2025, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
BSP data showed the DSB increased to $4.914 billion in the January to April period of 2025. This was 1.34 percent higher than the $4.849 billion posted in the same period last year.
The DSB is composed of principal and interest amounts. In January to April 2025, the principal payments reached $2.42 billion while interest payments reached $2.494 billion.
BSP said the principal payments increased 6.23 percent from the $2.278 billion in January to April 2024. Interest payments contracted 2.99 percent from the $2.571 billion in the January to April last year. The country’s DSB to GDP ratio was 2.8 percent in the January to April 2025 period, lower than the 3.1 percent posted in the same period last year. As a percentage of the country’s Gross National Income (GNI) reached 2.4 percent in the January to April 2025 period, also lower than the 2.7 percent posted in the same period in 2024. BSP said the debt service burden represents principal and interest payments after rescheduling. DSB data consists of principal
By Samuel P. Medenilla and Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
WITH less than a month left before the new 20 percent United States tariff on Philippine goods take effect, President Ferdinand Marcos is flying to Washington D.C. this week to join negotiations to alleviate the impact of the “severe” higher duties to the country’s economy.
By Lenie Lectura @llectura
RANCIS
SATURNINO
JUAN ’s appointment as the new Chairman of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) came as a surprise to him, as he was eyeing just one of the slots vacated by two ERC commissioners, not the agency’s top post. “I just applied as commissioner. That’s the only vacancy when I applied. I was informed that I will be assigned to lead the ERC. I was happy because I will
be able to serve my fellow Filipinos as part of the ERC. I was also excited because of the responsibility assigned to me to lead the ERC. I was also surprised because my plan was just to be a commissioner,” Juan said in Filipino during a radio interview. The ERC is composed of one chairperson and four commissioners. Two of them recently retired and were replaced by Atty. Amante Liberato and Atty. Paris Real. Juan, Liberato, and Real now join commissioners Floresinda
“We will see how much progress we can make when it comes to the negotiations with the United States concerning the changes that we would like to institute so as to be able to alleviate the effects of a very severe tariff schedule on the Philippines,” the chief executive said in his predeparture speech at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City on Sunday.
This, as the finance secretary,
Ralph Recto, said the Philippines is open to eliminating tariffs on select American goods from the United States—a move that could make the US reconsider and lower the tariffs it imposed on Philippine exports.
President Marcos said the economic team led by Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick D. Go is already in the US to prepare the groundwork for his talks with US President Donald Trump.
“I intend to convey to President Trump and his Cabinet officials that the Philippines is ready to negotiate a bilateral trade deal that will ensure strong, mutually beneficial and future-oriented collaborations that only the United States and the Philippines will be able to take advantage of,” Marcos said.
TBy Ada Pelonia
HE Philippines maintained its status as the world’s third-largest banana exporter last year despite the persistent spread of Panama disease, according to an international report.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said the Philippines exported 2.3 million metric tons (MMT) of bananas in 2024, lower than the 2.35 MMT shipped in 2023. This is the second consecutive year that the country has ranked third on banana exports globally.
FAO revised its preliminary report released in January, where
it indicated that Colombia was the third-largest exporter after it overtook the Philippines, which shipped an estimated 2.28 MMT of bananas last year.
Based on the FAO’s official tally, Ecuador remained the world’s top exporter of bananas, with shipments reaching “just below” 6 MMT in 2024. Costa Rica trailed behind with 2.4 MMT of banana exports.
Guatemala shipped 2.2 MMT of bananas last year, which tallies with the outbound shipments in Colombia.
The FAO report also said the spread of the Banana Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 (TR4) disease continued to affect Philippine output.
“Supplies from the Philippines, the
main exporter from [Asia], reportedly continued to be affected by the spread of TR4 in the country,” the FAO said in its latest report.
Citing industry reports, the organization noted that over 40 percent of the 89,000 hectares for banana cultivation in Mindanao, the key producing region in the country, remain affected by the disease.
Meanwhile, the FAO said key Asian markets, such as China and Japan, also saw a reduction in their banana purchases from the Philippines.
The organization noted that based on trade data by origin, Chinese imports of Philippine bananas dropped by 32 percent in 2024.
“Chinese import demand was re-
duced by a higher availability of domestically produced bananas, alongside declining consumer interest in bananas from the Philippines amid geopolitical tensions,” the FAO said, citing industry sources. Trade data also showed a decline in import quantities into Japan from the Philippines by 4 percent, which was offset by higher imports from Cambodia, Ecuador, and Vietnam.
“While demand for bananas in the country remained relatively stable, higher growth in import quantities was hampered by the production shortages experienced in the Philippines, from where Japan typically sources some 75 to 80 percent of its banana imports,” the FAO said.
MISSED SHOT AT GLORY Mario Barrios ducks a punch from Manny Pacquiao during their WBC Welterweight title bout in Las Vegas. The 46-year-old Filipino icon’s comeback ended in a majority
booths, he said. “So the chefs there will use the produce of the organic farmers,” although he declined to reveal the chefs’ identities for now.
Why slow food is important SLOW Food International is an organization that promotes local food and traditional cooking, using highquality local ingredients usually produced in small quantities. It organizes Terra Madre every two years, with the Asia-Pacific edition taking its turn this year, and every other year thereafter, said Uy. “We want to put a spotlight on our Asian spirits, Asian ingredients...We are the most exciting place when it comes to food biodiversity.”
At the Tagaytay Food Festival Food Talks on Saturday, Uy underscored the importance of sustainability and consuming organic produce—which may be more expensive now than commercially grown produce—but is better for the health and the environment. In commercial farms, the chemical fertilizers used leach into the soil and in into the water table, he explained. “There’s actually a study that shows that it costs P200,000 per ton to clean that up. When you do organic farming, you don’t have that cost.”
Also, while chemical fertilizers and pesticides increase agricultural yields, their use can lead to both acute and chronic health problems in people, such as respiratory issues, neurological damage, cancers, and reproductive problems. These health issues can lead to prohibitive medical treatment and medications.
CA affirms ERC ruling on proposed PEMC fees in ’15
By Joel R. San Juan
THE Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed the ruling of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) disallowing some components of the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation’s (PEMC) P896.4-million proposed market transaction fees (MTF) for 2015.
In a 17-page ruling penned by Associate Justice Emily San Gaspar-Gito, the CA’s Fifth Division held that ERC’s reasons for the disallowances were “sound and consistent with its mandate.”
“The records show that the PEMC seeks to overturn such disallowances simply because they were not in its favor. On this score, it must be remembered that the ERC is tasked to put the Filipino consumers first,” the CA declared.
The case stems from an application filed by PEMC before the ERC seeking the approval of its proposed P896.4 MTF, which is intended for the recovery of administering and operating the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).
WESM determines the price of electricity for consumers, pursuant to Republic Act (R.A.) No. 9136, otherwise known as the “Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001” (EPIRA).
On July 1, 2020, the ERC approved PEMC’s application with modification as it disallowed items for “Personnel Services,” “Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses” (MOOE), and “Capital Expenditures” (Capex).
The ERC held that the allowing the said items would unreasonably push up electricity costs for consumers.
Likewise, the ERC also disallowed an item in the application allowing an increase of honoraria for board of directors on the ground that PEMC is a government-owned and-controlled corporation (GOCC).
Thus, the ERC only authorized PEMC to impose MTF for 2015 in the amount of P447.4 million on WESM participants in the Luzon and Visayas grids.
PEMC then sought ERC’s reconsideration of its decision, insisting that it is not a GOCC, thus, should not be subjected to the standards set for such.
The MR was denied by the ERC in an order issued on July 1, 2021, prompting PEMC to elevate the issue before the CA through a petition for review.
In its petition, PEMC argued that it is not a GOCC and that the ERC erred in disallowing some of the items in its proposed MTF.
The CA, however, maintained that PEMC is a GOCC since it is organized under the Corporation Code as a non-
stock corporation and that its functions, which include managing the WESM, are public in nature.
It noted that PEMC even admitted that it was created by the Department of Energy (DOE) using government funds and that its Articles of Incorporation mandated that the DOE Secretary be placed as the chairman of the board of directors before a new one is elected.
“While PEMC alleged that these government funds were in the form of a loan and has already been ‘repaid,’ it offered no evidence other than its self-serving allegations,” the CA said.
“Thus, this Court finds no rea-
son to depart from the ERC’s finding that PEMC is a GOCC. Consequently, the ERC properly viewed PEMC through the lens of a GOCC,” it added. Furthermore, the CA ruled that ERC’s decision to partially disallow some of items in PEMC’s proposed MTF was “justified” since the amounts were “unreasonable.”
“Verily, the ERC has been given the mandate to ensure a reasonable price for electricity. Taking this mandate to heart, the ERC disallowed several portions of PEMC’s Application to ease the burden to consumers,” the CA pointed out.
and interest payments on fixed medium- and long-term (MLT) credits including International Monetary Fund (IMF) credits, loans covered by the Paris Club and commercial banks’ rescheduling, and New Money Facilities. It also includes interest payments on fixed and revolving short-term (ST) liabilities of banks and nonbanks but excludes prepayments on future years’ maturities of foreign loans and principal payments on fixed and revolving short-term liabilities of banks and non-banks.
Meanwhile, BSP data showed external debt posted double-digit growth in the January to April period.
Baldo-Digal and Marko Romero Lizada Fuentes. Juan will replace concurrent ERC chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta starting August 8. The veteran energy lawyer, who served as ERC executive director and general counsel, gave assurances that he will implement the mandate of the commission which is “to promote consumer interest” and, at the same time, “look at the interest of all sectors in the industry.”
Upon assuming his post, Juan wants to focus on the following:
• Re-review the continued use of the performance-based rate-setting methodology for private distribution utilities, such as the Manila Electric Company (Meralco).
• Revisit the agency’s current approach in its ongoing review and approval of Power Supply Agreements (PSAs) that already passed through the Competitive Selection Process (CSP), with the end in view of streamlining and fast-tracking the approval process.
• Review the current yardstick regulation used for setting the ongrid electric cooperatives’ (ECs) rates and allow for their individual filing of rate applications. This move will help distressed ECs earn sufficient revenues to allow them to continue providing quality distribution services to their members-consumers.
• Consider the possibility of allowing the utilities, including the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), to start implementing their proposed capital expenditure (capex) projects, without being subject to imposition of administrative penalties, after three months from submission for resolution of their Capex applications.
• Consider the possibility of deeming as approved, all certificates of compliance (COC) applications with complete documentary support, after 30 days from filing.
“All these are my initial thoughts, to address the backlog at ERC, to streamline processes, to simplify requirements, and to come up with timely and sensible decisions and regulatory actions—all to promote consumer interests by ensuring more investments in additional capacities, both in generation and transmission/distribution sectors at competitive or well-regulated and reasonable tariffs,” said Juan.
He will also consult the other commissioners about his proposals and consult all stakeholders and thereafter decide as one collegial body.
Given his extensive experience, integrity, competence and familiarity with ERC processes, “ERC chair Nino Juan is perfect for the position,” said former DOE Undersecretary Jay Layug said.
“With no learning curve, the
new ERC leadership can continue the current programs and serve the public efficiently,” Layug said. Layug and Dimalanta both previously chaired the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB).
Meantime, Dimalanta said she’s leaving the agency in “a better market condition.” She also gave her two-cents’ worth to the new ERC leadership.
“I believe we can still lower electricity rates further throughout the country as we continue to conduct our fuel audits for electric cooperatives and distribution utilities… There is more room for lowering of the rates if everybody is disciplined in following our respective mandates,” Dimalanta said.
During Dimalanta’s three-year stint, the generation charge to customers in the WESM (Wholesale Electricity Spot Market) was on a downward trend. “This year, from January until May, we saw a significant lowering of rates in most regions in the country, except Region 2…as more energy projects came in. This has been the lowest generation rate in the last 10 years,” Dimalanta said.
ERC data showed that between January 2023 and May 2025, the overall reduction in the average generation cost at P2.4 per kilowatt-hour corresponded with the decrease in the country-wide average electricity price also at P2.4 per kWh.
“But improvements are still needed,” said Dimalanta.
The outgoing ERC chief said the agency’s Retail Aggregation Program (RAP) is one of the agency’s notable accomplishments.
RAP allows a single owner or business franchise to aggregate its electricity-consuming facilities within a distribution utility’s franchise area, provided their combined peak demand over the past three months averages at least 500 kilowatts (kW).
If I can zero in on just one…I hope this is something that will really become widespread,” Dimalanta said, referring to RAP.
“Epira mandated that this happens, that this power to choose should be realized. Epira was passed in 2021. Finally, we are getting to realize the promise of EPIRA. It’s not an option whether we choose to go that way or not, it’s our mandate.”
Dimalanta, who cut short her seven-year tenure, was earlier suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman but was allowed to return to office.
This was not the first time that the agency was hounded by controversy. In 2017, the Office of the Ombudsman suspended former ERC chairman Jose Vicente Salazar and four other commissioners. They were charged with violation of Republic Act No. 3019, or the “Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.”
Another former ERC chief, Zenaida Ducut, was probed for graft charges and malversation of public funds.
Total external debt amounted to $146.737 billion in 2025, a 14.02-percent growth from the $128.692 billion in the same period in 2024. The bulk of the external debt was accounted for by the public sector compared to the private sector. Public external debt increased 16.01 percent to $91.535 billion in January to April 2025 from $78.902 billion in January to April 2024. Private external debt grew 10.78 percent to $55.202 billion in January to April this year from the $49.79 billion in the same period last year. The country’s external debt to GDP was at 31.5 percent in January to April 2025, higher than the 29 percent in January to April 2024. Public external debt to GDP was at 19.7 percent while private external debt was at 11.9 percent in January to April 2025. These were higher than the 17.8 percent public and 11.2 percent in private external debt to GDP in January to April last year. External debt to GNI in January to April 2025 was also higher at 27.7 percent from 25.9 percent in the same period last year. In March 2015, BSP said external debt data were revised to reflect the new reporting framework in line with international standards under the latest External Debt Statistics Guide and the BPM6.
with wage orders.
“[Senator] Jinggoy’s proposed legislation can serve to strengthen the existing provision so that employers can be properly forewarned and reminded that compliance will be to their benefit, too, and not just for the workers,” Laguesma said in a text message.
Section 12 of RA 6727 penalizes violators with a fine not exceeding P25,000 and/or imprisonment of one to two years.
RA 8188 later amended this in 1996, increasing the fine to a range of P25,000 to P100,000 and extending the jail time to two to four years. The renewed push for tighter enforcement comes just days after the P50 daily wage increase for minimum wage earners in Metro Manila took effect on July 18. The wage order is expected to directly benefit 1.2 million minimum wage earners in the region. DOLE also anticipates around 1.7 million more workers, those earning just above the minimum, may receive corresponding wage adjustments due to internal enterprise corrections to address distortions. Metro Manila is the first region to issue a wage order this year.
Public consultations in Regions I, II, III, IV-A, and VII are scheduled between July and August for possible wage adjustments as well.
Brewed Freshly Freshly Brewed
‘Padayon, Cebu’: The Queen City of the South also roars as a MICE champion
By Francine Medina
ebu, both the province and its namesake city located in the Central Visayas, enjoys the distinction of being one of the world’s best island destinations, gathering accolades for the place and its industry players in various travel platforms and industry awards.
The island’s charming beaches and other natural attractions, its rich in heritage, coupled with topnotch hotels and dining establishments, and of course, the Cebuano’s warm hospitality, easily makes a stay in the area a memorable travel experience.
On the other side, however, Cebu is likewise a thriving business and financial hub offering various services and amenities for corporate gatherings and other big events.
Having the best of both worlds— leisure attractions and a robust business environment—is inspiring key players in various industries to push for Cebu as a premier MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and events) destination in the region.
The recent Tourism and Experiential Tour event, a gathering of stakeholders from various segments of the hospitality community, is a testament to that vibrant spark surging amongst its business sector. With Cebu playing host to the ASEAN Forum in 2026, the North Star is to make the Philippines among the global top 10 MICE destinations by 2030.
In a recent episode of BusinessMirror’s digital show, “Freshly Brewed,” Cleofe Albiso, Managing Director of Megaworld Hotels and Resorts, sits down with multi-media content producer and the episode’s host, John Eiron Francisco to talk about what’s brewing among Cebu’s business groups in making the country’s MICE dream work.
“We’ve had a lot of efforts in the private sector to put together MICE alliance efforts across the country and we’re very glad to spearhead efforts in places like Iloilo, Boracay, and now in Cebu,” Albiso said.
“We believe that through the synergy of stakeholders, we can create a more impactful messaging—that we have MICE readiness. These may just be some areas in the region, but we need to take the baby steps for people to know that here we are, putting together the efforts and, of course, the infrastructure that will make us ready in hosting MICE.”
Building the vision:
Cebu MICE Alliance
Albiso thanked the Cebu Chamber of Commerce, led by its president Jay Yuvallos, in creating the Cebu MICE Alliance. The gamechanging initiative includes a core group of major players in the tourism value chain that includes Albiso who represents the Megaworld Hotels and Resorts group.
Beyond being a destination, the Chamber’s online site mentions Yuvallos as stating that the vision is clear: “Cebu’s future will be redefined as a global MICE destination. This is not just about hosting events; it is about building an ecosystem that fuels economic growth, supports local businesses, as well as
enhances the livelihoods of the communities.”
Albiso also thanked Cebu Business Month (CBM) Chairperson Consul Anton Mari Perdices, who is also the Honorary Consul of Spain in the Philippines. The event was celebrated in June with the theme, “Padayon, Cebu,” and the Tourism Summit as its main activity.
“It’s time for Cebu to collaboratively create that synergy across tourism stakeholders and the business sector to put together an alliance that is also very much aligned with the public and private sector projects and programs for Cebu,” she added.
In the works: More
Infrastructure projects
During the past years, Albiso admitted that the market had always relied on the grand ballroom of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino that opened in 1998. But now, she said, “This time, some of the bigger players like the SM group are building SMX Cebu convention center and the Arena, which can accommodate 16,000 people. Megaworld Corporation, on the other hand, is constructing the Mactan Expo that will be very close to the airport.”
Both soon-to-rise grand facilities that are set to open in 2026 will expand the capacity of Cebu to host MICE businesses, Albiso noted. These two venues will hopefully be operational in time for the ASEAN Forum happening next year, too.
On whether the Philippines is innovating and creating infrastructures fast enough to keep up with the global market, Albiso surmised, “I wouldn’t say we’re fast enough but we’re doing our fair share in the endeavor to be within the game. We’re very glad that a lot of the developers are making investments to make us capable to have more MICE.
“Within the private sector, I would say we are very bullish and aggressive in putting together the efforts while putting aside all our brands. We can market our respective brands, but imagine the strength and the impact when we did the Tourism Summit. We gathered all of the stakeholders and put forward, a very strong message that these efforts are all in the works. We are going to work collaboratively to make sure that no matter where guests stay, no matter which venue they choose, this is Cebu crying out loud that we are ready to be one of the region’s premier MICE destinations.”
Albiso likewise underscored the importance of synergy between the private sector and government agencies, like the Department of Tourism, to realize their common goal.
“ The more we synergize as a private sector collaborating with the government sector, harnessing from the influx, the smaller hotels will also get their fair share and businesses are
able to yield in terms of pricing. There’s interest in going around the tourist spots so your travel agencies, even your tour guides and tour operators are able to maximize and leverage from this initiative. It’s beautiful because it brings a holistic impact not just within your companies but also across SMEs.”
Cebu, Boracay, Iloilo: No competition
While the race is on to put the Philippines on the global top 10 list, some of the participants of the Cebu group are also part of the Boracay MICE Alliance and the Iloilo MICE Alliance. There is no competition here, emphasized Albiso, because all groups are working towards the same goal.
“The beauty of MICE is that it happens by rotation. MICE does not happen in one place every year. It is distributed in many locations. We can learn from each other and we can really make sure everything we’re offering, including the best practices, are really duplicated and the learnings are shared. We will have synergy even as we do separate efforts,” she said.
Freshly brewed or brewing?
In the show, host Francisco pepped up the conversation with Albiso by introducing the game, “Freshly Brewed or Brewing.” Francisco mentioned elements related to tourism that Albiso was asked to rate whether they are “Freshly Brewed) “ or have been achieved or “Brewing,” or are still in progress.
1. Accessbility and connectivity: Still brewing
“Let’s say we’re still brewing it because although Cebu has one of the best airports (the Mactan-Cebu International Airport), in the Philippines, which we are proud of and the Aboitiz group’s Aboitiz InfraCapital is really doing a great job in managing it, there’s still a lot to improve on, such as the traffic congestion. Flights would have to be considered as well.
“We need more accessibility to the other markets where we can capture more arrivals of the tourists and we’d have to be intentional about it. These includes the Indian market that is coming and, of course, other global segments of tourists to have e access to Cebu,” noted Albiso.
2. Sense of place: Brewed
“This one, I can actually say we’re nailing it.
Because we’ve already started and the journey is very evident,” Albiso answered.
As an example, she cited the efforts of Megaworld Hotels and Resorts in promoting local heritage through its adoption of the national flower, the Sampaguita, as its symbol for its signature brand of warm and excellent service. The Sampaguita service in its eight brands and 13 hotel properties aims to convey the Filipino spirit of creativity and excellence in all aspects of running its hotels and resorts.
Its food and beverage departments, for instance, have talented chefs serving the exquisite Filipino dishes along with other international cuisines.
“A lot of the efforts across many of our stakeholders are actually geared towards Filipinization already,” she explained. “We’ve had a long journey of being inspired in the Western ways of doing things. It’s really time to showcase what we can offer locally.”
3. Unique experiences:
Brewing
“We definitely have many good efforts by many organizations that put emphasis on experiential tourism. We have the DOT as well that makes sure that unique experiences per region are orchestrated and curated in a manner that we can be proud of. But, I would say that there’s still so much more in terms of educating and making sure that the other countries actually know about our efforts. It’s one to train our stakeholders here, but making sure that the markets abroad know about it, appreciate it, hear it, is a different story,” Albiso commented.
“We just need to be able to really pronounce it. Really advertise it as much as we can, and make sure that the knowledge is not limited to the local tourists but rather something that we can talk about in the global landscape.”
4. Safety and security: Brewing
“I would say that we are a pretty safe space. know there are discussions in terms of how safe we are. We’re not perfect but people come in and safety is not a question,” surmised Albiso.
“This is a personal opinion. I do not represent the industry and the opinion of others. But we hear news about conflicts in other countries. and inasmuch as we try to compare ourselves with the other parts of
the world that is going through war, where are we?
“We’re a pretty safe space. As we continue to really emphasize that we want more tourists to be attracted to try the Philippines, safety is one consideration. And I would say that a lot of our tourists walk around, enjoy transportation, even commute in a manner where they do not feel their safety is compromised.”
Albiso added that the government is still working on its peace and order situation, there are many places of interest to be enjoyed by tourists without questioning their safety.
5. Tech and innovaton: Brewing
“There’s so much brewing. We’re not yet there but it’s not bad. There’s a lot of the back end of the tech work that is actually being done by a lot of Filipinos in IT who are employed by different multinational companies,” Albiso stated. “We have the talent base and we have the infrastructure. the technology that can get us to where we want to be but we’re not yet there.”
Albiso noted that the hospitality industry, in general, is a “high-touch industry,” where human interaction remains very important. On the other hand, though, the MICE industry is also in the midst of embracing AI-based services such as hypersonalized guest experiences and automated operations, to name a few.
6. Sustainability: Brewing
“Sustainability has become a priority, it’s not just an option,” she said. “It’s really an effort that everyone is trying to put together. In fact, there are positions such as Chief Sustainability Officer that makes sure there is really a lead in the company and consistency in the effort . And you know, when there is really someone who focuses on the improvement of the effort it really happens.”
Uniquely Filipino
On what makes the Philippines a unique MICE destination, Albiso quickly pointed out that it’s the Filipino people and their sincerity to serve that makes guests coming back for more.
“There’s a spread of many hospitality professionals all over the world, from cruise ships to F&B outlets in hotels all over the world. And there’s always a Filipino who’s a favorite of guests and doing the hospitality job the best way they can,” she reflected.
“Sometimes out of need. But honestly, it’s in our culture, it’s innate in us, we like to serve We like to make other people happy. Hosting is something that’s ingrained in us. Part of our DNA, And it’s something that we can’t do as a transaction. We do it because we want to please others. We want to be of service to others. And we want to make them feel that if they check in our hotels, we feel like it’s their second home.”
Meaningful work Albiso feels positive that the Cebu MICE Alliance will be fortifying the industry’s shared vision of putting the place on the global map. Meanwhile, she calls on the next generation of industry members to take part in the vision.
“We take inspiration in motivating the younger generation as well. We hope that as a country we can all work together in synergy. We’re very glad to have the level of attention and investment that most of the conglomerates are putting in for tourism. It’s a testamaent that this industry that’s really gaining tract and trust from the investors’ side,” noted.
“And we hope that with more of us looking at creating deeper meaning in what we do, we will be able to entice the younger generation, too, invest in the future in our industry, It’s a noble industry. I would say. Those who choose to serve get to find out that it’s a worthy journey of a lifetime,” Albiso concluded. To learn more about the Cebu MICE Alliance, to have a copy of the Cebu MICE guide publication, or for suggestions, Albiso encouraged viewers to email info@ cebuchamber.org.
• For the full interview, click BusinessMirror’s YouTube channel. Catch fresh episodes of “Freshly Brewed” streaming on Mondays,10a.m.onYT,X,andBusinessMirror’s FB and website.
Cleofe Albiso, Managing Director of Megaworld Resorts & Hotels, talks about Cebu MICE initiatives with John Eiron Francisco, BusinessMirror's Multimedia Content Producer.
Ceremony Garden, another prime event venue in Mactan Newtown.
