ORDERS from American buyers have begun to decline following the rollout of the reciprocal tariffs of the United States on August 7, according to the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport).
Philexport President Sergio Ortiz-Luis said that while shipments to the US were steady earlier this year, the trend shifted after the trade measure took effect.
“In April, 90 percent of the exporters that we counted, all product line to the US, says business as usual. 10 percent have a problem with the buyers. They are very cautious,” Ortiz-Luis said on the sidelines of the Philexport General Membership Meeting in Parañaque City.
“When August came out, the buyers in the US disappeared,” he added.
Labor-intensive products such as garments, furniture, and leather goods were the first to feel the pinch, he noted. Electronics, which account for about
half of total shipments, remain in limbo pending clearer trade guidelines.
“Electronics, until now, we don’t know…because if they put 100 percent of everything, and South Korea, Japan and Taiwan have special rates, we’re dead,” the Philexport head said.
“They have no choice but to probably leave. But in the meantime, we don’t know. We’re still uncertain about it. Everybody’s interpreting what Trump was saying,” he added.
The Philippines accounts for just 1.1 percent of total US im -
ports, compared with Vietnam’s 2 percent, Malaysia’s 1.5 percent and Thailand’s 1 percent. On August 7, the United States enforced a flat 19-percent tariff on the bulk of Philippine exports under US Executive Order 14257, following “subsequent” bilateral talks.
Peso debate ASKED whether pushing the peso weaker to P60 per dollar could boost competitiveness, Ortiz-Luis said the impact was not straightforward.
as uncertainties caused by higher US tariffs are bound to dampen investor demand, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
In its latest Monetary Policy Report, the BSP said the low end of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) growth target of 5.5–6.5 percent will be achieved in 2025. But the target range of 6 to 7 percent may not be met in 2026.
The BSP estimates that the target of 6 to 7 percent may only be met by 2027. The DBCC set a GDP growth target of 6 to 7 percent for 2026 to 2028.
“Uncertainty over global economic policies, particularly the potential impact of US policies on global trade and investment, poses additional downside risks to domestic growth,” BSP said.
“Potential output growth is expected to slow in the near term, as subdued investment demand weighs on productivity. This is consistent with estimates showing trend total factor productivity growth remaining below pre-pandemic levels,” it added.
By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo Special to the BusinessMirror
SMALL but resilient. This was how the Philippines’ publicly listed hospitality companies and travel firms are described in an investment brief, having grown by 63 percent in revenue to US$1.8 billion (P102.96 billion) in the last three years. In a post on the International Investor entitled, “Southeast Asia’s Hotels, Resorts, and Travel Industry Revival: Who Leads, Who Lags, and What Comes Next,” hedge fund manager Eric Jurado said: “The Philippines mirrors Thailand’s revenue growth rate but from a smaller base. The market benefits from domestic tourism and increasing international arrivals, but operational efficiency and scale remain mixed.”
Jurado told the BusinessMirror
that seven listed hospitality companies are covered by his report: Bloomberry Resorts, Berjaya Philippines, PH Resorts Group Holdings, Waterfront Philippines, Discovery World, Boulevard Holdings, and Acesite (Phils.) Hotel.
He also projected that these companies will continue to grow steadily, likely hitting $33.4 million (P1.91 billion) in profit by 2028, a 71-percent increase from $19.5 million (P1.12 billion) this year, based on data gathered by S&P Global Market Intelligence.
“The Philippines is a niche player and offers steady recovery, but lacks the scale of Indonesia or Thailand. It may attract investors looking for diversification rather than
respond to areas affected by Super Typhoon “Nando.” Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the provision of urgent aid to those affected by the super typhoon, as well as to guarantee that frontline agencies will receive support.
“Rest assured that on the part of the DBM, may nakahanda po tayong pondo para rito [we have funds prepared for this],” Pangandaman said. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF), commonly known as the calamity fund, stands at P8.633 billion as of September 22. This fund may be used for aid, relief and rehabilitation, as well as to repair and reconstruct damage from natural or humaninduced calamities within the
By Cai U. Ordinario
@caiordinario
TRACKING NANDO’S
private sector, and every citizen to “resolutely confront the cancer of corruption eroding our nation’s foundation.”
The group of Filipino-Chinese entrepreneurs said merely prosecuting corrupt individuals is “reactive.”
“We must go further and dismantle the entire ecosystem that allows corruption to thrive,” FFCCCII said in its statement.
This, it added, requires “sweeping systemic reforms built on radical transparency, efficiency, and ruthless accountability.”
FFCCCII said in weeding out corruption practices in the country, it must look to “exemplary models” in other countries where powerful, independent anti-corruption agencies have full autonomy to investigate and prosecute without fear or favor.
The business group pointed out that corruption stifles innovation, repels investment, and essentially destroys our nation and kills its people.
“Corruption is not a victimless crime. It is a heinous betrayal that robs our most vulnerable citizens of essential services and a better life,” FFCCCII pointed out.
“The time for half-measures is over. Let us unite to build a system that rewards integrity and paves the way for a just and prosperous Philippines,” it further underscored.
For PCCI’s part, Mangio said: “Moving forward, proactive government engagement, clearer communication, and a commitment to good governance will be key to turning this moment into an opportunity for long-term confidence and growth.”
Pharma seen growing 4.1% till ’29, as generics expand
By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
THElocal pharmaceutical industry is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4.1 percent until 2029, the expansion seen to be largely driven by rising demand for generic drugs, according to the Board of Investments (BOI).
The investment promotion agency attached to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) divulged updates on the implementation of the Integrated Roadmap for the Philippine Pharmaceutical Industry (IRPPI) which began implementation in 2023.
For 2025, the Philippine pharmaceutical market is seen to generate nearly $2 billion in revenues.
“Definitely, there is more potential for the local pharmaceutical industry especially since steady growth is expected to continue at an annual rate of 4.1 percent through 2029,” BOI said in a statement on
Monday.
“This upward trend is expected to be largely driven by the increasing demand for generic drugs due to the government’s efforts to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to all Filipinos,” the investment promotion agency noted.
BOI Industry Development Services (IDS) Executive Director Ma. Corazon Halili-Dichosa said, however, that while the local pharmaceutical market is huge, the country is “very much import dependent.”
From 2019 to 2024, Halili-Dichosa said the Philippines saw a “steady
rise” in pharmaceutical imports, peaking in 2021.
Exports, on the other hand, remain “almost nil” relative to the country’s imports of pharmaceutical products and has been declining.
In fact, for the first half of 2025, the BOI official revealed that exports of pharmaceutical products have declined by 25 percent while imports inched up by 5 percent, compared with the same period in 2024.
Among the key updates in the roadmap is the issuance of Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) guidelines on the establishment of Pharmazones, which will serve as hubs for companies involved in various aspects of medical and drug manufacturing activities, especially in research and development, clinical testing, and trials.
And then, BOI said, there is also the “finalization” of the Tatak Pinoy Strategy, where pharmaceuticals are included among the focus industries;
the issuance of the FDA Administrative Order simplifying the process for exportation of locally-produced pharmaceutical products; and the planned establishment of the Virology Institute of the Philippines.
In light of the many developments across the pharmaceutical value chain, Halili-Dichosa said: “We encourage the industry to work closely with the government to strengthen the industry to serve the population’s needs, especially in times of epidemics and pandemics.”
By 2030, the Roadmap for the local pharmaceutical sector envisions that the local industry will have a “resilient and agile” value chain that ensures pharmaceutical security for Filipinos and better health outcomes.
“The roadmap aims to significantly increase the capacity of local manufacturers to produce 60 percent of the country’s registered medicines and become leading producers of essential pharmaceutical products and services,” the BOI noted.
Export orders to US…
“That was before. Actually, the other day we did a study on the real exchange rate. There’s a formula for that. The real exchange rate really is P60 something,” he said. “But we are managing it in such a way to the disadvantage of the exporters and the OFWs.”
Ortiz-Luis acknowledged the country’s reliance on imports complicates the equation. “We are an importing country. We are more negative in imports,” he said.
“So do we benefit if the peso is weaker? The exporters and the OFWs [overseas Filipino workers] will. There are a lot of OFWs, unlike before when there were only a few,” he added.
In a televised interview in July, Department of Trade and Industry–Export Marketing
Bureau (DTI-EMB) director Bianca Pearl Sykimte said the peso’s weakness from market volatility would weigh on local exporters, as the country’s import bill continues to exceed its export earnings. (See: https://businessmirror.com. ph/2025/07/08/with-tradegap-weak-peso-hurts-exporters/)
A policy note from the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies earlier estimated that the new tariffs could cut Philippine export revenues by as much as $2.2 billion in the second half of 2025.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the US was the top destination of Philippine exports in 2024, taking in 16.6 percent of $12.14 billion.
BSP said its Policy Analysis Model for the Philippines (PAMPh) showed economic growth will likely slow due to higher US tariffs that will be imposed on exports entering the American market.
However, growth is expected to improve toward 2027, allowing the country to meet its growth target. BSP said this will be “supported by a more accommodative policy stance and expected real wage increases.”
The BSP said the growth of the country’s top trade partners—the United States and China—are expected to improve this year and next year. Based on the Global Projection Model Network (GPMN) and the July 2025 World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the US economy will post a 1.7 percent growth in 2025 and 2026.
BSP said shifting tariff policies and the tight monetary stance of the US Federal Reserve are among the risks to the outlook since this can dampen growth in the coming quarters. The Chinese economy, meanwhile, is expected to grow by 5 percent this year. The risk to the outlook is the impact of the tariff tensions which could weaken demand for Chinese products.
Meanwhile, in terms of inflation, BSP said the rise in commodity prices may settle within the 3 percent ± 1 percentage point range in 2026 and 2027.
“Higher electricity rates and possible base effects from higher food prices are expected to drive inflationary pressures in 2026,” the BSP said.
“Inflation is projected to approach the upper end of the government’s target range in Q4 [fourth quarter] 2026 before easing in 2027, although it will remain above the midpoint, as global commodity prices stabilize,” the BSP said.
The BSP said inflation in 2026 will be slower due to the decline in oil prices. The increase in minimum wage may also be tempered by the lagged effect of monetary policy easing.
By next year, BSP said, higher minimum wage and the lagged impact of policy rate reductions will also impact inflation and growth rates.
outsized gains,” he underscored.
Thailand is 80% of region’s profit OVERALL , 77 publicly listed hotels, resorts, and travel services companies in Southeast Asia posted combined revenues of $12.5 billion (P715 billion) and earnings of $503.1 million (P28.73 billion) as of September 12, 2025. “These figures mark a remarkable recovery and, in some cases, unprecedented growth compared with just three years ago, reflecting the region’s postpandemic rebound and structural shifts in tourism and travel.”
(The complete report in https:// tinyurl.com/3knp7ejj)
However, Jurado pointed that the recovery has been uneven across the region, with Vietnam and Indonesia “experiencing explosive growth,” while Malaysia and Singapore have yet to find an even pace.
On a profit standpoint, Thailand topped the scale at $394.1 million, up 234 percent from 2022 to 2025, accounting for close to 80 percent of the region’s combined earnings. “[Its] scale dwarfs peers. Growth is robust, proving that its tourism leadership translates into financial strength,”said
Jurado.
Indonesia, with $91.5 million (+494 percent), grew “the fastest among its peers, [which] signals improved operational leverage and cost efficiency. Its large domestic base insulates it from global shocks.”
Malaysia narrows loss
THE Philippines at $19.5 million (+233 percent), “while smaller in scale, [its] sharp improvement suggests strong operational recovery. However, low earnings leave little cushion for shocks.” Jurado earlier ranked the Philippines’ having the lowest return on tourism investments. (See, “In SEA, PHL reaps lowest return on tourism investment,” in the BusinessMirror, Aug. 25, 2025.)
Vietnam with $17.6 million (+198 percent) “is impressive, though still modest compared to revenues. This indicates firms are reinvesting heavily or still scaling up operations.” Singapore’s “paradox is high revenues but declining profitability” having just earned $10.7 million (-61 percent). “Rising costs, competition, and reliance on premium segments appear to
be eroding margins.” Malaysia’s earnings increased by 43 percent, narrowing its loss to $30.3 million, “Structural inefficiencies and weaker demand explain the lag.”
A lesson for policymakers
JURADO stressed that Southeast Asia’s hospitality and travel services sector has recovered fastest in the world. The region welcomed over 121 million international arrivals in 2024.
“The next three years will likely see Indonesia and Thailand competing for dominance, Vietnam carving out a larger role, and Singapore holding its premium niche,” he said. “For policymakers, the lesson is that investments in tourism and travel infrastructure, openness to international travelers, and efficiency in scaling businesses matter just as much as demand.”
He cautions that the data included in his report may not give investors the full picture of the region’s hospitality and travel industry, as these are earnings of just listed companies.
According to Leechiu Property Consultants, more than half of over 40,000 keys that will be added in the next six years in the Philippines are accounted for by 10 companies, mainly units of listed property developers. (See, “10 developers make huge hotel investments in PHL,” in the BusinessMirror, Oct. 9, 2024.)
‘Original sin’ in flood-control projects done in Congress–Lacson
By Butch Fernandez @butchfBM
CONGRESS committed the “original sin” that resulted in the flood-control scandal that has engulfed the nation in anger and sent thousands to the streets on September 21.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo M. Lacson stressed this on Monday as he said the logical conclusion to the Senate investigation on the matter must at least reach the stage when the “original sin” was committed.
“We must make sure that the logical conclusion does not stop with Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, Sally Santos or the Discayas. We must see to it that the logical conclusion reaches the [person who committed the]
‘original sin’,” Lacson, who chairs the Senate blue-ribbon committee looking into the mess, said in Filipino in a radio interview.
“Congress did the original sin here. If congressmen and senators did not insert funds, there would be no funds for corrupt Department of Public Works and Highways officials to play with, especially in the district engineering offices. It has come to a point where corruption became systemic, where even junior functionaries
Speaker wants InfraCom to give way to ICI probe
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
THE new leadership of the House of Representatives on Monday signaled its intent to terminate its ongoing infrastructure committee investigation into anomalous infrastructure projects, stressing that the public has already lost confidence in the process.
In an interview, Speaker Faustino Dy III said he wants the House Infra Committee to let the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) handle the investigation.
“If it were up to me, all the reports and findings of the infra committee should be submitted to the Independent Commission of Infrastructure, since many of our people no longer believe in what is happening in this committee,” Dy said. “It would be better to let the ICI handle it.” Dy added that the ICI will also look into the necessity of flood control projects in certain areas, which have been flagged as prone to irregularities.
The House Infrastructure Committee, composed of the Committees on Public Accounts, on Good Government and Public Accountability, and on Public Works and Highways, conducted two hearings before the leadership shake-up in the chamber.
Former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez earlier resigned to allow the ICI “to pursue its mandate freely and fully, without doubt, without interference, without undue influence.”
But Deputy Speaker Janette Garin also said that even before Romualdez’s resignation, there had already been a directive to wind down the infra committee’s investigation.
Under Executive Order 94 issued on September 11, President Marcos created the ICI to investigate and recommend appropriate charges against government officials, employees, or individuals involved in anomalies in flood control and related projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
Super typhoon toll so far: 2 dead, 5 missing
LIFE-THREATENING conditions persist in Northern Luzon as Super Typhoon Nando maintained its strength on its way to Babuyan Island on Monday, the state weather bureau said.
Aside from strong winds, rain brought by the prevailing southwest monsoon enhanced by the typhoon continues to batter Northern Luzon, prompting the state weather bureau to issue a heavy rainfall outlook.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that as of Tuesday morning, the combined effect of the southwest monsoon, Mirasol and Nando is trwo dead, two injured, and 5 missing.
A total of 107 areas were flooded in the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Cordilleras, Central Luzon, Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), and Bicol.
A total of 28,014 families or 100,024 persons were affected. Of which, 187 families or 541 persons were served inside 10 evacuation centers and 173 families or 722 persons were served outside the evacuation centers. Because of heavy rains, a total of 29 road sections and 22 bridges were affected.
Rainfall outlook
ON Tuesday, Pagasa forecast heavy rainfall
or 200 or more millimeters of rainfall to affect Batanes, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, and Apayao, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan,
invent their own money-making schemes,” he added.
At least two senators have so far been named by resource persons in the blue- ribbon committee hearings, and Lacson admitted the panel has been placed in the unenviable position of proving it can pursue its investigation until the very end. He vowed to stick only to the evidence insofar as his two colleagues are involved.
Lacson is to chair the next hearing of the panel on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. He said he has asked Senate President Vicente Sotto III to slightly delay the start of the regular session to 4:00 p.m. In the past blue-ribbon panel hearings have run for five to as long as eight hours.
Sacked DPWH engineers Henry Alcantara and Brice Hernandez, Syms Construction owner Sally Santos, and Cezarah and Pacifico Discaya II are among those who had attended the panel’s hearings
on the issue.
While Hernandez had shown signs of remorse and cooperation with the Senate along with Santos, Alcantara was cited in contempt of the committee and ordered detained for his refusal to cooperate. Pacifico II was cited in contempt of the committee as well, while Cezarah was issued a show-cause order.
Lacson said the committee is to analyze on Monday the documents and other items submitted by for assistant district engineer Hernandez after he was allowed to return to his home under tight security to retrieve potential evidence to back his allegations.
Earlier, Hernandez had linked Sens. Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada to insertions in the 2023 and 2025 budgets, as well as kickbacks for flood control projects. Villanueva and Estrada strongly denied the allegations.
At the weekend, Villanueva said in an interview he was extremely disappointed that the Senate seemed not too keen on protecting its members like him from what he called “unjust accusations.”
Meanwhile, Lacson, when asked what he expected to get from the items Hernandez brought back, said the important thing is to get to the bottom of the case.
“The important thing is to get to the bottom of the case and hold those accountable to task.
Not just the Hernandezes and Alcantaras of this world, but those above them. As of now we cannot get to them until we gather enough evidence,” he said.
Lacson reiterated that former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo is among those invited to Tuesday’s hearing. He said Bernardo as DPWH undersecretary for operations appointed Alcantara to the DPWH district in Bulacan. Alcantara at the time was floating and “seconded” to the
Involvement of minors in Sunday riot a national security concern–Teodoro
DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Monday expressed concern over the involvement of the youth in the violence that marred the anticorruption rally in Manila.
In a radio interview, Teodoro said the involvement of the youth in Sunday’s protest is a “national security issue” that needs to be addressed immediately.
“Ito po ay isang issue ng national security kung ganoon pa po ang kabataan, kung saan nila napupulot ito. Ito’y dapat tumbukin kaagad at maremedyohan [These youths and what inspired them is a national security issue and we must get to the bottom of this immediately],” he said.
Teodoro said there were unvalidated reports that illegal drugs played a role in the “hooliganism” in the rallies on Chino Roces (Mendiola) Bridge and on Ayala Bridge in Manila, near Malacañang.
He also said the use of black flags with skull markings should be looked into to determine the possible involvement of unknown groups or persons in influencing the protesters to resort to violence.
and Zambales; 100 to 200 mm of rain in La Union, Benguet, Mountain Province, Kalinga, and Isabela.
The state weather bureau said heavy rainfall may lead to widespread incidents of severe flooding and landslides, while moderate to strong rains could lead to numerous flooding events especially in areas that are urbanized, low-lying, or near rivers.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said a total of 3,284 families or 10,061 individuals have been preemptively evacuated across Northern and Central Luzon due to the threat of Super Typhoon Nando.
In its Facebook post on Monday, the DILG reported that Cagayan Valley recorded the highest number of evacuees, with 2,747 families or 8,476 individuals. The majority of these evacuees came from Cagayan, with 2,457 families or 7,639 individuals. Isabela followed with 256 families or 728 individuals, while Batanes and Nueva Vizcaya reported smaller numbers.
In the Cordillera Administrative Region, 232 families, or 670 individuals, were evacuated, mostly from Apayao, with 219 families or 639 individuals. Abra accounted for 13 families or 31 individuals.
In Region I, Ilocos Norte reported 63 families or 178 individuals.
See “Super typhoon,” A11
“Iyan ho ang kailangang nating tumbukin. Kung sino ang nag-iimpluwensya at nag-eenganyo or nagbibigay ng pinagbabawal na gamot dito po sa ating mga kabataan na ito. Iyan po ang dapat patawan ng malaking krimen na talaga, patawan ng malaking parusa [We need to determine who influenced or encouraged or gave illegal drugs to these youngsters, and punish them severely],” Teodoro said.
‘Generally peaceful’
INTERIOR Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla, meanwhile, said Sunday‘s anti-corruption rallies
were “generally peaceful” even as he condemned the violent actions of a small group that attempted to sow disorder during demonstrations in Manila
“Gusto kong ipaabot na 99 percent ng protest very peaceful at may karapatan silang magpahayag [I want to tell the public that 99 percent of the protest actions were very peaceful and that they have the right to do that], I respect that,” he added.
Remulla also stressed that the government fully respects the constitutional right of the people to stage peaceful assemblies, echoing the stand of President Marcos on upholding freedom of expression, provided it is exercised within the bounds of the law.
At the same time, he stressed that law enforcement will not tolerate attempts to disrupt peace and public safety.
He cited incidents in Mendiola where black-clad masked protesters hurled rocks and molotov cocktails at police officers, and near Ayala Bridge where a group tried to provoke authorities by throwing rocks and setting a truck on fire.
The DILG chief added that 1 percent total of the protests went awry and violent but he emphasized that he will not allow the actions of these small group to tarnish the majority of protesters who conducted their business peacefully.
He also noted that while every Filipino has the right to protest, the government will not tolerate those who will conduct violent actions.
Nartatez hails cops
THE acting National Police (PNP)
Chief, Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., on Monday lauded the “exemplary performance” of police personnel who kept watch during the series of anti-corruption rallies on Sunday.
Despite challenging conditions and several injuries, Nartatez said PNP officers remained calm, disciplined, and implemented maximum tolerance measures to ensure public safety.
“I salute the bravery and dedication you demonstrated under difficult circumstances. Your professionalism ensured that peace and order were maintained. You have shown what it truly means to serve and protect,” he added.
Nartatez also emphasized accountability and the rule of law.
“In line with our commitment to justice, I have ordered a thorough investigation into those arrested during the rally. Cases will be filed to hold violators accountable, ensuring that the law is applied fairly and responsibly,” he added.
52 minors among those arrested
A TOTAL of 113 people, 52 of them minors, were arrested in the violence that broke out near Malacañang during the Trillion Peso March on Sunday.
Some ralliers, who turned into a mob, threw rocks, destroyed properties, and burned tires during protest action against corruption
Reports reaching Camp Crame said 93 policemen were injured, with one of them sustaining a broken nose.
Reports from the Manila Police District said 51 persons—30 adults and 13 minors were arrested
See “Riot,” A11
PHLPost offices remain open despite bad weather
THE Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) motor transport network, under the Assistant Postmaster General for Operations, is ready to provide assistance in case of emergency such as relief operations and support on the orders of President Marcos to mobilize concerned national agencies to assist local governments in preparing for Super Typhoon Nando.
Meanwhile, PHLPost Mega Manila Area announced that Post Offices remained on Monday, with a skeleton force limited on counter acceptance and Postal ID captur -
ing at Manila Central Post Office, Makati Central Post Office and Quezon City Central Post Office.
Post Offices located inside the malls are open except those at Government Services Express (GSE), a one-stop hub within SM malls that provides access to various essential government agency services.
PHLPost remains proactive in preparations until Super Typhoon Nando has passed.
PHLPost is also providing relief assistance, primarily by offering its trucks and logistics network to transport relief goods from agencies like the Department of Social
City of Manila under then Mayor Joseph Estrada.
Lacson added that if during the hearing, evidence is presented that may help the Independent Commission for Infrastructure’s (ICI) investigation, it will be shared with it immediately.
“I am not bragging but we can greatly help the ICI, if we don’t keep evidence to ourselves, and we will not. We will help,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lacson reiterated the need for Congress to practice self-restraint and not make insertions for locally funded infrastructure projects.
“I hope Speaker Faustino Dy III and Senate President Tito Sotto can agree with the chairmen of the House appropriations committee and Senate finance committee to bar insertions for infrastructure projects especially for the DPWH. Because it all starts there, and some lawmakers got greedier and greedier,” he said.
Palace bares terror plot in Sunday rallies
AUTHORITIES said on Monday that local terrorist groups may have attempted to sabotage Sunday’s anti-corruption rallies in Metro Manila, prompting the government to heighten security measures and launch an investigation into possible infiltration of the protests.
In a press briefing in Malacañang on Monday, Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla confirmed that intelligence reports flagged a potential terror plot, including the possibility of a bombing either at Luneta or the People Power Monument, where thousands had gathered to protest against corruption.
“Yes, that is why all contingencies were considered,” Remulla told reporters when asked if there was a terror threat during the demonstrations.
“Our biggest fear that did not happen was someone who would incite violence during the People Power Monument rally… the intent of the people there was peaceful.” He said more than 400 plainclothes operatives were deployed on the ground to foil possible attacks.
“Safe to say, we are still investigating according to our intelligence report and we will come out with a report pretty soon,” he added. Remulla also stressed that Malacañang remains under high alert after masked protesters instigated violence in areas near the Palace compound.
The acting National Police (PNP) Chief, Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez, echoed the warning, citing the risk of violence spilling over from Mindanao-based armed groups.
Welfare and Development (DSWD) to disaster-affected areas.
