In a press briefing on Thursday, the Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) trimmed the country’s growth target to 5.5 to 6.5 percent for 2025. This is lower than its earlier projection of 6 to 8 percent.
“The revisions take into account heightened global uncertainties, such as the unforeseen escalation of tensions in the Middle East and the imposition of US tariffs,” DBCC Chairperson and Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said.
“Despite these headwinds, the
DBCC remains vigilant and ready to deploy timely and targeted measures to mitigate their potential impact on the Philippine economy. Moreover, international reserves remain ample, providing adequate buffer to help absorb these external shocks,” Pangandaman added. For 2026 to 2028, the DBCC also reduced the growth target to 6 to 7 percent from the initial 6 to 8 percent assumption.
Pangandaman said the government will prioritize maintaining
By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto @reine_alberto
THE national government’s budget gap swelled to P523.9 billion in the first five months of the year, even if the fiscal deficit narrowed in May.
Latest data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed the government posted a lower budget deficit of P75.2 billion in May 2025, down by 33.93 percent yearon-year from P113.8 billion.
The narrowed deficit is due to the 13.35 percent increase in revenue collections and 3.81 percent growth in expenditures during the national elections, according
to the Treasury.
While the narrower May deficit is a positive sign, Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) senior research fellow John Paolo Rivera said this is “inadequate” to offset the cumulative deficit from earlier months.
“This underscores the need for improved revenue collection, better tax administration, and more targeted spending,” Rivera said.
“[The national government] must strike a careful balance between supporting growth and maintaining fiscal discipline, especially with global uncertainties and upcoming fiscal reforms on the horizon,” Rivera added.
The five-month deficit widened by 29.41 percent to P523.9 billion from P404.8 billion in the same period last year, as the government increased infrastructure investments and social programs to support growth.
“[The national government] remains on track to meet its deficit target for the year through prudent fiscal management and efficient use of resources, in line with its Medium-Term Fiscal Program,” the Treasury said.
Increased revenue collection BROKEN down, revenues grew by 5.41 percent to P1.953 trillion as of end-May from P1.853 trillion a year ago. The bulk, or 89.71 percent, of the revenues came from
By Justine Xyrah Garcia
24 percent in 2023. Permanent full-time employees made up the largest group affected at 28 percent, followed by contractual full-time workers (23 percent), permanent parttime (22 percent), and contractual part-time (16 percent).
By Bless Aubrey Ogerio
“All types of businesses saw a similar increase in workforce reductions compared to the previous year. Small businesses had the highest reduction in permanent full-time employees, while medium-sized businesses reduced both permanent and contractual/ temporary full-time employees. Large businesses reduced employees across all categories,” the report noted. Small businesses, hiring up to
CONSUMPTION and investment are expected to lift the Philippine economy to a 5.6-percent growth rate in the second quarter to keep the country on track to lead regional growth in 2025, HSBC Asean economist Aris Dacanay said in a media briefing.
This marks a slight increase from the 5.4 percent growth recorded in the first quarter, but is significantly below the 6.3 percent posted in the same period in 2024. HSBC also revised its full-year growth forecast for the country to 5.4 percent, down from its earlier estimate of 5.6 percent. The adjustment was attributed to base effects, with last year’s relatively high growth affecting this year’s annual comparison. Despite the downgrade, the Philippines is
still expected to outperform several of its regional peers. Among major Southeast Asian economies, it is forecast to post the highest gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2025, ahead of Vietnam (5.2 percent), Indonesia (4.5 percent), Malaysia (4.2 percent), Singapore (1.7 percent) and Thailand (1.7 percent).
Dacanay explained that one of the factors supporting the Philippines’s resilience is its relatively low exposure to tariff-related risks, particularly in the US market.
Philippine goods will face a 17-percent tariff, significantly lower than Vietnam’s 46 percent, Thailand’s 36 percent, Indonesia’s 32 percent and Malaysia’s 24 percent. Singapore, however, will enjoy the lowest tariff rate at 10 percent.
For 2026, HSBC forecasted the nation’s GDP to expand by 5.8 percent, still ahead of most regional counterparts. Vietnam is expected to grow by 5.6 per-
cent, Indonesia by 5 percent, Malaysia by 3.9 percent, Thailand by 1.9 percent and Singapore by 1.6 percent.
However, the government’s target for 2025 remains between 6 to 8 percent. The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) earlier said that the economy would need to grow by 6.2 percent per quarter for the rest of the year to hit the lower end of the 6 to 8 percent growth target.
Asked whether the government should adjust its targets in light of revised forecasts, Dacanay emphasized that the targets set by the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) are policy goals rather than forecasts. “The DBCC targets are targets, they’re not forecasts,” Dacanay told reporters. “For me, having a target of 6 percent, having a target based on the natural growth rate is what the government should always achieve.”
institutions.
However, the impact of reduced tariffs on rice and battery-powered electric vehicles pulled down the BOC’s collections by 6.94 percent to P75.7 billion from P81.3 billion in May last year.
Year-to-date non-tax revenues, meanwhile, declined by 24.75 percent to P200.9 billion from P267 billion last year. In May, this surged by 40.93 percent to P110.2 billion, on the back of dividend remittances from state-run corporations.
More spending ON the other hand, government expenditures rose by 9.71 percent to P2.477 trillion as of end-May from P2.257 trillion in the same period a year ago.
Expenditures expanded by 3.81 percent to P578.2 billion in May from P557 billion in the same month last year.
Higher interest payments, the national tax allotment releases to local government units, the annual block grant to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the second tranche of salary adjustments of civilian government employees led to the increase in expenditures during the month.
Meanwhile, interest payments went up by 14.50 percent year-onyear to P70 billion from P61.1 billion due to higher coupon payments for domestic and external debt.
Year-to-date, interest payments increased by 11.14 percent year-onyear to P357.4 billion from P321.6 billion.
DOJ chief seeks SC probe of e-sabong reach in courts
JUSTICEprice stability while expanding trade partnerships and enhancing the productivity of domestic industries.
Lower inflation
By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
Secretary Jesus Crispin
Remulla said Thursday he would ask Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo to look into the possibility that the money and influence of an organized criminal syndicate operating in the e-sabong industry has already reached the judiciary.
Remulla’s impending meeting with CJ Gesmundo stemmed from the decision of an “Alias Totoy,” one of the six security guards accused of abducting the missing sabungeros or cockfighting enthusiasts four years ago, to finally cooperate with authorities and disclose what happened to the victims, including where their bodies were buried.
Alias Totoy has told investigators that some of the bodies of the 34 missing sabungeros were dumped in Taal Lake. He revealed that the victims were ordered killed in exchange for P500,000 each after they were caught cheating.
Remulla said he found Alias Totoy a credible witness considering that there are documents and videos in his possession to support his claims.
The DOJ secretary noted that based on the information they have so far gathered, the mastermind behind the disappearance of the cockfighting enthusiasts had boasted about his influence on the judiciary.
“We will tell him [Gesmundo] what are the things hindering our way through this because our enemy has vast financial resources,” Remulla pointed out.
“Remember, we are facing a powerful enemy here, their money reaches even the judiciary and that’s one thing that
we might have to talk to the Chief Justice about. The money from esabong is huge, our enemy cannot be taken lightly,” he added.
Meanwhile, Remulla said concerned government agencies are still collating all the needed resources and equipment to start the retrieval operations for the bodies of the missing sabungeros in Taal Lake.
He said the government will seek assistance from the Japanese government for the deployment of remote operating vehicles (ROVs) and other equipment that can be used to comb the lake bed of Taal.
Israel-Iran…
Continued from A14
for the Philippines.
“Over time, we can see that while the trade revenues is a deficit, the services sector continues to be firm. If you look at the interest rates, it will grow probably at around three percent over the near term,” Abenoja said.
Workforce…
Continued from A1
50 employees, posted the sharpest increase, with the share of firms cutting staff rising from 20 percent in 2023 to 41 percent in 2024.
Medium-sized businesses, which employ 51 to 99 individuals, jumped from 21 to 43 percent, while large businesses, with 100 or more employees, increased from 29 to 51 percent.
By job function, the most affected roles were administration and human resource (22 percent), accounting (20 percent), management (19 percent), customer service (18 percent), and marketing or branding (14 percent).
JobSeek noted that these roles were also among the most frequently hired in 2024, suggesting high movement and demand within the same job functions.
Flexible hiring on the rise
WHILE layoffs rose, companies continued hiring—though with a shift in strategy.
Of the 2,119 companies surveyed, 94 percent hired new employees in 2024.
Most hires were still permanent full-time staff (87 percent), but the report noted a significant increase in part-time and contractual employment across all business sizes.
“Permanent part-time hiring increased by approximately 15 percentage points compared to 2023,” the report stated.
In 2024, 49 percent of companies hired permanent part-time workers, up from 34 percent in the previous year.
Hiring of contractual or temporary full-time employees rose to 44 percent, and contractual part-time hiring increased to 26 percent.
The report did not provide specific reasons behind the increase in flexible hiring in 2024.
However, based on employers’ stated motivations for increasing part-time and contractual hires this year, possible contributing factors may include the need for more adaptable workforce (46 percent), challenges in hiring qualified full-time talent (26 percent), efforts to manage costs (23 percent) or limitations on full time headcount (16 percent).
Bonuses, salary increases
NEARLY 80 percent of companies awarded bonuses in 2024, with performance-based payouts being the most common.
The average bonus rose to 3.9
Remulla noted that authorities are currently looking into 34 cases of missing sabungeros who were either reported as victims of abduction or just went missing four years ago.
Earlier, local economists said the conflict in the Middle East could deter further rate cuts and derail efforts to increase the minimum wage.
The bright spot, they said, is that this could hasten the country’s green transition in an effort to reduce the Philippines’s dependence on imported oil (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/06/24/ mideast-war-to-deter-rate-cutwage-hike-bid/).
months’ salary, from 2.3 months in 2023.
“More companies are also transparent regarding employee compensation...Increased openness and transparency can help to foster positive employer-employee relationships,” the report stated, with 74 percent of employers disclosing how bonuses were calculated—up from 62 percent the previous year.
However, fewer companies granted annual salary increases.
Only 78 percent gave raises in 2024, down from 89 percent in 2023. Most of these were also modest, with 36 percent of employers giving roughly 1 to 5percent increases, while 35 percent gave 6 to 10 percent.
“The ‘normalization’ and challenging business conditions of 2023 may have resulted in annual increments returning to normal,” the report said.
2025 outlook
LOOKING ahead, JobSeek said 63 percent of companies plan to expand their permanent workforce in the first half of 2025.
Their top reasons include business expansion (73 percent), new roles or skill sets required (66 percent), and replacement of resigned or laid-off staff (37 percent).
At the same time, 46 percent of businesses said they plan to hire more contract or temporary workers, while 45 percent will maintain their current number of staff.
“More medium and large businesses plan to reduce contract or temporary employees, citing reasons such as reducing operating costs, restructuring or changing of employee functions, and converting some of them to full-time employees,” the report noted.
For this year, JobStreet believes that strong confidence in the job market presents an opportunity for companies to strengthen their workforce—especially if they remain open to more adaptive hiring strategies.
It is also encouraging employers to look beyond traditional models and consider part-time, contractual, and temporary roles to address evolving skill needs and improve workforce agility.
“Given the strong confidence in the job market in H1, businesses should continue seeking talent to bolster their workforce.
Businesses that were previously focused on hiring only full-time employees might consider exploring part-time, contractual, and temporary employees,” JobStreet added.
MEANWHILE , the DBCC sees lower inflation for 2025 at 2 to 3 percent, and within the government’s target of 2 to 4 percent. The assumption for the years 2026 to 2028 is at 2 to 4 percent.
Dubai crude oil prices are also anticipated to average between $60 and $70 per barrel from 2025 to 2028. The Philippine peso is estimated to remain at P56 to P58 per dollar, supported by lower domestic inflation, and will continue to be shaped by global financial conditions and external trade performance. However, goods exports are projected to contract by 2 percent in 2025 from the initial projection of 6 percent due to slower global demand and heightened trade policy uncertainties, before recovering to a 2 percent growth from 2026 to 2028. Goods imports, meanwhile, are expected to grow by 3.5 percent in 2025 from the previous 5 percent outlook, with prospects of a resilient domestic economic activity. This will grow by 4 percent from 2026 to 2028, supported by stable domestic consumption and sustained infrastructure spending. Moreover, the economic team is forecasting a wider deficit at P1.561 trillion in 2025 from its earlier assumption of P1.524 trillion, on expectations of lower revenues and higher disbursements.
Revenues are expected to reach P4.520 trillion this year, while expenditures will amount to P6.082 trillion to spur economic growth. Next year’s national budget is set at P6.793 trillion, 7.4 percent higher than the P6.326 trillion budget for this year.
“The DBCC remains resolute in advancing a growth-enhancing fiscal consolidation agenda that promotes a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economy,” Pangandaman said.
“By nurturing future-ready generations through coordinated policy implementation and strategic investments, the government is committed to reducing poverty to singledigit levels, creating quality jobs, safeguarding macroeconomic stability, and ultimately achieving our Agenda for Prosperity in the Bagong Pilipinas—even amidst global uncertainties,” Pangandaman said.
Dacanay also discussed the potential impact of geopolitical risks, including tensions between Israel and Iran, on inflation. A $10 per barrel increase in global oil prices, he said, could push inflation up by 0.9 percentage points. Such an increase would also slightly widen the current account deficit by 0.1 to 0.15 percentage points, he added.
Trade risks, investment sentiment
DACANAY noted that uncertainty in global trade policy, especially under Trump 2.0, is weighing on investor confidence.
“When the economy reopened, it was gradually recovering up until, I think, at around 25 percent. But when Mr. Trump got inaugurated in November, this turned the corner, and we’re now finding that a lot more firms in the Philippines are saying that we will not expand capacity, mainly because, again, they don’t know what will happen next,” he said. This cautious sentiment is reflected in domestic data, including a decline in approved building construction permits, which signals reduced capital investment by local firms.
“There are now [fewer] people investing in the Philippines, or [fewer] local investors building capital in the Philippines,” Dacanay explained. “They don’t know what’s going to happen next. How will you plan if you don’t know what taxes will be imposed [on] you?” Still, he pointed out that the Philippines’s limited exposure to US demand insulates it from severe trade shocks. Only about 3 percent of the Philippine GDP is tied to US demand, making the direct impact of tariff hikes relatively modest.
“If the reciprocal tariff reaches 18 percent, the direct drag on growth would be about 0.5 percentage point. So, even if we’re growing at 6 percent and it falls to 5.5, that’s still relatively strong,” he said. “If you do the math, the direct impact by the 18 percent reciprocal tariff is only 0.5 percent,” he said. “So imagine, if we’re growing
www.businessmirror.com.ph
Comelec clears way for Marcy’s proclamation as Marikina legislator
By Justine Xyrah Garcia
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has lifted the suspension of the proclamation of outgoing Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro as the duly elected representative of the city’s First District in the May elections.
In a 38-page resolution released Thursday morning, the Comelec en banc overturned the earlier ruling of its First Division, which had favored a petition to disqualify Teodoro over alleged material
‘Sara is China’s friend in govt’
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
TWO House of Representatives leaders on Thursday rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that she is not aligned with any foreign power, asserting that her actions demonstrate a clear pro-China stance—especially in contrast to the national government’s strong “pro-Philippines” foreign policy.
Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V and Assistant Majority Leader Jay Khonghun—both representing provinces directly affected by Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS)— assailed Duterte’s statement that she is “not pro any country at all.”
“We agree with what Undersecretary Claire Castro said. The President is pro-Philippines. The Dutertes, as we’ve all seen, are proChina. The Vice President can keep denying it, but her record speaks for itself,” Ortega, who represents La Union, said.
He pointed out Duterte’s repeated refusal to support the country’s 2016 arbitral court win over China and her failure to condemn Chinese incursions and aggressive actions at the West Philippine Sea, calling these “clear indicators” of where her loyalties lie.
“While China violates our sovereignty, the Vice President remains largely silent. And when she does speak, it’s often to criticize the administration instead of defending national interest. That’s not neutrality—it’s evasion,” Ortega added.
“She can deny it all she wants, but the facts are clear. Her silence on Chinese incursions and her criticisms of the president’s foreign policy direction have long aligned with Beijing’s interests,” he added. Khonghun, who represents Zambales, echoed the concern, warning that Duterte’s ambiguity weakens the country’s position and emboldens foreign encroachment.
“You can’t claim neutrality while China targets our fishermen and communities. Her silence is just as loud as taking sides,” Khonghun said.
He added that Duterte’s inconsistent statements on foreign policy only sow confusion and diminish the Philippines’ global standing.
“When the Vice President cannot make her allegiance clear, it weakens our resolve as a nation. It sends the wrong message to both allies and aggressors,” he noted.
The lawmakers emphasized that in a time of heightened regional tension, national leaders must show courage and clarity.
“President Marcos has drawn the line. He is pro-Philippines. We expect the rest of our leaders, especially those in high office, to do the same,” Ortega said.
“There is no room for ambiguity when it comes to national interest,” Khonghun added.
misrepresentation.
The poll body en banc found that the petitioners failed to prove that Teodoro did not meet the oneyear residency requirement for district representative.
The disqualification case was filed in October 2024 by three individuals, including Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, who also ran for the same congressional seat in the May 12 elections but lost by a vote of 75,062 to 29,091.
The petitioners alleged that Teodoro falsely claimed to have been a resident of Marikina’s First Dis -
trict for “one year and one month.”
They said he had been “flipflopping” between the city’s two districts for political convenience, citing his voter registration transfer to the Second District in February 2024 and subsequent application to transfer back to the First District in September 2024.
His transfer was approved in October, only after he filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC).
However, the Comelec en banc ruled that Teodoro sufficiently proved that his domicile of origin is in the First District.
It said that even if he previously declared residence in barangay Tumana, which is in the Second District, that alone does not establish a change in domicile.
“The petitioners’ case lacks both factual substance and legal sufficiency. They have failed to carry their burden of proving that respondent committed a deliberate and material representation concerning a qualification for public office,” the Comelec en banc said.
The poll body also said there was no material misrepresentation in Teodoro’s COC, since his statements
‘Remove Executive’s confidential funds’
‘IF we really want to protect the nation’s interest, remove confidential funds from the budget of the Executive. How can we prove misuse when the law creating it provides for a wide range of uses for it?”
This was asked by former Manila Mayor and Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza, who also offered senators unsolicited advice regarding the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
The time of lawmakers would be better spent on tweaking the law to remove confidential funds, from the budget of the Executive branch, instead of trying someone for using funds for which the law has precisely given wide latitude for disposition.
“I offer this unsolicited advice to our senators who will be sitting as judges in the impeachment trial—do not waste the nation’s time on endless disunity in
pursuing a case of impeachment against the Vice President. Considering the very nature of confidential funds, claiming the possible misuse of such funds, unless you have proof that the funds were pocketed by the Vice President, you cannot fault her for using it in any way she felt would help her in her responsibilities as the Vice President of the land. That is the very reason why executives are given, by law, the confidential funds, the purpose of which is to provide the executives—whether the President, Vice President, senators, congressmen, governors, mayors or Cabinet members—the ability to do a better job for the nation,” Atienza said.
Atienza, the only three-term mayor of Manila, pointed out that even the Commission on Audit (COA) admits that confidential funds are beyond question and are really meant to be used at the discretion
House leader calls on congressmen to back administration priority bills
THE current leader of the House of Representatives has called on the members of the incoming 20th Congress “to fully support the Marcos administration’s legislative priorities and the vision of Bagong Pilipinas.”
Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez also urged them to be “bold, compassionate, and resolute in fulfilling your mandate.”