Cleofe Albiso, Managing Director of Megaworld Hotels & Resorts
Dato Vincent Lim, President of the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations (AFECA) 2020-2022
Liz Ortiguera, Global industry leader and former Managing Director of APAC for World Travel & Tourism Council
Artist’s perspective of Mactan Expo slated to open in Q4 2025.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco posed with the attendees of Cebu Tourism Forum last June 26, 2025.
The private Mactan Newtown Beach is perfect for hosting beachfront events and leisure activities.
Marissa Nallana, Founder and President, Philippine Exhibitions and Trade Corporation (PETCO)
Christina Garcia Frasco, Secretary, Department of Tourism Philippines
Sumate Sudasna, President Emeritus of Thailand Incentive and Convention Association (TICA)
Walid Wafik, Senior Vice President-Operations, SM Hotels and Conventions orporations (SMHCC)
Cleofe Albiso, Managing Director of Megaworld Resorts & Hotels
John Eiron Francisco, BusinessMirror's Multimedia Content Producer
A4 Monday, July 21, 2025
Crising leaves 3 dead, 3 others missing
By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga & Bless Audrey Olgerio
AT least three persons were killed while three others are still missing because of the combined impact of Typhoon Crising and the southwest monsoon that the storm enhanced, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported.
Typhoon Crising, the third weather disturbance to affect the Philippines this year, developed into a severe tropical storm before finally exiting the Philippine Area of Responsibility at 10 a.m. on Saturday, the state weather bureau reported.
In its July 20 Situation Report for the combined effects of the Southwest Monsoon and Tropical Cyclone Crising, the NDRRMC said a total of 2,515 persons from Regions 1, 2, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Region 6, and the Cordilleras were preemptively evacuated to safer grounds.
A total of 120,008 families or 370,289 persons in 908 barangays in 145 cities and towns were affected during its onslaught from July 16 to 19.
The NDRRM said a total of 43,382 people were displaced by widespread flooding, and 349 are still being served in various evacuation centers.
In addition, the NDRRMC said 150 areas were affected by flooding, while reporting that 26 related incidents occurred in various parts of the country, including rain-induced landslides and tornadoes.
A total of 410 houses were damaged, including 12 public infrastructures.
Of the 127 road sections and seven bridge sections affected, 47 percent are now passable to all vehicles.
Tropical Cyclone Crising also affected the operation of two airports and 53 seaports, 11 of which are now operational.
The NDRRMC reported that 157 passengers, 22 rolling cargoes and 2 vessels were stranded.
Meanwhile, power interruptions were reported in 70 cities and towns.
Electricity supply has been restored in all these areas.
Because of the inclement weather, classes were suspended in 902 cities and towns while 98 cities and towns declared work suspension.
Post-disaster aid
THE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has mobilized its regional offices to coordinate post-disaster assistance for communities affected by Typhoon Crising, particularly households whose homes were damaged or destroyed.
Housing Undersecretary Henry Yap issued a directive to regional officials in storm-hit areas, instructing them to work closely with local gov -
ernments (LGUs) and partner agencies to assess immediate shelter needs and deliver support efficiently.
“Per the directive of Secretary Ping [Aliling], DHSUD’s key shelter agencies are to exhaust all ways on how to assist the typhoon victims, and to immediately implement the same at the soonest possible time,” Yap told heads of the key shelter agencies.
In addition to regional coordination, Yap called on DHSUD’s key shelter agencies—including the Pag-IBIG Fund, Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC) and the National Housing Authority (NHA)—to extend available forms of aid to affected families.
Assistance may include temporary amortization relief for borrowers, community-level support at relocation or project sites, and the distribution of hygiene kits and other essential items.
Yap also directed regional shelter officers to immediately convene their respective shelter clusters to determine the level and type of aid needed in coordination with other government units. (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/07/19/as-crising-lashes-country-marcos-leadsrelief-repacking-inspects-gear/)
Storm renders some roads impassable
THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported on Sunday that heavy rains brought by
the southwest monsoon or habagat, enhanced by Typhoon Crising, have rendered four national roads in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) impassable and limited access in six other road sections in other parts of Luzon and the Visayas.
DPWH reported that the four road sections that were closed due to flooding, road cut, and soil collapse are: the Apayao (Calanasan)-Ilocos Norte Road in Tanglagan, Calanasan; the detour road of Apayao-Ilocos Norte Road at Annaran Bridge in Butao, Calanasan; a segment of the Claveria-Calanasan-Flora-Lasam Road in barangay Ninoy, Calanasan; and Kennon Road in Camp 6, Tuba, Benguet.
Meanwhile, six national road segments are experiencing restricted access owing to flooding and ongoing safety measures. Affected roads include:
Bigaa-Plaridel via Bulacan and Malolos Road in barangay Panginay, Balagtas, Bulacan; Amungan-PalauigBanlog Road in barangay Bato, Palauig, Zambales; Araywan-Berong Puerto Princesa Road in Palawan; Bacolod South Road and Jct. Bagonawa–La Castellana–Isabela Road in Negros Occidental; Hinigaran–Isabela Road in the same province.
“All other national roads and bridges in the affected regions are passable to all types of vehicles,” as of Sunday, the DPW said in an advisory. With Lorenz S. Marasigan
House set to file more information on VP Duterte impeachment at SC
THE House of Representatives has reiterated before the Supreme Court that it strictly adhered to the Constitution at every stage of the impeachment process against Vice President Sara Duterte. Additional information supporting this position is set to be formally submitted to the high court on Monday. House spokesperson Princess Abante said the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), acting as the House’s legal counsel, electronically filed the required compliance via the Philippine Judiciary Portal and served copies to all concerned parties. A physical copy will be formally submitted to the high court on Monday. The Supreme Court had earlier directed both the House and the Senate to submit sworn information and documents detailing how the complaints were handled, including timelines, procedures, and member participation. The Senate has yet to begin the
impeachment trial.
In its submission, the House asserted that all four impeachment complaints were handled in full accordance with constitutional mandates. Abante clarified that the first three complaints were included in the Order of Business within the 10-session-day period as required by the Constitution.
“The fourth complaint, signed and verified by more than one-third of House Members, effectively constituted the Articles of Impeachment and was transmitted directly to the Senate, rendering the earlier complaints moot and subject to archiving,” Abante said.
Endorsed by 215 House members and overwhelmingly approved by the House in plenary session last February, the Articles of Impeachment accuse Vice President Duterte of graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes. The charges include the alleged
misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds during her concurrent tenure as Vice President and Education Secretary, defiance of congressional oversight, and failure to uphold civilian authority over the police and military.
Abante emphasized that the Vice President’s right to due process is fully protected.
“We reiterate that the Vice President’s right to due process is fully preserved through the impeachment trial itself—where she will have the opportunity to defend herself and present evidence,” she said.
The House also asserted its exclusive authority over its internal deliberations, invoking the principle of separation of powers.
“In the Compliance, the House also emphasized that, with the utmost respect for the Supreme Court, it was asserting its exclusive authority over its internal deliberative func -
tions, an authority grounded on the fundamental principle of separation of powers and the legislature’s status as a co-equal branch of government,” Abante noted.
“There is no constitutional requirement detailing how individual members must review the complaint before signing, nor is there any basis for questioning their certification under oath that they studied and understood the charges and supporting documents,” she added.
Abante concluded by reaffirming the chamber’s commitment to constitutional order.
“The House remains committed to transparency, constitutional fidelity, and upholding the rule of law. We trust that the Supreme Court will accord the same deference to the prerogatives of a co-equal branch of government as enshrined in our democratic framework,” Abante said.
Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
Lawmaker seeks law protecting human-rights defenders
ALAWMAKER called for the passage of key a human-rights measure, following a report that the Philippines recorded the highest number of abductions of human-rights defenders (HRDs) in Asia between 2023 and 2024.
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Tulfo seeks probe of Palawan floods
By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM
THE flooding that displaced thousands of people in Puerto Princesa City is alarming and warrants a thorough investigation, given that it is just the latest in recurring floods in the capital of Palawan.
This was stressed by Sen. Erwin Tulfo as he sought an investigation into the massive and recurring flooding in Palawan, particularly in Puerto Princesa City, after thousands of families were displaced by floods brought by Typhoon Crising.
The Coast Guard (PCG) rescued nearly 100 families in the capital city of Puerto Princesa on Friday after their homes were submerged by floods. As of Sunday, over 6,000 families from 31 barangays across the city have been displaced.
This, Tulfo stressed, “is not an isolated incident.” In February of this year, Puerto Princesa was placed under a State of Calamity after being hit by heavy flooding—despite the absence of a typhoon, but rather due to a “shear line” or sudden changes in wind direction.
Tulfo wants to get to the root of the the massive and recurring floods in Palawan, particularly in Puerto Princesa City whenever it rains. “Almost 100 families or more than 200 individuals were rescued by the Coast Guard because their houses were submerged,” said Tulfo.
“The people of Palawan want to know why is it so quick for floods to submerge their communities,” added the neophyte senator. “Don’t they have a reliable drainage system? Is it because of a failed urban planning? Are there illegal operations on logging and mining that washed out the natural flood barrier?” Tulfo demanded to know.
Tulfo, who who grew up in Palawan, said “the residents need clarity from the local government and other government agencies about the root of this problem afflicting their lives.”
He is set to file a Senate Resolution on Monday seeking a full inquiry into the flooding problem and the appropriate interventions that must be urgently put in place. “And if there are people who need to be held accountable—whether for negligence or corruption—so be it,” he added.
De Lima opposes lowering age of criminal responsibility
ALEGISLATOR on Sunday strongly opposed a bill seeking to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 10 years old, denouncing it as a “betrayal of children” and a clear “failure of compassion and effective governance.”
Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Rep. Leila
M. de Lima made a statement after Sen. Robinhood Padilla recently filed an unnumbered bill that amends Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, by removing the exemption from criminal liability for children aged 10 to 17 who commit heinous crimes.
The controversial move reignites a longstanding debate in Congress and among child-rights advocates.
De Lima said the bill targets vulnerable children instead of addressing the root causes of youth involvement in crime.
“A child in conflict with the law is not a criminal. A child who has lost his way must not be punished with incarceration but must be guided, protected, and given hope,” she said.
She stressed that the path to a better justice system lies not in punishing children, but in confronting difficult societal questions: “Why are children drawn into crime? Who truly benefits from these offenses? And where did we, as a society, fall short?”
De Lima also criticized the bill as a recycled idea that has been repeatedly debunked by science and grounded advocacy.
“It refuses to die, no matter how many times child rights advocates, neuroscientists, developmental psychologists, social
workers, and human rights defenders have refuted it with facts—and compassion.” She emphasized that the current law, RA 9344, is already a solid foundation built on restorative justice principles. What remains lacking, she said, is not the legal framework but its implementation.
“How many of our local governments have well-equipped Bahay Pag-asa facilities? How many have enough trained social workers, psychologists, and personnel to offer real intervention and reintegration?” she asked.
De Lima, a former Justice secretary, warned against normalizing incarceration as the default state response to troubled youth. “I have seen what jails do to children. And I have seen what care, education, and structured rehabilitation can achieve. The difference is life-changing. Sometimes, life-saving.”
“If our answer to a fallen child is imprisonment, then it is not the child we must prosecute—but the system that has failed them,” she added.
“This is a question of who we are as a people,” de Lima said. “Are we the kind of nation that throws away a child before we even try to understand their pain?” De Lima also pushed back against the argument that children today are “more exposed” to harmful influences and therefore more accountable.
“Exposure is not consent. Exposure is not maturity. Exposure is not accountability,” she said. “If children today are more exposed to violence, drugs, and abuse, then they deserve more protection—not less.” Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
QuadCom leaders seek reconstitution of panel
Citing the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) report titled “Defending in Numbers 2023–2024: Reclaiming Civic Space, Unbroken Voices,” Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila M. de Lima said the Philippines ranked first among 23 countries in Asia with 15 documented abductions of HRDs. Bangladesh followed with nine cases, while Afghanistan and Pakistan each recorded seven.
under serious threat and their work has become extremely dangerous,” de Lima said.
“These figures are deeply alarming. They reflect the continuing harassment and threats faced by individuals who stand up for the helpless and voiceless and speak truth to power, without fear or favor. They are just protecting our people, yet they continue to be
The report further revealed that the Philippines accounted for 18 documented cases of vilification within the two-year period, most of which were attributed to the persistent practice of red-tagging.
“Disturbingly, all of these 18 cases were perpetrated by state actors or are suspected to have been. Despite widespread condemnation from both domestic and international human-rights organizations, this practice has regrettably continued unabated,” the report said.
To address these concerns, de Lima is prioritizing House Bill 1431, or the Human Rights Defenders Protection Act, which aims to safeguard the rights and freedoms of HRDs and enable them to work without fear of harassment or violence.
She emphasized that HB 1431 seeks to foster a vibrant and secure environment for human rights advocates, with the state held accountable for violations committed against them.
In addition, de Lima filed House Bill 1841, or the Anti-Red Tagging Act, which criminalizes red-tagging and recognizes it as “a threat to truth and democratic dissent.” The bill penalizes individuals and institutions that undermine the work and credibility of HRDs, activists, and political
critics through baseless accusations.
“I call on my colleagues to swiftly act on these crucial measures to protect our human rights defenders who have become more vulnerable to harassments. We need to pass these laws to strengthen mechanisms and enforce state obligations to provide protection to HRDs,” de Lima said.
She also criticized the former administration for fostering a culture of violence and impunity, and said the current administration has not done enough to reverse the damage.
De Lima’s renewed advocacy comes in the wake of a 2024 statement by UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression Irene Khan, who noted that threats, vilification, and violence against journalists and HRDs were rampant under former President Rodrigo Duterte, but have persisted under President Marcos’ administration.
Khan also flagged the ongoing red-tagging of individuals critical of government policy—including HRDs, journalists, students, and labor activists— who continue to be unjustly labeled as affiliates of the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), thereby increasing their exposure to rights violations.
See “Human-rights,” A5
LEADERS of the House of Representatives’ Quad Committee from the 19th Congress are urging lawmakers to reconstitute the joint panel when the 20th Congress opens later this month, warning that critical investigations into extra-judicial killings, transnational crime syndicates, and high-level government corruption remain unresolved.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., former chairman of the Human Rights committee, said reviving the panel— dubbed “Quad Comm 2.0”—is not only necessary but urgent. “Justice doesn’t expire. The Filipino people deserve to know who benefitted from silence and who paid the price for speaking out.”
The QuadCom—composed of the House Committees on Dangerous Drugs, on Public Order and Safety, on Human Rights, and on Public Accounts—held a series of joint hearings in the previous Congress that exposed alarming connections between offshore gaming hubs, state-linked killings, and deep-seated corruption within government institutions.
“We cannot simply move on,” Abante said. “What we uncovered in those hearings wasn’t fiction or rumor—it was a glimpse into a frightening reality.” He noted that the original QuadCom
exposed not just isolated abuses but systemic failures in law enforcement and the justice system.
“The work of truth-telling is never finished,” Abante said. “But it must, at the very least, be continued.” The call to revive the QuadCom was first raised by La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, two prominent members of the House Young Guns bloc. They argued that the abrupt end to the previous investigations denied the public a path to closure and accountability.
Former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, who led the Dangerous Drugs panel, echoed Abante’s sentiments, saying the committee’s unfinished business continues to cast a shadow over institutions still grappling with the aftermath of the war on drugs.
He said the push to reconstitute the panel in the 20th Congress is a test of political courage.
Former Sta. Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez, who chaired the Public Order and Safety panel, said the question now is not whether abuses occurred but whether Congress has the political will to hold those responsible to account. Jovee Marie dela Cruz
PSA: Construction in May up in count, down in cost
By Bless Aubrey Ogerio
FEWER pesos were poured into projects in the Philippine construction industry in May 2025, but more buildings were approved to rise, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Data from the PSA showed that the total value of approved construction projects reached P42.09 billion in May 2025, down by 22.7 percent from the P54.48 billion tallied in the same month last year.
In contrast, the number of approved building permits inched up to 16,282, a modest 1.1 percent increase from last year’s 16,105.
Residential projects accounted for P21.25 billion, or more than half of the month’s total construction value, despite a 17.2 percent dip from the previous year. Also, activity remained steady on the ground, with 11,331 approved residential buildings, up by 10.4 percent from May 2024.
Most of these were single-family homes. PSA data showed 9,664 of the residential permits were for single-type houses, representing 85.3 percent of the residential total and valued at P13.81 billion.
Non-residential buildings, meanwhile, brought in P16.80 billion in approved construction value. This was down 23.2 percent from last year, but covered 2,930 buildings, marking a 14.9 percent annual drop. Commercial buildings made up the bulk of this segment, with 1,994 projects worth P6.39 billion.
On one hand, addition, alteration and repair to existing structures, and other constructions comprised a small fraction of total activity: 3.4 percent, 6.7 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively. In terms of value, additions were approved at P540 million, repairs and alterations at P2.61 billion and other constructions at P890 million.
The most dramatic shift came from the “other” category, which posted a 127.9 percent surge in value, while repairs fell sharply by 56.5 percent year-on-year.
Further, the average cost of construction dropped slightly to P11,956 per square meter. This was 2.3 percent lower than the P12,237 reported a year earlier. This excludes works with no reported floor area, such as fencing or demolitions.
The PSA noted that these figures reflect permit approvals— not completed construction—and offer a snapshot of how the building pipeline is shaping up, amid both cautious investment and steady residential demand.
DMW backs pay hike of domestic workers
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is supporting the proposal of a group of recruitment agencies to raise the mandatory minimum salary for Filipino domestic workers abroad, which has stagnated for almost two decades, by US$100 a month.
In a Viber message, Migrant Worker Undersecretary Bernard P. Olalia told the BusinessMirror that the department supports the proposed new US$500 (around P28,554) minimum salary for Filipino domestic workers that is proposed by the Coalition of Licensed Recruitment Agencies for Domestic and Service Workers (CLADs).
“Soonest, when DMW has validated an industry-wide support on this DMW-initiated program,” Olalia said when asked the time frame for the implementation of the salary adjustment. Olalia made the statement after his face-to-face meeting with Philippine recruitment agencies last week.
The existing US$400 (P22,843.93) minimum wage rate for deployed Filipino domestic workers abroad has been in effect since 2006 after the government implemented its Household Service Workers (HSW) Reform Package.
Last January, DMW started reviewing its deployment regulations, as well as salaries for Filipino HSWs following the death of two Filipino female domestic workers in Kuwait.
CLADs said its proposed salary increase will help around two million Filipino HSWs and their families cope with rising cost of living.
Recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani said despite the increasing competition faced by Filipino HSWs compared to their counterparts from other labor-sending countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and India, they remain in demand especially in the Middle East.
Overall demand for Filipino HSWs worldwide, however, have shown some decline.
Based on the latest and initial data from DMW, the number of domestic housekeepers it deployed from January to May this year was at 38,607, which is around 20 percent lower compared to 48,178, that were deployed in the same period in 2024.
The total number of deployed HSWs last year was at 85,645, according to DMW.
Continued from A4
“It is unjust and inhumane that those who champion human rights are the ones most endangered. The government must stand with them, not against them, and ensure they are protected—not persecuted,” de Lima stressed. The Forum-Asia report also highlighted other threats faced by HRDs in the Philippines, including judicial harassment, violent crackdowns, and transnational repression. Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
32 Palestinians killed while attempting to access US food distribution sites, Gaza authorities say
By Wafaa Shurafa & Samy Magdy The Associated Press
DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip— Israeli troops opened fire Saturday toward crowds of Palestinians seeking food from distribution hubs run by a US- and Israeli-backed group in southern Gaza, killing at least 32 people, according to witnesses and hospital officials.
The shootings occurred near hubs operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which launched operations in May. The US and Israel seek to replace the traditional UN-led aid distribution system in Gaza, asserting that Hamas militants siphon off supplies. The UN denies the allegation.
While GHF says it has distributed millions of meals to hungry Palestinians, local health officials and witnesses say Israeli army fire has killed hundreds of people as they try to reach the hubs. GHF’s four sites are in military-controlled zones.
Israel’s army, which isn’t at the sites but secures them from a distance, said Saturday that it fired warning shots near Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, after a group of suspects approached troops and ignored calls to keep their distance.
It said the incident occurred overnight when the distribution site was closed.
GHF said that there were no incidents at or near its sites and added, “we have repeatedly warned aid seekers not to travel to our sites overnight and early morning hours.”
Witnesses allege indiscriminate fire
MOST of Saturday’s deaths occurred as Palestinians massed around 3 kilometers (2 miles) from a GHF aid distribution center near the southern city of Khan Younis.
Mahmoud Mokeimar said that he was walking with masses of people, mostly young men, toward the hub. Troops fired warning shots, and then opened fire.
“The occupation opened fire at us indiscriminately,” he said. He said that he saw at least three motionless bodies on the ground and many wounded people fleeing.
Akram Aker, another witness, said that troops fired machine guns mounted on tanks and drones between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.
“They encircled us and started firing directly at us,” Aker said. He said he saw many casualties on the ground.
Sanaa al-Jaberi said that there was shooting after the site opened as people seeking aid broke into a run.
“Is this food or death? Why? They don’t talk with us, they only shoot us,” she said, and showed off her empty bag.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said that it received 25 bodies. Seven other people, including one woman, were killed in the Shakoush area, hundreds of meters or yards north of another GHF hub in Rafah, the hospital said.
Dr. Mohamed Saker, the head of Nasser’s nursing department, said that it received 70 wounded people. He told The Associated Press that most people were shot in the head and chest.
“The situation is difficult and tragic,” he said, adding that the facility lacks medical supplies. Some of the wounded, including a child, were treated on the floor. One boy stood patiently, holding up a blood bag for someone on a stretcher.
Meanwhile, Fares Awad, head of the Health Ministry’s ambulance and
Russia pounds Ukraine with over 300 drones, killing 1 in Odesa
By The Associated Press
RUSSIA launched a massive attack on Ukraine overnight into Saturday with hundreds of drones, killing at least one person, part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than 3-year-old war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X that Russia fired over 300 drones, along with more than 30 cruise missiles.
One person died in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, which was hit with more than 20 drones and a missile, Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov wrote on Telegram, while five people were rescued when a fire broke out in a residential high-rise building. According to Zelenskyy, six other people were wounded in the attack on Odesa, including a child, and critical infrastructure was damaged in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.
The Ukrainian president also thanked international leaders “who understand how important it is to promptly implement our agreements” aimed at boosting Ukraine’s defense capabilities, including joint weapons production, drone manufacturing and the supply of air defense systems.
Russia has been intensifying its longrange attacks on Ukrainian cities. It now often batters Ukraine with more drones in a single night than it did during some entire months in 2024, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate. On July 8, Russia unleashed more than 700 drones—a record. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it shot down 71 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that 13 drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital. In other developments, Ukraine’s for-
eign minister accused Russia on Saturday of deporting Ukrainian citizens into Georgia and leaving them stranded without proper identification.
Andrii Sybiha said Moscow has escalated the practice of expelling Ukrainians—many of whom are former prisoners—across its southern border with Georgia, instead of returning them directly to Ukraine.
“Dozens of people, many of whom lack proper documentation, have been stuck in the transit zone,” he wrote on X. There was no immediate response from Moscow.
emergency service in northern Gaza, said that two people were killed in Gaza City when an airstrike hit a tent in a camp sheltering displaced families.
In central Gaza, Al-Awda Hospital said that 12 people were killed in an airstrike including police official Omar Aqel. Two children, including an infant, and five women—all relatives of Aqel—were among the dead.
Al-Awda Hospital said that it also received two people killed by an Israeli strike on a group of people in Bureij, and that another strike on a group of people along Salah El Din Street in central Gaza killed a child.
Another strike on a house in the Gaza City neighborhood of Sheikh Radwan killed at least four people, according to the Health Ministry’s ambulance and emergency service.
others hostage. Fifty remain, but fewer than half are thought to be alive.
Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many militants are among the dead. The ministry, which says more than half of the dead have been women and children, is part of the Hamas government. But the UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar, but international mediators say there have been no breakthroughs.
“After 652 days, it is time to do what is right for Israel: Bring all 50 hostages home and end this war,”
A strike on a cart in Tal al-Hawa in northern Gaza killed another four people, the service said.
Israel’s army had no comment on specific strikes, but said that it had struck around 90 targets throughout Gaza over the past day.
Humanitarian crisis
GAZA’S population of more than 2 million Palestinians are in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Distribution at GHF sites is often chaotic. Boxes of food are stacked on the ground and crowds surge in to grab whatever they can, according to witnesses and videos released by GHF.
Hamas triggered the 21-month war when militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251
Israel orders central Gaza evacuation amid stalled ceasefire talks and expanding military offensive
By Wafaa Shurafa & Samy Magdy The Associated Press
AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip—
EIR
DThe Israeli military published new evacuation warnings for areas of central Gaza on Sunday, in one of the few areas the military has rarely operated with ground troops.
The evacuation cuts access between the city of Deir al-Balah and the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis in the narrow enclave.
The announcement comes as Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar, but international mediators say there have been no breakthroughs. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed that expanding Israeli military operations in Gaza will pressure Hamas to negotiate, though negotiations have been stalled for months.
The area of Gaza under the evacuation order is also where many international organizations attempting to distribute aid are located. The organizations did not immediately comment on the evacuation warnings.
Military spokesman Avichay Adraee warned that the military will attack “with intensity” against militants. He called for residents, including those sheltering in tents, to head to the Muwasi area, a desolate tent camp on Gaza’s southern shore that the Israeli military has designated a humanitarian zone.
Gaza’s population of more than 2 million Palestinians are in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Hamas triggered the 21-month war when militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around
1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Fifty remain, but fewer than half are thought to be alive.
