ANUEL B. VILLAR JR ., a former politician and now a property tycoon, is once again the country’s richest person, according to Forbes magazine. Villar, along 14 other prominent local businessmen, made it to the world’s billionaires list, which now has more people that made the cut. Villar landed at 117th on the list, with a net worth of about $17.2 billion. Since 2020 at just $5.6 billion, Villar’s fortunes, composed mostly on property development and retail, has more than tripled. He was followed by port and casino
tycoon Enrique K. Razon Jr. at 227th with $10.9 billion.
Ramon S. Ang, San Miguel Corp. chairman and president was the country’s third richest, with his ranking at 979th with $3.7 billion.
Lucio Tan, which had his fortunes made on banking, airline and tobacco, was ranked 1,219th with $3 billion.
The Sy siblings, who own the country’s largest lender and chain of shopping malls, among others, also dominate the list, led by Henry Sy Jr. who is ranked at 1,573rd with $2.3 billion. Hans was at 1,626th with $2.2 billion, Herbert at 1,688th with $2.1 billion, Harley and Teresita Sy-
Coson both at 1,850th with $1.9 billion each and Elizabeth at 2019th with $1.7 billion.
Businessman Andrew Tan, who was into property development, retail and gambling, was at 2,110th with $1.4 billion.
Lucio Co, who owns Puregold grocery stores, was at 2,356th with $1.4 billion, while wife Susan Co was at 2,479th at $1.3 billion. Tony Tan Caktiong, the chairman of fast food giant Jollibee Foods Corp.. was also ranked 2,479th with $1.3 billion, while Eusebio Tanco, chairman of both gaming firm DigiPlus Interactive Corp. and school operator STI Education Systems Holdings Inc.,
with $1.2 billion. This year’s richest is Elon Musk, a staunch supporter of President Trump, worth an estimated $342 billion.
“Musk
BALANCE BACK IN DEFICIT IN FEB:
By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto @reine_alberto
THE Marcos Jr. administration’s fiscal position swung back to a deficit in February, as the budget shortfall widened on higher expenditures, according to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr).
By VG Cabuag
Pcline, a survey from the Grant Thornton’s International Business Reports said. It dropped to 43 percent from the previous year’s 43.1 percent, the report Women in Business, showed. The study said that while being steady at its level is commendable, the data shows that achieving true gender parity in the workplace remains a long way off.
“It’s disheartening to think we might miss out on another generation of female leaders. Although we’re optimistic about the progress made so far, there’s still much work to be done. We must intensify our efforts to achieve parity well before
By Andrea E. San Juan
Alert or when supply is insufficient to meet the demand.
At present, more than 100 companies with over 500 MW of total de-loading capacity are enrolled in the ILP program within the Meralco franchise area.
In addition, Meralco has been consistently empowering consumers to embrace energy efficiency as a way of life. Based on latest data, residential consumption of electricity during the summer months jumps by 20 percent to 33 percent compared to the cooler months of January and February.
‘Contingency in place for repatriating Taiwan Pinoys’
By Samuel P. Medenilla
MALACAÑANG
said contingency plans are in place to bring home the 250,000 Filipinos in Taiwan if the self-governing island is attacked by China.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made the assurance after Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Romeo S, Brawner Jr. announced on Tuesday that it is making preparations for the potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
said deferring the LRT-1 fare increase is not an option owing to the government’s contractual obligation with its private operator.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the government’s hands are bound when it comes to the scheduled implementation of the fare adjustment for LRT-1 on April 2.
“The administration wants this to be discontinued, but that [fare increase] is what the contract states,” she said in Filipino during a press briefing on Monday. (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/04/01/deferring-lrt1-fare-increase-not-an-option-malacanang/)
“In such contingencies, if they occur, we are always ready, as AFP [chief] Romeo Brawner said, we must always be ready for any contingency,” Castro said in a press briefing on Wednesday. However, she declined to give details of the said contingency plan.
“That’s all, and if there are more details regarding this, we will let [Defense] Secretary [Gilberto] Teodoro and the AFP Chief Romeo Brawner answer that,” Castro said. China is currently conducting large-scale military drills around Taiwan, which it claims remains part of its territory.
Beijing said the military exercise will
serve as a “stern warning” to Taiwan.
Brawner said AFP is preparing to mobilize its forces in Northern Luzon if China launches military strikes against Taiwan.
Castro backed AFP’s readiness, which she said is necessary to secure the safety of Filipinos in a China-Taiwan conflict.
“It is only right that he has a reminder to all the troops, as well as to the people, so that we should always be prepared in all contingencies,” she said.
CenPeg’s concern MEANWHILE , the think tank Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) expressed grave concern over recent statements by AFP Chief Brawner Jr., instructing Northern Luzon troops to prepare for potential military involvement in a Taiwan contingency. This directive, made during the ongoing Balikatan
exercises with US forces, raises urgent questions about Philippine sovereignty, regional security, and adherence to an independent foreign policy, said CenPEG. “The statement implies a willingness to involve the Philippines in a potential armed conflict, which could jeopardize national security and the lives of millions of Filipinos,” said CenPEG Chairperson Prof. Roland Simbulan. “Aligning our defense strategies with a foreign military agenda risks dragging the country into a conflict that serves external interests, not the Filipino people.”
CenPEG underscored that framing a Taiwan crisis as inevitable and requiring Philippine military intervention, absent clear legislative oversight or a transparent national policy discussion, undermines democratic processes and constitutional safeguards. “This kind of posture bypasses democratic checks and balances, exposing the country to unnecessary risks,” Simbulan added.
CenPEG called on the Philippine government to assert an independent foreign policy that prioritizes diplomatic solutions, de-escalation, and regional cooperation over military entanglements. The protection of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Taiwan must center on diplomatic and humanitarian approaches rather than military intervention.
“We need a foreign policy that genuinely safeguards our national interests, protects our people, and upholds peace in the region,” Prof. Simbulan emphasized.
CenPEG urged Congress to exercise its oversight powers and demand transparency from the AFP regarding military commitments, particularly those made in cooperation with foreign military forces. CenPEG also called on civil society, peace advocates, and concerned citizens to resist policies that compromise national sovereignty and drag the Philippines into unnecessary conflicts.
period last year.
So far, Panga said, Peza will stick to its P250- billion target for investment approvals this year.
P6.014 billion, which is 110.66 percent higher than the P2.855 billion approved in the same
“Will assess our performance after the 1st semester of this year,” Panga added.
[again] as America’s billionaire-inchief in January,” Forbes said.
richest person from Arnault, and has given him a $126 billion lead over the next richest person: Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, estimated net worth: $216 billion, who ranks No. 2 for the first time,” it said.
“The world’s billionaires have always been rich and powerful—but never more than now. That’s particularly true in the United States, where Donald Trump was sworn in
2051, in line with Grant Thornton International’s goals,” Romualdo V. Murcia III, chairman and managing partner of P&A Grant Thornton, said.
According to the report, 85 percent of Philippine businesses are currently paying their employees the same for their role, regardless of gender, with 15 percent of respondents aiming to achieve this between one and five years from now.
Compared with its counterparts in Southeast Asia with 83.1 percent, the Philippines was slightly ahead, it said.
“Very few business companies now have no women in top leadership positions, as leaders have grown to understand that it’s bad for business. In the Philippines, only 3.4 percent of the country’s businesses have no women in senior management,” it said.
Mailene Sigue-Bisnar, the company’s partner, advisory services, said that in the Philippines, this achievement is likely because of changing cultural attitudes.
“The ideas and insights of wom-
A record 3,028 people around the globe make Forbes’ annual World’s Billionaires list this year, 247 more than last year. It’s the first time the billionaire population has crossed the 3,000 mark “They’re worth a record $16.1 trillion in all, $2 trillion more than a year ago and more than the GDP [gross domestic product] of every country in the world besides the US and China. The average fortune now stands at $5.3 billion, up $200 million from 2024,” Forbes said.
en are equally important just as men’s, that is why it is unacceptable when companies focus solely on all-male leadership teams.
Moreover, some companies are increasingly uncomfortable doing business with organizations that have an all-male board or management team,” Bisnar said.
The Women in Business research said it highlights the broad array of external pressures prompting firms to improve the gender balance of their teams, and the important role it could play in improving firms’ capacity for growth.
In the Philippines, the most frequent sources of pressure are potential new clients, pushing more than half, or 54 percent, of businesses for action on gender diversity. Other significant sources of external pressure for action on gender balance are potential new investors at 49 percent and a partner organization at 43 percent.
The key takeaway from this year’s Women in Business research is clear: we must act now to avoid another missed generation of opportunity. While we’ve made great progress in the past few years, bigger and bolder strides are needed as we push for gender parity, the study said.
the next five years, aiming for a total of around five GW by 2028. This year, CREC is expecting its first GW worth of energy projects to come online. These projects are mostly under the government’s second green energy auction held in 2023.
on track to hit fiscal targets for the year,” the Treasury said. De La Salle University economist Maria Ella Oplas said the current fiscal position is “not good for the economy” because if the government cannot collect revenue, it resorts to borrowing.
“If we don’t go prudent with our expenditure, it’s scary for us Filipinos because we are paying for our previous debt...We will need to borrow more for these programs,” Oplas told BusinessMirror Broken down, revenue collection amounted to P718.9 billion as of end-February 2024, higher by 11.32 percent than the P645.8 billion raised a year ago. The majority, or 93.46 percent, of the revenues for the period came from taxes, which reached P671.9 billion. This is a 12.64-percent increase year-on-year from P596.5 billion.
As such, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) collected P514.7 billion, up by 15.31 percent from P446.4 billion a year ago. The Treasury said the revenue growth was due to higher collections from value-added tax, followed by corporate income tax, personal income tax, final withholding tax on government securities and documentary stamp tax.
“The BIR’s continued progress in revenue performance is credited to its ongoing improvements in tax payment systems and collection efficiency,” the Treasury said.
The Bureau of Customs, meanwhile, raised P151 billion, 4.91 percent higher than the P144 billion it generated a year ago.
“BOCs’ continuous modernization, border protection, and capacity development efforts have enabled the bureau to maintain its positive performance in the first two months of the year,” the Treasury said. However, non-tax revenues declined by 4.67 percent to P47 billion from P49.3 billion last year due to lower receipts from Malampaya proceeds.
Other non-tax revenues, privatization proceeds, fees and charges, and grants also dropped by 10.48 percent year-on-year to P23.4 billion from P26.1 billion.
Meanwhile, government expenditures increased by 13.76 percent to P822 billion from January to February 2025 from the P722.5 billion recorded during the same period in 2024.
Of the amount, P374.8 billion went to net of interest payments, while P669.1 billion was spent on primary expenditures. Interest payments swelled by 25.26 percent year-on-year to P152.9 billion from P122 billion.
Oplas said a budget surplus is out of reach for the government, “especially with the way this government is spending left and right.”
Persistent budget deficit could also increase the need for additional government borrowings and overall debt, according to Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort.
“Additional tax revenue collections based on existing tax laws or through new tax reform measures and even higher tax rates would be needed, especially if inflation becomes more benign and better controlled since higher taxes could add to inflationary pressures,” Ricafort said.
More fiscal reforms, such as rightsizing of the government, would reduce government expenses and narrow the budget deficit, Ricafort added.
The Philippines is aiming for at least 35 percent RE in its power generation mix by 2030 and at least 50 percent by 2040, as outlined in the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) 20202040 and the Power Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2050. Francia said this is a daunting challenge considering that 18GW must be put up between now and 2030, but Guevara said that with the developments happening in the renewables auction, “we will actually hit 35 percent renewable energy by 2030.” In 2022, RE sources contributed 22 percent of the country’s total power generation, while coal accounted for nearly 60 percent. Lenie Lectura
DND, AFP mum on F-16 acquisition
DEFENSE and military authorities have yet to issue a definitive comment on reports that the US State Department has made a determination and has approved of a possible sale of 20 F-16 jet fighters, four of which are trainers, to the Philippines.
The spokesman for the Department of National Defense, Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong, in a message to reporters Wednesday, said the department has yet to receive “any official notice of such a decision.”
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces (AFP) spokesperson, Col. Francel
Margareth Padilla, said that they could only comment or issue statements on capabilities that have been officially turned over to the AFP for operational use.
“Matters concerning ongoing acquisitions remain under the purview of the DND,” she added. Padilla added that “the AFP
Romualdez scores surge of fake news, staged crime content in social media
SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Wednesday condemned the surge of fake news and staged crime content on social media, asserting that it distorts public perception and undermines genuine progress in public safety.
“Let us not be spokespersons of falsehood. While real crime is going down, fabricated stories and scripted videos are spreading like wildfire online. Fear is being peddled for clicks and views. That’s not just irresponsible—it’s dangerous,” Romualdez said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Romualdez highlighted the National Police’s (PNP) improved performance under the Marcos administration, citing a significant decrease in focus crimes and the swift arrest of suspects, such as in the recent Antipolo road rage shooting.
He credited the National Police chief, Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, for leading reforms that have improved crime prevention strategies and response times, saying these efforts are helping restore public confidence in law enforcement and proving that “the rule of law is alive and working.”
PNP data shows a 26.76 percent decrease in focus crimes from January 1 to February 14, 2024, compared to the same period this year, and a 7.31 percent year-on-year decrease.
Focus crimes include theft, robbery, rape, murder, homicide, physical injury, and carnapping of motorcycles and motor vehicles. Among these, rape saw the sharpest decline, dropping by over 50 percent.
Year-on-year data also reflect a 7.31 percent decrease in focus crimes, from 41,717 cases in 2023 to 38,667 in 2024.
He warned that fake crime videos and unverified reports waste law enforcement resources and erode public confidence in the justice system.
Romualdez called on social media users and content creators to act responsibly, stressing that freedom of speech should not be used to spread falsehoods.
“Social media is a powerful tool. But when it’s used to manufacture lies and sow panic, it becomes a threat to national stability,” he said.
“Freedom of speech does not mean freedom to mislead and deceive,” Romualdez pointed out.
He added the need for a collective effort in preserving the truth and upholding public safety.
While he praised the police force for their continued vigilance and reforms, Romualdez underscored that perception can be just as powerful as reality, and it should not be shaped by fiction.
“Our streets are safer. That’s the truth. But when fake crime content dominates social media, people are made to feel otherwise. We must not let lies erase the progress we’ve made,” he said.
He reaffirmed the House’s support for PNP modernization, asserting that peace and truth must coexist.
MMDA
payroll personnel sacked for taking ‘cut’ in employees pay
By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3
Sremains steadfast in its mission of defending the nation while it anticipates future enhancements that will strengthen its ability to safeguard Philippine territory.”
Meanwhile, the Air Force (PAF) spokesperson, Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo, echoed Padilla’s stand and said that the service “can only comment on issues or give statements regarding assets that had been turned over to us as end-users.”
“We respectfully defer to the DND regarding statements concerning future or ongoing acquisitions. Nonetheless, we continue to perform our mandate, as we also look forward to future developments that will further enhance our capabilities to protect our nation and our skies,” she added.
US State Department OKs $5.58 million deal REPORTS said the US State
Department has approved a potential Foreign Military Sale of 20 F-16 fighters to the Philippines, with an estimated price tag of $5.58 billion.
The news outlet Breaking Defense said the approved package, which covers 16 F-16C Block 70/72 jets and four F-16B Block 70/72 fighters, came just days after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Manila and pledged greater defense ties between the two countries.
Breaking Defense said the announcement, which was issued through congressional notifications from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), is not final.
Quantities and dollar totals often shift during negotiations, and the State Department’s announcement technically provides an opportunity for lawmakers to
block the deal within a 30-day period, though such a step is rare, the news outlet said.
It said the overall package includes 24 engines, 22 AESA radars, and a host of internal systems. It also comes with a collection of munitions: 112 AIM-120C-8 or equivalent missiles, 36 Guided Bomb Unit (GBU)-39/B Small Diameter Bombs Increment 1 (SDB1); 40 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles, 32 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs); 60 MK-82 500-lb general purpose bombs; and 60 MK-84 2,000-lb general purpose bombs, plus associated equipment.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner that continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic
Myanmarese press war crimes charges vs junta members
Sprogress in Southeast Asia,” a statement announcing the sale on the DSCA’s website reads.
“The proposed sale will enhance the Philippine Air Force’s ability to conduct maritime domain awareness and close air support missions and enhance its suppression of enemy air defenses [SEAD] and aerial interdiction capabilities” the statement added.
“This sale will also increase the ability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to protect vital interests and territory, as well as expand interoperability with the US forces.”
Lockheed Martin is the primary contractor for the sale. While no commercial offsets are currently proposed, the DSCA notice leaves open the possibility that those will be “defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.” Rex Anthony Naval
By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
EVERAL Myanmar nationals have appealed to the Department of Justice to take jurisdiction and resolve the criminal complaint for war crimes that they filed in 2023 against 10 members of Myanmar’s military.
The appeal was made after the DOJ refused to take cognizance of the complaint for the failure of the complainants to comply with the conditions prescribed in order for the agency to exercise jurisdiction over it.
The complaint was filed under Section 4 of Republic Act 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law (IHL), Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.
The complaint accused the respondents of war crimes for committing “violence to life and person, in particular, willful killings, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture; intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not military objectives.
“In case of doubt whether such
building or place has been used to make an effective contribution to military action, it shall be presumed not to be so used; intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is, object which are not military objectives; attacking or bombarding, by whatever means, towns, villages, dwellings or buildings which are undefended and which are not military objectives, or making non-defended localities or demilitarized zones the object of attack; and intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supplies as provided for under the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.”
However, the DOJ, through the Prosecutor General, told the complainants in a letter dated February 22, 2024 that it cannot take cognizance of the issue since the conditions under Section 17 RA 9853 were not complied with.
The DOJ pointed out that none of the complainants are Filipino citizens and none of the accused is present in the country.
Likewise, the Prosecutor General noted that none of the alleged acts was committed against a Filipino citizen.
The five Myanmar nationals are from western Chin state, but now live in Australia, Britain, Canada and India.
They named as respondents Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s ruling military council, and nine others namely Vung Suan Thang, Lt. Gen. Min Naing, Lt. Gen. Tay Zar Kyaw, Maj. Gen. Phyo Thant, Maj. Gen. Than Htike, Brig. Gen. Myo Htut Hlaing, Col. Saw Tun, Lt. Col. Myozin Tun, Maj. Nay Myo Oo.
However, in their motion for reconsideration filed on Wednesday, the complainants through their lawyers Romel Bagares and Gilbert Teruel Andres argued that the non-docketing and the return of their undocketed criminal complaint despite being sufficient in form and substance, are “irregular, and in violation of established rules and jurisprudence.”
They also insisted that war crimes are subject to mandatory universal jurisdiction of Philippine courts.
The complainants maintained that it is the regional trial court (RTC) that has the authority to determine jurisdiction with respect to the crime charged in their complaint-affidavit.
“Thus, this Honorable Office has no constitutional and statutory authority to determine ju -
Congressman to Roque: Offer legal assistance to OFWs nabbed in Qatar
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
Trisdiction under R.A. 9851—the determination of which is under the sole constitutional authority of the Judicial Department,” the complainants said. They further argued that Section 17 of RA 9853 does not preclude the DOJ from investigating and prosecuting international crimes despite that the perpetrators are yet found in the country.
The DOJ, according to the complainants, should have taken jurisdiction over their complaint “in the interest of justice.”
The complainants noted that Section 2 ( e ) of Philippine IHL Act provides that “the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished and their effective prosecution must be ensured by taking measures at the national level…, it being the duty of every State to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over those responsible for international crimes.”
The Philippines and Myanmar are both members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
The complaint alleged that members of Myanmar’s military killed a pastor and two church elders in Thantlang town, Chin, in September 2021.
It also accused the 10 of “intentionally” directing attacks on churches and the burning of hundreds of houses in the same town between August 2021 and June 2022.
They also allegedly blocked relief supplies from reaching people in Chin state in the aftermath of a cyclone in 2023.
OME personnel of the Payroll Division of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) were suspended and face possible criminal and administrative charges for allegedly manipulating the computerized payroll system and taking “small”” amounts from the salaries of targeted employees.
MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said that the suspended personnel diverted the money deducted from some employees to their own accounts. The MMDA refused to reveal if how much was deducted from the employees’ monthly salaries and how many
“MMDA,”
HE chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs on Wednesday called on former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque to offer concrete legal assistance to the arrested overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Qatar instead of issuing public appeals to Qatari authorities.
House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs Chairman Jude Acidre suggested Roque’s expertise as an international lawyer would be better utilized providing legal aid or raising financial support for the detained migrant Filipino workers.
“While the government is actively assisting our detained Filipinos in Qatar, it would be more beneficial if Atty. Harry Roque used his skills as an international lawyer to provide legal assistance or gather financial support for them,” Acidre, a House assistant majority leader and nominee of Tingog party-list group, said. He questioned the effectiveness of Roque’s appeals, citing his lack of legal standing and his own legal issues. “His appeals to Qatari authorities are pointless. First, he has no legal personality to make them. Second, he’s a fugitive due to House contempt and faces human trafficking charges. The most helpful thing he can do is provide legal aid to those arrested in Qatar,” Acidre added.
Last month, 20 Filipinos, including minors, were arrested in Qatar for participating in unauthorized political demonstrations.
The Philippine government has deployed embassy officials to assist them, and legal counsel is being arranged.
Acidre emphasized that Roque’s international law expertise could significantly aid in securing the Filipino’s release or fair treatment.
“He has no official business in the Netherlands, nor is he part of any legal defense team there. Why not assist our government in ensuring the safety and justice of the OFWs detained in Qatar?” Acidre added.
He said the government’s ongoing assistance is through the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and suggested that Roque collaborates with these agencies instead of making separate appeals. Acidre also urged Roque to use his network to raise funds for the OFWs’ legal expenses. “Many OFWs struggle with high legal fees abroad. As an international law expert, Attorney Roque could greatly assist by raising funds to support them,” he said. Earlier, Acidre denounced Roque’s announcement that he is seeking asylum in the Netherlands, calling it a desperate attempt to evade accountability for his alleged involvement in offshore scam hubs or Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) and related crimes, including human trafficking. Roque’s move comes five months after a human trafficking case was filed against him and two others before the Department of Justice (DOJ).
A4 Thursday, April 3, 2025
Thai gypsum supplier threatens to pull out
By Andrea San Juan @andreasanjuan
ATHAI gypsum board exporter to the Philippines said it may pull out its gypsum board shipments from the Philippines if it finds out that it will no longer be “financially viable” to export owing to anti-dumping duties that may be slapped.
Matthias Alber, chief financial officer (CFO) of Saint-Gobain, said this after he revealed at the hearing before the Tariff Commission on Wednesday that its exports of gypsum board to the Philippines has “significantly slowed down” after the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) imposed provisional anti-dumping duty.
“We will have to assess the situation very carefully, but for sure it’s a very heavy financial burden that the customers in the Philippines have to carry,” Alber said. Asked if the Thai exporter of gypsum board stopped exporting to the Philippines when the provisional anti-dumping duty has been imposed, Alber said: “It has significantly slowed down.”
“If we find out that financially it’s not viable to export, we will stop,” Alber said, adding, “The period is very short since the provisional duty has been imposed.”
On Monday, Mark Sergio, managing director of Knauf Gypsum Philippines Inc., said during the public hearing before TC that the country’s local gypsum board man-
ufacturing sector sees continuing threat of imported gypsum boards from Thailand as the Philippines remains to be the top export market of Thailand for the said manufactured building material. “We have reason to believe that the threat will continue. We have reason to believe that it will continuously cause material injury into the domestic industry, because last year, Thailand also saw an impact in terms of their utilization capacity. And the Philippines is one of the major destinations, or, I think, major markets, where Thailand exports gypsum boards to,” Sergio said during the public hearing before the Tariff Commission on Monday.
Chinese company SERGIO also noted that there is also an impending opening of another 40-million square meters of gypsum board capacity by BNBM, a Chinese company, in Thailand which the Knauf Gypsum official said will increase the risk of the Philippines being “further subject to products
or dump products coming from Thailand.”
He said the entry of BNBM will “deteriorate Thai industry utilization to record lows and exacerbate dumping risks.”
He explained that despite domestic growth, the entry of BNBM will lower utilization to a level not seen in the last decade.
In effect, Sergio said, “Thai local manufacturers are likely to seek further export opportunities to improve utilization, likely at dumped prices.”
He also noted that Thailand capacity utilization has deteriorated in recent years—driving manufacturers to export to improve utilization. In fact, by the end of 2024, Sergio said Thailand’s utilization was only at 57 percent.
The Tariff Commission has set the public hearing schedule for the formal investigation on the imposition of anti-dumping duty against importations of gypsum board from Thailand on March 31, April 1-4, 2025.
TC said this is pursuant to Section 711 of Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, which adopts the provision of RA 8572, the AntiDumping Act of 1999, and in relation to Section 19 of Commission Order 2021-02 (Revised Rules of Procedure for the Conduct of Formal Investigations Pursuant to Republic Act 8752).
This imposition of definitive anti-dumping duty against importations of gypsum board from Thailand was initiated by petitioner Knauf Gypsum Philippines, Inc. in November 2023.
