gold holdings pushed the country’s gross international reserves (GIR) to a 13-month high as of end-November, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). By
Pelonia
HE robust performance of the crops and poultry subsectors will allow Philippine agriculture to post a growth rate of between 3 and 4 percent by yearend, according to a unit of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P). UA&P Center for Food and Agribusiness (CFA)
Executive Director Marie Annette GalvezDacul said the gross value added (GVA) of agriculture and fisheries will recover from the 1.5 percent contraction posted in 2024.
“We expect a rebound in agricultural output mainly because we were recovering from a low production base the previous year, wherein weather disruptions and supply issues held back crop yields, especially for rice, sugarcane, and corn,” Dacul said in the center’s recent yearend conference.
She noted, however, that certain factors could dampen the sector’s growth.
“High input costs and logistic costs from fertilizer to fuel to transport continues to squeeze farmer margins. We continue
By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto @reine_alberto
THE national government has paid P1.934 trillion for some of its debts from January to October this year, settling 94 percent of its programmed debt service for 2025.
Latest data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed the government’s debt payments grew by 3.97 percent to P1.934 trillion during the 11-month period from P1.860 trillion in the same period last year.
Of the total debt service, about 62.61 percent of the amount, or P1.211 trillion, was accounted for by amortization payments, which
marginally declined by 0.86 percent from P1.221 trillion a year ago.
Most of the amortization went to domestic creditors, totaling P1.008 trillion during the 11-month period. This is slightly higher by 0.91 percent compared to the P999.739 billion paid in the same period last year.
The government has also paid out P202.412 billion to foreign financiers as of end-October 2025, down by 8.91 percent year-onyear from P222.219 billion.
Meanwhile, interest payments reached P723.216 billion during the 11-month period, 13.23 percent higher than the P638.681 billion recorded during the January to October period of 2024.
On one hand, the state’s domestic interest payments jumped by 18.24 percent year-on-year to P536.190 billion from P453.460 billion, according to the Treasury. This consisted of P367.075 billion for fixed-rate treasury bonds, P122.465 billion for retail treasury bonds, P38.209 billion for treasury bills and P8.441 billion for other liabilities.
On the other hand, foreign interest payments slightly increased by 0.97 percent on an annual basis to P187.026 billion from P185.221 billion.
‘Weak peso raises foreign debt servicing’ ACCORDING to John Paolo R.
Rivera, senior research fellow at state-run Philippine Institute for Development Studies, the peso’s recent weakness against the US dollar raises the government’s debt servicing costs for foreigncurrency debts.
“Every USD of amortization or interest now requires more PHP to pay. Even if the actual amount of external debt does not change, the PHP value of those payments increases, which can strain the budget,” Rivera told the BusinessMirror He added that if the PHP stays near its recent lows, higher PHP-denominated debt servicing costs should be expected in the coming months.
By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
HIGH import charges, red tape, lack of transparency and unclear standards for environmental compliance are hampering cross-border trade between the 27-member bloc European Union (EU) and the Philippines, according to a survey conducted by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP).
In its 2025 Business Sentiment Survey Report, ECCP said crossborder trade between the EU and the Philippines continues to face a range of challenges that can hinder efficiency, limit investment and affect overall business performance.
Survey results indicate that businesses encounter multiple market
access challenges in EU-Philippines trade.
“Administrative hurdles and red tape are the most frequently cited, affecting 47.7 percent of respondents, followed by tariffs at 38.4 percent and onerous customs procedures at 24.4. percent,” the European-Philippine business community said.
Technical barriers to trade and sanitary or phytosanitary checks were reported by smaller shares, at 20.9 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively.
ECCP said these findings highlight that procedural inefficiencies and high import costs remain the “primary constraints,” signaling the need for streamlined processes and enhanced trade facilitation measures to improve cross-border
efficiency and competitiveness.
Under the regulatory and policy barriers component of the survey, the European-Philippine business community pointed out that import charges were the most cited challenge at 40.7 percent, while licensing or certification requirements affected 32.6 percent, and limited access to public procurement opportunities impacted 25.6 percent of companies.
Weak intellectual property protection was noted by 16.9 percent of respondents, reflecting concerns over safeguarding innovations.
“Taken together, these results underscore that complex regulatory frameworks and uneven policy implementation can hinder market entry and operational efficiency, emphasizing the need for clearer,
more predictable rules to foster investor confidence and sustainable growth,” the ECCP survey noted. Meanwhile, the study showed that institutional and structural challenges remain a “pressing concern” for businesses operating between the EU and the Philippines. Nearly half of respondents (49.4 percent) cited a lack of transparency as a key barrier, while 40.1 percent noted limited digitalization in trade facilitation, and 37.2 percent reported “inconsistent” application of rules.
Collectively, ECCP noted: “These issues highlight the urgent need for stronger governance, standardized procedures, and digital transformation to streamline trade processes.”
DEVOTEES put up finishing touches on different Immaculate Conceptions of the Blessed Virgin Mary figure before it goes on parade to celebrate the feast of the solemnity
SHINING THROUGH THE SEASON Different barangays of Candon City, Ilocos Sur rolled out their vibrant and creatively lit entries for the 2025 Electric Float Parade, filling the streets with festive
fees, red tape crimp…
Addressing these barriers is critical not only for improving operational efficiency but also for building trust and predictability, which are essential for attracting sustained foreign investment, the EuropeanPhilippine business community said.
As the trade between EU and the Philippines attempt to embrace sustainable practices, the survey showed that 42.4 percent of companies operating within the EU-Philippines business community continue to encounter unclear standards for environmental compliance, while 30.2 percent highlight the absence of incentives for green supply chains.
“These figures indicate that regulatory ambiguity and limited support for sustainable practices could slow the adoption of environmentally responsible operations,” the study noted.
“Enhancing clarity in environmental regulations and introducing targeted incentives would not only encourage greener business practices but also strengthen the Philippines’ position in global sustainable trade networks,” it added.
The European Commission’s website noted that the EU was the Philippines’s fourth-largest trading partner, accounting for 7 percent of the country’s total trade in goods in 2024.
The Philippines was the EU’s 40th largest trading partner, accounting for 0.3 percent of the EU’s total trade in goods.
NEA: More homes will have access to electricity in 2026
By Lenie Lectura @llectura
HOUSEHOLD
electrification rate in 2026 is expected to hit 94 percent from 91.7 percent this year, according to the National Electrification Administration (NEA).
“NEA’s targeting 94 percent by end of 2026. Last year, we’re 89 percent. By end-2025, we’ll be achieving 91.7 percent and with the increase in subsidy, granted to us by Congress, we’re expecting, targeting 94 percent electrification rate,”
NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda said last week.
This will all be possible with an approved budget of P5.8 billion for next year, Almeda said. “From P2.8 billion, I think we doubled already to P5 billion. There are motions to include to grant an additional P4 billion but what’s in the NEP [National Expenditure Program] is P5.8 billion,” said the NEA chief. However, persistent challenges continue to hound the agency. Almeda cited unfavorable weather con -
ditions that hamper the day-to-day operations of the agency.
“It’s always the weather. As I mentioned earlier, I am working on some challenges on additional warm bodies for engineers of NEA for a timely implementation. With the increase in the budget requires increase in engineers to validate, inspect, liquidate, and issue certificates of final inspection. So that is something I’m working with at the Commission on Audit,” said the NEA chief.
NEA’s focus is still to energize far-flung areas in Mindanao. “We’re still putting into priority Mindanao, especially the geographical isolated and the disadvantageous areas, mostly in the BARMM [Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao] area,” he said, adding
Negros and Cordillera as other focus areas for electrification. Around 5.25 percent of households nationwide have no access to power. In Mindanao, the electrification rate stood at 83 percent. For Luzon and Visayas, the electrification rate reached 98.84 and 95.23 percent, respectively. The goal is to achieve 100 percent household electrification across the country by 2028.
NEA, together with partners, is also working on Mindoro Island to solve its persistent rotational brownout. “We’re on the finishing touches on the
regulatory aspect, the technical feasibility, and the financial feasibility is already done. Once we are able to secure a go signal from ERC [Energy Regulatory Commission] on the regulatory aspect, we are green and go. The construction period, I believe, is one year,” Almeda added. It facilitated last year an agreement with the Maharlika Investment Corp. (MIC), the provincial governments and electric cooperatives of both Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro to improve the electrical infrastructure in the said provinces.
Ralph Recto to “treat PhilHealth like a bank or investment fund.” San Fernando added that the claim of “excess” PhilHealth funds was misleading, citing unpaid obligations to hospitals and growing patient needs.
Akbayan Partylist Rep. Perci Cendaña said the ruling affirms the public’s expectation that health funds cannot be siphoned into unrelated projects like flood control or infrastructure.
“The Senate and House leadership must comply with the order and include the return of PhilHealth’s P60 billion in the 2026 budget,” he said.
Refuted
MEANWHILE , former House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Joey Sarte Salceda has refuted claims by retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio that he was responsible for inserting a special provision in the 2024 national budget allowing the government to sweep idle funds from GOCCs. In a statement, Salceda stressed that he had no role in crafting the 2024 General Appropriations Act, noting that he was not a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, its Small Committee, or the bicameral conference panel that finalized the budget.
fully cover all foreign liabilities, public and private, falling due within the next 12 months.
“The latest GIR level ensures availability of foreign exchange to meet the balance of payments financing needs, such as for payment of imports and debt service, in extreme conditions when there are no export earnings or foreign loans,” the central bank said.
The central bank manages the reserves, which consist of gold reserves, special drawing rights, foreign investments and foreignexchange reserves, and uses them to underwrite obligations.
The main driver in the GIR was the increase in gold holdings, which went up by $1.135 billion or 6.72 percent month-on-month to $18.025 billion as of end-November 2025 from $16.890 billion.
The GIR’s rise was also partly supported by the national gov-
ernment’s earlier global bond issuances, which boosted the country’s foreign exchange buffers, said Michael L. Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation. Additional lift came from the return of foreign investment into emerging markets such as the Philippines following several US Federal Reserve rate cuts, as well as steady structural dollar sources such as remittances from overseas Filipinos, business process outsourcing revenues, tourism receipts, exports and investment income from abroad, Ricafort added.
GIR is made up of foreign-denominated securities, foreign exchange and other assets, including gold. It helps a country finance its imports and foreign debt obligations, stabilize its currency, and provide a buffer against external economic shocks.
“First of all, I cannot make an insertion in the 2024 budget because I was not a member of the House Appropriations Committee, or the ‘Small Committee,’ or the Bicameral Committee during the whole 19th Congress,” Salceda said. He clarified that Carpio may have been referring to House Bill 9513, which he filed not for the 2024 budget but to help finance unprogrammed appropriations under the 2023 national budget. The bill proposed tapping idle GOCC funds to augment allocations for the Public Health Emergency Allowance and the Health Facilities Support Fund, each requiring around P52 billion. Salceda said the measure was introduced in response to the government’s commitment to impose no new taxes while facing significant Covid-19 pandemic-related debts maturing in 2023.
Janus’s history distributing major world cinema titles, from Kurosawa to Fellini and Pasolini, provides a basis for “Magellan” to reach viewers beyond festival circulation and into long-term US access. The company’s collaboration with the Criterion Collection offers continuity between theatrical release, streaming, and home media, creating a multistage path for Diaz’s work at a moment when global cinema visibility often depends on sustained availability rather than singlewindow release.
Janus is expected to continue building visibility as “Magellan” approaches its opening, with IFC Center serving as the initial point in its domestic release. Platform distributors rely on early turnout in New York to determine expansion to Los Angeles and other regions, and initial audience response often influences media
coverage leading up to Oscar announcements. With the Philippines submitting the film for international feature consideration, and Diaz’s position already established among major festival directors, Janus’s approach connects festival recognition with targeted academic engagement, placing the film in front of viewers who often convert into reliable opening-weekend attendance.
For Janus, the NYU screening served as an early step in that process. By positioning Diaz in front of university audiences while awards conversations continue, the event helps build recognition ahead of the film’s theatrical launch. Academic turnout is a measurable indicator for this kind of release: it reflects a segment of the US audience that follows global cinema and tends to support platform openings. Early alignment with academic communities often translates into core turnout during the opening weekend, which remains a critical determinant of platform expansion and long-term circulation.
es, this year to lessen its exposure to foreign exchange risks.
While it does not create an immediate crisis because the Philippines still has “manageable” external debt and strong reserves, Rivera said it does narrow the fiscal space, leaving less room for social programs, infrastructure and stimulus spending unless revenues improve or borrowing is adjusted.
This comes even as the government follows a borrowing mix of 81:19, in favor of domestic sourc-
“Weak PHP means higher PHP cost of existing external debt today, which still adds pressure to fiscal space despite the improved borrowing mix,” Rivera added.
Oct debt service IN October alone, the national government’s debt service dipped by merely 0.77 percent to P65.784 billion from last year’s P66.299 billion.
The amortizations for the month grew by 1.16 percent to P8.417 billion from P8.320 billion a year ago. Domestic amor-
“The executive agencies and the House leadership reasoned to me that we needed a new source of funds to finance the massive pandemic borrowings falling due that year,” he said.
While HB 9513 was approved by the House of Representatives, it did not become law. Salceda emphasized that he never refiled the proposal nor filed any similar measure intended for the 2024 budget.
He explained further that the idea of a cash sweep was not new, noting its roots in earlier Bayanihan proposals during the pandemic to “disgorge” excess equity from GOCCs— initiatives that also failed to become law.
“Now, whether the budget committees copy that bill to fund the 2024 budget is entirely up to their discretion,” Salceda said, adding that it is common for other lawmakers to use his previous bills as references. The lawmaker also pointed out that even his earlier bill left the determination of which corporations had “excess” funds to the Executive Branch, and it did not amend GOCC charters such as that of PhilHealth.
“If their charters prevented them from doing any transfer, then they cannot be forced to make any transfer,” he said.
TUCP: Accountability must run through rule of law
By Justine Xyrah Garcia
THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has pushed back against proposals for a civilian-military junta, warning that public outrage over alleged corruption must not be diverted toward extra-constitutional shortcuts.
In a recent statement, the labor group said workers want institutions—not armed pressure or forced transitions—to deliver accountability.
The group issued the reminder after Cardinal Pablo David, speaking at the November 30 Trillion Peso March rally, cautioned that attempts to compel government change outside the Constitution would only trigger “tragedy.”
TUCP Vice President Luis Corral said the trade union center backs the David’s position as the labor sector also also hopes for a credible process that will lead to prosecution and restitution rather than abrupt leadership changes.
“What Filipino workers and their families demand is speedy competent investigation, prosecution, conviction, and restitution from all those involved in corruption, whoever they may be,” he said.
“No resignation can or should
ever absolve anyone from the full force of the law.”
Corral said the moment should also prompt long-delayed reforms, including restoring the party-list system to the marginalized sectors it was intended to represent.
He said genuine democratic choice must translate into development, “that the freedom to elect our leaders must translate into freedom from poverty and the scarcity of opportunity.”
As competing calls for change emerge, TUCP said the priority is to keep sectors united behind a single anti-corruption push.
The group committed to working with other groups to “bridge differences through dialogue” and build a broad, “most united” coalition for accountability.
Corral said the public’s demand for honest governance remains the strongest binding force.
“We owe this to the Filipino working majority who have every right to demand and every power to elect a government that is honest, competent, and committed to its duty to the country,” Corral said.
“Together, as one people and one nation, let us heed the call of Scripture: ‘abstain from every form of evil’ and ‘turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it,” he added.
House bill allows citizen to initiate forfeiture cases
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
AMID revelations of billions of pesos lost to corruption in anomalous flood control projects, four lawmakers are pushing for a landmark reform measure that would empower ordinary citizens to take legal action to recover stolen public funds.
Party-list Reps. Chel Diokno, Perci Cendana and Dadah Ismula of Akbayan and Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao recently filed House Bill 6619, which seeks to overhaul the 65-year-old Republic Act 1379, or the Forfeiture Law, to make it more responsive to modern methods of hiding ill-gotten wealth. The bill allows private individuals to directly initiate civil forfeiture cases to recover unlawfully acquired assets of erring public officials.
“Given the billions of pesos stolen from public funds and lost to anomalous flood control projects, one of our goals is to ensure the swift recovery of what corrupt public officials have pocketed,” Diokno said.
“Through our proposed measure, the public will be given the opportunity to reclaim the money that was stolen from them,” he added.
Under the bill, private individuals, civil society organizations,
and corporations can file and fully participate in civil forfeiture proceedings before the Regional Trial Court—powers currently reserved only for the government under existing law.
Diokno said empowering citizens to pursue forfeiture cases strengthens public vigilance and helps ensure that “every peso stolen from the people is returned to the people.”
If enacted, 10 percent of the recovered amount will be awarded as a reward to the initiating citizen or group, while the bulk of the funds will be allocated for education, health, socialized housing, and social security programs.
The measure also centralizes the prosecution of forfeiture cases under the Office of the Ombudsman and authorizes the Ombudsman or the Department of Justice to grant immunity to whistleblowers who come forward.
To address modern schemes in concealing ill-gotten wealth, the bill expands the prima facie presumption of unlawful acquisition to include assets held through corporations, joint ventures, sole proprietorships, and other arrangements where a public official has beneficial interest.
The current law, enacted in 1959, is limited in scope and allows only the state to initiate forfeiture
Be ‘genuine defense partner’ of Asean, South Korea asked
By Rizal Raoul Reyes @brownindio
AN academician on Friday issued a call to the Republic of Korea to move beyond its role as merely a defense arms supplier and embrace a comprehensive commitment as a “genuine defense partner” of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
“I propose a defense cooperation between Asean and South Korea and not just beyond arms sales,” said Rosalie Arcala Hall, a professor at the University of the Philippines-Visayas, in her talk on Friday during the Asean-Korea Forum organized by Geopolitics Insight in cooperation with Korean University Asean Center, Stratbase ADR Institute and the UP Korea Research Center.
Hall, also the executive director of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS), said South Korea raises the bar of partnership by urging its defense industry to help develop the defense capabilities of Asean countries.
Hall argued that the strategic
shift is essential for South Korea to solidify its status as a relevant middle power and for ASsean to enhance its collective security and technological capabilities.
Hall emphasized that true global influence is not achieved simply by exporting military hardware. To be a middle power “to reckon with,” she said South Korea must demonstrate its commitment through active security cooperation.
While South Korea’s advanced defense technology is valuable, Hall said the partnership must extend into shared development and technical collaboration, not just sales.
Hall also called for a greater willingness to share “green
defense industries” and core technologies—including those involved in sensitive areas like submarine development—despite potential patent concerns.
She said the move would signify a shift from a transactional vendor relationship to a true strategic alliance, boosting Asean’s indigenous defense capabilities.
She said security cooperation will also enable South Korea to be taken seriously as a key regional player. “The call for deeper cooperation is framed within the complex geopolitical environment of Southeast Asia, particularly concerning the South China Sea dispute,” Hall explained.
Hall acknowledged South Korea’s understandable reluctance to “poke its finger on the sensitive issue” involving claimant states like the Philippines and China. She said focusing on non-traditional aspects of maritime security—such as law enforcement capacity building, information sharing, and fighting transnational crime—is a “safe course” and a positive step.
Nevertheless, Hall urged the current South Korean administration to adopt a “more bold perspective” on the South China Sea issue. Hall said strengthening existing initiatives on law enforcement capacity building and information sharing is a crucial move in a positive direction that can be further emphasized.
PNP intensifies hunt for Discaya, others in Davao Occidental flood control cases
By Rex Anthony Naval
NTELIGENCE and tracker
Iteams have already been mobilized to run after contractor Sarah Discaya and several other individuals in connection with an alleged “ghost” flood control project in Davao Occidental.
This was revealed by the acting National Police(PNP) Chief, Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., in a statement Sunday.
Nartatez said that this in compliance with the order of President Marcos order to prepare for the issuance of an arrest warrant by a local court in connection with the case.
“We have mobilized sufficient number of our personnel that will locate all those on the charge sheet. Right now, we are collating all the essential pieces of information on the areas where
FILIPINO-INDIAN businessman Rajiv Chandiramani has filed cyber libel charges against his estranged wife in connection with her series of posts on social media platform Instagram alluding to him as the one behind the filing of baseless charges against her new lover.
In his five-page complaint affidavit, Chandiramani sought the prosecution of Vicki Narwani for violation of Section 4 ( c ) (4) of Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 in relation to Articles 353 and 355 (libel) of the Revised Penal Code,
they may individually seek refuge to ensure a smooth and fast serving of the arrest warrant,” Nartatez said.
“All of our preparations are intended to make them feel that the only option left to them is to surrender,” he added.
In a video statement, Marcos said the Ombudsman has recommended filing charges for malversation through falsification and violation of Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) against Discaya and her coaccused.
Marcos ordered authorities to locate Discaya and the other respondents so that once arrest warrants are issued, they can be apprehended immediately.
Nartatez emphasized that the PNP is treating the case with urgency.
“The President has given
clear and urgent instructions, and we are treating this as a priority case.”
As part of the expanded operational approach, the PNP has also strengthened coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Coast Guard (PCG), airport authorities, and local governments, particularly in areas where Discaya may have traveled or been last seen.
Barangay and neighborhood watch groups have been alerted to help monitor movements and report any relevant information.
“We encourage citizens—particularly those with direct knowledge or relevant information—to cooperate with authorities. Transparency and community involvement are vital to ensuring accountability and protecting public resources,” Nartatez said.
Unlike cooperation with major powers, which often comes with explicit or implicit expectations of alignment, Hall believes a partnership with a middle power like South Korea, can be designed to enhance capacity without constraining opportunities.
