𝐓𝐀𝐍-𝐀𝐖𝐀

 𝐓𝐀𝐍-𝐀𝐖𝐀 | Pipila ka mga dan sa Brgy.Poblacion, lungsod sa Daanbantayan nangaliki, nabuak, ug nisaka epekto sa miigo nga magnitude 6.9 nga linog sa Sugbo diin ang epicenter niini anaa sa Bogo City kagabii, Sept. 30, 2025.

via | Radyoman Nemz Quinz, DYHP RMN CEBU

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EARTHQUAKE UPDATE

 EARTHQUAKE UPDATE | Widespread damage where several houses collapsed and collapsed at SM Cares, Sitio Kugita, Brgy.Polambato, Bogo City or referred to as 'Yolanda Village' after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the city last night, Sept. 30, 2025.

The area picked up some unfortunate individuals after being vandalized by their homes.

via | Radyoman Jane Gallardo , DYHP RMN CEBU

Anomie

 

I didn’t know how often I lay in my room, alone, and cold, in the middle of the summer, ruminating about how isolated I was with no safe place to go. The fan blew hot air over me, circling the tiny space I had seemingly memorized. The window remained closed, blocking me from the overwhelming light that threatened to spill over the hollow lines, as if reaching to fill the cave inside of me. Despite the heat that should’ve engulfed me as the sun rose, as its silent presence then loomed over me, I could not feel the warmth, and I simply sat on my bed unmoving.

Mechanical, rational, and agonizing thoughts clawed at my chest—overwhelming me, until loneliness gave way to emptiness. I struggled to breathe, but I memorized how to calm myself down: inhale, exhale, repeat. When I managed to calm down, the desire to be normal slowly settled painfully, and with that, the unexplainable self-pity kicked in—it was hard to accept that these were the closest access I had to my feelings, to the real me, yet it was still as vague as an unnamed thing. Perhaps this was exactly one of the reasons why I wanted to learn more about the social sciences—the discipline for so long looked at me like a mystery waiting to be unraveled. And maybe not so much of a plot-twist it was when, somehow, I landed in the sociology program at PUP Sta. Mesa.

The word “anomie” introduced itself to me in my freshman year. To Merton, anomie is the disjunction between goals and means due to structural inequality; to Durkheim, it is, at its simplest form, the breakdown of norms due to rapid social change and lack of moral regulation. The varying definitions spoke to me, that more than just a simple alienation—that word bearing the weight as if the excruciating grief of being different was my fault—I am the product of the construct of the world that I knew was quite wrong, I just didn’t have the knowledge to name it. So I held onto these six letters.

It was the closest word that could possibly explain the undesirable void that occasionally visits me without any warning. I wanted to chew it, recite it, and use it to reason out myself like a comfort, molding its form into something that I can grasp. With this knowledge, I could almost move on from everything that did me wrong in my past.

Yet as I once again drown in the darkness, the familiarity of the abyss pulling me in, it simply looks at me fall from above with indifference. I realized that I could simply not just discard and leave what made me different. I could almost visualize its face—the same face of people I knew who would repeatedly choose comfort over disturbance with or without a second thought.

For so long, interacting feels like performing, and if you ask me at the end of the day, relationships—a concept that values harmony—feel as if I am inside a bubble.

Yet inside those same fragile spaces I once occupied were a number of people who chose to be disturbed by me, reaching, like an attempt to touch, something akin to love. Those bubbles held an expectation that was meant to be shattered by my inability to be contained, and I couldn’t quite swallow the profound experience of feeling something as close to love and recognition that holds the power to define me incorrectly.

It is quite safer to mentally remain in the chamber of change, and what I made home of darkness that makes it easy to leave. Therefore, when they let me break through the bubble, when it got so uncomfortable already, they have proven that it was meant to be simply just a bubble, and to me, this feels like their noiseless abandonment of me, a slip of betrayal.

I go about my day pretending that I do not carry an invisible weight of accountability like a responsibility, but I occasionally spiral down with the same emptiness that perhaps may have only masked the piled-up hatred over everything. I long to be normal, to dream so big that reality would not be able to discourage me. I want relationships and life to feel more than just a duty. I long to be the person who has no inkling of difference that takes me away from the light or makes people I want to love leave me like a pattern. I hope to be preconditioned in my system, so that no amount of unkind people who do me dirty can bring out the worst of me.

Tonight, greeting the “Ber” months, as I lay in the same old room of mine, I realized I did it again. I let relationships die like they were nothing. Except this time, the light was blinding white and the room was cold, and I did not mourn or blame myself for being too much or too little. I swallowed the consequences, and little by little, I am learning to embrace, unapologetically, who I became as a result of anomie.

Mildred de Guzman

Mildred de Guzman, 22, is a writer who loves sweets, garlic, and broccoli.

Diesel, kerosene up anew as Trump threatens tariffs on Europe

 

Dominique Nicole Flores - Philstar.com

September 29, 2025 | 10:44am

MANILA, Philippines — Escalating tensions in oil-producing nations are driving another round of fuel price hikes, with diesel and kerosene set to rise for the sixth week in a row.