Dumped prices
IN its report on the initiation of a probe on the application for anti-
dumping duty on gypsum board from Thailand, Knauf Gypsum Philippines Inc. alleged gypsum board is being imported from Thailand at dumped prices.
“There was a substantial margin of dumping of gypsum board from Thailand for the period January to December 2022 based on the domestic wholesale and export prices as gathered by the gypsum board industry,” Knauf, the sole manufacturer of gypsum in the Philippines said in its 2023 report.
Based on the report, the industry claimed that the dumped imports of gypsum board began causing injury in 2019. The industry stated that the key impact of dumping has been in the gypsum board industry’s declining revenues resulting in lower profitability.
In November 2024, however, or a year after Knauf filed the petition for an anti-dumping duty, the DTI imposed a provisional antidumping duty in the form of a cash bond on importations of gypsum board from Thailand, for a period of four months commencing from the date of issuance by the Bureau of Customs of the relevant Customs Memorandum Order (CMO).
Citing Section 2 of RA 8752 or the Anti-Dumping Act of 1999, the anti-dumping case report published on the DTI website in November 2023 explained the purpose of anti-dumping duty: “It is hereby declared the policy of the State to protect domestic enterprises against unfair foreign competition and trade practices.”
“Towards this end,substantive and procedural remedies available to domestic enterprises shall be strengthened and made responsive to recent developments in world trade,” the report also said.
Portugal, Russia latest PHL suppliers of meat
Twww.businessmirror.com.ph
FMJr not inclined to certify wage-hike bill as urgent
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
DESPITE the growing clamor from workers for the passage of a P200 legislated wage increase, President Marcos is not keen in certifying as urgent the said bill.
Rather than making any intervention on the matter, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said, the Chief Executive will just wait for the action of Congress on the proposed piece of legislation.
“That is—now pending, if I am not mistaken, in Congress. So, let’s just wait and see if they have any results from the legislation they are going to make,” she said in Filipino in a press briefing last Wednesday.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has called on Marcos to certify as urgent the bill for granting workers a P200 daily wage increase amid the looming increase in train and jeepeney fares.
In January, the leadership of the House of Representatives said it would back the passage of the said bill. In the Senate, a similar
bill is also pending, which will give employees P100 daily pay increase.
Marcos earlier said the proposed wage-related legislations should undergo a “great deal of study” before these can be passed into law.
Castro said the Chief Executive ordered the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPB) to start the review of the existing wage orders.
“Currently, there has been a review [by the wage boards] in sixteen regions and there are also regions that have increased salaries,” she said.
She said Marcos focused on going through the RTWPBs for giving workers a faster relief from the growing cost of living than the proposed legislated wage increases.
By default, RTWPBs conduct an annual review of the said wage orders before either based on the wage petitions of concerned groups or on their own.
The reviews are conducted before the anniversary dates of the said wage orders, which will allow the RTWPBs to implement a new wage adjustment.
TUCP presses legislated
By Justine Xyrah Garcia
THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has called on PresidentMarcos Jr. to certify as urgent the proposed P200 wage-hike bill, warning that workers can no longer keep up with rising costs.
The House of Representatives has yet to pass the measure, and with Congress resuming full deliberations only in June, the group said time is running out.
In a statement released on Wednesday, TUCP President and House Deputy Speaker Raymond Mendoza warned that government’s inaction would send a clear signal that labor concerns are being sidelined.
pay increase
The bill seeks to raise daily wages by P200 for minimum wage earners in the private sector, covering both agricultural and nonagricultural workers, including contractual and sub-contractual employees.
It exempts barangay microbusiness enterprises and allows small businesses to apply for exemptions if they have fewer than 10 workers or have been affected by natural or human-induced disasters.
To address concerns from employer groups, the bill also includes provisions allowing small businesses to access incentives from the Department of Labor and Employment.
However, business groups and some economists still warn that a wage hike could fuel inflation, force companies to cut jobs, or push businesses to automate.
By Ada Pelonia @adapelonia
HE Philippines will have more sources of meat products after the Department of Agriculture (DA) allowed shipments from 23 meat plants in Portugal and Russia. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed Department Orders 5 and 6, which authorized the individual accreditation of six foreign meat establishments (FMEs) of Portugal and 17 FMEs of Russia. Under DO 5, the agency said the six FMEs audited by the Department of Agriculture Inspection Mission (Daim) were found to be compliant with the country’s quarantine and meat inspection system procedures.
“After thorough evaluation, the application of six FMEs of the Government of Portugal for accreditation to export pork into the Philippines have been found to be satisfactory,” the order read. The Daim was conducted to assess the veterinary services, animal health, and food safety control of Portugal from October 5 to 20, 2024 following its government’s application for individual FME accreditation.
In a separate order, the DA also allowed the entry of meat products, such as beef, pork, and poultry goods, from 17 Russian FMEs. This was in response to the Russian Federation’s application for individual FME accreditation. The Daim was conducted last September 7 to 20, 2024.
“After thorough evaluation,
the application of 17 FMEs of the Federation of Russia for accreditation to export beef, pork and poultry—chicken, turkey, and duck into the Philippines have been found to be satisfactory.”
The accreditation of meat plants in both countries will be effective for three years, starting February 6, 2025 until February 6, 2028.
Under existing rules and guidelines, exporters to the Philippines are required to secure the accreditation of their FMEs to ship meat and meat products into the country.
The accreditation would ensure that an inbound shipment is safe for human consumption and does not pose a threat to the domestic livestock and poultry industry.
Last year, Agriculture Assistant
Sharp decline in scam text messages but...
THE Philippines has seen a sharp decline in scam text messages, but scammers are now shifting tactics, with a dramatic rise in phone call fraud, a report by trust tech Gogolook, the developer of anti-scam app Whoscall, revealed.
Gogolook’s report said scam text messages plummeted by 68.83 percent to 648,239 texts in the first quarter of 2025 from 1.14 million the year before. The most prevalent text scams in the first quarter of 2025 involved
loan-related schemes, which accounted for 55 percent of cases, followed by VIP rewards scams (24 percent), and collection-related scams (10 percent).
Smaller percentages were seen in transaction verification (5 percent), job application fraud (3 percent), and delivery-related scams (3 percent).
“This significant decline in scam messages is a testament to the collective efforts of the Filipino people, government agencies, and private sector partners
in combating fraud,” Gogolook Philippines Country Head Mel Migriño said.
However, scam calls surged by 225.17 percent to 351,699 during the same period.
“The increase in scam calls clearly demonstrates a shift in scammers’ tactics. We believe that by empowering users with antiscam tools and reporting mechanisms, and by fostering a culture of vigilance, we can ultimately build a safer digital environment,” Migriño said.
Secretary for Ruminant Livestock Benjamin Albarece confirmed to the BusinessMirror that the agency granted accreditation to FMEs in Sweden, Portugal, India, and Russia.
Albarece noted that the Philippines could import meat products from these countries, with the majority of shipments focusing on beef products owing to the country’s beef requirement.
“Essentially, it will be more of the beef. Ang laki ng requirement natin ng beef—either beef from cattle or beef from buffalo,” Albarece said in a previous interview.
“I would assume there are countries that they have accepted yung export [of] pork. Meron narinig din ako na chicken [but] the bigger portion will be more on beef,” he added.
The report also revealed that 13,602 risky URLs or web addresses were recorded, with 61 percent tied to loan-related scams, 21 percent linked to promotions and rewards, and 18 percent associated with adult gambling.
“As scam tactics evolve, continued education, technological advancement, and strong partnerships will remain crucial in safeguarding the Filipino digital community,” said Migriño.
“Gogolook remains dedicated to empowering users and working alongside its partners to create a safer online environment for all,” Migriño said. Lorenz S. Marasigan
“If the President and Congress fail to act now, especially during the election season, then this is nothing but political grandstanding—a cruel cycle of empty promises—at the expense of every Filipino workers’ survival and dignity,” he said.
The appeal comes as rising transport fares add to workers’ financial strain.
On the same day, the Light Rail Transit Line 1 raised fares, increasing the minimum from P15 to P20 and the maximum from P45 to P55 for single journey tickets.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is also expected to decide within April on petitions for a P2 increase in jeepney and bus fares.
The House has already approved House Bill 11376, or the Wage Hike for Minimum Wage Workers Act, on second reading earlier this year.
Continued from A3
personnel were victimized.
MMDA General Manager Procopio Lipana led the arrest of employees allegedly involved, and inquest proceedings were conducted against them.
Immediately after discovery of the irregularity, Artes personally filed a complaint against the erring personnel at the Pasig City Police.
As further investigations are being conducted, the MMDA said, a deeper conspiracy was exposed, with the alleged involvement of other employees.
Related: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/01/31/ p200-wage-hike-can-lead-tojob-losses-higher-inflation/ But TUCP insists that without the increase, workers will continue to struggle.
Mendoza said delaying the measure would force families into impossible choices.
“Without this wage hike to lift them above the poverty line, Filipino working families will be forced to make the ultimate unbearable choice: fare or food,” he added. Currently, the national average minimum wage stands at P469. Metro Manila has the highest rate at P645, while the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has the lowest at P361.
Formal complaints against these employees are being prepared and a strong case buildup is being done for the filing of non-bailable charges against the perpetrators. They were also placed under preventive suspension and their work computers were secured.
Meanwhile, an internal audit and investigation is ongoing and safety measures have been implemented to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“Rest assured that the MMDA will delve deeper into the matter and will make sure that all responsible will be prosecuted and punished accordingly,” the MMDA said.
Palace ‘has nothing to hide’ in Duterte ICC case, but yet to decide on Senate hearing attendance
By Samuel P. Medenilla
@sam_medenilla
ALACAÑANG on
MWednesday said it has yet to decide on the appeal of Senator Imee Marcos to allow officials of the Executive branch of the government to attend the Senate hearing on the arrest of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte. Palace Press Officer Claire Cas -
tro made the remark after Sen. Marcos said she will seek for the reconsideration on the decision of the Malacañang to no longer send officials to the scheduled hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the arrest on Thursday.
“If she is asking for reconsideration, ES [Executive Secretary] Bersamin has not yet responded,” she said in a press briefing last Wednesday.
Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin said they have determined officials from the Executive Department were already able to sufficiently explain the position of the Marcos administration during the first Senate hearing on the matter last month.
Sen. Marcos urged the Palace to continue allowing official to participate in the hearings to prove the current administration
is not hiding anything related to the arrest.
Castro clarified that the Executive Branch has been transparent on the details of the arrest, which was conducted by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“Nothing was hidden, because the very long time during the first hearing was enough for our cabinet
officials to say what they needed to say regarding the surrender of former President Duterte to the ICC,” she said.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) undersecretary said the information the first hearing is now sufficient for Sen. Marcos to craft a new legislation related to the arrest.
Duterte is now detained in the Netherlands and is facing
a crimes against humanity case before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the over 6,000 deaths in the intensified campaign of his administration against criminality.
Sen. Marcos claimed that the arrest happened even if the government no longer has any legal obligation to comply with instructions from the ICC and violated some of the right of Duterte.
Lawmaker demands probe into ₧11B worth of expired medicines, vaccines
By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie
APART-LIST lawmaker on Wednesday reiterated his call for an investigation into the P11 billion worth of expired medicines and vaccines stored in Department of Health (DOH) warehouses and health facilities, as flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA).
AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee renewed his call following the recent filing of Senate Resolution 1326 by Sen. Joel Villanueva, seeking a Senate probe into the issue.
“We fully support Senator Joel Villanueva’s call for a Senate investigation into this massive negligence, which is a grave injustice to the Filipino people,” Lee said.
“Such negligence is both un -
acceptable and unlawful. These funds have been wasted, and essential healthcare services have been denied to the people,” he added.
In December 2024, Lee filed House Resolution No. 2117, emphasizing that the expiration of these essential drugs, medicines, and vaccines—allowed to deteriorate without proper use or timely action—constitutes a clear der -
TESDA revives overseas assessment program to boost skills, global competitiveness of OFWs
TBy Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
@claudethmc3
HE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is set to conduct again its Overseas Assessment Program (OAP), as part of its initiative to support and ensure the professional growth and global competitiveness of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
TESDA Director General Jose Francisco
“Kiko” Benitez said the program is a key initiative that supports the OFWs and emphasized that this initiative not only boosts OFWs’ professional growth but also strengthens the global reputation of Filipino workers.
“ Our Overseas Assessment Program is a testament to our commitment to empowering Filipino workers abroad. By providing them with internationally recognized certifications, we help ensure that their skills
are validated, recognized, and competitive in the global job market,” he said as he He urged stakeholders to support and promote the program to benefit more OFWs.
TESDA will bring its services to OFWs in Dubai, UAE, from May 31 to June 2, targeting to assess 255 OFWs in various qualifications such as Caregiving NC Il, Massage Therapy NC II, Electrical Installation and Maintenance NC II and III, and Photovoltaic Systems Installation NC II. The assessment will take place at the Power Technical Training Center (PTTC), a TESDA-accredited assessment center in the Al Satwa district of Dubai.
The OAP is being carried out in collaboration with the Migrant Workers Office of the Department of Migrant Workers.
Since the OAP was first implemented in 2014, a total of 7,784 OFWs across eight countries in Asia and the Middle East have been assessed. Of these, 6,671 were certified
Comelec urges employers to help educate workers on elections
AS the May 12 elections near, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is urging employers to help educate workers and promote informed decisionmaking among the workplace. Speaking at the general assembly of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) in Bonifacio Global City, Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia said businesses can play a crucial role in promoting electoral awareness.
“We can do many things. We have to educate employees without dictating who they should vote for. The problem is that many Filipinos, especially the youth... they believe that what they read on social media is news,” Garcia said in his speech. Garcia added in a sideline interview that voter education remains a major challenge, especially with the spread of misinformation.
“Voter education is a challenge we all share, not just the Comelec’s responsibility. We hope everyone—especially the business sector—can contribute in their own way. The commission cannot do this alone,” he said in Filipino.
He also urged the private sector to take an active role in safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process, noting its direct impact on the economy.
“Of course, the business community’s contribution to the economy cannot be taken lightly. But if they don’t trust our electoral process and system, how can we expect our economy to improve?” Garcia explained.
The Comelec chief added that engaging with various sectors, including organizations like MAP, allows for open discussions that can help strengthen democratic processes.
Can the 2025 elections be hybrid?
DURING the forum, several MAP members—including former Comelec Commissioner Augusto Lagman—raised concerns about election integrity and proposed reverting to manual counting alongside automated processes.
However, Garcia clarified that such a hybrid setup is not possible under current laws.
“Adding another layer to our election system would require legislation, additional funding, and agreement from teachers, who would have to extend their vote-counting duties without extra compensation,” he said.
Under Republic Act No. 9369, as amended by RA No. 8436, Philippine elections are mandated to be automated.
G arcia emphasized that the Comelec, as an implementing body, cannot unilaterally change this.
While he acknowledged concerns about transparency, Garcia pointed out that the current system already incorporates elements of a hybrid approach.
Voters and poll watchers can take photos or videos of election results displayed at precincts and manually verify them against the Comelec’s official count.
Ph ysical copies of election returns are also posted outside polling places for public scrutiny.
Garcia assured MAP members that the Comelec shares their goal of ensuring clean and honest elections.
“We are open to suggestions, but we cannot defy the law. Our hands are tied because the Comelec operates strictly within legal mandates. It’s not that I oppose hybrid elections—it’s simply a matter of budget constraints and the absence of enabling legislation,” he said. Justine Xyrah Garcia
and awarded TESDA National Certificates and Certificates of Competency.
The 2025 OAP is an initiative that supports OFWs in securing competitive job opportunities, both locally and internationally. Through this program, TESDA aims to recognize and validate the skills acquired by Filipino workers through their experience and prior training.
Interested OFWs in the area will need to accomplish the online application form at https://bit.ly/2025_TESDA_OAP_Dubai. Applicant-candidates will also need to submit their accomplished Application Form and Self-Assessment Guide (SAG), along with the required ID pictures (passport size, colored and white background).
The electronic copies of the Application Form and Self-Assessment Guide (SAG) for the identified qualifications can be downloaded from https://bit.ly/ TESDA_Prep_Assessment.
THERE are still no sightings on the four unaccounted for Filipino workers in Mandalay, Myanmar, who are believed in the trapped in the Sky Villa rubble after the devastating 7.7 magnitude quake last Friday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the composite team of the Philippine Embassy in Yangon has already reached the rubble site Tuesday and coordinated with the Burmese officials handling the search and rescue operations on site.
They also checked on the Mandalay General Hospital where all the retrieved dead bodies of the Sky Villa were taken. They have likewise combed every morgue in the city.
The Embassy team also met with the other 11 Filipinos who survived the collapse of Sky Villa to solicit more useful information about
eliction of duty and a violation of the DOH’s mandate. According to COA’s 2023 audit report, P11.18 billion worth of drugs, medicines, and medical supplies, including over 7 million vials of unused Covid-19 vaccines, expired in DOH storage facilities. The audit cited inadequate procurement planning, as well as poor distribution and monitoring systems, as primary reasons for
the wastage.
Lee stressed the need for a thorough investigation to hold accountable those responsible, address systemic flaws, and ensure that public health resources are efficiently utilized, properly accounted for, and distributed in a timely manner.
Lee also renewed its call for the DOH to submit a comprehensive report to Congress detailing the
status of all expired medical supplies, including Covid-19 vaccines, and the measures being taken to prevent further wastage.
“We cannot achieve our goal of free medicines and healthcare if this level of government failure continues. Those responsible must be held accountable for depriving Filipinos of essential healthcare services. Lives and livelihoods are at stake,” Lee added.
Switzerland: Arrest of Duterte is a success for ICC
By Malou Talosig-Bartolome
SWISS Ambassador to Manila Nicolas Brühl believes that the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte has proven that the international rule of law still prevails and that the International Criminal Court remains relevant.
“For us, this issue was done by your government. But in the end, I think for the ICC, it’s a bit of a success—the fact that now, they have the chance to brief this case [but] at which direction we will see,” Brühl told reporters in a press conference at his residence in Makati Tuesday night.
Switzerland, a signatory to the Rome Statute that created the ICC, is a strong supporter
the missing four OFWs.
So far, there are no positive identification among those rescued or the bodies retrieved.
“Sadly, right now, angnadi-discover aypuro dead bodies, some in such state of decomposition and they have to be burned right away,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told reporters.
The families of the four Filipino teachers have been in touch with the Philippine Embassy to provide them with identifying marks to help the composite team identify if the retrieved bodies could be those of the unaccounted for Filipinos.
C atherine Alpay, director of the DFAOffice of Migration Affairs, explained that Myanmar lacked cold storage for cadavers, forcing authorities to cremate their bodies for health and sanitation.
The Embassy officials then requested au-
of the ICC.
Switzerland contributes to the Trust Fund for Victims at the ICC, which supports victims of crimes under the court’s jurisdiction.
“At least the international public law is reaching out, we can work on that… The international public law plays a very important role. I think that is more than relevant.
For the ICC, I think for the past years, not a lot of success. In this case, I think it would improve [its mandate to] defend human rights in the Philippines” he added.
The ICC has been under criticisms for allegedly being “selective” of the cases they pursue. Before the warrant was issued on
thorities to properly identify all bodies retrieved from the rubble, take photos and extract tissue samples before they cremate the bodies.
Roberto Ferrer, assistant secretary of the DFA-Office of Migration Affairs, suggests that the Philippine government offer to Myanmar government its forensic experts from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
“Myanmar is under sanctions. So maraming capabilities tayonawalaang Myanmar.
Kaya timely yung intervention ng Philippines is directly coordinating with the next of kin to get as many details as possible. Anongitsura ngngipin,yungmaysuotbangsing-sing, ganon. The details, even the shape of the head, makisigba,matababa,ganon. Those are important clues because a lot of the bodies being found are in an advanced state of
Duterte, the ICC prosecutors have also issued warrants on other leaders such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Vladimir Putin of Russia. Duterte was arrested last March 11 upon arrival from Hong Kong. He was immediately flown to the Netherlands, and a few days later appeared before the judges of ICC Pre-Trial Chamber. He is facing charges of crimes against humanity by murder. ICC prosecutors said they have at least 43 victims of the extrajudicial killings when Duterte was then mayor of Davao City, and then in the first three years of his presidency.
decomposition,” Ferrer explained. On Wednesday, 32 of the 89-member Philippine humanitarian contingent have arrived in Myanmar to help in the search and rescue operations.
D e Vega said the Philippine contingent is assigned in the capital Naypyidaw, which is worst hit by the earthquake. He explained that even though the DFA would have wanted that the Philippine contingent be assigned in Mandalay to help in the search and rescue efforts for the unaccounted for Filipinos, it is the military junta, which calls the shot on their deployment. Filipinos in Mandalay may reach out to the ATN hotline at +95998521 0991 or the Filipino coordinators. M alou Talosig-Bartolome
Bong Go advocates for disaster resilience, urges building owners to take precautionary measures amid natural threats
SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go has urged building owners across the country to conduct structural integrity assessments following an alarming forecast known as “The Big One,” as warned by statistical experts on Sunday, March 30, in the aftermath of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand.
“Nawa’ymagingligtasangkalagayanng mganasaktanatsugatan,atmahanapnaang mganawawala,lalonaangmgakapwanating Pilipinonahanggangngayonayhindiparin natatagpuan,ayonsa Department of Foreign Affairs [DFA]. Magdasaltayoatbigyannatin silanglakasnamalampasanangtrahedyang ito,”said Go, addressing those affected by the disaster in Myanmar and Thailand.
Meanwhile, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) Director Dr. Teresito Bacolcol warned that “The Big One”—a
potential 7.2-magnitude earthquake—could strike the National Capital Region (NCR) and surrounding areas, possibly resulting in over 50,000 deaths and severe damage to at least 12 percent of residential buildings.
“The Big One in NCR—the expected ground shaking in Metro Manila is intensity 8. We also expect that around 12 percent to 13 percent of residential buildings would sustain heavy damage,” Bacolcol said in an interview.
“For 10- to 30-storey buildings, around 11 percent would experience heavy damage, while 30- to 60-storey buildings could see about 2 percent affected,” he added.
He further noted that earthquake generators in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija could produce a 7.9-magnitude quake. Meanwhile, the Philippine Trench poses a tsunami threat to Eastern Samar, and the Manila Trench could generate a quake as strong as 8.2-magnitude.
UN agency closes its remaining Gaza bakeries as food supplies dwindle under Israeli blockade
By Wafaa Shurafa & Sam Mednick The Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip—
The UN food agency is closing all of its bakeries in the Gaza Strip, officials said Tuesday, as supplies dwindle after Israel sealed off the territory from all imports nearly a month ago.
Israel, which later resumed its offensive to pressure the Hamas militant group into accepting changes to their ceasefire agreement, said enough food had entered Gaza during the six-week truce to sustain the territory’s roughly 2 million Palestinians for a long time.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Israel’s assertion was “ridiculous,” calling the food shortage very critical. The organization is “at the tail end of our supplies” and a lack of flour and cooking oil are forcing the baker -
ies to close, Dujarric said Tuesday. Markets largely emptied weeks ago. UN agencies say the supplies they built up during the truce are running out. Gaza is heavily reliant on international aid because the war has destroyed almost all of its food production capability. Mohammed al-Kurd, a father of 12, said his children go to bed without dinner.
“We tell them to be patient and that we will bring flour in the morning,” he said. “We lie to them and to ourselves.”
For the second consecutive
day, Israel’s military warned residents of Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah to immediately evacuate, a sign that it could soon launch a major ground operation. At least 140,000 people were under orders to leave, according to the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
A World Food Program memo circulated to aid groups said it could no longer operate its remaining bakeries, which produce the bread on which many rely. The UN agency said it was prioritizing its remaining stocks to provide emergency food aid and expand hot meal distribution. WFP spokespeople didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said WFP was closing its remaining 19 bakeries after shuttering six last month. She said hundreds of thousands of people relied on them.
The Israeli military body in charge of Palestinian affairs, known as COGAT, said more than 25,000 trucks entered Gaza during the ceasefire, carrying nearly 450,000 tons of aid. It said the
amount represented around a third of what has entered during the war.
“There is enough food for a long period of time, if Hamas lets the civilians have it,” it said.
UN agencies and aid groups say they struggled to bring in and distribute aid before the ceasefire took hold in January. Their estimates for how much aid reached people in Gaza were consistently lower than COGAT’s, which were based on how much entered through border crossings.
Israeli strikes kill dozens GAZA’S Health Ministry reported that at least 42 bodies and more than 180 wounded arrived at hospitals over the past 24 hours. At least 1,042 Palestinians have been killed in the two weeks since Israel broke the ceasefire and resumed heavy bombardments.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Hamas is still holding 59 captives—24 believed to be alive—after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel’s offensive has killed
more than 50,000 Palestinians, including hundreds killed in strikes since the ceasefire ended, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t say whether those killed are civilians or combatants.
Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Israel sealed off Gaza from all aid at the start of the war but later relented under pressure from Washington. US President Donald Trump’s administration, which took credit for helping to broker the ceasefire, has expressed full support for Israel’s actions, including its decision to end the truce.