Israel’s military offensive that followed has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many militants are among the dead but says more than half of the dead have been women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government but the UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. The Hostages Family Forum, a grassroots organization that repre -
sents many of the families of hostages, condemned the evacuation announcement and demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military explain what they hope to accomplish in the area of central Gaza, accusing Israel of oper
Editor: Angel R. Calso
PALESTINIANS who were injured near a food distribution center run by the
Post-Assad Syria gripped by sectarian violence, threatening regional stability
By Abby Sewell The Associated Press
BEIRUT—An eruption of violence in Syria this week entangled government forces, Bedouin tribes, the Druze religious minority and neighboring Israel, and highlighted just how combustible the country remains seven months after its longtime authoritarian leader was toppled.
The Druze and other minorities increasingly mistrust Syria’s central government. It is run by a man once affiliated with al-Qaida, though he has pledged to protect Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious groups since helping to oust Bashar Assad after a nearly 14-year civil war.
The sectarian turbulence within Syria threatens to shake-up postwar alliances and exacerbate regional tensions, experts say. It could also potentially draw the country closer to Turkey and away from Israel, with whom it has been quietly engaging since Assad’s fall, with encouragement from the Trump administration.
The spark for this week’s violence DEADLY clashes broke out last Sunday in the southern province of Sweida between Druze militias and local Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes.
Government forces intervened, ostensibly to restore order, but ended up trying to wrest control of Sweida from the Druze factions that control it. Hundreds were killed in the fighting, and some government fighters allegedly executed Druze civilians and burned and looted their houses.
Driven by concerns about security and domestic politics, Israel intervened on behalf of the Druze, who are seen as a loyal minority within Israel and often serve in its military. Israeli warplanes bombarded the Syrian Defense Ministry’s headquarters in central Damascus and struck near the presidential palace. It was an apparent warning to the country’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who led Islamist rebels that overthrew Assad but has since preached coexistence and sought ties with the West. The Israeli army also struck government forces in Sweida. By Wednesday, a truce had been mediated that allowed Druze factions and clerics to maintain security in Sweida as government forces pulled out—although fighting persisted between Druze and Bedouin forces. Early Saturday, US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack announced a separate ceasefire had been brokered between Israel and Syria.
Worsening ties with minorities
THIS past week’s clashes aren’t the first instance of sectarian violence in Syria since the fall of Assad. A few months after Assad fled and
after a transition that initially was mostly peaceful, government forces and pro-Assad armed groups clashed on Syria’s coast. That spurred sectarian attacks that killed hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority to which Assad belongs.
Those killings left other minority groups, including the Druze in the south, and the Kurds in the northeast, wary that the country’s new leaders would protect them.
Violence is only part of the problem. Syria’s minority groups only have been given what many see as token representation in the interim government, according to Bassam Alahmad, executive director of Syrians for Truth and Justice, a civil society organization.
“It’s a transitional period. We should have a dialogue, and they (the minorities) should feel that they’re a real part of the state,” Alahmad said. Instead, with the incursion into Sweida, the new authorities have sent a message that they would use military force to “control every part of Syria,” he said.
“Bashar Assad tried this way,” and it failed, he added.
On the other hand, supporters of the new government fear that its decision to back down in Sweida could signal to other minorities that it’s OK to demand their own autonomous regions, which would fragment and weaken the country.
If Damascus cedes security control of Sweida to the Druze, “of course everyone else is going to demand the same thing,” said Abdel Hakim alMasri, a former official in the Turkishbacked regional government in Syria’s northwest before Assad’s fall.
“This is what we are afraid of,” he said.
A rapprochement with Israel may be derailed BEFORE this week’s flare-up between Israel and Syria, and despite a long
history of suspicion between the two countries, the Trump administration had been pushing their leaders toward normalizing relations – meaning that Syria would formally recognize Israel and establish diplomatic relations, or at least enter into some limited agreement on security matters.
Syrian officials have acknowledged holding indirect talks with Israel, but defusing decades of tension was never going to be easy.
After Assad’s fall, Israeli forces seized control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in Syria and carried out airstrikes on military sites in what Israeli officials said was a move to create a demilitarized zone south of Damascus.
Dareen Khalifa, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, said she believes Israel could have gotten the same result through negotiations.
But now it’s unlikely Syria will be willing to continue down the path of reconciliation with Israel, at least in the short term, she said.
“I don’t know how the Israelis could expect to drop bombs on Damascus and still have some kind of
normal dialogue with the Syrians,” said Colin Clarke, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, a New York-based organization that focuses on global security challenges. “Just like Netanyahu, al-Sharaa’s got a domestic constituency that he’s got to answer to.”
Yet even after the events of this past week, the Trump administration still seems to have hope of keeping the talks alive. US officials are “engaging diplomatically with Israel and Syria at the highest levels, both to address the present crisis and reach a lasting agreement between two sovereign states,” says Dorothy Shea, the US ambassador to the United Nations.
Shea said during a U.N. Security Council emergency meeting on Thursday that “the United States did not support recent Israeli strikes.”
Syria could be drawn closer to Turkey
DURING Syria’s civil war, the US was allied with Kurdish forces in the country’s northeast in their fight against the Islamic State militant group.
But since Assad’s fall, the US has
begun gradually pulling its forces out of Syria and has encouraged the Kurds to integrate their forces with those of the new authorities in Damascus. To that end, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces agreed in March to a landmark deal that would merge them with the national army. But implementation has stalled. A major sticking point has been whether the SDF would remain as a cohesive unit in the new army or be dissolved completely.
Khalifa said the conflict in Sweida is “definitely going to complicate” those talks.
Not only are the Kurds mistrustful of government forces after their attacks on Alawite and Druze minorities, but now they also view them as looking weak. “Let’s be frank, the government came out of this looking defeated,” Khalifa said.
It’s possible that the Kurds, like the Druze, might look to Israel for support, but Turkey is unlikely to stand by idly if they do, Khalifa said. The Turkish government considers the SDF a terrorist organization because of its association with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a long-running insurgency in Turkey. For that reason, it has long wanted to curtail the group’s influence just across its border.
Israel’s latest military foray in Syria could give leaders in Damascus an incentive to draw closer to Ankara, according to Clarke. That could include pursuing a defense pact with Turkey that has been discussed but not implemented.
Turkish defense ministry officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity according to procedures, said that if requested, Ankara is ready to assist Syria in strengthening its defense capabilities.
Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.
Bangladesh’s Islamist party projects force with big rally in Dhaka, demands fair elections amid political turmoil
By Julhas Alam The Associated Press
HAKA, Bangladesh—Hun -
Ddreds of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party rallied in the capital on Saturday to show their strength before an election expected next year, as the South Asian nation stands at a crossroads after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
An interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus said that the next election would be held in April. But his administration didn’t rule out a possibility of polls in February, which has been strongly demanded by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies.
Jamaat-e-Islami, which had sided with Pakistan during Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971, had said that it would mobilize 1 million people on Saturday.
While Hasina was in power from 2009 until she was toppled in studentled protests last year and fled to India, top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were either executed or jailed on charges of crimes against humanity and other serious crimes in 1971.
In late March 1971, Pakistan’s military had launched a violent crackdown on the city of Dhaka, which was then part of East Pakistan, to quell a rising nationalist movement seeking independence for what is today known as Bangladesh.
Islamists demand free and fair elections
THE party on Saturday placed a seven-point demand on the Yunus-led
administration to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election; justice for all mass killings; essential reforms and the proclamation and implementation of a charter involving last year’s mass uprising. It also wants the introduction of a proportional representation system in the election.
Thousands of supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami had spent the night on the Dhaka University campus before the rally. On Saturday morning, they continued to stream toward Suhrawardy Udyan, a historical site where the Pakistani army had surrendered to a joint force of India and Bangladesh on Dec. 16, 1971, ending the ninemonth war.
“We are here for a new Bangladesh, where Islam would be the guiding principle of governance, where good and honest people will rule the country, and there will be no corruption,”
Iqbal Hossain, 40, told The Associated Press. “We will sacrifice our lives, if necessary, for this cause.”
Many young supporters in their 20s and 30s were also present.
“Under Jamaat-e-Islami, this country will have no discrimination. All people will have their rights. Because we follow the path of the holy book, Quran,” said Mohidul Morsalin Sayem, a 20-year-old student. “If all the Islamist parties join hands soon, nobody will be able to take power from us.”
The party’s chief, Shafiqur Rahman, said that the struggle in 2024 was to eliminate “fascism” from the country, but this time there will be another fight against corruption and extortion.
Rahman, 66, fainted twice as he addressed his supporters, but quickly returned to continue to
speak surrounded by other leaders on the stage.
“How will the future Bangladesh look like? There will be another fight ... We will do whatever is necessary and win that fight (against corruption) collectively by uniting the strength of the youth to eliminate corruption,” Rahman said.
It wasn’t immediately clear why he fainted. He was later taken to a hospital for tests.
The event was the first time that the party was allowed to hold a rally at the site since 1971. To many, the decision signaled a shift supported by Yunus’ government in which Islamists are gaining momentum with further fragmentation of Bangladesh’s politics and the shrinking of liberal forces.
Hasina’s Awami League party, in a statement on X, reacted sharply for allowing it to hold the rally on that politically sensitive site.
It said that the move “marks a stark betrayal with the national conscience and constitutes a brazen act of undermining millions of people—dead and alive—who fought against the evil axis (in 1971),” the statement said.
Tensions between parties over Yunus’ reforms HASINA, whose father was the independence leader and the country’s first president, is a fierce political rival of Jamaat-e-Islami.
The party is expected to contest 300 parliamentary seats and is attempting to forge alliances with other Islamist groups and parties in hopes of becoming a third force in the country behind the BNP, headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and Hasina’s
former ruling Awami League party. The party had previously shared power with the BNP, and it had two senior Cabinet members under Zia in 2001-2006. After Hasina was ousted,
tensions grew between parties over reforms agenda undertaken by the Yunus government, which is facing challenges to establish order in the country.
THOUSANDS of supporters of Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami attend a rally in a show of strength ahead of elections expected next year, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, July 19, 2025. AP PHOTO/MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
BEDOUIN fighters stand on a pickup truck as they arrive at al-Dour village on the outskirts of Sweida city, during clashes between the Bedouin clans and Druze militias, southern Syria, Friday, July 18, 2025. AP PHOTO/GHAITH ALSAYED
New airport scanners enhance detection of liquid explosives, yet many airports still don’t have them
By Josh Funk The Associated Press
TRAVELERS celebrated the suggestion that American airports might soon ease restrictions on liquids in carry-on bags that create endless hassles at security checkpoints, but more than a third of all airports around the country still haven’t upgraded their screening systems to reliably detect liquid explosives that could bring down a plane.
It may be annoying to have to dump water and other drinks before going through security, but the challenge is to detect the difference between things like harmless hair gel and more sinister substances.
The threat nearly materialized in an attack in 2006, when authorities in the United Kingdom arrested a group that was plotting to blow holes in airliners with a homemade mixture of chemicals in sports drink bottles.
Security experts remain concerned about the vulnerabilities that were exposed by that plot.
Comments this week by Home -
land Security Secretary Kristi Noem got travelers excited about the prospect of one day being able to fly with more than 3 ounces of their shampoos and gels and not having to throw out the beverage they just bought.
“The liquids, I’m questioning. So that may be the next big announcement, is what size your liquids need to be,” Noem said. “We have put in place in TSA a multilayered screening process that allows us to change some of how we do security and
screening so it’s still as safe.”
A Transportation Security Administration spokesperson said Noem and the agency “are constantly looking for ways to enhance security, and improve the travel experience for the public.”
New liquids rules aren’t ready ANY changes will come through the same official channels that TSA used to announce this month that travelers can keep their shoes on at checkpoints. That change offers relief from a rule adopted after “shoe bomber” Richard Reid’s failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001 with a small explosive device hidden in his footwear.
The limits on liquids were triggered by the 2006 UK arrests. Three ringleaders were eventually convicted.
A massive surveillance operation
PROSECUTORS told the jury in that case that authorities uncovered the plot after secretly searching the luggage of a man who was on their radar for security concerns after
he returned from Pakistan and found the unusual combination of the Tang powdered soft drink and a large number of batteries, according to the BBC. That triggered the surveillance operation that eventually grew to include more than 200 officers.
Agents discovered what appeared to be a bomb factory in a London apartment where odd devices were being constructed out of drink bottles. The plot didn’t make sense until authorities discovered that the men were researching flight timetables and realized they were only trying to make an explosive big enough to rip a hole in a plane.
The meaning of coded emails to contacts in Pakistan only became clear after the arrests, when authorities realized that the quantities of Calvin Klein aftershave being discussed in messages matched the amount of hydrogen peroxide the conspirators had purchased.
Longstanding liquid restrictions
EVER since then, the TSA and authorities in other countries have limited carry-on liquids and gels to 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) because officials believe that amount is too small to create an explosion capable of taking down a plane. The restriction covered all types of liquids, because X-ray machines at checkpoints couldn’t differentiate between explosive and harmless ones.
The United Kingdom was planning to ease its restrictions last year to allow people to carry up to 2 liters (about half a gallon) of liquid, but that was delayed because several major airports still didn’t have the new scanners that use computed tomography, commonly known as a CT scan, to produce clearer images.
Advanced new screening machines
THE new machines allow screeners to switch between two-dimension -
al and three-dimensional images and turn them to see what may be lurking, said Johnny Jones, secretary treasurer of the chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees that represents TSA workers.
“It’s just a totally life-changing situation,” said Jones, who has worked as a screener since the agency was created. “It’s a difference of being able to see something that would have been hidden by something that you can now see clear as day with the new technology. It eliminates the guesswork.”
Many airports still use the old tech
THE problem is that only 255 of the 432 airports across the United States have new CT scanners installed, the interim head of the TSA told Congress this spring. The biggest airports got them first, but they are not expected to be every -
SBy Gabriela Sá Pessoa & Mauricio Savarese The Associated Press
AO PAULO—US President Don -
ald Trump may have thought that pressuring Brazil with higher tariffs would help his ally, the country’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, but the move apparently backfired.
Last week, Trump sent a letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva threatening a 50 percent import tax and directly linking the decision to Bolsonaro’s trial, which he called a “witch hunt.”
“This trial should end immediately!” Trump wrote Thursday evening in a second letter, this one addressed to Bolsonaro. He added that he had “strongly voiced” his disapproval through his tariff policy. Rather than backing down, Brazil’s Supreme Court escalated the case, worsening Bolsonaro’s legal troubles. On Friday morning, federal police raided Bolsonaro’s home and political office. The former president
was ordered to wear an ankle monitor, banned from using social media, and hit with other restrictions.
Meanwhile, President Lula—who was facing higher unpopularity, growing opposition in Congress and increasing risks to his likely reelection bid—seems to have gained politically from the situation.
Now the 79-year-old leftist Lula, in office for the third non-consecutive term of his long political career, is seeing renewed acceptance, congressional support against Trump and pleas to run one last time to defend Brazil’s sovereignty.
Back in the game
LULA has appeared more energized in public since Trump’s announcement. At a national students’ assembly Thursday, he wore a blue cap reading “Sovereign Brazil Unites Us” — a contrast to MAGA’s red cap. “A gringo will not give orders to this president,” he told the crowd, and called the tariff hike “unacceptable blackmail.”
The impact on Lula is not a first.
Trump’s actions targeting other countries have boosted ideological rivals in Canada and Australia instead of strengthening his allies at a local level.
Private pollster Atlas said Tuesday that Lula’s unpopularity had reversed course after his spat with Trump. Lula’s job approval went from at 47.3 percent in June to 49.7 percent
since the tariffs battle began. The poll of more than 2,800 people was conducted July 11-13, with a margin of error of 2 percentage points. The study also said 62.2 percent of Brazilians think the higher tariffs are unjustified while 36.8 percent agree with the measure.
Even Bolsonaro’s former vice president, Sen. Hamilton Mourão,
criticized Trump’s move as undue interference in Brazil’s politics, though he said he agreed the trial against the far-right leader is biased against him.
Social media analytics firm Palver analyzed 20,000 messages about Trump on WhatsApp, Brazil’s most widely used communication platform, a day after Trump’s announcement. Its analysis said right-wing users dominated viral content, but spontaneous conversations leaned left, mocking Bolsonaro as submissive and defending Brazil’s sovereignty.
“Trump has put Lula back in the game,” said Thomas Traumann, an independent political consultant and former spokesman for the Brazilian presidency who only weeks ago argued that Lula had lost his front-runner status in the presidential race as he struggled to deliver on his promises on the economy.
“Trump handed it to Lula on a silver platter,” Traumann said.
Business leaders who until recently sided with Bolsonaro are having to court Lula to negotiate with Trump. Agribusiness, Brazil’s largest econom -
It’s possible that a change in carry-on liquid policy could be implemented just at the biggest airports, but that could lead to confusion if travelers, are, say, allowed to bring full bottles on departure only to have them confiscated when they return.
The scanners cost more than $2 million apiece, and they are so much bigger than the old X-ray machines that sometimes floors must be reinforced and checkpoints have to be redesigned.
“I think you need to hold off till we get more systems deployed. I think this one’s a little too early,” said Jeff Price, who teaches aviation security at Metropolitan State University of Denver and has coauthored books on the subject. “The keep your shoes on—I can get on board with that provided we continue to do random screenings. But the liquids, I think we’re too early on that. There are other layers of security. Yeah, I know that. But not too many of them that prevent this type of attack.”
Vulnerabilities in the TSA system IN the past the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security has highlighted vulnerabilities in TSA screening that can allow things to slip through undetected. A 2015 report found that TSA officers failed 95 percent of the time to detect weapons or explosive material carried by undercover inspectors. But Jones defended the work of the screeners he represents, noting that since the agency’s creation, no plane has failed to reach its destination because of something that was missed.
“Nothing large has been able to make it through our system since we’ve taken over screening. We’ve protected the skies for 22 years,” Jones said. “Even if you have a slight miss, it doesn’t necessarily m ean anything is going to happen on the plane.”
ic sector and a traditional right-wing stronghold, united to criticize the US president’s move. Industry groups were quick to denounce the tariffs as politically motivated and lacking any commercial justification.
National outrage
“IN general, with the major exception of a more radical conservative wing, (Trump’s move) generated national outrage for violating Brazil’s sovereignty,” lawmaker Arnaldo Jardim, a member of the congressional agricultural caucus, told The Associated Press.
Jardim, who pushed for the approval of a reciprocity bill that could be used by Lula if there’s no agreement until the Aug. 1 deadline, hardly sides with the president.
“Even among sectors that initially thought this could benefit Bolsonaro, many had to reconsider their positions,” he said.
Top congressional leaders who recently helped nix a Lula decree to raise a transactions tax were moving toward a head-on collision with him. After Trump’s announcement, they signed a joint statement agreeing with Lula’s promise to use the reciprocity law against the US. In another change, Brazil’s Congress decided to start moving on Lula’s plan to give an income tax break to millions of poorer Brazilians. Many politicians said that such initiative was dead after Lula became the first president in three decades to have a decree annulled by lawmakers.
See “Trump,” A9 where until 2043.
BRAZIL’S
AIR travelers’ bags ride a conveyor into one of three new advanced in-line screening machines at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Ark., October 16 2012. AP PHOTO/DANNY JOHNSTON
For sale: Trump is leveraging power of his office to reap profits for family businesses
By Brian Slodysko And Will Weissert The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—If one theme has emerged in President Donald Trump’s second term, it’s this: He’s leveraged the power of his office for personal gain unlike anyone before in history.
From crypto coins to bibles, overseas development deals to an upcoming line of cellphones, Trump family businesses have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars since his election, an unprecedented flood of often shadowy money from billionaires, foreign governments and cryptocurrency tycoons with interests before the federal government.
“He is president and is supposed to be working in the public’s interest,” said James Thurber, an emeritus professor at American University, who has researched lobbying, campaign finance and political corruption for decades.
“Instead, he is helping his own personal interest to grow his wealth. It’s totally not normal.”
The sums amassed by the Trump Organization, the collection of companies controlled by the president’s children, are far greater than those collected by the family during the president’s first term, when patronage of his hotels, resorts and golf courses was de rigueur to curry favor with the famously transactional commander-in-chief.
The second time around, the Trump family’s ambitions are far grander, stretching from cyberspace to far-flung regions across the globe. One of Trump’s cryptocurrencies is conservatively estimated to have pulled in at least $320 million since January, while another received a $2 billion investment from a foreign government wealth fund. A third has sold at least $550 million in tokens. His sons have jetted across the Middle East to line up new development deals, while his daughter and son-in-law are working with the Albanian government to build a Mediterranean island resort. Even first lady Melania Trump has inked a $40 million documentary deal with Amazon, whose founder, Jeff Bezos, was a frequent target of Trump during his first presidency and whose companies contract extensively with the federal government.
Drain the swamp?
THE dealmaking is a rejection of Trump’s first-term pledge to “drain the swamp” in Washington and dwarfs the influence peddling efforts of former President Joe Biden’s family, whom Trump and his allies attacked as the “Biden Crime Family.”
While Democrats have condemned Trump for his overlapping roles as a beneficiary and president, he is not likely to face any
Continued from A8 Bolsonaro remains on trial AT the Supreme Court, Bolsonaro is only getting deeper into trouble as his trial continues.
immediate repercussions for such extensive conflicts-of-interest.
Congress is controlled by fellow Republicans, and his administration is stocked with loyalists who have dismantled many guardrails of oversight. Last summer, the Supreme Court, with a conservative majority cemented by Trump, ruled that presidents have broad immunity from prosecution.
Even in the rare cases where Trump’s allies have urged caution, the president has ignored them. That’s what happened when he accepted a $400 million “beautiful, big, magnificent, free airplane” from the Qatari government. Trump said the Boeing 747 “would go directly” to his presidential library upon leaving office.
“It’s the Mount Everest of corruption” said Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat.
Since Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace, presidents have gone to great lengths to avoid the appearance of such conflicts.
Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan kept assets in a “blind trust,” while George H.W. Bush used a “diversified trust,” which blocked him from knowing what was in his portfolio. His son, George W. Bush, used a similar arrangement.
Barack Obama was an exception, but his investments were mostly a bland mix of index funds and US treasuries. During his first term, Trump even gave a nod toward ethics. He issued a moratorium on foreign deals. But instead of placing his assets in a blind trust like many of his predecessors, he handed the reins of the Trump Organization to his children, which kept his financial holdings close. This time, he has made no such gesture. His sons, Eric and Donald Jr., are again running the business while Trump is in office. And though the White House says he is not involved in its day-to-day decisions, the trust he has established continues to profit. He promotes his resorts, merchandise and the family’s crypto ventures while residing in the White House, often from his account on Truth Social, the social media company he and his allies launched.
He’s also touted a line of Trump shoes, a Bible, which is made in China, and Trump guitars, one of which is a $1,500 Gibson Les Paul knockoff, featuring “Make America Great Again” fret inlays. Conservative groups and Republican committees have spent at least $25 million at Trump properties since 2015, with most of it coming from Trump’s own political
Earlier this week, Brazil’s chief prosecutor called for a guilty verdict, accusing the former president of leading an armed criminal organization, attempting to stage a coup and attempting violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, among other charges. The defense will next likely present its case in the coming weeks, after which the panel of Supreme Court justices in the trial will vote on whether to convict or acquit him. The former president also suffered more consequences — the
organization, campaign finance disclosures show.
Trump embraces crypto YET, those ventures pale in comparison to his exploits in cryptocurrency, which offers perhaps the clearest example of the conflicts of interest that have come to dominate Trump’s second term.
Trump was once a crypto skeptic who declared that cryptocurrencies were “not money,” were based on “thin air” and seemed “like a scam.” By the time he was running again for president, however, he’d become a proponent of the industry.
“The difference now is he has realized that it can be his scam,” said Hilary Allen, a law professor at American University who specializes in banking and cryptocurrencies.
Trump has pledged to turn the US into the “crypto capital of the world” and promised to roll back oversight of the industry.
Deregulation, of course, will help his own businesses. At the height of the campaign, Trump announced the launch of his own crypto coin and World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency firm that would be run by his sons and several business associates. Among those partners was Steve Witkoff, now one of Trump’s top diplomatic envoys.
The Trump Organization and World Liberty Financial declined to comment.
But it was also rooted in his 2024 campaign. At a crypto event at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in May 2024, he received assurances that industry figures would spend lavishly to get him reelected, The Associated Press previously reported.
Asked recently at the White House if he’d consider having his family business step back from its crypto investments to avoid questions about conflicts of interest, Trump said: “We’ve created a very powerful industry. That’s much
court’s latest restrictions on Bolsonaro, including the ankle monitor, are part of a second investigation against one of his sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, a Brazilian lawmaker who currently lives in the United States and is known for his close ties to Trump. He has been under scrutiny for allegedly working with US authorities to impose sanctions against Brazilian officials. Supreme Court Justice Alexan -
more important than anything that we invest in.”
“I don’t care about investing. You know, I have kids and they invest in it, because they do believe in it,” Trump added of crypto. “But I’m president, and what I did do there was build an industry that’s very important. And, if we didn’t have it, China would.”
White House: Trump’s crypto push is not driven by self-interest HARRISON FIELDS, a White House spokesman, reiterated that Trump’s crypto boosterism isn’t driven by self-interest.
He “is taking decisive action to establish regulatory clarity for digital financial technology and to secure America’s position as the world’s leader in the digital asset economy,” Fields said.
“The Trump administration,” Fields added, “is fulfilling the president’s promise to make the United States the crypto capital of the planet by driving innovation and economic opportunity for all Americans.”
Trump on Friday signed new cryptocurrency legislation that had been sought by the industry. Among the provisions is a ban on members of Congress issuing their own “stablecoins,” a particular type of cryptocurrency. The prohibition does not extend to the president.
Fields said it was unfair to equate critics’ charges of conflicts of interest against Trump with the president’s own suggestions that Biden’s family benefited financially while he was in office.
