BusinessMirror March 15, 2026

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A LONG-OVERDUE FIX www.businessmirror.com.ph

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Sunday, March 15, 2026 Vol. 21 No. 154

P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 14 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK

FOR METRO MANILA COMMUTES

FROM left: Jason Salvador, Director for Corporate Affairs and Government Relations, PITX; Atty. Jaime Feliciano, Chief Business Development Officer, Megawide; Mohit Malhi, Chief Operating Officer, PITX; Cisette Ricardo, City Tourism Head, Parañaque; Joshua Rodriguez, DOTR Director IV for Road and Infrastructure; John Lu Koa, President, French Baker; Engr. Govanni Tuapin, President, Internship Crew PH; Richard Raymundo, Managing Director, Colliers Philippines; Kevin Jara, Director, Office Services, Colliers Philippines; and Architect Kenneth Uy, Vice President, Visionarch Inc., on Wednesday during the event “The Rise of TransitOriented Developments: Shaping the Future of Work and Real Estate in Southern Metro Manila” in Parañaque City. JOHN EIRON R. FRANCISCO

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By John Eiron R. Francisco

OR many workers in Metro Manila, long and unpredictable commutes continue to take a toll on productivity and daily life. But transport officials and industry leaders say expanding transit-oriented developments (TODs) and intermodal hubs could help shorten travel times and improve mobility across the capital. Speaking Wednesday at the event “The Rise of Transit-Oriented Developments: Shaping the Future of Work and Real Estate in Southern Metro Manila” in Parañaque City, Joshua Rodriguez, Director IV for Road and Infrastructure of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), pointed out that TOD is a

well-established model in many first-world countries, where urban planning is often anchored on multimodal transport systems. While the concept itself is not new, he said “the Philippines is now playing to catch up.” Rodriguez cited the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange

(PITX), the country’s first TOD of its kind, as a key example. He said the facility addresses two main objectives: first, it demonstrates that the concept of a central hub and transit-oriented development is a priority for infrastructure investment; second, aside from being a model of a successful TOD, it encourages people to rethink how they plan cities and organize their daily movement. “Overall, [TOD is] not just driving the economy by providing connectivity, it also sends a message to the people that there is hope in terms of building the nation through these types of facilities,” he said. Kevin Jara, Director of Office Services at Colliers Philippines, said the value of “TOD ultimately depends on people, especially in the Philippines, where going to work remains a hard journey.” He added that improving the

daily travel experience for employees, especially the country’s hardworking workforce, “should be considered a basic right.” “This is a conversation that we believe should have happened some time ago, but it doesn’t hurt to repeat and advocate transit-oriented developments,” Jara emphasized, noting that infrastructure development is beginning to take shape, including initiatives from the private sector. “Hopefully, we’ll see a brighter future, a more employee-centric experience for commuters,” he added.

Commuting costs hit productivity

ACCORDING to the 2026 Asia Pacific Workplace Study conducted by Colliers Philippines, 80 percent of employees in the country view commute time and transport challenges as the prime factors influencing their decision to return to the office.

From a business perspective, the study showed that 40 percent of companies prioritize proximity to transport when choosing office locations, while 20 percent focus on cost and another 20 percent consider employee convenience in terms of proximity to home. Jara noted that while cost has traditionally been the primary consideration for Philippine companies in securing office space, priorities are now shifting toward accessibility and convenience for employees. Commuting between central business districts, he explained, often requires two to three transfers, costing P60-P100 per day and adding around 30 minutes per employee. Companies relocating employees back to the office, he said, may need to provide transportation allowances of up to P4,000 per employee over two years to maintain productivity and operations.

“So that has a considerable impact on a typical company. And that’s why TODs are particularly important,” he noted. “Productivity is closely tied to transportation,” Rodriguez told the BusinessMirror on the sideline of the event. He explained that even being 30 minutes late to the office can have serious consequences, including the risk of losing one’s job. Using systems like the Edsa Busway, he said, commuters can avoid traffic delays. “Our latest data show that travel time from PITX to Monumento has been reduced to just 1 hour and 30 minutes, compared with three to four hours before the busway,” Rodriguez said. He added that the time saved not only improves efficiency but also allows employees more moments with family and loved ones. Continued on A2

Looking back on 30 years of Baguio’s Panagbenga

By Marilou Guieb Photos by Mau Victa

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T was again that time of the year when the city’s main thoroughfares dazzled in the morning sunlight and street dancers in attires of fiery colors pranced to the beat of drums and lyres and the traditional rhythm of beaten gongs.

It was the 30th year of the Panagbenga Festival, a momentous milestone—because for one, as an invented tradition, it paraded—so to speak—strong-headedly through pitfalls, challenges, heartaches and triumphs that come with the baby steps of every new and huge undertaking. But even from the start, it was recognized as the biggest crowddrawing tourism event of the city. A spectacle of success, which also came with problems. Fittingly, as milestone anniversaries are wont to do, the parades highlighted their story—its beginnings and journey through the eras, and for this festival, told

through street choreographies.

Eras of the festival

THE city’s landscape was first portrayed as a Hall of Famer in the National Clean and Green Program. And not to forget, this city in the mighty mountains studded with towering pine trees was dubbed the Summer Capital of the Philippines more than a century ago. It, too, was depicted as a land of culture, of weaving and woodcarving traditions, as lads paraded in g-strings and ladies in ethnic attires with woven baskets drawn to depict native craft. Then came the parade of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake era in

1990 where the elementary students of the Baguio City National High School, garbed in the drab colors of soil, depicted the collapse of a city and its somber morale. So, too, was it the story of a people that came together to rebuild anew from the dust and rubble of tragedy. Dancers held up high placards of houses rebuilt and pine trees that stood erect while the earth crumbled beneath. The festival’s true beginning was dubbed “The birth of a tradition,” said to be the aftermath of the earthquake, but really a vision that was born five years later. This era, depicted by the St. Louis University Laboratory Senior High

School, showed posters of the festival through the years. At the crossroad of Upper Session Road and South Drive is the Panagbenga Park where a bust of the late Atty. Damaso Bangaoet Jr. stands, in the midst of a wellkept and fenced flower garden in tribute to him as the Father of the Flower Festival. In an interview with Bangaoet in earlier years, he told this writer that his visits with his wife, Laurel, in the gardens of foreign cities gave such delight not only to the eyes, but also to their hearts, and it occurred to him that Baguio can be revived as a garden city. He recalled that Burnham Park once had a

Rose Garden section where American roses thrived in full blossom and zinnias bordered the park’s perimeter. “It’s what the city needs. A sense of delight and beauty will bring back the vibrancy of Baguio,” was the idea that turned into a passion after visiting the garden sanctuary in Florida and delighting in the Rose Parade in California. This gave him the inspiration that such an event can jumpstart a flower industry in the city. Thus, in 1995, while he was the vice president of the Camp John Hay Poro Point Development Corporation, he presented the idea to its board of directors, and in 1996 Continued on A2

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 59.5310 n JAPAN 0.3736 n UK 79.4739 n HK 7.6062 n CHINA 8.6486 n SINGAPORE 46.5704 n AUSTRALIA 42.1063 n EU 68.5440 n KOREA 0.0400 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.8652 Source: BSP (March 13, 2026)

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A2 Sunday, March 15, 2026

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A long-overdue fix for Metro Manila commutes Continued from A1

“One hour and 30 minutes of your life is valuable. It can affect your job and your relationships. These are the intangibles that TOD brings,” he said.

’TODs help, but govt action needed’

MOHIT MALHI, Chief Operating Officer of PITX, said the terminal, which reportedly handles an average of 179,000 passengers daily, has significantly improved access to southern provinces like Cavite. Commuters can now reach key areas, including Cavite City, in less than 30 minutes via routes from Aguinaldo Highway or Cavitex. The improved scheduling, higher frequency of trips, and safer, more convenient waiting areas have reduced the need for transfers, saving employees 30 to 40 minutes per journey, he added. “There is less modal shift and there is less transfer friction. They don’t have to change rides. They don’t have to wait for the other. They don’t have to make multiple modes of payment. So it’s cost- and time-efficient,” Malhi told the BusinessMirror. Since its opening, PITX has reportedly handled 230.22 million total passengers from 2018 to December 2025, with 6.12 million vehicle departures over the same period. The terminal serves 79 city, 14 PUJ/ MPUJ, 18 Cavite, and 53 provincial bus lines, covering 75 provincial and 29 in-city routes. However, Malhi noted that while TODs can help ease congestion in Metro Manila, they cannot solve the problem on their own. He said that although many buses have already been removed from the city’s roads, traffic along Edsa continues to grow.

“We’re doing our part, but other government initiatives are needed to make public transportation more efficient and convenient, so people can shift away from using private vehicles,” he explained.

TOD as the way forward

HOWEVER, the Philippines has long been a car-centric country, according to Richard Raymundo, Managing Director of Colliers Philippines. That observation may change, though. The US-Israel war on Iran ha shaken up global oil markets, sending petroleum prices skyrocketing. The day after the pumps reflected the staggering fuel price hikes, news photographers took pictures of a miraculously “clean” Edsa, asking where all the cars went. “When we travel to places like Singapore or Hong Kong, we realize public transport can actually work,” he said. “People enjoy the convenience of trains connected to buses and other modes of transit. TOD is really the way to go.” Yet, he emphasized the importance of strong collaboration between government and the private sector. Raymundo pointed to Hong Kong as an example, where the train system itself doesn’t generate most of its revenue. Instead, profits come from real estate developments linked to the train lines, such as IFC and Pacific Place. This model, he said, allows fares to remain low while maintaining world-class infrastructure. Another key lesson, he said, is connectivity. In Hong Kong, developers don’t hesitate to link their projects to competitors because it drives traffic and expands the market. “Here in the Philippines, de-

velopers often avoid connecting to others for fear of losing customers,” he explained. “But when everything flows through integrated transport, it benefits everyone.” Raymundo added that adopting such practices in the Philippines would require a shift in mindset for both government and private players but that TOD remains the most effective path forward. Atty. Jaime Feliciano, Chief Business Development Officer at Megawide, echoed the point that publicprivate collaboration is crucial. He explained that even if a private company develops a TOD or what Megawide calls a TransportCentric Development (TCD), its success still depends on government coordination. Operators cannot be forced to use a facility unless it aligns with passenger routes. “That’s the challenge. There has to be planning for use, but ultimately it must remain convenient for passengers. If a government-mandated facility is more than five kilometers away from their usual route, it won’t serve its purpose,” Feliciano said.

TODs outpace standalone projects

FIGURES show that 62 percent of office deals in the Philippines take place within a TOD or within one kilometer of a transit station or hub. Raymundo said the trend reflects the growing importance of transportation and connectivity for employees and daily commuters in the country. He added that mixed-use TODs are becoming more attractive than standalone developments, particularly as the office market has rebounded while the residential segment remains challenging. “Hence, it is no coincidence that

developers are focusing on townships, mixed-use projects, or TODs, because that is what the market has been asking for,” Raymundo said. Standalone residential projects, he noted, have become harder to sell, especially with thousands of units already pre-sold or ready for occupancy. Moving inventory in standalone developments is now more difficult compared with the period when demand surged during the POGO boom.

Designing successful TODs

ASKED what makes a TOD successful, Architect Kenneth Uy, Vice President of Visionarch Inc., highlighted the importance of density and mixed-use design. He explained that TODs should be inhabited, not just passed by, with communities growing around the hub. “For walkable, five-minute cities, about 400 meters around the TOD, you create a density that supports businesses, services, and products, generating a sustainable cycle within the community,” Uy said. He added that TODs should include homes, workplaces, recreational areas, government services, public spaces, and cultural elements to foster a thriving, self-sustaining environment. Uy also noted that TODs reduce reliance on cars, which benefits the environment. However, he said designing a TOD in Metro Manila comes with challenges, particularly in managing population, crowd flow, and circulation. “Imagine 170,000 people passing through PITX. You don’t want that to conflict with other sectors,” he said.

Panagbenga Continued from A1

the first Flower Festival with the theme Birth of a Tradition was staged by the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc., which he founded. In 1997, it was renamed Panagbenga, a Kankana-ey term for “season of blossoming.” It was an idea said to be an aftermath of the earthquake even if it was forged five years later. The city, while having rebuilt admirably through solidarity, was still reeling economically, as the devastation drove tourists away due to a lingering fear. As a tourism city, good income was seasonal which peaked during the Christmas season and the Holy Week. But after the earthquake, tourists came only in trickles even in these peak seasons. Bangaoet was convinced that fragile flowers can become strong pillars of the economy, which time indeed proved true. Hotels and restaurants sprouted in the city as tourists came in droves for Panagbenga. Bangaoet died in September of 2014, but his legacy lives on, in putting the city back on the tourism map, in the accommodation landscape of the city and the trickle-down income derived from the festival; and beyond the city, in the flower industry that flourished in the neighboring towns of Benguet, particularly in La Trinidad. There is the name Panagbenga Festival itself, thirty years after he fancied the idea. The parade of eras moved on to 2017 when Baguio was declared as the first Unesco Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art in the country. Panagbenga also gained recognition for excellence in festival programming, cultural presentation and event execution by the International Festivals and Events Association. It can be said that the vibrancy of the Grand Street Dancing Parade inspired other town festivals to stage their own versions of this activity. Students of the University of the Philippines Baguio paraded the word UNESCO in giant letters as they danced accompanied by their band.

Learning through pitfalls

WHILE there was grandeur and beauty in these eras, problems

Proper zoning, the separation of public and private spaces, and phasing developments over 10 to 20 years, he said, are essential to ensure growth without disrupting ongoing operations.

Govt transit recommendations

MALHI cited three more key measures the government could take. First, building more convenient and connected transport hubs across Metro Manila. Second, increasing the capacity of existing systems, including trains and busways. Third, addressing last-mile connectivity, which remains a major factor in why many commuters rely on private vehicles. He noted that traveling from hubs like McKinley Exchange to Bonifacio Global City, for example, is still difficult due to limited transport options. Improving door-to-door connectivity, he said, would encourage more people to use public transport. “Let’s be realistic, this is not a biking-friendly country in terms of the weather specifically. It’s very hot or it’s very rainy. So it’s not going to be as walkable for white-collared mid- and senior management people to take on that,” Malhi emphasized. “Neither is biking going to be.” He added that integrating lastmile solutions with TODs is where real change can begin.

