THEPresident’s decision to call for the courtesy resignation of the entire Cabinet was an “aftershock” of the lackluster performance of the administration bets in the recent polls, according to local economists.
However, some of them deem it “risky” to change those who are steering the country’s economic trajectory amidst domestic and external headwinds.
“I think it is wrong to change the composition of the economic team at this point in time, considering the challenges locally and internationally in front of us,” De La Salle University Maria Ella Oplas said.
Oplas believes the economic team is still able to deliver on the President’s promises. The President, in her view, was merely “signalling” and does not really intend
to revamp his economic team. Former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and University of the Philippines economist Dante B. Canlas told BusinessMirror that the call for resignations was an expected move and could help the country achieve its economic goals.
Canlas said if the replacements of the Cabinet officials and the Marcos administration can plug the deficit that has reached 3 percent of GDP and sustain growth, this will make the low end of the country’s growth targets attainable.
GDP TARGETED IN 5 YEARS
THE Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) intends to release a natural capital-adjusted computation of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in five years and is consistent with the Natural Capital Accounting Roadmap until 2040.
On Thursday, the PSA and its partner agencies held a ceremonial signing of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11995 or the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System (Pencas) Act.
National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa told BusinessMirror that while the country already has an environmental accounting, the impact of economic activities on the environment has yet to be included.
“Of course, we are taking this one step at a time. First one is to really identify the different environmental accounts and come up with a framework,” Mapa told this newspaper.
“The framework is there because we are following the UN Framework, applying it to the Philippine setting; it is [part] of the work moving forward,” he added.
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
DAYS after announcing that he intends to be “tougher” in going after inefficiencies and corruption in his administration, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday ordered all Cabinet members to turn in their courtesy resignation as part of his efforts to achieve a “performance-driven approach.”
Malacañang, however, said the affected Cabinet officials will con-
tinue their duties until Marcos decides to accept their resignation to prevent any disruption in government operations.
In a statement on Thursday, the chief executive made the shocking announcement of the major overhaul of his Cabinet as part of his efforts “to recalibrate the administration following the results of the recent elections.”
In the last polls, only half of administration-backed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas (APBP) senatorial candidates made it to
the Magic 12 in the 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE).
“It’s time to realign the government with the people’s expectations,” Marcos said.
“This is not business as usual. The people have spoken, and they expect results—not politics, not excuses. We hear them, and we will act.”
He said the move aims to “evaluate the performance of each department and determine who will continue to serve in line with his administration’s recalibrated pri-
Mapa said the IRR provides specific and actionable guidelines and procedures in doing ecosystem and natural capital accounting in the country. He said this will be guided by the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA) framework of the United Nations.
The SEEA framework, Mapa said, sets procedures and standards such as reporting requirements, monitoring mechanisms, and accounting timelines. This means clarifying the roles and responsibilities of relevant agencies and ensures consistency in the application of concepts, frameworks, and methodologies.
Mapa said the Pencas IRR outlines the expectations and requirements for implementing the ecosystem and natural capital accounting system in our country.
“The Philippines is embarking on a new journey that will capture the interests of not only our local stakeholders but also our partners in the international community. We aim to be a model nation as we move forward to a more
uted to shortcomings in the performance of his Cabinet.
Mass courtesy resignation THE announcement immediately triggered mass courtesy resignations among government offices under the Executive branch of the government.
NCR regional wage board consults with labor groups
THE regional wage board in Metro Manila started its initial consultation with labor groups on Thursday for a possible wage hike.
The meeting was led by Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR) Director Sarah Buena S. Mirasol. The meeting marks the start of a series of dialogues to review current economic conditions and assess the need to adjust the minimum wage to better
the meeting, the participants discussed current economic conditions in NCR to determine if there is a need to adjust the regional minimum wage to help workers cope with the rising living costs. A similar consultation with employer organizations will be conducted on 28 May 2025. The series of wage hike discussions will conclude with a public hearing for all concerned stakeholders on 17 June 2025. The RTWPB-NCR was the first regional wage board to start its consultation and public hearings for a minimum wage hike since its previous wage order took effect in
DA slaps temporary ban on Brazil poultry on bird flu case
By Ada Pelonia @adapelonia
THEDepartment of Agriculture (DA) slapped a temporary ban on poultry products from Brazil following the detection of its first bird flu outbreak.
According to the Meat Importers and Traders Association (Mita), while the food service industry would hardly be hit by the imposed ban, it would likely weigh on the processing sector.
The BusinessMirror has sought a comment from the Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (Pampi) but has yet to receive a response as of writing.
Natural…
sustainable future through ecosystem and natural capital accounting,” Mapa said in his remarks on Thursday.
“For the food service sector, although chicken wings and leg meat will be affected, the volumes are relatively small,” Mita President Emeritus Jesus Cham told this newspaper. “The impact on the processing sector will likely be higher.”
Figures from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that Brazil was the country’s top supplier of chicken in the first quarter,
PSA Officer-in-Charge Assistant National Statistician Mark C. Pascasio told BusinessMirror the work will be a progressive one as the PSA builds on the existing environment statistics it already has. Pascasio also said the work not only includes collating data but also
particularly for mechanically deboned meat (MDM).
Of the 64,200 metric tons (MT) MDM shipments in the reference period, Brazil accounted for 43,878 MT, based on BAI data. The MDM is typically used for processed meats like hot dogs, sausages, and canned meat products.
Agriculture Secretary Tiu Laurel Jr. signed Memorandum Order (MO) 25, which authorized the ban on the entry of imported domestic and wild birds, including their products such as poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen from the South American nation.
Laurel noted that this would prevent the entry of wild and domestic birds from Brazil, thus safeguarding the local poultry industry from the bird flu virus.
The DA said it decided to issue the ban after Brazilian veterinary authorities confirmed to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) an H5N1 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak in Montenegro, Rio Grande do
capacity building for the PSA and its partner agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Mapa said one of the challenges pertaining to manpower is the need to expand the Macroeconomic Accounts Services to include more staff
Sul, which was detected among domestic birds on May 12, 2025.
Following this report, Laurel ordered the immediate suspension of the processing and evaluation of applications for sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs) for these agricultural products.
The DA also said that shipments from Brazil that were in transit, loaded, or accepted at the port before the official communication of the import ban will be allowed entry, provided the products were slaughtered or produced before April 28 of this year.
However, the agency warned that shipments that failed to comply will be seized and destroyed.
Veterinary quarantine officers are required to confiscate all non-compliant shipments, except for heat-treated products, it added.
for the environment and natural accounts. The PSA has already made this request with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Pascasio said the Pencas will be computed like the GDP, particularly the aspect of computing the income accounts through the use of other groups of data that are collected periodically such as the country’s data on tourism, manufacturing, and trade, among others.
“It requires a holistic approach, a whole-government approach. We have LGUs, we also have the academic community, civil societies, and so on. All of them,” Pascasio said.
“Maybe they have data that we can use that we don’t know yet. Of course, the research and the academic community can do their own researches. It can also be part of the inputs in the Natural Capital Accounting,” he added.
Last year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law a bill seeking to measure the Philippines’ natural resources. The Pencas establishes a comprehensive information system and accounting framework that considers the role of the country’s natural capital and its impact on the economy. It tasks the Philippine Statistic Authority (PSA) along with the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) “to collect, generate, and analyze data on the country’s natural capital.”
The Pencas Act is the Philippines’ first law establishing a system to measure the country’s natural resources and stop unchecked development and resource exploitation. (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2024/06/02/ measuring-phls-rich-biodiversity/). Cai U. Ordinario
“Granting the Cabinet replacements and the entire administration succeed in putting in place a responsible, gradual deficit-reduction program to three percent of GDP in three years while protecting growth enhancers like investments in education, health, and infrastructure in the budget, the economy stands a good chance of achieving the government’s real GDP growth target of at least 6 percent in the next three years,” Canlas told this newspaper.
Jonathan Ravelas, senior adviser at professional services firm Reyes Tacandong & Co., said the President’s move may be a means to reassess the performance of the Cabinet as well as realign priorities after the polls.
However, Ravelas, like Oplas, sees no need to change the economic team at this time. Nonetheless, this directive should serve as a wake up call to refocus the administration’s policies, he said.
“He [the President] needs a whip to drumbeat what is needed. From his own words, faster delivery of government services,” Ravelas said.
The administration, he noted, needs to strengthen the country’s economic resilience, improve food security, and ensure energy stability—key areas that he said will directly impact the lives of Filipinos amid global and domestic challenges.
Meanwhile, Ateneo de Manila University economist Leonardo Lanzona Jr. told BusinessMirror the result of the recent elections also indicates the need to better address poverty.
Lanzona said many winning candidates rode on the platform of addressing poverty and the government should do a better job of doing the same. One way to do this is to change the Secretary of Finance.
“The change in the cabinet is an admission that the government has failed in solving this problem. The success of this move now depends on who the President will appoint,” he also said.
‘Recent vintage’ secretaries
MEANWHILE , University of Asia and the Pacific economist Victor A. Abola said the President’s directive will not lead to major changes, particularly in the economy. He said this is “since the secretaries are mostly of recent vintage.”
Unionbank Chief Economist Ruben Carlo Asuncion shared the view that the directive will not lead to changes in the economy and thinks this was mainly a political move.
“The secretaries are supposed to be the alter egos of the president and they are supposed to govern as if the president was doing it himself. Having a new set of faces may have some value politically in my view,” Asuncion told BusinessMirror
De La Salle University’s Oplas stressed that the economic team can deliver on the promises of a better life because they were hired because of their competencies.
“One of the things I like about the economic team is the idea that they do not necessarily belong or are associated with BBM’s camp. They were hired for their competencies,” Oplas told this newspaper.
mestic challenges. This bold decision was made with his desire to put people and country first,” Recto added.
Other members of the country’s economic team who heeded the President’s call are Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, Department of Economic Planning and Development Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan and Presidential Adviser for Investments and Economic Affairs Secretary Frederick Go.
The Philippine economy grew 5.4 percent in the first quarter, slower than the 5.9-percent growth in the same period last year, but faster than the 5.3 percent expansion in the previous quarter.
This is the second highest in the Asean region, following Vietnam and outpacing Indonesia and Singapore, despite falling short of the government’s target.
The economic team expects the economy to grow by 6 to 8 percent in 2025 to 2028, by committing to achieving the country’s development goals, including accelerating infrastructure investments, improving the ease of doing business and enhancing national competitiveness.
“These are individuals who have proven that politics can be set aside for economic growth. These are individuals not politically affiliated with the President, yet they were hired for their competency to deliver and they did,” Oplas added.
MAP statement IN a statement, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) said it understood the President’s actions and intentions “as this happens in business and the private sector. A CEO needs to make difficult calls, such as replacing talents, with the primary objective of improving the performance of the organization. Difficult as it may be, the call of leadership is to make such hard decisions in the interest of establishing meritocracy and encouraging performance. We hope the President will find the appropriate talents for those he decides to replace—people who can effectively execute his government’s plans.” Strategic move; challenges MEANWHILE , Ravelas of Reyes Tacandong & Co., said the President’s directive appears to be a strategic move to reassess performance and realign priorities after the midterm elections.
“It signals a push for greater accountability and results within the administration,” Ravelas said.
“[This] move gives him the leeway to refocus on strengthening economic resilience, improving food security, and ensuring energy stability—key areas that directly impact Filipinos amid global and domestic challenges,” he added. Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said there is nothing new in revamping the Cabinet, as seen in the previous administrations over the past 30 to 40 years.
evolution of version 3.4, which underwent full review and passed both the local and international audit.
International certification firm Pro V&V supported Comelec’s position, affirming that there was no mismatch between the ACM software used on election day and the version that underwent an independent audit.
“According to Pro V&V, the ‘Final Source Code Review Report’ dated 30 April 2025 was outdated because it did not include code updates submitted by provider Miru to Pro V&V on 28 March 2025,” the Comelec explained.
‘No reservations’ ON Thursday, the President issued a directive calling for the courtesy resignation of all Cabinet Secretaries in a means to calibrate this administration.
This was followed by the submission of courtesy resignations from 31 secretaries starting with Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon.
The last to submit his resignation was Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.
Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said he “fully supports” the President’s directive and submitted his courtesy resignation “without delay or reservation” on Thursday morning, right after the President told them to do so.
“The President carries the heavy burden of leading the nation through complex global and do -
“This sends a good signal to the market on the willingness to bring about positive change in an effort to become more effective in delivering more results/accomplishments and more responsive to the needs of the people,” Ricafort said.
However, Ricafort said “many challenges” could be faced, including attracting more foreign direct investments, lowering the cost of basic commodities, ease of doing business, better addressing corruption and improving governance standards.
It could also be hard to narrow the country’s budget deficit, impose more disciplined spending, improve tax collections and manage debt better, Ricafort added.
“Trump’s tariffs/trade wars increased external risks/challenges that could directly and indirectly impact the local economy, so policy adjustments need to be made,” Ricafort said.
Oplas said the President should also focus on fiscal discipline and be prudent with fund transfers.
Marcos commends Herbosa for promoting PHL health agenda
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
APHILIPPINES-LED World Health Assembly (WHA) recognizes the importance of healthcare workers and international cooperation in response to the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) crisis and future pandemics, President Marcos said.
In a press briefing in Malacañang on Thursday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the chief executive commended Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa for promoting the country’s health agenda during his leadership of the WHA, which is being held in Geneva, Switzerland from May 19 to 27, 2025.
It was the first time the Philippines became the President of the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO).
“President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. viewed the WHA presidency as
a recognition of the Philippines’ commitment to advancing world health,” Castro said in Filipino.
“It also commemorated the contribution of Filipino healthcare workers to the end of the Covid-19 pandemic,” she added.
On Tuesday, Castro said the WHA passed the first-ever Pandemic Agreement after three years of intensive negotiations by the 194 WHO member-states.
The agreement includes equitable access to life-saving pandemicrelated products and mechanisms to prevent, prepare for and respond to the next pandemic.
International concerns on Covid-19 have been growing with the resurgence of incidents in Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Thailand.
Experts attributed the increasing cases to the waning immunity, lower booster shots, and the spread of the descendant strains of JN.1 variant among the affected population.
‘The Flame’ wins SPJ in-depth category award
THE FLAME, the official student publication of the University of Sto. Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters, made history as the first Asia-based campus publication to win first prize in the in-depth reporting category for large universities at the regional level in the 2024 Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Mark of Excellence Awards.
The article titled “From streets to sheets: Motorcycle drivers ride on sex work as they traverse hard times” by The Flame editor-inchief Zoe Airabelle Aguinaldo, associate editor Joss Gabriel Oliveros, Jianzen Deananeas and Ma. Alyanna Selda bagged the top spot in SPJ’s Region 11.
The story tackles the experiences of drivers from motorcycle taxi ride-hailing applications offering sexual services to ease their financial woes.
Since the awarding body’s maiden year in 2000, The Flame holds the distinction as the first campus publication in Asia to be named regional winner in the in-depth reporting category (large). Institutions from California and Arizona had consistently taken turns in leading the category. The Artlets student publication is also the lone non-US-based student publication to secure the highest accolade in the same category this year. In January, the same piece was awarded best in-depth report at the 10th UST National Campus Journalism Awards.
The two finalists in the category were entries from Stanford University titled “‘They ask for more every year with less and less people:’ Fighter pilots face burnout…”
PPP
Aby Erin Edwards of the Peninsula Press and “Inside UG2 at Stanford: Surveillance, favoritism, intimidation” by Itzel Luna and Jacqueline Munis of The Stanford Daily.
Region 11 comprises Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii and Nevada, which are US states, and the Mariana Islands, which include the Philippines. Large universities must have at least 10,000 students. As one of the first placers, The Flame advanced to the national level and competed with other winners from 11 regions globally.
“This award will inspire us to continue doing independent journalism and to pursue endeavors that will help us improve our journalistic skills. We are grateful for this recognition and we are happy to bring honor to UST in the global stage,” Aguinaldo, who was named editor-in-chief of the publication this year, said.
“This unprecedented feat was made possible by our experiences and training as Thomasian campus journalists,” she added.
The entries were judged by practitioners with at least three years of journalism experience based on accuracy and completeness, enterprise and ingenuity, adherence to high journalistic standards, significance and effectiveness, extenuating circumstances, clarity, insight and respect for the audience, creative use of the medium’s unique capabilities, adherence to the SPJ Code of Ethics and available resources.
The SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards seeks to honor “the best in student journalism” or collegiate works worthy of international recognition across 12 regions.
president
Lawmaker asks Marcos to certify wage-hike bill
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
APARTY-LIST lawmaker is calling on President Marcos to back his administration’s bold declarations with equally bold actions by certifying as urgent the proposed P200 legislated daily wage hike.
House Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza in a statement said: “The workers, too, have already spoken—loud and clear. We call on the President to match words with action by certifying the P200 wage hike bill as urgent, not only as an immediate solution to lift over five million minimum wage earners out of poverty but as a long-term intergenerational investment in our future by ensuring healthy,
productive, and globally competitive Filipino workers ready to lead in Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] and beyond.”
Mendoza stressed that the President’s crisis leadership demands swift, extraordinary measures— not routine regional wage board consultations and slow processes that offer little relief to struggling families.
“Let us not preempt the legislative process, which resumes June
2 to June 13. With overwhelming support from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, we firmly believe and trust that Congress will pass the P200 legislated wage hike,” said Mendoza.
The Senate already approved a P100 daily wage increase in February 2024, while the House passed its P200 version on second reading in February 2025. It is expected to be passed on third and final reading when the session resumes in June.
Under the current regional wage board system, Metro Manila’s daily minimum wage rose from P89 in 1989 to just P645 in 2025—an average increase of only P15 per year over 36 years. Worse still, wage boards are limited to granting only one wage increase every 12 months from the date of the last wage order, such as the NCR’s most recent order that took effect on July 17, 2024.
“What every Filipino worker and their family need right now is not another insulting and delayed pittance disguised as a wage
adjustment from a nearly fourdecade-old obsolete system rigged to keep wages criminally low—but the full P200 legislated daily wage hike across the nation that only Congress has the moral responsibility and ability to deliver now,” Mendoza said.
He pointed out that Congress has six session days this June to finalize and pass the bill.
“The bicameral conference panel can reconcile the P100 Senate version and P200 House version and ratify the final bill before June 13 and send this to the President for his signature before the 19th Congress ends. It would take the regional wage boards over ten long years to grudgingly give the P200 wage hike in tiny increments, which Congress can pass right away in just a matter of weeks now. Why wait longer for smaller hikes until July for unreasonable, unfair, and unjust wage adjustments when you can get a P200 national wage hike in June from Congress?” said Mendoza.
NBI nabs ex-Manila councilor at airport
TBy Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
HE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has arrested a former Manila councilor upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 1 from Las Vegas on Tuesday.
TWO Filipina mountaineers who made the first and only documented all-female traverse of Mt. Everest have reunited with other members of the Philippine Mount Everest Expedition team and their supporters during the launch of the book reliving their 2007 conquest of the world’s highest peak.
Carina Dayondon and Noelle Wenceslao-Penetrante recalled their triumphant Mt. Everest journey at the launch of the book, “Live the Dream 2,” written by Art Valdez, the head of the Philippine Mount Everest Expedition team.
The book launch took place on May 17, at the Rockwell Center in Makati—the same venue where, 21 years ago, the First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition was announced. The gathering at the Rockwell Center, thus, marked a cherished return to the place where the dream of a Filipino conquest of Mount Everest all began.
In May 2007, Dayondon, Wenceslao-Penetrante and Janet Belarmino, another Filipina explorer, ascended the 8,849-meter Mount Everest summit from Tibet and descended into Nepal to complete a full traverse of the world’s highest peak. The feat remains to date the only documented female traverse of Mount Everest.
“It’s been 17 years, but every time I think back to
NBI Director Jaime B. Santiago identified the former councilor as Roderick Valbuena, who has an outstanding warrant of arrest for kidnapping for ransom case filed against him before the Regional Trial Court in Makati City.
Santiago said agents of the NBI-International Airport In -
vestigation Division (IAID) immediately intercepted Valbuena after receiving information that he was scheduled to arrive on May 20 at the Naia Terminal 1. He was placed under arrest by virtue of the warrant issued by the RTC in Makati and was taken to the NBI-NCR headquarters in Manila for processing. He was eventually turned over to the NBI detention facility in Muntinlupa City for custody and the return of the warrant was made to the issuing court on Wednesday. No other details were provided by the NBI in connection with Valbuena’s case.
that moment on the summit, I’m reminded that our story is every Filipina’s story,” Dayondon, now a Coast Guard (PCG) commander, said during the book launch. “It’s about rising above doubt, and pushing past limits you didn’t know you could break.”
Wenceslao- Penetrante, a PCG petty officer, for her part emphasized the enduring power of representation.
“We didn’t climb Everest to be remembered; we climbed because we believed we could. And now, we hope other women will see that they can take on their own Everest, whatever it may be,” she said.
The all-Filipina expedition came on the heels of the May 2006 milestone climbs of
Leo Oracion, Pastor Emata, and Romi Garduce, who first planted the Philippine flag at the summit. Conglomerate First Philippine Holdings Corporation (FPH), then chaired by Oscar M. Lopez, supported both expeditions. Lopez, or OML as he was endearingly called, was himself an avid outdoorsman and climber. Before he died in 2023, he scaled some of the Philippines’ highest mountains. OML, together with some members of the same Philippine Everest team, also climbed Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia in 2011 to become at age 81 at that time one of the oldest persons to scale Southeast Asia’s highest peak.
In his book “Live the Dream 2,” Valdez recounts the untold stories behind the all-Filipina conquest of Mount Everest. “Mount Everest was never just about the summit. It was about belief, courage, and the unshakable will to rise to the top. May this serve not only as a tribute to our three Pinays’ triumph but also as a reminder to every Filipino that dreams—no matter how high—are within reach,” Valdez said at the book launch. Hardbound copies of Valdez’s book, which FPH also helped to produce and print, are now available at P2,000 per copy. Interested readers may send a message to the Facebook account of Balangay Voyage.
MOUNTAINEERS Carina Dayondon (extreme left) and Noelle Wenceslao-Penetrante (extreme right) join author Art Valdez (second from left) during the launch of his book, “Live the Dream 2,” which recounts the 2007 feat the climbers achieved when their all-Filipina team made the first and only documented all-female
Rural power coops endorse removal of VAT on electricity
By Lenie Lectura @llectura
THE Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Inc. (Philreca) endorsed the removal of the multiple value-added tax (VAT) on electricity.
“We affirm that removing the VAT on electricity would cut the revenue of the government. However, this will reduce the total amount consumers need to pay for their consumption, especially for lower and middle-income households,” Philreca said on Thursday.
The current VAT system on electricity allows the government to collect 12 percent VAT on generation, transmission, and distribution, which Philreca deems exorbitant.
“Since the 18th Congress, the Power Bloc representatives Presley
C. de Jesus of the PhilRECA partylist group and Sergio C. Dagooc of the Apec party-list group have prioritized the removal of VAT on electricity as a core legislative agenda,” Philreca added.
Earlier, the Power Bloc representatives filed in the 19th Congress House Bill (HB) 32148, which amends Section 108(a) and 109(1) of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) seeking to alleviate the burden borne by MemberConsumer-Owners (MCOs) by exempting the sale of electricity by generation, transmission, and distribution utilities from VAT.
The Power Bloc representatives have also filed House Bill 9733 in the 18th Congress and House Bill 2153 in the 19th Congress, mandating the government to construct, operate, and maintain power-generating assets to ensure
grid stability and supply reliability for ancillary and other purposes. This proposal seeks to allow the government to intervene and fill the gap in generation capacity, ensuring energy security and price stability for MCOs.
Recently, the Congress has started to deliberate on the possible amendments to the Republic Act No. 9136, otherwise known as the “Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001,” wherein the Power Bloc representatives advocate to encapsulate the provisions of HB No. 8733 and HB No. 2153.
Through this proposed reform, Philreca said the government will have a safeguard to regulate prices and ensure competition across generation companies, prohibiting the proliferation of market monopoly and abuses.
Peza seeks IFP-WB EIP certification
By Andrea E. san Juan @andreasanjuan
THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) aims to position its ecozones as “global benchmarks” of sustainability as it vies for International Finance Corporation-World Bank’s (IFC-WB) Eco-Industrial Park Certification.
In a statement on Wednesday, Peza explained that this EIP certification program will be guided by a global voluntary certification system that will be developed to ensure “transparent and comparable” performance across industrial zones.
“This international initiative aims to boost the adoption of sustainability standards in industrial parks, freeports, and economic zones through the participation of developers and operators from various countries,” Peza said.
The agency has initially identified the following pilot ecozones to participate in the IFC-WB EIP certification process: Lima Technology Center, First Philippine Industrial Park, Laguna Technopark, Light Industry and Science Park, and Carmelray Industrial Park.
“These zones will serve as testbeds for integrating sustainability into business strategy—helping to attract more investments amid increasing competition from countries also pursuing EIP certification for their economic zones,” the investment promotion agency noted.
Peza said IFC-WB will offer this technical assistance project free of charge. Under this collaboration, IFC-WB will carry out the following activities: Benchmark the EIP frameworks adopted by other countries within their economic zone sectors and Review the enabling laws and regulations necessary for the possible adoption of the EIP framework in the Philippines.
The global development institution will also conduct a market assessment on the potential economic, social, and environmental impacts of adopting the EIP framework in “eligible” Philippine economic zones, including implications for zone operators.
