BusinessMirror May 03, 2025

NEW ORDERS, HIGHER OUTPUT

By Cai U. Ordinario

WHILE

the Philippine manufacturing sector bounced back in April on the back of new orders and increased output, firms continue to exercise caution as demand is expected to dip after the elections.

As the recent S&P Global Philippines Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) noted, the country’s score improved to 53 in April from the 49.4 score posted in March, which was deemed the lowest in 43 months.

The threshold in the PMI is an index score of 50, which indicated an overall increase in survey responses compared to the previous month, and below 50, an overall decrease.

“The Filipino manufacturing sector commenced the second quarter of the year on a solid note, experiencing renewed growth in output and new orders, alongside an increased level of purchasing activity. Encouragingly, inflationary pressures also remained contained and historically subdued,” Maryam Baluch, economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said.

However, Baluch noted that companies were cautious as there are expectations that post-election demand will slow. This was observed in decisions by companies to keep their existing manpower for the second consecutive month.

“Confidence within the sector

‘Flip the box’ to boost innovation–DepDev

INSTEAD of just thinking outside the box, the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DepDev) said “flipping the box” is needed to encourage more innovation in the economy.

In a recent speech, DepDev Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said innovation is a driver of sustainable and inclusive development that the country needs to tap into to attain its goals.

Balisacan said this means not only ensuring the steady flow of ideas but more importantly, having the ecosystem to support these ideas.

“It urges us to flip the box—to shift our perspectives, disrupt our outdated processes, and discover bold new solutions. ‘Flip’ signals a transformation in mindset, a break from convention, and a leap toward innovation-driven action,” Balisacan said.

“It calls on us to flip the page and empower a new generation of leaders ready to reshape industries, uplift communities, and steer the Philippines toward a more prosperous future,” he added.

Balisacan said efforts to “flip the box” means investing in people and creating systems that empower innovators and support their needs. He said the country must address systemic barriers.

One example, he said, is in the procurement process for research and development. He said the process remained rigid and misaligned to the nature of innovation.

He said there is also a need to “strengthen triple helix collaboration among government, academe, and industry.

“Speaking as someone who has spent many years in the academe, I know firsthand that innovation is often not hindered by a lack of ideas, but by outdated systems,” Balisacan said.

“We must redesign these systems to support the full innovation cycle—from ideation

has declined to its second lowest in the series history. Some respondents indicated that the rise in activity during April was partially influenced by the upcoming elections, suggesting that post-election, customer demand may be less buoyant,” Baluch said.

In April, S&P Global Market Intelligence said the PMI showed international demand for Philippine goods were “broadly stagnant for a second consecutive month in April.”

The data also showed that the seasonally adjusted New Export Orders Index was unchanged at below the 50 mark, the same as March 2025.

S&P Global Market Intelligence said manufacturers raised their buying activity and even showed bulk buying. This allowed firms to increase their input inventories in April. There was also an increase in the holdings of finished goods in April. However, the report stated that this marked a slower increase in post-production inventories for the fourth consecutive month. Meanwhile, in terms of employment, the report noted that there was only a “fractional drop in outstanding work levels.”

“Confidence within the sector has declined to its second lowest in the series history. Some respondents indicated that the rise in activity during April was partially influenced by the upcoming elections, suggesting that post-election, customer demand

Arsenio Balisacan, DepDev Secretary

NSA Año hails SOVFA signing with New Zealand; Senate review, ratification next

By Butch Fernandez and Rex Anthony Naval

NATIONAL Security Adviser

(NSA) Eduardo Año on Friday said the signing of the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) between the Philippines and New Zealand early this week showcases the country’s growing international defense partnerships.

“We warmly welcome the signing of the SOVFA between the Republic of the Philippines and New Zealand, an important milestone in our growing strategic and defense partnership,” he said in a statement.

Also on Friday, the chairman of the Senate Defense committee vowed a careful and timely review of the agreement once it reaches the Senate for concurrence.

The NSA said the landmark agreement demonstrates the two countries’ shared commitment to a rules-based international order, regional peace and stability, and enhanced cooperation in both security and humanitarian domains.

“It reflects the mutual resolve of Manila and Wellington to bolster interoperability between our armed forces through joint train-

ing, capacity building, and collaboration on disaster response, especially in light of our shared vulnerability as nations located within the Pacific Ring of Fire," Año, who is also director general of the National Security Council (NSC), added.

He said the NSC commends the Philippines’s continuing efforts to strengthen its bilateral defense ties with New Zealand.

“This agreement is not directed against any one state, but rather stands as a clear affirmation that the Philippines and New Zealand are committed to international law, freedom of navigation, and the peaceful resolution of disputes,” the NSA said.

Año added that they view this partnership with New Zealand as a step forward in strengthening our ability to respond to common challenges: be they natural disasters, transnational threats, or encroachments that undermine sovereign rights.

“By deepening our security cooperation with like-minded nations such as New Zealand, the Philippines reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding national interests while promoting regional stability, resilience, and mutual respect among nations,” he said.

The SOVFA between the Philippines and New Zealand was formally signed on April 30.

The Philippines has similar defense pacts with the United States and Australia, while another defense deal is being pursued with France.

A commitment to conclude a SOVFA was one of the key outcomes of New Zealand Prime Min-

ister Christopher Luxon’s visit to Manila in April 2024.

Senate ratification

THE new treaty will have to be ratified by the Senate before it comes into force.

“Once the Executive Branch ratifies the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement [SOVFA] with New Zealand, we expect it to be sent to the Senate for concurrence,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada on Friday.

The Philippine Constitution has vested in the Senate treatyratifying powers.

“My colleagues and I in the upper chamber will carefully review and deliberate on its provisions,” Estrada said of the agreement, sanctioned earlier this week by the Executive. “Like other SOVFAs with different countries, this agreement with the government of New Zealand is based on a 2017 memorandum of agreement that focuses on defense cooperation and strengthening military ties between our two nations.”

Estrada signaled a positive outcome for the agreement, stressing: “Given our shared commitment to peace, stability, and mutual defense, I believe the Senate will recognize the strategic benefits of this partnership and approve it in due course.”

‘Flip the box’ to boost innovation–DepDev

In collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the government, Balisacan also said, has mapped innovation facilities across several regions.

To be launched is a beta version of the Filipinnovation Spaces website which will become a central portal for innovation-related facilities nationwide.

The government’s Innovation Grants program has also completed three successful funding cycles and is entering its fourth. He said the program has supported 53 innovation projects, with total funding exceeding P260 million since 2022.

“But we cannot stop here. Encouraging as these achievements are, we must build on them with greater urgency and ambition,” Balisacan said.

“I call on all of us to flip our mindset—from slow adaptation to bold transformation, from pasTrump closes China shipping gap, raising prices for US consumers

that has allowed items from China and Hong Kong valued at no more than $800 to enter the US without customs declarations and import duties. The Trump administration has said it’s taking aim at the de minimis exception because it could be exploited to send ingredients used to make illicit fentanyl into the US while avoiding detection by authorities.

The US president also said the exemption has benefited Chinese e-commerce shopping platforms at the expense of US mom-and-pop retailers.

“De minimis. It’s very—it’s a big deal. It’s a big scam going on against our country, against, really, small businesses and we’ve ended it,” Trump said Wednesday during a cabinet meeting.

Packages from China and Hong Kong will now be taxed at a rate of 120 percent of their value or charged a flat rate. That fee starts at $100 and is set to increase to $200 on June 1. While Americans can still buy goods from places such as Temu and Shein, their costs will likely increase as retailers hike prices ahead of the tariffs.

The change takes hold as Americans grow increasingly skeptical of Trump’s economic agenda and tariff program. A disruption of shopping patterns could put further pressure on the White House to broker a deal with China to bring down trade barriers.

Trump has acknowledged in recent days that American consumers are facing a new landscape due to his tariffs, saying that children may have “two dolls instead of 30 dolls” to pick from on store shelves and “maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally.”

Shein has raised prices on products, from dresses to kitchenware, ahead of the new tariffs. As of Friday, the average price for the top 100 products in the beauty and health category increased by 51 percent, with several of the items more than doubling in price. Temu also appears to be passing all of the taxes on to consumers, more than doubling the cost of some products. The de minimis exemption, which dates back to 1938, is higher in the US than in other countries. It’s about $40 in Canada and about $150 in the Euro area. Around 4 million small packages claiming the exemption entered the US each day in 2024.

More than 1 billion individual shipments to the US a year claim the exemption, up from around 140 million a decade earlier, according to a 2024 White House fact sheet.

sive users to active producers of innovation, and from followers to frontrunners in the global innovation movement,” he also said.

In January, the Depdev, then known as the National Economic and Development Authority, released P160.1 million from its Innovation Fund (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/01/13/ neda-releases-%E2%82%B1160-mfrom-innovation-fund/).

The grants were extended between 2022 and 2023 and covered a total of 37 projects nationwide across the 10 Innovation Priority Areas.

For 2022, there were a total of 12 projects that received grants amounting to P60.1 million, while for 2023, there were 25 projects that received P100 million in grants.

The report, released by Neda, showed that the highest grant reached P10 million and the lowest was P281,650, both extended in 2022. Cai U. Ordinario

De minimis packages from places other than mainland China and Hong Kong are poised to lose their tariff exemption too once a system to “expeditiously process and collect” the duties is in place, according to an executive order issued by Trump.

DHL Group Chief Executive Officer Tobias Meyer said Wednesday that the impact of the de minimis change on the Bonn, Germany-based logistics company is uncertain and depends on how the “fine print” is implemented. In particular, he said, it matters how “formal versus informal customs clearances are defined.”

“For us it makes a big difference because for a formal clearance into the United States, you need additional data items,” Meyer told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday, adding that companies are wondering if new forms will be needed for smaller packages. Bloomberg

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (center), Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo(right), New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Catherine McIntosh (left), New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins (second left), and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro pose for a photo after signing the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) at the Malacañang Palace in Manila on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. JAM STA ROSA/POOL PHOTO VIA AP

“This agreement is not directed against any one state, but rather stands as a clear affirmation that the Philippines and New Zealand are committed to international law, freedom of navigation, and the peaceful resolution of disputes.”— National Security Adviser Eduardo Año

Chinabank links net income increase to digitalization

THE China Banking Corp. (Chinabank) has linked its double-digit net income growth in the first three months of the year to its ongoing digital transformation.

A statement issued by Chinabank revealed the lender’s net income increased by 10 percent to P6.5 billion in the first quarter of this year. This translated to a return on equity of 15.1 percent and a return on assets of 1.6 percent, which was considered among the highest in the industry.

“Our first quarter results reflect the fruits of the concerted efforts across all our different businesses to drive organic growth and support our customers,” Chinabank President and CEO Romeo D. Uyan Jr. was quoted as

saying in the statement.

Chief Finance Officer Patrick D. Cheng also highlighted the bank’s ongoing digital transformation as a key growth driver.

“We expect to provide better service, expand our customer base, and deepen client relationships with the launch earlier this year of our enhanced mobile app, My CBC, and other digital initiatives in the pipeline,” Cheng said. The bank’s net interest income jumped 14 percent to P17.1 billion on the back of higher asset yields

and loan volume which offset increased interest expenses.

Net interest margin also remained at a healthy 4.5 percent.

The bank’s total revenues reached P16.3 billion, up 8 percent yearon-year.

The lender’s operating expenses increased 17 percent to P8.4 billion, driven by continued investments to boost its digital, infrastructure, and talent capabilities.

Total assets rose 10 percent to P1.7 trillion, placing the bank as the fourth-largest private universal bank in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, gross loans of the 105-year-old bank reached P954 billion, a 19-percent increase on the back of brisk lending to businesses and consumers.

Nonetheless, the bank maintained its asset quality, recording a better-than-industry nonperforming loan (NPL) ratio of 1.5 percent. Consequently, the bank

reduced its credit provision by six percent to P285 million.

The bank’s NPL coverage remained adequate at 112 percent from the previous quarter’s 108 percent, in line with the updated central bank guidelines that exclude provisions appropriated to retained earnings.

Under the previous reporting guidelines, NPL coverage would have been higher at 143 percent from the previous quarter’s 139 percent.

To maximize shareholder value, the listed bank (PSE: CBC) declared a 14-percent higher cash dividends this year, totaling P6.7 billion, equivalent to a payout ratio of 27 percent.

Shareholders of CBC on record as of May 9, 2025, will receive P1.50 per common share regular dividend and an additional P1 per common share special dividend on May 22, 2025. Cai U. Ordinario

PSBank sees high income as consumer loans grow

THE Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) is betting a stable economy would further fan consumer appetite for loans, which bodes well for the lender’s bottomline.

“Consumer loan demand has remained high and as long as economic conditions continue to be stable, we are optimistic to capitalize on this trend in the coming months,” PSBank President Jose Vicente L. Alde said.

The lender posted a net income

in the first quarter of P1.21 billion, 1-percent higher than its net income in the same period last year. The bank’s core revenues— which include net interest income, service fees, and commissions— grew by nine percent to P3.81 billion from P3.49 billion in the same period last year. Operating expenses were lower by three percent as the bank continued to benefit from improved productivity and operational efficiency.

The lender also reported that its total gross loans expanded P152 billion as of March, marking a 19 percent year-on-year increase, propelled by growth in auto, mortgage, and small-to-medium enterprise (SME) lending.

The thrift banking arm of the Metrobank Group said its asset quality remained healthy with gross non-performing loans (NPL) ratio improving to 2.6 percent in the first three months of the year from 3.4 percent in the

first quarter of 2024. Meanwhie, the bank’s total assets stood at P222 billion, while total deposits and capital reached P170 billion and P45 billion, respectively.

The thrift bank’s capital adequacy ratio of 23.5 percent and Common Equity Tier 1 ratio of 22.4 percent remain above the regulatory minimum set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and is among the highest in the industry.

Cai U. Ordinario

Growth in revenue streams boosts Bankcom’s income

HE Bank of Commerce

T(BankCom) saw a 13-percent increase in its net income in the first quarter of the year. The bank reported that its net income rose to P866.79 million as of 31 March 2025 from 769.18 million in the first quarter of 2024. The affiliate of San Miguel Corp. pinned this rise on the growth in revenue streams, specifically net interest income, trading securities and foreign exchange gains.

“The first quarter results showcase the Bank’s sustained momentum and robust performance of its core businesses. The bank added that its revenue growth translated to a return on equity (ROE) of 10.27 percent. This reflected its efforts to optimize the use of capital.

Meanwhile, the lender said its gross revenues increased due to higher net interest income, trading securities and foreign exchange gains, as well as ROPA related gains.

Net interest income posted P2.49 billion, 11 percent higher than the P2.25 billion in the prior year on account of expansion across all segments of lending, mainly on the corporate aspect

focused on the client rich SMC ecosystem.

The bank also said the targeted asset deployment and prudent management of funding translated to a net interest margin (NIM) of 4.24 percent.

Other income grew significantly by 26 percent from P398.34 million in the same period in 2024 to P503.09 million.

“The substantial growth was primarily due to favorable securities trading, foreign exchange gains and ROPA related revenues. The bank was also able to generate higher trust, credit card and trade finance fees,” the lender said.

The bank’s operating expenses, excluding provision for credit and impairment losses expanded by 11 percent to P1.79 billion, consistent with its efforts to broaden its market share.

Despite this, the bank’s costto-income ratio was pegged at 60 percent, evident of its operational efficiency amid revenue expansion. The company’s operating expenses increased due to the continued investment in human capital and technology as well as a higher volume of operational transactions.

Cai U. Ordinario

Comelec sees surge in vote-buying, ASR complaints as election nears

By Justine Xyrah Garcia

WITH just over a week left before voting day, the Commission on Elections expects a spike in complaints related to vote-buying and the abuse of state resources (ASR) involving candidates.

Comelec Commissioner Ernesto P. Maceda Jr. said on Friday that the poll body is already investigating 309 cases.

“But we do anticipate a surge in reports in the coming days. There are only 10 days left before the election,” Maceda said in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview.

Maceda, who chairs the Comelec’s Committee on Kontra Bigay, which handles vote-buying and ASR complaints, said 84 of the 309 reports have already been acted upon. Show cause orders (SCOs) have been

issued to the candidates involved.