‘People, planet, profit’

MEANWHILE, Uy emphasized that the core purpose of urban planning is sustainability. He explained that sustainability is about meeting the needs of the present while ensuring that enough resources remain for future generations.

showed through the cracks of the whole rendition. Traffic was horrendous, garbage in giant heaps were left behind streets and parks, theft was rampant. Overall, the crowd drawn went beyond the city’s carrying capacity. Many residents claimed to opt staying home to avoid what they called the maddening crowd. Yet over the years, the festival has persisted, learning lessons along the way. Street sweepers and garbage trucks and collectors are now visible after parades, speakers along parade routes constantly warn of keeping personal belongings safe, organizers apologize for the traffic situation if only for a weekend in exchange for a long-term boost to the economy. Has the festival stayed true to its objectives? Enhancing a community spirit, preserving culture, sustaining the tourism industry. Expectedly, in a city of diverse opinions, advocacies and origins, the cultural aspect comes into question. The festival is accused of being too commercial, or exploiting culture. Certainly, the parades have stylized cultural presentations, in attires and choreography, essentially removed from its true meaning as dances and gongs in origin are attached to rituals and cultural traditions. But the festival boasts of creativity and innovation. And in the end, it seems to be just what it has become. A new tradition born from an inspiration of the Father of Panagbenga. The 30th anniversary of the festivity has been riddled with problems. There is the weather, or climate change. The issue of should elementary students be made part of the parades persist—one view holds they may be too fragile to withstand the hours of preparation and exposure to heat. Once in the earlier years, when the parades were done in the afternoon when the heat of the sun is not as intense, the children got rained on, and the schedule was then moved to mornings. But even in the cool month of February, a heat wave was at its peak on February 28, the morning of the Grand Street Parade, and overwhelmed kids as they paraded along the streets. At the Melvin Jones, the dancers performed on a plastic mat of artificial grass which had gotten hot from long exposure to the sun and caused blisters on barefooted participants. On the opening day of Session Road in Bloom, a week-long activ-

Uy explained that sustainability is often misunderstood as solely environmental, but it actually rests on the principle of “people, planet, profit.” “It’s making sure people’s needs are met, that you don’t harm the planet, and that the economy works,” he said, adding that no matter how beautiful your plans are, they don’t make sense if you don’t maintain them.

PPP in motion

DURING the event, several upcoming transport developments in Metro Manila were highlighted, including the Grand Central Station and the ARCA South Integrated Terminal, both targeted for completion in 2027, as well as the Metro Manila Subway Project, with partial operations expected by 2028 and full completion by 2032. As for northern projects, Rodriguez said the timelines are still under evaluation. “The locations are being studied closely. We don’t want to build a TOD that will eventually create traffic or be hard for commuters to access,” he explained, noting that strategic site selection involves many considerations. From the private sector perspective, Feliciano said the company has three regional projects in the pipeline. These include a five-hectare public-private partnership in Carmona, Cavite; another five-hectare PPP along Marcos Highway in Baguio City; and a four-hectare project in Lipa, Batangas. “All these projects are ready to go. We’re in the design phase and coordinating closely with DOTr, taking into account specific design considerations,” he said.

ity for participating enterprises, a vehicle rolled down from an incline and slammed into the area of stalls, causing injury and damage to the booths. Then on a closing ceremony marked by a grand fireworks display, fireworks fell instead on spectators and injured at least seven people. For all the misfortunes, the organizers took full responsibility and vowed just compensation for the injuries and damage.

A thing of beauty lasts forever

LESSONS are still being learned. But on the streets, beauty fleets and stays forever in virtual memory and lasting impressions, as in the highlight of the festival, the Grand Street Parade on February 28 and the Grand Float Parade. Sequins and beads sewn on royal colors of blues, gold, oranges and colors of fire, sparkled under the glaring sunshine as dancers twirled and moved to the rhythm of booming percussions and timbre of lyres. Then came the beauty of floral floats, capturing the subtle hues of the color spectrum. Petals in pastel colors that created fantasy gardens, giant horses, birds, butterflies. The imagination rolls on carriages of innovation. The Hall of Famers have not faded in magnificence. SM Prime Holdings created giant swans and the iconic Lion’s Head, a landmark of Baguio, with mums and lilies and a full garden of flowers and a rainbow with the flowers of the region. Baguio Country Club depicted K-Pop Demon Hunters-Huntrix, protecting humanity in thousands of petals. As a Unesco Creative City, tourism in Baguio has put more focus on so-called silent splendors—parks and gardens, art exhibits and events, conferences on culture, indigenous cuisine food fests. In the midst of this, Panagbenga endures, learning, growing, imagining a future. Their statement says, “Panagbenga at 30 stands not only as remembrance, but as momentum. It has become a bridge between heritage and innovation, between local pride and global presence. Still blooming, for the Philippines. For the world.” It holds the uniqueness of painting a city portrait with flowers, and somewhere beyond, the Father of Panagbenga must be heaving a sigh of relief and joy watching his vision and dream enduring despite its many hurdles.

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Sunday, March 15, 2026 • Editor: Angel Calso

World BusinessMirror

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Middle East war is the latest blow for Europe’s battered industrial backbone

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By Marilen Martin & Libby Cherry

Bloomberg. To avoid a dangerous closure, Günther and the preliminary insolvency administrator eventually managed to secure emergency financing from the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. With the government intervention raising echoes of the communist system from which the park emerged, the deal kept Domo’s plant—which employs some 500 people—operating at a minimum safe level. The administrator is now discussing takeover options for the Leuna site and another Domo plant in Premnitz with several investors. The state has agreed to provide financing only until the end of this month. That means the future of the operations is still up in the air, and potentially even more complicated by the turmoil caused by the conflict in the Middle East. It remains to be seen what will happen if no investors can be found, said a spokesperson for the preliminary insolvency administrator. To prepare for potential disrup-

and investments in the sector have tumbled by more than 80 percent, according to a report by consultancy Roland Berger for industry group Cefic. As Europe’s industrial powerhouse, the issues are particularly severe in Germany, where manufacturing output has been on a downward trend since 2017. Public focus has been on carmakers like Volkswagen AG falling behind Chinese competitors. Yet without chemical supplies, Europe’s industrial fabric risks fraying. “The threat to the chemicals industry is more dangerous for Germany than the crisis in the automotive sector, since chemicals firms will quietly invest elsewhere while automotive firms would rather fight for market share,” said Joachim Ponseck, a restructuring and insolvency lawyer at Baker McKenzie in Frankfurt. “Chemical park operators have fewer strategic moves,” since they can’t reduce energy prices on their own or relocate easily. Within the chemical sector, Leuna is a special case. After being heavily bombed in World War II, facilities were reconstructed by Soviet-controlled east Germany to be an anchor for the region’s industrial revival. The site, which employed nearly 30,000 people in its heyday, is connected directly to Russian oil fields via the Druzhba pipeline. That provided easy access to energy and feedstocks, which account for 70 percent or more of the cost of producing commodity chemicals, like Domo’s polyamide. Before those links fractured in the aftermath of Moscow’s inva-

cal park at risk. “We need chemistry in Germany in every way—from basic chemicals to the corresponding products—not only to ensure resilience, but also to ultimately preserve industry,” Gitta Connemann, a state secretary in the German ministry for economy and energy, said during a press conference about Leuna’s future in February.

tions of oil and gas supplies, the EU set up an energy task force, which started meeting last week. A renewed energy shock would hit an economy that’s still in recovery mode from previous price jumps, according to Veronika Grimm, a member of Germany’s council of economic experts. Already, the strained prospects for European chemicals producers had caused financing to dry up, increasing the likelihood of failures like Domo’s. Since 2022, plant closures in Europe have surged sixfold

sion of Ukraine, they were seen as a strategic advantage. When Leuna was carved up and privatized in the 1990s following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the facility was so desirable that some suitors resorted to bribery to secure assets there—a scandal that became known as the Leuna Affair. The difficulties finding an investor for Domo’s operations is indicative of the change in fortunes, and concerns are that it could be the next domino to fall and put Germany’s largest contiguous chemi-

Chemical parks operate as tightly integrated “Verbund” systems, which means that companies depend on one another as customers for each other’s products and jointly finance infrastructure such as power generation, steam supplies and waste management. The interdependence that once made Leuna efficient and competitive now also makes it vulnerable. When one plant falters, others need to shoulder more of the costs, putting pressure on the entire network.

N the east German industrial town of Leuna, Christof Günther had been looking forward to a quiet Christmas with his family when the risk of a disaster at the local chemical park he helms disrupted any sense of seasonal calm. A site run by Domo Chemicals, which makes compounds that end up in fuel tanks, swimsuits and food packaging, unexpectedly filed for insolvency after running short on the cash needed to operate equipment to convert benzene into nylon. In the midst of the winter cold, an uncontrolled shutdown risked leaking toxic substances, threatening nearby operators as well as the 14,000 residents living in Leuna’s cluster of red-tiled houses. Like dozens of other chemical plants in the region, the familyowned company got tripped up by higher energy costs due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising carbon prices in the European Union. New capacity from China and softening demand have further squeezed margins. These challenges are set to intensify in the aftermath of the US and Israeli assault on Iran. As energy prices soar, Europe’s chemical producers stand to pay about €3 billion ($3.5 billion) more annually just for natural gas if the post-attack surge persists, according to an estimate by Sebastian Bray, head of chemicals research at Berenberg. Because of Leuna’s history and structure, the east German chemical park is particularly exposed, making it a test case for an economy reliant on energy and raw material imports. The challenges are evident in the monthly gas bill for InfraLeuna—the operator of the chemical complex. The expense had shot up to around €10 million from €6 million before the war in Ukraine, and at current prices, it will be about €17 million, according to Günther, the site’s managing director. “In practice, we will see chemical plants being shut down,” the 56-year-old said. “The chemical industry and energy-intensive industries in Germany are in a state of acute emergency.” The problems at Domo were well-known to Günther. But the insolvency filing still caught him off guard and triggered frantic talks to avert catastrophe. “There was no model to follow,” he said from his office in the neo-classical headquarters of the park—a century-old chemical hub that boasts 94 kilometers of railways, 40 kilometers of roads and 20 kilometers of piping. Belgium-based Domo had been attempting to overhaul its business since 2024, even reaching out to expensive debt funds for a lastditch loan. The company put forth a recapitalization plan in December 2025 that included a “significant” funding commitment, but stakeholders didn’t agree, Chief Executive Officer Yves Bonte told

CHRISTOF GÜNTHER, the managing director of InfraLeuna, in his office. BLOOMBERG

Aside from the looming closure of the Domo site, other operations in east Germany’s chemical cluster are under strain. Less than 30 minutes by car from Leuna, Dow Chemical Co. will close an ethylene cracker in Böhlen and its chlor-alkali and vinyl operations in Schkopau by the end of 2027. Ammonia producer SKW Piesteritz in Wittenberg temporarily shut operations in 2022 after gas prices spiked following the outbreak of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and remains under pressure. Similar struggles are evident across the sector. BASF SE, Europe’s biggest chemical company, has slashed around 4,800 jobs over the past two years. Ineos—owned by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe—has seen its bonds targeted by short sellers as the heavily indebted conglomerate grapples with price pressures. “The industry is currently in the process of shutting down,” Ratcliffe said, reaffirming a call for government intervention even before the US and Israel attacked Iran. “Without a chemical industry, we cannot run hospitals, we cannot feed people, we cannot defend ourselves.” The strained conditions mean prospective investors can negotiate terms that are almost punitive. LyondellBasell’s sale of a package of European production sites, including one in Germany, is a case in point. Under the deal, which was announced in June, the US chemical maker injected €265 million into the business to win over private equity firm Aequita. “Before in the chemicals industry, you would always find a buyer” if an operator ran into trouble, said Maximilian Dressler, a turnaround consultant at EY. “But that has become difficult, given the staggering losses in the sector.” To prevent contagion in Leuna, Günther missed out on eating traditional Christstollen cake with his family to speak daily with Domo’s preliminary insolvency administrator and state officials. After weeks of negotiations, a shortterm deal was reached on January 12. It has already cost taxpayers a double-digit million-euro sum. On the political front, the situation is particularly sensitive. Voters will elect a new state government in September and the farright Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is the clear leader in the polls, with support at nearly 40 percent. The nationalist party’s appeal is particularly strong in Germany’s

former communist east, where people had their lives disrupted by reunification and feel sidelined by the mainstream. For local officials, that meant a balancing act between preserving jobs while not sliding back into state control. “Until 1989, we had Socialism here—where the state ran the companies—that’s not my idea of economics,” said Sven Schulze, the member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc was appointed Saxony-Anhalt’s premier in the midst of the crisis. While the clock ticks down on Domo’s rescue, the arrival of new companies offers grounds for optimism. In February, startup MicroHarvest GmbH announced plans to locate its first large-scale production plant at the park, making new sources of food protein using fermentation. UPM-Kymmene Oyj’s biochemicals unit and a subsidiary of Japan’s Daicel Corp. are also new additions. Central and local governments have also earmarked €1.2 billion to develop a research institute near Leipzig devoted to making the chemical sector more sustainable. It’s projected to employ up to 1,000 people by 2038. Despite the new investments, the mood in the town is tense. For the people of Leuna, which have relied on chemical production to sustain the community for generations, the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East create a rupture that feels deeper than the collapse of the Soviet bloc. The oil refineries being hit in the Middle East are “our lifelines,” said Manuela Grieger, who followed her parents to work at Leuna’s chemical plants and navigated its ups and downs for more than four decades. “In principle, I believe that when something is destroyed, something new can emerge. But at the moment, I’m missing the light at the end of the tunnel.” The 65-year-old first walked through the gates of the chemical park as a teenager in 1977, and joined the works council in 1990 to help steer her colleagues through restructuring that led to more than half losing their jobs. In the early 2000s, she saw stability gradually return and the chemical park transformed into a success story. “I imagined things differently after reunification,” Grieger said. “Everything is in flames and there’s no bright spot—I’m not used to that.” (With assistance from Rachel Graham/Bloomberg)

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Sunday, March 15, 2026

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China positions itself as force for global stability at National People’s Congress By Ken Moritsugu

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The Associated Press

EIJING—While much of the world’s attention is on the Iran war, that hasn’t stopped China from moving ahead with national priorities with global repercussions.