Speaking at a fellowship dinner on Wednesday evening at Imelda Hall in Malacañang’s Aguado Residence, Romualdez encouraged over 40 neophyte and reelected representatives to approach their mandate with unity, preparation, and purpose.
The dinner capped a three-day Executive Course on Legislation organized for the first batch of new House members, providing them with essential knowledge on the legislative process, ethics, budget systems, and congressional responsibilities.
“We want to make sure that the 20th Congress is much in sync with the administration’s policies, his [President Marcos’] Philippine Development Plan, his Fiscal Medium-Term Framework for the economy, and the vision for the Bagong Pilipinas,” Romualdez said.
He emphasized the value of collaboration across political blocs, noting improvements
in House systems to boost efficiency and policy impact. He also commended the “Young Guns” of the 19th Congress— young legislators who proved to be strong contributors to the chamber’s work—saying many of them have now become the “Top Guns.”
“You have to hand it to them— eloquent, experienced, and always on point. They were the pride of the 19th Congress,” Romualdez said.
The Speaker urged first-term lawmakers to be bold, empathetic, and steadfast in carrying out their responsibilities.
“This is your moment to step up—not just as lawmakers, but as leaders,” he said.
“Be fearless in standing up for what is right. Be compassionate in meeting our people’s needs. And be committed to delivering results.”
Romualdez underscored that Congress is more than a lawmaking body—it is a platform for shaping the country’s future.
“You carry the hopes of your districts, but you won’t do it alone,” he told the new members. “We, in the House leadership, are here to support you.”
He reminded them of the importance of building strong relationships within the chamber.
Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
Stronger naval ties between PHL, Malaysia seen
THE Philippines and Malaysia are expected to have more naval cooperation and exercises following the courtesy call of the Royal Malaysian Navy head, Adm. Datuk Zulhelmy Bin Ithnain, to the Armed Forces (AFP) chief of staff, Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., on Wednesday.
The meeting between the two ranking officers took place at the Bulwagang Balangiga at the General Headquarters Building in Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
In a statement issued on Wednesday night, the AFP said: “Both leaders engaged in a constructive discussion on regional security, interoperability, and mutual interests in maintaining peace and stability in Southeast Asia. General Brawner expressed appreciation for the continued collaboration between the two nations’ naval forces,” it said.
“The meeting between the two military officials reflects the shared commitment of the Philippines and Malaysia to uphold strong defense relations and promote cooperation in addressing common maritime challenges,”
the statement added.
The meeting ended with the two military leaders exchanging mementos and renewing pledges of mutual support and camaraderie.
Marines start maritime security training
MARINE Corps (PMC) units kicked off this week the Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum (ACDC) 25.3, a series of integrated training activities to enhance maritime security strategies and improve operational coordination.
The 3rd Marine Brigade opened the ACDC 25.3 at its headquarters in Marine Base Rodolfo Punsalang, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, on Monday, a post in the unit’s Facebook Page on Wednesday night said.
“ACDC 25.3 underscores the brigade’s commitment to build a resilient and adaptive coastal defense posture in support of national security objectives,” it said.
The 3rd Marine Brigade commander, Brig. Gen. Antonio Mangoroban Jr., emphasized
of the Executive to attain certain objectives in pursuit of their responsibilities.
“This is an exercise in futility, motivated by personal reasons rather than the national interest. Why waste national energy on an issue which clearly will not prosper in removing the Vice President? They should have been more circumspect in deciding on this issue before jumping into an impeachment case. We need more statesmen among our legislators who would consider the national welfare more than their own political agenda,” he added.
The former Deputy Speaker also stressed that “before we engage in an endless tug-ofwar on an issue that is very clearly defensible, again we admonish those pursuing the impeachment and those judging the case to consider national welfare more than anything else.”
were made in good faith.
It noted that Teodoro did not claim to already be a registered voter of the First District when he filed his candidacy.
Instead, he selected the option “I will be a registered voter of…” and listed an address in barangay San Roque, which falls under the First District.
“As long as the application is filed in good faith and there is no indication of deceit or bad faith, the statement that the candidate ‘will be’ a registered voter at the time of the election does not
amount to a material misrepresentation under Section 78 of the [Omnibus Election Code],” the Comelec added.
In a statement, Teodoro called the ruling a “victory for the people of Marikina.”
He said he welcomes the Comelec’s decision and looks forward to finally being proclaimed as the duly elected First District representative of the city.
“This victory belongs to all of us. Let’s continue moving forward together for the city we love and serve,” he added.
Pimentel assails Comelec reversal on Teodoro case
By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM
OUTGOING Senator Aquilino Pimentel III on Thursday denounced the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for reversing its earlier ruling disqualifying Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro as a congressional candidate for District 1 of that city.
Although he lost the polls in Marikina’s First District to Teodoro—by a vote of 75,062 to 29,091—Pimentel wants to to represent the locality in the House of Representatives by having Teodoro disqualified.
In a statement, Pimentel said Teodoro had earlier been deemed in violation of a basic requirement for residency in the district he ran for, and, although he beat Pimentel in that race, his proclamation was suspended. Pimentel said: “This reversal is not just a legal setback, for it’s clearly a betrayal of the Constitution and the democratic process. It sets a dangerous precedent and opens the gates of electoral hell.” “If residency requirements mandated by the Constitution can be brushed aside with a flip
See “Pimentel,” A4
DICT launches ₧3-B connectivity project
By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan
THE Department of Informa-
tion and Communications Technology (DICT) has formally launched the Bayanihan SIM initiative, an ambitious P3-billion connectivity program targeting
remote and underserved areas through free mobile internet.
Funded under this year’s General Appropriations Act (GAA), the project aims to distribute one million SIM cards—each with 25GB of monthly data for one year—benefiting up to five million people, including students, teachers, and
families in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (Gidas).
The DICT expects to distribute one million SIM cards, starting with 600,000 by year-end.
Included in the contract with all three telecommunications cos is the construction of at least 100 telco towers.
“All those are going to be in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,” DICT Undersecretary
Christina Faye Condez-de Sagon said in a press briefing on Thursday. “The only other requirement is that the location has access to electricity.”
The initial rollout of Bayanihan SIM covers three schools: Kalawakan Elementary School in Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan; Bani National High School Coto Annex in Masinloc, Zambales; and San Nicolas Integrated
School in General Luna, Quezon.
Around 1,500 SIM cards were distributed during the launch events.
The selection of recipients was made in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said the registration of the SIM cards are expected to be much smoother,
as the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) have teamed up with telcos to improve the process.
“There are improvements in the execution of the implementation, which will come out in the next week or so. One of the things that we are pushing for them is the quality of KYC [know-yourcustomer],” he said.
DOTr to consult economic team on fare increase
THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) will consult the administration’s economic managers regarding the proposed P1 provisional fare increase, Secretary Vince Dizon said Thursday.
Dizon made the statement amid rising clamor from transport groups for a fare increase in the wake of a drastic spike in the price of diesel and other petroleum products this week.
In a Palace briefing, Dizon said the government is weighing the
concerns of public utility drivers and operators while also protecting the riding public from additional burden.
“Pag-uusapan po natin iyan. Kasi alam ninyo naman na kailangan natin balansehin din iyong epekto ng pagtaas ng pasahe sa ating mga commuters, sa ating mga kababayan [We will have to discuss that, because we need to balance the impact of any fare increase on our commuters and fellow citizens],” Dizon said.
“Kailangan pag-aralan natin at
i -balanse natin ng mabuti iyan, so iko-konsulta na po natin iyan sa ating economic team para makakuha tayo ng guidance [We need to study and carefully balance this, so we’ll consult the economic team to get guidance].”
Transport groups, including Pasang Masda, Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (Altodap) and Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations, have been lobbying for a fare increase owing to rising fuel prices, which the Department
PHL slightly down in mobile connectivity performance
THE Philippines has posted a slight decline in its mobile connectivity performance, according to the 2025 GSMA Mobile Connectivity Index (MCI), with a composite score of 67.7, a bit down from the previous year.
The index—which measures the performance of 170 countries across four key enablers of mobile internet adoption— showed the Philippines scoring 80.2 in infrastructure, 48.5 in affordability, 82.7 in consumer readiness, and 65.3 in content and services.
Among these, affordability remains the country’s weakest area, pulling down its overall standing.
“We see this report not as a setback, but as a guide that reinforces our focus on closing the digital divide,” Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda said.
To address the affordability gap, the DICT is pushing for the enactment of the Konektadong Pinoy bill, a measure that
promotes open access to data transmission infrastructure, facilitates infrastructure sharing, and simplifies permitting for broadband rollout.
“Konektadong Pinoy squarely addresses affordability. Timely na timely ang Konektadong Pinoy to address the affordability issue,” Aguda said, explaining that the bill will stir competition in the market and will ultimately reduce costs.
He believes that there is a “high chance” that President Marcos will sign the bill into law soon.
“President Marcos listens to the inputs of the public and stakeholders. Everybody agrees we need to address the issue of connectivity. Konektadong Pinoy will increase competition in the industry and it’s going to be good,” he said.
Aguda noted that the government will address the issues raised by incumbent connectivity player through the implementing rules (IRR) of the law and by issuing policies related to their concerns.
DOTr sets privatization of LRT-2
O ensure the sustainable and efficient
Tmanagement of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) 2, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced it will start the process to bid out the operations of the Metro Manilabased line to private firms this year.
In a press briefing in Malacañang on Thursday, Transportation Secretary Vivencio Dizon said the department will use the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme to find potential private operators for the LRT- 2 as well as the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3.
“That’s really the long-term solution because while the government is operating this, we are limited by our budget. We are also limited by our procurement rules,” he said partly in Filipino.
Dizon said the International Finance Cooperation (IFC) will assist in the PPP
initiatives for LRT-2.
“But as far as I know, within the year we will be able to start the process because we will bid it out as a PPP,” Dizon said.
He stressed the importance of the LRT-2 PPP amid the train’s rising ridership and its expanded line to Antipolo and North Harbor.
For the PPP of MRT 3 which runs on Epifanio delos Santos Avenue, Dizon said the department is being assisted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
On Wednesday LRT-2 suffered a fivehour service disruption owing to technical problem. The service disruption inconvenienced a few thousand passengers.
DOTr said LRT-2 provided free rides on June 25 and 26, as part of its efforts to make up to the affected passengers.
Samuel P. Medenilla
The Philippine Communications and Telecommunications Operators (PCTO), a group representing incumbent telecommunications companies and tower owners, had raised “red flags” over certain provisions, warning that the bill could discourage further investment in infrastructure.
The PCTO specifically cited concerns about unequal regulatory obligations and what it described as “overly broad” open access rules that may compromise sustainability and security in the sector.
Konektadong Pinoy has been in the legislative pipeline for nearly a decade, undergoing revisions and scrutiny through different Congresses.
On the other hand, 35 organizations— from industry associations to consumer advocacy groups—have called on President Marcos to immediately sign Konektadong Pinoy bill into law, touting it as a landmark policy that could define his administration’s legacy in the digital age.
Lorenz S. Marasigan
Continued from A3
of a resolution, what stops others from gaming or manipulating the system?”
Pimentel said. “Article VI, Section 6 of the Constitution is clear that a congressional candidate must be a resident of the district for at least one year before the election,” said Pimentel.
The Comelec had initially disqualified Teodoro over alleged “material misrepresentation” in his voter registration, after finding that he had declared an address in District 1 while official records, including his driver’s license and legal pleadings, all listed a residence in District 2.
The initial decision, issued on December 11, 2024 by the Comelec First Division, stated that the preponderance of documentary evidence contradicted Teodoro’s claim that he had been a bona fide resident of District 1 for at least one year before filing his Certificate of Candidacy, a constitutional requirement for congressional aspirants.
Pimentel also took aim at the Comelec’s “turtle-paced” handling of the case, criticizing the commission for taking 196 days to issue a final decision.
“The Comelec’s inexcusable delay undermined the electoral process,” Pimentel said. “Nearly 200 days passed before the Commission could decide on a simple question of residency and voter eligibility.”
Pimentel added that the commission’s failure to act promptly deprived the city’s electorate of a “clear and lawful choice,” and allowed a candidate to run under the cloud of a pending disqualification case.
“We will exhaust all legal remedies,” Pimentel said.
of Energy attributed to the conflict between Israel and Iran. To mitigate the effects of rising fuel prices, the government is preparing to roll out a P2.5-billion fuel subsidy program for jeepneys, buses, taxis, ride-hailing services and delivery vehicles. Dizon said a total of 1,132,407 drivers are expected to benefit from the subsidy program, including 258,712 public utility vehicle drivers; 723,695 tricycle drivers; and 150,000 delivery riders. PNA
GSIS recognizes agencies for fulfilling obligations
THE Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has recognized government agencies that made the highest payments toward long-overdue social insurance premiums, covering obligations from October 2007 to December 2024 and collected in 2024 and 2025. The awarding was held during the GSIS Stakeholders’ Dialogue at the Sequoia Hotel Manila Bay, where agency partners gathered to discuss updates on programs and strengthen collaboration with the pension fund. The state pension fund gives benefits to its members based on their contributions remitted by their employers. Thus, if the employer is delinquent in remitting GSIS contributions and loan repayments, the retired government employee may get a lot less than he or she merits to receive.
Leading the list of top-paying agencies in the large category are Bangko Sentral, Supreme Court, and the Department of Education Division of Taguig-Pateros (Elementary Level). Among medium-sized agencies, the Development Bank of the Philippines (Main Office), Pag-IBIG Fund (Main Office), and University of the Philippines Manila were recognized. In the small agency category, GSIS awarded the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, DepEd Division of Pasay (High School Level), DepEd Division of Muntinlupa (High School Level), and Bases Conversion and Development Authority.
“These agencies stepped up and fulfilled their obligations, some of which date back more than a decade. That’s public service in action. By settling what’s due, they help protect the future benefits of their employees and strengthen trust in the system,” said GSIS President and General Manager Wick Veloso.
The recognition formed part of GSIS’ continuing push to engage agencies in safeguarding the social insurance fund. Also discussed during the dialogue were updates on GSIS housing programs, digital initiatives, financial literacy efforts, and insurance services.
Continued from A3
that the exercise not only enhances interoperability and readiness through training, but also deepens mutual respect and camaraderie built on shared experiences from exercises such as “Balikatan,” “Kamandag,” and Marine Aviation Support Activity. During the three-week program, participants will undergo subject matter exchanges that will culminate in a simulated island seizure operation to sharpen tactical skills, refine joint procedures, and foster stronger professional bonds. The ACDC serves as a critical platform for knowledge-sharing, joint planning, and mission-focused training that will empower participants to conduct more effective and unified operations throughout the Western Command’s area of responsibility. Rex Anthony Naval
A8 Friday, June 27, 2025
Editor: Angel R. Calso
Cautious hope for peace: US-Iran talks possible as Israel ceasefire continues
By Jon Gambrell, David Rising & Farnoush Amiri The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates— Israel and Iran seemed to honor the fragile ceasefire between them for a second day Wednesday and US President Donald Trump asserted that American and Iranian officials will talk next week, giving rise to cautious hope for longer-term peace.
Trump, who helped negotiate the ceasefire that took hold Tuesday on the 12th day of the war, told reporters at a NATO summit that he was not particularly interested in restarting negotiations with Iran, insisting that US strikes had destroyed its nuclear program. Earlier in the day, an Iranian official questioned whether the United States could be trusted after its weekend attack.
“We may sign an agreement, I don’t know,” Trump said. “The way I look at it, they fought, the war is done.”
Iran has not acknowledged any talks taking place next week, though US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff has said there has been direct and indirect communication between the countries. A sixth round of US-Iran negotiations was scheduled for earlier this month in Oman but was canceled after Israel attacked Iran.
Earlier, Trump said the ceasefire was going “very well,” and added that Iran was “not going to have a bomb, and they’re not going to enrich.”
Iran has insisted that it will not give up its nuclear program. In a vote underscoring the tough path ahead, its parliament agreed to fast-track a proposal that would effectively stop the country’s cooperation with
the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UNwatchdog that has monitored the program for years.
Ahead of the vote, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf criticized the IAEA for refusing “to even pretend to condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities” that the US carried out Sunday.
“For this reason, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran will suspend cooperation with the IAEA until security of nuclear facilities is ensured, and Iran’s peaceful nuclear program will move forward at a faster pace,” Qalibaf told lawmakers.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said he wrote to Iran to discuss resuming inspections of their nuclear facilities. Among other things, Iran claims to have moved its highly enriched uranium ahead of the US strikes, and Grossi said his inspectors need to reassess the country’s stockpiles.
“We need to return,” he said.
“We need to engage.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said he hoped Tehran would come back to the table. France was part of the 2015 deal with Iran that restricted its nuclear program, but the agreement began unraveling after Trump pulled the US out in his first term. Macron
spoke multiple times to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the war.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director Rafael Grossi said Wednesday that Iran must quickly resume cooperation with international inspectors, telling French broadcaster France 2 that the IAEA had lost visibility over sensitive nuclear materials since the onset of hostilities.
Grossi said Iran is legally obligated to cooperate with the IAEA under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
“During a war, inspections are not possible. But now that hostilities have ceased, and given the sensitivity of this material, I believe it is in everyone’s interest that we resume our activities as soon as possible,” he said.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, and US intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. However, Israeli leaders have argued that Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon.
Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear weapons, which it has never acknowledged.
Questions over effectiveness of the US strikes THE Israel Atomic Energy Commission said its assessment was that the US and Israeli strikes have “set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years.” It did not give evidence to back up its claim.
The US strikes hit three Iranian nuclear sites, which Trump said “completely and fully obliterated” the country’s nuclear program. When asked about a US intelligence report that found Iran’s nuclear program has been set back only a few months, Trump scoffed and said it would at least take years to rebuild.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokes -
PEOPLE
man, Esmail Baghaei, confirmed that the strikes by American B-2 bombers using bunker-buster bombs had caused significant damage.
“Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that’s for sure,” he told Al Jazeera on Wednesday, refusing to go into detail.
He seemed to suggest Iran might not shut out IAEA inspectors for good, noting that the bill before parliament only talks of suspending work with the agency, not ending it. He also insisted Iran has the right to pursue a nuclear energy program.
“Iran is determined to preserve that right under any circumstances,” he said.
Witkoff said late Tuesday on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” that Israel and the US had achieved their objective with “the total destruction of the enrichment capacity” in Iran, and Iran’s prerequisite for talks—that Israel end its campaign—had been fulfilled.
“The proof is in the pudding,” he said. “No one’s shooting at each other. It’s over.”
Hopes for a long-term peace agreement
AN Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations,
A rare video by Mossad ISRAEL revealed details of the intelligence and covert operations that it said allowed the country to effectively target Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and key facilities.
In a rare video released by Israel’s Mossad spy agency, chief David Barnea thanked the CIA for being a key partner, and his own agents for work over years to achieve what was “unimaginable at first.”
said the ceasefire agreement with Iran amounted to “quiet for quiet,” with no further understandings about Iran’s nuclear program going ahead.
Witkoff told Fox News that Trump is now looking to land “a comprehensive peace agreement that goes beyond even the ceasefire.”
“We’re already talking to each other, not just directly, but also through interlocutors,” Witkoff said, adding that the conversations were promising.
However, Baghaei, the Iranian spokesman, said Washington had “torpedoed diplomacy” with its attacks on nuclear sites, and that while Iran in principle was always open to talks, national security was the priority.
“We have to make sure whether the other parties are really serious when they’re talking about diplomacy, or is it again part of their tactics to make more problems for the region and for my country,” he said.
Grossi said Iran and the international community should seize the opportunity of the ceasefire for a long-term diplomatic solution.
