BY ALEX ALAGON
FORTUNE doesn’t always favor the bold, also those who are lucky.
For Sonia, a 60-year-old vendor and longtime resident of Citi Homes Subdivision in Las Piñas City, her routine revolves around her home, family, and her little market stall. Last Sept. 8, her day was as uneventful as any when she decided to drop by a Scratchit outlet at the Pavilion Market to buy some tickets.
“Maraming salamat sa ScratchIt, biyaya kayo sa nangangailangan.”
Scratching the Red Hot 7’s Play & Win ticket has become a familiar drill, and she did so almost absently. Imagine her shock when the amount kept on multiplying as she scratched until she won the P77,000 jackpot.
It was almost surreal, she said. For someone who has spent years carefully budgeting every peso to sustain her small business and household, the win feels like a reward.
“Maraming salamat sa ScratchIt, biyaya kayo sa nangangailangan,” Sonia expressed with heartfelt gratitude.
Her immediate plan for the windfall is both practical and hopeful—the money will serve as much-needed extra capital to secure her inventory without worrying about the cash flow in the meantime.
Despite her incredible luck, Sonia remains grounded in the reality she knows so well. She offers wise advice to fellow ScratchIt enthusiasts, emphasizing responsibility above all. “Never grow tired of trying your luck,” she said. “But only if you have some extra cash.”
For Sonia, the ticket was a harmless diversion, but hers is a perfect example of how a game of luck can become a genuine blessing when tempered with fiscal discipline.
A SUSPECTED big-time drug pusher was arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) XI and the San Pedro Police Station at 4:40 p.m. on Sept. 26, 2025, at Lower Madapo, Barangay 8-A.
The subject of the operation, identified as alias Bryan, 21, single, and a resident of the said place, was arrested after selling a sachet containing suspected shabu to an undercover PDEA Agent.
The contraband he gave to the agent weighed approximately 10 grams and was valued at ₱40,000.
Upon his arrest, authorities found approximately 500 grams of suspected shabu, valued at around ₱3,400,000, and 96 pieces of suspected methylenedioxymethamphetamine (or ecstasy tablets), valued at around ₱163,200, in his possession.
They also seized drug paraphernalia and the marked buy-bust money from the suspect.
Charges for violation of sections 5, 11, and 12, Article II of Republic Act (R.A.) 9165 (The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) are now being prepared against him.
AN OFFICIAL from the City Health Office-Animal Bite Treatment Center reported that there are five deaths from rabies as of September.
Dr. Yleona Ysabel Camelotes, CHO-ABTC head, said the number of deaths increased from three reported last year.
“We have five reported cases now, and it’s only September, so it’s clearly increasing,” Camelotes said during the iSpeak Media forum on Thursday.
Of the five deaths, four are reported in Southern Philippines Medical Center and one in Calinan, all males aged 30-59 years old.
Camelotes said that the one fatality from Calinan was reportedly bitten 10 years ago, but did not seek medical help until recently.
“They have poor health-seeking behavior, and no proper education, as they had the vaccination too late,” she stressed.
Accordingly, she also warned against seeking traditional healing or tandok alone and disregarding the safety risks from animal bites.
There are eight satellite offices, namely ABTC Toril, Tugbok, Calinan, Marilog District Hospital, Sasa, Bunawan, Paquibato District Hospital, and Cabantian. This is apart from the main ABTC in Sta. Ana and in SPMC.
The ABTCs have served around 46,000 clients who have availed the free anti-rabies vaccination and medications. Last year, the CHO-ABTC recorded 48,483 rabies-infected cases.
Camelotes reported that the supply of free anti-rabies vaccines is running out, but clients may seek assistance from Lingap para sa Mahirap and from Malasakit Center.
“If ever mahutdan, naa tay tabang para sa Dabawenyo, but ang among ginabuhat is naga-tunga ang pasyente para maka-mura sa ila,” she said.
In February, CHO-ABTC reported that they only have 4,000 allocated free anti-rabies vaccine vials for the year, which can accommodate more or less 1,000 patients.
For 2026, Camelotes said the office is eyeing a larger allocation for the procurement of anti-rabies vaccines, although she did not disclose the funding for the program.
IN A bid to enhance agricultural and fisheries programs, the City Agricultural and Fishery Council (CAFC) is institutionalized as an advisory body of the city government through Executive Order No. 16, Series of 2025.
Acting Mayor Sebastian Duterte signed the executive order on Sept. 23, aiming to secure sectoral representation in agricultural policy-making bodies.
“The City Government of Davao gives highest priority to agricultural development to achieve an equitable distribution of benefits and opportunities and to enable farmers, fishermen, and the rural population to maximize their contribution to the local economy,” the EO reads.