Not that China doesn’t care about the war and its impact on energy supplies and geopolitics. But for the world’s second largest economy, its growing rivalry with the United States revolves around a different battle: the development of the cutting-edge technologies shaping the 21st century. That message came through in a five-year plan formally endorsed Thursday by the National People’s Congress at the end of its annual meeting, the nation’s biggest political event of the year. If anything, China is doubling down on a push to transform its economy and be at the forefront of technology. State media described China’s determination to stay the course on economic development as a force for stability in an uncertain world. “A stable and developing China injects more stability and certainty into a world fraught with change and turbulence,” the official People’s Daily newspaper

said in a front-page column on Wednesday. Other state-media echoed that view. The commentaries and official statements didn’t mention US President Donald Trump, whose tariffs and use of military force from Venezuela to Iran are shaking up the global order that has governed international relations in the post-World War II era. China publicly defends that system, while calling for making it more equitable to reflect the interests of developing countries as well as rich ones. Trump is due to visit Beijing in three weeks to hold talks with his counterpart, Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The National People’s Congress also rubber-stamped three laws, including one governing ethnic minorities, at its closing session. The votes are ceremonial and nearly unanimous, designed to show unity behind the ruling

Communist Party’s vision for the nation. The five-year plan was approved with 2,758 votes in favor, one against, and two abstentions. “We are forging ahead at full speed in building a great country,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at an annual news conference during the Congress.

groups. The law encapsulates an approach under Xi that has promoted unity over ethnic cultures and their languages. “It puts a death nail in the party’s original promise of meaningful autonomy,” said James Leibold, a professor at Australia’s LaTrobe University who has studied China’s changing policies towards its ethnic minorities.

Banking on tech for growth

MANY economists believe that China needs to do more to put more money into the hands of consumers to boost domestic spending and reduce its dependence on exportled growth. China’s leaders agree in concept, but the five-year plan puts technology front and center, confirming it remains the top priority. Analysts expect any steps to boost consumption to happen only gradually, such as expanding social security and health care benefits, while government funds are poured into artificial intelligence, robotics and other areas. Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced an economic growth target of 4.5% to 5% for 2026 at the start of the Congress, a level that gives the government more leeway to focus on the longerterm goals of the five-year plan rather than meeting a higher target this year.

Staying conservative on climate

THE five-year plan doesn’t pledge

Seeking a “right to rest” for workers

DELEGATES leave after the closing ceremony of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), in Beijing, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. AP/NG HAN GUAN

to reduce carbon emissions overall, but only to reduce “emissions intensity”—how much pollutants are emitted relative to the size of the economy. That means emissions could still grow as the economy does. The target for a reduction in intensity was set at 17%, a level that could allow emissions to rise 3% or more, analysts said. “International good practice is to move away from intensity targets towards absolute emission reduction targets,” said Niklas Hohne of the NewClimate Institute in Germany. China has a history of setting conservative targets and its rapid expansion in solar and other clean energies may drive emis-

sions down anyway. The country is the world’s No. 1 emitter of greenhouse gases, but leaders have long argued that the size of its population and economy must be considered when evaluating its pollution levels.

Regulating ethnic groups

A SWEEPING ethnic minorities law endorsed by the Congress solidifies what critics say is a government policy of assimilation, emphasizing the creation of “a common consciousness of the Chinese nation.” The government said it is meant to foster a stronger sense of communit y and shared economic development among its ethnic

FORMAL proposals and other suggestions to reduce work hours in a variety of ways were among those that got the most attention on social media during this year’s Congress. Many focused on a “right to rest,” including calls to give employees the right not to respond to work messages after hours. Many Chinese workers get only five days of paid vacation a year. Yu Miaojie, an economist and deputy to the Congress, proposed raising the minimum statutory annual leave from five to 10 days. The popularity of the proposals reflects concern about the intense workplace competition in China. Giving workers more leisure time is also seen as a way to boost consumption by giving them more free time to spend. The Associated Press writers Huizhong Wu and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report.

Marine Le Pen’s elite pivot stirs rebellion within National Rally By Samy Adghirni, Claudia Cohen & Albertina Torsoli

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ARINE Le Pen’s push to make France’s far right palatable to the country’s corporate and old-money elite is stirring tensions inside her party as it edges closer than ever to the presidency. A new circle of advisers with elite pedigrees is asserting influence, adopting w h at s o m e N at i o n a l R a l l y o f f i c i a l s describe as a “know-it-all” style that grates on the old guard. Courting high society risks alienating the base who fueled the par ty’s rise and that has long been wary of financiers and highpowered networks, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The internal fric tion comes at a pivotal moment, with the party leading polls roughly a year before the next presidential election, and just as France heads into its two-round municipal vote on March 15 and 22—an early test of the party’s electability. Despite a ban that prevents Le Pen from running in 2027 over a conviction for misusing European Union funds—a ruling she is appealing—the National Rally remains France’s strongest political force in surveys. Even with the largely untested 30-year-old protégé Jordan Bardella as a potential stand-in, the party still tops polls. Party leaders dismiss talk of internal strains and credit its rise to Le Pen’s yearslong effort to “de-demonize” the movement. “As in all political parties, there are sometimes differences of opinion and quarrels, but in the end it is Marine who decides,” said Louis Aliot, the National Rally’s vice-president, insisting it remains united. Complicating matters further is the international backdrop. Donald Trump’s return to the White House—marked by trade tensions and talk of acquiring Greenland—has unsettled some National

Rally voters, many of whom hold strong nationalist views. So winning over establishment figures at home could bring not only campaign funding but also the credibility with conservative voters that has long eluded Le Pen—potentially helping secure a path to the presidency.

Versailles connection

AT the center of the outreach is a small circle of advisers—mostly millennials with similar backgrounds who grew u p i n t h e a f f l u e nt Pa r i s s u b u r b o f Versailles, a bastion of traditional Catholic conservatism. Their technocratic style marks a sharp break from the party’s populist roots. Among the most prominent is François Durvye, a millionaire investment fund manager who met Le Pen in 2021—when she was still denouncing global finance as the enemy of the people. The two quickly became close, according to three National Rally officials. The following year, Durvye hosted Le Pen and several aides at his Normandy castle to prepare for a televised debate ahead of the 2022 presidential runoff. They rehearsed for hours, according to party officials, with Durvye taking notes as others role played President Emmanuel Macron. Le Pen ultimately lost the election, but narrowed the margin significantly. A poll by Odoxa-Backbone for Le Figaro found that about half of voters thought the debate had no clear winner. Five years earlier, more than two-thirds had judged Macron the stronger performer. Dur vye was introduced to Le Pen by Renaud Labaye, a former finance ministr y official who now runs the National Rally’s operations in the lower house of parliament. The circle also includes Le Pen’s chief of staff Ambroise de Rancourt, a former defense ministry official and graduate of the National School of Administration (ENA), which has produced generations of French political leaders, including Macron himself. “Ambroise, Renaud, François...war

machines, I’ve never had such bright minds,” Le Pen told Libération last year. “They are a sign that we can talk to a different world, they build bridges with the economic world.” Those bridges are increasingly visible. In meetings with business leaders—from public panels to discreet dinners—Le Pen and Bardella have pitched tax cuts, reduced red tape and the creation of a sovereign wealth fund financed with 0.3% of personal savings to support private companies, according to three CEOs who spoke on condition of anonymity. Plans to adjust a levy benefiting high earners have quietly been shelved. “There’s a big difference compared to other parties: The National Rally can’t afford to have an unrealistic economic program,” said Durvye, noting the heightened scrutiny faced by a party that has never held power. “The party is positioning itself in order to be ready to govern.”

Boardroom skepticism

WHETHER that interest translates into support remains uncertain. Ten CEOs who spoke on condition of anonymity gave a cautious assessment of their encounters with the party leadership. Discussions that turned technical often exposed gaps in expertise, they said. The party’s legislative record suggests there’s no linear economic rationale driving their decisions. National Rally lawmakers have supported measures easing taxes on small companies and opposed restoring France’s wealth tax, while also backing levies on multinationals and holding companies. The party remains opposed to raising the retirement age and in October proposed trimming bank fees—a stance that, as one observer put it, “terrorizes” lenders. “ Their economic polic y remains incoherent,” said Ross McInnes, chairman of the aerospace group Safran, who met both leaders in recent months. “There seem to be two lines and it’s not very clear which is likely to prevail,” he added, noting the party’s protectionist impulse as a concern.

Party adviser Labaye pushed back on questions over inconsistencies in the party’s economic proposals, saying its leadership sets broad priorities but adapts measures to events and geopolitical shifts. The program is shaped by internal debate and it’s “normal and desirable” to have differing views, he said. Some executives said they would prefer Bardella as candidate, seeing him as more instinctively pro-business and more engaged in economic discussions. But with far less experience than Le Pen, he is also viewed as lacking firmly developed policy convictions, with one CEO describing him as a blank page. Alexandre Loubet, a senior lawmaker and Bardella’s top adviser, rejected the characterization as unfair, saying the par ty ’s president has a track record of promoting pro-business views and believes “creating jobs is the best way to improve people’s lives.” Party insiders say the bigger problem is that the strategy may fail on both fronts: the effort to court elites could alienate core supporters without delivering the new voters the group needs. One senior National Rally official was blunter still, saying that the outreach strategy is doomed from the start as France remains a deeply class-conscious society. Wealthy families and established business networks, the official said, will never fully embrace a party that defines itself as a champion of the poor and less-educated.

Base concerns

THOSE tensions are already visible among the voters who built the National Rally into a political powerhouse as some longtime supporters say the party is drifting away from them. Sylvie, a 40-year-old caregiver who declined to give her full name, voted for Le Pen in 2022 but now says she is unsure she would support a National Rally candidate again. She resents the party’s retreat from proposals to exit the European Union and its softer stance on taxing the wealthy.

“The closer they get to power, the more they look like all the others,” she said. “If they’re just like any other party, then what’s the point of voting for them?” In the 2024 parliamentar y snap elections, the party won 57% of the working-class vote but just 22% among highly educated and higher-income voters, according to an Ipsos-BVA poll. Labaye says the party remains firmly focused on its traditional base. “You can’t take the support of any voter for

granted,” he said. Analysts, however, see a treacherous balancing act ahead as the National Rally gears up for the presidential campaign next year. “When you surround yourself with bourgeois folks with fancy degrees, you don’t sound the same anymore,” said Jean-Yves Camus, a political scientist who specializes in the far right. “The momentum is there, but you can be very close to the goal and still not score.” Bloomberg News

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Iran-linked hackers take aim at US and other targets, raising risk of cyberattacks during war By David Klepper

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The Associated Press

ASHINGTON—ProIranian hackers are targeting sites in the Middle East and starting to stretch into the United States during the war, raising the risk of American defense contractors, power stations and water plants being swept into a wave of digital chaos that could expand if Tehran’s allies join the fray. Hackers suppor ting Iran claimed responsibility for a significant cyberattack Wednesday against US medical device company Stryker. Since the war began Feb. 28, they also have tried to penetrate cameras in Middle Eastern countries to improve Iran’s missile targeting. They have targeted data centers in the region, as well as industrial facilities in Israel, a school in Saudi Arabia and an airport in Kuwait. Iran has invested heavily in its offensive cyber capabilities while cultivating ties to hacking groups. In recent years, groups working for Tehran have infiltrated the email system of President Donald Trump’s campaign, targeted US water plants and tried to breach the networks used by the military and defense contractors. The goal is to wear down the American war effort, drive up the costs of energy, strain cyber

resources and cause as much pain as possible for American companies that depend on the defense industry. “Something is going to happen because the gloves are off,” said Kevin Mandia, founder of the cybersecurity companies Mandiant and Armadin.

Who is being targeted

PRO-IR ANIAN, pro-Palestinian hackers claimed credit for disrupting systems at Stryker, a Michiganbased medical technology company. A group known as Handala said the attack was in retaliation for suspected US strikes that killed Iranian schoolchildren. Like other ideologically motivated hackers, profit is not Handala’s goal, according to Ismael Valenzuela, vice president of threat intelligence at the cybersecurity company Arctic Wolf. “What distinguishes this group

is its clear focus on data destruction rather than financial extortion,” he said in an email. Polish authorities are investigating a recent cyberattack—on a nuclear research facility—that may have ties to Iran, though they acknowledge that another group could be behind the attack and using the Iran war to mask its identity. Going forward, US defense contractors, government vendors and businesses that work with Israel are likely targets, as is critical infrastructure such as hospitals, ports, water plants, power stations and railways. Pro-Iranian hackers openly discuss their plans in Telegram and other online message boards. “The datacenters need to be taken out,” wrote one user, as uncovered by researchers at US-based SITE Intelligence Group. “They host the brains of USAs military communication and targeting systems.” Cyber operations also gather intelligence—for example, Iran’s effort to hack into cameras in neighboring countries to aid its missile targeting. Infiltrating US networks, meanwhile, would offer view into military planning or supply chains.

Going after easy targets

THE strikes on Iran’s military as well as internet outages may have limited Iran’s cyberattacks in the short term. But experts say Iranian hackers and their allies will aim for quick victories by targeting the weakest links in American cybersecurity. Often, local water plants or health care facilities lack the funds and know-how to install the latest software patches or

WhatsApp accounts of both Trump and his then-Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden. The activity prompted the Department of Homeland Security to issue a public warning last year about Iranian cyber threats. “Iran and especially the proxies don’t care how big or smart you are. This is about making an impact, about creating chaos,” said James Turgal, a cybersecurity expert who spent 22 years as an FBI agent and is now a vice president at Optiv, a Denver-based information security firm.

Next moves from Russia and China THE CEO of FireEye Kevin Mandia gives a tour of the cybersecurity company’s unused office space in Reston, Va., March 9, 2021. AP/NATHAN ELLGREN

take other security steps. That has made them a favorite target, both because of the relative ease of penetrating them and because of the panic these disruptions can cause. This can include denial-ofservice attacks, in which hackers try to jam a network so legitimate users cannot use it, and website defacements, which can prevent a company from communicating with customers. Hack-and-leak operations, where hackers threaten to release sensitive stolen material, are another possibility. The attacks are not that sophisticated, according to Shaun Williams, a former FBI and CIA officer who is now a senior director at the cybersecurity firm SentinelOne. But if a business or government agency has failed to keep up with its cybersecurity, it could pay a steep price, he said. “Patch your systems. Ensure your firewalls and security solutions are up to date,” Williams said.