Israel has demanded that Hamas release several hostages before further talks on ending the war. Those negotiations were supposed to begin in early February. It has also insisted that Hamas disarm and leave Gaza, conditions that weren’t part of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas has called for implementing the agreement, in which the remaining hostages would be released in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.
Palestinian journalist and family killed by Israeli strike PALESTINIANS mourned Mohamed Salah Bardawil, a journalist with Hamas-affiliated Aqsa Radio who was killed along with his wife and three children by an Israeli strike early Tuesday at their home in southern Gaza.
Associated Press footage showed the building in Khan Younis collapsed, with dried blood splattered on the rubble. A child’s school notebook, dust-covered dolls and clothing lay half-buried in the ruins. The Israeli military declined to comment.
The journalist is the nephew of Salah Bardawil, a well-known member of Hamas’ political bureau who was killed in an Israeli strike that also killed his wife last month.
Israeli strikes have killed more than 170 journalists and media workers since the war began, the Committee to Protect Journalists has estimated.
Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Fatma Khaled in Cairo and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Desperate race against time: Rescue efforts continue amidst mounting earthquake casualties in Myanmar
David Rising
The Associated Press
BANGKOK—Rescue workers saved a 63-year-old woman from the rubble of a building in Myanmar’s capital on Tuesday, but hope was fading of finding many more survivors of the violent earthquake that killed more than 2,700 people, compounding a humanitarian crisis caused by a civil war.
Death toll numbers forecast to increase
The fire department in Naypyitaw said the woman was successfully pulled from the rubble 91 hours after being buried when the building collapsed in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit midday Friday. Experts say the likelihood of finding survivors drops dramatically after 72 hours.
THE head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, told a forum for relief donations in Naypyitaw that 2,719 people have now been found dead, with 4,521 others injured and 441 missing, Myanmar’s state MRTV television reported.
He said Friday’s earthquake was the second most powerful in the country’s recorded history after a magnitude 8 quake east of Mandalay in May 1912.
The casualty figures are widely expected to rise. The earthquake hit a wide swath of the country, leaving many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaging roads and bridges, making the full extent of the devastation hard to assess.
Most of the reports so far have come from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, which was near the epicenter of the earthquake, and Naypyitaw, the capital.
“The needs are massive, and they are rising by the hour,” said Julia Rees, UNICEF’s deputy representative for Myanmar.
Myanmar’s fire department said 403 people have been rescued in Mandalay and 259 bodies have been found so far. In one incident, 50 Buddhist monks who were taking a religious exam in a monastery were killed when the building collapsed, and 150 more are thought to be buried in the rubble.
Structural damage is extensive THE World Health Organization said more
than 10,000 buildings overall are known to have collapsed or been severely damaged by the quake.
The earthquake also rocked neighboring Thailand, causing a high-rise building under construction to collapse and burying many workers.
Two bodies were pulled from the rubble Monday and another was recovered Tuesday, but dozens were still missing. Overall, there were 22 people killed and 34 injured in Bangkok, primarily at the construction site.
In Myanmar, search and rescue efforts across the affected area paused briefly at midday Tuesday as people stood for a minute in silent tribute to the dead.
Relief efforts moving at a sluggish pace Foreign aid workers have been arriving slowly to help in the rescue efforts, but progress lagged due to a lack of heavy machinery in many places.
In one site in Naypyitaw on Tuesday, workers formed a human chain, passing chunks of brick and concrete out hand-byhand from the ruins of a collapsed building.
The state Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported Tuesday that a team of Chinese rescuers saved four people the day before from the ruins of an apartment complex. They included a 5-year-old and a pregnant woman who had been trapped for more than 60 hours.
It also reported that two teenagers were able to crawl out of the rubble of the same building using their cellphone flashlights to
help guide them. Rescue workers were then able to use details from what they told them to locate their grandmother and sibling.
International rescue teams from several countries are on the scene, including from Russia, China, India, the United Arab Emirates and several Southeast Asian countries.
A small US Agency for International Development disaster assessment team arrived Tuesday to determine how best to respond given limited US resources due to the slashing of the foreign aid budget and dismantling of the agency as an independent operation.
A US official said the three-person team had waited for visas before making the trip from neighboring Thailand following a weekend decision to provide $2 million in emergency assistance to Myanmar. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the team’s arrival has not yet been publicly announced.
Aid pledges pouring in as officials warn of disease risk MEANTIME , multiple countries have pledged millions in assistance to help Myanmar and humanitarian aid organizations with the monumental task ahead.
Even before the earthquake, more than 3 million people had been displaced from their homes by Myanmar’s brutal civil war, and nearly 20 million were in need,
according to the U.N. Many were already lacking in basic medical care and standard vaccinations, and the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure by the earthquake and the movement of people into overcrowded shelters raises the risk of disease outbreaks, warned the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. “Vulnerability to respiratory infections, skin diseases, vector-borne illnesses such as dengue fever, and vaccine-preventable diseases like measles is escalating,” OCHA said in its latest report.
The onset of monsoon season also a worry SHELTER is also a major problem, especially with the monsoon season looming. Since the earthquake, many people have been sleeping outside, either because homes were destroyed or out of fear of aftershocks.
Civil war complicates disaster relief
MYANMAR’S military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into significant armed resistance and a brutal civil war. Government forces have lost control of
See “Myanmar,” A7
Trump to announce ‘reciprocal’ tariffs, risking economic downturn and damaged alliances
By Josh Boak The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—After weeks of White House hype and public anxiety, President Donald Trump is set Wednesday to announce a barrage of self-described “reciprocal” tariffs on friend and foe alike.
The new tariffs—coming on what Trump has called “Liberation Day”—is a bid to boost US manufacturing and punish other countries for what he has said are years of unfair trade practices. But by most economists’ assessments, the risky move threatens to plunge the economy into a downturn and mangle decadesold alliances.
The White House is exuding confidence despite the political and financial gamble being undertaken.
“April 2, 2025, will go down as one of the most important days in modern American history,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at Tuesday’s briefing while adding that the new tariffs will take effect immediately.
ditional $3,400 to $4,200.
The administration’s premise is that manufacturers will quickly increase domestic production and create new factory jobs—and the White House is expressing confidence that Trump’s approach is absolutely correct.
“They’re not going to be wrong,” Leavitt said. “It is going to work. And the president has a brilliant team of advisers who have been studying these issues for decades. And we are focused on restoring the golden age of America and making America a manufacturing superpower.”
essentially ripped off the United States with a mix of tariffs and other trade barriers.
The flip side, of course, is that Americans also have the incomes to choose to buy designer gowns by French fashion houses and autos from German manufacturers, whereas World Bank data show the EU has lower incomes per capita than the United States.
“Europe has not started this confrontation,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “We do not necessarily want to retaliate but, if it is necessary, we have a strong plan to retaliate and we will use it.”
None of the warning signs about a falling stock market or consumer sentiment turning morose have caused the administration to publicly second-guess its strategy.
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has suggested that the new tariffs would raise $600 billion annually, which would be the largest tax increase since World War II. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told lawmakers that the tariffs would be capped and could be negotiated downward by other countries, according to the office of Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla. But the White House has yet to confirm policy details, despite Trump saying on Monday that he had made his decision.
Importers would likely pass along some of the cost of the taxes on to consumers. The Budget Lab at Yale University estimates that a 20 percent universal tariff would cost the average household an ad -
The reciprocal tariffs Trump plans to announce follow similar recent announcements of 25 percent taxes on auto imports; levies against China, Canada and Mexico; and expanded tariffs on steel and aluminum. Trump has also put tariffs against countries that import oil from Venezuela and plans separate import taxes on pharmaceutical drugs, lumber, copper and computer chips.
The bold optimism has done little to reassure the public or allies who see the import taxes as a threat.
Based on the possibility of broad 20 percent tariffs that have been floated by some White House aides, most analyses see an economy tarnished by higher prices and stagnation. US economic growth—as measured by gross domestic product—would be roughly a percentage point lower, and clothing, oil, automobiles, housing, groceries and even insurance would cost more, the Budget Lab analysis found.
Trump would single-handedly be applying these tariffs, since he has ways of legally doing so without congressional approval. That makes it easy for Democratic lawmakers and policymakers to criticize the Republican administration, if the uncertainty expressed by businesses and declining consumer sentiment are, in fact, signs of trouble to come.
Heather Boushey, who served as a member of the Biden White
House’s Council of Economic Advisers, noted that the less aggressive tariffs Trump imposed during his first term failed to stir the manufacturing renaissance he promised voters.
“We are not seeing indications of the boom that the president promised,” Boushey said. “It’s a failed strategy.”
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the tariffs were fundamentally a way for Trump to raise revenues in order to pay for his planned extensions of income tax cuts that disproportionately favor millionaires and billionaires.
“Almost everything they do, including tariffs, it seems to me, is aimed at getting those tax cuts for the wealthy,” Schumer said Tuesday on the Senate floor.
Even Republicans who trust Trump’s instincts have acknowledged that the tariffs could be
disruptive to an economy with an otherwise healthy 4.1 percent unemployment rate.
“We’ll see how it all develops,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “It may be rocky in the beginning. But I think that this will make sense for Americans and help all Americans.”
Longtime trading partners are preparing their own countermeasures. Canada has already imposed some in response to the 25 percent tariffs that Trump tied to the trafficking of fentanyl. The European Union, in response to the steel and aluminum tariffs, put taxes on 26 billion euros’ worth ($28 billion) of US goods, including on bourbon, which prompted Trump to threaten a 200 percent tariff on European alcohol.
Many allies feel they have been reluctantly drawn into a confrontation by Trump, who routinely says that friends and foes have
Because Trump has hyped his tariffs without providing specifics, he has provided a deeper sense of uncertainty for the world, a sign that the economic slowdown could possibly extend beyond US borders to other nations that would see one person to blame.
Ray Sparnaay, general manager of JE Fixture & Tool, a Canadian tool and die business that sits across the Detroit River, said the uncertainty has crushed his company’s ability to make plans.
“There’s going to be tariffs implemented. We just don’t know at this point,” he said Monday. “That’s one of the biggest problems we’ve had probably the last—well, since November—is the uncertainty. It’s basically slowed all of our quoting processes, business that we hope to secure has been stalled.”
The Associated Press reporters Lisa Mascaro in Washington and Mike Householder in Oldcastle, Ontario, contributed to this report.
Susan Crawford defeats Trump and Musk-backed candidate in Wisconsin Supreme Court election
MBy Scott Bauer The Associated Press
ADISON, Wis.—The Democraticbacked candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court defeated a challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday, touting her victory as a win against powerful interests and cementing a liberal majority for at least three more years.
Susan Crawford, a Dane County judge who led legal fights to protect union power and abortion rights and to oppose voter ID, stood on stage surrounded by the court’s four current liberal justices and celebrated her win as a victory for democracy while also taking a dig at Musk.
“Growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I would be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin,” Crawford said. “And we won.” Musk and groups he backed had spent more than $21 million in an effort to defeat Crawford. Musk even traveled to Wisconsin two days before the election to personally hand over $1 million checks to two voters.
“Today Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our fair elections and our Supreme Court,” Crawford said in her victory speech. “And Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price, our courts are not for sale.” Crawford defeated Republican-backed
Brad Schimel in a race that broke records for spending, was the highest-turnout Wisconsin Supreme Court election ever and became a proxy fight for the nation’s political battles.
Overnight, Musk posted on his X platform that “The long con of the left is corruption of the judiciary.” In another comment, he seemed to take solace from voters’ approval to elevate the state’s photo ID requirement from state law to constitutional amendment.
Trump, Musk and other Republicans lined up behind Schimel, a former state attorney general. Democrats including former President Barack Obama and billionaire megadonor George Soros backed Crawford.
The first major election in the country since November was seen as a litmus test of how voters feel about Trump’s first months back in office and the role played by Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency has torn through federal agencies and laid off thousands of workers. Musk traveled to Wisconsin on Sunday to make a pitch for Schimel and personally hand out to $1 million checks to voters.
Crawford was beating Schimel by more than 8 points, based on unofficial results. Turnout exceeded 52 percent of the voting age population, topping the record set in 2023 of nearly 40 percent. Spending was on its way to surpass $100 million.
Schimel told his supporters he had conceded to Crawford, leading to yells of anger. One woman began to chant, “Cheater,
cheater!”
“No,” Schimel said. “You’ve got to accept the results.”
Schimel played bass with his classic rock cover band at his election night party both before and after conceding defeat, covering songs by the Allman Brothers, Tom Petty and others.
A state race with nationwide significance
THE court can decide election-related laws and settle disputes over future election outcomes.
“Wisconsin’s a big state politically, and the Supreme Court has a lot to do with elections in Wisconsin,” Trump said Monday. “Winning Wisconsin’s a big deal, so therefore the Supreme Court choice … it’s a big race.”
Crawford embraced the backing of Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights advocates, running ads that highlighted Schimel’s opposition to the procedure. She also attacked Schimel for his ties to Musk and Republicans, referring to Musk as “Elon Schimel” during a debate.
Schimel’s campaign tried to portray Crawford as weak on crime and puppet of Democrats who, if elected, would push to redraw congressional district boundary lines to hurt Republicans and repeal a GOP-backed state law that took collective bargaining rights away from most public workers.
Voters in Eau Claire seemed to respond to both messages. Jim Seeger, a 68-year-old retiree, said he voted for Schimel because he was concerned about redistricting.
Jim Hazelton, a 68-year-old disabled veteran, said he had planned to abstain but voted for Crawford after Musk—whom he called a “pushy billionaire”—and Trump got involved.
“He’s cutting everything,” Hazelton said of Musk. “People need these things he’s cutting.”
What’s on the court’s agenda?
CRAWFORD’S win keeps the court under a 4-3 liberal majority, as it has been since 2023. A liberal justice is not up for election again until April 2028, ensuring liberals will either maintain or increase their hold on the court until then.
Crawford thanked each of the current liberal justices and hugged each of them after her win. One of the four is retiring, creating the open seat she won.
The court likely will be deciding cases on abortion, public sector unions, voting rules and congressional district boundaries. Who controls the court also could factor into how it might rule on any future voting challenge in the perennial presidential battleground state, which raised the stakes of the race for national Republicans and Democrats.
Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, campaigned for Schimel in the closing weeks and said electing him was essential
to protecting the Republican agenda. Trump endorsed Schimel just 11 days before the election.
Last year the court declined to take up a Democratic-backed challenge to congressional lines, but Schimel and Musk have said that if Crawford won, the court would redraw congressional districts to make them more favorable to Democrats.
Musk pushed that message on election day, both on TV and on X, urging people to cast ballots in the final hours.
Schimel, who leaned into his Trump endorsement in the closing days of the race, said he would not be beholden to the president or Musk.
Crawford benefitted from campaign stops by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the vice presidential nominee last year, and money from billionaire megadonors including Soros and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
Record-breaking donations
THE contest was the most expensive court race on record in the US, with spending nearing $99 million, according to a tally by the Brennan Center for Justice. That broke the previous record of $51 million record, for the state’s Supreme Court race in 2023. Musk contributed $3 million to the campaign, while groups he funded poured in another $18 million. Musk also gave $1 million each to three voters who signed a petition he circulated against “activist” judges.
Schimel leaned into his support from Trump while saying he would not be beholden to the president or Musk. Democrats have centered their messaging on the spending by Musk-funded groups.
“Ultimately I think it’s going to help Susan Crawford, because people do not want to see Elon Musk buying election after election after election,” Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler said Monday. “If it works here, he’s going to do it all over the country.”
Voters weigh in on Musk and reasons for whom they backed AT a polling place in Waunakee near Madison, 39-year-old Iraq War veteran Taylor Sullivan said he voted for Schimel for no reasons connected to Trump or Musk, but rather “because I support the police as much as Schimel does.”
In Milwaukee, 22-year-old college student Kenneth Gifford said he feels that Trump has done damage to American institutions and that Musk is trying to buy votes.
“I want an actual, respectable democracy,” he said.
The Associated Press writers Christine Fernando in Pewaukee, Wisconsin; Ali Swenson in New York; Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta; Thomas Beaumont in Madison, Wisconsin; and Mark Vancleave in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.
Turkey launches probe into opposition’s boycott of pro-government businesses
ISTANBUL—Istanbul’s public prosecutor’s office Tuesday launched an investigation into recent opposition calls for a boycott of pro-government businesses following the arrest of the city’s mayor.
The prosecutor’s office determined that “divisive rhetoric” on traditional and social media aimed at hindering the economic activity of a segment of society constituted “hatred and discrimination” and “incitement to hatred and hostility,” the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Anadolu added that the new investigation is to be merged with ongoing investigations into physical and verbal violence committed against certain businesses.
Last month saw Turkey’s largest protests in more than a decade, following the arrest of Istanbul’s opposition Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Imamoglu was jailed pending trial on corruption charges that many see as politically motivated. The government insists the judiciary is independent and free of political interference.
Ozgur Ozel, the head of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, to which Imamoglu belongs, held multiple rallies attended by hundreds of thousands to protest the arrest. Criticizing pro-government media for not covering the rallies, Ozel called for a boycott of over a dozen companies that ran advertisements with the outlets.
Mexico’s security chief quietly forms elite force to take on the drug cartels
By María Verza The Associated Press
MEXICO CITY—Six years ago Mexico’s president disbanded the country’s Federal Police and handed security responsibilities fully to the military. Now, his successor has quietly begun to build an elite civilian investigative and special operations force to fight the drug cartels.
A website set up on March 25 listing the companies to be boycotted was blocked by court order two days later.
301 university students who were rounded up in the protests.
On Tuesday, hours before the prosecutor’s office launched its investigation, Ozel posted on social media a call for a general boycott ending all purchases on Wednesday. The boycott is in protest of the arrests of both Imamoglu and
Meanwhile, Trade Minister Omer Bolat, referring to the boycott as “economic sabotage,” told Anadolu that any businesses losing money due to the calls for a boycott will be able to sue for damages. AP
Booker sets record with marathon Senate speech; will it rally anti-Trump resistance?
By Mike Catalini & Stephen Groves
WThe Associated Press
ASHINGTON—In a feat of determination, New Jersey
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker held the Senate floor with a marathon speech that lasted all night and into Tuesday night, setting a historic mark to show Democrats’ resistance to President Donald Trump’s sweeping actions.
Booker took to the Senate floor on Monday evening, saying he would remain there as long as he was “physically able.” It wasn’t until 25 hours and 5 minutes later that the 55-year-old senator, a former football tight end, finished speaking and limped off the floor. It set the record for the longest continuous Senate floor speech in the chamber’s history. Booker was assisted by fellow Democrats who gave him a break from speaking by asking him questions on the Senate floor.
It was a remarkable show of stamina as
Democrats try to show their frustrated supporters that they are doing everything possible to contest Trump’s agenda. Yet Booker also provided a moment of historical solace for a party searching for its way forward: By standing on the Senate floor for more than a night and day and refusing to leave, he had broken a record set 68 years ago by then Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, a segregationist and southern Democrat, to filibuster the advance of the Civil Rights Act in 1957.
“I’m here despite his speech,” said Booker, who spoke openly on the Senate floor of his roots as the descendant of both slaves and slave-owners. He added, “I’m here because as powerful as he was, the people are more powerful.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the first Black party leader in Congress, slipped into the Senate chamber to watch Booker on Tuesday afternoon. He called it “an incredibly powerful moment” because Booker had broken the record of a segregationist and was “fighting to preserve
the American way of life and our democracy.”
Still, Booker centered his speech on a call for his party to find its resolve, saying, “We all must look in the mirror and say, ‘We will do better.’”
“These are not normal times in our nation,” Booker said as he began the speech Monday evening. “And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate. The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent, and we all must do more to stand against them.”
Booker warns of a ‘looming constitutional crisis’
SHIFTING his feet, then leaning on his podium, Booker railed for hours against cuts to Social Security offices led by Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. He listed the impacts of Trump’s early orders and spoke to concerns that broader cuts to the social safety net could be coming, though Republican lawmakers say the program won’t be touched.
Booker also read what he said were letters from constituents. One writer was alarmed by the Republican president’s talk of annexing Greenland and Canada and a “looming constitutional crisis.”
Throughout the day Tuesday, Booker got help from Democratic colleagues, who gave him a break from speaking to ask him questions. Booker yielded for questions but made sure to say he would not give up the floor. He read that line from a piece of paper to ensure he did not slip and inadvertently end his speech. He stayed standing to comply with Senate rules.
“Your strength, your fortitude, your clarity has just been nothing short of amazing and all of America is paying attention to what you’re saying,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said as he asked Booker a question on the Senate floor. “All of America needs to know there’s so many problems, the disastrous actions of this administration.”
As Booker stood for hour after hour, he appeared to have nothing more than a couple glasses of water to sustain him. He later told reporters that he had fasted for days before the speech and stopped drinking fluids the night before.
He suffered through cramps as the day wore on, he said. Yet his voice grew strong with emotion as his speech stretched into the evening, and House members from the Congressional Black Caucus stood on the edge of the Senate floor in support “Moments like this require us to be more
creative or more imaginative, or just more persistent and dogged and determined,” Booker said.
Booker’s cousin and brother, as well as Democratic aides, watched from the chamber’s gallery. Sen. Chris Murphy accompanied Booker on the Senate floor throughout the day and night. Murphy was returning the comradeship that Booker had given to him in 2016 when the Connecticut Democrat held the floor for almost 15 hours to argue for gun control legislation.
His Senate floor speech breaks Thurmond’s record STILL hours away from breaking Thurmond’s record, Booker remarked Tuesday afternoon, “I don’t have that much gas in the tank.”
Yet as anticipation in the Capitol grew that he would supplant Thurmond, who died in 2003, as the record holder for the longest Senate floor speech, Democratic senators filled the chamber to listen and the Senate gallery filled with onlookers. The chamber exploded in applause as Schumer announced that Booker had broken the record.
Booker told reporters afterward that he had thought of Thurmond’s speech ever since he arrived in the Senate, calling it a “strange shadow to hang over this institution.”
Throughout his determined performance, Booker repeatedly invoked the civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis of Georgia on Tuesday, arguing that overcoming opponents like Thurmond would require more than just talking.
“You think we got civil rights one day because Strom Thurmond—after filibustering for 24 hours—you think we got civil rights because he came to the floor one day and said, ‘I’ve seen the light,’” Booker said. “No, we got civil rights because people marched for it, sweat for it and John Lewis bled for it.”
Booker’s speech was not a filibuster, which is a speech meant to halt the advance of a specific piece of legislation. Instead, Booker’s performance was a broader critique of Trump’s agenda, meant to hold up the Senate’s business and draw attention to what Democrats are doing to contest the president. Without a majority in either congressional chamber, Democrats have been almost completely locked out of legislative power but are turning to procedural maneuvers to try to thwart Republicans.
Catalini reported from Trenton, N.J. Associated Press writer Matt Brown contributed.
President Claudia Sheinbaum had already shown a willingness early in her presidency to move away from former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s oftcriticized “hugs, not bullets” strategy. It focused on addressing the social roots of crime rather than directly confronting Mexico’s powerful cartels.
Sheinbaum’s security chief, Omar García Harfuch, is drawing on his law enforcement contacts— mostly from the former ranks of the Federal Police—to claw back security capabilities from the armed forces with a civilian force under his direct command.
The government has yet to formally announce the new National Operations Unit, known by its Spanish initials UNO, but its existence is an open secret among former members of the Federal Police, where García Harfuch started his career.
Three Mexican officials, all of whom requested anonymity to speak about the still unannounced force, confirmed its existence to The Associated Press.
Security analyst David Saucedo, who has spoken with people who have joined the force, said he believes García Harfuch’s main objective is to have an armed force that allows him to meet demands from Washington.
UNO takes shape
THE unit began to form shortly after Sheinbaum took office and it hopes to have 800 members by the end of the year, said one federal official, who is familiar with many of the unit’s details.
On Monday, while García Harfuch was in Washington meeting with the Trump administration, the security ministry published a call for college graduates to make up “the first generation of investigative and intelligence agents,” saying only they would be part of a specialized group to strengthen the country’s security.
UNO will have three branches distributed geographically across Mexico, as well as a high-impact team that will be the “elite of the elite,” the federal official said.
Its current members are mostly former Federal Police and members of the special operations team García Harfuch created when he was Mexico City’s police chief. Most have previously received training from security forces from the United States, Colombia, Spain or France.
His challenge is rebuilding the trust of his US counterparts after López Obrador limited US agents’ movements in Mexico and do it as President Donald Trump pressures Mexico to step up the fight against fentanyl trafficking.
García Harfuch was initially a “toothless tiger,” who was frequently denied resources, information and investigative files by other security entities, said Saucedo, based in Guanajuato state, Mexico’s most violent. UNO puts an elite force under his direct command. The Mexican federal official denied that UNO’s objective was to satisfy Trump, but noted the unit was involved in the unprecedented delivery of 29 high-profile cartel figures to the United States at the height of negotiations between the two countries to suspend threatened tariffs. They were pulled out of prisons all over Mexico, assembled and sent to the US without incident.
