SLOW INFLATION SEEN
FOn Friday, the PSA disclosed that the country’s inflation rate reached 1.4 percent in June, faster than the 1.3 percent posted in May but still slower than the 3.7 percent recorded in June 2024 (See: https:// businessmirror.com.ph/2025/07/04/ inflation-picks-up-1-4-in-june-psa/).
In a briefing, National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa told reporters that rice inflation is expected to be negative for the rest of the year. This will keep inflation below the low end of the government’s target of 2 to 4 percent.
“[The] 1.3 percent, 1.4 percent [we recorded indicates that] in general we are already in the vicinity of 2 percent, lower than 2 percent,” Mapa said in the vernacular.
“What we’re expecting is that it [rice prices] will be negative until the end of the year. [Rice] is assigned a higher weight in the inflation basket. So that is the good news [for us],” he also said.
In June 2025, rice posted a deflation of 14.3 percent, the steepest decline posted by the country’s staple in the entire series of the PSA, which began in 1995.
Rice has a weight of 8.87 percent in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Income Households
and 17.87 percent in the CPI of the Bottom 30 percent or the poorest Filipinos.
“In general, the price of commodities under the food and nonalcoholic beverages sub basket slowed due to rice. The weight of rice in the food basket is almost 30 percent, one third of food is rice,” Mapa said.
However, Mapa said there are “threats” to inflation, particularly meat, poultry, and fish prices. Meat and others recorded a yearon-year inflation of 9.1 percent in June while fish inflation grew 6.2 percent.
It may be noted that meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals have a weight of 6.43 percent in the all-income household and 6.15 percent for the bottom 30 percent CPI.
Meanwhile, the fish and other seafood commodity group has a weight of 5.66 percent for the allincome households and 8.5 percent for the bottom 30 percent CPI.
“Well, for now, I cannot have the overall but what I can look at based on the data, what I can conclude is for certain items,” Mapa said.
By Andrea E. San Juan
Ttowards the end of the year the [highest] projected increase is 40 percent, or P300 billion in investments,” Panga said. He noted that Peza is “actively” pursuing and assisting over 50 investment leads. In a Viber message sent to the BusinessMirror, the Peza chief said these investments in the pipeline are expected to be poured into the country’s Electronics, ITT, Electric Vehicles, Pharma, Renewable Energy, Data Center, and Garments sectors. The Peza Board earlier reported that it greenlighted P72.36 billion in investments in the first half of the year, or 59.1 percent higher compared to the P45.48 billion recorded in the same period last year. The investments approved in the January to June 2025 period are equivalent to 133 projects. These projects are seen to create 32,983 direct jobs for Filipinos, a 30.58-percent uptick in employment compared to the 25,259 jobs projected to be
By Malou TalosigBartolome
chief executive said he had a “very good conversation” with Carney earlier this week about the common interests of the Philippines and Canada.
“We discussed how our two nations can further strengthen and deepen cooperation in trade, defense and maintaining peace in our region,” Marcos said.
The Canadian side also offered their condolences following the Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy in Vancouver, which affected Filipino communities across Canada.
Carney said he sees more ways to grow investment and trade with the Philippines.
“Prime Minister Carney emphasized opportunities to deepen Canada’s relationship with the Philippines in investment and
created in the same period a year ago.
The investments that the country bagged in the first half of the year are also seen to generate $1.26 billion in export revenues.
As to the source of investments, Panga said South Korea topped the list as it chipped in P10.7 billion worth of investments, or 15 percent of the total investments greenlighted by Peza in the first half.
This was followed by the United States, with P3.2 billion; and Mainland China with P2.5 billion.
Panga noted that this is the first time in history that the investment promotion agency bagged a huge chunk of the capital from the Americans and the Chinese.
“This is one proof that there are companies already relocating, some of these American and Chinese companies are shifting production out of China, or putting up
Continued on A2
commerce, including by advancing free trade,” according to a statement from his office.
Manila and Ottawa have agreed in December 2024 to negotiate for a bilateral free-trade agreement.
(See related story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2024/12/05/phlcanada-to-resume-exploratory-talksfor-fta)
Since 2021, Asean and Canada have been talking as well about having a comprehensive free-trade agreement, too. In 2023, merchandise trade between the two countries hit $3.4 billion, with imports from Canada worth $1.2 billion and exports from the Philippines totaling
Sectors
culture, education, and infrastructure are seen as promising areas of growth.
Working together in the Indo-Pacific CARNEY and Marcos also agreed to work closely on keeping the Indo-Pacific region free, open and stable. Canada has expanded its presence in the region, including a new Agriculture and Agri-Food Office in Manila, and a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) signed with the Philippines to support defense ties.
The upcoming visit could help both countries build stronger partnerships in trade, security, and regional development.
With a report by Samuel P. Medenilla
EMPLOYEES work in a production facility in Malabon City. VEEJAY VILLAFRANCA/BLOOMBERG
Beijing braces for US trade deals that aim to isolate China from global supply chains
By Bloomberg News
THE trade truce between Washington and Beijing may be holding for now, but China is increasingly wary about what’s happening elsewhere: US efforts to forge deals that could isolate Chinese firms from global supply chains.
Ahead of a July 9 deadline, US officials are deep in talks with major trading partners in Asia and Europe, pushing for new agreements that would include restrictions on Chinese content, or secure commitments to counter what Washington sees as China’s unfair trade practices.
In the first such deal, President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a tiered tariff agreement with Vietnam. Exports to the US from the Southeast Asian nation will be charged a 20-percent rate, Trump said in a social-media post, with 40 percent levied on any goods deemed to be transshipped through the country.
That will hit products with components from China and possibly other nations, which are routed through Vietnam or subject to only minimal final assembly before being exported to the US. The approach mirrors provisions in an existing US trade agreement with Mexico and Canada.
Although Trump shared the broad contours of the agreement, the White House has not yet released further details and some of the agreement could be in development, so it’s unknown yet how damaging this could be for China’s growing exports to Vietnam. China’s Ministry of Commerce didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment.
India, another nation seen as close to a deal, has also been negotiating over “rules of origin.” Washington wants at least 60 percent of a product’s value added locally to qualify as “Made in India” and benefit from the deal, Bloomberg News previously reported. India has pushed to bring that down to around 35 percent, according to the report.
“Asia’s dilemma when it comes to Trump’s trade war is all about dependence on US final demand while relying heavily on China’s value added in domestic produc-
tion,” Alicia Garcia Herrero, AsiaPacific chief economist at Natixis SA, said in a recent report, adding that Vietnam, Cambodia and Taiwan were among the most exposed.
China, a larger trade partner than the US for most Asian economies, has warned of consequences if its interests are threatened, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to raise that again on his visit to Europe this week for talks in Brussels, Germany and France.
“China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of Chinese interests in exchange for so-called tariff reductions,” the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement Saturday, repeating earlier warnings. “If this happens, China will never accept it and will resolutely counter it to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”
The Vietnam deal risks provoking retaliatory steps from China, according to Bloomberg Economics.
“Beijing has made clear that it would respond to deals that came at the expense of Chinese interests and the decision to agree to a higher tariff on goods deemed to be “transshipped” through Vietnam may fall in that category,” Bloomberg’s Rana Sajedi wrote in a research note.
Trump’s 90-day pause on what he called “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of America’s trading partners ends on July 9. Unless those countries reach trade deals with the US, they could potentially face much higher tariffs.
Some governments are making moves to stay on the right side of Washington. Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea have all put in place measures to stop goods from being rerouted through their countries to the US since Trump’s tariffs were unveiled in April.
South Korean customs announced a crackdown on transshipments, citing a rise in the practice. Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te also flagged the issue and followed up with new rules requiring all US-bound exports to carry a legal declaration they were made on the island.
Export controls
ANOTHER concern for Beijing is whether the US could convince others to impose or tighten export controls on high-tech equipment, which would further hamper Chinese efforts to buy the tools it needs to produce advanced semiconductors.
Taiwan in June added Huawei Technologies Co. and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. to its so-called entity list, barring Taiwanese firms from doing business with them without government approval.
The pressure isn’t limited to Asia. Europe, too, finds itself in a delicate position. The EU is China’s largest export destination for electric vehicles, and investment from Chinese firms into the bloc plus the UK hit €10 billion ($12 billion) last year, according to recent research from Rhodium Group.
Yet trade tensions are rising. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently accused Beijing of “weaponizing” rare earths and magnets and warned of the risks posed by Chinese overcapacity.
Beijing is particularly concerned that the EU might sign up to provisions similar to those in the UK’s deal with the US, which included commitments around supply chain security, export controls, and ownership rules in sectors like steel, aluminum and pharmaceuticals. While the language did not name China, Beijing criticized the agreement in a rare public statement, interpreting it as a direct challenge, the Financial Times reported.
“China is clearly worried that the EU will accept the same wording as the UK did on export controls,” said Joerg Wuttke, a partner at the Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington and former president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. “They are pushing the EU not to do this, and the US is pushing the EU to do it.” Brussels and Washington are aiming to reach some form of an agreement before July 9, when Washington is set to impose a 50% tariff on nearly all EU products. With European exports to the US worth more than double the amount to China, the bloc sees Washington as the more important partner, giving the US leverage in the talks.
Slow inflation…
Continued from A1
“The dynamics this month of July, if there will be a change in the direction of meat and fish [prices], if there are increases, we may see a slight increase [in inflation]. But if there are decreases in these items, then we will be seeing lower inflation,” he explained.
Interest rates, growth
THE latest inflation print, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said, is within its forecast range of 1.1 to 1.9 percent in June 2025.
In a statement on Friday, BSP also said inflation is projected to remain below the lower end of the target in 2025 due to lower rice prices. However, this could be offset by the recent spike in oil prices.
For 2026 and 2027, the BSP said inflation is expected to settle within the 2 to 4 percent target range.
“Global economic activity is showing signs of deceleration, influenced by uncertainty over US trade policy and ongoing geopolitical conflict in the Middle East. These developments may contribute to slower domestic growth,” the BSP said.
Mapa, meanwhile, said the impact of the spike in oil prices brought about by the conflict in the Middle East, as well as the P50 increase in wages in the National Capital Region, may have a lag effect. He expects a delay in its impact of about one to three months after July.
The National Statistician said commodity items that depend on oil and commodity groups that are linked to services such as those on personal care, which include salons and spas, would be affected by the increase in minimum wages.
“On balance, a more accommodative monetary policy stance is warranted. Emerging risks to inflation from rising geopolitical tensions and external policy uncertainty will require closer monitoring, alongside the continued assessment of the impact of prior monetary policy adjustments,” the BSP said.
“Going forward, the BSP will safeguard price stability by ensuring monetary policy settings are conducive to sustainable economic growth and employment,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DepDev) said the government continues to implement measures to stabilize food supply, boost agriculture, and improve logistics that have helped ease inflation in June.
In a statement, Economy, Planning and Development Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said these measures have already helped ease food prices, particularly rice, which posted negative 14.3 percent inflation in June.
“The sharp decline in food inflation over the past year underscores the continued progress in our coordinated efforts to boost local
production, improve logistics, and implement calibrated trade and biosecurity measures,” Balisacan said.
“We will sustain these interventions and complement them with targeted initiatives to ensure a continuous, stable supply and shield consumers from future price pressures,” he added.
Balisacan said the government also intends to remain vigilant against external and domestic risks. The DepDev acknowledged that “volatile global markets and climate-related disruptions affecting fuel and electricity costs continue to threaten price stability.”
“We will remain focused on strengthening interagency coordination in implementing timely, targeted, and evidence-based interventions to safeguard the purchasing power of Filipino households, ensuring that the much-needed support reaches the most vulnerable sectors of the country,” he said.
To further strengthen food supply chains, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will intensify the implementation of industry recovery and expansion programs, such as the Swine Industry Recovery Project (SIRP) and Livestock Economic Enterprise Development. These initiatives aim to accelerate the rehabilitation of the hog industry and restore the pre-African Swine Fever hog population levels. Under SIRP, the DA will procure breeding stock for distribution to select beneficiaries, including private farms, LGUs, and farmers’ cooperatives.
In support of the onion industry, the DA will establish the country’s first Onion Research and Extension Center in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija. The center will focus on developing effective methods to combat pests and diseases, enhance seed quality, and increase farm yields.
Fuel discounts
MEANWHILE, the Department of Energy has partnered with private oil companies to offer fuel discounts to motorists affected by oil price fluctuations amid geopolitical uncertainties.
As of June 30, 2025, nine oil companies have committed to providing fuel discounts to
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Law to bare bureaucrats’ bank accounts pushed
SBy Butch Fernandez
ENATE President Francis Joseph “Chiz”
G. Escudero has renewed his call for transparency and accountability in government by refiling a measure that mandates all public officials and employees to waive their rights under Republic Act (RA) 1405 (Secrecy of Bank Deposits law) and RA 6426 (Foreign Currency Deposit law).
Under the Escudero bill, government personnel—except those serving in an honorary capacity—will be required to submit a written waiver authorizing the Office of the Ombudsman to examine all their deposits and investments, including foreign currency accounts, in a fresh bid to reinforce anti-corruption efforts and bolster public trust in government institutions.
“This bill has languished for too long,” the Senate chief said, referring to its previous iterations. “I’m hopeful that this time, we can turn the rhetoric of transparency into action.
Escudero has been filing the bill on lifting the confidentiality of bank deposits since 2013, grounded in the belief that public
office is a public trust and that all government officials and employees are accountable to the public.
The measure, if approved, will ensure that no civil servant—regardless of rank—can use his or her position to plunder public coffers.
The veteran legislator emphasized that the secrecy of bank deposits, while historically enacted to encourage savings and economic development, now acts as a shield for illicit activity.
“The laws may have served their purpose in the past, but their rigidity has enabled corruptito thrive under the guise of confidentiality,” Escudero said. “We are the last country standing in preserving absolute secrecy. That distinction doesn’t protect democracy but rather, it undermines it.”
He cited the bill’s explanatory note, which warns that institutions can be exploited to hide illegal wealth, launder money, evade taxes, and commit other financial crimes under a statutorily mandated veil.
“Verily, any person who has nothing to hide
See “Bureaucrats,” A4
PBBM eyes more Japanese investments in clean energy
By Samuel P. Medenilla
RESIDENT Ferdinand Mar -
Pcos Jr. is looking to bring more investments in clean energy and modern industries from Japan during the 14th Asian Business Summit (ABS) to be hosted by the Philippines.
The chief executive met on Thursday with Philippines-Japan Economic Cooperation Committee (Philjec) in Malacañang to discuss the summit, which he said will allow the country to showcase the Philippines as a potential investment hub for Japanese firms.
He said he hopes new investments will help generate more jobs
for Filipinos.
“Soon, we will see factories powered by renewable energy and digital hubs rising across the country, bringing progress closer to every Filipino family,” Marcos said in a social media post.
The 14th ABS is the second time Philippines hosting the event The first was held in the country in 2014.
In his speech during his meeting with Philjec members, he stressed how crucial it is for the Philippines to strengthen its relations with more countries amid global uncertainties, which includes the trade policies of the United States.