During emergencies, PHLPost provides humanitarian logistics support by serving as a crucial link in the supply chain, ensuring essential supplies reach communities in need.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported that Typhoon “Nando” (international name: Ragasa) intensified into a super typhoon raising the threat of severe flooding and storm surges in northern Luzon.
“Continuously ina -assess po natin iyan…we have the communist terrorist group, we have the local terrorist group lalo na kung may [especially if there is] spillover from Mindanao, especially with elections there. We have the BIFF [Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters], the DI [Dawlah Islamiya] Hassan, DI Maute and other threats,” he said.
Nartatez added that police had conducted security sweeps and reinforced checkpoints in public transport hubs in coordination with the Department of Transportation to prevent the entry of firearms and explosives into Metro Manila.
Sunday’s demonstrations were part of nationwide anticorruption rallies sparked by allegations of irregularities in multibillion-peso flood control project. Samuel P. Medenilla with PNA
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Congress convenes budget amendments review panel
By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie
AS plenary debates on the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 begin Tuesday, the House of Representatives on Monday convened for the first time the Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee (BARC), tasked with reviewing and institutionalizing all agencyproposed amendments.
Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Suansing, House Committee on Appropriations chairperson and BARC head, emphasized that the subcommittee’s work is part of the House leadership’s commitment to abolish the so-called “small committee” that previously handled last-minute changes to the General Appropriations bill (GAB) after second reading approval.
“This is unprecedented. It has never happened before in the history of Congress,” Suansing said in her opening remarks.
“Once the budget passes second reading, no further amendments will be accepted. Every peso of taxpayers’ hard-earned money will be accounted for, line by line,” Suansing added. She explained that the BARC will be dissolved once the General Appropriations bill is approved on second reading, since the
period for amendments takes place prior to its approval.
Suansing said the subcommittee would only recognize formal, written requests signed by agency heads, rejecting verbal proposals to ensure transparency and accountability.
One of the most significant adjustments was made to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget, which dropped by nearly 29 percent to P625.784 billion after Public Works Secretary Vivencio Dizon recommended scrapping allocations for locally funded flood control projects. The original allocation of P881.312 billion was cut by P255.258 billion.
Reallocation SHE noted that the reallocation of the DPWH budget cut would be guided by the priorities outlined by President Marcos focusing on education, health, agriculture, and other areas of human capital development.
Suansing said, “The most important thing we will do today is deliberate on how we will process the amendments, particularly the reallocation of the P255-billion reduction in the Department of Public Works and Highways [DPWH] budget.”
“This is the promise to our people—that we will show them exactly where every
peso will go. The BARC recommendations will be scrutinized by the Appropriations committee’s Executive Committee tomorrow [Tuesday] before being subjected to plenary deliberations,” she said.
In a separate interview, Speaker Faustino Dy III underscored the importance of public vigilance over the 2026 spending plan.
“We are devoting time to ensure the proposed national budget is transparent. A budget revision has been done through the subcommittee, and I ask everyone to join us in monitoring this process so that every centavo is properly allocated for the people,” Dy said in a separate interview.
He added, “The most important thing now is to finish the budget on time and make sure it is clean and in order.”
Growing clamor
BACOLOD City Rep. Abelardo Benitez, meanwhile, warned his colleagues not to ignore the growing clamor from the streets, saying the wave of protests that erupted in recent days was a direct expression of people’s frustration with corruption and misuse of public funds.
“The rallies we saw [last Sunday] and in previous days show our people’s deep and growing frustration with corruption. They
are a loud call for honesty, accountability, and reform. Tomorrow [Tuesday], as Congress begins deliberations on the national budget, we must take that message to heart,” Benitez said in a statement.
“As an independent voice of the House, I will continue to scrutinize this budget with a critical eye. We cannot allow insertions and questionable projects to pass unnoticed. We must make sure that what the House approves will serve the public good, not private interests,” he added.
The proposed P6.793-trillion budget is 7.4 percent higher than the enacted 2025 budget of P6.326 trillion. With the theme “Agenda for Prosperity: Nurturing FutureReady Generations to Achieve the Full Potential of the Nation,” the Department of Budget and Management said the spending plan remains anchored on the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023–2028 and prioritizes education, healthcare, social protection, and food security.
Tuesday’s deliberations kick off with a sponsorship speech by the chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, followed by debates on general principles and provisions of the budget measure.
The Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) is expected to attend the opening day of the plenary debates.
Clarify position on black sand mining, legislator
ADEPUTY minority leader pressed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to clarify its position on the controversial issue of black sand mining, calling it “disastrous” to the environment and pointing out that it is China—not Filipinos—that reaps the benefits from the practice.
Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima of Mamamayang Liberal (ML) questioned whether the agency is doing enough to oppose mining operations in areas such as Zambales, Ilocos and Cagayan.
“I don’t understand why this has not been stopped. I’m challenging the DENR— what is their real stance here?” de Lima, a member of the House minority bloc, said in an interview.
“Are they being proactive enough to oppose and block those activities, particularly the black sand mining in Zambales, Ilocos, and Cagayan?” she asked. De Lima earlier filed House Bill 1843, or the proposed Anti-Black Sand Mining Act, in the 20th Congress.
“I’m really against black sand mining because of its disastrous effects on the environment. Even the communities where black sand is prevalent are already speaking out against it,” she said.
“Where does the harvested black sand go? We’re not the ones benefiting from it. They say it’s vital in producing metals and other products. If not us, then who? Reports, particularly from local governments, indicate that China is the one benefitting. So why are
we tolerating this?” she asked.
Black sand is a key mineral that helps maintain natural coastal barriers and protects freshwater deposits from seawater intrusion. It is also used in the production of concrete, steel, magnets, paints, paper, jewelry, and cosmetics.
In the absence of a strong government stance, de Lima said non-government organizations have taken the lead in lobbying against black sand mining.
On September 8, fishermen’s group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) met with de Lima to present testimonies and case studies on the “socio-economic and environmental” impacts of dredging in coastal communities.
“We have turned over to ML Party-list
tells DENR
Rep. Leila de Lima a set of video testimonies from small fishers in Cagayan, detailing the negative impacts of Chinese-led dredging and black sand mining activities along the Cagayan River and Zambales,” Pamalakaya Chairman Fernando Hicap said in a statement.
“The said testimonies show how large-scale dredging operations, facilitated by Chinese firms, have displaced fishers from their traditional fishing grounds, caused massive siltation, and worsened the destruction of aquatic habitats,” added Hicap, a former Anakpawis party-list group representative.
De Lima assured the group she would push for her proposed legislation. “I told them I will really fight for the passage of the Anti-Black Sand Mining Bill,” she said.
Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
Tight budget, high costs slow July construction activity
SBy Bless Aubrey Ogerio
TORMS, budget constraints and waning demand have converged to slow the country’s construction activity in July, economists said. Former socio-economic planning secretary Dante Canlas said typhoons and monsoon rains likely dampened construction works, but pointed to deeper fiscal issues.
“The fundamental cause stems from chronic deficit financing by the government, not to mention the noise and confusion over ongoing flood-control projects,” Canlas told the B usiness M irror in a message.
De La Salle University economist Ella Oplas added that the slowdown reflected softening residential demand and excess supply, particularly after the exit of
Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos).
“Another is the high financing cost of construction—we currently have high interest rates. Of course, let us not forget inflation,” Oplas told this newspaper, noting that global uncertainty has also made households and investors cautious.
Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the number of approved building permits in July reached 15,395, down 8.5 percent from 16,821 in the same month last year. This marked a reversal from June, when construction activity grew by 14.9 percent.
Residential projects comprised twothirds of the total at 10,157, falling 8.5 percent from July 2024. Meanwhile, singletype houses comprised the bulk of these projects at 8,034.
Non-residential buildings accounted for
one-fifth of total constructions at 3,205, an 8.8 percent drop, with commercial buildings representing the largest share at 2,150.
In value terms, construction projects amounted to P44.54 billion in July, a 7.5 percent decline from P48.16 billion a year earlier.
Non-residential buildings registered the steepest drop at 16.6 percent, with commercial structures leading at P7.15 billion.
Residential construction, on the other hand, values were steady at P19.77 billion, up slightly by 0.2 percent. It was led by single-type houses worth P11.95 billion.
By number of projects, additions made up 2.8 percent, alterations and repairs 7.4 percent, and other constructions 3.1 percent, with only other constructions posting growth at 29.0 percent from last year.
The importance of fighting for Democracy–let’s join the international movements
By Henry J. Schumacher
LAST week, on September 15, we celebrated the International Day of Democracy. This day reflects the importance of inclusive civic participation for tackling corruption and reaffirming transparency. As global democracy continues to decline and civic space shrinks, greater and more inclusive citizen participation in shaping the decisions that impact the day-to-day lives of communities, remains essential for ensuring transparency in the management and delivery of public services and holding power to account.
Corruption can undermine free and fair societies, and the impact is not always felt equally, with those most marginalized particularly vulnerable to corruption. This can result in barriers to accessing vital public services such as education and healthcare.
That’s why projects, which champion with grassroots and community driven solutions to combat corruption, are so important.
For instance, Transparency International Zimbabwe has helped establish Women Empowerment Circles—spaces for women to gather and workshop solutions to corruption in public service delivery. In Mutare’s, Sakubva suburb, a group of women participating in empowerment circles and living with disabilities approached the Mutare Council to demand it move its mobile water supply services to more accessible areas. This interaction resulted in the water supply services being moved to places more easily accessible to women and those living with disabilities, as well as the council sharing its water delivery schedule so people could keep track of where and when deliveries would take place.
Young people in Zimbabwe are holding power to account by organizing through WhatsApp to share information about corruption in education. These digital organizing efforts encourage others to speak out and ask questions and have even resulted in direct engagement with a Member of Parliament on educational aid allocation within the Silobela constituency.
Meanwhile in Ghana, social accountability and community participation are proving essential for improving public service delivery. Transparency International Ghana
In terms of value, additions reached P580 million, alterations and repairs P3.26 billion and other constructions P1.09 billion, with additions and other constructions rising by 15.1 percent and 180.7 percent, respectively, while alteration and repair declined by 13.2 percent.
The average cost of construction fell 7 percent to P11,535 per square meter from P12,397 last year.
Looking ahead, Oplas warned that the sector may face continued weakness despite the government’s infrastructure pipeline.
“Despite the high pipeline of public [infrastructure], given the corruption issues, it will be a more subdued expenditure for the government,” she said.
“Construction statistics from approved building permits provide monthly administrative-based data on building activity nationwide,” PSA added.
Fuel prices up again this week
MOTORISTS should brace for another week of oil price hike.
Oil companies announced Monday an increase of P1 per liter on all gasoline products. This is the sixth consecutive week of increase.
Diesel and kerosene prices are also going up by P0.80 per liter and P1 per liter, respectively. This is the fifth straight week of increase for diesel and kerosene. The new pump prices will take effect at 6:00 a.m. of September 23 for most oil companies except for Cleanfuel which will adjust its prices at 4:01 p.m. Oil companies adjust their pump prices
every week to reflect movements in the world oil market.
Last week, gasoline prices went up by P0.10 per liter, diesel by P0.50 per liter, and kerosene by P0.10 per liter. This brought year-to-date adjustments to a net increase of P13.50 per liter for gasoline, P15.35 per liter for diesel, and P3.55 per liter for kerosene. For this week’s adjustment, the Department of Energy-Oil Industry Management Bureau (DOE-OIMB) cited continued geopolitical risks due to additional US sanctions on Russian oil, the European Union’s discussion on the 19th Russian sanction package, and Ukraine’s drone strikes on 361 Russian energy sites. Lenie Lectura
has established 12 Social Auditing Clubs (SACs) to empower grassroots governance and combat corruption locally. With a strong commitment to inclusion, each SAC ensures at least 40% female representation and includes a member living with a disability. These clubs actively monitor education and healthcare services, promote transparency and encourage citizen involvement in decision-making to bridge the gap between citizens and duty bearers. These are just a few key examples of how social accountability and inclusive civic participation is essential for tackling corruption. When working to ensure accountability and transparency in the management and delivery of public services, we must build meaningful partnerships with grassroots movements and community leaders. This will help us create strategies that reflect real-world experiences, prioritize community knowledge and serve the needs and wants of those most at risk of corruption. Because the fight against corruption will only succeed when the voices of those most vulnerable to its impacts are heard and are centered as the leaders and drivers of change. In the Philippines, the youth is a good example of supporting accountability and inclusive civic participation in fighting corruption. For example, the students from top universities lead rallies versus corruption. The country’s Catholic bishops have urged Filipinos, especially the youth, to take a stronger role in confronting corruption, adding: ‘Make corruption shameful again.’ In conclusion, fighting for democracy and against corruption is essential. Let’s join the international movements. I am sure that many of you joined the Philippine uprising against corruption last Sunday. I look forward to your reactions; please contact me at hjschumacher59@gmail.com.
BROADBAND expansion in rural areas is being pressed as a critical lifeline for inclusive growth, with business leaders warning that the Philippines risks falling further behind its Southeast Asian peers unless internet infrastructure is rolled out faster outside cities.
In a statement, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) called for urgent investments to ensure that local governments, schools, and enterprises in underserved regions gain the same access and reliability as their urban counterparts.
“If we are to achieve inclusive and sustained growth, local governments, schools, and enterprises operating in rural areas must have the same level of access and reliability as their urban counterparts,” PCCI President Enunina Mangio said.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that 13.56 million households, or 48.8 percent, reported having internet access at home in 2024, up by 31.1 percentage points from 17.7 percent in 2019.
The National Capital Region (NCR) recorded the highest connectivity, with 68.7 percent of households reporting access, followed by Central Luzon at 61.3 percent.
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (27.7 percent) and Zamboanga Peninsula (21.2 percent) remained at the lowest levels.
PCCI acknowledged policy reforms in recent years, such as amendments to the
Public Service Act, the SIM Card Registration Law, and the rollout of the National Fiber Backbone, as important steps. It said, however, that more decisive action is needed to foster competition, accelerate infrastructure deployment and build localized digital hubs.
“Connectivity must be treated as critical infrastructure, on par with roads, energy, and ports,” PCCI ICT director Dennis Anthony Uy said, calling for more investment in both fixed and mobile broadband networks.
Among the group’s recommendations are expanding last-mile connectivity through public-private partnerships, streamlining the permitting process for telecom towers and fiber ducts and incentivizing infrastructure sharing and open-access models. Policy momentum has also been building in government. In August, the Konektadong Pinoy Bill, one of the Marcos Jr’s administration’s priority measures, lapsed into law.
The
(DICT) and the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (Depdev) have endorsed its implementation, saying it will help lower costs and stimulate competition in the telecommunications sector.
Poultry imports from Israel, South Dakota resume as DA lifts ban
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted the temporary ban it slapped on poultry goods from Israel and South Dakota, United States.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed Memorandum Orders (MOs) 53 and 54, which allowed the entry of poultry shipments, including birds, poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen from the affected regions.
The DA lifted the ban after veterinary authorities in Israel and South Dakota reported zero new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) since mid-July.
“These decisions are based on scientific evidence and international reporting standards to ensure both biosecurity and a stable supply of poultry products,” Laurel said.
The DA stressed that import bans are a precautionary measure to protect the country’s livestock and poultry industries.
Both industries are crucial to the country’s agricultural sector, which drives rural employment, attracts investments, and contributes to food security, the agency said. With this, the DA reiterated its commitment to upholding international biosecurity standards while ensuring that Filipino consumers continue to have access to affordable and safe food.
Regionalization
EARLIER , Laurel signed separate MOs to grant bilateral recognition for HPAI to Brazil, the Czech Republic, Russia, and Poland. (See: https://businessmirror. com.ph/2025/09/16/brazil-3-othercountries-get-poultry-regionalization-
agreements-with-phl/).
MOs 49 to 52 said that the Philippines sought several documentary requirements from the veterinary authorities of the said countries to assess the public health control measures applied and implemented against bird flu. The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) conducted a review and evaluation of the application for bilateral recognition of regionalization for HPAI of the said countries.
The DA issued the MOs to recognize the regionalization for HPAI on the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen originating from bilaterally recognized free zones in Brazil, Russia, and Poland.
However, the agency noted that only poultry meat shipments from the Czech Republic are exempt from the regionalization agreement.
Under the regionalization agreement, the Philippines will restrict shipments of live birds and their products only from certain areas with confirmed avian flu cases instead of imposing a country-wide ban.
The Philippines has an existing HPAI regionalization agreement with the US and the United Kingdom. For the US, a state-wide ban should only be imposed if there are three or more counties affected by bird flu.
“The occurrence of HPAI from exporting countries and the imposition of a whole country temporary ban limits the sources of day-old chicks, parent stocks, and poultry meat, which in turn affects the prices,” the circular read. Ada Pelonia
IBP offers P200,000 for information on killing of Palawan-based lawyer
TSenator: Reallocate flood control funds to boost agriculture, modernize farming
ippine agriculture.
ABy Ada Pelonia @adapelonia
CHUNK of the P250 bil -
lion earmarked for reallocation from flood control projects by President Marcos should be redirected to agriculture to address its funding gap, according to a lawmaker.
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan made the pronouncement after meeting with the Department of Agriculture (DA) officials during a budget briefing of its proposed P176.7 billion allocation for 2026.
Following the discussion, he recognized that the proposed budget falls short of the agency’s broader plans to modernize Phil -
“Strategically, and I’ve said this repeatedly, every year we must increase the agriculture budget until we reach half a trillion pesos by 2028,” Pangilinan said.
“But the challenge for the executive is to use our resources properly and in a timely manner. That’s why we are closely coordinating with the DA.”
For his part, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. assured Pangilinan that public funds will be “managed efficiently” and “used productively,” in line with the government’s vision of a modernized and resilient agricultural system.
“We must perform well if we seek more resources from our
lawmakers,” Laurel said. “We owe it to our farmers, fisherfolk, and all stakeholders, as well as to the consumers, to account for every centavo entrusted to us.”
Earlier, the DA chief urged the House to approve the agency’s proposed P176.7-billion budget for 2026, calling it a crucial investment and a long-overdue support for the nation’s food producers.
“The truth is plain to see: our farmers and fisherfolk remain among the most vulnerable in our society,” he said.
“Despite their unmatched effort, many still harvest hope more than profit. Many cast their nets with uncertainty rather than security.”
eGov PH app data uncompromised, says DICT, despite eComplaints system breach and website defacements
By Lorenz S. Marasigan @lorenzmarasigan
THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)
on Monday assured the public that the eGov PH Super App remains uncompromised following online reports alleging a data breach that exposed more than 30,000 records of complainants.
with the platform—the eComplaints system—which operates separately from the core infrastructure of the eGov PH.
leged exposure of thousands of sensitive records.
He noted that the proposed budget reflects the government’s intention to modernize local agriculture and uplift the countryside, adding that it is time to match the sector’s contribution to the nation with “meaningful” investments.
“Our goal is not simply to grow more food—but to ensure that every Filipino family has access to healthy, affordable meals. And that those who grow our food can live lives of dignity, not desperation,” Laurel said.
“Let’s build a future where the child of a farmer no longer dreams of leaving the farm—but of improving it. Where the next generation sees hope, not hardship, in the soil and the sea.”
PHL launches FOA training to address union rights gaps
By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573
HE Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has offered a P200,000 reward for information that will result in resolving the killing of Palawan-based lawyer Joshua Lavega Abrina last September 17.
The reward was approved by the Board of Governors of the IBP during its meeting following Abrina’s death, who was gunned down outside his residence in Puerto Princesa by an unidentified assailant.
The IBP offered the reward in exchange for any credible information leading to the identification, arrest, and prosecution of the perpetrators.
“We will not let grief fade into silence. It must awaken resolve —to protect lawyers, defend the vulnerable, and uphold the rule of law,” the IBP said.
The IBP said its committee on security for the legal profession would coordinate with the Philippine National Police and other relevant agencies for the effective implementation of the measure.
Earlier, the Supreme Court through acting Chief Justice Marvic Leonen condemned
DBy Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox
AVAO CITY – Almost 700 Filipinos staying or working in Sabah have been repatriated to the Philippines and sent back to their home towns in Tawi-Tawi, the Bangsamoro Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) has reported.
The MSSD said the repatriated Filipinos have safely arrived this month and the agency said it has ensured the safe transit and reintegration of the 694 returning Filipinos to their families in Tawi-Tawi.
The arrivals came in several batches: 199 individuals on September 2; 174 adults and 25 children on September 4; 201 on September 15; and 90 on September 17.
It said the most recent group of 90 persons traveled from Zamboanga City on September 17 after staying four days at the Processing Center for Displaced Persons (PCDP) Region 9, “where they were profiled and provided with temporary shelter, food, medical assistance, and transportation support by MSSD Zamboanga Satellite Office while awaiting clearance.”
The MSSD Provincial Operations Office in Tawi-Tawi received the returning Filipinos and extended counseling, family tracing, and other psychosocial support.
Leeshabel C. Adil, head of the MSSD Zamboanga Satellite Office, emphasized the
Abrina’s killing as it “strikes at the very core of justice and the rule of law.”
“It must never be taken lightly,” Leonen said.
Leonen also said the Chief Marshal and Deputy Marshal for Luzon have been directed to contact the relevant investigative and law enforcement agencies to separately obtain updates regarding the incident for the purpose of reviewing its policies to ensure the safety of our lawyers.
The SC justice also said he has directed our Court Administrator to instruct the Executive Judges of our first and second-level courts to hold dialogues and focused group discussions with the IBP Chapters and other lawyers’ organizations within their territorial jurisdictions.
“These consultations aim to gain a better understanding of the situation in their area and gather recommendations on how the Court can further contribute to maintaining a level of safety for our lawyers,” Leonen said. The result of the consultations will be submitted to the Supreme Court Committees on Human Rights, Access to Justice, and Oversight of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines for their immediate action.
importance of counseling for returnees.
“Counseling is important because it provides the ReFS [returning Filipinos from Sabah] with a safe and confidential space to process the difficult emotions and challenges they have gone through,” she said.
The MSSD and Tawi-Tawi provincial government also provided them free transportation, food, and accommodation during the transition. ReFS whose families could not yet be located remain under MSSD’s custody for continued assistance.
In Indanan, Sulu, meantime, the MSSD has begun constructing a two-storey Kanlungan Center in Barangay Buansa to provide safe space and temporary shelter for vulnerable women and children in need of protection or intervention.
MSSD Deputy Minister Nur-Ainee Tan Lim said the project “underscored the broader significance as a true measure of a community’s progress.”
“When we learn to honor the women through whom Allah granted us life, we also learn to nurture, uplift, and protect the very soul of our society,” she said.
The MSSD said the facility is the second of its kind in the Bangsamoro region, following the first center established in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, in 2023.
Once completed, the center is expected to help address the urgent need for genderresponsive support systems in the province.
In a statement, the DICT said that the eGov PH App itself was not hacked. Instead, the reported incident stemmed from one of the third-party systems integrated
Gun
“At this time, there is no evidence of a data breach within the eGov PH App. All personal information stored within the eGov platform remains secure, encrypted, and protected by strict cybersecurity protocols in line with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and internationally recognized standards,” the agency said.
The clarification comes amid concern from netizens over claims circulating online about the al -
On Sunday, hackers defaced 19 government website six from the national government and 13 from local government units—amid the Trillion Peso March.
These are the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Bureau of the Treasury, Bureau of Customs, Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and several local government units in Tarlac, Cavite, and Laguna.
ban, other election prohibitions still in effect in BARMM
By Justine Xyrah Garcia
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) clarified that the gun ban and other election-related prohibitions in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) remain in effect despite the suspension of poll preparations.
The advisory was issued after false information spread online claiming that these restrictions were lifted while the conduct of the October 13 parliamentary elections remains uncertain.
Comelec earlier halted all its preparations for the polls following a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court against Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 77, which redistricted seven seats in the regional parliament.
“The gun ban, public works ban, ban on the distribution of cash aid, the strict prohibition on the release of public funds except for medical and burial assistance, and the setting up of Comelec checkpoints will all remain in place,” the poll body said.
It added that processing of requests for authority related to these prohibitions will continue in line with the Omnibus Election Code and other applicable laws.
Comelec also clarified that the official campaign period is still in effect pending the final outcome of the elections.
During the 60-day campaign period in BARMM, candidates and their relatives are barred from giving donations, hiring new government employees or creating new job items, and appointing police or confidential agents, among other restrictions.
Violators may face election of -
fense charges punishable under Sections 263 and 264 of the Omnibus Election Code, with penalties ranging from one to six years’ imprisonment.
October 13 polls not yet assured
THE Comelec also denied circulating claims that the elections are already confirmed to push through next month.
The poll body stressed that it has issued no such statement, saying it has no authority to decide on the matter while the TRO remains pending.
It added that the final date of the parliamentary elections cannot be confirmed until the Supreme Court issues a ruling.
“In simple terms, all questions regarding the October 13 elections depend on the pending petition before the Supreme Court, which the Comelec is closely monitoring and fervently praying for,” the commission said.
Sen. Bong Go extends additional aid to fire victims in Davao City, intensifies support for rebuilding efforts
SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go on
Thursday, September 18, dispatched his Malasakit Team in Barangays 10-A and Centro, Agdao, Davao City, to extend additional assistance to recovering fire victims. Hindi ko po sasayangin ang tiwala na ibinigayninyosaakin.Maglilingkodpoako. Hindi ako pulitiko na basta nangangako, gagawin ko po ang trabaho ko sa abot ng aking makakaya para sa Pilipino. Sipag, pagmamalasakit, at serbisyo po ang kaya kong ialay sa inyo,” Go said in a message. Through Go’s support, qualified beneficiaries received housing related financial aid from the national government to help them rebuild their homes after the devastating fire incident.