The challenge: avoid corruption SPECIAL operations forces, be it from the Navy, Army, Federal Police or state police, have a checkered history in Mexico, having been involved in many scandals and abuses of power, extrajudicial killings and infiltration by cartels.
“There have been a lot of cases that were bad,” said the previously quoted federal official, who added that there were also honest police. He said the security ministry is emphasizing stricter screening, exhaustive background investigations and better pay once they’re in.
García Harfuch’s influence also extends to states where Sheinbaum’s party holds power. People he trusts are taking key security positions and UNO will train state special operations teams that are also made up of many former Federal Police.
The southern state of Chiapas, where Mexico’s most powerful cartels are battling for control of smuggling routes, announced a special operations force in December called the Pakal with some 500 members. Two members told the AP they were exFederal Police and did eight months of specialized training to join the Pakal.
But doubts remain. For Saucedo, since the new elite force doesn’t yet have effective internal controls and accountability mechanisms, “there’s no guarantee that this elite group won’t commit the excesses committed by other special operations groups.”
The Associated Press writer Edgar H. Clemente in Tapachula, Mexico contributed to this report.
A controversial past SHORTLY after taking office, López Obrador replaced the Federal Police with a new force, the National Guard, that he sold to the public as civilian, but that was always led by and made up of the armed forces. He lambasted the Federal Police as too corrupt to save and made Mexico’s former security chief Genaro García Luna, then facing trial in the US and eventually convicted of working for the Sinaloa cartel, the poster child. He cut funding for training and equipping local police. What followed were six years of what critics decried as militarization that effectively concentrated unprecedented authority in the hands of the armed forces. Despite that, levels of violence remained stubbornly high and critics said the cartels grew stronger, fueled by soaring revenue from fentanyl. One of the main criticisms of the National Guard and military was that while they had numbers and firepower, they did not have the investigative skills needed to dismantle large criminal organizations.
PEOPLE listen to speeches during a rally called by Republican People’s Party or CHP against the arrest of Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, March 29, 2025. AP/FRANCISCO SECO
PHL rice imports seen hitting 4MMT this year
TBy Ada Pelonia @adapelonia
HE Philippines could import as much as 4 million metric tons (MMT) of rice this year, lower than the previous year’s record, as local paddy rice output is expected to recover, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said rice imports will decline this year after shipments of the food staple from other countries reached an all-time high of 4.8 MMT in 2024.
“The reasonable level of rice imports [this year is between] 3.8 MMT to 4 MMT,” De Mesa told reporters in a press briefing on Wednesday.
Data from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) showed that rice arrivals as of March 27 stood at 804,347.09 metric tons (MT), 32.21 percent lower than the 1.19 MMT recorded in the first quarter of the previous year.
The country’s rice arrivals have been on a downward trend, with
COCOA and coffee futures climbed in New York on heightened supply fears just as attentions shifts to potential impacts of a trade war on agriculture markets.
Cocoa farmers in West Africa are entering the mid-crop season with expectations of a smaller harvest from top grower Ivory Coast. A similar sentiment is stoking coffee markets, with the harvest that’s approaching in No. 1 producer Brazil set to be hurt by drought and heat. Both cocoa and arabica futures had their biggest intraday advances since March 24.
Prices are also reflecting fears of broader supply disruptions in commodities markets, said consultant Judy Ganes. That’s amid uncertainty about US President Donald Trump’s tariff plans.
Even as most stakeholders don’t expect specific tariffs to target coffee markets, traders are concerned that buyers in the US could accelerate purchases on fears of higher costs ahead, said Guilherme Morya, Rabobank analyst. That’s adding tension to a supply chain that’s already been suffering from shipping delays since the start of the Red Sea crisis.
Canadian canola CANADIAN canola might be the crop with the most to lose from President Donald Trump’s sweeping reciprocal tariffs due Wednesday that are set to shake up demand.
The tiny oilseed, which grows from a small plant with bright yellow flowers and gets its name from a combination of the words “Canada” and “ola,” for oil, is already facing tariffs from China while US levies are looming. Together, the top two importers brought in canola products worth C$12.6 billion ($8.8 billion) in 2024, according to the Canola Council of Canada.
“The situation we are facing now is pretty unique,” said Chris Davison, president of the council. “This is the first time we’re facing a tariff-driven situation with our two largest markets at the same time.” Further clouding demand is burgeoning anti-seed oil sentiment, with newly confirmed US Health and Human Services
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promoting
beef tallow as a healthier alternative to oils made from crushing seeds such as canola and soybeans.
The demand uncertainty is coming just before the spring planting season. While many growers have already bought the seed they expect to plant, there’s still time to switch to crops such as wheat, soybeans, corn or lentils, according to Lawrence Klusa, president of Winnipeg-based advisory firm Seges Markets.
Canada could potentially ship corn to Mexico if the Latin American country seeks to retaliate against the US, its top corn supplier, Klusa said.
Canola futures climbed Tuesday in New York, lifted in part on expectations of better demand in the US for biofuels—and speculation that Trump may give exceptions for some products or push off the tariff deadline further into the year.
“The market is indicating they don’t expect a lot to happen,” Klusa said. “It’s mostly a wait-and-see. The consistency on the application of tariffs has not been there.”
If tariffs are avoided, there’s still worries of consumer backlash against seed oils. Some restaurants including Steak ’n Shake switched their frying oil to tallow earlier this year.
Dale Durchholz, an Illinois-based grain analyst, has cut down on seed oils in his own diet and says demand is going back to animal fats just like it swung away from tallow and butter in the decades after World War II.
“A longer-term shift has been initiated,” Durchholz said. “We are on the leading edge of seeing people change the way they eat.”
Farmers are expected to plant less canola and boost acres of wheat this spring, according to a Statistics Canada outlook on March 12. If realized, total acres of 21.6 million would be the second straight annual decline. Overall, acres have plateaued after hitting a peak of 23 million in 2017.
Manitoba farmer Chuck Fossay is sticking with his crop rotations for now and won’t plant less canola despite the demand concerns.
“It’s just a question of if we’re shipping canola to the US or finding new markets,” he said. Bloomberg News
the monthly average shipment settling at around 270,000 MT this year from nearly 400,000 MT recorded a year ago.
“If this trend continues, rice imports will definitely decline.”
Of the volume that arrived in the Philippines, BPI data indicated that 646,043.23 MT came from Vietnam, the country’s top supplier. This was followed by Thailand, accounting for 68,852.75 MT.
The Philippines also received stocks from other countries, such as Pakistan (67,803.68 MT), Myanmar (11,575 MT), and India (7,531.66 MT).
Last year, stunted palay output, lower tariffs, and anti-smuggling efforts catapulted the country’s rice imports to an all-time high of 4.8 MMT.
The DA said it expects palay harvest to breach the 20 MMTmark again this year and hit 20.46 MMT. The country’s palay output
stood at 19.09 MMT in 2024, lower than the record harvest of 20.06 MMT in 2023.
Meanwhile, an international report recently said the coun -
try’s rice imports will decline in marketing year (MY) 20252026 on the back of a projected rebound in local production, higher carryover stock, and the
government’s rice initiatives.
The United States Department of Agriculture–Foreign Agricultural Service in Manila (USDAFAS Manila) projects rice shipments to fall by 1.9 percent to 5.2 MMT in MY 2025-26 from 5.3 MMT in the previous MY.
“[This is] due to the forecast increase in local production, higher stock carryover from MY 2024-25, and the imposition of the MSRP on imported premium rice,” its latest report read.
Furthermore, the international agency also forecasts milled rice production to increase by 2.1 percent to 12.25 MMT in MY 2025-26 from the 12 MMT recorded in the previous MY.
The USDA-FAS Manila attributed this projected rise in production to favorable weather conditions and an increase in government funding for the rice industry through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.
DA revising minimum access volume rules for pork
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) is amending the minimum access volume (MAV) rules for pork as the scheme is supposedly being exploited by some accredited importers.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the DA Policy and Planning Office is working on the revision of the rules. The amended guidelines may be released by October.
“Our MAV rules were written in 1996 and when I read it, I found a lot of room for improvement. So, we have to revise the MAV.”
Pork imported via the MAV scheme enjoys a lower tariff of 15 percent for shipments falling under the in-quota allocation while
the out-quota allocation is slapped a tariff of 25 percent. The MAV allocation stood at 55,000 metric tons (MT).
Of the 130 quota holders, the DA chief said he found that 47 account for 80 percent of the total allocation, while 22 out of 47 have cornered 70 percent of that volume.
“In reality, 22 MAV quota holders account for 55 percent of the total volume.”
He added that many of the MAV quotes are often “reused,” inflating the total import volume.
“The sad part about this is that consumers don’t benefit from the reduced tariff.”
The DA chief said he is keen on
increasing the allocation of meat processors to 40,000 MT, while the balance will be set aside for the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI), allowing it to intervene in the market to stabilize pork prices.
The DA implemented a maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for pork, with P300 per kilo set for fresh carcass or “sabit ulo,” P350 per kilo for kasim and pigue, and P380 per kilo for liempo last March 10.
Retail prices of pork ham in Metro Manila markets range from P330 to P400 per kilo, while pork belly is being sold at P360 to P470 per kilo, based on the latest government price monitoring report.
Earlier, an industry group said
the allocation for processors under the proposed MAV for pork would ensure stable prices of processed meat products.
“This [allocation] will help us maintain stable prices,” Jet Ambalada, director of the Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (Pampi), said in a statement. “As I’ve mentioned, the price of hotdogs has remained steady for over a decade, and a can of luncheon meat is now even cheaper than a can of sardines of the same size.”
In 2024, the Philippines imported 733,729 MT of pork, 23.96 percent higher than the 591,888 MT recorded in the previous year, government data showed. Ada Pelonia
Govt urged to probe rise in wholesale sugar prices in Metro Manila
THE Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) should investigate the spike in the wholesale prices of sugar, according to an industry group.
The National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) expressed concern over the sharp rise in wholesale prices of raw and refined sugar in Metro Manila.
“We don’t understand why wholesale prices have escalated to as high as P3,500 per bag for raw sugar and P3,950 for refined in Metro Manila,” NFSP President Enrique Rojas told the BusinessMirror
“This runs contrary to the present movement of millsite prices in Negros, where a substantial majority of sugar comes from.”
Figures from the SRA indicated that the average wholesale quotation of raw sugar in Metro Manila stood at
‘Technology
By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie
CITING the Philippines’ global competitiveness in mango production, a House deputy speaker said technology is crucial to promoting the country’s mango-growing industry.
Deputy Speaker Camille Villar made a statement after attending the city’s Mango-Bamboo Festival in San Carlos, Pangasinan, on
P3,240.67 per bag as of March 21, from the P2,971.43 per bag recorded a year ago. The highest price registered was P3,500 per bag.
In terms of the wholesale prices of refined sugar, SRA data showed a 3.43 percent increase to P3,706.33 per bag as of March 21 from P3,583.57 per bag a year ago. The highest quotation recorded was P3,950 per bag.
Rojas said it is “perplexing” that sugar prices in Metro Manila are rising, while millsite prices are cooling down.
Millgate price of raw sugar stood at P2,781.78 per 50-kilo bag as of March 16, slightly higher than the P2,774.74 recorded in the previous year, based on SRA data. The average millgate price stood at P2,900 per bag in February.
“Sugar farmers are often blamed for high sugar prices,
but a comparison of millsite and Metro Manila prices clearly shows that farmers are not the beneficiaries of this recent price spike in Manila,” Rojas said.
“It is high time for the government to step in and probe who is profiting from this suspicious sugar price hikes.”
Meanwhile, SRA data showed that the average retail price of raw sugar in Metro Manila markets as of March 21 reached P77.08 per kilo, which indicated an uptick from the previous year’s P76.08 per kilo.
The average retail quotations of refined sugar settled at P83.85 per kilo in the reference period, slightly lower than the P85 per kilo a year ago.
Earlier, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said he remains hopeful that sugar output would hit the agency’s
forecast of 1.78 million metric tons (MMT) for the current crop year.
“The only thing that keeps us hoping [that we’ll reach the projected output] is that the northern part of Negros is delayed in harvesting because of the weather,” Azcona said in a previous interview. “So, if that’s true, then we have a chance to hit 1.78 MMT.”
SRA data indicated that raw sugar production as of March 16 reached 1.34 MMT, about 20 percent lower than the 1.69 MMT recorded a year ago. Azcona also said the agency will defer from issuing an import order until May or June when the sugarcane industry is on the final stretch of the milling season.
“Until we get the accurate production data, we cannot come up with an import sugar order yet.” Ada Pelonia
key to enhancing local mango production’
Wednesday.
Villar, a senatorial candidate, pledged to support initiatives like the Department of Agriculture’s “High Value Crops Development” program, aimed at improving orchard management and fruit processing through technological advancements.
She advocated for enhancing mango fruit processing technology to ensure year-round availability. “This industry has immense
potential, and we can do more to continuously improve mango production, especially here in San Carlos, through enhanced knowledge in production, orchard management, and processing technology.”
Citing the widespread global consumption of mangoes, Villar noted the Philippines’ position as the 10th largest mango producer worldwide.
“Mango is the second most consumed fruit globally, making
your industry here in San Carlos something to be very proud of.” She further emphasized the industry’s potential to provide sustenance and improve livelihoods.
She reiterated that the unique sweetness of Philippine mangoes, particularly carabao mangoes, warrants strong policy support to enhance production and quality. Villar also commended the city government’s focus on commercial mango production.
Cocoa, coffee jump most in a week on mounting supply fears
A MAN carries a sack of rice in Manila on February 13, 2022. BUSINESSMIRROR FILE PHOTO
Supreme Court to hear arguments on legality of 2025 national budget
THE flood of petitions filed before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) highlights the critical role of the judiciary in safeguarding the fundamental law of the land. When the legislature and executive branches violate the Constitution through laws or actions, the courts have a solemn duty to intervene and restore constitutional order. (Read the BusinessMirror story: “3rd petition to declare GAA ’25 unconstitutional filed before high court,” April 1, 2025).
The petitions filed by various civil society groups and legislators raise serious concerns about the 2025 GAA’s compliance with key constitutional provisions. Foremost is the allegation that the budget allocation for the Department of Education (DepEd) does not truly reflect the “highest budgetary priority” mandated by the Constitution for education. The petitioners argue that the government has engaged in creative accounting by lumping in the budgets of various institutions like the military and police academies to artificially inflate the education sector’s allocation, while still prioritizing infrastructure over schools.
Additionally, the petitions contend that the 2025 GAA violates constitutional requirements on the appropriations process, such as the prohibition on increasing budget items beyond the President’s recommendations and the need for a complete and transparent GAA bill. The zero subsidy for PhilHealth is also cited as unconstitutional.
These are weighty allegations that deserve the careful scrutiny of the Supreme Court. The justices have a responsibility to move beyond partisan concerns and prioritize a faithful interpretation of the Constitution. If the Court finds merit in the petitioners’ arguments, it must not hesitate to strike down the offending provisions of the 2025 GAA, regardless of the political consequences. This case is not just about the national budget; it is about the rule of law and the accountability of those in power. It is a reminder that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and that all actions of the government must be in accordance with it.
The Court’s decision to hear oral arguments on May 19, 2025 is a welcome sign that these concerns are being taken seriously. It is essential for the Court to conduct a thorough review of the 2025 GAA, making sure it aligns with the Constitution.
The government’s budget should reflect the genuine priorities and core values of the nation. It should be developed and implemented with full transparency, comprehensive accountability, and in accordance with the rule of law. What happens in these cases matters deeply to the Filipino people. They strike at the core of how public funds are allocated and managed, and how the government fulfills its constitutional obligations.
The Supreme Court’s decision will have far-reaching implications for the country’s development priorities and the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches. In the end, this case is a test of our democratic institutions and our commitment to upholding the supreme law of the land.
BusinessMirror
T. Anthony C. Cabangon
Lourdes M. Fernandez
Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug
Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Dennis D. Estopace
Angel R. Calso, Dionisio L. Pelayo
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Rolando M. Manangan
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‘The Risk Rules of 2025’
IJohn Mangun
OUTSIDE THE BOX
NVESTING in 2025 is like walking blindfolded through a minefield, with geopolitics, geoeconomics, and markets ready to blow you into a thousand bloody pieces. One misstep, and you are done. I have been sounding the alarm since late last year: this is the “Year of Greater Risk,” and that has never been in doubt.
In December, I laid it out. Risk is exposure to danger, harm, or loss, magnified by the odds of chaos and the resulting fallout. Geopolitics, governance, economics, and commerce are ticking time bombs while trade wars and currency crashes lurk in the shadows, primed to unleash market hell.
Earlier this year, I tied 2024’s “Year of Uncertainty”—think Trump’s reelection and South Korea’s back-toback presidential impeachments—to 2025’s new reality. Risk management and seizing opportunities are not optional now; they are your only lifeline.
The numbers scream it: Year-ToDate, Bitcoin is down 10 percent, while gold is up 15 percent. South Korea’s KOSPI climbed 6.7 percent, but Jakarta is off 12 percent. The PSE dropped 6 percent, Thailand is down 14 percent, cocoa has crashed 30 percent, and Colombia is up 25
percent—possibly fueled by cocaine cash; check the headlines. Markets are a rollercoaster. Buckle up. Let’s talk strategy survival. You either know what you are doing, or you are handing your cash to someone sharper. Start with the stock market—a beast that eats the careless for breakfast. Here is my list of stock market “Do Nots.”
Do not buy when the market is bleeding, whether stocks, property, or gold. Do not chase a negative trend as downtrends chew capital like a meat grinder, leaving you with an empty bank account and regret’s bitter taste. Do not touch a stock in a sinking sector; groups usually fall together. Do not buy below the 30week moving average, and if that average is dropping, steer clear even if the stock is above it. Volume tells the truth: do not
Investing is not a gentleman’s game. It is a street fight where rules are carved in blood, and the prize is survival. Optimism earns you nothing. Only keeping your money from bleeding into someone else’s pocket counts. In 2025, the game demands you spot the traps and dodge them, or you are buried in the minefield.
buy a stock with weak volume on the breakout. Do not guess a bottom because what looks like a steal can be a Stage 4 disaster, a one-way ticket to Broke City as 2025’s chaos tanks your portfolio with a tech crash or currency collapse. Instead, buy breakouts above resistance. The market does not forgive recklessness. This is not just stocks. If Cebu’s property market is tanking, do not play hero trying to catch the bottom. In real estate, avoid buying a condo in Bonifacio Global City after prices double unless you love overpaying while sellers laugh to the bank. Buy breakouts when they move above resistance, whether it is a stock or property showing real demand. Diversify across asset classes. It is your safety net when one market craters. Beyond stocks, the terrain shifts to real estate, bonds, commodities, and private ventures, but the dangers linger. A collapse in one will not gut you if the others hold.
Trump’s peace initiatives challenge the Western-centric order
IT is striking to see Russophobic political forces in the West and Kiev attempting to derail Donald Trump’s peace initiatives for resolving the Ukraine conflict. The election of a new White House administration, coupled with growing anti-Ukraine sentiment in the US and Europe, as well as recent Ukrainian military setbacks, collectively threaten the Western strategy of using Ukraine as a proxy to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia. These developments call into question the sustainability and effectiveness of the current Western approach to the conflict.
A cessation of hostilities would bring “peace dividends,” allowing war resources to be redirected toward economic growth. However, obstacles remain, particularly from American ultra-globalists, notably the neoliberal wing of the US Democratic Party and their European allies, who are uneasy about the “Trumpists” and their challenge to the Western-centric world order.
Trump’s priorities are clear: revitalizing the US by addressing domestic issues such as migration, unemployment, deindustrialization, and social division while shifting foreign policy toward the Western Hemisphere and the Asia-Pacific, where China is seen as the primary competitor. His stance on scaling back US support
for Ukraine has unsettled his opponents, leading them to resist his peace overtures.
A shift in Washington’s foreign policy is overdue. The Democratic Party’s global strategy has suffered major setbacks—chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, Ukraine’s military struggles, the weakening dollar, and the growing influence of BRICS. Yet, momentum for a negotiated settlement is growing. Even as Kiev demands negotiations without Moscow and insists on reclaiming lost territories, Trump’s national security adviser, M. Waltz, has dismissed the idea of removing Russia from Crimea as “unrealistic.” Trump himself, in a Mar-a-Lago press conference, pledged to end the war within six months of taking office, signaling direct engagement with President Putin. However, the so-called “deep state” resists Trump’s position, particularly his assertion that Ukraine’s Nato ambitions were a red line for Russia—one of the key factors behind the war. Leading US media outlets, including The
Research like you are Sherlock Holmes: for any property, business, or stock, dig into the people, history, and risks. Understand the investment thoroughly. If you do not know how it makes money or what can kill it, run away. An acquaintance learned this hard truth, sinking cash into a poultry farm without vetting the operator or the business. It collapsed fast. Know what you are buying or keep your money in your pocket. Liquidity bites. Real estate can lock up cash for years. Do not tie up funds you might need sooner rather than later. Balance it with bonds or CDs for steady cash flow. Hedge inflation with gold or property that holds value, especially as 2025’s chaos sends prices soaring one day and crashing the next while central banks stumble. Track trends like interest rates and geopolitical flare-ups and then adjust. Set clear goals: know when, why, and how you will cash out. Investing is not a gentleman’s game. It is a street fight where rules are carved in blood, and the prize is survival. Optimism earns you nothing. Only keeping your money from bleeding into someone else’s pocket counts. In 2025, the game demands you spot the traps and dodge them, or you are buried in the minefield.
E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis provided by AAA Southeast Equities Inc.
New York Times and The Washington Post , acknowledge growing uncertainty over Western aid to Ukraine, warning that the conflict has reached a “tipping point.” Across Europe, skepticism about continued support for Kiev is rising. Electoral losses among liberal and left-wing parties, combined with the growing influence of right-wing and centrist “realist” movements, signal shifting public sentiment. Even Poland’s Defense Minister, V. Kosiniak-Kamysz, has admitted that his country is “tired of the war in Ukraine and Ukrainians,” rejecting the idea of sending Polish peacekeepers. Desperate and cornered, the US Democratic establishment and its allies in Kiev seem poised to resort to their usual tactics — staging high-profile provocations to undermine Trump’s policies. Once again, they seek to paint him as an “agent of foreign influence” to stall his administration’s initiatives and buy time for a political comeback ahead of the 2026–2028 election cycle. Gagni” A11
Bangkok’s condo oversupply problem may worsen over quake fears
By Anuchit Nguyen
ACONDOMINIUM glut in Bangkok is set to worsen after a deadly earthquake in neighboring Myanmar damaged thousands of skyscrapers in the Thai capital, spooking prospective buyers.
The 7.7 magnitude earthquake, which killed more than 2,700 people in Myanmar, led to the collapse of an under-construction office tower in Bangkok. Authorities have also reported varying degrees of damages to about 13,000 buildings, leading to mass evacuations and safety checks.
The quake, the strongest to hit Myanmar in a century, has shaken the confidence of prospective home buyers, especially those weighing condominiums, according to real estate consultants including Colliers Thailand. That will hurt condo sales in the short term, exacerbating an oversupply in the segment in Bangkok and its suburbs, they said.
“The earthquake presents a serious challenge to Bangkok’s condominium sector, particularly as the market is already burdened by high unsold inventory” said Phattarachai Taweewong, the Research and Communication Director at Colliers Thailand.
Property developers in the greater Bangkok area were saddled with about 235,000 unsold residential units at the end of last year, the most since data dating back to 2018. Sales slumped 37% to about 53,000 units in 2024, according to the Thai Condominium Association.
“We’ve seen some condo buyers temporarily pause their search,” said Pierre Lung, sales director at real estate platform PropertyScout.
“A number of buyers are now more hesitant when it comes to high-rise buildings, especially new projects.”
Thailand’s real estate sector was hit hard during the Covid pandemic, and a raft of government incentives and tax breaks to support the sector in Southeast Asia’s secondbiggest economy have failed to revive its fortunes. Bank of Thailand last month relaxed the loan-tovalue ratio for mortgages to allow banks to lend more to the buyers, who are battling one of the highest household debt levels in Asia.
Now the fallout of the quake is likely to impact condo demand over the next three to six months, Kiatnakin Phatra Securities said.
High-rise condominiums will face added inspection and repair costs, particularly affecting developers
continued from A14
As Der Freitag notes, Ukraine’s leadership appears intent on mirroring Cold War conflicts like Korea and Vietnam, where the weaker side manipulated Western partners into deeper military involvement. Kiev relentlessly pushes the narrative that its war is the “decisive battle” for global democracy.
Property developers in the greater Bangkok area were saddled with about 235,000 unsold residential units at the end of last year, the most since data dating back to 2018. Sales slumped 37 percent to about 53,000 units in 2024, according to the Thai Condominium Association.
with high exposure to condos, such as Ananda Development Pcl and Origin Property Pcl, the brokerage said in a report this week.
In the meantime, top Thai developers such as Sansiri Pcl have launched a publicity blitz on social media to restore confidence in the safety of their buildings.