“Out of the...bad things that military conflict brings, there’s also now a possibility, an opening,” he said. “We shouldn’t miss that opportunity.”
“Thanks to accurate intelligence, advanced technologies and operational capabilities beyond imagination, we helped the air force strike the Iranian nuclear project, establish aerial superiority in Iranian skies and reduce the missile threat,” the agency said in a Facebook post alongside the video.
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the military chief of staff, asserted that commandos had operated secretly “deep inside enemy territory” during the war.
Tehran on Tuesday put the death toll in Iran at 606, with 5,332 people wounded. The Washingtonbased Human Rights Activists group released figures Wednesday suggesting Israeli strikes on Iran had killed at least 1,054 and wounded 4,476.
The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from multiple rounds of unrest in Iran, said 417 of those killed were civilians and 318 were security forces. At least 28 people were killed in Israel and more than 1,000 wounded, according to officials. In the past two weeks, Iran has executed six prisoners accused of spying for Israel, including three on Wednesday.
The Associated Press writers Josef Federman and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem, Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel, Chris Megerian and Sylvie Corbet in The Hague, Netherlands, and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
fold tents at an underground shelter where they stayed during the war with Iran, following the announcement of a ceasefire in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. AP/OHAD ZWIGENBERG
NATO leaders commit to 5% defense spending hike, reaffirm collective security commitment
By Mike Corder, Sylvie Corbet, Molly Quell & Lorne Cook The Associated Press
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—
NATO leaders agreed on a massive hike in defense spending Wednesday after pressure from US President Donald Trump, and expressed their “ironclad commitment” to come to each other’s aid if attacked.
The 32 leaders endorsed a final summit statement saying: “Allies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defense requirements as well as defense- and securityrelated spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations.”
The show of unity vindicated NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s billing of the summit as “transformational,” even though it papered over divisions.
Trump called the spending boost “something that no one really thought possible. And they said, ‘You did it, sir. You did it.’ Well, I don’t know if I did it, but I think I did.”
Spain had already officially announced that it cannot meet the target, and others have voiced reservations, but the investment pledge includes a review of spending in 2029—after the next US presidential elections—to monitor progress and reassess the security threat posed by Russia.
The leaders also underlined their “ironclad commitment” to NATO’s collective security guarantee—“that an attack on one is an attack on all.” Ahead of the summit, Trump had again raised doubts over whether the United States would defend its allies.
“Together, allies have laid the foundations for a stronger, fairer and more lethal NATO,” Rutte told reporters after chairing the meeting in The Hague. “This will fuel a quantum leap in our collective defense.”
The spending hike requires each country to spend billions of dollars. It comes as the United States—NATO’s biggest-spending member—shifts its attention away from Europe to focus on security priorities elsewhere, notably in the Middle East and Indo-Pacific.
Spain had called the new spending target and 2035 deadline “unreasonable.” Belgium signaled that it would not get there either, and Slovakia said it reserves the right to decide its own defense spending. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stood conspicuously aside from other leaders in the summit family photo. After the meeting, he said that Spain can execute NATO’s defense plans by spending only 2% of gross domestic product on defense.
“In today’s summit, NATO wins and Spain wins something very important for our society, which is security and the welfare state,” Sánchez said.
Trump lashed out at Spain after the meeting.
“They want to stay at 2%. I think it’s terrible,” he said. “You know, what we’re going to do? We’re negotiating with Spain on a trade deal. We’re going to make them pay twice as much.”
Along with Spain, many other European countries face major economic challenges, and Trump’s global tariff war could make it even harder for America’s allies to reach their targets. Some countries are already squeezing welfare and foreign aid spending to channel extra funds into their military budgets.
On Tuesday, Trump complained that “there’s a problem with Spain. Spain is not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them, frankly.” He has also criticized Canada as “a low payer.” In 2018, a NATO summit during Trump’s first term unraveled due to a dispute over defense spending.
Russia’s neighbors lead the pack in boosting spending OTHER countries closer to the borders of Russia and Ukraine— Poland, the three Baltic states and Nordic countries—have committed to the 5% goal, as have NATO’s European heavyweights Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
In their statement, the leaders said they were united “in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the longterm threat posed by Russia.” It had been feared that Trump would object to that assessment, which European governments need to justify higher spending.
Trump has been reluctant to support Ukraine in its war against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“We stand by Ukraine in its pursuit of peace and will continue to support Ukraine on its irreversible path to NATO membership,” Rutte said. The Trump administration has vetoed Ukraine’s bid to join
NATO for the foreseeable future.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the agreement “is a big win, I think, for both President Trump and I think it’s also a big win for Europe.” He told reporters that “we’re witnessing the birth of a new NATO, which means a more balanced NATO.”
He said it would take nations “back to the defense expenditure levels of the Cold War.” NATO countries started to cut their military budgets in safer times after the Berlin Wall collapsed in 1989.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer threw his weight behind the hike, declaring, “This is the moment to unite, for Europe to make a fundamental shift in its posture and for NATO to meet this challenge head-on.”
In a fresh take on Trump’s MAGA movement, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said: “We should choose a motto, ‘make NATO great again.’”
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the NATO allies agreed to make 2% of GDP the minimum spending level. Last year, 22 countries were expected to hit that target, up from just three a decade ago.
In The Hague, the allies endorsed a major revamp of their spending targets. They upped the ante for what NATO calls “core defense spending” to 3.5%, while changing how it’s counted to include providing military support to Ukraine.
To hit Trump’s 5% demand, the deal set a second target of 1.5% of GDP for a broader range of defense-related spending, such as improving roads, bridges, ports and airfields so that armies can deploy more quickly, countering cyber and hybrid attack measures, or preparing societies to deal with future conflicts.
Pope Leo XIV affirms celibacy for priests, orders bishops to act decisively on sex abuse
By Nicole Winfield The Associated Press
ROME—Pope Leo XIV affirmed Wednesday that priests must be celibate and insisted that bishops take “firm and decisive” action to deal with sex abusers, as he gave marching orders Wednesday to the world’s Catholic hierarchs.
Leo met in St. Peter’s Basilica with about 400 bishops and cardinals from 38 countries attending this week’s special Holy Year celebrations for clergy. A day after he gave an uplifting message of encouragement to young seminarians, Leo offered a more comprehensive outline of what bishops must do to lead their flocks.
It’s an issue the former Cardinal Robert Prevost would have long pondered given his role as the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops. In that job from 2023 until his election in May, the Chicago-born Prevost vetted bishop nominations for Pope Francis, identifying the type of leader who would further Francis’ view of a church where all are welcome and dialogue is the decisive form of governance.
History’s first American pope reaffirmed Wednesday that the primary role of bishops is to forge unity in his diocese among clergy and to be close to his flock in word and deed. Bishops must live in poverty and simplicity, generously opening their homes to all and acting as a father figure and brother to his priests, Leo said.
Bishops must remain celibate “and present to all the authentic image of the church, holy and chaste in her members as in her head,” he said.
Referring to cases of abuse, he said bishops “must be firm and decisive in dealing with situations that can cause scandal and with every case of abuse, especially involving minors, and fully respect the legislation currently in force.” It was the second time in a week that Leo has commented publicly on the abuse scandal. On Friday night, in a written statement to a crusading Peruvian journalist who documented gross abuses in a Peruvian Catholic movement, Leo said there should be no tolerance in the Catholic Church for any type of abuse. He identified sexual and spiritual abuses, as well as abuses of authority and power in calling for “transparent processes” to create a culture of prevention across the church. Francis, who in many ways placed Leo in position to succeed him, had also reaffirmed celibacy for Latin rite priests while acknowledging it was a discipline of the church, not doctrine, and therefore could change. But he refused appeals from Amazonian bishops to allow married priests to address the priest shortage in the region.
Prevost spent two decades a s a missionary and bishop in Peru and would know well those arguments. But on Wednesday he reaffirmed the celibate priesthood as the “authentic image” of the church.
“In his personal life, he must be detached from the pursuit of wealth and from forms of favoritism based on money or power,” he said.
See “Nato,” A10
Myanmar destroys confiscated illegal drugs worth $300 million
YVietnam ends death penalty for 8 crimes, may spare real estate tycoon
By Hau Dinh The Associated Press
HANOI,
Vietnam—Viet -
By Thein Zaw
The Associated Press
ANGON,
Myanmar—Near
ly $300 million worth of confiscated illegal drugs were destroyed in Myanmar’s major cities on Thursday to mark the annual International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, officials said.
-
The drug burnings came nearly a month after UN experts warned of unprecedented levels of methamphetamine production and trafficking from Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle region and Myanmar’s eastern Shan State in particular.
In the country’s biggest city, Yangon, a massive pile of drugs worth more than $117 million went up in a spectacular blaze.
The country has long been a major source of illegal drugs destined for East and Southeast Asia, despite repeated efforts to crack down. The UN agency labeled it in 2023 as the world’s largest opium producer.
The destroyed drugs included opium, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, ketamine and the stimulant known as ice, or crystal meth, Yangon Police Brig. Gen. Sein Lwin said in a speech at a drug-burning ceremony.
Similar events also occurred in the country’s second-largest city of Mandalay, and in Taunggyi, the capital of eastern Myanmar’s Shan state, all areas close to where the drugs are produced.
A police official from the capital Naypyitaw told the Associated Press that the substances burnt in three locations were worth 297.95 million US dollars. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information has not yet been publicly announced.
Myanmar has a long history of drug production linked to political and economic insecurity caused by decades of armed conflict.
Eastern Myanmar is part of the infamous Golden Triangle, where
Nato. . .
Continued from A9
“This declaration is historic. We are 32 allies supporting that ambition, which is huge,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. “We have been struggling to get above 2% and now we said 3.5%, which is necessary in order to reach our capabilities.”
the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet. The production of opium and heroin historically flourished there, largely because of the lawlessness in border areas where Myanmar’s central government has been able to exercise only minimum control over various ethnic minority militias, some of them partners in the drug trade.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said in a report in May that the political crisis across the country after the military takeover in 2021—that has led to what is now a civil war— has turbocharged growth of the methamphetamine trades.
That has caused the flow of drugs to surge “across not only East and Southeast Asia, but also increasingly into South Asia, in particular Northeast India,” the report said.
Drugs are increasingly trafficked from Myanmar to Cambodia, mostly through Laos, as well as through maritime routes “linking Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, with Sabah in Malaysia serving as a key transit hub.”
US decision on forces in Europe expected in coming months
EXTRA funds will also be needed should the Trump administration announce a draw-down of forces in Europe, where around 84,000 US troops are based, leaving European allies to plug any security gaps.
The Pentagon is expected to announce its intentions in coming months.
Asked why Trump has suggested that the new spending target should not apply
nam has lifted the death penalty for eight crimes in legal reforms that may spare the life of a real estate tycoon imprisoned in the country’s largest financial fraud case.
The legal reforms in Vietnam ended the death penalty for eight crimes, including trying to overthrow the government, damaging state infrastructure, making and selling fake medicine, starting wars, spying, drug trafficking, embezzlement, and taking bribes.
Vietnamese lawmakers passed the reforms on Wednesday, according to state media.
Truong My Lan, sentenced to death for her involvement in Vietnam’s largest financial fraud case, will be eligible to have her sentence reduced after the reforms, her lawyer said Thursday.
The 67-year-old chair of the real estate company Van Thinh Phat who was facing execution for her involvement in fraud amounting to $12.5 billion—nearly 3% of the country’s 2022 GDP—will now be “eligible for the exemption for the death penalty” according to the
to the United States, Rutte said: “The US is more or less there,” in terms of the 5% benchmark.
Beyond Trump’s demands, European allies and Canada have steeply ramped up defense spending out of concern about the threated posed by Russia. Several countries are concerned that Russia could carry out an attack on NATO territory by the end of the decade. Hungary is not one of them, though.
new rules, her lawyer Phan Minh Hoang told The Associated Press. “We are still waiting for the official instructions of implementing the law amendment for next steps in her case,” Hoang said. The new rules also say that anyone already sentenced to death for these crimes but not yet executed by July 1 will have their sentence changed to life in prison after a final decision by Vietnam’s highest court.
After the legal changes, the maximum punishment for Lan’s crimes will be life imprisonment without parole. Hoang said that they were continuing to work on repaying the damages to get her sentence further reduced.
The law change will likely impact other ongoing trials such as the one that started earlier this week involving the real estate and infrastructure development company Phuc Son Group, whose chairman Nguyen Van Hau is accused of paying over $5 million in bribes to win contracts for major infrastructure projects across three provinces.
Following the change, Vietnam now has the death penalty for 10 crimes like murder, sexual abuse of children, treason and terrorism.
“I think Russia is not strong enough to represent a real threat to us. We are far stronger,” said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, fielding questions from reporters, leaning back with his hands thrust into his pockets. Orbán is considered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in Europe.
The Associated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.
Cohabitation rates quadruple, leading to rise in children born out of wedlock
FBy Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario
ILIPINOS choosing cohabitation has quadrupled and caused a spike in the number of children born out of wedlock, according to the Commission on Population and Development (CPD).
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the CPD said the share of women aged 15-49 who are cohabiting surged to 22 percent in 2022 from only 5 percent in 1993.
CPD also said this coincided with the
number of children outside marriage at 842,728, compared to 605,794 births from couples in formal union, based on the 2023 Civil Registration and Vital Statistics.
“The decline in marriages reflects changing realities as families of today come in many forms,” said CPD Executive Director Undersecretary Lisa Grace S. Bersales.
“Policymakers, government agencies and organizations should continue working together to strengthen the family, the basic unit of our society,” she added. In 2023, there were 414,213 registered
Romualdez secures overwhelming support from lawmakers
ahead
By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie
THERE appears to be no serious challenge to the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez as he continues to receive overwhelming backing from returning and newly elected lawmakers ahead of the 20th Congress, House leaders confirmed Thursday.
House Assistant Majority Leader and Manila Rep. Ernesto Dionisio Jr. said during a media briefing that the numbers speak for themselves.
“With the support presented to us, it seems unlikely that a serious contender will emerge,” he said.
Dionisio reported that 283 out of 287 lawmakers who pledged support for Speaker Romualdez have already physically signed a manifesto affirming their endorsement.
“Each vote, each decision by each House member is given weight and importance. Just to be exact, there are already 283 who signed the manifesto, so that’s an overwhelming majority in support of Speaker Martin Romualdez,” Dionisio stated.
“I think the leadership of the House Speaker is supported really by the majority of the present and incoming members of the House,” he added.
House Assistant Majority Leader and
of 20th Congress
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong confirmed the numbers, underscoring Romualdez’s solid grip on the chamber as it prepares for the new legislative session.
“Anybody can actually run for the Speaker,” said Adiong. “But the question is whether that person or that Congress member has the number to secure the position. We have already secured 280plus signatures supporting Speaker Martin Romualdez to be our Speaker in the 20th Congress,” he further said.
The show of support comes ahead of the official election of the Speaker during the State of the Nation Address (SONA), with the manifesto uniting lawmakers from national political parties and independent district representatives alike. He stressed that the manifesto was signed “freely and consciously” by over 280 members in support of Romualdez’s continued leadership.
“We respect all views. But the numbers speak for themselves. Over 200 lawmakers voluntarily pledged their support to Speaker Romualdez,” Adiong said.
When asked about Deputy Speaker Duke Frasco’s recent remarks expressing support for either Bacolod Rep. Albee Benitez or Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco as speaker, Adiong emphasized the House’s democratic nature.
The 20th Congress will open on July 28.
BCDA eyes Canadian investment partners
STATE -run firm Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said it is seeking Canadian investment partners for the development of its key properties across manufacturing, logistics, tourism, and sustainable infrastructure sectors.
In a statement on Thursday, BCDA said it explored “potential” international partnerships through a meeting with the Philippine Consulate in Vancouver, Canada, aimed at expanding Canadian investment participation in the Philippines.
The meeting focused on BCDA’s various development projects and aimed to identify “avenues” for Canadian businesses and investors to engage with the Philippines’“dynamic growth sectors.”
“Emphasis was placed on prime investment hubs under the BCDA, including New Clark City in Tarlac, Camp John Hay Special Economic Zone in Baguio City, and Poro Point Freeport Zone in La Union, which offer considerable potential across manufacturing, logistics, tourism, and sustainable infrastructure,” BCDA said in a statement on Thursday.
Gina A. Jamoralin, Philippine Consul General to Vancouver, Canada said this partnership presents a“transformative opportunity”to both BCDA and Canadian investors in developing projects that will contribute to economic growth.
“We see immense potential in this future collaboration, particularly with Canada’s strong commitment in sustainable development that aligns with BCDA’s vision for responsible growth across its economic centers,” added Jamoralin.
BCDA said the collaboration between the Philippine Consulate Office in Vancouver, Canada and BCDA representatives forms part of the state-run firm’s commitment to attracting foreign direct investments that will “catalyze” national development through strategic infrastructure and economic zone development.
“By leveraging Canada’s business environment and established Filipino community, the Authority seeks to create meaningful partnerships that drive mutual growth,” BCDA noted.
BCDA said its “proven” track record in public-private partnerships positions its properties as “ideal gateways” for international investors seeking high-growth opportunities in Southeast Asia’s most dynamic economy.
The BCDA delegation was led by Senior Vice President for Corporate Services Elvira V. Estanislao and Vice President for Public Affairs Leilani Barlongay Macasaet. They engaged with Gina A. Jamoralin, Philippine Consul General to Vancouver, Canada. Andrea San Juan
PAPI backs PCO’s campaign against fake news through accurate information dissemination
THE Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PAPI) backed the intensified campaign of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) against fake news, which focused on public empowerment and inclusive governance.
During the Midyear General assembly of PAPI last Tuesday, PCO Secretary Jaybee
“Jay” C. Ruiz discussed their three-pronged approach to combat misinformation and disinformation.
He said foremost of the said initiative is the creation of the Bagong Pilipinas Presidential Action Center, a one-stop hub meant to directly connect citizens with government services.
marriages which showed a notable decrease of 7.8 percent from the 449,428 registered marriages in 2022.
CPD noted that the evolving patterns of marriage and cohabitation call for innovative solutions and a whole-of-society approach to strengthen families, regardless of marital status.
To address this, development of comprehensive programs and policies are essential. These, CPD said, should include social protection for those in non-traditional family arrangements.
“While we uphold marriage as a sacred
institution, we must also protect couples who choose alternative arrangements and ensure the welfare of every individual, ensuring no family is left behind in our nation’s development,” Bersales said.
CPD also said in 2023, February recorded the highest number of registered marriages with 52,501 or 12.7 percent of the total marriages in the country.
Specifically, the 14th of February was consistently the day with the highest number of marriages since 2009 except last 2021.
Further, the month of December ranked
second with 43,966 or 10.6 percent of total marriages, followed by the month of June with 43,295 or a share of 10.5 percent.
Among the 17 regions, CPD noted that CALABARZON recorded the highest number of registered marriages with 60,541 or 14.6 percent of the total marriages.
The National Capital Region (NCR) recorded the second highest number of marriages with 51,892 followed by Central Luzon with 47,684.
However, CPD said the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) had the lowest number of regis -
tered marriages with only 2,162. Of the total registered marriages in 2023, 42.9 percent or 177,627 marriages were contracted through a civil ceremony, a 0.4 percentage point decrease from 2022 with a 43.3 percent share.
About one-third or 130,170 were officiated in the Roman Catholic Church, while about one in four or 97,538 were performed in other religious rites.
Marriages solemnized in Muslim traditions accounted for 1.5 percent of the total registered marriages, whereas 0.7 percent were performed in tribal ceremonies.