He also expressed concern on how the relations between regional blocs such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the European Union (EU) are being “challenged.”
“The interrelationships between our different countries are going to be the key to stability and development and progress,” Marcos said.
Among those who met with the President were Philjec Chairman Richard Albert I. Osmond, President of the Science Park of the Philippines Inc., Philjec Co-Chairman Alfred V. Ty, Chairman of Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation;
Co-Chairman Ferdinand A.
Also
Special Envoy to Japan for Trade and Investment.
LWUA moves on complaints of water districts vs. PrimeWater
HE Local Water Utilities Administra -
Ttion (LWUA) announced it will now take action to ensure reliable and clean water is provided to districts that are complaining of the alleged “poor” service of PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp.
“The issue now is where do we get the water and how do we deliver it to them,” LWUA Administrator Jose Moises F. Salonga said in a press briefing in Malacañang on Friday.
LWUA is now considering terminating the approved government agreements with PrimeWater to facilitate its interventions in the said districts.
“That’s part of our strategies—termination [of agreements], compulsion will not put water there. We are here to act first; finger-point later. That’s what we will do,” Salonga said. He noted they will prioritize water districts
which want to cancel their service contracts with the Villar-owned PrimeWater and where their assets are readily available.
Salonga said they will come out with a matrix and a schedule of the areas which will be prioritized in LWUA’s interventions.
He met with officials of the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel Solomon Hermosura and the Office of the President (OP) in Malacañang on Friday to discuss the
results of LWUA’s findings on the complaints against PrimeWater.
In April, Marcos ordered LWUA to investigate PrimeWater after learning of the numerous complaints against the water concessionaire. LWUA submitted the results of its “exhaustive” probe to the OP on Friday.
Among the findings was how the number of joint venture agreements (JVA) of PrimeWater soared in 2019.
Salonga said the results include the officials who approved of the said contract agreements, which are riddled with irregularities.
“As to your comment that there are irregularities [on the signed agreements] on the ground, that has also been addressed in the report and the people concerned have been put on notice that this should be considered and most likely reformed and corrected within the next few days once we act,” he said.
Among the officials included in their probe, said the LWUA chief, were officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). There was a time when LWUA was under, as an attached agency of DPWH. “The possible conflict among the officials there and LWUA [were looked into]. So, let us just expound when the time comes,” Salonga said.
Samuel P. Medenilla
Philjec
Ferrer, CEO of Gruppo EMS Inc.; Nobuhiro Endo, Keidanren Vice Chairman and Executive Advisor of NEC Corporation; and Masayuki Hyodo, Keidanren Vice chairman and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sumitomo Corporation.
present at the event were the members of the government delegation led by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque, Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick D. Go, and Dr. Amable R. Aguiluz V,
Vetoed in ’19, anti-Endo bill re-filed as Villanueva priority
By Butch Fernandez
CAN they swing it this time?
The former chairman of the Senate Labor panel has revived his push for a measure ending contractualization in the country, stressing the measure is long overdue. Living up to his commitment, Senator Joel Villanueva re-filed his bill against contractualization, this time hoping to get the President’s nod after a similar measure was vetoed in 2019 by then President Rodrigo Duterte.
The proposed Security of Tenure and End of Endo (end of contract) bill is Villanueva’s top priority bill filed at the opening of the 20th Congress on June 30.
“Stop endo or stop contractualization has been the longstanding and resounding call of our workers. Endo or the repeated short-term employment with -
out the possibility of regularization is oppressive and directly undermines the constitutional rights of workers,” said Villanueva, presiding chairman who headed the Senate committee in labor, employment and human resources development in the last Congress. In 2019, President Duterte drew flak from workers after he vetoed the Villanueva-championed measure, citing the need to balance the interests of businesses and workers.
The bill Villanueva re-filed in the 20th Congress, seeking to amend certain provisions of the Labor Code of the Philippines, clearly states that “labor-only contracting [LOC] is prohibited.” Specifically, it provides that LOC exists when the contractor merely supplies workers to the principal; the workers supplied are performing tasks directly related to the principal business of
the contractee; and, the contractor does not exercise direct control over the deployed workers.
Villanueva pointed out that the business of mere supply of labor for the performance of directly related tasks is an indicator of LOC and the practice of wholesale outsourcing of core functions, which undermines the constitutional guarantee of security of tenure.
“This provision has been favorably endorsed by the Department of Labor and Employment based on its practical experience with enforcement and litigation,” the senator said.
He said the Labor Department believes the amendment will simplify the interpretation and implementation of the law and reduce legal ambiguity.
Villanueva also emphasized that the bill empowers the industry tripartite councils to determine which jobs are directly
related to the main business of a contractor or the principal.
“Through the tripartite process, workers can voice their concerns about job outsourcing, while employers can present the operational realities and evolving demands of their business,” he said.
“This framework ensures that labor policy remains relevant, flexible, and balanced,” he added.
Villanueva expressed optimism the bill will receive support from lawmakers and Malacanang for its speedy passage.
“It’s high time for Congress to find a way to grant security of tenure to thousands of contractual workers in the private sector,” Villanueva said.
He added that “the grant of regular status will make our workers more productive, innovative and driven. Investing in our human resources will be very well worth it.”
5 years of river cleanup: SMC removes 8.5-M tons of waste
AN Miguel Corporation (SMC) recently marked
Sfive years of cleaning up major rivers and river systems—a continuing effort that has, as of end-June, removed around 8.5 million metric tons of silt and solid waste from 10 key waterways in and around Metro Manila.
Launched in 2020, the initiative, dubbed Better Rivers PH, aims to reduce river pollution and help prevent flooding by restoring and dredging rivers and improving their flow.
According to SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang, the company has already cleared over 161 kilometers of river channels, and the work is far from over.
The waste and silt—removed from the Tullahan, Pasig, and San Juan Rivers; rivers in Bulacan and Pampanga; the San Isidro, Biñan, and Tunasan Rivers in Laguna, and waterways in Navotas and Parañaque— have significantly increased the carrying capacity of
these river systems.
This has helped lessen the risk of severe flooding in surrounding communities, by enabling floodwaters to be drained to Manila Bay more effectively. Without this intervention, many of these waterways, made shallow by years of silt and debris buildup, would frequently overflow and inundate communities, Ang said.
The effort has also reduced foul odors coming from rivers and, in some cases, encouraged the return of fish, owing to the removal of decomposing waste and garbage from the river beds.
“Because of many contributing and aggravating factors, flooding continues to be a major risk for many of our cities and provinces. For San Miguel, we cannot afford to just stand by and do nothing because in
the end, our economy and all of us, suffer. That’s why we’ve been working non-stop these last five years to help clean and restore our rivers,” Ang said.
“Through cooperation with the national and local governments and other stakeholders, we’ve now managed to increase the carrying capacities of our major rivers. But a lot still needs to be done, including in changing mindsets and discouraging the throwing of waste in our waterways. We are committed to continue working with stakeholders and doing our part every way we can,” he added.
SMC’s river cleanup initiative, which does year-round work at targeted rivers, is part of its broader social responsibility agenda, and is aligned with SMC’s major sustainability initiatives, which
includes a drive towards addressing critical water issues.
Fully-funded and undertaken by SMC, the program comes at no cost to government and taxpayers, and is done in close coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and local government units.
From its early efforts to clean up the Tullahan, Pasig, and San Juan Rivers, SMC’s river cleanup initiative has extended northwards to Bulacan and Pampanga, and the south, to rivers in Paranaque and Laguna.
In June, it completed the cleanup of Tunasan River in Laguna, where it removed 53,774 tons of silt and waste.
This is on top of its earlier efforts to clean up the Binan River (87,899 tons removed) and San Isidro River in San Pedro (417,044 tons removed). The company is set to start cleaning up two more rivers in the province.
MMDA, DENR tie up for Pasig River rehab, sustainable transport
By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-National Capital Region (DENR-NCR) signed a Memorandum of Agreement to focus on public education and promotion of sustainable transportation, as both agencies institutionalize cooperation in the rehabilitation of Pasig River and its surrounding communities.
Recognizing their aligned mandates and shared commitment in environmental rehabilitation and development of Pasig River, the accord covers collaborative projects between the two agencies such as Dalaw Turo and Pasig River Educational Tours.
These communication, education, and public awareness activities aim to promote the MMDAoperated Pasig River Ferry Service (PRFS) as a viable transport option, raise awareness on the Pasig River Rehabilitation Program and engage various stakeholders in support of its goals.
In a message read by Deputy Chairman Undersecretary Frisco San Juan Jr., MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said the MOA with DENR-NCR is relevant, timely, and in accordance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s “Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli” initiative to bring back Pasig River to its old pristine glory.
“We thank the DENR-NCR in this initiative to strengthen our joint efforts in taking care, beautifying, and reviving the river which is a reflection and a witness to the vibrant history of our nation,” Artes said.
“It is important to rehabilitate Ilog Pasig and widen its potential as a sustainable urban transport system and tourism asset for the metropolis,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, San Juan noted
PHL Embassy in Beijing unveils book celebrating Pinoys
By Wes Cabangon, BusinessMirror
BEIJING—A series of commemorative events led by the Philippine Embassy in Beijing has officially concluded, marking the successful celebration of the 127th Anniversary of Philippine Independence and the 50th Anniversary of Philippines-China diplomatic relations. Among the many highlights was the launch of a book titled #MadeItInChina, a publication that pays tribute to Filipinos who have found success and meaning in their lives and work in China.
As Philippine Ambassador Jaime FlorCruz shared, #MadeItInChina is not about celebrities or headlines.
“It’s about ordinary people doing extraordinary deeds,” he said. The book expands on an ongoing online series of the same name, curated by the Philippine Embassy, that showcases the human side of diplomacy—Filipinos bridging cultures, building lives, and strengthening ties.
The series, now in print, was praised by Evangeline T. Ong JimenezDucrocq, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs. She said: “The series humanizes and
gives many faces to the vibrant tapestry of people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and China. These connections have flourished for centuries, long before the formal establishment of diplomatic relations on 9 June 1975.”
The profiles within #MadeItInChina are diverse and deeply inspiring. Among them is Rodrigo Camposagrado, a native of Cavite, who first arrived in China in 1988 on assignment from the Manila Hotel. Over the decades, he worked in 15 international hospitality establishments in Beijing, specializing in hotel pre-openings and training local staff in high-level service and hospitality—often in English, giving many their first exposure to global standards.
Also featured is Dr. Lorela Cortez-Dy, a pediatrician from Las Piñas City who has practiced medicine in China since 2012. Known in both the Filipino and expatriate communities of Shanghai and Beijing, Dr. Dy’s work has served as a critical healthcare lifeline for many Filipino families and international residents.
The book also sheds light on a rising
that the MMDA is constantly undertaking initiatives to beautify, broaden, and improve the ferry service to accommodate more passengers.
In 2024, the PRFS registered 195,789 total ridership – a testament to continued patronage of the sole water-based transportation service in NCR.
DENR-NCR OIC Assistant Regional Director for Management Services Erlinda Daquigan described the agreement as a “pivotal step in our efforts to restore the ecological integrity of the Pasig River System and to promote sustainable urban mobility throughout Metro Manila.”
“Through this collaboration, we aim to harmonize environmental education and public engagement with sustainable transport solutions. Initiatives such as the Pasig River Educational Tours and community cleanup drives will help bridge awareness and action – empowering citizens to take part in the larger effort to revitalize the river,” Daquigan said. She, likewise, thanked San Juan and MMDA Chairman Romando Artes for their support and active involvement which she said will greatly help rekindle public trust in the river’s potential as a thriving ecosystem—from a forgotten waterway to a beacon of integrated urban renewal. Both agencies shall outline their identified programs, activities, and projects as potential areas of collaboration. Technical and administrative support necessary for the implementation of the collaborative projects in keeping with its mandate and resources shall likewise be provided both by the MMDA and the DENR-NCR.
The MOA also covers the rehabilitation and sustainable development of Manila Bay and the environment and natural resources in NCR as a whole.
Who #MadeItInChina
generation of Filipinos in China, such as the 26 scholars from the Philippines currently studying renewable energy engineering in Gansu province. Enrolled at the Jiuquan Vocational and Technical University, all scholars are part of a program by the international nonprofit People of Asia for Climate Solutions (PACS). Among them are Princess Joy Agnila and Clint Bacayo, both from Leyte and survivors of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). Their enrollment follows stringent exams and exemplifies the growing cooperation between the two countries in the area of sustainable development.
The diplomatic reception, held at Grand Hyatt Beijing, also featured performances by the Loboc Children’s Choir and National Artist Dr. Raul Sunico, and included prominent guests such as Special Envoy Maynard Ngu, Mr. Salvador “Buddy” Zamora, and Mr. Carlos Chan—pillars of Philippine industry who flew in to support the Embassy’s celebration of Filipino excellence abroad.
Capping the evening was a deeply symbolic tribute to a shared legacy of courage.
The Embassy welcomed descendants of Chi -
nese guerrilla fighters (WhaChi) who fought alongside Filipinos to resist Japanese occupation in World War II. Their presence served as a powerful reminder of the long-standing camaraderie between the two nations. In China, the Philippines is known as Fei Lü Bin ( 菲律宾 )—a name that carries a poetic and meaningful connotation. “Fei” ( 菲 ) suggests fragrance or flower, symbolizing beauty and vitality; “Lü” ( 律 ) denotes discipline or tradition, pointing to a rich cultural heritage; and “Bin” ( 宾 ) means guest, reflecting the Filipino spirit of hospitality and friendship. These characters embody the values and impressions that Filipinos bring with them to China—and the connections they continue to build. As Ambassador FlorCruz expressed during the celebration: “As we look forward to the future, we draw inspiration from these stories of Filipinos and Chinese building bridges of friendship. With these robust people-to-people exchanges as the bedrock of our relations, we can say with confidence and optimism that a bright future lies ahead in Philippine-China relations.”
Time BusinessMirror Our
Albay empowers seniors, PWDs with disaster preparedness skills amidst natural calamities
LBy Connie Calipay
EGAZPI CITY—Senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Albay, a province often hit by natural calamities, are now equipped with knowledge and skills to stay safe during disasters.
“In my situation, I greatly appreciate this forum. They provided practical experiences on what to do during a flood or a typhoon. I learned what actions to take during a calamity,” he said.
June,” the DSWD-13 said in a statement on Wednesday. Each beneficiary received a P3,000 stipend, which was rewww.businessmirror.com.ph
Eden Flores, regional head of the National Commission for Senior Citizens, said the activity prepares the vulnerable sector during emergencies.
“This event is crucial for equipping them because Albay and the Bicol region are particularly vulnerable to calamities such as typhoons, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. They will gain knowledge and be better prepared to face emergencies. We are thankful to our partner SM Cares for providing this opportunity to our senior citizens and PWDs,” Flores said.
The forum and demonstration event—with speakers from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology—focused on preparing the vulnerable sector in times of disasters, including earthquakes, floods, and volcanic eruptions.