Meanwhile, Chandra Pandey, a professor at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand said a security partnership with South Korea can focus on “practical challenges rather than grand strategy,” aligning with Asean’s foundational principle against military blocs and exclusive security arrangements. By being bolder on sensitive issues and more willing to share core defense technology, Hall said South Korea can raise the bar in its relationship with Asean to an unprecedented level, contributing not just to its own influence but to the enduring peace and stability of the entire region.
South Korea has become one of the Philippines’ top arms suppliers, delivering critical assets for the modernization of the Armed Forces(AFP), including:
The two Jose Rizal-class frigates (BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Antonio Luna) of the Navy.
The FA-50PH “Fighting Eagle” light combat aircraft of the Air Force. C-Star anti-ship missiles, Blue Shark torpedoes, and various military vehicles.
BI to probe Pagadian mayor’s citizenship
T“for deliberately posting, public, malicious and defamatory statements tending to cause dishonor and damage” to his reputation.
The complaint, which was filed at the Office of the Prosecutor in Marikina City stemmed from Narwani’s social media posts dated October 22, 2025 and November 25, 2025.
On October 22, 2025, Narwani posted a photo of the certificate of final judgment issued by the Family Justice Courts of the Republic of Singapore on November 30, 2022 granting her divorce petition against the complainant.
Furthermore, on November 25, Narwani posted a series of Instagram stories claiming that several criminal cases were filed against her fiancé after she posted the final judgment of her divorce with Chandiramani.
She also claimed that her family and fiancé were being threatened but did not identify the person responsible.
Chandiramani stressed that while Narwani never explicitly named him as the person, the divorce certificate that her estranged wife posted identified him as the perpetrator.
“Vicki’s defamatory Instagram posts alluded to Rajiv as
By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
HE Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Sunday said it would look into the records of Pagadian City Mayor Samuel Co amid doubts about his citizenship.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the veracity of the allegations,” BI spokesman Dana Sandoval said when sought about the agency’s reaction to reports questioning Co’s citizenship. It was reported by an online news channel that it obtained documents showing Co was reportedly born on March 10, 1966 at Clinica Santo Niño in Pagadian City.
the person who caused the filing of supposed ‘baseless’ and ‘false’ criminal cases against her fiancé. And that he supposedly threatened her fiancé and her family,” the complaint read.
“Alluding that Rajiv has filed false and baseless cases against Vicki’s fiancé carries a negative connotation, suggesting unscrupulous or corrupt behavior and imputes that he has a proclivity in maliciously initiating baseless litigation, which is an ascription of the commission of a crime,” it added.
House moved to restore PhilHealth’s ₧60-B even before SC ruling–solon
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
AVICE chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations reiterated on Sunday that regardless of the Supreme Court (SC) ruling, the House of Representatives had already taken the only legal and constitutional step to return the P60 billion to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth): restoring the amount through the 2026 national budget during the approval of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
www.businessmirror.com.ph House bill. . .
Continued from A4
“The House has already complied, following the President’s order, and regardless of the result of cases pending before the High Court,” Adiong, House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms chairperson, said. His statement came in response to Cardinal Pablo David’s call for the government not to “simply backfill” the P60 billion ordered returned to PhilHealth, but instead to recover the funds from those who allegedly benefited from the diversion.
Adiong, who represents of Lanao del Sur and a leader of the
House Committee on Appropriations Vice Chairperson Zia Alonto Adiong said the Chamber acted promptly following President Marcos’s directive—months before the SC issued its order.
House Young Guns bloc, emphasized that Congress used the same lawful mechanism through which the questioned funds were originally released.
“If there is a process for taking the funds, there is also a process for returning them— and that is through the national budget. The mechanism for returning the money is the same as the mechanism for obtaining it,” he added.
Under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by Malacañang, PhilHealth was initially allocated P53 billion for 2026.
To follow the President’s directive, the House later added the
full P60 billion, increasing PhilHealth’s total proposed allocation to P113 billion for next year.
Nueva Ecija Rep. Mika Suansing, House Committee on Appropriations chairman, earlier highlighted this adjustment during budget deliberations, saying PhilHealth’s allocation under the NEP was P53 billion, and the additional P60 billion raised the total to P113 billion.
Budget officials confirmed that the House inserted the additional amount into the GAB, and the Senate likewise upheld the realignment in its committee report.
The restoration was funded using savings identified from a review of the Department of Public
Works and Highways’ proposed budget, which freed up P255.5 billion for social programs.
The move more than doubles PhilHealth’s subsidy for 2026, bolstering universal healthcare and expanding coverage for millions of Filipinos.
Adiong added that while accountability efforts may proceed through separate legal channels, the constitutional process for refunding PhilHealth has been fully carried out.
“The House has done what the law requires. We followed the President’s directive, we followed the Constitution, and we restored the P60 billion through the national budget,” Adiong said.
Erwin Tulfo renews calls for cheaper domestic flights
SBy Butch Fernandez @butchfBM
EN. Erwin Tulfo has urged anew the Department of Tourism to bolster efforts in lowering the ticket prices for domestic flights to compete with neighboring Southeast Asian countries, which have been experiencing a spike in international tourists.
Tulfo had first raised the issue during the Senate plenary
debates for the 2026 DOT budget, saying, “Our people would rather go to Hong Kong or Taiwan because the one-way ticket going to Batanes or one-way ticket going to Tawi-Tawi is more expensive compared to a round-trip ticket going to Hong Kong.”
Sen. Loren Legarda, 2026 DOT budget sponsor replied, on behalf of the agency, “The Department of Tourism recognizes that high airfares are the key deterrent to travel. They’re working closely
with the Department of Transportation, Civil Aeronautics Board, DTI [Department of Trade and Industry], and the PCC [Philippine Competition Commission] to address this.”
Consultations are ongoing to finalize a code of conduct for online travel agencies to ensure transparency and fair pricing, aligned with the Internet Transactions Act, Legarda said.
Tulfo lamented that the Philippines is at the tail end of Southeast
Asia countries when it comes to international tourist arrivals. According to travel data from January to August 2025 by seasia.stats, Malaysia recorded 28.24 million international arrivals, followed by Thailand at 21.88 million, Vietnam at 12.9 million, Singapore at 11.6 million, Indonesia at 10.04 million, and the Philippines at 3.96 million.
“This is the major hindrance to boost local tourism—the skyrocketing ticket prices. We have
beautiful beaches in Basilan, and we have beautiful beaches in Jolo, Tawi-Tawi, and other parts of the country. We have a beautiful scenery in Batanes. Unfortunately, it is too pricey,” Erwin Tulfo added. Apart from offering cheaper prices in domestic destinations, he also recommended the launching of direct flights to provinces and the promotion of underrated provinces like Marinduque, among others.
Caap airports heighten preparedness for holiday travel
TBy Nonie Reyes
HE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) has successfully concluded a series of Full-Scale Emergency Simulation Exercises at key airports, significantly reinforcing aviation safety, preparedness, and crucial inter-agency coordination. The drills, designed to test the robustness of airport emergency response systems, demonstrated the agency’s unwavering commit -
ment to maintaini secure and resilient air travel.
Zambo, Butuan lead the way ZAMBOANGA International Airport (ZIA) was one of the latest to complete its full-scale exercise on December 5, 2025. The simulation challenged emergency responders with an off-airport emergency scenario, putting various critical functions to the test.
Key areas tested incluce command and control structure, com -
munication protocols, medical and rescue response, firefighting capabilities, security management, and passenger handling procedures.
A week earlier, Butuan Airport successfully conducted its own Full-Scale Exercise on November 28, 2025. The exercise successfully demonstrated the airport’s operational readiness and highlighted the vital importance of seamless coordination among airport authorities, local emergency services, and partner agencies to
ensure public safety.
Commitment to safety
CAAP Director General Raul del Rosario reaffirmed the agency’s dedication to strengthen aviation safety, aligning with the directives issued by President Marcos and Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez. “These exercises reflect our unwavering dedication to ensure safe, secure, and resilient airports. Caap is strengthening preparedness at every level so we can
Marcos expands coverage of Cebu industrial park
THE West Cebu Industrial Park- Special Economic Zone will soon be able to accommodate more locators after President Marcos signed a new proclamation expanding its coverage. On Thursday, the Chief Executive issued Proclamation 1105 through Acting Executive Secretary Ralph
G. Recto designating several parcels of land located at barangays Arpili and Buanoy at the Municipality of Balamban in Cebu as part of the said economic zone.
The seven parcels of land covered by the new issuance has a total aggregate area of 69,490 square meters or almost seven hectares.
In barangay Arpili, the parcels of land included in the ecozone are covered by land titles Lot 4-A Sk07-000192 TCT 113-2024000343 and Lot 1770 Sk-07-000190, TCT 113-2024000072.
For barangay Buanoy the covered five land titles are Lot 1437-A2-A-2 Sk-07-000191 TCT 1132014000144; Lot 1437-A-2-B-2 Sk07-000193 TCT 113-2014000351; Lot 1437-A-2-C-2 Sk-07-000191 TCT 113-2014000146; Lot 1686 Sk07-000313 TCT 113-2025000701; and Lot 1695 Sk-07-000186 TCT 1132024000260.
The expansion of the economic zone is subject to the provisions of Republic Act 7916 or the Special Economic Zone Act of 1995, as amended by RA 8748, its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) Board of Directors Resolution 22117 series of 2022. In October 2024, Marcos also
issued Proclamation 710, which increased the size of West Cebu Industrial Park- Special Economic Zone by 176.783 square meters with the inclusion of the 19 lots.
The following month that year, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) announced Tsuneishi Green Energy Philippines, Inc., it will set up operations in the West Cebu Industrial Park- Special Economic Zone.
Located in Balamban, Cebu, the economic zone was established in 1992 and is currently operated by Cebu Industrial Park Developers Inc.(CIPDI), a joint venture between the Aboitiz Group and the Tsuneishi Group of Japan.
Aside from Tsuneishi, several locators operate within the 540 hectares mixed-use industrial estate and enjoy tax incentives from the government, including Austal Philippines, Advance Catamaran Composites, Cebu Marine Inc., Linde, K & A Metal Industries, Air Liquide, Mactan Industries Inc., Shilion Global Construction Inc.
In its website, Aboitiz, said around 14,000 workers are employed by the 12 locators from the medium and heavy industries as well as manufacturers and estate within the economic zone. Samuel P. Medenilla
respond swiftly and effectively to any emergency,” said del Rosario. The results and observations from the Zamboanga and Butuan simulations will be instrumental in guiding updates to current airport emergency response plans. This proactive approach aims to further enhance overall safety and security standards across all Caap-operated airports, ensuring the Philippines remains compliant with international aviation safety mandates.
SEN. Loren Legarda on Sunday called on government agencies to fully enforce landmark health and welfare measures she authored, stressing their vital role in safeguarding the rights of Filipinos from birth to adulthood.
Speaking at the plenary session of the Senate on December 3, Legarda responded to Sen. Raffy Tulfo’s privileged speech on health programs and disability services, reinforcing the call through her own legislative initiatives.
“Ito po ang pagsusuri sa sanggol kaagad pagka-panganak, ang newborn screening. Malaking tulong po ito dahil maaga nating natutukoy kung may kapansanan o kondisyon na dapat agad gamutin,” Legarda said, recalling the Newborn Screening Act of 2004 (Republic Act 9288), which she authored.
She also cited the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 2009 (Republic Act 9709), crafted in collaboration with Dr. Charlotte Chiong, dean of the UP College of Medicine.
“Ito naman po ay para sa kapansanan sa pandinig. Kaya po tayo ay tumulong sa UP PGH na magkaroon ng ear department na nagsasagawa ng hearing screening,” she said.
Diokno explained that while existing anti-corruption laws such as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Anti-Plunder Law penalize offenders, civil forfeiture remains an essential tool because it is directed at the recovery of property—not punishment. He cited similar mechanisms abroad, such as the United States’ False Claims Act, which empowers citizens to sue on behalf of the government and receive compensation through qui tam provisions.
“The unique remedy of civil forfeiture has the potential to expedite accountability from errant and corrupt public officers. In refining this legislation, we aim to strengthen the mandated trust between our public officials and the Filipino people,” he said.
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Narwani’s posts, according to the complainant, were clearly intended to destroy his reputation.
Chandiraman, is the owner of Rheana’s Trading Inc, which is one of the domestic companies engaged in the business of buying, selling, distributing and importing electronic products and accessories.
He married Narwani, a SingaporeanIndian national in 2013 and they were blessed with one son.
Chandiramani claimed that Narwani moved their son to Dubai under “false pretenses” in mid-2025 and has since restricted his access, even bringing their son around her new fiancé—a situation he finds unacceptable.
The Marikina City Prosecutor’s Office will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to elevate the case before the trial court.
Continued from A4 cases, leaving private complaints subject to government review.
His father was identified as Co Tek Chun and his mother as Co Sy Suat Kim. But further investigation conducted by the network showed that Clinica Santo Niño never existed based on the testimonies of residents.
The report said that it failed to find official records of the birth, marriage, and death certificates of Co’s parents.
However, his parents were both buried at a Chinese cemetery in Pagadian City. It may be recalled that in 2013, Mayor Co and his wife Priscilla Ann were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in connection with the P12-billion Aman Futures pyramid scam that duped 15,000 investors in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Senator pushes full enforcement of newborn screening, other laws
Beyond these measures, Legarda pointed to her continuing work through the amendatory law to the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons (RA 10070), the expansion of benefits under RA 10754, and the mandatory PhilHealth coverage for all persons with disability (PWD) under RA 11228.
“Ako po ang principal author nito noong 2019. Kaya kung ang mga persons with disabilities ay sakop na ng PhilHealth, dapat masaklaw din ang pag -monitor at mga screening para sa maagang pag-iwas sa kapansanan,” she said. Legarda reminded agencies of their duty to implement these laws fully, marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3.
“We want to ensure that local government hospitals, Department of Health-retained hospitals, and all other facilities actually carry this out, because it is a mandate of the DOH. I wanted to place that firmly on record. She closed by stressing the importance of respectful communication, noting that persons with disabilities must be treated with dignity and addressed using correct language, a principle she said should be embedded in every communications plan. Butch Fernandez
Editor: Angel R. Calso
The World
Japan protests after a Chinese military aircraft locks its radar on Japanese jets
By Mari Yamaguchi
The Associated Press
OKYO—Japan said early Sunday
Tthat it has protested to China after a military jet that took off from the Chinese carrier Liaoning locked its radar on Japanese fighter jets near the southern island of Okinawa, the latest spat between the two countries whose ties have plunged recently over the Japanese leader’s Taiwan remarks. Japan’s Defense Ministry said China’s military aircraft J-15 “intermittently” targeted its radar at Japanese F-15 fighter jets on two occasions Saturday—for about three minutes in the late afternoon and for about 30 minutes in the evening.
The radar lock by the Chinese aircraft was detected by different Japanese fighters that had scrambled against a possible airspace violation by China, according to the ministry. There was no breach of Japanese airspace, and no injury or damage was reported from the incident.
It was not known whether the radar lock incident involved the same Chinese J-15 both times.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, briefing reporters in the early hours of Sunday, said Japan protested to China over the radar lock,
calling it “a dangerous act that exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations.”
“The occurrence of such an incident is extremely regrettable,” Koizumi said. “We have lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side and demanded strict preventive measures.”
There was no immediate comment from the Chinese government or military. On Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin
Jian said the Chinese navy operates in accor
dance with international law and that others shouldn’t hype up its activities.
The latest incident comes as relations between the two countries have worsened in recent weeks.
China was angered by a statement by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in early November that its military could get involved
if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule.
The aircraft carrier Liaoning on Saturday passed between the main island of Okinawa and nearby Miyako Island as it conducted aircraft takeoff and landing exercises in the Pacific. Japanese F-15 fighter jets, scrambled in case of an airspace violation, were pursuing the Chinese aircraft at a safe distance and did not involve actions that could be interpreted as provocation, Kyodo News agency said, quoting defense officials.
Fighter jets can use radars for search, or as fire control ahead of a missile launch.
It is believed to be the first instance of a radar lock involving Japanese and Chinese military aircraft. In 2013, a Chinese warship targeted a radar on a Japanese destroyer, Kyodo said.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, the Philippine coast guard said China fired three flares toward a fisheries bureau plane on patrol in the South China Sea on Saturday. Chinese forces fire flares to warn planes to move away from what they consider their airspace over the disputed waters.
Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.
Qatari prime minister says Gaza ceasefire is at a critical moment
By Samy Magdy & Josef Federman The Associated Press
DOHA, Qatar—Qatar’s prime minister on Saturday said the Gaza ceasefire has reached a “critical moment” as its first phase winds down, with the remains of one Israeli hostage still to be handed over by militants.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a conference in the Qatari capital that international mediators, led by the US, are working “to force the way forward” to the second phase to cement the deal.
“What we have just done is a pause,” he told the Doha Forum. “We cannot consider it yet a ceasefire.”
He added: “A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, there is stability back in Gaza, people can go in and out, which is not the case today.”
While the ceasefire halted the heavy fighting of the two-year war, Gaza health officials say that over 360 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the truce took effect on Oct. 10.
In new violence, two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike northwest of Gaza City, Shifa Hospital said. Israel’s army said it wasn’t aware of an airstrike in that location. However, it said that Israeli soldiers on Saturday killed three militants who crossed the “yellow line” into Israeli-controlled northern part of Gaza and
“posed an immediate threat.”
The Israeli army has said it has carried out a number of attacks on Palestinians crossing the ceasefire line.
Second phase hasn’t begun
UNDER the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, the fighting stopped and dozens of hostages held in Gaza were exchanged for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prison. Israel sent a delegation last week to Egypt for talks on returning the remains of the last hostage.
The next phase has not begun. It includes the deployment of an international security force in Gaza, formation of a new technocratic government for the territory, disarmament of Hamas and an eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Arab and Western officials told The Associated Press on Friday that an international body overseeing the ceasefire, to be led by Trump himself, is expected to be appointed by the end of the year. In the long term, the plan also calls for a possible “pathway” to Palestinian independence.
Qatar’s prime minister said that even the upcoming phase should be “temporary” and that peace in the region could only take place with the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state—something that is opposed by Israel’s hardline government.
“If we are just resolving what happened in Gaza, the catastrophe that happened in
the last two years, it’s not enough,” he said. “There is a root for this conflict. And this conflict is not only about Gaza.”
He added: “It’s about Gaza. It’s about the West Bank. It’s about the rights of the Palestinians for their state. We are hoping that we can work together with the US administration to achieve this vision at the end of the day.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said there is a “big question” over the formation of an international security force for Gaza. Speaking at the conference, he said it’s unclear which countries will join, what the command structure would look like and what its “first mission” will be.
Turkey is one of the guarantors of the ceasefire, but Israel, which has rocky relations with the Ankara government, has rejected any Turkish participation in the force.
“Thousands of details, questions are in place,” Fidan said. “I think once we deploy ISF, the rest will come.”
UN agency seeks a clear role in Gaza
A DAY after an overwhelming international endorsement, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said its future role in Gaza is unclear.
Throughout the war, Israel and the United States have sidelined UNRWA, accusing it cooperating with Hamas, a charge UNRWA denies.
Tamara Alrifai, UNRWA’s director of external relations and communications, said
the agency continues to offer humanitarian and educational services in Gaza. But she said UNRWA has been excluded from US-led talks on the ceasefire’s second phase.
Alrifai said that UNRWA serves as the de facto “public sector” in Gaza. And with 12,000 employees, she said it will be nearly impossible for the international community to duplicate the agency’s network of services.
“If you squeeze UNRWA out, what other agency can fill that void?” she said on the sidelines of the Doha Forum.
The US, formerly the largest donor to UNRWA, halted funding to the agency in early 2024. On Friday, the UN General Assembly renewed UNRWA’s mandate through 2029.
But Alrifai said the cash crisis continues.
“Votes are great. Cash is better,” Alrifai said.
Over 70,000 killed in Gaza
THE war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants entered Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking over 250 people hostage. Israel responded with an offensive that has killed over 70,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says that nearly half the dead have been women and children. The ministry is part of Gaza’s Hamas government and its numbers are considered reliable by the UN and other international bodies.
Bethlehem sees hopeful return of Christmas celebrations amid ongoing struggles for peace
By Megan Janetsky The Associated Press
BETHLEHEM, West Bank—For the past two Christmases, John Juka’s family restaurant looked about the same as any business in Bethlehem: shuttered and eerily empty.
But on Saturday evening, it bustled with families and was lit by strings of red lights, a hopeful change in the Palestinian city that’s been reeling since war broke out in Gaza.
Christmas celebrations are slowly returning to the traditional birthplace of Jesus in the Israelioccupied West Bank.
While a shaky ceasefire holds in Gaza, Palestinians hope the festivities are a step toward a more peaceful future in a region shaken by tragedy.
“It’s not like it was before the war,” 30-year-old Juka said. “But it’s like life is coming back again.”
Muslim-majority city thrives on Christmas TOURISM and religious pilgrims have long been a prime economic engine for Bethlehem. Around 80% of the Muslim-majority city’s residents live off it, according to the local government.
Those earnings ripple out to communities across the West Bank, a territory long marked by economic precarity.
“When we have 10,000 visitors and pilgrims sleeping in Bethlehem, that means the butcher is
working, the supermarket is working and everybody is working,” said Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati. “There’s a ripple effect.”
That economic lifeline vanished when war broke out in Gaza following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. Bethlehem’s authorities canceled major Christmas celebrations during Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza, whose health ministry has reported over 70,000 Palestinians killed.