“For more than 200 of these complaints, the initial reports submitted still lacked sufficient evidence,” he added.

However, the commissioner clarified that the issuance of a show-cause order does not automatically mean the respondent is guilty.

Maceda explained that SCOs are issued to give involved individuals the opportunity to explain their side while the investigation is ongoing.

In terms of geographical distribution, the committee observed that the top three regions with the highest number of reports are Region IV-A with 64 complaints, Region III with 54, and Metro Manila with 52. When broken down by province or city, the commissioner said most of the complaints came from Laguna, Marikina,

Lawyers seek Duterte release, citing ICC’s lack of jurisdiction

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome

defense team of former President

HE

TRodrigo R. Duterte has argued that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no jurisdiction over the alleged war crimes committed while he was mayor of Davao City and president of the Philippines.

Duterte’s counsels Nicholas Kaufman and Prof. Dr. Dov Jacobs presented fresh arguments before the Pre-Trial Chamber 1 that investigation conducted by ICC prosecutors on the ex-President’s war on drugs “lacks legal foundation” as the Philippines is no longer a member of the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC.

“The Defense requests the Pre-Trial Chamber find that there is no legal basis for the continuation of the proceedings against [Duterte] and to order his im -

mediate and unconditional release,” Kaufman and Jacobs said in their 38-page manifestation.

The Philippine government had earlier surrendered the 80-year-old Duterte before the Interpol, after the ICC issued a warrant of arrest against him.

The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber warrant states that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that the former president is “individually responsible as an indirect co-perpetrator for the crime against humanity of murder.”

The war crimes being investigated were allegedly committed between November 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019—the period when the Philippines was still a member of the Rome Statute. Starting March 17, 2019, the Philippines, under the order of then President Duterte, is no longer a member of the Rome Statute. On September 15, 2021, the Pre-Trial

Chamber authorized the ICC prosecutors to investigate allegations that Duterte’s war on drugs systematically killed thousands of alleged drug suspects in the Philippines.

The operative word is “are”

THE defense lawyers insisted that the ICC investigation on the war against drugs came after the withdrawal of the Philippines from the Rome Statute.

They cited Article 12 of the Rome Statute on the conditions before the ICC can exercise jurisdiction over a case: “The Court may exercise its jurisdiction if one or more of the following States are Parties to this Statute or have accepted the jurisdiction of the Court.”

“This indicates that a State must be a party to the Rome Statute contemporaneously with the Court’s decision to exercise

jurisdiction…Determination of whether the conduct was committed on the territory of a State Party or could be attributed to a national of a State Party happens at the time the decision is made to exercise jurisdiction, not at the time of the commission of the crime,” they said.

Thus, the Burundi case in 2017 is not applicable to the Philippine situation jurisdictional issue, the lawyers argue. They said the Pre-Trial Chamber had allowed the investigation in the African state prior to the date when the withdrawal from the Rome Statute has taken into effect.

Duterte’s lawyers alleged that the ICC prosecutors have “systematically confused” the “pre-condition to exercise jurisdiction” from the “exercise of jurisdiction” itself in their previous arguments before the Pre-Trial Chamber.

Glitch temporarily deletes WPS label on Google Maps

AGLITCH in the Google system has erroneously removed the West Philippine Sea (WPS) label. But now, it’s back.

“The label was temporarily missing due to a technical issue—it’s now back on Maps,” a spokesman for the Google LLC told the B usiness M irror in an email message.

The BusinessMirror verified that the label has indeed returned on the Google Maps and Google Earth platforms on May 2. Netizens pointed out early this week that the WPS label disappeared weeks after the US tech giant added the label to its maps and satellite imagery platforms. (See related story: https:// businessmirror.com.ph/2025/04/15/ google-maps-adds-west-philippinesea/)

The West Philippine Sea is the term used by the Philippines on the maritime zones west of its archipelago—including the Luzon Sea, Bajo de Masinloc and Kalayaan Island Group.

The National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (Namria) has been putting the West Philippine Sea label on official maps since 2011 based on the Administrative Order by President Benigno Aquino III.

Ombudsman lambasts Garcia for defying order

MBUDSMAN Samuel R. Martires

Olambasted Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn F. Garcia last Friday for resisting the 6-month preventive suspension order imposed against her by his office.

While he is not surprised with Garcia’s defiance, Martires maintained that it acted fairly in connection with her case. Martires, likewise, assured Garcia that due process was observed in the issuance of the order, based on the requirements of Section 24 of Republic Act 6770 (Ombudsman Act of 1989).

“The Ombudsman or the Deputies can preventively suspend an officer or employee

under their authority pending an investigation. This can be done if the evidence of guilt is strong and the charges involve dishonesty, oppression, gross misconduct, or neglect of duty, or if the respondent’s continued stay in office might prejudice the case,” he explained. “The suspension, without any pay, can last until the case is terminated by the Office of the Ombudsman, but not exceeding six months,” Martires added.

The Ombudsman further said his office “will always remain an independent constitutional office and committed in its mandate to protect the rights of the people

and fight graft and corruption.”

The state prosecutors ordered Garcia suspended for six months pending investigation over her alleged illegal issuance of a permit in favor of a construction firm without prior clearance from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Martires pointed out that it was not the first time that Garcia has defied a lawful order of the Ombudsman.

He said that when Garcia was then Congressman of the 3rd District of Cebu she was charged before the Ombudsman for the purchase, sometime in 2008, of a property later to be found under water.

In a decision dated January 15, 2018, Martires disclosed that then Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales ordered Garcia—who at that time was a member of Congress—to be dismissed from service “with the accessory penalties of perpetual disqualification from holding public office, cancellation of eligibility, and forfeiture of retirement benefits.”

“In this instance, [then] Cong.… Garcia defied the Ombudsman’s Decision and without any Court Order remained in Office until June 2019 because the Decision of the Ombudsman was not implemented by the leadership of the House of Representatives,” he added.

Martires also said he was puzzled by Garcia’s conflicting statements when she said that the suspension order against her violates the Commission on Elections (Comelec) rules while asking the Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” C. Remulla to shed light on

A law identifying all the maritime zones of the Philippines officially renamed the waters as West Philippine Sea on November 2024.

China has opposed to Google’s inclusion of the West Philippine Sea in its platforms, insisting that the South China Sea is the internationally accepted geographic name of the sea. Malou Talosig-Bartolome

the Ombudsman’s decision.

“With all due respect, we view this as a misplaced request for an opinion because aside from the Supreme Court, the only government agency tasked to implement and interpret the Omnibus Election Code is the Comelec,” the Ombudsman said.

The Cebu governor insisted that the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), along with the Philippine National Police, is the office “vested with the authority” to implement the orders issued by the Ombudsman.

“Is the good Governor stripping the Ombudsman of its inherent power to implement its orders, decisions and legal processes?” Martires asked.

According to him, the Office of the Ombudsman would put an end to the practice of tapping the DILG and other agencies in the executive branch to implement its orders and decisions, with respect to officials and employees within their administrative supervision and jurisdiction.

“We realized, however, that our decisions and orders were not immediately served and implemented. Worse, it resulted in the leakage of our Orders and Decisions thus giving the respondent the opportunity to seek for an injunctive relief before the Courts. Hence, the Ombudsman decided to put a stop to this practice,” Martires stressed.

He said he also sought Garcia’s apology over her accusations that politics was behind the Ombudsman’s suspension order, noting that he was appointed by then President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

“Governor Garcia owes the Ombudsman an apology for its unfounded accusation and malicious insinuation,” Martires said.

Joel R. San Juan

Rizal, Bulacan, and Pampanga. Maceda said the most common form of vote-buying remains the distribution of cash and goods, or anything of value.

He also noted newer methods such as the distribution of membership cards and government aid guised as electioneering, especially among incumbent officials seeking reelection.

He urged the public to report all violations, emphasizing that citizens are the Comelec’s “eyes and ears.”

“There are only a few of us in every municipality. That’s why we need your help. Our reporting channels are active, and you can find the details on our website,” Maceda said. Complaints may be sent via email to committee.kontrabigay@comelec.gov.ph or through the official Facebook page of the committee.

‘Alyansa’ bets defend PrimeWater probe, say Camille still with slate

MEMBERS of the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas are supporting President Marcos’ directive to investigate PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp., a company owned by the Villar family, and insist the move should not be viewed as politically motivated.

At a news conference in Lucena City, they aired their views amid growing complaints about poor water service in several provinces across the country.

The investigation’s timing had raised speculation of a political witch-hunt after one of the Alyansa’s senatorial candidates, Rep. Camille Villar, received an endorsement from Vice President Sara Duterte, with whom the President’s camp is feuding. However, her fellow candidates on the slate said it signals bad governance to ignore a legitimate public concern such as poor water service only because a party is deemed an ally of the powers that be.

An Alyansa candidate former senator Panfilo Lacson, said the government is well within its duty to address such issues, especially since water is a basic necessity.

“Even if water service is under a private concessionaire, the government must be transparent and proactive in resolving public concerns,” Lacson said. “We were in Bohol, Bacolod, and now here in Lucena— everywhere we go, we hear complaints. In Bacolod, the water coming out of the tap was brown. In Lucena and Tayabas, the mayors themselves told us they’re dealing with problems involving PrimeWater.”

Lacson stressed that the move to investigate PrimeWater should not be viewed as politically motivated.

“There’s no politics in basic needs.

Just like when we sold rice at P20 per kilo—farmers were paid P33 farmgate, and consumers benefited. Why politicize necessary actions?”

Former Senate President Tito Sotto echoed Lacson’s sentiment: “Any issue concerning the basic needs of the people should be addressed without delay,

regardless of who’s involved.”

ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo said the investigation was prompted by repeated complaints from multiple local government units (LGUs), not political maneuvering.

“Albay, Pampanga, Lucena, Tayabas, and Bulacan—these are all PrimeWater areas. The LGUs themselves have been speaking up. Are we supposed to ignore them because the company is linked to an ally?” Tulfo asked.

“The President did the right thing. If rust-colored or muddy water is coming out of your tap, do you just turn a blind eye?”

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos weighed in, asking the media and public to consider the issue from a citizen’s perspective.

“Imagine if every person in this room had no water and still had to pay for poor service. How would you react? The president made the right call. This is a serious issue that demands immediate action.”

Camille’s role LACSON , meanwhile, clarified that Villar remains part of the coalition.

“As far as we’re concerned, she’s still part of Alyansa—unless she personally withdraws.”

Tulfo emphasized that the investigation targets PrimeWater, not Villar herself.

“Camille Villar is not PrimeWater. The company may be family-owned, but we’re not removing her just because she was endorsed by someone else. In past elections, we’ve had common candidates between different parties—it’s nothing new,” he said. He warned that ignoring complaints simply because a company is linked to an ally would reflect poorly on the government.

“The worst thing is turning a blind eye because someone is part of your group. That’s not how governance works,” he added.

Abalos concluded by reiterating the importance of objectivity in public service.

“We don’t want problems like this, but they’re here. It’s our job to solve them, not to politicize them.” Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

Pag-IBIG Fund, NHA, SHFC Partner to Build Nearly 8,000 Homes Under 4PH Program

THE Pag-IBIG Fund, National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) signed an agreement on Labor Day to construct almost 8,000 housing units in major cities as part of the government’s flagship Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino or 4PH Program. Under the agreements, PagIBIG Fund will provide project financing to support the construction of housing developments by NHA and SHFC in strategic locations in Valenzuela City, San Fernando, Pampanga, Davao City and Manila.

“We are happy to report that the Pag-IBIG Fund, NHA and SHFC continue to forge strong partnerships in support of the 4PH Program’s goal of providing quality yet affordable homes, especially to underserved families,” said Secretary Jose Rizalino L. Acuzar, who chairs the 11-member PagIBIG Fund Board of Trustees and heads the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD). “In line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to close the country’s housing gap, the DHSUD’s key shelter agencies remain united in our mission to ensure that every Filipino family has access to decent and affordable housing.” The new housing projects in-

clude a medium-rise condominium with 372 units in Valenzuela City through NHA, as well as mid- and high-rise developments through SHFC: 3,440 units in San Fernando, Pampanga; 1,200 units in Calinan District, Davao City; 2,135 units in Tondo, Manila; and 425 units in Sta. Mesa, Manila. All these projects will be financed through Pag-IBIG Fund’s Direct Developmental Loan Program, a facility specially designed by the agency to support the implementation of the 4PH Program.

Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Marilene C. Acosta said the agency is fully aligned with the administration’s housing vision and emphasized Pag-IBIG Fund’s role in both institutional and individual housing financing.

“This initiative is part of our unwavering commitment to uplift the lives of Filipino workers by providing them with access to safe, decent, and affordable homes,” Acosta said. “Through our continued collaboration with NHA and SHFC, we are helping build inclusive communities and contribute to the broader goal of national development.” Through its partnership with shelter agencies, Pag-IBIG Fund will not only finance the construction of these projects but also offer enduser housing loans under affordable terms for eligible beneficiaries in line with 4PH guidelines.

Time BusinessMirror Our

Free PhilHealth coverage for unemployed PWDs

By Perla Lena

ILOILO CITY—Unemployed persons with disabilities (PWDs) listed in the Philippine Registry for Persons with Disabilities (PR-PWD) are automatically classified as non-paying members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

PhilHealth 6 (Western Visayas) Field Operations Division Chief Junie Sabusap said on Wednesday that they have captured 15,365 PWDs registered with the PR-PWD. However, this number likely falls short of the actual total.

“PWDs are categorized as indirect contributors and are not required to make PhilHealth contributions,” Sabusap explained. He added that the agency is awaiting a policy to address contribution requirements for employed PWDs.

Ideally, PWDs with jobs in either the public or private sector should also be exempt from paying contributions. Currently, employed PWDs pay their contributions, he said.

“We are waiting for a policy on how we are going to implement that. We will see what will be the provision of the policy once it is available,” he said.

PhilHealth-6 has more than 6.56 million total registered members and dependents, representing 80 percent of

the 8.2 million projected population of the region.

Meanwhile, PhilHealth acting president and CEO, Dr. Edwin Mercado, visited St. Paul’s Hospital Iloilo (SPHI) and the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) on Tuesday.

Both hospitals are accredited providers of the Z Benefit Package, which covers treatment for costly and catastrophic illnesses.

“PhilHealth officials discuss the current participation of the hospitals in key benefit programs of PhilHealth, including the Z benefit package, which provides coverage for high-cost and catastrophic illnesses,” the PhilHealth statement said. During the visit, Mercado encouraged the SPHI to consider offering services under the Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama (KonSulTa) benefit package. The SPHI, which already offers Peritoneal Dialysis (PD First and kidney transplant services, has served 1,268 patients under the PD First program since 2023, with more than PHP13 million in claims paid. The WVMC, meanwhile, has received more than PHP40 million in claims since 2023 for Z Benefit-covered conditions.

Mercado also led the PhilHealth team at the “Lab-for-All” caravan in New Lucena, Iloilo, where they assisted residents with membership registration and record updates. PNA

Albay PWDs urged to exercise right to vote in mid-term polls

By Connie Calipay

LEGAZPI CITY—The

provincial government of Albay, through the Albay Provincial Persons with Disability Affairs Office (APPDAO), is urging persons with disabilities (PWDs) to exercise their right to vote during the May 12 mid-term polls.

In a statement released by the Albay provincial Information Office on Tuesday, APPDAO head Annecita Abion underscored the importance of voting to ensure PWDs’ voices are heard and their needs addressed.

“We encourage everyone to vote if they want their voices to be recognized. It is essential to exercise the right to suffrage; otherwise, if they do not participate, the conditions for our sector will remain unchanged,” she said.

Abion said participation in the election process will help pave the way for practical programs that benefit the sector.

Meanwhile, she advised PWDs to check if they are assigned to an Accessible Polling Place (APP) or an Emergency APP, which is usually located on the ground floor of polling venues, and to vote early, citing that polling precincts open as early as 6 a.m. to accommodate PWDs.

In March, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) officially formalized its partnership with the Commission on Elections and the National Council

on Disability Affairs during a ceremonial signing of a tripartite agreement at the Palacio Del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila.