Vicente Realis, a 46-year-old polio survivor from San Francisco, Legazpi City, shared how the forum equipped him with the skills needed to respond to emergencies.
Francis Lumerio, 24, from Alobo, Daraga, who is visually impaired, participated in a demonstration about what to do during an earthquake.
“Thank you to the organizers of this forum. I realized that I can evacuate on my own during an earthquake. I gained valuable knowledge on the correct and fast actions to take to stay safe during a tremor,” he said.
Edgiene Perino, 72, from Barangay 13, said the activity provided her vital information for senior citizens, helping them stay alert during disasters.
“All of this will be beneficial, especially for our families. We can share this knowledge with them. The lecture provided us with tips on how to remain alert during emergencies, especially at our age. We need to be prepared at all times due to climate change and the disasters that may occur,” she said.
Hendrick Jefferson Ung, assistant manager of SM City Legazpi, said they hold forums on skills and training for disaster preparedness annually.
“We want to boost their confidence during calamities since they often face more challenges during such times. We aim to empower them, showing that they are not alone during disasters,” he said. PNA
177,863 Caraga seniors get ₧533 million social pension
By Alexander Lopez
BUTUAN CITY—The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Caraga Region (DSWD-13) said it has disbursed at least P533.6 million worth of stipends during the second quarter of 2025 for the social pension of 177,863 indigent senior citizens in the region. leased through the transfer of funds to the
“As of this quarter, 96.3 percent of the target beneficiaries under the agency’s social pension program have claimed their stipends for April to
₧20 rice now
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s initiative to provide P20 per kilo rice to vulnerable sectors is a timely step towards ensuring food security for poor Filipinos amid the effects of global tensions.
The subsidized rice, to be provided by the Department of Agriculture (DA), is available to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, and members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
“This initiative is a big help to fellow citizens who work hard daily to feed their families. This proves that our government is mindful of our vulnerable sectors,” Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a statement.
Beneficiaries may avail themselves of the P20/kg rice under the ‘Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na’
available to seniors, PWDs, solo parents
program in select Kadiwa ng Pangulo stores located in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa.
Let troubled minds climb trees instead of electric poles
LAST year in August, one morning, a man climbed a utility pole in Taguig City. According to reports, the man had been on the pole since shortly after 8 a.m. The power supply was shut off in parts of the area for his safety while efforts to rescue him were underway. After five hours of negotiations, the man finally agreed to come down and join the rescuers. Authorities later determined the man had mental health issues.
Then in December another man was reported to have climbed an electric pole at a busy intersection in Makati City, threatening selfharm. The man was finally brought down safely after almost 30 hours by members of the local Bureau of Fire Protection.
Sometimes though it can end tragically, which is what happened to a 52-year-old man who died after he inadvertently stepped on some live electric wires that got him electrocuted, and caused him to fall from the top of the post. The incident took place in southern Cebu sometime in August of 2021.
What’s there in the electric pole that would make a man want to
climb it and stay at the top, oblivious to the danger of being killed instantly by 1,000 volts of electricity humming around him?
What’s common to these incidents is that they usually involved male adults who have family problems. For instance, police learned from the wife of the electrocuted victim that it was caused by long
been suffering from mental depression because of financial struggles. All of them come from low income, financially distressed families.
Clearly, these are symptoms of a social malaise that need to be deeply looked into. But let me look at it from another angle.
Without casting aside the bigger social problem revealed by these climbing incidents, I sense that there’s something in human beings that drive them to climb towering electric poles.
I suspect that these individuals who feel hemmed in from all sides by real or imagined problems use electric poles as a perch. Or an escape hatch. A space of emotional solace that gives a semblance of safety or protection. They probably feel the need for some breathing space to distance themselves from their pressing troubles. After all, up
simmering trouble at home. One rescued climber told reporters that he did it because his wife deserted him following a family dispute. Another climber was reported to have
there, one can feel himself higher than the rest of us.
In an incident in Canada where a bear got killed by electric shock while climbing a utility pole, a police officer
said bears sometimes climb utility poles the same way they climb trees when fleeing from danger.
It’s the same thing with human beings. Our ancestors used to dwell on trees to protect themselves from predators. Trees were our ancestors’ escape hatch. At the first sign of danger, they would scurry up to the top of trees, beyond reach.
Fight or climb a tree. It’s so deeprooted in our DNA that it comes back instinctively in a moment of crisis.
But there’s more to climbing trees than just a way of fleeing from danger. I can understand why these troubled individuals like to climb electric posts. There is something in climbing to the top.
As a boy of 10, I delighted in tree climbing. I had a favorite tree, a caimito tree. I would frequently climb near the very top where I used to hide and enjoy the view while perched on a sturdy branch.
Even now there are moments when I ache to get back up into that caimito tree. Nothing compares to the exhilarating feeling that being on top a tree gives you. It is a completely different perspective on the world. It’s just you and the tree.
Of course, there’s also an element of danger, but getting the adrenaline oozing in you is all part of the fun.
In our congested cities where there are few trees, electric poles are the next best thing to trees. So, I think I know what drives these desperate troubled individuals to climb electric posts. Like trees, electric poles are like ladders into the sky.
As a non-intuitive idea, maybe we should plant more trees and encourage tree climbing as a therapy
there are also accredited non-Kadiwa outlets in Metro Manila offering rice at the same affordable price. The DSWD reminded beneficiaries to bring valid identification for proper verification.
“For senior citizens, they need to bring their senior citizen ID; for solo parent, Solo Parent Identification Cards (SPIC); for persons with disabilities, they need to bring their PWD ID; and the same goes to the 4Ps household beneficiaries,” Dumlao said.
The cheaper rice is now available in 123 sites nationwide, including 88 Kadiwa ng Pangulo centers, kiosks, stalls in public markets, local government units, and other agencies. For the full list of Kadiwa and nonKadiwa rice outlets, program beneficiaries may check the link: https:// bit.ly/P20Rice_KadiwaStores, or visit the DA’s official website. PNA
for the mentally troubled. Tree climbing can help save our sanity, tone our muscles, quiet our minds.
Tree climbing has a sense of adventure and exploration to it, and gives one a change of perspective and an immediate connection with our inner DNA as a tree climber of a prehistoric age.
Most of all, climbing trees help to build confidence to face life’s challenges. Psychological studies show that children who conquered their fear of climbing trees went on to excel in their school studies and in the social sector.
The trouble is children have never been given the opportunity to climb trees. Many times, they are forbidden by parents due to fear they would get hurt.
Imagine a PE session where young people in full protective gear of course take on big acacia trees that are standing inside school yards and by taking that one step
these youngsters can gain more and more confidence to not only defeat the scary feat of climbing a tree, but that same confidence can be applied to doing school work, problems at work and at home, and many more. Yes, that’s what tree climbing can do to build confidence and create strong leadership sorely needed for this generation and those to follow. So, to get back to my idea, why not give every individual rescued from electric poles, a tree to climb?
For every person suffering from a mental breakdown, give him a tree to climb before he starts looking for a pole to climb.
For crying out loud, give every school bully full of repressed resentment a tree to climb.
I long to see the day when each of us has a designated tree to climb when we’re stressed, pressured or troubled. Many mental problems could probably be solved at the top of a tree.
The DSWD spokesperson said beneficiaries can also go to Kadiwa pop-up stores in Metro Manila. Aside from the Kadiwa stores,
INFOGRAPHIC courtesy of DSWD-13
SENIOR citizens and persons with disabilities listen to a lecture on emergency preparedness response at SM City Legazpi on Thursday, July 3, 2025. A total of 400 from Albay and 350 from Sorsogon benefited from the training. PNA PHOTO BY CONNIE CALIPAY
THE Department of Agriculture launches the P20 rice program at Mandaluyong Public Market II in Mandaluyong City on May 13, 2025. The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Tuesday said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s initiative to provide P20/kilo rice to vulnerable sectors is a timely step towards ensuring food security for poor Filipinos amid the effects of global tensions. PNA PHOTO BY BEN BRIONES
Movie’s co-stars and director talk about technology
ONE of my favorite things to do when interviewing show business personalities is to ask them about technology and what role it plays in their lives. I do it out of curiosity but have never actually written about it.
What is surprising is that not a lot of showbiz people are into tech. For many of them, technology is just about mobile phones, which they use to call and send messages.
I once met an actress, and by this time she had been in show business for 10 years, who had to hire someone to teach her how to use the computer. I recently got to talk to two stars who had different answers about technology.
Valeen Montenegro’s husband Riel Manuel is a director of photography so the actress knows her tech stuff but she still would not call herself a “techie.”
“If I’m interested in something, I would dive into it. If it is related to my work or if it’s something I really like, then I will look into it. But ’yun lang, nothing beyond that,” said Valeen.
When it comes to messaging, she is an expert.
“I know which messaging app a person will reply faster on. For example, this person replies faster on Instagram while another’s preferred messaging app is Messenger.”
Meanwhile, JC Santos is completely out of it.
“I’m a lolo. I’m also one of the annoying ones who’d call right away instead of using online messaging apps,” said JC.
He sheepishly admitted that he even needs prodding from his wife when he has to post something on his social media platforms for work. It is also JC’s wife who edits his photos for social media. JC and Valeen co-star in the film I Remember You,
which follows the journey of Gani (JC Santos), a bank employee assigned to Boracay to save a failing branch of the microfinance-oriented bank he works for.
Gani was set to be married to Debbie (Valeen), but the two would go their separate ways because of the former’s ambition. In Boracay, Gani meets Isay (Sarah Panguiton), a self-made single mother, with whom he falls in love. As their relationship blossoms, Debbie unexpectedly shows up on the island.
This is Bente Productions’ first film and it is directed by Boboy Yonzon, who is known as a visual artist and author.
With the film, Yonzon wants viewers to feel seen in their struggles not just in love but the most basic
AI sports oracle ‘Daredevil’ launched
BY PATRICK VILLANUEVA
THE new frontier of sports is the integration of AI. And with former PBA shooting guard and now Daredevil Media CEO Jared Dillinger, alongside developer John Sedano, at the forefront, the new sports companion “Daredevil” aims to change the way fans and businesses interact with games, data, and each other. What is Daredevil?
Daredevil is an “AI sports oracle built for fans, games and on-chain interaction.” The premise of the
AI is for games and sports data, an interactable Non-Playable Character (NPC), and Peer-to-Peer playground.
The example for its case study was the NBA Game 7 Finals between Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC) and Indiana Pacers (IND). Daredevil projected a 72 percent win rate for OKC based on the data it gathered throughout the net.
The AI breaks down the reasoning as to why it came to the conclusion of its analysis, giving you a clear idea of what to expect. Moreover, it not only analyzes data, but also scans the web
of needs, which is why he partnered with Bente Productions, a member of CARD MRI, a microfinance that champions the everyday Filipino.
“Bente Productions Inc. was formed specifically to tell the stories of the disadvantaged sectors. We believe that through entertainment, we could inform. The first offering of the company hews closely to real events. In a plenary brainstorming, what stood out was what really happened in Boracay—with the bank and the people it serves,” said Yonzon.
Aside from the movie, we had to ask Yonzon about technology, too. “I am not a techie. If I need to have something done that’s tech-related, I usually ask my assistant to do it,” he said.
for possible lifestyle habits or changes of these players to help get more accurate results.
Daredevil is also set to enter the gaming world, as they plan to integrate the tech as an NPC in games where it can be available. The dream for Daredevil is for players to interact with it and get analysis for their in-game performance and liaise in peer-to-peer betting.
Currently, they are testing it in Ragnarok Online. Moreover, they also want to use Daredevil to host e-games and tournaments for games that it will
Kickstart holiday shopping with OPPO sale
GET an early head start as you prepare for the “ber months” with the OPPO 7.7 Mega Sale, happening now until July 9 on the brand’s official ecommerce platforms on Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop. It’s the perfect time to upgrade your gadgets, hunt for early gift ideas, or simply treat yourself without breaking the bank with up to 54-percent off on select OPPO smartphones, tablets and accessories. Plus, you can score exclusive freebies and limited-time deals while supplies last. Enjoy all-day vouchers without having to spend any amount when you purchase your next OPPO device. You can get a P2,000 discount on the sleek and powerful OPPO Reno13 Series 5G including the OPPO Reno13 F
4G/5G. If you’re buying it via Shopee, you can use the shop voucher code OPPO77S. Looking for a tablet that can help you succeed without compromising eye comfort? There is also a P1,800 voucher for the OPPO Pad SE, making it easier for you to get a device suitable for work, studying, and all-around entertainment. If you are looking for a durable and reliable device, you can snag P1,500 off on the OPPO A5 Pro 5G and OPPO A5 Pro, while the OPPO A5i Pro and OPPO A5 come with P1,000 off. Shoppers can also take advantage of P500 off when they purchase the OPPO Reno12 F and
be applicable to. While unlicensed to be an official betting site, Daredevil is set to become a liaison for peer-to-peer betting. Unlike betting sites where you’re betting through them, Daredevil instead connects you with people to bet with.
Additionally, it aims to soon have a reward system where you can exchange rewards with crypto.
Sports fans, gamers, or those curious about AI can pre-register and learn more about Daredevil at www. daredevil.gg.
OPPO A5x. To make your July shopping sweeter, OPPO is making it easier for you with up to 0% interest installment via LazPayLater for up to 45 days, SPayLater of 0% interest for up to 3 months on select OPPO smartphones, and TikTok PayLater for up to 12 months on all models. As a bonus, every purchase made during the OPPO 7.7 Mega Sale gives you a chance to win one of seven Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Gift Boxes in an exclusive raffle draw. It’s shopping, saving, and winning all in one. Apart from the big discounts, OPPO is making the deal even more exciting with these amazing freebies for your purchases: OPPO Reno12 F, free 10,000mAh Powerbank; OPPO Reno13 F 4G/5G, free OPPO Enco Buds2; OPPO Reno13 5G and OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G, free Enco Buds2; OPPO Pad Neo (WiFi/LTE), free Keyboard and Case; OPPO Pad SE, free Case and OPPO Enco Buds2; and OPPO Pad3, free Keyboard and Pencil. More information can be found at the OPPO Philippines website (www.oppo.com/ph).
No more lost cats and dogs. Use tech to track your pet
LONDON—“Have you seen the cats?”
That’s a common refrain in my household because our two felines, Maple and Juniper, can venture outside through a flap in the backdoor. Like many other London house cats, they’re free to come and go, roaming the surrounding backyards and beyond, equipped with microchips to identify them if they get lost. If your cat likes to prowl outdoors for long stretches, or your dog has a tendency to run off, it can be distressing when they don’t return as expected. If you’re worried about your furry friend’s whereabouts, technology can help you keep tabs on them.
■ How pet tech works. Dedicated pet trackers are collar-worn devices that typically use GPS signals to pinpoint the location of the animal wearing them. They use a 4G cellphone signal or your home Wi-Fi connection to relay the position to a smartphone app. There are many products on the market. Tractive, Jiobit and Pawfit are among brands that offer trackers for both dogs and cats. Devices for the latter are generally smaller and lighter.