This technical assistance project by IFC-WB will also include the drafting of a roadmap for EIP framework implementation in the Philippines, including a summary of the necessary
certification requirements.
According to Peza, IFC-WB will also raise awareness among key stakeholders on the economic potential of EIPs in the Philippines through workshops and training programs.
As Peza transitions to the EIP model, the investment promotion agency said: “We are optimistic that PEZA’s 427 economic zones—and the country’s freeports—will adopt the EIP framework and green growth strategies.”
“Our ecozones must evolve beyond being just viable locations for foreign direct investment [FDI]. They must now enable industrial symbiosis, climate resilience, green infrastructure, and energy efficiency to ensure sustainable growth while upholding social responsibility, environmental stewardship, and ethical excellence,” Peza statement said.
“The voluntary compliance of our locators with EIP Certification, the Global Reporting Initiative, and decarbonization programs will significantly bolster our efforts to promote the SDGs, ESG standards, and the EID framework as part of PEZA’s ecozone development strategy,” it added.
The investment promotion agency underscored that these initiatives are “pivotal in positioning the Philippines as a preferred investment destination for companies that prioritize clean and green production.”
“This commitment means a great deal to us in PEZA, as we are responsible for a substantial portion of the country’s FDI in manufacturing and services, contributing approximately 60 percent of the Philippines’ total annual exports of goods and services,” the investment promotion agency said.
Moreover, it noted that these sustainability programs will “enhance” the competitiveness not only of PEZA but also of its “valued” ecozone locators and stakeholders.
“We recognize the need to mitigate our impact on vital sectors— such as water resources, health, land use and human settlements, and livelihood and industry— which are critical considerations in our development agenda. Through the above programs, we aim to position our ecozones as global benchmarks of sustainability— not only for the Philippines, but for the world,” said Peza.
DBM okays 10K non-teaching posts for DepEd
By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto @reine_alberto
ATOTAL of 10,000 nonteaching posts have been greenlit by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to boost the country’s education system and augment the workforce across the country.
In a statement on Thursday, the DBM said Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman approved the creation of 10,000 non-teaching positions in public schools for school year 2025-26.
The approved positions will be for Administrative Officer II posts, classified under Salary Grade 11, according to the DBM.
Those who will fill the posts will be deployed in elementary schools, junior high schools and senior high schools in all regions nationwide, it added.
The DBM Regional Offices concerned will directly issue the corresponding Notice of Organization, Staffing and Compensation Action (Nosca) to the Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division Offices, based on the deployment report provided by DepEd.
“Actually, this is a campaign promise fulfilled by our beloved
Digital inclusion, Manhit noted, goes beyond providing internet access. He pointed out that it is about enabling students and teachers to use digital tools effectively across all subjects—from language and science to social studies and the arts. “Digital tools can help learners build comprehension and teachers track and respond to learning gaps in real time,” he added.
Recent Program for International Student Assessment (Pisa) scores underscore the urgency, with Filipino students still performing poorly in creative and analytical thinking. “This is not merely an education issue—it’s an economic and technological challenge. If we are to compete globally, we must embed digital learning meaningfully across disciplines,” said Manhit.
While the DepEd Computerization Program—supported by President Marcos and accelerated by Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara—plans to distribute over 64,816
President. From the very beginning, President Marcos promised to provide the necessary support to our teachers to help ease their workload,” Pangandaman said. Pangandaman added that by increasing the number of nonteaching personnel, teachers’ workload will be reduced, which will be a “big help” for their mental health and overall well-being.
“This is on top of the 16,000 newly created teaching positions in public schools that we have recently approved for the school year 2025 to 2026,” Pangandaman added.
Just this week, the DBM approved 16,000 new teaching positions, including Teacher 1 posts, 157 Special Science Teacher positions and 500 Special Education Teacher Positions.
The 16,000 new teaching positions represent the initial batch of the 20,000 slots the government intends to establish this year.
According to DepEd, more than 27.012 million students enrolled in elementary and high schools nationwide for the school year 2024-25, comprising of students from public and private schools, as well as those in the Alternative Learning System.
laptops and smart television sets to 16 regions, Manhit warned that hardware alone is insufficient. “The real value lies in how effectively these tools are used in the classroom to improve learning outcomes.” Manhit also acknowledged DepEd’s early exploration into artificial intelligence (AI) in education as a positive step, but cautioned that foundational gaps must be addressed. “AI can enhance personalized learning and engagement, but without clear policy, proper training, and infrastructure, we risk misuse or underutilization,” he said. “There are concerns about AI output accuracy, over-dependence, and the potential erosion of critical thinking skills that must be managed responsibly.”
With the government facing a dearth in resources and a rapidly growing student population, Manhit concluded that partnerships with the private sector are not optional—they are essential. “Digital productivity in education must become a shared mission. Only through forwardthinking, inclusive collaboration can we equip Filipino learners to thrive in a fastevolving digital world.” Rizal Raoul S. Reyes
Congressmen voice concern on Marcos’ presence at budget bicam deliberations
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
LAWMAKERS on Thursday
voiced concern that Presi -
dent Marcos’ intention to attend bicameral conference deliberations on the 2026 national budget may overstep constitu -
tional boundaries.
House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Paul R. Daza said that Congress and the Executive Department should explore a constitutional and legal mechanism to help prevent budget manipulation.
“It’s definitely a good idea. It’s about time that the budget
process is made more transparent. However, the power of the purse lies with Congress. We may need to think about a constitutional and legal way where the executive could help prevent budget manipulation,” said Daza, who represents Northern Samar.
Citing Section 24, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution, Daza stressed that “all appropriation, revenue, or tariff bills; bills authorizing an increase in public debt; local bills; and private bills shall originate exclusively in the House of Representatives, though the Senate may propose or concur with amendments.”
Daza explained that participation by any official from the Executive Branch in budget deliberations risks infringing on the principle of checks and balances among the three co-equal branches of government.
“I personally like the idea of more transparency in the way our budget is being developed, but perhaps a better way is to open all
deliberations—including those in the bicameral conference—to the media and the public,” he added.
Public demand for budget transparency has reached new heights this year, amid widespread concerns about questionable insertions, increases, and reallocations. Fiscal experts have warned that without greater scrutiny, billions of pesos could be funneled into pork barrel allocations instead of essential services and infrastructure.
“Without careful public scrutiny and transparency, billions of taxpayers’ money—that should otherwise go to basic services, investments, and infrastructure— are going to and will continue to go to pork barrel. Clearly, our economy needs those precious funds,” Daza added.
A report from the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) noted that inflation, high borrowing costs, and weak external demand contributed to the country’s underwhelming economic performance in late 2024.
Vietnam, for instance, recorded a 7.55 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the fourth quarter of 2024, while the Philippines posted only 5.2 percent, bringing the full-year growth to 5.6 percent, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Experts also agree that the Philippine economy continues and will continue to face domestic challenges and global uncertainties—among which are geopolitical tensions, disrupted supply chains, and volatile global financial conditions.
“Our country will not prosper without proper budgeting. A basic step, the meetings of the bicam should be accessible to the media and public. We should also share a detailed report and not just a summary of lump sums,” he added.
“The bicameral conference committee is a function of the legislature. The President has no business intervening or participating in it. His presence—or that of any executive official—creates unnecessary pressure and undermines lawmakers’ independence to act in the people’s interest, not in the Palace’s,” said Castro. Tinio echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that the bicameral budget process should not be a closed-door meeting between the president and his allies.
“There is absolutely no place for the President in bicameral deliberations. All discussions should be open and transparent. It’s time to end the culture of closed-door negotiations that conceal the real reasons behind budget cuts and pork allocations,” he added.
Lawmakers urged that the next bicameral proceedings be broadcast live and accessible to the public.
Meanwhile, House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro and ACT Teachers Rep-elect Antonio Tinio strongly opposed the President’s involvement in bicameral budget deliberations, saying it is a purely legislative function and his participation could pressure lawmakers and violate the separation of powers.
Editor: Angel R. Calso
Netanyahu promises new Gaza aid delivery plan as supplies still fail to reach Palestinians
By Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy & Melanie Lidman The Associated Press
DEIR
AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip—The UN said Wednesday it was trying to get the desperately needed aid that has entered Gaza this week into the hands of Palestinians amid delays because of fears of looting and Israeli military restrictions. Israeli strikes pounded the territory, killing at least 86 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the country is days away from implementing a new aid system in Gaza that has come under heavy international criticism. He said Israel later plans to create a “sterile zone” there, free of Hamas, where the population, which has repeatedly evacuated and relocated throughout the war, would be moved and receive supplies.
With renewed ceasefire talks appearing to make little progress, Netanyahu said he will end the war only if Hamas releases all hostages and steps down from power—and if President Donald Trump’s plan to relocate the territory’s population outside Gaza is implemented. The Palestinians, along with nearly all of the international community, have rejected Trump’s plan to empty Gaza of its Palestinian population and place the territory under US control.
Under international pressure, Israel has allowed dozens of aid trucks into Gaza after blocking all food, medicine, fuel and other material for nearly three months. But the supplies have been sitting on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the majority of supplies that had entered since Monday had been loaded onto U.N. trucks, but they could not take them out of the crossing area. He said the road the Israeli military had given them permission to use was too unsafe.
A UN official later said more than a dozen trucks that left the crossing area arrived at warehouses in central Gaza on Wednesday night. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.
Israel said 100 trucks had crossed into Gaza on Wednesday.
Food security experts have warned that Gaza risks falling into famine unless the blockade ends. Malnutrition and hunger have been mounting. Aid groups ran out of food to distribute weeks ago, and most of the population of around 2.3 million relies on communal kitchens whose supplies are nearly depleted.
At a kitchen in Gaza City, a charity group distributed watery lentil soup.
Somaia Abu Amsha scooped small portions for her family, saying they have not had bread for over 10 days and she can’t afford rice or pasta.
“We don’t want anything other than that they end the war. We don’t want charity kitchens. Even
dogs wouldn’t eat this, let alone children,” she said. Aid groups say the small amount of aid that Israel has allowed is far short of what is needed. About 600 trucks entered daily under the latest ceasefire.
Netanyahu says population will be moved south ISRAEL has said its slight easing of the blockade is a bridge until the new aid system it demands is put in place. The UN and other humanitarian groups have rejected the system, saying it enables Israel to use aid as a weapon and forcibly displace the population.
Netanyahu told reporters the plan will begin “in coming days.”
He said in a later phase, the “sterile zone” in southern Gaza would be free of Hamas and the population would be moved there “for the purposes of its safety.” There, they would receive aid, “and then they enter—and they don’t necessarily go back.”
The plan involves small number of distribution hubs directed by a private, US-backed foundation known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Armed private contractors would guard the distribution. Israel says the system is needed because Hamas siphons off significant amounts of aid. The UN denies that claim.
Initially, four hubs are being built, one in central Gaza and three at the far southern end of the strip, where few people remain.
A GHF spokesman said the group would never participate in or support any form of forced relocation of civilians. The spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with the group’s rules. said there was no limit to the number of sites and additional sites will open, including in the north, within the next month.
Israeli warning shots shake diplomats
ISRAELI troops fired warning shots as a group of international diplomats was visiting the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Footage showed a number of diplomats giving media interviews as rapid shots ring out nearby, forcing them to run for cover. No one was reported injured.
The Israeli military said their visit had been approved, but the delegation “deviated from the approved route.” The military said it
apologized and will contact the countries involved in the visit. The soldiers’ actions were roundly criticized as officials from Italy, Austria and Germany were among those demanding that Israel investigate what happened. Foreign ministers in Canada and France called for the Israeli ambassador to be summoned to provide an explanation. Israeli troops have raided Jenin dozens of times as part of a crackdown across the West Bank. The fighting displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Early Thursday, sirens sounded across Israel as its military said it intercepted a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take hours or days for them to acknowledge their assaults.
The trickle of aid is jammed CURRENTLY, after supplies enter at Kerem Shalom, aid workers are required to unload them and reload them onto their own trucks for distribution.
Antoine Renard, the World Food Program’s country chief for Palestine, said 78 trucks were waiting. He told The Associated Press that “we need to ensure that we will not be looted.”
Looting has plagued aid deliveries in the past, and at times of desperation people have swarmed aid trucks, taking supplies.
A UN official and another humanitarian worker said the Israeli military had designated a highly insecure route known to have looters. The military also set a short window for trucks to come to Kerem Shalom and rejected a number of individual truck drivers, forcing last-minute replacements, they said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.
COGAT, the Israeli defense body overseeing aid for Gaza, did not immediately respond when asked for comment.
Hospitals surrounded ISRAELI strikes continued across Gaza. In the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israel recently ordered new evacuations pending an expanded offensive, 24 people were killed, 14 from the same family. A week-old infant was killed in central Gaza. In the evening, a strike hit a house in Jabaliya in northern Gaza, killing two children and their parents, according to hospital officials.
The Israeli military did not comment on the strikes. It says it targets Hamas infrastructure and accuses Hamas militants of operating from civilian areas.
Israeli troops also have surrounded two of northern Gaza’s last functioning hospitals, preventing anyone from leaving or entering the facilities, hospital staff and aid groups said this week.
Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations, Fatma Khaled in Cairo, Sally Abou
and
PALESTINIANS carry the bodies of their relatives, including children, who were killed in an Israeli army airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. AP PHOTO/ABDEL KAREEM HANA
Wall Street drops sharply as rising Treasury yields fuel fears over US debt and inflation
By Stan Choe AP Business Writer
NEW YORK—Wall Street slumped on Wednesday under the weight of pressure from the bond market, where Treasury yields climbed on worries about the US government’s spiraling debt and other concerns.
The S&P 500 fell 1.6 percent for a second straight drop after breaking a six-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 816 points, or 1.9 percent, while the Nasdaq composite sank 1.4 percent. Stocks had been drifting only modestly lower early in the day, after Target and other retailers gave mixed forecasts for upcoming profits amid uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump’s trade war. The market then turned sharply lower after the US government released the results for its latest auction of 20-year bonds.
The government regularly sells such bonds, which is how it borrows money to pay its bills. In this auction, the US government had to pay a yield as high as 5.047 percent to attract enough buyers to lend it a total of $16 billion over 20 years. That helped push up yields for all kinds of other Treasurys, including the more widely followed 10-year Treasury. Its yield climbed to 4.59 percent from 4.48 percent late Tuesday and from just 4.01 percent early last month. That’s a notable move in the bond market.
TRADER MICHAEL CONLON works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, May 20, 2025. AP PHOTO/RICHARD DREW
“Bonds finally appear to be getting equities’ attention,” according to Jonathan Krinsky, chief market technician at BTIG, pointing in particular to the 30-year Treasury yield, which jumped back above 5 percent and approached its highest level since 2023. Treasury yields have been on the rise in part because of concerns that tax cuts currently under consideration in Washington could pile trillions of more dollars onto the US
government’s debt. Concerns are also still brewing about how much Trump’s tariffs will push up on inflation in the United States.
The US government’s bonds aren’t alone, and yields have been on the rise recently for developed economies around the world. That’s partly because their governments are continuing to borrow more cash to pay their bills, while central banks like the Federal Reserve have cut back on their own holdings of government bonds.
When the US government has to pay more interest to borrow money, that can cause interest rates to rise for US households and businesses too, including for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards. That in turn can slow the economy. Higher yields can also make investors less inclined to pay high prices for stocks and other kinds of investments.
Moody’s Ratings became the last of the three major ratings agencies late last week to downgrade the US government’s credit rating on concerns that it may be heading toward an unsustainable amount of debt.
“We do not think that the downgrade matters by itself,” Bank of
America strategists wrote in a BofA Global Research report, “but it has served as a wakeup call for those investors who had been ignoring the ongoing fiscal discussion.”
On Wall Street, Target sank 5.2 percent after the retailer reported weaker profit and revenue than analysts expected for the start of the year.
The company said it felt some pain from boycotts by customers. It scaled back many diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives early this year following criticism by the White House and conservative activists, which drew its own backlash. Perhaps more worryingly for Wall Street, Target also cut its forecast for profit over the full year.
Carter’s, which sells apparel for babies and young children, sank 12.6 percent after cutting its dividend.
CEO Doug Palladini said the company made the move in part because of investments it anticipates making in upcoming years, as well as the possibility that it “may incur significantly higher product costs as the result of the new proposed tariffs on products imported into the United States.”
All told, the S&P 500 fell 95.85 points to 5,844.61. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 816.80 to 41,860.44, and the Nasdaq composite dropped 270.07 to 18,872.64.
2 staff members of Israel embassy killed in shooting near Jewish museum in DC
By Maya Sweedler The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—Two staff members of Israel’s embassy in Washington were shot and killed Wednesday evening while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, and the suspect yelled, “Free, free Palestine” after he was arrested, police said. The attack sent shockwaves around the world and prompted Israeli missions to beef up their security. The two victims, a man and a woman, were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum when the suspect approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference.
said law enforcement did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community.
The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, was observed pacing outside the museum before the shooting, walked into the museum after the shooting and was detained by event security, Smith said. When he was taken into custody, the suspect began chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” Smith said. Smith
“These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” President Donald Trump posted on social media early Thursday. “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”
Israel’s reaction
ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s office said Thursday that he was “shocked” by the “horrific, antisemitic” shooting.
“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,” he said in a statement.
Israeli Ambassador to the US
Yechiel Leiter said the two people killed were a young couple about to be engaged, saying the man had purchased a ring this week with the intent to propose next week in Jerusalem. Their identities were not immediately made public.
Former Israeli Ambassador to the US Mike Herzog told Israeli Army Radio that the woman killed was an American employee of the embassy and the man was Israeli.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she was at the scene with former judge Jeanine Pirro, who serves as the US attorney in Washington and whose office would prosecute the case.
The statement from Netanyahu’s office said he spoke to Bondi, who told him Trump was “involved in managing the incident” and the US would bring the perpetrator to justice.
It was not immediately clear whether Rodriguez had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
A telephone number listed in public records rang unanswered.
Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI, wrote in a post on social media that “early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence.”
Israel’s new campaign in Gaza
THE influential pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera aired on a loop what appeared to be mobile phone footage of the alleged gunman, wearing a suit jacket and slacks, being pulled away after the shooting, his hands behind his back.
The shooting comes as Israel has launched a new campaign targeting Hamas in the Gaza Strip in a war that has set tensions aflame across the wider Middle East. The war began with the Palestinian militant group Hamas coming out of Gaza on October 7, 2023, to kill 1,200 people and take some 250 hostages back to the coastal enclave.
In the time since, Israel’s devastating campaign in Gaza has killed more than 53,000 people, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities, whose count doesn’t differentiate between combatants and civilians. The fighting has displaced 90% of the territory’s roughly 2 million population, sparked a hunger crisis and obliterated vast swaths of Gaza’s urban landscape.
‘In cold blood’
YONI KALIN and Katie Kalisher were inside the museum when they heard gunshots and a man came inside look-
ing distressed, they said. Kalin said people came to his aid and brought him water, thinking he needed help, without realizing he was the suspect. When police arrived, he pulled out a red keffiyeh and repeatedly yelled, “Free Palestine,’” Kalin said.
“This event was about humanitarian aid,” Kalin said. “How can we actually help both the people in Gaza and the people in Israel? How can we bring together Muslims and Jews and Christians to work together to actually help innocent people? And then here he is just murdering two people in cold blood.”
Last week, the Capital Jewish Museum was one of the local nonprofits in Washington awarded funding from a $500,000 grant program to increase its security. The museum’s leaders were concerned because it is a Jewish organization and due to its new LGBTQ exhibit, according to NBC4 Washington.
“We recognize that there are threats associated with this as well,” Executive Director Beatrice Gurwitz told the TV station. “And again, we want to ensure that our space is as welcoming and secure for everybody who comes here while we are exploring these stories.” In response to the shooting, the museum said in a statement that they are “deeply saddened and horrified by the senseless violence outside the Museum this evening.” The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington CEO Gil Preuss said in a statement that he was horrified by the shooting and mourned the loss of the two people killed.
AP writers Alanna Durkin Richer, Hallie Golden and Jon Gambrell contributed.
ATTORNEY General Pam Bondi, center, walks to her car as law enforcement investigates the scene following the shooting of two staff members from the Israeli Embassy in Washington outside the Capital Jewish Museum, Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Washington. AP PHOTO/ROD LAMKEY, JR.
Trump confronts Cyril Ramaphosa with baseless
claims
of
the
systematic killing of white farmers
By Gerald Imray & Aamer Madhani The Associated Press
ASHINGTON—Presi -
Wdent Donald Trump used a White House meeting to forcefully confront South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing the country of failing to address Trump’s baseless claim of the systematic killing of white farmers.
Trump even dimmed the lights of the Oval Office to play a video of a far-left politician chanting a song that includes the lyrics “kill the farmer.” He also leafed through news articles to underscore his point, saying the country’s white farmers have faced “death, death, death, horrible death.”
Trump had already cut all US assistance to South Africa and welcomed several dozen white South African farmers to the US as refugees as he pressed the case that a “genocide” is underway in the country.
The US president, since his return to office, has launched a series of accusations at South Africa’s Black-led government, claiming it is seizing land from white farmers, enforcing antiwhite policies and pursuing an anti-American foreign policy.
Experts in South Africa say there is no evidence of whites being targeted for their race, although farmers of all races are victims of violent home invasions in a country with a high crime rate.
“People are fleeing South Africa for their own safety,” Trump said. “Their land is being confiscated, and in many cases, they’re being killed.” Ramaphosa pushed back against Trump’s accusation. The South African leader had sought to use the meeting to set the record straight and salvage his country’s relationship with the United States. The bilateral relationship is at its lowest point since South Africa enforced its apartheid system of racial segrega -
tion, which ended in 1994.
“We are completely opposed to that,” Ramaphosa said of the behavior alleged by Trump in their exchange. He added, “that is not government policy” and “our government policy is completely, completely against what he was saying.”
Trump was unmoved.
“When they take the land, they kill the white farmer,” he said.
Trump appeared prepared to confront Ramaphosa at the start of the meeting while journalists were present. Videos were cued up on a large TV set to show a clip of an opposition party leader, Julius Malema, leading an old anti-apartheid song. The song has been contentious for years in the country because of its central lyrics “kill the Boer” and “shoot the Boer”—with Boer a word that refers to a white farmer. Malema, featured in the video, is not part of the country’s governing coalition.
Another clip played showed white crosses on the side of a road, described as a memorial for white farmers who were killed. Ramaphosa seemed baffled. “I’d like to know where that is, because this I’ve never seen.”
Trump kicked off the meeting by describing the South African president as a “truly respected man in many, many circles.” He added:
“And in some circles he’s considered a little controversial.” Ramaphosa chimed in, playfully jabbing back at a US president who is no stranger to controversy. “We’re all like that,” Ramaphosa said. Trump issued an executive order in February cutting all funding to South Africa over some of its domestic and foreign policies. The order criticized the South African government on multiple fronts, saying it is pursuing antiwhite policies at home and supporting “bad actors” in the world like the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Iran.
Trump has falsely accused the South African government of rights violations against white Afrikaner farmers by seizing their land through a new expropriation law. No land has been seized and the South African government has pushed back, saying US criticism is driven by misinformation. The Trump administration’s references to the Afrikaner people— who are descendants of Dutch and other European settlers—have also elevated previous claims made by Trump’s South African-born adviser Elon Musk and some conservative US commentators that the South African government is allowing attacks on white farmers in what amounts to a genocide.
See “trump,” A12
Controversy erupts as Trump accepts luxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar for Air Force One amid ethics concerns
By Lolita C. Baldor
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted a luxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar for President Donald Trump to use as Air Force
One, the Pentagon said Wednesday, despite ongoing questions about the ethics and legality of taking the expensive gift from a foreign nation.
The Defense Department will “work to ensure proper security measures” on the plane to make it safe for use by the president, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. He added that the plane was accepted “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.”
Trump has defended the gift, which came up during his recent Middle East trip, as a way to save tax dollars.
“Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE,” Trump posted on his social media site during the trip.
Others, however, have said Trump’s acceptance of an aircraft that has been called a “palace in the sky” is a violation of the Constitution’s prohibition on foreign gifts. Democrats have been united in outrage, and even some of the Republican president’s GOP allies in Congress have expressed concerns.
“This unprecedented action is a stain on the office of the presidency and cannot go unanswered,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. “Until Americans get transparency on this shady deal, which apparently includes a corrupt plot for Donald Trump to keep the plane at his library after leaving office, I’ll continue to hold all Department of Justice political nominees.”
Schumer has introduced legislation that would prohibit any foreign aircraft from being used as Air Force One and forbid use of taxpayer money to modify or restore the aircraft. But on Wednesday,
Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas objected when Schumer asked for a vote, thus blocking it. He did not offer an explanation for his objection.
Critics also have noted the need to retrofit the plane to meet security requirements, which would be costly and take time.
“Far from saving money, this unconstitutional action will not only cost our nation its dignity, but it will force taxpayers to waste over $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to overhaul this particular aircraft when we currently have not one, but two fully operational and fully capable Air Force One aircraft,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. She said during a hearing Tuesday that it is a “dangerous course of action” for the U.S. to accept the aircraft from the Qatari ruling family.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told senators that Hegseth has ordered the service to start planning how to update the jet to meet needed standards and acknowledged that the plane will require “significant” modifications. The Air Force, in a statement, said it is preparing to award a contract to modify a Boeing 747 aircraft, but that any details are classified.