Ito ay isang malaking tulong para sa mgakababayannatingnawalanngtirahan. Satulongngprogramangemergency housing assistance na ating isinulong noon,
maaari kayong makabili ng yero, pako, kahoy,atibapangpangunahingmateryales para makapagsimula muli,” the senator explained, expressing hope that such aid can help lighten the burden of displaced families.
Held at the respective barangay halls of Barangays 10-A and Centro, Go’s Malasakit Team also provided essential aid, such as grocery packs, snacks, shirts, and fans to seven fire victims from each barangay. Selected beneficiaries also received a watch, caps, basketballs, and volleyballs. Furthermore, Go reminded the victims, Samgakababayannatingnawalanngtahanan,huwagtayongmawalanngpag-asa. Ang mahalaga, ligtas ang ating pamilya. Ang mga gamit ay nabibili at maaaring palitan,peroangbuhayayhindi. A lost life is a lost life forever.” With this, he emphasized the value of life and the strength of community in overcoming tragedy.
Meanwhile, Go cited Republic Act No. 12076 or the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, which he principally authored and cosponsored. The law mandates the establishment of disaster-resilient evacuation centers in all cities and municipalities to reduce the burden on makeshift shelters during calamities. Additionally, he refiled in the 20th Congress the Senate Bill No. 415, a measure seeking to establish a Rental Housing Subsidy Program to provide temporary shelter support for disaster victims while they transition to permanent housing. Bukas po ang aking opisina para sa inyonglahat.Patuloyakongmagseserbisyo sa inyo sa abot ng aking makakaya dahil bisyo ko ang magserbisyo at naniniwala ako na ang serbisyo sa tao ay serbisyo sa Diyos,” said Go, who is widely known as “Mr. Malasakit” for his consistent compassion and dedication to helping Filipinos in need.-
THE Philippine government on Monday launched a new training resource on Freedom of Association (FOA), developed with the International Labour Organization (ILO), to strengthen protections for unions and workers amid continuing reports of rights violations.
The resource, sponsored by the Government of Canada and the European Union, will include modules on labor rights, documentation of violations, and FOA in the context of gender, migration, and climate.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said the right to organize is a fundamental human right.
“The right to freely associate, to organize, and to engage in collective bargaining is not simply a technical matter. It is a human right—because it gives people a voice, protects their dignity,” he said. Most recent data from DOLE placed the number of registered labor organizations at 154,086 with 6.62 million members as of the second quarter of 2025.
Only 1,278 collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) are in force, covering 313,553 workers.
In 2022, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) also reported that union density stood at 6.5 percent, or around 347,750 out of 5.35 million workers.
But is unionism PHL really improving?
ILO Country Director for the Philippines Khalid Hassan said progress has been made since the ILO High-Level Tripartite Mission (HLTM) visited the country in 2023 to probe alleged violations of trade union rights.
“Significant progress has been achieved; and we need to continue working together to sustain the efforts. This new training resource is more than a tool. It reflects the country’s commitment to address challenges and implement recommendations for stronger social dialogue and freedom of association,” Hassan said.
To recall, a total of 380 cases of FOA violations were brought before the HLTM by labor groups two years ago (Related: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/01/24/380-laborrights-cases-in-report-to-ilo-hltm/).
These included two cases of forced disappearances; 68 cases of arrests and detention; 90 cases of forced disaffiliation, state interference with the right to self-organization, through threats, harassment and intimidation; and 58 cases of red-tagging/terrorist tagging. Since then, ILO said the Philippine government, workers’ and employers’ groups adopted the FOA Roadmap as a “blueprint” for reforms. The Inter-Agency Committee (IAC) was also created under Executive Order 23 in 2023 to coordinate protection efforts, while the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (NTIPC) was tasked to keep the dialogue going. Most recently, the labor department said that the FOA Omnibus Guidelines will be elevated this week to an executive order. Nagkaisa welcomes the move THE Nagkaisa labor coalition welcomed the move, calling the issuance of the FOA Omnibus Guidelines as an executive order “long-awaited.” Justine Xyrah Garcia
A6 Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Editor: Angel R. Calso
Israeli strikes kill more than 40 people in Gaza as several nations move to recognize Palestine
CBy Samy Magdy
The Associated Press
AIRO—Israeli strikes in Gaza City and at a refugee camp killed more than 40 people, including 19 women and children, health officials said Sunday, as several European countries and leading US allies moved to recognize a Palestinian state.
Health officials at Shifa Hospital, where most of the bodies were brought, said the dead included 14 people killed in a strike late Saturday which hit a residential block in the southern side of the city. Health staff said a nurse who worked at the hospital was among the dead, along with his wife and three children.
Another strike that targeted a group of people in front of a clinic in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed at least eight
Palestinians, according to the AlAwda Hospital. The dead include four children and two women, the hospital said. Another 22 people were wounded, it said. Israel did not comment on the strikes.
Anti-war protests in Israel
THE latest Israeli military operation, which began this week, further escalates a conflict that has roiled the Middle East and likely pushes any ceasefire further out of reach. The Israeli military, which has told Palestinians to leave, hasn’t given a timeline for the offensive, but there were indications it could take months. Israel says the operation is meant to pressure Hamas into freeing hostages and surrendering.
Ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, peace activists in Israel have hailed the planned
SMOKE rises following an explosion in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Sunday, September 21, 2025. AP/OHAD ZWIGENBERG
recognition of a Palestinian state.
On Sunday, a group of more than 60 Jewish and Arab organizations representing about 1,000 activ -
ists, including some veteran organizations promoting peace and coexistence, known as It’s Time Coalition, called for an end to the
war, the release of the hostages and the recognition of a Palestinian state.
“We refuse to live forever by the sword. The UN decision offers a historic opportunity to move from a death trap to life, from an endless messianic war to a future of security and freedom for both peoples,” said the coalition in a video statement.
On Saturday night, tens of thousands of people in Israel protested, calling for an end to the war and a hostage deal.
Yet a ceasefire remains elusive. Israeli bombardment over the past 23 months has killed more than 65,000 people in Gaza, destroyed vast areas of the strip, displaced around 90% of the population and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine.
Netanyahu says Palestinian state ‘will not happen’
On Sunday, Australia, Canada and the UK announced formal recognition of Palestinian statehood. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the move is intended “to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis.” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the announcement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the establishment of a Palestinian state “will not happen.” In an angry statement after the coordinated initiative from the Commonwealth nations was announced, he accused the foreign leaders of giving a “prize” to Hamas.
“It will not happen,” he said. “A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River.”
5 top contenders emerge in Japan’s leadership battle
By Mari Yamaguchi The Associated Press
TOKYO—Outgoing Japanese
Kim Jong Un says good memories of Trump could revive talks if US shifts stance on nukes
By Kim Tong-Hyung Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says he still has good memories of US President Donald Trump and urged Washington to drop its demand the North surrender its nukes as a precondition for resuming long-stalled diplomacy.
Speaking to Pyongyang’s rubber-stamp parliament on Sunday, Kim stressed that he has no intention of ever resuming dialogue with rival South Korea, a key US ally that helped broker Kim’s previous summits with Trump during the American president’s first term, according to a speech published by state media on Monday. Kim suspended virtually all cooperation with the South following the collapse of his second summit with Trump in 2019 over disagreements about US-led sanctions against the North. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have worsened in recent years as Kim has accelerated his weapons buildup and aligned with Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Kim’s comments came as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departed for New York to attend the UN General Assembly, where he is expected to address nuclear tensions on the Korean Peninsula and call on North Korea to return to talks.
Trump is also expected to visit South Korea next month to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, prompting media speculation that he may try to meet Kim at the inter-Korean border, as they did during their third meeting in 2019, which ultimately failed to salvage their nuclear diplomacy.
During his latest speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim reiterated that he would never give up his nuclear weapons program, which experts say he sees as his strongest guarantee of survival and the extension of his family’s dynastic rule.
“The world already knows well
what the United States does after forcing other countries to give up their nuclear weapons and disarm,” Kim said. “We will never lay down our nuclear weapons…There will be no negotiations, now or ever, about trading anything with hostile countries in exchange for lifting sanctions.”
He said he still holds “good personal memories” of Trump from their first meetings and that there is “no reason not to” resume talks with the United States if Washington “abandons its delusional obsession with denuclearization.”
Kim has stepped up testing activities in recent years, demonstrating weapons of various ranges designed to strike US allies in Asia and the US mainland. Analysts say Kim’s nuclear push is aimed at eventually pressuring Washington to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power and to negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength.
Kim is also trying to bolster his leverage by strengthening cooperation with traditional allies Russia and China, in an emerging partnership aimed at undercutting US influence.
He has sent thousands of troops and huge supplies of military equipment to Russia to help support President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. He visited Beijing earlier this month, sharing the spotlight with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin at a massive military parade. Experts say Kim’s rare foreign trip was likely intended to boost his leverage ahead of a potential resumption of talks with the United States.
There’s growing concern in Seoul that it could lose its voice in future efforts to defuse the nuclear standoff on the peninsula, as the North seeks to negotiate directly with the United States. Such fears were amplified last year when Kim declared that he was abandoning North Korea’s long-standing goal of peaceful unification with South Korea and ordered a rewriting of the North’s constitution to cement the South as a permanent enemy.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ‘s ruling party opened official campaigning Monday to find his replacement who can restore political stability and voter support for the beleaguered Liberal Democrats.
Five candidates are vying for the Liberal Democratic Party’s top job ahead of a highly unpredictable vote in early October. The race has a slogan: “Change, LDP.”
The winner must act quickly to address rising prices if the party is to have any chance of winning back support following devastating losses to both the LDP and its junior partner Komeito in the past year that deprived their coalition of a majority in either house of parliament.
Its new leader is still likely to be prime minister because the LDP remains the No. 1 party, while opposition groups are too splintered to form a coalition.
Whoever becomes the LDP leader must also gain cooperation from main opposition parties or risk facing constant no-confidence motions and a cycle of short-lived leadership.
Vote for LDP parliamentarians and members
THE Oct. 4 vote is not open to the general public. It is limited to 295 LDP parliamentarians and 1 million dues-paying grassroots party members. That’s less than 1% of Japan’s eligible voters.
A candidate who secures a majority becomes a party leader. If nobody wins a majority, there will be a runoff between the top two candidates in the first round.
To be elected as prime minister, the new party leader will need votes from some opposition lawmakers in a parliamentary leadership vote, to be held within days.
5 serving and former ministers in the race
ALL five candidates are incumbent and former Cabinet ministers. They call themselves moderate conservatives as they emphasize their willingness to work with opposition groups. Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and former economic security minister Sanae
Takaichi are considered the top contenders.
Here’s a rundown of the candidates:
Shinjiro Koizumi, 44: The son of a popular former prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, makes his second bid after running against Ishiba last year when he campaigned to reform the scandal-laden party. As agriculture minister for Ishiba, Koizumi released an emergency rice stockpile to lower prices and stabilize supply. Koizumi vowed to rebuild his party and listen to the people’s voices more closely to address their concerns, such as rising prices, growing foreign population and public safety. If elected, he will be Japan’s youngest leader since Hirobumi Ito, who in 1885 became the first Japanese premier at 44.
Sanae Takaichi, 64: A protégée of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi lost to Ishiba last year in the runoff. A wartime history revisionist and China hawk, she regularly visits Yasukuni Shrine seen by Beijing and Seoul as a symbol of militarism. She supports more public spending and investment for growth and a strong military. She backs paternalistic family values and opposes a female emperor, as well as a revision to civil law to allow an option of keeping separate surnames for married couples—a change sought by rights groups so that women aren’t pressured into abandoning their names.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64: Chief Cabinet secretary of Ishiba’s government, Hayashi is a moderate who promises steady wage increases, a strong economy and defense. He has served in a number of other key
Cabinet posts, including foreign, defense and education ministers.
The Harvard-educated politician is fluent in English. He sings and plays the guitar and piano in a pop band Gi!ns, which he formed with three fellow parliamentarians to make politics approachable.
Toshimitsu Motegi, 69: Another Harvard graduate, Motegi has served in key posts including foreign and trade ministers and is known as a tough trade negotiator during US President Donald Trump’s first term. Motegi said the Japan-US alliance is key to his country’s diplomacy and that deepening the “relationship of trust” with Trump is essential.
Takayuki Kobayashi, 50:
A former economic security minister who promises strong
growth, defense and national unity, Kobayashi is ultraconservative and may split votes with Takaichi. Nicknamed Koba-Hawk, he promises tougher restrictions on foreign workers and says Japan’s defense spending target of 2% of GDP is insufficient.
A first female prime minister? IF elected, Takaichi, an exnewscaster whose role model is former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, will be Japan’s first female prime minister. The country ranks near the bottom internationally for gender equality, especially in politics.
Some experts worry that the hardline conservative would
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FROM left, Japan’s former Economic Security Minister Takayuki Kobayashi, former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi and Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi pose after they delivered speeches at the kick-off of the campaign for the Liberal Democratic Party’s
THIS photo provided by the North Korean government shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaking during a parliament session at the Supreme People’s Assembly, which was held on Sept. 20-21, 2025 in Pyongyang, North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency.
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Brazilians protest against bill that could lead to pardon for Bolsonaro and allies
By Gabriela Sá Pessoa
The Associated Press
SÃO PAULO—Thousands of Brazilians protested in all 26 states and the federal district Sunday against a possible pardon for former President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies, who were convicted of attempting a coup.
Calls for demonstrations grew after the lower house Tuesday passed a constitutional amendment that would make it harder to arrest or launch criminal proceedings against lawmakers. The measure now heads to the Senate.
The following day the lower house voted to fast-track a bill backed by right-wing opposition lawmakers that could grant amnesty to Bolsonaro, his closest allies and hundreds of supporters convicted of their roles in the January 2023 uprising.
In São Paulo, 42,400 people joined the protest, while 41,800 turned out in Rio de Janeiro, according to estimates by the University of São Paulo’s Monitor of Political Debate and the nonprofit More in Common.
Pablo Ortellado, director of the Monitor of Political Debate, told The Associated Press the numbers
in Brazil’s two largest cities were the highest for a left-wing demonstration since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s 2022 electoral victory. Researchers estimated crowd sizes using drone photos.
“Right-wing mobilizations have typically been three times larger than those of the left,” Ortellado said. “In recent months, that pattern has changed. The opposition’s support for (US President Donald) Trump’s tariffs and for the amendment has brought the left back to the streets.”
Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison on Sept. 11 for attempting to stay in power after losing a 2022 reelection bid. He is the first former president convicted of trying to overturn an election in Latin America’s largest economy. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing.
Ana Paula Brito, a 37-year-old nanny, attended the São Paulo protest mainly to oppose a possible pardon for Bolsonaro. She said she was also outraged by the proposed amendment shielding lawmakers from prosecution.
“They (politicians) are rich, have plenty of money and keep
UN faces existential crisis as leaders gather to tackle global challenges
By Edith M. Lederer The Associated Press
UNITED
NATIONS—World
leaders begin convening Monday at one of the most volatile moments in the United Nations’ 80-year history, and the challenges they face are as dire as ever if not more so: unyielding wars in Gaza and Ukraine, escalating changes in the US approach to the world, hungry people everywhere and technologies that are advancing faster than the understanding of how to manage them.
The United Nations itself, which emerged from World War II’s rubble on the premise that nations would work together to tackle political, social and financial issues, is in crisis itself. As Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week: “International cooperation is straining under pressures unseen in our lifetimes.”
Yet the annual high-level gathering at the UN General Assembly will bring presidents, prime ministers and monarchs from about 150 of the 193 UN member nations to UN headquarters. The secretarygeneral says it is an opportunity that can’t be missed—even in the most challenging of moments.
“We are gathering in turbulent— even uncharted—waters,” Guterres said. He pointed to, among other specters, “our planet overheating,
new technologies racing ahead without guardrails, inequalities widening by the hour.”
They gather for a better world, but can they build it?
GUTERRES said he will use the more than 150 one-on-one meetings he has with leaders and ministers to urge that they speak to each other, bridge divides, reduce risks and find solutions—to conflicts, to keep the planet from increased warming, to put guardrails on fastexpanding artificial intelligence, and to find funding for lagging UN goals for 2030 including ending poverty in all countries and ensuring quality education for every child.
He said leaders must make progress, not merely engage in “posturing and promises.”
But UN watchers say that in a deeply polarized world, with no prospects of ceasefires in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, whether the high-level meeting makes any progress remains a big question mark.
Richard Gowan, UN director for the International Crisis Group, said he is confident three topics will dominate high-level week – US President Donald Trump’s first appearance in his second term, the horrific situation in Gaza, and what’s next for the United Nations as it grapples with major funding and staff cuts, mainly due to the cutoff in US payments to its regular and peacekeeping budgets.
Gowan said he expects the nearly two-year war in Gaza to be the central issue, as Israel launches a major offensive in Gaza City forcing thousands to flee and following a report by independent experts commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council that accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel rejected the allegation, calling the report “distorted and false.”
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, has stressed that “Palestine is going to be the huge elephant in this session of the General Assembly.”
It will be front and center on Monday at a high-level meeting cochaired by France and Saudi Arabia on implementing a two-state solution to the nearly eight-decade Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And the spotlight will be even brighter because the Trump administration refused to give a US visa to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to speak at that meeting and the General Assembly.
On Friday, the General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution enabling Abbas to speak by video—as it did in 2022 for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following Russia’s invasion. This year Zelenskyy
will be attending in person, and the Security Council is expected to meet on Ukraine on Tuesday. The assembly voted overwhelmingly earlier this month to support a two-state solution and urge Israel to commit to a Palestinian state. Hours before that vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “there will be no Palestinian state.”
More than 145 countries already recognize Palestine as a state, and Mansour told The Associated Press on Sunday that “it’s going to be 10 more” announcing their recognition at Monday afternoon’s meeting. High-level week is also expected to see a Security Council meeting on Gaza, possibly Tuesday afternoon.
Lots of thorny issues are on the docket THE high-level meeting starts Tuesday morning in the vast General Assembly chamber. Trump will speak that day shortly after Guterres’ opening “state of the world” speech. Gowan said there is “hope” that Trump will come in a positive mood, touting the international accomplishments that the president says merit the Nobel Peace Prize. Also on the docket: Trump’s financial approach to the larger world. “Obviously, most leaders are going to be focusing on what he has to say about tariffs,” Gowan said, but also about Russia and China. Other speakers to watch are interim Syrian President Ahmad alSharaa, making his debut on the international stage following the ouster of former strongman Bashar Assad in December, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The Iranian leader will be in New York days after the Security Council decided not to permanently lift UN sanctions on his country over its
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AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, center right, and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia Penny Wong, center left, walk towards the United Nations headquarters during the 80th session of the United Nations
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DEMONSTRATORS protest an amnesty bill that could benefit former President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies convicted for a 2023 coup attempt, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. AP/ERALDO PERES
Greece’s tax revolution harnesses big data and drones to shake off a legacy of crisis
By Derek Gatopoulos The Associated Press
ATHENS, Greece—With a pristine white exterior, the Greece tax authority’s new headquarters looks out of place on a clogged industrial artery outside Athens. A former shopping mall and ice rink, the building has been overhauled into an ultramodern digital center that has led the rescue of the nation’s ailing finance and tax sector.
It is teeming with inspectors who chase down tax cheats with the help of drones, big data and live surveillance feeds from as far as Greece’s island ports and remote farming villages.
Analysts at the Independent Authority for Public Revenue monitor millions of transactions in real time and order stings on businesses flagged by algorithms for a high potential of illegal activity.
Greece’s tax system—once a byword for inefficiency—has been rewired by technology.
Now, the country that spent nearly a decade as Europe’s financial outcast, drowning in debt, has become one of its best budget performers, with bonds restored to investment grade by all major ratings agencies.
“We worked systematically over the years, with dedication,” Giorgos Pitsilis, governor of the revenue authority, told The Associated Press. “We started from a situation of no data to a situation with big data.”
From crisis to credit upgrades
GREECE was one of just six EU member states that recorded a budget surplus in 2024, after running deficits for decades. Momentum carried into this year, with government revenues shooting past targets through August.
Moody’s upgraded Greece’s bonds to
investment grade in March, praising its large-scale push to digitize the tax system.
Jason Graffam, senior vice president at ratings agency Morningstar DBRS, noted that Greece’s long-term borrowing costs now sit slightly above Spain’s—and below Italy’s and France’s.
“The Greece of today is indeed very different from a decade ago,” Graffam said.
“There has clearly been durable change to the country’s economic model and its fiscal regime.”
During the crisis years, international creditors imposed punishing austerity measures in exchange for three massive bailout packages. Greece’s population felt the pain deeply—wages were slashed, companies shut down and the economy bled jobs.
Sustained pressure from lenders forced successive governments to modernize one of Europe’s weakest tax systems.
Out went paper files and fax machines.
In came cashless, paperless systems powered by algorithms that scour card payments, tax filings, payroll data, customs declarations and bank records—and flag anomalies for inspectors to pursue.
‘Saturday Night Fever’ REPURPOSED smartphones carried by inspectors in the field stream video and audio back to headquarters. There are panic buttons to use when someone feels threatened.
Back at headquarters, screens map ongoing site inspections and drone feeds from multiple sites: from restaurants and ports to hidden grain silos and fruit delivery trucks—even live readings from ships’ fuel tanks.
Tax and customs officials described how the data translates into raids. They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of
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Ukraine uses remote-controlled vehicles for dangerous missions to protect soldiers
By Hanna Arhirova The Associated Press
DONETSK REGION, Ukraine—
On a battlefield swarming with deadly Russian drones, Ukrainian soldiers are increasingly turning to nimble, remote-controlled armored vehicles that can perform an array of tasks and spare troops from potentially life-threatening missions.
The Ukrainian army is especially eager to deploy what soldiers refer to as “robots on wheels” as it faces a shortage of soldiers in a war that has dragged on for more than 3 ½ years. The vehicles look like miniature tanks and can ferry supplies, clear mines and evacuate the wounded or dead.
“It cannot fully replace people,” said the commander of a platoon of the 20th Lyubart Brigade who goes by the call sign Miami and spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military rules. “I would put it this way: A person can go in there, but for a human it’s (sometimes) far too dangerous.”
The robotic vehicles are mostly made by Ukrainian companies and range in cost from about $1,000 to as much as $64,000, depending on their size and capabilities.
While they have become vital to Ukrainian troops along the 1,000 kilometer (620 mile) front line, such vehicles are not new to warfare.
The German army used a remote-controlled miniature tank – tethered by a wire—called the Goliath in World War II. In recent decades, the US, Israel, Britain and China have developed modern versions used for combat engineering and other battlefield roles, according to Ben Barry, a fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. But Ukraine’s extensive deployment of these vehicles is noteworthy and could lead to advances, Barry said.
The Russian army also uses
remote-controlled vehicles.
From drones to autonomous vehicles
MIAMI joined the army on the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. He served as an infantryman and later a drone operator before his latest assignment. His path reflects how the war itself has evolved.
“I couldn’t even imagine that I would become a (drone) pilot,” he said. “But war is progress, and we cannot stand aside.”
The robotic vehicles his team deploys are armored and mounted on either wheels or tracks.
Painted in military colors, they crawl slowly over rubble or dirt roads, easily navigating terrain that would be difficult—or too dangerous—for soldiers.
“They arrive in one condition, and we improve them,” Miami said. “We adapt the controls to work better (in the face of Russia’s) electronic warfare so the connection doesn’t cut off.”
Miami’s 10-man team is just starting to incorporate the machines into their missions, mostly using them to deliver food and ammunition to soldiers near the front.
Just like remote-controlled, or first-person view, drones, the use of these vehicles will only grow, said a soldier in Miami’s unit who goes by the call sign Akim and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“When FPV drones first appeared, they weren’t popular, but
those who pioneered them, (now) show (the best) results,” said Akim.
An autonomous vehicle ‘doesn’t get tired’
BEFORE sending a remote-controlled vehicle forward, Akim flies a drone along the planned route to check for obstacles or mines.
Operating from a cramped basement near Kostiantynivka, less than 10 kilometers from the front, Akim can hear the muffled thuds of aerial bombs, the sharp cracks of artillery and the buzzing of drones.
Kostiantynivka, once home to 67,000 people, is a largely deserted city on a shrinking patch of Ukrainian-held territory just west of Bakhmut. It is nearly encircled on three sides by Russian forces. Apartment blocks are scarred by strikes, smoke still rises from recent bombings, and the roads leading toward nearby Pokrovsk are littered with burned-out cars.
The aerial drone allows Akim to scout the city and routes without risking his life.
“Every time a drone or a robot does something, it means one of our fighters doesn’t have to,” Akim said. On top of that, “the machine doesn’t get tired. It can carry as much as needed.”
Akim works in tandem with another soldier operating the robotic vehicle with a joystick. The vehicle has no camera; instead, Akim’s drone feed provides its “eyes.”
On one recent mission, the team loaded it with 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of supplies—ammunition, fuel, water and food—and sent it several kilometers to drone operators closer to the front. The machine moved forward at about six kilometers per hour, delivered its cargo into a well-hidden position in the forest, and returned to base.
Bumps along the road
BECAUSE robotic vehicles move more slowly than cars or trucks, and usually across open ground, they are an easy target—and this is one factor slowing their adoption.
“That’s why we haven’t evacuated many wounded (on these vehicles),” said Miami. “Some refuse to leave because it’s dangerous.” There are also cost considerations, with the vehicles his platoon uses averaging roughly 400,000 hryvnias ($9,700). “That’s not too expensive, but when three or four get destroyed in a week, the total adds up,” Miami said.