■ Phone signals. Most trackers let you designate a safe zone on a map, usually your house and surrounding area, and alert you if your pet has left it. They usually operate on the 4G LTE spectrum commonly used by wireless carriers. It typically has the longest range of any cellular signal, said Andrew Bleiman, Tractive’s executive vice president for North America.
■ What it costs. Exact price depends on brand and model. Most devices sell for less than $100. However, keep in mind you’ll also have to pay a subscription fee for the cell service to function. While that could cost $100 or more a year, for some pet owners it’s worth the “peace of mind,” Bleiman said.
■ Battery life. The collars usually have a built-in rechargeable battery but battery life varies. Most will be last at least two to three days before they need charging, and a lot longer in ideal conditions. One big factor is signal strength. The battery will drain faster if the device has to work harder to pick up the GPS or connect to Wi-Fi. Some save power by not sending coordinates in the safe zone.
■ How to use it. This tip was inspired by Maple, who once went AWOL for days. It turned out he was hanging out in a backyard 10 doors down the street. We only found out after the residents got hold of a pet microchip scanner to look up our contact details to let us know so we could retrieve him.
Tractive provided a loaner device to try. Using the included breakaway collar, we put it on Maple, who clearly didn’t like it at first. He dashed out the back door and jumped through a hole in the fence.
Over the next day, I used the Tractive app to monitor his movements.
■ Microchips. It’s common for cats and dogs to be implanted with microchips, with the details added to a database. That makes it much easier to reunite owners with lost dogs and cats, even if they’ve strayed hundreds of miles away or gone missing for years.
Pet microchips, about the size of a grain of rice implanted just below the skin, are legally required in some European countries.
There’s some confusion about what microchips can do. Because they don’t have a power supply, they can’t be tracked in real time. Whoever finds your pet would need to take it to a vet or a shelter to can scan the device for contact details.
■ Air Tags and similar devices are another option. Many pet owners use Bluetooth trackers like Apple’s Air Tags, Samsung’s SmartTags or similar devices from Tile, Cube and Chipolo, which rely on low-power signals relayed by passing smartphones.
Bluetooth trackers have a range of 100 to 500 feet (30 to 150 meters), depending on the model. The batteries last for months if not longer, and there’s no need to pay for a subscription.
However, they’re not specifically marketed for pets. That hasn’t stopped pet owners, judging from many recommendations they’ve posted in online forums. AP
YOUNG GIRLS ARE USING ANTI-AGING PRODUCTS THEY SEE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. THE HARM IS MORE THAN SKIN DEEP
SACRAMENTO, California—When she was in fifth grade, Scarlett Goddard Strahan started to worry about getting wrinkles. By the time she turned 10, Scarlett and her friends were spending hours on TikTok and YouTube watching influencers tout products for achieving today’s beauty aesthetic: a dewy, “glowy,” flawless complexion. Scarlett developed an elaborate skin care routine with facial cleansers, mists, hydrating masks and moisturizers.
One night, Scarlett’s skin began to burn intensely and erupted in blisters. Heavy use of adult-strength products had wreaked havoc on her skin. Months later, patches of tiny bumps remain on Scarlett’s face, and her cheeks turn red in the sun. “I didn’t want to get wrinkles and look old,” says Scarlett, who recently turned 11. “If I had known my life would be so affected by this, I never would have put these things on my face.” Scarlett’s experience has become common, experts say, as preteen girls around the country throng beauty stores to buy high-end skin care products, a trend captured in viral videos with the hashtag #SephoraKids. Girls as young as 8 are turning up at dermatologists’ offices with rashes, chemical burns and other allergic reactions to products not intended for children’s sensitive skin.
The skin care obsession offers a window into the role social media plays in the lives of today’s youth and how it shapes the ideals and insecurities of girls in particular. Girls are experiencing high levels of sadness and hopelessness. Whether social media exposure causes or simply correlates with mental health problems is up for debate. But to older teens and young adults, it’s clear: Extended time on social media has been bad for them, period.
Young girls’ fascination with makeup and cosmetics is not new. Neither are kids who hold themselves to idealized beauty standards. What’s different now is the magnitude, says Kris Perry, executive director of Children and Screens, a nonprofit that studies how digital media impacts child development. In an era of filtered images and artificial intelligence, some of the beautiful faces they encounter aren’t even real.
“Girls are being bombarded with idealized images of beauty that establish a beauty standard that could be very hard—if not impossible—to attain,” Perry says.
SAVING ALLOWANCES FOR SEPHORA HAULS
THE obsession with skin care is about more than the pursuit of perfect skin, explains 14-year-old Mia Hall.
It’s about feeling accepted and belonging to a community that has the lifestyle and look you want, says Mia, a New Yorker from the Bronx. Skin care was not on Mia’s radar until she started eighth grade last fall. It was a topic of conversation among girls her age—at school and on social media. Girls bonded over their skin care routines. Mia got hooked on “Get Ready With Me” videos, where influencers film themselves getting ready—for school, for a night out with friends, packing for a trip. The hashtag #GRWM has over 150 billion views on TikTok.
“It’s like a trance. You can’t stop watching it,” Mia says. “So when they tell me, ‘Go buy this product’ or, ‘I use this and it’s amazing,’ it feels very personal. Getting what they have makes me feel connected to them.”
The level of detail and information girls are getting from beauty tutorials sends a troubling message at a vulnerable age, as girls are going through puberty and searching for their identities, says Charlotte Markey, a body image expert and Rutgers University psychologist.
“The message to young girls is that, ‘You are a neverending project to get started on now.’ And essentially: ‘You are not OK the way you are’,”’ says Markey, author of The Body Image Book for Girls.
PRODUCTS PROMOTING YOUTH, PURCHASED BY KIDS
THE beauty industry has been cashing in on the trend. Last year, consumers under age 14 drove 49 percent of drug store skin sales, according to a NielsonIQ report that found households with teens and tweens were outspending the average American household on skin care. And in the first half of 2024, a third of “prestige” beauty sales, at stores like Sephora, were driven by households with tweens and teens, according to market research firm Circana.
Sephora declined to comment for this story. Ingredients like retinol and chemical exfoliants like hydroxy acids are inherently harsh. For aging skin, they are used to stimulate collagen and cell production. Young or sensitive skin can react with redness, peeling and burning that can lead to infections, acne and hypersensitivity if used incorrectly, dermatologists say.
Dermatologists agree a child’s face typically needs only three items, all found on drugstore shelves: a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer and sunscreen.
ONE MOTHER ‘GOT RID OF THEM ALL’ AROUND the country, concerned mothers are visiting dermatologists with their young daughters, carrying bags filled with their child’s skin care products to ask: Are these OK? Mia’s mother, Sandra Gordon, took a different approach. Last spring, she noticed dark patches on Mia’s face and became alarmed. Gordon, a nurse, threw all her daughter’s products into the trash. AP
Honor 400 5G: My most emotional review yet
WHEN it comes to hyping up their smartphones, Honor Philippines has mastered the art of going viral. They’ve turned every product launch into a kind of performance art—whether it’s dropping phones from a helicopter 500 feet in the air, dunking them in hotpot soup or boiling water, or challenging creators to subject their devices to all sorts of realworld abuse. Somehow, the phones survive—and the content? Always scroll-stopping.
But nothing—nothing—prepared me for the emotional gut punch while reviewing the Honor 400 5G. This isn’t just another “hands-on” review. It’s personal. It’s memory-driven. And it starts with what might be the phone’s most unique feature (AI that brings your photos to “life”) but before we get to the magic, let’s talk about the hardware that makes it all possible.
SPECS BEFORE THE SENTIMENTS
BEFORE we get sentimental, let’s get technical. Under the hood, the Honor 400 5G surprises with premium hardware choices that continue the Honor series’ lineage of delivering flagship vibes without the flagship price.
Front and center is the 6.55-inch OLED display with a crisp 2736×1264 resolution and a silky-smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Everything from scrolling to streaming feels fluid and responsive. Colors come alive thanks to 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, and with a pixel density of 460 PPI, the screen is razor-sharp—ideal for editing photos, watching K-dramas, or just doomscrolling your favorite feeds. It has a peak brightness of 5000 nits which means you’ll have no trouble using the device under direct sunlight, whether you’re using it to navigate in the middle of a road trip or composing shots at the golden hour.
Powering all this is the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 Mobile Platform, paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage—enough for 120,000+ photos or 48,000 songs. While it’s not Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor, it offers a sweet spot between efficiency and power. Honor has clearly tuned it for real-world performance: in my testing, app launches were nearinstant, multitasking was seamless, and even under stress, the phone remained cool and responsive.
For the multitasker or mobile warrior, this phone keeps pace. I ran video calls, Spotify, Google Docs, and photo editing apps side-by-side without a hiccup. For gamers, the CPU Turbo X feature works in tandem with the chip to deliver smooth, stable frame rates— even when you’re deep into ranked matches on Mobile Legends or exploring open-world titles like Genshin Impact.
Let’s talk endurance. The Honor 400 5G is equipped with a 6000mAh silicon-carbon battery, which pushes usage comfortably past a full day even
FILIPINO families can now enjoy free GFiber Prepaid UNLI internet with every purchase of a Sulit Skwela learning device, whether it’s a laptop, tablet, or mobile phone, through Home Credit. This unique partnership between Globe At Home and Home Credit brings together two everyday essentials: a reliable gadget for
with brightness maxed out, 5G active, and camera tests running. When you do need a top-up, the 100W Wired Honor SuperCharge powers you from zero to 44 percent in just 15 minutes and hits a full charge in around 40 minutes.
of her years ago at Rockwell, proudly carrying her favorite Louis Vuitton bag. I uploaded it, held my breath...and watched.
everyday wear. I accidentally rough
And, yes, this thing is tough. With SGS 5-Star Drop Resistance Certification and an IP66 rating, it can survive more than just everyday wear. I accidentally dropped mine onto rough concrete during a shoot. Not only did the phone survive, but the display stayed pristine. Plus, Honor’s Super Rainproof Touch ensures the screen remains responsive even when wet, something you’ll appreciate during unexpected rain or sweaty workouts.
you’ll appreciate during unexpected rain or
All of this is packed into a 7.3 mm-thin, 184g light body, making it both pocketable and premium to the touch. Finish-wise, you have some elegant choices: Midnight Black, Desert Gold, and Tidal Blue. It’s the kind of phone that gets a second glance and not just because of what it can do, but how it looks while doing it.
Tidal Blue. It’s the kind of phone that gets a second glance and not just because of what it can do, but how
NOW COMES THE EMOTIONAL PART
THE entire campaign for the Honor 400 5G is built around its Image-to-Video feature. We actually joined the prenup shoot of celebrity couple EA Guzman and Shaira Diaz and you’ve probably seen the content we made on social media.
To be honest? It’s not exactly new. You’ve seen those auto-generated kissing/hugging clips or animated photos that blink or wave. Normally, you’d need to use a third-party app, complete with ads or a paywall, to do it. But the Honor 400 5G is the first smartphone to have this as a built-in feature (after a quick software update). No app store digging, no subscription. All you have to do is open your Gallery, tap Create Image to Video, upload a photo, choose either 16:9 or 9:16, and wait about 1 to 2 minutes, depending on your internet.
What you get is a five-second video that moves and looks so real, it can sometimes break you.
For younger users who grew up with smartphones, it might not feel like a big deal. They’ve always had Live Photos, TikToks, or Stories that could capture a moment in motion. But for the rest of us—those who grew up when photos were rare, expensive, and almost sacred—this is nothing short of a miracle.
During the 7-Day Challenge, I tested the Honor 400 5G’s Image-to-Video feature on everything I could think of: childhood photos, comic covers, movie posters, vintage toy ads—even random snapshots from old travels. And the results? Stunning. The animations were smooth, expressive, and often surprisingly lifelike.
But then I made the mistake—no, the decision—of using it on a photo of my late mother. It was one I took
Then her eyes blinked. Her lips formed a gentle, familiar smile. She was “alive” again, if only for a few seconds. And that’s when it broke me. I sobbed. Uncontrollably. The tears came faster than I expected, and in that deeply personal moment, I unintentionally tested the Honor 400 5G’s IP66 rating—not just against rain, but also against an overflow of tears and There are no words to fully describe what that moment felt like. Relief? Sadness? Closure? Maybe all of them. For anyone who’s ever lost someone and
longed for one more smile, one more wave, this isn’t creepy. It’s not fake. It’s not about replacing memories—it’s about reliving the feeling of presence, however briefly. It’s a digital last hug. A final wave goodbye. And if that’s not worth something, what is?
The Honor 400 5G is officially priced at P22,999 for the 12GB RAM and 512GB storage model, available in Midnight Black, Tidal Blue, and Desert Gold.
Preorders ran from June 18 to 27, 2025, and came bundled with P9,397 worth of exclusive freebies including the Honor Choice Earbuds Clip, a JBL Go 4 speaker, and a Jisulife Fan Pro1. To top it off, Honor launched a luxury raffle promo giving every preorder a shot at winning a Rolex GMT Master II “Green Arrow” worth P600,000 or a Hermès Lindy Mini bag worth P420,000. With offers that compelling, it’s no surprise the Honor 400 5G sold-out within just three days, recording an impressive 15x sales increase compared to its predecessor.
FINAL WORD: In a world obsessed with specs, benchmarks, and megapixels, the Honor 400 5G does something rare: it makes you feel something. It’s a smartphone that reminds you why we capture memories in the first place. Not just to post and share but to preserve. And sometimes, even relive. For me, that’s worth far more than any benchmark score.
A7 Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • Saturday, July 5, 2025
DepEd chief: LGUs’ help key in lifting PHL’s learning outcomes
LOCAL government units (LGUs) have a vital role in helping enhance the quality of learning outcomes among basic education learners in the country, the Department of Education (DepEd) said.
This surfaced as the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) was scheduled to launch the “ Bayang Bumabasa [A Reading Nation]: Mayors for Literacy” on July 1.
With the EDCOM 2 initiative, mayors nationwide will be urged to take part in pushing for the elevation of foundational literacy in their respective LGUs.
“Improving the quality of education is a marching order from [President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.], and we believe LGUs have a critical role to play,” Education Secretary Juan
Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said in a statement.
Angara welcomed the campaign, saying the involvement of local leaders is key to expanding the reach and impact of the DepEd’s remedial programs.`
“When city and municipal governments step in, we not only improve reading outcomes—we also build community ownership of the solution,” he said. He noted that 52.26 percent of Grades 1 to 3 learners were reportedly not grade-level ready in terms of reading, according to the Com -
prehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment for School Year 2024 to 2025. These include 2,851,215 out of the 5,455,581 learners in 18 regions nationwide.
“If we can scale the kind of commitment and innovation, we’ve seen in some of the top-performing LGUs, we can lift learning outcomes across the country,” the education chief added.
Of the total assessed learners, 47.74 percent were found to be reading at grade level; followed by transitioning readers at 31.14 percent; developing readers, 8.95 percent; low emerging readers, 8.57 percent; and high emerging readers, 3.6 percent.