Uthai Uthaisangsuk, chief executive officer of Sansiri, said in a video message that more than half of its 250 residential projects had been inspected and the firm had discovered no major structural damage. Other developers have made similar safety assurances about their properties.
While developers with high exposure to condominiums in their portfolio will be hit harder, few smaller ones which cater to landed homes might even benefit as buyers shift preferences to such houses, according to analysts.
The condominium association sees any impact from the earthquake on demand to be short-lived as there were no major structural damages to the residential towers and no fatalities.
“There were some jitters with the cracks and material falls,” especially in high-rise condominiums, said Prasert Taedullayasatit, president of the association. “Quick actions by most developers and lack of fatalities from condominium collapse should offer some confidence about the structure and construction quality of those properties.”
A measure of property developers fell 3.1 percent on Monday before paring some of the losses in the following session. Still, the property index has dropped about 32 percent over the past year, more than the 15 percent decline in the benchmark SET index during the same period. With assistance from Janine Phakdeetham /Bloomberg
However, the international community, particularly the Global South, is growing increasingly skeptical of Kiev’s rhetoric. The so-called “world majority” views President Zelenskyy’s dramatic accusations not as truth, but as a desperate attempt to sustain foreign interest and justify continued aid.
After all, how many times can the same war narrative be repeated before the world stops believing it?
China simulates port strikes in second day of Taiwan drills
By Yian Lee
CHINA conducted a second day of drills around Taiwan on Wednesday, adding to the unprecedented military pressure it is applying to President Lai Ching-te, a leader it strongly dislikes.
The latest exercises, labeled Strait Thunder-2025A, were held in the central and southern parts of the Taiwan Strait, Chinese military spokesman Senior Colonel Shi Yi said in a statement. They tested the ability of the People’s Liberation Army to conduct a blockade, and involved “precision strikes” on simulated targets including ports and energy facilities, according to Shi.
The PLA also held “long-range live-fire drills” in the East China Sea, Shi said, referring to the body of water north of Taiwan. The Defense Ministry in Taipei said on X that 37 Chinese planes crossed the mid-line in the strait, and that its own warplanes, ships and missile systems responded, without saying what that entailed.
The latest drills add to Beijing’s campaign of intimidation against Taipei, and come a day after exercises that involved the most naval warships in nearly a year. The PLA has now held at least seven sets of drills of varying intensity around Taiwan since Lai took office in May last year. That’s easily the most that any president of the archipelago has faced since democratic elections started some
three decades ago. The PLA didn’t say when it planned to hold the B version of Strait Thunder-2025 but it is a clear sign that the PLA is preparing more drills.
“Targeted military exercises against Taiwan with a high degree of political coercion have surpassed those of previous administrations, at least in terms of frequency,” said Chieh Chung, adjunct associate research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taipei.
The exercises are also aimed at Washington, Taipei’s main military backer, Chieh said, signaling “that if it doesn’t take Beijing’s stance and claims in the Taiwan Strait seriously, it will never be able to manage military risks between China and the US.”
China has held major high-profile exercises during past Taiwanese administrations, such after thenHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in 2022 when Tsai Ing-wen was the president. That episode involved China sending missiles over Taiwan, recalling a crisis in the mid-1990s precipitated by Taiwan’s president at the time, Lee Teng-hui, traveling to the US. And for years
the PLA has held regular drills closer its own shores that practice maneuvers like amphibious landings that would be crucial to any invasion of Taiwan.
China has many reasons for holding the latest drills, including better weather in the strait at this time of year and responding to the Trump administration’s foreign policy coming into focus. The US has been encouraging Nato allies to step up their defense spending to counter Russia, while the US prioritizes China. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used a recent trip to Japan and the Philippines to pledge a range of military resources that allies require to counter the PLA.
In criticizing the Tuesday drills, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement that Washington’s backing for allies and partners including Taiwan continued. Bruce also said the US “opposes unilateral changes to the status quo” in the strait.
Despite its rhetoric, there is little sign that China is actually preparing to invade Taiwan soon, a move that would massively disrupt its own economy and that of its trade partners, let alone the supply chains for the advanced semiconductors that the archipelago specializes in making. Last month, Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo said the PLA wasn’t ready to execute a major amphibious operation. A running purge of China’s military also com-
plicates the outlook for any major action by the PLA.
When announcing drills over the past year, Beijing has increasingly singled out Lai, who it views as a separatist inching Taiwan closer to a red line it has indicated will lead a very harsh response: a public declaration of independence. A speech Lai gave last month laying out measures to curb spying in Taiwan while also referring to Beijing as a “foreign hostile force” seemed particularly irksome to Chinese officials, leading to them calling him “the creator of the Taiwan crisis.”
On Tuesday, the Beijing government department that handles Taiwan matters launched a direct verbal attack on Lai that’s emblematic of its increasingly dim view of him. It called him a “saboteur of cross-strait peace,” saying he’d shows “his ugly features of being anti-peace, anti-exchange, antidemocracy and anti-humanism.” The PLA also published a poster depicting him as a “parasite poisoning Taiwan Island.”
“Lai is under unprecedented pressure, but it is also political, informational as well as military,” said Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. “Beijing is making this very personal and is avoiding dealing with the underlying problem of the inflexibility in their own strategy and policy.” With assistance from Jing Li /Bloomberg
A wary Europe awaits Rubio with Nato’s future on the line
WBy Matthew Lee & Lorne Cook | The Associated Press
ASHINGTON—US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels this week to a gathering of top diplomats from Nato countries and is sure to find allies that are alarmed, angered and confused by the Trump administration’s desire to reestablish ties with Russia and its escalating rhetorical attacks on longtime transatlantic partners.
Allies are deeply concerned by President Donald Trump’s readiness to draw closer to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who sees Nato as a threat, amid a US effort to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine. Recent White House comments and insults directed at Nato allies Canada and Denmark—as well as the military alliance itself—have only increased the angst, especially as new US tariffs are taking effect against friends and foes alike.
Rubio arrives in Brussels on Thursday for two days of meetings with his Nato counterparts and European officials, and he can expect to be confronted with questions about the future US role in the alliance.
For 75 years, Nato has been anchored on American leadership, and based on what they have seen and heard since Trump took office in January, European officials have expressed deep concerns that Trump may upend all of that when he and other Nato leaders meet for a June summit in the Netherlands.
Can Rubio reassure allies?
AS Rubio did last month at a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies, America’s top diplomat, who is regarded by many overseas as a more pragmatic and less dogmatic member of Trump’s administration, may be
able to salvage a watered-down group consensus on the war in Ukraine.
That’s even as Trump said this week that Ukraine “was never going to be a member of Nato” despite leaders declaring at last year’s summit that the country was on an “irreversible” path to join.
But Rubio will be hard-pressed to explain Washington’s unprovoked verbal attacks on Nato allies Canada, which Trump says he wants to claim as a 51st state, and Denmark, whose territory of Greenland he says the US should annex. Both have been accused of being “bad allies” by Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
“It’s pretty clear neither territory has any interest in joining a Trumpian America,” said Ian Kelly, US ambassador to Georgia during the Obama and first Trump administration and now an international studies professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
“There’s going to be a lot of very anxious Euros about what Trump is going to call for and what announcements he’s going to make,” he said. “If he isn’t already, Rubio is going to be in a mode of trying to reassure European allies that we are not, in fact, not dependable.”
Yet, in just under two months, Nato has been shaken to its core, challenged increasingly by Russia and the biggest land war in Europe
since 1945 from the outside, and by the Trump administration from within, breaking with decades of relatively predictable US leadership.
Trump has consistently complained about Nato members’ defense spending and even raised doubts about the US commitment to mutual defense in the alliance’s founding treaty, which says an attack on one Nato member is considered an attack on all.
Europeans taking on more security guarantees
SINCE Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned last month that US security priorities lie elsewhere—in Asia and on its own borders—the Europeans have waited to learn how big a military drawdown in Europe could be and how fast it may happen. In Europe and Canada, governments are working on “burden shifting” plans to take over more of the load, while trying to ensure that no security vacuum is created if US troops and equipment are withdrawn from the continent.
These allies are keen to hear from Rubio what the Trump administration’s intentions are and hope to secure some kind of roadmap that lays out what will happen next and when, so they can synchronize planning and use European forces to plug any gaps. At the same time, Nato’s deterrent effect against an adversary like Russia is only credible when backed by US firepower. For the Europeans and Canada, this means that US nuclear weapons and the 6th Fleet must remain stationed in Europe.
“America is indispensable for credible deterrence,” a senior Nato diplomat told reporters on condi-
Vietnam to send deputy PM on last-minute US trip as tariffs loom
By Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen
VIETNAM plans to send another top official and business delegation to the US this weekend in a sign of the furious behind-the-scenes activity taking place as the world braces for Donald Trump’s rollout of reciprocal tariffs.
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc, accompanied by executives from companies including Vietnam Airlines JSC, Vietjet Aviation JSC and VinaCapital Group Ltd., will attend a business meeting in New York on Monday, according to an agenda seen by Bloomberg. The two airlines are expected to meet officials from Boeing Co. and some US banks, according to people familiar with the plans, with Phoc also set to visit Washington D.C. Vietnam has taken increasing steps to convince the US it is serious about reducing its trade sur-
plus, which reached $123.5 billion last year, the third highest gap for the US, behind China and Mexico.
Trump is due to announce his tariff plans after the close of US markets on Wednesday, though back-room talks on their size and scope have been ongoing, people familiar with the discussions said.
Vietnam has already acted to try and win over the US administration, slashing import levies on a range of products, including liquefied natural gas, automobiles and agricultural products. The country also gave Elon Musk’s Starlink access to the coun-
try, and has repeatedly vowed to buy more goods from the US.
Vietnam is among the world’s most trade-dependent nations, with exports equivalent to about 90% of economic output, and counts the US as its most significant customer. Sales have surged since the trade war that broke out during Trump’s first term, when businesses sought to relocate away from China and Vietnam became an alternative base for production aimed at American markets.
One key issue for the US has been concerns of re-routing from China, with companies setting up shop over
the border to skirt tariffs. Vietnam overtook Japan as China’s thirdlargest export destination for the first time in 2024.
The Southeast Asian nation announced provisional deals with US companies worth $4.15 billion during a visit by the trade minister to the US last month, and said it was considering removing trade barriers and cracking down on export fraud. During that trip, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Vietnam needs to improve the trade balance between the two countries and further open up its markets.
tion of anonymity to speak ahead of the meeting.
Around 100,000 US troops are deployed across the continent. European allies believe at least 20,000 personnel sent by the Biden administration after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago could be withdrawn. Another priority for US allies is to understand whether Trump believes that Russia still poses the greatest security threat. In their summit statement last year, Nato leaders insisted that “Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security.”
But Trump’s receptiveness to Putin and recent favorable remarks by some US officials have raised doubts. The question, diplomats say, is why allies should spend 5 percent of their gross domestic product on their defense budgets if Russia is no longer a threat. At the same time, the Europeans and Canada know they must spend more—not least to protect themselves and keep arming Ukraine. At their next summit in June, Nato leaders are expected to raise the alliance’s military budget goal from at least 2 percent to more than 3 percent.
Rubio “is in a very difficult position,” said Jeff Rathke, president of the American-German Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Trump “has tried to convince allies that a US realignment with Russia is in the best interests of the US and presumably Europe, and at the same time tell them that they need to double their defense spending to deal with threats posed by Russia,” he said. “The logical question they will ask is ‘why?’” Cook reported from Brussels
Vietnam Airlines signed a $10 billion commitment to buy 50 Boeing Co. 737 Max aircraft in 2023 but hasn’t yet finalized the order. Vietjet confirmed a deal for 200 Boeing jets in 2022, and is set to receive the first 14 aircraft this year. The Deputy PM’s trip, planned before Trump’s tariff day, could be subject to change once details of the levies emerge. A USTR foreign trade barriers report dated March 31 lists import bans and restrictions, customs barriers and trade facilitation, and technical and sanitary barriers among the key hurdles for Vietnam. With assistance from Nguyen Kieu Giang /Bloomberg
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Thin power reserves, but not brownouts this summer: DOE
By Lenie Lectura
POWER supply disruptions are unlikely to happen this summer but the possibility of thin power reserves may occur, an official of the Department of Energy (DOE) said.
“In our simulations, we don’t rule out the chance that we will have yellow alerts, but we just want to say that when there is a yellow alert, there will be no immediate brownouts, there will only be a depletion of reserves,” said DOE Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan said. A yellow alert is issued by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) when the operating margin is insufficient to meet the transmission grid’s contingency requirement.
For now, there is sufficient supply to meet the demand. Marasigan said the DOE is in close coordination with the power industry stakeholders in preparation for the midterm elections in May and for the summer months when demand is at its peak.
‘US
“Currently, the electricity supply is sufficient and we do not expect any shortage in our electricity service provision. The DOE continues with simulations to address the situation especially as summer begins,” added Marasigan. The rosy outlook may change once power plants suddenly conk out. “We are okay so far. We are also monitoring the Pagasa heat index,” said DOE Undersecretary Rowena Guevara.
Except for hydro power plants, the DOE said there are no scheduled maintenance shutdown of other power plants this summer.
“We are very happy that the tank one of EERI [Excellent Energy Resources Inc.] and SPPC [South Premiere Power Corporation], has been successfully installed. We were told
THE Philippines’s decarbonization efforts will not be hampered by America’s withdrawal from the Paris agreement and the influence it would have on other countries, industry power stakeholders said on Wednesday.
Energy officials and chief executive officers of ACEN Corp., Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. (CREC), and the chairperson of the Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance (PSSEA) said at the Renewable Energy Forum 2025 that efforts to achieve net zero emissions remain strong.
“On the day when all of this was happening, I received a new visitor who basically told me that they have a new investment coming from the United States for renewable energy. So while all of these things are happening on the other side of the world, good things are going to happen in our little part of the world,” Undersecretary Rowena Guevara of the Department of Energy (DOE) said during a panel discussion.
DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla, in his keynote speech, said the country is facing a complex geopolitical situation. “To respond, we need to diversify our energy sources. That’s a big reason why we’re pushing renewable energy. It will help secure our energy supply long-term, and it aligns with our goals for sustainable, affordable and accessible energy,” he said.
PSSEA’s Maria Theresa Capellan said solar power is a significant contributor to energy transition, possibly reaching the two terawatt (TW) global installation level by 2030 from 1TW in 2022. Globally, she added, 75 percent of the entire RE installation is solar.
“I think the question that we need to ask is: is this momentum reversible given the pullout of the United States in the Paris Agreement? I believe that such a momentum is not going to be affected because if you look at the numbers and dissect it, a big portion of that terawatt is coming from China and Southeast Asia.
“That’s a big part. And I believe that none of the Asian partici-
pants in this global effort to transition into a net zero has indicated a slowdown in their manufacturing. I believe that the commitment of the core that constitute the Paris Agreement will remain. Economics will dictate the momentum of this transition. It is not politics,” she said.
ACEN Corp., which is at the forefront of the energy transition, said that now is not the time to give up on energy transition goals. “We are pioneering efforts on energy transition with very big coal retirement.
I know it’s a sensitive topic, but we will do it in a responsible manner by replacing reliable coal output with reliable, affordable, clean energy.
On top of that, we will continue to expand our renewables. You can call that very idealistic and so forth, but now is not the time to give up on energy transition,” said company president and CEO Eric Francia.
The company is expanding its renewable capacity to 6.8 gigawatts (GW) and it hopes to scale this up to 20 GW by 2030. ACEN is the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group with a fast-growing presence in the Philippines, Australia, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR and the US. CREC President and CEO Oliver Tan said the Philippines remains a very attractive developing economy for renewable energy investment.
“If you look at US investment related to energy transition, it actually has been flattish even before the second return of President Trump to the White House. It’s primarily led by China. And, just to add to the point, while government policies, all the noises, including tweets from POTUS, can influence capital allocation, at the end of the day, smart money will eventually find its way to areas where there is compelling investment thesis. And the Philippines today is a very compelling investment thesis for funds that eventually will come,” he said.
CREC aims to add 1GW of capacity annually to the Philippines’ energy mix, focusing on ready-to-build or under-construction projects over
that by the middle of May, instead of the 1,350 megawatts [MW] we have from those two plants now, we will reach 2,500 megawatts so we’ll be fine this summer.
“We are just hoping that other plants will not have outages, and that was...why we have to delay the plant shutdown of EERI and SPPC... because Sual went down two weeks ago,” said Guevara.
EERI and SPPC earlier conducted a shutdown to facilitate mechanical activities at the gas terminal of Linseed Field Corporation (LFC), a crucial step towards completing its first onshore LNG storage tank by the end of April this year.
“The shutdown is part of the preparations for summer and election supply,” Marasigan pointed out.
The Manila Electric Company, for its part, assured its customers of its readiness to continue delivering stable and reliable electricity service.
“We are actively coordinating with the DOE and other industry stakeholders to ensure readiness to meet the higher demand we anticipate in the coming months, which coincides with the country’s midterm elections,” Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate
Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga said.
The distribution utility has been ramping up its maintenance and upgrading activities to make sure its distribution network and facilities are in good condition.
As early as last year, Meralco proactively worked on securing additional supply to meet the demand of its customers. In January, Meralco entered into an emergency power supply agreement for 200 megawatt (MW) capacity to augment baseload supply for the critical dry months and lessen the exposure of customers to the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, where prices are known to be highly volatile.
To help with demand-side management, Meralco continues to encourage more businesses and industrial establishments to participate in the government’s Interruptible Load Program (ILP).
The ILP is an energy demandside management program through which large-load customers are asked to use their generator sets or shift their operations, instead of drawing power from the grid, to spare households from power interruptions during instances of Red
By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
THE Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) said the government must comply with the fare increase for LRT-1 to “protect the level of service required” of the operator and prevent deterioration of service to the commuters.
MAP said in a statement on Wednesday that it “favors the approval of the Light Rail Transit Line [LRT-1] fare adjustment, pursuant to the contract between the government and the operator.”
“On this, the MAP stands for the sanctity of contract and the rule of law. The agreed terms of the contract on the fare adjustment must be complied with by the government in order to protect the level of service required of the operator and prevent deterioration of service to the commuters,” the business organization said.
However, MAP said the issue now is the fare increase of the LRT-1—whether the current single journey fare of P15 and end-to-end maximum fare of P45 are “sustainable,” and should be increased to P20 and P55 in as much as the line is now up to Dr. A Santos Avenue in Parañaque City.
The business group explained the extension to Dr. A. Santos Avenue was done even while the contractually guaranteed fare adjustment was not released.
“Additionally, the train extension will soon reach Zapote and Bacoor in Cavite,” added MAP. The new LRT-1 fares took effect on April 2,2025.
According to an earlier statement of the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC): “Pursuant to the Department of Transportation [DOTr] notice dated February 14, 2025 confirming the approval of LRT-1 fare adjustment, Light Rail Manila Corporation [LRMC] will implement new fares for LRT-1 starting April 2,2025.”
It highlighted that the newly approved fare scheme is lower than the 2024 rates applied for by LRMC and is only equal to the 2022 LRMC application as provided for in the Concession Agreement.
The minimum fare for the single journey tickets of LRT-1 from P15 to P20, and for end-to-end trips, the new rate will be from P45 to P55. Meanwhile, the rate for endto-end trip for those with stored value cards will rise from P43 to P52.
According to an earlier story in BusinessMirror, Malacañang
TBy Joel R. San Juan
HE Department of Finance (DOF) has expressed readiness to return the unused funds of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) if the Supreme Court declares unconstitutional the transfer of such funds to the national treasury to fund unprogrammed projects of the government.
However, DOF Secretary Ralph Recto warned of economic repercussions should the Court order the funds returned within the year.
“Naturally, if the Supreme Court were to tell the Executive to return the money, we will include that in the national expenditure program for 2026,” Recto said at Wednesday’s continuation of the oral arguments on the consolidated petitions assailing the constitutionality of DOF Circular No. 003-204 and Section 1 (d) of XLIII of the 2024 GAA held in Baguio City. The DOF Circular directs the transfer of unused
subsidies from GOCCs, specifically PhilHealth amounting to P89.9 billion, to the national treasury to bolster the government’s unprogrammed appropriations.
It was issued in line with Section 1(d) of XLIII of the GAA 2024, which the petitioners said was an “inserted” provision on unprogrammed appropriations.
Recto’s statement was in response to the question of Associate Justice Ricardo Rosario on whether the government can comply if the Court were to direct it to return to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and to other GOCCs their respective remittances and how will this impact on the country’s financial position.
“But having said that, assuming if the ruling were for 2025, that will add a fiscal pressure to our deficit and that would entail us not hitting our deficit target this year; and if we miss that we may not attain our coveted credit rating upgrade that we foresee in the next 18 months,” the DOF
secretary said. So far, Recto said, only PhilHealth and the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) have remitted unused funds to the national treasury, amounting to P60 billion and P104 billion, respectively. The Philippines, which currently holds an investment-grade rating, is eyeing an “A” rating before the Marcos administration’s term ends in 2028.
Recto also defended the government’s compliance with its mandate given by the Congress in the 2024 General Appropriations Act to seize the idle funds of GOCCs to raise more resources to support President Marcos Jr.’s priority programs as part of economic recovery efforts following the Covid-19 pandemic and “geopolitical tensions.” He also pleaded with the SC to give the DOF leeway to fulfill its mandate as the government’s chief fund-
Editor: Jennifer A. Ng
SM Prime unit program aims to entice more condo buyers
By VG Cabuag @villygc
SM Development Corp. (SMDC), the condominium development arm of SM Prime Holdings Inc., is allowing buyers of ready-for-occupancy (RFO) units to move in with just a 5-percent downpayment.
The company said the program is available to its buyers only within the month.
“Today’s homebuyer wants speed, ease and value. And Move In Now delivers all three,” SMDC Executive Vice President Grace M. Sta. Ana said.
“We’re not just handing over keys, we’re handing over a fully realized
living space, thoughtfully designed and ready from day one.”
The program allows qualified buyers of ready-for-occupancy units to move in within 90 days upon reservation in fully furnished condo units for only 5 percent spot downpayment. A limited number of units are included in this offer, and availability
is on a first-come, first-served basis, the company said.
For Filipino buyers, move-in is possible with a 5-percent spot downpayment, followed by 5 percent in 12 months and the remaining balance via bank financing or cash payment.
SMDC said it also provides structured bank loan assistance to facilitate home financing for its property buyers, particularly during the transition from monthly payments to bank financing for remaining balances.
Meanwhile, foreign buyers can avail of the offer with just a 10-percent downpayment, with in-house financing options available as well.
“Homeownership shouldn’t feel out of reach or years away. By integrating Move In Now with Good Stays, SMDC gives buyers the chance to start living or earning from their
condo right away—no long waits, no guesswork, just a smart move,” Sta. Ana said.
Every unit under the new program comes fully furnished through Good Stays, SMDC’s in-house styling program through partnerships with SM Home, Our Home, Ace Hardware and SM Appliance.
Buyers can choose from multiple furnishing options, allowing them to personalize their space for maximum comfort or rental potential.
The Good Stays program allows SMDC buyers to include furnishing costs in the total contract price of the unit, enabling them to pay for both the unit and furnishings in installments.
SM affiliates also offer discounts to SMDC buyers to make home furnishing more affordable, the company said.
SEC inks data-sharing deal with DBM
THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has signed a data-sharing agreement on beneficial ownership information with the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
The agency said the agreement seeks to combat illicit financial flows in the procurement process.
“By ensuring that government agencies, particularly those involved in procurement, have access to comprehensive information on corporate ownership structures, we enhance the ability of public institutions to scrutinize contracts, detect conflicts of interest, and prevent illicit finan-
cial flows,” SEC Chairman Emilio B. Aquino said.
Through the agreement, the SEC will provide DBM with access to beneficial ownership information of corporations registered with the agency. This will enable real-time risk assessments with the integration of the data in the procurement systems.
This will also contribute to strengthening due diligence measures and fostering an open and competitive business environment.
“Access to this data empowers civil society organizations and investigative bodies to track and analyze
corporate affiliations in government contracts, ensuring that public funds are allocated transparently and equitably. This aligns with global best practices in open contracting and public finance management, reinforcing our commitment to a governance framework that upholds fairness and accountability,” Aquino said.
The agreement builds on the Philippines’s recent exit from the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global watchdog that sets international standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, last February.
The SEC has also signed similar
data-sharing deals with 21 other law enforcement agencies and competent authorities, in line with the recommendation of the FATF to provide access to relevant beneficial ownership information.
Beneficial owners, which should be distinguished from legal owners, are natural persons who own or exercise ultimate effective control over a corporation as they may directly or indirectly have voting powers or influence on transaction decisions.
Companies are required to declare their beneficial owners in the general information sheet submitted to the SEC as part of their reportorial requirements. VG Cabuag
India tech startups worth $100B seen seeking IPOs by 2027
MORE than three dozen tech startups with a combined valuation of $100 billion are set to go public by 2027 in what would mark a rebound in stock sales in India, according to one of the country’s top deal advisers to internet companies.