The memorandum of agreement (MOA), signed by Assistant Secretary Elaine Fallarcuna of the DSWD’s International Affairs and Attached and Supervised Agencies, representing Secretary Rex Gatchalian; Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia, and NCDA Executive Director Glenda Relova, aims to enhance the voting experience of vulnerable Filipinos, particularly the PWDs and senior citizens.

“Under this agreement, the DSWD, in partnership with the Comelec and NCDA, will elevate the voting experience of the vulnerable sectors through collaboration in promoting inclusivity, ensuring easy access to voting, engaging in data sharing, and conducting information campaigns,” Asst. Secretary Fallarcuna said.

Part of the MOA is a data-sharing agreement which, according to Secretary Gatchalian, will protect the personal information of

The day Nora Aunor came unexpectedly to our house

AUTHOR’S note: This story was relayed to me by my friend DEL GARCIA, now a senior citizen and still an active painter of landscapes. He used to live near the house of Manny de Leon in Mandaluyong City in the 1970s.

“I grew up in Mandaluyong City. It was then a sparsely populated area. Just a walk away from our house was a middleclass household and there lived a handsome teenager named Rico de Leon. Through a mutual friend, Rico and I became acquainted and we used to see each other often. He looked cute and was baby faced, a happy go lucky guy, but very charming, who liked to pass the time gallivanting. I even heard his father angrily call him “bulakbulero” once.

When I met Rico, he was already an up and coming film actor and adopted the screen name Manny de Leon. He was paired with then rising star Nora Aunor in a string of movies, which all became box office hits. “Tumabo sa takilya,” as they say. Overnight, Manny aka Rico became an adulated movie idol. I had three sisters who were all good looking. Manny took a fancy to one of my sisters, Aurora nicknamed Yoyie. He would often drop by our house and engage in a flirty chat with Yoyie in the sala where I sat nearby as the designated “bantay.”

At that time, Manny was getting paid for P15,000 a week, an eye-goggling sum at that time and he spent his money like

there was no tomorrow. Probably to show off, he would drive by on his VW Karrnann Ghia and pick up my Yoyie, with me as chaperone, to swanky spots. Everywhere we went, he was oogled. Although Yoyie also liked him, she had other suitors who were fiercely preventing her from falling for Manny. My elder sister was also against Manny, whom she considered beneath our social status and in fact dismissed him as “baduy” because of the way he dressed up. She probably associated him with the low class “bakya crowd.”

The rumor in the local movie world was that Nora and Manny were “on,” meaning a love team in real life. Still, he continued to visit our house. Then a movie fan magazine published a blind item about his “secret” visits to a house in Mandaluyong City.

Soon the news spread fast to nearby neighborhoods. A deluge of eager fans came to our house to get a look at Nora and Manny. They trampled on our garden and broke our flower pots. I got angry on seeing this.

Ever so simple and humble, Nora was very apologetic to us. To me she said: “Mang Del, pasensya na po kayo.” Did she say Mang Del?

After talking amicably with sister Yoyie, Nora and Manny went out of our house and boarded the Ford Cortina.

To mollify me, she and Manny invited me to ride with them in the car to ABSCBN. Apparently they were guests of Ike Lozada in his show. On the way, inside the car at the back seat, Nora was pretending to be mad at Manny, putting her hands around Manny’s throat as if to choke him. They were just two silly teenagers who were still on the cusp of maturity. But then after a series of movies, the love team ended just as soon as it began. Noranians abandoned Manny for Tirso and he was soon forgotten as Nora’s erstwhile love partner. The reality was without Nora, Manny was nothing, a nobody, no longer worthwhile.

Sometime in 1972, Manny and a mutual friend dropped by our house to see my sister Yoyie. I was then at home but my parents were out. All of a sudden, a Ford Cortina sedan came to stop in front of our house in Mandaluyong. Guess who came out and knocked on our door? Nora Aunor. Herself.

After that brief taste of fame, Manny disappeared. I never saw him again.

One day, a friend told me that Manny who became Rico once again was living in their house in Mandaluyong. So I came to his place and after knocking, Rico came out. I was shocked to see how disheveled he was. He was unfocused and from my perspective, he had the tell-tale signs of a “drug addict.”

When I asked him if he knew me, he failed to recognize me no matter how hard he looked at my face. After several prompts and clues, a note of recognition finally appeared in his eyes. That was the last time I saw him, and

senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

“Guidelines for accountability, liability and parameters for use are included in this agreement as part of our measures to safeguard the sectors we serve,” the DSWD chief pointed out.

Through the signing, the DSWD and NCDA agreed to monitor and oversee, during election day, the 2025 National and Local Elections and succeeding polling activities to guarantee the suffrage of senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

The Comelec, on the other hand, will set up voter registration booths during the schedule of social pension payouts nationwide for easy and accessible updating of the voter reg-

I never thought about him again.

My friend Del’s narrative about his former pal Manny “Rico” de Leon ended there.

After hearing the story, I can’t help but reflect on what ever happened to Manny de Leon. While Nora physically aged through the years, she went on to continue to act in the movies till the last moment of her life.

Manny, on the other hand, was just basking in Nora’s fame. Nora was the sun, Manny was the moon that reflected the sun’s light.

On his own, he generated no light. Did he have an innate deeper talent as a performer or was his movie-genic face the only thing he had? Tirso Cruz or Christopher de Leon also benefited from Nora’s popularity at one time in their respective careers, but they were able to leverage their inherent talent to be able to transition to playing more serious roles. Unlike them, Manny didn’t have it in him to re-invent himself on his own.

Someone said, Manny was heartbroken when Nora married Christopher de Leon. But I can’t believe that broken-heartedness was the real or sole reason for letting himself be dragged down to oblivion.

Del tells me also that fate hadn’t been kind to Yoyie, her once beautiful sister. Her beauty has vanished. If she had fallen for Manny de Leon and they became a couple, the relationship surely wouldn’t endure. Beauty and fame never last.

As an old cliché goes: Ang buhay artista ay isang bulalakaw. Biglang sikat, biglang laho.

After all the face on the screen appears at only 24 frames per second. Manny’s films with Nora are all gone.

But not Nora. Sure many of her films were forgettable. But because she had talent, which she wielded to the max to create several films that masterfully portray the human condition, she will live on in people’s memories beyond her death.

A talent is a terrible thing to waste. We are never over the hill. Our best is yet to come. It’s a life lesson Manny must have known by now. It’s something we all need to keep in mind at whatever stage we may be in our life.

istration records of senior citizens. For the NCDA, the council will share with the Comelec, through the commission’s Vulnerable Sectors Office (VSO), the nationwide data on persons with disabilities in order to provide the Election Officers with baseline data as reference for registration purposes of persons with disabilities.

Asst. Secretary Fallarcuna, on behalf of Secretary Gatchalian, thanked the Comelec and the NCDA for the new initiative, highlighting that it “focuses on empowering and motivating the vulnerable sectors to partake in the electoral process while continually ensuring that their rights and information are safeguarded and free from misuse and exploitation.”

PNA/DSWD

Palace dismisses senior citizens commission exec

By Filane Mikee Cervantes

MANILA—Malacañang has ordered the dismissal of National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) Commissioner Reymar Mansilungan for serious dishonesty, grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

In a decision dated April 23, 2025 made public Friday, the Office of the President said Mansilungan committed serious offenses such as falsifying his academic qualifications, misusing government funds, and disobeying directives.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed the ruling following complaints filed by Senior Citizens Partylist Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes and a certain Miguelito Garcia.

Garcia and Ordanes accused Mansilungan of misrepresenting his educational background in his application for the position.

Mansilungan claimed to have earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication (Journalism) from the University of the Philippines (UP), but a certification from UP’s Office of the University Registrar stated that “there is no record of enrollment of Mansilungan in the said institution.”

The order also cited alleged misuse of NCSC resources.

Despite having jurisdiction only over North Luzon, Mansilungan allegedly spent time and agency funds conducting activities in South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, which are outside his assigned regions.

Liquidation reports and travel documents supported these claims.

He also reportedly awarded midyear bonuses to contract-of-service workers who are not entitled to the incentives.

The Palace found the violations constitute serious dishonesty, gross neglect of duty, grave misconduct, and gross insubordination.

“This Office reiterates that public officials and employees are obliged to remain true to the people at all times,” the decision read.

PHILHEALTH executives, led by its acting president and CEO, Dr. Edwin Mercado, speaks with officials and staff of St. Paul’s Hospital Iloilo on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Mercado encouraged the hospital to consider offering the KonSulTa benefit package. PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILHEALTH-6

TCL marks 25th year with fresh drops and Olympic sponsorship

Fwashing machine. The brand also announced its partnership with the International Olympic Committee, becoming the sponsor of the Olympic Games through 2032.

Griffith Zhang, general manager of Asia Pacific business group, TCL Industries, also made an  AIrelated announcement. “With the rapid development of AI technology, AI has become an important development direction in the home appliance industry. Our products such as TV, air conditioners and refrigerators are integrated with advanced AI technologies, bringing a more intelligent and convenient user experience,” he said.

TCL is now recognized as the Triple Global Top 1 TV Brand in Mini-LED, Google TV, and Ultra-Large Screen TVs (85 inches and above), according to OMDIA 2024. During the event, TCL Industries CEO Peter Chen also announced a 211 percent year-on-year increase in washing machine sales and an impressive 279-percent jump in refrigerator sales.

“We started to develop in 2000 and grew into the largest home appliance brand in 2024. In the future, we want to be the strongest home appliance brand. For this target, in 2025 we will rely on products and marketing to focus on brand image upgrading. We have also redefined four brand attributes to share what TCL stands for—vibrant, innovative, fashionable and premium,” said Chen.

The launches during the anniversary celebration at Okada Manila included the TCL X11K QD-MiniLED TV, which promises unparalleled image quality

filtration, and voice command capabilities for a more comfortable and energy-efficient home environment. Meanwhile, the product showcase also included the Super Drum Combo+ C682 Front Load Washer and Dryer, along with the AAT Inverter+ C436BMSB refrigerators.

During the event, Bert Cheung, deputy product director for Air Conditioners, said the TCL FreshIN 3.0 is designed for health and comfort as it features a Liftable Fresh Air Inlet and QuadruPuri Filters. The unit also delivers precisely controlled purified air while operating as quietly as 16dB. Wellness is very important along with cooling as the air conditioner features innovations like Stable Temperature Fresh Air and Odor & Humidity Optimization.

“FreshIN 3.0 is equipped with a high-performance offline voice module and has a 99 percent successful wake-up rate in bedroom environments. With

LBC Express forms partnership with Converge

BY RIZAL RAOUL REYES

LOGISTICS and remittance leader LBC Express recently formed a strategic partnership with fiber broadband and technology provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. to provide the connectivity demands required to ensure seamless operations.

LBC senior vice president and head of IT Alexander Francis Deato said the company is confident that Converge’s connectivity offer services globally, ensuring swift, transparent transfers of both money and packages. Powered by Converge’s pure fiber connectivity, he said LBC guarantees expedited services, keeping customers informed with realtime updates at every stage of the process, ensuring customers can access their funds and parcels whenever and wherever needed.

“In today’s fast-paced environment, having a reliable connectivity provider is crucial for business operations. Whether it’s tracking deliveries, processing payments, or sending remittances, connectivity is key to meeting customer

expectations,” he said in a press statement.

“When I first joined LBC Express 11 years ago, real-time updates were not standard practice. Today, they are a necessity. We must provide updates in realtime—or as close to real-time as possible—to ensure complete customer satisfaction.”

Wth Converge’s full fiber connectivity, Deato said LBC has been able to expand to many branches.

“We’ve been pushing Converge to expand outside Luzon which has helped us expand our fiber connectivity all the way to our remote branches in Visayas and Mindanao, giving us the ability to offer more online services to our customers.” Deato added that the  expansion has enabled the company “to expand our services and become less reliant on offline solutions.” With over 1,500 branches and 200 hubs across the Philippines, he said LBC Express is able to provide seamless, cost-effective services, even in the most remote regions. This connectivity boosts not only logistics operations but also LBC’s e-commerce and payment solutions, giving businesses the tools needed to succeed in a competitive market.

Dive into summer fun with OPPO’s new offers

PLUNGE into irresistible summer deals on a great bargain during OPPO’s 5.5 Sale. From May 1 to May 7, consumers can grab select devices with big discounts, shop more with enticing vouchers, get amazing freebies and prizes to make this summer even more memorable. The sale is ongoing on OPPO’s official Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop e-commerce platforms. From flagship favorites to budget-friendly must-haves, consumers can avail price drops across a wide range of smartphones and tablets. Looking to get your hands on the latest Reno Series devices? Earn a P1,000 discount with no minimum spend by using the voucher code OPPO55S on Shopee for the OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G, OPPO Reno13 5G, OPPO Reno13 F 5G and OPPO Reno13 F 4G, or shop directly on Lazada and TikTok using the all-day vouchers.

Additionally, you can also buy the OPPO Reno12 F 4G and get a P500 all-day voucher via Shopee, Lazada and TikTok. Feeling the summer shopping vibes yet? You can also pay for your purchases in easy and flexible terms with up to zero-percent interest installment for 45 days on all OPPO products via LazPayLater and zero-percent interest on select OPPO products via SPayLater. The fun doesn’t stop at just scoring discounts. Every time you shop during the 5.5 Sale, you’re unlocking a chance to win one of 10 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Mystery Boxes. Here’s another kicker—Shopee’s exclusive flash sale is dropping daily during the promo period. Don’t miss out on the chance of getting the OPPO Pad Neo for just P55. You’ll have to be very fast, this flash sale is only available twice on May 5, 12 am and 6 pm. The tech giant is also

“We do not restrict our operations to major cities where profitability is guaranteed. Like Converge, we are committed to serving unserved and underserved areas, ensuring that even places like Batanes, where connectivity is sparse, are not left behind.” This dedication to inclusivity is in LBC’s mission “to link and bridge Filipinos, ensuring access to services despite geographic barriers,” Deato explained.

From its humble beginnings as a brokerage and air cargo agent, Deato said LBC Express has remained a leader in the logistics and remittance industry. Through its collaboration with Converge ICT Solutions Inc., LBC has enhanced its operations and digital offerings, ensuring its services reach all Filipinos, no matter how remote.  Deato concluded, “Customers trust us because they find peace of mind with us. When they hand a package to LBC, they know it will reach its destination. This trust is the result of decades of innovation, dedication, and service.”

leveling up your shopping spree with exclusive freebies that come with every new device you grab during the 5.5 Sale. From premium accessories to essential tech gear, OPPO is giving away exciting freebies with select devices—OPPO A5 Pro: Free Purple MLBB Card; OPPO Find N3 Flip: free pearl case and OPPO Enco Buds2; OPPO A78 4G/5G & OPPO Reno12 F 4G: free 10,000mAh powerbank; OPPO Reno13 F 4G/5G: free OPPO Enco Buds2; OPPO Reno13 or OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G: free OPPO Enco Buds2 and 10,000mAh Powerbank; OPPO Pad Neo WiFi/LTE: free keyboard and case; OPPO Pad3: free keyboard and pencil. More information about the sale can be found at OPPO Philippines’ official www.oppo.com/ ph, or the brand’s official social media pages on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

MESSAGING AND SOCIAL APP DISCORD GETS NEW CEO, PLANS TO MAKE COMPANY PUBLIC

BY PATRICK VILLANUEVA

Founded

and reported 196.2 million active users in 2024. Jason’s decision to step down revolved around him wanting to contribute to the long-term success of the platform and his dream of turning it into a public company.

“From this position of strength, it feels like the right time to transition from CEO to board member and advisor. So I am thrilled to welcome Humam Sakhnini as the next CEO of Discord,” his message reads.

Jason believed that Humam’s experience in the public market will help realize his dreams. “Humam and I are fundamentally aligned that creating longterm value requires long-term thinking and focusing on an amazing user experience. I am excited for his collaborative approach to fostering a creative environment for you all to continue delivering for our customers,” he said.