At the same time, Israel’s military scaled up operations in the West Bank, including communities near Bethlehem.
The unemployment rate in the city jumped from 14% to 65%, the mayor said. Poverty soared, and about 4,000 people left in search of work.
A United Nations report last month said the West Bank is going through its most severe economic downturn on record, citing the ongoing Israeli military operations.
Now Bethlehem residents seek a comeback.
“The decision we took was to reignite the spirit of Christmas and to reignite hope,” the mayor said. “I think this sends a great message to the whole world that we Palestinians love life and we are eagerly looking forward to a peaceful solution.”
Some tourists return ON Saturday, crowds lined with heavily armed police cheered following a prayer calling for peace, and fathers hoisted children onto their shoulders as a towering Christmas tree lit up Manger Square, near
the site where Christians believe Jesus was born. For families like Juka’s that struggled to keep b usinesses afloat during the war, the sight of the crowds felt like a deep exhale after years of uncertainty. The family opened the restaurant serving traditional Palestinian food in 1979. As many businesses in Bethlehem buckled during the latest war, the family wondered how long they could hang on.
In August, as ceasefire negotiations picked up momentum, Juka said he began to see visitors walking the streets, and his family decided to reopen. “Tourists finally feel safe to come back,” he said. “We’re hopeful that we might see peace in our future.”
In November, tourist visits to the city reached the highest since the war began, Canawati said, and reservations suggest that hotels will be at around 70% occupancy during Christmas.
Still, few in the hundreds of people gathered in Bethlehem’s square were foreign tourists, and residents said celebrations were nowhere near the size they used to be.
West Bank tensions ANOTHER West Bank resident, 29-year-old Issa Montas, said tensions in the territory have cast a pall over the holiday celebration.
While Bethlehem has long been a religious haven of relative calm, violence and military raids have been occurring regularly nearby. Israel’s military has said it is cracking down on militants in the West Bank and
Massive Russian missile and drone attack hits Ukraine as diplomatic talks continue
By Susie Blann The Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine—Russia unleashed a major missile and drone barrage on Ukraine overnight into Saturday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a “substantive phone call” with American officials engaged in talks with a Ukrainian delegation in Florida, aimed at ending the nearly 4-year war.
Russia used 653 drones and 51 missiles in the widereaching overnight attack on Ukraine, which triggered air raid alerts across the country and came as Ukraine marked Armed Forces Day, the country’s air force said Saturday morning. Ukrainian forces shot down and neutralized 585 drones and 30 missiles, the air force said, adding that 29 locations were struck.
At least eight people were wounded in the attacks, Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said. Among these, at least three people were wounded in the Kyiv region, according to local officials. Drone sightings were reported as far west as Ukraine’s Lviv region.
Nuclear plant temporarily cut off from power RUSSIA carried out a “massive missile-drone attack” on power stations and other energy infrastructure in several Ukrainian regions, Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo, wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant temporarily lost all off-site power overnight, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Saturday, citing its Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.
The plant is in an area that has been under Russian control since early in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and is not in service, but it needs reliable power to cool its six shutdown reactors and spent fuel, to avoid any catastrophic nuclear incidents.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that energy facilities were the main targets of the attacks, also noting that a drone strike had “burned down” the train station in the city of Fastiv, located in the Kyiv region.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said its air defenses had shot down 116 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight into Saturday.
Russian Telegram news channel Astra said Ukraine struck Russia’s Ryazan Oil Refinery, sharing footage appearing to show a fire breaking out and plumes of smoke rising above the refinery. The Associated Press could not independently verify the video.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces later said Ukrainian forces had struck the refinery. Ryazan regional Gov. Pavel Malkov said a residential building had been damaged in a drone attack and that drone debris had fallen on the grounds of an “industrial facility,” but did not mention the refinery.
responding to aggression.
On Saturday, Israel’s military said its forces shot dead two Palestinian men who it said tried to ram soldiers with their vehicle at a security checkpoint in Hebron, south of Bethlehem. Palestinian health authorities confirmed at least one of their deaths.
Military checkpoints have turned commutes into sometimes day-long endeavors. Montas, who paints homes in Jerusalem for a living, said he traveled six hours from his home in Ramallah, less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) away, just to reach Bethlehem.
At the same time, Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have reached the highest levels since the U.N. humanitarian office started collecting data in 2006, peaking in recent months.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government is dominated by far-right proponents of the settler movement, has said the perpetrators are “a handful of extremists.” Montas spoke with frustration. “I see a lot of violence, but no one can stop them, not even the Israeli army or police can control them. They allow them to do this,” he said of settlers. “It just feels like whatever I say, it will be useless because no one cares.” Still, even he expressed cautious hope on Saturday as children ran through packs of street vendors and a mix of Christmas and Arabic music floated over the crowds.
“This (celebration) is not just for us. It’s for everyone. Christian, Jewish, Muslims,” Montas said. “This Christmas is for everyone.”
Months of Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries have aimed to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue the war. Meanwhile, Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officials call “weaponizing” the cold.
Slow progress on agreeing security framework THE latest round of attacks came as US President Donald Trump’s advisers and Ukrainian officials said they’ll meet for a third day of talks on Saturday in Florida, after making progress on finding agreement on a security framework for postwar Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said Saturday that he had been given an update over the phone by US and Ukrainian officials at the talks.
“Ukraine is determined to keep working in good faith with the American side to genuinely achieve peace,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
Following Friday’s talks, the two sides had also offered the sober assessment that any “real progress toward any agreement” ultimately will depend “on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace.”
The statement from US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner as well as Ukrainian negotiators Rustem Umerov and Andriy Hnatov came after they met for a second day on Friday. They offered only broad brushstrokes about the progress they say has been made as Trump pushes Kyiv and Moscow to agree to a US-mediated proposal to end nearly four years of war.
Separately, officials said the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany would participate in a meeting with Zelenskyy in London on Monday.
WORKERS and military personnel inspect the Flamingo missiles from Ukrainian Fire Point during their handover to the military at an undisclosed location in Ukraine Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. AP PHOTO/EFREM LUKATSKY
JAPAN’S Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, center, speaks to the media, as Japan announced that a Chinese military aircraft locked its radar on Japanese jets, at the ministry in Tokyo, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. KYODO NEWS VIA AP
Hegseth defends decision to kill survivors in Caribbean strikes
By Roxana Tiron & Magdalena Del Valle
EFENSE Secretary Pete Hegs -
Deth doubled down on deadly US airstrikes against alleged drug-running boats off the Venezuelan coast, saying he would have made the same call as the admiral who ordered survivors to be killed.
The nearly two dozen strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific have come under bipartisan scrutiny, but recent reports that a September strike included a second one to kill two survivors clinging to wreckage at sea have prompted accusations of possible war crimes.
“From what I understood then and what I understand now, I fully support that strike,” Hegseth said Saturday. “I would have made the same call myself.” His remarks during and after a speech at the Reagan Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, went a step further than his comments at the White House earlier in the week, when he appeared to lay responsibility on Admiral Frank Bradley, who ordered the second strike on the same boat.
Hegseth praised the policy of sinking boats and killing alleged drug-runners whom the Trump administration
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Unctad said “fast-growing” export revenues in developing Asian economies supported this expansion.
“Taiwan Province of China, for instance, posted 25 percent year-on-year growth, driven by strong demand for artificial intelligence products. Exports from the Philippines and Vietnam expanded by approximately 15 percent,” added the Unctad report.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that Philippine exports grew by 13.8 percent, or amounting to $70.43 billion in the January to October 2025 period compared to the $61.90 billion in the 10-month period in 2024.
Last week, Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) Director Bianca Pearl R. Sykimte explained the flow of outbound shipments in 2025, particularly how exporters have responded to Washington’s imposition of tariffs on its trading partners.
“Actually, because of the tariffs, there were a lot of early shipments. So a lot of people saw that to avoid the tariffs, we’ve seen advance shipments of our exports to the US,” Sykimte told reporters on the sidelines of the National Exporters’ Week on Tuesday.
Amid the steeper tariffs imposed by the United States on the Philippines, at 19-percent reciprocal tariffs, Sykimte said this is the first time in history that the Philippines “consistently exported $7.2 billion average every month.”
“Usually, we would only export $5 to $6 billion a month for merchandise exports,” Sykimte said, adding that the frontloading of exports was reflected in the country’s exports data in the last five months, from June to October 2025. (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/12/03/exportersstill-eyeing-7-growth-in-2026/)
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to deal with the weather variability which includes El Niño and the unpredictable rainfall which disrupt planting and harvesting,” Dacul said.
“Structural changes also persist. We have land fragmentation and even mechanization and the slow adoption of modern farming technologies that all limit the productivity growth of the sector...ASF, the avian flu, and other emerging crop diseases continue to threaten both livestock and high-value crops,” she added.
Dacul said the projected growth of the farm sector in 2025 would be buoyed by the poultry subsector due to rising domestic demand and the crops subsector
considers enemy combatants and not criminals. That policy has led to serious debate in Congress and among legal experts about whether they are legal, and whether the boats are actually headed for the US.
“The days in which these narcoterrorists, designated terror organizations, operate freely in our hemisphere are over,” Hegseth said. “These narco-terrorists are the al-Qaeda of our hemisphere.” Democratic lawmakers who saw video of the attack called it disturbing and demanded the full footage.
President Donald Trump has said he would allow the video to be released publicly after it was shown to members of Congress.
On Saturday, Hegseth said the Pentagon is reviewing the video but declined to say whether the Pentagon will release the full video.
Hegseth has said he wasn’t watching when Bradley ordered a second strike on the boat and had sought to distance himself from it. White House and Pentagon officials have insisted it was a lawful use of force. Bradley, a Navy SEAL, told US lawmakers on Thursday that there was no “kill all” order from Hegseth regarding a second strike on a drug-running boat
DEFENSE Secretary Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington. AP PHOTO/JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON
meant to kill two survivors clinging onto the wreckage, as The Washington Post reported. Hegseth has said he was not in the room for the followon strike but that he fully supports Bradley’s decision.
On Saturday, he added that he would have ordered a second strike himself.
Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican whose vote was key to Hegseth’s narrow confirmation in January and is retiring from Congress, called the second strike “a violation of ethical, moral and legal code.”
Hegseth vigorously touted the ad -
ministration’s military moves and vision in the year since Trump returned to office, including airstrikes in Yemen, an attack on Iran’s nuclear program and the strikes that have killed more than 80 people in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.
“Past administrations perpetuated the belief that the Monroe Doctrine had expired,” Hegseth said. “They were wrong. The Monroe Doctrine is in effect, and it is stronger than ever under the Trump corollary, a common-sense restoration of our power and prerogatives in this hemisphere, consistent with US interests.”
Hegseth also came under criticism this week after the Pentagon’s internal watchdog found that he had endangered US troops when he sent detailed attack plans to an unsecured Signal group chat earlier this year. While Hegseth called the report a total exoneration, the internal Pentagon watchdog said he had violated Pentagon regulations by using his personal cell phone to relay the plans. But on Saturday Hegseth said he doesn’t “live with any regrets” about the Signal incident.
With assistance from Nick Wadhams and María Paula Mijares Torres / Bloomberg
Exchange of fire along the Afghan-Pakistan border kills 5 and wounds 8, officials say
By Abdul Qahar Afghan & Munir Ahmed The Associated Press
JALALABAD, Afghanistan—An overnight exchange of fire between Afghan forces and Pakistani troops along the two countries’ tense border killed five Afghan civilians and wounded five others, while three civilians were also wounded on the Pakistani side, officials from the two countries said Saturday.
Each side has blamed the other for triggering the clash in violation of a tenuous two-month ceasefire.
Those killed in the border area near the Afghan city of Spin Boldak, in southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, included three children and one woman, said Ali Mohammad Haqmal, the head of information of Spin Boldak District.
Pakistani police and a hospital official in the Pakistani city of Chaman, Mohammad Awais, said three people, including a woman, were wounded in the shooting and shelling that came from the Afghan side. The clashes lasted until dawn Saturday, police said.
Tension between the two countries has been high since October, when deadly border clashes killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants, and wounded hundreds on both sides. The violence erupted after explosions in Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Oct. 9 that the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan and vowed to avenge.
The fighting has been the worst between the neighbors in recent years. A Qatarmediated ceasefire began in October and has largely held, but peace talks have so far failed to produce an agreement.
Pakistan has suffered several militant at-
because of the expected surge in rice, sugarcane, and corn output. In particular, the UA&P CFA expects the crops subsector to rise by 4.5 to 5.5 percent, poultry by 8.5 to 9.5 percent and agricultural activities and services by 4 to 5 percent.
She noted that African swine fever (ASF) would continue to dampen hog production, which likely dragged the livestock subsector, while fisheries remains “weak” mainly due to overfishing and bad weather. The livestock subsector, which is mainly driven by hog production, may slip between 3 and 4 percent on an annual basis. The fisheries sector’s GVA may falln by 2.5 to 3.5 percent, according to the UA&P CFA. Outlook, opportunities FOR next year, the UA&P CFA expects crops
Ukrainian women embrace combat roles as technology reshapes
the battlefield
By Hanna Arhirova The Associated Press
KHARKIV, Ukraine—When Russia’s full-scale invasion began nearly four years ago, a 26-year-old soldier known as Monka didn’t see a combat role she could do. But that changed as technology reshaped the battlefield and opened new paths.
Last year, she joined the military as a pilot of short-range, first-person view, or FPV, drones after giving up a job managing a restaurant abroad and returning home to Ukraine to serve.
Her shift is part of a larger trend of more women joining Ukraine’s military in combat roles, a change made possible by the technological transformation of modern warfare, military officials say.
She spent her first six months as a platoon medic, but the job required learning to fly drones. She started with small ones before moving to larger models carrying bombs and eventually switching to full-time drone work.
Imla clearly remembers her first drone flight, a reconnaissance mission. When they handed her the controller, she was so nervous her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
“To be honest, I even wanted to cry in some moments,” she recalled. “But then, over time, you build up experience on the job and start feeling confident.”
“The fact that technology lets us deliver ammunition without carrying it in our hands or running it to the front line—that’s incredible,” said Monka, who serves in the Unmanned Systems Battalion of the Third Army Corps. She and other women followed Ukraine’s military protocol by identifying themselves using only their call signs.
AFGHANS pray during the funeral of a man killed during an overnight exchange of fire between Afghan and Pakistani forces along the border in Spin Boldak, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. AP PHOTO/SIBGHATULLAH
tacks inside its country, and has blamed most of them on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. Though separate from the Afghan Taliban, the TTP is closely allied with it, and many of its fighters are believed to have taken refuge in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power there in 2021, further straining relations.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have both blamed each other for the cross-border exchange of fire that broke out Friday night.
Haqmal said the Afghan side didn’t respond for 10-15 minutes after Pakistani forces began shooting, and that once the Afghan side responded, it stopped firing “within an hour.” The shooting by the Pakistani side continued until Saturday morning, he said.
However, Mohammad Sadiq, a local Pakistani police official, claimed the shooting started from the Afghan side and that Pakistani troops returned fire near the Chaman border crossing, a key transit route.
The exchange came a day after Pakistan said it would allow the United Nations to send relief supplies into Afghanistan through the Chaman and Torkham border crossings, which have been mostly closed
output to grow by as much as 1 percent or remain flat while that of the livestock subsector may inch up by 1 to 2 percent.
Of the subsectors, the center said poultry will continue to grow and expand by as much as 10.5 percent next year, while fisheries would likely slide by 0.5 to 1.5 percent.
However, Dacul noted that the country should remain vigilant against certain factors that could influence the performance of the farm sector in 2026.
“We’ll still be dealing with residual climate risk. Even after El Niño fades, its effects on soil moisture, water stability, and even planting schedules may continue into next year,” she said.
She reiterated the need to focus on the pace of structural reforms like land fragmentation, slow mechanization, and the
for nearly two months amid escalating tensions.
Abidullah Farooqi, a spokesman for the Afghan border police, said Friday night that Pakistani forces first threw a hand grenade into the Spin Boldak border area on the Afghan side, prompting a response. He said Afghanistan remains committed to the ceasefire.
Mosharraf Zaidi, a spokesman for Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said on X that earlier in the evening, the “Afghan Taliban regime resorted to unprovoked firing along the Chaman border.” He added that Pakistani forces remain fully alert and committed to ensuring the country’s territorial integrity and the safety of its citizens.
Separately, Pakistan’s military said Saturday that its security forces had killed nine Pakistani Taliban militants during two intelligence-based operations Friday in Pakistan’s northwestern districts of Tank and Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.
Ahmed reported from Islamabad, Pakistan. Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece, contributed to this report.
uneven adoption of modern practices.
“If these reforms move slowly, productivity gains for 2026 and the coming years will still remain likely modest,” Dacul said.
She added that biosecurity threats continue to pose risks for the domestic industries and the country would remain exposed to international price and supply volatility.
“At the end of the day, how we perform locally determines how far we can go globally,” Dacul said. “So, if our farmers are producing steadily, if supply chains are working, and if costs are manageable, then we’re in a much better position to compete in the international markets.”
“When our local harvest is strong, our chances of capturing new markets, expanding current ones, and growing our export footprint will improve,” she added.
More than 70,000 women served in Ukraine’s military in 2025, a 20% increase compared with 2022, including over 5,500 deployed directly on the front line, according to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.
Some units have tailored recruitment efforts toward women, expanding rosters in a sign that Ukraine is looking to strengthen and expand its army even as peace negotiations weigh a possible cap on the future size of the military.
Leaders in the capital Kyiv, as well as many soldiers like Monka, see the army as one of the few security guarantees that Ukraine has against Russia.
“We need everyone—engineers, pilots, IT specialists, programmers, we simply need brains. It’s not about men or women. We need people who are ready to work hard,” she said.
More women seek combat jobs as technology changes
A DRONE pilot is one of the Ukrainian military’s most popular combat professions chosen by women, military officials said.
When Imla from the Kraken 1654 unit left her career as a professional hockey player to join the military, the 27-year-old initially planned to become a combat paramedic.
TNVS…
Continued from A12
According to him, many drivers and transport network company operators cite traffic as their reason for canceling trips.
“If that’s the case, they shouldn’t go out at all. That would even reduce traffic. That’s the purpose of a public utility vehicle. It’s difficult for passengers when drivers accept bookings only to cancel them later,” he said. The transport chief also ordered LTFRB Chairman Vigor Mendoza II to study the legal basis for surge pricing, with the possibility of canceling or deferring the practice during the holiday season. A public consultation with TNVS
The Khartiia Corps has taken more women into its ranks, reporting a 20% increase since 2024. About six months ago, the brigade launched a recruitment campaign aimed at women for combat and technological roles in cooperation with the Dignitas Foundation, a charity organization supporting Ukraine by funding technological innovation and civic development projects.
“In recent months, dozens of women have joined us in combat roles and are working successfully,” said Volodymyr Dehtyarov, the Khartiia Corps public affairs officer. “The more technology we have, like drones, the more historically male professions open up.”
Khartiia has started training officers and future commanders on how to work with mixed units including people of different ages, genders and backgrounds, which Dehtyarov said helps commanders become more effective leaders.
Women still face obstacles THE Ukrainian army remains conservative at its core and some units don’t make it easy for women.
A 25-year-old soldier with the call sign Yaha joined the military in 2023 and initially did paperwork as an army clerk. Three months later, she began asking to attend drone courses. Commanders at the time did not respond with enthusiasm and instead suggested she replace the cook.
“It was unpleasant for me, because I didn’t expect such uncomfortable conditions, such strict limitations,” Yaha said.
In the kitchen, she spent her free time studying drone manuals, practicing on a simulator and training in computer clubs with a controller she bought herself.
companies is scheduled for December 10 to discuss surge pricing issues.
“We need to start this December. But I have to strike a balance right now—either canceling it totally or deferring it for possible implementation next year without surge pricing. We can always cancel it, but the ones who might suffer are our passengers, so we need to study it carefully and have a good dialogue with TNVS,” Lopez said. The secretary added that the government will examine how drivers would be affected and what alternative measures companies could provide. The DOTr will also mandate TNVS operators to submit to the LTFRB a list of drivers who frequently cancel bookings. Likewise, the LTFRB will create a hotline where the public can report erring and abusive drivers.
MONKA, an FPV drone operator from the third assault brigade, assembles an FPV drone during a demonstration for The Associated Press, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine.
PHOTO/JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON
‘Tweaks in pork MAV rules create uncertainty’
TBy Ada Pelonia @adapelonia
HE Meat Importers and Traders Association (Mita) has thumbed down the changes in the minimum access volume (MAV) rules for pork that the government wants to implement, citing potential supply concerns in 2026.
In a letter addressed to the Department of Agriculture (DA), Mita President Emeritus Jesus Cham urged the government to retain the current MAV rules for pork, as the proposed interventions will not address the tight supply of the favorite protein source of Filipinos.
He noted that prior to the MAV system, local pork output stood at around 1 million metric tons (MMT) in 1994 and peaked at 1.9 MMT in 2024.
With the industry still grappling with recurring African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks, Mita noted that pork production last year “regressed” to its 1994 levels while demand simultaneously grew with rising population.
“It took the hog industry 25 years to grow by 900,000 metric tons [MT]. How long will recovery take? Certainly not within the remaining years of the current administration,” Cham said.
Under the revised MAV guidelines, 50 percent of the quota would be allocated to meat processors, 30 percent to state-owned enterprises,
and 20 percent to others. This would veer from when volumes were allocated based on existing market shares. “The proposed reallocation... does not increase total supply and therefore does not address the underlying issue,” Cham said. “Moreover, allocating to state-owned enterprises seems unnecessary since they are already able to import duty-free.” Cham noted that traders
have been advised that the new guidelines would take effect in 2026, with new allocations finalized in January.