“Remove your stale accounts. All the cyber hygiene that you should be doing, it’s more critical now than ever. Prepare for disruption.”

When it comes to cyber, Iran is considered a chaos agent

RUSSIA and China present the greatest cyber threats to the US, while North Korea is a growing concern. But what Iran has lacked in resources it has made up for in ingenuity, experts say. In recent years, Tehran’s digital warriors have impersonated American activists online to covertly encourage protests against Israel on college campuses. They have set up fake news websites and social media accounts primed to spread false and exaggerated claims before big US elections. In 2024, Iranian hackers infiltrated the email system of the Trump campaign and later tried to disseminate files that the hackers said they stole. Hackers linked to Iran also tried to hack into the

EXPERTS are watching closely to see if Russia, China or hacking groups allied with either country provide hacking assistance to Iran, mounting attacks intended to undermine American operations in Iran and make it harder for the US to sustain its fight. While China has so far taken a cautious approach, there is evidence that pro-Iranian hackers in Russia are already at work. Researchers at the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike detected a surge of activity from Russian hackers in support of Tehran since the war began. One group known as Z-Pentest claimed responsibility for disrupting several US networks, including some involved in closed-circuit video cameras. The timing of the attack suggests the hackers were targeting US interests because of the war in Iran, according to Adam Meyers, head of counter adversary operations at CrowdStrike. “Western organizations should continue to remain on high-alert,” Meyers said.

Outdated intel likely led US to carry out strike on Iranian elementary school, AP sources say By Aamer Madhani, Julia Frankel, Michael Biesecker & Eric Tucker The Associated Press

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A SHINGTON— Outdated intelligence likely led to the United States carrying out a deadly missile strike on an elementary school in Iran that killed over 165 people, many of them children, in the opening hours of the conflict, according to a US official and a second person briefed on findings of a preliminary US military investigation into the incident. The bombing of the school and its casualties involving children has become a focal point of the war, and if ultimately confirmed to be at the hands of the US, would also stand among the highest civilian casualty events caused by the American military operations in the last two decades. President Donald Trump initially blamed Iran for the attack, later said he wasn’t certain who was to blame, and then said he would accept the results of the Pentagon’s investigation. The issue took on added urgency on Wednesday after the New York Times first reported that a preliminary investigation found that the US was responsible. US Central Command relied on target coordinates for the strike using outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency, according to the person familiar with the preliminary finding. The agency did not respond to a request for comment. The preliminary finding prompt-

ed immediate calls for more information from the Pentagon. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “the investigation is still ongoing.” Both the US official and the person familiar with the matter spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. Dozens of Democratic senators demanded answers from the Trump administration on Wednesday as a growing body of evidence suggested that the US was likely responsible for the strike. The letter from more than 45 senators pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on whether the US was culpable for the strike and what previous analysis of the building had been done. The senators also raised concerns about the Pentagon hollowing-out a congressionally mandated office set up specifically to reduce civilian casualties. “Under this administration, budgetary and personnel cuts at the Department have robbed military commands of crucial resources to prevent and respond to civilian casualties,” the senators wrote. Those include cuts at US Central Command, whose forces are leading the military campaign against Iran, and the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, which was signed into law in 2022 as part of a Pentagon ambition to reduce death tolls from strikes. The revelation could threaten to erode public support in the US effort against Iran at a time when Trump, who as a candidate railed against American involvement in

“stupid” overseas wars, faces persistent questions about the purpose and of the conflict and what would bring it to an end. One former Pentagon official said the Feb. 28 strike that hit Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School, which is located near a neighboring base for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, came as a natural result of changes made by the Trump administration to reduce staff to mitigate civilian harm and Hegseth’s emphasis on lethality over legality.

Evidence mounts pointing to US responsibility for strike

THERE are several indications that the strike on the school may have been avoidable. It happened Saturday morning, the start of the Iranian school week, when the building was full of young children. Satellite analysis by the AP shows that the school, as well as other targets struck the same day, had characteristics visible from the air that could have identified them as civilian sites before they were struck. The AP reported last week that satellite images, expert analysis, a US official and public information released by the US military all suggested it was likely a US strike. That evidence grew stronger on Monday, as new footage emerged showing what experts identified as a US-made Tomahawk cruise missile slamming into the military compound as smoke was already rising from the area where the school was located. Publicly available satellite imagery shows the school building was

part of the military compound until about 2017, when a new wall was added to separate the two. A watchtower on the property was also removed. Around the same time, the imagery shows the walls surrounding the building were painted with murals in vibrant colors, primarily blue and pink, so bright they’re visible from space The school was clearly labeled as such in online maps and has an easily-accessible website full of information about students, teachers and administrators. International law governing warfare bars strikes on structures, vehicles and people that are not military objectives and combatants. Civilian homes, schools, medical facilities and cultural sites are generally off limits for military strikes. The proximity of a school to a valid military target does not change its status as a civilian site, said Elise Baker, a senior staff lawyer at the Atlantic Council, a Washingtonbased nonprofit think tank.

If the US is found responsible, said Sen. Tim Kaine during a briefing with journalists on Wednesday: “It’s either we’ve changed our traditional targeting rules or we made a mistake.” “If we’ve changed our traditional targeting rules and we no longer provide the same level of protection for civilians, that would be tragic,” Kaine said. Some Republicans, too, are sounding alarms. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota told reporters that an investigation needs to “get to the bottom of it,” and then “admit if you know whose fault it is.” If the US was behind it, Cramer said, the military must “do everything you can to eliminate those mistakes going forward.” He added: “But you also can’t undo it.”

Guardrails to curb civilian deaths have been gutted

CONGRESS directed the Pentagon

A WOMAN sits on rubble opposite a residential building damaged last Sunday during the USIsraeli air campaign in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 12, 2026. AP/VAHID SALEMI

to create the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence in late 2022 as part of the wide-ranging annual defense authorization bill, which passed both chambers with broad bipartisan support. The bill said the center was to “institutionalize and advance knowledge, practices, and tools for preventing, mitigating, and responding to civilian harm.” The measure put into law an initiative that had already been started by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier that year. The 36-step action plan was “ambitious and necessary,” Austin said at the time. In April 2023, that office had a full-time director hired by the Army and an initial core staff of 30 civilians, according to a 2024 Pentagon report that said that the workforce was expected to grow. Wes Bryant began working there in 2024 as the Branch Chief of Civil Harm Assessments. One of the things the office was discussing was updating the “no-strike lists,” lists of protected sites in other countries, such as hospitals, schools, churches and mosques, that the Pentagon keeps. When he was working at the Pentagon, it was well known that the list was out-of-date, he said. But under Hegseth, the office’s size was slashed and the work on updating the no-strike lists stopped, he said. “They have no budget. They’re just sitting there trying to maintain any semblance of the mission,” he said. Frankel reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Konstantin Toropin and Joey Cappelletti in Washington contributed to this report.

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Sunday, March 15, 2026 A7

PhiTEST eyed to boost tech commercialization Story & photo by John Eiron R. Francisco

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ANY Filipino-developed technologies struggle to attract investors due to weak validation systems, with science officials saying the issue lies not in talent but in gaps within the country’s innovation ecosystem. Atty. Marion Ivy Decena, director of the Department of Science and Technology’s Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI), said the Philippines has invested heavily in the country’s research capacity by building laboratories, training scientists, and strengthening universities. Despite these efforts, many locally developed technologies still fail to move from research to commercial use or reach the communities they are meant to serve. “Let’s be honest, are we producing quality research? Yes. Are we generating patents? Yes. Are we consistently moving technologies to market? No,” Decena said on March 5 at the two-day “Ready, Set, Tech: National Capacity-Building and Consultation-Workshop on Technology Readiness and Valuation,” organized by British Council Philippines with support from Oxentia Ltd. at a hotel in Makati “The problem is not intelligence. It is fragmentation,” Decena said. She explained that researchers often deal with conflicting intellectual property policies, while technology transfer offices interpret guidelines differently. At the same time, industry partners tend to hesitate because procedures vary across

institutions, which creates uncertainty that discourages both investment and commercialization. “I have seen technologies fail. Not because they are weak, but because systems are unclear,” Decena pointed out. “Impact happens when ownership is clear, valuation is credible, readiness is objectively assessed, and commercialization pathways are structured,” she added. Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. told the BusinessMirror at the sideline of the event that only about 10 percent of developed technologies typically reach successful commercialization, a pattern seen globally. To improve this rate, Solidum explained that the agency is working to bring more technologies to the market. Some innovations developed by the department, he said, are designated for public use, allowing the government to license them to potential adopters or fabricators. He added that another challenge is encouraging researchers to spin off technologies into their own companies. While universities can pursue this route, Solidum pointed out that commercialization remains difficult because such ventures still require significant investment. He also acknowledged that many researchers still lack guidance on how to move innovations from research to the marketplace. “Based on studies conducted by one of our agencies, if we compare cities across Asean, the Philippines has almost the same number of startups,” Solidum said. “The challenge now is scaling up and attracting more investment.”

ATTY. Marion Ivy Decena, director of the Department of Science and Technology’s Technology Application and Promotion Institute, speaks at the “Ready, Set, Tech: National CapacityBuilding and Consultation-Workshop on Technology Readiness and Valuation” at a hotel in Makati on March 5.

He added that even within the department, many technologies are simply licensed to private firms—meaning the government relies mainly on royalties rather than developing the products further. “We hope to make some programs where our own scientists and engineers can spin off their own products,” he emphasized. Despite these challenges, the Science chief expressed optimism with the establishment of the Philippine Technology Evaluation and Standards for Testing (PhiTEST), an initiative led by the DOST in partnership with the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd). The PhiTEST framework was highlighted during the consultation-workshop. Solidum said the platform aims to help

make local technologies investment- and market-ready, while providing investors with clearer insights into their level of development. “We are trying to build a system that can guide researchers and give them more confidence in pursuing commercialization,” Solidum pointed out. “Often, people are told to commercialize their technologies, but they are not shown how to do it.” Under PhiTEST, technologies will be systematically evaluated using internationally benchmarked measures—such as technology readiness, market and manufacturing readiness, and technology valuation to help position them for market adoption. Solidum said the initiative aims to

strengthen institutional preparedness among universities, research institutions, and technology-transfer offices, while aligning innovators, evaluators, industry partners, and investors on common standards for assessing technology readiness. “The strength of our national innovation ecosystem will depend on how well we connect development, validation, commercialization, and deployment into one coherent pathway,” he said, describing PhiTEST as a foundational step toward achieving that goal. Decena, on the other hand, said the initiative matters because investors look for predictability and partners expect clear systems. Establishing harmonized governance and readiness frameworks, she added, will make the Philippines easier to collaborate with and invest in.

PhiTEST rollout underway

MEANWHILE, DOST Assistant Secretary Napoleon K. Juanillo Jr. told the BusinessMirror that the nationwide rollout of the PhiTEST will begin with the development of a pool of master assessors who will help establish evaluation tools across key technology sectors. Juanillo said the program will initially focus on priority industry clusters identified by the national government. They include artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors and electronics, biopharma and health technologies, climate and resilience technologies, green energy and circular economy, and agri-aqua technologies Government agencies, such as the DOST,

CHEd, Department of Trade and Industry, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, are working together to support these priority areas. “We have to have master assessors for all of those. And so we’re taking them to some of the key institutions in the world that have national testbeds because the Philippines doesn’t have a national testbed yet,” he noted. “And so the first batch of master trainers will actually be traveling as early as late March, this coming year.” PhiTEST was launched on March 11.

Refining PhiTEST

SOLIDUM also acknowledged the collaboration with the British Council and the support of Oxentia, noting that while the partnership brings global expertise, the framework must still be adapted to local conditions. “Benchmarking must be evidencebased, and implementation must be locally responsive,” Solidum said. He encouraged participants in the workshop to actively share insights and provide feedback, noting that their inputs will help refine how PhiTEST will be implemented nationwide. “The feedback and structured inputs generated from this workshop will directly inform how we calibrate and operationalize PhiTEST across the country,” he said. “Let us work together to ensure that Philippine technologies are not only developed, but also validated, investmentready, manufacturing-ready, and globally competitive,” Solidum said.

‘Kapihan’ at HOR tackles agri-biotech in PHL PhilSA, local and S. Korean a biosafety regulatory system. Agbagala, also the Head Secretariat of the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines, reiterated that the Philippine biosafety regulations were firmly in place even before the country signed the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. She called for the immediate institutionalization of these regulations through legislation to ensure long-term stability.

partners set rocket development for spaceport

‘Biotech Champion’ in HOR THE “Conversations on Agri-biotech: A Kapihan Session with the HRep” at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on February 25, is attended by lawmakers, regulators, academics, scientists, researchers, and a farmer. It was led by former Agriculture secretary and current ISAAA Inc. Board Chairman Dr. William D. Dar; Rep. Reymond Adrian E. Salceda (Third District, Albay); Rep. Mark O. Cojuangco (Second District, Pangasinan); Dr. Paul C. Limson, director of Department of Agriculture Biotech Program; and leaders of Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines, and National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines. PHOTOS FROM ISAAA INC. By Clement Dionglay & Janine Cyren Escasura

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HE Philippines is recognized as Southeast Asia’s pioneer in agricultural biotechnology. It was the first in the region to establish a regulatory framework for genetically modified (GM) crops. It reached a major milestone on December 4, 2002, when the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) approved the commercialization of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn, with the first successful planting following in 2003. The 2002 approval marked a period of rapid scientific advancement in the country. However, the adoption of biotech crops recently has slowed significantly due to the Writ of Kalikasan issued by the Court of Appeals in April 2024. The writ halted the commercial propagation of Golden Rice and Bt eggplant due to concerns about their environmental and health safety. This judicial intervention has created a “regulatory limbo” as crops already cleared by scientific agencies are blocked by the judiciary. To help address these critical bottlenecks, ISAAA Inc., in collaboration with the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Biotechnology Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA Biotech Program), launched a series of “kapihan” (forum) for targeted stakeholder groups to improve their understanding of the benefits of biotechnology. The first session, titled “Conversations on Agri-biotech: A Kapihan Session with the HRep,” on February 25 and sponsored by the House of Representatives Special Committee on Food Security, gathered over 50 participants, including lawmakers, regulators, academics, scientists, researchers, and a farmer. The Kapihan served as a platform for an open dialogue between policymakers and key stakeholders who discussed regulatory

(FROM left) Former Agriculture secretary and current ISAAA Inc. Board Chairman Dr. William D. Dar, Rep. Reymond Adrian E. Salceda (Third District, Albay) and Rep. Mark O. Cojuangco (Second District, Pangasinan) speak at the “Conversations on Agri-biotech: A Kapihan Session with the HRep” at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on February 25.

and commercialization barriers affecting the development and use of agri-biotech products in the country. In his opening remarks, former Agriculture secretary and current ISAAA Inc. Board Chairman Dr. William D. Dar emphasized that science and technology, when paired with sound policy, can transform lives. He cited the important role of agricultural biotechnology to the country, saying, “Agricultural biotechnology is a cornerstone of modern, resilient, and sustainable food systems.” He also highlighted the importance of aligning science with governance to ensure responsible development and use of technology. Rep. Reymond Adrian E. Salceda (Third District, Albay), chairman of the House Special Committee on Food Security, welcomed the participants to the Kapihan Session. ”Today’s assembly symbolizes a shared dedication to confronting food security challenges head-on, with a specific emphasis on leveraging biotechnology to revolutionize our agricultural policies,” Salceda said. He added that by fostering dialogue, promoting transparency, and ensuring rigorous regulatory standards, the country can harness biotechnology’s full potential to

address global challenges and improve the people’s quality of life.