DOJ says 3 or 4 witnesses to the crimes against humanity case vs Duterte
TBy Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
HE Department of Justice (DOJ)
Thursday said at least three or four witnesses in the crimes against humanity case filed before former President Rodrigo Duterte have so far been referred to by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to the Witness Protection Program (WPP) for security and protection.
In an ambush interview, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla also admitted that there was no official request or communication from the ICC to the DOJ to place the said witnesses under the WPP.
He explained that it was the WPP that the ICC contacted to relay its request for the witnesses to place under its jurisdiction.
“There were people from the ICC who called our Witness Protection [Program] and it started from there. In fact, I don’t even know them. The Witness Protection people will handle it,” the DOJ chief said .
“We chanced upon this only after they asked for help. said, ‘ok, let’s grant their request, it would be absurd if we were the ones to obstruct it.’ We are already here and what is important is the testimonies of the witnesses to reach [the ICC] so we can know exactly what happened during those times,” Remulla said.
The DOJ secretary added that he expects more witnesses to be placed under the WPP prior to the trial of Duterte who is accused of crimes against humanity in connection with the death of 33 individuals during his bloody anti-illegal drug war campaign.
Remulla said the DOJ would extend assistance to the witnesses as long as they are in the country.
He also clarified that the government would not use its resources to fly the witnesses to The Hague, Netherlands where the ICC is based.
“No, that is not our responsibility. It is already up to them to find a way. On our part, we just want to make sure that they are safe. It is only right to keep them safe,” Remulla stressed.
“While they are here, it is our obligation to help. If we can protect witnesses for other cases, why not in this case?,” he added.
T“Let the people know what benefits they can get from the government,” he said.
“In a Bagong Pilipinas, a well-informed citizen is an empowered citizen,” he added. The PCO chief also reiterated his calls for tougher legislation and penalties against those spreading false information.
PAPI affirmed its commitment to support PCO in “developing information channels that resonate with the needs and concerns of the public.” Samuel P. Medenilla
PCO will also continue with its nation drive against fake news, as well as people-centered communication, to inform the public of their rights and available government services through the support of the media. The media and government, he said, must work together to protect Filipinos from “manipulation” by amplifying “voices of truth.” Ruiz stressed the importance for the government to engage with its constituents as misinformation continues to erode public trust.
Duterte’s camp has maintained that the Philippine government has no obligation to cooperate with the ICC after its withdrawal from the Rome Statute. They also accused key officials of the Marcos administration of “kidnapping” and forcibly turning the former president to the ICC, in violation of his constitutional rights.”
President Ferdinand Marcos, who has become a political nemesis of the Dutertes, previously vowed not to cooperate with the ICC investigation into the anti-illegal drug war campaign of the Duterte administration.
When asked if the cooperation being extended by the government to the ICC will lead to its return as a member of the ICC, Remulla replied, “ I doubt. It’s another decision that we will have to make as a country. It does not mean that. But it just means that we recognize the International Criminal [Court] in charge of the case,” the DOJ secretary said.
Fuel ethanol production to rise slightly to 390 million liters this year: USDA
remain a challenge.”
By Ada Pelonia @adapelonia
HE country’s fuel ethanol production will slightly grow to 390 million liters this year, with the tight supply of feedstocks remaining a concern, an international agency said.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects fuel ethanol output to rebound by 2 percent from 382 million liters in 2024 following the closure of three ethanol facilities.
It added that the remaining facilities absorbed the available feedstocks, reaching 96 percent capacity utilization of operating facilities last year.
However, the agency noted that “insufficient sugarcane and molasses feedstocks
Currently, the country’s main feedstocks are sugarcane-based materials, particularly molasses and sugarcane juice. The majority of fuel ethanol producers in the Philippines use molasses.
“While 80 percent of total molasses in the country is used for ethanol production, supply is still not sufficient,” the USDA said in its latest report.
The agency noted that there is “no immediate solution to insufficient feedstocks” since molasses depend on the volume of sugarcane output.
“For the past decade, the production of sugarcane exhibited a fluctuating trend attributed to declining sugarcane areas, adverse weather conditions, high cost of inputs i.e. fertilizer, declining farm labor
force, and highly acidic or degraded soils for sugarcane planting.”
Despite this, the agency cited the industry’s efforts to broaden the potential feedstock, such as corn, sweet sorghum, cassava, nipa, and sweet potato.
However, the USDA noted that these are still in the research stage and “will take time to produce alternatives to sugarcane commercially for bioethanol processing, if they can achieve success at all.”
Driven by more car purchases, the country’s ethanol demand is expected to inch up this year by 5 percent to 840 million liters.
The international agency attributed the growth in consumption to the “increase” in fuel pool size and uptake of voluntary E20 mix, or the 20 percent ethanol blended to gasoline.
Philippine Red Cross ambulance: The people’s lifeline
By Malou Talosig-Bartolome
FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Enrique
Manalo is stepping down on June 30, ahead of the scheduled transition announced in Malacañang in August 2025.
Manalo has yet to be confirmed by the Commission of Appointments as the new Philippine Permanent Representative in the United Nations in New York.
In a farewell luncheon meeting with diplomatic press corps, Manalo said he will turn over on July 1 the DFA helm to Undersecretary for bilateral relations and Asean affairs Ma. Teresa Lazaro.
Lazaro was already confirmed by the
Commission on Appointments two weeks ago, the day before the 19th Congress took its break.
Manalo did not say though what prompted him quit the job of being the top diplomat of the country a month ahead of schedule.
Earlier, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin clarified that Manalo will remain as DFA secretary pending official confirmation of his appointment as the country’s permanent representative to the UN.
Manalo told the B usiness M irror that the department was not able to submit his papers for CA consideration as he was still overseas for official visit.
Once confirmed by the CA, the 72-year old career diplomat will replace Ambassador Antonio Lagdameo. Prior to his appointment as secretary of foreign affairs, Manalo was also the permanent representative to the UN in New York during the final years of the administration of President Duterte.
Asked if he was surprised that he was given a heads up before the announcement, he simply replied, “I’ve been told before that I will go back to New York.”
Malacañang did not say why Manalo was booted out. Bersamin simply cited that the country needed someone who can aggressively campaign for the county’s bid for a nonpermanent seat in the UN Security Council.
DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo steps down June 30
ACCIDENTS and emergencies can happen unexpectedly. When you or a loved one is stuck in a life-anddeath situation, do you know who to call?
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) provides round-the-clock ambulance services through its 178 ambulance units and a network of professionally trained Emergency Medical Services [EMS] teams strategically stationed in the organization’s 102 chapters nationwide.
Yes, they are ready to respond 24/7 wherever you are in the country. And yes, you can instantly get their help by simply dialing a toll-free number on your mobile phone or landline.
Hotline 143 FORMER senator and the current PRC Chairman and CEO Richard Gordon reiterates the organization’s toll-free hotline 143 which the public may call in times of emergencies, including a need for an immediate ambulance service for patient conduction.
“You can help save a life by dialing the
Red Cross 143 hotline because our Emergency Medical Services (EMS) team is always ready to respond 24/7. It’s so easy to remember because 143 means ‘I love you’. PRC cares for you, and you are all important to us,” Gordon said.
Mel Villacorta recalled how the Philippine Red Cross saved her husband’s life after he fell on the ground and hit his head one morning.
“My husband was so sleepy while going to the bathroom. He fell and hit his head. It was bleeding and I had to call the Red Cross hotline 143 for an ambulance. The ambulance came in less than ten minutes. Unlike the other ambulance provider that we got last year that arrived 40 minutes after the incident.”
An EMS responder, Ken Amistad shared his most unforgettable experience of working with the Red Cross.
“Anghindikopomalilimutangresponse aynoongnaisalbanaminangbuhayngisang pasyentemataposangtatlongcycle ngCPR sa loobngambulansyangRed Cross. Nakakatulongakosakapwangwalanghinihintayna
kapalit.Itopoangpinakamasayasapagiging EMS responder,” Amistad mentioned. Cheaper yet of high-quality
THE PRC ambulances include essential medical equipment for emergency response such as Basic Life Support (BLS) equipment, an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), oxygen, trauma kits, stretchers, ventilators, and cardiac monitors.
PRC’s rate for patient conduction or the process of safely transferring a patient from one location to another, starts at 5,0000 pesos. This is way cheaper from 5,500 to 20,000 pesos charge of other ambulance providers for the same service.
If you have an event and you want to ensure the safety of attendees from start to finish, the PRC is offering an ambulance and a fully-equipped first aid station on standby for a starting price of only 3,0000 pesos.
Be a Safe Card member
THE PRC recently launched its membership
“Voluntary E20 gasoline blending still has a minimal contribution to fuel ethanol consumption during the first half of 2025 but is expected to pick up once more fuel retailers offer E20 at gas stations,” the USDA said.
“The prevailing uncertainty on vehicle compatibility results in slow uptake of E20 gasoline, which fuel retailers hope to address to increase sales.”
The country’s fuel ethanol imports, meanwhile, could rise by 10 percent to 450 million liters this year, owing to the rise in gasoline pool consumption and the implementation of the discretionary E20 blend.
While local ethanol is still the priority, the USDA noted that imports would cover over half of the needed supply to meet the mandated E10 and voluntary E20 blends.
Sources told the B usiness M irror that while they have always known that Manalo will be re-assigned to New York, they were still surprised at the timing as it came at the heels of the statement by President Marcos Jr. of the need of a Cabinet revamp following the dismal performance of the administration slate in the recently concluded midterm elections.
Aside from Manalo, the other Cabinet secretary whose courtesy resignation was accepted was Environment Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga. Manalo thanked the DFA press corps for their support during his three-year stint as DFA secretary.
program “Safe Card” which entitles its members to blood supply, ambulance service, and accident-related hospitalization coverage, among others. You can get all these benefits for an annual membership fee of P1,200 or P100 pesos per month.
If you’re lucky enough to survive a year without being involved in an accident, your contribution will help the PRC sustain its numerous humanitarian missions for our most vulnerable kababayans.
“By being a Safe Card member, you’re not just protecting yourself from unforeseen events, but you’re helping the Red Cross to continue its mission to save lives. Our chairman wants to add more ambulances in the future so we can serve and reach more people,” PRC Secretary-General Dr. Gwen Pang stated. Frankly, there are lots of government or non-government ambulance providers out there. However, if you picture yourself or a
A misguided admission: The damage of negative messaging on tourism
THE recent statement by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla that tourists are avoiding the Philippines because they “don’t feel safe” has sent shockwaves through the tourism industry. Industry leaders have described his remark as ill-advised and damaging to the country’s global reputation as a travel destination. This admission has come at a time when the Department of Tourism (DOT) and various industry groups are trying to counter a recent survey that ranked the Philippines as the “least safe” country for tourists. (Read the BusinessMirror story: “SILG Remulla’s ‘unsafe’ remark raises tourism industry concerns,” June 23, 2025).
Remulla’s comments have been widely criticized as a validation of the flawed survey, which the DOT has denounced as “built on questionable data, lacking in transparency, and entirely disconnected from realities on the ground.” Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco has emphasized the country’s commitment to ensuring the safety and satisfaction of tourists, but Remulla’s remarks have undermined these efforts.
The tourism industry is a perception-driven sector, and public confidence can be easily shaken by conflicting or negative messaging from the government. Industry leaders have warned that such rankings and official admissions can undo years of hard work in rebuilding tourism post-pandemic. The Philippine Hotel Owners Association, the Philippine IATA Agents Travel Association, and the Philippine Tour Operators Association have all expressed concerns that misleading narratives can deter prospective visitors and cause lasting repercussions to businesses reliant on inbound tourism.
Many in the industry view Remulla’s remarks as a betrayal, believing he has accepted the flawed premise of the survey and weakened the DOT’s efforts to boost tourism. Instead of defending the country, the Interior secretary appears to have echoed the misconceptions that have been circulating globally.
The government must take immediate action to correct this damage. It is imperative that Cabinet officials project confidence in local tourism capabilities and work together to promote a positive image of the Philippines as a safe and welcoming destination. The DOT must be given the support and resources it needs to effectively counter negative messaging and promote the country’s tourism industry.
As the DOT and industry leaders strive to recover from the pandemic’s effects, it is crucial for the government to present a unified approach to promoting tourism. Remulla’s comments have highlighted the need for a coordinated approach to messaging and communication. The government must ensure that its officials are aligned in their messaging and that they are working together to promote the country’s interests.
Ultimately, the Philippines’ vibrant culture, natural beauty, and warm hospitality remain its strongest assets. To protect and grow our tourism industry, government leaders must align their messages, support the efforts of tourism professionals, and inspire confidence rather than fear. Only through such unity and positivity can the Philippines reclaim its rightful place as a safe, welcoming destination for the world.
The Interior secretary’s remarks, though perhaps well-intentioned, have proven counterproductive. The government must now double down on coordinated, confident messaging and tangible actions that ensure safety, so that the Philippines can continue to thrive as a premier travel destination.
BusinessMirror
Growing up with the music of Lolita Carbon and
PKuwentong Peyups
INOY rock icon Lolita Carbon lamented that copyright infringement is still committed by her fellow Original Pinoy Music (OPM) artists who use their original song/composition without consent.
I recently watched Carbon perform with the band Asin during the birthday celebration of Atty. Dot Gancayco, a fellow alumnus of the UP College of Law.
With her signature smoky voice, Carbon is one of the three original members of Asin, a Filipino folk rock band formed in 1970s when Filipino popular music scene was undergoing a folk music revival associated with the Pinoy Rock movement.
The band was originally known as Salt of the Earth but was later Filipinized into “Asin,” which means salt in the Filipino language. As a preservative, “Asin” extends the shelf life of food.
I grew up listening to the music of Asin as the first group to incorporate Filipino indigenous instruments and music into pop/rock music.
Asin is known as one of the pioneers of alternative music with their classic songs “Mga Limot na Bayani,” “Masdan Mo Ang Kapaligiran,” “Ang Bayan Kong Sinilangan,” “Itanong Mo Sa Mga Bata,” “Gising Kaibigan,” “Usok,” “Ang Buhay Ko,”
“Pagbabalik” and “Balita.”
Carbon pointed out that some of their songs are sung by younger artists without them earning the corresponding royalties under the copyright principle.
Copyright is part of the Intellectual Property (IP) laws that aim to protect and secure the exclusive rights of scientists, inventors, artists and other gifted citizens to their intellectual property and creations. Nobody else can copy or reuse that creation without the owner’s permission.
The IP Code grants authors, artists, and other creators, automatic protection for their literary and artistic creations, from the moment they create it.
IP laws lay down the remedies available to the IP owner in case of a violation of his rights through administrative, civil and criminal sanctions against violators.
In the Philippines, copyright for musical works, like all other original works of authorship, is automatically granted upon creation, but registration with the Intellectual Property
Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is recommended to create a public record of ownership.
Copyright protects the rights of the music creator, such as the songwriter or composer, and also the rights of the performer or record label for the specific recording.
The author of a work has economic rights as well as moral rights over the work.
The author has the exclusive economic right to carry out, authorize or prevent the:
(a) reproduction of the work or substantial portion of the work;
(b) dramatization, translation, adaptation, abridgment, arrangement or other transformation of the work;
(c) first public distribution of the original and each copy of the work;
(d) rental of the original or a copy of the work;
(
e) public display of the original or a copy of the work;
(f) public performance of the work; and
(g) other communication to the public of the work.
Moral rights confer the following on the author of a work:
(a) to require that the authorship of the works be attributed to him;
(b) to make any alterations of his work prior to, or to withhold it from publication;
(c) to object to any distortion, mutilation or other modification of, or other derogatory action in relation to his work which would be prejudicial to his honor or reputation; and
(d) to restrain the use of his name with respect to any work not of his
Positive takeaways from the 2022 PISA
WHEN the 2022 PISA results came out almost a year and a half ago, the main takeaway for many was that the Philippines still ranked among the bottom performers in the world. The Philippines ranked bottom sixth in Math, bottom fifth in Reading, and bottom third in Science.
But there should also have been two positive takeaways from the 2022 PISA results.
The first is that, despite the pandemic, the Philippine scores did not decline in Math, Reading, or Science. This contrasts with many other countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia—the countries to which we most often compare ourselves. In these three countries, mean scores fell by double-digits in all three subjects.
Philippine Reading score, in fact, increased slightly.
The second positive takeaway is that Philippine private school students
did very well in the 2022 PISA. The 2022 PISA data for Philippines had a sample of 7,193 students, of whom 5,988 were from 153 public schools and 1,205 were from 35 private schools.
If you divide the PISA sample into private and public school students, Philippine private school students were in fact among the top performers in developing Southeast Asia, not including Vietnam. They were at the top in Reading, second in Science, and above the median in Math.
The poor performance of public school students was what dragged down the country’s overall scores in
the exam. Why have Philippine private schools performed better than public schools in the 2022 PISA? To what extent can this be explained by differences in the levels of inputs received by public and private school students? To what extent can it be explained by how well public and private schools are able to utilize whatever inputs they have?
Education production function
ONE can use the framework of an education production function and a statistical method called the BlinderOaxaca decomposition to examine this question.
In this framework, learning is viewed as an output and there are different factors that are used in the production of that output. Those factors can be classified into three: individual student factors; home factors; and school factors. Differences in output across groups can occur because of (1) differences in their level of inputs and (2) because of differences in how much output each group can produce with a given input.
In the 2022 PISA, individual student factors that can be analyzed include the student’s age, sex, age when the student started schooling,
Asin
own creation or in a distorted version of his work.
In FILSCAP v. Anrey (GR 233918. August 09, 2022), Supreme Court Justice Rodil Zalameda extensively discussed the copyright of musical works stressing that “music is intangible but its benefits are real.”
“Music impacts lives; it provides entertainment; it serves as a medium to communicate; to vent and to express. Everyone listens to music. Each has their own cup of tea; the music they play and listen to.”
“But not everyone is willing to pay for it. This debases the value due to the composers who have worked so hard to create music that sparks joy, moves or heals our hearts, accompanies us in solitude or sorrow, uplifts our spirits, and unites entire nations.”
“In fact music is there to accompany us in almost every aspect of our daily lives. There is music to pump us up before a game; music to help us go to bed; music to calm us down; music that inspires; music that helps us vent and express how we feel. Even history and other strong messages are passed down through music.”
“Music is intangible, and at times it is difficult to appreciate something you cannot see or hold. But music has its rewards, it can deliver a wide-range of benefits. its benefits are real. Businesses should pay for such benefit.”
Peyups is the moniker of the University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the Seafarers’ Division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan Law Offices. For comments, e-mail info@ sapalovelez.com, or call 0917-5025808 or 09088665786.
experience of being bullied, and tardiness. Home factors include having books at home, having a computer at home, and socio-economic status of the household. School factors include disciplinary climate in school, studentto-teacher ratio, class size, quality of teachers, the number of computers per student in school, the proportion of available computers connected to the internet, and an indicator of whether school admission is based on performance.
Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition
THE Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition is statistical method that is widely used to explain differences in mean scores between two groups. The method decomposes the difference into a part that is due to differences in the level of inputs each group has, and a part that is due to how well each group can utilize the inputs to produce the output. The first part is usually called the endowment effect, while the second is called the coefficient effect.
Results for Reading BECAUSE of
EAGLE WATCH Dr. Geoffrey Ducanes
Dennis Gorecho
The future is local: Local conservation leaders for sustainable and resilient communities
By Dr. Selva Ramachandran
LOCAL government units play a pivotal role in safeguarding the country’s natural wealth for future generations. They are at the forefront of building resilient and sustainable communities in the face of rapid urbanization, climate change and social and economic challenges. Among their responsibilities is ensuring the conservation of natural resources, and securing sustainable financing for environmental protection that contribute to accelerating climate action and strengthening disaster resilience—key pillars in the Philippine Development Plan. While national governments set broad agendas, LGUs can drive innovation and tailor solutions to their specific needs.