Trump was asked about the move Wednesday while he was meeting in the Oval Office with South African President
Trump said it was given “not to me, to the United States Air Force, so they could help us out” and noted that “Boeing’s a little bit late, unfortunately.” Ramaphosa, who was sitting next to Trump and has been working to repair his
PRESIDENT Donald Trump meets South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Washington. AP PHOTO/EVAN VUCCI
Cyril Ramaphosa. “They are giving the United States Air Force a jet,” Trump said, bristling at being questioned about the gift by a reporter.
After White House meeting, Speaker Johnson pushes ahead with controversial Trump big bill
By Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking, Leah Askarinam & Joey Cappelletti The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—Defying opposition within his ranks, House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted late Wednesday that Republicans would march ahead on their multitrilliondollar tax breaks package after a lengthy White House meeting with GOP holdouts refusing to back the bill.
Johnson and his GOP leadership team appeared confident they would be able to stick to their schedule and shore up GOP support for final passage late Wednesday or Thursday following last-ditch talks to salvage the “big, beautiful bill.” But next steps are highly uncertain.
“We’re excited that we’re going to land this airplane,” Johnson, R-La., said back at the Capitol.
But as evening hours set in, the upbeat tone stood at odds with the unwieldy scene at the Capitol. The Rules Committee has been grinding through a marathon session, passing its 18th hour, as the process chugs along. Another Republican, Tennessee Rep. John Rose, announced his opposition to the GOP bill. And Democrats, without the votes to stop Trump’s package, are using all available tools and impassioned speeches to press their opposition and capitalize on the GOP disarray.
“We believe it’s one big, ugly bill that’s going to hurt the American people,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York as he and his team testified before the committee.
“Hurt children, hurt families, hurt veterans, hurt seniors, cut health care,
cut nutritional assistance, explode the debt,” he said.
It’s a make-or-break moment for the president and his party in Congress. They have invested much of their political capital during the crucial first few months of Trump’s return to the White House on this legislation. If the House Republicans fall in line with the president, overcoming unified Democratic objections, the measure would next go to the Senate.
Trump had implored the lawmakers a day earlier at the Capitol to get it done, but the holdouts endured. It’s not at all clear what, exactly, was agreed to—or not—during Wednesday’s lengthy meeting at the White House. However, Johnson indicated afterward that Trump himself may be able to accomplish by executive actions some of the goals that Congress is unable to agree to in the legislative process.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the meeting was productive and moved the ball in the right direction.
One big problem has been the tentative deal with GOP lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states to boost deductions for local taxes to $40,000. But that costly provision, running into the hundreds of billions
of dollars, alarmed the most conservative Republicans, worried it will add to the nation’s $36 trillion debt.
For every faction of the slim House majority that Johnson appeases, he risks losing others.
Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., the chairman of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, said earlier he did not believe the package could pass in a House vote, but “there is a pathway forward that we can see.”
A fresh analysis from the Congressional Budget Office said the tax provisions would increase federal deficits by $3.8 trillion over the decade, while the changes to Medicaid, food stamps and other services would tally $1 trillion in reduced spending. The lowest-income households in the US would see their resources drop, while the highest ones would see a boost, the CBO said.
At its core, the package is centered on extending the tax breaks approved
his 2024 campaign.
To make up for some of the lost revenue, the Republicans are focused on spending cuts to federal safety net programs and a massive rollback of green energy tax breaks from the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act.
Additionally, the package tacks on $350 billion in new spending, with about $150 billion going to the Pentagon, including for the president’s new “ Golden Dome” defense shield, and the rest for Trump’s mass deportation and border security agenda.
The package title carries Trump’s own words, the “ One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
As Trump promised voters, the package proposes there would be no taxes on tips for certain workers, including those in some service industries; automobile loan interest; or some overtime pay.
There would be an increase to the standard income tax deduction, to $32,000 for joint filers, and a boost to the child tax credit to $2,500. There would be an enhanced deduction, of $4,000, for older adults of certain income levels, to help defray taxes on Social Security income.
To cut spending, the package would impose new work requirements for many people who receive health care through Medicaid. Able-bodied adults without dependents would need to fulfill 80 hours a month on a job or in other community activities.
Similarly, those who receive food stamps through the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, known as SNAP, would also face new work requirements.
Older Americans up to age 64, rather than 54, who are able-bodied and without dependents would need to work or engage in the community programs for 80 hours a month. Ad -
ditionally, some parents of children older than 7 years old would need to fulfill the work requirements; under current law, the requirement comes after children are 18.
Republicans said they want to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal programs.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated 8.6 million fewer people would have health insurance with the various changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. It also said 3 million fewer people each month would have SNAP benefits.
Conservatives are insisting on quicker, steeper cuts to federal programs to offset the costs of the trillions of dollars in lost tax revenue. GOP leaders have sped up the start date of the Medicaid work requirements from 2029 to 2027. At the same time, more moderate and centrist lawmakers are wary of the changes to Medicaid that could result in lost health care for their constituents. Others are worried the phaseout of the renewable energy tax breaks will impede businesses using them to invest in green energy projects in many states. Plus, those lawmakers from New York, California and other high-tax states wanted a bigger state and local tax deduction, called SALT, for their voters back home.
Under the emerging SALT deal, the $10,000 deduction cap would quadruple to $40,000 with an income limit of $500,000, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the private talks. The cap would phase down for incomes above that level.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan fiscal watchdog group, estimates that the House bill is shaping up to add roughly $3.3 trillion to the debt over the next decade.
Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
The administration’s concerns about South African policies cut even deeper than the concerns about white farmers.
South Africa has also angered Trump over its move to bring charges at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Ramaphosa has also faced scrutiny in Washington for his past connections to MTN Group, Iran’s second-largest telecom provider. It owns nearly half of Irancell, a joint venture linked with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Ramaphosa served as board chair of MTN from 2002 to 2013. Ramaphosa came into the meeting looking to avoid the sort of contentious engagement that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy experienced during his February Oval Office visit, when the Ukrainian leader found himself being berated by Trump and Vice President JD Vance. That disastrous meeting ended with White House officials asking Zelenskyy and his delegation to leave the White House grounds.
The South African president’s delegation included golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, a gesture to the golf-obsessed US president. Ramaphosa brought Trump a massive book about South Africa’s golf courses. He even told Trump that he’s been working on his golf game, seeming to angle for an invitation to the links with the president.
Luxury goods tycoon and Afrikaner Johann Rupert was also in the delegation to help ease Trump’s concerns that land was being seized from white farmers. At one point, Ramaphosa called on Zingiswa Losi, the president of a group of South African trade unions, who told Trump it is true that South Africa is a “violent nation for a number of reasons.” But she told him it was important to understand that Black men and women in rural areas were also being targeted in heinous crimes.
“The problem in South Africa, it is not necessarily about race, but it’s about crime,” Losi said. “We are here to say how do we, both nations, work together to reset, to really talk about investment but also help … to really address the levels of crime we have in our country.”
Musk also attended Wednesday’s talks. He has been at the forefront of the criticism of his homeland, casting its affirmative action laws as racist against whites.
Musk has said on social media that his Starlink satellite Internet service isn’t able to get a license to operate in South Africa because he is not Black.
South African authorities say Starlink hasn’t formally applied. It can, but it would be bound by affirmative action laws in the communications sector that require foreign companies to allow 30% of their South African subsidiaries to be owned by shareholders who are Black or from other racial groups disadvantaged under apartheid. The South African government says its long-standing affirmative action laws are a cornerstone of its efforts to right the injustices of the white minority rule of apartheid, which denied opportunities to Blacks and other racial groups.
Following the contentious exchange in front of the cameras, Trump hosted Ramaphosa for lunch and further talks. Ramaphosa, speaking to reporters following his White House visit, downplayed Trump’s criticism, adding he believes “there’s doubt and disbelief in (Trump’s) head” about his genocide charge. He insisted they did not dwell on Trump’s concerns about white farmers in their private conversation.
“You wanted to see drama and something really big happening,” Ramaphosa told reporters following his White House visit. “And I’m sorry that we disappointed you somewhat when it comes to that.”
from Johannesburg.
during Trump’s first term in 2017, while adding new ones he campaigned on during
SPEAKER of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and President Donald Trump arrive for a House Republican conference meeting, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at the US Capitol in Washington. AP PHOTO/JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON
‘Unquestionably in violation’: Judge says White House didn’t follow court order on deportations
By Lindsay Whitehurst, Michael Casey, Rebecca Santana & Tim Sullivan
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—The White House violated a court order on deportations to third countries with a flight linked to the chaotic African nation of South Sudan, a federal judge said Wednesday, hours after the Trump administration said it had expelled eight immigrants convicted of violent crimes but refused to reveal where they would end up. The judge’s statement was a notably strong rebuke to the government’s deportation efforts.
In an emergency hearing he called to address reports that immigrants had been sent to South Sudan, Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston said the eight migrants aboard the plane were not given a meaningful opportunity to object that the deportation could put them in danger. Minutes before the hearing, administration officials accused “activist judges” of advocating the release of dangerous criminals.
“The department actions in this case are unquestionably in violation of this court’s order,” Murphy said Wednesday, arguing that the deportees didn’t have “meaningful opportunity” to object to being sent to South Sudan. The group was flown out of the United States just hours after getting notice, leaving them no chance to contact lawyers who could object in court.
Government attorneys argued that the men had a history with the immigration system, giving them prior opportunities to express a fear of being deported to a country outside their homeland. They also pointed out that the judge had not specified the exact time needed between notice and deportation, leaving room for misunderstanding.
The government calls the deported people ‘true national security threats’ THE migrants’ home countries— Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Vietnam and South Sudan—would not take them back, according to Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who spoke to reporters in Washington. He later said the migrants either came from countries that often do not take back all their deported citizens or had other situations that meant they could not be sent home.
“These represent the true national security threats,” Lyons said at a news conference. Behind him was a display of photos of men he said had been convicted of rape, homicide, armed robbery and other crimes.
Administration officials, who have repeatedly clashed with the courts over their attempts to deport large numbers of immigrants, made their displeasure clear Wednesday.
President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “are working every single day to get these vicious criminals off of American streets—and while activist judges are on the other side, fighting to get them back onto the United States soil,” said Tricia McLaughlin, a department spokesperson. She pointed to the photographs and described them as “the monsters” that Murphy “is trying to protect.”
Homeland Security officials released few specific details about the deportation flight. They said it left Tuesday with eight people on board and said they remained in the department’s custody Wednesday. Officials said they could not disclose the migrants’ final destination because of “safety and operational security.”
The case comes amid a sweeping immigration crackdown by the Re -
publican administration, which has pledged to deport millions of people who are living in the United States illegally. The legal fight is the latest flashpoint as the administration rails against judges whose rulings have slowed the president’s policies.
Lawsuits on immigration issues are everywhere WITH Congress largely silent or supportive, opponents of Trump’s agenda have filed hundreds of lawsuits and judges have issued dozens of orders against the administration. Immigration has been the most contentious issue. There was the mistaken deportation of an immigrant who was living in Maryland to a prison in El Salvador, as well as Trump’s push to swiftly deport alleged Venezuelan gang members without a court review.
The administration officials insisted that the deported men had received due process, but did not provide details. Immigrationrights attorneys argue they violated Murphy’s order, first handed down in March, that says people must have a chance to argue that going somewhere outside their homeland would put them in danger before being deported, even if they’ve otherwise exhausted their legal appeals.
“The government is still refusing to provide due process to our clients, which means they are not giving them notice of the country to which they’re being deported, proper notice in a language that they understand, and not giving them a meaningful opportunity to claim fear based on those countries,” Trina Realmuto, the executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, said outside court.
“These are countries that the State Department doesn’t want Americans to travel to. They are categorically not safe,” she added.
In court, Realmuto asked the judge to return the individuals to the United States. “They are no less deserving of protection than any other human beings on this planet,” she said.
The government argued the interviews with the men over their fears could be done where they are currently being held and confirmed with Murphy that they can be arranged. Realmuto called this a “logistical nightmare” that penalizes the men because the government violated the judge’s order. She said it would prove a challenge to get the men legal counsel and interpreters, an effort complicated by the time difference.
Murphy, who raised the prospect of criminal contempt for anyone “involved in an illegal deportation,” later Wednesday ordered the government conduct a new set of interviews with the migrants if an appropriate place with appropriate privacy can be found. He said the government was welcome to bring the migrants back, but did not order they do so.
On Twitter late Wednesday, DHS’ McLaughlin called the order “deranged.”
The countries of origin vary ATTORNEYS for the immigrants told the judge that immigration authorities may have sent as many as a dozen people from several countries to Africa.
The apparent removal of one man from the troubled Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar was confirmed in an email from an immigration official in Texas, according to court documents. He was informed only in English, a language he does not speak well, and his lawyers learned of the plan hours before his deportation flight, they said. A woman also reported that her husband from Vietnam and up to 10 other people were flown to Africa on Tuesday morning, attorneys from the National Immigration Litigation Alliance wrote. Murphy, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, previously found that any plans to deport people to Libya without notice would “clearly” violate his ruling.
South Sudan says it’s unaware of any arrivals SOUTH Sudan’s police spokesperson, Maj. Gen. James Monday Enoka, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that no migrants had arrived in the country and that if they do, they would be investigated and “redeported to their correct country” if found not to be South Sudanese.
Edmund Yakani, executive director of the South Sudanese group Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, questioned why people convicted of crimes in the United States would be sent there. “Is South Sudan a land of less human who deserve to receive perpetrators of human rights violations? Without any public explanation?” he asked. Some countries do not accept deportations from the United States. That has led the administration to strike agreements with other countries, including Panama, to house them. The US has sent Venezuelans to a notorious prison in El Salvador under an 18th-century wartime law, an action being contested in the courts.
South Sudan has endured repeated waves of violence since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011 amid hopes it could use its large oil reserves to bring prosperity to a region long battered by poverty. Just weeks ago, the country’s top UN official warned that fighting between forces loyal to the president and a vice president threatened to spiral again into full-scale civil war.
The State Department’s annual report on South Sudan, published in April 2024, says “significant human rights issues” include arbitrary killings, disappearances, torture or inhumane treatment by security forces and extensive violence based on gender and sexual identity.
Casey
from Boston and
LAWYERS for several individuals facing deportation speak to the media Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Boston, after a federal judge ruled the White House violated a court order on deportations to third countries with a flight linked to the chaotic African nation of South Sudan. AP PHOTO/MICHAEL CASEY
Editor: Angel R. Calso
Record floodwaters in eastern Australia leave 3 dead and 1 missing as rescues continue amid record rainfall
By Rod Mcguirk The Associated Press
MELBOURNE, Australia—
Record floodwaters on Australia’s east coast left three people dead and one missing, officials said Thursday, as more heavy rain was forecast in the area.
More than 500 people were rescued in the flooding emergency in New South Wales state north of Sydney. The area has been hit with heavy rain since Tuesday. The flooding exceeds local records set in 1921 and 1929.
News South Wales Premier Christopher Minns said some areas were forecast to receive as much as 30 centimeters (1 foot) of rain in the next 24 hours. He said 50,000 people were warned to prepare to evacuate or be isolated by floodwaters, telling reporters: “We are bracing for more bad news.”
on Thursday, police said.
A 49-year-old man also failed to return home after walking near a flooded road at Nymboida on Wednesday night, police said.
Minns said more than 500 people had been rescued from floodwater in just over two days, many after trying to drive across flooded roads.
Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said 330 flood rescues were conducted in the past 24 hours. Helicopters have been used to rescue people stranded by floodwaters from rooftops and verandahs.
“We’ve seen more rain and more flooding in the mid-to-north coast area than we’ve ever seen before,” Dib said.
The body of a man, aged in his 30s, was recovered from floodwaters near Rosewood early Thursday, a police statement said. He had disappeared while attempting to drive through a flooded intersection on Wednesday night.
A 60-year-old woman was found dead on Thursday after her SUV became trapped in floodwaters near Brooklana on Wednesday night. The SUV was found earlier
The body of a 63-year-old man was recovered from a flooded house in Moto in New South Wales on Wednesday afternoon, Acting Police Commissioner Peter Thurtell said. A coroner will determine whether a pre-existing medical condition played a part in his death, he added.
The flooding has hit communities including Taree, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and Bellingen in New South Wales.
Taree received a month’s rain in 24 hours, an official said.
“Up around the Taree area, we’ve seen communities that have never flooded in recorded history now flooding,” Thurtell said.
The region has opened 14 evacuation centers as of Thursday.
Government meteorologist
Angus Hines said a low-pressure weather system had stalled over the flooded region since Monday, bringing 60 centimeters (2 feet) of rain to some parts.
“If it had only been one day and then it had gone, we would have seen some minor or moderate flooding but it wouldn’t have been too bad. But four days in a row of this amount of rainfall and
we see this significant and extensive, widespread and major flood event happening in front of our eyes,” Hines said. The rain was losing intensity on Thursday, Hines said.
North Korea’s second naval destroyer damaged in failed launch at a ceremony attended by Kim
By Kim Tong-Hyung & Hyung-Jin Kim
The Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea—North Korea’s second naval destroyer was damaged in its failed launch to the water this week, state media reported Thursday, in an embarrassment for leader Kim Jong Un as he pushes to modernize his naval forces.
It’s not common for North Korea to acknowledge military-related setbacks, but observers say the disclosure of the failed ship launch suggests that Kim is serious about his naval advancement program and confident of ultimately achieving its objectives.
During a launching event at the northeastern port of Chongjin on Wednesday, the newly built 5,000-ton-class destroyer became
unbalanced and was punctured in its bottom sections after a transport cradle on the stern section slid off first and became stuck, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
KCNA didn’t provide details on what caused the problem, the severity of the damage or whether anyone was injured.
According to KCNA, Kim, who was present at the ceremony,
blamed military officials, scientists and shipyard operators for a “serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism.” Kim called for a ruling Workers’ Party meeting slated for late June to address their “irresponsible errors.”
“It’s a shameful thing. But the reason why North Korea disclosed the incident is it wants to show it’s
speeding up the modernization of its navy forces and expresses its confidence that it can eventually build” a greater navy, said Moon Keun-sik, a navy expert who teaches at Seoul’s Hanyang University.
Moon suspected the incident likely happened because North Korean workers aren’t yet familiar with such a large warship and were rushed to put it in the water.
The damaged vessel was likely in the same class as the country’s first destroyer, unveiled April 25, which experts assessed as the North’s largest and most advanced warship to date. Kim called the first vessel, named Choe Hyon—a famed Korean guerilla fighter during the Japanese colonial period— a significant asset for advancing his goal of expanding the military’s operational range and nuclear strike capabilities.
State media described that ship as designed to handle various weapons systems, including anti-air and anti-ship weapons as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles. Kim said the ship was expected to enter active duty early next year and later supervised test-firings of missiles from the warship.
Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday the damaged vessel was likely equipped with similar systems and remains toppled over in the sea.
The North Korean report came after recent commercial satellite images indicated that the country was building its second destroyer
at a shipyard in Chongjin.
Beyond Parallel, a website run by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said the satellite imagery of Chongjin’s Hambuk shipyard on May 12 showed that a second vessel in the Choe Hyon-class of guided missile destroyers was under construction.
A report by the North Koreafocused 38 North website assessed last week that the destroyer built at the Chongjin shipyard was being prepared to be launched sideways from the quay, a method that has been rarely used in North Korea. The report said the previous destroyer launched at the western shipyard of Nampo, in contrast, used a floating dry dock.
South Korean officials and experts say the Choe Hyon destroyer was likely built with Russian assistance as the two countries’ military partnerships are booming. While North Korea’s naval forces are considered inferior to South Korea’s, analysts still view the destroyer as a serious security threat, as it could enhance the country’s offensive and defensive capabilities.
Kim has framed the arms buildup as a response to perceived threats from the United States and its allies in Asia, who have been expanding joint military exercises amid rising tensions over the North’s nuclear program. He says the acquisition of a nuclearpowered submarine would be his next big step in strengthening his navy.
FLOODWATERS surround homes in Port Macquarie, north of Sydney, Australia, Thursday, May 22, 2025. LINDSAY MOLLER/AAP IMAGE VIA AP
US tariff hikes, Myanmar war and sea disputes will top Asean summit agenda
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia—
The civil war in Myanmar, maritime disputes in the South China Sea and US tariff hikes will top the agenda of a two-day Southeast Asian summit next week, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.
The meeting in Malaysia, the current chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on Monday will be followed by a summit on Tuesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The GCC already has strong links with the US and “wants to be close to China too,” Anwar said. “We want to have that synergy to enhance trade investments, more effective collaboration,” Anwar said in a media briefing late Wednesday.
as the region continues to engage both superpowers. He also downplayed territorial disputes between Asean members and China in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety, and Myanmar’s conflict since the 2021 military takeover.
Anwar met last month with Myanmar military chief Gen. Ming Aung Hlaing in Bangkok and held virtual talks with the opposition National Unity Government. Even though the talks were focused on humanitarian aid following a devastating earthquake in March that killed more than 3,700 people, Anwar said he hopes they could eventually push a peace process forward.
Anwar said the US has promised to review Malaysia’s case “sympathetically.” He said Asean is also working together to see how it can negotiate with the US as a bloc. At the same time, he said that Asean must build its economic resilience by deepening links with other partners such as China, India and the European Union. Anwar said the US-China rivalry would not split the bloc
Asean members, many which rely on exports to the US, have been hit by US tariffs ranging from 10% to 49%. US President Donald Trump last month announced a 90-day pause on the tariffs, prompting countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam to swiftly begin trade negotiations with Washington.
Min Aung Hlaing has been barred from attending Asean meetings after the military refused to comply with Asean’s peace plan, which includes delivery of humanitarian aid and negotiations. Opponents and critics of the military government say aid is not freely allowed into areas not under the army’s control, and accuse the army of violating its self-declared ceasefire with dozens of airstrikes. AP
Israeli politician critiques the Gaza war’s toll on Palestinians and sparks an outcry
By Tia Goldenberg The Associated Press
TEL AVIV, Israel—Killing babies “as a hobby.” “Expelling a population.”
“Fighting against civilians.”
It is some of the harshest language against Israel’s wartime conduct in Gaza and it came this week from a prominent Israeli politician, sparking a domestic uproar as the country faces heavy international criticism.
It is not uncommon for politicians to criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war strategy, especially his failure to free all the hostages held by Hamas. What made the comments by center-left opposition party leader Yair Golan rare—and jarring to officials across the political spectrum—was their focus on the plight of Palestinians.
The ensuing controversy underscored how little the war’s toll on Gaza’s civilians has figured into the public discourse in Israel—in stark contrast to the rest of the world.
Speaking to the Israeli public radio station Reshet Bet, Golan—a former general—said Israel was becoming a pariah state and cautioned that “a sane country doesn’t engage in fighting against civilians, doesn’t kill babies as a hobby and doesn’t set for itself the goals of expelling a population.”
After the outcry, he said he was referring to the conduct of Israel’s farright government, not of its soldiers, in his remarks.
A rare focus on the plight of Palestinian civilians
GOLAN’S words were a shock to the system because, outside of the country’s politically marginalized left, criticism focused on Palestinian civilian suffering and deaths has rarely been spoken publicly in Israel.
The reasons for this include: the trauma Israelis still feel over Hamas’ deadly attack on October 7. 2023, Jewish citizens’ deep faith in the righteousness of the military, dozens of hostages remain in Gaza and soldiers are dying to rescue them.
Criticism of the war has focused overwhelmingly on Netanyahu. His opponents believe his own political motives have dictated war strategy and his failure to reach a deal with Hamas to release all the hostages—an accusation he denies.
“Part of the Israeli public and media outlets are still trapped in an obsession over the initial shock that started this war,” said Ehud Olmert, a former prime minister and fierce critic of the current government.
“But this is changing and it’s just a matter of time.”
Public opinion polls show that most Israelis support ending the war in exchange for the release of the remaining
58 hostages held by Hamas, around a third of whom are said to be alive. Opponents of the war have tended to focus on concerns over the fate of the remaining hostages and the risk of soldier casualties in a campaign that many feel has run its course.
While Olmert disputed Golan’s choice of words, he said the essence of his remarks “reflects what many people think.”
Israelis are still traumatized by Hamas’ attack AFTER Hamas’ 2023 attack, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, Israelis rallied behind the military. They saw the war as a just response to the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. Many Israelis cannot imagine a future where Hamas remains intact.
Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza has killed more than 53,000 people, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities, whose count doesn’t differentiate between combatants and civilians. The fighting has displaced 90% of the territory’s roughly 2 million population, sparked a hunger crisis and obliterated vast swaths of Gaza’s urban landscape.
While international media coverage has largely focused on the war in Gaza and its toll on civilians there, in Israel the media still devotes heavy attention to the October 7 attack itself and the hostage crisis. Photos of those still held captive line the streets.
Stories about the plight of Palestinian civilians are less prominent, and largely avoid the harshest images emanating from Gaza. Most outlets repeat the official line that Hamas is solely to blame for the civilian toll.
For many Jewish Israelis, it is hard to fathom that their own children, most of whom must enlist in Israel’s military, could be committing the crimes that Golan described.
All that has helped solidify a national narrative that views the war as an existential struggle.
“When you fight a war of existence, you don’t much think about the suffering of the enemy,” said Shmuel Rosner, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank.