The CAFC will serve as a consultative and advisory body of the city government’s agricultural and fishery sectors, to ensure projects are aligned toward higher productivity and increased income.
It will also serve as a consultative, integrative, coordinative, and monitoring body for regional and local agricultural and fishery value and supply chain initiatives.
The EO provides that CAFC will be a regular member of the Local Development Council of the city, the policy-making body tasked with preparing and approving the city’s development plans.
“To ensure representation in the Local Development Council created under Republic Act No. 7160 and Executive Order No. 50, Series of 2019, the CAFC shall be included as a regular member of the Davao City Development Council (CDC), with the CAFC Chairman or representative hereby recognized as a regular member thereof,” Section 2 of the EO reads.
The EO also secures private sector participation in agricultural and fishery development.
The CAFC shall be composed of an Executive Committee—with its Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer, and Auditor coming from the private sector, and a government representative acting as co-chairperson—and Sectoral Committees organized according to identified agri-fishery sectors.
Each Sectoral Committee is required to have representatives from city-wide organizations, youth groups, women’s organizations, and district-level councils, which will also serve as spokespersons of their respective sectors in the CAFC.
The EO also provides for the creation of Barangay Agricultural and Fishery Councils (BAFCs) in all coastal and upland barangays, as well as District or Municipal Agricultural and Fishery Councils to ensure participation at the grassroots level.
The City Agriculturist Office (CAO) shall provide the secretariat support of the CAFC and coordinate with the implementation of its policies and mandate.
For its ensured implementation, the funding for the council will be sourced from the city’s annual general appropriation under CAO annual budget.
PUBLIC Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon has issued separate show-cause orders over the ₱96.5-million Culaman Bridge Flood Control Project in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental—a project that was fully paid for in 2022 but remains unfinished.
Dizon specifically ordered DPWH XI director Juby Cordon and Davao Occidental District Engineer Rodrigo Larete to explain the project’s status. He indicated that similar show-cause orders would be issued to all officials involved in anomalous projects.
The memorandum, dated Sept. 26, was based on the on-site inspection by Dizon on Sept. 25, together with Larete, and former Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) special adviser Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong, in San Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental.
The inspection revealed that the ₱96.5M Culaman Bridge Flood Control Project remains unfinished, despite the full payment having been made to the Discaya-owned St. Timothy Construction Company as early as 2022.
Moreover, based on the reports from local residents and the regional supervising office, construction activities resumed two to three weeks before the inspection, significantly later than what was reported by the DED officials.
“In view of these findings, and considering that Davao Occidental DED operates under your command authority and supervisory control as Regional Director of DPWH Region XI, you are hereby directed to submit a written explanation under oath within three (3) calendar days from receipt of this Order, why you should not be held administratively liable for possible violations of existing rules, regulations, and orders,” the order stated.
“Failure to respond within the stipulated time shall be construed as a waiver of your right to explain, and this Office shall resolve the matter based on the available records and evidence,” it added.
The Secretary confirmed that Davao Occidental is only the first of multiple investigations into possible ghost projects in Southern Mindanao.
However, he clarified that the nationwide crackdown on anomalous infrastructure projects is not solely focused on the Davao Region, despite the high-profile discovery in Davao Occidental.
“Of course not, we are focusing on the entire country,” Secretary Dizon stated when asked if there were orders to specifically target Davao City. “It’s not easy, but we got reports here [referring to Davao Occidental]. In the same way, we have reports in La Union, we have reports in Mindoro, we have reports in Eastern Samar.”
Dizon announced that charges, including malversation of public funds, graft, and violations of the Government Procurement Reform Act, will be filed this week against DPWH officials and the contractor connected to the ghost project.
On Sept. 27, 2025, the FGBMFI Davao Golfers Champion Chapter successfully hosted a Free Golf Clinic at the Ma-a Champion Driving Range.
Spearheaded by chapter president Architect Richard Villadarez, the event was open to beginners eager to learn the basics of golf and drew new enthusiasts from across Davao.
Participants received hands-on instruction from experienced golfers Alex Alagon, Fortune De Castro, and golf professional Isagani Salebat, covering fundamentals such as grip, swing techniques, and golf etiquette.
A free breakfast added to the warm and welcoming atmosphere. The event highlighted FGBMFI’s commitment to fellowship, sportsmanship, and community outreach.
THE DAVAO Tourism Association, together with Tee to Green Events Management Corp and local hotels, launched the “4D3N Davao Golf Tour Package” to entice enthusiasts and foreign players to experience what the city has to offer.