“The abruptness of this announcement has caught licensees entirely by surprise. Orders have already been placed and buying decisions finalized,” he said.
“These sudden shifts have created substantial uncertainty, as imports may now fall under out-quota rates, significantly affecting landed costs and contractual commitments. This disruption will negatively affect supply next year.”
With this, Cham called on the DA to invoke a MAV plus for pork instead, the volume of which “may be prioritized for processors and other sectors, with a portion designated for first-come-first-served imports.”
The DA had officially opened applications for MAV 2026 for pork, poultry meat, chipping potato, corn, coffee beans, and coffee extract. The allocation for
pork stood at 54,210 MT. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. recently said the agency will not increase the current MAV volume for pork, citing the current slide in farmgate prices of hogs. (See: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2025/11/27/da-revisesrules-on-mav-on-pork-tospur-competition/)
Despite this, he said the DA has requested the Office of the President to have a MAV plus for pork of 150,000 MT on standby, which the agency would activate if deemed necessary.
The Philippines previously implemented the MAV Plus of 200,000 MT in 2021 to address supply shortage and pull down retail prices of the commodity as ASF took a toll on domestic output.
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
Imported coffee, fertilizer costlier in November–report
INTERNATIONAL quotations for commodities being imported and exported by the Philippines continued to rise in November, the World Bank’s (WB) latest report showed.
Figures from the report indicated that the average quotations for arabica coffee leaped by 34.67 percent to $9.05 per kilo last month from $6.72 per kilo in the same period last year. The international organization expects the price of the arabica variety to average $8.30 per kilo this year, higher than last year’s $5.62 per kilo. Fertilizers like DAP and urea, which are essential farm inputs imported by the Philippines, were more expensive in the reference month.
The price of DAP jumped by 23.29 percent to $708.3 per metric ton (MT) from $574.5 per MT, while urea rose by 16.18 percent to $409.3 per MT from $352.3 per MT last year. In 2025, the international organization said DAP and urea prices will average $710 per MT and $440 per MT, respectively. These are higher than the $564 per MT and $338 per MT posted in the previous year.
World Bank figures also indicated that the average price
of coconut oil, the country’s top farm export, surged by 31.4 percent to $2,469 per MT in November from $1,879 per MT a year ago. It expects the average quotation for coconut to settle at $2,505 per MT this year due to the sustained rise of the tropical oil due to a global supply crunch in top-producing nations. The figure is higher than the average $1,519 per MT recorded in 2024.
Of the metal quotations, only nickel posted a decline in November, while others registered price increases.
The average price of aluminum rose by 9.18 percent
to $2,819 per MT in the reference month from $2,582 per MT recorded in the previous year. Lead inched up by 0.5 percent to $1,998 per MT from $1,988 per MT.
Copper and tin quotations showed a 19.13 percent and 24.64 percent increase to $10,812 per MT and $36,963 per MT, from last year’s $9,076 per MT and $29,655 per MT, respectively.
Iron ore and zinc prices also inched up during the reference month to $102.5 per dry MT (DMT) from $100.5 per DMT and $3,177 per MT from $3,004 per MT, respectively. Ada Pelonia
PHL slaps temporary ban on pork products from Spain
THE Philippines has formally banned pork products from Spain after the government received confirmation of African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in the European nation. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed Memorandum Order (MO) 75, which authorized the ban on the entry of live pigs, pork meat, pork skin, and semen used for artificial insemination (AI) from Spain.
Manila imposed the ban following a report by Spain’s veterinary authorities to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) on November 28, which confirmed ASF cases among wild pigs in Sabadel, Valles Occidental in Barcelona.
The DA chief said the temporary was necessary to
“prevent the entry of the ASF virus and protect the health of local and wild pigs” while safeguarding food security and public health.
All sanitary and phytosanitary permits for hog imports from Spain have been “automatically revoked,” he added.
Furthermore, the agency noted that only frozen pork products produced on or before November 11, and loaded/in transit/accepted into port on or before December 4, 2025, will be allowed entry into the Philippines.
Any shipments produced after November 11 would be returned to Spain, the DA added. Meanwhile, the DA chief assured that the country has ample pork supply for the holiday season despite the
temporary ban slapped on pork shipments from Spain, the second-largest supplier of the Filipinos’ favorite protein source.
“There won’t be an effect on our local pork supply, because all our cold storage facilities are full of pork. Retail prices of pork are also stable in the market… we also have a lot of imports,” he told reporters in an interview.
He noted that inventory levels remain sufficient to meet increased demand during the holidays.
“I think pork prices would be more or less affordable this Christmas season despite the uptick in demand.”
To stabilize retail prices ahead of the holiday season, the DA recently imposed a maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) on pork in Metro Manila wet
From bean to cup, Colombian women are taking on the coffee patriarchy
THE lush coffee trees that blanket the misty hills of the Huila region in southwestern Colombia bear witness to a struggle.
From bean to steaming cup, women are slowly making gains across the South American country’s prized coffee industry, challenging a patriarchy that’s prevailed for generations. Some are running their own farms, while others are forming cooperatives to pool resources. A few have minted their own boutique brands. Yet at a time of lofty prices for the soft commodity, gender barriers are still locking them out of full participation in the booming business. Colombia’s sophisticated coffee industry is experiencing one of its most auspicious moments in decades. Coveted Arabica beans surged to a record price in October when US tariffs on top exporter Brazil coincided with lackluster harvests globally. Prices held at historically high prices even after the tariffs on Brazilian coffee were later removed, as buyers remain short of inventory.
In the 12 months through October, Colombian production reached almost 15 million sacks of 60 kilograms apiece, a 14-percent increase from the previous year and the highest level for the period since 1992, according to the country’s coffee growers federation. Exports, including inventories, climbed more than 11 percent to 13.4 million bags over the same stretch, with about 40 percent going to the US market.
Some women are now partaking directly in the gains. For the first time in nearly a century, they head two of the 15 regional committees of the influential federation, which buys domestic coffee at guaranteed prices. Women also make up almost a third of Colombia’s 525,000 registered coffee farmers, more than 10 percentage points higher than in the late 1990s. But they are still underrepresented in the industry’s leadership and economic rewards. And their growing visibility has not translated into greater decision-making power or access to resources.
In the coffee heartland of Huila, the tests for women often begin at home. Nery Muñoz, 47, leads a small association of coffee growers in Palestina, a town known for specialty beans. Like thousands of others, she balances household chores with long hours in the fields, a reality that has barely changed even as the industry flourishes.
“When have to attend a training session or a meeting, I make sure breakfast, lunch and dinner are ready,” Muñoz says. “I also take care of my grandson when my son is working. It’s a role one takes on as a mother, grandmother and coffee farmer all at once.”
Like many parts of Colombia, Huila is deeply scarred by the country’s protracted armed conflict and illicit drug trade, and security here is deteriorating. President Gustavo Petro, who completes his four-year term in August, has encouraged local farmers to substitute lucrative coca plants for established alternatives like coffee. Gender aside, the women’s travails show how hard it can be to thrive from the ground up.
In Pitalito, Yineth Sánchez, 34, and nine other women took almost a year to formalize their small cooperative known as Asoproca. Their goal is to produce and sell coffee under their own label, but a lack of technical and legal knowledge has slowed their progress.
“The process was easy, but we simply had no understanding about it, and it made us nervous,” said Sánchez, adding that they missed chances to move forward. “We even lost an opportunity to participate in a program with the regional government because we weren’t formally registered.”
Deep-rooted cultural norms limit women’s participation in the sector, says Andrea Cano, an independent adviser who works with women entrepreneurs and young growers in Huila. “It’s not seen well for a woman to leave her household duties to attend meetings or training,” Cano says. “Most of them lack formal education, which makes it harder to communicate, write proposals or manage projects.”
Blanca Elcy Ome leads the Association of Entrepreneurial Women of La Reserva, known as Asmuer. The group was founded a decade ago by rural housewives and women displaced by the war, many of whom had grown up surrounded by coffee but lacked the training to participate fully in the business.
Blanca and her partners have created their own coffee brand, and they’ve received support from several public entities, including the donation of a coffee-roasting machine from the Huila Governor’s Office. They’ve reinvested their profits to buy another grinder and are now working on a project to open a coffee shop, but they need at least 30 million pesos ($7,858) to make it happen. That’s where most women get stuck.
Credit constraints
AROUND 51 percent of Colombians have access to formal credit nationwide, but that figure drops to between 17 percent and 20 percent in rural areas, according to Asobancaria, the country’s banking association. While the gender gap in rural access is relatively small—18 percent for men versus 16 percent for women—the challenges are structural and include costs to generate loans, poor accounting information, limited financial literacy and persistent gender biases.
“There are cognitive biases among loan officers,” says Jaime Rincón, Asobancaria’s director of digital transformation and financial inclusion. “They see a woman without property titles, shy or less confident, and prefer to lend to a man.”
Even though women tend to have lower delinquency rates on 90-day loans, they rarely receive better terms or easier access to credit. “Women in rural areas have essential but unpaid roles as caregivers,” Rincón added. “That makes it difficult to prove repayment capacity.”
Many live and work on farms they consider their own but lack formal property titles, a key requirement for accessing credit or joining cooperatives.
Across Colombia, women account for 25 percent of national coffee production and manage 26 percent of planted areas, according to federation data. Yet their farms tend to be smaller, with 59 percent of female producers cultivating less than one hectare, compared with 51.2 percent of men.
Six years ago, Edmy Yojana Correa, 44, and her husband Andrés bought a 1.5-hectare farm in San Agustín, another small town in Huila, planting 7,450 trees of four varieties. She avoids chemical fertilizers and has earned the Rainforest Alliance seal, allowing her to sell at a premium compared to prices offered by the federation. Like many of her peers, she’s trying to consolidate her brand by participating in fairs and knocking on doors.
markets anew.
This, as retail prices of pork ham and pork belly rose to a high of P390 and P470 per kilo, latest price monitoring showed. Under the circular, the ceiling on pork liempo stands at P370 per kilo, while kasim and pigue are worth P330 per kilo.
“We have to restore some sanity in the retail price of pork, a favorite protein source among Filipinos that is in high demand, especially during the Christmas season,” the DA chief said.
Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry showed that the Philippines imported 632,991 metric tons (MT) of pork as of end-September. Spain was the country’s second leading supplier of pork at 131,065 MT in the reference period, trailing behind Brazil at 236,632 MT. Ada Pelonia
It’s been a banner year, with high prices and stable production, Edmy said. But organic fertilizer and labor costs have gone up. Traditional coffee pickers are aging and younger generations aren’t interested in farm work, she said. Unlike other agricultural commodities, it’s almost impossible to mechanize coffee harvesting here because of the remote mountainous terrain. Edmy recently sought a private bank loan, but was turned down.
The public sector tries to fill that gap. Still, it can only go so far in a rural economy where 80 percent of labor is informal.
Colombia’s state-owned agricultural development fund Finagro, which provides credit, guarantees and subsidies to farmers, has found that of every 100 loan applicants, only 31 percent are women. Still, the fund notes that loans targeted at women have gradually grown in size, with women-led projects receiving the equivalent of nearly $300 million over the past three years.
Sometimes the women enjoy a stroke of luck. During a visit to Edmy’s farm, an official from the coffee federation mentioned a line of credit tailored for people with her profile.
“If it weren’t for that official, I wouldn’t have found out,” she says. Banco Agrario, with a guarantee from Finagro, lent her $2,000. It’s not much, but on top of some savings it’s enough to fertilize and prepare for next year’s harvest.
Most women-led small cooperatives still struggle to market their production at competitive prices, especially compared with qualified farmers who rely on the federation’s logistics and marketing prowess.
“Our goal is to export our coffee at a fair price that compensates for all the processing and effort we invest,” Blanca says. With help from local authorities, her cooperative has acquired machinery to manage the entire production chain, all the way to final packaging. The struggle continues. As the world drinks more coffee and is willing to pay more for Colombia’s premium beans, many of those who make it possible are still waiting for their
“We
BLOOMBERG
S&P’s red flag: Rule of law, creditor woes imperil PHL economy editorial
S&P Global Ratings’ recent classification of the Philippines as a Group C jurisdiction is more than an abstract technicality for financial professionals. It serves as a sober warning to policy makers, investors, and the public, highlighting persistent weaknesses in the country’s rule of law and creditor protection that carry signifi cant economic consequences. (Read the BusinessMirror story: “S&P flags weak creditor protection,” December 4, 2025).
S&P’s critique is straightforward and hard to dismiss. The ratings house finds that creditor protection in the Philippines is weak, that rule-of-law risk is high, and that insolvency outcomes are unpredictable. Those are not merely regulatory inconveniences: they translate into slower, costlier and less reliable recoveries when firms fail. When creditors cannot reasonably estimate how much and how quickly they will recover assets, lending costs rise, investment is deterred and the efficient reallocation of capital is compromised. In short, weak insolvency frameworks impose a tax on entrepreneurship and growth. The report also highlights practical symptoms that Filipinos can understand: inconsistent application of rules, low historical recovery rates (rarely above 30 percent for creditors), and unpredictable resolution timelines. These features make the fate of creditors—foreign and domestic—a matter of chance, undermining confidence that contracts, claims and commercial relationships will be enforced with predictable results.
To be clear, S&P did not say the Philippines is lawless or that progress is impossible. It acknowledged that the Financial Rehabilitation and Insolvency Act (FRIA) and the adoption of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency are constructive steps. Those measures show lawmakers understand the problem: FRIA provides a framework for reorganization and cross-border cooperation is on the books. But legislation on paper is only the first step. The gap between law and practice—judges’ familiarity with modern insolvency tools, availability of reliable appraisals, transparent auction and claim processes, and consistent enforcement of creditor ranking—remains wide. Why should ordinary citizens be concerned? Strong insolvency systems are not just beneficial for creditors; they serve as public goods for everyone. They preserve asset value faster, enable viable firms to be restructured, protect jobs through orderly reorganizations, and prevent corrosive, lengthy legal battles that sap economic dynamism. Conversely, weak creditor protection can freeze lending, inflate risk premiums for businesses, and push viable entrepreneurs into informal or less productive activities because formal credit markets are too costly or risky.
The challenge will be institutional in nature. Implementing reforms necessitates collaboration among the judiciary, executive agencies, legislature, and private-sector stakeholders, including banks, insolvency practitioners, and appraisal professionals. Political will is essential: strengthening rule-of-law institutions and creditor protections can be politically sensitive, but the payoff —cheaper, more available credit and a more resilient private sector—benefits broad swathes of society.
Finally, S&P’s explicit note that this jurisdiction ranking does not immediately alter existing sovereign ratings should not be read as an excuse for complacency. It is an opportunity. Early, credible reforms can change perceptions and materially improve access to capital over time. Ignoring the diagnosis risks higher financing costs, slower recovery from shocks and a less attractive environment for both foreign and domestic investment.
If the Philippines wants to graduate from a cautionary footnote in global credit assessments to a jurisdiction that reliably enforces contracts and resolves insolvencies efficiently, lawmakers and institutions must act—not merely with new laws on the books, but with sustained effort to make those laws work in practice. The economy, creditors and ordinary Filipinos all stand to gain from a legal environment where predictability, transparency and timely resolution are the norm rather than the exception.
Why business should care about Philippine AI regulation
PHILIPPINE policymakers are
RISING SUN
to
up with an AI wave that is already reshaping local business, but the country still does not have a single, comprehensive law that clearly spells out what is allowed, what is risky, and what is off‑limits.
Existing proposals in Congress and scattered executive initiatives show real intent, yet they fall short of the risk-based, tightly coordinated legislation now emerging in Europe and Latin America, where the EU AI Act and Brazil’s proposed AI law are setting more detailed standards.
For a business audience, the question for 2026 is simple: can the Philippines turn today’s patchwork into a framework that protects people without scaring off innovation?
The economic stakes are no longer hypothetical. Recent market studies estimate that the Philippine AI market is already around the billion-dol-
lar mark in 2025 and could reach roughly $3.4 billion to $4.2 billion by the turn of the decade, driven by applications in finance, BPO, logistics, retail, and healthcare.
At the same time, UNESCO’s new AI Readiness Assessment for the Philippines highlights both the promise of AI for jobs and productivity, and the risk that benefits will cluster in a few sectors and regions if governance and institutional capacity do not keep pace.
On paper, lawmakers have begun to move. In the House, the Artificial Intelligence Regulation Act (HB 7913) seeks to establish a national
framework for AI, create a Philippine Council on Artificial Intelligence, and set out human-centric principles such as accountability, transparency, and security.
Other pending measures aim to support a National Center for AI Research, articulate a national AI strategy, and address the impact of automation on workers, particularly in sectors that depend heavily on routine digital tasks.
On the executive side, DOST’s AI roadmap and related ICT and skills programs have channeled resources into data infrastructure and human capital, including initiatives that have introduced large numbers of Filipinos to analytics and basic machine learning as part of broader digital upskilling drives.
There is also a growing effort to align with global ethics standards. The Philippines has endorsed UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI and, in late 2025, received a country- specific AI Readiness Assessment that urges government to weave ethical principles into laws, institutions, and day-to - d ay practice.
That report, informed by consul-
Steadiness over spectacle: A week of political tests and constitutional clarity
T. Anthony C. Cabangon Lourdes M. Fernandez
Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V.
ID. Edgard A. Cabangon
(Circulation) 893-1662; 814-0134 to 36. E-mail: news.businessmirror@gmail.com www.businessmirror.com.ph
tations across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, stresses a point that often gets lost in technical debates: AI policy in the Philippines has to make sense within Filipino social realities, including persistent inequality, regional gaps, and the outsized role of overseas and platform-based work. More recent moves show that AI is no longer a side issue in national politics. In mid-2025, Senator Pia Cayetano filed a Senate bill titled “An Act Regulating the Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence Systems in the Philippines, Promoting Ethical and Responsible Artificial Intelligence Innovation, and Integrating Sustainability and Futures Thinking in National Policy Making,” treating AI as a cross-cutting governance question rather than a niche tech problem. In parallel, the government has used the UNESCO assessment process to feed into work on a National AI Strategy, bringing together agencies, academics, and private-sector actors to examine legal, economic, and socio -cultural issues around AI adoption and regulation. To be continued
LITO GAGNI
N a single week, two stories gripped the nation: quiet tremors in the House of Representatives as whispers of a coup circled the Speakership, and a landmark Supreme Court ruling that reset the guardrails of fiscal governance. One unfolding in the political air, the other in the constitutional bedrock. And yet, taken together, they re veal something deeper about the country we are trying to build.
For it is in moments like these— when power is tested in one chamber and accountability is affirmed in another—that the Republic shows its true mettle. When the House must rise above intrigue, and when the Executive meets judicial correction not with outrage but with gratitude, we glimpse a nation striving, however imperfectly, to mature. Governance becomes an act of quiet courage: the courage to let investigations proceed where they may, the courage to honor frontliners through lawful means, and the courage to uphold institutions even when their verdicts are inconvenient.
And so we begin where the noise first gathered: inside the House of Representatives, where the whispers surrounding the Speakership offer not merely a political subplot, but a window into how institutions behave when
tested by ambition and uncertainty. The chatter about unseating Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III has softened, but the murmurs still echo in political corridors. And when one surveys the landscape, two broad silhouettes emerge. The first is a cluster of lawmakers watching, with quiet apprehension, the progress of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI). These are not accusations—simply the outlines of political reality. Any Speaker who refuses to interfere in investigations will naturally unsettle those who prefer the old ways, when inquiries could be delayed, softened, or quietly rerouted. Speaker Dy’s unambiguous commitment to cooperate fully with the ICI removes familiar safety nets. It signals a House willing to let processes take their course. For some, that alone
is reason for unease.
The second silhouette is composed of those who forever read the winds— political tacticians who see leadership transitions not as matters of governance but as opportunities for recalibration. In times of national unease, succession scenarios multiply. And in those imagined scenarios, changing the Speaker becomes a tempting first step, a way to tilt the board toward ambitions not yet ready to stand in the light. What becomes evident is that destabilization does not emanate from the majority of the House. It comes from narrower interests—some anxious about accountability, others attentive to opportunity. The online amplification of coup chatter, with its familiar fingerprints of anonymous accounts and coordinated messaging, reflects not widespread discontent but the industriousness of those with much to lose or much to gain.
A stable House focused on reform does not flatter the calculations of political contractors nor the aspirations of factions seeking leverage against the administration. A principled Speaker inconveniences both.
From these political tremors, the narrative shifts to the steadier terrain of fiscal governance—where the Supreme Court’s ruling on PhilHealth’s idle funds reminded the nation that accountability is not merely a political slogan but a constitutional discipline.
The national government’s response was striking not for its defen-
siveness, but for its gratitude. Gratitude to the Court for clarity. Gratitude for the Constitution’s guidance. Gratitude for the opportunity to strengthen public finance moving forward. And at the center of this fiscal chapter is Executive Secretary Ralph G. Recto, who was then serving as Finance Secretary. His mandate was straightforward: to raise the funds needed for nationally vital programs, from ODA-backed railways and bridges to the long overdue compensation for pandemic frontliners. Raising funds is DOF’s role; allocating and disbursing them is DBM’s. That is Finance 101 and Budget 101—basic governance architecture that trolls conveniently ignore as they attempt to warp the narrative. Here, Recto’s singular act postures a government that invests in healthcare. The ruling has been issued. The government is complying—in both letter and spirit. But the mission continues: build a more transparent, resilient, and humane fiscal system that truly reflects the dignity of every Filipino. And dignity begins with honoring those who serve. What critics omit is that the mechanism invoked at the time was lawful, and that its use allowed the government to wipe out years of unpaid Health Emergency Allowances owed to nurses, med techs, and non-clinical staff who stood between the nation and disaster. Moreover, the administration has nearly doubled PhilHealth’s bud-
See “Gagni,”
racing
catch
Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua
Atty. Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II
Economic chess: Playing to win
By Henry Go
THE Philippines stands at a time when every economic decision matters more than ever. Global competition is intense, regional tensions create uncertainty, and technology is reshaping industries at high speed. Yet amid these pressures, the country still has an opportunity to shape a stronger future—if it chooses its moves with skill, discipline, and foresight, much like a player determined to win a difficult chess game.