Golan’s words have sparked outcry before A FORMER deputy chief of staff of the military, Golan’s words have sparked outcry in the past. The most notable occasion was a 2016 speech marking Israel’s Holocaust remembrance day, when he compared what he said was an increasingly illiberal atmosphere in Israel to that of Nazi-era Germany. On October 7, Golan donned his
uniform and grabbed a gun to help battle militants during Israel’s flailing first response to Hamas’ assault. Olmert called him “one of Israel’s greatest warriors.” Golan is not the first public figure to have made such remarks about Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Former defense minister and military chief of staff Moshe Yaalon accused Israel of ethnic cleansing during a major operation last year. Zehava Galon, a former leader of a dovish political party, highlighted the deaths of thousands of children at a recent protest in Tel Aviv. But unlike them, Golan has his political future at stake, lending more weight to his words.
Pictures of dead Palestinian children NETANYAHU said Golan’s words “echoed disgraceful antisemitic blood libels.” Benny Gantz, an opposition leader, said Golan’s remarks were extreme and false and called on him to recant and apologize, which he did not do.
Cabinet minister Amichay Eliyahu suggested Golan’s words inspired an attacker in Washington, who killed two Israeli embassy employees and yelled “Free, free Palestine” after he was arrested. “Yair, the blood of the embassy employees is on your hands,” he wrote on X. Golan, in response, said it was Netanyahu’s far-right government that “gives fuel to antisemitism and Israel hatred.”
Rosner said Golan’s wording on the Palestinian toll was “uncareful” and that instead of triggering introspection, they prompted a media debate over Golan himself and the damage his remarks might cause to Israel.
But they could resonate among the steadfast anti-war protest movement, said Alma Beck, an activist who is part of a small contingent of demonstrators who have been holding up pictures of Palestinian children killed in Gaza ever since Israel ended a ceasefire in March. She said the group began as 20 people and has grown to 600, still just a fraction of the thousands attending the broader anti-government protests.
Beck said the protest movement has been receptive to messages that focus on the Palestinian toll, and more signs with that message have been held up by demonstrators in recent weeks. Their main criticism remains that Netanyahu is continuing the war to appease his governing partners and ensure his own political survival.
“I think there is a shift. I think people are starting to connect the dots,” she said, while noting that the bulk of Israeli society hasn’t changed. “I hope that it will only grow.”
A20 Friday, May 23, 2025
Pope Leo XIV urges humanitarian aid for Gaza in first general audience in St. Peter’s Square
The Associated Press
VATICAN CITY—Pope Leo XIV called Wednesday for humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip and for an end to the “heartbreaking” toll on its people, as he presided over his first general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican said that around 40,000 people were on hand for the audience, which came just days after an estimated 200,000 people attended the inaugural Mass on Sunday for history’s first American pope.
Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, began the audience with a tour through the piazza in the popemobile and stopped to bless several babies. In addressing specific greetings to different groups of pilgrims, Leo spoke in his native English, his fluent Spanish as well as the traditional Italian of the papacy.
“I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entrance of dignified humanitarian aid to Gaza and to put an end to the hostilities whose heartbreaking price is being paid by children, the elderly and sick people,” he said.
The general audience on Wednesdays is a weekly appointment that popes have kept for decades to allow ordinary faithful to have a face-to-face encounter with the pontiff. It features the pope delivering a brief reflection on a theme or Scripture passage, with summaries provided by others in different languages and the pope directing specific messages to particular faith groups.
The encounter, which lasts more than an hour, usually ends with a brief topical appeal by the pope about a current issue or upcoming event. Leo began it with his now-frequent mantra “Peace be with you.”
To that end, Leo on Tuesday reaffirmed the Vatican’s willingness to host the next round of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine during a phone call with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, the Italian leader’s office said.
Meloni made the call after speaking with US President Donald Trump and other European leaders, who asked her to verify the Holy See’s offer.
“Finding in the Holy Father the confirmation of the willingness to welcome the next talks between the parties, the premier expressed profound gratitude for Pope Leo XIV’s willingness and his incessant commitment in favor of peace,” Meloni’s office said in a statement late Tuesday. Trump had referred to the Vatican’s longstanding offer to host talks in reporting on his phone call Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
While low-level talks could take place in Rome, Italy would be hard-pressed to allow Putin to fly into Rome for any higher-level negotiation. Putin is subject to an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, of which Italy is a founding member and therefore obliged to execute its warrants.
The Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
TORONTO—Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday his government is talking to the US about joining President Donald Trump’s future Golden Dome missile defense program.
The multilayered, $175 billion system would for the first time put US weapons in space. Trump said the previous day he expected the system to be fully operational by the end of his term in 2029.
“Is it a good idea for Canada? Yes, it is good to have protections in place for Canadians,” Carney said.
Carney confirmed he’s had talks with Trump about it and said there are discussions with senior officials. Trump said the Canadian government had contacted his administration indicating it wants to join the program and that he will work with Ottawa to ensure it contributes its “fair share.”
Golden Dome is envisioned to include ground- and space-based capabilities to detect and stop missiles at all four major stages of a potential attack: detecting and destroying them before a launch, intercepting them in their earliest stage of flight, stopping them midcourse in the air, or halting them in the final minutes as they descend toward a target.
“It’s something that we are looking at and something that has been discussed at a high level.” Carney said. “But not I’m not sure one negotiates on this. These are military decisions that have been taken in that context, and we will evaluate it accordingly.”
Carney warned that Canada faces potential missiles threats in the “not-too-distant future” that could come from space.
“Is Canada going to be doing this alone or with the United States?
Because with a Golden Dome, there will be discussions that could have an impact on Canada, but Canada wouldn’t be a part of them,” Carney said.
The Pentagon has warned for years that the newest missiles developed by China and Russia are so advanced that updated countermeasures are necessary. Golden Dome’s added satellites and interceptors—where the bulk of the program’s cost is—would be focused on stopping those advanced missiles early on or in the middle of their flight.
Canada and the US are partners in the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the combined organization that provides shared defense of airspace over the two nations.
The newly elected Carney spent much of the last few months saying the old relationship with the US based on steadily increasing integration is over. Trump has infuriated Canadians by saying Canada should be the 51st state. “We cooperate if necessary but not necessarily cooperate,” Carney said.
Sayyida Zeinab Shrine: A symbol of faith and sectarian tension in post-Assad Syria
By Mariam Fam The Associated Press
SAYYIDA ZEINAB, Syria—At the Sayyida Zeinab Shrine, rituals of faith unfold: worshippers kneel in prayer, visitors raise their palms skyward or fervently murmur invocations as they press their faces against an ornate structure enclosing where they believe the granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad is entombed.
But it’s more than just religious devotion that the golden-domed shrine became known for during Syria’s prolonged civil war.
At the time, the shrine’s protection from Sunni extremists became a rallying cry for some Shiite fighters and Iran-backed groups from beyond Syria’s borders who backed the former government of Bashar Assad. The shrine and the surrounding area, which bears the same name, thus emerged as examples of how the religious and political increasingly intertwined during the conflict.
An altered landscape after Assad’s ouster WITH such a legacy, local Shiite community leaders and members are now navigating a dramatically altered political landscape around Sayyida Zeinab and beyond, after Assad’s December ouster by armed insurgents led by the Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The complex transition that is underway has left some in Syria’s small Shiite minority feeling vulnerable.
“For Shiites around the world, there’s huge sensitivity surrounding the Sayyida Zeinab Shrine,” said Hussein al-Khatib. “It carries a lot of symbolism.”
After Assad’s ouster, al-Khatib joined other Syrian Shiite community members to protect the shrine from the inside. The new security forces guard it from the outside.
“We don’t want any sedition among Muslims,” he said. “This is the most important message, especially in this period that Syria is going through.”
Zeinab is a daughter of the first Shiite imam, Ali, cousin and sonin-law of Prophet Muhammad; she’s especially revered among Shiites as a symbol of steadfastness, patience and courage.
She has several titles, such as the “mother of misfortunes” for enduring tragedies, including the 7th-century killing of her brother, Hussein. His death exacerbated the schism between Islam’s two main sects, Sunni and Shiite, and is mourned annually by Shiites.
Zeinab’s burial place is disputed; some Muslims believe it’s elsewhere. The Syria shrine has drawn pilgrims, including from Iran, Iraq and Lebanon. Since Assad’s ouster, however, fewer foreign visitors have come, an economic blow to those catering to them in the area.
The shrine’s locale has faced many attacks OVER the years, the Sayyida Zeinab area has suffered deadly attacks by militants.
In January, state media reported that intelligence officials in Syria’s post-Assad government thwarted a plan by the Islamic State group to set off a bomb at the shrine. The announcement appeared to be an attempt by Syria’s new leaders to reassure
religious minorities, including those seen as having supported Assad’s former government.
Al-Khatib, who moved his family from Aleppo province to the Sayyida Zeinab area shortly before Assad’s fall, said Assad had branded himself as a protector of minorities. “When killings, mobilization...and sectarian polarization began,” the narrative “of the regime and its allies was that ‘you, as a Shiite, you as a minority member, will be killed if I fall.’”
The involvement of Sunni jihadis and some hardline foreign Shiite fighters fanned sectarian flames, he said.
The Syria conflict began as one of several uprisings against Arab dictators before Assad brutally crushed what started as largely peaceful protests and a civil war erupted. It became increasingly fought along sectarian lines, drew in foreign fighters and became a proxy battlefield for regional and international powers on different sides.
Post-Assad, new tensions center on the shrine RECENTLY, a red flag reading “Oh, Zeinab” that had fluttered from its dome was removed after some disparaged it as a sectarian symbol.
Sheikh Adham al-Khatib, a representative of followers of the Twelver branch of Shiism in Syria, said such flags “are not directed against anyone,” but that it was agreed to remove it for now to keep the peace.
“We don’t want a clash to happen. We see that ... there’s sectarian incitement, here and there,” he said.
Earlier, Shiite leaders had wrangled with some endowments ministry officials over whether the running of the shrine would stay with the Shiite endowment trustee as it’s been, he said, adding “we’ve rejected” changing the status quo. No response was received before publication to questions sent to a Ministry of Endowments media official.
Adham al-Khatib and other Shiite leaders recently met with Syrian President Ahmad alSharaa.
“We’ve talked transparently about some of the transgressions,” he said. “He promised that such matters would be handled but that they require some patience because of the negative feelings that many harbor for Shiites as a result of the war.”
Many, the sheikh said, “are holding the Shiites responsible for prolonging the regime’s life.” This “is blamed on Iran, on Hezbollah and on Shiites domestically,” he said, adding that he believes the conflict was political rather than religious.
Early in the conflict, he said, “our internal Shiite decision was to be neutral for long months.” But, he said, there was sectarian incitement against Shiites by some and argued that “when
weapons, kidnappings and killing of civilians started, Shiites were forced to defend themselves.”
Regionally, Assad was backed by Iran and the Shiite militant Lebanese group Hezbollah, whose intervention helped prop up his rule. Most rebels against him were Sunni, as were their patrons in the region.
Besides the shrine’s protection argument, geopolitical interests and alliances were at play as Syria was a key part of Iran’s network of deterrence against Israel.
Emotions can run high; for some, fears persist TODAY, rumors and some social media posts can threaten to inflame emotions.
Shrine director Jaaffar Kassem said he received a false video purporting to show the shrine on fire and was flooded with calls about it.
At the shrine, Zaher Hamza said he prays “for safety and security” and the rebuilding of “a modern Syria, where there’s harmony among all and there are no grudges or injustice.”
Is he worried about the shrine?
“We’re the ones who are in the protection of Sayyida Zeinab— not the ones who will protect the Sayyida Zeinab,” he replied.
While some Shiites have fled Syria after Assad’s fall, Hamza said he wouldn’t.
“Syria is my country,” he said.
“If I went to Lebanon, Iraq or to European countries, I’d be displaced. I’ll die in my country.”
Some are less at ease.
Small groups of women gathered recently at the Sayyida Zeinab courtyard, chatting among themselves in what appeared to be a quiet atmosphere. Among them was Kamla Mohamed.
Early in the war, Mohamed said, her son was kidnapped more than a decade ago by anti-government rebels for serving in the military. The last time she saw him, she added, was on a video where he appeared with a bruised face.
When Assad fell, Mohamed feared for her family.
Those fears were fueled by the later eruption of violence in Syria’s coastal region, where a counteroffensive killed many Alawite civilians—members of the minority sect from which Assad hails and drew support as he ruled over a Sunni majority. Human rights groups reported revenge killings against Alawites; the new authorities said they were investigating.
“We were scared that people would come to us and kill us,” Mohamed said, clutching a prayer bead. “Our life has become full of fear.”
Another Syrian Shiite shrine visitor said she’s been feeling on edge. She spoke on condition she only be identified as Umm Ahmed, or mother of Ahmed, as is traditional, for fear of reprisals against her or her family.
She said, speaking shortly after the coastal violence in March, that she’s thought of leaving the country, but added that there isn’t enough money and she worries that her home would be stolen if she did. Still, “one’s life is the most precious,” she said.
She hopes it won’t come to that.
“Our hope in God is big,” she said. “God is the one protecting this area, protecting the shrine and protecting us.”
The Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
May 23, 2025
Biz groups: Cabinet changes must be fast to avoid jitters
By Andrea E. San Juan
USINESS groups are prodding
BPresident Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to fast-track the appointment and reappointment of his cabinet secretaries to avoid uncertainty, so as not to derail “economic continuity.”
In separate statements, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI),the Makati Business Club (MBC) and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) said they were quite surprised over President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s midterm revamp of his cabinet secretaries considering that the incumbent economic team has been “performing relatively well” in managing the economy.
Dive.
“ We are trying to get more investments for the country especially with the passage of the CREATE MORE Act and the PPP Code. We want to continue fostering economic growth and investor confidence,” PCCI said in a statement on Thursday.
“And so we hope that the courtesy resignations will bring in accountable and merit-based appointments. That those who delivered and performed well will be retained. And that new and re-appointments be done the soonest possible time to avoid uncertainty and instability and so as not to derail economic continuity,” added PCCI.
T hrough the lens of another business group, MBC Chairman Edgar O. Chua told reporters at a briefing on Thursday held in Taguig City that “The announcement made by the President is really to enable him to have
a free hand in appointing and reappointing people who he believes would deliver in the second half of his term.”
“Having everyone tender their courtesy of resignation is a gracious way for those who would not be reappointed,” added Chua.
The MBC Chairman, however, stressed that the business group is hoping the President “would be able to quickly announce who will be appointed or reappointed” to have “minimal disruption” in the continuity of the programs of the government.
R afael Ongpin, MBC’s Executive Director underscored that the business group would be “very surprised” if there was an actual big revamp at this time.
“We at Makati Business Club have a lot of respect, especially for the economic cluster. We think they’re the best people for the job
Continued from A30
For the fourth consecutive year, the Philippines was the official country partner for Adex.
Exclusive deals thru travel app
THE Philippine delegation included 24 co-exhibitors who featured dive offerings, accommodations, liveaboards, and tour packages, with stakeholders coming from Southern Tagalog, Mimaropa, Central Visayas, Western Visayas, Malay in Aklan, and DOT-Central Visayas. They showcased diverse dive destinations within the country, and in particular, shone the spotlight on Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Bohol, Cebu, and Negros Oriental, according to Nograles. Scuba diving instructor and ocean sustainability advocate Vanessa Vergara also joined the event to share her insights and extensive experience in the Philippines’ dive scene.
The TPB chief also said they showcased the Travel Philippines app through activations and booth activities. Relaunched in October 2024, “Travel Philippines is a multifunction mobile platform that offers curated travel content and exclusive deals designed for all types of travelers and adventure seekers, including special promotions for diving,” she explained.
The Philippines has been named the world’s leading dive destination for the sixth consecutive year at the World Travel Awards 2024.
MORE than half of the 500 new 7-Eleven stores to be opened this year will rise in Visayas and Mindanao regions, owing to a “post-pandemic phenomenon” which led to the “decentralization” of growth in the country, according to Philippine Seven Corporation President and CEO Victor P. Paterno. What I can tell you is that it’s still pretty strong. And thankfully, VisMin continues to outperform. This is a post-pandemic phenomenon. So the pandemic did this thing, which the government has been trying to do forever, is decentralize growth,” Paterno told reporters on the sidelines of the Makati Business Club’s briefing on Thursday in Taguig City.
“Last year, almost half of the new stores were in VisMin. More than half
and then there are other cabinet positions outside the economic cluster that we feel are also the best people for the job,” said Ongpin. Chua pointed out that if all or many of the members of the economic team would be replaced, he said “it would be disruptive.”
Meanwhile, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), another business group, said it understands the President’s actions and intentions as this happens in business and the private sector.
A CEO needs to make difficult calls, such as replacing talents, with the primary objective of improving the performance of the organization. Difficult as it may be, the call of leadership is to make such hard decisions in the interest of establishing meritocracy and encouraging performance,” MAP said in a statement on Thursday.
this year will be in VisMin,” he said, adding that over 250 out of the 500 stores that the convenience store chain is eyeing to open this year will rise in the countryside.
Paterno explained why the Visayas and Mindanao regions outperformed post-pandemic, saying: “Everybody was in lockdown including the US. So they’re probably like, ‘If I’m not going to see you at the office, I might as well outsource that.’”
“ Many of it, think the freelancers, they have websites that know. You have groups of a million people creating freelancing tips that’s not tracked at all,” Paterno said, adding, if this trend goes away, “Maybe VisMin will slow. But so far VisMin hasn’t slowed.”
Paterno said this after he underscored that the small-format retail industry has been resilient even in
the face of headwinds. “I believe that we will outperform,” he emphasized. H owever, he noted that “Nobody’s going to put stakes in the ground now and we don’t know what will happen with the tariffs.”
We continue to monitor, of course. We look for trends and say, are the new stores we’re opening in the different regions still doing well? And when we see signs of a slowdown, we’re like, okay, we’re oversaturating this region or this region is slowing down for whatever reason. But what I can tell you is that it’s still pretty strong,” the President of Philippine Seven Corporation pointed out.
Philippine S even Corp. is the local licensee of 7-Eleven convenience stores. In October 2024, it said that it aims to open some 500 new stores in 2025. Andrea San Juan
Continued from A1
Castro said the President issued the new order, covering all cabinet secretaries, heads of agencies with cabinet rank, other heads of agencies, to vent his frustration on the apparent slow pace in the implementation of priority administration in the past three years.
“The people should be happy [with the mass courtesy resignation] because the President is showing that, as we say, ‘there is no room in government, in the administration for the lazy and the corrupt,” Castro said in Filipino in a press briefing.
“It is better for the people to accept they [problematic officials] will be replaced by someone worthy of the position and that is what the President wants. All of this is for the country and the people,” she added.
As of 3:23 pm Thursday, over 30 officials have said they are ready to resign or already submitted their courtesy resignation to Marcos.
Among them were Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin; Transportation Secretary Vivencio “Vince” B. Dizon; Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rexlon “Rex” T. Gatchalian; Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” C. Remulla; Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Romando S. Artes; Tourism Secretary Christina G. Frasco; Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman; Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto; Solicitor General Menardo I. Guevarra; Migration Secretary Hans J. Cacdac; Information and Communication Secretary Henry Rhoel R. Aguda.
The list also includes Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla; Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Jay C. Ruiz; Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel, Jr.; Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma; Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director General Jose B. Benitez; Economic, Planning and Development Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan; Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick D. Go; Department of Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III; Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla; Education Secretary Juan “Sonny” M. Angara; Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga; Science and Technology Secretary Renato R. Solidum, Jr.; Defense Secretary Gilberto Eduardo C. Teodoro, Jr.; National Security Adviser Eduardo M. Año; Trade Secretary Cristina A. Roque; Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo; Commission on Filipino Overseas Chairperson Dante Francis M. Ang II; Anti-Red Tape Authority Director General Ernesto V. Peres; Presidential Legislative Liaison Office Secretary Mark L. Mendoza; and Housing Secretary Jose Rizalino L. Acuzar.
During the presentation of the newly enacted Republic Act 12145 (Economy, Planning and Development Act) and RA 12180 (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
Modernization Act) at the Palace on Thursday afternoon, Marcos even joked he had no more Cabinet members left.
“I wonder if there is still anyone left in my Cabinet? Who am I addressing now,” he said in Filipino in his speech during the ceremony.
Performance-driven approach BY the end of the revamp, Marcos said he expects to have a Cabinet, which is “sharper, faster, and fully focused on the people’s most pressing needs.”
Marcos assured the public that he will retain Cabinet members who are performing well.
“This is not about personalities—it’s about performance, alignment, and urgency,” the President said.
“Those who have delivered and continue to deliver will be recognized. But we cannot afford to be complacent. The time for comfort zones is over,” he added.
The Palace has yet to release a timeline for the implementation of the Cabinet revamp. Castro said the shakeup will not disrupt government services. “They will remain in their positions. Maybe this is the right time for them to show that they should remain in their positions. But if the President really sees that they do not deserve their position, they will be removed [from their position],” she said.
Among the priorities of the Marcos administration in the remaining three years of his terms are improving public services like education, and the completion of major infrastructure projects, Castro.
Cabinet changes IN a video blog interview posted in his social media page last Monday, Marcos said he continues to conduct performance reviews for members of his Cabinet to remove those who have shown poor performance or involved in corrupt practices.
He admitted he had shown leniency in the first three years of his term in letting some problematic members off his Cabinet without drawing public attention.
The President said this will no longer be the case in the last remaining three years of his term as he intends to pursue charges against Cabinet members, who will be proven to have engaged in corrupt practices.
In February, Malacañang announced that Marcos had initiated a Cabinet-wide performance evaluation to determine if any of its members must be replaced.
Among those who have left the Cabinet were Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual, and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John E. Uy. Several PCO secretaries also left the Cabinet including Cesar B. Chavez, Cheloy V. Garafil, and former Office of the Press Secretary Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles.
Over half of 500 new stores of 7-Eleven to rise in VisMin
Comelec: No govt post for poll losers for a year
By Bless Aubrey Ogerio
Elections
HE Commission on
T(Comelec) has issued a firm reminder that candidates who lost in the recent midterm polls are barred from being appointed to government positions for a full year.
Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia reiterated that the one-year appointment ban is both mandatory and non-negotiable.
“That one-year ban is in effect,” Garcia said in Filipino at an interview at the Manila Hotel. “A candidate who lost in the elections cannot be appointed to any government position. Therefore, they must wait for a year.”
As outlined in the Constitution, no losing candidate in any election may be appointed to a government post, including government-owned or controlled corporations or their subsidiaries, within one year after election day.
Garcia explained that this rule was designed to prevent political patronage
and abuse of power.
“It’s to avoid the impression that a losing candidate is being rewarded just for being an ally,” the poll body chief said in Filipino. “It would look like the appointing authority is simply returning a favor by giving them a position.”
“There is no choice here, it is a mandatory requirement because it’s a constitutional provision,” he added.
Recently, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called for courtesy resignations from all Cabinet secretaries.
The President explained that this is to “recalibrate the administration” following the results of the midterm elections, which he said should prompt a realignment with public sentiment.
Six of the 11 administration-endorsed candidates from Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas secured Senate seats.
In response, more than a dozen secretaries have submitted their resignations as of May 22, opening vacancies in key departments. With reports from Samuel Raphael Medenilla
Manila Central Post Office restoration moves forward as PHLPost prepares design phase
By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan
THE Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost) is set to release this month the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Detailed Architectural and Engineering Design (DAED) of the Manila Central Post Office, formally launching the restoration phase of the fire-ravaged national landmark.
Nearly two years after a blaze destroyed the iconic neoclassical structure, the agency is moving forward with the procurement process for the DAED, which Postmaster General and CEO Luis D. Carlos described as “essential for the rehabilitation” of the historic building.
“This project is about honoring our past, preserving our identity, and showing the strength and unity of our people through heritage conservation and nation-building,” he said.
Carlos explained that the DAED will serve as the technical blueprint for the post office’s rehabilitation, ensuring compliance with modern safety, accessibility, and sustainability standards while preserving
its historical integrity.
He added that it will also support accurate cost estimates and transparent bidding for future construction work.
A structural assessment commissioned by the Department of Tourism, through the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), confirmed that the building is structurally sound and fit for retrofitting. The Bureau of Fire Protection earlier ruled the May 21, 2023 fire as accidental.
Ahead of the bidding, PHLPost has conducted market sounding with reputable design and engineering firms.
The agency has also collaborated with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for facade repainting and held consultations with key cultural agencies to align restoration objectives.
Designed by architect Juan Arellano and completed in 1926, the Manila Central Post Office was one of the country’s most prominent examples of neoclassical architecture and served as the headquarters of PHLPost. Situated along the Pasig River, it was said to be a vital communications hub and a cultural icon.
DOJ junks FPRRD’s complaint vs high-ranking police officials in connection with the KOJC raid last year
TImpeachment trial of VP Sara to proceed: House confirms receipt of Senate letter
By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie
THE leadership of the House of Representatives on Thursday confirmed the receipt of Senate President Francis Escudero’s letter regarding the impending impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, assuring that the communication would be swiftly relayed to the House panel of prosecutors.
“The House of Representatives confirms receipt of your Honor’s letter dated 19 May 2025, relative to the verified impeachment com-
plaint against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte,” said Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez in a letter dated May 22, 2025 to Escudero.
“This will be transmitted to the Panel of House Prosecutors,” Speaker Romualdez added.
Romualdez’s letter was in response to Escudero’s May 19 correspondence, in which the Senate chief notified the House that the Senate is ready to proceed with the next phase of the impeachment process.
“Pursuant to Rule II of the Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials, we would like to inform your good office that, hav -
Small fishers face double threat:
ing taken proper order on the impeachment of Vice-President Sara Z. Duterte, the Senate shall be ready to receive the House of Representatives’ panel of prosecutors at 4 o’clock in the afternoon of June 2, 2025,” Escudero stated.