To make them less vulnerable, Miami and his soldiers have tried welding grill-like cages onto the machines or attaching metallic rollers in front to detect mines. The war provides real-time feedback that is incorporated into newer models being built.
Vasilisa Stepanenko and Yehor Konovalov contributed to this report.
escalating nuclear program, but it gave Tehran and key European powers France, Germany and the United Kingdom until midnight Sept. 27 to agree to a delay. That’s when the sanctions will automatically “snapback” unless a deal is reached.
High-level week will also see numerous meetings on tackling climate change; on the more than two-year war in Sudan started by rival military and paramilitary generals that has sparked the world’s worst displacement crisis; on Somalia, which is home to the extremist group Al-Shabab; and on Haiti, where gangs control over 90% of the capital and have expanded into the countryside.
stealing. No funds are ever released for us. That’s one more reason we’re in the streets today,” Brito said.
Some of Brazil’s most prominent artists helped organize and promote Sunday’s demonstrations.
Music legends Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque and Gilberto Gil—who defied censorship during the military dictatorship of the 1960s—reunited in Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana neighborhood to protest.
“I was outraged by the news that many deputies voted in favor of a shielding law for themselves and their colleagues,” Veloso told
An event on Monday will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Beijing women’s conference, which adopted a platform to achieve gender equality. The United Nations says that goal is growing more distant and Guterres
Brazilian news outlet UOL in an interview published Saturday. “This, along with a proposal for amnesty for the coup plotters. I think I identified with the majority of the Brazilian population, who do not want these things to go through.”
Brazilian actor Wagner Moura attended the protest in Salvador, Bahia. Speaking to the crowd from the top of a truck, he said he was not willing to talk about the legislative proposals. Instead, he emphasized “this extraordinary moment in Brazilian democracy, which serves as an example to the entire world.”
Sunday’s protests were organized by artists and left-wing groups that have struggled to mobilize large crowds compared
has said it is 300 years away on the current track.
One of Guterres’ major aims this year: to generate support for his plans to reform the United Nations and make it more responsive to the world as it is in 2025. Because of funding cuts by the US and others, the UN announced last week that its regular operating budget for 2026 needs to be cut by 15% to $3,2 billion along with a 19% cut in that budget’s staff positions—2,681 posts.
Gowan said he doesn’t see the
with the right. On Sept. 7, ahead of Bolsonaro’s Supreme Court trial, thousands of his supporters rallied in his defense.
Two weeks ago, right-wing demonstrators unfurled a huge US flag during a protest in Sao Paulo, with many thanking Trump for the sanctions against Brazil.
Trump called the trial a witch hunt, and in July announced a 50% tariff on Brazilian imported goods and explicitly linked the import tax to Bolsonaro’s fate. Later, the US Treasury Department placed sanctions on Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the case and is seen by Bolsonaro as a foe.
On Sunday, the left sought to counter that symbolism by unfurling a giant Brazilian flag on
United States or other countries running away from the United Nations. But he stressed that it is going through “an extraordinarily difficult period” and will have to shrink and change.
“The UN’s resonance on peace and security issues is unquestionably not what it was,” he said, “but I think that the organization will continue to muddle through.”
Edith M. Lederer has covered international affairs for The Associated Press for more than half a century.
the same avenue. Posters, T-shirts and stickers not only rejected amnesty and expanded protections for lawmakers but also asserted national pride and defended Brazil’s sovereignty in response to Trump’s sanctions.
Polls show the country remains deeply divided over Bolsonaro.
According to a Datafolha poll released Sept. 16, 50% of respondents said Bolsonaro should be jailed, while 43% disagreed and 7% declined to answer. The survey interviewed 2,005 people nationwide and had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
The Associated Press writer Eduardo François contributed reporting from Brasilia.
Bolsonaro. . .
A UKRAINIAN serviceman known by the call sign “Miami” works on robotic military equipment near the front line in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. AP/ALEX BABENKO
INSPECTORS of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue monitor transactions in real time at the headquarters of AADE in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. AP PHOTO/PETROS GIANNAKOURIS
A10 Tuesday, September 23, 2025
The World
VCs say China’s clean energy supremacy makes Western competitors uninvestable
By Alastair Marsh
VENTURE capitalists in clean tech are starting to say out loud what they’ve suspected for a while: China’s dominance has left key sectors in the West uninvestable.
A group of eight VCs from Western firms agreed to share with Bloomberg the details of a July road trip across China during which they visited factories, spoke with startup investors, and interviewed founders of companies.
They knew China had raced ahead in sectors like batteries and “everything around energy,” but seeing how big the gap was firsthand left them wondering how European and North American competitors can even survive, says Talia Rafaeli, a former investment banker at both Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Barclays Plc who’s now a partner at Kompas VC.
“Everyone needs to take this kind of trip,” she said.
As financial professionals prepare to gather in New York for the city’s annual climate week, they’ll need to address the reality that China—the world’s largest source of carbon emissions—is now the strongest motor guiding the planet to a low-carbon future. While US President Donald Trump axes the green policies of his predecessor and Europe gets caught up in a regulatory stalemate, China is quietly making a number of transition sectors impenetrable to Western startups.
The VCs Bloomberg interviewed don’t have mandates to invest in China directly. Instead, their goal is to avoid allocating funds to Western startups that can’t compete with Chinese peers. They plan to use climate week in New York to talk about little else.
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the confidentiality of their work and citing reasons of personal safety.
During a recent nightclub sweep dubbed “Saturday Night Fever,” they matched individual table orders against receipts to uncover undeclared sales, mostly of alcoholic drinks.
“We knew the tables were full, but the receipts didn’t match,” one official said, adding that after inspectors showed up, the nightclub’s reported revenues doubled within days. Fraud can be detected by crossreferencing mobile phone activity with reported sales as recorded by cash registers and card-payment terminals that by law must be connected to the tax authority.
“If we detect signals from 20 phones inside a store, but see almost no receipts, that’s a cue to dispatch a team immediately,” another inspector explained.
Netanyahu said he would announce Israel’s response after a trip next week to the US, where he is to meet President Donald Trump at the White House.
Other prominent Western countries are preparing to recognize Palestinian statehood at the gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly on Monday, including France.
French President Emmanuel Macron criticized Israel’s conduct in its war against Hamas, calling it a “failure” because the group continues to recruit more fighters. In a CBS interview Sunday, Macron said that while Israel has succeeded in killing Hamas leaders, it has been
Planet A Ventures, a Berlinbased VC, has decided that investments in Western startups spanning battery manufacturing and recycling, electrolysers, solar and hardware for wind are no longer viable, says Nick de la Forge, general partner and co-founder of the firm. He says before the trip he’d suspected China was way ahead; but after going there, those sectors are now “strictly off the list.” Yair Reem, a partner at Extantia Capital, says the trip has already led his firm to halt investments in Western battery cell manufacturers. Instead, they’ll look for ways to collaborate with Chinese firms across supply chains. When it comes to battery manufacturing in the West, China’s dominance means it’s now “game over,” according to Reem.
Ashwin Shashindranath, a former Macquarie Group managing director who’s now a partner at Energy Impact Partners, says what he saw on the trip made it “very clear” that Western investors live “in a bubble” in their misconceptions about China.
Al Gore, the chairman of Generation Investment Management and former US vice president, says China’s supremacy in the energy transition is now leading “many nations” to consider closer ties with the country. He describes America’s retreat from transition technologies as a “tragedy.”
China manufactures about 80% of the world’s solar panels, supplies some 60% of the planet’s wind turbines, 70% of its EVs and 75% of batteries, all at a lower financial cost than the West.
What’s more, China’s share of global clean energy patents stands at around 75%, while the country dominates the supply chain for the
High cost-of-living persists
THE reforms have salvaged Greece’s reputation abroad. At home, the windfall has funded 1.6 billion euros in tax cuts recently announced by the center-right government.
Still, opposition parties argue that more efficient tax collection does not offset policies that worsen inequality: The national sales tax rate was hiked during the crisis to 24%—higher than most EU countries.
It hasn’t been reduced since, while other austerity-era cuts remain in place and poverty is stubbornly high.
The powerful Greek Communist Party described recent budget figures as a “bloodstained surplus” that is eating further into the spending power of wage earners.
But the revenue is a sorely needed boost for the government, which is facing public anger over a corruption scandal and the cost-of-living crisis.
Tax compliance may also—slowly and grudgingly—build trust in public institutions, revenue agency officials say.
unable to dismantle it during the nearly two-year conflict in Gaza. Macron told CBS that Israel’s approach undermines the country’s credibility by killing civilians, and that the war creates “an unsustainable framework of security in the whole region.”
Dire humanitarian crisis
IN a statement Sunday, the military stated it killed Majed Abu Selmiya, who it said was a sniper for Hamas’ military wing and was preparing to carry out more attacks in the Gaza City area, without providing evidence.
Majed was the brother of the director of Shifa hospital, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, who called the allegations a lie and said Israel was trying to justify the killing of civilians. Dr. Selmiya told The As -
critical minerals that underpin many green technologies.
And China’s notorious 996 model (work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week), though officially banned, still appears to shape labor market norms, according to the VCs Bloomberg spoke to.
Irena Spazzapan, a former Goldman Sachs commodities executive who now runs Systemiq Capital, says China’s advances in renewables are all down to its ultimate goal of energy independence. The country “has prioritized energy security above all else,” she says.
For now, China remains the world’s largest consumer and producer of coal, and Western politicians have accused it of winning the clean-tech race at the cost of environmental and human rights protections.
Miranda Schreurs, chair of climate and environmental policy at the Bavarian School of Public Policy, says “there are certainly reasons to be concerned.” Yet the reality is that China is “jumping into the vacuum left by the United States with its rejection of climate science and international development assistance.”
Global clean-tech dominance hasn’t necessarily meant profits for Chinese firms. Beijing has been phasing out subsidies such as the feed-in tariffs that had guaranteed high prices for renewable power. That’s as over-production has driven down prices to near break-even levels.
Spazzapan from Systemiq says shareholder interests in China “have been largely disregarded, with chronic overcapacity and relentless price wars eroding company equity.”
It’s a system that favors “scale over profitability,” she says. For companies and investors
“It’s a powerful argument...being tax responsible is beneficial,” said Pitsilis, who has been governor since the tax agency became an independent authority in 2017. “We earn more, and that gives space for tax reform.”
Change is visible on the streets too. At a stall north of Athens, Makis Panaretos sells watermelons, tomatoes, cucumbers and oranges. About 70% of his sales are now electronic—all transactions are instantly referred to the tax authority.
“Customers use their cards, phones and watches to pay,” he said. “I don’t mind it, even though it slows things down when there’s a line.”
By November, all businesses will be required to accept IRIS, a Greek instant payment system similar to Venmo in the United States, eliminating bank and payment provider fees currently incurred by vendors like Panaretos.
Deeper AI integration GREECE’S progress is an example how a crisis can accelerate reforms, observers say.
sociated Press that his brother, 57, suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes and had vision problems. As the attacks continue, Israel has ordered hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering in Gaza City to move south to what it calls a humanitarian zone and opened another corridor south of the city for two days this week to allow more people to evacuate. Palestinians were streaming out of Gaza City by car and on foot, though many are unwilling to be uprooted again, too weak to leave or unable to afford the cost of moving.
Along the coastal Wadi Gaza route, those too exhausted to continue stopped to catch their breath and give their children a much-needed break from the difficult journey.
caught in the fray, it’s been “total misery,” says Dan Wang, research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover History Lab and the author of Breakneck. China’s model relies on “a lot of state power, a lot of consumer power, but not very much financial investor benefit,” he says.
China’s willingness to let companies fail in droves creates “real social costs,” says Gernot Wagner, a climate economist at Columbia Business School. “But it works to create global champions that dominate the market.”
De la Forge at Planet A Ventures says seeing how far China takes corporate Darwinism was a “revelation.” Only “the strongest players survive.”
Meanwhile, the VCs were able to see up close how China is rapidly onshoring entire supply chains.
Gang Lin, the founder and chief executive of Marvel-Tech Ltd., a Shanghai-based developer of technology for zero-emissions power generation, says he’s been able to find local suppliers at every turn, with many willing to adapt their own manufacturing processes to help.
The company, which has existed for roughly a decade, is developing a tri-fuel gas turbine capable of burning hydrogen, ammonia and natural gas.
Many of the companies the VCs visited are now looking to escape China’s price wars by ramping up exports.
GCL Perovskite, part of the GCL Group and with investors including Sequoia China and Temasek, makes next-generation solar modules. The company is working on being “globalized as soon as possible,” says Chairman Fan Bin. With assistance from Winnie Zhu and David Stringer/Bloomberg
“Greece has shown how digitalization and institutional independence can translate into real fiscal gains,” said Alexandros Kentikelenis, a political economy professor at Bocconi University in Milan.
Further integration of artificial intelligence into the tax authority’s systems through 2026 is likely to accelerate this process, according to tax officials.
“The push to modernize tax administration continues, which supports our expectation that tax revenue growth will remain robust over the medium term,” Moody’s wrote in its report accompanying its ratings upgrade in March.
Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis, a Harvard- and MIT-trained technocrat, says the shift is irreversible. A supporter of the digital euro, he has tied tax reform to broader plans to digitize the economy.
“Countries change when they change course,” he said at a news conference this month. “And that change means we won’t be left behind or ever return to the past.”
Aid groups have warned that forcing thousands of people to evacuate will exacerbate the dire humanitarian crisis. They are appealing for a ceasefire so aid can reach those who need it.
Pope denounces ‘forced exile’ of Palestinians
POPE Leo XIV criticized what he described as the “forced exile” of Palestinians from Gaza, saying there was no future for the “martyred” Gaza Strip based on violence and vendetta.
During his Sunday noon blessing, Leo issued another appeal for peace and expressed appreciation for the work of Catholic organizations active in helping Palestinians, which had representatives present in St. Peter’s Square. Families of hostages still held
Trump intervention fuels credit card fight against Brazil’s Pix
By Martha Beck, Andrew Rosati & Beatriz Amat
CREDIT card companies won a new and powerful ally in their fight against a competing payment system in Brazil when President Donald Trump went on the offensive against the South American country.
Brazil’s wildly popular digital payments platform Pix, long the bane of Visa Inc., Mastercard Inc. and Big Tech, is one of several targets of US probes over allegations of unfair trade practices. If the Trump administration sides with companies’ arguments that Pix has an unjust advantage and needs higher security standards, it would be a win for the companies and a blow against government-backed payment technologies like Brazil’s.
The corporate complaints against the Pix system, created and regulated by Brazil’s central bank, had gone mostly unheeded for years in Washington. The campaign picked up steam when the Trump administration began mobilizing in support of right-wing ally Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted this month of planning a coup.
Pix is used every day by tens of millions of Brazilians to pay everything from utility bills to street vendors—and increasingly, in transactions that used to be done with plastic. It’s now become a potent symbol of sovereignty in the face of an escalating US trade war that Brasilia is vowing to resist.
The battle to capture the market for digital transactions in Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, is a microcosm of a broader effort by private credit card companies to fight for what they argue should be a level playing field around the world.
Launched in 2020, P ix quickly became a hit as pandemic-weary consumers flocked to online commerce and payment systems. Today it has close to 160 million monthly active users in a country of 210 million people. In August alone, more than 3 trillion reais ($564 billion) moved through the network, according to the central bank.
P eople can pay each other easily with their phones using QR codes linked to a digital wallet or payment processor. The central bank has said the incentive to use Pix has lured more people into the formal banking system.
Continued from A7
set back women’s advancement. Others say her revisionist views of Japan’s wartime history may complicate ties with Beijing and Seoul.
In a policy speech on Friday, Takaichi said she wants good ties with China, as an important neighbor and that her harsh comments about China are mostly related to economics. She did not say she would visit Yasukuni if she became prime minister, but stressed her “gratitude” for those who sacrificed their lives for the country and are enshrined at Yasukuni.
Cooperation with opposition is key COOPERATION with opposition parties is vital as Japan faces a
by Hamas have accused Netanyahu of condemning their loved ones to death by continuing to fight rather than negotiating an end to the war.
Israel in talks with Syria NETANYAHU said at a cabinet meeting that Israel’s victories in Lebanon against Hezbollah “have opened a window for the possibility of peace with our neighbors to the north.”
“We are holding talks with the Syrians—there is some progress, but still a vision for the future,” he said.
Israel has occupied parts of southwest Syria since the overthrow of then-Syrian President Bashar Assad in December. Relations with the new Syrian government have been tense, with Israel carrying out airstrikes over
Offering instantaneous transfers with no fees for consumers, Pix now surpasses credit and debit cards as Brazil’s preferred payment method. It’s also adopting new features that are poised to edge them out further.
W hen the Trump administration took its trade war to Brazil in a bid to rescue Bolsonaro from legal peril, it flung open the door for the card companies to make their case that Pix wasn’t playing by the rules.
T he crackdown against Brazil took off in July when the US announced 50% trade tariffs on some Brazilian exports. Trump cited political persecution of Bolsonaro as the reason, introducing a new and legally questionable rationale for taxing imports from other countries. In parallel, the Office of the US Trade Representative launched a broad investigation against Brazil for alleged unfair practices, including digital trade and electronic payments services that it said “may undermine the competitiveness of US companies engaged in these sectors, for example, by retaliating against them for failing to censor political speech.”
‘Uneven playing field’ IN a USTR hearing on Sept. 3, representatives from US-based trade groups alleged that Pix disadvantaged private companies and blurred the line between the regulator and market participants.
S ean Murphy, vice president of the Information Technology Industry Council, which represents companies such as Visa, Mastercard, Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc., cited an “uneven playing field for digital payment services companies that compete with the government-backed alternative,” according to a hearing transcript. T he central bank could exploit its access to confidential and sensitive information on its private competitors, the council argued. It added that Pix should be subject to the same regulatory, cybersecurity and operational standards and supervision as private-sector platforms.
Neil Herrington of the US Chamber of Commerce cited a “lack of transparency and separation of governance” because of the central bank’s dual role as the system’s operator and regulator. With assistance from Robert Jameson/Bloomberg
tense security environment and Trump is now expected to demand greater defense spending, experts say. While still uncertain, cooperation between the ruling coalition and key opposition focusing on security is possible and could contribute to political stability. The new LDP leader and prime minister will need help from either or both of the center-right opposition groups, the Japan Innovation Party, or Ishin, and the Democratic Party for the People, with which the LDP has collaborated on budget bills. Koizumi has approached Ishin and in August visited Osaka Expo, where he was escorted by party leader and Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura. Hayashi reportedly met with a senior Ishin lawmaker over dinner recently, while Motegi announced his willingness to form a coalition with the two parties.
the summer in what it says were steps to protect Syria’s Druze community.
Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa said in an interview on Syrian state television on Sept. 12 that negotiations with Israel for a security deal are still ongoing. He hopes that Israeli troops will return to where they were before the fall of Assad’s government under a disengagement agreement in 1974.
“Israel considered the fall of the regime as Syria’s withdrawal from the 1974 agreement, even though Syria showed its commitment from the very beginning,” said al-Sharaa.
rusalem and Samuel Petrequin in Paris contributed to this report.
The Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield in Rome, Italy, Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, Josef Federman in Je
The World
Dominican Republic confiscates cocaine from speedboat destroyed by US Navy
By Manuel Rueda The Associated Press
BOGOTA, Colombia—Authorities in the Dominican Republic said Sunday they have confiscated some of the cocaine transported by a speedboat that was destroyed recently by the US Navy, as the Trump administration carries out a controversial antinarcotics mission in the southern Caribbean.
In a press conference, the Dominican Republic’s National Directorate for Drug Control said it recovered 377 packages of cocaine from the boat which was allegedly carrying 1,000 kilograms of the drug.
Officials said the boat was destroyed about 80 nautical miles south of Isla Beata, a small island that belongs to the Dominican Republic. They said the Dominican’s Republic Navy worked in conjunction with US authorities to locate the speedboat which was allegedly trying to dock in the Dominican Republic and use the nation as a “bridge” to transport cocaine to the United States.
“This is the first time in history that the United States and the Dominican Republic carry out a joint operation against narco terrorism in the Caribbean,” the directorate said in a statement.
In August, the US sent eight warships and a submarine to the southern Caribbean, in what the Trump administration has said was a mission to fight drug trafficking.
The White House says the flotilla has destroyed three speedboats carrying drugs so far in separate strikes that have killed more than a dozen people aboard the vessels.
Human rights groups have said the strikes on the boats amount to extra judicial killings, and on Friday two Democratic senators introduced a resolution in Congress that seeks to block the administration from carrying out further strikes.
The Trump administration says at least two of the boats that have been sunk left from Venezuela, whose president is often described by White House officials as a drug trafficker and leader of a gang known as the Cartel of the Suns.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denies the charges and has described the US naval build up in the Caribbean as an attack on his country.
Canada, Australia, Portugal join UK in recognizing Palestinian statehood
By Pan Pylas The Associated Press
LONDON—The
UK, Australia and Canada formally recognized a Palestinian state on Sunday, prompting an angry response from Israel, which ruled out the prospect.
The coordinated initiative from the three Commonwealth nations and longtime allies reflects growing outrage at Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza and the steps taken by the Israeli government to thwart efforts to create a Palestinian state, including by the continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has faced pressure to take a harder line on Israel within his own governing Labour Party over the deteriorating situation in Gaza, said the UK’s move is intended “to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis.”
He insisted it wasn’t a reward for Hamas, which was behind the attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in which the militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 251 others.
“Today, to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution, I state clearly as prime minister of this great country that the United Kingdom formally recognizes the state of Palestine,” Starmer said in a video message. “We recognized the state of Israel more than 75 years ago as a homeland for the
Jewish people. Today we join over 150 countries who recognize a Palestinian state also.”
The moves by the three countries prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to say that the establishment of a Palestinian state “will not happen” while Hamas urged the international community to isolate Israel.
Later on Sunday, Portugal said it was recognizing a Palestinian state as well.
Announcement came as no surprise THE British announcement was widely anticipated after Starmer said in July that the UK would recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza, allowed the United Nations to bring in aid and took other steps toward long-term peace.
More countries are expected to join the list recognizing a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly this week, including France, which, like the UK, is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
Palestinian and Israeli reactions ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the three countries for proffering a “prize” to Hamas.
“It will not happen,” he said. “A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River.”
Netanyahu, who is set to give a speech to the General Assembly on Friday before heading to see US President Donald Trump at the White House, said he would announce Israel’s response after the trip.
Netanyahu has threatened to take unilateral steps, including the possibility of annexing parts of the West Bank, in response to world leaders’ recognition of a Palestinian state. Such a move would clear the way for Israel to deepen its control over the territory -- and escalate tensions with the international community.
Hamas hailed the decision, calling it a “rightful outcome of our people’s struggle, steadfastness, and sacrifices on the path to liberation and return.” The Islamic militant group, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, called on the world to isolate Israel.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority exercises limited autonomy in towns and cities in the West Bank, said the UK announcement is an important step toward achieving a “just and lasting peace in the region based on the two-state solution,” the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said.
Historical overlay THE UK and France have had a
historic role in the politics of the Middle East over the past 100 years, having carved up the region following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I.
As part of that carve-up, the UK became the governing power of what was then Palestine. It was also the author of the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which backed the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people.”
However, the second part of the declaration has been largely neglected over the decades. It noted “that nothing shall be done, nothing which may prejudice the civil and religious rights” of the Palestinian people.
“It’s significant for France and the UK to recognize Palestine because of the legacy of these two countries’ involvement in the Middle East,” said Burcu Ozcelik, senior research fellow for Middle East Security at London-based Royal United Services Institute. “But without the United States coming on board with the idea of a Palestine, I think very little will change on the ground.”
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian head of mission in the UK, told the BBC that recognition would right a colonial-era wrong. “The issue today is ending the denial of our existence that started 108 years ago, in 1917,” he said. “And I think today, the British people should celebrate a day when history is being corrected.”
Diplomatic shift
KHowever, the government has become increasingly worried that such a solution is becoming all but impossible. During the past two years, Israel’s assault on Gaza has displaced most of its population, killed more than 65,000 people, and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, including a famine in Gaza City.
Last week, independent experts commissioned by the UN’s Human Rights Council concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, a charge that Israel rejected as “distorted and false.” Also vexing for the UK is that Israel’s government has been aggressively expanding settlements in the West Bank, land that Palestinians want for their future state. Much of the world regards Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, which is ostensibly run by the Palestinian Authority, as illegal.
“This move has symbolic and historic weight, makes clear the UK’s concerns about the survival of a two-state solution, and is intended to keep that goal relevant and alive,” said Olivia O’Sullivan, Director of the UK in the World Programme at the London-based think tank, Chatham House. The creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel is seen internationally as the only realistic way to resolve the conflict for the long-term.
The Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
The UK has for decades supported an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, but insisted recognition must come as part of a peace plan to achieve a two-state solution.
Russia and Ukraine trade deadly drone strikes as Zelenskyy anticipates intense diplomacy at UN
the defense of alliance countries.
By Illia Novikov
The Associated Press
YIV, Ukraine—Russia and Ukraine swapped accusations of deadly drone strikes on civilian areas of their countries Monday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy anticipated “a very intense week” of diplomacy at the UN General Assembly in New York, where the Security Council was expected discuss the more than three-year war. Zelenskyy has tried to give momentum to a US-led peace effort, offering a ceasefire and a summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow has taken issue with some of the proposals, however, and an end to the bloodshed appears no closer.
on Ayala Bridge. Two minors were turned over to Manila Reception and Action Center while the 11 others were held subject to “determination of discernment.”