Walmart Inc.-controlled online retailer Flipkart, payments firm PhonePe and lodging provider Oyo Hotels are among the companies seeking to list in the country, which was the world’s second-largest market for share sales last year but has lost steam since. Most companies preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) have been able to strike a balance between speedy growth and profitability, according to a report by the homegrown investment bank The Rainmaker Group. Young companies are now in better shape than in 2021 and 2022, when several startups that sought to capture India’s booming capital markets cratered after listing at high valuations, said Kashyap Chanchani, managing partner at Rainmaker. Payment provider Paytm has dropped about 63 percent since its IPO while beauty retailer Nykaa is down 4 percent.
“The financial health of the startups due to list in the next two years is materially better than the companies that listed previously,” Chanchani, who helped Indian startups raise $1 billion in equity last year, said in an interview. “Two-thirds of these firms are already profitable, and they are also doing a better job with transparency.”
Rainmaker’s clients have included Oyo and e-commerce startup Swiggy, and the firm typically receives a cut of the fundraising deals it helps to
PLDT Global Corp. said on Wednesday it has teamed up with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) to combat human trafficking. Through this partnership, PLDT Global will provide zero-rated calls to the 1343 Actionline, a 24/7 hotline dedicated to assisting victims of human trafficking, using the Tindahan ni Bossing (TinBo) app.
According to PLDT Global President Albert V. Villa-Real, by leveraging the Smart Virtual Number via the TinBo app, users can access the hotline anytime, anywhere without incurring charges.
“Our collaboration with the CFO aligns with TinBo’s promise of care and a testament of our commitment in uplifting the lives of Filipinos wherever they are in the world. By leveraging technology, we aim to create a safer environment for our fellow Filipinos abroad,” he said.
CFO is a government agency dedicated to promoting and upholding the interests, rights, and welfare of overseas Filipinos. Its clients include Filipino permanent residents abroad, emigrants, marriage migrants, Au Pairs bound for Europe, and US Exchange Visitor Program participants.
“Human trafficking remains a pressing issue among overseas Filipinos. Making the 1343 Actionline accessible for free via TinBo is a crucial step in our continuing efforts to protect and support our fellow Filipinos and enable them to report human trafficking
arrange. It doesn’t advise companies on IPOs.
The number of share sales in India dropped by 34 percent in the first quarter as the stock market sputtered. The benchmark NSE Nifty 50 Index had risen for nine consecutive years, but it started declining in late September amid an unexpected slowdown in economic growth and a slew of analysts downgraded their expectations for corporate earnings.
First-quarter proceeds from IPOs, block sales and share placements in India nearly halved to $7.1 billion, slipping below those of Hong Kong and Japan.
Still, Chanchani is among bankers predicting that deals in India will pick up in the coming months, when several sales are expected to hit the market. Those include LG Electronics Inc.’s Indian unit, which may raise as much as $1.7 billion, and electricscooter maker Ather Energy Pvt.,
which could raise about $400 million.
A new surge in startup IPOs would provide a much-needed exit to large investors such as SoftBank Group Corp. and Prosus NV. Billionaire Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank Vision Fund is a shareholder in companies such as Oyo, optician Lenskart Solutions Pvt., and used-car seller CARS24 Solutions Pvt., while Prosus is an investor in e-commerce firm Meesho and home services startup Urban Company.
Firms like SoftBank and Prosus “have a dozen companies or so where they are sitting on massive gains, and several of these firms have begun seeking the public markets route,” Chanchani said, cautioning though that IPOs will have to be priced carefully as retail investors will reject lofty valuations.
Companies going public will have to assuage investor concerns about a slowing economy and earnings
growth. Some of India’s newly listed stocks have also declined after sales restrictions expired, adding pressure to a stock market already down hundreds of billions of dollars since late last year.
India’s startup economy remains among the biggest in the world after the US and China. Still, it’s also one that’s seen major corporate governance lapses, sinking valuations and profits turning to dust. Many young firms have been forced to cut jobs and growth plans, while others have imploded. Teacher-turnedentrepreneur Byju Raveendran’s eponymous online tutoring business illustrates how a once highflying company can run aground as investors lose faith in founders once-labeled charismatic.
“One of the key questions that investors ask us often is—can we trust the founders?” Chanchani said. Bloomberg News
cases and connect with crucial resources available to protect their welfare,” CFO
Secretary Dante Ang II said. In addition to zero-rated calls, the partnership will also focus on the reintegration of overseas Filipinos (OFs) who face challenges abroad, offering re-skilling and upskilling opportunities through training and seminars.
To access the free calls to the 1343 Actionline, Filipinos abroad need to download the TinBo app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, register for a Smart Virtual Number, and use it to make calls to the 1343 Actionline.
PLDT said recently that it is mulling over the addition of up to three new international subsea cable systems, as the company moves closer to completing its $80-million Apricot Cable System by 2027.
Nico Alcoseba, FVP and Head of Enterprise Product Management at PLDT Enterprise, said that while the company is still in exploratory discussions, it plans to invest in additional cables to meet the surging demand for internet and data services.
“We have a number of them. While we’re looking at two to three more, it’s still under exploratory discussions,” he replied, when asked about the company’s plans for the expansion of its international cable network.
Alcoseba said the decision to invest in additional cables will be based on factors such as cost, demand, and the needs of hyperscalers and large tech companies. Lorenz S. Marasigan
Mercedes weighs pulling US entry-level cars over tariffs
ME RCEDES-BENZ Group AG is considering withdrawing its least expensive cars from the US because President Donald Trump’s auto tariffs would likely make their sales economically unfeasible, according to people familiar with the matter.
The German automaker is mulling cutting sales of more entry-level models like the small GLA sport utility vehicle as part of broader tariff contingency plans, the people said, declining to be identified because the deliberations are private. Trump’s 25 percent duties are scheduled to take effect this week.
Mercedes hasn’t made a final decision and may still shift course depending on how the levies are implemented, the people said. A lack of clear guidance from Washington is leaving executives frustrated and unsure how to respond, they said.
Mercedes aims to maximize its sales in the US, a company spokesperson said, declining to further comment. Mercedes is among manufacturers navigating a worsening trade war that risks hurting their sales and disrupting supply chains.
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings Plc and Ferrari NV plan to raise prices for some of their cars in the US, with Volkswagen AG considering expanding local manufacturing. Stellantis NV’s Chairman John Elkann met with Trump on Monday, and the Chrysler parent is part of a group of automakers making a last-ditch effort to sway his administration.
Cutting exposure to the entrylevel premium market would allow Mercedes to sidestep tariffs on its least profitable vehicles. For mod-
els like the GLA — which starts at around $43,000 in the US — duties could turn already thin margins into losses if they’re not passed on to customers. The move may also encourage drivers to opt for more premium models. The US remains a key market for Mercedes because of robust demand for the more profitable, larger SUVs there.
Mercedes shares declined as much as 1.1 percent on Wednesday. The stock has slumped around a quarter in the past year.
Under Chief Executive Officer Ola Källenius, Mercedes has been pushing further upmarket by directing resources to its most expensive models such as the S-Class sedan, while scaling back compact cars at the expense of volume. The company delayed its goal of producing only electric vehicles and reaffirmed investment in combustion-engine vehicles after EV demand fell. In February, it warned of lower profit margins due to fierce competition, shifting consumer sentiment and the trade tensions. Mercedes and Porsche AG will be hit hardest by the new US tariffs and face a potential €3.4 billion ($3.7 billion) blow, Bloomberg Intelligence estimated last week.
Trump’s trade moves, meant to bring back American jobs, have sowed chaos across the industry. With key details still missing— most notably Annex 1, the official list of parts and components subject to the 25-percent tariff—their ability to act is severely constrained, said Andrew Bergbaum, managing director at AlixPartners, a consultancy advising several global automakers. Bloomberg News
Banking&Finance
Rate cut bets drag down yields of 5-year T-bonds
By Reine Juvierre Alberto @reine_alberto
YIELDS of the 5-year Treasury bonds went down during Wednesday’s auction as investors continue to wager that local monetary authorities will reduce key policy rates in their meeting next week.
The reissued bonds fetched an average yield of 5.908 percent, which is lower by 11.1 basis points than the 6.019 percent set during the previous auction of the securities with the same tenor a month ago. The yield also inched down by 1.5 basis points compared to the benchmark Philippine Bloomberg Valuation (PHP BVAL) rate of 5.893 percent for the 5-year tenor.
The government securities have a remaining term of five years and three months with a coupon rate of 6.375 percent. The rate settled between a low of 5.875 percent to a high of 5.919 percent.
The auction committee made a full award of the bonds, raising P30 billion, as total tenders reached P80.713 billion. This was higher than the P56.819-billion demand during the previous auction for the same tenor last month.
Demands for the tender were 2.6 times oversubscribed as the committee rejected P50.713 billion. Due to the strong demand, the auction committee opened its tap facility window to raise P7 billion more, with bids reaching P20.632 billion.
According to Rizal Commercial
briefs
➔ Bayad, Dragonpay tweak deal
Banking Corp. (RCBC) Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort, the yields dipped after Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor and Chairman of the Monetary Board (MB) Eli M. Remolona Jr. signaled a “good chance” of a 25-basis point (bps) cut in the next rate-setting meeting of the MB on April 10. The BSP is also “still on an easing cycle” and that rates could be reduced by a total of 50bps to 75bps this year, according to Finance Secretary and Monetary Board Member Ralph G. Recto.
However, the BSP is told to adopt a “modest easing approach” as uncertainties in growth, financial stability and weakening external position pose risks to inflation and the peso.
Meanwhile, the latest cut in reserve ratio requirement also infused about P330 billion into the banking system, which banks could use for lending and investments in bonds and other fixed income securities, Ricafort added. This April, the government will auction off a total of P120 billion in long-term T-bonds.
In 2025, the Marcos Jr. administration will borrow a total of P2.545 trillion, of which P2.037 trillion will be raised domestically while P507.408 billion will come from external sources.
The national government’s outstanding debt soared to a new high of P16.632 trillion as of the end of February.
THE CIS Bayad Center Inc. announced last Wednesday that its expanded partnership with online payment gateway provider Dragonpay Corp. will allow merchants accredited by the latter to cash-in their payments at more than 600 Bayad centers and partner branches nationwide. Dragonpay merchants can disburse their income funds through Bayad’s payment touchpoints, the company said. Bayad President and CEO Lawrence Y. Ferrer was quoted in the statement as saying there has been a “remarkable stride” in the adoption of e-commerce in the Philippines as financial institutions collaborate to boost the country’s payment gateway landscape. Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
➔ Insurer names new CEO, president
THE Manulife China Bank Life Assurance Corp. (MCBL) announced last Wednesday the appointment of Ana Amelia T. Gochuico as its new president and chief executive officer starting April 1. MCBL, a partnership between the Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils) Inc. and China Banking Corp. said through a statement that with over 30 years of insurance and leadership experience, Gochuico has specialized in bancassurance for two decades across various Asian markets and organizations. Prior to her appointment in MCBL, Gochuico served as Manulife Indonesia’s Chief Bancassurance Officer from 2021. She was responsible for the Bancassurance channel’s overall growth and profitability. Gochuico will lead the overall partnership management, deliver growth, develop the distribution team and bench strength, manage key business risks and ensure quality outcomes, the statement read. Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
Lender feted by Time
➔ THE Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) announced recently it has been named one of the top-performing companies in the Asia-Pacific region in Time magazine’s “World’s Best Companies of 2025 for Asia-Pacific (APAC)” ranking. The recognition highlights RCBC’s strong financial performance, employee satisfaction, and commitment to sustainability, read a statement issued by the lender. The list, developed in partnership with market data provider Statista, evaluated companies based on revenue growth, profitability, and workplace satisfaction, it added. According to Time, companies had to generate at least $100 million in revenue in 2023 and show positive financial growth from 2021 to 2023 to qualify for the ranking. The survey also incorporated feedback from over 50,000 employees across the Asia-Pacific region, emphasizing workplace culture and corporate governance.
➔ Bank’s credit cards rewards honored
THE Security Bank Corp. announced that its rewards program was awarded at the “Retail Banker International (RBI) Asia Trailblazer Awards 2025” organized by Singaporean firm GlobalData Pte. Ltd. A statement issued by the lender read that the “judges reviewed and selected Security Bank as the winner among various regional banks for enhancing customer experience, expanding the rewards ecosystem, and improving operational efficiency.” This flagship rewards platform for credit card rewards and rebates provides real-time updates on rewards points, making it easy for customers to track and redeem points; integrates a wide variety of rewards options; and automates the redemption process to reduce manual interventions and lower operational costs.
TThe cap was imposed five years ago via the SEC MC 15 issued that year. That order defines an
World Bank approves $800-M funding for PHL’s reforms tack
By Bless Aubrey Ogerio
THE World Bank announced it approved $800 million in “Development Policy Operation” (DPL) mechanism to support the Philippines in addressing development financing needs through a series of policy and institutional reforms.
A DPL, also referred to as DPF, is a lending instrument that provides credits, loans, grants or guarantees to a borrowing country through ‘fungible’ (i.e. non-earmarked) budget support, the World Bank wrote. It is issued by the International Development Association (IDA), the bank’s low-income country arm, and the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the bank’s middle-income country arm. According to the lender, a portion of the DPL will support efforts to increase the share of renewable energy (RE) in power generation.
The Philippines aims to raise its RE capacity from 30 percent in 2023
to 42 percent by 2027. This includes facilitating the procurement of 1,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity and implementing energy efficiency measures projected to save 5 gigawatt-hours annually.
“Focusing on renewable energy sources and using energy more efficiently can help the country reduce electricity costs, improve energy security, and cut down on pollution,” said Zafer Mustafaoğlu, World Bank division director for the Philippines.
“Using more affordable renewable energy in the energy and transport sectors is crucial for the Philippines to build a strong economy,” Mustafaoğlu added. By expanding competition in the electricity sector, the reforms seek to lower power costs and improve reliability for households and businesses.
“To accelerate energy transition and keep electricity affordable for
all Filipinos, the Philippines needs reforms to ensure achieving the government’s renewable energy and energy efficiency targets, improving grid capacity and flexibility, and enhancing competition in electricity markets,” said Feng Liu, World Bank senior energy specialist and task team leader of the operation.
Beyond energy, the DPL will also support governance improvements in the water sector. Policy reforms will focus on better coordination between national and local governments in water resource management, water supply, and sanitation services.
“Ultimately, the DPL, a first for the Philippine water sector is a move toward more effective coordination, planning and management across sectors and levels of government,” said Maria Fiorella Fabella, World Bank senior water supply and sanitation specialist.
THE Bank of America (BOA) introduced Erica in 2018 as an AI-powered virtual assistant, offering a personalized banking experience. Unlike traditional chatbots, Erica understands natural language queries, using predictive analytics to help customers manage their finances—whether saving money, paying off debt, or planning financial goals.
DBS: “Live More, Bank Less”—Redefining banking
THE DBS Bank has revolutionized banking by integrating it seamlessly into customers’ lifestyles. Their “Live More, Bank Less” campaign transforms banking into a frictionless digital experience. Customers can book flights, make investments, or split bills through their app, eliminating branch visits. This approach redefines convenience and makes DBS a leader in customer-centric banking.
From transactional to experiencedriven banking TODAY’S consumers, however, expect more than transactions—they demand a seamless, personalized and engaging experience.
Customers no longer choose banks solely for financial products but for: convenience (instant, accessible banking services); personalization (tailored financial solutions); security (trust and data protection); and, seamless conversations (integrated physical and digital experiences).
Banks that shift from service provid-
By VG Cabuag @villygc
THE Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corp. (Manulife IM-PHL) expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to cut its key policy rates by 25 basis points as early as this month.
“A benign inflation outlook this year and expectations of rate cuts from the Federal Reserve also give room for BSP to ease monetary policy and focus on supporting growth for now,” Jean Olivia De Castro, the company’s head of fixed
ers to financial enablers will drive stronger customer loyalty and engagement.
How CX drives purchase behavior in banking
1. CONVENIENCE and accessibility
Customers expect 24/7 banking. AIpowered chatbots and digital concierges enable transactions anytime, anywhere.
Example: Chime offers fee-free banking with 24/7 AI-assisted support, removing barriers like minimum balances.
2. Personalized customer journeys A well-defined “Customer Experience Proposition,” or CXP, helps banks create meaningful interactions. More importantly, it has to be aligned to the bank’s image and positioning. CXP is a company-wide strategy that changes not just the communications but the operations and its products.
Example: DBS caters to busy moms with solutions like education investment
income, said in a research note issued last Wednesday, a week before members of the policy-making Monetary Board of the BSP meet on April 10. Inflation slowed down sharply from 2.9 percent to 2.1 percent in February, below the 2.6 percent median forecast of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg, while core inflation eased further from 2.6 percent to 2.4 percent, Bank of the Philippine Islands Lead Economist Emilio S. Neri Jr. wrote in a briefing paper last week.
According to Neri, the slower inflation
“keeps the door open for BSP rate cuts
plans, wellness financial assistance and childcare service partnerships.
Personalization is about anticipating needs and offering solutions before customers even ask.
3. Seamless omnichannel experience
A true omnichannel strategy ensures customers get a consistent experience across all platforms—mobile apps, websites, branches and call centers. Leading banks use unified CRM systems so customers don’t have to repeat information at different touchpoints.
4. Speed and efficiency
Today’s customers demand fast and paperless banking. Fintech disruptors like the Berlin, Germany-headquartered N26 Bank AG and London, United Kingdom-based Revolut Ltd. offer instant account setup and real-time insights, setting new efficiency standards.
5. Lifestyle-focused banking Banks that align services with cus-
this year,” especially if the data on gross domestic product in May “falls short of expectations.” Meanwhile, De Castro said a rate cut should help bring down yields at the bond market slightly, particularly those with tenors 10 years and shorter.
tomer lifestyles remain relevant. n For entrepreneurs: Business financing solutions n For young professionals: Investment and travel perks n For families: Education funds and home-buying assistance
6. Predictive analytics and proactive CX Data-driven insights help banks anticipate customer needs and offer relevant solutions proactively. n Example: AI-powered analytics can suggest the following: financial planning tools for young families; investment opportunities for high-net-worth individuals; and, personalized loan offers based on spending habits.
Beyond transactions: Creating emotional connection CUSTOMERS don’t just want a bank; they want a financial partner that understands their goals.
Ultimately, authenticity and empathy are the best CX strategies. A bank that cares for its customers will gain not just a share of the market, but a share of the customer’s heart.
Yayu E. Javier is the CEO of Avanza Inc., a technology-driven loyalty marketing and customer relationship management company with international and local awards. Avanza provides end-to-end customer experience solutions, including platform development, campaign management, rewards fulfillment, merchant partnerships, CX training and customer service. Connect: yayu.javier@avanza.ph.
financial derivatives issued by any SBG. The order also mandates that the invest-
ments in OTC financial derivatives with non-investment grade or unrated counterparty shall not exceed 5 percent of the net assets of the investment company. The new order provides that funds that have no actual investment in financial derivatives shall not be subject to the SBG limit. This includes equity funds, balanced funds and multi-asset funds that have actual exposure to equity securities. Instead, these exempted classes of investment companies will be subject to the single entity or issuer invest-
ment limitation, under Rule 6.8(b) of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 2629, or the Investment Company Act (ICA), until further notice by the agency. All investment companies, including the covered funds, shall continue to be subject to all other investment limits and restrictions under existing Commission rules and regulations, as may be applicable. This applies to investment companies with or without actual investments in financial derivatives. The SEC will not be imposing fines
“However, anxiety over US President Trump’s trade policies may continue to dampen risk appetite for longer-dated bonds. Furthermore, since a rate cut for April has been largely priced in, the market should be convinced of more cuts in the second half of the year for a bond rally to be sustained,” she said. De Castro said the market’s sentiments has become more cautious on both global and domestic growth outlook due to the trade policies of the Trump administration.
and penalties for any breach of the SBG Limit committed by the covered funds, whether or not they have actual investments in financial derivatives, from May 15, 2020, the date when MC 15 became effective, until March 27, 2025, or the day before the recent MC 2 became effective.
“Any breach of the single entity/ issuer limit in Rule 6.8(b) by the covered funds will result in the imposition of corresponding fines and penalties under the ICA-IRR and other applicable laws, rules and regulations,” the order read.
“Nevertheless, given the Philippines reliance on domestic consumption, the impact of US trade policies should be less than in countries with a more open economy. Additionally, the reduction in rice tariffs and a stronger local currency should continue to keep inflation benign this year,” she said.
Meanwhile, investment companies, including equity, balanced funds and multi-asset funds with actual exposure to equity securities, whether or not such funds have actual investments in financial derivatives, seeking to engage in the cross-border offering of their funds to other member jurisdictions of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as “qualifying col-
B4
Health&Fitness
Philippine Heart Center ready to conduct heart transplants
By Rory Visco | Contributor
HEART failure, a type of heart disease that results from cardiovascular disease complications, is a growing concern in the Philippines among cardiologists.
Dr. Avenilo Aventura, Jr., Executive Director and Chief, Coronary Surgery Section of the Philippine Heart Center (PHC) and Director III and Advocacy Chair, Philippine Heart Association, said during the March episode of “Usapang Puso sa Puso” titled “The Dangers of Heart Failure: Spot It; Survive It” for the conclusion of Heart Month and Women’s Heart Health Month, heart failure is like a house a vehicle with parts that are falling apart and require repair. For cardio-epidemiologist and heart failure specialist Dr. Liberty “Petite” Yaneza, the Section Head of the Heart Failure Clinic, Division of Critical Medicine/Cardiology, and Head of the Heart Transplant in Cardiology of the Philippine Heart Center, heart failure means the heart is struggling to sustain the distribution
of blood and other nutrients to different parts of the body.
The heart is the body’s central pumping machine so it needs to be always healthy because it receives used blood and at the same time cleanses the blood and distributes it to various parts of the body. If the heart is failing, the brain, the kidney and other internal organs of the body may be affected.
Globally, about 64 million people are diagnosed with heart failure and 10 million in Asia, while 16 out of 1,000 people are hospitalized in the Philippines due to heart failure, based on data from an epidemiologic study on the burden of heart failure who were hospitalized due to the disease.
“It’s high and it’s also the number one reason for hospitalization, quality of life is becoming poor, and also the economic factor,” Dr. Yaneza explained.
Symptoms and signs of heart failure
HEART failure has multiple symptoms and signs that can affect multiple
organs of the body like difficulty in breathing. Dr. Yaneza said they have a six-minute walk test where the patient is allowed to walk for six minutes and determine how much distance the patient can cover. If it’s just 300 meters in six minutes, it’s not good and may mean that the heart is compromised.
Even lying down flat in bed is also a symptom. If you have heart problems, the patient will wake up at night because through gravity, water from the lungs is being pulled so breathing becomes difficult. They are also weak or experience loss of appetite, plus the swelling of veins and lower extremities.
Dr. Yaneza said that there are four stages (A, B, C, and D) in heart failure. Stage A is where a patient is at risk of heart failure like those with diabetes, high blood pressure, or are obese. Stage B, on the other hand, even if they have no symptoms yet but when tests are done, they already have structural heart problems like they have thickening heart muscles as shown during a 2D Echo test, or weaker heart functions but there are
no symptoms yet. Stage C indicates the presence of these symptoms. However, Stage D is where “advanced heart failure” can be noticed and the patient is confined and keeps coming back to the hospital and sometimes, medication does not work already.
“It’s really better to visit the doctor in order to distinguish whether the symptom is respiratory and other signs or related to heart failure already. It’s better to be checked to determine the stage of heart failure so that proper treatment can be advised. It is also important that people should be aware of the risk factors and to know their numbers like blood pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI), sugar level, cholesterol level, and others,” she said.
Heart transplant as option vs advanced heart failure
DR. Yaneza said that when there is advanced heart failure already, traditional therapy and symptoms management are no longer working. What is offered as treatment aside from medicines are “inotropic” drugs that help to strengthen the heart’s contrac -
In-house sleep studies crucial to diagnose sleep disorders–expert
By Candy P. Dalizon Contributor
GIVEN sleep’s profound impact on well-being, unexplained daytime fatigue and disrupted sleep patterns necessitate a professional evaluation. Thus, a sleep study is essential for accurately diagnosing and addressing potential sleep disorders.
Polysomnography, commonly known as a sleep study, is a comprehensive diagnostic tool essential for identifying a spectrum of sleep disorders. The test monitors brain waves, eye movements, muscle activity, heart rate, breathing patterns, blood oxygen levels, and body movements. These signals are captured through sensors placed on the scalp, face, chest, and legs, allowing for a detailed analysis of sleep stages and disruptions.
While traditionally conducted in a specialized sleep laboratory, advancements in technology have led to the increased availability of home sleep apnea tests (HSATs) for specific conditions like obstructive sleep apnea.
However, some sleep experts believe in-lab polysomnography remains the gold standard for diagnosing complex sleep disorders, providing a more detailed assessment of sleep architecture and associated physiological changes. A sleep study conducted in a hospital sleep laboratory provides further advantages.
Well-equipped
DR. Rosalina Espiritu Picar, Sleep Medicine Specialist at Makati Medical Center (MMC), said a hospital-based sleep facility is wellequipped and can offer round-the-clock emergency assistance.