The Senate President also reiterated the expectation that the House prosecution panel will read the seven charges against the Vice President in open session.
“As stated in our letter dated February 24, 2025, the Senate shall expect the prosecution to read the seven charges under the Articles of Impeachment in open
Monsoon challenges, Chinese coast guard hostilities in West Philippine Sea
By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga
AS small fishers brace for the impacts of the Southwest monsoon, Chinese Coast Guard hostilities (CCG) against small fishers continue in the West Philippine Sea.
Small fishers are forced to suspend fishing activities due to bigger-than-normal waves and strong winds brought about by the Southwest monsoon, locally called Habagat, which usually lasts from the last week of May to August.
Those who continue to fish during this season, which is also called “sigwada,” are exposed to the danger of strong waves.
“It is dangerous to mapanganib sa laot tuwing panahon ng sigwada. Marami sa mga mangingisda ang labag-sa-loob na tumitigil muna sa pagpalaot para sa kanilang kaligtasan. Pero nangangahulugan rin ito nang pagkawala ng kanilang pagkakakitaan.Parasamgamangingisdang sa dagat lamang nakaasa ang kabuhayan, pinangangambahan namin ang higit na kagutumanngkanilangmgapamilya,” Ronnel Arambulo, Pamalakaya vice chairperson said in a statement.
consolidate the situation of coastal communities amid the sigwada, and mobilize the fisherfolk in seeking adequate economic support and other forms of livelihood assistance.
“Nagsisimula na kaming magsagawa ng mga konsultasyon sa mga komunidad ng mangingisda na layuning maigiit ang suportang pang-ekonomiya at pangkabuhayan na karapat-dapat lamang nilang matanggap,” Arambulo said.
CCG bullying condemned THE deadly waves during the Southwest monsoon are not the only perils fishers face. In the West Philippine Sea, small fishers, including marine researchers, continue to experience hostile actions by the CCG.
The DA-BFAR reported the aggressive interference by the CCG against two Philippine civilian vessels conducting a routine marine scientific research mission in the vicinity of Pag-asa Cay 2 (Sandy Cay) in the West Philippine Sea on Wednesday, May 21.
The two DA-BFAR vessels, BRP Datu Sanday (MMOV 3002) and BRP Datu Pagbuaya (MMOV 3003), were on a routine mission with a Filipino scientific team to collect sand samples as part of a marine scientific research initiative.
by the CCG and Chinese maritime militia vessels, the Philippine scientific team was able to complete its operations in Pag-Asa Cays 1, 2, and 3.
The incident occurred within the territorial sea of the Philippines in the area of Pag-Asa Island and Pag-asa Cay 2, both of which, along with the other cays, form part of the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea.
DA-BFAR remains committed to scientific integrity, sustainable fisheries management, and the protection of national interests in the West Philippine Sea, under international and domestic law.
In a statement, the agency said BFAR vessels BRP Datu Sanday and BRP Datu Pagbuaya were on a routine mission on Wednesday with a Filipino scientific team to collect sand samples as part of a marine scientific research initiative.
“At approximately 0913H, CCG vessel 21559 water cannoned and sideswiped the BRP Datu Sanday twice, resulting in some damage to the latter’s port bow and smokestack, and putting at risk lives of its civilian personnel onboard.”
session,” he noted.
Escudero further informed Romualdez that the Senate will formally convene as an impeachment court at 9 a.m. of June 3. The Senate’s convening will serve “the purpose of issuing the summons and such other relevant orders,” according to the letter. The correspondence between Speaker Romualdez and Senate President Escudero signals the official transition of the impeachment proceedings from the House of Representatives to the Senate, which will now assume jurisdiction as the impeachment court.
Bong Go says public interest, maintaining an independent and working Senate very important
IN the wake of renewed discussions surrounding Senate leadership for the upcoming 20th Congress, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go made it clear that the primary criteria in selecting the next Senate President must be the interest of the Filipino people and the integrity and independence of the legislative institution itself.
Speaking in an ambush interview on May 21 following his visit to fire victims in Tondo, Manila, Go reminded the public that the 19th Congress remains in session until June 30 and that any leadership change is still under discussion.
By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
HE Department of Justice (DOJ) has dismissed the malicious mischief and violation of domicile complaints filed by former President Rodrigo Duterte against several high-ranking police officials in connection with the June 10, 2024 police operation at the Glory Mountain Compound in Davao City to arrest Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy for human trafficking and sexual abuse charges.
In a 14-page resolution issued signed by Assistant State Prosecutor Angelica LaygoFrancisco, the DOJ held that Duterte failed to present evidence that would prove that the respondents committed or directed the commission of the alleged crimes during the police operation to capture Quiboloy which was dubbed as “Oplan Parokya.”
“Their actions fall within the realm of lawful performance of duty and are protected by the presumption of regularity in official functions,” the DOJ said.
“Absent any overt act that constitutes an element of the crimes charged and in the absence of malice, unlawful intent or personal participation, this Office finds that no probable cause exists to warrant the indictment of the respondents,” it added.
Cleared by the DOJ were former Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., PNP chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil, Police Major General Ronald Oliver Lee, Police Brigadier General Aligre Martinez, Police Colonel Edwin Portento, Police Colonel Joselito Clarito, Police Lieutenant Colonel Lino Akiangan, Police Major General Mark Pespes and retired Police Brigadier General Ricardo Layug Jr. Duterte filed the complaint against the respondents in his capacity as the administrator of KOJC’s properties in the country.
In his complaint, Duterte claimed that a contingent of 400 armed and uniformed members of the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) conducted a police operation at the Glory Mountain compound during a scheduled devotional prayer.
The former president said the police personnel destroyed the gate of the KOJC which injured several individuals and proceeded to enter multiple residences and buildings inside the compound.
The police officers then used drones, deployed snipers and tactical equipment despite in possession only of an arrest warrant.
Some of the policemen, according to witnesses, even engaged in inappropriate conduct, including spitting and urinating within the premises, which caused psychological distress among residents, including children , women and elderly.
The operation, according to Duterte, was “excessive and unjustified” and conveyed a false impression that KOJC members were involved in criminal or terrorist activities.
Duterte charged the respondents with malicious mischief under Article 327 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) for alleged deliberate damage to the KOJC gates, which he said was unnecessary and done without a search warrant or reasonable belief that persons subject of the arrest were inside.
The complaint for violation of domicile under Article 128 of the RPC was based on the alleged unauthorized and nighttime entry into a known residential compound and the subsequent search of its premises. However, several of the respondents denied direct participation in the alleged illegal acts , noting that they were not physically present at the location of the incident.
On the other hand, those who were present argued their entry to the premises was lawful since it was made pursuant to valid warrants of arrest issued by a court.-
The fishers’ group urged the government to come up with a contingency plan for the fisherfolk who will be affected by the weather phenomenon, by tapping the P1 billion Quick Response Fund (QRF) of the Department of Agriculture (DA). The annual fund is intended to mitigate the effects of natural calamities in the agrifisheries sector.
Pamalakaya said that they are coordinating with coastal communities nationwide, including in the provinces of Samar, Bicol, Zambales, and Cavite.
The nationwide consultation is to
At approximately 09:13 a.m., the CCG vessel 21559 allegedly fired water cannons and sideswiped the BRP Datu Sanday (MMOV 3002) twice, resulting in some damage to the latter’s port bow and smokestack, and putting at risk the lives of its civilian personnel onboard.
This incident marks the first time water cannons have been used against DA-BFAR research vessels in the area of the PagAsa Cays.
Despite the aggressive interference, dangerous maneuvers, and illegal acts
According to BFAR, this marked the first time water cannons have been used against its research vessels in the area of the Pag-Asa Cays.
The agency noted that the incident occurred within the territorial sea of the Philippines in the area of Pag-Asa Island and Pag-asa Cay 2. Both form part of the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea.
The BFAR said it remains committed to scientific integrity, sustainable fisheries management, and the protection of national interests in the West Philippine Sea, in line with international and domestic law. with Ada Pelonia
Senate leaders back Marcos’ call for Cabinet resignations
CITING an urgent need to recalibrate the bureaucracy in order to satisfy people’s pressing needs and rightful expectations, Senate leaders on Thursday backed President Marcos Jr’s call for courtesy resignation of Cabinet members.
The call “highlights the need for the entire bureaucracy to recalibrate and align government initiatives with the expectations of our people,” Senate President Chiz Escudero said in a statement. Also strongly backing the President’s call were Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and comebacking Senator Panfilo Lacson.
“Earlier this week, I expressed support for the President’s call to set aside politics and focus on the needs of our people. I am thankful that he has acknowledged that there is a problem, displayed sensitivity to the sentiments of our countrymen, and humbly taken responsibility by addressing it and demanding accountability from those tasked with implementing the vital programs of the administration: the members of his Cabinet,” Escudero said in a statement.
“Calling for the courtesy resignations of his official family is a good start as it highlights the need for the entire bureaucracy to recalibrate and align government initiatives with the expectations of our people. For when government fails to meet these expectations, it is the public who suffers—and I commend the President for taking immediate action.”
“The President cannot implement government programs by himself; kailanganniyang
mapagkakatiwalaang katulong, dapat meron siyangmatinongkatuwang
“I view this revamp as a mid-game substitution—a reshuffling of key players based on their performance. But via their ballots, our countrymen told us they want more than just a personnel adjustment. The President’s course correction must include his entire political house, starting with his own backyard. He must distance himself from reckless allies who squandered his goodwill and burned through his political capital for selfish ends.
“Much more still needs to be done. Simula pa lamang ito,” says Escudero, adding: “Ang mahalaga ngayon ay magtulungan tayong lahat—hindiparasakapakanannganumang partidoopolitiko,kundiparasakapakananng atingmgakababayan.
In a separate statement, Senate President Pro Tempore Estrada said: “Cabinet members serve at the pleasure of the President. If the President deems it necessary to revamp his official family, I don’t see anything wrong with it—especially if such a move is in pursuit of assembling a leadership team that can deliver efficient, accountable, and responsive governance.
“As the Chief Executive and appointing authority, he is simply exercising his discretion as provided under the Constitution. Walaakong nakikitangdahilanparamabahalaangpubliko sadirektibangPangulo. It’s a step in the right direction, as it appears to be part of a genuine reform effort to restore the people’s trust in
our institutions.”
For his part, Senator Panfilo Lacson said that “more than recalibrating his administration by calling for the courtesy resignations of his Cabinet members, the President must exercise his ‘persuasive’ powers over Congress, especially the House of Representatives, to get rid of indiscriminate and self-aggrandizing ‘insertions’and ‘pork barrel’ in the forthcoming congressional deliberations of the 2026 budget measure.”
Lacson described the 2025 General Appropriations Act, which is the subject of a pending legal challenge, as “like a deadly virus that is choking the country to perdition.” Lacson added: “With the President taking the lead in at least tempering the insatiable greed of some legislators, I vow to do my share in helping him come up with a national budget that is truly responsive to the people’s clamor for sanity and a little timidity among the members of Congress in addressing the needs of their constituents.
“With the exception of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program [4Ps], eliminating all other forms of ‘ayuda’ and integrating them under the 4Ps in the National Expenditure Program all the way to the Enrolled Bill should be a good start. As I have consistently positedAKAP, AICS, TUPAD, MAIFIP and similar social services programs may be integrated under the 4Ps in compliance with RA 11310, which I intend to amend through a bill that I will file when I assume office as an elected Senator of the Republic.” Butch Fernandez
“Actually pinag-uusapan pa po‘yan sa ngayon.Nanditopatayosa 19th Congress, hindi pa tapos... hanggang June 30 pa po ito. So pag-uusapannamin, but we agreed na bumoboto kami as a bloc,” he said referring to his fellow Duterte-allied senators. Go clarified that no final decision has been made and emphasized that their bloc—referring to the Duterte-aligned senators—will vote together, following the majority decision within their group. However, he stressed that beyond numerical alliances, what matters is choosing a Senate President who will ensure institutional independence and service to the people. “Ang importante rito, ako susuporta, kahit sino naman po. Gusto ko magiging independent ang Senado... a working Senate.”
He continued, “A working Senate, unahin ‘yunginterest ngbayan,unahin‘yunginterest ng bawat Pilipino. ‘Yan ang magiging criteria ko sa pipiliin naming next Senate President.”
Go also pointed out that any of the 24 senators have the right to vie for the leadership post. “Karapatan naman po yan ng bawatsenador. Twenty four kami,kahitsino po sa member ng Senado sa 20th Congress aymaykarapatannatumakbobilangSenate President. So open po‘yan sa lahat.” He reiterated that their bloc intends to maintain solidarity in the decision-making process. “But kami we will vote as a bloc. Isa po ang aming suporta, nagka-isa po kami. ‘Yan po ang kasalukuyan naming pinag-uusapan.”
Go added that he and other senators are open to such discussions. “Initially nagkausap rin po kami, nagkabatian rin po during the proclamation. Open naman angaminglinyadahilmagkasamapokami noong mga nakaraang Congress.”
Asked whether any senators had already sought their support, Go confirmed, “to our group yes. Maramipapongibangnakikipagusap rin po sa amin.”
He concluded by underscoring the central principle that will guide his bloc’s decision in choosing the next Senate leader: “But we are open salahatpongpag-uusap.Bastaangcriteria namin,unahin‘yunginterest ngbayan interest ngbawatPilipinoatindependent Senate poito.” Go’s remarks echoed sentiments he expressed just days earlier during his proclamation speech on May 17 at The Tent in Manila Hotel, where he reaffirmed his commitment to genuine public service. “With all humility, I wish to be remembered not just as a senator, but as a public servant who always puts the welfare of our people first, especially the poor and the less fortunate in life. Patuloypoakong magseserbisyo sa inyo sa abot ng aking makakaya,” he said.
DoubleDragon achieves two financial milestones in Q1 2025
DoubleDragon Corporation (the “Company” “DoubleDragon” or “DD”) reports Consolidated Net Income of P2.05 Billion for the first three months ending March 31, 2025, which is a 245 perce nt increase as compared to the same period the prior year. Total consolidated revenues are up by 117 percent to P4.45 billion. Total revenues were also boosted mainly by the 69 percent increase in Hotel101 unit sales driven by Hotel101 overseas projects.
Total Equity as of March 31, 2025 stands at P102.1 billion. The Company’s Net Debtto-Equity ratio remains very healthy at 0.76x, one of the lowest D/E ratios among Philippine listed companies.
DoubleDragon’s Balance Sheet is also expected to be further solidified once the upcoming U.S. NASDAQ listing of its subsidiary Hotel101 Global is completed.
DoubleDragon Corporation has exceeded 1.4 million GFA of completed recurring revenue asset portfolio from its string of hard assets spread out in prime locations in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The Company also holds assets overseas through its subsidiary Hotel101 Global.
DoubleDragon Corporation is also one of the few companies in the Philippines with credit rating PRS Aaa (Triple A) from Philippine Rating Services Corporation, the highest rating tier by PhilRatings.
DoubleDragon’s string of titled investment properties strategically planted in prime locations spread out in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and Overseas serves as its strong underlying solid foundation.
On top of its string of diversified hard assets portfolio in the Philippines, DoubleDragon happens to be one of the few companies in the Philippines that was able to organically develop a novel and unique business model and brand in Hotel101 that is highly portable and exportable to multiple continents.
DoubleDragon in just about 10 years has completed over 1.4 million square meters
of diversified asset portfolio consisting of a chain of provincial community malls in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, office buildings in Metro Manila, hotels in the Philippines and overseas, and warehouse complexes around the country.
DoubleDragon is one of the few companies that operates its modern community malls in the countryside, as far as Cotabato City, Koronadal City, Dipolog City in Zamboanga Del Norte and Isulan Sultan Kudarat that further stimulates the countryside local economy, but at the same time enables the positive economic growth to be felt by the real provincial countryside. DoubleDragon is one of the very few companies that has commercial investment as far as Basilan Sulu in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.
DoubleDragon’s nationwide Philippine portfolio of titled hard assets footprint strategically located in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, is expected to fully mature by this year 2025.
DoubleDragon expects its Hotel101 subsidiary being an Asset-light business model to become one of the major homegrown brand and business model export to other countries that would generate a significant US Dollar inflow to the Philippine economy. Hotel101 is also expected to further elevate the globally renowned Filipino brand of hospitality to each of the country where Hotel101 eventually operates. Hotel101 Global is set to complete its first ever Hotel101 project overseas located in Madrid, Spain. The Hotel101 Global Group is currently on the ramp up towards planting its Hotel101 developments towards its nearterm goal to be in 25 countries in the next three years and towards its long-term goal of one million Hotel101 rooms in 100 countries globally.
DoubleDragon Corporation’s principal shareholders are Injap Investments Inc led by Mang Inasal Founder Edgar Injap Sia II and Honeystar Holdings Corp led by Jollibee Founder Tony Tan Caktiong.
MPA, MSU-IIT partner for energy education, innovation
As part of its commitment to equip and empower the country’s future power industry experts, Meralco Power Academy (MPA) has partnered with Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) to promote energy education and innovation. Key officials from both parties signed a memorandum of understanding at the power utility’s headquarters in Pasig City to formalize the partnership that aims to enhance capability building through the conduct of specialized learning events and training programs. These are envisioned to allow students to gain valuable industry experience through immersion and internship opportunities.
“In the past, higher education institutions and industry are moving towards different directions. The solution towards that is strengthening the collaboration of industry and academia—not only in the development of talent and workforce but even in the field of research and development,” MSU-IIT Chancellor Alizedney M. Ditucalan said. The collaboration covers a range of initiatives designed to foster innovation and research in the energy sector, including joint efforts in organizing events including the Mindanao leg of the Young Engineers
and Scientists Summit, as well as co-development of a curricula for advanced degree programs in renewable energy and nuclear science.
It will also cover professional lectures, research conferences, and laboratory collaborations that will contribute to the country’s growing pool of energy professionals.
For Meralco Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and MPA President Ronnie L. Aperocho,
an outstanding MSU alumnus himself, forging these partnerships is part of MPA’s broader mission to support the country’s energy transition.
“This collaboration is more than just an agreement— it reflects a shared vision of building a future-ready energy workforce. Together with MSU-IIT, we strive to equip aspiring engineers and scientists with the skills and knowledge to drive the Philippines toward a more sustainable energy landscape,” Aperocho concluded.
Metro Dumaguete Water Wins International Award for Energy-Saving Sustainability Innovation
METRO Dumaguete Water (MDW), a joint venture between Dumaguete City Water District and Metro Pacific Water, won a Silver Stevie® Award for Sustainability at the 12th Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards held in Seoul, South Korea on May 13, 2025. MDW earned recognition under the Saving Energy subcategory for its breakthrough initiative to produce more water using less power. This sustainability-driven innovation not only reduced electricity consumption in its operations but also improved cost efficiency—positioning MDW at par with leading international water service providers.
“This award reflects our dual commitment: to deliver safe and reliable water to Dumagueteños while advancing sustainability initiatives that protect our resources for future generations,” said Engr. Robert R. Cabiles, MDW Chief Operating Officer.
The introduction of Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) allowed for real-time adjustment of motor speeds based on actual water demand, dramatically increasing power and operational efficiency. Additionally, the award-winning solution involved the deployment of a motor protection system in MDW’s pumping stations. This included the installation of proper grounding systems, the use of correct wire and circuit breaker sizes and the application of surge protection against voltage spikes. These measures prevented equipment damage, reduced service interruptions, and ensured continuous water delivery to consumers.
“Power efficiency in water production means generating the most water while using the least electricity,” added Cabiles. “This practice has led to lower power rates, higher water yields, and significant operational cost savings.”
The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards is the only business awards program that recognizes innovation across 29 countries in the region. This year’s competition received over 1,000 nominations from public and private organizations, with winners determined by the average scores of more than 100 global business executives.
aligns with the
In its four years of operation,
has added two deep wells to help lessen the
Honda Philippines Inc. names new president, strengthens global vision
HONDA Philippines, Inc. (HPI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Takeshi Kobayashi as its new President, effective April 2025. Kobayashi brings with him a wealth of experience cultivated over more than 25 years at Honda, having held leadership roles across Japan and Europe. His deep understanding of the global motorcycle business and strong strategic insight are expected to drive HPI to new heights.
He began his career at Honda Motor Co., Ltd. in 1999 within the Human Resource Division before transitioning to Japan’s Domestic Motorcycle Sales Division. Over the years, he took on progressively senior roles across Honda’s regional and global operations. He served in the Overseas Operations Office handling a significant tenure in Europe, including key positions at Honda Motor Europe Ltd. As his career progressed, Kobayashi took on responsibilities within the Motorcycle Division’s Regional Operations for Europe. He later returned to Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
4 Cool Tipid Tips for a More Enjoyable Summer
to lead sales strategy for global motorcycle operations. Most recently, he served as Director of Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. from 2022 to early 2025, where he played a key role in this company in contributing the highest sales volume among the Global Honda Genpo in the last fiscal year. With his appointment, HPI looks forward to leveraging Kobayashi’s global experience to deepen its connection with the Filipino riding community. His leadership and expertise are expected to bring innovations that resonate with the unique needs and aspirations of the Filipino riding community, delivering mobility solutions that empower everyday journeys, uplift lives, and spark new dreams across the nation.
With a guiding force of Global Brand Slogan; Honda The Power of Dreams, How We Move you. Create, Transcend, Augment, Honda Philippines Inc. will remain committed to moving people forward and turning aspirations into reality.
As HPI moves into this exciting new chapter, it remains steadfast in its commitment to working hand-in-hand with its valued stakeholders, including government partners, suppliers, and dealers, who play a vital role in driving the company’s continued growth and impact.
Sharing his thoughts on his new role, Kobayashi stated: “I am honored to join Honda Philippines, Inc. and serve one of the most passionate motorcycle communities in the world. As we aim to exceed one million sales and production for motorcycles (combined ICE and EV) to further expand our market share, as well as enhance our Power Products Business, we will strengthen our product lineup strategy and introduce them through exciting launch concepts suitable for Filipino customers. This will be supported by effective ATL (Above-The-Line) and BTL (Below-The-Line) activities and Customer Service Operations to provide the best customer experience for Honda Motorcycle and Power Products.
Mang Inasal Founder Injap Sia and Jollibee Founder Tony Tan Caktiong, two proud Chinoy entrepreneurs, celebrated a major milestone with the Topping Off Ceremony of Hotel101-Madrid. Photo courtesy of DobleDragon FB page
In the photo are, from left, MPA Executive Director Ian Chester V. Colorina, Meralco Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Edgardo V. Carasig, Meralco Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and MPA President Ronnie L. Aperocho, MSU-IIT Chancellor Alizedney M. Ditucalan, MSU-IIT Professor Moheddin Sumagayan, and MSU-IIT Professor Noel Estoperez.
Pacquiao, officially: I’m back
By Josef Ramos
THE Manny Pacquiao-mania is back in Los Angeles and the posters on the boxing icon’s comeback fight in July against World Boxing Council welterweight champion Mario Barrios are out.
Th at’s all what is needed to confirm that, indeed, Pacquiao—a former eightdivision world titlist—is coming out of retirement at 46 years old for another shot at another championship belt. Prior to the official announcement of the fight, people are calling out his name all the time and his training here in Los Angeles has 40 to 50 people a day running with him,” International matchmaker and Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons told BusinessMirror on Thursday.
It is very phenomenal and it’s Manny Pacquiao-mania,” he added.
Pacquiao ran and lost for another shot at the Philippine Senate and pulled off a stunner when he told an Associated Press interview that he’s fighting again—Barrios on July 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. He flew to LA with his family and didn’t waste time to do his routine jog and training at the Wild Card Gym where he was reunited with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach—indications that, indeed again, Pacquiao’s serious about the fight. Pacquiao last fought and lost in August 2021 to Cuban Yordenis Ugas via unanimous decision at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas—he announced his decision to run for Philippine president after that.
G ibbons said Pacquiao (68-82 win-loss-draw record with 39 knockouts) is the obvious underdog
SBP, EASL seal partnership on ‘future’ champs
THE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) announced on Thursday its partnership with East Asia Super League (EASL) for the launch of the EASL Future Champions Philippines program.
“ We are thrilled to partner with EASL in this exciting initiative,” SBP president Al Panlilio. “Our shared vision is to nurture and develop Filipino basketball talent at every level, and this partnership allows us to create meaningful opportunities for our youth to excel.” We believe that by working together, we can significantly elevate the future of Philippine basketball,” added Panlilio, who sealed the partnership with EASL CEO Henry Kerins.
E ASL’s Future Champions program will be structured into two key components—Grassroots Program, which will focus on talent development camps and community engagement across the country, and the Elite Program, an elite track aimed at training top-tier Asian grassroots talents through world-class coaching, international exposure and comprehensive player development.
against the 30-year-old Barrios (29-21 record with 39 knockouts).
B ut that won’t be a problem, Gibbons said.
The fight is very historic. Pacquiao is making history in his whole life as an underdog many times in his career, and it is no different here,” Gibbons said.
“He feels he can compete at highest level. This is something he wanted to do since he retired to run as president of the Philippines in 2021.”
“ I’m back,” Pacquiao posted Wednesday on social media as reported by AP.
Pacquiao won 12 titles in a record eight weight classes from flyweight to super welterweight while becoming one of boxing’s biggest draws. He will be enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame on June 8.
Pacquiao previously planned to end his 26-year boxing career in 2021 when he announced his retirement after that disheartening defeat to Ugas—in what was Pacquiao’s first fight in more than two years, a younger Cuban boxer beat him by unanimous decision to retain the World Boxing Association welterweight title.