Local chief execs act MEANWHILE, Pasig City Representative Roman Romulo affirmed that LGUs play a pivotal role in supporting struggling readers through barangay reading hubs, mobile libraries, volunteer tutors and community-based remediation programs.
“If we truly want to reach children who struggle with reading, there needs to be coordination from the barangay to the city level,” Romulo said in a news release. “This can help ease the burden on teachers and schools who cannot do this alone.”
EDCOM 2 launched “Bayang Bumabasa…” in Quezon City, as Mayor Josefina “Joy” Belmonte led the call for LGUs to make reading a priority in communities.
Through a social media video challenge, the campaign invites newly elected and reelected mayors to spotlight their city or municipality’s reading programs and share best practices to address the country’s learning crisis.
Belmonte was the first to accept the challenge, and is set to release a video highlighting Quezon City’s literacy programs next week.
EDCOM 2 is encouraging other mayors to follow suit and post videos to raise awareness and inspire action. Stephanie Sevillano and Wilnard Bacelonia/PNA
On its 50th year, UPHSD lands in Times Higher Educ. Impact Rankings
MARKING its 50th founding anniversary, the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UPHSD)-Las Piñas Campus celebrates a historic milestone: its inclusion in the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2025—a global benchmark for excellence in sustainability and social impact.
With this achievement, UPHSD has joined the ranks of 2,526 universities across 130 countries and territories recognized for measurable contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Las Piñas campus earned an overall ranking of 1501+,
demonstrating its strong and ongoing commitment to holistic, valuesdriven education that addresses the world’s most urgent challenges.
In the 2025 edition, UPHSD Las Piñas received the following SDGspecific rankings: Climate Action (SDG 13): 301–400; Quality Education (SDG 4): 801–1000; Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3): 1001–1500; Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16): 1001+; and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17): 1001–1500.
Released on June 18, the Impact Rankings evaluate universities based on research, stewardship, outreach and teaching that support global
sustainable development.
According to THE, the rankings “highlight universities that demonstrate comprehensive excellence in contributing to global sustainable development…showcasing their commitment to addressing the world’s most pressing challenges—including environmental sustainability, social inclusion, economic growth and global partnerships.”
Reflecting on the occasion, UPHSD president Dr. Anthony Jose M. Tamayo shared that “this recognition from [THE] is deeply meaningful, as we celebrate 50 years of Perpetual Help in the service of education and health. It affirms our steadfast com -
Phil. intl comics fest: A festival
READERS, creatives, students, professionals, the curious and the intrigued can support over 200 Filipino comics creators at the Philippine International Comics Festival (PICOF) on July 5 and 6, 2025 at SM Megamall, Megatrade Hall 2, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. With almost a hundred years of richly contributing to Philippine art and culture, Filipino comics, or “komiks” with a “k,” is currently riding the wave of its second renaissance.
Pinoy komiks traveling the world
DURING the first golden age of Filipino comics, world-renowned illustrators such as Tony de Zuniga, Nestor Redondo, Alfredo Alcala and Alex Niño invaded the United States to offer their illustration services for the big comics publishers such as Marvel or DC Comics. This time around, it’s the storytellers with their original stories and characters who are getting published around the world, with over 100 foreign editions of Filipino komiks, published in the US, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and in more countries around the world, making komiks the most translated literary genre of the Philippines.
All these can be found in the documentary Komiks With a K directed and produced by author Jay Ignacio who is a National Book Award honoree. His 60-minute film will have four screenings, and will be followed with Q&A sessions with the director on Friday 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Megatrade Meeting Room B.
Books kids of all ages love to read WITH the growing challenges in literacy, reading books that children or students love will definitely be a huge step in the right direction to solving this dilemma. Schools and libraries are more than welcome to start including komiks in their libraries via PICOF.
PICOF is unique from all the comics festivals around the world because it is the only one with an Official Selection of 10 graphic novel pitches that are developed in a Creator’s Lab, and published in time for the festival. Some of the books have won awards locally, and represent the Philippines globally with the support of the National Book Development Board. In this festival, two Official Selections will be launched: “Blight” by Yuri Pinzon is about a zombie outbreak in Baguio City, and “Cat Cafeteria” by Arli Pagaduan tells of a mother-anddaughter building a safe space for their community cats. Both are just two of the 100 new releases set to be launched in PICOF2025.
New releases, intl guests CREATING a full-length graphic novel takes a lot of time, talent, and energy, according to PICOF organizers.
In recognition of these efforts, here are more titles that will be releasing chapters of their work:
“Doobiedoo Asks Whatcha Up 2” by Bambi Amago, Jakob Amago and Roland Amago; “There’s A Daemon In My Head” Chapter 0 by Milo Galang; “Hiraya” Chapter 2 by Fred Cabredo; “Sibol” Chapter 2 by Patricia Ramos and Viel Vidal; “P.S.” Chapter 2 by Danyel
Maxin; “The Dungeon” Chapter 1 by Kurt Arzaga; “Bodies On Rooftops” Chapter 1 by Aaron Gabao; “Strike the Spark!” Preview Chapter by Maria Maranan; “Kundiman” Chapter 1 by Yen Peters; and “The Last Wild Swan” Chapter 1 by Tintin Pantoja. Among the international guests are award-winning Fil-German creator Sheree Domingo (“Long Distance Call”), Eisner winner for Best Webcomics Erica Eng from Malaysia (“Fried Rice”), and Singaporean Best Book winner Kenfoo (“Cockman”). They will all launch their books’ Philippine edition under Vibal Publishing’s Agimat Comics imprint. There will also be comics creators and publishers from Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Brazil, Slovenia and Türkiye.
mitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and our mission of forming graduates who not only lead in their fields, but also uplift communities and contribute to nationbuilding.”
Dr. Tamayo added that “our golden anniversary is not just a celebration of our past; it is a bold commitment to the future.”
As UPHSD embarks on its journey to the next 50 years, this global recognition stands as a beacon on its “Road to Gold”—one marked by academic innovation, social responsibility, and the enduring legacy of its philosophy: “Character Building is Nation Building.”
Masterclasses, exhibits COMICS professionals from around the world will hold 14 masterclasses from July 4, Friday to July 6 Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Notable ones are Randy Valiente’s Hagod workshop which will teach the lost art style of Filipino komiks, a cartooning workshop with the Samahang Kartunista ng Pilipinas, while Itaewon Class creator Gwang Jin will speak about Korean webtoons and the industry landscape.
Aside from Domingo and Eng, Thailand-based British creator Jonathan Scott and many others will also hold their own masterclasses.
PICOF will have three comics exhibits: the first featuring the PICOF Official Selection, the second is a tribute to Mars Ravelo’s Mahiwagang Makinilya, and the third is the country of highlight Palestine through the Enter the Mulberry exhibit—the first public appearance of which was in the Lakes International Comic Art Festival last year.
Speaking of which, readers can support Palestine by purchasing merchandise from the exhibit, watching hourly live drawings of komiks creators doing “Panels For Palestine,” and buying a book of Palestinian creator Safaa Odah. All proceeds of the book, merch, and “Komiks With a K” film screenings will go to Medical Aid For Palestine and Safaa Odah herself.
There are many delightful reasons to go to #PICOF2025. And if that isn’t enough, the first 1,000 attendees on both days can get a free copy of the TUWA Comics Anthology, which features100 independent creators from the komiks community. Tickets are priced at P100 and may be purchased at the entrance, or online via https:// www.ticket2me.net/Komiket. Follow the event through the hashtag #SupportFilipinoKomiks.
Editor: Mike Policarpio
ROM June 9 to 13, Unit -
Fed States Army soldiers teamed up with members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to support the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Brigada Eskwela in Rizal, Palawan, as they rolled up their sleeves to renovate and prepare classrooms for the new academic year.
“Our military service members are honored to join their AFP and PCG counterparts in Brigada Eskwela, demonstrating our shared commitment to supporting and empowering local communities,” said Lt. Col. Adam Chu who is the acting chief of the Joint US Military Assistance Group (Philippines).
The US Army soldiers volunteered alongside members of the Philippine Marine Corps, Philippine Air Force and the PCG, who were in Palawan together for joint exercises. They worked with local community members to clean, paint, decorate and repair facilities of five schools in Rizal: Malapandeg
AT a research event in Manila next month, a World Bank economist will share the role of performing both quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews in determining solutions to development problems.
Economist Vijayendra “Biju” Rao will be among four key resource persons in Halo-Halo 2: The Filipino Mixed Methods Fair slated in-person this July 10 and 11 at the University of Santo Tomas (UST).
Rao is a lead economist of the World Bank’s Development Research Group at its headquarters in Washington DC. He had done mixed methods studies on social funds for community development, gender violence in rural areas and democratic dialogues in rural communities. Mixed methods combine quantitative and qualitative research to yield broader understandings of phenomena being studied.
Elementary
and Jose P. Rizal National High School.
“It is inspiring to see service members contributing to education on the home front,” said DepEd Officer-in-Charge and Undersecretary for Operations Malcolm S. Garma. “These students are the future of our nation. When we help them, we help build lasting peace and prosperity.”
Brigada Eskwela is the DepEd’s annual nationwide program that gathers volunteers and community members to help ensure schools are clean, safe and welcoming prior to the formal opening of classes. As a longstanding partner committed to community development, US service-members have regularly supported the AFP and the Philippine government in initiatives such as Brigada Eskwela, as well as in disaster response, joint training exercises and other outreach activities, shared the US Embassy.
edition seeks to promote the use of mixed methods by showcasing their strengths as research tools in addressing various problems of the society from psychology to economics.
Rao is one of two economists speaking at the event—the other being Edward Cartwright of De Montfort University in the United Kingdom.
Two former presidents of the Mixed Methods International Research Association—Cheryl Poth of the University of Alberta in Canada and Judith Schoonenboom of the University of Vienna in Austria— will also provide insights on certain aspects of mixed-methods research.
The second edition of “HaloHalo…” builds on the achievements of the inaugural edition held last May 21 and 22 at UST. This year’s
The fair is being organized by UST’s Research Center for Social Sciences and Education or RCSSED. Participants from various regions of the Philippines can avail of affordable registration fees to participate. Interested participants are also invited to submit research e-posters on recently finished and ongoing mixed-methods projects for the event’s interactive sessions. Interested participants can call UST’s RCSSED at rcssed@ust.edu. ph and halohalo.mixedmethods@ gmail.com through 02-87313535, and by searching the Facebook page “ Halo-Halo: The Filipino Mixed Methods Fair.”
School, Guilingan Elementary School, Tarumpitao Point Elementary School, Rizal Central School,
Tourism Editor: Edwin P. Sallan
LUXURY IN THE OLDEST CITY
What lies ahead in the land of NUSTAR?
Story & photos by Vincent Peter Rivera
FOR a long time, Metro Manila has been home to the most grand and opulent places in the country.
Dynamic business districts, fastpaced lives, and various lavish offerings—you name it, almost everything can be found here. But beyond the capital region, a new standard is being set in Cebu: the NUSTAR Resort & Casino, a place truly redefining luxury. Embarking on a journey at NUSTAR was more than a trip for me, it was a door to a series of “firsts” as it’s my first ever trip outside of Luzon. From navigating my way inside Ninoy Aquino International Airport, to riding a plane for the first time, and finally landing at Mactan International Airport, I undertook this journey entirely alone—truly diving right in with zero expectations in mind.
After almost an hour of flight, I finally landed in the oldest city of the Philippines. By traversing the 8.9 kilometer Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) laying across the Mactan Canal, it took me about 45 minutes to arrive at NUSTAR Resort and Casino, an establishment remarkably located just at the edge of the land and standing tall along the large body of ocean.
Setting foot in NUSTAR Hotel MY accommodation for this threeday and two-night trip was at the newly launched NUSTAR Hotel, a place that not only offers serenity but also serves as a gateway to experience everything at NUSTAR. Upon entering, I was immediately struck by its high-end furniture, exquisite interior, and the receptionists who personally accommodated guests, instantly conveying the true essence of luxury and hospitality.
I stayed in the “Signature Seaview Twin” room, which offered a picturesque view of the sea, as its name suggests. The moment I stepped into the room, I was greeted by the minibar, coffee/tea facility including a Nespresso coffee machine, a vanity area, and an open closet on my right. Then, just straight ahead of the room was the main area, featuring two single beds and the highlight of the room: the open view of the sea directly in front of the beds, resonating well with travelers who seek the comfort of natural
beauty within a luxurious setting. To the left of the beds was the bathroom, complete with a bathtub overlooking the sea and a separate toilet room. This layout makes the room truly conducive for two people. Overall, the room exudes warmth, relaxation, and luxury, all in one. The room also offered a 24-hour in-room dining service, an IDD telephone, and voicemail, ensuring everything you needed was conveniently within reach and readily available.
Sailing through Crucero AFTER dropping off our belongings and settling in, my journey at NUSTAR officially began by setting sail on the NUSTAR Crucero, a premier sunset cruise experience. While enjoying an array of food offerings, from delectable desserts to refreshing cocktails, I got to witness the sunset of Cebu at its finest, seen from a captivating new angle.
Being surrounded by water is a wonderfully relaxing and serene experience. It’s especially memorable to enjoy the company of the water as we sailed past the shores of Cebu, Mactan, and Lapu-Lapu during sunset. Traveling under gigantic bridges that eventually illuminate the night as the sun fully sets was also a humbling experience. It felt as if I was witnessing grander things unfold right before my eyes as a small human being.
Fueling the day at Fili Café WAKING up the next day, I decided to start my morning with a sumptuous breakfast at Fili Café, a food place known for catering both international and local tastes, with a particular highlight on Filipino specialties from different regions.
Arriving inside, I was greeted right away by the cafe’s ambiance, which truly captures the essence of a nostalgic Filipino morning. Lively conversations among diners, a calming view of the sky and clouds, and even a “magtataho” (traditional Filipino street vendor) roaming between tables contribute to this unique charm. There were numerous offerings
at Fili Café that I could choose from, ranging from Korean dishes to Japanese delights and Chinese cuisine. Naturally, Filipino Cuisine also takes center stage, with dishes such as: classic breakfast items (tuyo, sinangag, eggs, longganisa, and tapa), the famous Cebu Lechon, and various signature Filipino dishes among others.
I decided to fill my plate with Filipino breakfast foods like tapa, sinangag, tuyo, and scrambled egg, which all tasted delicious. I also paired them with kapeng barako to conclude my meal.
Luxurious Shopping RIGHT after breakfast, it’s time to explore what’s in store at NUSTAR’s The Mall, the first establishment
A good day out in Avila
WHEN I returned to Spain, I wanted to visit a place I haven’t been to. Before my trip started I researched about possible destinations I can add to my itinerary. I wanted something with a bit of history and accessible from Madrid. After creating a short list, I decided on visiting Avila.