Oil firms are set to increase on Tuesday, September 30, diesel and kerosene prices by P0.90 per liter, while cutting back on gasoline prices by P0.20 per liter. 

Shell Pilipinas, Seaoil and CleanFuel announced the mixed price adjustments on Monday, September 29.

This development comes after US President Donald Trump renewed his threat to impose another round of heavy tariffs on European nations if they continue buying oil from Russia.

In a speech before the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, Trump accused European countries of “funding the war” against themselves by relying on Russian energy, even as Moscow recently launched drones into Polish airspace.

Trump has also been trying to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. He previously spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about a potential ceasefire but later shifted focus to pursuing a peace deal, which is expected to be a long negotiation.

Recently, however, the European Union proposed banning imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia and sanctioning shadow fleet vessels, as Moscow pressed on with its attacks against Ukraine, which has struck back by targeting Russian refineries.

The Department of Energy (DOE), however, said the resumption of Iraq’s oil exports has slightly eased the upward pressure on fuel prices.

Last week, gasoline and kerosene prices rose by P1 per liter, while diesel increased by P0.80 per liter. 

According to DOE’s monitoring, common and prevailing retail prices of petroleum products in Metro Manila from September 23 to 29 were:

Gasoline (RON97/100) - P67.97

Gasoline (RON95) - P59.60

Gasoline (RON91) - P56.50

Diesel - P56.90

Diesel Plus - P56.00

Kerosene - P77.11

Some stations, however, charge above the prevailing retail rates, with gasoline priced as high as P78.10 per liter, diesel at P71.43, and kerosene at P89.39.

With this week’s mixed price adjustments, year-to-date increases have hit record highs at P17.05 per liter for diesel and P5.45 per liter for kerosene, while gasoline has posted P14.70 per liter.

 

One last thing

Stories, sounds, and soul: New titles from UST Publishing House

The UST Publishing House brings a new lineup of titles that promise to spark curiosity and imagination among readers. Recently showcased at the 2025 Manila International Book Fair, these new releases include “Ethics, Justice and Recognition” by Paolo Bolaños, “Engkanto in the Diaspora” by Eileen Tabios, and “Super Panalo Sounds!” by Lourd de Veyra, among others. Read more

The rise of Mindanao's art scene

By John Tria

Published Sep 30, 2025 12:05 am | Updated Sep 29, 2025 05:49 pm

#MINDANAO

Walking through the Mindanao Art Fair in a major shopping mall in Davao City, it is clear that the hundreds of paintings and other artworks reflect the massive increase in interest in the visual arts among Mindanao’s 26 million residents. Participating in the large exhibit are various art clubs and collectives from the Mindanao provinces, including commercial art galleries featuring local artists, also from outside Mindanao.

The event is a vital part in the island's annual cultural calendar that will likely arouse more interest from art aficionados from outside Mindanao, especially from neighboring ASEAN countries. Interest in art was always strong among island residents, since the wide cultural diversity creates various indigenous forms of expression.

Artistic expressions are a good part of the local economy, since it is a component of the creative industry of any region. Promoting local art and marketing works of art outside the region adds value to a local economy.

The same is true for its music. As the Matina Town Square celebrated 25 years of being the music hub of Davao City, it is more than just a nightspot. It remains the venue of venues to celebrate various musical forms reflecting the musical diversity of the island. It is where various forms, including traditional dance, are performed. Visitors are brought here to experience the musical expression of the island while enjoying food and drinks.

Since various forms are celebrated here in mainstream events, there is an innate respect and appreciation for cultural diversity. The diversity includes the art forms of the indigenous and the migrant, from the urban cityscape to the rural landscape and seascape that has, over the centuries, formed the Mindanao soul that will express and assert itself in the wider world, standing against prejudice reflected in the desire to assert Mindanao’s diversity and uniqueness, especially in how the outside world and Mindanao itself is viewed by others.

In sum, the art explosion is such because there is just so much in Mindanao’s diverse culture. There is just so much in the islands, history, natural wonders, and abundance to inspire various forms of artistic expression. With new ways of expressing art, even online, I am confident that more of the world will see Mindanao’s art, and artists.

I am sure that in the coming years, more art and music events will be launched and regularly celebrated.

More attention to the SIPP

As we head toward the end of the year, we will expect approval of the 2025-2028 Strategic Investments Priorities Plan (SIPP). Issued every three years, the SIPP is an important document issued by the Board of Investments (BOI) that identifies the kinds of investments that must be established in order to sustain or expand economic growth. It pretty much serves as our industrial policy, since it identifies which industries are needed.

In Mindanao’s case, there remains the need for manufacturing enterprises to help add value to Mindanao’s raw materials and agricultural products. As I have written previously, responsible mining and mineral processing need to be promoted, as well as the creative industries in art, fashion, and music.

This is where investment promotion committees in the various regional development councils will be needed to ensure that the SIPP’s focus areas are promoted to a wider set of potential investors. Intensified promotion of the green lanes for investment and the ease of doing business law will be necessary to attract investment.

With many disruptions and uncertainties upon us, I believe the SIPP must be taken seriously by various agencies, as these bring opportunity that strengthens local economies.