He said Trump’s policies haven’t benefited the president personally and have nothing to do with his family’s financial concerns—and said Trump entered the White House an already successful businessman who didn’t need a political career to become rich.
Even so, Trump’s family is poised to benefit financially from the crypto industry’s growing clout. It holds a majority owner -
dre de Moraes, who oversees criminal cases against Bolsonaro, said his and his son’s actions attempted to pressure the Brazilian judiciary by involving the US.
The court’s decision cited both Trump’s letter to Lula and several social media posts by the Bolsonaros in support of sanctions against Brazilian officials and speaking favorably about tariffs.
“A sovereign country like Brazil
ship stake that entitles them to 75% of earnings from their first coin, released last September, according to World Liberty Financial’s website.
The coin, $WLFI, was not an immediate success. Then, after the president’s election, sales took off.
Days before his inauguration,
Trump announced a new meme coin, $Trump, during the “Crypto Ball,” a Washington gala intended to showcase a regulatory sea change he vowed to usher in.
“Time to celebrate everything we stand for: WINNING!” Trump posted to his X account. “Join my very special Trump Community. GET YOUR $TRUMP NOW.”
Trump’s meme coin generated at least $320 million in fees
OFTEN created as a joke with no real utility, meme coins are prone to wild price swings that often enrich a small group of insiders at the expense of less sophisticated investors. $Trump soared to over $70, but its price soon collapsed, losing money for many. It has hovered around $10 since March.
Trump did well, though. By the end of April, the coin had earned over $320 million in fees, according to an analysis by the crypto tracking firm Chainalysis.
A third cryptocurrency, a stablecoin called USD1, launched in April.
There appear to be upsides for Trump’s cryptocurrency investors and associates.
Justin Sun, a Chinese-born crypto billionaire, has disclosed investing nearly $200 million in the Trumps’ various crypto ventures. Amid this spree, the Trump administration paused a securities fraud case against him.
In June, Sun announced he was taking his crypto company, Tron, public after securing financing through a deal brokered by Eric Trump. Then, last week, Sun posted on X that he was purchasing an additional $100 million worth of Trump’s meme coin.
will always know how to defend its democracy and sovereignty,” de Moraes said. “The judiciary will not allow any attempt to subject the functioning of the Supreme Court to the scrutiny of another state through hostile acts.”
Jair Bolsonaro told journalists in Brasilia, the country’s capital, that the ankle monitoring was a “supreme humiliation.”
Sun is not the only one. Changpen Zhao, a convicted felon who founded the crypto exchange Binance, was part of a megadeal in which a United Arab Emiratescontrolled wealth fund invested $2 billion in the Trump stablecoin, USD1, which it used to purchase a stake in Zhao’s Binance. The deal gave outsized publicity to World Liberty Financial and instantly made the stablecoin one of the top in the market. It will also allow the Trump family and their business partners to reinvest the $2 billion and collect interest, estimated to be worth as much as $80 million a year.
Soon after the purchase was announced, Trump granted the UAE greater access to US artificial intelligence chips, which it had long sought. Binance and Zhao benefited, too.
Binance is restricted in the US and entered a settlement with the Biden administration that sent Zhao to jail in 2024 after he pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an anti-money-laundering program. Prosecutors said he looked the other way as criminals used his platform to move money connected to child sex abuse, drug trafficking and terrorism.
In May, Trump’s Securities and Exchange Commission dropped the final federal enforcement action against Binance. Zhao, who goes by CZ, is now seeking a pardon. The White House says no decision has been made on issuing such a grant of clemency.
White House tour for top crypto investors TRUMP announced several months ago a new promotion that would trade on his presidency: He was hosting a dinner at his Virginia golf club for the top 220 investors in his meme coin, $Trump, with a special White House tour for the top 25.
That fueled a temporary rise in the coin’s value. It also helped enrich the Trump Organization, which is entitled to collect fees when the coin is traded. A month later, Trump addressed attendees of the dinner, standing before a lectern with the presidential seal. The White House said at the time that it had nothing to do with the meme coin.
For decades, campaign contributions and lobbying have been governed by laws that place limits on how much donors can give, require a degree of transparency and limit how politicians can spend the money they raise. Trump’s venture into cryptocurrency effectively sidesteps these laws, legal and finance experts say.
“It’s a lot like the Trump Hotel from the first term, but what crypto has done is dispensed with the need for the hotel,” said Allen, the law professor. “Because crypto assets can be made out of thin air, he has found a way of creating an unlimited supply of assets to offer to people who want to give.”
Associated Press writer Aaron Kessler contributed from Washington.
“I never thought about leaving Brazil, I never thought about going to an embassy, but the precautionary measures are because of that,” the former president said. In a statement, Eduardo Bolsonaro accused de Moraes of trying to criminalize Trump and the US government.
“Since he has no power over them, he decided to make my father a hostage,” the younger Bolsonaro said of the judge.
PRESIDENT Donald Trump, center, seated with Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., left, and Jon Gray, President and Chief Operating Officer, Blackstone, right, at the
‘We were detained like criminals’: 18 Pinoy cruise ship workers deported from US
By Malou Talosig-Bartolome
EIGHTEEN Filipino crew members were forcibly removed from the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship at the Port of Norfolk, Virginia, and deported to the Philippines—triggering outrage among Filipino American communities and immigrant rights advocates.
The arbitrary deportation of 18 Filipino seafarers was learned on the same day President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Washington D.C. for a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Some of the seafarers were handcuffed and leg-cuffed by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, according to accounts gathered by BusinessMirror “ Trinato kaming kriminal Hindi kami pinakain, walang tubig. Nagiiyakan na kami. Gusto namin ng hustisya sa ginawa sa amin [We were treated like criminals. No food, no water. We were crying. We want justice for what was done to us],” said Marcelo Morales, a shipboard chef from Southern Leyte, in a phone interview.
CBP agents began boarding the cruise ship at nearly every port call to Norfolk since February 2025, apprehending Filipino crew members in batches.
Morales, 33, said his ordeal began on May 30, when agents searched his phone for illicit content.
“They confiscated my cellphone and checked everything thoroughly. After the official search, they asked if I had viewed child pornography. I denied the accusation, and after they found nothing, I was cleared and allowed to return to the vessel—no charges, no citation, not even a warning,” he recalled.
But on June 28, when the Carnival Sunshine docked again in Norfolk, agents returned and placed Morales under arrest. His fin -
gerprints and DNA samples were taken, and he was informed that he was being accused of watching child sexual abuse material—despite already being cleared weeks prior.
“No new evidence was shown. They didn’t search my phone again—they just placed it in a small transparent envelope and took me,” he said.
Eight other Filipino crew members—including a fellow chef, four stewards, a waiter, and a sanitation worker—were also detained.
Morales emphasized that he never stored nor viewed any illicit material on his phone, noting that cruise company policies prohibit access to adult content and block such sites altogether. Their main mode of communication with loved ones is via the WhatsApp messaging app.
The seafarers were asked to sign documents indicating the revocation of their C1/D visas.
“ Dun na kami nag- panic ,” Morales said. “N ung tinanong namin kung ano ang kaso namin, sabi sa amin [That’s when we panicked. When we asked what was the case against us, they replied], ‘We cannot answer you.’” Despite their refusal to sign, their visas were stamped “revoked.”
Upon arrival in Manila, they were handed official notices citing violations of Section 212 of the US Immigration and Nationality Act, which pertains to illegal entry and “jumping ship.” Morales was also handed two orders barring him from re-entering the United States for 10 years.
“I was not allowed legal representation,” he said.
Only a staff member from the cruise line’s Human Resources department visited them during detention, but Morales said they felt abandoned.
“They told us to follow American law—but no one explained anything to us,” he said.
Asked whether they contacted the Philippine Embassy in Washington, Morales replied, “ Hindi po. Tinanggalan kami ng access sa phones namin [We did not, because they took away our phones] .”
He’s now struggling to support his two siblings in college and has encountered difficulty applying for new shipboard jobs.
Lumiliit ang opportunity namin kasi karamihan ng barko, lumalayag sa America [Our opportunities are quite limited now because most ships sail through America enroute to other destinations],” he said.
Seafarers told: You can be deported for downloading, viewing child porn IN response to rising cases related to child pornography accusations,
the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. issued a public advisory reminding Filipinos in the US and onboard vessels in US territor ial waters that “child pornography is one of the worst forms of child exploitation and to consume it perpetuates such exploitation.”
The embassy emphasized that US federal and state laws criminalize the possession, viewing, transport, and distribution of child sexual abuse materials, and violators can be prosecuted, penalized, and deported.
“In this regard, everyone is enjoined to desist from downloading, possessing, viewing, transporting, distributing and selling child pornography,” it said in an advisory posted on Facebook.
The Embassy said it respects the right of any member of the Filipino community, OFW or ship crew to seek redress of grievances or take legal action if they feel they have been wrongly accused of legal infractions.
“Please contact the Philippine Embassy or the nearest Philippine Consulate General and Migrant Workers Office for consular and welfare assistance,” it added.
Trump appointees pushed more marble in Fed building renovation White House now attacks
By Christopher Rugaber & Josh Boak The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump has looked to the marble finishes and hefty price tag of the Federal Reserve headquarters to claim grounds to fire Chair Jerome Powell, with whom he has tussled for years over interest rates. But the extensive use of marble in the building is, at least in part, the result of policies backed by Trump himself. As the Fed moved forward with plans to renovate its Great Depression-era headquarters in Washington during Trump’s first term, it faced concerns in 2020 during a vetting process involving Trump appointees, who called for more “white Georgia marble” for the facade of the building.
The Fed’s architects said the central bank wanted glass walls, to reflect the Fed as a transparent institution, but three Trump appointees to a local commission felt marble best fit the building’s historic character. While most of the proposed glass exterior was kept, some marble was added as a result, according to the minutes of the Commission of Fine Arts, which advises the federal government on architecture.
The marble does not explain the roughly $600 million in cost overruns for the proj -
ect, now budgeted to cost $2.5 billion, which also includes the addition of an underground parking garage and new glass atria in the building’s courtyards. But the roots of its extensive use further muddies the White House’s attempts to use the renovation to paint the central banker as a profligate spender as a possible pretext to removing him.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the result costs more” because of the added marble, said Alex Krieger, a Harvard University emeritus professor who was a member of the commission and participated in hearings on the Fed’s proposal.
Russ Vought, Trump’s top budget adviser, cited “premium marble” in a letter to Powell last week as an example of the “ostentatious overhaul.” In a response late Thursday, Powell wrote that the project would “use new domestic marble” for several reasons, including “to address concerns raised by external review agencies.”
The National Capital Planning Commission, which also reviewed and approved the Fed renovation project, has started an inquiry into how Powell oversaw the updates.
“The Federal Reserve’s extravagant multi-billion-dollar renovation happened on the watch of the Fed’s leadership, and the Fed’s leadership needs to own up for this mismanagement of taxpayer dollars—as
well as its botched coverup job,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai. A Fed spokesperson declined to comment.
There is an uncomfortable possibility that the fate of the US central bank and its foundational role in the economy hinges on a dispute about renovation costs and architecture, one that could lead a broader legal battle as to whether Trump can dismiss a Fed chair he dislikes after the Supreme Court in May described the institution as having protections against an abrupt firing.
Trump White House investigating renovation TRUMP, who has redecorated the Oval Office in gold leaf, has argued that inflation is not a concern, so the Fed can dramatically slash its rate to encourage more borrowing. But Powell and other Fed committee members are waiting to see whether Trump’s tariffs lift inflation, which higher interest rates could help blunt.
The Fed chair pushed back against criticism during a June congressional hearing that the renovation was lavish by saying some features were removed due to cost, leading the White House to speculate as to whether Powell deceived lawmakers or made changes to the renovation plans without getting additional approvals. At that hearing, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., also cited “white marble” as an example of extravagance.
Digitalization’s bad spawn, per PBBM: Gaming addiction
By Samuel P. Medenilla sam_medenilla
AS the government reviews proposals to ban online gaming, President Ferdinand Marcos expressed concern o ver its impact on Filipino families when done irresponsibly.
In a video blog posted on his social media page last Sunday, the chief executive recognized both the positive and negative social effects of digitalization.
“Another thing that digitalization has made easier is gambling. M any families are ruined by it, especially if it is used irresponsibly,” h e said in Filipino.
Another negative effect of digitalization, he said, is that it enables t he faster spread of misinformation and disinformation online.
However, the new technology, he said, also has numerous positive applications such as streamlining government transactions through their eGov Super App and the mainstreaming of Artificial Intelligence ( AI), which can help boost labor productivity and competitiveness.
Marcos assured the public his
Continued from A1
In a letter to Marcos dated 9 July 2025, Trump said that starting next month, the tariff on Philippine goods entering the US market will be raised from 10 percent to 20 percent to eliminate their “Trade Deficit disparity” with the Philippines.
Go earlier said the country will try to negotiate for lowering the 20-percent tariff as well as for a bilateral trade or a free trade agreement with the US.
Recto: PHL open to zero tariffs MEANWHILE , in an informal press chat, Finance Secretary Recto told reporters that the government is “definitely” open to zero tariffs on some US imports.
“Not for all products, but we have identified a set of products,” Recto said, though he declined to disclose which sectors are under consideration.
A Philippine delegation is now in Washington, D.C. to negotiate with the United States for a better tariff deal ahead of the tax’s implementation on August 1.
Besides Secretary Go, also on the team are Trade Secretary Cristina Roque and Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo.
“We want to reduce whatever duties they impose on our products,” Recto said. The Finance chief, however, noted that such decisions are part of a larger, ongoing negotiation process.
James Blair, a White House deputy chief of staff who was recently added to the planning commission, said Wednesday that he would send a letter to the Fed requesting any revisions to the project. His goal is to see whether Powell was accurate in his congressional testimony.
“He’s either telling the truth or he isn’t,” Blair told The Associated Press. “If he’s telling the truth, he can prove it by just submitting all the plans and revisions.”
Blair told reporters Friday that the Fed offered to let them inspect the construction site at 7 p.m. that evening, but the timing didn’t work and officials would like to tour the area next week.
Trump said Wednesday that he’s “highly unlikely” to try to fire Powell unless there was what he deemed as “fraud.”
The attempt to remove Powell before his May 2026 term as chair ends could unleash a devastating financial blowback, as financial markets expect the Fed, with its mission of stabilizing prices and maximizing employment, to be free of White House politicking. The perception that the central bank would use its powers to serve Trump’s political ends could lead to higher interest rates on the US debt and mortgages, instead of the declines being promised by the president.
Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
administration will make sure such new technology will benefit the public.
“Technology is here to make our lives easier, to divert government from corruption, to speed up p rocesses, to improve education, healthcare, and trade,” he said. Malacañang earlier said it is now conducting a comprehensive review on the proposed legislation to prohibit online gaming, s ince it can compel its operators to use illegal means to continue their activities.
In an interview with reporters in Pasay City last Sunday, Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin said the review is still ongoing.
“Well, we are still looking into it because we have to see all the ramifications that gaming of that method may be allowed to operate,” Bersamin said.
He noted that unlike Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators ( POGO), which catered to foreign nationals and was banned by the President last year after it was linked to the rise in criminal activities, online gaming is “not akin to s cams and online fraud.”
recover to a modest growth of 2 percent from 2026 to 2028. Moreover, the revenue collection target of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) was slashed to about P990 billion this year, from P1.064 trillion, due to expectations of lower import growth and tariff collections. Still, any reduction in revenues in any of the fields that it is collecting against, there will be ways for the agency to find ways to mitigate that, Customs Assistant Commissioner Atty. Vincent Philip C. Maronilla has said.
Other issues
ASIDE from trade, Marcos said he will also talk about security and defense with Trump—a continuation of previous bilateral meetings between security and defense officials of the Philippines and US in Manila.
Marcos is the first Association of Southeast Asian Nation (Asean) state leader invited by Trump for a meeting in Washington D.C. The Philippines and the US have been allies for more than 70 years after the Mutual Defense Treaty between the two countries was signed in 1951. Since 2015, the United States has provided the Philippines with over $2.7 billion in security assistance, defense sales and authorized military exports, according to the US Department of State.
While in the US, the President will also meet with business leaders who are exploring business opportunities in the Philippines.
SONA preparations
“I think our relationship with the US is not only trade, but also security,” Recto said when asked if he is confident that the Philippines will secure lower tariffs.
Recto said the Philippines also prefers a free trade agreement (FTA) with the US, while also pursuing similar deals with other countries.
“More trade should be done. We have to expand our markets. Get more investments in manufacturing so that we can export more,” Recto said.
As for the impact of the US tariffs on government revenues, Recto said any potential revenue losses from tariffs have already been taken into account.
Although there is no finality on the negotiations yet, Recto said the DOF has calculated the impact of the tariffs and provided its inputs on what the Philippines could haggle.
“It’s safe to say that we’re okay in terms of loss,” Recto said.
Export projections lowered
HEIGHTENED trade policy uncertainties and slower global demand recently prompted the government to reduce its goods export projections.
Goods exports are seen to contract by 2 percent in 2025 from a previous 6 percent growth projection. This will
MARCOS will be in the US from July 20 to 22, 2025. He designated Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III as caretakers of the government during his brief visit to the US.
“The order of the President is to continue the work while he’s away. Anyway, we keep in constant communication with him during all the time that he is away from the country,” Bersamin told reporters at the Villamor Airbase on Sunday. Marcos is scheduled to hold his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28, 2025. Bersamin said the chief executive has been busy in determining the content for his Sona, which he said may include the outcome of his trip to the US.
“We are still hoping or expecting that the President will consider more material. You know the President has a very strong focus on such things because he really loves to communicate to the people the work that he has been doing, that the Cabinet has been doing, that the entire government has been doing,” Bersamin said partly in Filipino.
MARCELO MORALES poses while the cruise ship, Carnival Sunshine, docks
‘Crising,’ monsoon rains damaged rice crops
incurred losses.
TBy Ada Pelonia @adapelonia
HE Department of Agriculture (DA) called on its attached agencies to mobilize assistance to farmers and fishers affected by tropical storm “Crising” and the southwest monsoon.
This, after government preliminary reports showed that the estimated farm damage from the storm and monsoon rains across Western Visayas and Mimaropa stood at around P53 million. The government said 2,099 farmers tending to over 2,400 hectares
Trump tariffs spell trouble for Hawaii’s few coffee farmers
HAWAIIAN coffee farmers have a message for President Donald Trump: Steep tariffs on major exporters such as Brazil will end up hurting them, too.
Hawaii at first glance might seem the obvious beneficiary of tariffs on coffee. It is the only state in the country where the tropical goods grow, with the vast majority of java imbibed by Americans imported from South America and Vietnam. Higher priced foreign imports should, in theory, make the island state’s products comparatively more affordable. But growers say the opposite is true: rising prices across the board will hit consumers already struggling with inflation, curbing demand on everything from popular everyday roasts available at grocery stores to luxury Kona beans.
While the discourse around trade and Trump’s “Buy American” mantra could draw attention to Hawaiian goods, the upshot for the state’s farmers is that “tariffs will probably hurt us as much as it would hurt the mainland roasters,” said Suzanne Shriner, the vice president of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association and the president of Lions Gate Farms.
Brazil and Vietnam are the world’s top producers of java, and Trump has threatened a 50 percent and 20 percent levy on those countries, respectively, though Vietnamese officials have said negotiations are ongoing. Brazil, for its part, is weighing countermeasures and could ask for a reduction in the levies.
But if tariffs hold, even at a lower rate, they would be a blow to US consumers and companies that have already faced surging costs over the last year as poor weather impacted global coffee production. Americans’ beloved morning cup of joe could get even more expensive as the cost of tariffs start getting passed down to consumers, and that could risk a ripple effect of decreased consumption.
“Any time you drive up costs to the point where buyers reduce their demand, if people leave the coffee market in the sense that they’ll switch to an energy drink versus a cup of coffee, that’s going to harm us,” said Shriner.
Starbucks Corp. could take about a 1.4 percent earnings hit if tariffs on Brazil increase from the current 10 percent to 50 percent, according to TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles. who estimates that more than 20 percent of the roaster’s North American beans come from Brazil. Starbucks had boosted lobbying spending earlier this year to the second-highest quarterly amount on record, noting tariff-related issues.
Trump has said his tariff campaign is aimed at rewriting trade practices he thinks are unfair to the US and encouraging a reshoring of production, from cars to metals mining.
Coffee, however, is not an imported commodity that can easily be replaced.
“Unlike other cases where tariffs may address unfair practices or incentivize domestic producers, coffee simply cannot be grown in most of the United States,” National Coffee Association president Bill Murray wrote in a letter to the US Trade Representative requesting an exemption from tariffs back in March.
Little room to expand COFFEE is more popular in the US than even bottled water, with two-thirds of Americans drinking it every day. Those drinkers average
three cups daily, according to the National Coffee Association.
The US imported more than 450,000 tons of unroasted coffee from Brazil in 2024, valued at nearly $2 billion, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Hawaii is seen producing just 12,040 tons of coffee cherries in the 2024-2025 season, a figure that will shrink once the cherries are processed into beans, USDA data shows.
Such production “is not anywhere near the scale required” to meet US demand, Murray said in the letter. The association declined to comment on the latest Brazil tariffs.
Hawaiian farmers don’t see much room to expand production significantly, constrained by land, labor and climate. But demand has plenty of space to drop, especially if consumers decide that their “affordable luxury” isn’t cost-effective anymore.
“If they like drinking their Starbucks and then they come to Hawaii and they’re like, ‘Oh, I’ll get the good stuff,’ that’s awesome. But if we price them out of a coffee at home, then we’re going to price them out of exotic coffees too,” said Adam Potter, who owns or manages about 18,000 cocoa trees on the Big Island and farms another 3,000 coffee trees.
Economists and consumers have been bracing for higher prices stemming from Trump’s tariff campaign. So far, the impact has been relatively muted, though June’s consumer price index, which excludes the volatile food and energy categories, showed some companies are starting to pass on higher import costs.
Hawaiian coffee farmers received about $21.90 per pound for green coffee in the 2024-2025 marketing year, according to the USDA. By the time that makes it to consumers, the best quality beans can cost even more. A pound of roasted coffee from Ka’awaloa Trail Farm in Big Island’s famed Kona coffee-growing region retails for $60.
Even at a current record high in data going back to 1980, a pound of ground roast coffee in the US averaged just over $8 a pound, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“If the price of, let’s say, Maxwell House, doubles at the grocery store, I don’t think people are going to be like, ‘Oh, now I’m going to buy Kona coffee,’” said Tony Tate, who along with his partner runs Ka’awaloa, a 7-acre coffee and cacao farm.
‘Bad news’
THE chocolate industry has also been pushing for an exemption from tariffs. Hawaii’s cocoa production is barely existent, not even topping 50 tons of dry beans in 2022. The US imported nearly 200,000 tons of cocoa beans last year—and that’s already after a significant drop due to lower global production, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Hershey Co. said in May that it would seek an exemption, citing as much as $20 million in tariff costs during the second quarter. Unmitigated impacts could rise to $100 million later in the year after working through existing inventories, the company said.
A tariff would have to be “so high, like hundreds of percent, to make it start to be competitive—and then there’d be no chocolate,” said Mānoa Chocolate founder Dylan Butterbaugh. The company uses both Hawaiian and imported beans to produce about 50 tons of chocolate each year.
Bloomberg News
The volume of production loss was pegged at 2,147 metric tons (MT). Of this, rice sustained the bulk of the damage at 2,109 MT. This was followed by high-value crops at 36 MT and corn at 2 MT. Officials noted, however, that the latest figures are still subject to validation.
“We must act without delay— weather permitting—to ease the suffering of our farmers and fisherfolk,” DA Undersecretary Roger Navarro said in a statement.
The agency said floodwaters have submerged plantations of rice, corn, and other high-value crops, while poultry and livestock
operations have also suffered losses. It added that damage assessments in the fisheries sector are still underway.
Meanwhile, the DA said the National Food Authority (NFA) warehouse in Mindoro was also flooded.
Despite this, NFA Administrator Larry Lacson confirmed that the agency has started releasing rice stocks to local government units (LGUs) and national agencies as part of the ongoing disaster response.
For his part, Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) President Jovy Bernabe noted that a rapid assessment of the affected areas
will be undertaken to initiate the processing of insurance claims for covered farmers.
“The PCIC has instructed its personnel to extend full assistance to affected farmers and expedite the processing of their damage claims.”
Aside from PCIC indemnification, the DA may also extend further support to affected farmers and fishers.
Several interventions include the provision of agricultural inputs, such as seeds, livestock, and biologics, through regional field offices.
This also includes rehabilitation assistance under the Quick Response Fund (QRF) and zerointerest loans of up to P25,000 through the SURE Loan Program, which is payable over three years. In its latest situational report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council noted that the low-pressure area being monitored inside the Philippine area of responsibility developed into a tropical depression last July 16.
“At 11:00 p.m. on July 16, Crising slightly intensified as it moved northwestward over the sea east of Bicol Region. Tropical cyclone wind signal (TCWS) No. 1 was hoisted in Luzon,” its report read.
Govt condones debt of Calabarzon CARP beneficiaries
By John Eiron R. Francisco
THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Calabarzon distributed a total of 1,650 Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (CoCROM) to 1,165 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) across the region last Thursday.
The certificates eliminate the outstanding amortization debts of platers and grant them full ownership of over 1,085 hectares of agricultural lands.
“Giving these lots and exempting them from debts, we believe, will pump-prime the agricultural economy,” Assistant Secretary Ubaldo R. Sadiarin Jr. of the DAR Policy, Planning and Research Office (PPRO) told the BusinessMirror on the sidelines of the event at the One Arena in Cainta, Rizal.
Sadiarin noted that by freeing beneficiaries from financial burdens, they are now better positioned to invest in farm productivity and agri-enterprise.