Economic benefits vs regulatory hurdles

DR. Abraham J. Manalo, an Assistant Professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, presented on the agri-biotechnology landscape and the adoption of biotech crops in the Philippines. Drawing on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Manalo, also the executive secretary of the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines, highlighted that corn production and yields have risen steadily since the introduction of GM corn in 2003. According to 2023 figures from DA-BPI, the top three provinces for GM corn cultivation were Isabela (108,829.85 ha), Cagayan (48,508.50 ha), and Bukidnon (30,936.50 ha). Research indicates that adopting Bt corn not only boosts farm and household incomes but also stabilizes the growth of the local swine and poultry industries. Ma. Lorelie U. Agbagala, Assistant Scientist at the Department of Science and Technology, highlighted that the Philippines was the first country in Southeast Asia to approve the commercial cultivation of a GM crop and establish

THE Kapihan featured a robust discussion on policy and legislative action with a panel of reactors and evaluators. One of the reactors, Rep. Mark O. Cojuangco (Second District, Pangasinan), challenged participants to move beyond passive support. “I encourage all of you to raise your voices... be activists in support of this advocacy,” Cojuangco said in Filipino. In a significant move, Salceda identified Cojuangco as the House’s “Biotech Champion.” Despite the country’s advancements in agri-biotechnology, Dr. Romulo Emmanuel M. Miral Jr., Deputy Secretary General at the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department, highlighted that policy vulnerabilities, limited funding, and capacity constraints remain formidable barriers. For his part, Dr. Paul C. Limson, director of DA Biotech Program, emphasized that the House’s role is to maintain standards that are “clear and science-based,” ensuring that farmers are not left behind in meeting local needs.

The path forward

THE challenge in the Philippines’ agri-biotech landscape is no longer just about “knowledge gaps.” It is about the limited influence of science in a space often crowded by disinformation. The absence of formal agri-biotech laws has created a vacuum filled by regulatory bottlenecks and commercialization delays,. By codifying biosafety into law, the Philippine House of Representatives can bridge the gap between scientific innovation and field implementation, ensuring that the country’s “pioneer” status translates into real-world prosperity for Filipino farmers. The House of Representatives has the mandate to legislate clarity. By aligning science with governance through legislation, the House can remove the bottlenecks that currently discourage innovation, enabling Filipino farmers to reduce input costs and improve their livelihoods through modern technology. Dionglay is a project associate at International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications Inc., while Escasura is project technical assistant for the Know the Science Project of ISAAA Inc. and the DA Biotech Program.

THE Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) signs a memorandum of understanding with its partners for rocket development that aims to establish a spaceport in the country, during the PhilippinesKorea Business Forum on March 4. From left are Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Ferdinand Ferrer, Trade Sec. Ma. Cristina A. Roque, Ascend President Ramon C. Garcia Jr., DICT Secretary Henry R. Aguda, CEZA Administrator and CEO Sec. Katrina Ponce Enrile, PhilSA Ad Interim Director General Gay Jane P. Perez, Perigee Aerospace CEO Dong Yoon Shin, South Korea’s Trade Minister Kim Jung-kwan, and Federation of Korean Industries Chairman Jin Ryo Ryu. PHOTO CREDIT LINKEDIN/RAMON GARCIA JR. By Bless Aubrey Ogerio

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HE Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) will develop a framework for rocket development training and experimental launches in partnership with local and international agencies, aiming to establish a Philippine spaceport and position the country as a regional gateway to space. The partnership was made possible through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on March 4 by PhilSA, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), Ascend International Gateway Inc., and Republic of Korea’s Perigee Aerospace Inc. The event was held at a hotel in Pasay City during the Philippines-Korea Business Forum that coincided with the State Visit of ROK President Lee Jae Myung to the Philippines. The rocket-development program builds on knowledge-transfer activities undertaken by PhilSA engineers in South Korea from October to November 2025 in collaboration with Perigee Aerospace. The training equipped the Filipino engineers with foundational and applied knowledge in launch vehicle systems in rocket assembly and testing. The country’s location near the equator and the Pacific Ocean to the east offers safe and secure launch and recovery operations over open waters, it said. “These initiatives lay the groundwork for future activities, including possible localized assembly, testing, and launch operations in the Philippines,” the agency said in a statement. The space agency emphasized that a Philippine spaceport would complement existing aerospace programs while ensuring

safety and sustainability. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. highlighted the economic potential of aerospace and other high-tech industries at his message at the Philippines-Korea Business Forum, a major platform for economic cooperation between the two countries. Marcos said the business agreements signed across shipbuilding, nuclear energy, aerospace, critical minerals supply chains, retail, and health and wellness demonstrate the private sector’s enthusiasm to deepen the nation’s economic relations. “All of these will ripple into significant partnerships that will generate projects, investments, and, of course, livelihood,” the chief executive said. Through training, international collaboration, and private sector participation, PhilSA and its partners has been strengthening the Philippines’ capabilities in space research, engineering, and rocket and satellite development. PhilSA aims to leverage these partnerships to develop a functional spaceport while advancing the nation’s space industry. In 2023, the Philippines successfully launched its first high-power hybrid rocket, TALA, from Crow Valley, Tarlac, deploying a payload and demonstrating safe hybrid propulsion capabilities. The MOU was signed by PhilSA Ad Interim Director General Gay Jane P. Perez, DICT Secretary Henry R. Aguda, CEZA Administrator and CEO Secretary Katrina Ponce Enrile, Perigee Aerospace CEO Dong Yoon Shin, and Ascend International Gateway President Ramon C. Garcia Jr. It was witnessed by Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque and ROK Trade Minister Kim Jung-kwan.

A6 Sunday, March 15, 2026

Faith

Sunday Editor: Lyn Resurreccion • www.businessmirror.com.ph

Pope asks for continued prayer for peace in Mideast; mourns priest killed in Lebanon

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OPE Leo XIV appealed for continued prayer for peace in the Middle East as Lebanon’s foreign minister asked for help from the Holy See to preserve the presence of the Christians in the country’s South. The pope also mourned the Lebanese priest killed in Lebanon

“Let us continue to pray for peace in Iran and throughout the Middle East, especially for the many civilian victims, including many innocent children. May our prayer be a comfort for those who suffer and a seed of hope for the future,” the pope said.

Pope Leo XIV made this appeal at his weekly General Audience in the Vatican on Wednesday, recalling that the funeral of Fr. Pierre El-Rahi, 50, was celebrated on Wednesday in Qlayaa, Lebanon. The pope recalled that El-Rahi was the Maronite parish priest of

FR. Pierre El Rahi was pastor of a Maronite parish in southern Lebanon. PHOTO COURTESY OF AID THE CHURCH IN NEED

one of the Christian villages in southern Lebanon, which, in these days, “are once again experiencing the tragedy of war.” “I am close to all the Lebanese people at this moment of grave trial,” he said. The Maronite rite Catholic priest was killed in Qlayaa on Monday as he sought to assist parishioners whose house had been fired upon by an Israeli tank, according to Lebanese media reports. El-Rahi rushed to the house in Qlayaa in the mountainous area of his parish with several young people when the tank struck the house again, wounding him. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his wounds. The pope acknowledged that in Arabic, El-Rahi means “shepherd.” “Father Pierre,” he said, “was a true shepherd who always remained beside his people with the love and sacrifice of Jesus the Good Shepherd.” The pope recalled that as soon as the priest heard that some parishioners had been wounded by a bombardment, he ran to help them without hesitation. “May the Lord grant that the blood he shed,” Pope Leo prayed, “may be a seed of peace for beloved Lebanon.” The Holy See Press Office released a statement on Monday reporting that Pope Leo XIV is praying for the cessation of hostilities in the Middle East, and expressed

SMOKE rises following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, on March 6. AP/HUSSEIN MALLA

his sorrow for the many innocent people who have died, including children and those who care for them, especially for El-Rahi. The priest’s death has deeply affected the local Catholic community, which was already living under increasing pressure from the conflict. “They are weeping over the tragedy and, at the same time, are very afraid. Until now, people didn’t want to leave their homes in Christian villages, but in this situation, everything has changed,” Fr. Bou Merhi, parish priest of the Latin communities of Tiro and Deirmimas. The priest explained that for many, leaving their homes practically means “living on the street or

At ‘Last Supper’ convent, friars still live, pray, welcome visitors

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ILAN—The Rev. Paolo Venturelli never gets too close when he visits Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” The Dominican friar prefers to stand away from the wall where it was painted, on the opposite side of the room once used by members of his Order for meals. “From there, the painting looks as though it were painted in the middle of the refectory,” said Venturelli of the masterpiece depicting the Gospel story of Jesus’ final meal with his apostles. “It unleashes all kinds of human and spiritual reactions.” Venturelli lives in Santa Maria delle Grazie, a convent and basilica in Milan where Leonardo worked in the 1490s at the request of Ludovico Sforza, then ruler of the city. “The Last Supper,” which illustrates the biblical account of Jesus announcing that one of his apostles will betray him, is located in the convent’s original refectory. Such rooms still serve as dining spaces where monastic communities gather for food, prayer and reading. Yet at Santa Maria delle Grazie it is no longer part of the friars’ daily life. After the Napoleonic suppression of religious houses in the 18th century, the refectory passed into state hands. Today it is known as the Cenacolo Vinciano and is managed by Italy’s Regional Directorate of Museums of Lombardy. “We don’t go often because we have to ask

permission to enter,” said Venturelli, who can stay inside for only 15 minutes like any other visitor because of preservation rules. “It no longer belongs to us,” he said.

Living beside ‘The Last Supper’

A DOZEN priests and nine novices make up Santa Maria delle Grazie’s current Dominican community. Dressed in the iconic white robes associated with their order—or brown hooded capes in winter—friars are regularly seen walking inside the basilica. Not all tourists visiting the Cenacolo make a stop at its adjacent church. But among those who do, some look at Venturelli and the other friars with curiosity. “We just came from the cloister and saw one of the friars taking care of the garden,” said Maria Teresa Bruzzi, who traveled from Genoa with her husband in mid-February. “We came to see Leonardo’s Last Supper but we also wanted to see the church because it’s quite special,” she added. “This is a Renaissance church that combines two styles and was very important for the Sforza family.” According to Venturelli, visitors to the sanctuary are often blown away by its architecture. “When they visit the chapel of Our Lady of the Grazie, they can see that the beauty around them was built to give glory to the one who is beautiful in and of himself—God,” he said.

WORSHIPPERS attend Mass at the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie, best known as the home of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” in Milan, Italy, on February 15. AP/MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ

Tickets for the Cenacolo are often sold out and the museum is closed on Mondays, preventing last-minute visitors to Milan from seeing the painting. The basilica, in contrast, opens daily and welcomes those wishing to attend Mass or go to confession. “Confessions are very much sought after and we maintain this service for the citizens of Milan but also for all visitors,” said the Rev. Llewellyn Muscat, prior of the Dominican community at Santa Maria delle Grazie. Venturelli offers confessions to Italianlanguage speakers. Muscat can support those speaking English, Italian and Maltese, his mother tongue. And while other friars offer their services in French and German, the prior said they all make an effort to understand everyone. “We cannot hold back the graces that the Lord gives to each one of us,” Muscat said.

A life of study and prayer

DOMINICANS arrived at Santa Maria delle Grazie as the complex was being built in the 15th century. However, the Order had established an earlier presence in Milan. Those first friars’ devotion to St. Catherine of Siena is still visible in the basilica. Frescoes depict her alongside St. Catherine of Alexandria, associated with the Dominican tradition of study and considered the patron saint of philosophers.

That intellectual legacy is also evident inside the convent itself. A few steps away from the steady flow of tourists, dozens of shelves filled with books stand in the halls. “Reading is part of our identity,”Muscat said. Neither he nor his fellow friars follow a strict daily schedule. But study, prayer and their ministry shape their routine. Priests like him celebrate Mass on a regular basis and assist nearby parishes when clergy are needed. Others oversee the novitiate program, teach at local Catholic institutions, or collaborate with Santa Maria delle Grazie’s cultural center, which organizes conferences and events. “We try to offer the spiritual push that people need,” Muscat said.

trying to rent a house, but people can’t afford it.”