The Local Government Code of 1991 or RA 7160 empowers LGUs to have meaningful autonomy. It provides fiscal powers and authority to government officials to propose, appropriate, and release funds to agencies, office programs and projects. LGUs can improve their economic environment through plans, programs, and investments in sustainable tourism, agriculture and fisheries and biodiversity-friendly enterprises that benefit communities.
Recognizing this as an opportunity, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)—through its Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) Project—has been working with LGUs since 2016 to mainstream biodiversity in local plans and programs, ensuring a stable flow of financing for conservation through good local governance.
BIOFIN is a global initiative launched by UNDP in 2012 to address the significant challenge of financing biodiversity conservation, now being implemented across 133 countries. It is supported by the European Commission and the Governments of Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Belgium, Flanders, UK, Canada, and France.
In the Philippines, UNDP, through BIOFIN, is working to ensure sustainable economic growth while conserving precious natural resources by supporting LGUs in formulating their local biodiversity plans. A good example of this work is the Negros Island Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NIBSAP), which is anchored on the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP). Local biodiversity finance plans accompanied the NIBSAP, which help LGUs identify how much is needed to implement their biodiversity projects and programs and where they can source additional funding to bridge any financing gap. The finance plans of the LGUs paved the way for a steady increase in LGU budgets for conservation.
This initiative became a crucial model for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources— Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) to advance a policy advocating for the localization of the PBSAP. Strengthening governance at the site level ensures that conservation efforts are tangible actions that directly contribute to national and international biodiversity goals.
In 2023, UNDP signed Memoranda of Understanding with governors of two provinces in the Negros Island, together with the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PhilBio). This partnership enabled the implementation of finance solutions that mobilized resources for the conservation of nature in the provinces. Thereafter, we saw a significant increase in the total annual budget of Negros Oriental for coastal resources management, wildlife and biodiversity management, climate change mitigation and adaptation and forest resources management
To address biodiversity loss and climate change, LGUs also spear-
cause the gap between public and private school students in the 2022 PISA is huge at 74 points.
The vanishing beliefs
Ihead nature-based solutions that could restore ecosystems and protect livelihoods, such as wetlands management, maintenance of green spaces, and ecosystem restoration.
In Negros Occidental, San Carlos City’s BaLANCE or Biodiversity and Landscape Approach in Nature Conservation is about to implement a proposed “Emerald Necklace”—a series of wildlife corridors that will be established and maintained to protect wildlife and regenerate denuded forests within the boundaries of Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park.
I recently had the pleasure to visit Negros alongside H.E. Laure Beaufils, British Ambassador to the Philippines and Palau, to see how these efforts are being brought to life. The need for strong local leadership and strategic investments to ensure long-term environmental sustainability and resilience emerged very strongly during the visit. Beyond conservation, LGUs play a crucial role in promoting social cohesion and participatory governance—involving citizens in decision-making processes help them develop a sense of ownership over local initiatives. UNDP, through BIOFIN, is also assisting the Negros provinces in accessing the trust fund created under Energy Regulation 1-94. The benefits from this trust fund can be used for electrification, livelihood and reforestation, watershed management, and health and environmental enhancement.
At the national level, the UNDP and DENR, through BIOFIN, and together with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), worked together to integrate biodiversity indicators in the Seal of Good Local Governance. The indicators will incentivize the LGUs to develop and implement projects and programs on wetlands and water management, on parks and green spaces development, and on wildlife resources conservation and protection. This is expected to increase biodiversity financing at the local level.
Achieving sustainable biodiversity conservation and financing for nature requires collaboration among LGUs, national agencies, and international partners so that necessary resources, technical assistance, and platforms for knowledge exchange are made available and more accessible.
At UNDP, we believe that the future is local and that empowered local governments pave the path to a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future. Local leadership is instrumental in advancing sustainable development and driving nature conservation through innovative and sustainable financing.
By empowering local governments and leaders and strengthening their capacity, we lay the foundation for resilient communities, a thriving environment, and a greener, more sustainable future for all.
Dr. Selva Ramachandran serves as the Resident Representative of UNDP Philippines.
The Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition shows that both the endowment effect and the coefficient effect matter, but that the larger share of the difference in the scores of private and public school students can be accounted for by difference in their endowments. Differences in the following factors were found to be important in explaining differences in average Reading scores between public and private school students: experience of bullying, socio-economic status
Tito Genova Valiente
ANNOTATIONS
T was the third night of the wake for my brother Carlo. His widow was seated at the first row of chairs in the funeral parlor. She was quiet, alone, perhaps a bit sleepy after those long vigil at the hospital and now, this night.
There were questions in my mind, inquiries that the old men and women in our family would know to answer. These were queries about traditions and age-old beliefs about death.
Earlier that week, in the basilica where we were having the requiem mass for a departed cousin, I had doubts about rites of avoidance related to death. As I was not going with the funeral cortege that would bring the remains of my cousin from another memorial park to this church, I was anxious how I was going to manage my time in going to the venue for the final Catholic ritual.
Can I be ahead of the dead in that church? Or shall I wait for the hearse with the immediate family to arrive first before I went in? Given the fact that I was coming from the other side of the city, was I exempt from observing these funerary rules? There was a belief, I then recalled, that to be ahead of the coffin meant courting death, the act of going ahead of fate. As fate would have it, my car arrived way ahead of everyone. I opted for a concession—I would take the side entrance and not the “Puerta Mayor” of the church. I saw that option as a compromise, a gesture that made my action less confrontational, more respectful of what could have been the right gesture for that ceremony.
Interestingly, my other cousins in the basilica that day had the same questions as well. We all recognized one thing, the fact that there were no more elders to consult as in our
younger days. What was not articulated was this—that we had become the old men and women to be consulted as to the beliefs and practices to be followed.
Back at the funeral parlor, as I
her a bit (perhaps because it was the most obvious declaration for that night ever since her husband passed on). She fixed her eyes on me. She was waiting for another statement from me.
“In Buhi [the hometown of my father], the rituals for widows are rigid,” I started remembering. “My grandmother had to be kept in a small room, with a black curtain demarcating the area around her. She was separated from the rest of the family and was always surrounded by other widows or unmarried women of the clan during the wake and the funeral. The day after the burial of our grandfather, she was supposed to go to the church. That moment where she woke up and walked outside her room made her the most
looked at my sister-in-law who was already a widow, I realized she had become a site of taboos.
Were my thoughts so loud that she turned around with the question on her face. It was my turn to verbally express my candor: “Do you know that you are a widow, now?” The statement, obvious as it was, appeared to have shocked
potent symbol of death.” A cousin asked: “What must she do then?”
“She should walk with her black veil covering her face. She should not look at anyone until she finished the church service for that day.”
“Her gaze at this moment carried death itself,” I continued. “If a woman or man ever looked into her
Cameron Diaz’s refreshing take on aging
AGING brings inevitable physical changes—skin begins to sag, weight becomes more complicated to manage, and markers like cholesterol and blood pressure tend to rise. These realities are often met with fear, particularly in industries like entertainment where physical appearance is heavily scrutinized, especially for women.
In Hollywood, where the pressure to maintain a youthful appearance is intense, actress Cameron Diaz stands out with a refreshing perspective. A top box office draw in the 1990s and early 2000s, Diaz embraces aging with grace, choosing to look like herself, wrinkles and all, rather than looking surgically enhanced. Now nearing 53, Diaz has publicly rejected cosmetic enhancements like Botox, which she once tried but ultimately disliked due to how it altered her facial expressions. While she hasn’t confirmed undergoing any surgical procedures (though I suspect
of household, disciplinary climate at school, and computer connectivity to the internet in school.
Private school students experienced less bullying, on average. They come from households that have better socioeconomic status. Their schools have better disciplinary climate, on average, and have better computer connectivity to the Internet. Pri-
she’s had an upper eyelid surgery in the past), she has expressed opposition to cosmetic surgeries that dramatically change a person’s appearance. For her, aging is not something to fear, but a privilege to embrace. Still, Diaz’s philosophy stands in stark contrast to modern societal norms. We live in an era where cosmetic surgery has become more accepted—normalized even—particularly for women. The pressure to maintain youthful looks has only intensified. In 2023 alone, the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported 34.9 million surgi-
vate school students are also able, for some reason, to make more out of the resources available to them (the coefficient effect). The latter requires deeper study.
Lessons
THE analysis shows that inputs matter, both hard and soft inputs. Individual factors, home factors, and school fac-
eyes, death would come to her or him. There was a solution, and this was for an unmarried person to wake up earlier than everyone and then make sure that this person would cause the widow to look into his eyes. The eyes of death could be dispelled by this act,” the confidence in my voice unwavering.
But that night, my sister-in-law said these notions do not matter to her anymore. I agreed; those taboos were amusing tales that night and we were wondering how gradually, slowly, we were losing these traditions. These beliefs do not disappear dramatically, as discourses often describe them. There are no rigid pronouncements against them, no debates, no rancor. As in that night, we somehow saw how those seemingly tough commands and sumptuary codes merely disappeared with the passing of time. Their bearers had passed on and in their place were individuals who clung on to different exigencies. Even the fact of memorial parks where people paid for certain plans meant that talking about death and dying had ceased to be forbidden. Something else was taking the place of those beloved edicts. You may have heard of poor butterflies and, more cinematically, balloons, released the moment the coffin was being lowered into the grave. Or, of old women serving as funeral coordinators commanding when the final viewing is and how to throw the flowers into the deep earth. There is a practice in the town of Buhi, Camarines Sur, which I miss. After the burial, when the clan returns to the house for the dinner, we are not allowed inside yet. An older woman asks us to cluster according to family in front of the main or biggest window of the ancestral home, from where ashes are thrown to us. This will remind us of mortality, but more than the absence of eternity, is the assurance that after death, life goes on with those who live and still love you until the end.
E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com
cal and non-surgical procedures performed worldwide.
And this isn’t limited to older individuals seeking to turn back the clock.
In countries like South Korea, cosmetic enhancements like rhinoplasty and double eyelid surgery are common among young adults, highlighting how beauty standards now target even those still in their early twenties.
Indeed, aging brings about visible changes—weight fluctuations, hair thinning, wrinkles, and a potential shift in one’s self-perception and confidence. For some, these changes are difficult to accept, and the allure of cosmetic enhancements becomes understandable. As Diaz herself acknowledged in an interview:
“I don’t have any problem with that. And in a lot of instances, it does make you look like you’ve taken a nap, that you actually got more sleep or that you might be a little younger than you looked maybe the day before. All those things, if they work, they’re great.”
In other words, subtle, barelynoticeable, well-done procedures that maintain a natural look can be acceptable—even beneficial—if they help someone feel confident.
However, there’s a fine line. In the pursuit of youth, some celebrities have undergone procedures with extreme results. Cases like Priscilla Presley and Madonna have sparked concern, even dismay, as multiple surgical procedures left them nearly unrecognizable. Others may not be disfigured but have entirely altered their appear-
tors all correlate strongly with learning outcome. There is a need to improve student learning experience by providing a better disciplinary climate and reducing the incidence of bullying among students, especially in public schools.
ance—so much so that only traces of their original selves remain. Even popular treatments like lip fillers, which use hyaluronic acid to create volume, have often been overdone, resulting in exaggerated, unnatural “duck lips” that not only undermine their intended effect but also produce laughable end results. Diaz’s stance on aging gracefully is admirable. But completely dismissing cosmetic enhancements like Botox or surgery may not resonate with everyone. Not all individuals are blessed with her genetics or confidence. For some, these interventions—when done tastefully and in moderation—can provide a boost in self-esteem and personal well-being. Ultimately, the key, just like everything else in life, is moderation. Wanting to look youthful isn’t wrong. What matters is making informed, mindful choices when it comes to age-defying interventions. Simple practices, such as wearing age-appropriate attire and applying maturityappropriate makeup, cost nothing but provide remarkable outcomes. If a procedure makes you feel more like yourself—and it’s subtle enough to pass the “nap test” Diaz mentioned—go ahead. Just be sure to choose a qualified, competent doctor who knows not only how to enhance your beauty, but honest enough to say “no more.” Because aging isn’t something to be feared—it’s something to be celebrated.
School connectivity is positively correlated with learning outcome, and thus a need to invest more in equipment and connectivity. There is also a need to find ways to make up for student disadvantages in socio-economic background and early learning deficit in public schools.
Dr. Geoffrey Ducanes is Associate Professor at the Ateneo
and the
and
‘Israel-Iran ceasefire let PHL avoid worst impacts of war’
By Cai U. Ordinario
THEPhilippines dodged a bullet when the ceasefire was called between Israel and Iran as sustained airstrikes would “badly hit” the country, according to the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DepDev).
On the sidelines of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) on Thursday, DepDev Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said the initial impact of the IsraelIran conflict raised oil prices by 8 to 10 percent but will only reduce GDP growth by less than a percent. However, a prolonged conflict, Balisacan said, would have significant impact on the growth of the Philippine economy as well as that of other countries. This means oil prices would stay at around $70 to $80 per barrel.
Balisacan said it was fortunate that while the government was es-
timating the full impact of higher pump prices on the economy, a ceasefire was called.
“If those increases persisted for the rest of the year, of course the economy would be badly hit as would be the economies of the rest of the world,” Balisacan told reporters on Thursday. “I think that for now we don’t see that thing [prolonged conflict] coming.”
Balisacan said, nonetheless, that the experience should serve as a lesson. This told government to always be ready for any eventuality, especially since the welfare of vulnerable sectors are on the line.
Weak household, biz spending dims ANZ Research Q3 outlook
HOUSEHOLDS and private businesses may not be able to boost consumption spending in the country which is needed to buoy the country’s GDP growth, according to ANZ Research.
In its Asia Economic Outlook for the third quarter, ANZ Research said this is despite the low inflation environment in the country. The report stated that while inflation has slowed, prices remain elevated.
ANZ Research also noted that private sector wages have not risen enough to allow workers to cope with the rise in commodity prices. This can explain the rise in credit card loans.
“The absolute price level remains elevated and despite high employment, private sector wages have not grown sufficiently to offset the price increase. As a result, part of the consumption over the past few years has been funded by rising credit card loans,” ANZ Research said.
“More interestingly, the BSP’s [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas] consumer expenditure survey shows that the top reason that households availed loans was to purchase basic goods. Additionally, we think households will continue to buildup savings which are currently low,” it added.
ANZ Research said GDP growth is expected to average only 5.1 percent this year and 5.6 percent next year. Private consumption is also expected to post a 5.1 percent growth this year and 5.6 percent increase next year.
In the first quarter, Household Final Consumption Expenditure (HFCE) recorded a year-on-year growth of 5.3 percent, faster than the 4.7 percent posted in the same period last year.
“Despite lower inflation we don’t expect private consumption demand to rebound materially. The absolute price level remains elevated and despite high employment, private sector wages have not grown sufficiently to offset the price increase,” the report stated.
ANZ Research noted that from
January to May 2025, inflation has decelerated to 1.3 percent year-onyear from 2.9 percent year-on-year.
This was below BSP’s official target range of 2 to 4 percent.
The report stated that core inflation has also trended lower and is expected to remain benign as domestic demand is likely to be moderate this year.
Core inflation, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), averaged 2.3 percent in the first five months of the year. In May, it averaged 2.2 percent, the same rate recorded in April.
“The lower import tariff on rice and a decline in rice prices in the international market together led to a deflation in rice prices which was the main driver of the food disinflation,” the report stated.
“Given the ongoing disinflationary trend and the favorable base effects, we are revising our inflation forecast for 2025 lower to 2.2 percent from 2.9 percent previously,” it added.
Earlier, the slowdown in inflation and the strong jobs data will boost the country’s GDP growth in the second quarter, according to the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P).
In its latest Market Call, economists from the UA&P said GDP will rise to 5.6 percent in the April to June period this year, fueled by consumption spending. (See: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2025/06/24/q2-gdp-projection-at-5-6-despite-jitters/).
This, even though the latest BSP Consumer Expectation Survey (CES) showed consumers were more pessimistic in the first quarter this year compared to last year.
UA&P economists noted that the country’s inflation rate slowed to 1.3 percent in May and 1.4 percent in April. The economists also said this marked the fourth straight month of slowing inflation.
Based on the report, inflation is expected to average 2.2 percent this year despite the recent surge in crude oil prices in June due to the Middle East conflict. Cai U. Ordinario
“That’s a lesson for us also that we would need to be always ready and that we [must] have the ammunitions and the tools to trigger and we are ready to trigger them when such shocks occur because we don’t want our vulnerable sectors, the riding public for example, to be affected adversely by such shocks,”
Balisacan said.
Growth drivers
BALISACAN said the country’s good fortune this year is also going to stem from slower inflation, the reduction in policy rates, and robust labor market which will stimulate consumption. It may be noted that consumption accounts for 70 percent of the country’s GDP.
The DepDev Secretary stressed the economy is already reaping the dividends of the slowdown in inflation as well as past reductions in the policy rate of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Inflation was at 1.3 percent in May and the Monetary Board has already reduced the policy rate by 50 basis points this year.
Balisacan said the government’s growth targets for the year can be supported by these factors unless the Israel-Iran conflict continues.
The DBCC reduced its growth esti-
mates to 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent this year and 6 percent to 7 percent between 2026 to 2028 See related A1 banner story, “Tariffs, Middle East wars cut growth goal to 5.5-6.5 percent.”
“We also see that the labor market remains quite robust. And remittances continue to be positive growth despite the volatility. So, there are so many positive things that are happening. So, I really don’t expect that growth will be, at least in the remaining quarters, unless you see some implosion or some drastic developments in the Middle East, we should be okay,” Balisacan explained.
BSP Deputy Governor of the Monetary and Economics Sector
Zeno Ronald R. Abenoja added that the results of the Consumer Expectation Survey (CES) showed that while there are fluctuations, the general trend was an improvement in consumer sentiment.
The peso, meanwhile, is also expected to help support consumption. Abenoja said traditional dollar earners such as the services sector, namely the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firms and remittances will shore up foreign exchange earnings
By Lorenz S. Marasigan
YBERSECURITY firm
CKaspersky has uncovered a new mobile Trojan, dubbed “SparkKitty,” that is actively spying on users in Southeast Asia—including the Philippines—by infiltrating Android and iOS devices through trojanized apps related to cryptocurrency, gambling, and even TikTok.
According to Kaspersky, the spyware is capable of exfiltrating images and device information from infected phones and is suspected to be linked to SparkCat, an earlier iOS malware discovered by Kaspersky in 2024.
SparkCat was the first known Trojan for iOS equipped with an optical character recognition (OCR) feature, enabling it to steal screenshots of sensitive data like crypto wallet recovery phrases.
Kaspersky researchers found SparkKitty embedded in apps disguised as legitimate crypto tools and gambling platforms, as well as in a malicious version of TikTok. These were distributed not only through phishing websites but also through Google Play and the iOS App Store. One app, a crypto messenger called SOEX, was downloaded over 10,000 times before being
flagged.
“One of the vectors for the Trojan’s distribution turned out to be fake websites where the attackers tried to infect the victims’ iPhones,” Sergey Puzan, a malware expert at Kaspersky, said. “In this malicious campaign, the attackers used... special developer tools for distributing corporate business applications.”
Puzan explained that in the infected version of TikTok, during authorization, the malware, in addition to stealing photos from the smartphone gallery, embedded links to a suspicious store in the person’s profile window.
“This store only accepts cryptocurrencies, which increases our concerns about it,” he warned.