For years, the economy grew on the strength of consumption, remittances, and services. These foundations have kept the country stable, but they are no longer enough to ensure long-term competitiveness. High-value manufacturing, advanced technology, and innovation remain underdeveloped. Investors still face slow permits and unpredictable rules. Logistics costs remain among the highest in Asean. Our workforce is talented, but upskilling is not fast enough, and government agencies often work in silos that slow execution. These realities are well documented in studies by Neda, the World Bank, and local economic think tanks.
Still, despite these constraints, the Philippines is not without advantage. A young population, ongoing infrastructure build-out, expanding digital adoption, and a resilient private sector provide real opportunities—if government can match this energy with intentional strategy. As economist Cielito Habito has noted, countries that succeed do so because “good policy and good governance reinforce each other.” That principle is central to winning any long game. Chess offers a useful analogy. Pawns, though small, can reshape the board when moved with purpose. Likewise, focused government programs—when executed well—can shift the country’s entire economic position. Initiatives such as the National Investment Promotion Strategy, the ongoing infrastructure pipeline under Build Better More, the Public-Private Partnership Act, and reforms under the CREATE More Act show that targeted interventions can attract investment, reopen manufacturing possibilities, and strengthen the business environment. These are modest moves, but in chess, even simple advances can open powerful opportunities.
A skillful chess player understands that discipline—both mental and physical—defines the outcome. It is not only about bold moves, but consistent, well-timed actions. The same applies to economic policy. A country that plans carefully, signals clearly, and executes firmly sends a message that it is dependable. In Asia, this is how Vietnam built its manufacturing base, Malaysia strengthened its digital industries, and India expanded its services and startup ecosystem. None of them relied on chance; they relied on strategic play.
The Philippines must now do the same, especially as it assumes the Asean Chairmanship in 2026. This places the country at the center of regional discussions on economic cooperation, security, and supply chain integration. It is a responsibility—and an opportunity—to show that the country can lead with a steady hand, even while dealing with geopolitical pressure in the West Philippine Sea.
This geopolitical tension is a growing concern for Filipinos, especially wage earners who know that conflict would raise prices, disrupt jobs, and slow investment. While security matters, government must show that economics remains the
priority because it is what directly affects daily life. A stable, predictable economic environment helps protect people even amid external risks. Investors understand geopolitical challenges, but they still look for countries with clear rules, steady reforms, and reliable institutions. Stability is not just about avoiding conflict; it is about building confidence.
To win in economic chess, the Philippines must focus on several key moves.
First, strengthen industry development. The country should identify a small number of high-value sectors—electronics, automotive components, agritech, IT services, digital industries—and fully support them.
Economist Rafaelita Aldaba has long argued that targeted industrial policy is not about protectionism but about building capabilities. When a country invests in skills, technology, and supply chains, it becomes a serious competitor.
Second, sharpen human capital. Upskilling must move faster. Digital training, technical education, and industry-academe partnerships must be aligned with actual employer needs. The quality of jobs depends on the quality of skills, and without strong skills, no strategy can succeed.
Third, improve institutions. Faster processes, clearer rules, less discretion, and stronger coordination among agencies reduce uncertainty—the enemy of investment.
Economist Bernardo Villegas has emphasized that integrity and predictability are central ingredients to sustained growth. These values must be institutionalized, not just promised.
Fourth, embrace geo-economics. The Philippines should use diplomacy, trade ties, and supply chain partnerships to its advantage. Global firms are diversifying production, and the country must position itself as a reliable alternative. Economic security—energy, data, food, and infrastructure—must be built with long-term planning, not short-term politics.
The endgame is clear. Economic chess is not about avoiding “checkmate” or settling for a “draw.” It is about shaping a winning position through strategy and discipline. Each careful move—industry development, human capital, institutional reform, and credible governance— pushes the country toward lasting competitiveness.
In the end, the purpose of this economic chess game is simple: to build a government that works efficiently, upholds integrity, and maintains stable, business-friendly rules that give investors’ confidence. When political capital becomes strong institutions, when processes become predictable, and when public service becomes reliable, the economy no longer depends on personalities—it depends on systems that endure.
As the year closes and a new one begins, the Philippines has a chance to move with clarity, strength, and confidence. The pieces are on the board. The opportunities are real. It is time to play not just to survive, but to win.
End of our affairs
ASiegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.
With this recent acquisition, MPIC will continue to contribute to the country’s food security at a cost of P1.4 billion. Unbeknownst to many, I was part of FBCOP for a brief period in my professional career under the leadership of Ferdinand dela Cruz (“Ferdz”), whose notable experiences include stints in Manila Water and Globe Telecom. When I began my service with FBCOP, I was already aware of the challenges facing the leadership team. The company had been on the brink of bankruptcy or corporate rehabilitation, frequently defaulting on the payments of its restructured loans due to no fault of Ferdz. He merely inherited the struggling financial affairs of the company, which were compounded by unfavorable market prices of coconuts.
Recognizing the role of FBCOP in the coconut industry, Ferdz assembled a small team to keep the company financially viable enough
NDORRA Investments Corp. is out; Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) is in when it comes to the ownership and management of Franklin Baker Company of the Philippines (FBCOP), the oldest Philippine company that manufactures desiccated coconut products, among others. Before the end of 2025, MPIC is now poised to process more than 2 million coconuts daily, collectively representing nearly 70 percent of the country’s foodgrade coconut exports. Part one
to attract investors like MPIC, to have more than 6,000 of its workers in Davao del Sur, San Pablo City, and Makati gainfully employed, and sustain the livelihood of its coconut farmers in whatever way possible. As a result of the buyout, most of the leadership team of Ferdz, fondly referred to as EXCO or Executive Committee, will be replaced by MPIC managers led by Jovy Hernandez. I am hopeful that the new owners and management of Franklin Baker can stabilize the operations of one of the country’s most reliable coconut manufacturing companies for the sake of the coconut farmers.
Parenthetically, another affair but this time in the broadcast industry is coming to an end. Everything For Good (EFG) has been a staple program for Radio Veritas (DZRV 846 MHz) for more than a year. The Saturday morning show tackles social and political issues and correlates
From ‘hit-or-miss’
them with the laws of the Lord and the laws of the Land. Hosted by a lawyer, a journalist, a life coach, and a pastor, the show EFG at Veritas aimed to spread awareness of facts and opinions to allow for a better understanding of concepts such as sovereignty, national security, social justice, and, most of all, love for others and for country. EFG is expected to find a new home, possibly in television or another media outlet. The end of this radio program may not be as exciting as the end of the FBCOP takeover where billions of pesos and thousands of workers were involved. Yet, in similar fashion, at the end of these affairs, their main participants will part ways and do something else, hopefully as productive as they were prior to the end. As the cliche goes, nothing lasts forever; except God and His Word.
Whether it is pain or suffering, worldly success or even life itself, everything is temporary. For those believers in FBCOP, in EFG, and in any other organization who might be financially troubled due to loss of employment, may they be reminded of the temporary nature of suffering.
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17 ). In the Bible, Job lost everything except his faith in the Lord. He was restored and was even rewarded abundantly more! I know of some friends who chase fame and fortune, despite knowing that these worldly affairs are temporary in keeping to what the Bible tells us, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19, NIV ). Money gets spent, even those illgotten by scoundrels in government. Fame fades away; power is lost. So, believers embrace that a better investment is eternal. Life is fleeting as the Bible compares life to a mist“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14, NIV )
Whatever challenges we face or wealth and success we accumulate, all of it can and will vanish. Nothing in this life is forever, except our relationship with God. Whether it is a business or personal relationship, any pain or suffering, any achievement or accomplishment will not last forever.
Whatever affairs we have in this world will eventually come to an end. My pastor often reminds us: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:2). All things and affairs end, in His time.
Siegfred has a diversified set of education and experiences which has made him a game changer and a servant leader in organizations such as the Philippine Army, Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, a US based software development company called Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, Philippine Airlines and SM Prime Holdings. His professional degrees came from the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA. He
to technology-based BIR LOA selection process
pact of BIR enforcement (general deterrence).
IN the recent controversies on Letters of Authority (LOAs), public anger has focused on alleged tax settlement “packages,” extortion, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) harassment, and 75 percent money-making schemes. But the deeper problem begins earlier: how audit cases are chosen. If selection is arbitrary or manipulable, every step of the audit process is tainted from the start.
For decades, the BIR’s audit case selection has been largely manual and subjective. Revenue officers and officials rely on checklists, personal judgment, tips, and informal “intel” to identify taxpayers. On paper, there are criteria; in practice, the system has tolerated situations where the same taxpayers are audited for multiple and overlapping years, LOAs are issued even when the likely collectible amount is minimal or arbitrary, and lists of cases acquire a “market value” and follow the “suki” (favorite) system.
The LOA and BIR audit becomes more complex when some taxpayers and their representatives willingly participate in an “it takes two to tango” scheme, treating audits as mutually acceptable negotiations for “discounted” assessments and “tax savings.” Others suffer harassment when they refuse the overtures of BIR examiners.
In the recent controversies on Letters of Authority (LOAs), public anger has focused on alleged “packages,” extortion, and moneymaking schemes. But the deeper problem begins earlier: how audit cases are chosen. If selection is arbitrary or manipulable, every step of the audit process is tainted from the start.
Such a system breeds bribery and extortion. However, I immediately point out that there are still a good number of BIR officers and examiners who do a competent and professional way of conducting their audit and issuing tax assessments. But definitely, the LOA and BIR audit system can stand a lot of improve -
ments, and the cultural mindset of all stakeholders, including BIR officials and examiners, tax executives, taxpayers, and tax practitioners, needs to be overhauled.
The BIR is mandated by law to audit taxpayers. Sections 5 and 6 of the National Internal Revenue Code (Tax Code) provide the BIR the power to obtain information, summon and examine taxpayers, and make deficiency tax assessments.
The BIR’s annual reports show that collections from preliminary/ final assessments and delinquent accounts have been in the 2 percent to 3 percent range of total BIR collections. This ratio is within the range of that of other countries, which range from 3 percent to 5 percent.
Even if only a minimal number of taxpayers are audited in a given year, the possibility of being selected for LOA—especially if the audit is thorough and penalties are real— makes rational taxpayers report their compliance more honestly than they otherwise would.
So, the direct collection from audits is like the tip of an iceberg, with the visible tip as the additional tax and penalties actually collected from audited cases, and below the waterline is the much larger amount of tax voluntarily paid because taxpayers know there is a serious audit program in the background.
The key message: one peso collected through an audit today can trigger several pesos of additional voluntary tax payments in future years—by the audited taxpayer (specific deterrence) and by others who observe or hear about the im-
My interest in reforming this system goes way back to the 1990s, when I was part of the BIR Computerization Project team, as the Assistant Commissioner for Management and Planning. In my study of international models, I examined how the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) used its Discriminant Information Function, or DIF. Instead of relying primarily on human intervention, the IRS assigns a risk score to each tax return using statistical models and audits only a small percentage of the highestscoring returns.
The DIF approach is simple but powerful by having data and analytics identify returns with the highest probability of error or fraud. This reduces discretion at the field level and concentrates scarce resources where they produce the greatest revenue and deterrent effect.
The BIR has made progress in e-filing, third party information matching with taxpayer declarations, and data capture. Yet it has never institutionalized an automated risk-based audit selection engine. The recurring LOA scandals we see today are consequences of that longstanding gap.
There have been efforts during the administration of the previous Commissioner Romeo Lumagui to use artificial intelligence and data analytics to predict possible tax fraud and fake transactions by scanning electronic tax data and flagging high-risk patterns. This project that started in 2024 had the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) partnering with the Ateneo de Manila University’s Department of Mathematics. ( https://www. ateneo.edu/news/2024/08/07/ bureau-internal-revenue-partners-ateneos-department-mathematics-combat-ghost) to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered algorithm using data analytics and math to detect “ghost receipts” (fake sales invoices used for tax evasion). However, this was not fully implemented due to technical bugs, but it proved that local institutions can design risk models and that AI can support tax administration functionalities.
The current LOA crisis demands
a short-term but visible corrective step. My proposal is to develop and deploy a basic AI-enabled, datadriven LOA selection engine within two months. Using existing e-filed returns and third-party information, this engine can define a limited set of risk indicators (for example, unusual variants from the profit margins for the industry, repeated losses, suspicious VAT declarations compared to income tax reporting, large related-party dealings) compute a risk score for each taxpayer, and produce a ranked list of cases for audit, subject to policy filters that avoid repeated and overlapping LOAs on the same taxpayer. Selection rules would be approved at the national office policy level, customized for the particular revenue unique district situations, and a technology application would be developed for this purpose. Any manual addition or removal of cases would require recorded justification, creating an audit trail that oversight bodies can review. A minimum viable system focusing on selection logic and reporting can be designed, tested, and rolled out in a short time frame. It can then be refined and embedded into the broader BIR data warehouse and core tax administration system that will be developed under the Asian Development Bank-funded BIR Transformation Program. An AI-enabled, risk-based selection engine will not, by itself, end all abuses in tax audits. But it changes the starting point. Instead of a “hit-or-miss” process that feeds favoritism and rent-seeking, aud it selection should be based on a rules-based, data-driven focus on high-risk cases.
Joel L. Tan-Torres
‘Snobbish’ taxi, TNVS drivers face sanctions
By Lorenz S. Marasigan
THE Department of Transpor-
tation (DOTr) has directed the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to sanction taxi and transport network vehicle service (TNVS) drivers who cancel booked passenger trips, citing reasons such as heavy traffic or long distances.
Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez announced the directive over the weekend, saying the agency will issue a memorandum circular prohibiting the practice, particularly during the holiday season.
“This holiday season, we’re addressing these ‘snobbish’ drivers. This isn’t just about taxis anymore.
The LTFRB will issue a memorandum circular that will include TNVS.
There are those who cancel bookings—we will prohibit the canceling of booked trips,” Lopez said.
Lopez emphasized that drivers in the transport sector carry heightened responsibilities due to the public nature of their service.
“When you enter this kind of work, it is imbued with public interest. We require not just a higher standard of care—what we call extraordinary diligence—but also a higher level of obligation and responsibility,” he said.
2nd Front Page
BusinessMirror
Full audit of GOCC ‘excess fund’ remittances pressed
By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie
AFTERthe Supreme Court struck down the transfer of PhilHealth’s reserve funds to the National Treasury, a senior lawmaker is now demanding a full audit of all so-called “excess fund” remittances made by government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) under a controversial budget provision.
The high court last week voided the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) proviso and its implementing Department of Finance (DOF) circular that compelled GOCCs to remit their “excess” or “unused” funds to the Treasury. The justices ruled the provision a “rider,” not germane to the national budget, and therefore unconstitutional.
The ruling, initially celebrated as a victory for PhilHealth members whose contributions bankroll the state insurer, has since triggered a wider call to revisit the legality of similar remittances taken from other GOCCs—including the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC), whose transferred amount
stands at a staggering P107 billion.
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, the earliest critic of PhilHealth’s fund remittance, said the Supreme Court’s ruling strengthens the argument that every peso taken under the now-illegal budget rider must be returned.
In September this year, President Bongbong Marcos Jr. ordered the return of P60 billion to PhilHealth.
“The national treasury should return not only PhilHealth’s P60 billion but all other so-called excess funds remitted by GOCCs, including PDIC’s P107 billion,” Rodriguez said, stressing that the amount is meant to secure bank depositors and cannot be diverted with-
TARIFF THREAT FAILS TO DENT EXPORTS FROM PHL, OTHER ASIAN NATIONS—REPORT
out risking public confidence in the banking system.
Aside from PhilHealth and PDIC, the “rider” provision targeted nine other state corporations, namely, Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine Reclamation Authority, TransCo, Philippine National Construction Corp. Southern Philippines Development Authority, Laguna Lake Development Authority, Cebu Ports Authority, APO Production Unit, and Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions.
“It is not clear if the other nine government firms have remitted any excess funds to the national treasury,” said Rodriguez.
Wake-up call FOR her part, House Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Leila de Lima called the decision a “strong reminder” to both lawmakers and executive officials to respect constitutional limits on appropriations.
“Funds for specific public uses should not be diverted,” she said, adding that PhilHealth must immediately use the restored amount in 2026 to expand benefits and improve service delivery.
Kamanggagawa Partylist Rep. Eli San Fernando, who helped mount the legal challenge last year, used the ruling to criticize what he described as an attempt by former finance secretary and now Executive Secretary
By Andrea E. San Juan
RE -TARIFF frontload-
Ping led to an unexpected “strong dynamism” in exports from 12 Asian countries, including the Philippines, in the first half of 2025, a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) noted.
Based on the Trade and Development report 2025 of UNCTAD, aggregated export flows from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan collectively expanded by almost 10 percent year-onyear during the first semester.
“The temporary hike was a key driver of the strong dynamism in exports from East, South and South-East Asia, the world’s largest regional manufacturing hub,” the Unctad report read.
The UN’s trade and development agency said this trade dynamism was unexpected, given the “significant disruptions” that transpired, particularly Washington’s imposition of steeper tariffs against its trading partners.
“In the very short term, however, there was a strong incentive to export as much as pos-
sible to the United States before the new tariffs took effect,” it said.
Partly for this reason, preliminary estimates point to an expansion of world trade, in real terms, in the range of 4 percent during the first semester.
“Measured in dollars, export revenues from goods and services rose by $300 billion yearon-year, reaching a total of $16 trillion,” Unctad said.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world—except in Latin America—real export dynamics were “relatively muted.”
For instance, in the United Kingdom, exports shrank by 2 percent.
In the euro area, the world’s largest trading group of economies, the growth of exports was flat.
Meanwhile, the exports of the United States and those of the group of other developed economies both grew about 2 percent.
Considering nominal revenues of merchandise trade, which Unctad said is a timelier and more comprehensive gauge of trade momentum—globally aggregated dollar exports increased 2 percent, or $230 billion, during the first semester of 2025, reaching almost $12 trillion.
NYU screens Lav Diaz Shorts ahead of Janus’‘Magellan’
By Troi Santos
EW YORK CITY—NYU
NEspacio de Culturas hosted a curated presentation of Lav Diaz’s short works on Dec. 5, aligning directly with Janus Films’ preparations for the US release and awards push for “Magellan.” The program, organized with Sulo: The Philippine Studies Initiative and the New York Southeast Asia Network, brought Diaz’s lesser-seen shorts to an academic audience at a moment when Janus is building awareness for the Philippines’ official Oscar submission before its January opening at IFC Center.
Curator Gil Quito introduced the evening by pointing to Janus’s involvement in “Magellan,” presenting the newly released trailer and noting that Janus is overseeing theatrical rollout, marketing, and strategic positioning during awards season.
His remarks framed the shorts as a timely point of discovery for viewers preparing for the feature and as a direct contribution to visibility ahead of the Oscar shortlist announcement.
Quito placed Diaz’s shorts within a larger discussion of US access,
noting that most American viewers only encounter Diaz through multi-hour features that circulate through festivals. By spotlighting shorter work inside a university setting, the event underscored Janus’s approach: expanding reach to audiences who rarely attend festivals but actively participate in curated programming through academic institutions, film centers, and community events. The program followed Diaz’s festival path from Cannes to New York Film Festival, giving Janus additional visibility in an environment attuned to international cinema. The shorts demonstrated a range of Diaz’s formal concerns while maintaining thematic continuity with “Magellan,” which engages Philippine history and early colonial encounter. “Prologue to the Great Desaparecido,” “Himala: A Dialectic of Our Times,” and “Butterflies Have No Memories” foreground questions of memory, extraction, and political history. The shorter experimental titles pointed to Diaz’s interest in duration and minimal composition— elements that inform his larger features but appear in condensed forms here. For viewers new to
Diaz, the shorts functioned as an accessible introduction that leads directly toward interest in the feature.
“Magellan,” which stars Gael García Bernal, uses multiple languages and foregrounds Philippine history during the early stages of Spanish contact. Janus acquired North American rights following the Cannes premiere and is coordinating an awards campaign aligned with the Philippines’ international feature submission. With IFC Center opening January 9, Janus’s strategy relies on early turnout among cinephile and academic audiences before expanding to additional markets based on performance indicators common to specialty releases. For Janus, the NYU event placed Diaz within a network of viewers who already follow international cinema through institutional channels. All the attendees I interviewed indicated their intent to attend the IFC opening weekend. Conversations in the lobby suggested that Diaz’s shorts had clarified interest in “Magellan,” establishing a direct connection between academic exposure and theatrical attendance.
See “GOCC,” A2
See “Tariff,” A8
Editor: Jennifer A. Ng
Malls to expand Mreit portfolio
By VG Cabuag @villygc
MEGAWORLD Corp., the property development arm of businessman Andrew Tan, will start to infuse some 70,000 square meters of its shopping malls by next year into its listed real estate investment trust Mreit Inc.
Kevin Andew L. Tan, Megaworld’s executive director, said there will be two batches of infusion, possibly a property for share swap, by next year.