Time Stands Still in Avila
I SPENT the afternoon and evening the day before checking out and returning to spots in Madrid I went to during an earlier trip. I re-familiarized myself with the city and its
urban sprawl; the busy thoroughfares, the bustle of locals and visitors going about their routines, the historic Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol, and the general vibe of a concrete jungle. There were hints of home when I heard a few conversations in Tagalog or when I engaged in small talk and friendly banter with Pinoys and Pinays trying to make a better life in Spain. These were all in stark contrast with what I saw and experienced in Avila. In ancient times, Avila used to be part of Roman Lusitania. The Moors then took the city for a couple of centuries before the Christians led by Alfonso VI recaptured Avila
outside Luzon to feature a wide array of luxury brands. The establishment houses both homegrown and international brands, each embodying the same luxurious appeal that NUSTAR itself exudes.
If you’re into fashion, jewelry, and timepieces, this mall will probably be your haven during your stay at NUSTAR. It features Chow Tai Fook, Burberry, Gucci, Lacoste, Bulgari, Loewe, Tiffany & Co., Boss, Saint Laurent, Dior, and Louis Vuitton.
Koshima by Nonki
AFTER exploring The Mall, I had the opportunity to dine at Koshima by Nonki, a refined Japanese dining destination that meticulously selects ingredients, frequently importing them
in 1085. The first thing I noticed upon arrival was the imposing walls surrounding the historic and UNESCO World Heritage Site center. Imagine the Spanish royal family and their imperial court of the time going about their daily routine in their carriages surrounded by their guards in Avila. The fortifications date to the 12th century and are several meters high. It has multiple entry points, some of which are more elaborate than others, one in mind is the Puerta del Alcazar.
As soon as I walked into the old city, it felt like time stood still for centuries. The well-preserved structures, churches, and buildings look like they were stuck in the past. If you’re looking for a medieval ambiance, Avila is the place to go. It doesn’t have the hustle and bustle of Madrid, life moves slowly in the historic center. It’s a tourist town so expect a few groups coming and
directly from Japan, and dedicates significant attention to the intricate art of presentation and the delicate balance of flavors.
I had an Omakase menu featuring an exquisite sashimi platter with Aji fish, alongside an assortment of fresh sushis such as Salmon Sushi, delicate Squid and Sea Urchin Sushi, rich Hamachi (Yellow Tail) Sushi, and the classic Tamagoyaki (traditional Japanese rolled omelet) sushi.
On the third and final day of my stay at NUSTAR, I returned to Fili Café to savor my breakfast. I tried other Asian foods this time, such as Kimchi, Japchae, and another version of fried rice, and once again had kapeng barako to accompany it all. I took my time eating and simply embraced the
going and experiencing history like you.
Like in many Spanish cities I’ve been to, there’s always a plaza and a few historic and important ancient churches. Avila’s Plaza Mayor pales in comparison to its bigger counterparts in bigger cities such as Madrid. However, its quaintness is part of its charm. You can check out the shops for souvenirs or grab something to eat in one of the restaurants. You could also pick a spot to sit in and soak in the old city’s medieval ambiance.
noises around me, enjoying the scenery of clear skies ahead.
Having until noon to enjoy my stay, I simply spent the rest of my time enjoying the seaview from my room. The sun beamed bright against the still, clear blue sea; everything was serene. It was my first glimpse of Cebu’s beauty, and on top of that, my first time traveling outside Luzon. NUSTAR witnessed this, not only by providing me rest for the past few days but simply by laying out all the experiences I got to cherish. There’s definitely beauty in discovering something where you least expect it. NUSTAR stands as proof of that—a home to luxury, far from the glitz of Luzon, and truly a league and a story of its own.
One of the centuries old churches you’ll see is the Basilica de San Vicente. Its construction began in the 12th century and concluded in the 14th century. Avila was the birthplace of Santa Teresa. As a nun, she stressed the contemplative and austere Carmelite way of living. You can visit the Convento de Santa Teresa de Jesús and the Iglesia de Santa Teresa while in Avila. Both are historic and beautiful churches in their own right. The Avila Cathedral is a striking piece of Gothic architecture. One section of the cathedral is part of the city’s walls. Alfonso VIII hired Frenchman Fruchel to extend the original structure back in 1172. The cathedral underwent several other additions over the centuries. There was a substantial Jewish population that lived and thrived in Avila during the Middle Ages. They lived among Christians and Moors and had their own businesses. However, thousands were expelled over the course of the centuries, leaving behind vestiges of their communities. A day trip to Avila is not just for history buffs, but also for the casual travelers that want a brief respite from the concrete jungle of Madrid. Its medieval atmosphere is charming and its easily navigable streets make it a noteworthy destination.
Story & photos by Joshua Berida
THE lobby of NUSTAR Hotel.
THE two beds inside the Signature Seaview Twin room.
THE Fili Café.
The facade of NUSTAR Resort & Casino.
THE bathtub inside the Signature Seaview Twin room.
The NUSTAR Crucero.
THE bridge that illuminates the night at Cebu.
THE bathroom inside the Signature Seaview Twin room.
AVILA’S quaint Plaza Mayor. HISTORIC and beautiful churches abound within the walls of Avila.
WALKING around Avila is like opening a history book
Russia unleashes massive aerial attack on Kyiv, injuring 23 amid escalating war
By Hanna Arhirova The Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine—Waves of drone and missile attacks targeted Kyiv overnight into Friday in the largest aerial attack since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began more than three years ago, injuring 23 people and inflicting severe damage across multiple districts of the capital in a seven-hour onslaught.
Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine during the night, the country’s air force said. The majority were Shahed drones, but Russia also launched 11 missiles in the attack.
“It was a harsh, sleepless night,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Russia is escalating its longrange attacks on Ukrainian cities. Less than a week ago Russia launched its previous largest aerial assault of the war. That strategy has coincided with a new push by Russia’s bigger forces along parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where Ukrainian troops are under severe pressure.
Trump ‘not happy’ with Russia’s attacks
THE attack on Kyiv began the same day a phone call took place between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy called the timing of the strikes a deliberate signal
that Moscow has no intention of ending the war.
Trump said he would call Zelenskyy on Friday. US-led international peace efforts have been fruitless so far.
When asked if he made any progress with Putin on a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine, he said: “No, I didn’t make any progress with him today at all.”
“I’m not happy about that. I’m not happy about that,” Trump said of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
According to Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, the Russian leader emphasized that Moscow will seek to achieve its goals in Ukraine and remove the “root causes” of the conflict.
“Russia will not back down from these goals,” Ushakov told reporters after the call.
Putin has argued he sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022 to fend off a threat to Russia posed by Ukraine’s push to join NATO and to protect Russian speakers in Ukraine, arguments rejected by Kyiv and its allies. He insisted any
prospective peace deal must see Ukraine abandon its NATO bid and recognize Russia’s territorial gains.
Pentagon halts deliveries of air defense missiles
THE US has paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defense missiles. Ukraine’s main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Zelenskyy says plans are afoot to build up Ukraine’s domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time.
Throughout the night, Associated Press journalists in Kyiv heard the constant buzzing of drones overhead and the sound of explosions and intense machine gun fire as Ukrainian forces tried to intercept the aerial assault.
“Absolutely horrible and sleepless night in Kyiv,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on social media platform X. “One of the worst so far.”
Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko described “families running into metro stations, basements, underground parking garages, mass destruction in the heart of our capital.”
“What Kyiv endured last night,
cannot be called anything but a deliberate act of terror,” she wrote on X.
Kyiv was the primary target of the countrywide attack. At least 14 people were hospitalized, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Russia strikes 5 Ukrainian regions
UKRAINIAN air defenses shot down 270 targets, including two cruise missiles. Another 208 targets were lost from radar and presumed jammed.
Russia successfully hit eight locations with nine missiles and 63 drones. Debris from intercepted drones fell across at least 33 sites.
In addition to the capital, the Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions also sustained damage, Zelenskyy said.
Emergency services reported damage in at least five of the capital’s 10 districts. In Solomianskyi district, a five-story residential building was partially destroyed and the roof of a seven-story building caught fire. Fires also broke out at a warehouse, a garage complex and an auto repair facility.
Editor: Angel R. Calso
Trump slams Biden’s Ukraine aid, says US ‘emptied out’ its arsenal
By Chris Megerian The Associated Press
ASHINGTON—Presi -
Wdent Donald Trump complained Thursday that the United States provided too many weapons to Ukraine under the previous administration, his first public comments on the pause in some shipments as Russia escalates its latest offensive.
Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One for a flight to Iowa, Trump said former President Joe Biden “emptied out our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves.”
Air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons are among those being withheld from Ukraine. The country suffered a new barrage overnight, with warnings of ballistic missiles followed by explosions in Kyiv. The sound of machine gun fire and drone engines could be heard across the capital.
Trump, who also spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, suggested he wasn’t completely cutting off American assistance to Ukraine.
“We’ve given so many weapons,” he said, adding that “we are working with them and trying to help them.”
Trump said he had a “pretty long call” with Putin that “didn’t make any progress” in resolving the war, which the Republican president had promised to swiftly bring to a conclusion.
“I’m not happy about that,” he said.
The Kremlin described the conversation as “frank and constructive”—the sixth publicly disclosed chat between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House.
While discussing the situation
around Iran and in the broader Middle East, Putin emphasized the need to resolve all differences “exclusively by political and diplomatic means,” said Yuri Ushakov, his foreign affairs adviser. The leaders agreed that Russian and US officials will maintain contact on the issue, he added.
The United States struck three sites in Iran on June 22, inserting itself into Israel’s war aimed at destroying Tehran’s nuclear program.
On the conflict in Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasized his push for a quick halt to the fighting, and Putin voiced Moscow’s readiness to pursue talks with Kyiv, noting the previous rounds in Turkey yielded humanitarian results.
At the same time, the Russian leader emphasized that Moscow will seek to achieve its goals in Ukraine and remove the “root causes” of the conflict, Ushakov said.
“Russia will not back down from these goals,” Ushakov told reporters after the call.
Putin has argued he sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022 to fend off a threat to Russia posed by Ukraine’s push to join NATO and to protect Russian speakers in Ukraine—arguments rejected by Kyiv and its allies. He insisted that any prospective peace deal must see Ukraine abandon its NATO bid and recognize Russia’s territorial gains.
Ushakov said a suspension of some US weapons shipments to Ukraine wasn’t discussed in the Trump-Putin call.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Denmark after meeting with major European Union backers that he may talk to Trump in the coming days about the suspension.
“I hope that maybe tomorrow,
See “Ukraine,” A11
See “Russia,” A11
IN this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, first responders work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Friday, July 4, 2025. UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE VIA AP
House gives final approval to Trump’s big tax bill in a milestone for his second-term agenda
By Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick, Leah Askarinam & Matt Brown
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—House
Republicans propelled President Donald Trump’s big multitrillion-dollar tax breaks and spending cuts bill to final passage Thursday in Congress, overcoming multiple setbacks to approve his signature second-term policy package before a Fourth of July deadline.
The tight roll call, 218-214, came at a potentially high political cost, with two Republicans joining all Democrats opposed. GOP leaders worked overnight and the president himself leaned on a handful of skeptics to drop their opposition. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York delayed voting for more than eight hours by seizing control of the floor with a recordbreaking speech against the bill.
Trump celebrated his political victory in Iowa, where he attended the kickoff for a year of events marking the country’s upcoming 250th anniversary.
“I want to thank Republican congressmen and women, because what they did is incredible,” he said. The president complained that Democrats voted against the bill because “they hate Trump— but I hate them too.” Trump said he plans to sign the legislation on Friday at the White House.
The outcome delivers a milestone for the president and for his party. It was a long-shot effort to compile a lengthy list of GOP prior -
Ukraine.
. .
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or close days, these days, I will speak about it with President Trump,” he said.
The previous publicly known call between Trump and Putin came June 14, a day after Israel attacked Iran.
The resumed contact between Trump and Putin appeared to reflect their interest in mending US-Russian ties that have plummeted to their lowest point since the Cold War.
Ushakov said the leaders discussed developments in Syria and expressed interest in pur -
ities into what they called his “one big beautiful bill,” at nearly 900 pages. With Democrats unified in opposition, the bill will become a defining measure of Trump’s return to the White House, aided by Republican control of Congress.
“You get tired of winning yet?” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., invoking Trump as he called the vote.
“With one big beautiful bill we are going to make this country stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before,” he said.
Republicans celebrated with a rendition of the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” a song the president often plays at his rallies, during a ceremony afterward.
Tax breaks and safety net cuts AT its core, the package’s priority is $4.5 trillion in tax breaks enacted in 2017 during Trump’s first term that would expire if Congress failed to act, along with new ones. This includes allowing workers to deduct tips and overtime pay, and a $6,000 deduction for most older adults earning less than $75,000 a year.
suing bilateral projects in the energy sector and space exploration, during what he described as “frank, businesslike and concrete conversation.”
The Kremlin adviser added that Putin even suggested that the US and Russia could exchange movies promoting “traditional values shared by us and the Trump administration.”
On Tuesday, Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron held their first direct telephone call in almost three years.
The Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani in Washington, and Lorne Cook in Aarhus, Denmark, and Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed.
There’s also a hefty investment, some $350 billion, in national security and Trump’s deportation agenda and to help develop the “Golden Dome” defensive system over the US.
To help offset the lost tax revenue, the package includes $1.2 trillion in cutbacks to the Medicaid health care and food stamps, largely by imposing new work requirements, including for some parents and older people, and a major rollback of green energy tax credits.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the package will add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the decade and 11.8 million more people will go without health coverage.
“This was a generational opportunity to deliver the most comprehensive and consequential set of conservative reforms in modern history, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, the House Budget Committee chairman.
Democrats united against the big ‘ugly bill’
Democrats unified against the bill as a tax giveaway to the rich paid for on the backs of the working class and most vulnerable in society, what they called “trickle down cruelty.”
Jeffries began the speech at 4:53 a.m. EDT and finished at 1:37 p.m. EDT, 8 hours, 44 minutes later, a record, as he argued against what he called Trump’s “big ugly bill.”
“We’re better than this,” said Jeffries, who used a leader’s prerogative for unlimited debate, and read letter after letter from Americans writing about their reliance of the health care programs.
“I never thought that I’d be on the House floor saying that this is
Russia. . .
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In Sviatoshynskyi district, a strike hit a 14-story residential building, sparking a fire. Several vehicles also caught fire nearby. Blazes were also reported at nonresidential facilities.
In Shevchenkivskyi district, an eight-story building came under attack, with the first floor sustaining damage. Falling debris was recorded in Darnytskyi and Holosiivskyi districts.
Ukraine’s national railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said drone strikes damaged rail infrastructure in Kyiv.
a crime scene,” Jeffries said. “It’s a crime scene, going after the health, and the safety, and the well-being of the American people.”
And as Democrats, he said, “We want no part of it.”
Tensions ran high. As fellow Democrats chanted Jeffries’ name, a top Republican, Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, called his speech “a bunch of hogwash.”
Hauling the package through the Congress has been difficult from the start. Republicans have struggled mightily with the bill nearly every step of the way, quarreling in the House and Senate, and often succeeding only by the narrowest of margins: just one vote.
The Senate passed the package days earlier with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie vote.
The slim majority in the House left Republicans little room for defections.
