Comelec issues show-cause order to Escudero over poll donation
Senator Francis Escudero
THE Commission on Elections has issued a show-cause order to Senator Francis Escudero, requiring him to explain a P30-million campaign donation he received from contractor Lawrence Lubiano, president of Centerways Construction and Development Inc.
Poll chairman George Garcia made disclosure on Saturday, saying the donation was made during Escudero’s 2022 senatorial bid. Garcia said Escudero has until October 13, 2025 to respond to the order, either personally or through a lawyer.
Escudero, for his part, welcomed the show-cause order, insisting he did not violate any law when he received the donation for his 2022 campaign. “We welcome the opportunity to prove that…no law has been violated,” Escudero said in a statement.
The senator earlier confirmed that Centerways donated P30 million for his campaign, but said the company did not benefit from any flood control project in Sorsogon or other parts of the country. Turn to Page 4
Phivolcs traces Bogo Bay fault Runs 1.5-km from offshore, triggers ruptures, sink holes inland
FAULT IDENTIFIED. Drone photo shows the surface rupture of the Bogo Bay Fault that generated the magnitude 6.9 offshore earthquake Tuesday night. DOST-PHIVOLCS Quick Response Team
20 .00
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 229 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES OCTOBER 5, 2025
IN METR
MANILAO
www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
By Rex Espiritu, Charles Dantes and Maricel Cruz
HELPING HANDS, HELPING PAWS.
Amid the rubble and grief following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit Cebu, heroes have emerged in many forms, from first responders and volunteers to the Metro Manila Dogs Association (MMDA) K-9 Corps. Among the four-legged responders is Ghost, a German Shepherd who has already been deployed three times in her career – first in Batangas City during a landslide, then in Tagaytay, and now in Bogo City alongside her handler, Sheryl Impacis. The Philippine Red Cross has likewise opened its second Medical Tent to support the Cebu Provincial Hospital – Bogo City after the devastating tremor. With a 20-bed capacity, the tent now serves as an extension ward and stabilization area to decongest the hospital and care for patients who can no longer be accommodated inside. Philippine Red Cross
T
HE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the “newly-named Bogo Bay Fault” caused the Sept. 30 magnitude 6.9 offshore earthquake, as it observed cracks and areas of sinking ground in Cebu province. The Phivolcs team observed fault scarps, open cracks, and small pressure mounds within a 2-meter-wide deformation zone in Sitio Looc, Barangay Nailon, Bogo City. “Initial field mapping recorded about 200 meters of surface rupture, while
drone surveys revealed the fault may extend up to 1.5 kilometers, showing signs of right-lateral movement,” Phivolcs said in a social media post. It added that field verification is ongoing to determine the full extent of the rupture. Phivolcs said it also found signs of liq-
PH, JICA eye update to West Valley Fault study By Maricel V. Cruz
CBCP sets Nat’l Day of Prayer amid calamities, corruption issues By Rex Espiritu THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has called on clergy and the faithful to observe the “National Day of Prayer and Public Repentance” on Oct. 7, and to continue praying on succeeding Sundays leading up to the Feast of Christ the King on Nov. 23 as a “sustained supplication for mercy and renewal,” citing the country’s continued struggles with natural calamities and corruption. In a letter to dioceses, CBCP president and Kalookan Bishop Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David urged parishes, chapels, schools, families and church organizations to participate in the observance, which coincides with the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. As of yesterday, some 6,000 people across four regions have been affected by Typhoon Paolo, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported. Turn to Page 4
THE Philippine government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will review a 2004 study on the impact of a major earthquake on the West Valley Fault as the population in Metro Manila has increased since then. Dr. Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said the Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction study outlines the risk assessment of a potential 7.2-magnitude quake from the West Valley Fault. “Next year we will revisit the study. There are already ongoing talks with JICA,” he said in a press briefing. Bacolcol underscored the need to “revisit”the 20-year-old study, noting that the population in the National Capital Region has grown since then.
WORLD / A4
Taylor Swift breaks streaming records with ‘Showgirl’ album WORLD / A4
Eight ‘Tokhang’ victims interred in final resting place at La Loma
Eight victims of the Duterte administration’s war on illegal drugs are laid to rest in a solemn inurnment at the Dambana ng Paghilom in La Loma Catholic Cemetery, Caloocan City, on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. The ceremony also marks the closing program of the month-long Justice for All campaign, a civil society initiative calling for accountability and remembrance in the face of state-sponsored violence. Danny Pata
@ManilaStandardPH
Turn to Page 4
Ending a 2-year war: Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan
The Japan-funded research showed projected Metro Manila may see at least 34,000 deaths and 114,000 injuries should the West Valley Fault generate a 7.2-magnitude quake. “Ifit(WestValleyFault)moves,thewhole of Metro Manila would experience some Intensity 8 earthquake, and an Intensity 8 (quake) is devastating,”Bacolcol said. “Around 33,000 fatalities in Metro Manila alone. If you include other provinces, it can go up to 48,000 (deaths),”he added. According to Bacolcol, the updated version of the study is expected to be completed in two years. JICA is expected to shoulder the cost of the study while the Philippines will provide the agency with data, he added. “We are more prepared now than 2030 years ago,”he said, adding information on social media and regular earthquake drills have helped improve readiness.
QUEST FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE.
manilastandard.net
uefaction that can cause the ground to sink, damaging houses and roads. Meanwhile, as of 2 p.m. yesterday, there have been 5,336 recorded aftershocks from the magnitude 6.9 offshore earthquake. Phivolcs has advised the public to stay prepared for strong aftershocks, secure their homes, know evacuation routes, and rely only on official sources for updates and safety instructions. The death toll from the powerful tremor climbed to 70, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said yesterday.
THE ashes of eight victims of “Tokhang” killings under the bloody war on illegal drugs of the Duterte administration were laid to rest Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Dambana ng Paghilom in La Loma Catholic Cemetery, Caloocan City. The Dambana has now become the final resting place of Marlon Ballonico, Alex Bigonte Jr., Darwin Dacillo, Artemio Lumbre, Regie Boy Jaranilla, Ronnel Obenita, Adrian Romero, and Rufino Vicente – all of whom met violent deaths during the previous administration’s anti-
@mnlstandardph
@manilastandard
@ManilaStandardYT
narcotics campaign. “In the midst of our pain, I want to say that we will not allow our brother to be just another name in a list of victims already forgotten, whose memory has been erased because of fear, because of the lack of justice,” said Ballonico’s sister, Diorenda, in a brief but emotional message she delivered following the inurnment. “We will not stop in our search for justice, not just for my brother, but for all the victims of this gruesome violence,” she added. Turn to Page 4
Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net . For advertisement: email: advertise@manilastandard.net •09173382170 / 85646229