“We will add another 250,000 square meters, mostly malls and offices, but definitely (we will) put malls (into Mreit),” Tan said.
Andy W. dela Cruz Jr., the company’s investor relations officer, said the company is reviewing all the malls under Megaworld.
“Because the goal is really to infuse everything under Megaworld, step by step. Of course, the target is 1 million square meters by 2027 so
from now, that’s double our portfolio in two years to 2026 and then 2027,” dela Cruz said. “And then after that, there’s still a lot more assets from Megaworld.”
By 2030, Megaworld will have about 3 million square meters in total active property, some 2 million square meters of these will be on office assets and 1 million will be on retail.
He said they may end the year with 37 townships, from the current 36, or a launch during the remaining days of the year.
Next year’s transaction include 10 office assets, or 40 percent of the total, and the rest will be on shopping malls.
“And we hope, and we think, we can deliver a good increase, not only in income, but also in dividends for our investors,” he said.
Mreit already received regula -
tory approval to increase its authorized capital stock to P8 billion from P5 billion, allowing the company to move forward with preparations for its next wave of property infusions.
The said increase allows the company to begin the process of issuing new shares for future acquisitions.
Mreit is evaluating 10 office properties, 9 in McKinley Hill in Taguig and 1 in Eastwood City in Quezon City, totaling approximately 198,500 square meters of gross leasable area for potential infusion.
Once completed, this infusion would expand Mreit’s portfolio by about 41 percent to 680,000 square meters, from its existing 482,000 square meters.
Megaworld will still have around 900,000 square meters of office and retail assets that are not yet part of Mreit.
DigiPlus to discuss responsible gaming
ONLINE gaming firm DigiP-
lus Interactive Corp. will share insights on responsible gaming practices during the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia Philippines, which will be held next week.
According to DigiPlus, the maker of games such as BingoPlus, ArenaP-
lus and GameZone, its executive will be on the panel on innovations in responsible gaming and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Erick Su, head of the company’s flagship sportsbook platform ArenaPlus, will be present on the panel. The discussion will take place on second day of the conference,
happening December 10 to December 11 at Newport World Resorts.
During the panel, Su will also discuss the company’s innovations in player protection and CSR activities.
“As the pioneer and industry leader in Philippine online gaming and digital entertainment, DigiPlus is
proud to be at the forefront of global industry dialogue at G2E Asia,” Su said. “Our participation will showcase how we champion responsible gaming and sustainable growth, as DigiPlus continues to evolve from a local to a global entertainment brand,” he said. VG Cabuag
First Gen to supply med center with RE
THE Capitol University Medical Center (CUMC) will be supplied by First Gen Corp. (First Gen) with 900 kilowatts (kW) of geothermal power, making it the first hospital in Mindanao to be fully powered by renewable energy (RE).
The Lopez-led power firm will source the RE supply from the Mount Apo Geothermal Plant in Cotabato, owned and operated by First Gen subsidiary Energy Development Corp.
“We are pleased to be the first medical center in Mindanao to be powered directly by geothermal energy that is also harnessed from Mindanao. We look forward to reaping the benefits of using renewable energy not just for helping the environment, but for doing our part to improve the health and well-being of Kagayanons,” CUMC President Rosalinda R. Deleste said.
The 900-kW power supply will support the electricity needs of the 200-bed hospital, including its Kidney Institute, and other specialty care facilities.
The CUMC was able to connect directly to geothermal energy, the only RE source that can run consistent, 24/7 baseload capacity, through the government’s “Green Energy Option” program. The latter enables eligible power users
with average peak demand of at least 100 kilowatts over the past 12 months to source 100 percent of their electricity requirements from RE suppliers.
“Geothermal energy is ideal for hospitals, industries and other businesses that need reliable RE supply. It’s an honor to support [the] CUMC as they begin their journey towards decarbonization,” said First Gen Chief Customer Engagement Officer Carlos Lorenzo L. Vega.
First Gen has over 1,700 megawatts (MW) of RE capacity from over 22 geothermal, wind, solar and hydro facilities.
Aside from the Mount Apo geothermal facility, First Gen owns and operates a 1.6-MW run-ofriver mini-hydro facility in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, that uses water flowing from the Agusan River. The company is also expanding its portfolio in Mindanao with two other planned hydro projects: the 32-MW Bubunawan Hydro project in Libona, Bukidnon; and, the 40-MW San Isidro Hydroelectric Power Project, along the Cagayan de Oro River. Both proposed projects plan to utilize run-of-river design, which means electricity is generated by using a river’s natural flow without building a large dam or reservoir.
AI at Your Service: Hotel Sogo’s game-changing innovation transforms guest experience
By Francine Medina
Hotel Sogo, one of the most accessible and budgetfriendly hotels in town, carries the simple but memorable slogan, “So clean, so good.” With 52 hotels spread nationwide, it has become a destination for guests who need a quick break and a comfortable place for a relaxing staycation.
Recently, the property owned and managed by Global Comfort Group Corporation decided to shake things up by giving the familiar budget-friendly experience a more modern, tech-savvy twist.
In the latest episode of “Freshly Brewed,” Business Mirror’s content creator John Eiron Francisco sat down with Sue Geminiano, Marketing Manager for Hotel Sogo, to discuss the exciting changes awaiting guests at the property.
“This is actually not a new direction but opening up to innovation. We want to show that we are a hotel that keeps improving and developing. This AI tech concept room actually integrates the Internet of Things (IoT) technology and operates through the internet,“ explained Geminiano.
“Digital transformation is very evident here in our country, and, of course, Hotel Sogo, as the largest chain in the Philippines, cannot take all these changes just sitting down.”
“We have to move forward, we
have to develop our amenities, which is why we introduced this AI tech concept rooms, although not all our properties have it yet. It’s a showcase to the public and the hotel industry that we are innovative. We want to see the public’s acceptance of an innovative Hotel Sogo.”
Developed through AI technology, the new smart automation features a voice-controlled system for lighting and air-conditioning. It also features self-service check-in kiosks, keyless entry via QR codes, and other automated systems. This innovation aims to provide a more convenient, personalized, and futuristic guest experience at select branches in the Philippines.
From checking in to staying in, guests are given the full-on digitalized experience, noted Geminiano.
“Checking in is done through our selfservice kiosks. You choose your length of stay: three hours, twelve hours, or whatever number of hours you feel like staying. We also have our AI-powered
virtual assistant named Aiko.”
Robot guide AFTER checking in, a robot will guide guests to their respective AI tech concept room. To enter the room, a QR-generated code serves as the key to the room and will be read by the automatic door lock. Upon entering, the guest only has to say, “Computer, I’m here.”
Inside the room, the voiceoperated system can be used to control other amenities like lights, curtains, temperature, TV, and music.
Launched in March this year, there are two types of rooms offering the high-tech concept: The Executive room and the Regency or family room, which are available in four Sogo branches: Fairview, Malate, Davao, and in Mexico, Pampanga.
“The majority of our guests are always amazed after experiencing our AI tech concept rooms because they haven’t seen any other service like it, especially since it can only be found in Hotel Sogo, considered the most affordable hotel in the Philippines,” observed Geminiano.
“Although there were also guests who were hesitant at first, because not everyone is tech-savvy. Some skeptics doubt whether the system would work. But in the end, the
majority of the guests are happy they got to experience the convenience of the room.”
Still affordable PRICE wise and despite the room upgrade, Hotel Sogo remains the most affordable property in the country. Stressed Geminiano, “ Remember we were the first to offer free Wi-Fi and international calls when we opened. Having said that, we do these innovations without the added extra cost.”
“The AI tech concept rooms are not for us to increase our room rates. We want to prove to everyone that Hotel Sogo is an innovative establishment. The room rates are the same, or maybe there will be a slight increase because they will stay longer, “ she added.
The property follows the sachet principle, wherein the cost of a hotel stay depends on guests’ preferred number of hours. The longer one stays, the higher the room rate.
While there has been positive feedback from guests in all four Hotel Sogo properties, Geminiano discloses that there are plans to develop a new concept for other branches. “It all depends, really, on what we can offer, although it may still be dependent on the internet.
There will be new amenities.”
As for privacy and security, Geminiano assures guests that Hotel Sogo continues to prioritize the safety of its guests.
Casual dining
BESIDES the impressive digitalization of its rooms, the property has also launched Sogo Fppd restaurants in select properties.
“The restaurant was conceptualized to let people enjoy our dishes even without checking in. It lets customers taste and enjoy our popular dishes such as pancit friedchicken, and crispy pata. But not everyone has the time to have a staycation, that’s why we made it available in our restaurant.”
The tasty cuisine features Filipino and Japanese dishes, with seasonal entrees included in between. The restaurants are available at Hotel Sogo branches in Roxas Boulevard, Santolan (along Marcos Highway), Malate, and Buendia. Distinct for its red-colored structure, the property looks towards Japan for its inspiration. The word “sogo” is Japanese for “mutual.” The Hotel Sogo logo features a woman, a geisha, who stands for perfection, said Geminiano.
“We are inspired by the discipline and cleanliness of the Japanese
and adapt these values to our own property. And if you will notice the word ‘Sogo’ in our logo, you will notice that it is intertwined—a symbol of the unity that we promote in our group.”
Giving back
BEYOND its upgrades, however, Hotel Sogo makes sure it gives back to the community through Sogo Cares. Since 1993, the hotel has been reaching out to help others, especially in times of need. Its Sogo relief packs have been distributed to several families during calamities.
“In 2013, we launched our Doctors on Wheels program, which is a medical mission bus wherein we offer free check-ups to the communities that we reach,” Geminiano noted. “Our goal is not just to help during typhoons and calamities, but we also bring the hospital to them through our doctors and provide them with the first dose of medicine that they need.” Also part of the Sogo Cares program is providing employment opportunities to communities where the 52 properties are located. Another initiative is Kape TODA, wherein tricycle drivers and local vendors are treated to free coffee. And in time for the Christmas season, Sogo Cares also launched its Adopt-a-Family program, where noche buena packs will be distributed to underserved members of society.
“Hotel Sogo now has 52 branches, and we just opened our properties in Bulacan—Baliaug and San Jose. We also opened in Baclaran and Dasmariñas in Cavite. We hope you can also try our Sogo Food restaurant as well as our AI tech concept rooms. Definitely, Sogo remains so clean, so good,” stated Geminiano. From a budget-friendly hotel that never stops innovating, all these upgrades are indeed so fine. Learn more about Hotel Sogo’s latest promos through https://www.hotelsogo.com.
• Watch the full episode on Business Mirror’s YouTube channel. Catch new episodes of “Freshly Brewed” on Mondays at 10 a.m., on BusinessMirror’s Facebook, YouTube, andwebsite.
Sue Geminiano, Hotel Sogo's Marketing Manager
Sue Geminiano, Hotel Sogo's Marketing Manager, spoke to John Eiron Francisco, BusinessMirror's Multimedia Content Creator, about the latest innovations, offerings and the CSR programs of Hotel Sogo.
Achieving acceptance: Effective strategies for MedTech integration in Southeast Asia
MEDICAL Technology (MedTech) is helping improve service delivery and addressing growing patient demand in healthcare. In Southeast Asia (SEA), successful workflow automation in hospitals alone could save up to 10 million man-hours and $81 million.
Yet, only 49 percent of healthcare organizations in the region have implemented MedTech solutions, despite 65 percent to 90 percent of industry leaders recognizing their importance in enhancing patient outcomes, saving healthcare professionals‘ time and enabling them to perform at their highest skill level.
MedTech stakeholders in SEA need to make these technologies relevant to local clinical practices by addressing challenges related to preference, performance and practice, while optimizing resource use. Achieving this balance requires collaborative efforts among all stakeholders, notably MedTech companies, hospital management teams and healthcare providers.
This shortfall in adoption is a significant missed opportunity to enhance efficiencies. These inefficiencies are linked to staff burnout, diminished patient interaction time, and increased risk of clinical errors, as noted by more than half of healthcare leaders.
The acceptance of MedTech solutions is significantly influenced by the level of trust and confidence healthcare professionals have in them. More than 60 percent of healthcare professionals express hesitation in adopting AI systems due to a lack of transparency and fear of data insecurity. Interestingly, a survey has shown that gastroenterologists with fewer than 10 years of clinical experience perceive a higher risk from these AI-powered medical tools than their colleagues with more than 10 years of experience. This could potentially be attributed to more experienced specialists having greater confidence in exercising clinical discretion when new technologies are introduced. This finding stands in contrast to the commonly held view that younger people are more accepting of technology than older. It also underscores the crucial role of building trust in MedTech solutions and confidence in their application to achieve widespread acceptance and successful implementation.
The introduction of MedTech in the current healthcare practice is complex—integrating with legacy systems and workflows, obtaining stakeholder support, activating multidisciplinary healthcare practices and addressing training gaps.
If an organization is not adequately prepared to integrate these innovations, system-wide acceptance of MedTech solutions is ultimately hindered.
A Philippine perspective IN the Philippines, MedTech’s benefits are recognized and are being acted
Fupon, with Makati City becoming the first city in the country to deploy a full 24/7 digital healthcare system, integrating telehealth, electronic medical records (EMRs), and virtual appointments across public and private facilities.
In addition, we are now seeing technology starting to play a greater role in clinical processes, such as AIassisted tuberculosis screenings and an increasing number of robotic surgeries accentuating this remarkable shift. Meanwhile, Philippine MedTech startups are gaining traction with AIdriven procurement tools, telemedicine platforms, and virtual clinic infrastructure to expand access across underserved areas.
These advancements highlight both the promise and the complexity of MedTech adoption within the Philippine context. While solutions are expanding, challenges around system interoperability, data governance, and stakeholder confidence continue to require careful oversight and coordinated implementation.
Audit and Assurance Partner and Healthcare Sector Head Warren R. Angeles stressed that “the Philippine healthcare sector must be prepared to navigate ongoing technological change with resilient IT infrastructure, robust data governance, technological literacy, and an open mindset.”
“We are at a stage where technology presents meaningful opportunities to support the medical field and provide access and continuum of care to more patients,” Angeles added. “The task ahead lies in working collectively to thoughtfully integrate these technological advancements into everyday practice with utmost priority on patient centric innovations and sustainable healthcare.”
This approach reflects a broader shift within the sector. With steady investment across both public and private institutions, gradual improvements in digital capability, and emerging interest in applied healthcare technologies, the Philippines continues to build readiness for greater MedTech adoption. The direction of progress is promising, supported by local expertise and a growing culture of practical innovation.
This excerpt was taken from the KPMG Thought Leadership publication “Achieving Acceptance: Effective strategies for MedTech integration in Southeast Asia.”
acerbated by the lack of fresh economic data due to a government shutdown that spanned much of October and November. The latest inflation number now in policymakers’ hands, released on December 5, is for September—a report that is unlikely to alter the policy debate. Against that backdrop and for about a week in mid-November, investors signaled serious doubt over the prospect of another cut. But the unusual level of drama was resolved on Nov. 21 when New York Fed President John Williams, who is seen as closely aligned with Powell, said he saw room for a reduction in the “near term.” The market took the signal
Sales, trust fund investments lift pre-need sector’s income
By Reine Juvierre Alberto @reine_alberto
THE total premium income of the pre-need industry reached P17.52 billion as of the end of September, driven by stronger plan sales and expanding trust fund investments.
According to the Insurance Commission (IC), the industry’s total premium income grew by 3.92 percent to P17.52 billion from January to September 2025 from P16.85 billion in the same period in 2024.
During the nine-month period, plans sold by pre-need companies increased by 35.48 percent to 690,064 plans from 509,323 plans a year ago. Pre-need plans are contracts, agreements or deeds that provide
benefits to the planholder at the time of actual need or agreed maturity date. These include funeral services, life insurance, pension, education and other plans.
Of the total plans sold, life and memorial plans accounted for 99.86 percent, while the remaining are pension and education plans.
“This growth demonstrates the industry’s continued development and consistent performance despite
persistent economic challenges. It confirms the industry’s commitment to improving and expanding market reach,” Insurance Commissioner Reynaldo A. Regalado was quoted as saying in a statement.
Total assets of the pre-need industry also posted a 5.33-percent growth, rising to P173.41 billion as of end-September 2025 from P164.64 billion during the same period a year ago.
According to the IC, the expansion was driven by the 5.84-percent increase in trust fund investments, composed of plan holders’ payments covering benefits and services, which make up 85.78 percent of the industry’s total assets.
“The industry continues to affirm a strong and healthy financial position, with investments in trust funds remaining more than sufficient to cover future benefit claims,” read the IC’s statement.
Meanwhile, pre-need reserves went up by 5.99 percent to P134.22 billion during the nine-month period from P126.64 billion a year ago. Pre-need reserves represent the “actuarial reserve liabilities” established by the company to cover its net obligations to plan holders.
“This robust balance reflects the industry’s good fund management, ensuring that obligations to plan holders are and shall be fully met,” according to the IC. Moreover, the industry continued its profitability as its net income reached P4.96 billion during the nine-month period, on the back of higher premium income. Total net worth of the pre-need industry also rose by 1.70 percent to P31.56 billion as of end-September 2025, according to the IC.
“These indicators underscore the industry’s sustained growth and market stability,” it added.
US loses financing edge as Asia borrows in euros
ASIAN economies aren’t just shifting their trading ties to fight against US tariffs, they’re also increasingly moving their financing to other markets, underscoring how President Donald Trump’s policies risk eroding American dominance of capital raising.
Asia Pacific borrowers increased euro - denominated issuance to a record 23 percent of the total across both currencies this year, up six percentage points from 2024, according to Bloombergcompiled data. Euro note sales by companies and governments rose 75 percent in 2025 to €86.4 billion ($100.7 billion).
Multiple Asian deals ranked as the most oversubscribed in Europe’s publicly syndicated debt market during their launch week, the data showed. US dollar deals still make up the majority of financing deals, and borrowing in the greenback is up 29 percent by Asian issuers this year. But the market share declined, and the American edge for funding may be slowly eroding.
“A key driver is the need to diversify away from US dollar concentration,” said Daniel Kim, co-head of debt capi-
tal markets for Asia Pacific at HSBC.
“This year’s surge in euro-denominated bond issuance stems from a confluence of strategic motives that go beyond the routine refinancing.”
US President Trump’s trade moves this year, and his pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates despite inflation concerns, has shaken investors’ confidence in the dollar’s pre-eminence, prompting investors to lean into euro assets. Asian borrowers have followed suit, with euro bond issuance surging to meet demand for diversification, while the greenback slid 11 percent against the euro.
“De-dollarization or diversification of investment portfolios to have more deployment in non-dollar currencies is a theme we have witnessed this year,” said Ben Wang, head of offshore China debt capital markets at Deutsche Bank AG.
The euro accounted for a smaller portion of Deutsche Bank’s APAC bond trading volume at the beginning of the year, but accounted for “more than 10 percent, even 20 percent” after entering the second half, he said.
The boom is also being driven by
lower funding costs, with some Asian borrowers able to raise money more cheaply in euros than in dollars or their home currencies. The premium that investors pay to swap euros into dollars is at a near five-year low of 3.1 basis points, data compiled by Bloomberg showed.
Naysayers have been forecasting the end of the US dollar as the reserve currency for years, and have been terribly wrong. For years, greenback issuance has been surging, and it’s unclear whether the latest reversal is a blip or a long-term trend.
As of June, the greenback had accounted for 63 percent of bonds issued by borrowers outside their home currency, a 20 percentage-point increase since the end of 2007, according to data from Bank for International Settlements. The euro’s share had dropped to 25 percent from 32 percent during the period.
But the increasing attractiveness of the euro to Asian market participants for funding and debt investment reflects a “normalization” following that boom in dollar sales, said Martin Schulz, chief economist at Fujitsu Ltd. in Japan. “We have a more multipolar world,” he said.
Standout deals in Europe this year include China’s €4 billion bond sale that attracted bids topping €100 billion, and Japanese telecom giant NTT Inc.’s €5.5 billion offering, the largest corporate euro issuance from Asia in 2025. “It gives you a broader market to invest in, with cash flows from different regions and different types of companies,” said Chris Iggo, London-based chief investment officer for core investments at Axa Investment Managers. “It is a fairly healthy development.” The continent’s appeal as a funding destination is expected to persist into next year. Owen Gallimore, APAC head of credit analysis at Deutsche Bank, forecasts Asian borrowers’ euro issuance will climb to $125 billion in 2026, a more than 20 percent gain. “We see issuers on the whole looking to expand their footprint, not just within Asia but also outside, with Europe continuing to be a key marketplace,” said Henry Loh, head of Asia credit at Aberdeen Investments. “We expect to see growing interest in euro issuance to finance this growth.” Bloomberg News
PHL inclusion in ADB, World Bank framework ‘iffy’
By Bless Aubrey Ogerio
FFY.
IT hat is how the Philippines stand in terms of being included in the next wave of projects under the “Full Mutual Reliance Framework,” or FMRF, of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank (WB) as officials say any selection will depend on project readiness rather than economic size.
According to the two lenders, the framework will allow countries to work with a single lead institution handling project design, preparation, supervision, and evaluation.
Starting its kick-off engagement with borrowers last year, both banks maintain a shared pool of developing member countries eligible to use the FMRF.
“GDP (gross domestic product) of country has no impact on whether we want to have, we can use FMRF in the country and access to using this tool… all on an equal basis, basically,” ADB
and now assigns more than a 90 percent chance to a move next week.
Economists polled by Bloomberg then expect the Fed to take a break before two more reductions in 2026, in March and September. And there’s some hope that a flood of new data—as statistical agencies catch up from the shutdown—will resolve the ongoing tension between the Fed’s mandates to contain inflation and maximize employment. That said, more Fed drama lies on the horizon. President Donald Trump is expected soon to name a successor to Powell, whose term as chair expires in May. Kevin Hasset, a Trump loyalist and
General Director for the Pacific Emma Veve said during a media briefing last Thursday in Mandaluyong.