Lebanon FM’s appeal

LEBANON has appealed to the Holy See for help in order to preserve the presence of Christians in the south of the country. Si nce t he outbrea k of re newed conf lict in the Middle East, Christians near the border with Israel have endured relentless bombardments and evacuation orders, trig gering a massive humanitarian crisis. Youssef Raggi, Lebanon’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, by phone on

Tuesday, which was confirmed by the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni. Raggi posted on X that the two men exchanged “views on the latest developments in Lebanon and on the difficult situation facing the border villages in the south.” “I asked the Holy See to intervene and mediate to help preserve the Christian presence in those villages, whose residents have always supported the Lebanese state and its official military institutions, and have never departed from this commitment,” he said. According to Raggi, Archbishop Gallagher affirmed that “the Holy See is making all the necessary diplomatic contacts to halt the escalation in Lebanon and to prevent the displacement of citizens from their lands.” The archbishop also assured his and the pope’s prayers for the people of Lebanon, according to the Lebanese foreign minister. The Pope made his first Apostolic Journey abroad to Lebanon and Türkiye in December 2025. While in Lebanon, he lamented the displacement of Christians from the country, which hosts the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Christians in Lebanon, said Pope Leo on that occasion, bear the mission to build a “civilization of love and peace.”Deborah Castellano Lubov/Vatican News and Diego López Marina/ EWTN News via CBCP News

At youth Way of the Cross, bishop urges support for bullying victims

A bond beyond art

THE fact that Leonardo was commissioned to paint “The Last Supper” inside a Dominican convent was no accident. Venturelli said most of his Order’s refectories have this scene depicted on their walls. And according to Muscat, it echoes Dominican principles. “For us, it does not awaken an emotion about something that belongs to the past,” he said. “It is like a continuation in which we eat together with Jesus and his apostles, as though his words are also spoken to us.” Muscat, like any other visitor who stands in front of Leonardo’s mural, feels deeply moved by it. In his case, however, it is not only the art but also a shared history that strikes a deeper chord. The painting, like the convent that houses it, has endured centuries of upheaval and has required collective efforts to survive. “‘The Last Supper’ is a call to my personal conscience and a call to the conscience of the Order,” Muscat said. “Because here in the Grazie there are no individuals, but a community that works and welcomes.” The Order’s current refectory is housed away from tourists, deep inside the labyrinth-like convent where the friars find the quiet needed for reflection and prayer. It is a modest, wide room, with several square tables instead of a long one, like the table depicted in “The Last Supper.” It’s nice, Muscat said. But who knows, he added, maybe one day the old refectory will belong to them again. María Teresa Hernández/Associated Press

ABOUT 3,000 young people gather for a Mass presided over by Bishop Joel Baylon of Legazpi during the 17th Diocesan Youth Way of the Cross at the Divine Mercy Shrine and Monastery of the Carmelite Nuns of the Holy Trinity in Ligao City, Albay, on March 7. PHOTO COURTESY OF ARVI LOPEZ

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EGAZPI CITY, Albay—A Catholic bishop urged young people to confront bullying by seeking support and finding “wells” or places of comfort. Speaking during Mass for the 17th Diocesan Youth Way of the Cross in Ligao City, Bishop Joel Baylon of Legazpi said sharing struggles with friends or family can soften the impact. “Bullying is everywhere,” Baylon said in his homily at the Divine Mercy Shrine and Monastery of the Carmelite Nuns of the Holy Trinity. “When facing it alone, it is painful.” Using the Samaritan woman as an example, he encouraged youth to identify personal spaces where

they can reflect, pray, and encounter Jesus. “The wells that we go to are places where we find comfort and solace, where we can be ourselves,” he told about 3,000 participants. Baylon cautioned that some sources of comfort, such as the internet, may offer temporary pleasure but cannot bring one closer to God. He also called on young Catholics to show compassion to peers rejected by society, urging them to share God’s love and guidance. Organized by the Legazpi Diocesan Commission on Youth, the annual event combines spiritual reflection with traditional devotional practices. Natalie Hazel Quimlat/CBCP News

Biodiversity Sunday BusinessMirror

Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014

Sunday, March 15, 2026 A9

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Inextricably linked: Farming, tourism, and biodiversity By Jonathan L. Mayuga

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ARMING and tourism are interdependent and inextricably linked to biodiversity. Both can be drivers of habitat loss, but when done responsibly and managed sustainably, both could be key conservation partners. This was the focus of the ninth Farm Tourism Conference, organized by the International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST) held in Baguio City from March 4 to 6. It gathered over 500 delegates, including policymakers, farm owners, tourism practitioners, and other stakeholders. The conference’s highlight was the launching of the Farm Tourism Strategic Action Plan 2026-2031, a five-year roadmap designed to integrate agriculture and tourism into a major economic driver for the Philippines. With the theme, “Highland Harvest: Cultivating Sustainable Agriculture and Tourism,” the sessions focused heavily on highland-specific issues—climateresilient farming in mountainous regions and the development of the highland coffee industry.

Economic opportunities

FORMER secretary of the Department of Tourism Dr. Mina T. Gabor, who is concurrently president of ISST, underscored the huge opportunity of farm tourism in the Philippines and the huge income potential for farmers in rural and upland areas. She added that it could generate income and livelihood opportunities for communities. Garbor cited one of the farm tourism awardees who ventures into banana chips production. The entrepreneur was able to find a way to make delicious banana chips sought by customers with discriminating taste, she said in a telephone interview with the B usiness M irror on March 11. “We all know banana chips. But somehow, the awardee was able to find a way to make his chips delicious and started exporting,” Gabor said. Later, the farmer converted the farm into an agri-eco village, which ventured into farm tourism—allowing visitors to witness the process of planting, harvesting, and packaging banana chips.

Declining farm output and income

SEVERAL factors—such as dwindling area

devoted to food production, ageing farmers and their declining numbers, and the challenge posed by the increasing cost of production and threat of climate change— make agriculture a risky business. At the same time, venturing into food production alone requires a much-needed boost from tourism. Gabor recalled that in 2015 a lot of farmers were already complaining about declining production and poor income from farming. Some farmers have started to abandon their farms in search of other more profitable ventures or work. “Some turn to carpentry, and their sons and daughters are not interested in cultivating their lands anymore because it is not profitable,” she said in Filipino. At that time, she said she had the opportunity to talk to then Senate agriculture committee chairperson Cynthia Villar, who shared the same sentiment. That was the time that, as Tourism secretary, Gabor said she thought of pitching agri-tourism to help boost the income of farmers and create a new industry that would offer hope for a better future for Filipino farmers. She admitted that the idea did not fly in the beginning.

“Tourism resilience is not just for the environment. It is also for competitiveness and survival issues for farm tourism communities,” she said. A former Environment department Biodiversity Management Bureau director, Lim advocates sustainable tourism and biodiversity-friendly enterprises, along with biodiversity protection and conservation. Lim discussed the climate reality in agriculture, such as the longer dry spells, shifting rainfall patterns, intense rain events, and the uncertainty in planting calendars and yields, making the idea of building resilient farms a must.

through a wide-ranging memorandum of agreement. It aimed at transforming farm tourism and tightening the link between food production and the country’s expanding travel industry. The DA and DOT reaffirm their commitment to align programs, infrastructure, and promotions to position the Philippines as a leading food and gastronomy destination in Asia. “This is not simply about adding tourist stops to farms, a visit that could even spur greater investment in the farm sector,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said in a press release on February 10. “It is about creating stable institutional demand for local produce, encouraging value adding, and integrating agriculture into the broader services economy,” Tiu Laurel said. “When hotels and restaurants source consistently from Filipino farmers, we stimulate rural investments, generate employment, and expand economic activity beyond primary production,” he added.

From agri-tourism to farm tourism

ACCORDING to Gabor, another opportunity came knocking when she was invited in New York by the YMCA. She was brought to a place where vegetables were picked from a farm. “A sign says Farm Tourism. It gave me an idea, it sounds more farmer. Farmers will have a sense of belongingness to this farm tourism. From then on, many farmers started calling asking about farm tourism,” she said. That was the time that she pitched to lawmakers the idea of having a law that will develop farm tourism. In the latter part of 2015, the first public forum by the committee under Villar started. “[Earlier], we star ted with fewer than 20 farmers. That was in November. By May 2016, Republic Act 10816, or the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016, was signed into law by President Noynoy [Benigno Aquino III] before his term ended,” Garbor pointed out. According to Gabor, after her two-year stint as DOT chief, she thought of establishing a school called the International School for Sustainable Tourism.

Inextricable links, nature-based solutions

RICE terraces, such as as the Maligcong Rice Terraces in Bontoc, Mountain Province, and other upland farms are among the popular agro-tourism sites in the Phiippines. PHOTO FROM GREGG YAN

COFFEE farms offer an opportunity for visitors to experience and learn about coffee farming. UNDP BIOFIN’s Gregg Yan interviews coffee-grower Sheila Mae Percival about coffee harvesting in Tambara, Negros Occidental. PHOTO FROM ROMEL BAYLON CONCEPCION

“I felt that what was lacking was community-based rural tourism. When we held the first rural tourism conference in Cebu, there were a lot of participants, and the hall was filled with people,” she said. Today, she boasted that there are 138 registered farm tourism sites. “But based on our assessment, we have roughly around 700 between micro, small,

medium, and large enterprises,” she said.

Strategic action plan

“THREE weeks ago, the Strategic Action Plan of the DOT was completed. Now the accreditation can continue,” she said. The action plan was a product of a partnership initiative of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the DOT, formalized

Farm tourism and biodiversity

SPEAKING during the conference, Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim, former executive director of Asean Centre for Biodiversity, talked about building resilient farm tourism in the highlands and adapting agriculture to climate reality. According to Lim, highlands are on the frontline of climate variability and extremes, and farm tourism depends on stable landscapes that include water, soils, forests, and scenic integrity.

LIM highlighted the interdependence of farming, tourism, and biodiversity conservation in an interview via Messenger on March 11. “A well-managed farm tourism program creates strong incentives for biodiversity protection because the ‘product’ is not only crops—it’s the farm experience and the surrounding environment. It recognizes that healthy biodiversity is a natural adaptation measure, building resilience against climate change impacts that can reduce farm yields and disrupt tourist flows,” she said. Lim added that farm tourism also encourages product diversification and developing value-added activities, creating more stable income, which can help support biodiversity protection and restoration. “Meanwhile, a healthy biodiversity is a core element of nature-based solutions and central to resilient farm tourism. Forest ecosystems and inland wetlands help sustain water reliability, soil stability, and destination quality, thus strengthening farm productivity,” she said. According to Lim, greener landscapes, the presence of wildlife pollinators and seed dispersers provide authentic naturepositive branding, and enhance visitor experience. “Biodiversity protection can also deepen community participation and local buy-in by creating stewardship roles and skills for guides, educators, and community monitors. Fur ther, it promotes good governance by embedding nature and ecosystem considerations into planning and standards, helping ensure that the entire farm tourism programme remains viable in the face of climate-related threats,” she said.

Boosting coral reef resilience through marine heatwave tracking, monitoring

A BLEACHED coral reef in the West Philippine Sea. CREDIT IMAGE TO LOWELL JAY TUPAZ

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OME corals are more resilient against coral bleaching than others. By monitoring coral reefs in the West Philippine Sea from 2022 to 2025, researchers from the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) found that the effects of coral bleaching are site-specific, a news release said. In Bolinao and Anda, Pangasinan, and Iba, Zambales, researchers found that 60 percent to 77 percent of hard corals were bleached, most to a severe degree. In Lobo, Batangas and Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, bleaching was milder with affected 20 percent to 43 percent of the corals affected. This reflects the strong effects of the record-breaking sea surface temperatures observed during the 2024 Global Coral Bleaching event. Severe coral bleaching and death are seen

to lead to dramatic long-term shifts in reef community composition. Meanwhile, the new dominance of heat-tolerant corals suggests that marine biodiversity in the area may decline as warming hastens. Either way, these extreme changes in Philippine reefs are undeniable. The project, “Impacts of Marine Heatwaves in Select West Philippine Sea Reefs,” highlights the connection between increasing ocean temperatures and coral reef health. The project is funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD). It is a part of a larger collaborative effort, titled, “Marine Heat Waves in the Western Pacific: Detection, Mechanisms and the Impacts

A RESEARCHER laying the transect line to conduct an ecological survey of the corals. CREDIT IMAGE TO LOWELL JAY TUPAZ

on the Coral Reef Ecosystem,” with Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, and Japan’s Science and Technology Agency, the DOST-PCAARRD said. The project aims to determine when and where the marine heatwaves occur, what causes them, and how they affect coral reefs. Among the international team of experts leading the project is Dr. Maria Vanessa BariaRodriguez of UP MSI, working together with Prof. Anindya Wirasatriya of Diponegoro University in Indonesia and Prof. Toshio Suga of Tohoku University in Japan. To assess the state of corals in the West Philippine Sea, UP MSI researchers regularly conducted underwater reef surveys for three years. The surveys enabled them to analyze and determine the percentage of hard corals, soft corals, macroalgae, algal assemblages, and

dead corals within a patch of reef. Sites where coral bleaching was severe, such as the reef sites in Bolinao, Anda, and Iba, had declined by 51 percent to 59 percent in hard coral cover in only two years. In contrast, sites where coral bleaching was milder had declines that were much less extreme. In Puerto Galera, the decline was only 2 percent. There was also a 20 percent increase of hard coral cover in Lobo. Concurrently, the Marine Heatwave Tracker was jointly developed by Dr. Charina Lyn Amedo-Repollo of UP MSI with support from DOST-PCAARRD. The tracker is an online tool that provides daily updates on marine heatwave events across the Philippine seas, using the latest sea surface temperatures from the Global Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice Analysis Near Real Time (OSTIA NRT) dataset.

A SCREENSHOT of the Marine Heatwave Tracker jointly developed by UP MSI and DOST-PCAARRD. CREDIT IMAGE TO RACHEL FRANCISCO

Partnering coral reef monitoring with marine heatwave monitoring is becoming increasingly essential as sea temperatures continue to rise and global warming worsens. Studies suggest that marine heatwaves will become longer, more intense, and more frequent in the future. With less time to recover between bleaching episodes, 70 percent to 90 percent of the world’s reefs could be lost by 2050. Through the project’s initiative, it is now possible to determine the location of marine heatwave events in near real-time. It is hoped that this can help local stakeholders identify sites under threat and focus monitoring efforts on potentially affected areas. For longer-term mitigation, it is necessary to identify and prioritize resilient areas as potential climate refugia—or areas where a population of organisms can survive

through a period of unfavorable conditions, such as climate change or environmental disturbances—and to enhance coral reef monitoring to detect early warning signs of bleaching. It is also advisable to continue monitoring affected areas to determine recovery potential. For recently damaged reefs requiring restoration, priority should be given to coral populations that survived thermal stress events, while also incorporating hydrodynamics in the planning process. The continued monitoring of coral reefs, together with the timely detection of marine heatwaves, is essential to understanding where resilient coral reefs are and how this resilience can be replicated in other reefs. However, these strategies can only be effective if climate change is also addressed.

