- About one in six children under five in Carcar is stunted, 2025 data shows
- 31,600 Grade 1 to 3 pupils in Cebu cannot yet read at their grade level
- Gasoline and kerosene up, diesel down again from today
- Pagasa declares the end of the habagat and the rainy season
About one in six children under five in Carcar is stunted, 2025 data shows
The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) presented early childhood data for Cebu on 1 October. Based on the National Nutrition Council's 2025 Operation Timbang Plus count, about 25,000 children under five in Cebu Province are stunted, or too short for their age from poor nutrition and illness. As reported by The Manila Times, Carcar's rate is 17%, or 1,612 children, among the highest in the province with Sibonga, behind Tuburan (20%) and Malabuyoc (18%). EDCOM 2 notes that stunted children are more likely to fail a grade and that damage after age two cannot be reversed.
The first 1,000 days, from pregnancy to a child's second birthday, matter most. Parents of babies and toddlers in Carcar can bring them to the barangay health station for regular weighing and measuring, and ask the health worker or barangay nutrition scholar for advice if a child is falling behind.
Sources: The Manila Times, EDCOM 2
31,600 Grade 1 to 3 pupils in Cebu cannot yet read at their grade level
At the end of school year 2025-2026, about 31,600 pupils in Grades 1 to 3 across Cebu were reading below their grade level, according to EDCOM 2, citing DepEd's rapid literacy assessment. The Cebu provincial schools division ranks third in the country by number of struggling readers, with 13,300 learners, or 11%. EDCOM 2 wants the province to set its own targets for reading, early childhood education and stunting, and links weak reading in the early grades to poor nutrition before school.
Reading gaps that are not closed by Grade 4 tend to widen in high school. If your child in Grades 1 to 3 struggles to read, ask the teacher about the school's reading catch-up and tutoring sessions, and read with them at home in Cebuano or English, whichever they understand best.
Sources: EDCOM 2, The Manila Times
Gasoline and kerosene up, diesel down again from today
Pump prices changed again at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, 6 October. Based on the Department of Energy's computation, gasoline goes up by ₱1.93 a litre and kerosene by ₱3.30, while diesel drops by ₱1.30 a litre. It is diesel's second rollback in a row, after a much bigger cut last week. Actual changes can vary slightly by oil company and station.
Drivers of diesel jeepneys, trucks and tricycles get a little relief, while motorcycle and car owners on gasoline pay more. Households that use kerosene lamps during brownouts will feel the ₱3.30 increase. Prices at Carcar stations differ from Metro Manila's, so check the posted board before you fill up.
Sources: Daily Tribune, Radar
Pagasa declares the end of the habagat and the rainy season
The weather bureau declared the end of the southwest monsoon, or habagat, on Monday, 5 October, which also ends the rainy season over the western parts of Luzon and the Visayas. The habagat began on 30 May this year. Pagasa says its winds have weakened and rainfall has dropped as a high-pressure area over East Asia strengthens. A transition period follows before the northeast monsoon, or amihan, which is expected later in October.
Expect mostly partly cloudy to cloudy days around Carcar, with isolated rain or thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening. With El Niño expected to bring a drier stretch in the months ahead, it is a good time to store water and fix leaking taps and pipes.
