‘NO NEGOTIATIONS, MEDIATIONS’ FOR HAMAS HOSTAGES AT THIS TIME: ISRAEL

MANILA — Israel does not intend to negotiate with Hamas terrorists to rescue some 100 people that it took as hostage “at this time,” an official from Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Hamas fired at least rockets 3,000 rockets from Gaza on Saturday and sent a wave of fighters who gunned down civilians and abducted some 100 people into Gaza. Israel has yet to confirm the nationalities, identities and the status of the captives.

“We are not negotiating with anyone at this time. We are at war. This is not the time for negotiation. We are still trying to secure our border,” said Lior Haiat, spokesperson of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“We are not talking about negotiations or mediations at this time,” he said.

While Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Major Libby Wiess declined to elaborate the military’s plan to rescue the captives, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen assured other governments that his country was committed to secure all hostages regardless of their nationalities.

“We are committed to bring them back in the spirit of mutual responsibility,” Cohen told journalists in a virtual press conference.

“I want to assure you we will defeat terror because we have no other choice,” he said.

Cohen did not give a timeline on when the Israeli forces could start rescuing Hamas’ captives. But he said that Israel “will not forgive” the Palestinian militant group.

A total of 22 Filipinos have been rescued by Israeli security forces, with seven others still missing, after Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities, the Presidential Communications Office said Monday.

According to PCO, the Philippine Embassy in Israel verified the information that the 22 Filipinos have been transferred to a safer area and are now housed in hotels.

Seven other Filipinos remain unaccounted for. The ambassador in Tel Aviv said these Filipinos cannot be contacted through their mobile numbers and social media accounts.

A second Filipino in Israel has been injured in the massive assault by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, an official said on Tuesday.

The Filipino was treated for smoke inhalation after Hamas torched the house the OFW was staying in, said Consul General and Deputy Chief of Mission Anthony Mandap.

The OFW was discharged from the hospital on Monday.

Officials earlier said another Filipino was shot in the arm during a rescue operation from the Hamas attack.

"Ligtas naman na siya. Kailangan lang siguruhin na hindi magiging permanente yung kaniyang pinsala," Mandap told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

HAMAS THREATENS TO KILL CAPTIVES IF ISRAEL STRIKES CIVILIANS

JERUSALEM/GAZA — The Islamist militant Hamas movement threatened to execute an Israeli captive every time Israel bombs a Palestinian home without warning, as Israel called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists and imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip, raising fears it planned a ground assault.

The violence, which has claimed more than 1,500 lives, prompted international declarations of support for Israel after a devastating weekend attack by Hamas, and appeals for an end to the fighting and protection of civilians.

Israeli TV channels said the death toll from the Hamas attack had climbed to 900 Israelis, with at least 2,600 injured, and dozens taken captive. Among the Israeli dead were 260 mostly young people gunned down at a desert music festival, where some of the hostages were abducted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge in a fiery speech accusing Hamas of executing tied-up children and other atrocities. “This vile enemy wanted war and it will get war,” he said.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 687 Palestinians had been killed and 3,726 wounded in Israeli air strikes on the blockaded enclave since Saturday. Apartment blocks, a mosque and hospitals were among the sites attacked, and the strikes destroyed some roads and houses, according to media reports and eyewitnesses.

Israel also bombed the headquarters of the private Palestinian Telecommunication Co., which could affect landline telephone, internet and mobile phone services.

The strikes continued into the night on Monday. The Israeli military said it hit targets in the Gaza Strip from the sea and air, including a weapons depot it said belonged to Islamic Jihad and Hamas targets along Gaza’s coast line.

Hamas spokesperson Abu Ubaida issued the threat on Monday to kill Israelis among the dozens held captive after the surprise attack on Saturday morning. He said Hamas would execute an Israeli captive for every Israeli bombing of a civilian house without warning, and broadcast the execution.

7 PINOYS FEARED HELD BY HAMAS

MANILA — Seven Filipinos in Israel working near the Gaza Strip are unaccounted for and are feared to have been taken by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which launched attacks on the Jewish state, sources said yesterday.

The Filipinos could not be contacted through their mobile phones and were observed to have made no social media activities since the attacks.

The Philippine embassy in Tel Aviv, in a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said six Filipinos were unaccounted for on record. The embassy report did not say where the Filipinos lived and worked, or where they may have been taken hostage by the militants. The embassy said the Filipinos could not be contacted by phone or through their social media accounts.

“The embassy is working non-stop with Israeli security authorities and community contacts to ascertain their condition. We continue to await feedback from them,” the embassy said.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Arnell Ignacio, meanwhile, placed the number of missing at five, and belied reports they had been taken by the militants as hostages.

One Filipino, he said, was recuperating at a hospital after being treated for a minor gunshot wound sustained during rescue operation. OWWA identified him as Joey Fasulingan.

This was confirmed by the DFA, which said that the Filipino was treated at a hospital in Be’ersheva. Another Filipino was treated for smoke inhalation and brought to a hotel in Tel Aviv.