Sports BusinessMirror

A10 Sunday, March 15, 2026

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Editor: Jun Lomibao

Filipino sports fan: All in all the time By Bless Aubrey Ogerio

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ROM the arenas of Premier Volleyball League (PVL) packed with chanting fans to inter-barangay basketball leagues where kiddos emulate their heroes, Filipino sports culture are never “just games.” Just recently, late-night Formula One races are even followed in barcades or group chats, Grand Slam tennis matches dominate social media timelines and that’s thanks mostly to Alex Eala, and now, Winter Olympics events suddenly trend nationwide (in the cue of Alysa Liu’s “Stateside” program). In this country where “Habang may buhay, may pag-asa” resonates deeply, fandom is, indeed, emotional, communal and increasingly digital. What more it is to say? Welcome to the age of the hyper-engaged Filipino sports fan.

Rooting for the underdog

PINOY fans have a soft spot for the underdog and it’s easy to see why. Stories of struggle, perseverance, and eventual triumph hit home. As University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Assistant Professor Michelangelo Loayon, a Sociology expert, explained: “Affective investment through relatability, especially with underdog players or teams, is a driving factor to why Filipino fans are so engaged.” Take, for instance, Manny Pacquiao’s rise from a boxing gym in General Santos City. Even domestic leagues like the Philippine Basketball Association or grassroots tournaments produce moments that feel personal. Generally, fans celebrate athletes’ victories because they mirror a belief that ordinary people can overcome obstacles, that those setbacks are temporary and that hard work matters.

Doing it for the pride

FOR many Filipino fans, sports wins carry a weight beyond the scoreboard. Basically, victories are national victories. Professor Michelangelo Loayon pointed out that when Filipinos watch athletes like Alex Eala climbing the WTA ranks or Carlos Yulo winning Olympic gold medals in gymnastics, “those wins are also seen as wins of the Filipino people, the wins of our nation. This sense of “Pinoy Pride” turns athletes into symbols of the nation, where a single match can feel like a countrywide event. Moreover, fans invest emotionally because the outcome represents something larger than individual players; it is the collective sense of belonging.

Social media, as obvious

SOCIOLOGY expert Samuel Cabbuag, also a UP Diliman Assistant Professor, explained: “Digital platforms such as social media have made it easier for sports fans to engage more with the teams and players they support…[and] create a space for fellow fans to meet and discuss the teams and athletes they admire.” Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X provide virtual backstage access to these athletes’ training sessions, interviews and glimpses of off-court lives. Such access fuels parasocial relationships where fans feel personal connections with athletes, intensifying loyalty.

As a community bonding

FANDOM in the Philippines is deeply social. Samuel Cabbuag highlighted that it reflects “strong community ties in the Philippines, even if we have different values and beliefs.” This just goes to show that watching games becomes a ritual. Prime examples are the fans who exchange memes, banter and organize watch parties. This social aspect of fandom turns games into a shared experience that

FANS crowd Alex Eala in a meet-and-greet during the Philippine Women’s Open Women’s Tennis Association 125 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center last January. NONIE REYES extends far beyond the court or screen. For Loayon, the relationships among fans themselves are as important as their relationship with the players or teams, emphasizing that the communal aspect of fandom is central to the experience. Really, sports fan culture in this country is never a solo affair.

There’s drama in rivalry

RIVALRIES inject adrenaline and storytelling that keep fandom alive.

Quinn ‘King of Cross Country’ on borrowed bike

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By Nonie Reyes

ESPITE a gloomy morning and a borrowed bike from national team coach Eboy Quiñones, 26-year-old Quinn Monasque of One Cycling Mindanao proved that grit and faith are ultimate gears. The Sarangani-based corn and banana farmer ruled the Elite category at the10th 7-Eleven Trail Race the past weekend, beating his rivals in a nail-biting finish. The 40-kilometer single-loop course at Timberland, known for its challenging “Pintong Bukawe” climb, came down to a matter of inches. In the final 100 meters, Monasque found himself “sandwiched” between two powerhouse riders from Go for Gold, an established cycling team both road and off-road. With a burst of speed, Monasque crossed the line first with a clocking of one hour, 54 minutes and 35 seconds, edging Adrian Nacario by a second and James Carl Dela Cruz by two seconds. Monasque’s journey to the top of the podium is far from the high-tech world of professional cycling—hailing from

General Santos City, he began biking only six years ago out of necessity. He used his father’s old and rusty bike to navigate the long distances between his home and the corn

farms where he works. Remarkably, the “King of Cross Country” didn’t even use his own bike for this win—having just competed in the Philcycling National Champion-

QUINN MONASQUE conquers the 10th 7-Eleven Trail Race by the skin of his teeth. NONIE REYES

Akshay wields broom at Bay Hill THE Arnold Palmer Invitational went to extra holes last weekend for an exciting finish heading into The Players. After rain delayed the leading groups on Saturday, they had to finish their third rounds early Sunday and after everyone completed 54 holes, Daniel Berger remained on top at -13, with Akshay Bhatia nipping at his heel just one shot back. Bay Hill is known to be a tough test and after nine holes, Berger increased his lead to four—he made the turn at -15 with Ludvig Aberg and Cam Young tied at -11. Bhatia was actually five shots back at -10 after a shaky front nine, but a good approach on the 10th, a long putt bomb on the 11th, a routine birdie at the par-five 12th and another birdie at the 13th meant he was again close, just a shot behind Berger. His run of four consecutive birdies to start the back nine put him right back in the mix, but it was cut short by a bogey on the 15th, and again, he was two behind Berger. But credit to Akshay, the young gun has some balls of steel. With the pin tucked just past the water hazard on the par-five 16th, he risked it all and attacked the pin and the result? A tap-in putt for eagle. By the final hole, Bhatia and Berger were tied at -15. Berger did himself no favors by making costly bogeys to negate some birdies he made throughout the final round and he actually had to make a pressure-packed par putt on the last to make the playoff.

Berger drove it to the right rough off the tee and had to just punch it out to a good distance for a chance to get up and down from the fairway. Credit to him, he did it with all that pressure. The playoff wasn’t as exciting as the last few regulation holes though. Bhatia again hit the fairway and Daniel Berger was again in the rough, the left side this time. While Berger managed to hack it out to make the edge of the long curving green, Bhatia was able to play his second from the fairway and executed his approach to the center of the green. With almost the whole length of the green between his ball and the hole, Berger needed three putts, while Bhatia only needed two. In the end, Bhatia snatched the victory from Berger in nail-biting fashion for his third win on tour. That

Professor Michelangelo Loayon explained that intense engagement stems from “the stories of these players or teams [and] the stakes involved,” noting that Filipino basketball rivalries, from Toyota vs Crispa from the 70s to 80s to UP vs Ateneo in the early 2010s up to the 2020s, carry history, memorable moments and generational passion. These rivalries transform spectators into engaged communities, giving each game layers of meaning beyond the scoreboard. ships for Road in Tagaytay City where he finished 11th in criterium. The victory was hard-earned as Monasque trailed in the first 20 kms and faced significant obstacles on the unfamiliar terrain. “It was difficult at the ‘Pintong Bukawe’ trail, the climb’s almost 26 degrees,” Monasque told the BusinessMirror. “This was my first time racing at Timberland and I only had three days of practice. I even crashed during the early part of the competition.” For Monasque, the P20,000 champion’s prize was more than just a trophy— it’s a lifeline. The young farmer admitted to being low on budget with no remaining allowance before the race started. “I am so thankful to the Lord that I won this race because I was out of money,” he said with a smile. “During the race, I just thought that whatever the Lord gives me, I will accept. I was lucky enough to win.” The event saw approximately 1,500 cyclists tackle a mix of fire roads and technical single tracks. Vic Paterno, president and CEO of Philippine Seven Corp., also participated in the E-bike category as a non-competitor and praised the beauty of the course and promising continued modifications to challenge the growing mountain bike community.

THE US’s Alysa Liu displays her gold medal in women’s free skate program of figure skating as Eileen Gu smiles during the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco. AP

China-US relations hang over Olympic gold medalists Liu, Gu By Didi Tang

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The Associated Press

ASHINGTON—It is as captivating as it is divisive: the tale of two Chinese American athletic geniuses who have so much in common but make such different choices. Eileen Gu, a 22-year-old freestyle skier, and Alysa Liu, a 20-year-old figure skater, were both born to Chinese immigrants in California, and both were brought up in single-parent households. Both are elite athletes who turned in gold-medal performances at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics last month. But public opinion diverges over their choices about the countries for which they compete—Gu chooses to represent China, while Liu waves the US flag. Those decisions are generating heated debates over loyalty—an issue interwoven with money, values and politics on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. In China, many laud Gu for identifying herself as Chinese and competing for the honor of the

should have been the end of the story…but it isn’t.

Anchors away

LIKE in his previous win at Valero in 2025, Akshay Bhatia’s win again brought out debates and accusations of “cheating” through anchoring. Akshay uses a broomstick putter, and with it, the questions on anchoring seem to never end. In 2016, the governing bodies of golf banned the anchoring of clubs to the body. This meant that belly putter and long or broomstick putters can no longer touch or be anchored to the body during the putting stroke. This rule putt every belly putter in the bin, but as for long putters, players found a way to still use them without anchoring them to the chest or sternum. So after Bhatia holed his winning putt, talk online naturally veered towards anchoring and the need to scrutinize players using long putters. But what advantage does a long putter have? Is it the anchoring? Is it the split grip? Personally, I’ve tinkered with belly and long putters, mallets, blades and all sorts of shapes. I stuck with my trusty long putter for a good eight years for one reason—I putted best when mostly using my right hand. That’s where my feel comes from. I wouldn’t say I had yips, but for some reason, my left hand seemed to just get in the way. By splitting my grip and using my left hand just for anchoring, I could use my dominant hand to feel and guide the putts. I watched a video explaining why some golfers putt much better with one hand dominating the stroke. As explained in the video, some people have excellent hand-eye coordination,

motherland. But plenty praise Liu, too, for her free spirit and genuineness— sometimes with a subtle nod to her father’s role in the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests that landed him in the United States. In the US, Gu’s choice has raised eyebrows among politicians, including Vice President JD Vance, and even prompted a congressional proposal threatening to tax 100 percent on athletes such as Gu who compete for countries like China and Russia in the Olympics. “Any American who works with a foreign adversary has not only betrayed our country but must be stripped of all benefits from doing so,” said Rep. Andy Ogles, a Republican from Tennessee.

Chinese dream for Gu

TO a large extent, Gu’s is a story of China’s economic success, when its spectacular growth has made it alluring for those with Chinese roots to return for greater financial gains. Eileen Gu was born in San Francisco to a Chinese mother working in finance, but no information about her father is available.

but only with one hand. Put another hand in the equation, and it just doesn’t work as well. This apparently was common with golfers coming from playing other sports. People who play darts, pool, racquet sports, even basketball, all “shoot” or swing with one hand dominating. As a result, one hand becomes dominant not just in strength, but also with feel and coordination. I used to play tennis from grade school until well into adulthood. Although I would say I got better at golf than tennis or any other sport, my right hand was always dominant. Even in tennis, I couldn’t hit two-handed backhands. My left hand just got in the way. Same goes for my putting. Hitting putts using my long putter felt like bowling with my right hand. I just rolled the ball using one hand. That all went away with the anchoring ban in 2016. After the ban, it was just too much of a hassle for me to re-learn putting with my left hand hovering instead of being anchored on my sternum. But with Bhatia’s win and with Adam Scott, Will Zalatoris, Lucas Glover and Bernhard Langer using the long stick to some success, I might just give my trusty old Ping B90 long putter another shot. Is it cheating? I don’t think so, especially because everyone is free to use the same equipment. If equipment advantage is equal to cheating, then we should ban hybrids because they are easier to hit than long irons. Is there an advantage? For me, yes, but I am sure it doesn’t hold true for everyone. Anchoring is banned, as it should be. But unless long putters are anchored, we should be able to use them legally, without question.

BusinessMirror

March 15, 2026

‘GRANDMA HOBBIES’ ARE IN

Young people turn to old-school pastimes to get off their phones

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BusinessMirror MARCH 15, 2026 | soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com

RETRO REVIVAL

YOUR MUSI

How The Bloomfields’ 2007 cover suddenly became Tiktok gold Story and photos by Justine Xyrah Garcia

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ho would have thought that one random TikTok fit check could resurrect a song from 2007 and send it straight to the top of streaming charts? But that’s exactly what happened to The Bloomfields’ retro cover of “Ale,” which suddenly shot to No. 1 on TikTok Trending Sounds and climbed to No. 2 on Spotify Philippines nearly two decades after its release. For drummer and vocalist Rocky Collado, the whole thing still feels surreal. “It’s trippy,” Rocky said during a recent roundtable with BusinessMirror’s SoundStrip and other media. “It’s fun because it tells me that this song is not just something that was good in one space and time. But it’s actually valuable for another generation who grew up completely differently.” For those who blinked and missed it, “Ale”

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quietly exploded in December 2025 and peaked early this year. It all started with a Gen Z TikToker doing a retro-themed fit check at Cubao Expo. No grand choreography, no celebrity push. Just pure vibes. But that simple video ignited a chain reaction. Soon, everyone—from students and influencers to artists and even jeepney drivers— was dancing to “Ale,” each offering their own take on the mysterious “babaeng saksakan ng ganda” in the song. Suddenly, Cubao nostalgia became Gen Z currency. Rocky admits they don’t fully understand why it happened now. “We don’t know 100 percent why,” he said. “But I do have a theory that this song just vibes better with this generation than it did maybe for that generation. The mood, it’s just mas swak lang siya for this time period.” Bassist and vocalist Louie Poco agrees. For him, the revival says more about the times than the trend. “I think nowadays with AI and everything’s so modern and so futuristic, I think people wanna have something very more human,” Louie said. “I think TikTok is a good platform because it’s very human. It’s very personal. It’s just a person dancing, doing your own thing.” For Louie, the viral moment is also validation. The Bloomfields never really disappeared. They kept playing gigs—weddings, birthdays, corporate shows—quietly building their craft while the spotlight shifted elsewhere. The trend, he said, affirms years of steady work and faith in their sound.