Pacquiao’s rags-to-riches life story and legendary career brought honor to his Southeast Asian nation, where he is known by the monikers “Pacman” and “People’s Champ.”
Barrios retained the belt with a draw against Abel Ramos last November. With AP
THE poster’s out on boxing icon Manny Pacquiao’s fight against reigning World Boxing Council welterweight champion Mario Barrios
The Elite Program is scheduled to commence in March 2026.
Panlilio emphasized the importance of youth development.
This initiative perfectly complements the SBP’s ongoing efforts to cultivate homegrown talent and promote the sport nationwide,” he said.
Coach Norman Black leads our Talent Identification Program and it will work as a natural feeder for the EASL’s platform,” he added. “In return, our young athletes will benefit from the transfer of knowledge that the EASL will open up.”
“ EASL’s vision for transforming youth basketball aligns seamlessly with SBP’s mission,” SBP Executive Director Erika Dy said. “We are eager to collaborate closely and contribute to shaping the next generation of Filipino basketball players, both locally and internationally.”
The partnership marks a significant step in the continued growth and development of basketball in the Philippines, ensuring that our youth are given every opportunity to succeed on the global stage.
Chicano overall champ in Jeddah
NEW YORK—Tyrese Haliburton
was sure his jumper as regulation ended was going in, then wasn’t certain it had after it bounced high off the rim and hung in the air for what felt like an eternity.
He thought it was a 3-pointer to win the game, then quickly realized it was a 2 to tie. A lot to process, followed by just one thought with overtime looming.
Then my focus just became winning it,” Haliburton said.
The Pacers did, finishing off their stunning rally by beating the New York Knicks, 138-135, in overtime Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Knicks led by 14 points with under three minutes remaining in regulation, but Aaron Nesmith brought the Pacers back with a flurry of 3-pointers.
Haliburton then hoped he had won it with another. With the Pacers down
two and time running down, he started to lose control of his dribble, regained it and dribbled back out toward the three-point line. He fired up his jumper and when it finally fell in, he raced toward the sideline and made a choke signal to the crowd , like Pacers Hall of Famer Reggie Miller did to Spike Lee while leading an Indiana comeback in a playoff game in 1994.
R eplay confirmed that Haliburton’s toe was on the line and it was a 2-pointer that tied it at 125. Andrew Nembhard eventually made the go-ahead basket with 26 seconds remaining in OT.
G ame 2 is Friday night.
H aliburton had 31 points and 11 assists. Nesmith finished with 30 points, going 8 for 9 from three-point range.
T he Pacers won a game against Milwaukee in the first round when they trailed by seven points with 40
seconds left in overtime, then stole one from top-seeded Cleveland when they were behind by seven with 46 seconds remaining in regulation.
A nother round, another comeback.
“It’s always special. It’s always fun,” Nesmith said. “This is what we live for.” AP
Games to Brisbane in 2021 I’m very excited about what Brisbane 2032 is going to do,” she said. “Not just for the region, but for Australia and for the world.” It took more than 1,000 days and at least three major concept changes before a newly elected Queensland state government settled on a comprehensive venue plan in March. That includes a new 60,000-seat stadium and an aquatics center to be built in parklands close to downtown Brisbane, as well as proposals to share events with regions outside the capital. e surprising call to host rowing in a crocodile-inhabited river in Rockhampton on the central Queensland coast has attracted concern and criticism from the public and sports administrators. eteran IOC Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi said there’s time for local organizers and sports federations to consider all options and collaborate on specifics for venues, and there’s absolutely no need to panic with seven years until the Brisbane Games.
“No one else but the federation can say the field of play is ready,” he said, noting who had the final sign-off on sports venues as the planning for the Olympics evolve. AP
SAMAHANG Basketbol ng Pilipinas
president Al Panlilio with East Asia Super League CEO Henry Kerins.
Time for maximum effort: PHL’s path to economic takeoff
DESPITE being one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, the country is still lagging behind its peers in the region. The Philippines cannot afford to be left behind and must take bold steps to achieve faster economic growth and inclusive development.
The call from the Department of Economic Planning and Development (DepDev) for the Philippines to pursue faster economic growth is both timely and necessary. Amid global uncertainties, the country cannot afford complacency if it aims to close the widening gap with its Asean neighbors. (Read the BusinessMirror story: “PHL must grow faster to keep up with regional peers,” May 15, 2025).
DepDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan’s optimism about hitting the government’s growth target of 6 to 8 percent despite challenges reflects an essential mindset. The Philippines has lagged behind regional peers like Vietnam, which ambitiously targets 8 to 10 percent growth on its path to becoming an advanced economy by mid-century. This comparison is a stark reminder that ambition, combined with focused policy action, is crucial for the Philippines not to remain an economic “cellar dweller.”
The first quarter GDP growth of 5.4 percent is a mixed bag. While respectable, it fell short of potential largely due to a widening trade deficit and sluggish export growth. The missed opportunity here is evident: if exports had kept pace with imports, growth could have reached 6.2 percent. This underscores a critical area for policy attention—improving export competitiveness and diversifying markets.
Secretary Balisacan’s emphasis on embracing free trade agreements (FTAs) and deeper regional integration is a strategic imperative. The global economy is increasingly interconnected, and the Philippines cannot isolate itself from emerging trade dynamics. Negotiating FTAs, including with major economies like the United States, could reduce tariffs and open new markets for Philippine products, thereby stimulating growth. However, ambition must be paired with pragmatism. The country’s constrained fiscal space, partly due to pandemic-era spending, limits the government’s ability to deploy large stimulus packages. This reality demands more efficient use of available resources and innovative policies that foster private sector growth, attract investments, and upgrade infrastructure.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas report provides cautious optimism. Inflation is expected to moderate, helping stabilize demand conditions. Yet, risks remain, including fluctuating commodity prices and global economic uncertainties. The appreciation of the peso, influenced by geopolitical factors such as US tariff policies, also presents a mixed impact on exporters.
Ultimately, the Philippines faces a pivotal decision. Maintaining the status quo risks continued economic underperformance relative to its neighbors. By setting bold targets, addressing structural challenges, and leveraging international trade opportunities, the country can unlock faster, more inclusive growth.
The path forward requires urgency, cooperation between government and private sectors, and a willingness to innovate. For the Philippines to realize its economic potential and improve the lives of millions, it must not only aim higher but also act decisively. Now is the time for maximum effort.
How the senatorial surveys got the results similarly wrong
FDr. Luis F. Dumlao
EAGLE WATCH
ORMER Prime Minister of Germany Angela Merkel said, “We need three things above all. First: growth. Second: growth. And third: growth. Growth isn’t everything, that’s true. But without growth everything is nothing.” Moreso, without growth, the government must choose between two remedies: either to take from the haves to give to the have nots, or to keep the have nots in misery. Only with growth can both the have nots and the haves have more. This is why the gross domestic product (GDP) growth is one of the most closely monitored data among economic analysts.
How did the analysts expect the GDP to grow? In a BusinessWorld article, nine analysts from known financial institutions and think tanks gave their forecast for the first quarter of 2025. The median forecast was 5.8 percent. It means that out of the nine, four forecasted above 5.8, four below 5.8, and the middle analyst had it at 5.8. Calculating the average among the analysts’ forecasts is also 5.8 percent. The highest forecast was 6.2 percent, and the lowest was At-
eneo Center for Economic Research and Development’s (ACERD) 5.4 percent. Naturally, most expected that the growth was going to be 5.8 percent. They did not expect the tailend forecast of 5.4 percent. But lo and behold, the actual GDP growth turned out to be 5.4 percent. The socalled consensus missed by 0.4 percent, which, in absolute peso amount, was equivalent to over P100 billion. How did the analysts get their forecasts wrong? This brings to the
How did the senatorial surveys get the results similarly wrong? One explanation, which happens in other forecasting industries, is that the surveyors are just as human and, thus, susceptible to the Theory of Mind. If a surveyor independently found that candidate Aquino was likely to win but most surveys thought otherwise, the human instinctively tweaked and moved Aquino a bit out.
fore the so-called Theory of Mind, which is also known as mindreading or mentalizing. Often, what Pedro will do depends on what Pedro thinks Juan will do. What Juan will do depends on what Juan thinks Maria will do. What Maria will do depends on what Maria thinks Pedro will do. The cycle goes.
Unfortunately, the analysts in the forecasting industry are also human and are susceptible to the Theory of Mind. If Pedro of Bank X independently calculates that GDP growth is going to be over and beyond 5.8 percent and finds that others think otherwise, he will, out of “peer pressure,” tone down his pronouncement to some-
where nearer 5.8 percent. If Maria of Bank Y independently calculates that growth is going to be way below 5.8 percent and finds that others think otherwise, she will, out of “peer pressure,” tone up her pronouncement to somewhere nearer 5.8 percent. Then, there are pretender-analysts who derive their forecasts by averaging other analysts’ forecasts. Consequently, the analysts’ forecasts end up converging. Sometimes, the forecasts converge to the right, and sometimes to the wrong. If GDP growth is one of the most watched data on the economy, the senatorial race forecasts in the recent election were the most nationally watched in politics. How did the surveys fare in comparison with the outcome of the May 12 election? According to a survey conducted in the first week of May, candidates Ben Tulfo, Binay and Revilla were in the magic 12. The same survey also said that candidates Aquino, Pangilinan and Marcoleta were out of the magic 12. As of May 15, the unofficial tally said that all those expected to be in the magic 12 were out, and those expected to be out of the magic 12 were in.
New Zealand targets investment with budget tax incentive
By Tracy Withers
NEW Zealand’s government is introducing a new tax incentive to increase business investment as it seeks to lift productivity and stoke economic growth.
Firms will be able to deduct 20 percent of the value of new assets such as machinery and buildings in the year they are purchased, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced in her annual budget Thursday in Wellington. At the same time, companies will face increased costs from changes to the KiwiSaver worker pension savings plan.
Willis wants to boost business investment to give momentum to an economy struggling to recover from a deep recession in 2024. The government, which has ruled out tax increases, is relying on economic expansion to boost revenue and eventually return the budget to surplus.
Stocks fell and the yield on policysensitive two-year bonds erased an earlier gain after the budget details were released. Economists said there were few surprises to prompt any significant rethink on monetary policy ahead of the Reserve Bank’s next decision on May 28.
“Some might focus on the stimulatory impact of tax cuts, but given that’s been paid for with lower government spending the net impact on aggregate demand is likely to be small,” said Miles Workman, senior economist at ANZ Bank in Welling-
ton. “For the RBNZ, changes to fiscal settings are unlikely to be the most significant development.”
Tax incentive
THE centerpiece of the budget was the tax incentive, titled Investment Boost, 1which will cost NZ$6.6 billion ($3.9 billion) over the four years through 2029. It is expected to add 0.4 percent to gross domestic product over the same period while also boosting wages, Willis said.
“Now is the right time to support New Zealand’s economic recovery by making it easier for businesses to invest, hire more workers, pay them better and contribute to our longterm prosperity,” Willis said. “Businesses have been knocked around by challenging local and international economic conditions. This tax incentive shows that we are backing them to succeed.”
Still, the government will also increase contribution rates to KiwiSaver to grow the pension savings of workers.
The default minimum rate payable by both employees and employers will rise to 3.5 percent of wages and salaries on April 1 next year from 3 percent currently. It will rise to 4
Firms will be able to deduct 20 percent of the value of new assets such as machinery and buildings in the year they are purchased, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced in her annual budget Thursday in Wellington. At the same time, companies will face increased costs from changes to the KiwiSaver worker pension savings plan.
percent in April 2028.
The increased contributions are expected to damp household spending and may limit wage increases, the government said. Workers can opt to retain a 3 percent contribution, it said.
The government will halve its annual contribution to each worker and will no longer make any contribution to those earning more than NZ$180,000 a year.
Wider deficits
THE Treasury Department today forecast wider budget deficits than previously projected in the December fiscal update, though it continues to see a return to surplus in 2029.
The operating balance is projected to be a NZ$12.1 billion deficit in the year ending June 2026. That compares with a NZ$10.5 billion deficit forecast in December.
The gap narrows, with the 2028 deficit seen at NZ$3.1 billion, but
that compares with a NZ$304 million deficit in the December update.
A NZ$214 million surplus is expected in 2029. Willis retains her ambition to achieve a surplus a year earlier, budget documents showed. Net debt is projected to rise to 46 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2028 from 42.7 percent in June 2025 before starting to decline. Willis reiterated she wants to get debt closer to 40 percent over time.
New Zealand’s twin fiscal and current-account deficits are weaknesses that could weigh on its credit rating, S&P Global Ratings said in a statement. Treasury today forecast the current-account deficit will narrow slowly to 2.9 percent of GDP by 2029 from 6.2 percent currently.
“Slow improvement in both figures, when coupled with tepid growth in the economy and productivity, could diminish buffers for the rating,” S&P said. The budget is delivered against a background of weaker economic growth amid uncertainty over the impact of US tariff policies on global trade. That is expected to hit government revenues. Slower growth
Trump’s research funding cuts create job drought for scientists
By Augusta Saraiva & Michael Sasso
US job openings in research and development are plunging as the Trump administration ramps up funding cuts to government agencies, private contractors and universities, leaving some of the nation’s brightest minds scrambling to find work.
Scientific research and development job postings are down 18 percent since President Donald Trump took office in January, compared to a 4 percent drop in overall vacancies in both the public and private sector, according to a report Thursday from the Indeed Hiring Lab. The decline was broad-based across the science sector, which also impacted data collection jobs and life sciences consulting.
Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce and halt scientific research funding are a blow to jobseekers interested in government-funded jobs at top-notch institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Columbia University. The funding cuts are also trickling into the private sector, with pharmaceuticals and other grant-exposed industries anticipating weaker hiring ahead.
“We’re already seeing the spillover,” said Cory Stahle, an economist at Indeed and author of the report. While science jobs constitute less than 1 percent of postings on Indeed’s job-search platform, “they carry an outsize effect because they have a pretty big social impact but also financial impact on other businesses.”
Anxiety began mounting after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled plans in late March to cut 10,000 employees from the department’s workforce. Many of its nearly 30 divisions—including the CDC, National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration—have already carried out sizable layoffs.
Since then, the Trump administration has also canceled billions of dollars in federal grants and contracts to universities including Columbia, Harvard and Northwestern, citing their handling of antisemitism and discrimination on campus. While schools are tapping into alternative forms of funding, some have also terminated positions impacted by the cuts. Down the road from the CDC, where more than 2,400 jobs have been eliminated so far, Atlanta’s Emory University froze hiring and compensation adjustments given the funding cuts.
Daniele Fallin, dean of Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health, says many of the roughly 550 students graduating with master’s and doctoral degrees are exploring taking roles at state and local health agencies, consulting firms like Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. and McKinsey & Co. as well as corporate wellness departments. Historically, many have landed at CDC and other federal agencies, she said.
“They’re concerned about their job prospects, but also just the direction of the public health policy of the country right now,” Fallin said.
Added competition
THE staff reductions at these major institutions has thrown thousands
New Zealand. . . continued from A28
Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce and halt scientific research funding are a blow to jobseekers interested in government-funded jobs at topnotch institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Columbia University. The funding cuts are also trickling into the private sector, with pharmaceuticals and other grantexposed industries anticipating weaker hiring ahead.
of experienced professionals into the job market, where scientists early in their careers are now up against steep competition in addition to scant opportunities.
That’s been the experience for Ifunanya Dibiaezue, who’s conducted research on public health—including contraceptive methods in Africa— for most of her young career. Now six months after getting her doctorate at the University of California at Berkeley, she’s still looking for a job that matches her skills.
“I don’t even know what to do,” said Dibiaezue, 32, who’s working part-time in Atlanta analyzing research reports for a journal focused on infectious diseases. Her goal is to work at the CDC. “It seems like you’re competing now with people who have so much experience.”
Traffic on the American Public Health Association’s job board— which features positions in the private and public sectors—also suggests the market is more crowded. The site’s page views have doubled so far this year compared to the same period in previous years, even though postings are down.
Private sector
THE private sector is also showing signs of weakness. The scientific R&D industry—which is home to many pharmaceutical and biomedical jobs—cut the most positions last month in more than a year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Because of the funding cuts, 18 percent of early-stage biopharma companies anticipate they will have to pause upcoming projects, and 15 percent may delay hiring and lay off staff, an industry survey found this month. German pharma giant Merck KGaA said last week demand for its drug research products is slowing as US policy uncertainty prompts biotech companies to put off new projects.
The outlook for academia isn’t great either, according to Anna Airoldi, an economist at workforce intelligence firm Revelio Labs. It may take a few months to see the impact of the funding cuts, “since the academic hiring cycle for tenure-track positions generally ramps up in the late summer and fall,” she said. With assistance from Jarrell Dillard, Janet Lorin and Sonja Wind/Bloomberg
The ruins by the Agusan River
ITito Genova Valiente ANNOTATIONS
T is said the Augustinian Recollect Missionaries arrived in the Philippines when most of the territories were already partitioned among the other religious orders who came first. Mindanao had areas scattered that were not yet reached by these Orders.
Butuan was one of these areas. And on the riverbank of the Agusan River lies one of the ruins of the early church built by the said missionaries around 1625. The church is one of the oldest stone churches in Mindanao and is found in one of the ancient settlements called Banza in the present-day Butuan.
One can reach the place by land travel; we navigated the wide and mighty Agusan River as participants in the 17th Cinema Rehiyon, a gathering of regional filmmakers from all over the archipelago. We were also at the tail end of the Balanghai Festival, which is a celebration paying tribute to the number of boats bearing the same name extant types of which were excavated in Butuan.
From the river, one sees a small structure with a pointed roof reminding you of a sturdy nipa hut, only that it is made of cement and stone. This structure is described as a replica of an older part of the church. It has a porch with post finials that finish with a cross on top. The entire building is on stilts perhaps as a response to its location, which sits very close to the river. There is, in fact, in the tour guide, a caution about how it is advisable to visit the place during the dry months. Could the place get flooded
by the nearby body of water?
Beside the stone frame towers a Balite, its old roots stretched around a more ancient form— that of the 17th-century belfry. Our guide has consistently used the word “engulfed” to describe what happened with the old form, now almost completely hidden by the relentless twisting of roots.
What did the belfry serve in those times it stood mightily on that spot?
Was it to serve as a warning against marauding pirates? Were they the Moros that once were described in chronicles?
Was this place a protection? Or was this a benediction? Was this a ground for taboos? How did it happen that an important part of the church was allowed to be swallowed by the roots of the Balite? It did not happen overnight, we suppose. There are conjectures: one of them was that the pueblo moved to another place. In other accounts,
it has been written how the Jesuits were also there. Did the expulsion of the Order in 1768 left the church to disarray?
Whatever happened, the once thriving place vanished and, in its place, is only the ruins and the marker stating how the Augustinian missionaries were once there.
Those who are sympathetic to the religion that either supplanted the foreign faith or resuscitated the old, more ancient belief could read into these ruins. They could make the conclusions how a transplanted set of ideologies could really never make deeper and substantial inroads to the heart of the indigenes
that years or constant pillaging from “pirates” or arbitrary designation of other places for shrines could actually create a gap, a fissure. In these spaces of absences or emptiness (as blindly seen by the outside force), the native can enact other rites. Or they could allow Nature to take its course, i.e., an aged tree should engulf what was seen as a sacred spot and thereby pronounce that site defeated, violated, defiled.
Giant US companies are rushing to Europe to borrow money
By Abhinav Ramnarayan & Ronan Martin
THE giants of corpo rate America from Pfizer Inc. to Alphabet Inc. are borrowing in euros like never before as the anxiety triggered by President Donald Trump’s tariff threats pushes them to hunt for alternative funding avenues in case their home market freezes up.
A record number of these so-called reverse Yankee deals have been sold this year at a total value of more than €83 billion ($94 billion), up 35 percent on 2024, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That’s nearly 14 percent of overall euro corporate issuance, the data shows.
This all comes after Trump’s tariff pronouncements sparked market mayhem in April. On Friday, Moody’s downgraded its credit rating on the US, stripping the world’s largest economy of its last triple-A rank.
For decades the US corporate bond market has been the go-to destination for money managers. But early signs are emerging that Trumpinduced dollar volatility, inflated Treasury yields and fears about the country’s debt burden are fueling a gradual reweighting toward the Old Continent. That would delight euro zone leaders desperate to bolster the bloc’s capital markets.
in Europe as well, as typified by the supply in recent days being taken down relatively easily.”
The US remains by far the most liquid market, with nearly $7.5 trillion of bonds in Bloomberg’s main index of blue-chip US company debt, and Europe is the next biggest player with €2.85 trillion of bonds. But recent gains by the euro against the dollar are adding to the bullishness.
US companies now account for more than a fifth of a Bloomberg index of euro corporate bonds. While this isn’t unprecedented—a negative deposit rate in Europe attracted many reverse Yankees in the easy money era—the percentage has increased since the start of the year to 21.9 percent.
US companies now account for more than a fifth of a Bloomberg index of euro corporate bonds. While this isn’t unprecedented— a negative deposit rate in Europe attracted many reverse Yankees in the easy money era—the percentage has increased since the start of the year to 21.9 percent.
of the names announcing transactions and the amount of cross border activity,” she adds.
Diverging interest rates—the basis for corporate borrowing costs— play a huge part in euro bonds’ attractiveness, particularly for companies with operations in Europe who don’t have to exchange back into dollars. The average yield on an index of US corporate bonds is quoted at 5.3 percent, and the European equivalent is 3.18 percent. Last month that difference was the widest in three years.
There is a lonely, broken marker at the bottom of the replica of that portion of the church. Visitors to that place could attempt to read what is written on the face of the lapidary signage. Or they could ignore it and proceed to peep through the roots that somehow left spaces into which one could see the stone body of a belfry, and even touch a part of it. From a certain angle, the Balite opens up and has created a hole. One of the visitors to the place sat for a photo, his back to that small, dark crevasse. He swore to a cold breeze that came from inside the pit created. He even regaled those who care to listen how he felt a touch, a soft chilling caress, to his back. This must be the fate of ruins: they become shrines to the terror that the past naturally offers us—forgetfulness that no faith can ever protect; historical imagination to support the death of any form of religion; passion for appearances and disappearances because those are necessary in the face of glorious regrets and guilt. Or, could this be what Borges said about how forgetting and not remembering is the thing that makes us human?
E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com
need to find extra funding abroad. This could mean yet more reverse Yankees, Hense adds.
Euro bounce
“The Treasury estimates that the tighter budget package will see interest rates being 30 basis points lower than they otherwise would have been by the end of the forecast period,” she said. “Our control of spending creates room for monetary policy to respond with lower interest rates.” Bloomberg
will be NZ$13.3 billion lower than its December projections over the period to 2029. Faced with the revenue decline, Willis needed to deliver significant cost cuts and reprioritization of existing funding to pay for new initiatives. The lion’s share of the savings came from making it harder for workers in female-dominated industries to lodge pay equity claims—seeking redress for being paid less on the basis of gender—which has reduced the amount the government needs to set aside for settlements by NZ$12.8 billion over four years. The main opposition Labour Party said the government has taken billions “that should be lifting women’s pay and used it to make its budget add up.” Willis said limiting new government spending will help the RBNZ reduce interest rates further.
“The increasing depth of the European market is a massive factor,” according to Andrew Menzies, head of debt capital markets at Societe Generale SA. Chunky deals and big issuance days used to be a feature in the US, he says, but “you see it now
Eagle Watch. . .
continued from A28
So, the outcome versus the survey results was far off. For example, Aquino was surveyed to rank 16 but ended up 2. Marcoleta was surveyed to rank 18 but ended up 6. Ben Tulfo was surveyed to rank 5 but ended up 13. Binay was surveyed to rank 7 but ended up 15.
“You cannot be faulted as a chief financial officer or treasurer to be accessing euros right now,” says Fabianna Del Canto, co-head of EMEA capital markets at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. “It’s an attractive relative cost, with low coupons in a stable environment versus risking the unknown in the US.”
“You look at screens sometimes and you don’t know if it’s the dollar market or the euro market in terms
Moreover, wrong survey results tended to be closer to each other than to the actual outcome. Comparing the survey results of two independent and competing surveyors, both said that Ben Tulfo, Binay, and Revilla were in the magic 12, while Aquino, Pangilinan, and Marcoleta were out. How did the senatorial surveys get the results similarly wrong? One explanation, which happens in other forecasting industries, is
Google’s parent Alphabet raised €6.75 billion the day after raising $5 billion in the US. It will pay a coupon of 3.375 percent for its euro bond maturing in 2037, and 4.5 percent for its dollar 2035 maturity.
“Continuously high Treasury yields, driven by high US debt and deficits, means high borrowing costs for US households and companies,” says Kaspar Hense, a fixed income portfolio manager at RBC BlueBay.
