#legazpi

(Written by Andrea Davenport / Online News Correspondent of The Brighton Bugle & Assistant Station Manager of ONC Holdings)

LEGAZPI, ALBAY -- A spirited, much-hyped sporting event of the Bicol University Olympics was transformed into chaos and a possible health crisis among the masses. Academic institution 'Bicol University' (BU) has just inaugurated the Olympic Games after 6pm Monday night (October 20th, 2025 -- Bicol local time) over in Albay Sports Center, in what is currently being described as a bursting-color catastrophe, for what seemed to be a mild terrorist attack in the history of local sports. The online-only broadcast, aired LIVE on social media saw local students, teaching & non-teaching staff, and representatives of different BU campuses come out to celebrate institutional solidarity and athletic spirit.

Fandreas, are you a lover of local sports in Albay? Here's the context scoop. The Bicol University Olympics is the annual intercollegiate sporting competition of the academic institution, a full week of athletic competition meant to foster mutual spirit, sportsmanship, and physical health among students and employees of the large academic institution. The main opening event is the so-called "BU Hataw", a truly huge, coordinated performance featuring thousands of people.

The second approach was used near the end of the opening ceremony, the climax of the performance of "BU Hataw", when the students appeared to blow the multicolored smoke-bombs. This display soon became disastrous as the large puffs of coloured smoke did not dissipate and covered the whole venue.

As the direct cause of the subsequent panic and health emergency was inhalation of the colorific toxic smoke, the application of chemical agents during a large-scale event made people briefly think about a small-scale terrorist attack, which soon went down the blanket like ghosts as the officials discovered that the source was canisters allegedly used during the gender reveal-related activities. More threateningly, the smoke that was intentionally used suffocated and developed severe respiratory distress, hyperventilation and unconsciousness in many. After the ceremony, nearly 200 students were taken to the hospital overnight, and they needed immediate care.

Through a series of public releases posted online, the administration of the BU has assumed institutional responsibility for the incident. They instantly established a task force to investigate the situation and promised to offer medical, financial and psychosocial support to all of them. Nonetheless, it is not cruelty that caused the accident or intentional, but the combination of safety measures and chemical safety that failed that very night, not having been adhered to meticulously, and the cloud of non-toxic chemical smog (yet irritating to the respiratory system) was too dense even in the enclosed space inside the sports center.

Currently, the investigation is aiming to establish whether the act was used as a calculated threat of violence, an unthoughtful urban-safety offense, or an erroneous celebration stunt that escaped into harmful zones. Should any of the persons or persons who organized the tournament commit such a crime as reckless endangerment or an offense involving the safety of people, citing under the Philippine law, criminal suspect individuals or event organizers should face prosecution; institutional penalties like the charter revocation by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) would entail the conclusion of recurrence or the systemic negligence and due process through this overnight incident alone.

Since the eve of the crisis, CHED has yet to indefinitely revoke the academic institution's accreditation. Under the Philippine law, institutional revocation is a drastic step that is most often applied to heinous educational and financial offenses. While the institution receives acute scrutiny and may be exposed to legal liability under public health and safety, accountability, remediation, and compliance are the current priorities.

Toxics campaigner and environmental advocate of BAN Toxics named 'Thony Dizon', in a radio interview with DZLG-AM 927khz's Bombo Radyo: Legazpi warned that the multicolored smoke bombs used at the "BU Hataw" posed a definite public-health hazard and should be regulated or prohibited throughout the country. Health care professionals and the environment have long cautioned that a good percentage of commercially sold colored smoke canisters emit particulate matter and chemical irritants, worsening asthma and leading to suffocation when inhaled in any closed or congested environment.

Bicol University released an Office Memorandum #392, per officially obtained by Quad Cities newspaper outlet 'The Brighton Bugle', they are temporarily postponing and rescheduling the localized Olympic competitions to Thursday through Saturday (October 23rd to 25th, 2025), with a reduced list of venues and events like Football, Chess, Table Tennis and Basketball, mostly to the main campus and immediately outside BU grounds. College administrators have admitted responsibility for a total event failure to ensure safety, and given commitments to assist medical workers and officials.

Investigators questioning some witnesses, reviewing the earlier recorded footage and posts on social media, and healthcare professionals on the contents of multicolored smoke bombs. University medics are on high alert, and emergency services are demanding more explicit regulations regarding the sale and use of coloured smoking devices be implemented to eliminate another so-called colorful disaster in a historic local Olympic sport.

SCREENGRAB COURTESY: Bicol University via FB LIVE VIDEO

SOURCE: *https://www.facebook.com/100064278236400/videos/1467383874342574/ *https://www.facebook.com/100089389871341/posts/825280490461606 *https://www.facebook.com/100064278236400/posts/1230715069081089 *https://www.facebook.com/100064278236400/posts/1231144709038125 *https://www.facebook.com/100064278236400/posts/1231150772370852 *https://www.facebook.com/100064595688028/posts/1247220487441129 *https://www.facebook.com/100064595688028/posts/1247770110719500 *https://heyzine.com/flip-book/beb50413cf.html *https://bicol-u.edu.ph/about-us/ *https://www.gmanetwork.com/regionaltv/news/110910/school-suspends-classes-after-smoke-bomb-incident-during-sports-fest/story/ *https://legazpi.bomboradyo.com/bicol-university-olympics-2025-all-set-na-para-sa-pig-aantisiparang-mga-aktibidades/ *https://legazpi.bomboradyo.com/pasok-sa-bu-at-sports-activities-sa-bu-olympics-kanselado-ngayong-araw-matapos-mawalan-ng-malay-at-mahirapan-sa-paghinga-ang-maraming-estudyante/ *https://legazpi.bomboradyo.com/freshman-student-ng-bicol-university-ibinahagi-ang-naranasan-sa-nangyaring-bu-hataw-incident/ *https://legazpi.bomboradyo.com/pamunuan-ng-bicol-university-inako-ang-pananagutan-matapos-maapektuhan-ang-kalusugan-ng-mga-mag-aaral-dahil-sa-pagamit-ng-color-bomb-sa-bu-hataw/ *https://legazpi.bomboradyo.com/colored-bomb-smoke-na-nakadistroso-sa-mga-estudyante-dapat-nang-ma-regulate-o-ipagbawal-na-sa-nacion-ban-toxic-campaigner/ *https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2025/10/22/303859/pupils-suffer-hyperventilation-and-suffocation-due-to-smoke-bombs-during-performance-in-bicol-university/ and *https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2127818/colored-smoke-downs-bicol-u-students

Sharing here a footage I took while flying on a domestic flight from Manila to Daraga Bicol International Airport serving the city of Legazpi and the province of Albay. This is also our express intent of saying, we are returning to Youtube after a long, long vacation. The video is quite shaky, me using only a cheap android phone, handheld, without stabilization and gimbal. The experience was…

📍Daraga Church & The Oriental Hotel Legazpi

Fourth wedding this year! And Last wedding to attend to as of now… Being part of the wedding entourage is fun but exhausting haha! I’m done being a maid of honor, your honor emz.

Love this wedding though! Beautiful Mayon view talaga sya especially the fireworks display at the reception. <3 I’ll miss waking up to mornings w this view