“It is better to be in the hospital because a lot of things can happen while you’re doing sleep studies. If you’re in the hospital, at least you are monitored. If anything happens, we can easily call doctors and nurses to address the patient’s situation promptly. I think that’s one very important point,” said Dr. Picar.
She added that increased awareness of sleep problems is driving more people to seek consultations now, a positive shift from previous years.
“That’s why a lot of people are getting consultations now, which is good because previously they didn’t get consultations. Now, they’re seeking help.”
MakatiMed Expanded Sleep Lab MMC inaugurated its expanded Sleep Laboratory on March 25, 2025 at the MakatiMed Institute of Neurological, Neurosurgical, and Behavioral Sciences (M.I.N.D.S.).
Expanding the Sleep Laboratory with an additional sleep study facility will accommodate more patients seeking sleep evaluations. Patient comfort and healing were prioritized in the thoughtful design of these three lab rooms. Furthermore, the upgraded facility is expected to strengthen the hospital’s capacity to diagnose and treat sleep disorders.
Dr. Picar shared that patients experiencing sleep problems should seek consultation with a sleep specialist, who will then assess the necessity and type of sleep test required.
“The difference between our hospital and other facilities offering sleep studies is that we require the patient to be assessed by a sleep doctor,” said Dr. Picar.
She explained that often, patients unfamiliar with sleep disorders mistake their symptoms for insomnia. However, a comprehensive evaluation by a sleep doctor reveals underlying complexities. This assessment leads to the appropriate sleep study, ensuring accurate interpretation and targeted monitoring of relevant physiological parameters.
Unlike situations where patients receive no orientation prior to a sleep study, Dr. Picar said their approach involves comprehensive guidance. Without proper orientation, those interpreting the results may overlook crucial correlations, leading to an analysis that is based solely on the study’s raw data.
“For us, we always require it. You need
to go to a sleep medicine doctor first. And then after that, the sleep doctor requests for the study that you need because there are different types of studies,” said Dr. Picar.
Types of sleep studies
THERE’S a diagnostic sleep study. It means that we observe your sleep. There’s also a therapeutic study. It means that you have apnea. In the therapeutic study, we’ll know the pressure you need. There’s also a sleep test known as a combined or split-night study and Multiple Sleep Latency Test,” added Dr. Picar.
A diagnostic sleep study involves observing the person’s sleep patterns to identify potential disorders. A therapeutic study, typically for patients with sleep apnea, determines the optimal pressure for treatment.
A combined or split-night study consists of two phases. The first is a diagnostic phase, similar to routine polysomnography. The second involves applying positive airway pressure, via a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) mask, to assess its effectiveness as a treatment.
According to sleepeducation.org, the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) checks for excessive daytime sleepiness by measuring how quickly a person falls asleep in a quiet environment during the day. Also known as a daytime nap study, the MSLT is used to diagnose narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH).
Narcolepsy and IH, considered major types of sleep disorders, both lead to daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and brain fog. Narcolepsy can involve muscle weakness and sleep paralysis, while IH is associated with non-refreshing sleep.
Other common sleep disorders include insomnia, characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep; sleep apnea, marked by breathing interruptions during sleep; restless legs syndrome (RLS), causing uncomfortable leg sensations and urges to move; circadian rhythm disorders, disrupting the sleep-wake cycle, and parasomnias, involving unusual behaviors during sleep.
Tips for better sleep
WHILE occasional sleepless nights are common, a sleep disorder is typically diagnosed after persistent symptoms lasting three months or more. For those people struggling with sleep but haven’t reached that chronic stage, there are many self-help strategies to improve their sleep duration and quality.
“It is very important, very basic, to have a regular sleep schedule, especially the time to wake up. If you wake up regularly, consistently, at the same time every day, eventually, your circadian rhythm will initiat e sleep at a particular time,” said Dr. Picar. She also pointed out that maintaining a consistent sleep schedule seven days a week is crucial. Irregular weekend wakeup times disrupt sleep patterns, leading to difficulty sleeping on Sunday nights and resulting in Monday morning fatigue, or social jet lag.
“You need to have an adequate amount of sleep. That means, for adults, it’s really between seven to nine hours of sleep. It can’t be five or six hours,” said Dr. Picar. For optimal sleep, Dr. Picar said one should be mindful of their food and beverage consumption. Avoid excessive caffeine intake in the afternoon and evening, as it can interfere with sleep. While alcohol may induce drowsiness, it ultimately leads to poor sleep quality. A light evening meal promotes better sleep than a heavy one.
Dr. Picar also said cigarettes should be avoided, as they stimulate and prevent sleep.
Device use before bed, including phones, tablets, and TVs, exposes individuals to light with a wavelength similar to sunlight, which inhibits melatonin production and shortens sleep time. A dark sleep environment is recommended for optimal sleep.
“That’s why we always recommend that your devices should be off two hours before you sleep,” said Dr. Picar.
For more inquiries about the Sleep Laboratory, contact MakatiMed On-Call at +632 8888 8999, email mmc@makatimed.net.ph, or visit www.makatimed.net.ph.
Unilab, emergency doctors partner to provide patient navigation system
By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
UNILAB Center for Health Policy (UCHP), a program under the Unilab Foundation (ULF), and the Philippine College of Emergency Medicine (PCEM) have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in a significant step towards enhancing healthcare accessibility and efficiency, marking the beginning of a concerted effort to formally establish the One Hospital Command Center and Patient Navigation System. “This project supports the eightpoint agenda of the DOH (Department of Health). It will guide setting up a patient navigation system essential for providing safe and high-quality healthcare, especially considering our limited health resources and the opportunities presented by healthcare informatics,” emphasized
Ruben “John” Basa, Program Director of UCHP. For its initial stage, the system will be first developed for the DOH-retained hospitals within the National Capital Region (NCR).
Collaboration platform
UCHP is a program of ULF that provides a platform for a collaborative and evidencebased policy laboratory in pursuit of the goals of Universal Health Care (UHC). It also demonstrates identified health service delivery models through pilot projects that are data-driven and grounded in expertise and experience.
The initiative with PCEM stems from an ideation workshop led by UCHP in November last year, which involved various hospital heads and healthcare providers. PCEM’s extensive experience and ex -
pertise, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, make it a valuable partner for this priority initiative.
The enhanced patient navigation system would include real-time data utilization, centralization, strengthened coordination, and improved staff capabilities.
Timely access IT would ensure that Filipinos receive timely access to the necessary medical services. The initial step is developing a comprehensive roadmap aligned with the DOH guidelines and the Universal Health Care Integration System (UHCIS).
For his part, Dr. Jeremy Cordero, President of the PCEM, said emergency care is also part of UHC.
“ The missing link is the system for implementation for better healthcare coordination; our current system needs to
tions and make it stronger, plus equipment that will temporarily function as a heart, which Dr. Aventura calls “mechanical circulatory support,” and then there’s heart transplant.
She said that even if the PHC performed heart transplants before, it took a back seat because of several challenges. At present, the PHC is the only medical institution in the country that has a Heart Transplant Program. “Even before the pandemic, the PHC has been planning and preparing its team in terms of the PHC’s Heart Transplant Program through various trainings locally and abroad, like in Taiwan, particularly at the National Taiwan University Hospital, for heart transplant. We are ready and we are just preparing the list of patients that are ok for heart transplant,” Dr. Yaneza pointed out.
Next month, Dr. Aventura added that the PHC transplant team will be going to the United States to benchmark and train with one of the biggest transplant centers in the world, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Dr. Yaneza expressed the fact that
for heart transplant to be sustainable in the country, it should involve all stakeholders, not only the institution but the national and local governments as well, even the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. or PhilHealth, to help with the costs. “Heart transplant is not cheap because the patient has to have a lifetime supply of immuno-suppressant medicines to ensure that the transplanted heart will not be rejected.”
In terms of transplant programs compared to its ASEAN neighbors, the country has a lot of catching up to do since many of them has their own heart transplant programs already like Malaysia and Thailand, and particularly South Korea and Taiwan who are at the forefront of heart transplant procedures in the region, according to Dr. Yaneza.
“Everybody should be really involved and one small step can lead to bigger things when it comes to the heart. The human heart is really amazing but it should not be put to its limits so it has to be taken care of,” Dr. Aventura emphasized.
DOH lauds new TB services clinic, cites strategies to combat high TB burden
DESPITE centuries of medical advancements, tuberculosis (TB) remains a formidable global health challenge.
The World Health Organization’s Global TB Report confirms its continued status as a leading cause of death, emphasizing the urgent need for renewed efforts.
“The latest WHO Global TB Report presents an alarming picture. The Philippines remains one of just five countries that account for more than half or 56 percent of all estimated global TB cases,” said Health Undersecretary Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire during the recent launch of The Medical City (TMC) I-DOTS Center.
Health Secretary Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, who joined the event virtually, added that the Philippines reported 546,452 TB cases in 2024.
“While that’s lower than the previous year, we are still far from our goal of a TB-free Philippines. But there is progress. We’ve seen a slight decrease in TB-related deaths from 20,605 in 2022 to 20,588 in 2023. Though small, these victories show we are on the right track. Still, we must do more,” said Herbosa.
“That’s why initiatives like The Medical City’s TB Council are so important. TMC has been a leader in creating innovative solutions to prevent, screen, diagnose, treat and research TB,” added Herbosa.
TMC’s I-DOTS (Integrated Delivery of TB Services) Center, according to Herbosa, is “a powerful symbol of accessible and compassionate TB care and shows that progress is possible.”
In a move to improve TB care accessibility, TMC inaugurated its I-DOTS Center on World Tuberculosis Day 2025. This expansion offers patients a more comprehensive and comfortable experience with dedicated consultation areas and sputum induction rooms, now situated on TMC’s ground floor near the Emergency Room. The launch, supported by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Coalition Against Tuberculosis (PhilCAT), signals a strengthened collaborative effort against TB.
The I-DOTS Center is equipped to manage all forms of TB, including drug-resistant and pediatric cases, and provides free antiTB medications and supervised treatment in partnership with the DOH.
be improved in terms of interoperability. We need a solid national framework to refer patients to appropriate healthcare facilities to prevent mortality and morbidity,” Dr. Cordero said . Meanwhile, Atty. Jose Maria A. Ochave, Unilab Foundation’s Executive Director, shared that, “While this collaboration will first cover DOH-retained hospitals, we see this initiative of UCHP and PCEM, as supported by the DOH, to expand and cover LGU-maintained and even private hospitals in NCR. And when we are able to demonstrate it works, this can spread to other parts of the country.”
This collaborative effort underscores UCHP’s and PCEM’s shared commitment to driving health innovation and improving the delivery of healthcare services throughout the Philippines within the framework of universal healthcare.
Dr. Hermogenes P. Masangkay Jr., I-DOTS Center Consultant Director, emphasized that the center serves not only as a facility for diagnosing and treating tuberculosis, but also as a hub for research.
“Our I-DOTS Center is more than just a place for TB diagnosis and treatment—it’s also a space where research ideas are encouraged and supported. We have a wealth of data ready for analysis,” he shared.
Dr. Vergeire acknowledged TMC’s leadership in integrating TB care with broader wellness efforts.
“We commend our private institutions for helping the public sector in our fight against TB, with The Medical City of course in its forefront.”
She likewise praised TMC for creating its TB Council headed by Dr. Josephine Ramos, designed to organize efforts within the hospital. The TB Council convened key leaders from the hospital to develop standardized
protocols, covering the entire patient journey from screening and diagnosis to treatment and cure.
Public-private sectoral efforts to address TB SPEAKING before TMC officials, doctors, and staff during the I-DOTS launch. Dr. Vergeire said the significant impact of TB underscores the need for a mix of strategies, including public-private sector efforts, to address this public health concern effectively.
She recalled that the country’s publicprivate collaboration for TB control began in 1995 when the University of Santo Tomas (UST) established the country’s first DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course) program, preceding the DOH’s adoption of this strategy.
“This led to the National TB Program’s official adoption of the DOTS strategy in 1996, creating a nationwide framework,” said Dr. Vergeire.
Since then, public-private partnerships significantly advanced TB control in the Philippines. In 2016, the excellence of the private sector partners was formally recognized with the launch of the PhilCat TOPS Award.
“We were able to help thousands of people because we have more and more partners and many from the private sector have joined us. So I think this kind of togetherness should be part of our main objectives in the long run so that we can effectively address our TB situation in our country,” said Dr. Vergeire.
Strategies to combat TB TO combat high TB burden, the DOH is targeting high-risk groups in crowded settings with massive screening. This initiative began in crowded institutional settings, such as jails and other densely populated community areas.
The DOH has implemented rapid TB diagnostic testing and AI-assisted chest x-ray systems, particularly in community mobile clinics. Dr. Vergeire stated that these are significant strides in screening and detection. However, recurring TB medication stockouts pose a challenge. DOH is collaborating with local governments to ensure timely drug procurement during supply gaps.
The department is also working with PhilHealth to enhance the TB benefit package.
“Actually, our PhilHealth Benefit Package has already increased. Though it’s not that big yet. I think it’s more than P5,000 per TB case for now compared to P4,000 before. But now, we’re working on a more rational costing for TB services, especially the DR or the drugresistant TB cases, which we know that they need it more,” said Dr. Vergeire.
She also highlighted the launch of the Philippine Acceleration Plan for TB 2023-2025 as a key milestone. In 2023, the TB National Coordinating Committee, a multisectoral body composed of key government agencies, private sector groups, civil societies, and development partners successfully spearheaded and launched this acceleration plan to address and eliminate TB in the Philippines, focusing on integrating TB elimination into various government agencies’ mandates and programs. Candy P. Dalizon
Editor: Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
E&E X EDUCATION CROSSOVER
Japan’s envoy visits UPLB on its 116th foundation day
AMB. Kazuya Endo of Japan graced the University of the Philippines-Los Baños’ (UPLB) 116th Foundation Day celebration and convocation.
In his remarks, Endo lauded UPLB’s tradition of excellence and commitment in rooting research in the nation’s progress. He also commended the university’s expanding international linkages, including ongoing partnerships with leading Japanese universities such as Kyoto University and Nagoya University.
At the event with Mme. Akiko Endo, UPLB chancellor Dr. Jose V. Camacho Jr. opened the program with his welcome message and introduced the institution’s planned projects for the year. UP president Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez also gave
a special message to mark the festivities.
With Dr. Camacho, the ambassador and his wife experienced riding on the UPLB’s electric jeep service “eLBeep [Electric Light Bus for the Environment and Economy Partnership],” which is a collaboration between Philippine local transport cooperative SNOBLOB and Kyoto-based Japanese company Assemblepoint Co. Ltd.
During the campus tour, both had the opportunity to visit many of the institution’s established research facilities. They first paid
a visit to the project-research lab of Japan International Cooperation Agency–Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development or JICA-SATREPS.
They also visited the UPLB National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and saw the facility’s BIO-N biofertilizer
production which employs equipment and machines donated by JICA, as well as the school’s Institute of Plant Breeding and Controlled Environment Research Facility Smart Farm.
The couple also met with alumni members of the institution’s Japanese Government scholarship or MEXT in a fellowship lunch.
Envoy to Belgium receives UST researchers in telerehab training
RESEARCHERS from the University of Santo Tomas’ (UST) College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS) engaged in capacity-building training in Belgium’s Thomas More University of Applied Sciences aimed at boosting telerehabilitation expertise.
Asst. Prof. Christian Rey D. Rimando led the team composed of members from various allied health departments. The members also paid a courtesy visit to the Philippine Embassy in Brussels and met with Amb. Jaime Victor B. Ledda to foster collaboration and support for this project, which highlighted the importance of partnership with research institutions and centers. The training was hosted on several campuses of Thomas More University, with sessions facilitated by Dr. Kirsten Schraeyen, Dr. Dorien Vandenborre, Dr. Nele De Witte, and Dr. Tom Van Daele.
Said learning program was an off-shoot of the project initiative: “Promoting Health Equality: Interprofessional Telerehabilitation
Ambassador to Romania, pro-rector exchange views on educ. cooperation
THE Philippines’ ambassador to Romania
Noel Servigon met the European country’s former minister of education and current pro-rector of the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA) Dr. Ligia Deca last month. Both officials discussed opportunities for higher education and research cooperation to strengthen education ties between the two nations. They agreed on two areas of interest that could be developed in the immediate future: promoting greater awareness of the Philippines and Asean in Romania, as well as comparative studies on Philippine and Romanian diasporas. Servigon expressed his willingness to discover and match counterpart Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) that could link up with the SNSPA.
Cognizant of the role of education institutions in strengthening long-standing bilateral relations, the embassy said it continues to create new connections with HEIs in Romania to foster institutional linkages and cultural education, while promoting the exchange of experts and expertise.
for Persons With Disabilities in the Philippines” approved by the Flemish Inter-Universities Council-University Development
Cooperation. It will benefit rural barangays from Talim Island, which is part of the Municipality of Binangonan in the province of Rizal to pave the way in developing an effective telerehabilitation program toward improving healthcare accessibility among persons with disabilities or PWDs.
It included the contextualization of the implementation of the “Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology” tool, as well as offered immersive experience on effective techniques and exposure to best practices in digital health with the goal of fostering innovative solutions to health-care concerns in the country’s remote islands.
The tailor-made training experience provided researchers an opportunity to further develop their skills in research and influence curriculum development by integrating telerehabilitation.
GPCCI, SM Foundation to boost skills training, employment opportunities
THE German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) and SM Foundation Inc. (SMFI) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on the “Job Opportunities, Building Skills” (J.O.B.S.) program aimed at improving employment prospects through skills training and job matching.
The partnership is focused on supporting job seekers to develop their relevant skills and connect with businesses looking for qualified talents. It is seen as a practical effort to strengthen employment opportunities by aligning training programs with industry needs.
“This MOU is more than just a formal agreement—it’s a step [to equip] individuals with skills that meet real industry demands,” said GPCCI president Marie Antoniette Mariano, as she emphasized the chamber’s commitment to dual education and vocational training approaches which have
proven effective in enhancing workforce readiness.
Under the MOU, SMFI— along with its educational institution, Asia Pacific College and National University—will align training programs with the needs and requirements of GPCCI member-companies and facilitate internship and job fairs, while the chamber will work with its affiliate firms in providing insights into industry requirements.
The initiative reflects a shared commitment to industrydriven, skills-based solutions for employability. By working together, SMFI and GPCCI
Phil. Embassy-Canberra honors prof for his contributions to Phil. Studies
THE Philippine Embassy in Canberra presented a plaque of appreciation from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the University of the Philippines (UP)-Asian Center to Prof. Reynaldo C. Ileto PhD in recognition of his keynote address during the International Conference on Philippine Studies held in Manila from November 27 to 29, 2024.
Amb. Antonio Morales thanked Dr. Ileto for the latter’s contributions to Philippine historiography and global discourse on Philippine Studies. Both recalled their 2017 meeting in Singapore where the educator presented his book: Knowledge and Pacification.
The embassy also reaffirmed its pledge to supporting Filipino academics and scholars in Australia, while enhancing academic partnerships to strengthen Philippine-Australia ties under the two government’s “Strategic Partnership.”
An honorary professor at the Australian National University, Dr. Ileto delivered the keynote address during the conference.
Organized by the UP Asian Center in partnership with DFA, the event brought together and initiated a dialogue among Philippine Studies programs, scholars, experts and enthusiasts worldwide, as it promoted Indigenous knowledge production and enriched the understanding of the Philippines through global scholarship perspectives.
The conference also sought to provide a platform to showcase research and other unique initiatives on Philippine Studies, foster national and international support for the field as a program of study and research, strengthen diplomatic and cultural ties with other countries, and explore future collaborations.
Boosting linkages
MEANWHILE, officials from the Philippine Embassy in Canberra met with ANU-Filipino Association counterparts as they explored collaborative initiatives in social, cultural, academic and community affairs. Their discussion focused on initiatives to assist newly arrived Filipino students in adjusting to their stay in Australia by providing essential guidance on academic life, entitlements and regulations, as well as integration.
Other topics discussed included upcoming events such as “ANU Toad Hall’s Multicultural Festival,” the celebration of the Philippines-Australia Friendship Day, Independence Day, as well as academic collaborations, outreach, and digital-media partnerships aimed at further engaging Filipino students across universities.
The embassy doubled on its promise to support Filipino students in Australia by fostering awareness, stronger community engagement, promoting the Filipino heritage, and ensuring people-to-people links in the “Land Down Under.”
THE Philippines’ rich maritime heritage and identity graced the hallways of the University of Andorra (UdA) as it marked a quarter of a century of Philippine-Andorran diplomatic ties.
The activities included the photo exhibit
anticipate enhanced access to relevant training that will create pathways to stable employment overall.
“Education is the foundation of opportunity,” said SMFI executive director for Education Programs Carmen Linda Atayde. “Through this collaboration, we aim to bridge the gap between training and job placement, [while] ensuring that more individuals are prepared for the workforce.”
According to the chamber, the initiative reflects “a shared commitment to industrydriven, skills-based solutions for employability.”
“L’Estat arxipelàgic: Explorant la identitat de les Filipines i la seva relació amb els oceans [The Archipelagic State: Exploring the Philippine Identity and its Relationship with the Oceans].”
Adding to its significance, Consul-General to Barcelona Maria Theresa S.M. Lazaro inaugurated the exhibit alongside Dr. Juli Minoves Triquell who is the former Andorran Foreign Affairs minister and now rector of UdA.
Notably, it was the latter himself who, on behalf of the Andorran government, signed the official documents establishing the two countries’ diplomatic relations in 2001.
“Cultural-diplomacy events, [such as today’s, are privileged and useful tools that open doors to strengthening friendship and ties, while] bolstering bilateral relations between countries,” said Minoves. “Thanks to the Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona, the powerful images of the Filipino peoples’ relationship with the seas and ocean around them are made available to the university’s community.”
More than a dozen images by Philippinebased American photographer Jacob Maentz were curated by the consulate general that highlighted the Philippines’ unique character as an archipelago and its people’s maritime heritage.
“Through these images, we hope that our students, faculty, and the whole [UdA community were able to understand how the Philippine archipelago was a way of life for Filipinos, emphasizing the interconnected communities and ecosystems,” said Lazaro.
“Because of our archipelagic nature of 7,641 islands, our country is marked by cultural diversity—with each island developing a culture unique to [itself. We cannot overemphasize the importance of water in our lives…it has shaped our culture, economy, livelihood, and industries].”
The photo exhibit also formed part of the consulate-general’s series of public diplomacy initiatives with leading universities under its jurisdiction. A “microstate” situated between Spain and France, Andorra is home to about a thousand Filipinos who include second-generation residents. It falls under the consular jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona.
ENDO (center) with university officials
AMB. Jaime Victor B. Ledda (center) receives a token from UST CRS’ Assoc. Prof. Georgina Mojica (left) and CRS academic staff member-UST SIMBAHAYAN Community Development Office’s Asst. Prof. Christian Rey Rimando
AMB. Noel Servigon (from left), SNSPA pro-rector Dr. Ligia Deca and Prof. Crina Radulescu.
AMB. Antionio Morales and First Secretary and Consul Rainier J. Casis (second from right, onward), together with Third Secretary and Vice Consul Angela C. Laurente (left) present a plaque to Prof. Reynaldo C. Ileto PhD. CANBERRA PE
CONSUL-GENERAL Maria Theresa S.M. Lazaro (left) expresses her gratitude to the University of Andorra’s rector Dr. Juli Minoves Triquell. BARCELONA PCG
GPCCI’S Dual Training & Education and Special Services director Kristina Silan (from left), board member Tristan Loveres, president Marie Antoniette Mariano and executive director Christopher Zimmer; with SM Foundation’s executive director Debbie Sy, vicechairperson and trustee Tessie Sy-Coson, and executive director for Education Programs Carmen Linda Atayde
OKADA Manila welcomes spring with an exciting lineup of exclusive offers and unforgettable experiences for its guests. From elegant afternoon teas to lavish Easter feasts and rejuvenating spa treatments, there is something for everyone to enjoy at the Philippines’ true five-star integrated resort.
Springtime Feasts & Easter Delights
CELEBRATE the season with an array of culinary experiences. The Hoppy and Hearty Easter Buffet at Medley Buffet on April 20, 2025, features a lavish spread of fresh seafood, succulent roasts, and Easter-themed desserts. Families can also enjoy a special Easter Egg Hunt. The buffet is priced at P4,500 nett per adult and P2,250 nett per child.
For a refined afternoon experience, A Taste of Spring High Tea at the Lobby Lounge offers a selection of teas, finger sandwiches, and floral-infused pastries. Available until May 1, 2025, the experience is priced at P1,150 nett for one and P2,280 nett for two.
La Piazza introduces Primavera Perfection, a spring-inspired menu featuring marinated ocean trout, green pea ravioli, and Romana-style pizza with shrimp and stracciatella cheese. This offering is available until April 30, 2025, with prices starting at P400 nett.