The Supreme Court under its rules defined “discernment” as “the capacity of the child at the time of the commission of the offense to understand the difference between right and wrong and the consequences of the wrongful act.”
In Region III, a total of 242 families or 737 individuals were evacuated, largely from Aurora, with 229 families or 694 individuals, while Nueva Ecija reported 13 families or 43 individuals.
Typhoon track
IN its 5:00 p.m. Tropical Cyclone Weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagsa) said Typhoon Nando made landfall over Panuitan Island
Additionally, international concerns have mounted recently that the fighting could spread beyond Ukraine’s borders as
The same reports added that 21 were arrested on Mendiola Street, 14 of whom were adults and seven were minors, and 41 on Claro M. Recto Avenue, 13 of them adults and 28 minors.
In the same reports, the MPD said that of its personnel who sustained injuries, eight suffered lacerations while nine were brought to the Philippine National Police General Hospital at Camp Panopio in Quezon City, for observation.
It said one policeman may require admission owng to a nasal fracture.
in Calayan, Cagayan, and is now moving away from Babuyan Island. As of the 4:00 p.m. track, the center of the eye of the storm was spotted over the coastal waters of Calayan Island, in Calayan town, Cagayan province. It is packing maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometers per hour near the center, with gustiness of up to 295 kmh. It is moving westward at 25 kmh.
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals
TROPICAL Cyclone Wind Signal 5 is still up in the Babuyan Island, while TCWS 4 is up the southern portion of
European countries rebuked Russia for what they said were provocations. The incidents have included Russian drones landing on Polish soil and Russian fighter aircraft entering Estonian airspace.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said on social media that Russia was testing NATO’s political and military response and aiming to reduce Western support for Ukraine by compelling countries to redirect resources toward
The report said 75 more policemen sustained wounds and received first aid but did not need hospitalization.
A radio reporter, Manny Vargas of DZBB, was injured after he was struck by a rock in the face while reporting the incident.
Vargas said several of the instigators were minors, with some saying they wanted to reach Malacañang and “burn the palace.”
Violence denounced THE Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS) on Sunday denounced the violence that
Batanes (Basco, Mahatao, Ivana, Uyugan, Sabtang), the northern portion of mainland Cagayan (Santa Ana, Santa Praxedes, Claveria, Sanchez-Mira, Pamplona, Abulug, Ballesteros, Aparri, Buguey, Santa Teresita, Gonzaga, Camalaniugan), the northern portion of Ilocos Norte (Pagudpud, Burgos, Bangui, Dumalneg, Adams).
The rest of Batanes, the central portion of mainland Cagayan (Lal-Lo, Gattaran, Baggao, Alcala, Santo Niño, Lasam, Allacapan, Rizal, Amulung, Piat), the northern and central portions of Apayao (Flora, Santa Marcela, Pudtol, Luna, Calanasan, Kabugao), and the rest of Ilocos Norte are under TCWS 3 and the rest
Calibrating how to respond to Russia was not easy, Rinkevics said Sunday. Russia was doing just enough not to cross a red line, but things could still spiral, he added.
Russia’s Defense Ministry denied any Estonian airspace violation by its planes, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday dismissed Estonia and NATO’s claims as “void, ungrounded and continuing
broke out during anti-corruption demonstrations in Manila, which left several individuals injured, including a broadcast journalist who was struck by a projectile while reporting live.
“This incident highlights the urgent need to protect journalists, whose work is essential in ensuring the public’s right to accurate and timely information,” PTFOMS
Executive Director Jose Torres Jr. said in a statement.
The incident occurred as protesters clashed with police on Ayala Bridge in an attempt to get near Malacañan Palace.
of mainland Cagayan, Isabela, the rest of Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, the northern portion of Benguet (Mankayan, Buguias, Bakun, Kibungan), the northeastern portion of Nueva Vizcaya (Diadi) , Ilocos Sur, and the northern portion of La Union (Sudipen, Bangar, Luna, Balaoan, Santol) remains under TCWS 2. Pagasa says local winds may be slightly stronger in coastal and upland mountainous areas.
Gale warning EVEN as Nando makes its final exit away from the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Tuesday morning, Pagasa said
an unbridled policy of inciting tensions and provoking confrontation.”
Zelenskyy was due to attend the annual high-level gathering at the UN General Assembly, where he planned to recruit support for efforts to stop Russia’s invasion.
“The schedule already includes nearly two dozen meetings with leaders from different countries, from all parts of the world,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram late Sunday.
The ralliers, wearing ski masks and balaclavas, hurled rocks and bottles, burned tires and a police motorcycle, and triggered a dispersal operation.
DZBB reporter Manny Vargas was among those hit by projectiles in the chaos.
Torres said the task force stands with the National Press Club of the Philippines, which earlier warned that any attack on members of the media, whether intentional or accidental, undermines press freedom and jeopardizes the public’s right to know.
“PTFOMS emphasizes the
Zelenskyy said he also planned to meet with US President Donald Trump, whose drive for a peace deal after taking office in January has yielded no progress.
“It is vital that this week strengthen the world’s resolve for robust action—for without strength, peace will not prevail,” Zelenskyy said.
Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw contributed to this report.
importance of strengthening safety protocols to better protect journalists. Their safety is non-negotiable and critical for ensuring a free, fair and transparent flow of information,” he said.
“We will continue to push for stronger safety protocols and measures to safeguard members of the press, who risk their lives daily to keep the nation informed.” Created in 2016, PTFOMS is mandated to ensure the protection of media workers and address threats and violence against journalists. Rex Anthony Naval with PNA
that a gale warning is in effect over the seaboard of Northern Luzon and the eastern seaboard of Central Luzon, particularly in the seaboards of Batanes and Babuyan Islands, the northern seaboard of Ilocos Norte, mainland Cagayan, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, northeastern seaboard of Aurora; the northwestern seaboard of La Union. “Sea travel is risky for all types or tonnage of vessels. All mariners must remain in port or, if underway, seek shelter or safe harbor as soon as possible until winds and waves subside,” Pagasa said. In the coastal waters of Zambales, La Union, Pangasinan, Bataan, Lubang Island, and Camarines Norte, the northern seaboard of Camarines Sur; eastern seaboards of Catanduanes, Occidental Mindoro, and Calamian Islands, rough seas are expected. “Mariners of small seacrafts, including all types of motorbancas, are advised not to venture out to sea under these conditions, especially if inexperienced in
The price of progress: Protests, corruption, and the path to upper middle income status
THE recent wave of nationwide protests against corruption, while potentially disruptive in the short term, presents a crucial opportunity for the Philippines to solidify its path towards becoming an Upper Middle Income Country (UMIC). While economists acknowledge the immediate risks associated with such demonstrations, they also highlight the potential for long-term gains in accountability, transparency, and ultimately, sustainable economic growth. (Read the BusinessMirror story: “Rallies have short-term hit but longterm gain,” September 22, 2025).
Protests, by their very nature, introduce uncertainty into the economic landscape. As former Chief Economist Dante B. Canlas points out, investors are wary of instability, and the current situation is no exception. The immediate impact may include a slowdown in investment and a dampening of overall economic growth, as noted by Ateneo de Manila University economist Leonardo Lanzona Jr. However, to focus solely on these short-term drawbacks is to miss the larger picture.
The protests are a symptom of a deeper malaise: a lack of trust in government and institutions. The alleged anomalies in flood control projects, which have triggered the current unrest, are just one example of how corruption can undermine development efforts and erode public confidence. The AntiMoney Laundering Council’s (AMLC) freeze orders on hundreds of bank accounts and insurance policies linked to these projects underscore the gravity of the situation.
The key to turning this crisis into an opportunity lies in decisive action. As Canlas argues, the President must act swiftly to cancel questionable contracts and recover ill-gotten wealth from those found guilty of corruption. This is not merely a matter of punishing wrongdoers; it is about sending a clear message that corruption will not be tolerated and that accountability will be enforced.
Unionbank Chief Economist Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion rightly suggests that addressing the controversy head-on can actually strengthen investor confidence. By demonstrating a commitment to good governance and transparency, the government can create a more stable and predictable environment for investment, paving the way for sustainable economic growth.
Lanzona emphasizes that achieving UMIC status requires a fundamental social transformation. This transformation involves building strong institutions based on integrity and accountability, rather than relying on “random economic growth and investment surges”. The protests, while disruptive, can serve as a catalyst for this transformation by forcing a reckoning with corruption and demanding greater transparency.
The road ahead will undoubtedly be challenging. As Lanzona notes, the process of achieving true accountability and transparency can be “long and excruciating”. However, the potential rewards are significant. A Philippines free from the shackles of corruption, with strong institutions and a government that is accountable to its citizens, will be well-positioned to achieve its economic goals and provide a better future for all.
The protests are a call for change, and it is imperative that the government listens and acts decisively to address the underlying issues and build a more just and prosperous nation.
Opinion
TT. Anthony C. Cabangon
Lourdes M. Fernandez
Jennifer A. Ng Vittorio V. Vitug
Lorenzo M. Lomibao Jr., Gerard S. Ramos Lyn B. Resurreccion, Dennis D. Estopace
Angel R. Calso, Dionisio L. Pelayo
Ruben M. Cruz Jr.
Eduardo A. Davad Nonilon G. Reyes
D. Edgard A. Cabangon
John Mangun
OUTSIDE THE BOX
HE global economy is not a boardroom presentation—it is a traveling circus, and the headliners are beginning to sweat under the spotlight.
The European Union is that troupe of overqualified acrobats attempting to balance on a unicycle while debating fiscal philosophy. Inflation has been tamed, but growth is barely whispering, and unity remains more slogan than substance. Germany is half asleep. France is trying to find a stable government. Italy is lighting votive candles for its debt.
China, once the roaring lion of the show—all fire, muscle, and impossible growth numbers—has gone quiet. The audience is still clapping, but the
tricks feel rehearsed. People are not buying. Factories are humming but not singing. The government continues to toss stimulus confetti into the air, hoping it lands as consumer demand. And officials quietly stopped publishing youth unemployment after it reached 21 percent. That was not statistical housekeeping. Deflation is not a policy target—it is a distress signal dressed as data.
Then there is the United States, still the ringmaster in sequined blazer and frayed cuffs. Inflation is backing away from the microphone,
but it will not leave the stage and jobs are becoming less plentiful. Wage growth is not happening. But the stock market is still shooting historic highs and soon the Federal Reserve will save the world. The national debt is so vast it has ceased to be a number and has become a disease.
No one is fixing it. No one is even pretending to. It is the elephant tapdancing in the center ring—everyone sees it, no one mentions it, and the music simply plays louder.
The Philippines is sitting in the front row, notebook open with pen in hand. The country is watching Europe’s red tape tango, China’s debt-fueled high-wire act, America’s deficit-financed magic show and quietly asking: “Which of these disasters does the Philippines wish to import?”
The answer, mercifully, is none.
The Philippines does not need Europe’s glacial consensus-building. It has its own brand of bureaucratic drama and political nonsense. It does not need China’s “build it and pray” investment frenzy. And we certain-
ly do not need America’s charming belief that the bill will never come due. The Philippine government has enough IOUs of its own. What the Philippines needs is subtraction, not imitation. Remove the friction. End now the “in the pipeline” and “under review.” Digitize and ‘One-Stop’ ALL the permits, barangay to cabinet level. Not next year. Not after the election. Now. Enforce contracts—not as a favor, but as a function. Let entrepreneurs build without needing a cousin in Congress or a blessing from the mayor. And for the love of all that is economically holy, stop the practice that politicians and government officials have loving new logos and slogans. The CREATE MORE Act offers tax relief—but without logistics, courts, or transparency, it is incentive without infrastructure. The “Build Better More” program has ambition— but ambition without maintenance schedules, procurement discipline, or anti-corruption audits is just concrete and photo ops. See “Mangun,” A13
France is replacing Italy as Europe’s poster child of fiscal woe
By William Horobin
FRANCE’S prolonged political crisis has turned the country into the euro area’s fiscal flash-point, taking over a role long played by Italy.
The shift was thrown into sharp relief on Friday when France suffered its second sovereign downgrade in a week, just as Italy won its first upgrade from Fitch Ratings since 2021. The gap between both of them is narrowing, according to that company’s assessment, which now puts the countries just three notches apart.
Short-term causes for concern about Paris are clear: prevailing instability since snap elections last year, missed deficit targets and no clear path to fiscal repair. Parliament is splintered into irreconcilable factions and France is now on its fifth prime minister in less than two years.
In Italy meanwhile, its current government led by Premier Giorgia Meloni has been in office for almost three years, an uncommonly long stint, and has even succeeded in speeding up the pace of deficit reduction. But for all the short-term developments in each country, longerterm factors are at play. In truth, the current troubles in Paris have been brewing for decades.
The global financial crisis set in motion nearly 20 years of divergence between France and Italy.
Rating companies responded to Italy’s high public debt and chronically low growth with a series of downgrades from 2011 onward. France lost its top credit scores around the same time, but didn’t fall as far and
steadied from 2016 onwards.
Emmanuel Macron’s election in 2017 extended that period of solidity as ratings assessors and investors saluted his pro-growth, pro-business plans. The bond market has told a similar story. After the countries’ fortunes started to diverge in the global financial crisis, Italy was plunged into the center of the euro’s debt turmoil alongside other southern European economies. France, meanwhile, was able to cling to its status as a so-called core member of the currency zone, not far behind Germany.
Italy’s Premier Silvio Berlusconi was forced to step down after a spike in borrowing costs. It would take years for the country to get on a stable path and for the piecemeal fiscal efforts of various administrations to start paying off.
Throughout the period of Italy’s under-performance, spending in France was actually considerably higher. It fell notably after Macron took office, but when Covid arrived both countries spent vast amounts.
The French president echoed Italy’s Mario Draghi with a pledge to do “whatever it costs” to keep the economy from collapse.
As the dust settled after the pandemic and the inflation crisis that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, France’s spending as a share of its economy was only slightly lower
than when Macron took office—and still the highest level among the world’s advanced economies, according to OECD statistics.
France has typically run larger deficits than Italy and rarely within the European Union’s limit of 3% of economic output, which the latter country is set to fall below as soon as next year. But even the headline measure of the difference between outgoings and revenues hides a deeper divergence.
If debt servicing costs are stripped out, Italy’s budget discipline over time doesn’t look so bad. Another measure that also adjusts for the highs and lows of the economic cycle—known in European parlance as the cyclically-adjusted balance—is even more telling of France’s long running fiscal laxity.
The gauge has fallen out of favor in Brussels’ judgment of budgetary rectitude, but it’s a snapshot of the fundamental challenges in France.
With bigger spending than Italy, France has always needed to collect more tax. On that measure, the divide between the two has tended to change little, until a notable convergence from Macron’s 2017 election onwards.
In recent years, the Italian state’s coffers have benefited from digitalization of tax control processes as well as a wider use of traceable payments.
Macron, meanwhile, was pushing through an aggressive pro-business agenda with big tax cuts for business. The plan was for that to deliver the economic growth that would shrink the relative costs of vast public spending.
But it’s proved insufficient. Now opposition parties are pushing for a change of course, and a return to higher taxation for companies and the wealthy. To be sure, France still has an advantage in terms of total economic output. The gap has widened in the last two decades, with gross domestic product going over the $3 trillion threshold in 2023, according to International Monetary Fund data. Italy meanwhile saw a decline in growth in the last quarter and it recently halved its target for this year to just 0.6 percent. That’s despite almost €200 billion ($235 billion) in investments coming its way from the European Union’s Recovery Fund. The bottom line is a legacy of government debt in both countries. Italy’s burden is still bigger, but the difference is shrinking quickly as a stalemate over public-finance repair persists in Paris. Italy’s fiscal consolidation has allowed it to achieve a small primary surplus again, which it is using to cut its borrowings, though the process is slow.
More debt, combined with higher interest rates, are set to push up the costs of servicing the burden for both governments. The annual bill in France is on track to rise to more than €100 billion by 2029 from around just €30 billion in 2020, according to state auditor Cour des Comptes. For all the support their states offer citizens, it’s not clear the French or the Italians are any happier with how their countries function, when compared to other developed economies. With assistance from Alice Gledhill and Alessandra Migliaccio/Bloomberg
A better epidemic
ISiegfred Bueno Mison, Esq.
THE PATRIOT
Conclusion
N Biblical history, Jesus can be likened as the Super Connector, the 12 disciples and the apostle Paul were the Mavens, and the handful of church leaders around the world are the Salesmen, following the terms used by Malcolm Gladwell. Applying the Law of the Few, they all spread God’s word to the point that from a small and persecuted sect in the Roman Empire during Jesus’ times, the belief in Jesus Christ has become the largest religion in the world. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Christianity grew over time and spread all over the world. It was perhaps started by a Super Connector in the person of the spiritual father of all believers—“look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many.” (Isaiah 51:2). From Abraham, one faithful believer who was given a position of influence, billions of believers now share a Biblical saving faith which is God-centered faith. It only took a handful of salesmen who stayed the course through prayers and divine guidance through the Holy Spirit to pass on this God-centered faith.
After September 21, we should all commit to work as part of the sales team together with Connectors like Mayors Magalong, Sotto, and Belmonte and Mavens like Professor Kiko to sell the product (Anything Against Corruption) to people within our own spheres of influence.
In my capacity, I will begin with my children, my colleagues at work, my students in school, and my neighbors in the community. We all have to start close to home. In the same vein, as a believer, I will continue to be part of the sales team together with all fellow believers to spread God’s Word. As a Filipino and
The Philippines is not behind because it lacks resources. It is behind because it lacks consistency. The real ghosts are domestic: the ghost of “next administration will fix it,” the ghost of “we announced it, so it must be working,” the ghost of “if we call it digital, it must be efficient.”
The Philippines only needs to stop sabotaging itself. The ghosts it is racing are not in Washington, Beijing, or Brussels. They are here— whispering that shortcuts work, that slogans substitute for systems, that next year will magically be better if only the logo changes.
Inflation in the Philippines? Tame. Growth? Still respectable, though the engine is sputtering. Debt? Creeping—manageable today, worrisome tomorrow. Unemployment? Officially low, unofficially padded by millions hustling
a believer, I must keep in mind to always implore the aid of Almighty God in all these aspirational goals. Corruption was not as prevalent before in this country. But it grew over time like an epidemic, post martial law, due to a confluence of events. As all things come and go, I will remain hopeful and pray for this country to have the right Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen in our midst to actually sustain this “better epidemic” against corruption until it becomes part of the Filipino culture. It seems impossible if not improbable these days. But as believers, we know that nothing is impossible with God. Let’s keep praying for this better epidemic to sweep the nation.
Siegfred has a diversified set of education and experiences which has made him a game changer and a servant leader in organizations such as the Philippine Army, Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, a US based software development company called Infogix Inc, University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, Philippine Airlines and SM Prime Holdings. His professional degrees came from the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA. He has delivered leadership and management talks in government agencies. Siegfred is a former soldier and a lawyer by profession, a teacher by passion, and a writer with a mission.
in the shadows, driving for ride-hail apps, selling secondhand goods, making do. The trade gap? Covered not by exports or efficiency, but by remittances and foreign investors who still believe in the country’s potential—even when the Philippines forgets to.
The global economy is not a race. It is a rehearsal. And for those paying attention—ignoring the headlines, reading the fine print, betting on boring things like rule of law and working infrastructure—there is still a role to play. Even for those sitting in the bleachers. Especially if they are taking notes. The Philippines does not need to be China, America, or Europe. It needs to be itself—but better. Less theater. More throughput. Less slogan. More system.
E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis provided by AAA Southeast Equities Inc.
Opinion
CWT refund process
TAtty. Mabel L. Buted
TAX LAW FOR BUSINESS
AXPAYERS oftentimes incur excess creditable withholding taxes (CWT) at the end of their taxable year. In such situation, there are two ways to recover the excess taxes paid. One way is to carry over the excess amount and utilize it as payment of the income taxes due in the succeeding years. Taxpayers can carry over the excess tax credits in subsequent periods until these are fully consumed. The other way is to claim for a refund or a tax credit certificate.
In the past, taxpayers have been experiencing challenges in claiming refunds, because of various issues like the timing of filing the claim with the tax authority and with the courts as well as the lack of clear guidelines on the specific documents to be submitted. Because of this, the process was reformed last year under the Ease of Paying Taxes Act (EOPT). The EOPT Act addressed some of these issues. Here is an outline of the present rules in claiming for refunds of excess and unutilized CWTs under EOPT.
The claim for refund must be filed first administratively with the BIR within a period of two years from the date of payment of the tax. Thereafter, the BIR has 180 days from the taxpayer’s submission of complete documents in support of the application to decide on the claim. In case the BIR decides on the
claim within the 180-day period, the taxpayer may appeal within 30 days from receipt of the decision to the Court of Tax Appeals. The same remedy of appeal is also available to the taxpayer in case the BIR fails to decide on the application within the prescribed period. In such case, the 30-day period to appeal with the tax court commences from the lapse of the 180-day period.
The claim will be granted only when it is shown that the income payment has been declared as part of the gross income and the fact of withholding the tax is established. Under existing procedures, the BIR mandates certain documents to be submitted in the application for refund. These include copies of the withholding tax certificates (BIR Form No. 2307 or BIR Form No. 1606, whichever is applicable) and a summary of the revenues/
income declared in the Income Tax Return (ITR) and the corresponding taxes withheld per BIR Form No. 2307/1606, that is prepared in the format prescribed under the revenue circular.
The withholding tax certificates serve to prove the fact of withholding. Original copies of these need not be submitted. The BIR now admits scanned copies, photocopies or certified true copies of the certificates. Based on the rules, it can be noted that proofs of remittances of the taxes withheld are not required to be submitted upon filing. However, while this is the case, the BIR, as part of its procedures, will compare the amount claimed by the taxpayer with the amount remitted by the withholding tax agents. This comparison is the BIR’s way of validating the authenticity and veracity of the withholding tax certificates submitted by the taxpayer. In effect, the BIR will still check the fact of remittance of the taxes withheld on the income of the claimant.
Further, to check that the income upon which the taxes were withheld were included in the gross income in the taxpayer’s Annual ITR, the BIR will compare the aggregate amount of income shown in the withholding tax certificates, on the one hand, and the amount of income shown in the summary of revenues/income declared per Annual ITR, on the other.
These procedures of the BIR might not align with previous court pronouncements, and these can unfavorably affect the claims of
the taxpayers. It has been held in numerous court decisions that, in a claim for refund, only the fact of withholding, and not the fact of remittance, must be proven. Likewise, in one case, the court held that, the claim for CWT for a taxable year is valid even if the related revenue was reported and subjected to tax in a different taxable year, provided that the CWT was not already claimed in the year when the corresponding income was declared.
With this, I hope that the BIR would admit alternative procedures for taxpayers to further prove their claims, such as submitting reconciliations to explain possible timing differences in claiming the CWT and in reporting the corresponding income, and presenting the original copies of the withholding tax certificates, if needed, in lieu of submitting the remittance/payment forms of the withholding tax agents. In the meantime, the taxpayers must note these underlying procedures of the BIR in preparing and processing their claims for refund.
The author is a partner of Du-Baladad and Associates Law Offices (BDB Law) (www.bdblaw. com.ph).
The article is for general information only and is not intended, nor should be construed as a substitute for tax, legal, or financial advice on any specific matter. Applicability of this article to any actual or particular tax or legal issue should be supported, therefore, by a professional study or advice. If you have any comments or questions concerning the article, you may e-mail the author at mabel.buted@ bdblaw.com.ph or call 8403-2001 local 160.
At the hinge: Indignation, integrity, and the choice to love
By Pablo S. Trillana III, Carlos G. Serapio, & Philip Ycasiano
ASTORM has broken over the Philippines. Not the typhoons that batter our coasts each year, but a flood of revelations: that billions—some whisper trillions—of pesos meant for flood control may have been swallowed by corruption.
The names shift with the tides —contractors, engineers, legislators — but the pattern feels bitterly familiar. Roads without end, walls without purpose, budgets without conscience.
The people, especially the young, are angry, and justly so. A rally gathered strength on September 21 at the People Power Monument and the EDSA Shrine, demanding truth, demanding accountability. This is indignation with a pulse, indignation with a history.
Yet history also warns us. Nepal, Indonesia — when righteous anger was not guided by inner coherence, the outer fire consumed more than it purified.
Here at home, we know how quickly crowds can turn, how swiftly violence can steal the script of People Power. What hinge are we standing on today? Will the door swing toward chaos or toward renewal?
The call for accountability must be clear and uncompromising. Even Jesus, who blessed peacemakers, denounced the Pharisees as whitened sepulchers —brilliant outside, rotten within. Rizal, too, exposed hypocrisy with the scalpel of his pen. Indignation is not alien to love; it is
the sting of conscience. But both Rizal and Jesus pressed further: indignation is only the beginning. The greater labor is interior — “Love your enemies… Do good to those who hate you.” Almost impossible words, but words that prevent justice from collapsing into revenge.
W hat does this mean for us now? First, that protest is necessary but insufficient. The cry for transparency must be loud, but if our hearts rehearse only bitterness, we will inherit bitterness as our political climate.
“Frequency becomes form.” Even the contested experiments of Masaru Emoto, where water crystals mirrored words of blessing or of contempt, remind us that matter bears the marks of inner climate. If anger is all we pour into the nation’s waters, what shapes will our institutions freeze into?