Veve added that discussions with governments, including Manila, remain “n various levels of firmness.” Further, she the project pipeline is still shifting as consultations continue.
While the ADB and the d Bank have identified 20 possible future projects across infrastructure, energy, agribusiness, health care and social protection, none have been assigned to specific countries at this stage.
So far, two Pacific initiatives, a major health modernization project in Fiji and an integrated transport, urban and water infrastructure investment in Tonga, will be the first to move under the new framework.
The joint announcement, made December 4, marks the initial rollout of what both institutions described as a streamlined model intended to lower transaction costs and accelerate devel-
senior economic adviser, is the frontrunner. That’s prompted worries among some investors that the next chair will pursue rate cuts at Trump’s direction and risk spurring inflation. In contrast to the Fed, the Bank of Canada is expected to keep its rate steady at 2.25 percent.
opment impact.
“Our goal is to make development finance simpler, faster, and more effective,” ADB President Masato Kanda said.
Kanda noted that the Tonga project will be the largest development partner–financed undertaking in the country’s history and will include upgrades to the greater Nugrava transport network, the 720-meter Fangaʻuta Lagoon bridge, and urban drainage systems.
“We pursued this framework for one core reason: our clients asked us to make their lives easier. To work faster. To be better partners,” WB Group President Ajay Banga said. The FMRF was launched to cut duplication and speed up implementation in co-financed programs,
On why they chose to begin implementation in the Pacific, both institutions mentioned their long-standing coordination in the region and the limited administrative capacity of many island governments.
“We have a good level of trust and
understanding of each other… and anything we can do to make their lives simpler and to get the projects happening faster, more efficiently, is a positive,” Veve said.
Wider engagement with other multilateral development banks is also being explored, but aligning policy frameworks “takes time,” according to WB Senior Counsel for East Asia and the Pacific Natalia Robalino.
Regarding the selection of projects, the ADB and the WB decide with governments whether to use the framework. Factors considered include borrower needs, capacity, financing requirements and alignment with each institution’s country partnership strategies.
“The FMRF is basically an option of co-financing or partnership. This is not mandatory,” ADB Assistant General Counsel Kostrata Muklisa Emzita.
“Communication among the three has to take place and agree on which project,” she said.
and euro-area finance
are scheduled to elect a new chair. Asia THE week in Asia kicks off with economists expecting Japan to
percent, though core measures re-
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
Why US and Russia’s nuclear test threats could shake global security
By Stephanie Liechtenstein
The Associated Press
THE United States and Russia have both recently threatened to resume nuclear testing, alarming the international community and jeopardizing a global norm against such tests.
Experts say these threats from the world’s two largest nuclear powers put pressure on nonproliferation efforts and endanger global peace and security.
“Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” US President Donald Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site at the end of October. “That process will begin immediately.” Moscow quickly responded.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Security Council that should the US or any signatory to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty conduct nuclear weapons tests, “Russia would be under obligation to take reciprocal measures.”
Here’s a look at what a resumption of nuclear testing could mean.
The treaty established a norm against nuclear testing CONCERNS about the negative effects of nuclear weapon tests grew in the 1950s when the US and the Soviet Union carried out multiple powerful atomic tests in the atmosphere. As a result, a limited nuclear test ban treaty was negotiated that prohibited such tests but underground tests were still permitted.
Renewed international efforts to ban all nuclear tests resulted in the start of negotiations for a comprehensive treaty in 1994, culminating in its adoption by the UN General Assembly in 1996.
With 187 states having signed the treaty and 178 having ratified it,
most experts believe the treaty has established a norm against atomic testing—even without formally entering into force.
For the treaty to officially take effect, 44 specific states—listed in an annex to the treaty—must ratify it. Nine of them have not yet done so. China, Egypt, Iran, Israel and the US signed but didn’t ratify it. India, North Korea and Pakistan neither signed nor ratified the treaty. Russia signed and ratified the treaty but re -
voked its ratification in 2023, saying the imbalance between its ratification and US failure to do so was “unacceptable in the current international situation.”
Alongside the treaty, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization was established in Vienna. It runs a global monitoring network to detect nuclear tests worldwide, operating 307 monitoring stations, using seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide technologies.
The organization is financed mainly through assessed contributions by its member states. Its budget for 2025 is more than $139 million.
China and India would profit from resuming tests
DARYL KIMBALL, executive director of the Arms Control Association in Washington, said that a resumption of U.S. atomic tests would “open the door for states with less nuclear testing
experience to conduct full-scale tests that could help them perfect smaller, lighter warhead designs.”
This would “decrease U.S. and international security,” he said.
Joseph Rodgers, fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that states such as China or India stand to profit from a resumption of nuclear tests.
“It makes more sense for them to test” than it does for the US or Russia, the two states who have conducted most atomic tests to date, Rodgers said.
The US conducted its last nuclear test in 1992. Since 1996, only 10 nuclear tests have been conducted by three countries: India, Pakistan and North Korea. None of them have signed or ratified the treaty
The vast majority of nuclear tests—approximately 2,000—occurred before 1996, mostly by the US and Soviet Union.
The organization creates ‘confidence’ GIVEN the uncertainty around Trump’s announcement and the potential for escalation of tensions around the issue, the test ban treaty organization could play a role in resolving the situation.
Rodgers said that the treaty organization is primarily a scientific one and should focus on providing scientific data to the international community.
But Kimball disagrees, suggesting the organization’s Executive Secretary Robert Floyd could “take the initiative and bring together” officials from the U.S. and other countries to help resolve some uncertainties, such as what type of nuclear tests the US president was referring to in his statement.
Floyd told The Associated Press that in the current situation, he believes his organization’s main role is providing “confidence to states” that they would know if a nuclear weapon explosion occurred “anywhere, anytime.”
The organization’s monitoring network successfully detected all six atomic tests conducted by North Korea between 2006 and 2017, he said.
Not all atomic tests create explosions
THE White House has so far not clarified what kind of tests Trump meant and what other countries he was referring to in his statement. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the new tests would not include nuclear explosions.
Nuclear test explosions banned under the treaty are so-called supercritical tests, where fissile material is compressed to start a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction that creates an explosion.
These tests produce a nuclear yield—the amount of energy released, which defines a weapon’s destructive power. The treaty bans any nuclear explosion with a yield, following a zero yield standard. In contrast, subcritical nuclear experiments, the ones Wright was referring to, produce no self-sustaining chain reaction and no explosion. Nuclear weapon states, including the U.S., conduct these experiments routinely without violating the treaty.
Some tests may remain undetected
KIMBALL says hydronuclear tests with extremely small yields conducted underground in metal chambers are “undetectable” by the organization’s monitoring system.
“So that creates what I would say is a verification gap regarding this particular type of extremely low yield explosion,” he said.
When the organization’s monitoring system was established in the 1990s, it was designed to detect nuclear explosions of 1 kiloton (1,000 tons of TNT). Floyd said the system actually performs
detecting
Avel Bacudio x SEA Games 2025: “Ever Forward” with Piñavel
VISIONARY designer and avid sports advocate
Avel Bacudio, in time for his Gintong Sinag show in March 2025, wrote a love letter to Filipino athletes:
The showcase, held at Plaza Mexico in the Intramuros Esplanade, was Bacudio’s tribute to and support for the National Sports Academy, an institution for underprivileged youth who want to get into sports.
It was this luxe athleisure collection that attracted the attention of Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who tapped Bacudio to create the ensembles of Team Philippines for the opening ceremony of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand on December 9.
“I am so grateful to Bambol that he listened and supported my advocacy wholeheartedly,” Bacudio said. Together with the POC and the Philippine Sports Commision, they aim to achieve a brilliant dual mandate: securing gold for the Philippines’ elite athletes while empowering and sustaining communities of Filipino artisans nationwide.
“LARO NG LAHI”
BACUDIO waxes nostalgic with this patriotic collection, harking back to his humble and idyllic childhood in Buhi, Camarines Sur.
“I am deeply inspired by our old Filipino games— the vibrant, physical contests that once defined our childhood, played outdoors before technology shifted the landscape of our youthful interaction,” Bacudio
reflected. “It is a tribute to that joy, the kinetic energy, and the powerful community spirit fostered by games like tumbang preso, trumpo, luksong baka, yoyo, luksong tinik, patintero, piko, luksong lubid, sipa, luksong kalabaw, and syato.”
These juvenile games are depicted in dainty embroidery in the barong Tagalog, as worn by Philippine Basketball Association player Ricci Rivero and Majoy Baron of the Philippine National Women’s Volleyball Team.
Sunnies x Monchhichi collection appeals to the young and young-at-heart
IT is without a doubt one of the hottest and most talked-about holiday collections and Sunnies x Monchhichi Holiday did not disappoint. The collection blends Monchhichi’s nostalgic warmth with Sunnies’ playful modern design. First released in 1974, Monchhichi is a line of Japanese stuffed monkey toys. Monchhichi has quickly become fashion’s hottest accessory. Monchhichis come in different versions. Sometimes, it has a baby-like smile. Other Monchhichis come with a pacifier and a variety of colors. Pink is one of the most popular ones.
Sunnies is, of course, one of the Philippines’ most popular lifestyle brands and it includes Sunnies Studios, Sunnies Face, Sunnies Flask, and Sunnies Cafe.
“With over 50 years of history, Monchhichi holds a special place in pop culture and the hearts
of fans across the world. The Sunnies x Monchhichi Collection is all about those warm, fuzzy feelings and bringing joy during the holidays,” said Sunnies in a press release. The Sunnies x Monchhichi Holiday includes plush toys, keychains, makeup bags, luggage tags, sweaters, and small things that make easy, lighthearted holiday gifts and collectibles.
My favorites from the collection are:
MONCHHICHI FRIENDS FLASK (P1,295)
THIS is a glossy 16oz Sunnies Flask with a playful
Monchhichi print and a Charm Loop for attaching your favorite keychain.
SWEATSHIRT (P1495)
THE sweatshirt has a relaxed fit with Monchhichi character prints. It’s perfect for lounging during the holidays.
LOVE HEART MIRROR (P395)
IT’S compact and palm-sized so you can hang it off your bag or phone.
POCKET SASSY GIRL KEYCHAIN (P1995)
THIS is definitely the collection’s flagship item. This soft charming mini Monchhichi keychain is dressed in signature pink and playful fur trims. A friend told me that this is the first Monchhichi keychain that’s fully dressed so that makes it rare. I wanted to get it but it was always sold-out on TikTok Shop. I still hope the Sunnies World stores will restock.
The collection is very limited-edition. Many of the items have sold-out. Collectors can get a free Sunnies x Monchhichi Dollhouse with P5,999 minimum spend on Sunnies x Monchhichi (until supplies last). Sunnies is also giving a free photobooth strip with any Sunnies x Monchhichi purchase. Every purchase also comes with a free holiday gift box.
Joseph Chang stars in FENDI’s Pre-Collection Spring/Summer 2026
Tolentino, who shared the vision for the collection with Bacudio, handpicked tennis sensation Alexandra Eala and volleyball pillar Bryan Bagunas as the flag bearers for Team Philippines in the parade of athletes at the opening ceremony at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok.
At the biennial, multi-sports event, the Philippines will compete against Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, Laos and newest member Timor Leste.
Team Philippines is reportedly sending its biggest delegation, with over 1,600 athletes, coaches, and officials to Thailand from December 9 to December 20.
But only about 200 to 300 athletes will join the opening parade, wearing their culture, their future, and their pursuit for gold in Bacudio’s ensembles.
TROPICAL FABRIC FORECAST
THE theme of the 33rd SEA Games is “Ever Forward.”
In a serendipitous way, Bacudio’s collection introduces the future of tropical textile: the Piñavel fabric. A sustainable, high-performance textile that is an environmental and technical triumph, it was developed in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI).
“I used a breakthrough blend of indigenous fibers such as bamboo, pineapple, abaca, banana, and water hyacinth. The result is a fabrication that is both featherlight and resilient, moving far beyond mere tradition to become a truly competitive, high-tech textile,” explained Bacudio.
As the centerpiece, the barong Tagalog is reenvisioned as a modern, comfortable and breathable drape and constructed from the innovative Piñavel, with the intricate embroidery giving it the visual drama. Another patriotic accent is the Philippine flag’s tricolor trimming, a subtle yet striking reminder of the national pride woven into every thread.
The trousers, meanwhile, pay respect to our regional weaving traditions by blending the textural charm of Trambia, the traditional woven kumot from La Union with resilient Poly-Piña.
“Ito ay istorya ng ating pagka-Pilipino, istorya ng ating kultura at mayaman na sining. As a fashion designer, sa tagal ko na, I know how a fabric behaves, so nandun na ako sa innovation of fabrics, fabric development, and clothing technology beyond designing,” bared Bacudio. “As a Filipino and as an artist, this is my legacy. Time will come, we will all disappear. But this is an advocacy that the next generation will benefit from.”
THE year draws to a close in Paris buzzing with the Christmas spirit. A gigantic red ribbon emblazoned with the Maison’s signature soars joyfully through the City of Lights unveiling the finest treasures of the French capital: one by one, the icons of Paris’ cityscape—from the Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde’s Luxor Obelisk—are transfigured into Maison Francis Kurkdjian creations. A sunny winter morning shines down on the ribbon as it glides back to where it all began: Francis Kurkdjian’s own office, based in the heart of Paris ever since the Maison’s foundation in 2009. In the perfumer’s hands, it becomes the final flourish crowning the most unforgettable gifts—presents that turn Christmas into a time of shared wonder, joy and generosity. More than ever before, offering Maison Francis Kurkdjian gifts this Christmas means imparting a piece of Paris’ timeless magic. They can be found
MAISON Francis Kurkdjian gifts this
Digital Dominance: Gen X and Millennials’ preference for Social and Online Media
Arecent study by award-winning PR firm Comm&Sense Inc. revealed that Gen X and Millennials prefer digital and social media platforms over traditional broadcast sources with “watching” being the most popular activity among the respondents.
Facebook (92 percent), YouTube (86 percent), TikTok (68 percent), and Instagram (44 percent) emerged as the preferred platforms for watching.
The generational study titled “Common Ground: Pinoy Voices in New Media,” surveyed 400 Filipinos aged 27 to 58 nationwide, exploring their media-based activities and media platform preferences. This research is part of Comm&Sense’s 20th-anniversary celebration in October 2025, marking two decades of pioneering data-driven storytelling and PR excellence.
Comm&Sense Managing Director Charlotte F. Reyes explained that the appeal of on-demand and personalized content available on digital platforms has led to a reconfiguration of media consumption habits, noting “a clear preference for content that aligns with individual tastes and interests.”
Only a third of the respondents said they still engage with traditional free TV (39 percent) or FM radio (34 percent).
Dr. Fernando Paragas, a professor at the University of the Philippines
Diliman’s College of Mass Communication and lead researcher of the study, noted that this shift to digital platforms reflects more than just a preference for convenience or entertainment; it is indicative of deeper behavioral changes among Gen X and Millennials.
“These generations value agency in their media consumption, seeking out platforms that allow them to curate their experiences and engage with content that resonates on a personal level,” Paragas continued.
Among all platforms, Facebook remains the most widely viewed in terms of time spent on watching, followed by Free TV and YouTube.
This study on media consumption points out a growing demand for
autonomy and personalization, reshaping the media landscape and challenging traditional broadcasters to rethink how they engage with these audiences.
The study’s findings also parallels similar trends observed among Gen Z, according to another study within the Comm&Sense generational research.
Comm&Sense, a PR agency founded in 2005, is renowned for its #IntelligentPR approach, which combines data-driven insights with intuitive storytelling to create impactful narratives that resonate and deliver results. This innovative strategy has earned the firm numerous awards, including consistent nominations for Agency of the Year over the past five years.
NutriAsia named one of DepEd Cabuyao’s Top 20 Education Partners for 2025
the photo are, from left, Dr. Edna F. Hemedez, Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division (CID) for Cabuyao
Elementary School Head,
Audifer R. Vista, Noe Reynes, Nutriasia HR Operations Manager for Luzon, Arman G. Diaz, Adopt-a-school Coordinator for Pulo Elementary School, and Dr. Jose Charlie S. Aloquin, OIC –Office of the Schools Division Superintendent and Chief, School Governance and Operations Division (SGOD)
NUTRIASIA , proud makers of the Philippine’s best condiments and sauces, was honored by the City Schools Division of Cabuyao as one of the Top 20 Outstanding Education Stakeholders for 2025 during the 8th Gawad Ugnayan Recognition Ceremony last November 24, 2025 at the El Cielito
WHILE in Boracay, you deserve a getaway that feels effortless, comforting, and genuinely refreshing, a stay that lets you slow down, breathe, and enjoy the moments you’ve been missing. With spacious serviced apartments, thoughtful amenities, and a location that puts everything within reach, Azalea Hotels & Residences Boracay lets you live out your ideal escape, whether that means relaxing, exploring, or a little bit of both.
Hotel, Sta. Rosa City, Laguna.
The certificate of recognition, signed by Cabuyao City Schools Division Superintendent Christopher R. Diaz, cited Nutriasia’s distinguished contributions and unwavering commitment to public education, exemplifying access, equity, quality, resilience and well-being and fostering collaborations that empower
the waves, or simply soak up the sun on deck. As the music plays and the sun sets, you can dance, lounge, or enjoy the view, a fun, relaxed experience for friends, groups, or anyone wanting a little extra on their getaway.
For guests looking to dine, a range of great restaurants can be found in and around Azalea.
learners and strengthen schools.
Noe Reynes, Nutriasia HR Operations Manager for Luzon, who received the award on behalf of the company, commented: “NutriAsia shares the collective aspiration of every Filipino — a better, brighter future for everyone. We believe this will become a reality when our public schools succeed in shaping our children into future leaders — men and women of character who will lead with malasakit, respect, and excellence.”
Dr. Audifer Vista, School Head of Pulo Elementary School, expressed his appreciation of Nutriasia’s support.
“We consider ourselves blessed to receive support from Nutriasia and our other benefactors, but perhaps more than the donations, we are thankful for the time their employees and employees of their business partners spend with us during Brigada Eskwela and all the other occasions in between, especially as we try to develop our sustainability roadmap for the school.”
Gawad Ugnayan, now on its eighth year, is an annual event that celebrates the invaluable contribution of private partners, local government units, and civil society organizations in strengthening public education in the City of Cabuyao.
DoubleDragon announces joint venture on development of Hotel101 Milan
HOTEL101 Global Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ Ticker: HBNB) (“Hotel101” or “Hotel101 Global”), a leading asset-light, prop-tech hospitality platform pioneering a global standardized “condotel” business model listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange and a subsidiary of Philippine-listed DoubleDragon Corporation (PSE Ticker: DD), announces a joint venture with definitive binding agreements signed for the development of an approximately 429-room Hotel101 in San Donato Milanese, Milan, Italy. This expansion marks a significant milestone in the company’s European growth strategy, bringing its novel globally standardized “condotel” business model to one of the world’s most dynamic cities. The hotel is expected to be in the vibrant community of San Donato Milanese, home to ENI headquarters and located approximately 8.4 kilometers southeast of the Duomo di Milano with high visibility along the Autostrada del Sole (A1), the longest motorway in Italy that links Milan to other major Italian cities such as Bologna, Florence, Rome and Naples. This 1.4 hectare prime site positions the property as an ideal gateway for leisure and business travelers seeking seamless access to Milan’s cultural and commercial hubs and will complement the existing hotel offerings in the area which includes, among others, the neighboring 436 room 4-star hotel Crowne Plaza Milan Linate as well as the nearby Novotel Milano Linate Airport and Best Western Hotel.
Key Location Advantages include:
Hotel101-Milan is expected to offer 4-star amenities at affordable prices. Consistent with Hotel101’s offerings across its locations globally, guests are expected to be able to enjoy modern rooms, 24/7 reception, all day dining, 25 meter lapping pool, full-size gym, business center, function rooms, children’s playground and pool, ample parking, luggage storage and other amenities.
The project aligns with Hotel101 Global’s commitment to sustainable urban hospitality, incorporating energy-efficient designs, solar panels and community-integrated amenities.
The development is subject to customary national, regional and municipal regulatory approvals.
Proximity to Linate Airport (LIN): Approximately 7.1 kilometers (seven minute drive) away, Hotel101-Milan is expected to offer quick and efficient transfers to Milan’s primary airport for European flights, which serviced approx. 10.6 million passengers in 2024. Connectivity to Metro Milano San Donato: Approximately 4 kilometers (five minute drive) from the metro station, guests are expected to reach the historic Duomo di Milano via the M3 subway line directly in about 12 minutes by train. This efficient public transport link is expected to ensure easy exploration of Milan’s UNESCOlisted cathedral square, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and surrounding fashion and cultural districts. Hotel101-Milan is expected to generate approx. EUR85.8 million in sales revenue once fully sold based on an expected sale price of EUR200,000, forming part of Hotel101 Global’s global expansion strategy, which includes its first three overseas projects under development in Niseko, Japan, Madrid, Spain and Los Angeles, USA as well as affiliate Hotel101 hotels in the Philippines. Hotel101-Milan is expected to be completed by 2028 and is expected to contribute to Milan’s economic growth through job creation, foreign investment and increased tourism, while attracting both local and foreign buyers under Hotel101’s hassle-free hotel unit ownership model.