“He later took over from the founders of King to delight the players of their live service games while substantially growing the King business in the public market,” Jason added.

Still, Jason will continue to be part of Discord as a board member and advisor.

DISCORD BETWEEN USERS AND PLATFORM USERS expressed their dismay over this move, claiming that the app’s “slow decline” over the years will continue to worsen. On the subreddit r/pcgaming, one user said, “Well, there goes Discord. No company gets better after going public.”

“Discord is the one service I can confidently say has been declining in quality almost as long as it[’]s been around. I’m terrified of what else they’re going to change to make it even worse,” a user added.

Others fear the free messaging app will no longer be free for users and will require subscription.

“When harvesting your data is no longer enough, get ready to pay a mandatory monthly subscription,” a user commented. Another joked, saying, “Oh boy I can’t wait for Discord Nitro to be the default. Either that, or the classic ‘Oops! You’ve used up all of your free message this month. Subscribe for unlimited messaging!’”

In r/technology, they pointed out how Discord’s structure had no path of profitability. “It was another delusional tech boom where companies grabbed users first and found profit later. A lot of tech companies lost their blank checks and now can’t find a way to pay for everything they use,” the user said.

Moreover, users are already trying to find alternatives in Revolt or Steam’s group messaging feature after this announcement.

Regardless, changes this big are bound to receive criticisms. But, users don’t have to wait long to see which direction the company will head to as the new chief started on April 28.

3D AI TECH DEVELOPER LOCI JOINS EPIC GAMES ON April 2, 2025, American video game software developer and publisher Epic Games announced on their website that Loci, a machine learning platform for searching, tagging and creating 3D assets, has joined their family.

This move is designed to eliminate the labor-intensive process in the Epic ecosystem of uploading and tagging 3D assets, streamlining discovery and categorization. Loci automates this process for creators, making it faster and more efficient for them to organize and locate their work.

Loci also has a 3D similarity detection solution for an IP (intellectual property) protection feature that lets them find potential IP violation, ensuring that their work to be original.

Loci CEO Eugene Yi says, “3D is the next frontier of AI-powered creativity, and we believe in making it more accessible, discoverable, and protected.”

“Joining Epic Games allows us to integrate

“We

across Fab, Unreal Engine and our entire ecosystem,” said Lucia Specia, director of the Machine Learning Solutions team. Epic Games houses the development of

4 ‘DIYAHE’ ONLINE DATING ENCOUNTERS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

DATING in 2025 can be very interesting. As you know, the thrill of swiping right can quickly turn into your most diyahe moment—the moment you spot a familiar face you’d rather avoid like your tito’s longtime business partner, or your kababata who’s basically like family. Some potential matches are better left in the void.

Don’t worry, swipers. Viber Dating, a fresh way to meet people safely, is here to save you from cringeworthy encounters with its new Hide Contacts feature—because sometimes, it’s just all about popping that balloon and curating your dating pool. Here are some strange encounters that’ll make Hide Contacts a godsend:

■ When the feed is starting to look like a family reunion. Seeing a cousin, an in-law, or any relative in your dating feed is nakakaloka. Family gatherings are awkward enough as they are, but dating app run-ins would turn them into a full-blown cringe-fest. Imagine explaining that to your grandma.

■ When potential matches eerily resemble your daily work approval queue. Office romances? Messy. Office breakups? HR nightmares. Throw in clients, suppliers and contractors, and you’ll have a full-blown corporate scandal disguised as a love life. Hard pass.

■ When opening your app takes you back to the past. Even if you and your ex are cool, dating their friend, particularly a close one, should be a no-go. Think about their hangouts. You’re one’s ex and the other’s new date all rolled into one. Dinner parties just got a whole lot more awkward.

■ When regulars at your family events make it to your feed. Imagine matching with your sibling’s bestie like your brother’s childhood mate. Just no. For the sake of family harmony, skip this one. You definitely don’t want your sibling to lose a friend over a disastrous dating app match.

It’s precisely these cringe-inducing scenarios that underscore Viber Dating’s keen understanding of what Filipinos truly desire in a dating app. It takes user control to the next level with the new Hide Contacts feature, offering even greater privacy and flexibility. With that, you can now hide profiles on discovery and flag numbers from your contact list. Viber Dating will also launch a ‘Hide All Contacts’ feature soon, which will let you conveniently hide your entire contact list (as long as your contacts are less than a thousand!) in one go.

In the near future, Viber Dating will go even further, giving you the ultimate power move: hiding entire groups and hiding unsaved contacts from chats, which will soon be available to all users. Yes, even those lurking in your family and work group chats. It is the first dating platform to give you this kind of power. Plus, you’re given total control, with the ability to continuously update your “do not match” list as new group chat members pop up.

Launched first in the Philippines in February, Viber Dating provides Filipinos with a safe and private platform to find their match.

BusinessMirror

Nothing is perfect, or is it?

AFEW weeks ago, a friend messaged me saying she was planning to buy a new phone. But unlike the usual gadget inquiries I get—which are often about specs or budget—she had a different ask. She wasn’t looking for the fastest processor or best camera. She wanted something different.

I started rattling off the pros and cons of my usual recommendations, but before I could even finish, she interrupted: “I don’t want the usual brands. I want something else.”

Coincidentally, I was testing the Nothing Phone (3a) at the time. When I mentioned it, her interest sparked instantly. “Oh! That’s the one with the transparent back, right?” she asked. She’d seen it online and wanted to know if it was more than just a stylish gimmick.

I told her it was actually the phone I was using. What followed was essentially a live, on-the-spot review. So consider this as the extended director’s cut of that conversation but with more details and less emojis.

DESIGNED

TO BE SEEN

LET’S get the obvious out of the way: design is the single biggest reason you’ll be drawn to the Nothing Phone (3a). In a world where phones have become indistinguishable slabs of glass and aluminum, this one dares to look—and feel—different.

Designed in London, the Nothing Phone (3a) furthers the brand’s commitment to transparency, both literally and philosophically. Its transparent back isn’t just a gimmick. It’s an identity. Beneath that clear pane of high-grade tempered glass lies a wellorchestrated array of components and LED strips called the Glyph Interface. It’s like showing your work in math class, but make it aesthetic.

The design draws from a fascinating blend of Japanese minimalism, industrial design from the 1960s and 1970s, and just enough playfulness to keep it from being sterile. The flat sides, squared-off corners, and symmetrical layout provide a sense of balance and precision that’s rare at this price point. And, yes, it gets attention. Strangers have asked me about it at cafés, on flights, even in elevators.

Build quality is exceptional. The aluminum frame adds heft without bulk, and the phone feels reassuringly solid in hand. At 201 grams, it’s substantial but still comfortable. It’s IP64-rated, too, which means it can handle the occasional splash and dust exposure. Not rugged, but reliable.

THE GLYPH INTERFACE: LIGHT WITH A PURPOSE

THE Glyph Interface might be the most divisive feature of the Phone (3a), but for me it’s one of the most compelling. These white LED strips embedded on the back light up in different patterns for calls, messages, charging, volume changes, and even third-party app alerts. Think of it as a visual shorthand for your phone’s activity.

One clever use case? Flip the phone face down, and the Glyph lights can silently notify you of calls or messages, eliminating the need to glance at your screen every few seconds. You can assign custom light patterns for contacts, so you know who’s calling just by the flash rhythm. It’s a delightfully analog way to interact with an extremely digital device. It even doubles as a makeshift ring light for close-up photography and as a countdown indicator when you’re using the camera’s timer. Functional minimalism at its best.

ESSENTIAL SPACE = FOR RANDOM THOUGHTS

ONE of the most unique features of the Nothing Phone (3a) is the Essential Key, and I’ll admit—it took some getting used to. It’s a small button on the side of the device that you can program for different shortcuts.

A single press captures a screenshot. Long press? It records a voice memo. Double press? It opens Essential Space. Now, Essential Space is where things get really

I found myself using it to remember prices while toy shopping, save content ideas from social media, and even log random thoughts during long commutes. Once you build the habit, it becomes second nature. There’s a learning curve, sure. Once you get the rhythm of it, you start wondering why other phones haven’t implemented something like it. AI features often promise convenience but deliver complexity. Here, it’s the opposite: simple input, smart output. Though I wish you can further customize its use.

A

CAMERA THAT PULLS ITS WEIGHT

I WASN’T expecting much from the Nothing Phone (3a) in terms of its cameras but I was pleasantly surprised at the output. The main sensor is a 50MP unit with a large 1/1.56” sensor and OIS, which helps capture sharp images even in tricky lighting. Photos come out with great detail, natural colors, and a surprisingly good dynamic range. What really impressed me, though, was the telephoto lens. Another 50MP sensor, this one offers 2x optical zoom and up to 30x ultra zoom with in-sensor cropping. It’s not just digital trickery; the results at 2x and even 4x hold up really well. Portrait shots especially look flattering and focused, thanks to a tight 50mm focal length.

The 8MP ultra-wide lens is the weak link—it performs adequately in good light but loses detail fast in low light. As for the front camera, the 32MP selfie shooter delivers crisp, wide-angle selfies that are great for group shots and video calls.

Video performance is also solid, offering 4K recording with AI stabilization that works better than expected, even in shaky situations. There’s a new feature called Ultra XDR, which merges eight raw frames to maximize exposure detail.

DISPLAY, PERFORMANCE, AND BATTERY

THE display on the Nothing Phone (3a) is another standout: a 6.77-inch FHD+ flexible AMOLED that hits a peak brightness of 3000 nits. That’s brighter than some flagship devices twice its price. Colors are vibrant, motion is smooth thanks to a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, and readability under sunlight

The 5,000mAh battery is more than sufficient for a full day’s use, and with 50W fast charging, you’re back to 50% in under 20 minutes. Sadly, there’s no wireless charging but at its price, that’s forgivable.

FINAL WORD: So, is Nothing perfect? Here’s the thing: Nothing Phone (3a) isn’t perfect. There’s no wireless charging. The Essential Key takes a while to learn. The ultra-wide camera could be better. There’s no charger in the box. And the performance, while solid, won’t wow hardcore gamers or power users. But then again, perfection isn’t always about specs. It’s about experience. The Nothing Phone (3a) isn’t trying to be everything for everyone. It’s trying to be something for someone—and that someone might just be you if you value thoughtful design, clever features, and a break from the ordinary Android experience. The best part is that I know Nothing is going to get even better. So, when my friend asked if she should get it, I said: Nothing is perfect. And sometimes, that’s exactly what makes it worth having. ■

CONTINUED FROM A6

thousands of preset voice commands, voice control is more free and intuitive. On top of that, FreshIN3.0 is already integrated with major cloud platforms. It can be controlled through various means, including the TCL Home APP, Google Home, and Alexa, making both remote and close control more convenient,” said Cheung. Moving forward, TCL wants to lead the industry in terms of technology.

“TCL will continue to uphold the principle of ‘Technology Creates a Better Life,’ through constant innovation and improvement in product quality and service levels. We hope to work collectively with all partners to explore the Philippine market and achieve mutual benefits and win-win results,” said Griffith Zhang. ■

PBBM, DepEd highlight goals & benefits of Fil. Food Month for country’s learners

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

THE Department of Education

(DepEd) continues to boost programs ensuring learners’ access to nutritious meals, in line with the government’s mandate for food security in schools.

The “School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP),” “Gulayan sa Paaralan ,” and “Farm School” initiatives are strongly supported by the administration of Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who recently led the official kickoff ceremony for Filipino Food Month 2025 celebrated under the theme: “ Sarap ng Pagkaing Pilipino, Yaman ng Ating Kasaysayan, Kultura at Pagkatao.”

Officially declared through Presidential Proclamation 469, S. 2018, Filipino Food Month promoted, preserved and celebrated the Philippines’ rich culinary traditions.

The month-long festival reinforced the role of Filipino food in shaping national identity, strengthening communities and sustaining the next generation.

In a message, the Chief Executive emphasized the value of Filipino cuisine as a reflection of national identity and community care. In a message delivered in Filipino, he said that through the meals served, the essence of being Filipino can be discovered: Creativity, as citizens can whip up dishes from ordinary recipes; resilience, because they can still celebrate using meager resources in times of distress; and concern for fellow, seen in commu -

nal feasts shared with neighbors. From farm to feeding tables IN Negros Occidental, the Ramon Torres Malingin Farm School is leading efforts in agricultural integration and food production.

According to Principal Roger Raymundo, the school has begun incorporating its harvests into its feeding program. Surrounding the learning institution are rows of okra (ladies’ finger), eggplants and upo (bottle gourds), while a two-hectare rice field further supports its foodsufficiency goals.

In Filipino, Raymundo shared that they teach students the proper way of planting, while opening the possibility of possible side-income. As such, they can consider the curriculum of farm school as their means of lifelong learning. Aside from this, “farming can also sustain them, [as they cannot be hungry if they know how to plant.]”

The school official also noted that their farming efforts do not only equip learners with valuable technical-vocational skills in agriculture; they also support the provision of nutritious meals to students, thereby reinforcing the link between food production, edu -

cation and health.

Success in SBFP

STA. CRISTINA ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL in the Schools Division

Office of Dasmariñas City, Cavite is one of several public schools actively implementing SBFP.

Principal Elena Bayan proudly reported a 93.80-percent success rate for the school’s program rollout this year, with 810 out of 812 learner-beneficiaries categorized as nutritionally adequate after undergoing the feeding program.

Bayan shared that their success is evident in cooperation: “We have a great support system [in] our dependable ‘Gulayan sa Paaralan ,’ and we have our community eager to see changes in our learners.”

The use of school-grown produce in the preparation of traditional Filipino meals reflects DepEd’s commitment to sustainable, locally sourced nutrition solutions for learners, aligned with the broader goals of food security and agricultural education.

NBDB HIKES SUPPORT TO W. VISAYAN LITERATURE, LANGUAGE IN CONFERENCE

ILOILO CITY—The National Book Development Board (NBDB) jointly organized the Second Leoncio P. Deriada Conference on April 4 and 5 at the University of the Philippines-Visayas (UPV), with an intensified support to honor and celebrate the life and work of the “Father of Contemporary West Visayan Literature.” Dr. Deriada is the first coordinator of the UPV’s “ Sentro ng Wikang Filipino.” Through his writings, he actively advocated the revival of regional languages such as Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, and Aklanon or Akeanon. A multi-awarded fictionist poet, and playwright, his efforts led to the immense growth of literature in the said languages.

Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade, who continues to push for closer collaborations with book industry organizations, said the NBDB honors key figures in literature not just to remember them, but because their life’s work has an enduring role to play in the future of our literature.

“It’s the NBDB’s responsibility to amplify platforms such as this conference through partnerships with the writers and cultural advocates who best understand the contributions of writers such as Dr. Deriada,” stated Aquino-Tugade.

In the two-day event, scholars and educators focused on advancing the study and teaching of Philippine literature, particularly those using regional languages and cultural identity. The event was co-organized with Hubon Manunulat: a writers’ group promoting and preserving West Visayan literature.

“We partnered with [‘Hubon…’ in organizing the conference,] as it is a vital platform for much-needed discourse on the writing and reading of regional literature,” added NBDB’s Policy and

Industry Research chief Carol Tapia.

Using Dr. Deriada’s works, the lecturers shared ways they equip themselves with skills and tools to critique, design and demonstrate lessons that reflect deeper engagement with West Visayan literature.

“This conference is a way to introduce [him to people from outside West Visayas, and to let them know] what he did for the region,” added the conference’s director Prof. Dulce Maria Deriada who is the scholar’s daughter and president of “Hubon...” “He was a cultural worker for many years and published works in Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, and Akeanon. With his help, many others were published in Western Visayan languages.”

Dr. Deriada devoted his life in shaping young minds through the resurgence of contemporary Hiligaynon writing, and inspired the birth of written literature in Kinaray-a and Aklanon or Akeanon languages.

The scholar’s notable works are The Day of the Locusts (1975), The Dog Eaters and Other Plays (1986), Night Mares (1988), The Week of the Whales (1994), and the novel People on Guerrero Street (2004) which won the “National Book

Award” for fiction.