'NOT YET TIME' TO REPATRIATE OFWS FROM ISRAEL AS FIGHTING WITH HAMAS RAGES: OFFICIAL

MANILA — Authorities are waiting for a safe window to repatriate Filipinos from Israel, which is reeling from Hamas' unprecedented ground, air and sea attacks, an official said on Tuesday.

Funds and personnel are on standby, but repatriation is a "mass effort" that would require Filipinos travel to the airport as fighting raged between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group, noted Department of Migrant Workers officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac.

He added that Israel advised residents to stay indoors for now.

"Hindi pa ito yung tamang panahon na mag-mass repatriation... Maselan yung sitwasyon, hindi pa safe," he told TeleRadyo Serbisyo.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has received 10 requests for repatriation, said its administrator Arnell Ignacio.

Repatriation will commence once it secures "full clearance" from the Israeli government and the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs, he said.

"We will be ready as soon as repatriation will be given a go-signal," he told ANC's "Headstart."

Philippine Ambassador Pedro Laylo Jr. said some Filipino community leaders wanted to stay in Israel for now.

CHINA TELLS PH TO STOP 'GROUNDLESS ATTACKS, SMEARS'

MANILA - China has claimed anew that it has "indisputable sovereignty" over Ayungin Shoal as the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea continues.

China was reacting to a statement made by Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar on Saturday, where he said the the former's use of "indisputable sovereignty" is in itself disputable, since the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) does not recognize Chinese sovereignty in the area.

"Recently the Philippines has taken a series of steps at Ren’ai Jiao that seriously violate China’s territorial sovereignty. We have made serious démarches to the Philippines on multiple occasions," a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of China said.

China claimed that Ren'ai Jiao, or Ayungin Shoal, has been "China’s territory since ancient times" and is an integral part of its Nansha Qundao (Spratly Islands).

"This has been established as a widely held international common view and fully accords with provisions on archipelagos in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," China explained.

China also claimed Ayungin Shoal has never been a part of the Philippine territory, and the latter has "no legal basis at all to claim sovereignty over Ren’ai Jiao on the grounds of its comparative proximity to Philippine territory."

"The so-called South China Sea arbitration award is illegal, null and void. The arbitration initiated by the Philippines directly concerns the issues of territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation. Territorial issues are not subject to UNCLOS," China also said.

China also alleged that the presence of the BRP Sierra Madre in the area is a violation of its "territorial sovereignty."

GROUP VOWS BIGGEST TRANSPORT STRIKE NEXT MONDAY

A transport group on Monday threatened to stage the “biggest” strike in the National Capital Region, Calabarzon on Oct. 16 to dramatize the supposed corruption in the franchise approval for public utility vehicles within the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

Mar Valbuena, Manibela chairperson, said member-operators and drivers of jeepneys, UV Express and multi cab have committed to join the protest in Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon and Central Luzon.

“This will be the biggest transport strike to be experienced by the government. This is not only a transport strike but is also protest action in front of the LTFRB, Department of Transportation, and Malacañang,” he said in a press briefing Monday.

“We are not fighting the government. We are fighting corruption that has caused the suffering of the Filipino people. We hope that our beloved President would take action on the matter,” he added.

Manibela presented during the press briefing Jefferey Tumbado, a former executive assistant of LTFRB chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III, who was suspended by the President on Monday.

Tumbado accused the LTFRB chief of corruption over the alleged “lagay” or bribing system inside the agency.

Meanwhile, several jeepney drivers said they encountered difficulties in implementing the P1 provisional fare hike as the LTFRB has yet to issue a new fare matrix.

While the LTFRB allowed the implementation of the P1 provisional minimum fare hike, it said will only issue a new fare matrix once a decision on the P5 fare hike petition has been reached.

MARCOS SUSPENDS LTFRB CHAIRMAN OVER CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS

MANILA -- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the suspension of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III amid corruption allegations.

"The President does not tolerate any misconduct in his administration and has instructed the immediate investigation of this matter. He strongly condemns dishonesty and duplicity in public service," the Office of the President said on Monday.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said earlier Monday that Guadiz has been ordered to explain the allegations of corruption and other irregularities in the agency, especially in connection with the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

He also said DOTr is already investigating the allegations, reiterating that the agency does not condone corruption within the agency.

"We do not tolerate any form of corruption in the DOTr and will not hesitate to impose the stiffest sanction if the evidence so warrants,” Bautista said.

Meanwhile, a former head executive assistant of Guadiz has alleged that corruption is rampant in the agency, which “reaches Malacañang”.

Jeff Gallos Tumbado said in a press conference on Monday that routes of public utility vehicles, special permits, substitutions, board resolutions, and franchises are “for sale” at the LTFRB. In some cases, he said bribes go up to as high as P5 million.

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CHR INVESTIGATES ALLEGED ABDUCTION OF IP RIGHTS ACTIVISTS IN ORIENTAL MINDORO

The Commission on Human Rights is investigating the alleged abduction of three indigenous peoples' rights advocates in Oriental Mindoro. Alia Encela, Job Abednego David, and Jimby Del Mundo, who were looking into rights violations in Mangyan communities, went missing on September 19. The military claims they captured them in an operation on September 23 and found explosives in their bags. The CHR asserts its duty to investigate enforced disappearances and emphasizes the right to life, liberty, and security for all. This incident follows recent allegations of abductions involving environmental activists, and the CHR calls for transparency and cooperation from all parties while advocating for dialogue to address indigenous communities' issues.

