Bicol,’ Malang said.

He did not identify the suspects, only stating, ‘They are natives of Maguindanao del Sur, and one of them is a member of a town council. We are still validating the identification.’ Malang declined to identify which town the councilor was from.

The HPG spokesperson further noted that police have yet to determine why the pair was transporting the firearm parts, to where, for how much, and what for.

The arrested suspects are currently in the custody of the Camarines Norte Provincial Highway Patrol Team.