The Ilonggo writer was inducted into the “Palanca Hall of Fame” in 2001 after winning 18 prizes and has produced works in Filipino, English, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, and Cebuano. He also received the “Taboan Lifetime Award” from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in 2013, and the “Gawad Cultural Center of the Philippines Para sa Sining” in 2015. Multi-awarded author and scholar Dr. John Iremil E. Teodoro delivered the keynote speech. Lecturers included UPV professors Dr. John E. Barrios, Eliodora L. Dimzon, Noel Galon de Leon, Dr. Ferdinand P. Jarin, Maria Angelica C. Wong, Alfredo B. Diaz, Dr. Aurora Fe Bautista, Angel Marie Peña and Aren R. Hallegado.

Educators who shared their expertise were Dr. Isidro M. Cruz and Dr. Ma. Cecilia D. Alimen (University of San Agustin), Kharla Mae D. Brillo (Ateneo de Manila University), Jan Marvin A. Goh (University of Santo Tomas), Rowell D. Salulog (Leonora S. Salapantan National High School), Jose Anthony Gerard V. Muyco (West Visayas State University), and Jay M. Maravilla (Ubaldo L. Conde High School).

“Through DepEd’s integrated approach that combines nutrition, agriculture and values education, the spirit of Filipino hospitality and care is kept alive in every meal served,” Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said. Across the country, SBFPimplementing schools continue to prepare traditional Filipino dishes such as ginisang munggo (sauteed mung beans), lugaw (porridge) and sopas (soup)—meals that are not only cost-effective and nutritious, but also deeply rooted in Filipino culture and easily accepted by young learners.

For the two schools and others, the celebration of Filipino Food Month affirmed their advocacy of feeding with compassion, teaching with purpose, and nurturing a generation of healthy, well-equipped learners.

Editor: Mike Policarpio

PHL completes its 2025 PISA testing

THE Department of Education (DepEd) completed the country’s participation in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in April after a series of preparations since last year.

The department said in a statement that the newly concluded PISA’s results will serve as “benchmark” for future programs in line with Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directives of ensuring learners would grow to be “critical thinkers and problem solvers.”

“With the country’s PISA participation completed as of April 11, 2025, the DepEd welcomes the results in September 2026,” it said.

Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara has assured that teachers and learners are more prepared, contrary to what happened in the 2022 PISA.

“We prepared new types of exam questions; we prepared for critical thinking. [It’s not just Math or Science; we have combined the] questions,” Angara said on the sidelines of the April 8 ceremonial signing of a memorandum of understanding between the department and the Special Olympics Pilipinas for the advancement of inclusive special sports in DepEd schools.

In the 2022 PISA, the Philippines

landed in the bottom 10 out of 81 participating countries in areas of reading comprehension, mathematics, and science; and second to the last in creative thinking.

The secretary also said learners were trained to use computers ahead of the actual PISA: “[We taught kids to use laptops because in 2022, it was their first time using the devices; they were rattled. They did not finish the] exam.”

He, however, refrained from retaliating against critics of the 2025 PISA preparations, as DepEd said it started “systematic preparations” in October 2024.

For participating learners, it has provided familiarization sessions that cover examinations on computer literacy, quantitative skills and critical thinking.

Other preparations included proper mapping out of the 2025 PISA demographic; the creation of an internal school audit system and setting of Executive Committee members as regional focal persons for the assessment of preparedness of schools, teachers, academics and the community; as well as the granting of maintenance and augmentation funds to address logistics gaps, particularly in testing centers, laptops and internet access, among others. By Stephanie Sevillano/PNA

West Vis. State U, PSD revival leads SM’s efforts on heritage preservation

SM is making inroads in the restoration of cultural landmarks which underscores its commitment beyond financial growth to create lasting social impact.

Through the Henry Sy Foundation and SM Foundation, the retail giant recently completed the restoration of Iloilo City’s West Visayas State University’s (WVSU) Quezon Hall—a bona fide educational and architectural landmark protected under the “2009 National Heritage Act” as identified by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

SM has long been complementing its business expansion across the country with initiatives that foster growth and well-being in the communities they are in, with the restoration of architectural icons among its recent social investments.

“These cultural landmarks are irreplaceable—once lost, we cannot bring them back,” said SM Foundation’s executive director Deborah P. Sy. “Preservation is a collective responsibility. It goes beyond installing commemorative plaques; it means breathing new life into these spaces so they continue to serve, inspire, and remain accessible to future generations.”

The restoration project strictly adhered to the guidelines set by the NHCP to ensure its structural and cultural integrity. While keeping the

building’s original character intact, modern sustainable features were mindfully integrated, including energy-efficient lighting, inverter airconditioning units, and the use of paint with light reflective finishes to optimize energy consumption.

For WVSU’s chief administration officer Julius Undar, the efforts are captured in the slogan: “People Helping People.” “The two foundations and WVSU have a common understanding on the pursuit of changing people’s lives for the better.”

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO, heritage sites are crucial for societies as the preservation of these sites not only establishes an inherent cultural value for future generations, but also has the potential to contribute to social, economic and environmental goals.

The SM Group undertook the project in collaboration with the Department of Education in Pasay and the city’s local government unit. Modern learning spaces were constructed to complement the century-old institution and transform it into an inclusive learning hub with spaces for practical learning in the areas of electronics, information technology and the performing arts.

“In restoring these heritage educational institutions, we honor the generations of learning they have nurtured,” Sy remarked. “Our hope is that through preservation, we help spark more opportunities for education and personal growth— not just today, but for many years to come.”

The improvement of the Philippine School for the Deaf’s senior high school building laboratory facilities was likewise completed last year. Established in 1907, PSD’s mandate is to provide educational opportunities for the differently abled.

USEC. Peter Irving C. Corvera (from right) and Sec. Sonny Angara serve a cost-effective and nutritious meal to the learners.

EDUCATORS assist learners in online preparations for the 2025 PISA at the Granja-Kalinawan National High School in Jaro, Leyte in January. DEPED/PNA

THROUGH the Henry Sy Foundation and SM Foundation, SM completed the restoration of West Visayas State University’s Quezon Hall in Iloilo City.

SCHOLARS and educators who shared their time and expertise were honored at the Second Leoncio P. Deriada Conference.

Tourism Editor: Edwin P. Sallan

PLENTY OF LAID-BACK FUN

Steinbeck and my whirlwind trip to Monterey, California

Story & photos by Arabelle Jimenez

THERE’S something special about coastal towns—the way the sea breeze carries a thousand stories, the way history clings to the weathered wood of old buildings, and the way time seems to slow down just enough for you to take it all in.

That’s exactly what I felt the moment I arrived in Monterey, California.

A three-hour drive from San Francisco along one of the most scenic routes in the world, this charming town is equal parts literary legacy, fishing folklore, and windswept Pacific wonderland.

The adventure began in San Francisco, where my gracious hosts, Anthony and Jacqueline Suarez-Secapure and took Highway 1 south—also known as the Pacific Coast Highway.

This drive is more than just a way to get from Point A to Point B; it’s practically a rite of passage. The road hugs the coastline in all the right ways, offering endless views of crashing surf,

dramatic cliffs, and cypress-lined ridges. Along the way, I passed postcard-perfect towns like Half Moon Bay and Pescadero, where goat cheese and homemade artichoke bread at a roadside farm stand made for an impromptu brunch. The lighthouse at Pigeon Point made me stop and stare—one of the tallest in the US, it has stood guard over this coastline since 1871.

As we approached Monterey, the landscape softened into dunes and coves. The scent of saltwater filled the air, and I knew we had arrived. My first stop? Old Fisherman’s Wharf. Built in 1870, this historic wharf was once a hub for the sardine fishing industry

But

the spread of false information. We’ve also heard and read stressful stories OTA bookings gone wrong—from fake bookings and cancelled flights with travelers left in a quandary.

“Consumers will compare different platforms. Our price competitiveness is not only on the hotels,

and now serves up steaming bowls of clam chowder and taffy in every flavor imaginable. I couldn’t resist the samples offered by smiling vendors, each claiming their chowder was “voted #1”—and honestly, I believed them all. Gulls squawked above, sea lions barked from the rocks below, and I sat on a weathered bench watching sailboats glide across the bay like ghosts from another time.

Just a short walk from the wharf is the famous Cannery Row, the street made legendary by author John Steinbeck in his 1945 novel of the same name. Once home to booming sardine canneries, the area has since transformed into a lively district of shops, galleries, cafes, and, most notably, the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Fun trivia: Steinbeck wasn’t just name-dropping when he wrote Cannery Row—his close friend, marine biologist Ed Ricketts, actually worked in a lab on this very street, and the character “Doc” was based on him. Today, you can still visit the site of Ricketts’ lab, a quiet yet powerful tribute to the minds that captured Monterey’s essence in print and science.

The aquarium itself is worth the trip alone. Located inside an old cannery, it’s one of the best marine life

Assistant Vice President of APAC Markets of the Trip.com Group. One of the world’s leading one-stop travel service providers, the Trip.com Group operates several successful platforms including Ctrip, Skyscanner and Trip.com. The latter covers over 1.2 million accommodation properties in 200 countries, 500 airlines across 200 countries, in 24 languages across 39 countries. Trip.com has invested heavily in harnessing its own mobile content, incentivizing its users to share videos, photos, comments and feedback. The mobile app is user-friendly and easy to navigate. I booked my accommodation for my upcoming trip to India using Trip. com, though I compared the experience with three other OTAs. In terms of user experience and app navigation, Trip.com had updated reviews and feedback from past guests. Price was OTA WITH A TWIST Trip.com AI

centers in the world. Monterey Bay, thanks to its deep underwater canyon, is home to a remarkable range of marine biodiversity—one of the reasons Steinbeck was so captivated by this coastline.

My literary pilgrimage continued with a visit to nearby Pacific Grove, where Steinbeck once lived in a modest cottage during his early years. And if you’re a true fan, a detour to Salinas

(just 30 minutes inland) brings you to the National Steinbeck Center, a beautifully curated museum dedicated to his life and works. It’s hard not to feel inspired walking the same streets that shaped the mind behind Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath.

Of course, no trip to Monterey would be complete without hitting the iconic 17-Mile Drive. I paid the entrance fee at the Pacific Grove gate and set out along a coastal loop that’s pure magic. The waves crash violently against jagged rocks, cypress trees bend with the wind like dancers frozen mid-twirl, and the views—well, let’s just say your camera roll will thank you. The Lone Cypress, said to be over 250 years old, clings defiantly to a granite outcrop and has become an unofficial mascot for the region.

Another gem is Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, just south of Carmel. It’s a hiker’s paradise, with trails leading to secret beaches and tidepools teeming with sea stars and anemones.

I even caught a glimpse of a pod of dolphins slicing through the waves just offshore. Nature is not a background act here—it’s the headliner.

For families, Monterey offers plenty of laid-back fun. Dennis the Menace Park, designed with help from

the comic strip’s creator, is a hit with kids, featuring whimsical playground structures and even a real train engine. The Monterey Bay Coastal Trail is a smooth, bike-friendly path that stretches along the shoreline—perfect for a breezy afternoon ride. When hunger hit, we made our way back to Cannery Row for a seafood dinner with a front-row view of the sunset. Grilled calamari, garlic prawns, and a local Chardonnay made for a meal to remember. A quick tip: locals often favor the restaurants on the quieter side streets for more authentic (and often cheaper) eats. And if you have time, make a dinner reservation in nearby Carmel-by-the-Sea, where fairy-tale cottages and candlelit bistros add a sprinkle of romance to your trip. As the sky turned sherbet-pink and the chill of the evening set in, I couldn’t help but reflect on how much Monterey had offered in just a couple of days. It’s one of those rare places where natural beauty, cultural depth, and small-town charm all exist in perfect harmony. Whether you’re here to walk in Steinbeck’s footsteps, breathe in salty sea air, or just eat your weight in chowder, Monterey has a way of getting under your skin—in the best way.

did my own research, “Trip Genie” helped make things simpler and more organized. Over the years, a common customer pain point that I’ve seen and heard about OTAs are disruptions. Sudden changes in flight schedules can trigger a domino effect on hotel bookings and other reservations or activities.

“Other OTAs are not very focused on personalized customer service. We have call centers looking after particular markets to serve local needs better. If we have a customer who booked flight and hotel with us, in case of flight delays or disruptions, our call center will contact the hotel as well. We have direct connectivity with airlines systems so we have updated flight information,” added Ms Ru. While other OTAs focus on price, Trip.com chose to train its sights on the customer to do their part to ensure the have a positive (and stressfree) travel experience that suits their needs, preferences and wants. Ah and is probably a refreshing change for many Filipino travelers— AI or the chatbot will back off and direct a person to a human agent, with an average wait time of 30 seconds. It’s nowhere near a novel idea, but sometimes, it does help to have a person helping ease travel woes.

AUTHOR Arabelle Jimenez at the Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, California.

ENJOYING seafood at the Old Fisherman’s Wharf with my hosts Anthony and Jacqueline Secapure.

THE John Steinbeck Monument in Monterey. WHALE watching is one of the attractions in Monterey. THE Old Fisherman’s Wharf is lined with seafood restaurants.

chowder

specialty in Monterey, California.

AUTHOR Arabelle Jimenez in San Francisco where the 2-hour road trip to Monterey took off.

SEASIDE residences in Monterey, California. THE Cannery Row in Monterey.

China evaluates US overtures for trade talks, but insists steep tariffs must go

By Elaine Kurtenbach Ap Business Writer

CHINA’S Commerce Ministry said Friday that Beijing is evaluating multiple approaches by the Trump administration for trade talks, but steep tariffs imposed by Washington must go.

A ministry statement reiterated China’s stance that is open to talks, but also that Beijing is determined to fight if it must. It said one-sided tariffs of up to 145% remain an obstacle, undermining trust.

convey information to the Chinese side on a number of occasions through relevant parties, hoping to talk with the Chinese side. In this regard, the Chinese side is making an assessment,” it said.

But it emphasized that China would regard overtures without a change in President Donald Trump’s sharp tariff hikes as insincere.

“Saying one thing but doing another, or even attempting to engage in coercion and blackmail under the guise of talks, will not work on the Chinese side,” it said.

to compel manufacturers to shift factories back to the US. He ordered double-digit “reciprocal” tariffs for many countries but then postponed their implementation for 90 days to allow time for negotiations. He has also hit foreign steel, aluminum and autos.

The toughest measures were reserved for China, the world’s biggest exporter and second largest economy.

Japan’s

finance minister calls US Treasury holdings ‘a card’ in tariff talks with Trump

By Yuri Kageyama Ap Business Writer

An unnamed ministry spokesperson was cited as saying that Beijing had taken note of various statements by senior US officials indicating a willingness to negotiate over tariffs.

“At the same time, the US has recently taken the initiative to

“The tariff and trade wars were unilaterally initiated by the US, if the US side wants to talk, it should show its sincerity, and be ready to take action on issues such as correcting wrong practices and canceling the unilateral imposition of tariffs,” it said.

China is in the midst of a public holiday, with government offices and markets closed. But share prices in Hong Kong jumped 1.7% early Friday, while Taiwan’s benchmark index was up 2.2%. US futures also advanced.

As of Friday, the Trump administration is ending a duty-free exemption on low-value imports from China. That will mean higher prices and delivery delays when the government starts collecting tariffs on every single shipment.

Beijing has responded to Trump’s tariff hikes by raising its own duties on imports of US products to as high as 125%. It has also tightened restrictions on exports to the US of certain strategically important minerals and stopped importing a wide range of US farm products.

At the same time, China has sought to join with other countries to build a united front against Trump, while ramping up its own countermeasures to the impact of Trump’s tariffs.

Trump has slapped a global 10% import tax, or tariff, to try

His announcements of higher tariffs, suspensions, and then more tariffs have left companies, investors and consumers stymied over what comes next, hitting consumer confidence.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is leading the administration’s approach to China, has said he expects Beijing to call because the tariffs are not sustainable.

In an interview Thursday with Fox Business, Bessent said the main issue with Beijing was not high tariffs but other barriers.

“There’s a whole range of bad behavior by the Chinese,” Bessent said, mentioning theft of intellectual property like trademarks and cyberhacking.”