Kaspersky has already notified Google and Apple about the malicious apps. A full technical report has also been published. The cybersecurity giant urged Filipino users to remain vigilant, especially those involved in cryptocurrency trading.
Kaspersky advises uninstalling any suspicious apps immediately, avoiding screenshot storage of sensitive data, and using trusted cybersecurity tools. Apps requesting photo library access should be evaluated carefully.
PHL’s Israel post seeks lower alert level
By Malou Talosig-Bartolome
THE Philippine Embassy in Tel-Aviv is recommending to the Department of Foreign Affairs that OFWs in Israel no longer be encouraged to volunteer for repatriation following the ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
DFA Assistant Secretary Germinia Aguilar-Usudan said Ambassador Aileen Mendiola-Rau has already recommended lowering the contingency alert level from 3 to 2. This, after the Israel Defense Forces lifted all restrictions on movement throughout Israel on Wednesday. The airspace and the two international airports were also reopened.
The recommendation is now under consideration by outgoing Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said. Last week, the DFA placed Is
See “Israel-Iran” A2
Editor: Jennifer A. Ng
Exec: ABS-CBN will post profits despite headwinds
By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan
ABS-CBN Corp. is on track to return to profitability within the next 18 months, five years after the shutdown of its broadcast operations, as it doubles down on global content creation and digital distribution while reaping gains from hit productions and tighter cost controls.
Speaking during the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting on Wednesday, ABS-CBN President and CEO Carlo L. Katigbak said the company has “made significant progress” in becoming a global storyteller, with strong momentum from blockbuster films, a growing digital audience, and surging music revenues.
Direct-to-consumer income grew 14 percent to P5.2 billion in 2024, largely driven by the runaway success of films like “Hello, Love, Again,” which grossed P1.6 billion globally. Despite headwinds in the ad -
vertising industry and continued declines in its pay TV business Sky Cable—which saw revenues drop 25 percent—ABS-CBN managed to hold ad revenues flat year-onyear, a feat Katigbak called “notable” amid broad-based market contraction.
Total revenues dipped 6 percent due to Sky’s performance, but operating income improved by 40 percent while net losses narrowed by more than half on the back of a 20-percent cut in expenses.
“I believe we are finally wellpositioned for a turnaround in 2025. The advertising market is
recovering from last year, and we will get an extraordinary bump from election-related advertising,” Katigbak said. “We hope to achieve profitability sometime within the next 18 months.”
The company’s total debt has shrunk from P21 billion in 2020 to P16 billion in 2024, and is expected to decline to P13 billion by yearend following the sale of three hectares of its Quezon City compound to Ayala Land Inc.
ABS-CBN will consolidate its operations at the ELJ Communications Center, retaining 1.4 hectares of the original site.
“We hope to sustain the gains from our digital businesses while growing our international licensing, film, and music revenues. With reduced debt levels, we expect financing costs to decline, improving our cash flow and profitability,” Katigbak said.
He clarified that while the company remains open to a new broadcast franchise, reclaiming its former nationwide network is not feasible without the return of its old frequencies.
Instead, ABS-CBN will continue to build on content partnerships with other networks,
expand its global footprint, and grow digital and licensing revenues.
Last February, Ayala Land Inc. announced that it is acquiring about 70 percent of the 4.4-hectare property of ABS-CBN’s headquarters and most of its remaining operations in Quezon City for P6.24 billion.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the two companies said it signed a memorandum of agreement to sell a portion of its property and will leave just 30 percent for the Lopez-led multimedia firm.
The sale covers 30,000 square meters out of the total 44,027.3 square meters of the property, which houses several buildings, including production facilities.
The said price was mutually agreed valuation by the parties following arms-length negotiations and proper due diligence review.
The sale will be on an installment basis for the period of 10 years based on the mutually agreed valuation by the parties following arms-length negotiations and proper due diligence review.
Fortune Life strengthens ties with rural banks at RBAP symposium
FLife proudly reaffirms its commitment to the rural banking community as a Bronze Sponsor of the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) 68th Charter Anniversary Symposium, held on June 10–11, 2025, at Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay City. With the theme “Strength in Numbers, Leave No Bank Behind,” this year’s event highlighted the vital role of collaboration and inclusivity in empowering rural banks across the nation. The symposium served as a dynamic platform for financial institutions to engage in meaningful dialogue, strengthen partnerships, and promote inclusive growth—ensuring
‘PhilHeath yet to receive funds mandated by law’
EALTH rights advocates
Hused publicly-available data to accuse the government of not obeying the Universal Health Care law, which mandates allocating billions of pesos to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).
The groups estimate that P332 billion in allocations from sin taxes, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) and the Philippine Charity and Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) have not been given to PhilHealth since 2019.
“In 2023 and 2024, PhilHealth received only a fraction of the mandated revenues from tobacco and sweetened beverage taxes,” read a statement the petitioners issued last Wednesday.
PhilHealth should have received an additional P40.97 billion in 2023 and P69.50 billion in 2024 from excise taxes, including what was allotted under the General Appropriations Acts for those years, as estimated by the advocates.
This year, PhilHealth should have received at least P69.81 billion from its mandated earmarked shares despite the bicameral conference committee providing zero funding for the health insurer.
An estimated P180.28 billion in sin tax revenues earmarked for PhilHealth has not been released, based on a comparison between the percentage of the sin tax share for PhilHealth and the notices of cash allocation available on the website of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
This amount represents a staggering 77.5 percent of PhilHealth’s expected P232.73 billion share from 2023 to 2025, the groups said.
In addition, P60 billion from PhilHealth’s reserve fund was transferred to the National Treasury under Special Provision 1(d) of the 2024
Banking&Finance GOCC regulator orders revamp of PhilHealth to resolve issues
General Appropriations Act and Department of Finance Circular No. 003-2024.
Moreover, the groups said PhilHealth has not received its share of 50 percent of the National Government’s share from the income of Pagcor and 40 percent of the charity fund of the PCSO, as specified in the UHC Law, amounting to P92.06 billion.
This non-allocation was also confirmed during the Supreme Court Oral Arguments on the PhilHealth fund transfer, read the advocates’ statement.
Dr. Junice D. Melgar, executive director of the nongovernment Likhaan Center for Women’s Health, noted that the P332 billion is not mere pennies.
Hindi barya ang P332 billion para sa aming nagbibigay ng serbisyong pangkalusugan at inaabot ang mga komunidad, napakarami na nito sanang buhay na naisalba,” Melgar said. “Kailangang maibigay sa PhilHealth ang nararapat ayon sa batas, hindi ito dapat hayaang maulit uli sa susunod pang mga taon.” said.
This amount could have reduced the high out-of-pocket health expenses of Filipinos, which, based on the 2023 Philippine National Health Accounts, total 550.2 billion, with the majority going to hospitalization costs, medical goods and medicines, she added.
L abor leader Josua Mata expressed hopes the Supreme Court “will soon render its decision on the PhilHealth fund transfer case to prevent the possible repetition of the government’s unlawful practice.”
“The Executive and Congress have been withholding funds for UHC that would have helped ease the healthcare burden of Filipinos. It’s very alarming to know that it has been going on for years now without holding anyone accountable,” Mata added. Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
DOF OKs donating seized gasoline to Coast Guard
ABOUT 1,251 liters of seized gasoline were donated to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to support the country’s maritime safety and security operations, according to the Department of Finance (DOF).
A statement from the DOF on Thursday read that Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto approved the donation of seized gasoline to PCG.
The DOF said through the statement the donation is in line with the Marcos administration’s “directive to intensify the fight against smuggling and strengthen national security.”
The gasoline was intercepted by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for violating fuel marking regulations. This is according to Section 1113 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
Fuel marking involves injecting chemical identifiers into tax-paid oil products and is carried out under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, or “Train,” law to curb the smuggling of
TBy Bless Aubrey Ogerio
HE de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East has again widened the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) elbow room rates, according to an economist of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. Ltd. (HSBC).
HSBC Asean Economist Aris D. Dacanay said a spike in oil prices is one of the risks to further rate cuts of 5 percent. He also pointed to the BSP’s remaining policy leeway as one of the key factors that will support the country’s economy to remain as Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economy.
“The BSP still has room to cut rates. We do expect the BSP to cut rates to as low as 5 percent,” Dacanay said in a news briefing in Taguig City. “We do expect the next rate cut to be in October of this year.”
petroleum products.
Petroleum products that are refined, manufactured or imported to the Philippines, such as unleaded premium gasoline, kerosene and diesel, must be marked by an official marking agent after taxes and duties have been paid. Section 1141 of the CMTA authorizes the donation of goods subject to disposition to another government agency, upon the approval of the Secretary of Finance.
“This donation not only shows our commitment to bolstering our defense sector, but is a clear warning to all businesses that any illicit act will not go unpunished,” Recto said.
Last week, the BOC intercepted 259,000 liters of diesel fuel worth P219.5 million from a motor tanker transferring unmarked fuel to lorry trucks at the Port of La Union.
The BOC has marked 80.23 billion liters of fuel and collected P220.77 billion in excise taxes in 2024, under the Fuel Marking Program. Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
The central bank’s policy rate currently stands at 5.25 percent following a 25-basis-point reduction last week.
Dacanay noted that a 75-basispoint policy rate differential between the BSP and the US Federal Reserve will be a historic low. Moreover, narrowing it further to 50 basis points would be unprecedented since the central bank adopted an inflationtargeting framework in 2000. Because of this, the HSBC economist said, the central bank is expected to be more cautious in implementing additional rate cuts. Dacanay, however, also warned that rising global oil prices remain a major risk to further monetary easing.
“We do expect that the increase of $10 a barrel of global oil prices will lead to 0.9 percentage points of inflation,” he said. “That $10 will
TBy Reine Juvierre Alberto @reine_alberto
HE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) will undergo major restructuring to boost efficiency and resolve key operational challenges, as ordered by the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG).
A statement issued by the GCG read that the regulator of government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs) approved the revamping of the state health insurer in its en banc meeting on June 25.
“The reform aims to address several long-standing issues, including outdated workforce, fragmented data and strategy execution, and issues related to benefit claims,” the GCG said.
formation technology, procurement and human resources and general administration.
The GCG said centralizing these functions will address inconsistencies and conflicts in PhilHealth’s current operational framework, maintain responsiveness to the public and strengthen healthcare delivery.
In addition, PhilHealth was told to improve its internal audit office by functionally reporting to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors and administratively reporting to the President and CEO.
A revamped organizational structure with 503 units and a total of 7,149 positions will be included in the overhaul, which is intended to enhance service delivery and the agency’s ability to execute its expanded mandate under Republic Act (RA) 11223 or the “Universal Health Care Act.”
The PhilHealth is also directed to centralize its administrative functions, including finance, legal, in-
AUB: About ₧1B released in salary advance loans
THE Asia United Bank (AUB) Corp. announced having released a total of a billion pesos to users of its app who borrowed cash as salary advances.
In a statement, the lender said employees from over 600 companies that used AUB’s e-wallet— called “HelloMoney”—for payroll disbursement, were able to secure loans through the app’s salary advance lending feature (“HelloBale”).
According to the lender, it processed around half-a-million HelloBale transactions from its launch last year to May.
AUB President Manuel A. Gomez described such transaction volume a “milestone.”
It addresses our “commitment to [address] the financial needs of working Filipinos by providing instant access to credit when they need it most,” Gomez said.
“By partnering with companies that use HelloMoney for payroll disbursement, HelloBale has created a streamlined lending ecosystem that benefits both employers and employees,” he added.
According to the AUB, “HelloBale” allows users of the HelloMoney app to make a single cash advance ranging from P1,000 to as much as P15,000, in increments of P100.
The credit limit (the maximum amount a user can avail in one payroll period) is predetermined by the bank through its credit initiation and evaluation process, the lender added.
Unlike other similar products,
also lead to a deterioration of the current account by between 0.1 to 0.15 percentage points.”
This sensitivity, Dacanay added, partly explains the peso’s weakness compared to other Asian currencies during periods of oil price surges.
Last week, BSP Deputy Governor Zeno Ronald R. Abenoja echoed this caution but noted that international oil prices have remained lower compared to last year.
“But even with the more recent numbers of international oil prices, it continues to be relatively lower than what we were seeing last year,” Abenoja said.
Despite the downside risks, HSBC expects the BSP to deliver another rate cut during the Monetary Board’s meeting in October. However, Dacanay said the timing could shift depending on the US Federal Reserve’s actions.
the loan carries zero interest but applies a processing fee deducted from the proceeds of the HelloBale loan availed.
Wilfredo E. Rodriguez Jr., head of AUB’s Operations and Technology Group, was quoted in the statement as saying the “milestone” “highlights the growing importance of fintech solutions in advancing financial inclusion in the country.”
“By leveraging our existing payroll relationships and digital wallet infrastructure, the platform has removed traditional barriers to credit access, enabling more Filipinos to meet their immediate financial needs without going through the usual lengthy approval process,” Rodriguez added.
In the first quarter, AUB’s consolidated net income reached P3.1 billion, a 34 percent increase from the P2.3 billion recorded in the same period last year.
According to the lender, this marked a 17-quarter streak of double-digit net income growth since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The AUB said the growth was “largely due to the bank’s lending activities and digital partnerships.”
The profitability of the bank was attributed to a 34 percent expansion in its loan portfolio to P252.6 billion from P188.4 billion a year ago. Asset quality continued to improve despite the loan growth, with its nonperforming loan (NPL) ratio at 0.35 percent from the previous year’s 0.47 percent, among the lowest in the industry. Cai U. Ordinario
“The BSP will make the next rate cut to be very data-dependent,” he said adding that the next cut will hinge on the real policy rate differential.
On June 19, BSP governor Eli Remolona Jr. said the central bank is keeping its options open, with three more policy meetings scheduled for the rest of the year: in August, October, and December.
“If things remain on track, then we will probably cut once more. Depending on the data, we may cut twice more; depending on the data, we may not cut at all. But for now, things remain on track, one more 25 basis points,” Remolona said last week.
Forecasts for 2026 and 2027 have been slightly revised upward at 3.4 percent (from 3.3 percent) and 3.3 percent (from 3.2 percent), respectively.
The newly-created Benefit Payment Appeals Office, a dedicated office of PhilHealth, is also seen to speed up the disposition of benefit claims and make the process more efficient.
PhilHealth is given one year to implement and centralize key services outlined in the GCG’s order.
For its part, the GCG said it will closely monitor PhilHealth’s progress and require quarterly reports
to ensure effective implementation of the restructuring.
The state health insurer has submitted its initial application and required preliminary documents for restricting last November 2022.
That year, the GCG approved a partial restructuring of PhilHealth following a Memorandum from the Executive Secretary focused on evaluating PhilHealth’s performance and the need for its corporate restructuring.
PhilHealth is an attached agency of the Department of Health and is responsible for coordinating policies and guidance for the administration of the National Health Insurance Program at the central and local levels.
The GCG, meanwhile, has the authority to assess and determine whether a GOCC should be reorganized, merged, streamlined, abolished or privatized, in consultation with the department or agency to which the GOCC is attached.
Why associations matter Part two: Sustaining competitiveness
THE second part of this threepart series highlights how associations foster lifelong learning, leadership development, mentorship, and research to build a future-ready workforce.
In an era defined by disruption, globalization, and rapid technological advancement, staying relevant and resilient is a formidable challenge for professionals, industries, and entire economies. Associations serve as critical enablers in this landscape by committing resources and energy to one of the most sustainable competitive advantages available: human and intellectual capital.
Lifelong learning as a strategic imperative
ASSOCIATIONS are champions of lifelong learning. They recognize that knowledge has a short shelf life in today’s dynamic environment, and they respond by curating up-to-date, relevant educational content tailored to their members’ evolving needs.
From entry-level training programs to advanced executive courses, associations offer structured opportunities for continuous skill building. These initiatives often align with emerging industry trends, regulatory changes, or technological shifts, ensuring that members remain at the forefront of their professions.
Through virtual learning platforms, in-person seminars, conferences, and self-paced certifications, associations democratize access to knowledge, often at a scale and costefficiency unmatched by commercial education providers.
Professional development and mentorship
BEYOND technical skills, associations also emphasize leadership development, ethics, and strategic thinking—qualities essential for career progression and organizational success. They nurture talent pipelines by providing members with mentorship opportunities, networking forums, and career advancement resources.
Mentorship, in particular, is a defining feature of the association experience. Seasoned professionals pass down hard-won insights to emerging leaders, creating a cycle of growth that sustains the profession over generations. Associations often formalize these relationships through mentorship programs that, not only transfer knowledge, but also foster belonging and purpose.
Advancing research and thought leadership ASSOCIATIONS do more than just respond to change; they help shape it. By commissioning, conducting, or disseminating research, associations become engines of thought leadership within their domains. Their publications, white papers, and policy briefs often influence public discourse and regulatory frameworks.
Importantly, associations are trusted conveners of multi-stakeholder dialogue. They create platforms where academia, industry, government, and civil society intersect. These exchanges fuel innovation, identify future trends, and produce insights that individual actors alone may not be able to achieve.
This collective intelligence strengthens industries, informs policymaking, and contributes to broader social understanding. Building a competitive workforce and industry ALL of these efforts culminate in stronger individual professionals, more resilient organizations, and more competitive industries. Associations act as talent incubators and innovation accelerators. They ensure that their sectors can adapt to change, meet new demands, and contribute meaningfully to economic growth. They also help smaller enterprises and independent professionals access the same learning and development tools typically available only to larger companies, leveling the playing field and supporting inclusive growth. Associations don’t just support professionals; they shape the future of professions.
In Part 3 of this series, we’ll examine how associations drive economic development by enabling trade, innovation, and industry advancement at both the domestic and global level.
Octavio Peralta is the founder and volunteer
Octavio Peralta
World
Where to savor beloved Pinoy and reimagined Thai dishes
BY now, most Filipinos here and abroad have probably seen the Manila episode by humorist and now food presenter Phil Rosenthal on his eponymous Netflix show, Somebody Feed Phil.
Like the late Chef Anthony Bourdain’s feature on the Phiippines on his show Parts Unknown, Phil’s touchpoint on his trip to Manila is personal as well. Their introduction to Filipino food are through our overseas Filipino workers—Vangie, the nanny of Bourdain’s daughter, and Isabelita, the caregiver of
BY PAULINE JOY M. GUTIERREZ
ALMOST 20 years since a Filipino last stood on top of the world, 30-year-old Jeno Panganiban has made history, becoming the youngest Filipino male and the 11th Filipino to summit Mount Everest.
Panganiban now joins a small league of Filipino climbers who have reached the world’s highest point. The first was Leo Oracion in 2006, followed closely by Dale Abenojar, Pastor Emata, and Romi Garduce. In 2007, the all-Filipina team of Carina Dayondon, Noelle Wenceslao, and Janet Belarmino became the first Southeast Asian women to successfully traverse the mountain. Regie Pablo was the last Filipino to scale Everest before this year’s milestone.
A computer science graduate from De La Salle University, Panganiban began his journey in the most unassuming of ways: as a college student lured into hiking by friends’ social media posts. His first summit, Mount Talamitam in Batangas, came at age 21. Nine years later, he completed the Everest expedition, alongside fellow climbers Rick Rabe and
Rosenthal’s parents Max and Helen.
I must admit watching the Manila episode brought me to tears. It was filled with so much love and sincerity toward our culture, and toward the people and restaurateurs who serve up our delicious Filipino cuisine. It also showed a gamut of choices for every kind of diner, from budget carinderias and mid-ranged restaurants serving traditional comfort dishes, to posh dining outlets and their celebrity chefs.