Yu Lei features Spring Afternoon Tea and the Flavors in Bloom set menu by Chef Mikiya Imagawa for P6,800 nett, available until April 20, 2025. For
sweet lovers, A Sweet Easter Surprise at the Lobby Lounge and Pastry Shop offers Easter cakes and chocolates from April 10 to 21, 2025, starting at P450 nett.
Spring Wellness & Family Escapes SPRING is the ideal time to refresh and unwind. Families can enjoy Easter Fun at Cove Manila Beach Club with live entertainment, pool fun and special treats on April 20, 2025. Tickets start at P1,788 nett.
At PLAY, children can stay active with the Flip, Jump & Play Gymnastics Class. Trial classes are available for P750, with full-term packages starting at P9,888 nett.
For a full-body refresh, The Retreat Spa offers the Total Relaxation Package for P8,900. This package includes a 60-minute Pore to Pure Facial, a 30-minute Full Body Aromatherapy Scrub, and a 30-minute Back, Neck, and Shoulder Massage.
The Beauty Salon presents the Springtime Glow Treatment, offering a Glow Boost Hair Treatment for P888 when combined with a Base Hair Color service. At the Nail Art Studio, Blooming Nails features spring-themed nail art with a complimentary Hand Thera Paraffin treatment for P2,500.
The Barbershop offers Look Fresh, a 50 percent discount on Precision Barbering and Styling when availing a Hair Color (Roots Only) service. At The Sole Retreat, Unwind in Bliss provides a Marma Point Face Therapy Massage with P1,000 off a
Lunar Tranquility session.
Exclusive Rewards & Seasonal Surprises SPRING also brings exciting rewards for shoppers and players at Okada Manila.
The Whispers of Spring Crystal Globe offer gives Reward Circle members a chance to claim a limited-edition crystal globe with a minimum spend of P15,000 and P20,000 for general guests. The promotion runs until May 4, 2025.
Over at The PLAY Store, guests can enjoy Easter Egg-Venture & Surprises, a special shopping event happening from April 14 to 20, 2025. For gaming enthusiasts, the Legendary Free Play Giveaway offers a chance to win over P3.9 million in Free Play weekly. Running until May 1, 2025, the promotion rewards players who earn Tier Points with instant prizes, milestone bonuses, and a chance at a mystery jackpot.
A Season of Indulgence Awaits WITH indulgent dining, relaxing spa treatments, exciting Easter events, and rewarding promos, Okada Manila’s Springtime Splendor brings together the very best of spring and Easter in one spectacular destination.
For more information about these offers, visit https://www.okadamanila. com/springtime-splendor. For daycation inquiries and reservations, contact +632 8555 5775, relax@okadamanila.com or visit https://www.okadamanila.com/deals/ easter-fun-at-cove-manila-beach-club.
Belmont Hotel Manila Unveils 5th Hiraya Art Exhibit
highlighted the
commitment
Filipino artistry and cultural appreciation.
Crafted Visions features the remarkable three-dimensional works of Josso Baldera, a young, talented artist whose pieces explore themes of life, nature, and the human experience. Each sculpture serves as a powerful visual narrative, inviting audiences to reflect on the beauty and complexity of our world through the lens of Baldera’s creativity. “Hiraya: Crafted Visions” showcases the extraordinary three-dimensional works
ABaking Company (ABC), known for its fresh-baked goods and inviting dining atmosphere, is excited to welcome its guests to enjoy the best breakfast and brunch buffet in Cebu City, now available every weekend at the Baseline Center. Featuring a wide selection of Filipino and American dishes, the buffet offers a satisfying and flavorful start to your day.
For just P799 per person for the breakfast buffet and P1,099 per person for the brunch buffet, guests can enjoy a range of mouthwatering dishes to
BENCHMARKING MISSION. Executives of Clark Development Corporation (CDC), led by Vice President for Business Development and Business Enhancement Group (BDBEG) Atty. Noelle Mina Meneses, who also serves as Vice Chair of CDC’s Anti-Red Tape (CAR), conducted a benchmarking activity in Parañaque City on March 20, 2025. The
Cebu Dining Experience at Maya
of Josso Baldera, a talented young artist whose sculptures explore themes of life, nature, and the human experience. Each piece tells a compelling visual story, inviting audiences to reflect on the beauty and complexity of the world through Baldera’s creative lens.
Baldera’s artistic journey began under the mentorship of the renowned artist Angelito Cacnio, with whom he apprenticed for nearly a decade. During this time, he honed his craft, learning the intricacies of sculpture while developing his own unique style.
His perseverance, coupled with his inherent talent, helped him transition from apprentice to artist, making him able to create pieces that are both visually stunning and deeply meaningful.
Featured in the book: “Alphabet of Filipino Contemporary Artists Volume 2” by Lander P. Blanza, Baldera’s works continue to gain recognition for their depth and artistic significance.
Visit Belmont Hotel Manila and discover the unique works of Josso Baldera, on display until April 20, 2025. Don’t miss the opportunity to own a piece of this captivating collection, as all artworks are available for purchase or you may check out this link to see of his creations.
Link: https://qrco.de/bfpVyT
For more information, please call 5318 8888 or email info@ belmontmanila.com.
THE Hoppy and Hearty Easter Buffet at Medley Buffet on April 20, 2025.
SPRING is the ideal time to refresh and unwind. Families can enjoy Easter Fun at Cove Manila Beach Club with live entertainment, pool fun and special treats on April 20, 2025.
IN the photo are, from left, Mayann Malapote, Director of Operations, Belmont Hotel Manila; Josso Baldera, Featured Artist in Hiraya and Sonny Alvaro, Cluster General Manager, Megaworld Hotels & Resorts.
Empowering dreamers: Stakeholders’ support vital to working students’ success
By Jt Nisay
ONE is a 37-year-old full-time employee with two daughters; the other, a do-it-all, self-supporting Gen Z. Michael Sudara and Kyla Besañez may have different profiles, driven by their respective dreams in life, but both share the belief that education serves a pathway toward a better future.
“I’ve been in the IT industry for more than a decade now, and I realized that skills and experiences are not enough. I needed to get a college degree, so I looked for a fully online college that I can balance with a full-time job,” Sodara said in a video interview. Meanwhile, Besañez, 20, took on various jobs as a student after having to fend for herself following the passing of her mother. “I had to step up while pursuing my education.”
The testimonies of Sudara and Besañez, working students enrolled at Mapúa Malayan Digital College (MMDC), mirror the telling findings of Nerve. The data forensics company shared recently their study centered on the challenges and aspirations of Filipino working students.
While economic reasons and time constraints remain the top respective driver and barrier for these individuals pursuing dual roles, a whopping 86 percent of the respondents said they were eager to grow professionally through education. In particular, workshops, short courses, and micro-certifications were favored by the respondents, citing practicality. Most of them, however, said they could only set aside up to five hours a week and not more than P5,000 on upskilling.
“Ambition is and never was the issue when it comes to these working students,” strategist at Nerve Joaquin Mercado said during his presentation of the report. “Upskilling is interesting not just to today’s high school and college students, but even to those who are employed. Therefore, we must create a culture of continuing education where it’s not just allowed that our employees have the time to upskill, but rather where it is encouraged through short courses, microcertifications, and the like.”
Aside from pinpointing problems, the study also determined how to address them by asking the working students directly. The respondents said that flexibility in terms of time was important, which would allow them to properly juggle their work and school responsibilities. Flexibility applies in the monetary sense as well, with the alleviation of these financial pressures seen to “really help their situation and empower them to achieve their dreams.”
The study set the context for the launch of the first National Working Students Day (#WorkingStudentsDayPH), set to be celebrated on March 21 every year, as part of MMDC’s “Step Up sa Pangarap” movement. Introduced in 2023 by the digital-first college, the movement aims to “celebrate, empower and encourage the achievements of working students.” Meanwhile, #WorkingStudentsDayPH serves as a platform to celebrate the success of working students, and shine a light on their relentless pursuit of education.
Part of the #WorkingStudentsDayPH launch at Honeycomb Collaborative Studios in DoubleDragon Plaza was a panel discussion focused on the current landscape of Filipino working students. The talk, titled Filling in the Gaps: What Organizations are Doing to Support Working Students, tackled how organizations, employers and the academe assist the oftenoverlooked sector.
Speaking from the education side, Jenny Chua, vice president at MMDC, recognized that the traditional school setup may not work for working students. She said this is why the digital-first college under Mapúa Malayan Colleges Laguna offers a “flexible model” that “allows them to balance their lives and also be able to get the skills that they need to be relevant in the workforce.”
“[Mapúa Malayan Digital College] has been addressing the challenges of working students through our student-focused and modern BS Information Technology programs, which equip them with workforce-ready skills highly sought-after in both global and local job markets,” Chua said. “Our core curriculum is complemented by online learning strategies designed to provide them flexibility, accessibility and practical support.”
MMDC features two new tools designed to transform their educational journey.
First, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into its learning platform through “AI Coach and AI Dialogue,” designed to support self-paced study and grant access to content from top universities and organizations worldwide this academic year. Chua said this upgrade complements MMDC’s flexible
online learning and personalized mentorship from industry-recognized academic coaches and mentors.
It also supports the Projects, Problems and Cases (PPC) approach that focuses on practical and relevant hands-on exercises to ensure student success, rather than traditional exams.
Second, MMDC is expanding educational opportunities for those who want to upskill with its new “Career Leap Pad Certification Program.”
A collection of internationally recognized microcredential courses, the program provides industryaligned skills to non-graduate jobseekers, working professionals and career-shifters seeking to advance their careers or explore new paths. The program focuses on high-demand industries such as Virtual Assistance, Marketing, and Technology. It is also delivered online and made accessible without a college degree, with affordable certifications priced as low as P9,000. The program, Chua added, is designed to boost one’s CV and LinkedIn profile in three months or less.
Alongside Chua on the panel was TV host Bianca Gonzalez, who reflected on her experience as a working student. The education advocate was in her third year in college when she started working, but maintained that finishing her studies had always been a “non-negotiable,” especially for her father. She ended up doing part-time school to meet her work demands.
To this day, the self-confessed “nerd” and
continuous learning advocate continues to take short courses, particularly in the field of AI.
“At whatever stage we are in, the world is moving so fast that everything is changing and we cannot stop learning,” Gonzalez said, pointing to how MMDC’s Career Leap Pad Certification Program benefits her and other working professionals. “The jobs five years from now don’t even exist yet. If we don’t learn more, we’ll be left behind.”
Meanwhile, Adi Hernandez, assistant vice president of McDonald’s Philippines, represented companies looking out for working students. She discussed their efforts to upskill their employees, particularly their Continuing Education Scholarship with MMDC. She said the college’s learning model allowed McDonald’s Philippines to promote workschool balance by offering flexible work hours and strategic branch assignments.
“What Nerve presented about flexibility and upskilling needs are the realities that our 40,000+ working students at McDonald’s Philippines go through every day,” Hernandez said. She also addressed the “belief that working at a fast food is a dead-end job,” and emphasized how their worldclass training programs make their crew “very, very marketable” to other McDonald’s markets abroad. Hernandez even cited that many of the company’s leaders in the boardroom today have crew experience. In particular, their senior vice president and head of operations who handles all of their 790 stores was
once a working student for them.
Rounding out the four-woman panel was JeanAnne Pangue, training coordinator at Rappler. She explained how working students or anyone who would like to upskill can benefit from the online learning platform RappLearn and its partnership with MMDC. According to Pangue, RappLearn supports MMDC’s learn-at-your-own-pace flexible model and provides everyone with a chance to learn directly from media experts, which can enhance one’s media and digital awareness skills—a must in the digital age.
Circling back to National Working Students Day, Chua, the MMDC vice president, said that the special occasion underscores the importance of community and collaboration. MMDC led this year’s celebrations at the Activity Center in Ayala Malls Circuit Makati and the Banwa CoWorking Space in Bacolod City. MMDC honored outstanding working students, shared insights from industry leaders, and connected students with top employers.
“National Working Students Day serves as an invitation to empower undergraduates who dream of completing their college education or advancing their careers,” Chua said.
“We hope today we can shine a light on the transformative power of education and also the strong community of support that can provide solutions and help them achieve their goals and improve their lives.” n
Makatimed completes first cochlear implantation surgery
MAKATI Medical Center (MakatiMed, 8888-8999 local 8401 to 8402) has reached a significant breakthrough with the successful completion of its first cochlear implantation surgery. This achievement was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Section of OtologyNeurotology under the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, in partnership with the Department of Pediatrics.
On February 23, 2025, a pediatric patient diagnosed with congenital profound hearing loss in both ears underwent a life-changing cochlear implantation at MakatiMed. This transformative procedure was performed by a distinguished team of specialists, including Clydine Maria Antonette G. Barrientos, MD (Pediatric ENT), Aurelia G.
Leus, MD (Pediatric Cardiology), Erasmo Gonzalo D.V. Llanes, MD (Otorhinolaryngology), Gerard F. Lapiña, MD (Otorhinolaryngology), and Rosario Loraine Moscare, MD
(Anesthesiology). Their combined expertise ensured a successful surgery that paves the way for the patient to perceive sound, develop speech, and experience an improved
quality of life.
Cochlear implantation is a revolutionary intervention for individuals with severe to profound hearing loss. Unlike conventional hearing aids, cochlear implants directly stimulate the auditory nerve, enabling recipients to process sound and communicate more effectively. This procedure represents a significant step forward in MakatiMed’s mission to provide world-class, comprehensive healthcare services that prioritize patient-centered and multidisciplinary approaches to treatment.
As the hospital continues to pioneer advanced medical procedures, this milestone serves as an inspiration to further enhance its services and deliver transformative healthcare solutions to patients in need.
Pangue (from left), training coordinator at Rappler; Adi assistant vice
(Golden Arches Development Corp.); Jenny Chua, vice president for marketing and admissions at Mapúa Malayan Digital College; and Bianca Gonzalez, TV host and education
PBA Greatest at 50:
Give way for 10 more
By Josef Ramos
NELSON “THE BULL” ASAYTONO
be denied this time of a special nook in the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) after the league announced on Wednesday that the seventime champion will be one of the 10 players that will complete the “50 Greatest Players” in time for the league’s golden anniversary celebration next week.
A saytono, now 58, was always a contender but never an MVP trophy, played 18 seasons in the league, was scoring champion in 1997, a two-time Best Player of the Conference and is fifth in the all-time scoring record.
O n April 11 at Solaire North’s Grand Ballroom in Quezon City, Asaytono will stand proud and mighty during the Induction Ceremony alongside eight-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, Rene “Bong” Hawkins, Abe King, Danny Seigle, Scottie Thompson, the late Arnie Tuadles, Manny
Victorino, Yoyoy “Bicolano Superman” Villamin and Jeffrey Cariaso.
T hey will be joined by the 40 “Greatest” players who were earlier named by the league, which celebrates its 50th year on Wednesday, April 9.
“It’s more than 80 percent majority or should I say a unanimous decision,” said former PBA commissioner on the choice of Asaytono. “Nelson Asaytono and the nine others are deserving og their spot as newest members of the PBA Greatest Players.”
The PBA got a thorough bashing when Asaytono was left out of the list during the league’s 40th anniversary.
Fajardo was also a hands down choice.
“There’s no June Mar Fajardo that will come to us in the coming years,” Ronnie Magsanoc, a member of the elite “Greatest Players” list, said. “Imagine the eight MVP titles he won.”
“It’s all about their playing career in the PBA particularly those who won MVP trophies,” Barrios said. “All of us [in the selection committee] had their own list of 10 players.”
B arrios co-chaired the
selection committee with former Toyota coach Dante Silverio with Magsanoc in the committee were Nelson Beltran, Al Mendoza, Ding Marcelo, Quinito Henson, Benjie Paras, Allan Caidic, Fortunato “Atoy Co” and Andy Jao as members.
The “Greatest Players” are Johnny Abarrientos, Willam “Bogs” Adornado, Ato Agustin, Francis Arnaiz, Caidic, Ricardo Brown, Hector Calma, Philip Cezar, Co, Bernie Fabiosa, Kenneth Duremdes, Jerry Cordiñera, Ramon Fernandez, Danny Florencio, Robert Jaworski Sr., Abet Guidaben, Freddie Hubalde, Lim Eng Beng, Jojo Lastimosa, Samboy Lim, Vergel Meneses, Ronnie Magsanoc, Manny Paner, four-time MVP Alvin Patrimonio and 1989 Rookie of the Year MVP Benjie Paras.
MARK CALLADO and Giles Torres delivered as Savouge
Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday.
The Spin Doctors had to dig deep to erase a five-point deficit in the third set and seize control from the young and fearless Griffins.
Calado fired a game-high 30 points on 26 attacks with three kill blocks and an ace, while Torres dropped 21 points on 11 attacks, six kill blocks and four aces for the Spin Doctors, who missed the services of Caritativo in the fourth due to an ankle injury.
Caritativo suffered an injury after a bad landing and did not return, momentarily disrupting Savouge’s offensive rhythm.
“I told my teammates in the third set, when we were trailing, that every point must be earned, and we had to
stay composed and fight for each one,” Callado said. “We found our rhythm, gained consistency, and took the set— and eventually, the match.” Savouge could wrap up the bronze medal with
hursday april 3, 2025
mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph
Editor: Jun Lomibao
Alas Pilipinas tandems kick off campaign with inspiring victories
By Aldrin Quinto
CAlso in the list are Danny Ildefonso, Willie Miller, James Yap, Paul Asi Taulava, Erik Menk, Kelly Williams, Jay-Jay Helterbrand, Mark Caguioa, Jimmy Alapag, Arwind Santos, Jayson Castro, Marc Pingris, Kerby Raymundo, Chito Loyzaga and Marlou Aquino.
Current PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial supervised the announcement ceremony.
ITY of Santa Rosa, Laguna— Khylem Progella and Sofia Pagara got off to a flyer before easing off the gas on the way to victory, while Rancel Varga and James Buytrago went full pace throughout a big win at the start of the Rebisco Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Beach Tour Nuvali Open on Wednesday.
C hampions of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) Invitationals last year, Progella and Pagara showed no sign of rust from the long break as they beat Ee Ling Pua and Rachael Go of Malaysia, 21-8, 21-18, at the world-class Nuvali Sand Courts By Ayala Land.
The University of Santo Tomas stars looked headed for a breezy win as they took the first set in 11 minutes but let off the throttle in the second, giving the Malaysians a glimmer of hope.
The Filipinas found their groove right back to finish the match in 28 minutes, although 19-year-old Progella admitted they could have done better.
We may have relaxed a little bit in the second set, but we realized quickly that straight-sets wins are crucial in pool play,” Progella said.
The 20-year-old Pagara added that they approached the tournament with a different mindset after competing last year in the Asian Seniors Beach Volleyball Championships.
“ We feel a lot more confident this time, although the preparation is shorter,” Pagara said.
another victory on Friday.
R enzel Antonio contributed eight points, Hero Austria provided a spark off the bench with seven points, JC Enarciso orchestrated the offense with 15 excellent sets and Rikko Marmeto anchored the floor defense with 15 excellent receptions and nine digs for Savouge.
Bryan Jaleco led the way for VNS with 15 points on 12 attacks and three kill blocks, while CJ Segui had 14 points and 13 excellent receptions.
KC Culabat added 11 points, eight excellent digs and 11 excellent receptions for the Griffins.
Golden Coolers fan streak with victory past Mindoro cagers
THE Rizal Xentromall Golden Coolers stretched their hot streak by drubbing the Mindoro Tamaraws, 77-61, on Tuesday to share the lead in the Manny Pacquiao presents 1xBet-Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Season 2025 at the Ynares Center 2 in Montalban in Rizal Province. Powered by Michael Canete and Keanu Caballero, the Golden Coolers led by as many as 77-53 before cruising to their fifth straight win and joining the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards at the top of
In contrast, Rancel Varga and James Buytrago felt they needed to keep smashing despite the energy-sapping heat in the midday showdown with Uzbekistan’s Mustafoev Golibjon and Nodirjon Alekseev.
The silver medalists in the FIVB Futures Nuvali won, 21-13, 21-6, completing the win in 31 minutes.
“It was a great start but we felt we could do more and we thought we could still limit their scoring in the second, and so we did,” Buytrago said.
The top Alas Pilipinas pair hammered six aces in the second set, with 10 points coming from attacks.
Varga said they needed a little time to adjust after being out of competition for a while but were pleased to find their groove early.
“The first few points were not so good, we needed to switch to higher gear and push harder,” Varga said.
University Athletic Association of the Philippines champions Kat Epa and Honey Grace Cordero, meanwhile, had
the round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team tournament. Canete tallied 13 points and six rebounds, while the 5-foot-6 Caballero posted 13 points to clinch best player honors in the nightcap of a triple-bill. Eric Joseph Pili provided help with 10 points and four rebounds and so did Eric Cammson with eight points and nine rebounds,
PETRO Gazz aims to go blunderfree as they face dangerous Akari Chargers not just to sweep the semifinal round but, more importantly, to advance to the best-of-three championship series of the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Thursday. The Angels, a two-time Reinforced Conference champions, have within reach of another shot at the championship in a historic edition of the All-Filipino Conference.
All that stands in their way are the Chargers, whom they face at 4 p.m. on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Angels expect the match to be just as challenging as their previous battles against Creamline and Choco Mucho.
“Akari is a strong team,” said Petro Gazz head coach Koji Tsuzurabara, choosing to keep things simple when asked about expectations and their game plan.
He guided the Angels to a stunning fourth-set comeback against the Flying Titans on Tuesday night, mirroring their four-set triumph over the Cool Smashers last weekend to inch closer to the championship.
Facing fellow Japanese tactician Taka Minowa, Tsuzurabara, he expects a tough test but remains cautiously optimistic—noting that the Angels need to improve more and sharpen their mental game.
an encouraging AVC debut but fell just short against Japan’s Saki Maruyama and Miki Ishii, 12-21, 21-19, 9-15, in a thrilling opening match at center court.
The National University stars went toe-to-toe against the Japanese in a 47-minute showdown in the tournament organized by the PNVF under its president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, who is also chief of the AVC.
It was a tough outing in the afternoon for the Lady Bulldogs, however, as Epa and Cordero were swept by Thailand’s Samitta Simarongnam and Salinda Mungkhon, 21-18, 21-16.
Alexa Polidario of the Philippine Army and Lorien Ysobel Gamboa of UST gave Nuvali Open 2024 winner Stefanie Fejes and new partner Jasmine Fleming of Australia a bit of a scare early before bowing, 16-21, 17-21.
Australia’s Georgia Johnson and Elizabeth Alchin proved too much for Sunny Kalani Villapando and Jenny Gaviola, 21-11, 21-6 in the event offering $2,500 (around P143,000) to the winning tandems.
Lerry John Francisco and Edwin Tolentino put up a strong stand against Asian Senior Beach Volleyball Champions D’Artagnan Potts and Jack Pearse of Australia before bowing, 17-21, 18-21.
A nother Australian pair dealt the Philippines a big opening-day blow, with Paul Burnett and Luke Ryan dispatching Ronniel Rosales and Alexander Jhon Iraya, 21-13, 21-18.
Nuvali Open 2024 runners-up Pithak Tipjan and Poravid Taovato of Thailand recovered from a rough start to beat China’s Song Jinyang and Zhang Tai, 1621, 21-9, 15-10, while Indonesia’s Bintang Sofyan and Akbar Efendi beat China’s Yuan Mao and Yuan Liu, 21-18, 21-16. New Zealand’s Bradley Fuller and Ben O’Dea romped past Hong Kong’s Lee Cheukhei and Lee Litfung, 21-11, 21-11.
Despite sweeping Akari in the preliminaries, Petro Gazz expects nothing less than a grueling battle— their previous encounter was anything but easy with the Angels having to grind out a 28-26, 29-27, 25-18 win. A loss, combined with a potential Creamline victory over Choco Mucho in the 6:30 p.m. match that’s expected to be another blockbuster showdown between sister teams, would result in a three-way tie at the top at 2-1. Victories by both Akari and Choco Mucho would force a three-way tie for second place at 1-2, with Petro Gazz securing the first Finals slot. In such scenarios, a playoff will break the deadlock on Saturday back at the PhilSports Arena. With all possibilities still on the table, one thing is clear—the road to the championship remains tough and the Angels must prove they have what it takes to soar to the top.
All eyes remain on the Angels, who dominated the double round-robin preliminaries with a stellar 10-game winning streak.
At the heart of Petro Gazz’s surge is Brooke Van Sickle, whose offensive brilliance is complemented by her defensive prowess.
T he Filipino-American standout recorded a rare triple-double of 17 points, 12 excellent digs and 22 excellent receptions against Choco Mucho.
“I take every play seriously, especially on defense. The better I dig, the better opportunities my teammates get,” Van Sickle said. “The better I can dig, the calmer it is compared to a chaotic out-ofsystem play.”
“I always try my hardest to involve everyone, not to put too much pressure on the setters, and to create good scoring opportunities,” she said. “I want to be just as good in offense as I am in the back row.”
A CHAMPIONSHIP appearance is within reach with the way Brooke Van Sickle and the Angels are playing in the semifinals.
KHYLEM PROGELLA and Sofia Pagara make Alas Pilipinas proud on opening day Wednesday. ROY DOMINGO