Manila’s retro boys

The Bloomfields—Rocky, Louie, lead guitarist Lakan Hila, and rhythm guitarist Nathan Abella—have long been known as “Manila’s Beatles,” thanks to their tight harmonies and unmistakable 1960s influence. Whether performing originals or covers, they lean hard into vintage tones, crisp suits, and analog charm. Ironically, “Ale” almost didn’t happen. Originally written in the 1980s by the late Bodjie Dasig, the song first gained popularity through Richard Reynoso’s 1992 version, which later became associated with the 1998 film Honey, Nasa Langit na ba Ako? starring Regine Velasquez and Janno Gibbs. At its core, “Ale” is a quirky, almost cinematic

The Bloomfields

tale: a guy driving around Cubao, minding his own business, when he spots a drop-dead gorgeous woman and promptly loses all composure. Traffic? Irrelevant. Dignity? Gone. It’s kilig meets chaos on four wheels. “And then in 2007, it was suggested to us by our former manager,” Rocky recalled. “What we heard was the Bodjie version and we just said, ‘You know what, let’s just do this the way we’re going to do it.’ We can’t pull off the Bodjie version— that’s not us. We had to figure that out.” So they Bloomfields-ed it. “We really trained ourselves to do the vocal harmonies while we played the instruments. The way we play instruments, it’s heavily influenced by ‘60s music. We imbued that song with that," he said. Instead of copying past versions, they filtered “Ale” through jangly guitars, tight harmonies, and their signature retro groove. Good thing they did. Because if they had backed out, there might be no TikTok dance challenges today.

What’s next?

Riding the unexpected wave, The Bloomfields are now preparing to release a new album—three years in the making—within 2026. This time, the focus is on original material. Louie shared that moments like this push

them to dream bigger. The renewed attention encourages them not just to revisit classics, but to create songs that could one day find their own second life. Moments like this, he said, also remind them that their music can travel further than they once imagined—possibly even beyond Philippine shores. "More than anything, it motivates us to keep creating original music and to re-introduce classic OPM songs that deserve to be rediscovered by a younger generation,” he added. Rocky also revealed that a possible collaboration with OPM icon Richard Reynoso has been discussed, although nothing is final yet. “He said he’d be open to do a collaboration, whatever that is, we’re still thinking about that. He also said that he was very happy that Ale is doing well, suddenly back in the limelight," Rocky shared. For now, The Bloomfields are simply enjoying the moment—watching a new generation discover a song about a traffic-stopping crush in Cubao. Because two decades later, “Ale” proves that good music, much like a sudden glimpse of someone beautiful across the street, has perfect timing.

IC

soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com | MARCH 15, 2026

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BEYOND THE SPOTLIGHT

BUSINESS

Songs for Selina pulls back the curtain on creative industry

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Story and photos by Bless Aubrey Ogerio

ATELY, the music industry has been buzzing with uncomfortable stories about artists who feel trapped in unfair contracts or overshadowed by the very labels meant to support them. It is against this backdrop that Songs for Selina arrives at a strikingly relevant moment. The musicthemeddrama,settopremiereinPhilippinecinemas on March 18, dives into the emotional realities behind the spotlight. At its heart is the story of Maya and Selina, childhood friends bound by music and ambition. But as their dreams take shape, the industry forces them onto different paths. Selina becomes the star everyone wants, while Maya, despite being equally gifted, ends up behind the scenes as a ghostwriter, her voice heard but her name unseen. DirectedbyDeanRosen,thefilmbringstogether a diverse cast that includes Mica Javier as Selina, RachelCoatesasMaya,JayRasNick,RachelAlejandro as Emily, George Schulze as Mitch, Audie Gemora as Noy and Bendeatha as Ramil, For Jay R, whose label Homeworkz Entertainment helped produce the film, the project feels almost prophetic. “This movie kind of explains and shows you a glimpse of what really happens behind closed doors,” the R&B artist said during a press conference in Makati City on March 9.

A film years in the making

THE journey of the show began long before today’s industry debates took center stage. The movie was filmedbackin2019,adetailthatsurprisedevensome of its cast members when promotional materials started resurfacing years later.

For Rosen, the production process was both meticulous and challenging. “I remember that we had to search high and low for that shirt that [we] were wearing,” he joked. “We had to look through catalogs just to make sure we got the right one.” Despite the challenges, the team managed to shoot the film in a way that mirrored its storyline. Scenes that took place later in the narrative were filmed later in the schedule, something Rosen says worked out in the end. “Thankfully, it kind of worked out that way,” he said with a smile. Before reaching Philippine cinemas, the film had already traveled overseas. It was picked up by Amazon Prime US and Tubi for North American streaming last year. Now, it finally returns home, brought by Homeworkz Entertainment and distributed locally by Black Cap Pictures. Meanwhile, Coates said the experience remains a pivotal moment in her artistic journey. “I was pure theater until this moment,” she recalled. “This was before Pearl Next Door, before anything. Then suddenly I was on screen, and I could just show up as my real, genuine self.” The Songs for Selina soundtrack, available on Spotify, features ten tracks performed by Javier, Coates, or both.

The cast of Songs for Selina

Uncomfortable truth

WHILE the show tells a fictional story, some of the film’s cast say its themes hit uncomfortably close to real life.

Bendeatha, best known as a former member of the rap group Salbakuta, portrays a nightclub bouncer in the movie. But his perspective on the music industry goes beyond acting. The veteran musician spoke candidly about the realities artists sometimes face. “Reality side ng pagiging artist,” he said. “Aminin naman natin— sila yung bugaw, kami yung prostitute nila.” He added that the analogy reflects a painful truth about power dynamics in the industry. Artists, he explained, often generate enormous revenue but receive only a fraction of it in return. Such experiences, the rapper added, can drain the joy out of creating music. “Nasasayang yung talento,” he said. “Nasasayang yung pagiging artist ng mga tao.” But rather than dwell solely on frustration, Bendeatha sees the film as an opportunity to spark awareness. “Kapag napanood ito, makikita ng tao yung realidad,” he said. “Makakatulong ito para ipakita kung ano talaga ang dapat makuha ng isang

artist sa craft niya.”

A love letter to the creatives

FOR the filmmakers, the project is not meant to condemn the industry. Instead, it hopes to show how it can be better. One of the production team’s guiding principles was to create a healthy working environment— something that isn’t always guaranteed in creative industries. “The whole point of this movie is about shedding a light on some of the darker things that happen,” he explained. But the team wanted the making of the film itself to reflect the opposite. “We wanted to show thatevenwithasmallteamthat’spassionate,wecan come together and do things by proper standards,” Schulze said. Cast and crew were paid on time, working hours were clearly defined, and everyone, from actors to staff, was treated with professionalism. “This movie is a love letter—not just to the music industry, but to the film industry as well,” he said.

‘GRANDMA HOBBIES’ ARE IN

Young people turn to old-school pastimes to get off their phones By Kaitlyn Huamani

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and Roots Conservancy and recently purchased a 16-acre parcel of land in Rincon, Georgia, to safeguard wildlife habitats. The purchase was made possible in part because of the platform he’s built online.

The Associated Press

OS ANGELES—By age 23, Emma MacTaggart was already noticing how rare her free time was—and how it was seldom screen-free. She was working long hours in investment banking and once she was finally able to log off after work, she would turn to her phone. Along with her roommates, she decided to hunt for a hobby that would replace that habit. They became “hooked” on needlepoint, she said, a practice she had briefly learned from relatives as a child, but one that she hadn’t picked up in years. And she hasn’t turned back since. “It was a really therapeutic way to kind of distract yourself from either work or stress, but also just do something with your hands instead of doomscrolling,” she said. “We became completely obsessed.” MacTaggart is part of a throng of young people who are turning to analog hobbies and activities as a means of escaping technology and reconnecting with childlike creativity and exploration. Somewhat ironically, this analog movement has been galvanized by its trendiness on social media. Some of these hobbies—knitting, gardening and, of course, needlepoint—have been ascribed the term “grandma hobbies” online, referring to the older demographic that’s often been associated with them. But many other offline, tactile hobbies, like pottery, origami and even blacksmithing, have gained traction online with Gen-Z and millennials recently. A younger crowd embraced such hobbies in 2020 when the pandemic left many with more free time. But “grandma hobbies” have persisted beyond a pandemic fad and some seem to be picking up steam in their popularity online. While she said she may not consider herself a crafty person, MacTaggart, now 26,

EMMA MACTAGGART, founder of What’s the Stich needlepoint business, is photographed in her studio in New York on February 9, 2026. AP founded the needlepoint business What’s the Stitch and runs popular social media profiles of the same name. After seeing growing interest in her content, she began to build up her business and now sells needlepoint canvases, accessories and digital designs. The flair MacTaggart puts into her creations is a touch of cheeky humor and, occasionally, profanity. “It is such a historically buttoned up craft, so it’s fun to put a young spin on it,” she said. ‘Like a video game, but in real life’ JAIME KURTZ, a professor of psychology at James Madison University whose research focuses on happiness, said many of these activities can also help to reduce anxiety and stress, and provide a sense of accomplishment since they require focus and can be challenging. “Hobbies are really important, and a lot of us have lost them, or we just don’t prioritize them enough, or we think we’re too busy,” Kurtz said. “But just finding little bits of time to carve out to do these kinds of things is a really wise use of time.” Clara Sherman, who co-founded the company So Bam Fun to “reinvigorate” the game of mahjong with a younger generation, said when she plays the game with friends, she’s able to reach a “zen state.” “You kind of feel like you’re existing in

this little bubble of just myself, my friends and this game we’re all enjoying together,” she said. “It just really does allow you to shut off the rest of the world.” Some young hobbyists are not looking to escape their phones through their activity of choice, but are interested in how modern technology can enhance their experience. Isaiah Scott, a birdwatcher, artist and content creator, said the app eBird is a key part of his experience. It allows birders to log and track their observations while also contributing to scientific research and conservation. It’s easy to say his generation is “glued to their phones,” Scott said, but that access to technology also “opens so many doors to get involved in hobbies that may have been forgotten about or (are) just difficult to get into otherwise.” Scott, who is based in Savannah, Georgia, said bird watching is akin to the Pokémon games he loved growing up: “It feels like a video game, but in real life.” Traveling to different regions is like unlocking a new map, he said, and racking up a high number of species seen is like achieving a high score. Scott has seen about 800 different species himself. Beyond providing him with an enriching hobby, birdwatching set Scott, 22, on a mission to “protect and to conserve our natural world.” He founded the nonprofit Rookery

Old-school art finds new life, young people find community MANY crafters and hobbyists also feel a strong sense of community among their peers. Kristie Landing created Verse & Sip, a platform and collective for poets and poetry lovers, and she posts videos online of letter writing, letter locking, wax seals and origami, among other paper crafts. Landing, 34, said she constantly gets questions from an “active community” of viewers about the type of paper she uses or where she bought her tools, but they’re also interested in connecting with each other. She recently started a pen pal matching service after receiving an abundance of comments from followers who expressed that they would like to have someone to swap letters with — particularly someone who would appreciate the care they put into their physical communications, or just admire their penmanship. Landing also created the Verse & Sip Mail Club, where she sends out an original poem and an accompanying tea monthly to a couple of hundred people across the globe. She hopes her online content will provide viewers with a similar sense of joy and calm as reading a hard copy of a poem over a cup of tea would. “I am trying to create slower moments on platforms that are based on really quick, short attention span kind of videos,” she said. “These kind of stop you in the scroll.” Many hobbyists told the AP they don’t see their activity of choice as a fad or a temporary trend, but rather as part of a more intentional embrace of the analog world. As far as the moniker of “grandma hobbies” goes, MacTaggart, for one, welcomes the label. “I joke with my friends that I have been a grandma my whole life,” she said, “so it’s only fitting that this is now my career.” n Cover photo by Miriam Alonso on Pexels.com

30 years after Pokémon’s release, fans are still trying to catch ‘em all

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ENSON Lu’s life revolves around Pokémon. The 26-year-old has played the mobile game Pokémon Go every day for a decade, watches the animated show every week, goes to the local card shop in his Los Angeles suburb to play the brand’s trading card game every week, and has a whopping collection of cards worth more than $70,000. “I don’t remember when was the last day I did not think about Pokémon at all,” he said. In the 30 years since Pokémon debuted in Japan with the 1996 release of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green for Nintendo Game Boy, the franchise has taken over the globe with its animated shows, mobile games and highly coveted trading cards. Its

popularity continues with fans young and old. Pokémon offers a masterclass in character design, which has helped make it so enduring, said Heather Cole, teaching assistant professor of game design and interactive media at West Virginia University. “I think the longevity of it has to do with the characters and world-building it does with the characters,” she said.

A valuable commodity

IT’S not just cuteness that has people clamoring for merchandise, particularly trading cards. Today, some are so coveted that social media star Logan Paul sold one for a record $16.5 million. Adam Corn, owner of card business

4 BusinessMirror

Overdose Gaming Inc, said he was able to buy a house last year from his Pokémon cards. “Pokémon almost always appreciates in value over time,” Corn said. “So it’s just a really good place to put your money in my opinion, better than a lot of other assets.” Companies like Beckett Grading Services and Professional Sports Authenticator authenticate and grade the quality of Pokémon cards on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being pristine mint condition and fetching the highest prices. Paul bought the PSA Grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card a few months prior for $5.3 million and wore the card on a chain around his neck in videos. It features a Pikachu holding a pen and feather sweeper. MARCH 15, 2026

‘I still like it the same amount’

WHILE his hobby is lucrative, Lu said the draw for him is still nostalgia for the characters he grew up with and the community he has formed around Pokémon. He prefers not to sell his single cards because he worries he will never be able to find them again. Lu recently spent an entire Saturday walking around the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, looking for Pokémon on his augmented reality phone game at an event attended by thousands. “I’ve liked Pokémon ever since I was a kid,” he said. “And I still like it the same amount.” AP