“So, everything is on the table for the economic relationship,” he said, adding “I am confident that the Chinese will want to reach a deal.”

Beijing has shown scant willingness to compromise, however, with its foreign ministry posting a strident video on social media this week saying the US has “stirred up a global tariff storm.”

It vowed China would not “kneel down” in the trade war.

“Kneeling only invites more bullying,” it said.

TOKYO—Japan’s massive holdings of US Treasurys can be “a card on the table” in negotiations over tariffs with the Trump administration, Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said Friday.

“It does exist as a card, but I think whether we choose to use it or not would be a separate decision,” Kato said during a news show on national broadcaster TV Tokyo.

Kato did not elaborate and he did not say Japan would step up sales of its holdings of US government bonds as part of its talks over President Donald Trump’s tariffs on exports from Japan.

Earlier, Japanese officials including Kato had ruled out such an option.

Japan is the largest foreign holder of US government debt, at $1.13 trillion as of late February. China, also at odds with the Trump administration over trade and tariffs, is the second largest foreign investor in Treasurys.

Kato stressed that various factors would be on the negotiating

table with Trump, implying that a promise not to sell Treasurys could help coax Washington into an agreement favorable for Japan. Trump has disrupted decades of American trade policies, including with key security allies like Japan, by i mposing big import taxes, or tariffs, on a wide range of products.

A team of Japanese officials was in Washington this week for talks on the tariffs.

The US is due to soon begin imposing a 25% tariff on imported vehicles and auto parts, as well as an overall 10% baseline tariff. The bigger tariffs will hurt at a time when Japanese economic growth is weakening.

Asian holdings of Treasurys have remained relatively steady in recent years, according to the most recent figures. But some analysts worry China or other governments could liquidate their US Treasury holdings as trade tensions escalate. US government bonds are traditionally viewed as a safe financial asset, and recent spikes in yields of those bonds have raised worries that they might be losing that status due to Trump’s tariff policies.

Singapore’s long-ruling party seeks stronger election victory in test for new prime minister

By Eileen Ng The Associated Press

SINGAPORE—Singaporeans will vote Saturday in a general election that is set to return to power the city-state’s long ruling party, and it will be closely watched as a gauge of public confidence in Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s leadership.

The People’s Action Party has won every election since the Asian financial hub gained independence in 1965. Wong, who took office last year, hopes to clinch a stronger mandate after the PAP suffered a setback in 2020 polls over voters’ rising discontent with the government.

Here’s what to know about the Singapore election.

How does the vote work?

SINGAPORE holds a general election every five years and voting is compulsory. Its electoral system involves single-member wards

along with group representation constituencies (GRCs) where voters pick a team of up to six members rather than individual candidates. The team includes at least one member from a minority ethnic group.

The GRCs ensure minority representation in Parliament, but critics say they entrench the PAP

and make it harder for the opposition to contest. Ethnic Chinese are the majority in Singapore, while Malays and Indians are in the minority.

Nearly 2.76 million voters are registered to elect 97 members of Parliament, but five seats have already been won uncontested by the PAP after the opposition failed to nominate candidates in a GRC. There are 33 constituencies, comprising 15 single-member wards and 18 GRCs.

Voting opens at 8 a.m. (OOOO GMT), runs for 12 hours, and results are expected the same night.

What’s at stake?

THE election is the first test for Wong, 52, since he succeeded Lee Hsien Loong, who stepped down last year after two decades at the helm. Lee’s departure marked the end of a family dynasty started by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first leader, who built the former colonial backwater into one of the world’s richest nations during 31 years in office.

Known for its clean and effective governance, the PAP is seen as a beacon of stability and prosperity. While it is assured of victory, its support is being chipped away by unhappiness over government control and a high cost of living. Widening income disparity, increasingly unaffordable housing, overcrowding caused by immigration and restrictions on free speech have also loosened the PAP’s grip on power. In 2020 polls, the PAP’s share of popular support slipped to a near-record low of 61%, down from nearly 70% in 2015. The PAP kept 83 out of 93 parliamentary seats, but it ceded more seats to the opposition, which won 10 seats, the most ever.

The opposition has acknowledged it cannot unseat the PAP but is appealing to voters for a stronger voice in Parliament.

Wong, a US-trained economist and former finance minister, warned this would only weaken the government as it navigates economic turbulence following US President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes. The government has lowered its growth forecast, and warned of a possible recession.

“If the PAP has a weakened mandate, you can be sure there will be people tempted to push us around. It will be harder for us to advance Singapore’s interest. But with a clear mandate from you, my team and I can speak up for Singapore confidently,” Wong said while campaigning this week.

The PAP has fielded many new faces to refresh the party. Wong offered cash handouts, vouchers and other goodies in this year’s See “Singapore,” A11

PRESIDENT Donald Trump, left, poses for a photo with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. AP/SUSAN WALSH

FINANCE Minister Katsunobu Kato arrives at the prime minister’s office Monday, November 11, 2024, in Tokyo. AP/SHUJI KAJIYAMA

SINGAPORE’S Prime Minister Lawrence Wong arrives to participate in Asean-China summit in Vientiane, Laos, on October 10, 2024. AP/SAKCHAI LALIT

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A US-led effort to end the war in Ukraine looks favorable to Russia, but mixed signals emerge

By Dasha Litvinova

TALLINN, Estonia—The discussions have taken place in an ornate Kremlin Hall, on the polished marble of St. Peter’s Basilica and in a famously contentious session in the Oval Office of the White House.

What’s emerged so far from the Washington-led effort to end the war in Ukraine suggests a deal that seems likely to be favorable to Russia: President Donald Trump has sharply rebuked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, echoed Kremlin talking points, and indicated Kyiv would have to surrender territory and forego NATO membership. What’s more, he has engaged in a rapprochement with Moscow that was unthinkable months ago.

More recently, Trump has offered mixed signals—social media posts that perhaps Russian President Vladimir Putin is stringing him along—and a deal has yet to materialize.

While the optics so far have been in the Kremlin’s favor, no proposals that were put forth have been cemented.

And on Wednesday, Washington and Kyiv signed an agreement granting American access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources that could enable continued military aid to the country under ongoing attacks from Russia.

Dialogue and aligned vision

ONE gain for the Kremlin is that Washington is talking again to Moscow after years of extremely strained ties following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine—and not just about the war, said Nikolay Petrov, senior research fellow with the New Eurasian Strategies Centre think tank.

Russian officials and state media from the very start of discussions with Trump’s officials sought to underscore that Ukraine was only one item on the vast agenda of the “two superpowers.” Trump and Putin talked in March about Ukraine but also the Middle East, stopping the proliferation of strategic weapons and even organizing hockey games between the countries.

Russia’s main state TV channel reported that the meeting between Putin and Trump envoy Steve-Witkoff showed that Moscow and Washington were building “a new structure of the world” together.

In this sense, “Putin already got a part of what he sought”—the optics of Russia as a country that is on par with the US, Petrov said.

Singapore. . . Continued from A10

national budget, and sought to engage younger voters in developing a more balanced and inclusive Singapore. A strong PAP performance would help seal Wong’s leadership and determine whether the one-party dominance in Singapore could endure over the next decade.

“The ruling party has portrayed the ongoing tariffs war as a crisis for trade-reliant Singapore,” said Eugene Tan, a law professor at Singapore Management University. “Will voters rally behind the PAP, or will they come to view the political system...as being robust enough and can accommodate more political diversity and competition?”

Global markets rally on hopes of US-China tariff resolution

HTrump has said Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, “will stay with Russia,” and outlines of a peace proposal his team reportedly presented to Kyiv last month apparently included allowing Russia to keep control of other occupied Ukrainian territories.

Trump, who had a contentious meeting with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Feb. 28, lashed out at him for publicly rejecting the idea of ceding land, and also said that Kyiv was unlikely to ever join NATO.

All of these have long been Moscow’s talking points, and Trump’s use of them suggested his administration’s vision was aligned with the Kremlin’s.

Trump also seemingly puts more pressure on Kyiv than Moscow in trying to reach a peace deal and appears eager to return to a more normal relationship with Russia and its “big business opportunities,” said Sam Greene of King’s College London. “Is there any part of this that doesn’t look like a win for Russia? No,” Greene adds.

So far, it’s only talk BUT so far, all of this has remained nothing but rhetoric, with terms of a possible settlement still very much “in the air,” says Sergey Radchenko, a historian and a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Moreover, there are still demands by both Russia and Ukraine that would be hard to reconcile in any kind of peace settlement. Ukraine refuses to cede any land and wants robust security guarantees against future aggression, possibly involving a contingent of peacekeepers—something a handful of European nations have been discussing and Russia publicly rejects as a nonstarter.

Russia, in turn, demands that it holds onto the territory it has seized as well as no NATO membership for Ukraine. It also wants Kyiv to “demilitarize,” or significantly reduce its armed force.

Radchenko sees the latter as a major sticking point in peace talks, because a strong, viable army is important for Ukraine to defend itself.

“If there are restrictions on the kinds of weapons Ukraine can receive (from the West) or the size of the army, then it will be very difficult to get them to accept this sort of agreement,” he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov seemingly raised the stakes further this week by saying that international

See “Ukraine,” A14

Who are the PAP’s rivals?

THE Workers Party, led by lawyer Pritam Singh, is the biggest opposition party and the only one with a presence in Parliament. Singh was named as Singapore’s first opposition leader after the WP won 10 seats in the 2020 polls. But despite gaining ground over the years, the opposition still struggles with limited resources and talent, and fragmented support.

The WP is fielding only 26 candidates in this election. Singh has said even if the WP won all 26 seats, it wouldn’t hamper the PAP but lead to a more balanced political system and greater accountability. The remaining seats are contested by nine smaller opposition parties and coalitions, as well as two independent candidates.

By Jiang Junzhe The Associated Press

ONG KONG—Global markets advanced Friday after China’s Commerce Ministry said Beijing is evaluating overtures from the US regarding President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The future for the S&P 500 gained 0.5% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.6%.

Germany’s DAX advanced 1.5% to 22,831.50 and the CAC 40 in Paris climbed 1.3% to 7,695.70.

British FTSE 100 was 0.7% higher at 8,558.56.

In Asian trading, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 1.7% to 22,504.68 while markets in Shanghai were closed for a public holiday. Taiwan’s benchmark jumped 2.7%.

An unnamed Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson was cited as saying that Beijing had taken note of various statements by senior US officials indicating a willingness to negotiate over tariffs.

“At the same time, the US has recently taken the initiative to convey information to the Chinese side on a number of occasions through relevant parties, hoping to talk with the Chinese side. In this regard, the Chinese side is making an assessment,” it said.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 picked up 1% to 36,830.69.

Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato drew attention

by mentioning that the country’s more than $1.1 trillion in US Treasury bonds could potentially be a “card on the table” in negotiations with Washington over Trump’s steep tariffs on autos and other imports.

Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.1% to 2,558.84 and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 1.1%, closing at 8,238.00.

On Thursday, Microsoft and Meta Platforms led Wall Street higher after they reported profits for the start of the year that were even bigger than analysts expected.

The S&P 500 rose 0.6% for an eighth straight gain, its longest winning streak since August.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2% and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.5%.

Microsoft rallied 7.6% after the software giant said strength in its cloud computing and artificial intelligence businesses drove its overall revenue up 13% from a year earlier.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, also topped analysts’ targets for revenue and profit in the latest quarter. It said AI tools helped boost its

South Korea’s ex-Prime

By Hyung-Jin Kim The Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea—South Korea’s former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo said Friday he will run in next month’s presidential election and would seek to lessen the powers of the office and ease strife-ridden domestic politics if he wins.

Han’s entry heats up the scramble among conservatives to unify behind a candidate to compete with liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung, whose campaign recently was set back by a court decision to open a new trial on election law violation charges.

“I’ve determined to find what I can do for the future of the Republic of Korea that

advertising revenue, and its stock climbed 4.2%.

Plenty of uncertainty remains about whether President Donald Trump’s trade war will force the economy into a recession.

General Motors slipped 0.4% after it cut its forecast for profit in 2025, for example. It said it’s assuming it will feel a hit of $4 billion to $5 billion because of tariffs, and it expects to offset at least 30% of it.

McDonald’s fell 1.9% after reporting weaker revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, even though its profit was slightly above forecasts.

McDonald’s joined Chipotle and other restaurant chains that have seen customers grow cautious about the economy and inflation.

Consumer surveys show pessimism is shooting higher about where the economy heading. On Thursday, a couple reports about the economy came in mixed, following up on several recent updates that suggested it’s weakening.

The first of the reports said

more US workers filed for unemployment benefits last week than economists had forecast, setting the stage for a more comprehensive report on the job market arriving Friday.

The fear on Wall Street is for a possible worst-case scenario called “stagflation,” where the economy stagnates yet inflation remains high. The Federal Reserve has no good tools to fix both such problems at the same time. If the Fed were to try to help one problem by adjusting interest rates, it would likely make the other worse.

Hopes that Trump may eventually roll back some of his tariffs after reaching trade deals with other countries has helped to support markets this week.

In other dealings early Friday, US benchmark crude oil lost 26 cents to $58.98 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, shed 24 cents to $61.89 per barrel.

The US dollar slid to 144.88 Japanese yen from 145.40

The euro rose to $1.1335 from $1.1292.

Minister Han says he will seek the presidency in June election

I love and for all of us. I’ll try my utmost to be chosen by the people at this presidential election,” Han told a press conference at the National Assembly.

South Korea is holding an early presidential election on June 3 after conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted over his imposition of martial law. Han was appointed prime minister, the No. 2 post, by Yoon, and he served as acting leader after Yoon was suspended and later removed from office.

Han also was prime minister under liberal President Roh Moo-hyun from 2007 to 2008 and has served as trade minister, finance minister and ambassador to the US during his 40-year career in public service.

He has never held elected office but has risen politically as the main conservative

People Power Party struggles in the wake of Yoon’s ouster.

Han does not belong to a political party, but contenders in the PPP have said they are willing to field a single candidate among them and Han. PPP members are scheduled to nominate their party’s candidate Saturday.

Han said that if elected, he would launch a body to amend the constitution so the president and the assembly share powers based on the principle of checks and balances. His revisions would also bar the political circle and the judiciary branch from meddling in each other’s sectors.

In South Korea, executive power is heavily concentrated on a president, and there have been calls for change.

The election June 3 will give the new

president a full, single five-year term. But Han said he would serve three years to finish the constitutional revision and then leave. Han said he would also use his expertise on economic affairs to resolve trade issues with the US over President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

Lee’s main liberal opposition Democratic Party stepped up its offensive against Han, saying he is abandoning his duties as the government’s caretaker and lacks the moral standing to run for the presidency as a No. 2 official in the Yoon administration, responsible for many policy failures.

“We warn to former Prime Minister Han. Don’t hide your greed with a lie that you are running for the people,” party spokesperson Noh Jongmyun said.

SPECIALIST Gregg Maloney works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, April 28, 2025. AP/RICHARD DREW

The Associated Press

IN this combination of file photos, President Donald Trump, left, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, are seen at the Elysee Palace, December 7, 2024 in Paris, and President Vladimir Putin, right, addresses a Technology Forum in Moscow, February 21, 2025. AP/AURELIEN MORISSARD, LEFT AND CENTER, PAVEL BEDNYAKOV, RIGHT

Netanyahu’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear program muted with Trump in White House

By Tia Goldenberg The Associated Press

JERUSALEM—When

the US and Iran met for nuclear talks a decade ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu railed against an emerging deal from the world’s most public stages, including in a fiery speech to Congress seen as a direct challenge to the Obama administration as it was wrapping up the talks.

Now, as the sides sit down to discuss a new deal, Netanyahu has fallen silent.

Netanyahu sees an Iran with nuclear weapons as an existential threat to Israel, and he is just as wary of any new US agreement with its archenemy that may not meet his standards. Yet he finds himself shackled with Donald Trump in the White House.

Netanyahu is unwilling to publicly criticize a president who has shown broad support for Israel, whom he deems to be Israel’s greatest friend, and who doesn’t take well to criticism.

He “can’t do anything that goes against Trump. He’s paralyzed,” said Yoel Guzansky, an Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv-based think tank.

