INQToday: Magnitude 6.8 earthquake jolts Sarangani in Davao Occidental

Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:

Magnitude 6.8 earthquake jolts Sarangani

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit the waters off Sarangani in Davao Occidental on Friday, state seismologists said.

The tectonic quake occurred 30 kilometers southwest of the said area at 4:14 pm and had a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

PH, US sign landmark ‘123 agreement’ on nuclear energy

The Philippines on Friday (Philippine time) signed the breakthrough “123 agreement” on nuclear energy cooperation with the United States.

The 123 agreement or the “peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement” provides the legal basis for allowing American companies to export nuclear fuel, reactors, equipment, and other specialized nuclear materials to the Philippines.

Marcos aims to ‘bring down’ tension in WPS in San Francisco meet with Xi

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday (Philippine time) on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit here amid growing tensions in the South China Sea.

“We will get the view of the Chinese President on what we can do to bring down the temperature, to not escalate the situation in the West Philippine Sea,” Marcos said.

Castro clarifies: House leaders not part of impeachment talks vs VP Duterte

ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro has clarified that the House leadership is not involved in discussing the possibility of filing impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, saying it is just a “casual conversation” between lawmakers.

In a briefing on Friday, Castro explained that rumors of impeachment complaints being hurled at Duterte started with a statement last August calling out the Vice President for having confidential funds (CF) in 2022 when it was not included in her office’s original budget.

LTFRB summons Victory Liner after fatal shooting of bus passengers

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has issued a show cause order against bus operator Victory Liner Inc. after a shooting incident in one of its buses in Nueva Ecija.

Michelle Dee soars in plane-inspired outfit in 2023 Miss Universe costume show

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the Philippines!

As in the previous competitions, birds, beasts, foliage and flowers once again dominated the stage of the 2023 Miss Universe national costume show in El Salvador on Nov. 16 (Nov. 17 in Manila). But Filipino queen Michelle Marquez Dee soared in her airplane-inspired number.