“It wasn’t beautiful enough for me to vote for it,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. Also voting no was Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, who said he was concerned about cuts to Medicaid.
Once Johnson gaveled the tally, Republicans cheered “USA!” and flashed Trump-style thumbs-up to the cameras.
Political costs of saying no DESPITE their discomfort with various aspects of the sprawling package, in some ways it became too big to fail—in part because Republicans found it difficult to buck Trump.
As Wednesday’s stalled floor action dragged overnight, Trump railed against the delays.
“What are the Republicans waiting for???” the president said in a midnight-hour post.
Johnson relied heavily on White House Cabinet secretaries, lawyers and others to satisfy skeptical GOP holdouts. Moderate Republicans worried about the severity of cuts while conservatives pressed for steeper reductions.
Lawmakers said they were being told the administration could provide executive actions, projects or other provisions in their districts back home.
The alternative was clear.
Republicans who staked out opposition to the bill, including Massie of Kentucky and Sen.
Thom Tillis of North Carolina, were being warned by Trump’s well-funded political operation. Tillis soon after announced he would not seek reelection.
Rollback of past presidential agendas
IN many ways, the package is a repudiation of the agendas of the last two Democratic presidents, a chiseling away at the Medicaid expansion from Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, and a pullback of Joe Biden’s climate change strategies in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Democrats have described the bill in dire terms, warning that cuts to Medicaid, which some 80 million Americans rely on, would result in lives lost. Food stamps that help feed more than 40 million people would “rip food from the mouths of hungry children, hungry veterans and hungry seniors,” Jeffries said.
Republicans say the tax breaks will prevent a tax hike on households and grow the economy. They maintain they are trying to rightsize the safety net programs for the population they were initially designed to serve, mainly pregnant women, the disabled and children, and root out what they describe as waste, fraud and abuse.
The Tax Policy Center, which provides nonpartisan analysis of tax and budget policy, projected the bill would result next year in a $150 tax break for the lowest quintile of Americans, a $1,750 tax cut for the middle quintile and a $10,950 tax cut for the top quintile. That’s compared with what they would face if the 2017 tax cuts expired.
Foreign medical residents fill critical positions at US hospitals,
By Adithi Ramakrishnan & Devi Shastri The Associated Press
SOME hospitals in the US are without essential staff because international doctors who were set to start their medical training this week were delayed by the Trump administration’s travel and visa restrictions.
It’s unclear exactly how many foreign medical residents were unable to start their assignments, but six medical residents interviewed
but are
running into visa issues
by The Associated Press say they’ve undergone years of training and work only to be stopped at the finish line by what is usually a procedural step.
“I don’t want to give up,” said a permanent Canadian resident who matched to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Harrisburg but had her visa denied because she is a citizen of Afghanistan. She requested to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal. “But the situation also seems so helpless.”
Initially, the medical community was worried that hundreds of positions—many in hospitals in low-income or rural areas of the US—could be affected. The pause on interviews for J-1 visas for approved work or study-related programs was lifted in mid-June.
The national nonprofit that facilitates the residency match process said the visa situation is resolving, but it will take weeks to know with confidence how
The Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Joey Cappelletti and Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
SPEAKER of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., surrounded by Republican members of Congress, signs President Donald Trump’s signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington. AP/JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON
Editor: Angel R. Calso
Tens of thousands affected as French air traffic controllers strike hits Europe’s summer travel
PARIS—About 40% of flights were canceled Friday at all Paris airports and tens of thousands of passengers were rearranging plans at the height of the summer travel season because of a strike by French air traffic controllers seeking better working conditions.
Disruptions started hitting airports around France on Thursday and intensified Friday. The national civil aviation authority asked airlines to cancel 40% of flights Friday at Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais airports serving Paris, half of flights in Nice and 30% of flights in Marseille, Lyon and some other cities.
Despite the preventive cancelations, the authority warned in a statement that “disruptions and long delays are to be expected at all French airports.”
Ryanair was among airlines that announced widespread disruptions, saying in a statement it canceled more than 400 flights affecting 70,000 passengers. The company said the strike affects all its flights over French airspace, as well as traffic in and out of French airports, and urged the European Union to reform air traffic rules.
At least 20 people injured after gas station explodes in Rome
RBy Giada Zampano The Associated Press
OME—A gas station ex -
ploded early on Friday in southeastern Rome, injuring at least 20 people, including eight police officers and a firefighter, local authorities and rescuers said.
The explosion was heard across the Italian capital shortly after 8 a.m., sending up a huge cloud of dark smoke and fire visible from several areas of the city.
Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri said around 20 people suffered slight injuries.
Gualtieri said local police and firefighters rushed to the area after they were alerted about a gas
leak. Two explosions followed after they arrived, he added.
Elisabetta Accardo, a spokesperson for the Roman police, said that eight police officers were injured after arriving for rescue operations.
“There were a few chain explosions after the first one,” Accardo told Italian state broadcaster RAI. “All the policemen injured suffered burns, but they are not in danger of life.”
Fire department spokesperson Luca Cari said one firefighter was also injured in the explosion, but “not seriously.” Ten teams were at work on the site, he added.
Police said they were checking the whole surrounding area for people who were injured or trapped
in nearby buildings.
Rome prosecutors have started a probe into what caused the explosion.
A sports center located near the gas station was evacuated swiftly by police following the first explosion, with several children brought to safety.
Residents interviewed by local media said the explosion was so loud and violent that it struck nearby buildings “like an earthquake.”
Pope Leo XIV said he was praying for those affected by the explosion, which happened “in the heart of my Diocese.”
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was closely following the developments.
OBy Margery A. Beck & Susan Haigh The Associated Press
MAHA, Neb.—Tyler Sherman, a nurse at a rural Nebraska hospital, is used to the area’s aging farmers delaying care until they end up in his emergency room.
Now, with Congress planning around $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over 10 years, he fears those farmers and the more than 3,000 residents of Webster County could lose not just the ER, but also the clinic and nursing home tied to the hospital.
“Our budget is pretty heavily reliant on the Medicaid reimbursement, so if we do see a cut of that, it’ll be difficult to keep the doors open,” said Sherman, who works at Webster County Community Hospital in the small Nebraska town of Red Cloud just north of the Kansas border.
If those facilities close, many locals would see their five-minute trip to Webster County hospital turn into a nearly hour-long ride to the nearest hospital offering the same services.
One of the two unions leading the strike, UNSA-ICNA, said in a statement there are not enough employees to handle surging air travel and that inflation is eating away at salaries. The unions also are protesting new reform measures aiming to more tightly monitor their work, prompted by a near-collision at the Bordeaux airport.
“That’s a long way for an emergency,” Sherman said. “Some won’t make it.”
Already struggling hospitals would be hit particularly hard STATES and rural health advocacy groups warn that cutting Medicaid—a program serving millions of low-income and disabled Americans—would hit already fragile rural hospitals hard and could force hundreds to close, stranding some people in remote areas without nearby emergency care.
More than 300 hospitals could be at risk for closure under the Republican bill, according to an analysis by the Cecil G. Sheps Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which tracks rural hospital closures. Even as Congress haggled over the controversial bill, a health clinic in the southwest Nebraska town of Curtis announced Wednesday it will close in the coming months, in part blaming the anticipated Medicaid cuts.
Bruce Shay, of Pomfret, Connecticut, fears he and his wife could be among those left in the lurch. At 70, they’re both in good health, he said. But that likely means that if either
many medical residents have had the start of their careers derailed because they got their visa too late or were blocked by President Donald Trump’s travel ban on 12 countries, according to people who coordinate the residents’ training.
Four foreign medical residents told the AP that US embassies have been slow to open up interview slots—and some have not opened any.
“You lose out on the time you could have used to treat patients,” said one resident from Pakistan, who matched to an internal medicine program in Massachusetts and requested to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal.
Thousands of foreign medical residents fill gaps in US hospitals
THE US is projected to face a physician shortage in the next 11 years, per the Association of American Medical Colleges, and foreign medical residents fill critical gaps in the health care system. More than 6,600 foreign-born international medical residents matched into U.S. programs in 2025—the highest on record—and another 300 filled positions that were vacant after the match process was complete.
Not all of those residents were affected by visa issues or the travel ban on foreign nationals from countries including Afghanistan, Haiti and Sudan.
International medical graduates often take jobs in places where US medical trainees tend not to go, said Donna Lamb, president of the National Resident Matching Program.
“It’s not just that they’re coming in and they want to work in big, flashy centers on the coast,” Lamb said. “They’re truly providing health care for all of America.”
Foreign medical residents work in specialties that US applicants aren’t as eager to apply to. For example, international candidates make up almost 40% of residents in internal medicine, which specializes in the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
“The residents are the backbone of the entire hospital,” said Dr. Zaid Alrashid from Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in New York, which has medical
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot called the union demands—and their decision to strike just as French schools close for the summer and many families head on vacation—“unacceptable.” AP
needs to go to a hospital, “it’s going to be an emergency.”
Day Kimball Hospital is nearby in Putnam, but it has faced recent financial challenges. Day Kimball’s CEO R. Kyle Kramer acknowledged that a Senate bill passed Tuesday—estimated to cut federal Medicaid spending in rural areas by $155 billion over 10 years—would further hurt his rural hospital’s bottom line. Roughly 30% of Day Kimball’s current patients receive Medicaid benefits, a figure that’s even higher for specific, critical services like obstetrics and behavioral health.
“An emergency means I’m 45 minutes to an hour away from the nearest hospital, and that’s a problem,” Shay said. And he and his wife wouldn’t be the only ones having to make that trip.
“You’ve got, I’m sure, thousands of people who rely on Day Kimball Hospital. If it closed, thousands of people would have to go to another hospital,” he said. “That’s a huge load to suddenly impose on a hospital system that’s probably already stretched thin.”
See “Medicaid,” A13
residents from almost every continent. Most received their visas prior to the pause but a few were caught up in delays.
Two residents from India who spoke on condition of anonymity have not been able to get an appointment at any US embassies there despite the J-1 visa pause being lifted.
Another resident from Egypt just secured a visa appointment for mid-August but is worried her program may not be willing to wait for her. She’s already paid her security deposit for an apartment in Texas to live during her residency.
“I don’t know when this situation will be resolved,” said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding she hasn’t been eating or sleeping well.
Hospitals waiting for residents to arrive IN California, leaders at two graduate medical education programs said they have a small number of residents caught up in J-1 visa delays. Both spoke on condition of anonymity due to concerns for the doctors who are still trying to get visas.
A residency leader at one large health care system said two doctors in its 150-resident program are delayed, adding they could start late or defer to next year. A 135-person program at a California public health system told the AP that one resident has yet to arrive, though he was finally scheduled for a visa interview.
“We are not going to breathe easy until he’s here in our hospital,” the second leader said.
As of Wednesday, Lamb’s matching program had received fewer than 20 requests to defer or cancel residency contracts.
Worried about losing their spots if they defer, many foreign medical residents may keep trying to get to the US and start their residencies late, said Dr. Sabesan Karuppiah, a past member of the American Medical Association’s International Medical Graduates Governing Council and former director of a large residency program. Some hospitals may struggle at this point to replace the residents who don’t make it, leaving fewer people to care for the same number of patients, said Kimberly Pierce Burke, executive director of the Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers. Foreign medical trainees
Karuppiah said.
Rural hospitals brace for financial hits or even closure under Trump’s $1 trillion Medicaid cut
BusinessMirror
UN records 613 killings in Gaza near humanitarian convoys or aid distribution points run by US group
By Wafaa Shurafa & Samya Kullab The Associated Press
DEIR al-BALAH, Gaza Strip— Israeli airstrikes killed 15 Palestinians in Gaza early on Friday, while another 20 people died in shootings while waiting for aid, the hospital morgue that received their bodies told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, the UN human rights office said on Friday it has recorded 613 killings in Gaza near humanitarian convoys and at aid distribution points run by an Israeli-backed American organization since it first began operations in late May.
Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the rights office was not able to attribute responsibility for the killings. But she said “it is clear that the Israeli military has shelled and shot at Palestinians trying to reach the distribution points” operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
South Korean army soldiers, bottom right, are seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, on June 12, 2025. AP/AHN YOUNG-JOON
North Korean crosses heavily fortified border to South Korea
By Kim Tong-Hyung The Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea — An unidentified North Korean man crossed the heavily fortified land border separating the two Koreas and is in South Korean custody, the South’s military said Friday.
The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military identified and tracked the individual near the central-west section of the military demarcation line and conducted a “guiding operation” before taking the person into custody Thursday night. It said authorities plan to investigate the border crossing and did not immediately say whether they view the incident as a defection attempt.
The Joint Chiefs said it notified the US-led United Nations Command about the incident and had not detected any immediate signs of unusual military activity by the North.
According to the Joint Chiefs, a South Korean military team approached the unarmed North Korean man after detecting him and, after identifying themselves as South Korean troops, guided him safely out of the mine-strewn Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas.
Border tensions have flared in recent months as the two Koreas traded Cold War-style psychological warfare, with North Korea sending thousands of trashfilled balloons toward the South and South Korea blasting antiPyongyang propaganda through loudspeakers.
Since taking office last month, South Korea’s new liberal President Lee Jae Myung has made efforts to rebuild trust with North Korea, halting the frontline loudspeaker broadcasts and moving to ban activists from flying balloons carrying propaganda leaflets across the border.
In April, South Korean troops fired warning shots to repel about 10 North Korean soldiers who briefly crossed the military demarcation line. The South’s military said the soldiers returned to North Korean territory without incident and that the North didn’t return fire.
In June last year, North Korean troops crossed the border three times, prompting South Korea to fire warning shots. Experts suggested these crossings may have been accidental, occurring as North Korean troops added antitank barriers, planted mines and carried out other work to bolster border defenses amid escalating tensions between the Koreas.
Those killed in Friday’s strikes included eight women and one child. Nasser Hospital said of those who were killed in shootings, two died near aid distribution sites in Rafah and 18 were waiting for trucks to deliver supplies elsewhere in southern Gaza.
Israel’s military did not immediately provide comment on the strikes.
Israel’s military said a soldier was killed in combat in the north of Gaza and it was investigating. Over 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began, including more than 400 during the fighting in Gaza.
The recent killings took place as efforts to halt the 21-month war appeared to be moving forward.
Hamas said Friday that it was holding discussions with leaders of other Palestinian factions to discuss a ceasefire proposal presented to it by Egyptian and
Qatari mediators.
Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before
conditions worsen.
Hamas will give its final response to mediators after the discussions have concluded, the statement said.
The Health Ministry in Gaza said the number of Palestinians killed in the territory has passed 57,000. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.
According to Palestinian witnesses and Gaza’s Health Ministry, several hundred people have been killed or wounded by Israeli troops when trying to reach the aid sites since they opened in May.
The military has repeatedly said it’s fired only warning shots, denies deliberately firing towards civilians, and says it’s looking into reports of civilian harm.
Kullab reported from Jerusalem. Julia Frankel contributed.