The first dish featured on the episode is Taho, the way most Filipinos start their morning. We see Phil walking around Intramuros (until it rains) and gets his first introduction to the silken-sweet soybean snack.
I was so happy to see Trellis featured and its good old Sisig. (Bravo, Erwan Heusaff! We forgive you for your taho-and-uncooked-sago snafu.) Trellis was our favorite watering hole off Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City, where once upon a time students from the University of the Philippines butted heads with government officials on policy. (Until they joined the government, too.)
As a one-time government employee, my office colleagues and I would hang out at Trellis to down our cold brewskies while having the steaming sisig on a sizzling plate, with garlic rice on the side. (Other favorites there include Lechon Kawali, Crispy Pata, Pinaputok na Tilapia, Gising-Gising, Kangkong in Oyster Sauce, etc.) We ate, talked and made merry even through the stifling heat (the area was cooled by just overhead ceiling fans), but it was relief when the monsoon rains came. Sisig, beer, friends, and a downpour? Perfect combination.
I haven’t visited Trellis in 20 years, but I have ordered from them during the pandemic and just recently, after watching Phil enjoying it with his San Miguel beer. It is still the same after all these years. The secret of Trellis is consistency and thus dependability. No matter how many restaurants open serving what influencers describe as elevated Filipino cuisine, most people will still rely on Trellis (or Bistro Remedios, or Milky Way) for Filipino comfort food. Aling Sosings, a popular carinderia in the outskirts
Miguel Mapalad. “It’s not a light undertaking, and it’s not for everyone,” adding that it took years of deliberate, disciplined preparation Panganiban said during his Century Tuna Homecoming at the Westin Hotel in Mandaluyong.
To chase his mountaineering dreams, Panganiban left behind his job as a software engineer and built his own distribution business, selling fruits and vegetables across Metro Manila. The shift gave him the flexibility and the time to train full-time. “I needed my life to make space for the mountains,” he shared. His Everest dream took root in 2022, when he first visited the mountain’s Base Camp. What followed were two challenging test climbs: Nepal’s Mount Manaslu, the eighth-highest mountain in the world at 8,163 meters, and—just two weeks later—the technical ascent of Ama Dablam, known for its knifeedge ridges and ice-covered rock walls.
By April 2025, Panganiban was back in Nepal
By Eugenia Last
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Raise your voice, share your thoughts and make a difference. Refuse to let what others think steal your focus or turn your energy into anger. Wisdom and common sense are your tickets to success. Engage in a positive change process, and associate with those who
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): With change comes choices and decisions that aren’t always
Invest time and effort to ensure you make meaningful decisions that are not disruptive to you or those you love. Review every detail and stick to the rules and regulations to avoid penalties. ★★★
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Align yourself with those who share your objectives. Do your part to gain access to those who have the power to bring about change. Let your diplomacy lead the way, and you’ll gain inside information that will help you advance. Become part of the solution, and you’ll encounter someone who stirs your emotions. ★★★★
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Spend more time nurturing what’s important to you. Your relationships will suffer if you lack compassion or neglect those vying for your approval or attention. Base your choices on necessity, and be willing to live with the consequences. ★★
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Take care of your money, possessions and emotional well-being. Financial gains are apparent if you are astute regarding your investments. A job offer will require you to sell yourself as the perfect candidate. Show your desire and interest in learning and excelling to meet their demands. Secure your personal and professional prospects. 5 stars
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Research, fact-check and question anyone pushing you to follow the herd. Ask questions and look for options that make you feel comfortable. Rethink a partnership that lacks equality, and consider how to extricate yourself to avoid loss or the inability to take your desired path legally. ★★★
AQUARIUS (Jan.
‘Jaws’ changed movies forever, but Hollywood could still learn from it
WHERE TO SAVOR BELOVED PINOY AND REIMAGINED THAI DISHES
Continued from B4
of Makati, was also featured by Phil. It was a favorite lunch destination for us journalists covering the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The old owners were still alive then, while a long line of posh cars bearing professionals from the nearby business district were parked along the carinderia’s sidewalk, displacing the jeepney drivers who used to congregate and eat there. The old owners have passed away and the biz execs are gone, but sometimes I still dream of Aling Sosings’ nilagang baka and its tender meat, and the braised tuna fish eggs. We also had inihaw na isda and adobong manok, but it’s the nilagang baka which hit the spot most often.
As is Phil’s practice, he ends the Manila episode gathering all the restaurateurs and chefs he had met during his visit; this time they all meet up at Grace Park, owned by the late Chef Patron Margarita “Gaita” Fores. It was heartwarming to see Manang G. again, explaining the dishes of her beloved Negros Occidental, and the minute details of each ingredient.
It felt like a replay of the presscon I attended last September for the Negros Trade Fair, when Manang G. animatedly explained why there was a beer bottle inside the lechon and what were the elements of the Adobong Pitaw (snipes or field birds). And before the closing credits roll, we find out that it had been dedicated to Manang G. and heck, that really moved me to tears.
What a great honor for her family and the Philippines for Phil to consider her a friend and to feature major dishes from many parts of the country. And that’s what Filipino cuisine is about—it’s a sincere devotion to the memory of good food and choice ingredients, the recipes passed down from generations, served up to gather family and friends. Thank you, Phil! Don’t be stranger.
nnn
IF you still have a hangover from season 3 of The White Lotus, the next best thing is to head on over to AzuThai, which to me is among the leading Thai restaurants in Manila. AzuThai is a consistent recipient of the Thai Select honor given by the Thai Ministry of Commerce to outstanding Thai restaurants, which signify the establishment’s adherence to authentic flavors and traditional cooking techniques.
Owned by siblings Chef J. Gamboa and Malu Gamboa-Lindo, AzuThai has unwrapped a special menu sure to delight the discriminating tastes of Filipinos and foreign diners. Chef J. tells me that they just wanted to create new specials “for fun. These were inspired by TikTok recipes!”
Among the new specials, my favorites are: the sweet and citrusy Creamy Pomelo Salad with shrimp and chicken, which is so refreshing with an extra lift provided by a coconut-lime sauce. The Hot and Sour Salmon Soup is typical of the tom yum soups served at AzuThai—sweet, slightly spice and tangy—but the use of salmon makes the dish heftier and more modern.
Using a flour batter and deep-fried, the CrispyFried Squid remains tender and pairs well with a nice Thai sweet chili sauce. Serving up another delighftul crunch are the Giant Crispy Pork and Shrimp Wontons, which was meaty and flavorful. It also goes well with the sweet chili sauce. But the star of the show is the Massaman Lamb Shank, with the meat falling off the bone, bathed in a sauce that was fragrant and nutty with spices. It is a delicate curry that has to be poured over and mixed in with the finely scented long-grain Thai rice, which, with every spoonful, combines so sweetly with each forkful of of lamb. AzuThai normally uses a lamb shoulder for this dish, but Chef J. explains, “A lamb shank looks more impressive, and it’s less fatty.” Rounding off a great meal is the Ruamit or Thai halo-halo, which has sweet corn, gelatin, tapioca pearls with shaved ice and coconut milk; and the Mango with Sticky Rice Ice Cream Sundae, which takes the classic Thai dessert,and serves it with mango ice cream topped by coconut cream and toasted rice.
As delicate as Rick and Chelsea’s romance, it also lasts forever as my love for Thai food and AzuThai. AzuThai is on the ground floor of the Milkyway Building, 900 Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road) corner Paseo de Roxas, Makati.
For inquiries and reservations, call 8813-0671 or 8817-6252.
NBy Jake Coyle The Associated Press
EW YORK—Fifty years after Jaws sunk its teeth into us, we’re still admiring the bite mark.
Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film, his second feature, left such a imprint on culture and Hollywood that barely any trip to the movies, let alone to the beach, has been the same since.
Few films have been more perfectly suited to their time and place than Jaws, which half a century ago unspooled across the country in a then-novel wide release accompanied by Universal Pictures’ openingweekend publicity blitz. Jaws wasn’t quite the first movie to try to gobble up moviegoers whole, in one mouthful (a few years earlier, The Godfather more or less tried it), but Jaws established—and still in many ways defines—the summer movie.
That puts Jaws at the birth of a trend that has since consumed Hollywood: the blockbuster era. When it launched in 409 theaters on June 20, 1975, and grossed a then-record $7.9 million in its first days, Jaws set the template that’s been followed ever-after by every action movie, superhero flick or dinosaur film that’s tried to go big in the summer—a sleepy time in theaters before Jaws came around.
And yet the Jaws legacy is so much more than being Hollywood’s ur-text blockbuster. It’s not possible to, 50 years later, watch Spielberg’s film and see nothing but the beginning of a box-office bonanza, or the paler fish it’s inspired. It’s just too good a movie—and too much unlike so many wannabes since—to be merely groundbreaking. It’s a masterpiece in its own right.
“It supercharged the language of cinema,” the filmmaker Robert Zemeckis says in the upcoming documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, premiering July 10 on National Geographic. That documentary, with Spielberg’s participation, is just a small part of the festivities that have accompanied the movie’s anniversary. Martha’s Vineyard, where Jaws was shot, is hosting everything from concerts to Jaws-themed dog dress-ups. Jaws, itself, is streaming on Peacock through July 14, along with a prime-time airing on Friday on NBC, with an intro from Spielberg. The Jaws anniversary feels almost more like a national holiday—and appropriately so.
But if Jaws is one of the most influential movies ever made, Hollywood hasn’t always drawn the right lessons from it. “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” has perhaps been taken too literally in movies that have leaned too much on scale and spectacle, when neither of those things really had much to do with the brilliance of Spielberg’s classic.
For the film’s 50th anniversary, we looked at some of the things today’s Hollywood could learn from Jaws 50 years later.
LOCAL COLOR
EVERY time I rewatch Jaws—which I highly recommend doing on some projected screen, even a bedsheet, and preferably with an ocean nearby—I marvel at how much it gets from its Martha’s Vineyard setting.
Where US-made film productions are shot has been a hot button issue lately. Various incentives often determine movie shooting locations, with set dressings, or CGI, filling in the rest. But Jaws shows you just how much more than tax credits you can get from a locale.
Spielberg was convinced the adaptation of Peter Benchley’s novel—inspired by Benchley’s childhood summers on Nantucket—shouldn’t be done in soundstages. After looking up and down the Atlantic coast, he settled on Nantucket’s neighboring island. Like his first film, the Mojave Desert-set Duel Spielberg wanted his mechanized shark to swim in a real, definable place. It wasn’t easy. The budget for Jaws nearly tripled
to $9 million and the shoot extended from 55 to 159 days. Spielberg would never again be under financial pressure on a picture, but the tortured Jaws production put him under a microscope. An AP report from 1975 began: “It is news when a 26-year-old film director goes $2 million over budget and two and a half months over schedule and manages to avoid getting fired.”
More than any other time in his career, Spielberg fretted.
Jaws was my Vietnam,” he told Richard Schickel. “It was basically naive people against nature and nature beat us every day.”
It also infused every inch of the frame with smalltown New England flavor in the way that no soundstage, or CGI, ever could.
LESS IS MORE
WHEN Spielberg was ready to start filming, his star attraction wasn’t. The mechanized shark, nicknamed “Bruce” after the director’s attorney, suffered frequent failures that forced Spielberg to find different approaches to shooting his shark scenes early in the film.
Jaws instead became, to Spielberg, a kind of homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. The suspense came less from the shark than the fear of the unknown and that spine-tingling question: What’s in the water? Spielberg, with the significant aid of John Williams’ instantly iconic score, delayed the appearance of his Great White until well into the film.
“The visual ellipsis,” the critic Molly Haskell wrote, “created far greater menace and terror, as the shark is nowhere and everywhere.”
Spielberg once estimated that Bruce’s mechanical delays added $175 million to the movie’s box office. On its initial run, Jaws grossed $260.7 million domestically in 1975. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $1.5 billion. Nowadays, the shark would almost certainly be done, like most movie creatures, with
computer animation. But Jaws showed that often the most powerful source of dread is our imagination.
HUMAN-SCALE
THIS is the time of year when the fate of the world often hangs in the balance. All manner of summer movies have had no bones about destroying cities for a mere plot point. Yet for all its terror, Jaws features only a handful of deaths. All of its drama is human-scaled. Compared to more swaggering blockbusters today, Jaws would be considered a modest, mid-budget movie. That’s partially why you have to almost remind yourself that the movie has only three main characters in Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Quint (Robert Shaw). Casting director Sherry Rhodes peopled the cast with locals from the island, many of whom inject the film with little moments of day-to-day humanity. Jaws, in that way, feels more like a community than a cast.
‘JAWS’
IS UNTOUCHABLE
THERE are boatloads of movies—including the three sequels that followed after—that have tried in vain to capture some of the magic of Jaws. But what happened in June 1975, let alone on Martha’s Vineyard the year before, isn’t repeatable. Even the greatest movies are products of a thousand small miracles. That title? Benchley came up with it minutes before going to print. The iconic poster came from Roger Kastel’s painting for the book. Scheider, for instance, learned about the movie by overhearing Spielberg at a party. Williams relied on just two notes for one of the most widely known film scores in movie history. But no ingredient mattered more on Jaws than the man behind the camera. Filmmaking talents like Spielberg come around maybe a couple times a century, and in Jaws, he emerged, spectacularly. What’s maybe most striking about Jaws 50 years later is how much it still doesn’t look like anything else.
Youngest Filipino to summit Everest returns home
Continued from B4
for the real thing, supported by family, friends and Century Tuna, which came on board as his sponsor for the climb. This, he described as one which “pushed him to the edge of human endurance.”
“You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable,” he said, adding that they trained their bodies daily to adapt to extreme cold, thin air, and exhaustion.
“Everything had to be working in sync: my body, my gear, my mind.”
On the morning of May 17, amid heavy snowfall and a brief snowstorm, Panganiban began his final push. From Camp 4—located nearly 8,000 meters above sea level—he boiled snow for drinking water, rationed supplies, and braced himself for a night climb. At 6:30 pm, he set off for the summit. By then, his Sherpa guide had fainted and was forced to descend, leaving Panganiban to climb solo in the darkness.
“I was alone, switching out my supplemental oxygen around 8,400 meters. The wind was strong. It was freezing. I didn’t look up; I just focused on each step—one step, one breath at a time,” he recalled. Then came sunrise. “You see the best sunrise ever, and it’s unlike anything you can see anywhere else.”
“That was the moment I knew—I was higher than the clouds, higher than any mountain in sight. As I approached the summit, I could already see the curvature of the Earth.”
Just before 7 am, Jeno Panganiban stood at the top of the world. “For 15 minutes, I was the highest person on Earth, figuratively and literally. And I was there to raise the Philippine flag.” Heto na. Top of the world. Para sa inang bayan, Pilipinas. Para sa mga Pilipino,” he wrote in a social media post. The descent took another five hours, navigating steep, icy terrain. But he made it down safely—and he
has already set his sights on the next summit. “This is my off-season to recover, but training resumes next month,” Panganiban said. “By September, I’m climbing again—another 8,000-meter peak in Nepal [Mount Dhaulagiri]. Then in June 2026, I’m aiming for K2.”
Often called the “Savage Mountain,” K2 is the second-highest peak in the world, next only to Mount Everest. It lies in the Karakoram Range, straddling a Chinese-administered enclave of the Kashmir region within the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Gilgit-Baltistan portion of Kashmir under Pakistani administration. K2 is notorious for its treacherous climbing conditions and frequent, severe storms. But for Panganiban, it’s the next logical step.
“There’s always a higher purpose in every climb,” he said. “This journey is bigger than me. It’s about pushing boundaries, for myself and the Philippines.”
THE cast of Jaws Robert Shaw (from left), Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss—in a publicity photo prior to the release of the film in 1975.
Savor the World’s Best Flavors at Okada Manila
Okada Manila, the Forbes 5-star integrated resort unveils its newest dining campaign, The World’s Best Flavors in One Destination, an invitation to experience authentic and elevated cuisine from all over the world.
“Dining at Okada Manila is more than just having a great dining experience,” said Andreas Balla, Vice President for Food and Beverage. “It’s about discovering flavors from around the world, crafted with care by our excellent chefs who are passionate about what they do. We want our guests to feel like they’ve traveled the world every time they dine at Okada Manila’s signature restaurants.”
The campaign also features noted personalities Arvic Tan, Cathrena Chen, Gerick Manalo, Jerome Sang, and Yuki Sonoda, capturing their explorations and experiences as they sample the Okada Manila’s best culinary offerings.
With interiors filled with chochin, or traditional Japanese lanterns, Enbu transports guests to the heart of Japan.
From fresh-off-the-grill kushiyaki and comforting ramen bowls to modern interpretations of sushi, Enbu offers a contemporary take on iconic Japanese fare.
For a dive into Tokyo’s culinary artistry, Ginza Nagaoka presents an omakase course composed of premium sushi that showcases a delicate balance of expertly prepared rice and pristine seafood sourced exclusively from Japan. Meanwhile, Kappou Yoshi offers a refined experience with its Kyoto-inspired culinary experience, emphasizing seasonal ingredients and elegant presentation.
Celebrating the soul of Filipino cuisine, Kiapo delivers updated heirloom recipes that evoke the warmth of the
Filipino home. Dishes such as Sizzling Bulalo and Turon Malagkit reinterpret tradition with creativity and care.
The rich and diverse flavors of East Asia are further explored at Goryeo, specializing in Korean cuisine, from premium meats perfect for grilling to other traditional dishes like the hearty Galbijjim.
For a trip down China’s flavorful roads, there are exceptional restaurants to explore. Red Spice tantalizes taste buds with fiery Sichuan and classic Cantonese favorites, offering a dynamic array of Chinese regional dishes. For those seeking a more refined Chinese dining experience, Yu Lei delivers elevated Shanghainese specialties, meticulously crafted to perfection.
Journey to the sun-drenched streets of Italy with a bite of La Piazza’s handmade pasta. This signature restaurant proudly serves regional
AT The Whisky Library, the evening begins long before the first pour. The home to the largest whisky collection in Manila is a distinguished destination that transforms each night into a carefully curated experience. Here, spirits are elevated by setting, sound, and storytelling, with weekly offerings that invite guests to relax and unwind.
Start the night with Happy Hour, daily from 5 pm to 8 pm at P1,200 nett. This early evening ritual sets a relaxed yet refined tone, featuring selections from the classic cocktails, single malts, tequilas, and more. These signature pours and light bites offer an elegant introduction to the rhythms that shape the rest of the night. On Tuesdays, Rhythm and Spirits invites guests to indulge in an evening where music and mixology move in harmony. From 8 pm to 12 midnight at P1,500 nett, live instrumental performances led by a soulful saxophonist provide a rich backdrop to a generous pour-all-you-like experience. Drinks such as the Whiskey Sour, Espresso
Italian cuisine, capturing the authentic tastes and traditions of Italy’s diverse culinary landscape.
For diners with an appetite for variety, Medley Buffet offers a truly global experience, presenting a lavish spread of world-class dishes from various international cuisines.
Guests seeking a quieter interlude can retreat to the Lobby Lounge and Pastry Shop, which offers international comfort food, afternoon tea, and a curated collection of pastries in a relaxed, elegant setting.
From fine dining to casual indulgence, Okada Manila offers a distinct culinary experience that brings the world’s flavors within reach. With every dish, guests are invited to explore, discover, and savor. At Okada Manila, each dish tells a story and every flavor is a passport to another culture. Learn more: https://okadamanila.com/dine/
all public schools are all set in time for class opening. This year’s theme is “Samasama Para sa Bayang Bumabasa.”
Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, this is the 11th year that EK is supporting the program in line with its commitment to nation-building and education.