He likened the effect to the act of washing with soap, explaining that just as bubbles rise when clothes are washed, so too does the economy when movement and activity are encouraged.
“If you don’t wash, it won’t rise. If you don’t move, there’s no economy.”
The CoCROM distribution is mandated by Republic Act 11953, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which condones all unpaid
principal, interest, and surcharges of ARBs under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
Of the total CoCROMs, Rizal province accounted for 1,623 certificates, covering 1,067.29 hectares of land and benefiting 1,148 ARBs.
The total amount of debt condoned in Rizal reached P73.33 million, with Barangay Pinugay in Baras posting the highest amount at P28.29 million for 248 certificates covering 277.62 hectares, followed by Rodriguez at P10.1 million; Tanay, P11 million, and Antipolo City, nearly P9.8 million.
Other areas such as Jalajala, Pililla, Teresa, Morong, and Angono also benefited from the distribution.
Meanwhile, the province of Laguna received 18 CoCROMs covering 9.3943 hectares and benefiting 10 ARBs.
Quezon I was granted 9 Co -
CROMs for 9.2868 hectares to 7 ARBs. These bring the regional total to 1,650 distributed CoCROMs across 1,085.9735 hectares.
Land awards continue IN addition to debt condonation, the regional agrarian reform arm awarded 85 Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) to 96 ARBs covering 76.3947 hectares under the regular Land Acquisition and Distribution program.
Quezon I had the largest allocation with 55 CLOAs for 28.9 hectares, followed by Quezon II with 22 CLOAs for 27.16 hectares.
Laguna received 2 CLOAs covering 20 hectares, while Rizal was granted 6 CLOAs for 0.3283 hectares.
The region also distributed 388 CLOAs to 386 ARBs in Nasugbu, Batangas, covering an estimated 252 hectares of land.
Meanwhile, through the Sup -
port to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) program, DAR granted 321 electronic titles, or e-Titles, to 270 ARBs across Calabarzon. These cover a total of 391.5896 hectares. Quezon II led with 138 e-Titles covering 175.2467 hectares, followed by Quezon I with 40 e-Titles for 102 hectares, Cavite with 86 e-Titles for 66.1694 hectares, Laguna with 20 for 30.1844 hectares, Batangas with 29 for 12 hectares, and Rizal with 8 e-Titles for 5.9 hectares.
DAR concern HOWEVER , Sadiarin acknowledged one concern: the possibility that some beneficiaries might quickly decide to sell their awarded lands.
While he clarified that farmers are not prohibited from doing so, he discouraged it, urging farmers to hold onto their land for as long as they are able to cultivate and pass it on to future generations.
“If they can still farm and if there’s someone to take over after them, it’s better not to sell and instead further develop these lands.” Rizal Provincial Governor Nina Ricci Ynares expressed confidence in the province’s agricultural sector and pledged ongoing government support to agrarian reform beneficiaries.
“And I promise you, your government will help the province to continue to nurture farming and to continue to nurture your community.
DA orders destruction of smuggled vegetables
THE Department of Agriculture
(DA) ordered the disposal of over 500 metric tons (MT) of smuggled vegetables due to severe deterioration.
The agency noted that the Bureau of Plant Industry’s (BPI) food safety analyses indicated that the seized carrots, yellow, and red onions were free from E. coli and Salmonella, pesticide residues, and heavy metals.
However, it added that further organoleptic assessment revealed “significant” deterioration.
“The onions and carrots showed signs of early sprouting, visible rotting, and foul odors indicating putrefaction,” BPI Director Glenn Panganiban said. “Despite passing
Customs
Ssafety standards, the produce cannot be categorized as safe for human consumption.”
For Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., the agency’s move to dispose of the smuggled vegetables underscores the importance of public health.
“Our priority is ensuring agricultural food commodities will promote public health and food safety. Imported goods, especially those meant to supplement local production, must meet safety standards and be fit for human consumption.”
The DA said the P66 million seized farm products were in 17 container vans and arrived at Philippine ports, misdeclared as other products. Of this, 13 vans were intercepted at the Port of Subic, while four
container vans were at the Port of Manila.
It added that six of the 13 container vans loaded with onions were misdeclared as chicken lollipop, while other shipments were labeled as smoked frankfurters or chicken sausage.
The DA said the importers involved face severe penalties for violating importation and food safety laws.
“These companies will be added to the growing list of importers blacklisted by the DA. Given the significant value of the cargo, some of these importers may be the first to face legal action under the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act,” the DA chief said. Meanwhile, the agency noted that
reform will help stop agri
By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM
AYING “a single sack of smuggled rice is a direct blow to a Filipino farmer,”
Senator Francis N. Pangilinan renewed his call for a full-scale, coordinated campaign to stop agricultural smuggling, and backed pending Customs reforms to help push this.
The lawmaker listed four key recommendations to carry out the campaign.
Pangilinan warned that the long-standing crisis is bleeding Filipino farmers dry and putting the country’s food supply at risk.
“A single sack of smuggled rice is a direct blow to a Filipino farmer. Every shipment that slips through is stolen income, stolen dignity,” he said. “This must end.”
He supported Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno’s reform push but stressed that piecemeal efforts won’t cut it. He called for a whole-of-government approach, led by stronger enforcement and real accountability—not just confiscation of goods, but prosecution of smugglers and complicit officials.
“Smuggling is not just theft. It’s betrayal—of our farmers, our fisherfolk, and our future,” he said. “If we’re serious about
food security, we must lock up the big-time smugglers and dismantle their networks.” Pangilinan also laid out key recommendations to intensify the government’s anti-smuggling drive:
n Expand the mandate and coordination powers of the Inter-Agency Task Force
n Enable farmers and vendors to report smuggling without fear
n Fast-track legal and administrative cases against Customs personnel and traders involved; and
n Institutionalize the Sagip Saka Act as a proactive measure to
tests are also underway on two additional container vans that were recently opened and whose contents were mislabeled as chicken poppers despite containing Peking duck and chicken breast.
The DA said this action reflects its zerotolerance policy toward agricultural smuggling, stressing the need for stringent measures to protect local farmers and consumers from “harmful and improperly labeled” products.
“With the increasing volume of smuggled agricultural goods entering the Philippines, this crackdown serves as a reminder that the government will not hesitate to enforce the law and safeguard public health.” Ada Pelonia
FARMERS from Rizal raise the Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage they received from the Department of Agrarian Reform. PHOTO BY JOHN EIRON R. FRANCISCO
The unfulfilled promise of financial inclusion: A decade of progress, yet millions left behind editorial
ADECADE after the Philippine government launched the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI), the results are disappointing. Despite efforts to increase access to financial services, over four million adult Filipinos remain excluded, without any bank, mobile, or digital financial accounts.
The most recent data from the World Bank’s Global Findex 2025 report reveals a concerning overview of the country’s progress in achieving financial inclusion. (Read the BusinessMirror story: “Over 4M Pinoy adults still financially excluded—World Bank,” July 17, 2025).
The report reveals that only 77.9 million out of 82 million adult Filipinos have some form of financial account, leaving five percent of the adult population without access to basic financial services. This is a far cry from the goals of the NSFI, which aimed to optimize collective efforts toward financial inclusion in the country. The data also shows that the share of adults with accounts in 2024 was lower than in 2021, and the country’s progress in financial inclusion has stalled.
The reasons for this lack of progress are complex and multifaceted. The report cites lack of money, high fees for financial services, and distance to financial institutions as major barriers to account ownership. Many Filipinos also lack the necessary documentation to open a financial account, and some perceive financial institutions as too far away or untrustworthy. The report also notes that mobile money accounts, which have been touted as a solution to financial exclusion, are not widely used, with many citing concerns about safety and high fees.
The consequences of financial exclusion are severe. Without access to basic financial services, individuals and households are unable to save, invest, or protect themselves from financial shocks. This perpetuates poverty and inequality, and limits economic growth and development. The data shows that only 26.7 percent of all adults are considered financially resilient, meaning they can access extra money in 30 days if needed.
To address these challenges, the government and financial institutions must work together to improve the customer experience and product design. This includes reducing barriers to account ownership, such as high fees and documentation requirements, and increasing access to financial services, particularly in rural areas. The government can also promote financial inclusion by modernizing payment systems, providing digital IDs, and implementing social protection programs with digital cash-transfer systems.
The World Bank’s Global Findex report highlights the importance of financial inclusion in promoting economic growth and development. As World Bank Group President Ajay Banga noted, “Financial inclusion has the potential to improve lives and transform entire economies.” It is imperative that the government and financial institutions prioritize financial inclusion and work towards a more inclusive and equitable financial system.
The NSFI was launched in 2015 with the aim of promoting financial inclusion in the Philippines. A decade later, it is clear that more needs to be done to achieve this goal. The government and financial institutions must redouble their efforts to address the challenges of financial exclusion and ensure that all Filipinos have access to basic financial services. Only then can the country truly achieve the benefits of financial inclusion and promote economic growth and development for all.
Designing the country’s AI policy
IRISING SUN
Conclusion
F the Philippines wants an AI law that genuinely benefits its people—whether you’re running a tech startup in Makati, teaching in Quezon City, managing a family business in Davao, or working the corporate grind in Ortigas—it’s important to look at global best practices while making sure the law feels right for our local context. Drawing inspiration from the EU, Brazil, and even private sector frameworks, we can piece together a version that fits our ambitions as a country that values innovation and accountability.
A core element is categorizing AI systems based on their risk. Not all AI technology is built the same: some make sensitive decisions, like approving business loans or interpreting legal evidence, while others simply help manage schedules or recommend playlists. By sorting them according to risk—from unacceptable to minimal—we prevent overregulating everyday tech and allow promising ideas to flourish, especially for startups and SMEs on a budget.
Clarity is also key. We often get
PBBM’s
T. Anthony C. Cabangon
Lourdes M. Fernandez Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Dennis D. Estopace
R. Calso, Dionisio L. Pelayo Ruben M. Cruz Jr.
Eduardo A. Davad Nonilon G. Reyes
D.
tangled up on what really counts as AI. If we align our legal definitions with globally accepted ones, it becomes much easier for everyone, including Filipino entrepreneurs, educators, regulators, and even students, to know what’s covered by the law. This alone saves time, money, and plenty of future headaches. More than complicated rules, our law should focus on broad, meaningful values: fairness, accountability, human oversight, privacy, and transparency. Principles are adaptable. Instead of limiting Filipino creativity
by micromanaging, this approach leaves space for growth and change as technology and society evolve.
Explainability should be at the forefront for high-risk AI. Filipinos have a right to honest explanations— if, for example, they’re denied a job, a loan, or a university slot by an algorithm, they should know why and how that decision was made. Regular checks for bias matter too, ensuring that those trained in the provinces or from diverse backgrounds aren’t unfairly screened out by poorly designed systems.
We also need support for responsible innovation. Imagine regulatory sandboxes: safe spaces where local inventors, tech companies, or academics can experiment, guided by regulators but protected from excessive red tape. It’s a nudge for creativity without putting the public at risk.
Organizations utilizing AI—be it corporations or government offices—should have solid governance in place. Appointing officers or committees to oversee AI use, keeping good records, and opening themselves up to audits demonstrates that the Philippines takes responsible AI use seriously. This builds trust, not just locally, but also with international investors and partners.
Our law must keep an ear to the
Malampaya moment: A bold push for energy independence
PLITO GAGNI
RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fly-by to the Malampaya gas field last week may have appeared as a photo-op to some, but to those who understand the rhythm and rigors of energy security, it marked a pivotal shift: a President finally putting both muscle and meaning into the country’s quest for energy independence. This is not merely symbolism in motion—it is policy with propulsion.
Let us not forget that it was PBBM who, on May 15, 2023, signed the 15year extension of Service Contract 38 (SC 38), allowing the Malampaya consortium to continue operations until 2039. With a stroke of the pen and the force of political will, he rewrote the script long left languishing in the margins of government attention.
Malampaya has been in operation since 2002—over two decades of delivering local gas that fuels up to 20 percent of the Luzon grid and funneling some $13 billion in royalties and taxes to the national treasury. A resource that has lit homes, powered
factories, and funded national programs. Yet, for years, it was treated like a ticking ATM rather than a launchpad for broader exploration.
Successive presidents—from Corazon Aquino to Rodrigo Duterte—have spoken often of energy security and the goal of poverty reduction. But in truth, there was little sustained drive to tap the full spectrum of the country’s indigenous resources. Malampaya was the jewel we wore but never polished further.
The scientific data has always been there. The promise, palpable. Yet no one dared look beyond the existing wells—content to receive
Malampaya has been in operation since 2002—over two decades of delivering local gas that fuels up to 20 percent of the Luzon grid and funneling some $13 billion in royalties and taxes to the national treasury. A resource that has lit homes, powered factories, and funded national programs. Yet, for years, it was treated like a ticking ATM rather than a launchpad for broader exploration.
Rojas II the gas and the dollars, but reluctant to dive deeper. Not for lack of patriotism perhaps, but certainly for want of boldness.
Until that day in 2023 when PBBM did not just take a leap of faith, but a leap grounded in science. By extending SC 38 and showing up onsite to witness the ongoing Phase 4 drilling campaign, the President sent the clearest signal yet that the Philippines will no longer sleep on its sovereignty over its own energy sources.
It is worth noting: this is not an empty showcase. The current drilling operations—spearheaded by an all-
ground. Consulting regularly with business leaders, educators, advocacy groups, and affected communities guarantees the policy adapts as realworld needs change. Laws must be living documents, ready for updates. Scheduled reviews will ensure we aren’t stuck with outdated or irrelevant regulations when technology inevitably jumps forward. When it comes to penalties, fairness must lead the way. The law should differentiate between honest mistakes and deliberate abuses, so well-meaning Filipino innovators aren’t frozen out by the threat of excessive punishment. And finally, radical transparency should be a standard—publicly disclosing high-risk AI projects and maintaining a registry ensure the public stays informed and institutions are held accountable. Government support, from R&D funding to workforce training and AI literacy drives, ensures AI’s benefits are shared, from BPO workers and university students to budding entrepreneurs and business professionals. I believe that a Philippine AI law that follows these principles will do more than minimize risk; it will empower safe, creative, and responsible growth, which can open doors for Filipinos to thrive in the global digital economy.
Filipino team under Prime Energy, part of tycoon Enrique Razon Jr.’s empire — are our clearest expression yet of belief in Filipino capability, science-based planning, and strategic foresight. This is not merely energy production—it is nation-building underpinned by geologic grit. I speak from a unique vantage point. As a young wire service reporter in the 1970s, I was often asked to join then-Energy Secretary Geronimo Velasco on fly-bys to monitor oil activities. I vividly recall one mission to the Nido oilfield—the country’s first oil discovery—when the executive jet we flew in came so close to the drilling rig doing a drill stem test that we later noticed a slick of oil on the wing. We had drawn near to the drama of discovery itself. That moment taught me that energy stories are never just technical bulletins—they are national narratives.
And today, that same sense of proximity is felt again. With President Marcos hovering over the Noble Viking offshore rig on July 14, this time it is the country itself that is drawing close—close to a new dawn in energy exploration, close to breaking the spell of foreign dependence.
See “Gagni,” A13
Atty. Jose Ferdinand M.
Groundbreaking directions for principlesbased tax planning
IDEBIT CREDIT
Conclusion
WAS able to gather great feedback from top accounting and tax government officials who attended the Regulators Forum during the Accountancy Week Celebration on July 21, 2025.
Chairman Noe Quinanola of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy (PRBOA) confirmed in the forum that the Professional Regulatory Commission and the PRBOA have approved the Resolution revising the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants, which incorporates provisions on Principled Tax Planning and Compliance.
In the same forum, Commissioner Romeo Lumagui, Jr., of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), confirmed his interest in supporting this Resolution of the BOA. It would be a great collaboration if BIR and BOA proceed to push forward this global initiative of promoting transparent and principled tax planning and compliance.
I have since requested Chairman Quinanola and BOA Member Ma. Teresita Dimaculangan to share the recently issued Resolution with the BIR so that the collaboration of the two government bodies can proceed. This measure to curb aggressive tax planning is an initiative of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the International Ethics Standards Board (IESBA) that started way back in 2019. I have been following these developments closely for a long time. Principled Tax planning of the IFAC and IESBA prescribes that professional accountants throughout the world should adopt Principled tax planning and compliance in their work or practice. The IESBA released two important publications about this, which are recommended readings by taxpayers and tax professionals ( https:// www.ethicsboard.org/publications/ final-pronouncement-revisions-codeaddressing-tax-planning-and-relatedservices).
With the issuance by PRC and BOA of the resolution, these Philippine regulators have mandated the Certified Public Accountants in the Philippines to follow the detailed guidelines and processes prescribed by the IFAC and IESBA. These include their responsibilities of disclosure, reporting, documentation, responding to disagreements with management or clients, and ethical tax practice and compliance, relying on a credible basis criterion, and the “stand-back” test. A detailed discussion on these can be found in the guidelines issued ( https:// ifacweb.blob.core.windows.net/publicfiles/2024-12/Basis%20for%20 Conclusions%20-%20Tax%20Planning%20and%20Related).
I have also been advocating for various stakeholders in the tax community to be involved in the
Gagni.
. .
Continued from A12
promotion and implementation of the BOA Resolution and any BIR guidelines that may follow. These include various professional and tax associations, such as the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Association of CPAS in Public Practice, the Association of CPAs in Commerce and Industry, and the Tax Management Association of the Philippines, among others. The Integrated Bar of the Philippines and all its lawyer members should support and implement the measures that the BIR may issue. Of course, taxpayers themselves should welcome this development in promoting ethical and principled tax planning and compliance.
In other countries where similar measures of Principled tax planning and compliance are in place, various groups are collaborating with their tax agencies to implement these measures. The more familiar organizations are the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Taxation, Global Reporting Initiative – Tax Standard, National Tax Association, Tax Justice Network, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation, United Nations Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters, and the International Tax Planning Association.
I fully support these developments. This may mark the beginning of an era where principled tax planning and compliance prevail over aggressive or irregular tax planning practices, where more honest and transparent tax compliance governs the behavior of taxpayers rather than illegal tax practices, and where more taxes are paid to the government coffers rather than to the pockets of unprofessional practitioners, corrupt tax officers and tax-evading taxpayers.
Is this doable within my lifetime? I sincerely hope so. So, let’s all start to believe and do our share in this tax transformation.
Joel L. Tan-Torres was a former Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. He has also held various positions, including Dean of the University of the Philippines School of Business, Chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy, Tax partner of Reyes Tacandong & Co., and SyCip Gorres and Velayo & Co., and director of various corporate boards. He is a Certified Public Accountant who garnered No. 1 in the CPA Board Examination of May 1979. He has his own tax and consultancy practice in JL2T Consulting and can be contacted at joeltantorres@yahoo.com.
Tidbits on Nepomuceno at BOC, dumping of imported substandard products, FPI 2025 Summit
TMAKE SENSE
HE appointment of Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno as Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) is indeed a welcome development at this time when the country is facing the threat of becoming a dumping ground for cheap and mostly substandard imported products from China due to the trade tussle between Washington and Beijing.
We, at the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI), are aware of the good record of Nepomuceno in his first stint at the BOC as the deputy commissioner of the Enforcement Group from 2013 to 2017 and as assistant commissioner from 2017 to 2018.
President Marcos’s decision to put Nepomuceno at the helm of the BOC gives us hope that, indeed, the Chief Executive’s first SONA (State of the Nation) promise that he will put an end to smuggling will be pursued vigorously.
I personally would like to thank the President also for taking cognizance of various issues and concerns that we forwarded to his office, including the tax-free entry of palm olein purportedly for animal feeds compounding that reportedly robbed the government of some P45 billion in revenues over several years, as well as the mushrooming of illegal lead smelters, to name a few. Through the directives sent by the Office of the President to the concerned agencies, proper actions were taken. Mabuhay Mr. President! We support you not just in words but more so in action.
The BOC is a very critical agency because it is one of our first lines of defense against smuggling and imported substandard products, the others being the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) and the Food and Drug Administration.
As the Executive Director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and OCD Undersecretary, Nepomuceno already shares the FPI’s concern that the influx of substandard products, especially construction materials, is putting
Filipinos under greater threats of man-made and natural disasters. He shares my belief that our efforts to practice into perfection “Duck, Cover, and Hold” will just be all for naught because when a strong earthquake strikes like the feared “The Big One,” we don’t know if the buildings will withstand the tremors, especially if the construction materials used are substandard. In short: “Duck, Cover, and Hold; but will the building hold?”
About a week before his transfer to the BOC, Nepomuceno and I met to discuss the forging of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the OCD and FPI that sets the areas of cooperation that will be undertaken to combat the influx of substandard products, especially construction materials, in the market.
The signing of this MOA will serve as one of the highlights of the FPI Business Summit 2025 with the theme “Thriving Through Turbulence: Advancing Manufacturing Resilience and Growth” on October 8, 2025 at the Manila Polo Club.
This summit will gather domestic industry leaders and top government officials to exchange inputs and views on how the economy, the local producers, Filipino labor, and the consumers can be insulated from the harmful effects of smuggling and cheap imported substandard products.
Nepomuceno gave the assurance that despite his move to the BOC, this MOA will still be pursued by the people he worked with at the NDRRMC and OCD.
As tariffs and restrictions tighten in the US, manufactur -
President Marcos’s decision to put Nepomuceno at the helm of the BOC gives us hope that, indeed, the Chief Executive’s first SONA (State of the Nation) promise that he will put an end to smuggling will be pursued vigorously.
ers in China may seek alternative markets to offload their products, including the Philippines. This scenario raises concerns about the quality and safety of goods entering our borders, particularly as some manufacturers may prioritize profit over compliance with safety standards.
This is already happening in the case of construction materials and automotive batteries, and by all indications, the situation could become worse. For instance, the Department of Trade and Industry has raided warehouses and stores selling substandard batteries from China.
The scenario of China dumping their products in the Philippines raises concerns about the quality and safety of goods entering our borders, particularly as some manufacturers may prioritize profit over compliance with safety standards.
The BOC, along with the FDA and BPS, plays a crucial role in ensuring that imported products meet the necessary quality and safety standards. The BOC is responsible for regulating the entry of goods into the country. The FDA oversees the safety of food, drugs, and cosmetics, while the BPS establishes standards for various non-food products.
Together, these agencies form a robust framework designed to protect the public from substandard goods that could pose health risks or undermine local industries. Let me stress that the primary objective is to safeguard the welfare of consumers.
As we navigate this uncertain landscape, it is imperative that these agencies ramp up their vigilance. Increased inspections, stricter enforcement of regulations, and proactive countermeasures can help mitigate the risks associated with substandard imports. By doing so, they can safeguard consumers from potentially harmful prod -
ucts and protect local businesses from unfair competition.
Moreover, public awareness campaigns are essential in educating consumers about the importance of choosing quality products. By empowering consumers to make informed decisions, we can collectively reduce the demand for substandard goods and support local industries that adhere to high standards of quality.
The economic implications of allowing substandard products to flood the market are significant. Not only do these products threaten consumer safety, but they also undermine the integrity of local manufacturers who invest in quality and compliance. Protecting our economy means ensuring that local businesses can compete fairly and thrive in a market that values quality over cost.
The BOC, FDA, and BPS must remain vigilant in the face of potential challenges posed by the ongoing trade war. By strengthening their defenses against substandard imports, these agencies can protect consumers, support local industries, and uphold the integrity of the Philippine market. As always, the FPI—with its newly elected Board of Directors and officers that include yours truly as the chairman emeritus, my tukayo and Immediate Past President Jesus R. Montemayor, our new Chairperson, Elizabeth H. Lee, new President, John Reiner H. Dizon, Pablo Lobregat, Gareth McGeown, Greg U. Chan, Ramon Y. Uy, Chris J. Nelson, Peter T. Quintana, Roberto F. Batungbacal, Gijs de Best, Patrick Henry C. Go, Reynaldo Y. Go, Wellington Y. Tong, and Manuel V. Pangilinan—is fully committed to working with these agencies. I’m proud to say that the FPI officers—past and present— are hardworking and are really devoting time and resources to our advocacies to protect the domestic industries, the Filipino workers, and consumers.
Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza is the chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries and Fight Illicit Trade; a broad-based, multisectoral movement intended to protect consumers, safeguard government revenues and shield legitimate industries from the ill effects of smuggling.
What the Parents Welfare Act is, and isn’t
By Senator Panfilo M. Lacson
LIKE many of us, Filipinos, I loved my parents dearly and unequivocally. I never left them in their old age, nor on their sickbed, and I supported them until they breathed their last.
I did everything I could to hold on to them in the waning years of their lives. Despite the bleak odds implied by their doctors, my siblings and I kept hoping and praying that they could recover and stay a little longer with us.
We would visit my mother at the hospital and then drive to my hometown in Imus, Cavite, to visit my father, also ailing after a prolonged hospital confinement.
we never felt poor or lacking in love.
And for these reasons, I am sure that they are both in Heaven. They are, in fact, the reason why I affirm my faith and belief that there is God. Having to witness elderly people at the twilight of their years, barely living and in their most fragile moments, is a reality no compassionate soul should neglect. Having to see parents alone, forgotten, and helpless—much more so in what would be their last days—should be a burden too heavy for any conscience to bear.
Whatever happens, I am dedicating this piece of legislation, including my commitment to refine it in the committee and defend it in the plenary should it go that far, to all the helplessly struggling parents who have given their all for their children, yet are not as fortunate as they are.
This bill stands in defense of those parents’ damaged honor: a once noble sacrifice, sense of pride, and unconditional love that was diminished and dishonored due to the neglect and abandonment by their children.
Unfortunately, the noise online— mostly from uninformed or misinformed netizens —has threatened to undermine the legislative intent of the bill. It reduces what should have been a healthy exchange of ideas over the merits of the proposal into absurd assertions, such as that the bill will jail children who do not remit money to their parents.