Second, we must recall that coherence can scale. In Jerusalem in the 1980s, during moments of violent conflict, researchers observed that when groups gathered in focused peace meditation, measurable indices of violence dropped. The methods are debated, but the metaphor is
luminous: islands of coherence can calm wider seas.
In the Philippines today, can barangays, schools, churches, even families become such islands— practicing integrity and compassion in daily dealings, seeding the social field with a rhythm other than greed?
This is where inner condition meets outer action. Accountability must proceed through law, hearings, audits. But the spirit of those who demand it must also be disciplined—not only against apathy but against hatred.
A rally must be a People Power rally, not a mob. And beyond the streets, coherence must be practiced in smaller circles: honest budgeting in the barangay, transparency in parish funds, students insisting on integrity in exams, households modeling frugality and fairness. These are not small things. They are the hinge on which nations turn.
Our exemplars remind us. Rizal confronted tyranny not only with words but with the integrity of his life. Mabini, even from exile, spoke with a voice so clear that history could not silence it. Jesus’ hardest words were not to Rome’s soldiers but to the hypocrisy of his own leaders—and his hardest command was to transform that exposure into compassion. To embody coherence is not weakness; it is strength that outlasts storm.
The young are right to be angry. But their anger must be braided with conscience, or else it becomes
UK stats body launches fresh push to fix data quality crisis
By Tom Rees
THE UK statistics agency is embarking on a fresh purge of its published data and ramping up the hiring of economists as part of a reset to help breathe new life into its stalling turnaround efforts.
In a bid to redirect more resources into its troubled economic statistics, the Office for National Statistics started work this month on finding more data outputs that can be cut or paused, including in crime, health and regional figures, an ONS spokesperson told Bloomberg. It is also hiring an extra 100 people in its economic data department, redeploying dozens more and ending a controversial and costly technology project early to help free up firepower. The moves are the latest push to
fix a data-quality crisis that has drawn the ire of Bank of England policymakers and battered the reputation of the ONS, whose statistics are used to set interest rates and form government policy. Attempts to revive key household surveys—the issue at the heart of the saga—are still falling short.
The ONS first revealed major problems with its labor market survey almost two years ago after experiencing, like peers elsewhere, a dramatic drop-off in response rates following the pandemic. However, reversing the decline has proved arduous, the survey’s replacement has been delayed until at least the end of 2026 and more statistics have been hit with accuracy concerns—including price, trade and retail sales figures.
A refreshed management team has taken the helm, including a new per-
manent secretary Darren Tierney and James Benford as director general for economic, social and environmental statistics. Benford is an ex-BOE official who was private secretary to former Governor Mark Carney. The government is currently seeking a National Statistician to replace Ian Diamond, who left as ONS chief in May shortly before a damning government review of the ONS’s management and culture.
Benford is overseeing the hiring spree that will boost manpower in economic statistics by roughly 10% with recruitment concentrating on bringing in more data analysts, particularly ones that can code, and statisticians, the ONS spokesperson said. Around half of the extra 100 staff have already started or been given a start date.
Efforts to direct extra funding into
areas the ONS is scrambling to improve have also been boosted by an early end to the Integrated Data Service program. The closure of the costly project—a cross-government platform to connect data from different departments— has been brought forward from next year, according to June minutes from the board of the UK Statistics Authority—the ONS parent organization. A freedom of information request reveals that spending on the project was £54 million ($72.8 million) in 2024-25—a huge chunk compared to the UKSA’s £387 million expenditure that year. The June minutes showed part of this money would be redeployed to economic statistics.
Officials are also seeking to change the tone of the ONS both within the organization and in its outward com -
munications after a review led by Robert Devereux, a former top civil servant, found problems in the culture of the agency and management failings. The ONS is now looking at ways to encourage and recognize staff who come forward with concerns that lead to improvements in the statistics. It is also taking a more conciliatory approach in its communications when the ONS has found a major error. A blog written by Benford about the recent retail sales problems apologized for the mistakes and set out in detail what had gone wrong. With the UKSA’s core funding set to fall in real terms in the coming years, turnaround efforts are being concentrated on the labor market statistics over other struggling household surveys that help generate estimates such as GDP, ac-
another harvest of cynicism. Let us teach them that indignation without coherence is a flood that destroys; indignation joined to love is a river that irrigates.
One candle in a window during a blackout can multiply until a street remembers it is a community. One barangay practicing integrity can remind a nation it is still a nation. One rally disciplined by peace can prove again that People Power is not dead, but sleeping in our bones. We stand at a hinge. The door may open to vengeance, or it may open to a higher justice — stern but compassionate, unyielding yet creative. The choice is ours, not only in Congress or Malacañang, but in every heart. The scandal has exposed the rot. Let it also expose the remedy. Let us demand accountability, yes — but let us also demand of ourselves coherence of mind, heart, and gut. Let us become the tuning forks that Rizal, Mabini, and Bonifacio once were — resonating in ways that made the nation vibrate toward freedom.
At the People Power Monument, the figures lift their arms not in violence but in courage. May those arms remind us that the hinge is not only about protest but about passage— from anger into coherence, from scandal into renewal, from corruption into a love demanding better. If we do this, perhaps history will say: in the season of floods, the Filipino chose not only to expose the rot, but to become light. (Trillana, Serapio and Ycasiano are members of One Sacred Philippines)
cording to the spokesperson. However, economists are still wary over trusting the figures given persistent subdued response rates and employment estimates that jar with more credible data sources. While the ONS has managed to increase the number of achieved interviews on the Labour Force Survey close to 2019 levels, the proportion of people responding to approaches remains low after recovering from a nadir of 13% in 2023 to 21 percent currently. That rebound appears to have plateaued in recent quarters and the spokesperson said the ONS is still struggling to reach enough respondents in certain groups, such as young renters. Interviewees are questioned over several quarters and many appear unwilling to stay the course. Bloomberg
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
‘Protests leading to reforms could be good for business’
By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan
HEIGHTENED political and social risks emerging from the Trillion Peso March could prompt investors to take a wait-and-see approach in the short term, but should the protests translate into reforms and consistent policy direction, this could pave the way for a more stable and predictable environment for investors in the long run, the Philippine business community said.
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) underscored that Sunday’s widespread protests revealed the “deep” public frustration and demand for accountability and transparency in the management of public funds.
policy continuity.”
In a separate statement on Monday, the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) said the protests held and the “strong sentiments” expressed by Filipinos on Sunday “carry important implications” for the business and investment community.
FPI said these developments “may prompt greater caution among some investors in the short term.”
However, the umbrella organization of local manufacturers and producers said this also presents an opportunity for the Philippines to demonstrate its commitment to transparency and reform, which can “strengthen longterm investor confidence.”
countable actions taken.
On institutional reforms, FPI said procurement, auditing, and oversight mechanisms must be strengthened to prevent the “recurrence of ghost projects” and misuse of public funds.
FPI also underscored the importance of “clear policy direction.” Under this pillar, it prodded economic managers to provide consistent communication to reassure both domestic and international investors that the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals remain “sound.”
CUSTOMS SEIZES P2.39B IN SMUGGLED ITEMS IN 2 MOS
By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto @reine_alberto
THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has seized smuggled goods—mostly illegal drugs—valued at P2.390 billion within two months under its new leadership.
In a statement on Monday, the BOC said it executed 128 enforcement operations from July to August this year, stopping the entry of illegal drugs, cigarettes, agricultural products and other goods in the local markets.
seizure of 110.24 kilograms of shabu worth P749.63 million at the Manila International Container Port and P605.29 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in a Plaridel, Bulacan warehouse raid. Through its active coordination with the Department of Agriculture, the BOC also seized over P178 million worth of fishery goods, onions, carrots, poultry and sugar from July to August. These operations were conducted in line with Republic Act No. 12022, or the AntiAgricultural Economic Sabotage
“These
The group also pointed out the need to have constructive engagement if the country wants to sustain investor confidence. FPI said government, industry, and civil society must work together to ensure that public concerns are addressed through reforms to “deter unrest.”
About P1.239 billion worth of illegal drugs were intercepted, followed by illicit cigarettes, tobacco and vape amounting to P929 million and agricultural products valued at P178 million, among other smuggled goods.
determination to
smuggling in all its forms,” Nepomuceno was quoted in the statement as saying.
“Large-scale movements like this create a perception of heightened political and social risk causing investors to take a wait-and-see approach in the short term,” PCCI President Enunina V. Mangio told the BusinessMirror in a Viber message on Monday. For the long term, however, the head of the major business group in the country said: “Investor sentiment will depend less on the protest itself and more on the government’s response.”
FPI Chairman Elizabeth H. Lee said: “We believe that if addressed decisively, this moment can become a turning point that reinforces the foundations of our economy.”
In restoring and sustaining investor confidence, FPI laid out a four-point recommendation anchored on: Transparent Investigations, Institutional Reforms, Clear Policy Direction, and Constructive Engagement.
Mangio noted that if the administration takes “credible” steps to address public concerns, this could “reinforce institutional stability and maintain
The umbrella organization of local manufacturers and producers said “swift and credible inquiries” into the corruption allegations must be pursued with findings made public and ac-
“We believe that by confronting these challenges with transparency and resolve, the Philippines can emerge stronger, more competitive, and more attractive to long-term investment, while at the same time safeguarding the stability that local businesses, manufacturers, and producers depend on to grow and thrive,” FPI said.
In a separate statement, the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) urgently called on the government,
Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno was appointed June 30 as the BOC’s new chief by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
On July 2, Nepomuceno ordered the suspension of all previously approved but unserved Letters of Authority (LOAs) and Mission Orders (MOs) to restore discipline in field operations and prevent unauthorized enforcement activities.
This was followed by a memorandum issued on July 17, prohibiting all BOC officials, employees and personnel from holding any financial interest in Customs Brokerage operations. These reforms were coupled with intensified enforcement with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group, including the
By Lorenz S. Marasigan
THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has sought the assistance of both the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to validate flood control projects nationwide, as the agency ramps up its investigation into alleged anomalies that have rocked its infrastructure program.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon wrote letters to Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla to mobilize Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) troops and Philippine National Police (PNP) officers already deployed in localities to assist engineers in conducting on-the-ground inspections.
The requests followed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to investigate and hold accountable government personnel linked to alleged anomalies in DPWH projects.
“We deem it imperative to immediately conduct thorough validation on the ground to establish the actual status and integrity of these projects,” Dizon wrote.
The DPWH chief stressed that the magnitude of funds involved—flood control allocations running into tens of billions of pesos annually—demanded wider interagency support.
The cooperation of the offices of Remulla and Teodoro, Dizon said, “is vital to uphold accountability, restore public trust, and safeguard the interests of our people.”
As this developed, Dizon issued a memorandum ordering all DPWH officials and employees to fully cooperate with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), which has been tasked to investigate irregularities in flood control and other infrastructure projects.
He directed personnel to turn over all relevant documents, information, and testimonies to the ICI and to assist in field inspections.
“Failure to comply with this directive shall subject the responsible officials and personnel to appropriate ad-
ministrative and/or criminal action, in accordance with existing laws, rules, and regulations,” Dizon said. These measures are the latest escalation in the government’s response to what has become one of the most politically sensitive corruption scandals of the Marcos Jr. administration.
In recent weeks, Dizon and ICI advisers, including Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, have uncovered glaring irregularities in provincial flood control projects.
In La Union, for instance, projects inspected earlier this month were found to be “super substandard,” with materials so weak that the secretary himself described them as “props lang.”
In Bulacan and Oriental Mindoro, the ICI has flagged ghost projects—flood control structures listed in budgets but either unbuilt or grossly incomplete. The government has also reported instances of “license renting,” where small-time contractors allegedly borrow the names of licensed builders to bag multimillion-peso deals. Already, those implicated in the Bulacan flood control mess—26 individuals from the DPWH and contractors—have been charged before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Some of their assets and bank accounts have already been frozen. These include landholdings, vehicles, and even insurance policies. Dizon also sought to seize watercraft and aircraft linked to the accused in an attempt to recover public funds lost to corruption.
By Erwin James T. Gianan
APROTESTER who participated in the anti-corruption mass demonstration in Mendiola went viral on social media when he called for the reduction of prices of street food.
“Lower the price of fishballs! Lower the price of kikiam, tokneneng, kwek kwek, calamares!” Karingal said in Filipino.
The protester, identified as Alvin Karingal, was seen on social media being grappled by police and is allegedly detained by the Manila Police District.
Frozen food sellers like Edward, however, agree
wholeheartedly with the mysterious protester.
“He and I fight for the same thing. Everything that happened yesterday was deserved: prices of everyday needs are increasing, especially the taxes,” he said, also in Filipino.
Edward, who had been selling frozen food for about eight years, said that the cost of the frozen food packs has increased every year, which meant increased prices for his customers.
Last February, he was forced to increase the price of a 1-kilo bag of fishball by P15 from P55 to P70.
Christian, who frequently ate street food after classes, also lamented the increase of its prices. He recounted how his favorite stall once
sold 8 pieces of fish ball at P10, now selling for P12 and with a smaller serving.
Meanwhile, medium-sized eggs, the main ingredient used in tokneneng, have since increased in price by 14 percent or roughly P1 based on the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) reported weekly average prices from September 1-14 from 2023 to 2025.
The jump in price could have been caused by a potential shortage of eggs due to the culling of millions of egg-laying chickens last year because of oversupply, according to the DA.
The protest, titled “Baha Sa Luneta: Aksyon Laban sa Korapsyon,” was originally meant to be a peaceful demonstration starting in Luneta
Park and ending with a program at Mendiola.
Unidentified groups of protesters, however, instigated conflicts with the members of the Manila Police District starting at the Ayala bridge, where they torched part of a trailer that was used by the police to block the path forward, along with what was allegedly a policeman’s motorcycle.
Tensions continued not long after the protest organizers ordered the dispersal of protesters at Mendiola and further intensified along Recto Avenue leading to multiple fires set along the roadway, a Hotel SOGO branch being looted, multiple protesters and police wounded, and even one
Editor: Jennifer A. Ng
By Lenie Lectura @llectura
ALTERNERGY Holdings Corp. (Alternergy) is acquiring two wind power projects of CleanTech Global Renewables Inc. (CleanTech), a move that will help Alternergy achieve its next 500-megawatt (MW) target capacity.
Alternergy’s special purpose company Calavite Passage Wind Power Corp., is acquiring under a Deed of Assignment from CleanTech the project assets, permits, and related contracts of CleanTech’s 95-megawatt (MW) Tayabas North Wind Energy Project covered by wind energy service contract (WESC) No. 202206-208 and CleanTech’s 150-MW Tayabas South Wind Energy Project covered by WESC No. 2021-10-186. The acquisition price was not
Alternergy to develop wind power projects in Quezon Century Properties joins FTSE index
ABy VG Cabuag @villygc
NTONIO-LED property de-
veloper Century Properties Group Inc. (CPG) on Monday said it has been included in the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) Global Equity Index Series (GEIS)-Microcap Index.
The FTSE Microcap Index is part of the globally recognized FTSE Global Equity Index Series, which serves as a benchmark for institutional investors and fund managers worldwide. Inclusion in the index enhances the company’s visibility in global capital markets and may
revealed but the transaction will result in Alternergy owning a majority share in the two wind power projects which have a committed delivery date of 2028.
CleanTech, which will retain an equity stake in each of the two wind projects, has an option to co-invest further in both wind projects.
“We look forward to co-developing these wind projects with Alternergy, the pioneer in wind energy in the country,” said Salvador Antonio
Castro Jr., CEO of CleanTech.
The Tayabas North project was one of the qualified bids under the 4th Green Energy Auction conducted by the Department of Energy (DOE) last September 2. It was included in the preliminary list of accepted bids released last September 5.
Mabuhay Capital acted as financial advisor to the transaction. The transfer of assets is subject to regulatory approval by the DOE.
“We are excited to develop our second wind project in Quezon Province after our 64-MW Alabat Wind Project is completed in early 2026,” said Alternergy President Gerry P. Magbanua.
Alternergy aims to develop up to 500 MW of additional wind, solar, and run-of-river hydro projects. To date, the company has recorded a capacity of 86 MW but the number is expected to go up to 225 MW by the first quarter of 2026.
Four projects are currently under advanced construction for completion in the fourth quarter
and the first quarter of 2026: the 4.6-MW Dupinga run-of-river, 28MW Balsik Solana, 64-MW Alabat wind and 128-MW Tanay Rizal wind projects, as part of its Road to 500 MW by 2026. Four additional projects of Alternergy qualified in the 4th Green Energy Auction of the DOE.
The company had recently announced that it is seeking new investments to fund its renewable energy (RE) journey from 2026 onwards.
The listed power firm said it secured approval from a special stockholders’ meeting for the reclassification of 500 million common shares into new series of perpetual preferred shares in anticipation of its next round of capital raising.
The reclassified 500 million preferred shares are subdivided into non-voting perpetual preferred shares 2, series D, E, F, G and H, with a par value of P0.10 per share, and broken down into 100 million shares per series, with features identical to the existing perpetual preferred shares 2 Series A, B and C.
potentially increase liquidity and broaden its shareholder base.
CPG was added to the FTSE Microcap Index effective September 22, affirming the company’s growth prospects, increased market capitalization, enhanced liquidity and higher free float. CPG’s free float has also improved to 34.21 percent from 27.4 percent after the state-owned pension fund for private workers Social Security System (SSS) bought a 6.4 percent stake in July 2025.
Over a period of three years from 2022, CPG has recorded strong financial performance as it sustained its net income growth, increasing from P1.4 billion in 2022 to P1.85 billion
in 2023, to P2.44 billion last year, a 32-percent year-on-year improvement, respectively.
“We are honored by this inclusion, which represents a key milestone in our growth trajectory, said Marco R. Antonio, President and CEO of CPG. “This recognition underscores the strength of our business model and our commitment to delivering longterm value to our stakeholders— from homebuyers and communities to our shareholders.”
At the end of the trading week on September 19, CPG closed at P0.69 per share, 68 percent higher year-todate and 89 percent compared to its level in the previous year
CPG reported last August that its income rose 14 percent to P1.22 billion in the first half from the previous year’s P1.07 billion, on higher sales of its horizontal projects.
Consolidated revenues went up by 7 percent to P7.64 billion from P7.16 billion last year, the company said.
“Our strong performance in the first half of 2025 reflects the continued trust of our customers and the resilience of our diversified portfolio. As we move forward, we remain focused on expanding strategically into high-potential markets through both our affordable and premium residential offerings,” Antonio said.
SingTel faces another Optus crisis with fatal network outage
SINGAPORE Telecommunications Ltd. faces a fresh crisis at its Australian division Optus after the government started an investigation into an emergency call outage that resulted in multiple deaths.
Last week’s network failure follows an Australia-wide outage at Optus in November 2023 that affected millions of customers—including some who were unable to make emergency calls. That blunder cost the job of Optus’ then-boss, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin.
The latest incident at Australia’s second-biggest phone company, so soon after the last, now threatens the position of Rosmarin’s successor as
chief executive officer, Stephen Rue. And there’s potentially worse fallout to come. At a press conference on Monday, Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells said she’ll consider any required regulatory or legislative changes once the probe into Optus’ botched network upgrade is complete.
Wells said she’d spoken to Rue to express her “unbelievable disappointment that we should be here again so soon.”
Optus accounts for about half of Singapore Telecommunications’ annual revenue. SingTel, as it’s known, is majority-owned by Singapore’s state investment fund Temasek Holdings Pte. Bloomberg News
MERALCO PowerGen Corp. (MGen) said the construction of the 73-megawatt (MW) coal power plant of its subsidiary, which secured confirmation from the Department of Energy (DOE) that it is exempted from the coal moratorium policy, will be finished in three years.
The output of the Toledo Power Corp. plant in Cebu will be utilized by its retail electricity supplier (RES) MGen RES. “It’s 73 MW net. So, it will be bought by MGen RES,” said MGen President Emmanuel Rubio, adding that the coal plant could be operational by October 2028.
The company has received bid offers from Chinese engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) contractors to proceed with the coalfired power facility, “We closed the bids for Atimonan EPC. We received three offers and we’re now discussing details of the offers from the three bidders for Toledo. Chinese because there is no western EPC that will build coal
and because of the size,” Rubio said. The 1,200-MW Atimonan plant in Quezon also secured clearance from the DOE provided that the power plant should no longer utilize coal as fuel by 2050. With this, MGen is exploring the possibility of using ammonia as a potential fuel source.
“The condition is that by 2050, the plant should be able to fire an alternative fuel. We accepted that. Whether we shut down or consider a new fuel is something that we have already considered in our investment. Now, whether ammonia can be viable by then is another question,” said Rubio, who added that ammonia is more expensive but cleaner than coal.
As of end-August, MGen’s total net sellable capacity from traditional and renewable sources stood at 5,068 MW. It operates a diverse portfolio of power generation assets equipped with advanced technologies. Its main subsidiaries include MGen Thermal, MGen Renewables, and MGen Natural Gas. Lenie Lectura
Banking&Finance
T-bills auction marks 12th week of yields drop
By Reine Juvierre Alberto @reine_alberto
THE national government raised a total of P25 billion from the tender of Treasury bills (Tbills), marking the twelfth consecutive week of declining average yields as investor confidence held firm despite the anti-corruption rallies last Sunday.
During the public auction last Monday, the Bureau of the Treasury’s (BTr) auction committee made a full award of T-bills to investors.
The auction was oversubscribed by 4.7 times as total bids reached P117.840 billion.
The 90-day T-bills capped at an
average yield of 4.883 percent, lower by 6.7 basis points than the previous auction’s 4.950 percent. Bidders for the T-bills’ asking interest rates ranged from a low of 4.815 percent to a high of 4.924 percent.
The Treasury fully awarded the P8.5-billion offer as tenders amount-
Returning ₧60 billion to PhilHealth is not enough—petitioners
RETURNING the P60-billion funds of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. PhilHealth) is not enough, as a Supreme Court ruling is needed to prevent the government from repeating its acts, according to a group of petitioners that filed a case before the High Tribunal.
The petitioners said through a statement they issued last Monday that just returning the funds from the Treasury back to PhilHealth is “inadequate.”
“This restitution does not nullify our petition that the fund transfer was illegal and unconstitutional. Therefore, we eagerly await the final resolution of the Supreme Court to prevent a repetition,” they said.
The petitioners added that only a ruling by the Supreme Court would establish constitutional order in the budget process and “remedy the corruption that has plagued it.”
“A ruling from the High Court at the soonest possible time declaring as unconstitutional the budget provisions and guidelines that allowed this Administration to dip its hands into PhilHealth funds will prevent the government from repeating acts that defund PhilHealth at the expense of its members—the Filipino people,” their statement read.
Through a Supreme Court decision, the petitioner said they are hopeful that the “highly irregular” practice of sweeping funds from state-run firms will never occur again.
The petitioners also affirmed that the funds remitted by PhilHealth are not “excess” funds, as the government claims, and that where it has been spent are “clearly outside” of PhilHealth’s mandate and against the Universal Health Care law’s directive to “increase benefits and decrease premiums.”
“The Marcos administration has been unconstitutionally pillaging the special funds established by the Sin Tax Reform Law and the Universal Health Care law specifically to ensure the provision of health services to its members,” the petitioners said.
This includes the zeroing of the PhilHealth budget in 2025 and the insufficient allocation of the mandated shares for the state insurer from the sin taxes, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office from 2023, and in next year’s proposed budget, according to the petitioners. Moreover, the petitioners said the funds transferred by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) amounting to P107.23 billion should also be returned.
Maria Cielo D. Magno, one of the petitioners, maintained that the transfer of PDIC’s fund was illegal.
“What was taken from PDIC was beyond the usual required revenue transfer. It threatens the stability of PDIC,” Magno, an economist and the former undersecretary for fiscal policy of the DOF, told the BusinessMirror.
The PhilHealth and the PDIC were instructed to remit some of their “excess funds” to the Treasury upon the order of the Department of Finance through DOF Circular 003-2024 last year.
The DOF defended that the move is an instruction by Congress, which is found in the special provisions of the national budget for utilizing unprogrammed funds.
Under the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the amounts authorized in the unprogrammed appropriations may be sourced from the fund balance of state-run firms, after review and reduction of their reserve funds to reasonable levels.
The provision said that the DOF shall issue the guidelines to implement the provision within 15 days from the effectivity of the GAA.
“PhilHealth’s remittance of its fund balance to the National Treasury, in compliance with Department of Finance Circular 003-2024, is lawful,” Atty. Hermosura said
In his opening statement at the oral arguments in the Supreme Court on February 4, Government Corporate Counsel Solomon M. Hermosura argued that the transfer of PhilHealth’s excess funds to the National Treasury was lawful and does not impair the constitutional right to health.
“It is lawful because, contrary to the claims of petitioners, the fund balance is not part of PhilHealth’s reserve fund. And the funds of PhilHealth, including that part sourced from sin taxes, are not a special fund under the Constitution,” Hermosura added. (See: https://www.dof.gov.ph/counsel-of-goccs-defends-philhealthstransfer-of-excess-funds-it-is-lawful-does-not-impair-theconstitutional-right-to-health-and-petitions-should-be-dismissed-by-the-supreme-court/) Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
ed to P35.805 billion.
For the 182-day government IOUs, the average yield settled at 5.081 percent, down by 6.7 basis points from last week’s 5.148 percent. Investors sought rates ranging from 5.025 percent to 5.110 percent
The government raised the full programmed amount of P8.5 billion after demands reached P41.350 billion.