P5-B BULACAN ROAD PROJECT UNWRAPS

The government on Monday inaugurated the Arterial Road Bypass Project Phase III (ARBP III) in Bulacan.

The project is primarily funded through an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It has a total project cost of P5.26 billion.

President Marcos, in a speech read by Special Assistant to President Antonio Ernesto Floirendo Lagdameo Jr., said the road is an important step toward a “better Philippines.”

The President also said the inauguration “is a call to action, and a call to work tirelessly toward the ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ vision for a more progressive Philippines.”

President Marcos also said the project would also help boost the production of the farming industry and attract investments in Bulacan.

The 22.4-kilometer ARBP III is an infrastructure flagship project (IFP) under the Build-Better-More Program. It involves widening the existing Plaridel Bypass Road in Bulacan from two to four lanes.

The ARBP III aims to reduce travel time from Balagtas to San Rafael in Bulacan from one hour to just 24 minutes.

Contract Packages 3 and 4 were completed on March 31, 2021, and April 30, 2023, respectively. Contract Package 3 was opened to traffic in July 2021. Meanwhile, Contract Packages 1 and 2 are targeted to be completed by March 2024.

TYPHOON BOLAVEN MAY SPARE PHILIPPINES; LPA TO BRING RAINS

MANILA — While typhoon Bolaven is unlikely to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), a low pressure area will bring rains over parts of the country this week, the state weather bureau said on Tuesday.

The LPA was spotted 1,170 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas at 3 a.m. It is unlikely to intensify into a tropical cyclone and may enter the Philippine within 24 to 48 hours, PAGASA said.

"Posible itong lumapit or mag-cross, tumawid dito sa area ng Southern Luzon, Visayas. Ito ang magdudulot sa mga susunod na araw ng posibleng mataas na tsansa ng pag-ulan," PAGASA weather specialist Grace Castañeda said in a Facebook livestream.

Mindanao, Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, and Central Visayas on Tuesday will experience cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms due to the LPA's trough or extension, PAGASA weather forecaster Lorie Dela Cruz told TeleRadyo Serbisyo.

The LPA's trough and localized thunderstorms will also bring partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains in Metro Manila and the rest of the country, PAGASA said.

Meanwhile, typhoon Bolaven was spotted 2,385 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas at 3 a.m. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour and up to 150 kph gusts, the weather agency said.

"Nananatiling mababa ang tsansa nito na pumasok sa loob ng ating Philippine area of responsibility. Sa kasalukuyan, wala rin itong direct effect sa anumang bahagi ng ating bansa," PAGASA's Castañeda said.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

KATHRYN, DOLLY CONGRATULATE 'HERE LIES LOVE,' VINA MORALES

Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon, the lead stars of hit Star Cinema film "A Very Good Girl," expressed their support for the Broadway musical "Here Lies Love" and Kapamilya artist Vina Morales.

"Here Lies Love" made its historic debut on Broadway in June with an all- Filipino cast.

In a video message released by Star Cinema on social media, De Leon and Bernardo congratulated the people behind the musical about former first lady Imelda Marcos.

"Congratulations to the cast, crew and producers, and Clint Ramos of 'Here Lies Love.' You are doing incredible things for Filipino representation in entertainment and on Broadway," De Leon said.

"And to Ms. Vina Morales congratulations to you as well. We are rooting for you and again congrats on your Broadway debut. All the best," Bernardo added.

Bernardo and De Leon recently attended the Hollywood premiere of "A Very Good Girl," which is now being screened in US and other international cinemas.

Morales, who will have a limited guest engagement, plays the role of Aurora Aquino in "Here Lies Love."

SPORTS

'AGE IS NOT A BARRIER': PACQUIAO DETERMINED TO PURSUE OLYMPIC DREAM

MANILA -- Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino boxing legend and former Senator, has expressed his intention to compete for the Philippines in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has already contacted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding his eligibility.

Pacquiao thanked the POC for recommending him to the IOC and fulfilling his dream of representing the Philippines in the Olympics. The POC is seeking Pacquiao's qualification through the universality rule since, at 44, he exceeds the age limit for Olympic qualifiers.

Pacquiao believes that age should not be a barrier to fulfilling dreams and hopes to win a gold medal for the Philippines in boxing at the Olympics. The POC emphasized that Pacquiao's star power would benefit Olympic boxing.

There is a possibility of challenging the age limit, as Pacquiao is in excellent condition despite being 44. If allowed to compete, his presence would greatly boost the national boxing team and medal chances.

Pacquiao, who currently weighs 66 kgs, must choose between 63.50 kgs or 71 kgs for the Paris boxing program. Professional boxers are now permitted to participate in the Olympics, and Pacquiao aims to follow in the footsteps of Eumir Felix Marcial, the only Filipino boxer who has qualified for the Paris Games.

INDICATORS

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits. - Thomas Edison