Israel is in a position of power against Iran after a series of strategic achievements over the past 18 months in the wars that have shaken the Middle East. It thrashed Iran’s

allies in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, and directly attacked Iran last year, neutralizing some of its key air defenses. Experts say Israel now has a window of opportunity for what could be an effective strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, with possibly less regional blowback.

Yet Israel’s leader was recently unable to galvanize Trump to prioritize a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities—which would likely hinge on US military assistance to be successful. With the US negotiating with Iran, Israel has little legitimacy to pursue a military option on its own.

“Netanyahu is trapped,” said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on USIsrael relations at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv. “He was banking on Israel’s position relative to Iran to improve under Trump. In practice, it’s the opposite.”

Netanyahu hoped for alignment with Trump on Iran NETANYAHU and his nationalist

supporters hoped Trump’s return to the White House would be advantageous because of his history of support for Israel. They thought that, under Trump, the US might back a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.

But Trump’s approach to Iran— as well as on other issues, such as tariffs—has shown the relationship is more complicated, and that Trump’s interests don’t entirely align with Netanyahu’s.

Netanyahu has long accused Iran of developing a nuclear weapon and went on a global campaign against the Obama deal. He painted the nuclear program as an existential threat to Israel and the world, and said the agreement was too weak to contain it.

Israel remains the Mideast’s only nuclear-armed state, an advantage it would like to keep.

With Netanyahu’s strong encouragement, Trump backed out of the deal struck by Obama.

And since returning to the White House, Trump has given Israel free rein in its war against Hamas in Gaza, been soft on the worsening humanitarian crisis in the territory and launched strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have attacked Israel since the start of the war.

But now that the US has returned to the negotiating table with Iran, Netanyahu would risk jeopardizing his good ties with the president if he were to publicly oppose one of his administration’s key foreign policy initiatives.

The last time Netanyahu crossed the temperamental Trump was when he congratulated Joe Biden for his election win in 2020. Trump was apparently offended by the perceived disloyalty, and their

ties went into deep freeze. Israel is communicating to Washington its priorities for any deal. As part of that, it understood that should Israel choose to carry out a strike on Iran, it would likely be doing so alone—so long as negotiations were underway, according to an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.

Netanyahu is hoping for a strict deal on Iran’s nuclear program

IN a speech in Jerusalem this week, Netanyahu said he had discussed his terms for a deal with Trump. He explained that it would need to dismantle all the infrastructure of Iran’s nuclear program and that it should work to prevent Iran from developing ballistic missiles capable of delivering a bomb.

“I said to President Trump that I

hope that this is what the negotiators will do. We’re in close contact with the United States. But I said one way or the other – Iran will not have nuclear weapons,” he said.

Netanyahu has said he would favor a strict diplomatic agreement similar to Libya’s deal in 2003 to destroy its nuclear facilities and allow inspectors unfettered access. However, it is not clear if Trump will set such strict conditions— and Iran has rejected giving up its right to enrich.

The Trump-led talks with Iran began earlier this month and have advanced to expert discussions over how to rein in Iran’s nuclear program and prevent it from being able to obtain atomic weapons, should it choose to pursue them. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes, though some officials increasingly threaten to

pursue the bomb.

While Trump has said a military option remains on the table, and has moved military assets to the region, he says he prefers a diplomatic solution. Planned talks between Iran and the United States this weekend were postponed on Thursday.

Netanyahu will also struggle to criticize a deal once one is clinched

SINCE Trump scrapped the Obama-era agreement in 2018, Iran has ramped up its nuclear enrichment and increased its uranium stockpile.

Netanyahu’s 2015 speech to Congress against Obama’s deal—at the invitation of Republicans—was made without consulting the White House. Obama did not attend.

That was just one of many instances in which Netanyahu was seen as cozying up to Republicans, driving a wedge in what has traditionally been bipartisan support for Israel. That, coupled with Netanyahu’s strained relationship with the Biden administration over Israel’s conduct in Gaza, has meant that Netanyahu can’t rely on Democratic allies to take up his cause.

Still, Netanyahu would struggle to find any Republicans willing to publicly confront the president on this issue. And he himself will struggle to criticize a deal if one is clinched; instead, he might send surrogates like his far-right allies to do so, said Gilboa of Bar-Ilan University.

But until then, Gilboa said, Netanyahu’s best hope is that the talks fail.

“That, for him, will be the best case scenario.”

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the annual ceremony at the eve of Israel’s Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers (Yom HaZikaron) at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. ABIR SULTAN/POOL PHOTO VIA AP

Rubio takes on dual role as Trump shakes up national security team

By Matthew Lee & Farnoush Amiri

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON—Secretary

of State Marco Rubio has been thrown into two top national security jobs at once as President Donald Trump presses forward with his top-to-bottom revamp of US foreign policy, upending not only longstanding policies that the former Florida senator once supported but also the configuration of the executive branch.

Trump’s appointment of Rubio to temporarily replace Mike Waltz as national security adviser is the first major leadership shake-up of the nascent administration, but Waltz’s removal had been rumored for weeks—ever since he created

a Signal group chat and accidentally added a journalist to the conversation where top national security officials shared sensitive military plans. So, just over 100 days into his tenure as America’s top diplomat, Rubio now becomes just the second person to hold both positions. He follows only the late Henry Kissinger, who served as both secretary of state and national security adviser for two years under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford in the 1970s.

Rubio—a one-time Trump rival and hawkish conservative who was derided by the president as “Little Marco” during the 2016 presidential campaign—has proven adept at aligning himself with Trump’s “America First” foreign policy positions. Rubio has largely eschewed his staunch advocacy of providing foreign aid and promoting democracy overseas since taking over the State Department, repeating a refrain that every policy or program should make America safer, stronger or more prosperous.

Rubio leads during Trump’s massive changes

SINCE being confirmed in a 99-0 Senate floor vote, Rubio has presided over a radical reorganization of the State Department. That includes the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development and plans to cut US jobs by 15% while closing or consolidating more than 100 bureaus worldwide. He has also begun a major cull of the visa system, revoking hundreds, if not thousands, of visas issued to foreign students. He has overseen the negotiation of agreements to send immigrants accused of crimes to third countries, most notably to El Salvador, in cases that are now being challenged in federal courts.

“Marco Rubio, unbelievable,”

Trump said Thursday before announcing on social media that Waltz would be nominated as ambassador to the United Nations and Rubio would take over as national security adviser in the interim.

“When I have a problem, I call up Marco, he gets it solved.”

That’s a far cry from 2016, when Rubio and Trump were competing for the GOP presidential nomination and Rubio warned that Trump was a threat. After Trump won, the relationship remained contentious, but eight years later, Rubio was an enthusiastic Trump

supporter who worked his Florida bona fides to get into the president’s inner circle.

Yet, even after Rubio was nominated to the top diplomatic job, doubts remained. Many pundits suggested he would last only a short time in office before Trump dismissed him in the same way he did his first-term secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, who was fired by tweet in 2018 just 18 months into the job.

Yet Rubio has been resilient.

And as of Thursday, he oversees both the State Department and the National Security Council, which is responsible for coordinating all executive branch foreign policy functions, ranging from diplomatic to military and intelligence operations.

Thomas Wright, an NSC official during the Biden administration who is now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the national security adviser post alone is “more than a full-time job.”

“It is just very hard to comprehend the idea that you can do this job sort of part time,” Wright said. He said he watched national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his deputy work 14-15-hour days, six to seven days a week: “I think they felt that they had to do that to do the job properly.”

Rubio says little so far on his additional role

APPEARING Thursday night on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” Rubio was not asked to weigh in on the president’s decision to tap him as national security adviser but did joke that he was barred from adding pope to his list of many jobs because he is married. But as he marked the first 100 days of Trump’s latest term, Rubio applauded the president for his vision.

“I am honored by the trust President Trump placed in me and I am proud of the work the Department of State has done over the past hundred days to implement his agenda and put the American people first,” he wrote Wednesday in a State Department Substack post.

One of Rubio’s former Florida statehouse colleagues, Dan Gelber, a Democrat, said of Rubio’s increasing responsibilities that “Marco is probably, to a certain extent, one of the more reliable Cabinet officers, if not the most reliable.”

“And I can only believe those qualities are even more vital to his current confluence of positions and growing portfolio,” Gelber said. “He’s not a chaos guy, and I’ve always sort of wondered how he’s going to do in an administration where there seems to be so much

chaos. And maybe that’s why he’s getting all these positions.”

Rubio’s dual-hatted role comes on top of him serving as acting administrator of the largely shut down USAID and as acting head of the National Archives. It puts him in a similar position to that of Trump’s longtime personal friend and golfing buddy Steve Witkoff. As a special envoy, Witkoff is the lead US negotiator in the Iran nuclear talks and in administration peace efforts for the IsraelHamas war and the UkraineRussia war.

In many ways, Rubio and Witkoff are following in the footsteps of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who had multiple roles in the first administration, ranging from the Middle East to Latin America and immigration.

How Rubio’s expanded duties are seen at the State Department

STATE Department officials appeared taken aback by Trump’s

appointment of Rubio as acting national security adviser. Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said at a briefing Thursday that she learned the news from a journalist who asked her a question about Trump’s post minutes after it appeared on social media.

Officials, however, have noted that Rubio in recent weeks has spent an increasingly large amount of time at the White House away from his posh seventh-floor State Department office in what is known as “Mahogany Row,” a corridor known for its wood paneling.

At the same time, these officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the personnel shift, said they did not expect Rubio’s duties as secretary of state to change significantly. He still plans to travel on diplomatic missions abroad and likely will delegate at least some of the NSC management to others, they said.

Amiri reported from the United Nations.

Massive May Day demonstrations erupt across US, worldwide in response to Trump’s policies

By Sophia Tareen, Thomas Adamson & Yuri Kageyama The Associated Press

CHICAGO—Hundreds of thousands of people in the US and around the world rallied Thursday in May Day protests that united many in anger over President Donald Trump’s agenda from aggressive tariffs that are stoking fears of global economic turmoil to his administration’s immigration crackdowns.

In the United States, organizers framed this year’s International Workers’ Day protests as a pushback against what they see as the administration’s sweeping assault on labor protections, diversity initiatives and federal employees. Protesters lined streets in many cities from New York to Philadelphia to Los Angeles and held a boisterous rally outside the White House in Washington.

Huge turnout as US May Day protests focus on Trump IN Chicago, thousands of people rallied in a West Side Park before marching through downtown to the lakefront. Some played drums and danced while others chanted

“No justice, no peace!” The crowd included union workers, immigrant rights advocates, pro-Palestinian activists and students calling for better-funded public schools.

“We need to stand up and fight back,” said Latrina Barnes, a 48-year-old certified nurses assistant, adding that worries Medicaid and Medicare might be affected under the Trump administration inspired her to protest in a May Day rally for the first time.

Some rallygoers used humor to protest, displaying a Trump puppet, an inflatable Trump baby chicken and a Trump pinata shaped like a bull.

Vermont US Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke outside Philadelphia’s City Hall during a rally after which the crowd marched in the streets. Dozens sat in an intersection wearing signs reading “Workers over billionaires,” and police began taking some of them into custody, leading them to nearby buses.

In downtown Los Angeles, thousands of demonstrators marched, hoisting signs saying “Immigrants make America great,”

“Migration is beautiful” and “It’s not the time to be silent.” With bands playing and flags waving, the gathering had the feel of a celebration.

“We’re bringing the fight to the billionaires and politicians who are trying to divide us with fear and lies,” said April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, which represents 2 million workers.

A number of speakers demanded elected officials protect workers’ and immigrants’ rights. With the slogan “One Struggle, One Fight—Workers Unite,” the event was organized by the Los Angeles May Day Coalition, made up of labor unions and community-based groups.

In Atlanta, hundreds gathered at a downtown park across from the state Capitol. The crowd included some retired US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workers. The CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and is expected to lose around 2,400 employees due to cuts by the Trump administration.

“We really want to stand up for all of our fellow laborers who were laid off or just fired with no real reason,” said Deblina Datta, who worked on global immunization efforts before retiring in 2023. “We really want to make a cry that without the CDC, bad things will happen.”

In New York City, hundreds of lawyers and their supporters gathered near courthouses in Lower Manhattan for a “National Rule of Law Day” rally to decry what some called the Trump administration’s disrespect of the legal system.

Hours later, a few thousand people were back in the same public square for a May Day march with labor activists, union members and others carrying LGTBQ flags and signs condemning Trump’s crackdown on immigrants. The arrest of Columbia University graduate student and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil sent a message “that anyone who disagrees with this president will face consequences,” Veronica Salama, the New York Civil Liberties Union lawyer representing him, told the crowd.

“This is about all of us in the face of escalating repression,” Salama said. “We See “May Day,” A14

Los Angeles wildfire victims take first steps towards rebuilding their lives

By Alex Veiga Ap Business Writer

LOS ANGELES—Nearly four months after wildfires reduced thousands of Los Angelesarea homes to rubble and ash, some residents are starting to rebuild.

In the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, construction workers recently began placing wooden beams to frame a house on a lot where only a charred fireplace remains standing. In the seaside city of Malibu and foothills neighborhood of Altadena, many land parcels where homes once stood are being cleared of debris.

Hundreds of homeowners have sought city or county approval for new home designs and other permits to eventually rebuild or repair damaged homes, though few have gotten the green light to break ground.

Some 17,000 homes, businesses and other structures burned to the ground in the Jan. 7 fires. It’s uncertain how much will be rebuilt.

Many homeowners will not be able to afford it, even those with insurance. Some are still trying to figure out whether it’s safe to return to their properties, given limited data on the degree to which toxins from the fires, including lead and asbestos, may have permeated their land. Roughly 400 land parcels are already for sale in the fire-ravaged areas.

Facing overwhelming loss and the chaos that comes with sudden displacement, those looking to rebuild must navigate an often confusing and time-consuming process. In most cases, it will take years for them to rebuild.

LA issued its first building permit nearly two months after the fires started. It took more than seven months before the first building permit was issued following the Woolsey Fire in 2018.

“Putting this in context of other disasters, the speed is actually probably faster than expected,” said Sara McTarnaghan, a researcher at the Urban Institute who studied the aftermath of urban wildfires in recent years in Colorado, Hawaii and California.

Resolving to rebuild in Altadena KATHRYN FRAZIER , a music publicist and life coach, had lived in her four-bedroom, three-bath house in Altadena for 10 years and raised her two children there. After her home burned to the ground, she was in shock and questioned whether it made sense to come back.

But after conversations with neighbors, she became determined to rebuild.

“I’m not leaving,” Frazier said. “That’s what kept coming up for everybody, and the more we all talked to each other the more we were all like ‘hell yes.’” She is making progress. Frazier hired a crew to clear the property of debris and she is nearly through the first phase of permitting, which involves getting county

review and approval for her new home’s design. The next phase before receiving approval to begin construction includes reviews of electrical, plumbing and other aspects of the design.

Frazier, 55, is rebuilding her home without major changes to its size or location in order to qualify for an expedited building permit approval process.

“We are hoping to be building by June or July, latest,” she said. “I’ve been told that maybe by February or March of 2026 we could be back in our home.”

For now, Frazier is getting quotes on windows, skylights and other home fixtures in hopes of locking in prices before they go up as more construction projects ramp up, or in response to the Trump administration’s ongoing trade war.

“I’m doing things like scouring Home Depot, finding slate tiles that look modern and beautiful, but they’re actually really cheap,” she said.

Recreating a home in the Palisades

DEANN HELINE , a TV showrunner, knows what it’s like to build her dream house from the ground up.

She waited more than two years for construction to be completed on the five-bedroom, eight-bath home with ocean views. Once the project was done, her husband vowed to never build another house. The family lived there for six years before it was destroyed in the Palisades Fire.

“It was ash. There was nothing,” Heline said.

The couple, who have two daughters, have lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years. They couldn’t imagine giving up and not rebuilding.

“Not only are we building another house, we’re building the

exact same house again,” Heline said, noting the new home will have some upgrades including fireresistant materials and sprinklers for the exterior of the house.

Recently, they cleared debris from the land where the house once stood, a particularly onerous task because the home featured a large basement into which much of the structure collapsed as it burned.