Key representatives signed a memorandum of agreement for the package at the PEP Talks forum on Sept. 26, which will also impact the revenues of Davao’s hotels and increase the occupancy rate. Collaborating hotels involved are Luxebridge Hotel, Rogen Inn, and Park Inn by Radisson.
The city’s three golf courses are also featured, namely Rancho Palos Verdes, Apo Golf and Country Club, and South Pacific Golf.
“We think that golf tourism should finally have a name in the tourism industry in Davao City, because we are very hospitable and our ability to host tourists, especially the golf courses,” Paul Garcia of Tee to Green Events Management Corp said.
Garcia highlighted that it aims to bring more visitors outside the Philippines to come to Davao to play golf since it is popular for golfers to go to other countries, such as Thailand, Vietnam, or Singapore.
He added that the city’s golfing scene has boomed and has become more accessible, where golf driving ranges are crowded almost every night, and 16-18-year-old golfers have also taken an interest in the competitive sport. In the Philippines, golf tournaments happen every week, while in Davao, they happen nearly every other week.
“I believe that with these new packages, this will open new doors to more opportunities, also for our tourism products and circuits,” Department of Tourism XI regional director Tanya Rabat-Tan said.
The package includes four days and three nights, along with daily breakfast, transfers to the airport and golf courses, and many more. Rates per person at the Luxebridge Hotel start at P23,378, Rogen Inn at P22,978, and Park Inn by Radisson at P29,488.
THE DETAILED evaluation of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for the rehabilitation of Francisco Bangoy International Airport or Davao International Airport is now ongoing.
Ma. Cynthia Hernandez, executive director of the Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines, said that if the evaluation finishes on target, the potential investor will be awarded the original proponent status by 2026.
Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao, Southern Luzon International Airport in Albay, and the Sayak Airport in Siargao are included in the Bundled Airports Project, which involves the development, operation, and maintenance.
The consortium is headed by the Gokongweis and Gotianuns through JG Summit Infrastructure Holdings Corp. and Filinvest Infra-Solutions Ventures Inc., and joined by the Asian Infrastructure and Management Corp. in the proposal.
The primary goal of the project is to develop, operate, and maintain the DIA, BIA, and IAO, some of the busiest airports in the Philippines, to establish an efficient and modern transport system for the Davao Region, Bicol Region, and CARAGA Region, respectively.
The DIA and BIA have a 30-year concession period, while the IAO has a 15-year concession period.
The proposal necessitates the construction, development, installation, and subsequent operation and maintenance of the airports’ equipment, facilities, and systems. It will be implemented under a Rehabilitate-Operate-Transfer arrangement, as outlined in the PPP Code.
The Philippine Regional Airports Consortium filed the PPP proposal with a total project cost of P16.048 billion.
“The new process in the PPP Code, before they get original proponent status, there will be a negotiation as far as terms are concerned,” she said during the PPP Desk launch last week.
The National Economic Development Authority will give the go signal after the private proponent is awarded the original proponent status. After which, the project will go through comparative selection, where other proponents can challenge the original proponent status.
“Meron palang gustong gumawa ng project, they can actually challenge the original proponent,” Hernandez said.
SEPTEMBER 28 is World Rabies Day, and for the first time in its 19-year history, the theme for this year’s observance does not include the word “rabies.”
“Act now: You, Me, Community” is calling on everyone to take responsibility, work together, and drive real change.
Rabies, a neglected tropical disease, is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic, viral disease that affects the central nervous system. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 99% of human rabies cases are a result of virus transmission from dogs, and the most vulnerable to rabies are children aged 5-14 years old. Every year, 59,000 rabies-caused human deaths all over the world are recorded by WHO.
DOH Davao data shows that an average of 4,181 animal bite cases are recorded monthly in the Davao Region. An average of two people die from rabies every month.
DOH Davao works with local government units to scale rabies prevention and treatment through providing rabies exposure management training for doctors and nurses, and vaccine augmentation.
DOH Davao also encourages the public to help prevent rabies by getting vaccinated and by being a responsible pet owner: do not let your pets roam freel,y and register and vaccinate your pets. Seek immediate medical attention from DOH-certified animal bite treatment centers when bitten or scratched by your pets.
“World Rabies Day highlights the relationship between our pets and our health,” said DOH acting regional director Dr. Ellenietta HMV N. Gamolo.
She added that rabies prevention and responsible pet ownership are in our hands. The responsibility is shared among local leaders, too! Their leadership can ensure that resources are in place for vaccination and registration in communities. They can also enact policies that create safer neighborhoods by impounding stray animals and promoting responsible pet ownership. DOH Davao PR