Let it be said then, that this administration has moved beyond lip service. It has replaced decades of drift with direction, and hesitation with harnessing. The Malampaya moment is not just a project milestone; it is a generational pivot toward sovereignty, science, and selfsufficiency.
For those of us who have watched the rig lights blink from the air and felt the stories beneath the sea, we understand that the true fuel is not just gas—it’s grit.
Phase 4 drilling is not just about keeping the power flowing. It’s about unlocking untapped reservoirs— perhaps literal, perhaps symbolic— that can extend the operational life of Malampaya to at least 2034. It is also about securing cheaper, more reliable electricity while we pursue a parallel path toward renewable energy. This is the bridge we need: gas as the stabilizer while solar, wind, and hydro scale up. “As we expand our use of renewable energy,” Marcos said, “natural gas will continue to power homes, keep prices steady, and secure our supply.” In a region where energy insecurity can spell economic derailment or political vulnerability, this direction matters. It is not a shortcut—it is a strategy.
In what would be my last visit to my mother, my heart sank as I saw her. Her body was frail, her eyes weary. In agony, she looked at me as if she was pleading to let her go.
I prayed and asked for God’s guidance as I could not bear seeing her suffer any longer—“If there is absolutely no chance for her condition to improve, then, no matter how painful, I am already willing to let her go.”
As if God had indeed answered my prayer, she passed peacefully that night.
Never had I ever wept like a little boy until the day I first saw my mother in her coffin. At that moment, I knew my Nanay was gone. I can still vividly recall how, in spite of poverty, our parents were good, kind-hearted human beings who instilled in me and my siblings the value of integrity. Even amid poverty,
The proposed Parents Welfare Act, a bill I refiled in the 20th Congress, is not for children like me nor is it for parents like mine.
It is for the less fortunate elderly parents neglected by their unreasonably ungrateful children, regardless of how much love and care they consistently and selflessly showered them with.
It is for the parents who sacrificed their own time, comfort, and even well-being just to see their children have a life better than theirs, only to be left old and dying.
It is for the parents who are sick and physically incapacitated, struggling to even have enough to eat, yet are heartlessly abandoned by their financially able children for whom they sacrificed so much.
Verily, it is not for children who are abused, neglected, and abandoned, nor will it ever benefit parents who have abused, abandoned, or neglected their children.
It does not tolerate a “culture of dependency” where many fear that their undeserving and scheming parents will siphon their hard-earned money as a retirement fund.
It does not perpetrate the suffering of the “sandwich generation” torn between the burdens of supporting their aging parents and their children.
The bill has safeguards, including exempting provisions for those abused, neglected, and abandoned children, as well as those who are financially incapacitated. It will not facilitate manipulation or exploitation, whether by parents or their children, in any shape or form.
Be that as it may, I still do appreciate those who articulated their concerns in a constructive manner. Whether we admit it or not, the online discourse has shed light on the evolving nuances of family relationships, likely shaped by modern times. As lawmakers, our role is to study those concerns as we fine-tune the contents of our proposals. Whatever happens, I am dedicating this piece of legislation, including my commitment to refine it in the committee and defend it in the plenary should it go that far, to all the helplessly struggling parents who have given their all for their children, yet are not as fortunate as they are. I offer this as well to my dear parents, who taught us that what is right must be kept right and what is wrong must be set right. This is for our dearly beloved “Nanay Ymang” and “Tatay Tura” who left us for a better place just 16 days apart on November 2 and 18, 2008. I hope that this provides clarity to many and hits some chords of compassion, because the truth is, not all of us would become parents, but every one of us is someone’s child.
Joel L. Tan-Torres
Dr. Jesus Lim Arranza
BusinessMirror
Biz groups’ Sona wish: Put end to legislated wage hike
By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
BUSINESS
establishments are hoping President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will declare in his upcoming State of the Nation Address (Sona) that he does not favor any more legislated wage hikes in the future.
Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr., president of Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (Philexport) and Employers Confederation of the Philippines (Ecop), underscored this in a recent radio interview, according to a statement released by Philexport over the weekend.
He was responding to reports that several senators have again filed legislated wage hike proposals for the 20th Congress.
“We hope to hear the President reiterate that he has told the regional wage boards to convene, and these have mandated wage hikes. So that this effort to refile [legislated wage hike bills] won’t be repeated,” OrtizLuis said in a recent interview.
The business leader also pointed out: “They know what will happen. If they refile that, I think the President will veto it.”
In the 19th Congress, legislated minimum wage hike bills of P200 and P100 were filed by lawmakers but these measures were not enacted.
Ortiz-Luis said Ecop has always stood against the legislated wage hike because it’s “too politicized,” but explained that the business group respects wage hikes that go through the regional wage boards because “[these] underwent a process.” (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/07/01/ dole-orders-%e2%82%b150wage-hike-for-ncr-workers/)
According to a recent story in BusinessMirror, labor rights group Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) said the P50 minimum wage hike recently approved in Metro Manila won’t be enough to stop the growing demand for a legislated across-the-board wage increase. The labor rights group pushed back against Ecop for saying the new wage order should “put to rest” calls for Congress to act on a national wage hike.
In an earlier statement, CTUHR pointed out that “The still-meager
wage increase shows that the wage boards are truly incapable of increasing workers’ wages and that legislation is necessary.”
The P50 hike, the biggest nominal increase ever approved by the Metro Manila wage board, will bring the daily minimum wage to P695 for non-agriculture workers and P658 for those in the agriculture sector, retail and service establishments with 15 or fewer workers, and manufacturing firms with fewer than 10 employees.
But CTUHR argued that the amount remains far from enough to help workers cope with surging prices and close the gap toward a living wage.
“It is still a meager wage increase, barya-barya [ loose change], not a significant wage increase that can give workers an immediate relief,” the group said.
CTUHR also called misleading claims made by Ecop, as wage hikes go straight back into the economy.
Citing Ibon Foundation’s data, CTUHR argued that the P50 wage
PHL PUTTING ITS BEST FOO(D) FORWARD FOR TERRA MADRE
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo Special to the BusinessMirror
ORGANIZERS of Terra
Madre Asia & Pacific
promise an exciting blend of flavors, when the event is finally mounted for the first time in the Philippines, and the region.
hike would only amount to 0.4 percent of a business’s expenses and around 2.5 percent of their profits—proof that employers can afford to give more if they’re willing to absorb even a modest hit to their bottom line.
CTUHR instead pressed Ecop to demand that the Marcos Jr. government address the issues faced by small businesses “rather than simply press down workers’ wages to the detriment of workers’ rights.”
The minimum wage hike in Metro Manila has taken effect last July 18.
In April, Malacañang said it would not certify the wage hike bill pending in the 19th Congress as urgent, maintaining that wagesetting should remain within the regional tripartite boards.
The 19th Congress adjourned last month without reconciling the House and Senate versions of the wage hike bill. (See: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2025/07/02/%E2%82%B150wage-hike-wont-end-bid-to-legislate/)
In an interview with the BusinessMirror over the weekend, Ramon “Chin-Chin” Uy, chair of the Terra Madre Asia & Pacific executive committee, said around 2,000 delegates are projected to attend the major event, to be held from November 1923, 2025 at the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol Lagoon, in Bacolod City. “We have a lot of excitement from our neighboring countries, and we’re bringing in the farmers, fishermen, chefs aligned with the Slow Food movement from all over Asia and the Pacific. We also have a lot of inquiries for walk-in [participants].”
Terra Madre is a significant gathering for the Slow Food movement’s global efforts on food policies, bringing together thousands of farmers, herders, fishers, producers, chefs, educators, food activists, and experts for lectures, panel discussions, and food demonstrations. Last October, the Philippines made a significant impact at Terra Madre Salone del Gusto in Italy, with local farmers participating in discussions, and the booth displaying heritage products and produce, as well as hosting daily food tastings of heirloom dishes.
(See, “Blockbuster ‘lechon’ at
Turin slow food event,” in the BusinessMirror, Oct. 1, 2024.)
The regional gastronomy event in Bacolod, Uy said, is a “collaboration” among the Bacolod City and Negros Occidental local governments with the Departments of Tourism, Agriculture, and Trade and Industry, all of which are providing the financial muscle to mount it. “It was a long process [securing financial support], but our leaders also understood our vision for the Philippines,” he added.
Int’l funding support, too THE event costs some P60 million, he disclosed, and aside from government assistance, organizers were also able to secure funding from overseas donors like the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Slow Food International, Campari/Negroni Week, among others.
“There are plenty of donors coming in,” said Uy, who is also councilor for Southeast Asia of Slow Food International and vice president of Slow Food Negros. “A lot of people wanted to be part of it also, but we’re slightly limited in sponsorships. We want to get sponsors, which are aligned with what we’re doing [i.e. Slow Food],” he added. He said among the delegates are the “50 Best Chefs in Asia” and the Philippines, the top bars in the region, who want to meet farmers from all over Asia. There will be displays from organic farmers in the country, and right across them, the chefs’
By Justine Xyrah Garcia
HELD TOGETHER BY KINDNESS Good Samaritans in Quiapo rush to help a street vendor hold down his stall umbrella as strong winds and a sudden downpour lash the metro on Sunday. Although Severe Tropical
Editor: Jennifer A. Ng
SNAP plans to build more energy storage systems
By Lenie Lectura @llectura
SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP), a joint venture between Norway firm Scatec and Aboitiz Power Corp., is looking at putting up more battery energy storage systems (BESS) with as much as 200 megawatts (MW) of capacity.
“We’re also in the middle of building 40-MW BESS. We have another 100 to 200 MW more. We are in a hurry to get to final investment decision. We need them as soon as possible. The grid needs it. We’re trying to help the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) stabilize the grid,” said Joseph Yu, SNAP president and chief executive officer.
Yu could not yet say how much SNAP must shell out to roll out more BESS but the goal, he said, “is to get
it cheaper than the previous one.”
“The 100 MW to 200MW BESS, those are within, like probably next 12 to 24 months. So, they’re not far off but still developing that, so we won’t reveal (cost) yet. We will finance the battery projects. As they come to an investment decision, they will all have finances. That will always be part of our regular operations.”
SNAP is scaling up its BESS initiatives with Magat BESS Phase 2 and the first BESS in Benguet with a 40-
MW capacity. These BESS projects will be co-located with the Magat hydroelectric power plant in Isabela and the Binga hydroelectric plant in Benguet. These are targeted for completion by 2026.
A BESS is a type of energy storage system that uses a set of batteries to store electrical energy from the grid and releases it when needed to augment supply or improve power quality. It helps stabilize the grid by managing fluctuations in renewable energy generation, ensuring a more reliable and efficient electricity system.
“I think for battery storage, the technology is moving so fast. As the cost of the batteries continue to come down, the applications will increase. So, I think, it will be very challenging for the regulators to write policies. As the batteries increase in functionality and as they get better in economics, we need to make sure that our regulations can keep up with it,” added Yu.
SNAP is also looking at expanding its renewable energy (RE) portfolio with solar projects in the pipepline.
“We’re very eager to build out our next leg. We envisioned not being just a hydro player. Batteries are now taking shape. We still have hydro projects in the works, but the third leg is solar plants,” he said.
“We have several, keeping it quiet for now. We also have groundmounted ones. These are all prospects. We still have to let it develop; let it mature.”
AboitizPower recently secured the green light from the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp. (PDEx) to list the first tranche of its retail bond issuance.
The power firm offered up to P20 billion in three-series fixed-rate bonds, with an oversubscription option of up to P10 billion. The bonds form part of its P100-billion shelf registration program previously approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Proceeds from the offering are expected to support the company’s capital expenditures, including renewable energy expansion projects, and to refinance existing obligations.
Pickleball facility to rise in Pasig
By VG Cabuag @villygc
ROBINSONS Land Corp.
(RLC) said it is spending up to P1 billion to build Asia’s first tournament-grade pickleball facility in Bridgetowne Destination Estate in Pasig.
Mybelle V. Aragon-GoBio, RLC president and CEO, said the facility will be ready for a regional tournament possibly by 2027. “Bridgetowne, it is very ready (to host a regional tournament). Because, of course, as players come in from all over Asia, let’s say, they will need lodging as well. One of the things that Kosmas (its partner) had considered was the readiness of the estate to house those players.
LAST WEEK
SHARE prices plummeted, with the main index sinking to as low as 2,995 points, on tariff uncertainty and fears of higher rates in the United States due accelerating inflation.
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index fell 156.16 points to close at 6,303.72 points.
The main index was down almost all week long except on Monday, when it was up by 1 percent and on Friday, when it posted a marginal increase.
Average daily trading for the week was higher at P6.71 billion, as foreign investors, who cornered 57 percent of the trades, were net sellers at P3.42 billion.
All other sub-indices ended in the red. The broader All Shares index fell 76.25 points to close at 3,736.28 points, the Financials index declined 19.97 to 2,218.28, the Industrial index retreated 141.46 to 9,084.03, the Holding Firms index plunged 239.89 to 5,381.22, the Property index dropped 87.02 to 2,366, the Services index was down 65.45 to 2,129.69 and the Mining and Oil index shed 325.82 to 9,140.91.
For the week, losers outnum-
Globe
now part
of AUG East system consortium—exec
By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan
GLOBE Telecom Inc. said on Sunday it has joined the Asia United Gateway East (AUG East) submarine cable system consortium, as it hopes to build capacity amid the rising demand for high-capacity connectivity driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and other data-intensive technologies.
So, we have our future Fili hotel there. But apart from that, we have three other hotels nearby. So, there’s a Westin in Mandaluyong. We have Crown Plaza and Holiday Inn (in Ortigas Center),” GoBio said.
Dubbed Helios Pickleball Center the facility is a joint venture with Kosmas Athletic Ventures
bered gainers 147 to 90 and 14 shares were unchanged.
Top gainers were Lodestar Investment Holdings Corp., Top Line Business Development Corp., Island Information and Technology Inc., NexGen Energy Corp., PH Resorts Group Holdings Inc., Millennium Global Holdings Inc. and Xurpas Inc. Top losers, meanwhile, were DigiPlus Interactive Corp., Philweb Corp., Berjaya Philippines Inc., Prime Media Holdings Inc., Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co. A and B shares, SOCResources Inc. and Philippine Bank of Communications.
THIS WEEK
SHARE prices may trade range bound next week on the lack of a strong catalyst.
Peter Garnace, equity research analyst at Unicapital Securities Inc., said the market may take its cue from the developments arising from the Trump-Marcos meeting slated on July 20 to 22.
“On the local front, we see investors to position ahead of President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address on July 28. Furthermore, investors will also be closely monitoring corporate results as the first half earnings season kicks off.”
Corp.
The eight-story complex will house 25 professional-grade courts, including a dedicated stadium court for hosting major events and competitions. The complex will consist of six floors of sports and recreation facilities, with amenities such as a gym, a sports clinic and food and beverage services, all designed to enhance the athlete and spectator experience.
Some two basement levels will provide parking, and the entire facility spans a gross floor area of over 17,500 square meters.
Helios is positioned as a future Professional Pickleball Association Tour venue, paving the way for it to host international tournaments under the PPA calendar.
Broker 2TradeAsia said the call for market vigilance remains as the US Fed’s next moves cast long shadows over global markets.
“A Fed official recently made recent remarks hinting at a potential 25 basis point rate cut at the next FOMC meeting, arguing that trade barriers such as newly raised aluminum and steel tariffs to 50 percent, may only cause short-term price spikes rather than sustained inflation.”
Beyond the upcoming earnings cycle, attention should pivot towards the potential for robust growth stories for next year.
“Outsized public spending plans, particularly in infrastructure, are poised to be significant catalysts, with further anticipated BSP
[Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas] rate cuts potentially prompting a followon wave of private capex.”
Immediate support for the main index is seen at 6,300 points, while resistance is 6,500 to 6,550 points.
STOCK
PICKS
BROKER Regina Capital Develop-
ment Corp. advised to sell on rallies on the stock of DigiPlus, as its share price is dropping.
“Investors may consider sell-
The facility is not limited to members, as courts can be reserved by anyone through PodPlay, a digital platform that enables players to book sessions, join group games, and connect with other pickleball enthusiasts. This open-access model is designed to make the sport more inclusive and support its growth at every level of play.
Construction of the Helios Pickleball Center is underway, with completion targeted for 2027.
“Because it allows us to create additional revenue streams and also to address the evolving consumer preferences, because it’s no longer just F&B [food and beverage], you know, when I go to a mall, there are also other expectations from our consumers.”
ing on rallies, as the downtrend remains strong with no clear signs of reversal.”
The company attributed the recent share price movement on market speculation following the filing of the Online Gambling Regulatory bill and Online Gambling Prohibition bills filed at the Senate and House of Representatives since June 30.
DigiPlus shares were last traded at P22.60 apiece.
Meanwhile, it advised to buy on pull backs on the stock of Ayala Land Inc., as its share price continues to decline.
The broker said its technical readings showed a neutral momentum with no clear indication of being overbought or oversold.
“While its MACD line crossed below the signal line together with a short red histogram indicating a slowing buying power. ADX suggests a weakening trend strength at 25.79 together with its +DI declining but still above its -DI. This suggests that it’s better for investors to wait for confirmation of trend and buy when momentum kicks back in.” Ayala Land shares closed last week at P25.95 apiece. VG Cabuag
The 8,900-kilometer AUG East system is a next-generation submarine cable designed to deliver “massive” bandwidth across a key route linking Singapore and Japan, with strategic landing points in the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, South Korea, and Taiwan.
The system aims to improve network resiliency, provide additional redundancy during natural disasters, and enable ultra-fast data transmission, supporting millions of ultra-high-definition video streams simultaneously.
“As AI-powered applications become increasingly pervasive, the demand for resilient, high-capacity international connectivity will also experience a surge. By securing our stake in this vital digital thoroughfare, we are proactively enabling our enterprise clients to leverage cutting-edge technologies, drive innovation, and expand their global reach, ensuring the Philippines remains a competitive hub in the digital economy,” Globe Business VP and Head of Strategy Management and Business Investments Raymond Policarpio said.
“This new data superhighway strengthens our nation’s digital backbone. It gives businesses the scale, speed, and reliability they need to compete globally and embrace technologies that can uplift lives and drive inclusive progress for all Filipinos,” Globe President Carl Cruz said.
Chaired by Singtel, the consortium includes Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, ARTERIA Networks, Chunghwa Telecom, DREAMLINE, Telekom Malaysia and Unified National Networks.
Japanese firm NEC Corp. was tapped to build AUG East, which is scheduled for completion by the third quarter of 2029.
Last month, Globe said it is seeing a shift in consumer behavior and revenue streams, with data now contributing 87 percent of its total service revenues.
Cruz said this is “a clear turning point” that the company’s transformation from a legacy telco to a digital lifestyle partner is taking hold.
The share of data revenue, up from 85 percent last year, underscores how deeply internet connectivity has become ingrained in the daily lives of Filipinos, Cruz said.
Mobile and corporate data services now comprise over 83 percent of the Ayala-led telco’s consolidated gross service revenues, as traditional revenue drivers such as voice and SMS continue to decline.
Cruz added that consumer habits have clearly shifted to favor appbased communication and streaming, with Filipinos preferring online platforms over scheduled programming or SMS.
According to Globe, traffic from AI-powered and AI-enhanced applications is expected to surpass traditional internet usage by 2031, with Asia Pacific poised to “lead” global investment in generative AI and digital infrastructure.
Froot Loops, Apple Jacks to remove synthetic dyes
WK Kellogg Co. will remove synthetic dyes from its cereals, including Froot Loops and Apple Jacks, by the end of 2027, joining a growing cohort of other US companies that have committed to eliminate colorants such as Red 40 and Yellow 5 from their foods.
The Battle Creek, Michigan-based company said it would remove the additives on its website on Friday. It had previously announced that it wouldn’t introduce new products with the dyes beginning in 2026 while also committing to eliminate the ingredients from its cereals served in schools by the 2026-2027 school year.
The cereal maker said 85 percent of its sales are in foods that don’t contain the dyes. Products with dyes include Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, and some variations of Rice Krispies.
Candy company Ferrero International SA announced earlier this month that it agreed to buy WK Kellogg for an enterprise value of $3.1 billion.
Froot Loops in particular has been called out by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again movement to rid the US food supply of artificial colors.
Activists and health officials in the Trump administration have linked artificial colors, which are primarily made from petroleum-based chemicals, to conditions including hyperactivity, obesity and diabetes in children. Companies and industry groups have long maintained that the ingredients are safe. “It took government leaders in a position of power to educate the public and to fight for the removal of artificial food dyes for it to actually happen,” Vani Hari, an activist known as the Food Babe, said late Friday. Hari led a petition urging WK Kellogg to remove artificial dyes from its cereals. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” she said. Continued on
Banking&Finance
DAR condones ₧53M debt of 1,293 farmers
By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga
THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) announced the distribution of nearly certificates of condonation with release of mortgage (Cocroms) to 1,293 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Eastern Visayas.
Over P53 million in unpaid land amortizations and interest were officially wiped out in the process.
Agrarian Reform Undersecretary for Field Operations Kazel C. Celeste led the distribution of the certificates in a ceremony held at the Tacloban City Convention Center. The distribution is in line with Republic Act (RA) 11953, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act (NAEA), signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on July 7, 2023.
The NAEA condones all principal loans, unpaid amortizations, and interests of ARBs and exempts them from paying estate taxes on agricultural lands awarded under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
“This debt condonation brings significant relief to our agrarian reform beneficiaries in Eastern Visayas,” Celeste, a lawyer, said. “It’s a
clear demonstration of the government’s support for our farmers. This financial freedom, combined with secure individual land titles, will help them invest in their farms, improve productivity, and contribute to our nation’s food security.”
Aside from the certificates, DAR Eastern Visayas Regional Director Robert Anthony P. Yu said 4,486 individual land titles covering an aggregate area of more than 6,000 hectares were also distributed to 3,779 ARBs. These titles provide clear ownership to the farmers, fostering greater stability and motivation, he said.
“For farmers in Eastern Visayas, receiving these Cocroms and individual titles means secure ownership and a better future for their families. This relief from debt and clear land ownership will help boost agricultural development and improve the livelihood of our ARBs,” Yu said. The distribution of the certificates and individual land titles provides financial relief and aims to motivate farmers to maximize the potential of their lands, contributing to national food security. This initiative reflects DAR’s ongoing commitment to agrarian justice and rural development.
BIR credits small taxpayers for higher H1 tax revenues
By Reine Juvierre Alberto @reine_alberto
TAX revenues reaped by the national government totaled P277.559 billion in June, despite fiscal consolidation being seen as “more gradual” amid global uncertainties.
Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto
told reporters last Friday that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) raised P200.524 billion and P77.035 billion, respectively, last month.
Using data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), the preliminary summed-up figure reflects a 12.31-percent increase from the P247.126 billion collected in June last year.
This brings the total tax revenues to P2.012 trillion in the first half of the year, which is also up by 10.73 percent from the P1.817 trillion generated in the same period a year ago.
Broken down, the BIR raked in P200.524 billion in June, 16.58 per-
cent higher year-on-year from P172 billion. Tax revenues from the BIR reached P1.554 trillion as of endJune 2025.
This collection surpassed the BIR’s target of P1.549 trillion for the first half of the year, amid a reduced full-year goal of P3.219 trillion due to slower economic growth expectations.
Internal Revenue Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. attributed the increased collections to a surge in contributions from small taxpayers or those earning between P3 million and P20 million every year.
“We’ve seen an increase of more than 80 percent in tax collection
from this taxpayer segment,” Lumagui said.
Recto said he is confident that the country’s main tax-collecting agency will hit its full-year target, as its collections are growing by roughly 14 percent.
“We’re going the right path and what we’re doing is good. We just have to continue and improve on a lot of certain things,” Lumagui added.
The BOC, meanwhile, collected P77.035 billion, a 3.26 percent increase from P74.6 billion a year ago. Year-to-date, the BOC brought in a total of P458.771 billion.
However, Recto said the BOC will likely miss its revenue target by P100 billion this year, still because of the lowered tariffs on rice and electricpowered and hybrid vehicles, as well as the late implementation of excise tax on pickup trucks, costing the government in foregone revenues.
The Finance chief said non-tax revenues will make up for the projected shortfall from BOC collections, as the target for non-tax revenues was increased to P306.8 billion this year from P210.8 billion.
Recto said that he met with the BOC’s collectors, deputy commis-
sioners and newly appointed Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno last week to discuss the agency’s catch-up plan.
“We pointed out to them that we can do much more if we can address concerns,” added the chief of the Department of Finance.
Satisfied to a certain degree with the BOC’s catch-up plan, Recto said he further advised the BOC to focus on boosting collections from oil and general merchandise imports.
The Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) lowered the full-year revenue target to P4.520 trillion this year on prospects of slower economic growth, reduced import volumes and lower tariff collections.
This was slashed from the earlier target of P4.644 trillion as the economy is seen to grow slower-than-expected at 5.5 to 6.5 percent this year.
Recto admitted that fiscal consolidation will not be as steep as the government wanted it to be due to all the uncertainty happening around the world.
“It will be a little more gradual. It will be more long-term,” the Finance Secretary said.
Insurtech targets agri-biz, farmers with new product PDIC advises depositors of shuttered bank to file claims
ABy Ada Pelonia
XINAN Pte. Ltd. (Igloo)
launched an index-based insurance coverage that the Singaporean insurtech fim says would protect agriculture businesses and farmers against climate risks.
In a statement, Igloo said Weather Index Insurance (WII) would make insurance “more accessible” and potentially bridge the gap between farm losses due to weatherrelated shocks and the number of insured farmers.
“After months of scorching heat, the country is now grappling with torrential rains as the rainy season sets in. While the rains offer hope for renewed harvests, they also carry the threat of stronger, more destructive typhoons,” the company said.