Meanwhile, the average yield for the 364-day T-bill dipped to 5.195 percent, as it dropped by 7.7 basis points from the 5.272 percent recorded a week ago. The tenor fetched rates ranging from 5.145 percent to 5.244 percent.
Tenders for the debt papers reached P40.685 billion, with the auction committee awarding the full P8 billion on offer.
All three tenors were lower than
the secondary market levels. The Philippine Bloomberg Valuation (PHP BVAL) rates were as follows: 4.946 percent for 91-day, 5.198 percent for 182-day, and 5.304 percent for the 364-day tenor.
Michael L. Ricafort, chief economist at the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said the T-bill yields went down after the “generally orderly” and “relatively peaceful” protest rallies against corruption linked to flood control projects on September 21.
Ricafort said possible actions by authorities to address corruption allegations involving flood control projects could help improve governance standards.
He added that improved market sentiment on the Philippines, which is being considered to be included in JP Morgan’s Emerging Market Government Bond Index, could also help
attract more foreign investors to buy government bonds.
Investors’ expectations of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the US Federal Reserve reducing the policy rates in the coming months also drove T-bill yields lower.
“The series of BSP rate cuts in recent months and possible BSP and Fed rate cuts in the coming months led more investors to lock in yields before they go down further in the coming months amid unusually larger total bid/demand recently,” Ricafort said.
The Monetary Board, the highest policy-making body of the BSP, reduced the target reverse repurchase (RRP) rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 5 percent last August 27.
Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto, a member of the Monetary Board, said he is eyeing “at least one more rate cut” this year, depending on the
move of the US Federal Reserve and the country’s inflation data. “But clearly, I think we can reduce the policy rate by another 25 [bps],” Recto said. “I don’t think we’re in the final stretch [of the easing cycle.]” The government plans to raise a total of P2.6 trillion from domestic and external lenders. Of the amount, P488.174 billion will come from foreign financiers, while P2.111 trillion will be borrowed from local lenders. As of end-July, the government borrowed P1.757 trillion, P1.341 trillion of which came from the local debt market, while the remaining P415.918 billion was owed externally.
The government’s outstanding debt reached a new record-high of P17.563 trillion as of end-July, 11.9 percent
Cryptos sink as $1.5 billion in bullish bets erased
CRYPTOCURRENCY traders saw more than $1.5 billion in bullish wagers liquidated on Monday, triggering a sharp selloff that sent Ether and other tokens plunging.
Ether fell as much as 9 percent to $4,075 as nearly half a billion dollars of leveraged long positions in the second-largest token were liquidated according to data from Coinglass. Bitcoin declined 3 percent to $111,998 at one point. Coins like Solana, Algorand and Avalanche also dropped.
It was the biggest wave of liquidations across cryptocurrencies since at least March 27, the Coinglass data show.
Demand from publicly-listed vehicles set up to hoard tokens helped drive Bitcoin and Ether to alltime highs in August. That momentum has started to fade as shares of digital-asset treasury firms ranging from Michael Saylor’s Strategy to Japan’s Metaplanet Inc. retreated.
“It feels like the market needs a breather, with some participants concerned that the ‘DAT-trade’ is losing steam and there are no more meaningful inflows on the horizon,” said George Mandres, senior trader at XBTO Trading, using the acronym for digital-asset treasuries.
Bitcoin has been largely trading in a range of $110,100 and $120,000 since early July, with subdued volatility. During that period, Ether and Solana grabbed the spotlight among crypto traders, rallying 74 percent and 52 percent respectively since the start of July.
The sideways trading in Bitcoin comes as gold, the precious metal the original cryptoasset is often compared with, notches near-daily records. Gold reached an all-time high of almost $3,720 an ounce on Monday. Silver also advanced.
Easing monetary policy in the US has been a big factor in pushing gold and equities higher, although Bitcoin has had a more muted response to the Federal Reserve’s quarter-point rate cut last week. Several of the top crypto tokens are now nursing double-digit losses over the past five days, Bloomberg-compiled data show.
Data from CryptoQuant show the funding rate for Ether perpetual futures—the fee paid between traders to keep leveraged positions open—has turned negative, hitting its lowest level since last year’s unwind of the yen carry trade. It’s an indication that short sellers are dominating and paying longs to hold their positions.
On Monday, more than 407,000 traders saw their positions liquidated over a 24-hour period, the Coinglass data show. The resulting selloff dragged the overall digital-asset market size below $4 trillion, according to data from CoinGecko.
Why financial literacy is not enough
MOST Filipinos are already familiar with the basics of personal finance. Spend less than you earn. Save for the future. Avoid debt. Build an emergency fund. These lessons are familiar. They are often repeated in seminars, on social media, and in countless articles. Yet, despite knowing these principles, many still feel financially strained, stressed, and unprepared. Salaries come and go, but savings accounts stay empty. Budgets are created but not followed. Credit cards are swiped even with the best intentions to pay in full. If financial literacy were all we needed, why do so many of us still struggle?
The truth is, financial literacy is important; but it is not enough. Knowledge is only the first step. Real change happens when knowledge is combined with behavior, values, and emotional well-being. That is the heart of financial wellness.
The gap between knowing and doing LET’S start with a simple observation. We all know that eating vegetables is healthier than eating fast food. But on a busy day, the fast-food drive-thru wins. The same thing happens with money. We know saving is better than
spending, but when stress hits, online shopping feels like relief.
Financial literacy teaches us what to do. Financial wellness helps us understand why we don’t do it. The gap between knowing and doing is often filled with habits, emotions, and cultural expectations.
Consider the following examples.
A young professional knows the importance of saving 20 percent of her salary. But every payday, part of her income is sent to parents and siblings. She is proud to help, but she also feels trapped in the cycle of giving without building her own security.
A call center employee understands that credit card interest is expensive. Still, he pays only the minimum balance because daily expenses already feel overwhelming.
A couple wants to save for a house. They attend financial literacy seminars, but every month they argue about priorities. The numbers are clear, but their values and communication are not aligned.
In each case, lack of knowledge is not the problem. It is the pull of culture, emotion, and behavior.
Why literacy alone fails
I HAVE spoken at many financial litera-
“The disappointment stands out compared to tradfi, where equities have held up relatively better while crypto underperforms, reinforcing the sense that this move is more idiosyncratic to the asset class,” Sean McNulty, Asia-Pacific derivatives trading lead at FalconX. Bitcoin was trading at around $112,700 and Ether at $4,170 as of 11:20 a.m. in London. Bloomberg News
cy seminars and shared practical advice with my followers online. Each time, I see people get excited and motivated. They tell me they finally understand how to budget or how to start saving. But after a while, many of them come back with the same struggles. They ask the same questions, face the same problems, and fall into the same patterns. That’s when it hit me: learning the concepts is not the issue. The real challenge is turning knowledge into lasting change.
This is not because people are lazy or careless. With my background in psychology, I understand that human behavior is complex. Change takes time. Habits are hard to break. Emotions and environment play powerful roles in decision-making. Knowing the right thing to do does not automatically lead to doing it.
Filipinos also live in a unique financial environment. Cultural values like utang na loob (debt of gratitude) and family-first responsibilities shape our money decisions. The sandwich generation feels pressure from both sides, supporting children while also helping parents. These are not simply financial choices. They are emotional decisions tied to love, duty, and identity. On top of this, behavioral tendencies influence us. We give in to instant gratification. We tell ourselves, “I deserve this” after a stressful week. We overspend on gatherings or celebrations because saying no feels like rejecting our community. Financial literacy rarely addresses these realities.
Research also shows that money stress is one of the top causes of anxiety and lost productivity at work. It affects sleep, health, and relationships. Clearly, the problem is not just about numbers on a spreadsheet. It is about overall well-being.
What financial wellness offers
THIS is where financial wellness comes in. Financial wellness looks at the whole picture. It connects knowledge with behavior, money with mindset, and financial goals with personal values. It is not just about creating a budget. It is about creating peace of mind.
Financial wellness means: n Having healthy money habits that reduce stress instead of adding to it.
n Setting boundaries with family in a loving but sustainable way. n Saving and investing not just for the sake of numbers, but to support the life you want to live.
n Building resilience for emergencies so that one crisis does not push you into debt.
In other words, financial wellness is not only about “How much do I have?” but also “How do I feel about my money?” and “Is my money helping me live a balanced life?”
Moving forward
FINANCIAL literacy opened the door. It gave us the foundation. But to create lasting change, we must go further. Financial wellness is the next step. It allows us to apply what we know, align it with our values, and experience peace of mind in the process.
Because at the end of the day, money is not just about literacy: It is about wellness. And true wellness is when your finances give you the freedom to live, care for your loved ones, and pursue the future you dream of.
Janice Sabitsana is a Registered Financial Planner of RFP Philippines. For tips and resources, visit www. thepinayinvestor.com. To learn more about personal financial planning, attend the 113th RFP program this September 2025. E-mail info@rfp.ph or visit rfp.ph to learn more about the program. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the BusinessMirror
A DISPLAY of cryptocurrency logos at an exchange in Hong Kong, China, on July 14, 2025. PHOTOGRAPHER: PAUL YEUNG/BLOOMBERG
Art BusinessMirror
Artists spearhead Sorsogon City leg of worldwide photowalk
THE Kurit-Lagting Art Collective, a collaborative community of Bicolano artists united by their advocacies on human rights and the environment, will lead the Sorsogon City edition of Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photowalk, tagged as “the world’s largest global and social photography event.”
Founded by American photographer and author Scott Kelby, the annual event began in 2007 and draws nearly 25,000 participants around the world each year. The photowalk gives creatives a chance to snap photos, explore the city, and “support a cause that truly matters.” This year, the event aims to help Springs of Hope Kenya, a home and education center for orphaned children.
For the Sorsogon City leg of the worldwide photowalk, Kurit-Lagting Art Collective partnered with Delta Beta Omega (DBO) and the Concerned Artists of the Philippines Bicol Chapter (CAP Bicol). The event will be held simultaneously with other cities in the Philippines—each with their own walk
leaders, and in many locations around the world—on
October 4, from 3 to 5 pm. Photographers, artists, students and enthusiasts are expected to participate in a collective celebration of creativity, storytelling, and cultural awareness.
“This photowalk is more than just taking pictures,” said Judy Azul from the Kurit-Lagting Art Collective. “It is about reclaiming the power of images to tell stories that matter. As artists, we are committed to socially engaged work that reflects both the beauty and the struggles of our communities.”
The Sorsogon Photowalk carries the local theme
“Through the Lens of Truth: Responsible, Reliable, and Culturally Aware Storytelling.” It emphasizes photography as both a creative and ethical practice, shining the light on truth, responsibility, cultural identity, beauty, and social issues.
This year’s photowalk will be led by Venus Ashtred Briñola of the Kurit-Lagting Art Collective, highlighting women’s leadership in creative communities.
Passionate about both technology and art, Briñola graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering Technology Major in Architectural Drafting from Sorsogon State University. She brings her eye for detail and enthusiasm for visual storytelling as a photowalk leader, guiding participants in capturing inspiring images of Sorsogon.
The Sorsogon photowalk will begin at Sorsogon State University Pavilion and conclude at the Sorsogon Baywalk (Rompeolas), where participants can capture vibrant coastal scenes while sharing experiences and reflections from the day.
According to Choi Carretero and Allan Abrigo of the CAP Bicol, they hope to highlight photography as a cultural practice that is responsible, reliable, and aware of the social realities of our times.
Meanwhile, Ruth Jocutan of Rhymes of Peg, and John Vergel Doctor of Delta Beta Omega (DBO) said that by walking together, “we show how creativity and collaboration can shed light on the issues that shape our lives.”
“We support this initiative because technology and art go hand in hand,” added Gary George Clotario, COO of Gadgetry City. “By equipping local creatives with the tools for visual storytelling, we help them amplify their voices and showcase Sorsogon’s rich culture.”
The event will also launch the Sorsogon Arts and Culture Online Magazine, an independent, community-based publication that showcases the province’s rich heritage, local artistry, cultural traditions, and critical perspectives on the arts. This addition underscores the collective’s commitment to fostering creative expression, cultural awareness, and dialogue in Sorsogon.
While slots for online registration to the Sorsogon photowalk are already full, the organizers noted that they will still welcome a limited number of walk-in participants on the day of the event.
The Sorsogon photowalk is organized through the Sorsogon Initiatives for Culture and Arts Development (SICAD) and supported by Gadgetry City, Soffie’s, Koala Project, Project Mars, Rhymes of Peg (ROP), Sorsogon Arts Council, and Kuya Tonzkie Foodhouse.
Anik-anik, abubut, burloloy culture explored in art-making exhibition
YOUNG mixed-media artist Chleia Zyrille Samson, also known as Zyribubut, believes the overconsumption of expensive and trendy blind box collectibles undermines the true essence of the maximalist culture of anik-anik, abubut and burloloy in the Philippines.
The researcher-artist explained it is deeply ingrained in the homes of the Filipinos. The oversaturated representation of online personas on social media subjects it merely to an “aesthetic.”
“It is beyond just a collection of trinkets and objects and the action of taking up space. It is a communal matter
that manifests interconnectedness, sentimentality, and creativity among Filipinos,” she stressed.
“These are cultures that are abundant in life and our personal stories. Filipinos cling to these objects to have a sense of identity, connection, belonging, growth, even healing,” she added.
Motivated by individual narratives and lived experiences, the graduating student from the Arts Management (Creative Industries Management) Program of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) mounted Anak ng Abubut! It is an art-based research and solo
exhibition which invites viewers into the reexamination of the deeper essence and quintessence of anik-anik, abubot and burloloy
Anak ng Abubut! pays homage to my lolas [grandmothers], who have taught me to find beauty and joy in everyday, trivial objects,” Zyribubut shared.
“Moreover, it is the fruit of the life I have lived around the Bambang market with my family’s past ukay-ukay [thrift shop] business, and let’s not forget all the days I have shared and continue to do so with them in Divisoria, Quiapo, Bambang, and Monumento,” she added.
Held with the support of the Benilde Center for Campus Exhibitions (CCX), Anak ng Abubut! showcases a body of work which delves into what it means to transform ordinary, everyday, seemingly insignificant and often overlooked found objects into vessels of memory.
Anak ng Abubut! is free and open to the public. The ongoing show is available on view from Mondays through Saturdays, 10 am to 6 pm, at the 9th Floor Landing of the Benilde Design + Arts Campus. The exhibit runs until October 4, 2025.
More information is available at www. facebook.com/benilde.ccexhibitions.
22): You are heading in the right direction, but if your decisions will affect those who live with or close to you, take precautions when addressing domestic issues. Open discussions will help alleviate setbacks if you get approval before you begin. An unexpected change can occur if you act before speaking.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Take action to put your responsibilities behind you. The quicker you take care of business, the sooner you can enjoy your day. Don’t take risks with your money or your health. Do the research and say no to any offer that infringes on your financial security. Channel your energy into generating income, rather than spending it. ★★★★
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Recognize your worth, and present what you can do. Choose a direction that offers something you find engaging. Stop wasting time trying to do the impossible, and start moving forward in a way that brings you emotional gratification. Take a minimalist approach to life and consider the level of responsibility you’re willing to take on. ★★★
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Share thoughts civilly, and be willing to compromise rather than driving a wedge between you and what you want to pursue. Put your ego aside, keep your emotions to yourself and focus on facts, what’s possible and how to turn your plans into reality. ★★★
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Let your creative imagination determine your lifestyle. Your emotional well-being affects how you look and feel. Ensuring your space is comfortable and convenient will ease your mind and encourage you to take better care of yourself, your belongings and your prospects. Doing a stellar job, both personally and professionally, will pay off. ★★★★
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Err on the side of caution today. Say no to temptation and yes to taking care of responsibilities, as well as anything related to partnerships or joint ventures. Conduct thorough research and follow facts, figures and time constraints. Don’t count on others; if you want something done to your specifications, do it yourself. ★★
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Lifestyle matters. Whether you are dealing with financial, health or legal issues, it is best to stay informed. Your life, your choices; refuse to let anyone talk you into something you don’t agree with or want. Show interest, not anger; demonstrate your knowledge and experience, and they will carry you to victory. ★★★★★
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Share your thoughts, ask questions and make your demands clear but contingent on what you discover moving forward. Being willing to compromise and put in the necessary time and effort to reach your goal will be rewarding. Opportunity will present itself if you network. ★★★
BIRTHDAY BABY: You are persistent, detailed and energetic. You are dedicated and helpful.
Show BusinessMirror
Doors open wide for Ashtine Olviga
SOME may say that newbie Ashtine Olviga looks very ordinary but sometimes, the universe springs some wonderful surprises and an ordinary life is transformed in big, unexpected ways.
Truth be told, Olviga is starting to gain enough ground to surge ahead from other hopefuls in the very unpredictable world of show business.
This week, the movie Minamahal: 100 Bulaklak Para Kay Luna opens in local cinemas, and Olviga said she is both excited and nervous. “We will never know the outcome until the movie gets shown. All we know is that everyone involved in the making of this project gave our very best so the audience can have a wonderful time when they go watch the movie. But our hopes are high, and we are wishing for the best,” she told us. In this movie about young love, Olviga shares stellar billing with Andres Muhlach and their tandem will be put to real test.
Like Olviga, Muhlach is also overwhelmed with the support their loveteam is getting. “It’s almost unreal, you know, when Ashtine and I go around to promote the movie, we see mostly young fans screaming, some are even accompanied by their parents and relatives who also cheer for us. I just hope that the movie will do well in the box office, and the audience which it was intended for will go watch and enjoy the movie.”
He added, “Ashtine is a very nice young lady. She is very straighfroward and realistic too. I’m happy that she has already a lot of fans and I’m sure she will go far with her many talents and awesome personality. I’m just happy that I am doing my first full feature film with her.”
Recently, Olviga was named brand ambassador by the Japanese restaurant brand Boteyju, and she’s all ecstatic about this new achievement in her young career.
“I was initially dumbfounded when I was first told that I have secured this food endorsement because it takes any celebrity to a level higher when one becomes a brand endorser. I’m beyond thankful. Imagine, I will have my own standee in every branch of Boteyju throughout my contract period. I’m really excited about this new development in my young career,” she raved, grinning from ear to ear.
VR del Rosario, president and COO of Viva International Foods and Restaurants Inc., is excited about the new face of Boteyju. “Ashtine brings in a youthful, joyful energy to the brand. She is grounded, fun, and always eager to explore what good, comfort food is all about. Hers is an ideal image for the Japanese rice bowls that she is now endorsing.”
Those who know Olviga well are aware how much
she loves her family. “Every blessing I receive is meant to be shared with and enjoyed by my family. My family is my core, my foundation, my source of support and strength. Success always tastes better when shared with those we love,” she intoned.
P-pop group BINI to debut as first Filipino group act at Coachella
and flyers on the streets to having sold-out international arenas, BINI—touted as the country’s girl group—is set to make another historical milestone for OPM as they are headed to the biggest international music festival: the Coachella Valley of Music and Arts in 2026.
After a successful world tour, BINI—composed of Gwen, Sheena, Stacey, Jhoanna, Aiah, Mikha, Maloi, and Colet—would be back on the international stage as performers on April 10 and 17, 2026, according to Coachella’s socials.
The group would join acclaimed artists such as KATSEYE, Ethel Cain, Groove Armanda, fakemink, and many others, to be headlined by Grammy Award winner Sabrina Carpenter.
Tickets for Coachella would go on sale beginning September 19, 11 AM PT (Pacific Time). Prices ranged at $649 to $1,299 for Weekend 1 and $549 to $1,199 for Weekend 2. However, these are early bird prices and subject to change once the initial sale is over.
Filipinos, even Filipino-heritage, acts are rare in Coachella.
Previously, No Rome (Rome Gomez) became the first natural-born Filipino act to grace the Coachella stage. Other acts include London-based singer beabadoobee (Beatrice Kristi Laus) and Olivia Rodrigo. Also, there was a surprise appearance from dancer Niana Guerrero.
Now, BINI becomes the first group to perform in the acclaimed stage. Upon the announcement, BINI members took their joy to socials, saying it’s a dream come true for them.
P-pop members from different groups also gave their congratulations to the group, saying how crazy the lineup is for Coachella.
The Coachella news comes right after BINI getting nominations at Brazil’s BreakTudo awards.
They are nominated in three categories: International Female Group, International Collaboration for “Blink Twice [Dos Veces Remix]” with Spanish-Mexican artist Belinda, and International Fandom of the Year for Blooms.
They are also set to return at Philippine Arena for their Binified concert on November 29, 2025.
treat her family to a vacation, and she is eyeing Europe as their first travel destination. “I think traveling is always good and when you bring along the people you love and treasure, traveling becomes a priceless
opening for me.”
While BINI continues to carry the Filipino flag with blooming performances, here’s hoping they get the recognition they deserve in the biggest stage for music. PATRICK VILLANUEVA
GMA NETWORK WELCOMES VISUAL MAGIC COMPANY INC. EXECUTIVES DURING COURTESY VISIT
THE country’s leading broadcast media company GMA Network received top executives from Visual Magic Company Inc. during a courtesy visit held at the GMA Network Center on September 17. The visit explored future collaborations that will bring Filipino and Indian creativity to global audiences through potential film co-production initiatives. Representing Visual Magic Company Inc. were its chairman, multi-awarded actor, producer,
and cultural ambassador Mohanlal Viswanathan; chief executive officer Mohanraj Makkuni; Diamond Marketing Agency chief executive officer Gracie Walker; Sl Law Office founder and comanaging partner Atty. Julito R. Sarmiento; senior associate Atty. Mikaela Bernardino; and former CEO of Walt Disney India K. Madhavan, acting in his personal capacity as special advisor to Mr. Mohanla. Welcoming them were
GMA Network senior vice president for programming, talent management, worldwide and support group, and GMA Network Films Inc. president and CEO Atty. Annette GozonValdes; GMA Public Affairs senior assistant vice president and GMA Pictures producer and screenplay writer Angeli Atienza; and GMA Public Affairs assistant vice president for digital content and strategy and content partnerships Raphael Agoncillo.
After two big weekends, the North American box office takes a hit
By Lindsey Bahr
The Associated Press
NEITHER a Jordan Peele-produced horror nor a Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell romantic drama were enough to continue the September hot streak at the movies. After back-to-back weekends that had films majorly overperforming, first The Conjuring: Last Rights followed by the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—Infinity Castle, the North American box office slowed significantly. Overall ticket sales were down nearly 50 percent from last weekend, with the holdover champion Demon Slayer edging out the newcomer Him for first place, according to studio estimates on Sunday. Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures’ Demon Slayer added $17.3 million over the weekend, bringing its total to $104.7 million, which makes it the highest grossing anime film ever in North America.
The football horror with an estimated $13.5 million in ticket sales. Universal Pictures opened American theaters, where the audience was 52 percent male and 65 percent over the age of 25. Internationally, it earned $400,000. Produced by Peele’s Monkeypaw and directed by Justin Tipping, Him is about a promising young quarterback (Tyriq Withers) who is invited to train with a veteran (Marlon Wayans) at an isolated compound. Him scored with neither critics (it carries a 29 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) nor audiences, who gave the film a “C-” CinemaScore. In his review for The Associated Press, film writer Jake Coyle wrote that the film “was made with the potent premise of bringing the kind of dark, satirical perspective that characterizes a Monkeypaw production to our violent national pastime. But that promise gets fumbled in an allegorical chamber play that grows increasingly tedious.”
Him was also nearly upstaged by another horror, The Conjuring: Last Rights, $13 million in its third weekend. With a global total of $400 million, it’s now the biggest film in the Conjuring universe. They are two of three horror movies in this weekend’s top 10, including Weapons. According to data firm Comscore, this year that genre alone has generated $1.1 billion in domestic box office receipts, just several million short of the 2017 record driven by It and Get Out.
streak,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of marketplace trends. “It’s going to be a record-breaking year.” In addition to Demon Slayer, Sony had a new film this weekend as well: The
“Horror movies have been on a bit of a hot
Indeed, doors are opening wide for Ashtine Olviga,
GMA Network senior vice president for programming, talent management, worldwide, and support group, and GMA network films president and CEO Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes, and Visual Magic Company Inc. chairman Mohanlal Viswanathan
President Marcos declares 2nd week of September as National Pensioners’ Week
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Proclamation No. 1020 last September 10, officially declaring the second week of September of every year as “National Pensioners’ Week.”
The proclamation recognizes the contributions of pensioners and ensures their welfare through adequate social protection. It designates the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS) as lead implementing agencies.
GSIS Officer in Charge Juliet Bautista welcomed the proclamation, saying: “This recognition institutionalizes what GSIS has long believed: that our pensioners deserve not just our gratitude but sustained support as they have dedicated years of service to the nation, With the National Pensioners’ Week, we have a permanent platform to celebrate their contributions while expanding programs and services that truly matter to them.”
For his part, SSS President and CEO Robert Joseph De Claro remarked: “We are so blessed that the President has signed the executive order declaring the second week of September as National Pensioners’ Week. Rest assured that together with GSIS, we will always work
to improve your benefits,” SSS President and CEO Robert Joseph De Claro said.
In his directive, President Marcos emphasized the importance of honoring pensioners’ contributions and raising awareness on social security protection.
Even before the proclamation, GSIS and SSS had already mounted a joint National Pensioners’ Day at the GSIS Head Office in Pasay City, attended by more than 200 pensioners from various organizations. The event featured free wellness checkups, pampering services, a film showing, distribution of tokens, and the awarding of land titles to pensioners,
highlighting the proactive efforts of the two agencies to bring services closer to retirees.