With international investments into the US slowing, companies will
ALL of this could become more pronounced as traders become confident that the euro’s rally has further to run, with demand for options that target a stronger euro around its highest point for the year. The surge in inflows from the US has helped drive overall bond issuance run out of Europe to pass the €1 trillion mark in record time. It helps that investors are able to use reverse Yankees to get access to blue-chip US corporates without having direct exposure to the dollar and Treasury movements. That’s ideal for those who expect the country to avoid a recession but still don’t want to deal with the day-to-day volatility. Some caution that the Trump turbulence may just end up being exported to Europe. The spike in reverse Yankees means the euro credit market will likely be more sensitive to US politics, Bank of America strategists led by Barnaby Martin wrote in a note earlier this month. For others, they still offer some value. “I prefer reverse Yankees to US dollar-denominated bonds because I’d rather own German Bunds than US Treasuries,” says Gordon Shannon, a portfolio manager at TwentyFour Asset Management. “For now I think the govvies might be the biggest sources of volatility in corporate bonds.” Bloomberg
that the surveyors are just as human and, thus, susceptible to the Theory of Mind. If a surveyor independently found that candidate Aquino was likely to win but most surveys thought otherwise, the human instinctively tweaked and moved Aquino a bit out. If another analyst independently found that candidate Revilla was likely to lose but most surveys thought otherwise, the human instinctively tweaked and moved Revilla a bit in. Then, there were pretender-analysts in the survey industry who derived their surveys from averaging independent surveys. The survey results ended up converging, and in this case, they converged to the wrong.
Dr. Luis F. Dumlao is Ateneo de Manila’s recipient of the
BusinessMirror
Friday, May 23, 2025 DIVE TOURISM EARNS P73B FOR PHL IN 2023
Comelec: No ‘illegal server’ in poll result transmissions
By Bless Aubrey Ogerio @blessogerio
ALLvote transmissions from precinct-level counting machines to central servers were made directly, in real-time and without passing through any unauthorized or intermediary systems, according to the Commission on Elections.
In a statement, the Comelec stressed that Election Returns (ERs) and Certificates of Canvass (COCs) from the Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) and Consolidation and Canvassing System (CCS) were simultaneously received by all five designated Transparency Servers, with no discrepancies in data.
“Now that all the transmission and server logs have been duly posted and made public at the Comelec website, these ultimately prove that all the transmissions from all Automated Counting Machines and Consolidation and Canvassing System have been received directly, real-time, by all the five Transparency Servers,” Comelec said.
It added, “[It] was duly reflected in all said five Transparency Servers, visible and known to their respective IT Staff, manning their own stations; and the ERs and COCs are similar to each other, without any discrepancy, and received by all 5
transparency servers at the same time.”
Comelec clarified that Data Center 3, located in Ayala Circuit in Makati, was not a server, but a secure facility housing the independent Transparency Servers of five accredited entities, such as the Dominant Majority Party, the Dominant Minority Party, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) and media organizations.
Likewise, Data Centers 1 and 2, located in ePLDT’s Vitro Data Centers in Makati and Parañaque, host the Comelec’s central and backup servers, not intermediary systems.
Addressing concerns over delays in the release of consolidated results, the Comelec explained that transmission times varied due to manual steps conducted at the precinct level, such as the closing of polls, printing of ERs and initiation
of transmission by Electoral Boards.
The Comelec also rejected allegations that it conducted unauthorized result consolidation at Data Center 3.
“The five servers located at Data Center 3 were not designed to consolidate results,” the poll body stated in Filipino. “They are built specifically to receive ERs and COCs directly, automatically, and in real time—with no need for any intermediary.”
On reports that some Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) did not reflect voters’ actual selec-
tions or showed signs of pre-shading, the Comelec urged affected voters to file formal, sworn complaints before their respective Electoral Boards.
If the voter does not submit a sworn protest, it means they are effectively acknowledging their vote as valid, Comelec explained. Meanwhile, as the use of software version 3.5.0 on the ACMs was critiqued for not undergoing the required Local Source Code Review or third-party certification, the Comelec said that version 3.5.0 is the certified
See “Comelec,” A2
OPENING THE GATES TO GLOBAL FLAVORS Senator Mark Villar, Citem Executive Director Leah Pulido Ocampo, DTI Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque, Philexport President Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., and Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, together with officials from Citem and Philexport, lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of IFEX Philippines—an international trade show for food, beverages, and ingredients—held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. ROY DOMINGO
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo Special to the BusinessMirror
DIVE tourism continues to contribute significantly to the growth of the Philippines’s tourism industry, cementing its reputation as a leading dive destination in Asia.
In a news statement, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles said, “Dive tourism contributed over P73 billion to the Philippine economy in 2023, nearly double the P37 billion recorded in 2022. The country now boasts around 120 dive destinations, including emerging sites that offer both adventure and ecological richness.”
To support the growing demand, she said, the Philippines is also expanding its network of hyperbaric chambers in key dive locations including Boracay, Camiguin, Dumaguete, Puerto Galera, and Daanbantayan in Cebu. Four of them will be procured at a cost of P10.4 million each and will be funded from this year’s budget of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority. (See, “Tieza board approves P5.3 billion budget to fund infra, GAA projects,” in the BusinessMirror, May 20, 2025.)
Nograles made this statement as stakeholders managed to generate close to P280 million in sales leads from two recent dive expos. TPB, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), led exhibitors to the Korea Underwater Sports Expo (Kuspo) 2025 in Seoul in March,
and the Asia Dive Expo (ADEX) 2025 in Singapore in April.
Keeping Koreans interested AT Kuspo 2025, TPB highlighted the country’s premier dive destinations in Cebu, Batangas, Puerto Galera, Bohol, and Negros Oriental. Industry professionals connected with dive enthusiasts at the Philippine Booth, which offered special travel and dive deals along with a special presentation into diving in the Philippines, said the government firm.
“South Korea has always had a deep appreciation for the ocean and the experiences it offers,” said Nograles. “At Kuspo, we did not just promote destinations, we built connections with Korean travelers who seek meaning, thrill, and sustainability in their journeys. The growing interest from the Korean market is both an affirmation of our world-class dive sites and a challenge to us to continue elevating standards, inclusivity, and environmental responsibility in every experience we offer,” she underscored. Last year, some 1.6 million South Korean tourists arrived in the Philippines, 8.15 percent higher than in 2023. Last year’s arrivals, however, were 19.6 percent less than in prepandemic 2019. Marketing studies show that many South Korean tourists prefer nature activities like scuba diving, and food trips. Meanwhile, in Singapore, Asia’s longest-running and largest dive expo, Adex, attracted close to 50,000 trade and consumer participants this year.
See “Dive,” A24
Editor: Jennifer A. Ng
STI 9-month income rises
45% on higher enrollment AbaCore Capital swings to profit in Jan-March
By VG Cabuag n @villygc
STI Education Systems Holdings
Inc., owner of the country’s largest network of private schools, on Thursday said its net income during its fiscal nine months ending March 31 jumped by 45 percent to P1.6 billion from P1.1 billion in the same period last year.
The company said the significant net income hike was mainly driven by higher enrollment numbers due to the strong demand for the education offered by subsidiaries STI Education Services Group, STI West Negros University (WNU) and iACADEMY.
In the three quarters from July 2024 to March 2025, revenues rose 23 percent to P4.13 billion, from P3.35 billion in the same period the year before.
ABACORE Capital Holdings Inc. (ABA) on Thursday said it turned around its operations in the first quarter, when it posted a net income of P107.3 million, a reversal of the net loss of P15.3 million it recorded in the previous year.
Revenues surged 1,122 percent to P142.45 million from the previous year’s P11.65 million. The company said it booked a gain of
Expenses for the first quarter grew to P33.1 million from the previous year’s P25.4 million, due to adjustments in government-mandated benefits to employees together with higher costs for office supplies and fuel consumption.
Revenues grew 8 percent to P1.5 billion, higher than the P1.39 billion posted in the same period in 2024.
STI attributed this growth to the expansion of the student population to 138,060 in school year 2024-2025, 15 percent higher than the enrollment of 119,543 in the previous school year.
In SY 2024-2025, the total number of new students reached
For its fiscal third quarter alone, net income went up by 18 percent to P706.62 million from the P600.29 million recorded the prior year.
55,052, almost at par with the number of new student enrollees reported for SY 2023-2024.
“Furthermore, enrollment in programs regulated by CHED [Commission on Higher Education] registered an impressive 20-percent increase to more than 100,000 students compared to more than 83,000 enrollees in SY 2023-2024,” the company said.
STI also implemented an average of a 5-percent increase in its tuition for incoming tertiary students for SY 2024-2025 while WNU implemented an average of a
7- percent increase in tuition and other school fees for new students across all levels, further contributing to the revenue growth.
Operating income for the three months ended March 31 reached P774.4 million, growing 18 percent from last year’s P658.8 million in the same period, buoyed by improved operational performance and effective cost management, it said.
STI financial year aligns with its academic calendar, which begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following year.
“ABA’s
investment and land portfolio, allowing us to take advantage of prevailing market conditions to maximize our profitability,” Antonio Victoriano F. Gregorio III, the company’s president, said.
“We will continue to pursue this strategy over the long term, as well as pursuing our expansion plans across our various subsidiaries to increase our bottomline and continuously enhance shareholder value.
The company’s expansion plans include the construction of a resort and villa complex, waterpark, snow and ice world and the marine biodiversity center at the Montemaria Shrine; the implementation of its coal-mining project under its subsidiary Abacoal and the development of the ABA Energy Hub in Batangas City. The company said it is also awaiting the consummation of existing land transactions with entities such as A. Brown, Pelican Group and Eternal Gardens, the enhancement of its financial-services portfolio under its subsidiary Philippine Regional Development Corp. and the development of its properties in Lipa, Batangas and Silang, Cavite, either on its own or with joint-venture partners. ABA is a holding company with interests in the leasing of gaming equipment, gold and coal mining, real estate and financial services. VG Cabuag
Companies
NGCP transmission projects get ERC nod
TBy Lenie Lectura @llectura
HE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has given its green light to two big-ticket transmission projects of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) worth P32 billion.
The proposed Western Luzon 500-kilovolt (kV) backbone project (stage 2) will cost P18,823,721,311.12 while the Nagsaag-Santiago 500kV transmission line project is valued at P13,203,375,212.37. These two forms part of NGCP’s application for approval of capital expenditure projects for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (Group3) from 2020-2025 and beyond, with prayer for the issuance of provisional authority.
“After careful deliberation, the commission resolved to approve…subject to optimization based on its actual use and verified expenses incurred, based on official receipts, during the reset process for the subsequent regulatory period, following the procedures stated in the rules in setting the transmission wheeling rates and other relevant issuances of the Commission,” the ERC said.
However, the ERC said the Western Luzon 500-kV backbone project (stage 2) must be completed on or before
October 31, 2027 while the NagsaagSantiago 500-kV transmission line should be ready on or before November 30, 2030.
The NGCP is in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s state-owned power grid, an interconnected system that transmits gigawatts of power at thousands of volts from where it is made to where it is needed.
Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp. and Calaca High Power Corp. each hold 30 percent of the outstanding capital stock of NGCP, whereas the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) holds a minority share of 40 percent. NGCP had appealed to newly elected local government officials to support the development of transmission projects.
The grid operator said the timely issuance of permits and assistance on right-of-way (RoW) disputes will help avoid delays in the implementation of critical transmission projects.
“We always work with the view of implementing projects in a timely manner. But having said that, I will renew my call for support for NGCP’s infrastructure projects in terms of rightof-way. Landowners… I hope they will negotiate with us in good faith.
“Because that’s what I promised, that we will negotiate in good faith. We are also talking to all the newly elected local government executives who I hope will support our initiatives, especially in their localities, in terms of the timely issuance of permits,” said NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza.
Another key component to NGCP’s project schedule is the ERC. “And of course, we hope for the continued issuances of the required regulatory ap -
provals,” added Alabanza.
The NGCP could not proceed to fully implement a transmission project without the green light of its proposed capital expenditure (capex) projects.
“What we have noticed is that in the last 24 months or so, they have been issuing a lot of projects,” Alabanza said, referring to ERC approvals.
“But last time I checked, we still have more than 100 pending applications. So maybe they are issuing them little by little, but they are issuing them simultaneously…But we really have a lot of projects. There’s a lot of traffic because it’s like a bottleneck. Every year, we have projects that need to be carried out, and not all of them are given timely approval.”
Taiheiyo plant to open in ‘26
By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
TOKYO-BASED Taiheiyo Cement Corp.’s P3.72-billion Luzon Distribution Terminal, which can supply up to 700,000 metric tons of cement to Luzon annually, will begin operations in early 2026, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
During Trade and Industry Secretary
Cristina A. Roque’s meeting with the senior executives of Taiheiyo Cement last May 19 in Tokyo, the agency said in a statement that a key highlight of the discussion was the Tokyo-based cement firm’s ongoing construction of Luzon Distribution Terminal in Calaca City, Batangas.
Dita Angara-Mathay, DTI’s commercial counselor in Tokyo, said Luzon is the country’s largest market for construction materials, accounting for approximately 60 to 70 percent of the Philippines’s total cement demand.
“Ensuring stable cement supply here directly supports the Philippines’s infrastructure and economic growth priorities,” said Angara-Mathay. As part of its strategy to support sustainable infrastructure, Taiheiyo will utilize this terminal to distribute blended cement.
According to DTI, this type of cement is a “more environmentally friendly alternative” that uses industrial by-products like fly ash, slag, or pozzolana to reduce carbon emissions and promote circularity in construction.
Taiheiyo said the shift to blended cement is not only a response to the rising market demand, but also as part of its “broader” carbon reduction roadmap.
Taiheiyo Cement Philippines Inc, the group’s local subsidiary based in Cebu, currently operates at a production capacity of 3 million tons annually, the DTI noted. Its Cebu plant aims to increase output to 5 million tons and secure a 10-percent market share by 2030.
“The company is also investing in sustainability initiatives and community support programs, including local scholarships and health services.”
Nike returns to online store of Amazon as direct vendor
NIKE Inc. is returning to Amazon.com Inc.’s online store after leaving it in 2019, part of efforts by the world’s largest sportswear company to renew growth and mend ties with key wholesale partners.
Shares of Nike jumped as much as 4.2 percent in late trading in New York, following an earlier report from the Information. Amazon stock was little changed. The return to Amazon is part of Nike Chief Executive Officer Elliott Hill’s push to revive relationships
with retail partners since he came out of retirement to lead the company. He has pledged to maintain an “unwavering commitment” to Nike’s wholesalers, which include stores such as Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. and Foot Locker Inc. His predecessor abandoned some retail partners in a bid to boost Nike’s own sales channels, but that moved backfired and contributed to a sales slump.
“Nike is investing in our marketplace to ensure we’re offering the right products, best services, and tailored experiences to consumers
wherever and however they choose to shop,” a Nike spokesperson said. “This includes expanding to new digital accounts, including Amazon in the US.” The company is also expanding its brick-and-mortar relationships and improving its online tools, Nike said.
Independent merchants have sold Nike products on Amazon in recent years, but those goods didn’t come directly from Nike.
Amazon said that it “will soon begin sourcing a much wider range of Nike products directly to expand our selection for US customers.” The
company is giving independent vendors “an extended period of time” to sell off overlapping items.
Amazon has long had a tense relationship with brands who have said it doesn’t do enough to prevent counterfeits and dupes from being sold on the site. The e-commerce company also frightened some brands by developing its own line of private label goods that compete with their products. Pulling merchandise off of Amazon is a risky move since many shoppers use its search engines to quickly find and buy what they need. Brands not present on Amazon can lose business to competitors whose products appear as substitutions in those search results. Amazon captures about 40 percent of all online spending in the US, according to EMarketer Inc.
For years, the only Nike products sold on Amazon were gray-market items—and counterfeits—sold by
others. Nike had little control over how they were listed, what information about the products was available and whether they were even real. That changed in 2017, when Nike joined Amazon’s brand registry program. Executives hoped the move would give them more control over Nike goods sold on the e-commerce site, more data on their customers and added power to remove fake Nike listings.
The news of that Amazon tie-up, which Nike executives called a “small pilot,” sent shoe-retailer stocks tumbling and left many wondering if other major Amazon holdouts would quickly follow.
But Nike reportedly struggled to control the Amazon marketplace. Third-party sellers whose listings were removed simply popped up under a different name. Plus, the official Nike products had fewer reviews and therefore received worse positioning on the site. Bloomberg News
Walmart eliminates about 1,500 jobs
WALMART Inc. is cutting corporate staff in the company’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, and other offices, people familiar with the matter said, as the world’s biggest retailer looks to trim costs and contends with economic volatility.
The company is eliminating some jobs on its global technology team, according to people with knowledge of the layoffs who weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the matter. Less than 1,500 employees are affected, one of the people said.
Changes are aimed at accelerating decision-making and reducing complexities, Chief Technology Officer Suresh Kumar and Walmart US Chief Executive Officer John Furner wrote in a memo viewed by Bloomberg News. In addition to eliminating some roles, Walmart is creating new positions, they said.
The company is simplifying the tech team’s structure to move faster and adapt more effectively, according to the memo, and Walmart US staffing changes are aimed at creating more efficiency.
“Today, store fulfillment is a complicated process with multiple points of contact. This creates friction,” Cedric Clark, executive vice president
of store operations at Walmart US, said in a separate memo, adding that removing friction around digital orders will help customers. Walmart is making changes to some roles running these orders.
The company is also changing the structure of the advertising business, Kumar and Furner said.
A Walmart spokeswoman said the changes reflect the company’s growth strategies and are not related to tariffs, declining to comment further. The shares were little changed in late trading in New York. The stock has risen 6.7 percent this year through Wednesday’s close, outperforming the S&P 500 Index.
The downsizing follows a reorganization in February, when Walmart cut some jobs and asked employees to move to central offices in Arkansas and California. The company has about 1.6 million US employees, making it the largest private employer in the country.
Walmart has performed better than its competitors in recent quarters but warned that prices are poised to rise due to higher tariffs. Those remarks drew the ire of President Donald Trump over the weekend. Bloomberg News
Editor: Dennis D. Estopace
Govt tweaks budget to reduce cost of business amid tight fiscal space
By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario
THE national government is maximizing its budget to address development constraints and bring down the cost of doing business as the country’s fiscal space continues to narrow.
This was according to Department of Economic Planning and Development (DepDev) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan who spoke at a forum last Thursday.
Balisacan said that while the narrow fiscal space was part of the “legacy” of Covid-19 on the economy, efforts must be done to maximize existing resources.
“Budgetary resources are limited, yet many development priorities exist. Responding to the megatrends while sustaining growth and building resilience requires careful balancing,” Balisacan said. “It calls for strategic resource allocation towards interventions that will generate the most significant impact for every peso on the national budget.”
Maximizing the national budget, the DepDev chief said, means enhancing the efficiency and quality of government interventions. Efforts to focus on healthcare and education as well as social protection are crucial, he added.
Balisacan said that between the years 2025 and 2035, the country’s dependency ratio could decline to 31 dependents per a hundred working-age individuals from the current 33 out of a hundred.
The government’s Chief Economist added that as this development happens , 10 percent of the population is expected to be 60 and above by the end of this year. This will rise to 12 percent by 2035.
“This dual trend means that we
must work fast so that we do not miss this window of opportunity. To fully harness this demographic dividend and boost annual economic growth for the next few decades, sustained investments in education, healthcare, social protection, and supporting infrastructure are crucial. These will ensure a skilled, healthy, productive workforce that drives long-term growth and inclusive development,” Balisacan said.
Crucial concerns
THE national government’s budget, he added, should focus on supporting food security policies, programs and investments to ensure that nutritious food is available, accessible and affordable to Filipinos.
The state’s development chief said this is a concern given the threat of climate risks on the economy, particularly food systems. This will help the country build resilience and sustain the economy’s growth.
Investing in food is also crucial in ensuring the quality of human capital, which Balisacan said, is one of the structural factors that can increase total factor productivity and sustain economic growth.
The government aims to reduce stunting to below 20 percent in the medium term as part of its efforts to address the triple burden of malnutrition, according to the Philippine Development Plan (PDP).
The Marcos administration
aims to bring down the prevalence of stunting among children under five years of age to 25.2 percent this year; 23.8 percent in 2024; 22.3 percent, 2025; 20.8 percent, 2026; 19.4 percent in 2027; and 17.9 percent in 2028. The baseline in 2021 was pegged at 26.7 percent.
Agriculture, food
THE triple burden of malnutrition, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), included undernutrition, overweight and obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies.
Wasting and stunting does not only compromise the health of Filipinos but also their ability to excel in school and potential to earn a decent living in the future. Obesity, meanwhile, makes children susceptible to diseases.
The government aims to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition or wasting for children under five years from 5.5 percent in 2021 to 5.3 percent this year; 5.1 percent in 2024; 4.9 percent, 2025; 4.7 percent, 2026; 4.5 percent, 2027; and 4.3 percent in 2028.
Overall, the PDP stated that it aims to increase the proportion of households meeting 100 percent recommended energy intake from the 21.8 percent baseline in 2018-2019.
The government aims to increase this to 25.2 percent this year; 23.8 percent in 2024; 22.3 percent, 2025; 20.8 percent, 2026; 19.4 percent, 2027; and 17.9 percent in 2028.
“Raising productivity over the medium to long term is fundamental. This requires focusing on health and education, facilitating innovation by linking our MSMEs to global value chains, strengthening academe-industry-government linkages, and attracting global brands and talent while leveraging our migrant networks of worldclass scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs,” Balisacan said.
Infrastructure initiatives
THE country’s Chief Economist also
cited the need to focus on investing in high-impact and game-changing connectivity infrastructure to help reduce the cost of doing business in the country.
This, he said, will significantly raise the overall productivity of economic sectors as well as create higher-quality jobs.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the number of employed persons in March 2025 was recorded at 48.02 million. This was lower than the number of employed persons in March 2024 and February 2025, both at 49.15 million.
The data also showed 6.44 million of the 48.02 million employed individuals expressed the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have additional job, or to have a new job with longer hours of work in March 2025.
“We must reduce the cost of doing business by removing bottlenecks to efficiently deliver public infrastructure, cutting red tape, improving tax compliance, accelerating the digitalization of public services, and minimizing opportunities for corruption,” Balisacan said.
Earlier, the House of Representatives think tank said the national government is unlikely to achieve its tax revenue target this year as rising debt servicing costs threaten to erode fiscal space further.
According to a discussion paper by the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD), weaker growth prospects and a standing moratorium on new taxes could hinder the government’s efforts to hit its tax revenue growth targets.
The government aims to collect P4.332 trillion in tax revenues in 2025, while the Cabinetlevel Development Budget and Coordination Committee (DBCC) has set the total revenue target at P4.644 trillion this year (See: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2025/05/21/rising-phl-debtservice-to-erode-fiscal-space/ ).
President closely monitoring budget deliberations–Palace
By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla
MALACAÑANG said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will only closely monitor and not personally attend the Bicameral Conference for the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Palace Press Officer Clarissa
“Claire” A .Castro issued the clarification as lawmakers flagged as unconstitutional if the chief executive is present during deliberations by the legislative branch.
“Literally, he will definitely not sit during the Bicam meeting. This is just an expression to show to the people that he will keep an eye on the national budget for 2026,” Castro said during a news briefing last Thursday.
The President, she said, wants to make sure that the provisions of the 2026 GAA will be in line with the priorities of his administration.
Senate Deputy Minority Leader Ana Theresia “Risa” N. Hontiveros was one of those who opposed the presence of Marcos in the bicameral conference. Hontiveros claims Marcos’s presence can violate lawmakers’ independence in crafting the national budget.
Last January, Marcos called for the comprehensive review of the 2025 GAA before he signed it into law, saying it left many funding gaps in his “legacy projects.” Among the provisions of the 2025 GAA, which drew the President’s concern included the significant reduction of the approved budget of the Department of Education from what was proposed by the Executive department. Marcos also took issue with the Congressional insertions in the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Marcos vetoed almost P200-billion worth of items in the P6.352trillion 2025 GAA.
“The budget should be based on the priorities of the government and it should prioritize the shovelready projects of the government,” Castro added.
DEBT PLAN Residential buildings under construction at Country Garden Holdings Co.’s Century Center development in Foshan. Chinese developer Country Garden Holdings Co. has secured backing from nearly 75 percent of bondholders for its offshore restructuring, according to people familiar with the matter, ahead of a liquidation hearing next week. The company needs the support of creditors holding three-quarters of all debt as well as majorities of individual groups of debt holders to pass the plan through a “scheme of arrangement” procedure in Hong Kong. While it is close to securing that level from bondholders alone, so far a key group of bank creditors, known as the co-ordination committee, hasn’t signed on to the plan, the people added. PHOTOGRAPHER: QILAI SHEN/BLOOMBERG
Banking&Finance
Lender eyes ₧200B from fixed-rate bonds issue
By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario
THE Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) intends to raise P200 billion from its bond and commercial paper program.
Its disclosure to the local bourse read that the lender plans to use the proceeds from the fixed rate peso-denominated bonds to support asset growth and refinance maturing liabilities and other general funding purposes.
RCBC raised an aggregate of P86.8 billion under the program since 2019, with the last offering completed in February 2022 amounting to P14.8 billion.
“[The proceeds] may even include the financing or refinancing of new or existing sustainable projects as defined under, and consistent with the bank’s sustainable finance framework (SFF),” according to the lender.
Under its program, RCBC said it may, from time to time, offer, issue and sell the remaining balance of unissued unsecured and unsubordinated peso-denominated bonds.
These bonds will be issued in such form,
amount, tenor, number of tranches, at such interest rate, and under such other terms and conditions as the Bank may subsequently determine or approve.
Terms and timetable regarding each issuance or each tranche shall be disclosed at the appropriate time and subject to final management determination, market, and other conditions.
In January, RCBC tapped the US debt market and raised $350 million from the sale of its sustainability bonds. The 5-year Senior Unsecured Fixed Rate Sustainability Bonds will be listed on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited, similar to the Bank’s other two outstanding USD-denominated bonds. The bonds will be issued via a drawdown under its $4-billion medium term note program. The motes, rated Baa3 by Moody’s, are issued under the SFF of RCBC.