Heline isn’t sure when construction will begin, but figures it could be two or three years. She wonders, however, what the neighborhood will look like by then.

“What are you going back to? You’re going back to a moonscape? Are you there and no one else is on your block, or are you going back to a construction zone for many more years?” she said.

Banding together as a community

THE Eaton wildfire destroyed many of the more than 270 historic Janes Cottages in Altadena, including the three-bedroom home Tim Vordtriede shared with his wife and two young children.

The family had only lived in the roughly 100-year-old house for three years.

“We just loved the storybook cottage and the vibe, and of course the grander vibe of Altadena,” he said. “It was perfect.”

Vordtriede, 44, has decided to rebuild, but not just yet. For now, he is using his experience as a construction project manager to help others who also lost their homes.

He co-founded Altadena Collective, a group providing assistance with home designs and guidance on how to navigate the complex and lengthy approval process for rebuilding permits. Of the roughly two dozen clients that the group is serving, at reduced cost, three are in the early stages of the permitting process.

Ukraine. . . Continued from A11

recognition of regions annexed from Ukraine by Russia was “imperative” for a peace deal.

Achieving that remains unclear, given that dozens of countries have decried the annexations as violating international law.

What if the US walks away?

SOME analysts believe it is in Putin’s interest to prolong the war and keep making gains on the battlefield.

Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have threatened to wash their hands of the peace effort if there is no progress soon.

Putin, in an apparent gesture of willingness to keep talking, announced this week a 72-hour ceasefire starting May 8 for Russia’s Victory Day holiday that marks the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

Zelenskyy dismissed the gesture as a further attempt by Putin at “manipulation” to string along the US, saying a ceasefire should begin immediately and last longer.

Greene noted that the Russian ruble and markets have been doing better recently over expectations of a peace deal and US businesses and investors coming back, “and there may be a price to be paid” for pulling out the rug from under that.

May Day. . .

Continued from A13

recognize the interconnectedness of our struggles.”

European rallies target trade policies, rise of far-right FRENCH union leaders condemned the “Trumpization” of world politics, saying demonstrations throughout the country were fueled by anger over US military and trade influence in Europe. Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused the US of pushing Europe toward conflict and economic subservience.

“If the North Americans don’t want our goods anymore, we can just sell them to others,” he said.

In Germany, union leaders warned that extended workdays and rising antiimmigrant sentiment were dismantling labor protections. In Bern, Switzerland, thousands marched behind banners

The larger question is what happens on the battlefield if the Trump administration withdraws from the peace effort.

“When the Trump administration says they’ll walk away, we don’t know what that means. Does that mean they walk away from negotiations and keep supporting Ukraine?” Greene said.

Greene says that Ukraine probably doesn’t feel confident that the US stepping back from the process means that Washington will keep supporting Kyiv, adding that Russia may not be sure of the Trump administration ending aid, either.

“I think it’s very difficult for the Kremlin to calculate the risks of dragging this out,” he said.

And US Treasury Secretary Sctott Bessent said the mineral deal “signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.”

A lot depends on whether Europe can step up and fill any gaps in US aid. If Trump walks away from the peace effort and still pursues normalizing relations with Russia, lifting sanctions, “this will amount to a major breakthrough” for Putin, but it’s not a given, Radchenko says. That would be an uphill battle for Trump as “there’s a lot of congressional sanctions that are predicated on the war in Ukraine,” Greene notes.

denouncing fascism and war—part of a wider backlash against the global surge of hard-right politics.

In Spain, thousands marched in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities, with demands ranging from a shorter workweek to answers for a historic power outage that blacked out the Iberian Peninsula earlier this week. Trump’s name also surfaced.

“The world has changed a bit with Trump’s arrival,” said Ángel López, 56, a worker from Madrid. “The arrival of the far right to a country like the United States is a major global shift.”

Trump-fueled economic fears raised in Asia protests

TAIWAN’S President Lai Ching-te cited the new US tariffs under Trump as he promoted a sweeping economic package aimed at shoring up jobs and industry. In the Philippines, protest leader Mong Palatino warned that “tariff wars and policies of Trump” threatened local industries and people’s livelihoods.

Some 2,500 union members marched from the Taiwanese presidential office in Taipei, warning that Trump’s tariffs could lead to job losses.

“This is why we hope the government can propose plans to protect the rights of laborers,” said union leader Carlos Wang. In Manila, thousands of Filipino workers rallied near the presidential palace, where police blocked access with barricades. Protesters demanded wage hikes and stronger protections for local jobs and small businesses.

In Jakarta, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto addressed a cheering crowd at the National Monument Park. “The government that I lead will work as hard as possible to eliminate poverty from Indonesia,” he said.

Istanbul mayor’s arrest is focus of protests in Turkey IN Turkey, May Day served as a platform not only for labor rights but for broader calls to uphold democratic values.

Tens of thousands gathered on Istanbul’s Asian shore where some protested the jailing of Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. His imprisonment in March sparked the country’s largest protests in more than a decade.

Authorities blocked access to central Istanbul and shut down transit lines. Istanbul governor’s office said 384 people had been detained.

Adamson reported from Paris, and Kageyama reported from Tokyo. Contributing to this report were Associated Press journalists Suman Naishadham in Madrid, Nicolas Garriga and Masha Macpherson in Paris, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Joeal Calupitan in Manila, Philippines, Andrew Wilks in Istanbul, Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles, Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta, Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, New York, Tassanee Vejpongsa in Philadelphia and Taijing Wu in Taipei, Taiwan.

No slowing down for Tour of Luzon

By Josef Ramos

TOUR of Luzon chief organizer Patrick “Pato” Gregorio hinted at a bigger and richer race in 2026 following the success of the fabled multi-stage cycling race’s “The Great Revival.”

“The wheels are turning—and there is no slowing down,” Gregorio, also DuckWorld PH chairman, said on Friday, the morning after the eight-stage Tour of Luzon culminated with a well-attended Closing Ceremony and Awarding of Prizes at the Camp John Hay Convention Center in Baguio City.

“There is a strong clamor from the Filipino cycling fans to bring the Tour of Luzon back next year,” he stressed.

The night before, with a crowd of close to 600 that packed the Camp John Hay facility, Gregorio was ecstatic from all angles.

“The MPTC Tour of Luzon was more than a revival—it was a powerful reminder of who we are and what we are capable of as a cycling nation,” he said. “To every rider, supporter and soul who stood by the roadside or followed from afar—you did not just witness history. You helped write it.” Gregorio, thrilled by the organic millions of views in different social media platforms, is eyeing additional stages for an improved and moreexciting Tour of Luzon next year.

“Next year, we ride farther, push harder and dream louder—for the future of Philippine cycling,” he said. “Kung pinukaw namin ang inyong mga damdamin, pinukaw ninyo ang aming mga hangarin.” Metro Pacific Tollways

with the clamor of the fans in every stage we’ve been,” Perez, an avid biker himself, said. “For sure, we’ll add stages and a lot of LGUs [local government units] are now talking with us. They want to be involved.”

Gapyeong Cycling Team’s Joo DaeYeong of South Korea won the eight-stage race— sanctioned by the PhilCycling headed by Philippine Olympic

Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino—that covered 1,075 kilometers from Paoay in Ilocos Norte to the Scout Hill finish inside Camp John Hay. He received the P1 million cash prize that included an additional P500,000 from sports patron Manuel V. Pangilinan, whose MVP Group, led by the MPTC, bankrolled the return of the Tour of Luzon.

MPT Drive Hub topped the team general classification and banked P1 million while Excellent Noodles’s Joshua Pascual was named Eagle of the Mountain after he won the grueling 172-km Stage 8 via Kennon Road on Thursday.

The other winners were Malaysia Pro Team’s Muhammad Zahin Wahhi (Most Combative), MPT Drive Hub’s Mervin Corpuz (Sprinter) and Go For Gold’s James Paul Ryan Escumbien (Best Young Rider).

A total of 17 teams competed in the Tour of Luzon—CCN Factory HK from Hong Kong, Bryton Racing Team from Taiwan, Standard Insurance Philippines, Victoria Sports Pro Cycling Team, 7-Eleven Click Roadbike Philippines, Philippines Under-23 Tom N Toms, DReyna Orion Cement, Dandex T-Prime Cycling Team, Exodus Army, 1 Team Visayas, Team Pangasinan and One Cycling Mindanao, had participated in the race.

Rondina-Pons tandem in hot start in Nuvali Futures

LAS Pilipinas standouts

ASisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons staved off a strong resistance from compatriots Khylem Progella and Sofia Pagara, 21-17, 18-21, 15-12, for a winning start in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour (BPT) Futures Nuvali on Friday in the City of Santa Rosa in Laguna.

The veteran duo recovered from a second-set meltdown and stamped their pedigree and chemistry under the scorching heat in a tightrope decider for a strong start in Pool A.

“We go all out. We feel no pressure and we expect nothing, especially since we had very little time to prepare. We give our all to the best of our abilities, this is all for the country,” said Pons, eyeing a redemption on the sands after an indoor heartbreaker with mother club Creamline in the Premier Volleyball League.

Up against the young but fiery tandem from University of Santo Tomas, Pons and her long-time partner

KEVIN MAULIT played hero once again as National University (NU) leaned on a five-run fifth inning to post a dominant 16-7 victory over De La Salle University to move on the cusp of repeating as University Athletic Association of the Philippines baseball champion on Friday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Manila. Fresh off a stellar offensive in the Final Four against Adamson University, the 24-year-old product of NU Nazareth School delivered the game’s most pivotal hit—his clutch three RBIs in the fifth inning pushed the Bulldogs to 105, an advantage they never surrendered.

Facing rookie pitcher Yuan Sumague of Tanauan, Maulit launched a hit deep to right field, far out of Barry Oñas’ reach as the blast brought home Kent Altarejos, his brother Kenneth and Herald Tenorio to ignite the Bulldogs’ biggest scoring surge of the game. NU goes for the crown in Game 2 of the best-of-three finals on Tuesday at 8 a.m. also at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

“We knew there was a possibility that De La Salle could come back. So I just reminded the team that the score doesn’t matter—we needed to reset.

We still had to focus on our hitting because the game wasn’t over yet,” said NU’s sophomore head coach Romar Landicho. “That’s exactly what we did, and the players responded, which is why we were able to win this game.”

NU trailed by a run going into the third inning but broke De La Salle’s defenses behind pitcher Peter Nonaillada.

Kent Altarejos advanced to second base after a throwing error by shortstop Agorn De Vera and later, Herald Tenorio brought his catcher Altarejos home with a hit up the middle to tie the game at 1-1. Then came the fireworks. Nigel Paule, who homered in their semifinals win over Adamson University, connected a thunderous grand slam, sending the ball off the left-field wall with Tenorio, Maulit and Gio Gorpido on base.

The four-run bomb gave NU a commanding 5-1 lead.

“I’ve always believed in Nigel, I never lost trust in him. In fact, I talked to him the other day and told him, ‘You’re going to be the MVP of the Finals,’ and so far, so good—he hit a grand slam,” said Landicho of Paule’s breakout performance. De La Salle, however, was not ready to roll over.

The Green Batters responded in the top of the fourth inning where they levelled at 5-all—Ezy Bautista’s RBI single brought Marco Flores home, before an error on Paule’s failed fielding attempt allowed two more runs. JR Alcontin then capped the comeback by driving in Bautista. But that proved to be La Salle’s last stand.

Rondina leaned on steely resolve to mark a triumphant return on the sands tourney organized by Philippine National Volleyball Federation led by its president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, the concurrent AVC president and executive VP of the FIVB.

Known as the “SiPons” tandem, Rondina and Pons clinched bronze medals in the Southeast Asian Games in 2019 at home and 2022 in Vietnam before being left out of the picture in 2023.

The duo then focused on indoor volleyball from there, Rondina with Choco Mucho and Pons with Creamline, before a much-awaited return to beach volley as part of their preparation for another SEA Games hurrah, this time in Bangkok later this year.

“We have committed to train in beach volleyball because we want redemption in the SEA Games. We train until December,” Pons vowed.

Honey Grace Cordero and Kat Epa, meanwhile, stumbled against Lithuania’s Ieva Dumbauskaite and Gerda Gruzsinskaite, 17-21, 17-21, in Pool B of the main draw after a rousing

University.

THE Muntinlupa Cagers

clobbered Manila Batang

Quiapo, 112-89, on Thursday to sustain their recovery in Manny Pacquiao presents 1xBet-Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League 2025 Season at the Olivarez College Gym in Para ñ aque City. Led by JR Raflores, the Cagers were in control throughout, leading by as many as 82-43 in posting their sixth win against one loss in the

win against the fancied Charlotte Graham and Emma Hannagan of Australia in the qualifiers, 21-11, 21-8.

The Cordero-Epa duo also beat Keiko Urata and Minami Asano of Japan via comeback, 17-21, 21-11, 15-12, in the qualifiers late in Day 1 to barge into the main tournament.

In the men’s main draw, 2024 Beach Pro Tour silver medalist James Buytrago and Rancel Varga got off to a flat start after 21-23, 12-21 loss to Israel’s Tamir Hershko and River Day in Pool D.

Lerry John Francisco and Edwin Tolentino also folded to Tomas Semerad and Adam Miroslav Stocek of Czechia, 13-21, 9-21, in Pool C of the world-class tilt backed by Ayala Land, Nuvali Evoliving, Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission, PLDT Home, Rebisco, Akari, Mikasa, Microtel by Wyndham South Forbes, Cignal, One Sports, Pilipinas Live, Senoh, Alibaba Cloud, ialchemy, One Over Zero Technologies and Supreme Infotech Solutions.

years ago and which  she hopes to defend in the 2025 edition in Gumi, South Korea, at the end of the month.

Hoffman, still recovering from left Achilles injury, did not chase the reigning Asian champion after pulling away to settle for runnerup honors in 1:00.20.

Thailand’s Anisa Wenuwamarak was third (1:00.42) in the showcase organized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association.

Adding drama and in her first stint on the same track where she won two golds in the 2019 Philippine Southeast Asian Games, Filipino-American sprinter Kristina Knott stumbled badly in the last two meters on a wet lane but still won the women’s 200meters gold medal.

Sporting bruises on her right shoulder, knee and hip after the race, the Tokyo Olympics veteran checked in 24.12 seconds, with Jessica Laurance of Pinoy Athletics (24.25) and Papua New Guinea’s Patricia Kuku (25.84) coming in second and third, respectively.

“It feels good, and she [Hoffman] is a strong competitor and we’ve already seen that,” said Brown, who got married last November, said in acknowledging the rivalry between her and the former Duke University varsity standout. She added that winning the race in a fast time “is definitely a stepping stone in gearing up for the Asian championships so I can secure my title, but I still have a lot of work to do, especially with the hurdles.”

The Parañaque Patriots finally snapped their three-game slide with a 69-54 conquest of Cebu Classic in the nightcap.

round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team tournament.   Raflores, a former Mapua Cardinal, posted 23 points to earn best player honors over Marj De Leon, who notched 14 points for Muntinlupa, which yielded to Bataan, 77-76, on April 23 but rebounded against Valenzuela, 72-63, on April 28. John Winfred Gob supported them with 12 points and 12 rebounds that gave the Cagers a 58-44 edge underneath, followed by Kurt Lojera with 13 points, and Patrick Ramos and Dom Matillano with 10 points each. Manila tasted its eighth straight defeat after an initial win despite John Ashley Faa’s 23 points and eight assists and Algin Anfaya’s 22 points and 13 rebounds.

Knott shrugged of her injuries insisting “that it’s good to be back. It is good to be back at Clark. Maybe I was feeling the jet lag and my legs were heavy so I told myself ‘better hurry up’ and I fell.” She revealed that she arrived last Monday noon after a grueling 30hour flight from Texas. Josef Ramos

SISI RONDINA receives and Bernadeth Pons rushes into position in Friday’s action. NONIE REYES

KEVIN MAULIT beats Liam de Vera to eventually save the day anew for National

ROBYN BROWN clears the last hurdle to beat Paris Olympian Lauren Hoffman. MEMBERS of the MPT Drive