By institutionalizing National Pensioners’ Week, the government affirms its commitment to continuously uplift the welfare of pensioners.
GSIS, in particular, has already carried forward reforms such as the removal of the survivorship pension cap, abolition of the cohabitation rule as a ground for suspension of survivorship pension, and easing of rules for the Christmas Cash Gift, alongside innovative services through the GSIS Touch app.
GameZone set to create another splash with GTCC: September Arena
WITH the success of the Summer Showdown by GameZone, the newest Tongits provider in the Philippines, upholds its historic year by igniting the Tongits arena once again with GameZone Tablegame Champions Cup (GTCC): September Arena, with a P10 million prize pool at stake.
Last June, the GTCC: Summer Showdown dazzled fans with a mesmerizing display of Tongits battle while splashing out the same total rewards with the upcoming rendition of the tournament.
GameZone is eager to ride the momentum by collating 36 top-notch Tongits players in the country to battle it out on the September Arena. They will be selected from fierce and competitive qualifiers to measure their skills and card game mastery. Aspiring participants will go through daily and weekly tournaments before the Online Finals to determine worthy players for the offline event.
The GTCC: September Arena promises to provide an intense Tongits spectacle with life-changing prizes up for grabs, exclusively for worthy champions of the tournament.
To know more about the tournament, just visit the official website of GameZone— gzone.ph. Join in the fun to be included in the divine list of GTCC Champions!
Above all, GameZone promotes responsible gaming. Play Responsibly. Play for fun only. Gambling is not an acceptable way of livelihood, and it does not solve any financial problem.
Yamaha unleashes speed, power, performance in Cebu
YAMAHA Motor Philippines, Inc.
roared into the Queen City of the South with the Cebu leg of the Yamaha Motorshow titled “The Edge of Speed,” delivering a powerful showcase of raw power and peak motorcycle performance over three-action packed days at the SM Seaside City Cebu. The showcase captured the heart of the region’s thriving riding community and marked another milestone in Yamaha’s commitment to bringing next-level mobility experiences to Visayas.
The event opened on September 12, 2025, with a high-performance launch featuring the much-anticipated Aerox and Aerox SP. Moto enthusiasts were welcomed into a dynamic display of Yamaha’s latest models, highlighting their performance capabilities across both commuter and sport segments. The crowd were also treated to a thrilling exhibition ride featuring the Yamaha Philippine Racing Team, Yamaha executives, and the Drama Moto Club. The live demo added adrenaline-pumping excitement as spectators witnessed the power and performance capabilities of the newest
models in real time action. This set a striking start and tone for the entire weekend.
On the second day, September 13, 2025, the Motorshow shifted into racing mode with the Racing Showcase and the Yamaha Club Day, bringing together rider communities from across Visayas. The day’s centerpiece was the Speed Rally where select YClub members teamed up with the Yamaha Philippines Racing Team and the Blu Cru riders for an outdoor track experience. This gave them the opportunity to push the new Aerox and Aerox SP to the limits, proving the bike’s enhanced performance and handling in a competitive setting.
Beyond the track, the Yamaha Club Day was a celebration of rider community and shared passion across the Visayas region. YClub members explored exclusive perks, connected with fellow riders, and immersed themselves in the Yamaha lifestyle that continues to fuel a strong sense of identity and pride that defines the community in the region. The final day, September 14, 2025, focused on giving the public hands-on experience. The
Tourism Malaysia Manila Celebrates Visit Malaysia 2026
THE Malaysia Embassy in Manila, through the Tourism Malaysia Office recently announced the Malaysia Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Food Festival 2025 and the launching of Visit Malaysia 2026 which took place at the Concourse, Level 2, One Ayala from September 12 to 13, 2025. This promotional event is one of several initiatives aimed at strengthening Malaysia-
Philippines bilateral relations. Its goals include raising public awareness about the upcoming Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign, fostering deeper cultural understanding, and strengthening connections between Malaysia and the Philippines.
During the event, visitors had the opportunity not only to watch and enjoy the traditional cultural performances, take part in a traditional Kebaya Nyonya fashion showcase by an award-winning heritage fashion designer and culture advocate Dr. Kenny Loh, but were also able to taste authentic Malaysian cuisine by celebrity Dato’ Chef Ismail Ahmad. There were also opportunities for visitors to purchase attractive travel packages from participating travel agencies and airlines.
Malaysia is targeting 43 million foreign visitors this year and 47 million visitors during the Visit Malaysia Year 2026. From January to July this year, there were 349,012 Filipino arrivals into Malaysia, reflecting an increase of 8.7 percent as against the same period in 2024. In conjunction with the Philippine chairmanship of ASEAN in 2026, AirAsia will soon introduce services between Cebu and Kuala Lumpur, It is hoped that the new route will encourage two-way tourism from both sides, especially from the southern part of the Philippines.
Wilcon Depot Joins PHILBEX Cebu 2025
WILCON once again affirmed its support in driving growth in Cebu’s construction and design landscape by participating in PHILBEX 2025 held from September 11 to 14 at the IEC Convention Center (IC3).
Cebu played host to this year’s largest Philippine Building and Construction Exposition in the South. Organized by Worldbex Services International, the four-day expo brought together innovators, leaders, and decision-makers shaping the country’s construction and building industry.
Wilcon carried its brand promise of enriching Filipino homes in the expo. It showcased top-of-the-line products from its portfolio, including trusted brands such as Rubi, Hills, Birke, Sefa, Pozzi, Hamden, Franke, and more. Each product line champions Wilcon’s commitment to delivering reliable solutions that address the growing home improvement demands of Cebu. It also featured Wilcon’s ABCDE+ loyalty membership programs for industry professionals and interactive activities that allowed visitors to experience firsthand the quality and functionality of its premium products.
test ride remained open throughout the day, allowing more visitors to explore Yamaha’s latest motorcycles firsthand. From seasoned riders to curious first timers, the crowd eagerly took advantage of the opportunity to experience the precise control and power performance of the new Aerox and Aerox SP up close.
Inside the exhibit area, the public explored the booths, participated in the activities, and took home exclusive merchandise. The atmosphere was energetic and immersive, a fitting close to a weekend dedicated to delivering value, excitement, and real connections with the community.
The Cebu leg of the Yamaha Motorshow underlines the brand’s strategic focus on Visayas, a rapidly growing market with a vibrant hub of motorcycle culture. Cebu, in particular, continues to be a key touchpoint for Yamaha as home for one of the most loyal and passionate rider communities in the country. By bringing the Motorshow to Cebu, Yamaha reinforces its drive to deliver speed, power, and performance not just on the road but on every rider’s journey.
PHILBEX Cebu, recognized as one of the region’s largest and most anticipated trade shows. The expo provided an opportunity for the company to showcase its extensive offerings and reinforce its message of accessibility, innovation, and quality to the Visayan market. Since its introduction in 1997 as the Visayas counterpart of WORLDBEX in Manila, PHILBEX Cebu has grown into one of the region’s leading industry events. Looking ahead, Wilcon remains committed to elevating customer experience through innovative store concepts, expanded product lines, and digital initiatives. From tiles, sanitaryware, plumbing, furniture, and appliances to hardware, building materials, electrical, and DIY needs, Wilcon Depot continues to strengthen its role as a key partner in shaping the Visayas’ construction and design landscape, delivering solutions that drive progress and enhance everyday living. Visit any of Wilcon Depot’s 12 branches in the Visayas located in Makato, Aklan; Dauis, Bohol; Mandaue City, Cebu; Talisay
Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino
City, Cebu; Jaro, Iloilo; Sta. Barbara, Iloilo; Ormoc City, Leyte; Tacloban City, Leyte; BacolodTalisay, Negros Occidental; Villamonte, Bacolod; Roxas, Capiz, and Cordova Cebu.
Wilcon Depot’s booth at PHILBEX Cebu.
The official logo of the GameZone Tablegame Champions Cup
Trump ramps up retribution campaign with push for Bondi to pursue cases against his political foes
By Meg Kinnard The Associated Press
EIGHT months into his second term, President Donald Trump’s long-standing pledge to take on those he perceives as his political enemies has prompted debates over free speech, media censorship and political prosecutions.
From late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension to Pentagon restrictions on reporters and an apparent public appeal to Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue legal cases against his adversaries, Trump has escalated moves to consolidate power in his second administration and root out those who have spoken out against him.
In a post on social media this weekend addressed to Bondi, Trump said “nothing is being done” on investigations into some of his foes.
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” he said. Noting that he was impeached and criminally charged, “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
Criticizing investigations into Trump’s dealings under Democratic President Joe Biden’s Justice Department, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Sunday that “it is not right for the Trump administration to do the same thing.”
Directive to Bondi to investigate political opponents
TRUMP has ratcheted up his discussion of pursuing legal cases against some of his political opponents, part of a vow for retribution that has been a theme of his return to the White House. He publicly pressed Bondi this weekend to move forward with such investigations. Trump posted somewhat of
an open letter on social media Saturday to his top prosecutor to advance such inquiries, including a mortgage fraud probe into New York Attorney General Letitia James and a possible threat case against former FBI Director James Comey.
He posted that he had “reviewed over 30 statements and posts” that he characterized as criticizing his administration for a lack of action on investigations. “We have to act fast—one way or the other,” Trump told reporters later that night at the White House. “They’re guilty, they’re not guilty—we have to act fast. If they’re not guilty, that’s fine. If they are guilty or if they should be charged, they should be charged. And we have to do it now.”
Trump later wrote in a followup post that Bondi was “doing a GREAT job.”
Paul, a frequent Trump foil from the right, was asked during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about the propriety of a president directing his attorney general to investigate political opponents. The senator decried “lawfare in all forms.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said it was “unconstitutional and deeply immoral for the president to jail or to silence his political enemies.” He warned it could set a worrisome precedent for both parties.
“It will come back and boomerang
on conservatives and Republicans at some point if this becomes the norm,” Murphy told ABC’s “This Week.”
The Senate’s Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Trump is turning the Justice Department “into an instrument that goes after his enemies, whether they’re guilty or not, and most of them are not guilty at all, and that helps his friends. This is the path to a dictatorship. That’s what dictatorships do.”
The Justice Department did not respond Sunday to a message seeking comment.
Appointment of new prosecutor in Letitia James investigation
EACH new president nominates his own US attorneys in jurisdictions across the country. And Trump has already worked to install people close to him in some of those jobs, including former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro in the District of Columbia and Alina Habba, his former attorney, in New Jersey.
Trump has largely stocked his second administration with loyalists, continuing Saturday with the nomination of a White House aide as top federal prosecutor for the office investigating James, a longtime foe of Trump.
Trump announced Lindsey Halligan to be the US attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia
on Saturday, just a day after Erik Siebert resigned from the post and Trump said he wanted him “out.”
Trump said he was bothered that Siebert had been supported by the state’s two Democratic senators.
“There are just two standards of justice now in this country. If you are a friend of the president, a loyalist of the president, you can get away with nearly anything, including beating the hell out of police officers,” Murphy said, mentioning the defendants in the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol pardoned by Trump as he returned to office. “But if you are an opponent of the president, you may find yourself in jail.”
Not all Republicans have applauded the move. On his podcast Friday, GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called it “unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we’re going to decide what speech we like and what we don’t, and we’re going to threaten to take you off air if we don’t like what you’re saying.”
New restrictions on Pentagon reporters
TRUMP has styled himself as an opponent of censorship, pledging in his January inaugural address to “bring free speech back to America” and signing an executive order that no federal officer, employee or agent may unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen.
Under a 17-page memo distributed Friday, the Pentagon stepped up restrictions on the media, saying it will require credentialed journalists to sign a pledge to refrain from reporting information that has not been authorized for release, including unclassified information. Journalists who don’t abide by the policy risk losing credentials that provide access to the Pentagon.
Asked Sunday if the Pentagon should play a role in determining what journalists can report, Trump said, “No, I don’t think so.”
“Nothing stops reporters. You know that,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House for Charlie Kirk’s memorial service.
Trump has sued numerous media organizations for negative coverage, with several settling with the president for millions of dollars. A federal judge in Florida tossed out Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The
New York Times on Friday. Jimmy Kimmel ouster and FCC warning
PERHAPS the most headlinegrabbing situation involves ABC’s indefinite suspension Wednesday of veteran comic Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show. What he said about Kirk’s killing had led a group of ABC-affiliated stations to say it would not air the show and provoked some ominous comments from a top federal regulator.
Trump celebrated on his social media site: “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”
Earlier in the day, the Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, who has launched investigations of outlets that have angered Trump, said Kimmel’s comments were “truly sick” and that his agency has a strong case for holding Kimmel, ABC and network parent Walt Disney Co. accountable for spreading misinformation.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., argued that Kimmel’s ouster wasn’t a chilling of free speech but a corporate decision.
“I really don’t believe ABC would have decided to fire Jimmy Kimmel over a threat,” he said Sunday on CNN. “ABC has been a longstanding critic of President Trump. They did it because they felt like it didn’t meet their brand anymore.”
Not all Republicans have applauded the move. On his podcast Friday, GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called it “unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we’re going to decide what speech we like and what we don’t, and we’re going to threaten to take you off air if we don’t like what you’re saying.”
Trump called Carr “a great American patriot” and said Friday that he disagreed with Cruz.
A rushed rescue saves Gaza archeological items before Israeli strike on warehouse
By Melanie Lidman
The Associated Press
JERUSALEM—Nine hours of frantic negotiation with the Israeli military. A last-minute scramble to find trucks in a devastated Gaza Strip, where fuel is in short supply. Six hours of frantic packing, carefully stacking cardboard boxes on open flatbed trucks. With an Israeli airstrike looming, aid workers carried out a lastminute rescue mission to salvage thousands of priceless artifacts from a Gaza warehouse before the building was flattened. The warehouse contained artifacts from over 25 years of excavations, including items from a 4th-century Byzantine monastery designated as a World Heritage Site by the U.N. cultural organization UNESCO, and some of the oldest known evidence of Christianity in Gaza. The Israeli military said the building housed Hamas intelligence installations and planned to demolish it as part of their expanded military operation in Gaza City.
“It’s not just about Palestinian heritage or Christian heritage, it’s something important to the world heritage here, protected by UNESCO,” explained Kevin Charbel, the emergency field coordinator
for Première Urgence Internationale, a humanitarian organization which has worked in Gaza since 2009. PUI is a health organization that also works toward the protection of Gaza’s cultural heritage.
Negotiating against the clock COGAT, Israel’s defense body in charge of humanitarian aid, notified PUI of the demolition plan last Wednesday morning. The warning was triggered by a notification system managed by the international NGOS to let the Israeli military know that a specific area is a sensitive site such as a school, hospital, or warehouses holding humanitarian aid.
Charbel, who is based in Gaza City on a temporary humanitarian rotation, spent nine hours furiously negotiating with the Israeli military for a delay to allow workers to move the artifacts to a safer location. But the challenge was larger than just holding off the military. As Israel expands its operation in Gaza City, other organizations were in disarray, and no one could locate trucks to transport the artifacts at such short notice.
“Five minutes before I had to accept this was going to be evaporated in front of us, another actor offered us transport,” said Charbel. PUI worked with the Latin
Patriarchate of Jerusalem to move the artifacts to a safer location in Gaza City that is not being disclosed for security reasons.
The French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem, a venerated archaeological institution in the region which oversaw the Dead Sea Scrolls excavation in Israel, was responsible for the storage of about 80 square meters (860 sq ft) of archaeological artifacts in the Al-Kawthar high-rise building in Gaza City. PUI was providing security for the site.
Dozens of ancient archaeological sites have been found in Gaza, including temples, monasteries, palaces, churches, mosques and
mosaics. Many of them have been lost to urban sprawl and looting. UNESCO is struggling to preserve some of those that remain. Some of the sites date back 6,000 years, when Gaza was a central stop on trade routes between Egypt and the Levant, and the emergence of urban societies began to transform farming villages.
The artifacts rescued this week include ceramic jugs, mosaics, coins, painted plasterwork, human and animal remains, and items excavated from the Saint Hilarion Monastery, one of the oldest known examples of Christian monastic communities in the Middle East, according to UNESCO.
No time for normal preparation STARTING just after sunrise on Thursday, workers rushed to pack five flatbed trucks with as many delicate artifacts as they possibly could in the space of six hours. Artifacts, which had been carefully stored and documented in the warehouse, were hurriedly packed in cardboard boxes, with nearly 2,000-year-old pottery resting on the sandy ground.
Charbel noted that transporting such old artifacts usually requires intense preparation and special provisions to protect delicate objects, something that wasn’t possible in this instance.
The Israeli military does not allow the use of closed container trucks, exposing the artifacts to additional dangers. Several items were broken en route and others had to be left behind. Israel destroyed the building on Sunday, claiming Hamas had positioned observation posts and intelligence-gathering infrastructure within it.
Over the past week, Israel has demolished multiple high-rise buildings in Gaza City, part of its dramatic warnings to civilians to evacuate ahead of the ground offensive, which began on Tuesday morning.
UNESCO said Israel has damaged at least 110 cultural sites across the Gaza Strip, including 13 religious sites, 77 buildings of historical or artistic interest, one museum, and seven archaeological sites, since the beginning of the war in October 2023. During the archaeological rescue, Charbel said, he and other aid workers also wrestled with deeper questions. Did it make sense to direct so many resources, including desperately needed fuel and trucks, risking the lives of multiple people who worked under constant threat of bombardment, for inanimate historical objects, when the humanitarian situation is so dire? Charbel said he was worried about spending so much time arguing over the archaeological artifacts when they also needed to negotiate with COGAT about life-saving water, food, and medicine.
“But we accepted to do this, because it’s so valuable, this stuff, it’s of such importance to world history and also Palestinian history,” said Charbel. “Destroying early examples of Christian history in Palestine would erase it
As Israel’s ground operation expands, the artifacts are being held in a different location in Gaza City. However, they are outside, exposed to the elements, and remain in grave danger as strikes intensify.
ATTORNEY General Pam Bondi speaks to reporters as President Donald Trump listens, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. AP/JACQUELYN MARTIN
By Aldrin Quinto
YOUNG Aleksandar Nikolov came up with the blistering attacks and Bulgaria stood tall defending the net to shut down Portugal, 25–19, 25–23, 25–13, and advance to the quarterfinals of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Monday.
The Bulgarians showed cohesion in transition plays and proved tactically smart in out-of-system situations, coming up with 37 attack points in the dominant showing, with 21-yearold Nikolov delivering 19 points on 17 attacks.
M artin Atanasov had nine points, including five attacks and three of Bulgaria’s 11 block points for Bulgaria, which advanced through Pool E with a three-match sweep, continued its stellar run and booked its first quarterfinal appearance since the 2010 World Championship in Italy.
B ulgaria shut down Portugal’s attacks with seven players posting at least one block point.
“I t’s great, I’m super proud of the team. That’s all I’m gonna say,” Nikolov said. “I don’t wanna get ahead of myself but we’re feeling confident. We’re gonna come out swinging in the quarterfinals.”
S kipper Aleks Grozdanov scored eight, including two blocks, while Simeon Nikolov also had two blocks and finished with four points.
Bulgaria shut down Portugal’s offense early and punctuated the match with a crushing finish, with a relentless third-set surge that left the Portuguese scrambling.
With Atanasov and Co. patrolling the net for Bulgaria, the Portuguese had an inefficient attacking effort, and came up with only 23 total attack points.
Six of those attack points came from Lourenco Martins, the only Portuguese player to finish in double figures with 10 points.
Nuno Marques scored six, all on attacks. Bulgaria next faces either the US or Slovenia.
By Josef Ramos
NO less that the president of volleyball’s world governing body FIVB rated the Philippines’ first-time and solo hosting of the Men’s World Volleyball Championship a perfect 10.
“It is 10 out of 10,” said Fabio Azevedo, president of the FIVB—acronym for International Volleyball Federation—after taking an LRT 2 ride from Recto Avenue in Manila to Cubao in Quezon City on Monday morning.
“These guys really rock,” added Azevedo, referring to the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of host federation Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) which is managing the world championship that started in two venues— SM Mall of Asia Arena and Smart Araneta Coliseum—last September 12 and ends this Sunday with the gold and bronze medal matches at the Pasay City facility.
“The way they worked from the beginning, preparing every single detail of the world championships and being absolutely focused and concerned about the quality and persistence up to the service towards our athletes,” Azevedo said. “So, our athletes, they are 100 percent satisfied.”
T he LOC is co-chaired by William Vincent Vinny Araneta Marcos, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano and Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco with Senator Pia Cayetano, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino and Manuel V. Pangilinan as members. PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara—also head of the Asian Volleyball Confederation and FIVB executive vice president of the FIVB—is the president
of the LOC with PNVF secretary general Don Caringal as event director.
“If you check every single point in terms of promotion, games, branding, activation, co-presentation, fan engagement, venue we are playing, it is an Olympic international standard,” Azevedo said.
FIVB Azevedo rides LRT2
THE Philippine experience for FIVB president Fabio Azevedo wasn’t all matches—a ride at LRT 2 made his day on Monday as the country braced for a dramatic change in weather with Typhoon Nando expected to hit land later in the day.
may be prohibitive.
In creasing subsidized or low-cost holiday sports programs, especially in lower-income or rural communities. Ensure transport or location isn’t a barrier.
Programs offer mixed-ability, mixed-interest options, not just competitive or high-skill sports but fun, exploratory, non-traditional sports. Sports mash-ups and creative games are good examples.
A s data shows, participation drops off during teenage years. Holiday programs might be used to keep interest in
“I t’s fantastic, great job,” said Azevedo after riding one of LRT 2’s trains that was wrapped and adorned from end to end with branding for the world championship.
A zevedo was joined in the 8.4-km ride from the Recto Station to Cubao Station by PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, chairman Dr. Arnel Haja, secretary-general Don Caringal and directors Carmela Gamboa, Yul Benosa, Karl Chan and Tonyboy Liao, as well as AVC secretary-general Hugh Graham and top officials of the FIVB and Volleyball World. M embers of Alas Pilipinas Men and Women took the same ride during preworld championship promotions in
August and September as part of the Light Rail Transit Authority’s support for the event.
“Filip inos, they love our sport. Filipinos, they are so warmly welcoming each one of us coming to the country.” Azevedo said. “I can assure you that each and every one of the athletes and entourage, they are being here to perform during the world championships. They are extremely happy.” They saw our promotions and they’re all happy with how we worked to launch all of these,” Suzara said. “We must keep promoting the games and we are all happy to see fans come along to watch the games live.”
POLAND star Tomasz Fornal was delighted to be one of the seven athletes honored in the Volleyball Legacy Art Project—an initiative of the FIVB Volleyball Foundation held in celebration of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in the country.
Fornal, Alas Pilipinas’s Bryan Bagunas, Italy’s Simone Giannelli, Brazil’s Ricardo Lucarelli, France’s Jean Patry, Japan’s Yuki Ishikawa and the USA’s Erik Shoji were immortalized in a vibrant outdoor mural on a basketball court in Barangay Don Galo in Parañaque City.
The 28-year-old outside hitter, one of the fan favorites in the world championship, said the honor was truly special and expressed his gratitude for being forever etched in Manila.
“I t looks amazing. I’m very happy to be part of this—it’s something truly special for me,” Fornal said in an interview with the FIVB. “Now, I’ll be here forever in Manila.”
T he Volleyball Legacy Art Project
play and sport alive during those years.
Part of the school holiday sports programs working is ensuring families know what is available, when and how to register. Some programs being cancelled due to low sign-ups suggests either insufficient demand or lack of awareness.
Training coaches make sure safe practice, ensuring rest, not overloading youth, particularly for multi-sport or high intensity offerings.
Like sport, it is a team effort when schools, local councils, sports trusts, clubs and families working together to share resources, avoid duplication and cover gaps.
C ustomizing school holiday sports programs through collecting good data on participation, outcomes (physical, mental, social), dropout reasons, satisfaction. Helps tailor programs better.
W hat happens to children who don’t engage in sport; Increased sedentariness, obesity, poorer health outcomes in children.
Social isolation, loss of opportunity to learn important life skills via sport which leads to drop off in lifelong sport participation, leading to health and social costs later. Inequities deepen between kids who can afford/access programmes and those who can’t but both the local and national government are working together to address the aforementioned.
aims to foster the growth of the sport while inspiring the next generation to embrace volleyball.
I t also showcases the unique fusion of art and athletics, serving as a landmark celebration of the first-ever Men’s World Championship held in the Southeast Asian region.
Renowned urban artist Maya Carandang, the creative force behind MAYA100, brought the mural to life.
FI VB president Fabio Azevedo and executive vice president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, also head of the Asian Volleyball Confederation and the Philippine National Volleyball Federation, as well as Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio, Bagunas and Carandang all graced the event.
A fter the unveiling, the court immediately became a hub of activity as children from the neighborhood tested out the space, playing beneath the vibrant mural of their volleyball idols. www.philippineswch2025.com
Samal 5150 triathlon Damosa Land Inc. president Gary Lagdameo (third from left) stresses a point during the press conference for the inaugural Damosa Land 5150 Triathlon Saturday in the
ALEKS GROZDANOV of Bulgaria denies Portugal’s Filip Cveticanin. ROY DOMINGO
INTERNATIONAL Volleyball Federation president Fabio Azevedo (third from left) with (from left) Philippine National Volleyball Federation director Carmela Gamboa, secretary-
general Don Caringal and president Ramon “Tats” Suzara. NONIE REYES
STARS of world championship are immortalized in Barangay Don Galo. NONIE REYES