New Mexico desert becomes restricted military zone in US border crackdown
By Morgan Lee Associated Press
COLUMBUS, N.M.—Orange no-entry signs posted by the US military in English and Spanish dot the New Mexico desert, where a border wall cuts past onion fields and parched ranches with tufts of tall grass growing amidst wiry brush and yucca trees.
The Army has posted thousands of the warnings in New Mexico and western Texas, declaring a “restricted area by authority of the commander.” It’s part of a major shift that has thrust the military into border enforcement with Mexico like never before.
The move places long stretches of the border under the supervision of nearby military bases, empowering US troops to detain people who enter the country illegally and sidestep a law prohibiting military involvement in civilian law enforcement. It is done under the authority of the national emergency on the border declared by President Donald Trump on his first day in office.
US authorities say the zones are needed to close gaps in border enforcement and help in the wider fight against human smuggling networks and brutal drug cartels.
The militarization is being challenged in court, and has been criticized by civil rights advocates, humanitarian aid groups and outdoor enthusiasts who object to being blocked from public lands while troops have free rein.
Abbey Carpenter, a leader of a searchand-rescue group for missing migrants, said public access is being denied across sweltering stretches of desert where migrant deaths have surged.
“Maybe there are more deaths, but we don’t know,” she said.
Military expansion
TWO militarized zones form a buffer along 230 miles (370 kilometers) of border, from Fort Hancock, Texas, through El Paso and westward across vast New Mexico ranchlands.
The Defense Department added an additional 250-mile (400-kilometer) zone last week in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley and plans another near Yuma, Arizona.
Combined, the zones will cover nearly one-third of the US border with Mexico.
They are patrolled by at least 7,600 members of the armed forces, vastly expanding the US government presence on the border.
Reaction to the military buffer has been mixed among residents of New Mexico’s rural Luna County, where a strong culture of individual liberty is tempered by the desire to squelch networks bringing migrants and contraband across the border.
“We as a family have always been very supportive of the mission, and very supportive of border security,” said James Johnson, a fourth-generation farmer overseeing seasonal laborers as they filled giant plastic crates with onions, earning $22 per container.
Military deployments under prior presidents put “eyes and ears” on the border, Johnson said. This version is “trying to give some teeth.”
But some hunters and hikers fear they’re being locked out of a rugged and cherished landscape.
“I don’t want to go down there with my hunting rifle and all of a sudden somebody rolls up on me and says that I’m in a military zone,” said Ray Trejo, a coordinator for the New Mexico Wildlife Federation and a Luna County commissioner. “I don’t know if these folks have been taught to deescalate situations.”
A former public school teacher of English as a second language, Trejo said military trespassing charges seem inhumane in an economy built on immigrant farm labor.
“If the Army, Border Patrol, law enforcement in general are detaining people for reasons of transporting, of human smuggling, I don’t have a problem,” he said. “But people are coming into our country to work, stepping now all of a sudden into a military zone, and they have no idea.”
Nicole Wieman, an Army command spokesperson, said the Army is negotiating possible public access for recreation and hunting, and will honor private rights to grazing and mining.
Increased punishment MORE than 1,400 migrants have been
payer like Medicaid that makes up a significant portion of rural provider funding—is going to be consequential to the rural hospitals’ ability to provide certain services or maybe even keep their doors open at the end of the day.” Kentucky is expected to be hit especially hard A KFF report shows 36 states
charged with trespassing on military territory, facing a possible 18-month prison sentence for a first offense. That’s on top of an illegal entry charge that brings up to six months in custody. After that, most are turned over to US Customs and Border Protection for likely deportation. There have been no apparent arrests of US citizens.
At a federal courthouse in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on the banks of the Upper Rio Grande, migrants in drab county jail jumpsuits and chains filed before a magistrate judge on a recent weekday.
A 29-year-old Guatemalan woman struggled to understand instructions through a Spanish interpreter as she pleaded guilty to illegal entry. A judge set aside military trespassing charges for lack of evidence, but sentenced her to two weeks in jail before being transferred for likely deportation.
“She sells pottery, she’s a very simple woman with a sixth-grade education,” a public defense attorney told the judge.
“She told me she’s going back and she’s going to stay there.”
Border crossings
B ORDER Patrol arrests along the southern border this year have dropped to the lowest level in six decades, including a 30% decrease in June from the prior month as attempted crossings dwindle. On June 28, the Border Patrol made only 137 arrests, a stark contrast with late 2023, when arrests topped 10,000 on the busiest days.
The first militarized zones, introduced in April and May, extend west of El Paso past factories and cattle yards to partially encircle the New Mexico border village of Columbus, and its 1,450 residents. It was here that Mexican revolutionary forces led by Pancho Villa crossed into the US in a deadly 1916 raid.
These days, a port of entry at Columbus is where hundreds of children with US citizenship cross daily from a bedroom community in Mexico to board public school buses and attend classes nearby.
Columbus Mayor Philip Skinner, a Republican, says he’s seen the occasional military vehicle but no evidence of disruption in an area where illegal crossings have been rare.
“We’re kind of not tuned in to this
national politics,” Skinner said.
Oversight is divided between US Army commands in Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The militarized zones sidestep the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that prohibits the military from conducting civilian law enforcement on US soil.
Russell Johnson, a rancher and former Border Patrol agent, said he welcomes the new militarized zone where his ranch borders Mexico on land leased from the Bureau of Land Management.
“We have seen absolutely almost everything imaginable that can happen on the border, and most of it is bad,” he said, recalling off-road vehicle chases on his ranch and lifeless bodies recovered by Border Patrol.
In late April, he said, five armored military vehicles spent several days at a gap in the border wall, where construction was suspended at the outset of the Biden presidency. But, he said, he hasn’t seen much of the military in recent weeks.
“The only thing that’s really changed is the little extra signage,” he said. “We’re not seeing the military presence out here like we kind of anticipated.”
Court challenges
FEDERAL public defenders have challenged the military’s new oversight of public land in New Mexico, seizing on the arrest of a Mexican man for trespassing through remote terrain to test the legal waters. They decried the designation of a new military zone without congressional authorization “for the sole purpose of enabling military action on American soil” as “a matter of staggering and unpreceded political significance.” A judge has not ruled on the issue.
In the meantime, court challenges to trespassing charges in the militarized zone have met with a mixture of convictions and acquittals at trial.
Ryan Ellison, the top federal prosecutor in New Mexico, won trespassing convictions in June against two immigrants who entered a militarized zone again after an initial warning. “There’s not going to be an issue as to whether or not they were on notice,” he told a recent news conference.
AN Israeli army tank advances in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel on Thursday, July
A NORTH Korean military guard post, loudspeaker, top left, and
30-somethings make mark at Wimbledon
LONDON—After wrapping up a straight-set win on Centre Court, Novak Djokovic ran into another 38-year-old in the Wimbledon locker room.
Gael Monfils, who was born about eight months before Djokovic and is the only player in the men’s draw who’s older, was waiting for the start of his second-round match.
“He kind of smiled at me and said, ‘Good day in the office,’” Djokovic recounted. “At this age, he said, we need those types of days.” Thursday was certainly a good day for the old guard at Wimbledon.
At a time when the new generation—led by Carlos Alcaraz, 22, and Jannik Sinner, 23—is starting to take over, there will be six men in the third round who are 33 or older. (Monfils’ match against Marton Fucsovics, 33, was suspended because of darkness Thursday and will be completed Friday).
On Thursday, Djokovic beat
35-year-old Dan Evans; the 34-yearold Gregor Dimitrov ousted Corentin Moutet; 35-year-old Jan-Lennard Struff finished off a win over Felix Auger-Aliassime in a match that had been suspended on Wednesday; and 36-year-old Marin Cilic beat British No. 4 seed Jack Draper, who’s 23. The 37-year-old Adrian Mannarino advanced Wednesday.
And, as Struff pointed out, those turn-back-the-clock performances came after yet another 38-year-old, Fabio Fognini, pushed two-time defending champion Alcaraz to five sets in the first round.
“It’s amazing,” said Struff, who faces Alcaraz on Centre Court on Friday. “You see a lot of older players playing good tennis. So that motivates me, as well, to keep going.” Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion and twice a major runner-up elsewhere, is coming back to top-level tennis after having two knee operations and then playing in lower-level Challenger Tour events this year to boost his ranking. He had to make it through qualifying rounds just to get into the bracket at the French Open, where he lost in the first round.
He’s making his first Wimbledon appearance since 2021, and is pleased see some players his own age still around.
“It’s great to see them playing, continuing to play well,” Cilic said, “and using this experience to play great in Grand Slams.”
The older guys, it seems, often stick together behind the scenes.
“All of us, we have tremendous respect for each other,” Dimitrov said.
“We do these things, little gather-ups when we’re having lunch, and even in the locker rooms. The funniest thing is, it takes us a lot more time to prepare. Sometimes you have to prepare an hour and a half for a 30-minute hit.”
Being one of the veterans on tour also makes it easier to appreciate life as a tennis player, Dimitrov said.
But he acknowledged that some other things were better when he was younger.
“Would I like to have things…a little bit easier on the body? Yes,” he said. “But at this point, being able to compete against the guys, winning matches still, giving a hard time to the best players—that’s one reason to keep on playing.” AP
NOVAK DJOKOVIC is one of the 30-something players who are making turn-back-the-clock performances at the All England Club. AP
Mexican boxer Chávez Jr. arrested for deportation, according to feds
LOS ANGELES—Famed Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been arrested for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application and will be deported to Mexico, where he faces organized crime charges, US federal officials said Thursday.
The arrest came only days after the former middleweight champion lost a match against influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California.
The Department of Homeland Security said officials determined Chávez should be arrested on June 27, a day before the fight.
It was unclear why they waited to act for days after the high-profile event.
The 39-year-old boxer, according to his attorney Michael Goldstein, was picked up Wednesday by a large number of federal agents while he was riding a scooter in front of a home where he resides in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City near Hollywood.
“The current allegations are outrageous and simply another headline to terrorize the community,” Goldstein said.
Many people across Southern California are on edge as immigration arrests have ramped up, prompting protests and the federal deployment of National Guard troops and US Marines to downtown Los Angeles
Goldstein did not know where Chávez was being detained as of Thursday morning, but said he and his client were due in court Monday in connection with prior gun possession charges. Chávez’s family issued a statement Thursday afternoon in support of him, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“We have full confidence in his innocence,” the statement said. “We firmly believe that the proper course is to allow the competent authorities to carry out their work without external pressure or speculation.”
Before his bout with Paul on Saturday, Chávez had fought just once since 2021, having fallen to innumerable lows during a lengthy boxing career conducted in the shadow of his father, Julio César Chávez, one of the most beloved athletes in Mexican history and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame who won championships in several weight classes. The son, who has battled drug addiction for much of his career, has been arrested repeatedly. In 2012, he was convicted of drunk driving in Los Angeles and sentenced to 13 days in jail and in January 2024 he was arrested on gun charges. AP
Batang PBA back with usual thrill –Comm Marcial
THE Batang Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) returns on Monday and no one’s more excited than league commissioner Willie Marcial.
“It was thrilling to watch the kids play and see how skillful they are last year,” Marcial told BusinessMirror on Friday. “Former and current PBA players who watched them play were all praises on the talent of the kids.”
The Batang PBA, which has been going in for almost two decades now, will feature competitions in the 13 and 15 years old category starting on Monday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
One of the comebacking players, Enjo Lumactao, is also excited about the coming season—he was retained on
the San Miguel Beer by head coach Christian Fernandez. The Batang San Miguel Beer missed the semifinals last season with a 2-4 win-loss record.
A total of 90 players representing six teams—TNT Tropang 5G, San Miguel Beer, Terrafirma, Rain or Shine, Phoenix and NorthPort—are entere in the 15 years old division. The games will be played until the finals on July 14Gat the CCF Gym at the Ortigas Center. The schedules of games including the 13-under will be released on Monday. Rain or Shine and Blackwater are the reigning 11-under and 9-under champions, respectively, while TNT was the 13-under champion and Converge captured the 15-under crown. Josef Ramos
Hollis-Jefferson tells kids: Basketball never stops
THREE-TIME Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Best Import Rondae HollisJefferson (RHJ) wrapped up his RHJ on Tour recently and told the young participants to “try to play basketball any chance you get— even when it’s raining.”
At the heart of RHJ on Tour is Hollis-Jefferson’s belief that basketball is more than just a sport— it’s a tool for growth.
Mobility Awards opens public nominations for 2025
MOBILITY Awards emphasized in a webinar the urgent need for safer crossings and improved infrastructure for pedestrians and bicycle users following the rise of vehicular accidents and the removal of bike lanes.
With the planned elimination of protected bike lanes in some major cities, Maria Golda Hilario, Director for Urban Development at the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), highlighted the importance of having inclusive mobility infrastructures.
“Many [bicycle users] ride out of necessity, not by choice, because there aren’t enough public transport and the high cost of fares,” Hilario said. “Removing their only protection, the barriers, without offering a safe alternative, isn’t just poor planning. It puts lives at risk.”
Chuck Baclagon, Regional Finance Campaigner of 350 Pilipinas, also expounded on how crashes and road deaths “reflect systemic neglect of
people who rely on bicycles, walking and public transport.”
“It’s important for local governments to step up because they have the authoprity to make our streets safer through people-first design, stricter enforcement of speed limits, bike lane regulations and more importantly, serious improvements on non-motorized transport infrastructure,” Baclagon said.
The Mobility Awards opened its public nominations for 2025 to recognize the efforts and leadership of local governments, workplaces and commercial establishments in promoting active mobility, especially cycling and making public spaces inclusive and sustainable.
In its fourth year, the Mobility Awards announced the expansion of Bike-Friendly Awards to schools and universities, aiming to recognize institutions that support students who like and foster a culture of active mobility.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” the former National Basketball Association player said. “It’s good to work hard, but don’t get discouraged.” He added: “We’ve all been blessed by God to have this opportunity to be here. So don’t take it for granted. Seize every day, enjoy every day.” The RHJ on Tour was a free basketball clinic organized by TNT Tropang 5G to train and inspire young athletes from different communities in the Philippines. The tour had weekend training series that also featured TNT Tropang 5G coaches and PBA legends Jayson Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo, Bong Ravena and team manager Jojo Lastimosa. They were joined by coach Austin Huettl, Ralph Penuela and a member of Puerto Rico national team, Claudia Ledesma. And even while playing in the semifinals of the Philippine Cup, TNT’s “Tropang Bisdak”— RR Pogoy, Calvin Oftana, Glenn Khobuntin, Kevin Barkley Eboña, Brian Heruela, Poy Erram and Rey Nambatac—also extended their appreciation and support by sending a video message to inspire athletes and fans in the Visayas. The program offered hands-on coaching, mentorship and life lessons for aspiring players.
RHJ also emphasized the importance of education and family, urging kids to stay curious and listen to those guiding them.
Anna returns Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya returns to Denmark’s Clara Tauson during a second-round women’s singles match at Wimbledon which the Dane won, 6-3, 7-6 (10), on Thursday. AP
ENJO LUMACTAO again dons the San Miguel Beer uniform.