Since 2012, EK has turned over a total of 14 refurbished kindergarten classrooms in nearby schools, ensuring that students have access to fun, safe, and magical learning environments.
The premier theme park’s very own maintenance personnel repaired and upgraded the lighting and electrical system of the classrooms as well as added furniture and shelves; while their visual artists brightened the atmosphere by painting EK’s beloved characters and core values into the classroom walls.
EK President and Chairman Cesar Mario Mamon expressed their commitment not only to expand their reach for Brigada Eskwela, but also to bring even more magical and educational experiences that go beyond the four corners of the classroom.
“Education is vital in our future plans because we want to provide an alternative classroom—that when you go to Enchanted Kingdom, students will be able to appreciate and learn about different subjects,” he shared.
In a separate meeting with Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara, Mayor Arlene Arcillas, and officials from the Schools Division Office of Santa Rosa City, EK affirmed their support to all of DepEd’s plans and programs.
The turnover ceremony was graced by Santa Rosa City Vice Mayor Arnold Arcillas with Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) for Santa Rosa Hereberto Jose Miranda, CESO VI; Education Program Supervisor (EPS) for Kindergarten and Special Education (SPED) Maribel De Vera; Cluster III Public Schools District Supervisor (PSDS) Soledad Baylon; Barangay Caingin Captain Edwin Servo; Caingin Elementary School Principal III Guadalupe Factoriza; School Parent-Teacher Association (SPTA) President Josephine Mandala, teachers, parents, and students.
For more information and updates regarding these along with EK’s other upcoming events and offers, visit https://www.enchantedkingdom.ph and EK’s official social media accounts @enchantedkingdom.ph for Facebook and Tiktok, and @ek_philippines for Instagram.
Martini, and Tamnavulin Red Wine Cask highlight a menu that balances bold tradition with contemporary charm. Midweek unfolds with grace through Ladies’ Night, held every Wednesday from 9 pm to 1:30 am at P1,200 nett. Curated exclusively for women, the experience includes a selection of bespoke cocktails and access to the Tonic Temptress station. Guests craft their ideal gin and tonic from a premium assortment of gins sourced from England and Italy, elevated with artisanal mixers and garnishes such as dried citrus, edible flowers, and juniper berries. Each glass becomes a personal expression— tailored, elegant, and distinctly memorable.
Beware of Scams Using the Name of PhilHealth Head
THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) issues this public warning to alert everyone about fraudulent messages falsely claiming that Dr. Edwin M. Mercado, Acting President and Chief Executive Officer (APCEO) of PhilHealth, is requesting individuals to deposit money while he is in a crucial meeting and will be reimbursed afterwards.
Below are the GCASH details and Viber Name provided by the scammer: GCASH Number: 0938-4354071
NAME: MIEEL BRIIN LIIN
VIBER NAME: PCEO MERCADO
EDWIN M VIBER Number: 0961-8296586
PhilHealth categorically states that
APCEO Mercado has not authorized, initiated, or endorsed any such request. Any message or communication suggesting otherwise is fraudulent and should be treated with extreme caution.
If you receive such messages, do not respond, do not send money, and report the incident immediately to PhilHealth or the appropriate authorities. You may contact our Corporate Action Center through our 24/7 hotlines: Landline: (02) 8662-2588; Smart: 0998-857-2957 / 0968-865-4670; Globe: 0917-127-5987 / 0917-110-9812.
Let us remain vigilant and help prevent the spread of scams that undermine public trust.
WILCON Depot continues to strengthen its presence in the construction and home improvement industry as it joined the 4th PhilConstruct Visayas from June 19 to 21, 2025, at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, Lahug. The retail company featured its most sought-after exclusive brands, including Hills, Rubi, Heim, and Alphalux.
Organized by the Philippine Constructors Association, Inc. (PCA), PhilConstruct Visayas stands as the premier construction trade show in the region. The event brings together industry leaders, professionals, and innovators to showcase the latest in construction technologies, materials, equipment, and design.
The Visayas region remains a key market to Wilcon Depot, home to 12 thriving branches, each serving as a hub for construction professionals, homeowners, and industry stakeholders. Wilcon’s strong presence across the regions reflects the growing demand for quality home improvement and building solutions in the area.
Most recently, Wilcon strengthened its foothold in the region with the grand opening of its Cordova, Cebu branch last May 23, further expanding its reach, reaffirming its commitment to making top-notch products and services more accessible to Visayan communities.
Expo attendees had the opportunity to explore a wide selection of Wilcon’s trusted product lines from Hills’ professional-grade power tools to Rubi’s advanced tiling solutions, Heim’s functional and stylish home interior collections, and Alphalux’s energy-efficient lighting innovations. These brands collectively embody Wilcon’s promise of delivering high-quality, accessible solutions for builders, professionals, and homeowners.
Beyond product displays, visitors to Wilcon’s booth can expect hands-on demonstrations and exclusive offers. The booth will serve as an experiential space where innovation meets functionality, allowing guests to engage with the product in a technical and practical context. PhilConstruct Visayas 2025 is an annual event hosting hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of industry participants. Alongside the exhibit, the event features a rich lineup of educational seminars, fostering an environment of learning and collaboration among professionals and suppliers.
Since its inception, Wilcon Depot has consistently supported industry events that promote growth, sustainability, and excellence within the construction and design fields. Its involvement in Philconstruct Visayas reflects its continuous drive to connect with regional markets and support local communities through innovation and partnership.
Visit Wilcon Depot Visayas branches in BacolodTalisay City, Negros Occidental; Cordova, Cebu; Dauis, Bohol; Jaro, Iloilo; Makato, Aklan; Mandaue City, Cebu; Ormoc City, Leyte;
From modern interpretations of sushi to fresh-off-the-grill kushiyaki, and comforting ramen bowls, Enbu transports guests to the heart of Japan.
PNA file photo by Joan Bondoc
Whisky Library at Newport World Resorts
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Motoring
GASTRONOMIC RUN WITH THE FORD TERRITORY SPORT
Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino
MORE than two years after its debut, the Next-Generation Ford Territory is keeping up with its bigger and bolder design. So, when Ford Philippines hosted another experiential drive following its initial flight almost two years ago, it was the kind of reunion we could not pass up. Even better, we got to test the latest Sport variant.
For
prominent dark trims were added all over, like the pronounced integrated honeycomb grille now in a Satin Black finish. It better complemented the slim headlightslike daytime running lamps. The full-LED headlights fitted lower in the bumper area are now more prominent, thanks to more dark trims in the lower portion.
All the metallic trims are now darkened to match the sporty theme. Complementing these fresh dark accents are the new Ebony Black 19-inch multi-spoke rims, which matched the dark plastic claddings in the wheel arcs.
Still, the main highlight is the all-digital dashboard with a single broad display panel for drive information, function settings, and entertainment systems. But Sporty variant’s “Domino & Chalk” interior theme created an entirely different ambiance. Those carbon fiber-like finishes are obviously for the sporty vibe, including the matching orange lining to separate the dark and light seat, sidings, and dash leather materials.
Overall, it was like we boarded inside an entirely different car. Of course, the tech-loaded dash highlights a large 12-inch central touch screen spread to the sides, incorporating another 12-inch digital instrument cluster. The rotary gear e-shifter with another knob clustered with other buttons to access audio and other function controls is still present. Even the dual-zone aircon is still touchoperated.
Other premium tech features include push-button ignition, electronic parking brake, wireless
charging, USB Type C and Type A
charging (rear passenger access), and Wireless Apple Carplay® and Android Auto™ capability. Still, the absolutely generous cabin space is the first to impress, thanks to the higher roofline creating enough head space for rear passengers. Then, the longer wheelbase resulted in more legroom, particularly in the back area.
Comfort-wise, the leather seats are perforated and ventilated with 10-way power adjustments for the driver and four-way manual adjustment for the front passenger (standard). Cargo-wise, the vehicle has storage compartments and a big trunk that can hold up to 448 liters. That is enough to fit two large-size luggage and some sporting gear.
Boosted power
ANOTHER primary feature of the latest Territory is the boosted powertrain. Motivation comes from a Ford EcoBoost 1.5-liter turbocharged engine. Even better, it is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission sevenspeed wet-clutch DCT, ditching the predecessors’ CVT. Power bumped to 157 hp and 248 N-m of torque. Various drive modes are available,
such as Eco, Normal, Mountain, and Sport.
Reunited experience
THE usual route via SLEX, CALAX, and Aguinaldo Highway going to Alfonso, Cavite, has enough varying scenarios to test the NextGen Territory’s capabilities. On straights, acceleration was swift and effortless, as expected from the boosted motor. However, the new transmission still gets us every time it keeps the engine within its optimum ranges. Still, the torque registration was smoother than ever, thanks to the seamless and timely upshifting.
We occasionally switched to Sport or Mountain mode. Here, the gear shifting retains at higher optimum rpm ranges and does the same for engine braking. In this setting, climbing the winding ascents is the least worrying. Entering and exiting tight turns were still impressive, with good steering feedback at the correct braking point. The stability control took over in maintaining the vehicle’s form despite the large frame.
The familiarity with switching between drive modes as needed via the center display panel was easier the second time around. Still, a
physical button would have been a better choice to switch on the fly. On the other hand, the combination of Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Aid was at best in terms of being reactive in real-time.
Safe and convenient
THE Sport variant is equipped with several Advanced DriverAssist Technologies. These include Active Park Assist, 360-degree Camera, Blind Spot Information System with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Hill Launch Assist and Hill Descent Control, and Tire Pressure Monitoring System. Other features include Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Stop & Go, Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Aid, Forward Collision Warning, and Autonomous Emergency Braking. Moreover, the 360-degree camera is a plus factor in parking tasks. The vehicle’s large frame can easily pass through tight and blind spots, thanks to the large center display with various view angles. Of course, there is the Active Park Assist. When engaged, the vehicle autonomously and effortlessly handles parallel and perpendicular parking situations through the touch of a button.
Electrification issues; commercial segment scores big
THE May results of vehicle sales reflected a struggling industry, even as trends worldwide indicate a car ownership that is a bit withdrawing from electric vehicle (EV) inclination. That’s understandable, given that EVs had been reported lately as having been struck by accidents like fires and other mechanical breakdowns, not to mention battery shelf-life issues. Anyway, everybody’s agreed that EVs are yet to be perfected. Concerns on environmental safety, like disposal of batteries, persist, forcing nature-lovers to act indifferently toward electrification.
It will take a little more time before EVs could take full control of the automotive platform.
Meanwhile, here’s a report from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA).
“The latest industry data showed sales reaching 190,429 units sold YTD as of May 2025, reflecting a modest 1.7 percent growth versus the same period last year (187,191 units). The market has been gaining momentum primarily driven by the thriving Commercial Vehicle (CV) segment.
“For the month of May alone, the industry posted 39,775 units sold, marking a significant 18.4 percent increase month-on-month (MoM) from April 2025 and showcasing the market’s resilience and ongoing recovery.
“‘We are encouraged by the industry’s sustained growth, especially with commercial vehicles driving overall performance. This reaffirms the significant role of the automotive sector in supporting the country’s economic activities,’” said Atty. Rommel R. Gutierrez, president of CAMPI.
“With strong momentum heading into the second half of the year, CAMPI remains confident in the automotive industry’s positive performance. Continued collaboration between government and industry stakeholders will be key to sustaining this growth.
“Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. remains the dominant market player with 48.13 percent share, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation with 19.23 percent , Nissan Philippines, Inc. 5.19 percent , Suzuki Philippines, Inc. 4.68 percent and Ford Group Philippines 4.49 percent.”
It is still six months to go more or less and given the volatility of the market, the industry is expected to score big in light of consumer confidence and government support.
It is noteworthy that the country hit a record high in sales in 2024, selling a total of 467,252 units. If trends remain on course, the industry may yet score an all-time high of halfa-million sales by yearend.
For the record, sales of 429,807 was recorded in 2023, 352,596 in
2022, 268,488 in 2021, 223,793 in 2020 and 369,941 in 2019—2019 being the year before the two-year pandemic struck and almost ground to a halt manufacturing. Always, there’s no way but up when calamities stall operations.
Lexus athletes
LEXUS proudly welcomes two worldclass athletes to its growing roster of global brand partners: Wataru Endo, captain of the Japan National Football Team and midfielder for Liverpool FC, and Kanoa Igarashi, elite professional surfer and Olympic silver medalist. Both embody the spirit of relentless ambition and precision—qualities that resonate deeply with the Lexus brand.
Here’s Joaquin Francisco Guevara again: “This partnership reflects Lexus’ commitment to individuals who go beyond limits in pursuit of mastery. With this collaboration, Lexus will support Endo and Igarashi through a variety of initiatives that amplify their achievements on and off the field.
Endo
A FIXTURE in global football, Endo joined Liverpool FC in 2023 and played a pivotal role in securing the club’s Premier League title in the 2024–2025 season. As captain of SAMURAI BLUE, Japan’s national team, Endo represents leadership, resilience, and focus—values that align with Lexus’ own pursuit of exceptional performance.
“‘The first car I ever drove as a professional was a Lexus,’” Endo said. “‘It’s an honor to now represent a brand I’ve long admired. Driving a Lexus in the UK as a Japanese athlete is a personal point of pride, and I remain dedicated to performing at my highest level for both club and country.’”
Igarashi
IGARASHI made history as the first Asian surfer to qualify for the WSL Championship Tour in 2016. A decade later, he remains one of the sport’s defining figures, with a silver medal from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and a World Surfing Games
title to his name. Surfing, much like driving, requires instinct, balance, and harmony with one’s surroundings—values that Lexus continues to refine through every model.
“‘Surfers see the car as an extension of the body—an essential part of the journey,’” said Igarashi.
THE latest Next-Gen Ford Territory Sport in a Lustrous Grey color
THE Sport variant’s techy dash with the new “Domino & Chalk” interior theme
Pacquiao in training: Never a dull moment
IBy Josef Ramos
T was a sight to behold—a Hall of Famer boxer, Manny Pacquiao, a Hall of Famer trainer, Freddie Roach, and a good old pal, the ubiquitous Buboy Fernandez, in a world-renowned gym where it all started, Wild Card.
Twas reminiscent of those golden years when Pacquiao, with his thunderous punches and charisma, marveled the world that made him the boxing icon that he is right now.
T he only difference was it’s the present time, Pacquiao now 46, and Roach now aged and slowed by age and Parkinson’s.
B ut for Pacquiao, the energy, passion and focus remained as his preparations for his July 19 fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas against World Boxing Council (WBC)
welterweight champion Mario Barrios of Mexico dwindled to 23 days.
“I’m really focused and very happy during my because I still do the usual things in training, all the hard work I still do, that’s the best there,” Pacquiao, who did the mitts and shadow boxed before entertaining questions during his media workout at Roach’s famous gym in Los Angeles on Thursday.
“I never experienced some dull moments, no laziness, as I always push myself to the limit, even though my coaches are telling me to stop,” said the eight-division world champion. “The fire is still here in my heart to do what I love most, and that is boxing.”
His training camp has been going on for a month—Sunday’s a day off—with jogging, er running, at Griffith Park before hitting the gym each morning.
In the gym to see Pacquiao in the flesh were Yokasta Valle, a three-division
champion from Costa Rica who’s currently the world straw weight titlist, and her sister Naomi, the reigning WBC world junior champion. Also present were internet sensation Neon and rapper D Smoke.
Pacquiao (62-8-2 win-loss-draw record with 39 knockouts) will fly to Las Vegas on July 14for the final phase of his training.
So far, I’m happy with my first 30 days in Los Angeles,” Pacquiao said. “We reached the level we wanted to accomplish. Right now and this weekend, we’re in heavy training before we wind down.”
“I want myself at 100 percent when I enter the ring on July 19,” he added. Pacquiao will be fighting a foe who’s 16 years younger, taller and with a longer reach.
Barrios (29-2-1 win-loss-draw record with 18 knockouts) is three inches taller
at six-foot-flat and his 71-inch reach four inches longer than Pacquiao.
MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons attended the media workout and said that the “People’s Champion” is getting fitter and stronger in the final push in conditioning and sparring.
“H e’s been getting fit and ready for this big push. He’s going to spar eight, 10 and 12 rounds starting today,” Gibbons said. “That is vintage Manny. The power and excitement are still there.”
Gib bons said Pacquiao simply wants to fight.
“He doesn’t have to be doing this, he’s not here for the money, he just likes to compete,” Gibbons said. “He wants to be at the highest level, thay’s what he’s been doing his whole life.”
American welterweight Saul Bustos, according to Gibbons, is Pacquiao’s sparring partner.
Baroquillo lead
list in Del Monte leg
DAVAO’S Soleil Molde and Kimberly Baroquillo dominated the girls’ 7-10 and 11-14 divisions, respectively, at the close of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Del Monte Junior Philippine Golf Tour (JPGT) Championships in Bukidnon on Thursday. In the boys’ side,
new Tagaytay City Velodrome along Crisanto de los Reyes Avenue to win gold and the P8,000 cash prize in the Women’s Under-23 category. But Camingao, carrying Victoria Sports Pro Cycling team, had to pour it all in the sprint to win the Men’s Under-23 title and bank P10,000 in the race organized by the PhilCycling and Tagaytay City headed by Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and presented by the MVP Sports Foundation.
A ngelica Mae Altamarino and Kim Bonilla completed the podium with Angelica Elvira and Angela Joy Marie Bermejo making the top five of the
women’s race that also offered cash prizes in the event—one of several that celebrated Tagaytay City’s 87th Charter Day anniversary.
RR King Roque claimed silver and Andrei Domingo, son of Tour Sprint King Enrique Domingo, were second and third, respectively, in the men’s contest with Dave Eeron Cangayao and Steven Nicolas Shane Tablizo making the magic five and also clinch cash prizes.
Jazmine Kaye Vinoya, Mary Gwennielle Francisco and Mhyka Marzan finished 1-2-3 in the Women’s Junior class and Darius John Villaseñor, Nathaniel Aquino and Sean Andrei Gatchalian in the Men’s Junior to join Day 1 winners on Wednesday Maritanya Krogg (Women Youth), Daniel Cortero (Men Youth), Juan Carlos Barrios (Masters B) and Ronnel Hualda (Masters A).
T he races end Friday with the Elite races for men and women with the winners bringing home gold medals and P10,000 each.
while playing. On every tee box, I always worry I might mess up,” admitted Baroquillo, who thanked her parents, uncles and aunts for their unwavering support since Day 1. Molde, who seized a three-shot lead after an opening-round 77, cruised to
“It was the
I
So I wish her a speedy recovery.” Eala, now world No. 77, earlier reached the quarterfinals of the WTA
SEASONED and rising stars from the SOCCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City) region are expected to vie in the 2025 Tatang Bibo Chess Festival which Koronadal City is hosting for
Challenger 25 Ilkley Open at Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club in West Yorkshire, England, bowing to last year’s champion and eventual runner-up Rebecca Marino of Canada, 6-1, 0-6, 6-7(4). A t Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, Eala made it to the Round of 16 by defeating Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti, 6-0, 6-1.
I
made new friends, and most of all, God helped me win,” said 8-year-old Molde, who hones her skills at Apo Golf. “I’m really happy with this victory.” Francesca Geroy, second after 18 holes in the event organized
A PHOTO worthy to be in a gallery—Manny Pacquiao working out with bosom buddy Buboy Fernandez with the legendary trainer Freddie Roach in the background and an enthusiastic media and fans recording the boxing icon’s every move. PHOTO JHAY OH OTAMIAS
CLAIRE WENIZAH VINOYA (center) with her fellow
finishers and PhilCycling secretary-general Atty. Billy Sumagui (fourth from left), commissaires Dominic Carpio and Renato Dolosa and PhilCycling staff.