“Despite their vital role in food production, farmers remain among the most vulnerable, repeatedly bearing the brunt of extreme weather with limited protection,” it added.
Citing the Department of Agriculture (DA), Igloo noted the P57.8billion in agricultural losses last year due to calamities, including El Niñoinduced droughts, typhoons, pests and volcanic activity.
El Niño alone accounted for P15.7 billion in damages, severely hitting
key crops like rice and corn, it added. Despite this, only one-third of farmers in the country are insured even with government-subsidized premiums, according to the international firm, citing World Bank data.
Unlike traditional insurance, Igloo said WII uses measurable weather data, such as rainfall, temperature, or wind speed as triggers for payouts.
Igloo explained that when a predefined threshold is crossed, compensation is automatically released, “enabling faster and more objective” claims processing.
The model has been deployed in Vietnam, where WII is available through an agricultural app, offering platform designed to improve crop yields, manage climate risks, and promote sustainable farming.
“We believe the same model can be applied to the Philippines, where frequent typhoons and prolonged droughts continue to impact agricultural productivity,” John Chen, Igloo’s Country Manager for the Philippines and Thailand, said.
“With the right partners, including government agencies to agritech platforms and cooperatives, we can bring insurance closer to Filipino farmers and equip them with the tools to better withstand the effects of climate change,” Chen added.
By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario
DEPOSITORS of the closed United Consumers Rural Bank Inc. (UCRB) have until Monday, July 21, to file their deposit insurance claims, according to the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC).
The PDIC said deposit insurance claims for 55 deposit accounts with aggregate insured deposits amounting to P96,388.95 have yet to be filed by depositors.
Data showed that as of May 31, the PDIC paid depositors of the bank the
THE National Home Mortgage Finance Corp.
(NHMFC) announced it has granted a one-month moratorium on amortization payments for housing loan borrowers affected by Tropical Storm Crising.
The NHMFC said in a statement that the implementation of the moratorium is in accordance with the directive of Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon
total amount of P26.2 million. This was 99 percent of the bank’s total insured deposits, which amounted to P26.3 million.
“Under the PDIC Charter, depositors are given two years from bank takeover to file deposit insurance claims with the PDIC,” the PDIC said.
The PDIC took over the UCRB on July 21, 2023, after the lender was ordered closed by the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on July 20, 2023.
The UCRB was a single-unit rural bank located on National Highway
P. Aliling for the government’s key shelter agencies to exhaust all ways on how to assist the typhoon victims, and to immediately implement the same at the soonest possible time.
“We are committed to supporting our housing loan borrowers during this challenging time, and this moratorium is one of the concrete steps we are taking to align with the efforts of President Ferdinand [R.] Marcos Jr. and [Sec.] Aliling to immediately bring the much needed
Centro, Barangay Santa Rosa, Aurora, Isabela.
The PDIC said the depositors must file their claims personally. They must set up appointments by sending an email or private message to PDIC’s email and Facebook page, respectively.
However, when filing claims through e-mail, depositors must provide scanned copies or photo images of the accomplished, signed, and notarized Claim Form, evidence of deposit, and one valid photobearing ID with the depositor’s signature.
relief to our affected communities,” NHMFC President Renato L. Tobias was quoted in the statement as saying.
“This relief aims to ease the financial burden of affected families while they recover from the disaster,” Tobias added.
The moratorium will be effective from July 19 to August 18, 2025. Borrowers in the stormaffected areas are automatically qualified for moratorium, subject to NHMFC’s internal rules and regulations.
For claims filed personally or via postal mail or courier service, depositors are advised to submit the accomplished, signed and notarized Claim Form, original Savings Passbook and/or Certificate of Time Deposit and photocopy of one valid photo-bearing ID with depositor’s signature.
The depositors are further advised that additional documents and/or original copy of documents submitted via e-mail may be required by the PDIC, as necessary, in the course of evaluation and processing of claims.
BIR hikes tobacco goods’ floor prices Pagcor, Ad Standards Council enter into deal to regulate gambling ads
THE floor prices of cigarettes, heated tobacco (HTPs) and vapor products have been raised to reflect higher production costs and increased taxes.
According to Revenue Regulation 017-2025 that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) issued last Friday, the floor price for cigarettes is now at P85.57 per pack containing 20 sticks, up from the previous P78.58. A ream of 10 packs now carries a floor price of P855.68 from the previous P785.80.
The increase was due to a higher production cost, which rose to P10.25 per pack from P7.16. Total tax imposed per pack also grew to P75.32, consisting of excise tax and 12-percent value-added tax (VAT) worth P66.15 and P9.16, respectively.
It should be noted that the excise tax on cigarettes increases by 5 percent every year, as mandated by Republic Act (RA) 11346 (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, or “Train,” law).
Meanwhile, the floor price set for HTPs went up to P61.47 per pack of 20 sticks. This is slightly higher than the previous floor price of P60.11. The adjustment was due to the increase in total tax amounting to P40.57 per pack, which comprises P35.84 in excise tax and P6.59 in VAT, despite the lowered production cost of P19.04 from P19.54. Moreover, vapor products also saw significant price increases, with the 2-milliliter nicotine salt pod nearly doubling to P353.18 from P180.67. Production costs surged to P200.68 from P52.11, while total taxes on the product now stand at P152.50, broken down into P114.66 in excise tax and P37.84 in VAT. For conventional “freebase” or “classic” nicotine vape products, a 10-milliliter disposable pod is now priced at P183.31, based on a lowered production cost of P97.52 and higher total taxes of P85.79. Meanwhile, a 10-milliliter pre-
filled pod has a floor price of P174.89, with P90 in production cost and P84.89 in total taxes.
For a 10-milliliter disposable device, the floor price is now set at P198.18, with production costs at P110.80 and P87.38 in total taxes.
The BIR warned that selling tobacco products at a price lower than the combined excise and VAT imposed under the law is prohibited.
Violators will be penalized with a fine of at least 10 times the amount of excise tax and VAT due, but not less than P200,000 and up to P500,000, along with imprisonment of four to six years, based on Section 145 (C) of the National Internal Revenue Code or Tax Code, as amended.
Floor price is the minimum price of cigarettes, HTP and vapor products per unit, which shall be equivalent to the total reasonable production cost of the cheapest brand per tobacco product and the sum of the excise tax and VAT. Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
AFTER nine months of consul-
tations, officials of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) and the Ad Standards Council (ASC) signed on July 16 a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the regulation and prescreening of gambling-related advertisements across all media platforms.
Pagcor Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco and ASC Chairman Golda A. Roldan led the signing ceremony at the Pagcor Corporate Office in Pasay City as part of efforts to promote responsible advertising in the gaming industry.
The agreement adds gambling to ASC’s list of “must-screen” categories, joining alcoholic beverages, over-thecounter medicines, food supplements, airline/transport services with promotional fares, and breast milk substitutes.
Tengco was quoted in the statement as saying that the MOU was a product
of careful planning and thorough consultations with the ASC, contrary to what detractors were claiming that it was a rushed response to recent concerns about illegal online gambling and unregulated advertising.
“Almost a year ago, we began initial talks about this initiative. Today, we are gathered here to formally sign this agreement so that we can immediately execute everything we committed to in this Memorandum of Understanding,” added the Pagcor chief. Under the agreement, all branded or corporate gambling ads–including television, radio, online, and outdoor advertising–must be reviewed and approved by the ASC prior to public release to curb misleading content and protect vulnerable groups from potential harm.
underscores
mitment to protect consumers particularly in industries that require heightened sensitivity in messaging. “We stand with Pagcor in our shared goal of protecting the Filipino people, especially in sectors like gambling where communication requires greater sensitivity and care,” she was quoted in the statement as saying. Earlier this month, Pagcor issued a directive ordering the immediate removal of all gambling-related billboards and out-of-home advertisements including from public transport systems like buses,
Trump’s aid to trade pivot leaves Africa wary as it faces tariffs and uncertainty
By Farai Mutsaka The Associated Press
HARARE, Zimbabwe—
When US President
Donald Trump met five African leaders in Washington this month, his lack of familiarity with the continent was on display. He praised Liberian President Joseph Boakai’s English—Liberia’s official language—and gestured at another leader to wrap up remarks.
down the US Agency for International Development— which provided over $12 billion in humanitarian assistance in 2024 alone—the Trump administration says it is forging a new approach: “commercial diplomacy.” Trade, not aid, is the order of the day.
“It is now truly our policy for Africa,” said Troy Fitrell, the top US diplomat for Africa, when announcing the strategy in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in May. Ambassadors will now be judged not by aid projects but on “how well they support” local businesses and “how effectively they advocate for US business and the number of deals they facilitate,” he said.
Africa accounts for less than 1 percent of US goods trade, but Fitrell called it “the world’s largest untapped market,” projecting its purchasing power could surpass $16 trillion by 2050.
Early deals, lingering doubts WASHINGTON touts quick progress: 33 agreements worth $6 billion in Trump’s first 100 days, plus $2.5 billion in commitments at a US-Africa
business summit in June.
Projects span grain storage and digital infrastructure in Angola, energy ventures in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Congo, and tourism in Ethiopia.
Still, many worry about the costs. Job losses and economic pain from tariffs are mounting even as Washington celebrates these wins.
Trump did not invent the idea of trade over aid. African leaders have pushed for this since the 1970s. The problem, critics say, is the caveat of tariffs and uncertainty over the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the US flagship program for trade with the continent.
“In reality, these tariffs are not about trade balances. It’s economic warfare,” said the Alternative Information and Development Centre, a South African NGO.
Fears that jobs could go TRUMP has imposed a 30 percent tariff on selected South African goods and threatens another 10 percent for nations aligned with the BRICS bloc of developing economies. South
Africa’s Automotive Business Council says vehicle exports to the US have plunged over 80 percent, warning that tariffs “strike at the heart of South Africa’s industrialization agenda.” More than 100,000 jobs, mostly in auto and agriculture, are at risk, the council says.
Smaller nations are also reeling. Lesotho declared a state of disaster after being hit with 50 percent duties—the secondhighest rate after China—before Trump announced a 90-day pause. About 12,000 textile jobs in Lesotho hang in the balance, according to its Minister of Trade, Industry, and Business Development, Mokhethi Shelile. From vanilla farmers in Madagascar to cocoa growers in Ivory Coast and oil exporters in Nigeria, tariffs have shaken economies and raised doubts about Washington’s intent.
“The US certainly can’t have it both ways,” said Brendon Verster, an economist at Oxford Economics Africa. “The ‘aid to trade’ stance risks leaving Africa behind once the US has gotten what it wanted, which will probably be critical minerals.”
An agreement on the brink AGOA , enacted in 2000 and renewed in 2015, allows dutyfree US access for nearly 2,000 goods from 32 African nations. It expires in September, with no clear sign that it will be renewed. South Africa’s trade minister warned it will be “very difficult” to keep AGOA under current conditions. Fitrell said he is a “big fan” of the deal but told African leaders they must do more to lobby Congress. Future arrangements may require “much greater attention toward some form of reciprocity” to reflect Trump’s push for US economic interests, he said. Meanwhile, China is leveraging zero-tariff policies to expand its influence. In June, China—already Africa’s biggest trading partner—said it plans to grant duty-free market access to 53 African nations. Still, Verster said some African nations might be cautious about strengthening ties with China, for fear of triggering retaliation from the US.
“Aligning with China…could possibly bring about more economic punishment from the US,” he said.
PRESIDENT Donald Trump speaks during a lunch with African leaders including Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Bissau-Guinean President Umaro Sissoco EmbalÛ, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani and Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema in the State Dining Room of the White House, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Washington. AP/EVAN VUCCI
‘The Philippine Terno Gala 2025’: In full elegance, color and Cebuano pride
CEBU CITY—As expected, the second staging of The Philippine Terno Gala was a spectacle worthy of the Queen City of the South. Held on June 28, some of the country’s most fashionable descended on the Pacific Grand Ballroom of the Waterfront Hotel and Casino.
“[This] event is more than a showcase of exquisite fashion. It is a tribute to our identity and our history. To the timeless silhouette of the terno and the Filipino pride it represents. We are especially honored that this meaningful occasion is the brainchild of none other than Cary Santiago, a globally celebrated designer whose roots and heart remain firmly planted in Cebu. Cary, your vision continues to elevate not only our local fashion industry but also the cultural landscape of our city,” said Atty. Jocelyn Pesquera, the head of the Cebu City Tourism Commission, in her welcome speech.
“Together, we are proudly celebrating Cebu as the design capital of the Philippines. A distinction reinforced when Unesco designated Cebu City as a Creative City of Design in 2019. That recognition wasn’t simply a label,” continued Pesquera. “It was a call to action. And tonight, we answer that call. This celebration would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our city’s leadership.”
As the country’s finest couturier, Cary leads the pack of acclaimed designers in this year’s gala, enlisting his fellow Cebuanos Edwin Ao, Protacio Empaces and Jun Escario, and Manila’s Joey Samson and Jojie Lloren.
“You cannot say no to Cary. Aside from doing a show with the designers you admire and respect so much, it’s also my little way of aligning with the idea of preserving the terno,” Edwin declared.
Protacio pointed out: “I’ve always loved to express my aesthetics through the execution of the terno. For someone like me who loves to take references from the past, this is the perfect venue for me.”
“It was an easy yes to do the Terno Gala, as it was also a challenge for me to put out my version of Filipino dressing/terno,” Jun joined in.
Here are the designers’ thoughts after the Terno Gala afterglow:
EDWIN AO
“THE idea of the collection is an inspection of layers.
It is a study of layering, repetition, and motion—an unraveling process both literal and conceptual. I chose to marry art practices with the design process to craft my interpretation of the Philippine terno.
“I explored the idea of fear through color, specifically by confronting colors I have long avoided. Red and white became emotional provocations, pushing me to step outside my comfort zone and embrace vulnerability in the creative act.
“A men’s tunic barong Tagalog in piña is overlaid
THIS opinion might be cancellable in certain beauty circles but I prefer cushion foundations from Western brands. I do know that cushion foundations originated from South Korea but somehow, those that I have tried never seem to get my undertone right.
NARS Cosmetics recently launched its Light Reflecting Serum Cushion Foundation SPF 42/PA++, which is an Asia exclusive product.
“Comfort meets care in Light Reflecting Serum
with DMC threads, it is worn over an inner shirt reimagined with alternative proportions. A deconstructed linen vest—detailed with leather scraps, and bound by DMC silk threads—completes the look, suggesting disassembly as a form of design.”
PROTACIO EMPACES
EMPACES was enamored with the Masters of Philippine Fashion—Valera, Slim’s, Moreno and Salazar. His pieces showcased his expertise in injecting nostalgic references with his own contemporary takes.
He used varied fabrics from silk dupioni to abaca, linen, cotton, tulle and gazar. It’s always a joy to witness Protacio’s witty creations: a mango-colored bubble dress, an embroidered skirt with an Art Deco
Cushion Foundation SPF 42/PA++, a makeup-skincare hybrid that instantly boosts your complexion for 24 hours of radiance,” said NARS in its website.
While I was cautious about the light-reflecting claim (my undertone is warm golden), I went for Barcelona, which is also my shade in other NARS foundations. Barcelona is also the darkest shade in the Light Reflecting Serum Cushion Foundation SPF 42/ PA+++.
Nica Reyes, retail and training manager at NARS, said the shades of the cushion foundation run lighter because it brightens skin immediately. The brightening effect also continues over time, thanks to the Triple C Brightening Complex, a blend of three fruits, while Skincare-Coated Pigments provide seamless, breathable wear with a natural, skin-like finish that won’t cake or crease. The NARS Light Reflecting Serum Cushion Foundation SPF 42/PA++ offers medium, buildable coverage and a natural, radiant finish. If you’re going for a “clean girl” look, this is perfect because the foundation will give you a natural finish that still
theme, pixelated embroideries with big floral patterns worn by Ann Umali, a baby-doll dress with a full cutout embroidered skirt worn by Mikay Bautista, and an indio-inspired pantsuit with the pants embroidered with seashell motif.
JUN ESCARIO
IN designing a collection inspired by the terno and traditional Filipino attire, Escario wanted to move away from the usual perception of it being stiff, outdated or costume-like. He focused on softening the look—bringing a sense of ease, fluidity and modernity.
“The terno has been reimagined in many ways— resized sleeves, altered shapes—but I believe its iconic form doesn’t need to be changed. Instead, it
looks polished.
Aside from the shade and the finish, I like how the NARS Light Reflecting Serum Cushion Foundation SPF 42/PA++ is so easy to use with the teardropshaped applicator. It’s also comfortable to wear and not heavy at all as the Breathable Hydra Veil creates a comfortable layer that results in a non-drying feel and dewy (not oily) finish. It’s also surprisingly long-lasting. I am not sure about the 24-hour claim but I wore this cushion foundation for 12 hours and just needed to blot once. It was not cakey and really did not crease, even along my laugh and fine lines. It also worked well with the different sunscreens I used.
I also learned that this is actually not NARS’ first cushion foundation and the others (I only know of two) are also quite good. So I guess making cushion foundation is also something that NARS is good at. So, yes, I do like the NARS Light Reflecting Serum Cushion Foundation SPF 42/PA++, further confirming my preference for cushion foundations from Western beauty brands.
simply needs to be recontextualized. By lightening the embroidery, refining the details, and removing the visual weight, it can speak to a global audience in a more contemporary way.
“I chose to pair local weaves with the softest silks and flat sandals, creating an effortless elegance. The result is a more relaxed, wearable version of the traditional look, something women can feel comfortable in whether dressed up or down.
“Given our climate, clothing should feel light, both on the skin and to the eye. The palette leans into subtle, sophisticated tones: beiges, grays, taupes. And above all, I never design a collection unless it feels refined, timeless and undeniably chic.”
JOJIE LLOREN
IN Melancholia, Lloren made sense of grief by transforming it into something elegant and glamorous. This is one of the creative and vulnerable ways of mourning he unveiled at TernoCon 2024
“This collection is a tribute to cherished memories with my mother, an expression of joy tinged with the quiet ache of loss. It also reflects on the terno as a symbol of the modern Filipina, capturing her grace, tenderness, quiet resilience, and enduring strength.”
JOEY SAMSON
SAMSON collaborated with the highly creative Ricky Vicencio for some of the accessories in the collection, which is a further exploration of the themes he evoked in the TernoCon 2023, Ang Mga Pag-ibig ni Jose Rizal, and at Rakuten Tokyo Fashion Week in 2023.
“I focused on the tuxedo but reimagined it using elements from the terno and the barong Tagalog. What I did was to mix and interchange elements from these specific garments to come up with new propositions for the terno and barong Tagalog.”
CARY SANTIAGO
“I EXPLORED plumage using a novel technique, combining my fascination with soft sculpture and my favorite colors. Almost everything is handmade and hand-stitched.
“After the highly successful biennial event The Philippine Terno Gala 2025, allow me to extend my thanks and heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made it all happen.
“To the Cebu City Government thru the Cebu City Tourism Commission and all the commissioners headed by Pesquera; to Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino headed by general manager Ali Banting and conventions and events director Feirlyn Decasa; to the Cultural Center of the Philippines with president Kaye Tinga, our major sponsons, such as Ali Agri Exim, Dr. CRB, Cary Santiago by Bench Perfumes headed by Ben Chan, and to Jennifer Ty of Diagold—thank you so much!
“To my beloved mesdames—Bea Zobel de Ayala Jr, Alice Eduardo, Mariquita Yeung, Yedda Romualdez, Jennifer Viloria, Katrina Ponce-Enrile, Marylou Ngo Ang, Maybelle Padillo, Jessie Maloles, Mags Cue and Dawn Zulueta-Lagdameo—thank you very much!
“To all the designers: Edwin Ao, those were very intricate pieces that I cannot do; Jojie Lloren, for the period glam classic pieces; Joey Samson, for the beautifully textured and layered pieces; Jun Escario, for the very chic and sophisticated looks; and Protacio,
TERNO GALA AFTERGLOW Creations by (first row) Edwin Ao and Protacio Empaces; (second row) Jun Escario and Joey Samson; (third row) Jojie Lloren and Cary Santiago
TIEZA Rebounds with ₱7.8B Travel Tax Revenue, Nationwide Projects
Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) Chief Operating Officer Mark T. Lapid underscored the agency’s pivotal role in rebuilding and sustaining Philippine tourism infrastructure during his presentation at the Visayas Regional Consultative Meeting of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP), held on June 26, 2025 at BAI Hotel in Cebu.
Addressing an audience of tourism stakeholders, Lapid shared how TIEZA emerged resilient despite the crippling effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. When he resumed office in 2021, TIEZA faced a staggering financial deficit of 98 percent, as its P12 billion reserve had been redirected to support the government’s pandemic response. With no outbound travel and closed tourism facilities, the agency’s income sources were severely limited. Yet through swift reforms, strategic partnerships, and digitalization efforts such as the launch of an online travel tax payment system, TIEZA recovered. By the end of 2024, the agency had collected over P7.8 billion in travel tax, regaining and even surpassing its pre-pandemic revenue levels.
As of 2025, TIEZA has funded and implemented over 230 tourism infrastructure projects nationwide. This includes the completion and ongoing development of 41 Tourist Rest Areas (TRAs), with more underway and a target of over 100 TRAs to be completed in the next phases. Lapid emphasized that these facilities, often dismissed as mere restrooms, serve as vital support hubs, housing clean sanitation amenities, tourist information centers, and retail spaces for local products. These developments, he said, are strategically located from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi, with the Department of Tourism and its regional directors identifying priority sites for implementation.
TIEZA has also continued its support for dive tourism, with the ongoing installation of ten hyperbaric chambers across key diving destinations, including Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, and Mindoro. These facilities are not only essential for diver safety but can also be used for wellness treatments, expanding their utility for both locals and visitors. The agency plans to add five more units within the year. Environmental protection efforts have
also intensified under TIEZA’s leadership. The agency has played a critical role in restoring water quality in Boracay and Puerto Galera through expanded sewage and water treatment systems. In Boracay alone, sewer connections increased from 970 to over 2,350, helping prevent further ecological degradation. TIEZA has also commissioned the University of the Philippines Visayas to study and recommend solutions for the seasonal algal bloom affecting Boracay’s shores.
TIEZA continues to empower Local Government Units (LGUs) through initiatives like the Tourism Champions Challenge (TCC), which provides funding support to LGUs developing their areas as tourism destinations. Fifteen LGUs have already been awarded, with more expected in the next batch of recipients. Lapid also cited major infrastructure highlights such as the lighting of the San Juanico Bridge, which now serves as a tourism attraction with boat tours and an Instagrammable viewing deck, and the rehabilitation of heritage properties including Mount Data Hotel, Banaue Hotel, and Club Intramuros.
As the Investment Promotion Agency of the tourism industry, TIEZA recognizes the vital role of the private sector through tourism investments. As of date, TIEZA has approved a total of PHP 229B of investments for the development of Tourism Enterprise Zones and other tourism enterprises. These investments are expected to generate 133,859 jobs within local communities. Geared towards improving the tourist experience and developing new tourism products, ranging from accommodation facilities, farm tourism, sports and recreational facilities, health and wellness, sports tourism, TIEZA continues to encourage the growth of the tourism industry under the Strategic Investments Priority Plan (SIPP). Notable investments include the Fairfield by Marriot at Cebu by the AppleOne Mactan
& Events, that aims to elevate the Southern Metro Manila community.
“The BAQ Room” is no typo. It’s a subtle clue. “BAQ” nods to “back,” evoking a sense of stepping back in time.
This intimate music lounge features an elegantly crafted ambiance, thoughtfully designed with intention. Here, conversations unfold like secrets, and the atmosphere invites both intimate gatherings and unexpected celebrations. It’s a hidden space where people don’t just lounge; they connect, reflect, and experience.
In addition to The BAQ Room’s exquisite interior, it offers a thoughtfully curated menu by B Hotel Alabang’s Executive Sous Chef, Bam Guevarra, crafted to pair perfectly with its signature cocktails. Highlights include dishes like “Sisig Tacos” and “Boneless Inasal Wings”, each offering a distinctive Filipino twist that adds depth and character to the lounge’s laid-back, intimate vibe.
More than just a music and bar lounge, The BAQ Room also transforms into an intimate events space, perfect for private gatherings, celebrations, and curated experiences. Whether it’s live music, a cocktail night, or a private party, the ambiance adapts seamlessly,
Inc., the Avignon Clinic Grand at Alabang, the expansion project of Belo Medical Group, the Hotel Elizabeth Resorts and Villas at San Vicente, Palawan by the FHG Development Corporation, Bukid Amara- a farm tourism facility in Davao, theme parks such as Enchanted Kingdom and JCastles in Laguna and Batangas, among others.
TIEZA also provides technical assistance in tourism development planning and feasibility studies. As of date, TIEZA has completed the tourism masterplans for Cavite, Leyte, Siargao, Corregidor Island, Mt. Samat, Rizal Park, San Vicente Palawan, Camotes, and Bantayan Islands in Cebu.
Lapid noted TIEZA’s involvement in key international and national events such as the Federation Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) World Cup 2023, United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) 2024, Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) 2024, Fédération Internationale on Volleyball (FIVB) 2025, and various high-level tourism and trade gatherings. The agency has likewise strengthened its presence in both international and local investment forums to promote opportunities in the Philippine tourism sector.
Lapid took the opportunity to clarify the use of the P1,620 travel tax collected from outbound passengers, which remains a key revenue source for TIEZA. Fifty percent of the tax goes directly to TIEZA, while 40 percent is allocated to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and 10% to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). He called for better transparency and awareness on the matter and expressed support for amendments to the Tourism Act of 2009 to ensure that CHED’s share truly benefits tourism scholars as originally intended.