A cut above the rest
GROWING up, my grandmother used to advise that I should be a “cut above the rest.” I neither understood nor appreciated this mantra until I entered the workforce.
zational culture where members feel valued and supported. Encourage teamwork, open communication, and a sense of shared purpose.
“A cut above the rest” describes something or someone that is superior or of a higher quality compared to others in the same category. It implies that the person, thing, or idea being referred to stands out because it is better, more exceptional, or more advanced than the average or competing options.
Every organization, including associations, aspires to be a “cut above the rest.” This involves a strategic and comprehensive approach to enhance various aspects of the organization. Here are key steps and considerations to elevate an association to a level of excellence:
1. Define a clear vision and mission. Develop a clear and compelling vision and mission statement that reflects the association’s purpose, values, and long-term goals. This provides a guiding framework for all activities and initiatives.
2. Demonstrate leadership. Foster strong and visionary leadership within the association. Leaders should inspire and guide members, champion innovation, and effectively navigate challenges.
3. Set high standards of quality. Establish and maintain high standards of quality across all aspects of the association, including programs, services, events, and communication.
4. Encourage innovation. Promote a culture of innovation by encouraging new ideas, creative problem solving, and a willingness to explore new approaches.
5. Focus on member engagement. Prioritize member engagement by offering valuable benefits, creating interactive events, and providing opportunities for collaboration and networking.
6. Invest in professional development. Offer robust professional development programs, workshops, and resources to empower members with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in their respective fields.
7. Build a positive organizational culture. Cultivate a positive and inclusive organi-
8. Recognize and reward contributions. Acknowledge and celebrate the achievements and contributions of members. Implement recognition programs, awards, and honorary memberships to highlight outstanding individuals or entities.
9. Consider strategic partnerships. Form strategic partnerships and collaborations with other organizations, industry leaders, or relevant stakeholders.
10. Undertake effective communication. Communicate transparently and effectively with members. Keep them informed about association activities, initiatives, and the impact of their involvement. Utilize various communication channels to reach a diverse audience.
11. Invest in technology. Leverage technology to streamline processes, enhance member experiences, and stay ahead in a digital age. Implement user-friendly platforms for communication, event management, and member engagement.
12. Do continuous evaluation and improvement. Regularly assess the association’s performance, gather feedback from members, and use data-driven insights to identify areas for improvement. Establish a culture of continuous improvement to adapt to changing needs.
13. Adhere to ethical standards. Uphold and promote ethical standards within the association. Integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct contribute to building trust among members and stakeholders.
14. Foster advocacy and thought leadership. Engage in advocacy efforts and establish the association as a thought leader in its field. Actively participate in discussions, contribute to research, and shape the industry’s narrative.
Octavio
Octavio Peralta
A ssociation World
Earlybirds club
THE other day I came across an Instagram post about Generation-X women going out dancing at clubs across the US, Vancouver, Dubai, and Mumbai. The difference being, they start grooving at 6 pm, then leave for home at 10 pm, just when the younger adults are going off to party.
As someone who belongs to that generation, I thought this was a genius idea. In my youth, dancing was among the fun activities my friends and I would indulge in. And, yes, the dance tunes at the tailend of the 1970s to the 1980s and 1990s are still the best!
We would shake our groove thang to Wang Chung’s “Dance Hall Days,” pretend we were still young and sweet, and only 17 to Abba’s “Dancing Queen,” then end the night with Donna Summer’s “Last Dance.” To keep hydrated, we would down lots of alcoholic bevvies (the men and their Pale Pilsens, and the women with Super Dries or vodka tonics), and go home almost passed out drunk.
Then people started getting married, having kids, or moved up in their careers that required us to be more serious and focused. The frenzied fun dancing gave way to listening to music and quiet conversations in jazz clubs (usually for networking), or quick lunches with each other, maybe a get-together on a weekend. But by the time one reaches his or her 40s, priorities can change and suddenly it’s more difficult to sync everyone’s calendars.
Eugenia Last
used to a certain sleep schedule. They’d like to be in bed by 10 pm, then wake up at 6 the next morning to start preparing for work.
Then people are in their 50s or 60s, and many have kids in college or starting their lives as empty-nesters. Their kids are at an age when the latter are now the ones asking/wondering/badgering parents about their elders’ locations.
On the upside, it’s at this age where my friends and I are now, that we are able to take three-hour lunches without guilt. Or we go to dinners at 6 pm, so we can get home by 10 pm. Most are eager to settle in bed to get back to their favorite Korean telenovelas, or the new crime or medical show on their streaming subscriptions. (Personally, I just want to get home early for safety concerns. “Iba na ang panahon ngayon,” as the old folks used to say. Damn. I now sound more lola than my Lola.)
Or perhaps one particular friend just wants to sleep. By 9 to 9:30 pm, he or she will try to stifle a yawn at the dining table (or become overtly obvious about it), not because they’re bored with the discussion—because our rambunctious lot always has lively, spirited conversations—but because they’re
(I’d like to say the friend is eager to go to the gym or start exercising at the break of dawn but among my friends, “exercise” is a foreign word. OK, maybe one or two will get up early to play golf, but that’s probably because there’s a friendly match with prizes involved.)
While I love the three-hour lunches or early dinners with friends, I do miss the dancing. Not only was it fun, but it was a great form of exercise. No wonder my friends and I were all slim and svelte then. Hahaha.
So these Earlybirds Club parties is a fantastic idea. No need to hop from one club to another from 9 pm to 4 am, like we did back in the day, but just stay in one place and shake our booties for four hours to nostalgic hits. (“Come on, vogue! Let your body move to the music, hey, hey, hey!”)
According to a few published reports about this Gen-X phenomenon, the Earlybirds parties are mainly attended by women and gay men. Started by two women besties—Laura Baginski and Susie Lee in Chicago—the Earlybirds are parties “by women for women.” Dancing is just the object of the activity, not dating. Straight men are politely turned away. (Awww, too bad!) But seriously, the Earlybirds are
supposed to be a safe way to party; there are no creeps looking to drop a roofie in any woman’s drink. In fact, some women may not choose to drink alcohol at all (“because women have sh** to do the next morning,” says the Earlybirds web site).
Nostalgia also brings a whole other level of fun to these parties. Baginski and Lee talk about how people will go all out and even don vintage dresses—usually the fashion rage of their days—or the blue eyeshadow and the big hair, when they attend these parties. And for many, it’s just a way for middle-aged women (and their gay best friends) to regain the mental health balance they may have lost, perhaps due to the flurry of career and family pressures, or even illness. For Beth Weinmann, a cancer survivor who is a full-time caretaker of an autistic child, attending Earlybirds gives her the opportunity “to leave all of that at the door for few hours, and go home feeling a bit lighter and more free,” tinyurl.com/ y8we9y7h.
To be able to dance, sing (or scream!) and be free, even for just a slice of a moment in one’s day, is welcome therapy. Women always strive to take care others—their spouse, kids, aging parents—it’s now time to take care and create joy for ourselves. I’m crossing my fingers this trend catches on here in Manila. Time to party, ladies! (But only ‘til 10 pm.) ■
23-Sept. 22): Ask questions, attend talks and stay informed. Knowledge is the fastest way to get ahead. Whether starting something new or investing in yourself, staying on top of trends will help you make better choices. Don’t be afraid to change your mind and walk away when in doubt. ★★★
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Put your energy to good use and tidy up unfinished business. Fixing up your surroundings or preparing for something you want to pursue or an event you wish to host will lift your spirits. Partnerships with unique individuals will offer mental stimulation.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Mixing business with pleasure will encourage better work relationships and help you push your agenda forward. Your connection with someone will change your perspective regarding your lifestyle and your next move. Focus on dialogue that will bring about positive change. ★★
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Put some thought into creative endeavors and physical work into maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Share your feelings regarding shared expenses and responsibilities with those close to you. The opportunity to bring about change is apparent, but uncertainty will hold you back if you aren’t willing to make the first move. Romance is favored. ★★★★★
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): It’s best to observe, listen and analyze situations from a distance. There is a hidden agenda that may not be that simple. Gather information, consider the possibilities and initiate changes that suit your needs. Refuse to get trapped in someone else’s dream when you have your own goals to conquer. ★★★
KRISPY Kreme has joined hands with Disney for a cosmically cute new series of doughnut designs, inspired by everyone’s favourite troublemaker: Stitch.
Krispy Kreme gears up for sweet treats inspired by Disney’s Stitch story.
The Stitch-themed doughnut designs hope to capture the heart and warmth of Stitch’s story. This collection is a sweet and joyful tribute to one of the most beloved Disney
characters. So whether you’re reliving childhood memories or discovering Lilo and Stitch’s story for the first time, expect a flavorful and heartwarming adventure that’s “out of this world”.
Say aloha to these doughnuts that are as sweet as Stitch: Strawberry Ohana, with strawberry filling, dipped in red chocolate coating; Coco Stitch, with coconut kreme filling dipped in white chocolate; Pineapple Paradise, filled with pineapple kreme, dipped in yellow chocolate coating; Mango Aloha, with mango kreme filling, dipped in yellow and dark red chocolate coating; Lemon Scrump Doll, with
citrus filling dipped in baby blue chocolate coating; Berry Island Swirl, with blueberry kreme filling dipped in white and blue chocolate coating.
“Stitch’s story, with its timeless themes of family, belonging and friendship, continue to resonate with people in the Philippines including with our team at Krispy Kreme,” said Ysabel Cruz, senior marketing manager of Krispy Kreme Philippines.
Starting at P480 per assorted half dozen (fixed selection), these Stitch-themed doughnuts are available in-store for dine-in, take-out, drive-thru, or via delivery on now.krispykreme.com.ph.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Refuse to let the decisions others make influence you. Your efforts will bring the highest return if you concentrate on your earning ability and self-improvement. Keeping an open mind, networking and trying something new will encourage you to move onward and upward. ★★★★★
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Lift barriers and speak your mind. You cannot make headway if you aren’t upfront regarding your intentions. Talk to those most affected by your choices, and you’ll receive the input you require to help you reach your goal. Take care of any required permits or documentation to achieve your goals and push forward. ★★★
BIRTHDAY BABY: You are smart, influential
Show
Film festival along a river:
Balanghai Cinema Rehiyon
THE contrast was cinematic: a spectacular day zero began in the city of Butuan on the 19th of May 2025: a rock concert with five bands welcomed the mostly young filmmakers from different regions of the archipelago (this ended the Balanghai fiesta in the city). Imagine the loud, throbbing sound and the frenzy of the audience. On the second day, as early as five in the morning, the participants of the 17th Cinema Rehiyon woke up to be ready to travel to the river, where the registration for the cruise was scheduled. After the registration, the guests were asked to view the replica of the “balanghai” boat that was set up on the side of the wharf. A local dance troupe performed a jazzed-up version of a native dance.
Three boats were designated to carry the participants—all eager to test what our guide, a retired principal, described as the mighty Agusan river. We all have experiences I guess of a river, but it was the first time we saw a wide, living, flowing water stretching for miles around. The third longest, it has been called.
“Are there crocodiles? There used to be....” The old boatman’s voice trailed. Deep within, we half-believed him. Part of us wanted to think there were beasts under this deep, brown water.
Halfway through the ride, we saw from afar again the young dancers in their colorful red and yellow attire, their hands swaying to the beat only they could listen to. This was a fiesta, after all, a festival of films and the local government of Butuan was sparing nothing to make us feel welcome.
There were other boats plying the route and they were carrying regular passengers to riverine villages. From the right side of the river, we could see a small structure. We would soon discover it to be a replica of a part of a church that represented what is considered the oldest stone church ruin in the
entire island of Mindanao. To the early Augustinian Recollects were attributed the building of the church somewhere in 1625. The structure was burned down in 1753. It seems though the transfer of the pueblo to a different location was the main cause why the place lost its use.
Our boat turned around at this juncture as we moved closer to the shore to dock at one of the oldest barangays of Butuan. We would find ourselves up close to the ruins of the belfry of that ancient church now “engulfed” (the word of our guide) by the roots of the old Balite. One could see through the twisted roots stone walls seemingly imprisoned by years of growth.
It was easily tempting to read into this scene: the tree stronger than this fortress of a foreign faith.
The structure beside it, even as it is marked as a replica, is compelling in many aspects: its pointed roof borrowed from the vernacular language of a thatched roof, which was surrounded by a square porch bracketed by small posts ending in small crosses. From afar, it looked like a tiny house on stilts, a Christian promontory marking territories along this massive waterway.
The brief stop at that part of the village was enough
for us to witness the preparation of delicacies, one of which was the making of the famous Butuanon sweets called “Palagsing,” a slim, suman-like food made from “ unaw” or sago starch and wrapped thinly. A local choir composed of four women and three men with a guitarist regaled us with Butuanon songs. Ubiquitous were the young dancers who, despite the growing heat of the day, seemed tireless as they showed us more dances.
On our way back, we stopped at one of the satellite National Museum buildings, the one that housed the first “balanghai” excavated in Butuan. Its size triggered many questions: How did it house families? Was there a flotilla of these boats in such a way that they in total bore a microcosm of a small village? How did balanghai become the smallest unit of our government?
The vice mayor of Butuan, the Hon. Lawrence Lemuel H. Fortun (he is the newly elected Mayor), in his welcome remarks spoke of the balanghai as not merely a boat but a vessel of memory. It represents the yearning of the early Butuanons, their intrepid spirit pushing them to sail the open seas. It is this spirit that brought to the city the adventurous arts of regional filmmakers.
That night after the dinner, Tumandok (which literally means “indigene” or “a native”), a film directed by Kat and Richard Salvadico, opened the festival. It was the story of the Ati of Panay braving the open land defending their land as they also protected their identity against development and the ever-encroaching notion of property running against the native concept of property where a human group does not own the land but rather the land being the soul of man.
n The 17th Cinema Rehiyon goes on until the 23rd of May 2025 and plays host to more than 80 filmmakers.
NOT WELL-LOVED
THE content creator may be very rich and famous but she is definitely not well-loved by her peers. Aside from stories floating around about her bad behavior toward other people when she was younger, people are wondering why she can’t seem to keep friends? One day, you’ll see her with a group of friends and the next, those friends will be gone and she’ll be with a new set. Social media is abuzz with her alleged falling out involving a person she works closely with. The content creator is allegedly mentally and verbally abusive to the point that she will cuss out people if she is displeased. She also does not respect a person’s private hours and expects them to be on call 24/7. She also thinks she can do the job better when it comes to people working with and for her.
SUGAR BABY
FIRST, the starlet was linked to a married athlete. That rumor soon died down and everyone thought it was just idle talk. But lately, the starlet has been seen with a new car and other expensive things. She’s also been spotted with a much older actor-politician, who is said to be her new benefactor. The starlet now lives in the actor’s political turf in a very nice house. She has a number of cars and lots of luxury bags. To a lot of people, this is surprising because the starlet has been jobless for a while. This is not the first time the actress has been linked to an old moneyed man. The actor-politician, who is said to be very corrupt, is believed to be third one.
IN LOVE
THE tycoon is said to be very much in love with the actress that he reportedly wants to marry her at the soonest possible time. His parents are not averse to him being in the relationship. Their issue is that everything seems to be rushed. There are no concrete plans yet. There is no wedding date set, for one, but the tycoon has allegedly told his parents that he will marry the actress if she will have him. The parents are okay with the actress. They’re scared of the type of people she will bring into their son’s life. After all, they have been very private about their lives and they are reluctant about having people talk about them.
OBNOXIOUS COUPLE
THE socialite is disliked by a lot of people because they say she is insensitive and obnoxious. But have they met her husband? The husband is rude, according to people who have seen him in person. They said he doesn’t even say please or thank you to staff at restaurants and other public places. He also never smiles at people that he perceives to be lower in social status. When they are waited on in restaurants, it is the wife who is polite to the wait staff while the husband will not even make eye contact with them. As an employer, the socialite’s husband is also lacking.
MULTIMEDIA ARTS STUDENTS CREATE ART-INTEGRATED LEARNING MATERIALS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
TO provide a more innovative way to foster moral development among primary students in public schools, young creatives introduced a set of art-integrated teaching and learning materials.
Multimedia Arts students Aldrin Isaac Baltazar, Ayesha Decena, Aliyah Azel Macatol, Abram Olivar and Kyla Marie Uy from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) believed there are more novel approaches to teach good manners and right conduct (GMRC) to children. These techniques can, likewise, accommodate different learning styles, as well as help educators achieve learning objectives.
“Comprehensive and proper education on morality and ethics plays a crucial role in shaping children’s beliefs, traits and behaviors,” they explained.
“In the Philippines, the importance of instilling strong moral values and ethics, especially in children, is widely recognized as an essential part of the primary years of a child,” they added.
GMA Integrated Newsfeed hits 322 million views in first four months of 2025
GMA Integrated Newsfeed, the flagship program of GMA Integrated News’ Digital Strategy and Innovation Lab (DigiLab), continues to assert its digital leadership, generating over 322 million combined views on Facebook and YouTube from January to April 2025. With its bite-sized, mobile-first storytelling, the program has steadily gained traction online. In just two weeks this April, over 20 of its videos surpassed the one million-view mark on Facebook, a testament to its viral appeal and audience resonance.
Topping the list is “Walang iwanan!—2 aso, may nakakamanghang ginawa” with 23.7 million views, followed by “5-anyos, ‘di tinapos ang graduation para sa isang wish” (11.6 million) and “Lalaki, napasigaw nang makita ang sinapit ng hinahanap niyang ina” (11.4 million).
The momentum extends to YouTube, where GMA Integrated Newsfeed also posted its strongest performance this
year, with numerous videos crossing the 100,000-view threshold, underscoring the program’s growing cross-platform reach. The program also resonated strongly with online audiences on TikTok, recording a remarkable 209.6 million total views. “This milestone highlights the team’s significant role in delivering compelling content that connects with a wide audience,” said Oliver Victor B. Amoroso, senior vice president and head of GMA Integrated News, Regional TV, and Synergy. “It reflects our continued commitment to relevant and timely digital storytelling. We’re proud of DigiLab’s creativity and dedication in pushing the boundaries of innovation.”
Launched in 2020 as a rebrand of the GMA Newsfeed social newscast, GMA Integrated Newsfeed has since evolved into a mobile-first digital program and a key viewership
Motivated by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory—that kids between the ages of 7 and 11 begin to understand logic behind solid concepts, but have trouble understanding abstract thoughts—the team decided to focus their study on Grade 3 students. Their goal: To bring art-integrated learning to public schools.
“We aimed to explore the potential of what art can contribute to the moral development of children, especially in the public sector, and understand the different mechanisms of how it can effectively foster values and ethics,” they shared.
After months of research, which included interviews to examine the various pedagogical strategies, perceptions and experiences of both students and educators, as well as creative production, from design conceptualization to actual animation, the group finally launched Sinibatao.
It is a set of teaching collaterals, from linguistic and visual storybooks and visual and auditory animatics, to audio plays. It likewise includes learning materials such as flashcards, placards, coloring activities and metacards.
With these resources, they champion the important role of the arts in the development of cognitive, affective and psychomotor abilities of the students.
“Sinibatao is a reconstruction of the Filipino words ‘sining’ [art], ‘bata’ [child], and ‘pagpapakatao [to be human]—three focal points of our project,” the team said.
The Benildeans believe the tangibility of the offline products allows the grade schoolers to earn a deeper appreciation of the learning process, as well as socialize and build connections with their teachers and classmates. This is compared to having them use gadgets. It likewise makes it available to pupils in public schools, where access to technology may be limited.
More information about the project can be found at www.facebook.com/ sinibatao.
VIEW of the Agusan River PHOTOS BY TITO GENOVA VALIENTE
DETAILS of the Balite roots covering the ruins of the old belfry built by the Augustinian Recollect Missionaries in the 1600s.
Editor: Tet Andolong • www.businessmirror.com.ph
Jof a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine that generates
to 6.6 kW of power.
Lightning interior PERHAPS one of the vehicle’s highpoints is the availability of two interior color theme options. Assigned to our group was the Coral White version with Mocha Brown/ Off White/ Silver interior theme. It was a breath of fresh air with a plush feel emanating from the cabin’s light color combinations. It only proves that the interior color scheme affects the overall cabin ambience. The ergonomic leather-wrapped seats have the Mocha/White color combination seats and are also ventilated. The Mocha/White color combination extends further to the dashboard, steering wheel, door sides, and center console. The Silver Metallic trims are all over the right places, adding more accents.
Tech-wise, there is more. Rather than separate screens, there is a
unified pair of 10.25-inch digital displays (instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment system).
Another nine-inch display is a control panel for the dual-zone climate air conditioning. Other features are the Sony eight-speaker audio system, push-button start, USB-A and USB-C charging ports, Bluetooth and QDLink connectivity, and rear air conditioning vents. Oh, did we mention that those front seats’ power-adjust controls on the upper side door are reminiscent of those of
the German luxury brand?
Lightning power and efficiency
BEHIND the wheel, the X70 Lightning i-DM is refreshing to drive. The vehicle was well-planted and stable throughout the long stretches of the freeways. Steering feedback was also good, particularly on curves. Considering the 267 hp and 395 N-m of torque at our disposal, swift and smooth acceleration was given. Hence, reaching high-speed limits and passing slower vehicles was a walk in the park.
As for the vehicle’s PHEV system, we like the available control to switch between EV and HEV modes depending on the battery charge level.
Every time the level reached more than 50 percent, we switched to EV mode until the level went down to 26 percent, at which point the HEV mode automatically took over. Doing so enabled the vehicle to maximize fuel efficiency.
The damping system leaned toward comfort with the right amount of firmness for agility. On a long, steady speed, the light-themed interior added to the blissful feel, plus the evident crisp sound of the Sony audio setup, thanks to the good NVH. Overall, our steady and effortless over 150-kilometer drive felt shorter in distance and made us feel relaxed.
Jetour also organized a few technical demonstrations at the resort’s outskirts. This time, we boarded the Jade Green version with a Red/Black interior theme. The contrasting cabin theme immediately provided a different vibe, a spirited one. It eventually matched the acceleration test, proving the vehicle’s ability to sprint at a certain speed effortlessly. The commissioned expert drivers performed all these tests.
The experience provided a different perspective for passengers.
Lightning look DURING the photoshoot, the unique look of the X70 Lightning i-DM was notable. The different pronounced grille matched the keen-looking adaptive LED headlamps, creating the distinctions. Plus, the distinctive vertical orientation of lights. All that and the 19-inch two-toned and multispoke alloy rims wrapped in 235/55 series tires; the overall look gave justice to being the latest top-spec X70 model.
Dimension-wise, the X70 Lightning i-DM is 4,785mm long, 1,900mm wide, 1,720mm tall, and has a 2745mm wheelbase. Other exterior standard features include LED taillights, a power tailgate, and a vast panoramic sunroof.
Lightning safety APART from the standard active and passive safety features, the X70 Lightning i-DM comes standard with a suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). These functions include adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist, forward collision warning with advanced emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, lane departure warning, high-beam assist, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, rear collision warning, and a 360-degree camera system.
Street race back for TGR Philippine Cup
Twatch and savor the thrill of their initial encounter with world-class automobile contest of what was then known as the Vios Cup founded in 2014 by former TMP president Mitsonobu Sugata.
But before we proceed, a little introduction to the Singapore and Monaco street races is in order. If both had been used as a blueprint for this weekend’s TGR
Philippine Cup, just right. How can one go wrong with mimicking iconic rubberburning blasts such as those in Singapore and Monaco editions of Formula One lore?
First off, the Singapore Grand Prix was inaugurated in 2008. I was fortunate enough to be one of TMP’s select guests from the media.
It was a trip to remember as, for one, the Singapore Formula One was the world’s second street race after Monaco. For another, it was the first night race on the Formula One calendar. It still is.
Marina Bay Street THE world’s top racers would battle in a makeshift track on the famed Marina Bay Street, aided only by artificial lights while they conquer narrow and oftentimes bumpy streets and alley-tight corners.
It is also only in Singapore where world-class musicians are doing their thing on an improvised stage while the race is on, providing an adrenaline-
pumping atmosphere that is in rhythm with endless engine roar seen and heard only in a unique F1 setting. It is practically a night party like no other, held under the moon and the stars. I had my fill of beer and grilled Hungarian sausages in a bar while watching the early stages of the inaugurals 17 years back, in the company of Vince Socco, Jing Atienza, Raymond Rodriguez and Danny Isla.
Monaco Eden of F1 AND in Monaco, car racing heritage is as culture-rich as Rome being the Eternal City. If St. Andrews is the Vatican of golf, then Monaco is the Eden of Formula One. Founded in 1929, the Monaco Grand Prix is the most attended, prestigious car race ever—the heart and soul of F1 history. Monaco comes alive each year with the running there of the Grand Prix as both racing fans and the glitz and glamor flock of the celebrity and celluloid world gather in exodus-like fashion.
The TGR Philippine Cup likewise attracts screen stars and this year is no exception as even social influencers and a slew of people of substance are participants in the usual four divisions— Novice, Sporting Class, Super Sporting Class and Legacy—with TMP president Masando Hashimoto all set to join the Novice wars once again, on a speciallydesigned track 2 kilometers long that is littered with 8 turns and 4 chicanes spread out along tight corners and long
THE refreshing Mocha and Off-White toned interior (Coral White variant)