PhilHealth scales up HIV/AIDS coverage, guarantees privacy, wider support
IN commemoration of the World Aids Day with the theme “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response,” the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) stands with the persons living with HIV (PLHIV) through its enhanced Outpatient HIV/AIDS Treatment (OHAT) Package which provides wider financial support to essential care.
Through the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program or YAKAP, PhilHealth also raises awareness and early prevention efforts, assuring every member that all services are delivered with utmost confidentiality.
This aligns with the Department of Health’s proposal for a declaration of a national public health emergency in the country due to a growing health concern stemming from rising human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases.
On November 27, 2025, the Department of Health (DOH) reported over 5,500 new cases from July to September 2025.
In response, Dr. Edwin M. Mercado, PhilHealth Acting President and CEO emphasized “You have nothing to worry about, PhilHealth is here to meet your medical needs. So don’t be afraid or embarrassed to seek treatment. You can be confident that we will protect your personal information.”
The enhanced OHAT Package now offers an annual benefit of P58,500, a 95 percent increase from the previous P30,000. This benefit covers antiretroviral therapy (ART) for all individuals with confirmed HIV test results from certified facilities, regardless of their clinical or immunologic status. It also includes access to all necessary services
required for effective HIV management. This enhancement is consistent with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s directive to continually improve and sustain the health insurer’s healthcare benefits by ensuring adequate financial support to patients seeking medical treatment. In his second State of the Nation Address, the President highlighted that “The whole of society must exert efforts to suppress the alarming rise of HIV/AIDS. To stem the tide, the strategic plan is to ensure early diagnosis and treatment, and ample testing sites and medications.”
The OHAT Package can be accessed through 234 PhilHealth-accredited and DOHdesignated HIV treatment hubs across the country. In 2024, PhilHealth disbursed a total of P1.66 billion for 176,819 OHAT benefit claims.
“The news that PLHIV are getting younger and younger is worrying, so we call on the parents of the youth, to support them and make them feel that they are not alone and that there is a future waiting for them through early prevention and regular care under our YAKAP Clinics,” Dr. Mercado stated. For further inquiries on benefits and services, members may call PhilHealth’s 24/7 hotline at (02) 866-225-88 or at mobile numbers (Smart) 0998-857-2957, 0968-8654670, (Globe) 0917-1275987 or 0917-1109812.
For moments of calm and balance, Tirta Spa offers therapies inspired by Asian healing traditions, from soothing massages to grounding sound-healing rituals. Set amidst serene gardens and elegant treatment villas, each session feels like a quiet retreat designed to restore your body and mind. If adventure is more your style, Red Whale Boracay Party Yacht delivers a lively day on the water. Sail across clear blue seas, hop between snorkeling spots, try paddleboarding, slide into
Kuya J Restaurant, conveniently located within the hotel, serves comforting Filipino classics for a familiar and satisfying meal. Just a few minutes from Azalea, The Pig Out Bistro Boracay dishes up delicious comfort food and generous seafood plates, perfect for anyone craving something hearty.
Brewing Company (BIBCO), the first craft beer brewery on Boracay. Here, guests can enjoy locally brewed beers, from refreshing tropical ales to rich, full-bodied stouts, paired with hearty food offerings in a relaxed, island-ready setting. To make your stay even better, Azalea offers special rates on its Deluxe Room. Enjoy breakfast included at P3,200 for twin or P3,700 for triple occupancy, while room-only rates are P2,500 for twin or triple. These special rates are valid until March 2026, excluding holiday periods. Because at the end of the day, your getaway should give you more — more comfort, more experiences, more ways to reconnect with yourself and the people you love. At Azalea Hotels & Residences Boracay, it’s all here, waiting for you. For reservations and inquiries at Azalea Hotels & Residences Boracay, guests may visit www. azaleaboracay.com, email reservations@azalea.com. ph, or contact +63 36 288 1144 or +63 917-861-1138. Azalea Hotels & Residences Boracay Experience: Your Ultimate Lifestyle Getaway
For those seeking a taste of heritage Filipino flavors, Subo Boracay is an easy six to eight minute walk, featuring a beautifully curated space inspired by traditional Filipino homes. With its cultural décor and warm atmosphere, it’s an inviting and highly Instagrammable dining destination. Right beside Subo is the island’s own Boracay
Perspective of Hotel101-Milan, Italy set to have approximately 429 rooms
In
City, Pulo
Dr.
The art of gracefully changing the subject
AS the holidays approach, ‘tis the time for family gatherings, office parties, or client get togethers. But it’s also a time when contentious conversations come up – politics, religion, past hurts –and it’s time to change the subject.
This is especially true at a time when everyone wants to be heard. And doing so is an art. “It’s not about moving away or avoiding someone,” says Chad Littlefield, the co-founder and chief experience officer of We and Me, an organization that aims to help leaders, educators, and event organizers facilitate better conversations. “We want to redirect without breaking conversations”. This can be a challenge for even the best communicators. And here, in an article in Time.com, health and wellness editor Angela Haupt shares with us 10 Ways to Gracefully Change the Subject.
n “I hear you. Hey what does everyone think? Will the Lions get the W this week?”
ONE of the best ways to dodge t conversational landmine is with a comment like “That’s interesting”—or even the more neutral “I hear you”— followed by a quick jump to safer terrain.
“You want to acknowledge what was said, and then you want to pivot to something else,” says Jayson Dibble, chair of the communication department at hope College in Holland, Michigan. “You don’t have to agree with someone in order to acknowledge them.”
GRABADS TRAILBLAZER AWARDS 2025 HONORS BRANDS, AGENCIES REDEFINING THE FUTURE OF MARKETING IN THE PHILIPPINES
MANILA, PHILIPPINES— GrabAds, Southeast Asia’s growth marketing solutions, recently held the first-ever Trailblazer Awards Philippines 2025 on Wednesday, November 5, 2025 at The Ascott, in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The night celebrated brands and marketers whose campaigns demonstrated bold creativity, data-led strategy, and ecosystem innovation while driving business results. Awards were presented across 17 categories, recognizing work that sets the new benchmark for marketing excellence in the region.
In an exclusive interview with adobo Magazine, GrabAds & Grab for Business Head of Country Partnerships and Business Development Eiji Macasaet described the Trailblazer Awards as recognition for innovative and trend-setting work in marketing. The awards highlight those who are at the forefront of change and excellence in the industry, reinforcing GrabAds’
n “We can talk about politics any day. What I love to hear is, when did Grandma come up with her top-secret recipe for cranberry sauce?”
PIVOTING to nostalgia is almost a foolproof strategy. Dibble says everyone loves to talk about the good old days. “It’s easy to think back on a wonderful memory and get them to talk about it – and to invite more people into the conversation.”
n “Whoa, that’s above my pay grade.”
HUMOR is a coping tool and a great way to defuse tension from almost any situation. That’s why Joy Parrish, a therapist and senior therapy manager at Headspace, likes this way of acknowledging an inappropriate comment and making it clear it’s not the time or place.
“You’re doing it in a way like, ‘I love you, but we’re not going to go there,’” she says.
n “Ok, let’s pause. Does anyone need a refill?”
SOMETIMES the best way to shut
leadership and pioneering role in digital and media marketing.
“For us, being trailblazers, it has a lot of factors. We have considered a lot of different talents, recognitions, and factors in order to arrive at this stage. You need to be at the forefront of all marketing aspects in order to see the beauty of how you can excel as a marketer. These awards aren’t just about creativity, they’re about getting real results. They highlight the ability to use ideas and innovation effectively,” Eiji told adobo Magazine.
He added, “I believe that [GrabAds] has been in the forefront when it comes to the digital and media play. Our ecosystem allows marketers to discover innovative ways to engage with consumers, whether through our app, driver-, or merchant partners. And for sure, you’re also going to see more in terms of case studies across the event that we have showcased a lot more for you as marketers.”
Moreover, Eiji emphasized Grab’s focus on innovation and excellence as a leading super app, integrating services from retail to e-commerce, both online and offline, aiming to set high standards for brands and advertisers while ensuring they benefit from Grab’s unique ecosystem.
On creativity, insights, and the outcome of GrabAds PHILIPPINES Managing Direc -
tor Ronald Roda highlighted the unique advertising market in the Philippines during his opening remarks at the inaugural awards night, emphasizing how Grab nurtures Filipino creative excellence while ensuring accountability through measurable outcomes to foster a strong, collaborative advertising community.
For Ronald, Filipinos are “very creative,” and the Grab platform enables brands and agencies to execute bold and unique ideas.
“Filipinos are generally very creative. And if you look at the Grab platform, we’ve had brands and partner agencies come to us with really crazy ideas. And I think the good thing about it is that the Grab platform, at this point, allows that creativity. You can customize it a bit to execute really bold ideas. So, I think that’s what brings the Filipino creativity out through these brand ideas,” he explained.
Likewise, Ronald emphasized that users benefited from realtime data about their campaigns, where they can immediately see if their ads are working and make quick changes. This responsiveness makes the campaign process more dynamic and satisfying for users.
Ronald also mentioned the importance of being able to measure outcomes and the return on investment for ads. This shows that the impact of advertising spend is clear and trackable, benefit -
down a conversation involves a physical distraction like getting up, says Parrish. “That focus is immediately broken.”
By the time you sit back down, the mood and everyone’s attention span will have been reset, and you can wade into new, and more enjoyable topics.
n “Speaking of politics, who’s hungry for meatball subs right now?”
WHAT does the politician you don’t want to hear about have to do with a juicy foot-long sandwich? Nothing –and that’s the point.
One of Littlefield’s favorite ways to change the subject is making it obvious you’re aiming for humor.
“Laughter can totally purge the nerves in a room, he says. One way is suggesting to play Taboo, which he calls “a very obvious redirection without breaking connection.”
n “You mentioned noteworthy detail. I’m so curious, what’s the story behind that.”
IF you listen closely to even the
ing businesses who want proof of results.
“I think these three things, creativity, insights, and outcomes, really differentiate us from other markets, and I think they’re unique to the Philippines,” he said.
“Your work shows what’s possible when insight meets imagination and when creativity is anchored on outcomes.”
GrabAds Trailblazer Awards 2025 Winners
THE inaugural Trailblazer Awards gave a spotlight to campaigns that harness the Grab ecosystem in inventive and outcome-focused ways.
From gamified engagement to loyalty innovation and flavour storytelling, each winning campaign showcased how brands can create impact through ecosystem-native marketing.
Coca Cola Philippines emerged as the night’s biggest winner, taking home the highest honor, Trailblazer Grand Prix of the Year, for its “Coca-Cola Foodmarks” campaign. This honor is reserved for the single campaign that is bold, flawlessly executed, audiencefirst, and delivers undeniable impact, setting the benchmark for all others.
“The ‘Foodmarks’ campaign is actually inspired by our Filipino restaurant owners. What we want to do is actually to highlight them, their food, the menu that they
briefest conversation, you’ll realize there are countless nuggets you can follow up on.
There’s just one requirement to this approach: “Your question’s got to be rooted in your natural, genuine curiosity,” Littlefield says. “If you’re doing this just an escape, it’s not going to work” because people will be able to tell and will respond accordingly.
n “I’ll think about that.” THESE four magic words can disarm almost any situation, says Parrish who considers them her favorite communication trick.
“You’re not saying no – you’re saying that you’ll consider it,” she says. “It leaves the door open and you don’t have to resolve the situation right then.” This allows you to change the subject to something with much lower stakes.
n “I love you—I’m just not comfortable talking about that. Can we talk about _______ instead?”
SOMETIMES you’ll need to be bru -
have, and make sure that we elevate that with a good glass of Coke. And what it means to us and also to our Filipino consumers, is we want to tell the story of us uplifting, not just actually our products but the livelihood of our Filipino restaurant owners as well,” Coca Cola Philippines Senior Marketing Director for Marketing Frenissa Lagman said in an interview with adobo Magazine.
Furthermore, Coca-Cola also bagged the Brand of the Year Award as they consistently broke new ground — pioneering creative collaborations like the multi-partner Valentine’s offer, transforming branded fleets into live sampling and experience channels, and using radical personalization to turn a mass audience into millions of individual fans.
“The partnership that we have with GrabAds helped us in making sure that we reach our Filipino consumers and also evolve the experience that they have with the Coca Cola group and Coca Cola products that we have,” Frenissa noted.
Ultimately, with the award Coca-Cola received, Frenissa underscored the value of strong collaborations—especially with technology companies like Grab. She views these partnerships as essential for expanding Coca-Cola’s reach to more Filipino consumers and enhancing their enjoyment of Coca-
tally honest and set a boundary, Dibble says. If you’re family member doesn’t get the point, tell them directly that you’re not up for continued discussion and want to talk about something else.
“You don’t have to feel bad about it;” he says. “You didn’t put down his belief. You didn’t take away his right to think. You’re just saying, ‘I’m not comfortable going there today.’”
n “You’re always so thoughtful about this stuff, and I can tell you really care. Speaking of which, you made that amazing pie last night, right?”
COMPLIMENTING someone can smooth the transition away from a heated subject, says Parrish. If your relative or colleague has put a lot of thought into their passionate rant, segue something that same dedication translates to like baking or decorating.
n “We see this differently, and that’s OK. What matters most to me today is that we’re all together.”
PARRISH thinks of it as saying, “I really value your presence here today,” which means a lot to people on the receiving end. This means I really, really want to spend time with you today.
“It’s important to acknowledge that we have other things to connect us in such a deep, meaningful way that this one opinion isn’t going to cause a rift,” she says.
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chair.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.
Cola’s products.
Meanwhile, mHive (part of WPP Media) clinched the Agency of the Year award for making “trailblazing a culture while racking up the most Trailblazer wins for their clients and proving that bold thinking and breakout work are integrated into everything they do.”
Per Grab, mHive treated gamification, cross-service rewards, and season-long orchestration as core strategies, not side tactics across Jollibee’s flagship programs.
“We really work closely with Grab being the experts in the platform. We’re learning as we go along, especially for Christmas. It’s a major holiday for us Filipinos and Jollibee is an important brand in this season. So, with the power of Grab’s ecosystem, the consumers that actually consume the content in the app, and also the products within – the experience is a natural fit. We relied on their data signals to map out the consumer user journey. So it has been really a good partnership,” mHive (by WPP Media) Principal Partner, Sherry Magno told adobo Magazine. When asked what this recognition meant to them, Sherry expressed that winning the award was a major surprise and honor for their team, especially since it was their first year handling the account and their first Christmas campaign.
Milestone year for Pilipinas Golf
I nc.
with
a
of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. Intercollegiate Tour and the continued rise of the professional circuit, both helping elevate the sport nationwide. D espite weather disruptions and logistical hurdles, the intercollegiate circuit showcased future champions and strengthened the country’s golf pipeline through a structured varsity platform awarding World Amateur Golf Rankings points.
L a Salle dominated both men’s and women’s team competitions, with Julia Lua winning the women’s individual crown and St. Benilde’s Sean Granada denying a La Salle sweep with a dramatic victory.
The youth division also shone, culminating in a spirited Ryder Cup–style finale that highlighted both individual excellence and teamwork.
Angelo Que finally nailed the longelusive Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit crown with a consistent season featuring two victories, multiple podium finishes and total earnings of P1.56 million.
Q ue clinched the OOM title despite withdrawing from the Valley Golf Challenge due to illness.
K orean Minwook Gwon opened the PGT season with a dramatic comeback win at The Country Club Invitational, capitalizing after Guido van der Valk’s stunning meltdown on the final hole and in sudden death.
Van der Valk rebounded later in the year at Forest Hills.
Q ue swept the Pradera Verde and Eagle Ridge legs, Keanu Jahns emerged with consecutive wins at Caliraya Springs and Bacolod, and Rupert Zaragosa dominated at Marapara. Mindanao legs added more drama as Reymon Jaraula prevailed at Del Monte, while Fidel Concepcion and Jeffren Lumbo scored breakthrough wins at Apo and South Pacific, respectively. Rookie Carl Corpus closed the season with victory in the rescheduled Valley leg.
Pi lipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. general manager Colo Ventosa reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to raising the level of local professional golf and sustaining opportunities for Filipino pros to excel locally and internationally.
Jahns reinforced his rapid rise as the next major force in Philippine golf by dominating van der Valk in the final of the ICTSI The Country Club Match Play Invitational.
On the Ladies PGT, Sarah Ababa captured her first Order of Merit title after a season of steady excellence, narrowly edging Florence Bisera in one of the tightest OOM races in tour history.
M afy Singson also impressed, winning at Eagle Ridge and later dominating the Match Play Invitational, while other standout moments came from Sam Bruce, Chanelle Avaricio, Princess Superal, Pauline del Rosario, and multiple Ababa-Avaricio duels.
Yan exacts revenge vs Dvalishvili in UFC bantamweight title bout
LAS VEGAS—Petr Yan stunned Merab Dvalishvili with a dominating effort to capture the bantamweight championship by unanimous decision at UFC 323 on Saturday n ight.
W ith punishing strikes and several crushing kicks to the rib cage, Yan (20-5) ended Dvalishvili’s 14-match winning streak.
I’m very happy to stand here with the championship belt, thank you to all the fans,” Yan said, through an interpreter. “I worked so hard, I prepared so hard for this moment.”
D valishvili (21-5) hadn’t lost since April 21, 2018, when Ricky Simon won by submission. It was his fourth title match of 2025.
Yan exacted revenge for his last loss when Dvalishvili defeated the 32-yearold by unanimous decision on a UFC Fight Night card on March 11, 2023.
D valishvili, 34, closed a -425 favorite, which meant a bettor laid $425 to $100 at BetMGM. Anyone wagering $100 on Yan would have won $320.
I lost today,” Dvalishvili said.
“Congratulations to him.”
I n the co-main event, challenger Joshua Van won the flyweight belt from former champion Alexandre Pantoja with a TKO just 26 seconds into the first round after a quirky finish.
I n what appeared to be a freak accident, Pantoja (30-6) injured his left shoulder just after throwing a right roundkick to Van’s head. But as Van (16-2) blocked the kick, Pantoja used his left arm to brace his fall, but his arm
buckled, and he immediately grabbed it and waved to referee Herb Dean to stop the bout at 26 seconds.
I n a display of sportsmanship, Van immediately joined Pantoja on the canvas to check on him once the bout was called.
I n what was a scheduled threeround flyweight bout, No. 5 Tatsuro Taira (18-1-0) earned the biggest victory of his career, a firstround stoppage over No. 2 Brandon Moreno (23-9-2) at the 2:24 mark of the second round after capitalizing on a rearmount ground-andpound. AP
The Junior PGT delivered its own highlight with a Ryder Cup-style tournament won by Team North, earning praise from legend Frankie Miñoza and reinforcing the grassroots momentum driving Philippine golf toward a bright and ambitious future.
“What ICTSI is doing by organizing this kind of tournament is truly commendable. It’s a big boost to the junior golf program—this is where our future champions will come from,” Miñoza said.
The Junior PGT gears up for an even bigger and better 2026 season.
The Junior PGT has become more than just a competition—it’s a proving ground for future stars. We’re focused on nurturing young talent through structured, high-level tournaments to prepare them for international play,” said Ventosa.
Our goal is long-term.
We’re here to guide these kids from the fairways of today to the global stage of tomorrow,” she added.
Banner Year for FPW
Quezon downs Binan, sets up MPBL title showdown with Abra
UEZON PROVINCE got a big boost from its reserves in the second half, beating beat Binan, 56-49, to retain the South Division crown in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) on Saturday at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City. The Huskers clustered nine points early in the fourth for a 47-39 lead on the way to a 3-2 victory in the best-of-five series. Quezon advanced to the MPBL National Finals against North Division champion Abra.
Ljay Gonzales, rested in the second quarter, fired eight of his gamehigh 14 points in the last ten minutes. Vince Magbuhos had 13 points and nine rebounds.
Andrada stars as San Beda holds off CSB to gain finals
YUKIEN ANDRADA starred as San Beda defeated College of Saint Benilde, 84-81, on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum to reach the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 101 finals.
A ndrada had 27 points and four rebounds as the Red Lions won the decider of the best-of-three semifinal series.
The Blazers held a three-point advantage in the fourth quarter, but Andrada tied the game with a triple at the 6:33 mark.
The 2025 PBA Draft’s sixth overall pick sank another long bomb to put San
Beda up, 81-77, with 3:23 left. San Beda will meet Letran in the title series for the first time since 2019. Game One of the best-of-three series is on Wednesday at the Big Dome.
A gjanti Miller added 26 points, six rebounds and two steals after missing Game Two due to a knee contusion.
B ryan Sajonia chipped in for the Red Lions with 10 points, six boards and three assists. Tony Ynot scored 18 points, pulled down five rebounds and made four assists for the Blazers.
R affy Celis had 14 points, Ian Torres scored 12 and Josh Cajucom added 10 points. L ast year’s Most Valuable Player Allen Liwag recorded 10 points and eight rebounds for the Blazers. He now turns his attention to the Southeast Asian Games with Gilas Pilipinas. I want to give credit to CSB for making their shots but I really just trusted one guy and that’s Yukien Andrada,” San Beda coach Yuri Escueta said. “ Yuki is very unselfish. He’s a very unselfish guy. All season long, he allowed his teammates to feel their shots but when the lights are brighter, he’s ready to step up.”
US ramps up security, expands visa access for 2026 World Cup
By Troi Santos
THE United States is accelerating preparations for next year’s FIFA Men’s World Cup, with senior officials emphasizing expanded visa access, interagency security planning, and a welcoming approach to international visitors.
A t a Foreign Press Center briefing this week, the White House Task Force overseeing the 2026 tournament described advances across key operational areas ahead of what will be the largest World Cup ever held.
A HUGE underdog, Petr Yan (rights) demolishes Merab Dvalishvili