As part of its forward strategy, TIEZA will ramp up its public awareness campaign. Lapid acknowledged that many Filipinos remain unaware of TIEZA’s functions and contributions, with only one percent of outbound travelers currently using its online services. He appealed to stakeholders and the media to help amplify the agency’s message: that the P1,620 travel tax goes directly into real, tangible infrastructure that benefits arts, culture, education, travelers, communities, and the tourism industry as a whole.
“We are not just a government agency; we are your partner in growth,” Lapid emphasized. “Together, as one Tourism Family, we are building a future where Philippine tourism thrives sustainably and inclusively.”
offering a setting that feels both exclusive and inviting.
“We envisioned The BAQ Room as an extension of Alejando’s to provide our valued patrons and clients with a dedicated, elevated space for private gatherings, exclusive events, and immersive culinary experiences that go beyond what our main restaurant offers,” said General Manager Glennis Narciso.
“Designed with versatility in mind, it seamlessly accommodates everything from corporate dinners and intimate celebrations to curated tasting events, all while upholding Alejandro’s signature standards of hospitality, design, and cuisine. What truly sets The BAQ Room apart is its ability to transform into a sophisticated music lounge, a distinct and dynamic function space for those seeking something truly unique and creative.”
Experience class and sophistication with The BAQ Room at B Hotel Alabang, an exclusive speakeasy lounge nestled within the busy street of Madrigal Business Park. For inquiries and reservations, please contact at (+632) 8828 8181, 0917 579 9431 or visit www.bhotelalabang. com and official social media pages at B Hotel Alabang.
Okada Manila Partners with DENR for Massive Reforestation in La Mesa
OKADA Manila, a Forbes VERIFIED™ Responsible Hospitality integrated resort in the Philippines, takes part in a massive forest rehabilitation program under the National Greening Program (NGP) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Held at the La Mesa Watershed, Metro Manila’s critical ecological reserve, this tree planting activity reflects Okada Manila’s steadfast commitment to environmental sustainability and its continuing efforts under the Okada Green Heart program, particularly through its Talent & Community pillar, which promotes employee engagement and positive social impact.
Now in the second year of a three-year partnership with the DENR, Okada Manila is entrusted with the stewardship of a one-to-two-hectare reforestation site at the watershed. Through this initiative, the resort is nurturing 500 indigenous forest tree species as part of the DENR’s “Forests for Life” campaign, which aims to plant five million trees by 2028. On June 27, 2025, 110 team members volunteered and planted 200 seedlings to contribute to the ecological renewal of the La Mesa Watershed, a vital source of potable water for more than 12 million residents of Metro Manila. The tree planting served as a hands-on expression of Okada Manila’s long-term investment in clean air, biodiversity, and community well-being.
“This tree planting activity is a powerful reflection of our values,” said Patrick Henry Villacorte, Chief Security and Safety Officer of Okada Manila. “At Okada Manila, we believe that caring for the environment is a natural extension of caring for people. Through the Okada Green
Heart program, we’re proud to give our team members opportunities to protect what matters and contribute meaningfully to a better, greener future.”
According to Atty. Michael Drake P. Matias, OIC Regional Executive Director, DENR-NCR, “Our partnership with Okada Manila demonstrates the power of collaboration in restoring our natural ecosystems. Through sustained and hands-on engagement, like this tree planting at the La Mesa Watershed, we are not only rehabilitating forests, we are also nurturing a culture of environmental stewardship. The DENR-NCR and Okada Manila are sowing the seeds of resilience, clean air, and climate action for everyone.”
Okada Manila also participated at an event organized by DENR-NCR in celebration of Philippine Arbor Day last June 25, 2025. Themed “Amazing Trees,” the event combined adventure, teamwork, and environmental education through tree-themed challenges held across the watershed.
Okada Manila proudly placed third in this unique competition, which highlighted the value of forests in sustaining life and fighting climate change.
As Okada Manila continues to expand its Green Heart initiatives, the tree planting activity stands as a testament to the resort’s enduring promise: to grow a culture where sustainability, compassion, and shared purpose thrive in harmony.
To learn more about Okada Manila’s comprehensive sustainability initiatives and the Okada Green Heart program, please visit our website at https://www. okadamanila.com/okada-green-heart
STI champions academic-industry partnership to shape future-ready graduates
THERE has been a recent shift in focus among employers when it comes to choosing potential candidates. More companies from various sectors are now prioritizing skills and competency assessment when hiring, posing a challenge to higher education institutions (HEIs) to keep up with the changing industry standards.
In its commitment to mold future-ready graduates, STI College leverages its partnerships with industry leaders to ensure that students have access to hands-on training, and its curriculum and programs stay at par with the demands of the employment market.
Notably, STI’s collaboration with top tech companies in the Philippines has bolstered its Information Technology (IT) programs. Through its partnership with tech giant Huawei, STI was able to integrate Huawei’s learning platform on its 63 campuses all over the country, producing thousands of certified IT student associates across technology domains such as artificial intelligence, and cloud computing and storage, among others.
Since 2015, STI and Huawei have worked together to enhance the institution’s IT curriculum, course development, and instructor training, and innovate classrooms and laboratories through technology, among other initiatives. Last year, STI was among the recipients of the prestigious Excellent Global Talent Alliance Partner award from Huawei.
STI also inked a partnership with Globe Telecom that will provide internship opportunities for IT and engineering students, setting them up for job prospects at one of the country’s leading mobile network companies. The program will address the emerging skills gap in the IT sector through intensive training and immerse students within the work environment.
“Collaborating with industry players is essential to provide our students with a holistic, real-world education that effectively prepares them for their career paths,” said Karen Precious LR. Tabije, STI VP for Academics. “This also ensures that our academic programs align with the demands of the job market, offering invaluable opportunities for internships and/or project-based learning that enhance students’ practical skills and employability.”
Beyond tech, STI boosted its ties within the hospitality
robust network of hospitality professionals.
industry through its landmark partnership with Carnival Cruise Line (CCL), one of the biggest cruise lines in the world. Aside from full scholarship grants, the partnership also provided a cutting-edge kitchen laboratory situated at the STI Academic Center Pasay-EDSA where students can receive hands-on training and familiarize themselves with the actual set-up onboard.
This synergy between STI and CCL has opened numerous opportunities for Hospitality Management students to gain hands-on experience as culinary apprentices and apply their skills in a real-world environment. It will also help connect them with a vast network of hospitality professionals. STI’s collaboration with industry partners highlights its commitment to nurturing students through immersive education and practical experiences. Along with initiatives like I-CARES and E2E (Enrollment to Employment) system, STI ensures that students are not only academically excellent but are also equipped to thrive in the real world.
A team of 110 members volunteered and planted 200 seedlings to contribute to the ecological renewal of the La Mesa Watershed.
The STI and Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) partnership opened opportunities such as full scholarship grants, a cutting-edge kitchen laboratory, handson training as culinary apprentices, and access to a
B Hotel Alabang Unveils The BAQ Room: A Sophisticated Music Lounge, Events Venue
Defying Gravity: Treks & Kicks
Conclusion
KICKING HIGH
“ TAEKWONDO is a Korean martial art known for its high, fast kicks, jumping and spinning kicks, and swift footwork. It emphasizes not just physical skills, but also mental discipline and respect for others, making it a holistic approach to both selfdefense and personal development. At its core, taekwondo is not just about fighting; it’s about cultivating the mind and body. Practitioners learn tenets such as courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and an indomitable spirit. These principles guide martial artists both on and off the mat.” (Today’s Taekwondo, n.d.)
How did you start in taekwondo and why did you decide to pursue it? Please share your story.
JOEL LACSAMANA: “I started in taekwondo way back in early 1981. I was already into other martial arts, but I was more into the zen aspect of the martial art, exploration into eastern philosophies and the martial intricacies of the Japanese samurai, the code of bushido, musashi, with a smattering of Bruce Lee aphorisms thrown in.
My obsession with taekwondo continued because of two men who became my major martial arts influencers and mentors: Col. Jeff Tamayo, my first sabumnim or instructor (From AI—“Sabumnim” (사범님 ) is a Korean term used to address and refer to a respected instructor or master in Korean martial arts, particularly Taekwondo) and Grandmaster Sung Chong Hong, the CEO and spiritual head of the Philippine Taekwondo Association or PTA, small organization then.
I continued taekwondo throughout the 80s and onward to the 90s and 2000, even at the height of changes in my careers. Wherever I was assigned or traveling, I would always have my dobuk, or taekwondo uniform, packed ready to train in wherever part of the world or Philippines, wherever stationed or travelling.
My connection to the martial art was simple: wherever there would be a dojang or gym where I would be in the world, that would mean continued training in kyorugi (sparring) or poomsae (forms), juxtaposed with life,
career, business, spiritual existence, relationships with other people, community, with the universe. I would also teach, and that was the sharing part, which for me gives humongous value to my existence on this planet.
Martial arts, or taekwondo, for me is not just about fighting or answering the functional question of what would work in a real fight situation (though in my younger years, I have seen it actually does). At the end of the day, martial arts to me is about sharing and helping people where and when I can, because we all share this same planet... and really, how cool is that? That is what the attraction of martial arts is to me, to this day.”
What preparations did you have to do to prepare for the recent competition and how long did it take for you to achieve what you did?
JOEL: “ I started competing again in earnest when I retired from the corporate world (Manila Water and Lafarge). Since 2010, I’ve been competing in world taekwondo championships in Vladivostok, Peru, Mexico, Taiwan, and in Asian championships in Thailand, Korea, Penang and national championships in the Philippines, winning medals then in the Under-60 Division and now in the Over-60 Division. Along with my passion for
nesia (75 percent), Malaysia
which surveyed over 7,000 employers and HR professionals across key industries from September to October 2024, highlights the Philippines’ continued labor market resilience and growing demand for workforce flexibility. With an 83 percent activity level, the Philippines outpaced its neighbors Indo -
the martial arts aspect of taekwondo, I still strangely enough harbor a love for its sports aspect. Today at age 67, I cannot compete in kyorugi or sparring any longer, since my body cannot do stuff which I could easily do when I was in my 20s and 30s. But I can still definitely do poomsae or forms, and strive for excellence to a world standard.
Poomsae by the way, is the more cerebral, the more philosophical aspect of martial arts. Your opponent is not the one in front of you, or the deadlines or targets, or key result areas in your PowerPoint plan. It is yourself. You conquer your fears, doubts, and ego, you win.
It has taken many years of dedicated training and living as a martial artist for me to attain this zen mindset: that is, be better than you were yesterday. Truth be told, this is the same philosophy I believe in with regard to life. Do the best job you can, live in the moment, and do not think about tomorrow. Just today. Don’t practice martial arts. Live the life of a martial artist.
For the world masters championship held last May in Taipei, I trained for about six months focused on its objectives. But my training actually never stops. I would continue going to the dojang or gym about three times a week every year before that.
Since I love functional training, I would intersperse that with lifting weights, kettlebells, roadwork, and bike riding.”
For both Rosan and Joel, culling from the experience and what you pursue today, what words of wisdom can you share with fellow PRs and others as well?
ROSAN: “One powerful lesson from my Everest trek is the importance of saying “yes.” Yes to challenges, to growth, and to stepping outside your comfort zone. Along the way, I met remarkable people and learned so much about resilience and selfawareness. It reminded me of George Eliot’s words: “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”
I almost dismissed my dream of reaching Everest, but embracing it taught me invaluable lessons that resonate deeply with PR.
In PR, just like in trekking, preparation is key. You need to anticipate challenges, build your strengths, and adapt quickly to changing circumstances. Communication is vital, not only in conveying your message but also in listening and connecting authentically with your audience.
The trek also taught me patience and perseverance, qualities essential when managing crises or building long-term relationships. Ultimately, this journey re -
inforced that being a better PR professional means being a better person, one who is courageous, empathic, and committed to continuous learning. When we embody these values, we don’t just tell stories; we inspire trust and create meaningful impact.
So say yes to your dreams, prepare with intention and never stop growing.”
JOEL: “My words of wisdom, if you can call it that, can be summed up in one phrase: live in the moment. Yesterday is over. Tomorrow is not important as it has yet to happen (and focusing on a distant goal is a surefire recipe for disaster.)
Keep your mind on now, and do the best and most passionate work you can do today. That is the key to success. While doing so, share and help others achieve their objectives as well. That is the best way to ensure that we all have the best life we can attain on this planet, which we all share.”
EPILOGUE:
Rosan has transitioned into wellness entrepreneurship, offering services such as yoga, sound healing, Theta Healing, space clearing, and life coaching. Her holistic approach focuses on empowering individuals to achieve mental clarity, emotional balance, and overall wellbeing. Rosan’s extensive experience, combined with her passion for helping others, makes her a dynamic professional committed to fostering growth and positive change in both corporate and personal contexts.
For Joel, who continues to keep the discipline and stamina for the sport: “Age is just a number, and winning is a mindset. I have made many friends all over the world since.They are the best medals of all.”
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of IPRA Philippines, the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association, the world’s premier association for senior communication professionals around the world. Ritzi VillaricoRonquillo, APR, IABC Fellow is an Adjunct Faculty for Leadership and Human Capital Management at the Asian Institute of Management’s School of Executive Education and Lifelong Learning for its Communication and Public Relations Programs; Consultant, Professional Lecturer, Association Executive, Mentor, and Speaker, whose awards and 45 years of experience span diverse demographics and sectors including corporate, community, associations, advocacy, and academia.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.
PHILIPPINE WINS (Left) Philippine Team head and coach Joel Lacsamana celebrating with the medals won by the Masters Kyorugi (sparring) squad. (Right) Day One of the World Masters Taekwondo competitions already saw the Philippine Poomsae (Forms) team snag five medals.
MASTERFUL FORM (Left) Joel Lacasamana throws his patented sidekick in the Over-60 Poomsae Masters Division while up against an Ecuadorian master, a third time to go head-to-head in the semifinals of a major international taekwondo
Sports
mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph
Editor: Jun Lomibao
‘I thought I won the fight’
By Josef Ramos
AS
VEGAS—Manny
LBy Mark Anderson
The Associated Press
AS VEGAS—Manny Pacquiao pushed back against his doubters, the odds and even Father Time on Saturday night—and nearly made some history.
But Pacquiao, in the end, fell just short on the judges’ scorecards as Mario Barrios escaped with a majority draw to retain the WBC welterweight championship.
Two judges scored the bout a draw, and judge Max DeLuca awarded Barrios a 115-113 victory.
The Associated Press scored the fight 115-113 in favor of Pacquiao.
“I thought I won the fight,” Pacquiao said. Barrios landed more total punches (120-101), according to Compubox, but Pacquiao had the edge in power shots (81-75). Pacquiao, enshrined into the International Boxing Hall of Fame last month, was trying to break his own record for oldest welterweight champion—he was 40 when he emerged in 2019 split decision over Keith Thurman.
LPacquiao’s bid to accomplish another milestone in professional boxing fell short—in fact by a mere two points—after his attempt at snatching Mario Barrios’s World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight belt ended in a majority draw, thus allowing the American to keep the title which could have been the Hall of Famer’s ninth in different weight divisions.
Pacquiao, who surprised everyone by his performance at MGM Grand on Sunday at 46, felt the result should have been otherwise.
“I thought I won the fight,” the boxing icon told the ring announcer, a statement that reverberated in the cavernous arena where majority of the 13,107 crowd booed the result, and even all over the world.
B ut Pacquiao, his demeanor intact as his will and ability to win were, was quick to accept his fate.
“I t was a close fight, he [Barrios] was very tough so I tried to find a way to finish the fight,” he added.
Tim Cheatham and Steve Weisfeld scored the fight even at 114-114 but Max DeLuca gave his to the Texan from San Antonio, 115-113, perhaps basing his judgment on the last three rounds where Barrios played catch up to the eightdivision world champion.
“He threw a lot of good combinations and had a great jab,” said Pacquiao, who fought for the first time since losing to Cuban Yordenis Ugas in 2021, a year before he ran for president of the Philippines.
Pacquiao later admitted though that he didn’t get enough wind to sustain his attack in the last three rounds and later told a post-fight interview at the dressing room that cramps again set in his legs.
Cramps,” he said. “But had I trained longer, the result would have been better.”
Pacquiao immediately left for Los Angeles to train at legendary trainer Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym immediately after losing in the senatorial race last May, giving him only close to two months to prepare for Barrios.
“Maybe, it I trained three months, but because the elections, I could only do two months,” said Pacquiao, who remained the darling of the boxing world especially in Las Vegas where his picture was splashed all over and his visitors and fans form endless lines just to get a glimpse, selfie or an autograph with him ahead of the fight.
Fighting a taller opponent with a longer reach and who’s in his prime at 30 years old, Pacquiao had to make adjustments.
“I was more tactical in this fight than my previous fight,” said Pacquiao, referring to his loss to Ugas via unanimous decision in August 2021.
“I needed to be more active and throw more punches because that’s my style,” he said.
Marcial beats foe by TKO in 3rd round
Pacquiao, who fought at MGM Grand for the 16th time in his career, needed to because Barrios landed more total punches (120-101), according to Compubox, but he had the edge in power shots (81-75).
The draw pegged Pacquiao’s record to 62-9-2 (win-loss-draw) while Barrios 29-2-2.
Barrios admitted he was surprised how fit Pacquiao was at his age.
‘’His stamina is crazy. He is still strong and his timing is real,” Barrios said. “He is still a very awkward fighter to try to figure out.”
Reports said that Pacquiao earned between $5 million and $10 million while Barrios banked at least $500,000 but not more than $1 million.
A rematch? Both agreed but don’t tell than to international matchmaker Sean Gibbons, who heads Pacquiao’s MP Promotions.
“I d on’t mean this in a mean way, but [expletive] Mario Barrios,” Pacquiao’s manager Sean Gibbons told reporters after the fight.
“He’s a nice guy and I like the kid, but Manny deserves a bigger name.”
The bigger names, Gibbons said, were World Boxing Association lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis and welterweight king Rolando “Rolly” Romero. Floyd Mayweather?
“I f [Mayweather] comes out of retirement and signs the contract, we’ll fight,” Pacquiao told reporters. “Let’s fight again if he wants. I’m active now.”
FROM Malacañang to the House and the Senate, Hall of Famer Manny
colleagues heaped praises on the boxer for his gallant stand against American Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed full support for “Pacman” Pacquiao, hailing the fight as a battle that defied age, exceeded expectations and challenged the odds.
Before departing for his official visit to the United States, President Marcos took to social media to rally the nation behind the People’s Champ, calling the match “a moment to witness the heart of a champion and the strength of a nation.”
“The Philippines holds its breath as we come together once more, United behind the People’s Champ,” the President added in his post. President Marcos echoed the admiration of a nation that continues to stand firmly behind the People’s Champ: “Laban, Manny! Dalangin ng bawat Pilipino ang iyong tagumpay.”
Magsayo overwhelms Mexican opponent Father Time,
This also was his first appearance in the ring in nearly four years for the 46-year-old Filipino, a loss by unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugás. Barrios, a 30-year-old from San Antonio, was a -275 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook. He hoped to bounce back from a split-decision draw on November 15 against Abel Ramos, but didn’t exactly come away with an emphatic victory in improving to 29-2-2. The heavily pro-Pacquiao crowd loudly booed the decision.
“It was an honor to share the ring with him,” Barrios said. “This is by far the biggest event I’ve had to date, and we came in here and left everything in the ring. I have nothing but respect for Manny.
Beast is still there
LAS VEGAS—Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo didn’t disappoint on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) by scoring a victory of his own— unanimous decision—over Mexico’s Jorge Mata Cuellar at the MGM Grand.
Magsayo, putting premium on tactics and defense, prevailed in a 10-round bout to capture the World Boxing Council Continental Americas super featherweight crown and move closer to a
MANNY PACQUIAO’S bid to become a boxing champion once more at the age of 46 fell short by a couple of points as the fight with World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight title holder Mario Barrios ended in a majority draw (115-113, 114-114, 114-114).
M anny was still pretty impressive despite of his age and long lay-off. In fact, he soon asked if he could be considered for a rematch.
After he steamrolled a bunch of fighters en route to all his titles, Manny looked invincible. Of course, we know that no one is save for Rocky Marciano.
From 2012 up to today, Manny went 8-5-1 including this draw with Barrios.
A s he started to take losses and beating, there were prevailing thoughts and calls from many quarters to hang it up less it sullies further his legacy. More on this later.
LAS VEGAS—Eumir Felix Marcial made an emphatic return to the pros with a third-round technical knockout v ictory over American Bernard Joseph in a middleweight non-title fight scheduled for eight rounds in the M anny Pacquiao-Mario Barrios undercard at the MGM Grand on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
Laid off for more than a year as a pro to fight in the Paris 2024 Olympics, Marcial fought like a beast in disposing of Joseph, who dopped to all fours from a left hook from the 29-year-old Filipino that prompted referee Allen Huggins called it a TKO in the one-minute and 55-second mark of the third round.
“That was our plan [to knock him out in the third round]. First two rounds, I adjusted, got good defense, got timing, then I tried to knock him out in third,” Marcial, who’s unbeaten in six pro fights, told BusinessMirror.
“More than a year ago before I returned to the ring, I felt a little bit have changed. But because of our experience in the Olympics, we got the win,” he said. “We will continue to work to win until we got a world title.” Joseph, 35, had no response to Marcial’s hard punches and suffered his third defeat in 15 fights (11-3-1 record with five knockouts).
Marcial floored Joseph first with a crushing right hook in the second round before dominating the third round to the delight of the Filipino fans that included Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and his secretary-general Atty. Wharton Chan.
Marcial thanked MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons, corner Jhack Tepora and trainer coach Joven Jimenez and coach Kay Koroma for preparing him for the fight. Josef Ramos
record with 13 knockouts.
T he former WBC featherweight champion from Tagbilaran City poured it all in the 10th round with precision jabs.
T he Marcos administration sees Pacquiao’s return not merely as a sporting milestone, but as a powerful reminder of the strength, resilience and unity that define the Filipino spirit—core to the Bagong Pilipinas vision.
At 46, former Senator Manny Pacquiao defied age and expectations,” Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said after Pacquiao and Barrios drew their World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight title fight on Sunday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Although he fell short in reclaiming the WBC welterweight belt, he proved that he is indeed a legend—few professional boxers could match the level of skill and heart he displayed in the ring,” Estrada added.
Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez led the House in praising Pacquiao, who was once their colleague representing Sarangani.
Victory isn’t always measured by the belt—but by the courage to keep fighting,” said Romualdez, Leyte’s 1st District representative, adding the majority draw does not lessen the pride and inspiration he once again gave the nation. Romualdez said Pacquiao’s performance was nothing short of triumphant.
Today, we witnessed two warriors leave it all in the ring. And though the judges called it a draw, for us Filipinos, the mere return of Manny Pacquiao to the global boxing stage—at 46 years old—is a victory in itself,” Romualdez said.
“A draw may not be the ending we hoped for, but it was a performance that reminded the world who Manny Pacquiao is—and who we are as a people: matatag, palaban, at may dangal,” he said.
next potential world title fight. The judges gave the 30-year-old Magsayo favorable 100-90, 100-90 and 98-92 scores.
All-around package, that is what we are right now,” Magsayo told BusinessMirror
“Head movement, footwork,and combinations. We have all those stuffs.”
H e improved to 28-2 won-lost with 18 knockouts while Cuellar dropped to 21-3-2
But you know, against Barrios, I thought of celluloid hero Rocky Balboa. In fact, this past week, I have been on a Rocky binge the six films including the last one, Rocky Balboa.
Nah, I skipped both Creed films even if I liked the first one that also starred Sylvester Stallone.
In Rocky Balboa that is like Rocky VI, there were four segments in the film where he tells his brother-in-law, Paulie (famously played by Burt Young who in his real age has taken on the irascible thinking and sarcastic verbiage of Mickey Goldmill (the late Burgess Meredith), and his son, Rocky Jr. (Milo Ventimiglia) about “the beast inside.”
“There’s still some stuff in the basement,” said Rocky to Paulie while pointing to his chest. I feel like this beast inside of me.”
A s for fighting again, since Rocky II up to Rocky Balboa, he would say that he is a fighter and fighters fight.
After he loses a split decision bout to Mason “the Line”
Dixon as played by real life champion Antonio Tarver, he tells Paulie, “The beast is gone now. The beast is out.”
I did think about all those lines as Manny went into this
“H e [Cuellar] is too durable and tough, but I stayed calm and strategized,” Magsayo, 30, said. “I know what is at stake in this fight that’s why I was so careful. His punches also hurt so I kept my guards up.”
“I really just showed my best in this fight even though it went the distance,” said Magsayo, who thanked his trainer Marvin Somodio and Pedro Garcia. Josef Ramos
fight with Barrios. The beast is still there. And…will the beast go out after the fight?
Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun commended Pacquiao for his performance against Barrios, saying the 46-year-old boxing icon once again defied Father Time with his exceptional skill, speed and resilience inside the ring.
“Defying Father Time si Manny Pacquiao,” Khonghun said, adding that many boxing analysts and fans believe Pacquiao had the edge based on the volume and quality of his punches.
Khonghun emphasized that for Filipinos, Pacquiao’s courage and discipline transcend the official result of the fight.
Sam Medenilla and Jovee Marie de la Cruz
A s the Pacquiao-Barrios fight went on, I told myself, “Whoa this is just like Rocky Balboa. He is going toe-to-toe with the champion, giving as good as he takes and then some.” Like Stallone’s famous character in the final Rocky film, you could see Manny’s face swelling. And I would wince with every shot he took. I prayed to the Lord for
Pacquiao’s
WHATEVER Manny Pacquiao
with bosom buddy Buboy Fernandez and the legendary Hall of Famer coach and trainer Freddie Roach—and add the draw of a photo with Mario Barrios. AP
REFEREE Allen Huggins cautions Eumir Felix Marcial to the neutral corner as Bernard Joseph falls to the canvas.
